with a lot of folks buying gold this holiday season tonight, richard engel takes a daring trip to show us where some of that gold is coming from and who's doing the mining. >>> plus, making a difference for a lot of folks who need jobs. for a lot of folks who need jobs. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. no matter how electronic and portable we may consider this current age in america, this time of year, mailboxes across this country are stuffed full of christmas cards and catalogs and it's all the job of the u.s. postal service to get it all there. make no mistake, it is remarkable to this day that a letter can go across town in one day or travel vast distances just a day later, just for the price of a stamp. but today the u.s. postal service made it clear reality is about to take a bite. they've got to find $20 billion in operating costs. that means slowing everything down. that means everything that comes by mail. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's tom costello -- where else? at the post office. tom, good evening. >> report

richard engel will show us where some of that gold comes from and who's doing the mining. >>> today is this boy's first day at work and his supervisors say they're not going to actually pay him any cash. instead he'll get a bag of dirt, bag of this ore that's being pulled out of the ground. maybe it has gold knit and maybe it doesn't. >>> also tonight, she is a big city power broker in this country. she's controversial, she is stylish and she has enough authority to turn times square into a pedestrian mall. the question is could some of her ideas soon be coming to a town near you? >> do critics say, well she doesn't listen, she's autocratic. we could go on and on. >> please this. >>> also we'll meet the hottest couple in the u.k. in the animal world these two could turn out to be something. >>> and our guest in the studio tonight, jimmy fallon. he'll talk about how he found himself in the middle of the gop race. all that and more on "rock center" starting now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television "rock center." since you have to spend money anyway, at some point it has become

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the iraq war is ending for the united states but it might not be ending for iraqis. >> richard engel baghdad tonight. richard, thank you very much. >>> and now we turn to this country to the campaign trail, the final gop debate before the iowa caucuses tonight and the stakes are high again for newt gingrich who has been under attack from his rivals all week. our report tonight, a preview from our political director chuck todd. >> reporter: newt gingrich meeting with voters in fort dodge, iowa, today, trying to get his game face on for tonight's debate. >> i think we actually have to solve problems, not just bicker about them. >> reporter: this as mitt romney threw the proverbial kitchen sink at him in two separate interviews tuesday. >> zany is not what we need in a president. zany is great in a campaign. he's been unreliable in his support of the most important conservative principles of the time. i think it's difficult to replace a career politician if you are just another career politician. if you have a half a million dollar purchase from tiffany's, you're not a middle class amer

. >>> also this evening, our own richard engel tells us what it's like on the ground there now. >>> drugsnd alcohol. something of a wake-up call for a lot of parents of teenagers. new numbers this evening on what they are using, how often and how much. >>> i in the sky. the government now says ipads are okay for pilots in the cockpit, but not for passengers. why the digital double standard? >>> and not the marrying kind. tonight america's marriage rate has hit an all-time low. tonight america's marriage rate has hit an all-time low. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. the president promised they'd be out by new year's eve and here they come. american men and women in uniform are coming home after nine years, 4,500 lives lost and tens of thousands of injuries. staggering sacrifice here at home all the while. the war started with the event somebody called shock and awe and it became a tragic and prolonged slog. the u.s. and allied troops fought bravely. iraqi civilians suffered terribly. now the fighting phase comes to an end though far

tonight from half a world away, richard engel discovers the real price of gold. >> reporter: this is where the gold begins its flow, the west african country of mali. the continent's third biggest producer. i'm on the road to a modern gold rush, fueled by the skyrocketing price of gold. this is the gold trail in west africa, but it doesn't look much like it. this is still a very poor area, with dugout canoes used to cross the rivers, no paved roads. this area has seen almost no development, despite the incredible value of the trade. the poorest of the poor throughout west africa are rushing to primitive gold pits known as artisanal mines. working conditions here are abysmal. and critics say the biggest price is being paid by the region's children, who are being exploited and poisoned while they pull the treasure out of the ground. >> there couldn't be a bigger contrast between the situation of 6, 7-year-olds and 14, 15-year-olds working, day in, day out under very harsh conditions in these mines and the beautiful work of jewelry somewhere in switzerland or the u.s. or elsewhere. >> r

