and by united healthcare. bnsf railway. 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. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

and by united healthcare. bnsf railway. 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. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org announcer: find your voice and share it. american greetings-- proud sponsor of "the electric company." - beaches resorts is a proud sponsor of "the electric company," connecting bright ideas and countless outlets for high-energy excitement. from the u.s. department of education's ready to learn grant, and... - ok. your 5 words all start with "un," which means not. they are... when you're unsure about something, it means you're not totally sure.

and by united healthcare. bnsf railway. 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. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org that shattered the boundaries of our planet. gs they saw. around the world share a great moment from thethat the vehicle has exploded. our new explorers will first need to learn once in lunar orbit, its auto insurance customers for over 70 years.e to more information on auto insurance at geico.com or 1-800-947-auto any time of the day or night.

united healthcare. bnsf railway. 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. >> ifill: the battle of the budget is set to begin in washington tomorrow, as the 112th congress begins work and newly empowered republicans vow to slash government spending. when republicans officially take control of the house of representatives tomorrow, at least one major campaign promise will encounter its first reality test. incoming house speaker john boehner set the stage for the coming spending debate on election night. >> i'm here to tell you tonight that our new majority will be prepared to do things differently. to take a new approach that hasn't been tried in washington before by either party. it starts with cutting spending inste

united healthcare. >> bnsf railway. 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 took up repeal of the health care reform law today. newshour health correspondent betty ann bowser begins our coverage. >> mr. speaker i rise to support hr-2 the repeal of last year's so-called health bill. >> reporter: for house republicans it marked a moment to make good on a promise that helped fuel their election victories last fall. >> we said we would have a straight up or down vote to repeal this health care law. that is precisely what we are doing here today. >> reporter: for democrats on both sides of the capital, it was the new opportunity to win public support for the law. >> we welcome in a certain sense their attempt to repeal it because it gives us a second chance to make a first impression. >> reporter: since president obam

united healthcare. >> 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. >> lehrer: the new congress was seated today with the house was under new management. republicans returned to power after four years in the minority, and john boehner was elected speaker. ray suarez reports. >> reporter: the 61-year-old boehner ascended the steps to power today as he began his 21st year in congress, representing part of suburban cincinnati. he was handed the gavel by california democrat nancy pelosi, who four years ago became the first woman to elected to be speaker. >> i now pass this gavel and sacred trust with it to t new speaker, god bless you speaker boehner. ( applause ) >> reporter: boehner addressed a house with 96 new members, nearly all of them re

and by united healthcare. >> 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. >> lehrer: the aftermath of the tucson massacre unfolded on two fronts today. the accused gunman was in court, while congresswoman gabrielle giffords lay gravely wounded in a hospital. newshour correspondent tom bearden begins our extended coverage. >> reporter: mourners gathered again today at a makeshift memorial in front of the university medical center in tucson for wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords and the other victims of the shootings. inside her doctors continued to express guarded optimism. >> with regard to congresswoman giffords' recovery at this phase in the game, no change is good. and we have no change. that is to say she's still following those basic

united healthcare. >> 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. >> lehrer: this was a day of remembrance for the victims of the tucson shootings. they were honored in the u.s. house and president obama flew to arizona to address a memorial service and the nation. ray suarez begins our coverage. >> now, therefore be it resolved... >> reporter: that resolution-- introduced by house speaker john boehner-- paid tribute to the six people killed and the 13 wounded, including democratic congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> our hearts are broken but our spirit not. this is a time for the house to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and the wounded and a resolve to carry on a dialogue of democracy. we may not yet have all the final answers, but w

united healthcare. >> bnsf railway. 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: president obama took to the road today in his latest effort to woo the business community, and he appointed a major c.e.o. as an economic advisor. ray suarez begins our coverage. >> suarez: speaking at a general electric plant in schenectady, new york, president obama tried again today to highlight bright spots amid a sluggish economic recovery. >> and over the years, in the wake of these shifts, upstate new york and places like it have seen more than their fair share of hard times. but what has never changed-- we see it right here at this plant, we see it right here at g.e.-- is that america is still home to the most creative and m

united healthcare. >> 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. >> lehrer: president obama took his state of the union message of winning the future on a road test today. "newshour" congressional correspondent kwame holman begins our coverage. >> reporter: the president left washington-- as presidents traditionally do the day after state of the union-- intent on selling his vision for the future. the destination this time: wisconsin. mr. obama won the state convincingly in 2008, but it turned sharply republican in last year's midterm elections. the president toured a renewable energy technology plant near green bay and quoted former packers head coach, vince lombardi. >> in the words of the man the "there is no room for second place. th

united healthcare. they provided on-site screenings, healthy cooking tips. that's a recipe i'm keeping. >> turning complex data into easy tools. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. united healthcare. 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: around the world today the celebration to welcome 2011 has begun. from moscow, where fireworks went off despite a curtain of thick snow. to tokyo, where revelers released silver balloons. among the first to celebrate-- new zealand... >> three, two one, happy new year! >> brown: and australia, where fireworks lit the midnight sky over sydney harbor for a crowd of 1.5 million-- one of the largest in the wor

united healthcare offered a specially trained r.n., who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me, cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids, but my coach had hit that pitch before. >> turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. united healthcare. >> bnsf railway. >> 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 government of tunisia unraveled today, as a state of emergency was declared in the north african nation protesters took to the streets demanding democratic elections. the president's whereabouts were unknown, and the prime minister assumed power for now. jonathan rugman of independent television news has this report. outside tunisia's interior ministry a vast crowd

united healthcare. >> 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. >> brown: "we will cooperate." and: "we will compete." that's how president obama characterized relations as the state visit of the president of china formally began today in washington. one-on-one talks were sandwiched between a ceremonial greeting this morning, and a state dinner tonight. pomp and circumstance officially welcomed president hu jintao to the white house. it was his first trip to the u.s. since 2006, and it followed a time of tensions over everything from climate change to taiwan. from the outset, president obama talked up cooperation. >> we have an enormous stake in each other's success. in an interconnected world, in a global economy, nations, including ou

and by united healthcare. >> 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: a confused situation in haiti gets only more complicated tonight with the return of the leader ousted by popular revolt over two decades ago. even as several hundred cheering supporters greeted him at the airport, the reasons behind his sudden reappearance remained a mystery. >> very good, very emotional, a lot of emotion. >> is he going to stay here? what does he want to do? >> nothing was planned. we wanted to keep things as simple as possible. >> ifill: known as baby doc, duvalier assumed power in 1971 after the death of his father. in 1986 the duvaliers fled haiti under a cloud accused of torturing and killing thousands of political opponents during a dictato

united healthcare. 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... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the u.s. economy added jobs in december, and the unemployment rate dropped. but the newest numbers from the federal department of labor also fell short in some important ways. for american workers, the jobs report was decidedly a good news/bad news story. on unemployment, the good news was the rate dropped from 9.8% to 9.4%. that was the lowest it's been in 19 months. the bad news-- the drop was mainly because so many people stopped searching for work, so they were no longer counted as unemployed. likewise on job creation-- employers added 103,000 new positions in december, nearly all of them in the private sector. but it take