secretary general told the "newshour," he still believes agreement is possible. i'll have a report. >> brown: there were some steps forward today, including pledges to protect rainforests. we'll see how that could play out in the amazon. >> lehrer: then, a performance review for federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. economist james galbraith and former fed vice chair alice rivlin debate his record. >> brown: and the relevance in our time of john maynard keynes: "newshour" economics correspondent paul solman has a somewhat off-beat explanation. ♪ my general theory made quite an impression i transformed the econ profession, you know me, modesty say it loud and say it clear, we're all keynesians now. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's "pbs newshour."

also, check out our education site, "newshour extra." there are daily classroom activities, in-depth lesson plans, and opportunities for students to try their hand at writing and reporting. and finally, some good news from elkhart, indiana, the heart of unemployment country. paul solman went there earlier this year to report about manufacturing towns hard hit in this recession. he's posted a follow-up blog that shows things are looking up-- people are buying recreational vehicles again, and factories are hiring. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> woodruff: and again to our honor roll of american service personnel killed in the iraq and afghanistan conflicts. we add them as their deaths are made official and photographs become available. here, in silence, are ten more. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among others. have a happy christmas eve. thank you and good night. maj

intel is a "newshour" underwriter. it called the f.t.c.omplaint "misguided" and said it competes "fairly and lawfully." >> sreenivasan: the european union has dropped a long- standing anti-trust case against microsoft. the software giant agreed today to give users in europe a choice among a dozen web browsers and not just microsoft's own "internet explorer." the e.u. dispute with microsoft has dragged on for more than a decade, and the company has already paid more than $2 billion in fines. the u.s. house voted today to let the treasury borrow another $290 billion over six weeks. that way the government will not default when it hits the current debt ceiling of $12 trillion in the coming days. on the house floor, republicans and democrats skirmished over calls to rein in spending. >> when will it stop? when will washington get the message that we can't borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing america. and then we come here right before the christmas break, on the day we're probably heading out of this building, and we're going to

the pbs newshour major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what if that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. >> trial 11. >> let's do it again. we are intel. sponsors of tomorrow. >> and bank of america. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: senate democrats cleared the way today to approve their health care reform bill. they did it with a middle of the night party-line vote to force an end to debate. newshour health correspondent betty anne bow

also travelling this week, the newshour's margaret warner. she's filing regularly as she explores european attitudes toward afghanistan. we'll see you at newshour-dot- we'll see you at newshour.pbs.org. >> lehrer: and again, to our honor roll of american service personnel killed in the iraq and afghanistan conflicts. we add them as their deaths are made official and photographs become available. here, in silence, are nine more. >> ifill: and that's the pbs newshour for tonight. i'm gwen ifill. >> lehrer: thanks, gwen, we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. i'm jim lehrer. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what makes us an engine for the economy? plants across america. nearly 200,000 jobs created. we see beyond cars. chevron, human energy. and monsanto. the national science foundation. supporting education and research across all fields of science and engineering. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corpor

the newshour continues always online. hari sreenivasan in our newsroom has what's on our new website. hari. >> sreenivasan: all this week on paul solman's making sense page. we're asking leading economists to make predictions for 2010. tonight: where will the economic crisis strike next? also, you'll find paul's personal rememberance of economist paul samuelson. and before he left for copenhagen, ray suarez joined me at the rundown to talk about the h1n1 flu documentary that's airing tonight on pbs. we've launched an "anatomy of a pandemic" web site, where you can ask questions to the head of flu response at the cdc. dr. anne schuchat and flu expert dr. michael osterholm. you can visit us at newshour.pbs.org. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you on-line. and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. t

the newshour continues now online.r what's there this evening on our new website back to hari sreenivasan in our newsroom. hari. >> sreenivasan: on our web site tonight you can watch all of president obama's speech in oslo. and on our education page, newshour extra, there's an interview with this year's winner of the international children's peace prize. on paul solman's making sense page a web exclusive video on retirement. is it good or bad for your health? and on jeff's art beat blog, the first in a series about the future of reading it's on writing short stories for twitter and other new media formats. speaking of new media, you can now follow us on twitter. friend us on facebook. find us on flickr. and watch us on youtube where there's a special welcome message from jim lehrer. you'll find all those links at newshour.pbs.org. jeff. >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm jeffrey brown. >> lehrer: we'll see you on-line and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among others. i'm

