. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we talk to neera tanden from the center for american progress and attorney david rivkin about what's next for the health care reform law. >> ifill: then we assess the public's increased exposure to cybersecurity risk, as hackers step up attacks on popular web sites. >> brown: diana henriques of the "new york times" walks us through the latest developments in the bernard madoff ponzi scheme case. >> ifill: we track today's developments in the senate, as a plan to extend tax cuts heads toward a final vote. >> brown: and judy woodruff explores how a new nonpartisan grass-roots group called no labels wants to shake up the two-party system. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this was me-- best ribs in nelson county. but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a lot of information out there, but it was frustrating trying to get the answers i needed.

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we look at the state of play and the debate within the democratic party about making a deal. >> ifill: then we go inside a rare televised court hearing on california's same-sex marriage ban. >> brown: margaret warner updates the new talks on iran's nuclear program, as tehran claims to have mastered another key step in processing uranium. >> ifill: ray suarez sits down with former president jimmy carter to talk about his latest book, today's political climate, and the war in afghanistan. >> i don't think we have t capability or the will to actually prevail militarily over the taliban. that seems to me to be an almost hopeless case. ♪ the lord is here >> brown: and we listen to the sound, the style, and the spirit of a gospel music contest. >> most genres got their start in gospel music. you take some of the greatest r and b celebrities. the first thing they'll tell you is we started in a gospel choir. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major fu

i'm jeffrey brown. the digging out was under way today after a powerful blizzard crippled the east coast. >> warner: and i'm margaret warner. on the newshour tonight, we have the latest on efforts to get stranded passengers to their destinations after more than 5,000 flights were cancelled. >> brown: then betty ann bowser reports on challenges to the new federal health care reform law in one midwestern state. on november 2 republicans here in wisconsin took over everything from the state house to a number of u.s. congressional districts. we're here at the capitol in madison to see how lawmakers intend to use their new influence to put the health-care reform law on pause. >> warner: and we get perspective on where health care reform stands nationally and the battles ahead from julie rovner of npr. >> brown: plus, we examine political dissent and the law in russia, as oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is found guilty of embezzlement. >> wanrer: we begin a week of encore reports from paul solman on the forec

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. president obama assessed the legislative output of the last week and said today the nation is not doomed to endless gridlock. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the "newshour" tonight: we take a look at the president's lame duck accomplishments and ask andy kohut and susan page what the seven weeks since his midterm shellacking tell us about what comes next. >> brown: then, we take a closer look at two other major pieces of legislation passed this week. first, today's bill to provide health care benefits to the survivors and first responders of 9/11. >> ifill: and eric olson of the pew trust walks us through the new food safety law. >> brown: ray suarez wraps up his series of reports from havana. tonight, a look at medical diplomacy, cuba-style. >> tens of thousands of doctors have treated millions of patients in the poorest countries on earth. finding good will for a country shunned by the united states. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs news

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we report on the scene in oslo and beijing, and judy woodruff examines the state of u.s.-china relations. >> lehrer: then, margaret warner gets the latest on the violent protests in britain over tuition hikes from ned temko of "the observer" in london. >> brown: we update today's back and forth on capitol hill on the tax cut deal. >> lehrer: mark shields and david brooks analyze this week's news. >> ♪ i'm expressing with my full capabilities ♪ and now i'm living in correctional facilities... >> brown: and we look at rap music as a form of lyric poetry. a new anthology makes the case. >> i think when you get to dive into these lyrics you get to see how much depth is really in what these people are saying. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> opportunity can start anywhere and go everywhere. to help revitalize a neighborhood in massachusetts; restore a historic landmark in harlem; fund

i'm margaret warner. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. "washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you online and again here monday evening. have a very merry christmas. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this was me-- best ribs in nelson county. but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a lot of information out there, but it was frustrating trying to get the answers i needed. then, my company partnered with 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. >> oil companies have changed my country. >> oil companies can make a difference. >> we have the chance to build the economy. >> create jobs, keep people healthy and improve schools. >> ... and our communities. >> in angola chevron helps train engineers, teach

