and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. be more.way ♪ bates: you never doubted. ♪ from where i belong ♪ anna: no ♪ but it's always darkest ♪ thomas: i'm warning you. ♪ before the dawn ♪ mary: don't you see what this means? ♪ i know ♪ mary: you're not on our side! ♪ no matter what it takes ♪ ♪ i'm coming home ♪ martha: downton still stands and the crawleys are still in it. ♪ tell the world i'm coming. . .♪ ♪ i'm coming home ♪ ♪ i'm coming home ♪ ♪ tell the world i'm coming home ♪ mary: come and see what we've done. ♪ my kingdom awaits ♪ ♪ and they've forgiven my mistakes ♪ ♪ i'm coming home ♪ matthew: i need to kiss you. very much. ♪ tell the world i'm coming home ♪ the critics love call the midwife "pbs could have another downton abbey on it's hands..." beautiful little girl... and watch for season two of call the midwife coming in march only on pbs [ ♪ opening music ♪ ] for this first programme in the new series of the antiques roadshow, we've come to portsmouth britain's principal naval base for more than 500 years. and, of course

it's been record-breaking for pbs, enormous fan support,

pbs. >> be more. pbs. kevin: today on "ask this old house"... i'm helping a homeowner trim out a window using only hand tools. all right, i think we're all set. woman: really appreciate your help today. a central air conditioner like this exhausts heat into the air. i'm going to show you how we can capture that heat and put it to very good use. we want to get the heat energy from that pipe actually into the water that's down inside here, so for that, there's a pretty ingenious invention.

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

pbs for artists, one tremendous thing about pbs is that it makes art accessible by putting it on a platform where millions of people can access it for free. on pbs, many people have seen something they would never see otherwise. the language of music so universal, it can touch someone anywhere. and we need it. we need music, we need dance, we need great theater. we need all these things for our soul, you know, for joy and peace in our lives. after all these millennia, art is still something that survives. a lot of people don't have the means or aren't even aware that's something out there, and they may flip on pbs and e something that wakes up that integral part of being a human being which is enjoying the arts of other human beings. i feel like that's important to me. so i'm grateful for pbs {thank you} as an artist and as a viewer.

pbs.org. back to this program. -- please welcome wole soyinka back to the program. he is now a president -- a professor in residence, and he is the author of a new text, "of africa." >> thank you very much. tavis: you were tired of this nonsense that africans are inferior in a variety of ways. are we beyond that? >> i think it is an exaggeration to say that is why i wrote it. and number of reasons. it was to express my astonishment. it was totally mine blowing. i just mention that as one of the in ciliary -- one of the ancillary. i find a lot of crises tend to generate from east to west and cristian and islam. and there are what i call the invisible religions. lessons to teach the world. tavis: how do this to stand in their version religions play themselves out? >> yes, a very good question. look at somalia. look at more tanya. -- and more tanya -- look at another country. we would have thought africa is immune. in many ways, african religions, the world views, the perceptions have managed

pbs. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with kristen stewart on "on the road." >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: high-level meetings are happening, but the players aren't talking. good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, we'll update negotiations aimed at avoiding the fiscal cliff. >> ifill: then, we look at michigan's debate over right-to- work laws which would prevent labor unions from requiring membership.

pbs. >> i'm ric edelman, and this is "the truth about money."today's show... >> and at a time of economic crisis, drinking is the answer. >> do we hang on for the long term for our kids when we die 20 years from now? >> oh, the hell with the kids. the big bull market for bonds is over. i don't care how much you're attached to that house. it does not love you back. >> debt, to me, is evil. it's bondage, it's slavery, it just-- it limits your choices, all kinds of debt. >> that's all coming up right here, right now on "the truth