government, it was renamed the iman ali air base, named after the founder of shiite islam. >> richard engel in kuwait tonight. richard, thank you. >>> now to washington. a showdown over taxes in congress. when we left you last night, it looked like lawmakers had reached a deal on their way out of town. but tonight, it is a whole different story. our capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins us now with the details. kelly, here we go again, right. >> reporter: indeed, lester. good evening. it is a big change tonight. the fate of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefit extensions is up in the air all over again after senator and the white house thought they achieved a short-term ans, a two-month extension. but today john boehner said house republicans are not on board. washington's holiday truth fell apart quickly. your paycheck could get smaller and unemployment benefits could run dry for many out of work a long time. after house speaker john boehner said this on "meet the press." >> how can you do tax policy for two months? >> reporter: boehner surprised washington today when he

our richard engel is there. >>> two weeks to go. shoppers buy in a blistering pace as shippers brace for their busiest day of the year. >>> and once upon a time, moms and dads keep a bed time routine going, but they're serving far from home. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. if the jab seems sharper and the tone more contentious during last night's republican presidential debate, it is likely because there have been some pretty dramatic developments in the final weeks before primary season kicks off. last night's debate in des moines was the first since newt gingrich surged out in front of mitt romney in iowa, where the all important caucuses are just three weeks away. and now a new nbc news/marist poll shows gingrich leading in two other key battlegrounds, news tonight that is changing the tone and focus of the attacks on the campaign trail. nbc's mike viqueira reports. >> reporter: the debate quickly got personal. >> if you cheat on your wife, you'll cheat on your business partners. so i think that is

embassy. >> richard engel starting us off in baghdad tonight. richard, thanks. as you mentioned, this military marker in iraq does not mean the end of our tax dollars being spent there. and now we get to see the reporting of our new colleague around here -- ted koppel who went back to iraq where he covered the start of the war, of course. on this trip he saw something very different. he's with us here in the studio tonight. ted, welcome. >> thank you, brian. particularly at this holiday season it's nice to believe that all americans are coming back from iraq, but not quite. let's clear up a few misconceptions. the u.s. military is leaving iraq. the u.s. government is not. in fact, in southern iraq, just across the border from iran, site of some of the richest oil fields in the world, in basra, the united states is building a gigantic consulate. and that's no coincidence. it is, as consul general piper campbell confirms, about the oil. >> i think that it's clear that if you had increased iranian influence in southern iraq that that would work against the interest

nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel reports. >> reporter: at first, shock and awe. then years of awful violence. 4,500 americans killed. 150,000 iraqis. a dictator toppled. it's now down to this. a view today of baghdad's camp liberty. once one of the biggest american bases. now, all american soldiers have left. only iraqi soldiers remain. they've been working with american forces so long, they even look like them now. this soldier said, i never thought i would be here. i always thought this would remain an american base. an empty lot stands where fast food restaurants were once full of troops. the army's general store, the px, now empty and dark. we saw hundreds of 4 x 4s. they now belong to iraq's prime ministry. so does a former american head dwarters, once a palace of saddam's. at camp taji 12 miles away, a few hundred troops are packing up. it's eerily quiet. at its peak, 45,000 american troops and contractors. it was so busy the troops were required to wear reflective belts so they wouldn't be run over by all humvee traffic. now, the vehicles are all gone and

nbc's richard engel reports from iraq's capital. >> reporter: in a brief ceremony on a base on the edge of baghdad, the united states took down the flag of its command here to mark the end of the military mission. with the casing of the colors, the american military command in iraq is officially closed. the iraq war as a war led by the u.s. military is no more. all that's left to do now is withdraw the 4,000 remaining troops in the coming days. defense secretary leon panetta. >> no words, no ceremony, can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. >> reporter: as the mission ends, most troops have already made it south to kuwait where they repacked. >> going back and spend time with the family. >> reporter: go through pre-flight inspections. after years of fighting, they are not used to carrying just tiny bottles of liquid when they travel. >> no projectile weapons. >> reporter: mostly, the troops wait. >> family day, they are tired of being gone all the time. it is going to be nice to be home for a little while. >> reporter: now there is just a 16-hour f

