as pete williams reports, verizon is listening. pete, good evening. >> reporter: harry, barely 24 hours after saying it would charge a fee for paying bills online, verizon wireless abruptly took it back. the company said it was acting in response to what it politely called customer feedback. cell phone and internet users have been complaining loudly since word of the new fee first leaked out, flooding twitter with critical comments and launching petition drives. >> i think it's a little bit unfair. i mean, it's going to affect how i think about verizon. >> reporter: all in response to the company's plan to charge $2 when customers pay their bills once a month either by phone or by going to the company's website. it offered a host of ways to avoid the fee such as signing up for automatic billing. then an official of the federal communications commission said, on behalf of american consumers, we are concerned about verizon's actions and are looking into the matter. the company's about-face came late today. in a written statement the c

our justice correspondent pete williams has more on this revelation that's raising a lot of questions tonight. >> reporter: it's a burning question over something installed in 140 million smartphones, including androids and other popular models. a connecticut computer analyst claims software records nearly everything a user does with the phone. in a youtube video, the analyst, 25-year-old trevor eckhart said carrier iq appears to record every keystroke including text messages and phone numbers. >> so every button you press and dial or before you call gets sent off to the iq application here. >> reporter: the software maker said it gathers data only to make the phones work better by diagnosing why calls are dropped, for example. carrier iq said it's not recording keystrokes nor providing tracking tools nor does it have any such intention of developing such tools. but because the video appears to show keystrokes are being recorded, the company's claim is raising questions. senator al franken of minnesota has written carrier iq demanding answers and privacy advocates say if the software

pete williams is in washington with the details. pete, good evening. >> reporter: verizon is calling this a convenience fee. it means customers who pay their wireless phone or internet bills directly to verizon online on the company's website will be charged $2 each time for the privilege of paying their own bills. the new fee goes into effect in mid january and applies to subscribers of verizon wireless. the nation's largest wireless service provider. as word of it spreads it's coming as an unwelcome surprise. >> $2 is a lot when it sums up through the years. >> if there is extra money charged on your bill you're going to get people on your bad side. >> it feels like a penalty to me. >> very shocking. >> reporter: starting january 15, customers will be charged a $2 fee each month if they pay their verizon wireless bill by going directly to the company website. the same fee applies to paying every month by phone. that's $2 each time the bill is paid. but the company said it will not charge for customers who pay the old fashioned way

>> pete williams at the intersection of justice and sports tonight, pete, thanks for that. >>> on capitol hill in washington, the house has passed the spending bill needed to keep the government up and running, but there is still a lot of work to do before the end of the year. we're joined tonight by nbc's kelly o'donnell from the hill. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. first no government shutdown, that's done, because house republicans and democrats came together overwhelmingly to pass that nearly $1 trillion spending bill that covers more than a dozen government agencies and included in that is the fate of your household light bulb. republicans fought hard to get rid of the money to enforce the ban on the old incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient kinds. they said government was reaching too far into everyday life. democrats pointed out they're not really making those old bulbs much more, so not much practical effect, and brian i can tell you there are breaking developments on that other big priority, the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits exte

our justice correspondent pete williams has more on what's really going on inside these devices. pete's with us from our washington bureau. hey, pete. good evening. >> reporter: well, brian, that concern has now turned up in court with three class action lawsuits filed on behalf of cell phone users in california, illinois and delaware. they claim software in androids, htc, some blackberrys, older apple iphones is extensively tracking what they do with their phones. the lawsuits follow the posting of a youtube video by a security researcher who claimed he could watch the software made by a company called carrier iq record every key stroke on a phone including text messages. the software is embedded in 140 million smartphones and the company that makes it says it's strictly for quality control, not for spying on users. carrier iq says its software does not record, store or transmit the contents of sms or text messages, e-mail, photographs, audio or video. the company says the software reports how well phones are working and flags trouble when something goes wrong. most users aren't

nbc news justice correspondent pete williams has more on that. >> reporter: having already agreed to rule on the obama health care law and on how texas and other states carve up districts for their seats in congress, the justices jumped into another controversial issue animating the presidential campaign. how much power states have to control illegal immigration. >> power to the people! >> reporter: the court will consider whether parts of arizona's strict new law blocked by the lower courts go too far. >> it's about every state grappling with the cost of illegal immigration. and it's about the fundamental principles of federalism. >> reporter: one provision now on hold required police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspected might be in the country illegally. immigrant groups called it racial profiling and the obama administration sued, saying it violated the constitution by straying into an area that's a federal responsibility. but since arizona acted, five other states have passed tough immigration laws of their own. alabama, georgia, indiana, south carolina and ut

pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> when we come back here tonight, the dogs of war. home from the battlefield and learning to heal. >>> we all agree the hands-down winner for cutest pictures of the day has to be these two giant pandas at a park in china thoroughly enjoying a snow day, complete with somersaults and snow cones, in between plenty of rest and relaxation, of course. had to share those pictures with you. >>> and while we've reported extensively on the u.s. troops serving in iraq and afghanistan, we haven't heard as much about some vital assistants accompanying them on those dangerous missions. we're talking about hundreds of dogs that have faithfully served and have witnessed the horrors of war just like the troops. we get their story tonight from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: they're the dogs of war come home. like buck, a 4-year-old chocolate lab, who spent his deployments in afghanistan sniffing for roadside bombs and survived. >> there is no real technology out there that can do what a dog can do. >> now we'll take him into radiology. >> reporter:

our justice correspondent pete williams picks up the story. >> reporter: it was just after noon, the university says, when a virginia tech policeman pulled over the driver of a car in a campus parking lot. police say another man walked up and shot and killed the policeman, then ran off toward a nearby rec center building. officers hurrying to the scene found a second body. >> in light of the turmoil and the trauma and the tragedy suffered by this campus by guns, i can only say that words don't describe our feelings and they are most elusive at this point in time. our hearts are broken again for the family of our police officer. >> reporter: the university immediately sent out a community-wide alert. stay inside, it said, secure doors. call 911 for help. students stayed put as tactical teams swarmed through campus buildings. >> they came through, a whole team of s.w.a.t. team guys with like their guns drawn and everything, clearing out the entire building. >> reporter: late today, law enforcement officials said they believe the second victim was actually the man who shot the policeman

we get details from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: the company called stratfor based in austin, texas, helps clients shield themselves from risk. tonight it's scrambling to protect itself. its website now contains only a brief corporate understatement that it's, quote, undergoing maintenance. hackers from the group anonymous claim they stole thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information from the company and used it to make donations to charity. some were corporate and government clients but individual subscribers to stratfor were also among the victims including this former employee of the texas department of banking. >> in this instance they are taking from individuals. they could have ruined our christmas. they could have ruined our lives. >> reporter: he said the hackers tried to steal $700 from his account, giving $200 to the red cross. in a widely circulated statement, the group says there is, quote, plenty more havoc in store for the rest of the week and calls for the release of army private bradley manning, accused of passing on thousand

pete williams in washington. >>> up next it's one of the rare schools these days not rushing to fill up the classroom with computers. also, a holiday season tribute to the american military unlike any other we have seen. >>> we're back with an education nation report tonight. as high technology becomes more and more a part of most school experiences in this country, we have a school that is rejecting technology completely to tell you about. you may be surprised by where it is and who the students are. our report from our education correspondent rehema ellis. >> reporter: at this silicon valley elementary school, technology plays a pivotal role. >> make sure you have your ipad with you. >> reporter: just across the valley, in america's technology mecca, teachers say high tech and learning don't mix. at the waldorf school of the peninsula, learning is hands-on. blackboard, chalk, paint, shovels, but no computers. oddly enough the parents of most of the kids are bonified techies. >> i try to play with my dad but he's mostly on the computer. >> reporter: his dad is a google vice presiden

pete williams, nbc news, at the supreme court. >> the occupy protest movement started on wall street, became occupy the ports today. protesters blocked or disrupted traffic at some of the nation's largest and busiest ports. up and down the west coast from portland, oregon, to oakland, san diego and houston, the goal was to protest corporate greed, unsafe working conditions for dock workers. there were several dozen arrests reported in all. but no injuries. after some delays, traffic resumed at the protest locations. >>> we'll take a break. up next on a monday evening, mitt romney gets into a tense exchange and an uncomfortable moment with a vietnam veteran on the campaign trail. later, chelsea clinton will join us with the story of a woman who quit her job to follow a calling and is making a difference for children. >>> the iowa caucuses are now just 22 days away and newt gingrich seemed to pass his first crucial test as gop frontrunner this weekend, surviving his first debate as frontrunner without taking nearly as much damaging incoming fire as expected. >>> meanwhile the former fro