. >> lehrer: that's all coming up on tonight's pbs newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to haran's best selling whole wheat, while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> what makes us an engine for the economy? plants across america. nearly 200,000 jobs created. we see beyond cars. monsanto. producing more. conserving more. improving farmers' lives. that's sustainable agriculture. more at producemoreconservemore.com.

judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening, with jim lehrer's exclusive interview with president obama at the white house. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what is that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. intel. supporting coverage of innovation and the economy. >> and by bnsf railway. and monsanto. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the cor

major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what if that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. >> what makes us an engine for the economy? plants across america. nearly 200,000 jobs created. we see beyond cars. >> this is the engine that bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: officials from washington to amsterdam shed more light today on the plot to destroy northwest flight 253. ray s

>> woodruff: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among others. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: when someone you count on is not responsive, bad things could happen. grant thornton. monsanto. producing more. er

judy. >> woodruff: jim, the newshour continues now online.or a preview of what you'll find this evening on our brand new website. back to hari sreenivasan in our newsroom. hari. >> hari: judy, on our web site today we've given economic correspondent paul solman's making sense series a makeover. you can watch a preview of his upcoming story about older workers in search of jobs. and ask paul questions about the recession. the president's plan for creating jobs or other economic topics on your mind. ray suarez has two video postcards from ann arbor, michigan. one on zingerman's deli and the other on the rise of digital media. and on jeffrey brown's art beat blog our correspondents pick their favorite books, movies and performances of 2009. all of that, and our new blog of news and insight it's called 'the rundown', and we update it throughout the day. you can find it all at newshour.pbs.org. judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. jim. >> lehrer: thanks, judy. we'll see you on-line and again here tomorrow even

the "newshour" is always online.r newsroom, previews what you'll find there. hari. >> sreenivasan: on our web site tonight, you can compare how people who live in different types of economies are faring this holiday season. our "patchwork nation" hardship index measures gas prices, foreclosures and unemployment. on our "world view" page, we've asked the heads of three global aid organizations to describe the worst and least covered humanitarian crises of 2009. and some good news from elkhart, all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you on-line. and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what is that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-

jeff. >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight.i'm jeffrey brown. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. we'll see you on-line and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among others. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what is that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. >> what makes us an engine for the economy? plants across america. nearly 200,000 jobs created. we see beyond cars. intel. supporting coverage of innovation and the economy. >> and by bnsf railway. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and

the newshour is ways online. harireenivasan, in our newsom, previews what's there. hari. >> sreenivasan: on our w site tonight, amyalter from the hoine explains the wheeling and dealing that weninto the sete health care bill. find our interview with amon e rundown. there's more about sma banks, includinthe tale of community trage in chicago after the seizure the park national bank by the fdic in october. and onrt beat, sneak a peak into the mind of movie mer tim burton. his awings and sculpture are on exhibit at the muse of modern art in new york all th and more is on our web site, newshourbs.org. dy. >> woodruff: and thas the newshour f tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: ani'm jeffrey brown. wel see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening, wh jim lehrer's exclusive interview with president oba at the white hoe. thank you,nd good night. major fundg for the pbs nehour is provided by: >> what the wod needs now is energy. the energy to get the ecomy hummg again. the ener to tackle challenges like clima change. what is at energy came fm an energy company? everyd

major fundg for the pbs newshour is prided by: >> what thworld needs now is energy. the energy to get the econom humming again. the engy to tackle challenge like clite change. what is that eney came from an energy company everyday, chevn invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, buiing. fuelingrowth around the world to movus all ahead. thiss the power of human energy. evron. >> ts is the engine that every year. bnsf, the gine that connects us. >>hat makes us an engine for the econy? plants across americ nearly 200,000 jobs cread. we see beyond cars. intel. supporting math d science educatn for tomorrow's novators. anmonsanto. grant thornton. d the william and flora hewlett undation, working to solve social and envirmental oblems at home and around th world. and with the ongoingupport of these institutions and foundaons. and... this programas made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributns to your pbs ation from viewers like you. thk you. >> lehrer: the u.s. tried toy to salvage an agreement athe u. summit on climate cha