richard engel, nbc news, kuwait. >> back here in the bay area, occupy concord showed their support forilitary veterans today. protesters rallied in downtown concorde to support military veterans coming back from war who find themselves facing foreclosure and homelessness. the rally featured a speech by cindy sheehan the peace activist known for occupying outside former president george w. bush's texas ranch in 2005 after her son was killed in combat during the iraq war. >> we start to really work locally to make our families and neighborhoods stronger i think that will take money and power from the 1%. >> open carry advocates were also at today's protest with long guns and live ammunition to protest california's open carry ban. now after the rally protesters took to the streets to march against war. demonstrators say they hope today's events will get more residents of the city to support the ongoing occupy movement. still to come a southern california couple is feeling the christmas spirit. we will show you why they are trying to be regifrs this holiday season. hi >>> a dangerous stunt

richard engel in baghdad this morning. richard, thanks very much. >>> the political back and forth hitting a high note in washington. both sides trying to gain an upper hand on two important pieces of legislation. house republicans taking matters into their own hands early this morning. they put a trillion dollar spending bill to a vote at some point today and it appears they are putting the squeeze on senate democrats trying to throw out gop version of the payroll tax cut extension. bring in nbc capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. where are we this morning? white house saying republicans are threatening shutdown. republicans are saying the white house brought us to the brink of shutdown. find the truth here. >> reporter: it is hard to find the truth when you have such warring sides pulling from the playbook we've seen before. what we do know is threat of a government shutdown is hanging in the air and trying to avert that the white house says pass one of those short-term fixes so there's more time to fight about ot

joining any from baghdad and richard engel who was the first journalist in iraq when the war began nined former secretary of defense william cohen joining me this morning as well. it's great to have you both here. richard, i wanted to start with you. what are iraqis feeling as the drawdown rate gets closer? >> reporter: iraqis are obviously very concerned about their future. u.s. troops have mostly been on their bases for the last year or so. so most iraqis aren't concerned there will be an immediate outbreak of violence because iraqi forces have been leading this country for the last year. what they're more worried about is what happens over the long term here, and they're concerned about sectarian tensions, there are the kurds in the north and sunnis in the center and shooiis in the south. the shiites hold the prime ministry. there are concerns that iraq has become a shia state for shia citizens. >> one iraqi in "the new york times" says there will be a whole insecurity when the u.s. forces leave. does the country appear stable enough for u.s. troops to withdraw? i want to point out t

richard engel, nbc news, baghdad. >>> more evidence that stress goes beyond the battlefields. divorce rates are the highest level in 12 years. 30,000 marriages ended in 2011. as troops return, the number is expected to climb higher. divorces were the most common among enlisted women. the overall military divorce rate surpasses the civilian rate of 3.5% posted in 2009. >>> we have a real warm up out there today. >> now, we are getting warm december rain. storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson has more on the weather from the storm center. hi, veronica. >> that's right, we are. a little rain out there to go along with the mild temperatures today. it was kind of spring-like. i don't know, that may be pushing it. the numbers were way up today. here is a look at the temperatures today. d.c., foggy bottom, the high 63 degrees. falls church, 64. up to 66 in culpeper. 68 today in fredericksburg. those kind of temperatures are more like late november and early november around here. we dropped five degrees. we are at 58 degrees. well above the average, still. we are going to stay high f

. >> nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has been there for it all. richard, what do you think it was like for those service members? what was the feeling there? >> reporter: there was just a few people attending today's ceremony, perhaps 200 or 300. it was a brief ceremony. the actual casing of the colors only took about 10 or 15 minutes. then there was another half hour or so of speeches. most of the speeches focused on the sacrifices, the accomplishments that u.s. troops have been able to achieve here in iraq since the invasion nearly nine years ago. no questions about the war. there was some discussion of the cost, about the sacrifices that were made. defense secretary leon panetta said there will be challenges ahead but expressed confidence that iraqis and this country will have an optimistic future. >> we're going to watch very closely as we see how the transition goes and the inevitable difficulties there will be. but from your perspective and few people have spent as much time there as you have throughout all this, what do you think the accompl

richard engel is chief correspondent for nbc news. he joins us now from baghdad. idual strength in that location, the power that we can project into iraq if we have to. >> reporter: not very much, frankly. and i think based on the interviews i've been doing today, this huge presence that is staying behind here could ultimately be a liability. i spoke to a lot of iraqis who say that they don't believe that u.s. troops are really leaving, that the u.s. embassy and all of its security contractors, 15, 16, 17,000 people is really just a military base by another name. and certain militant groups are certainly going to want to target them. so if the idea is to project power and to maintain influence, you could end up antagonizing a lot of people by doing that. >> but i guess i'm trying to get to the -- in other words, in real terms, we have a lot of power left in that area. you think it may be a vulnerability to hang in there in another form, throw contractors, rather than through uniformed service people? it may create a target, rather than a power? >> reporter: absolut