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, the movement on start comes after a weekend of votes on capitol hill. we recap what happened, and assess where things stand. >> ifill: judy woodruff examines the challenges ahead as the u.s. military prepares to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time. >> brown: ray suarez begins a series of reports from havana. tonight, the push for economic reform in cuba. >> suarez: in advance of next spring's communist party congress, the country is buzzing about what shape reform might take. what will the next cuba look like? >> ifill: and we talk to white house health reform director nancy-ann deparle and virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli on whether americans can be forced to pay for health coverage. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this was me-- best ribs in nelson county. but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a l

to brown and willy kennedy. thank you for your good work. for everything you've done for the city in the southweeast sector. thank you for being willing to serve. be audacious. moses is wanting to change things up. prada. vry proud of -- very proud of becca. we had to coerce her to do this, illegally. and she was kind of letting us. and now she loves this. and now she is going to get a full term. all that i ask is, did not forget who i am. thank you for being willing to be reappointed. larry del carlo. this is a legend down in the mission. he does a lot of great things and i won't even start. and her coffee is getting cold. larry is great and he will be a great contributor to the work on treasure island. this is a major deal. we are 99% finished with this. this will be revitalized with a hole in the community. i could not be more proud. the next mayor is going to take all the credit. i said, did not forget willie brown and everything he has done for treasure island. to larry mazolla jr. this is an advocate for the working families. his fathe

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. president obama defended his decision to compromise with republicans on extending tax cuts, and said the deal will help spur the economy. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, paul krugman of the "new york times" and stephen moore of the wall street journal" assess the merits of the agreement and its real world impact. >> brown: then, as the founder of wikileaks is arrested in london, we get two views on whether the u.s. government can prosecute the web site for the release of secret documents. >> ifill: we have a report from dublin about what sparked ireland's economic crisis. >> brown: from cuba, ray suarez fills us in on his latest assignment and his upcoming reports. >> suarez: cuban society is debating future economic reforms, and this developing country is moving ahead with a first world industry, biotechnology. i'll have more from havana. >> ifill: and we talk with education secretary arne duncan about the state of u.s. schools. >> we have been complacent, and

jerry brown i think was a very strong mayor. he had a strong vision for what he wanted which was to have economic development, more housing in the downtown area and kwan's going to make public safety one of her top priorities. >> with kwan's victory in san leandro here, do you think rank choice, people understood that rank choice voting can upset elections and the next time around elections are going to be different? >> i think they do know. i was talking to malia cohen, who is in the southeastern neighborhoods, hunters point, where the shipyard development is going in, she said it was luck i won, it was a strategy just like jean kwan, she wanted to be people's second and third choices to get enough votes. >> it will be hard for don perata to go around and saying can i be your second choice? >> isn't it arrogant? he knew what the system was. >> we'll see a big test next year in san francisco because the mayor's office for the first time in san francisco will be a rank choice election. i think that's going to throw a whole differ

so this is going to be brown's to solve. but i think what we're going to see out of brown, let's get back to belva's first question, i think what you're going to see out of brown is a very serious budget full of cuts because he said no taxes without voter approval during the campaign. and i sense that what he's going to do is present the public a budget that says look, you don't want any taxes, this is what we have to do, these are the kinds of spending cuts that we have to do, schools, social services, maybe even prisons. if you want that, fine. if you don't want that, let's have a conversation about revenues. >> belva: does that mean a special election or something? >> i think a special election is a pretty likely scenario. you know, when brown during the campaign spoke to the editorial board of the "san francisco chronicle," of rachel's newspaper, he laid out a scenario that sounded even then like he had really done the math about how many days he had to get consensus among legislators here in sacramento, put something on