and proud to support pbs's to the contrary with bonnie erbe. additional funding provided by... this week on a special edition of to the contrary, we take an indepth look at dna sequencing and how it's helping children with rare dna sequencing and how it's helping children with rare diseases. [♪] >> hello i'm bonnie erbe welcome to to the contrary a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. this week we show you how advances in dna sequencing are helping scientists find cures for rare diseases especially rare childhood diseases. dr. james lupski is a man with a mission as a pediatrician at baylor college of medicine in houston, dr. lupski has devoted much of his medical career to researching and treating children with rare diseases. >> the patients that i mainly see in the clinic are children and families in which a genetic disease will be evident for children often we will also be referred when there is either some kind of a development delay, when the child is not developing like one would expect. this could include speech delay, motor delay, other forms

provided by the annenburg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. 2012 was a remarkable year one that was shaped by other exploration of america's essential divide, red vs. blue, yes. but also red vs. red. congress vs. the white house and when it came to foreign policy, whether and how to intervene. we begin, of course, with election 2012. >> thank you, new hampshire. tonight we made history. he is the worst republican in the country to put up against barack obama. >> if you've got a business, you didn't build that. >> president obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planets. my promise is to help you and your family. >> when you pick up that ballot to vote, you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. 47% who are with him. >> i have just called president obama to congratulate him on his victory. >> and whet

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: the remaking of the obama administration's foreign policy team began today as the president nominated massachusetts senator john kerry to replace hilary clinton as secretary of state. the former presidential candidate who lost to george w. bush in 2004 got the nod after u.n. ambassador susan rice withdrew her name. she'd faced republican criticisms over the benghazi terrorist attack. president obama made the announcement this afternoon at the white house. >> i am very proud to announce my choice for america's next secretary of state, john kerry. in a sense, john's entire life has prepared him f this role. having served with valor in vietnam, he understands that we have a responsibility to use american power wisely, especially our military power. and he knows, from personal experience, that when we send our troops into harm's way, we must give them the sound strategy, a clear mission, and the resources that they need to get the job done. in an extraordinarily disti

pbs. >> be more. pbs.

it's been record-breaking for pbs, enormous fan support,

i will see you next time on pbs. until then, thanks for watching, and keep the faith. ♪ something wrong, there is no denying ♪ ♪ one of those changes, or maybe we stop trying ♪ >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with jeremy irons on his latest film project. that is next time. we will see you then. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: christmas eve shootings killed two firefighters in rochester, new york and a policeman and bystander in houston, texas. go

. >> it is highbrow, historic, it airs on pbs, which is why it's perhaps a bit of a shock that "downton is one of biggest hits on television these days. so how did a soap about fading aristocrats and their servants become so addictive to american audiences? abc's nick watt got a rare access to the set to find out. >> rolling, quiet, please. action. >> reporter: here we are behind the scenes of "downton abbey" filmed in a real castle, not a sound stage. >> you can come up. it's a girl. >> reporter: a sneak peek at the series about to hit your screens, perhaps the most unlikely smash hit on american tv. it's just so downright british. but it's a soap opera so soaked in history that even pseudo intellects confess their love of it. a blend of crumbling bricks, corsets, men dying in their own beds and englishness. >> of course. would happen to a foreigner. it's typical. >> don't be ridiculous. >> i'm not being ridiculous. no englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house. >> reporter: hugh bonnville plays the patriarch trying to marry off his three daughters the keep the estate in t

pbs. >> you know what i love? what i love is that somebody gets to call you mr. smiley. i love it. somebody said it backstage. they said, "well, we're almost ready for mr. smiley." tavis: there's only one person on this whole set that does that. that's karen. karen's the only one. >> karen? yeah, i just spoke to you. tavis: i get called many other things around here, but only karen calls me mr. smiley. >> you know, i don't know. i want to be with my people. that's what i want to be with. i mean, obviously, i've done a lot of things. i never thought i'd do them. i barely got out of high school and i look back at my life often and go, "wow, this was awesome!" but i don't know. you have to carry it forward, so i don't know what i'm gonna do with that. tavis: how often do you get a chance to interact with the kids who actually read your books? >> you know, that's the reason... tavis: you got a nice app, by the way, too. >> they did an amazing app of one of my books, my balloon book which is ca

pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time the conversation with wole soyinka. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: president obama said today there would be no deal to avert an economic plunge unless republicans agree to increase taxes on the wealthiest americans. good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, kwame holman has the latest on wast

but first, this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public television station to ask for your support. >> warner: finally tonight, just how old is the grand canyon? the conventional wisdom holds that this natural wonder of the world was shaped by the colorado about five or six million years ago. but there's been a long-running debate over whether it's much older. yesterday, researchers published a study in the journal "science," arguing these majestic formations were formed by two much older rivers cutting through the landscape some 70 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs. we have newshour science correspondent miles o'brien here to tell us what the debate is all about. so miles from 6 million to 70 million years s that scientifically as big a gap tas amir-- appears? >> yeah, it's a big deal, there is a big debate in the scientific community right now over t margaret. when you look at the grand canyon as a layperson, we've been there and see it, you would say clearly the colorado river formed this o

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: gunfire tore at the nation's holiday mood again today, with the emotional wounds from a school massacre still fresh. there were more fatal shootings, including one in western new york, where an attacker lay in wait for a fire crew. >> responding firefighters when they pulled up on the scene started receiving -- were fired upon. >> police speaking shortly after a home and car erupted in flames. it was arson they said later that turned out to be an ambush. >> it does appear that it was a trap that was set. for responding first responders. >> gunmen killed two volunteer firefighters and wounded two others then killed himself. police identified him as william spangler, he haddon time, 17 years for manslaughter but ha motive for today's attack was unknown. in houston a gunman killed a police officer and another man before being captured. spate of christmas eve attacks among renewed gun violence that flared to life after the massacre at sandy hook in newtown, connecticu

pbs.hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with a noted scholar and best-selling author of "the black swan." that is the next time. we will see you then. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: house republican leaders offered their own proposal today to avert the prospect of a year-end tax hike. good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we get perspective on the partisan tug- of-war in washington, from one half of the team that produced

through education. adcasting, and contributions to your pbs station, from viewers like you. y sette inc. - visit the neighborhood at pbskids.org.

but first, this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public television station to ask for yousupport. and that support helps keep programs like ours on the air. >> brown: for those stations not taking a pledge break, we take an encore look at president abraham lincoln and his evolving legacy in politics and culture. earlier this year, hari sreenivasan toured the ford's theatre center for education and leadership in washington, d.c., with historian richard norton smith. >> sreenivasan: walking into the theater center is like tang a step back in time to the cobblestone streets of washington on april 16, 1855, the day after president abraham lincoln's death. newspaper headlines cover the walls of the new exhibit which ...in a building across the street from ford's theater where the president was assassinated. >> you walk to the third floor and you come to this mothy attic. the chronological treatment. >> reporter: presidential historian richard norton smith, who helped design the center, says its mission is to examin

pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with selling author michael connelly on the 20th anniversary of harry bosch. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: the economy added more jobs than expected in november, and the unemployment rate dropped to a four year low. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, paul solman breaks down the latest report. and we debate the benefits of extending unemployment insurance amid washington's fiscal unc

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: a gunman at a school, mass casualties, and emergency crews-- the scene was eerily familiar and, once again, horrifying. this time, tragedy struck at a grade school in a small connecticut town. 20 of the7 dead are children. we begin our coverage with president obama's emotional address to the nation this afternoon. >> we've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. and each time i learn the news, i react not as a president but as anybody else would, as a parent. and that was especially true today. i know there's not a parent in america who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that i do. the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. they had their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. so our hearts are broken today