richard engel, nbc news, baghdad. >>> many troops elated to come home to the u.s. many worry it could mean a return to violence in their country. >>> republican candidates get one more chance to get their message out to voters. they will square off for the 13th time tonight. much attention will be paid to newt gingrich. also attention on mitt romney, who made a gaffe at a debate last time when he made a $10,000 bet with rick perry. the iowa caucuses will happen on january 3rd. >>> virginia state employees could have extra money to take home a year from now. today, governor bob mcdonnell proposed a 3% bonus for state workers. they will get it in 2012. he announced a $2.2 billion investment in the public employee pension funld. there's no actual salary increases. virginia state workers have not received a pay raise since 2007. >>> turning to our weather now, temperatures climbed up into the 60s out there. doug kammerer is live in fairfax where one family is all decked out for the holidays. december 15th and you are standing out there in your shirt sleeves, what's goi

. >> richard engel reports live on baghdad immediately following this newscast. >> in tonight's education alert, maryland is on track to having a new system to evaluate its principals and school teachers, even though it is in the early stages. there appear to be some signs of progress. tim tooten has more. >> maryland is not calling for the changes by choice. to get millions in federal dollars, the state promised to develop a new tool to evaluate principals and teachers. it is based in part on student performance. >> have we answered all of the questions? no, is the model finished? absolutely not. but we are way beyond where we were i a year ago. >> this is the maryland educator effectiveness council, a group made up of educators, state leaders, and lawmakers. -- community leaders, and the lawmakers. it has turned to nine school districts to help lay the foundation. >> it is complex and difficult to explain in order to get by in it with the teachers and principals as well. >> grades and subjects aren't area that we are struggling. wheat -- are an area that we are struggling. >> so far, th

a picture that richard engel just tweeted a short time ago. literally, the last vehicle out. and someone scrolled that out. a historic picture. richard is standing by in kuwait. meanwhile, prince harry finds himself in the middle of a police investigation, after his friend was reportedly mugged. details, coming up. >>> clint eastwood, one of hollywood's most iconic actors from his memorable performances on screen to success behind the camera we may see a whole new side of clint eastwood. we'll explain in a few minutes. >>> a little later on, a story we all grew up with, and champion gymnast kathy rigby is bringing peter pan to life. >> i got a chance to see everything on stage and above it as well with a rare lesson in flying. so much fun to spend time with such a wonderful actress. we'll have that story. she took that role before she had kids obviously, because of the harness. >> can i just say, i have seen more of that tape, and it's not all as graceful as what we saw. they were very kind to you. they didn't show you hitting the wall. >> literal ooechl. >>> a lot to get to.

a picture that richard engel just tweeted a short time ago. literally, the last vehicle out. and someone scrolled that out. a historic picture. richard is standing by in kuwait. meanwhile, prince harry finds himself in the middle of a police investigation, after his friend was reportedly mugged. details, coming up. >>> clint eastwood, one of hollywood's most iconic actors from his memorable performances on screen to success behind the camera we may see a whole new side of clint eastwood. we'll explain in a few minutes. >>> a little later on, a story we all grew up with, and champion gymnast kathy rigby is bringing peter pan to life. >> i got a chance to see everything on stage and above it as well with a rare lesson in flying. so much fun to spend time with such a wonderful actress. we'll have that story. she took that role before she had kids obviously, because of the harness. >> can i just say, i have seen more of that tape, and it's not all as graceful as what we saw. they were very kind to you. they didn't show you hitting the wall. >> literal ooechl. >>> a lot to get to.