the newshour continues always online. hari sreenivasan, in our newsroom, previews what's on our web site. hari? >> sreenivasan: on our web site tonight, watch our interview with secretary of education arne duncan about new ways to improve children's financial literacy. duncan also gives a progress report on the "race to the top program" where states are competing for stimulus dollars. find local reaction to today's announcement about moving some guantanamo detainees to an illinois prison. on paul solman's "making sense" page, our series on the economic year ahead continues. tonight, what will be most surprising in 2010? and there's an update on the drug war in mexico from a reporter who was embedded with the mexican military. that's part of our collaboration with global post, an international news web site. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. jeff? >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm jeffrey brown. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. than

major funding for the pbs newshour is prided by: chevron. this ithe power of human ergy. and monsanto. and by toyota. grant thornton and with the ongoing suprt of these instutions and foundaons. and... this program w made possible byhe corporation for public broadcastg. and by contribions to your pbs ation from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer:resident obama call the leaders of american banking to the whiteouse today and la on a challenge and a warning. newshour correondent kwame holman begs our coverage. >> holman: t face-to-face at e white house lasted well ov an hour, longer than expted. nine major bank executives attended, with threethers conferenced in. >> i've just finished a cand d productive meetingith th ceos of 12 of ounation's largest nancial institutions. >> holn: the president pointed out, manof the banks faced eak prospects just a year ag and might not ha survived withougovernment help. >> when many of these institutions were on t verge of clapse, a predicament largely of the own making, ofntimes because they failed to manage ri properly, we took diffi

jeff. >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight.i'm jeffrey brown. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. "washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you on-line and again here monday evening. have a nice weekend. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what is that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. monsanto. producing more. conserving more. improving farmers' lives. that's sustainable agriculture. more at producemoreconservemore.com. >> this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to haran's best selling whole wheat, while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, the engine that co

on the "newshour" tonight, hundredsf protesters tried to disrupt the conference. >> lehrer: we'll get theatest from ray suarez at the summi suarez: another day of netiations here have still fail to produce a text world aders can embrace here, but the u.n.ecretary general told the "newshour,he still believesgreement is possible. i'll have a report. >> bro: there were some steps forward today, includingledges to prote rainforests. 'll see how that could play out in themazon. >> lehrer: then, a perfoance review for federal reserve chairman b bernanke. economisjames galbraith and formered vice chair alice rivlin date his record. >> brown: and the levance in our time of hn maynard keynes: "newshour" ecomics correspondent paul solman haa someat off-beat explanation. ♪ my general theory made quite a impression i transformed e econ profsion, you know me, modesty say it loud and say itlear, we're l keynesians now. >> lehrer: that's alahead on tonight's "pbs newshr." major funding for e pbs nehour is provided by: >> this is the enge that coects abundant grain from the american heartla to haran'

well, therere big changes at the newshour's wesite as well. for tails of what you'll find online, back to hari sreevasan in our newsroom. hari. >> gwen, it is indeed brand new day othe pbs newshour's web site. the address, thoh, remains the sa, newshour.pbs.org. we've introduced a new desi, better navigion, and we've launched news blog, called the runwn, which will feature regular updatesnd insights from our reporti throughout the day, all of it rooted inhe guidelines ofacneil/lehrer journalism. jim read those on-air iday, if you missed it, y can find the guidelines posted our web site. al online tonight, more on the series ray suarez is wking on, patchwork nation. there's aideo postcard about a mural project in iladelphia, and tra interviews to help expin the data that lies at the heart of the proje. jeffrey brown's art beatlog, there'more from tonight's piece on the metropolitanpera, includingerformances at the met. also traveing this week, the newour's margaret warner. she's filing regarly as she exples european attitudes toward afghanistan

she's the editor othe journal "heah affairs," and an analyst for the newshour. susan, thanks r being with us again on this day tt it passed the senat so setting ade these diffences that i just lked about with naftali, we know that some g things could changen american heal care. t's start with just ode workinamerican who has health coverage, s i work and i have coverage thugh my employer. hoare thing goesing to change fore and my family. >> well,udy, immediately that is to sayn 2010 presuming that this is signed into law xt year, whh looks like will be the ca, there are some changes that go in effect that shore upnd stabilize the heal insurance market which even wilhelp people who do now have covege. for exame, some things that insurance companies n are able to do, rescission that is to say thecan canceloverage on you if they havdiscovered that you have not necessari told them about a preexisting condition or whatever. they can now rescind you coverage. that would be outlawed as next year. in addion to that, certain benefits that people now have preventive benets