this time the alert went out within minutes. >> pete williams reporting for us. that police officer was an army veteran, married father of five. an official vigil as virginia tech is planned for tonight. that 2007 shooting remains the worst mass shooting in the history of our country. >>> u.s. intelligence officials are analyzing new video from iran that claims to show a captured cia drone lost over the country several days ago. iran's state tv says the top secret aircraft was brought down by the country's military in a, quote, sophisticated electronic attack. the u.s. says a malfunction caused the crash. the video shows an aircraft with minor damage to a wing draped with anti-american propaganda. u.s. officials not commenting on whether the aircraft shown in the video is, in fact, the downed drone. >>> jon corzine continues to face tough questions over the failures of security firm mf global. the company he led until just last month. in a testy hearing on capitol hill, the former new jersey governor was pressed to explain an estimated $1.2 billion in missing cus

nbc news justice correspondent pete williams has more on a case that could have a ripple effect across this country. >> reporter: having already agreed to rule on the obama health care law and how texas and other states carve up district their seats in congress the justices jumped into another controversial issue. how much power states have to control illegal immigration. >> power to the people! >> reporter: the court will consider whether parts of arizona's strict new law blocked by the lower courts go too far. >> it's about every state grappling with the cost of illegal immigration and it's about the fundamental principle. >> reporter: immigrant groups called it racial profiling and the obama administration sued, saying it violated the constitution by straying into an area that's a federal responsibility. but since arizona acted, five other states have passed tough immigration laws of their own. alabama, georgia, indiana, south carolina and utah. all say the federal government isn't adequately enforcing laws already on the books. >> this is the first time the supreme court is looking

our justice correspondent pete williams is in our washington newsroom with more on this. pete, good evening. >> and brian what didn't happen is any prison sentence, in this latest setback for the prosecutors who have spent millions of dollars investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. barry bonds' sentence is on hold while he appeals his conviction for giving rambling testimony to a grand jury looking into abuse of steroids in baseball. prosecutors said 15 months, instead he got 30 days home detenti detention. this case began going south in april when a jury declined to convict him of lying about whether he used steroids. prosecutors had given up on trying him for that. over the summer a federal judge declared a mistrial against pitching star roger clemens. the government will try again in april. prosecutors managed to get 11 convictions in steroids cases ending with probation or months in prison and many applaud the government for sending the message about the dangers of steroids but some in sports and the law wondered if this was the be

pete williams, nbc news, washington. >> when we come back here tonight, the dogs of war home from theld and learning to heal. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever

pete williams has more from d.c. y, pete. >> well, craig, the company says it's taking steps necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again. stratforis a think tank that provides security for clients. what happened as well in the last couple days is the hacker group that calls itself anonymous went into the site and stole thousands of numbers and personal information. it used that, and there's some evidence to indicate this is the case to make what hackers say washington a million, which may be less than that, of contributions to charitable organization. some of the people that were affected have said, yes, it did happen to them, but they've gotten their money back. the charities can't accept the money because it was stolen. in many cases the credit card companies were able to identify this problem. it's a publicity attempt by anonymous. it certainly appears to have been effective. it said in a statement, craig, that it expects to have more -- in its words, more havoc like this later this week. >> pete williams, tha

pete williams is live with the latest on this story. pete? of that money given to the charitable organizations can't keep of course because it was stolen and not given voluntarily. the charities have been noticing the credit card companies and the people themselves have been discovering it. journalists too. all from a list of hundreds of clients of a company that provided security advice and risk analysis for both big companies and individuals who subscribed to the services. in the last several days, the group hacked into the site and released these names along with credit card numbers and personal data used to make the contributions to charitable organizations. the group said it has more havoc in store for the week ahead and it may release more names and go after people who are defending this website and attacking the group. it's part of an attempt to gain more publicity and the goals. the chief goal is the release of army private bradley manning who is on trial in the military court system for leaking documents to wiki leaks. you may recall

for the latest let's go to justice correspondent pete williams. this is the result of a three-year investigation? >> right. it involves the maricopa county sheriff. the justice said joe arpaio and deputies engaged in racial profiling of latinos. retaliating against people who criticize the sheriff and punishing jail inmate who is can't speak english. latino drivers are at least four times more likely to be pulled over in traffic stops. about 1/5 of all the traffic stops that violated guarantees against unreasonable seizures and most of those involve latinos. you quoted from the expert, he's the who called it the most egregious he had seen or heard or read about. the justice department said the officers are not properly train and the action shows what the government calls a chronic culture ever disregard for basic legal and constitutional obligations. in a letter today, the head of the civil rights division said he hopes the problems can be fixed and if the sheriff resists and won't agree to sit down to talk about solutions, the justice department