i want to show you the picture that richard engel tweeted from the border with kuwait. literally the last vehicle out and someone scrawled that on the side. a historic picture certainly. we'll get a live report from richard standing by in kuwait in just a moment. >>> prince harry finds himself in the middle of a police investigation after his friend was reportedly mugged. we'll get details on that coming up. >>> plus, we know clint eastwood is one of hollywood's most iconic actors from his performances on screen to success hinds the camera. now we may see a whole new side. we'll explain in a few minutes. >> it's a story we all grew up with and now kathy rigby is bringing back peter pan to life on stage. >> i had a chance to get an inside look at everything on stage and in a second, you'll see above it as well with a rare lesson in flying. so much fun to spend time with such a wonderful actress. she took that role before she had kids, obviously, because of the harness. >> can i just say i have seen more of that tape. it's not all as graceful. they were very kind to you. >

joining us now richard engel and martin bashir. thank you both for joining me.e i've been on your show. >> first time i've been on my show. sometimes it looks like it. >> i feel like we're doing sports analysis with this desk. >> or we'll sail off somewhere. any right, there's a lot happening, but i want to talk about the middle east. richard, you're embedded, you're always reporting on the news. how does -- >> where am i this morning? >> well, here in new york, but how does the middle east see america and what does the middle east broadly speaking want from america? >> let's take egypt as an example. egypt just had elections and in those elections, there are only partial results that have come in. islamic parties are doing very well. even the islamic parties didn't think they would do as well as they appear to be doing. and it's even more radical islamic groups. and according to these two percentages that have come out, the students who were at tahrir square who led the revolution, free thinking type of people, they got a small percentage. the group that would

richard engel was in kyra -- cairo. >> when they thought that the cell phone messages weren't safe, they would switch to twitter. then when the twitter messages they thought were being compromised, they would switch to facebook the chris: great reporting there. or was it apple become the -- becoming the world's biggest company? and the sfeeve jobs story in or more and more people paying to get newspapers online rather than in their driveways? or was it emple mail -- email taking over the post office? rick? >> last month, chris, i went to egypt and tunisia and to this tiny little town outside tunis where a man set himself on fire. this place is in the back of the back of beyond. you don't think anything could start there, much less a world historical movement. you know how it happened? somebody took a cell phone video of the protest after he i am 0 lated himself and -- imolated himself and that was sent all through the middle east. an amazing phenomenon. chris: social networking? >> social network s -- networking was an aid to something that was simmering and boiling over but without it,

. >> nbc news's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, was there when u.s. this war than almost anyone else. he joins us live from baghdad. richard, this appearance by prime minister al maliki was designed to reassure americans that iraq has a viable and independent future. but does it? and will they be able to hold off iran's continuing influence in the region? >> reporter: the iranian question is one that has many iraqis very worried. and it's fair to say that maliki is not an iranian pawn. the iraqi government doesn't take its orders from iran. but what's different now, and the dynamic that has so many people in this country concerned and other middle east analysts, is that iraq has become a shiite government. iran is a shiite government, and now iraq is a shiite government. so while iraq may be independent, it certainly can does feel a certain affinity to its fellow shiite neighbor. and there is already a tremendous amount of cross-border traffic between pilgrims. there's a tremendous amount of trade between the two countries. just to give you an example

nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins me live from baghdad. we'll talk about what the president refers to as the stability in iraq right now. what can you tell us about the environment there? >> reporter: [ inaudible ] people today, we spoke to were not thanking american troops for having brought democracy. they were complaining about consistent insecurity, consistent power problems, consistent infrastructure problems. in fact, we were in sadr city today, one of the poorest and at time most violent neighborhoods in this country. there were pools of sewage. people were saying the american troops brought nothing. only death and destruction. they are celebrating what they consider a victory of resistance, of fighting against the u.s. troops now that americans are leaving. so not a lot of encouraging words. not a lot of thanks coming from the iraqis toward the u.s. and you can see the power has just gone off here. that is something that happens all the time in baghdad. still, nine years, nearly, since the u.s. invasion. >> and i saw your report on

. >> and joining me now, nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel. we saw the emotional scene of the president with al maliki laying the wreath at the tomb of the unknown. i saw your tweet as well. saying just how emotional this moment is and we need to understand with clarity what is happening. can you paint a picture of the situation, the security situation, in iraq, is it as the president stated today? >> things here are much safer than they were at the worst point in this country's modern history in 2006, 2007. and this is an historic moment. listening to the president and al maliki talking about the end of the iraq war. it has been nearly nine years since this war began about a million troops were deployed to this country and u.s. troops, 4500 of them never came home. more than 30,000 injured, about 150,000 iraqis were killed a trillion dollars spent. i spent the last couple of days going to american bases here and these were luke military cities in the past and now they are like ghost towns on one base, there were a few hundred troops. i was on