the "newshour" conties now online.revieof what's there this evening oour new web site, back to ha sreenivasan in our newoom. hari? >> sreenivasan: on our webite today: how coulhealth care reform afct you? all week we'll ask exper to weigh in on the realife impacts of the diffent proposals now onapitol hill. earlier today, i intervied amy walter of "t hotline" about the politics othe health care push. and we talkeabout one of the nners in yesterday's primary race in massachuses. it sets the ste for a special eltion to fill the senate seat that was occupied byhe late edward kennedy. that's on r new blog of news and insight, "e rundown." and on jeffrey bwn's "art beat" blog, you can find his full interview with pianist richard glazier plus his performance of "embreable you." as always, ware at wshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifilland that's the "newshour"or tonight. i'm en ifill. jim? >> lehrer: thanks, gwen. we'll see you on-line, andgain here tomorroevening. i'm jim lehrer. thank you and go night. majofunding for the pbs newsh

major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what if that energy came from an energy company? every day, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. >> we are intel, sponsors of tomorrow. and bank of america. bnsf railway. toyota. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the u.s. government launched a top-to-bottom search for answers after a would-be bomber tried to destroy a u.s. airliner on christmas day. but every day has brought new questions, and, today, a clai

that's coming, on tonight's pbs newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: monsanto. producing more. conserving more. improving farmers' lives. that's sustainable agriculture. more at producemoreconservemore.com. >> chevron. this is the power of human energy. intel. supporting coverage of innovation and the economy. and by toyota. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the u.s. house today approved the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulation since the great depression. and pay limits were extended deeper into executive ranks at companies the government rescued. newshour congressional correspondent kwame holman begins our coverage. >> holman: the vote had been in the works for many mo

. >> ifill: that's all ahead o tonighs "pbs newshour."ajor nding for the pbs newshour iprovided by: ♪ ( laughter ) >> we are intel, sponsors of tomorrow. >>hevron. this ithe power of human energy. and by toyota. and moanto. the national sence foundation. supporting education and research acrosall fields of science and engineering. and withhe ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... is program was made possible by the corpotion for puic broadcasting. and by contributions to ur pbs station from viewers like yo thk you. >> ifill: president obama toy defeed the health care reform bill as the senate clearedhe y for a final vote tomorrow morning. he spoke to jim hrer in a wide-rangingnterview conducted in the white house m room this ternoon. here is at interview, in its entirety. welcome. >> tha you so much for having me. >>ehrer: so you are completely satisfyed with the health form bill that the sena is about to pass >> im never completely satisfied, but i am ve tisfied. look, when i madthat speech in the joint sessioof co

the newshour continues now online. for details of what u can find, let's go back to hari sreenivasan in ourewsroom. hari. >> sreenivasan: on our webite tonight, video postcar from our patchwork tion reporting trip across the country. tonight,ay suarez tries his hand at glassbwing in lincoln ty, and dante chinni explore the toll of the onomic downturn othe area's health care providers. you can watch my conrsation with newshouhealth correspondent betty ann wswer about the senate's attemptto strike a deal health reform legislation this week. and on jeffrey brown'srt beat blog, muc icon david byrne discses biking, urban design and the future of cities. here's an excerpt. >> the pattern in e way cities woror the way they don't work, things that fe comfortable out a city or don'or the way a city's changi sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. >> sreenivas: also online a port on how residents in switzerland feel abouthe country's refendum banning the construction of narets on sques part of our collaboration with t

lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's "pbs newshour." jor funding for the pb newshour is proved by: >> what the wod needs now is energy. the ener to get the econy mming again. the ergy to tackle challens like climate change. what if th energy came from an engy company? evy day, chevron invests $62 million ineople, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, blding. fueling growth around thworld to move usll ahead. this ithe power of human energy. chevron. >> what has de grant thornton a truly global aounting organization, withccess to resourcein more than 100 countries? it their global capabilitie or is it their psion for how they ser their clients? grant thornton. >> whamakes us an engine for the economy? plants aoss america. nearly 200,000 jobs created. we seeeyond cars. and monsanto. d the national science foundation. supporting education and research across all elds of science anengineering. and with t ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was madpossible by the cporation for public broadcaing. and by ctributio