. >> pete williams is the justice correspondent.bubbling and we really haven't seen it addressed from the white house. now the attorney general is jumping into it. that's a big deal. >> he meant zero additional seats where hispanics would have a majority voting opportunity. so here you have an attorney general who is given the toughest line yet from the obama administration on the state changes in voting. you mentioned photo i.d. laws. they are the hot thing right now. and the advocates say it is necessary to prevent in person voter fraud at the polls. opponents say that voter fraud is not that big of a problem. then you have restrictions on early voting and registration at the polls. and the attorney general said this is an attorney general who made civil rights a big priority speaking at the lbj library. it's a dramatic setting to lay down this marker and he said by the way, the justice department because of its role in clearing changes in voting in states with a history of discrimination we are watching to see whether the changes

nbc justice correspondent pete williams has the latest from d.c.st the health care law and now this. what provisions of this law will be ruled on in court today? >> reporter: the most controversial part is the requirement that arizona -- this is on hold, but this is what the law said. if arizona police when they stop anybody for whatever reason, if they suspect they're in the country illegally, they must detain them and check on their immigration status. the federal government argued this is a federal responsibility, not a state responsibility and that the constitution prevents laws from -- prevents states from passing law that interfere with federal law. how the supreme court rules on this case is important not only to arizona but to other states trying their own tough immigration laws, most notably alabama, which has harsher laws than arizona and other states are following suit. one quick note here, thomas. one of the justices, elena kagan took herself off the case. she doesn't say, but it's presumably because of the work she did on the issues wh

pete williams, what a year it's going to be.hanks very much. >>> let's move to the other branch of government. house republicans are taking their version of a payroll tax extension to the floor today. and while the house speaker predicts the bill will pass, republicans have included a provision deal with the keystone oil sands pipeline. a provision the president warned republicans he'll reject. still, the speaker isn't backing down. >> if the american people want jobs, this is as close to a shovel ready project as you're ever going to see. this is exactly the description of the kind of jobs plans that the president says he wants to enact. >> kelly o'donnell, nbc's capitol hill correspondent. kelly, i know you've had similar conversations probably that i've had over the last 24 hours. it's a congressional jam session. house trying to jam the senate and white house and senate trying to jam the house. >> as you know, there is this pressure building to get that payroll tax cut extension passed, and extension of unemployment benefits

. >> nbc news justice correspo correspondent pete williams joins us with more on this. pete, the main question for the attorney general today is going to be what? >> i think it's going to be exactly who was responsible for this operation, but i suppose the attorney general won't be able to answer that question in the detail that the committee republicans would like because he says there's an inspector general investigation going on, one that he himself asked the inspector general to do so he says he can't give all the answers but it's clear from that piece of sound that you played that the attorney general is to sox extend changing his tactics and pushing back toward the house republicans saying they're turning this into something merely to score political points. he said that this can't become political side show or a series of media opportunities that everybody has to rise above the political gotcha games. you heard from darrell issa from california who believes the department isn't giving all the answer it is could. representative james sensenbrenner in the house says

nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins us with more on that controversy. s ears are going to perk up about this. >> reporter: this started with a youtube video, a young man saying it appeared that the software and cell phones was recording everything somebody does. the company says it's strictly diagnostic. it does not keep or store or transmit the key strokes a user puts into the phone. it's to make sure the phone is working properly. it's n when it sends a text message, that it's doing so accuracy. the software does not record, store, transmit, e-mail pictures or any of that stuff and that it is entirely benign. it's not spying on the customer. >> we're seeing the president about to start his talk this morning. we'll listen in right now. pete williams, thank you, sir. >>> well, i never got to open for the rolling stones so i'll try to do my best for the president. thank you all for being here and i want to thank all the people involved in the tour that we just received for their commitment to energy efficiency and all the people they put to work. mr. pres

nbc's pete williams is live on the virginia tech campus in blacksburg, virginia. learn? >> reporter: well, the virginia state police are now confirming publicly what we've been reporting for a while, which is that the man who fired the shots yesterday killing a campus policeman and then himself was not a student. now, law enforcement sources tell us that this man was in the nearby community of radford, virginia, on wednesday night where he committed a carjacking, drove the car he stole to this area, to blacksburg, ditched the car, took a shuttle bus to the campus and then walked up and with a handgun for reasons that police still have no idea why shot and killed the campus policeman deriek crouse who had been on the force for four years leaving behind his wife and five children. the motive is still completely unclear. now, the police say they know who the man was, but they're not releasing his name. they say that the medical examiner has to confirm his identity and then they'll tell the next of kin. now, a couple other things, chris. they say that the police offic

nbc's chief justice correspondent pete williams reports live from virginia with the latest details on the shooting at virginia tech. and charlize theron talks about her new comedy "young adult." keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com