pbs for artists, one tremendous thing about pbs is that it makes art accessible by putting it on a platform where millions of people can access it for free. on pbs, many people have seen something they would never see otherwise. the language of music so universal, it can touch someone anywhere. and we need it. we need music, we need dance, we need great theater. we need all these things for our soul, you know, for joy and peace in our lives. after all these millennia, art is still something that survives. a lot of people don't have the means or aren't even aware that's something out there, and they may flip on pbs and e something that wakes up that integral part of being a human being which is enjoying the arts of other human beings. i feel like that's importt to me. so i'm grateful for pbs {thank you} as an artist and as a viewer. >> rose: welcome to the program. tonight, ken rogovernor, the harvard economics professor weighs in on the fiscal cliff negotiations and the u.s. and global economy. in 2013. >> i am fascinated to watch what is happening in europe, where right now europe is quiet

learn more. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: dr. linda bradley is the founder of a program aimed at women of color called celebrate sisterhood. i read a piece that you wrote: 10 ways to put your doctor at of business and i was fascinated by what i saw and i thought to ask you. whether or not doctors really want to be put up of business and you know where i am going. there is so much money that is made in the medical profession. i wonder not to cast a person -- aspersion on you but how serious are wary about getting to a point where people do not need hospitals, they do not need doctors. they do not need the kinds of medical insurance we have. can you imagine a time when we will get to a place where we will be so healthy that we can put doctors out of business? >> i am optimistic that we can do that. doctors would relish the opportunity to take care of patients, to be looking at preventive ways to promote health. if you look at the new oath we take, it is modified. but of the cleric oath says i prefer to take ca

see you next time on pbs.il next time, good night from l.a., and as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: joining me next time ms. marcus miller and a performance from his latest cd "renaissance." that is next time. we will see you then. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. newshour has been provided by: >> music is a universal captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions and counteroffers on the table today, but no deal between president obama and speaker boehner to resolve the government's fiscal crisis. good evening. i'm judy woodruff

. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.about that? it is called detroit, a grinning when the -- a grammy-winning jazz artists. he worked with the late great miles davis. in just a bit, another special performance. marcus miller, i am delighted to see you. >> i know exactly what you mean. tavis: the last time we talked was on my radio program, and you took off to go to europe. i am at my house on line and a headline pops up that says marcus miller in fatal switzerland bus crash. i am at my house, and i screamed. i had just talked to you, i had seen you days prior. i could not believe you had died in a bus crash. the driver of the bus did die. what was going on in switzerland. >> we had just finished and monte carlo, the jazz festival. at the show, we had a long trek to holland. that is about 3:00, 4:00 in the morning. i am starting to come up, and i feel like it is vertigo. the impact causes the bus to fall on its side. from all the people here, crashing into people, it was pretty crazy. after a while, the rescue workers cam

foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewersike you. thank you. once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. its hard to believe, but weve been here before. first, negotiators pledge to work together then they test what the other side is willing to give. then they submit plans they know the other side will reject. and then, only then, a deal is struck. maybe, but not yet. and with every day that passes, congress and the white house edge close to raising taxes, cutting spending and sending the nation back into recession. here are the arguments -- >> the speaker's proposal right now is still out of balance. he talks about, for example, $800 billion worth of revenues but he says he will do that by lowering rates. when you look at the math, it does not work. >> this week we made a good-faith offer to avert the fiscal crisis and that offer included significant spending cuts and reforms and it included additional revenue and frankly, it was the balanced approach that the president's been asking for. now

up hope for a happy reunion when they are dog was found wandering around on a oregon highway more h-pb a thousanmore than a thousand miles away. listen to this. >> witnessing that in my backyard -- i wish dogs could talk. i couldn't ask for anything more. it was the best christmas every. >> she was able to insure kane's safe return through petition could he and a group of people who they -d with money to get him back home. >> they had a sign for him. when he got off the plane he saw his name. >> i'm sure he misses his phaoefplts. heather: is it legal to fire someone who is too attractive. gregg: i think i know the answer