e newshour is always online. hari sreenivas, in our neroom, previews what's there.ari >> senivasan: on our web site tonight, rgaret warner told us more about her daof reporting on rline security, find that convsation on the rundown. there are addional stories and photographs from our rent trip to mico with ray suarez, on our glob health page. anon art beat, jeff talked to poet and mus legend patti smith. a new documenty about her life rs tomorrow night on the pbs ogram, pov. all th and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.o. jeff. brown: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'jeffrey brown. >> ifilland i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you on-line,nd again here tomrow evening. ank you, and good night. major fundinfor the pbs newshour is ovided by: >> wt the world needs now is energy. the energy to t the economy humming again. the energy to tackle cllenges ke climate change. what is that energy ca from an energy company everyd, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- eking, teaching, building. fueling growth arod the world to move us all ahead. is is the power of

. >> reporter: that's all coming on tonight's "pbs newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: monsanto. producing more. conserving more. improving farmers' lives. that's sustainable agriculture. more at producemoreconservemore.com. >> chevron. this is the power of human energy. and by toyota. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: this christmas day with all the christmas festivities and observances but it was also marked by questions about the pope's security and by misery in the american midwest. >> we need help. >> we need some help! >> brown: for many people in the nation's midsection, there was no way to be home for christmas. a massive winter storm kept piling up snow and ice that closed down airports an

we'llee you at newshour-dot- we'll see you at newshour.pbs.org. >> lehrer: and again, t our honor roll american service personnel killed in the iraand afghanistanonflicts. we add them as their deathsre made officialnd photographs beme available. here, in silence, are nine me.

newshour correspondent kwame holman begins with more about the meeting in denmark. . >> reporter: diplomats from 192 nation its gathered in copenhagen today for the largest and potentially most important u.n. climate change conference ever. their goal to shift away from fossil fuels and get rich countries to send billions of dollars to poorer ones to help them adapt. organizers warned this could be the critical last chance to curb global warming. >> the science has never been clearer. the solutions have never been more abundant. political will has never been stronger. and let me warn you, political will will never be

the newshour is alwa online. ha sreenivasan in our newsroom priews what's there.hari. >> sreenivasan: on o web site tonight, health care correspondent tty ann bowser stopped by the rundowno explain what hpened on capitol hill this week. there a roundup of reports from ray suarez and his am at the climatsummit in copenhen. on jeff's art beat blo insight into theaking of the movie avatar. first from the authoof a new biographof director, james cameron, and also om the u.s.c. linistic professor who developed the nguage spoken by the blue na'vi extra terrestrials. and finally, plee check back after the progm to watch an informal conversation with mk ields and david brooks taped here at the rundowafter their regular friday nig debate. all at and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.o. jeff. >> brown: and at's the newshouror tonight. i'm jeffrey brown. >> lehre and i'm jim lehrer. "washington week" can be sn later this eveng on most pbs stations. we'll see you on-line and again here monday evenin have a nice weekd. thank you, and good nit. major funding for the pbs new

even so, the length of a typical newshour piece is shrinking. >> down to seven minutes now? >> no, we still go longer than that. [laughter] i think the piece you had on tonight was about seven. and that was all right for me. i felt as if i had a member lopped off, you know, to -- >> that's like my dream to -- >> you see why then i would continue to do this job forever. it's not singing to the deaf, it's singing to the attention deficit disordered that's the issue. i had a piece a few years ago, well, quite a few years ago, that ran 18 minutes. >> i'm weeping. >> you remember george burns once said he loved the newshour, he went to sleep to it every night. he may have been watching that piece. i don't really know. but no, it's -- in the culture in general there is a shrinking of the sound bite. . the al lead people who play whatever video game, so we are -- super mario games. it affects us all. and that is tremendously problematic. if you're talking about trying to explain something, that people who are here today, we had moments in the panel where, as an aside, i would ask s

even so, the length of a typical newshour piece is shrinking. >> down to seven minutes now? >> no, we still go longer than that. [laughter] i think the piece you had on tonight was about seven. and that was all right for me. i felt as if i had a member lopped off, you know, to -- >> that's like my dream to -- >> you see why then i would continue to do this job forever. it's not singing to the deaf, it's singing to

i was doing that for "the newshour." there was a historic quality to that which can never be taken away. it is one thing but it is a very important thing. the quality became more real because he was elected president. there is the rest of his term. what do we do today, mr. president? i think we're seeing problems that he has gotten himself into and i imagine we will see many more of them. he is in an interesting position after his afghanistan speech, which is that his supporters on that will be his enemies, and his opponents are his base. that is a tricky position for a politician and we will see how that plays out. >> sarah palin? >> i will give you cole porter. you have got that thing that makes the birdies for get to get to sing. she has something. i was dismayed when she quit as governor of alaska. she is running -- she has had executive experience but why does she cut it off? why does she chopped off and foreclose a? because she is seeking the toughest executive job in the country, arguably in the world. how do you

i was doing that for "the newshour." there was a historic quality to that which can never be taken away. it is one thing but it is a very important thing. the quality became more real because he was elected president. there is the rest of his term. what do we do today, mr. president?

it's all tiger. >> not on the newshour.i'm not saying -- >> that's not dominating the coverage, that's not what i'm saying. that's not what i'm saying. i'm not saying that's what we're leading with, i'm saying the information that people are seeking out -- >> although is that a measurement of people who are, who subscribe to boxes, or does that include -- >> no, no, no, i'm talking about people who pay for the content content -- >> host: the most read among the terminal crowd. >> and then for free on the web. >> but certainly most popular on the rail -- >> [inaudible] so it's not -- >> yeah, but they're not paying -- >> it's everyone, it's the consumer. >> they're not paying $20,000 to get the tiger woods information. >> no, their employer is, but -- [laughter] >> they just want to see what bloomberg has to say about tiger woods. >> we have to come up with a way to find out exactly how tiger woods created the derivatives which drove us into the ground. [laughter] >> well, you're being facetious and, of course -- i hope to g

. >> you remember george burns once said he loved the newshour, he went to sleep to it every night. he may have been watching that piece. i don't really know. but no, it's -- in the culture in general there is a shrinking of the sound bite. . we had moments in the panel where, as an aside, i would ask somebody requester and, what do you mean by that. it's a commitment 20 to have -- would ask somebody a question, what do you mean by that? it took 1 minutes 20 to do the exchange. that is a problem. >> some people understand you do not have to take the one minutes. i do that, the willingness of politicians to exploit that, and -- add to that the willingness of politicians to exploit that, and you have those town meetings where you have people who were completely ignorant, acting in destructive ways because they had been pushed, partly by the lack of information they got from the media, and the void was filled by politicians willing to exploit it, but people do not seem to be willing to read what you write. you have a lot of people who do pay attention and a lot of people who should but

. >> if you watch booktv recently you have seen gwen ifill on breakthrough and with jim lehrer's newshour. with your new job do you have time to read and what are you reading? >> after writing the book i had no time to read anything that had to do with a book that actually now that it's out i started reading all kinds of things again. i am in the middle now of reading john stupak's book about antonin scalia, supreme court justice. i'm reading david paul's book about the campaign of course because trading dreams at midnight by by ann mckinney who writes these wonderful fictional stories about women, african-american women in the inner city so that was my fun book and still kind of a downer. crusco what is your preferred place to read? >> guest >> i read a couple of different ways. i read on planes. i have a kindle sali can travel with different books. on at home i have a special chair dedicated just to reading with a special task light and whole basket full of books next to it. >> gwen ifill if you want to see on a "after words" -- >> "after words" with jane goodall and john goodman contin

i was doing that for "the newshour."s a very important thing. the quality became more real because he was elected president. there is the rest of his term. what do we do today, mr. president? i think we're seeing problems that he has gotten himself into and i imagine we will see many more of them. he is in an interesting position after his afghanistan speech, which is that his supporters on that will be his enemies, and his opponents are his base. that is a tricky position for a politician and we will see how that plays out. >> sarah palin? >> i will give you cole porter. you have got that thing that makes the birdies for get to get to sing. she has something. i was dismayed when she quit as governor of alaska. she is running -- she has had executive experience but why does she cut it off? why does she chopped off and foreclose a? because she is seeking the toughest executive job in the country, arguably in the world. how do you explain that? what are you offering that can possibly compensate for that? having that thing,