i'm ray suarez. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. a program note before we go-- especially for our viewers in los angeles and the surrounding area-- as you may know, pbs programs are moving to a different station in los angeles next week. starting monday, the "newshour" will have a new home on channel 50-- that's koce tv. same time: 6:00 pm pacific. and you can learn more about the changes at pbssocal.org. and we will see all of you on-line and again here tomorrow evening with e.j. diown and michael gerson among much more. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> well, the best companies are driven by new ideas. >> our history depends on new ideas. we spend billions on advanced technologies. >> it's all about investing in the future. >> we can find new energy-- more cleaner, safer and smarter. >> collaborating with the best in the field. >> chevron works with the smartest people at leading universities and tech companies. >> and yet, it's really basic. >> it's paying off everyday. and by t

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we have a report on the president's four-hour trip, where he addressed troops at bagram air force base. >> lehrer: and we look at what the weak unemployment numbers mean for a recovery. >> brown: plus, paul solman examines the bleak job market for recent college graduates. >> i don't want to seem ungrateful, you know. i just feel like i've devoted years of my life and thousands of dollars into developing specialized skills that i'm not using. >> lehrer: then, we look at the failed vote of a presidential commission to approve a plan for cutting the deficit. >> we took a big banana and threw it into the gorilla cage and the gorilla has picked it up like they do, they peel it, mash it, play with it. but they will eat some >> brown: david brooks and ruth marcus analyze this week's news. >> lehrer: and we excerpt today's testimony by u.s. military chiefs about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs news

. >> brown: still to come on the news hur implementing the repeal of don't ask >> brown: still to come on the newshour, implementing the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell"; economic change in cuba; and the legal challenges ahead for the health care insurance mandate. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan in our newsroom. >> sreenivasan: iraq may finally be close to seating a new government, nine months after national elections. prime minister nouri al-maliki submitted a list of cabinet ministers today. parliament could approve the roster as early as tomorrow. for now, 13 of the 42 posts would be filled by acting ministers. that could give maliki time to work out disagreements with a key shiite faction. the parliament in afghanistan will convene a month from today more than four months after elections there. the voting was marred by fraud, and officials threw out nearly a quarter of all the ballots. meanwhile, fighting claimed another nato soldier, making at least 690 this year. militants killed 14 afghan soldiers and policemen in separate attacks in kabul and to

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, ray suarez outlines the $850 billion package, and reports on last night's debate and vote in the house. >> lehrer: then, margaret warner looks at the u.s. push to get pakistan to root out insurgents within its borders. >> brown: special correspondent stephanie hanes reports from the dominican republic on haitian immigrants living in a legal limbo. >> lehrer: outgoing white house economic advisor lawrence summers gives his take on the tax cut deal and more. >> compromise that was right with a weak economy in 2010 would be very wrong two years from now as the economy recovers and progresses. >> brown: and mark shields and david brooks analyze this week's news. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> auto companies make huge profits. >> last year, chevron made a lot of money. >> where does it go? >> every penny and more went into bringing energy to the world. >> the economy is tough right now,

jeffrey brown has our conversation. >> brown: 'tis the season, once again, for the latest tech gadgets to be bought and sold, sometimes with breathless hype of their ability to change your life and rock your world. it can be overwhelming to keep track, keep up and decide if you really need that new camera, laptop, tv or smart phone. but david pogue has been doing just that for ten years now as tech columnist for "the new york times," and he joins us now. welcome to you. >> thank you. >> brown: so, once again, here we are in the blitz of the season and everything's kind of thrown at us. broadly speaking, where's the action right now? what interests you? >> i'd say all the action these days is app phones, which i'm calling the iphone and android and the other touchscreen phones; not smart phones, which are like phones with email, like blackberry, but app phones, you can install your own programs. in my column, i cant remember the last time i wrote about a p.c.-- you know, like the reagan administration. but it's all about app phones. i think there's a lot of buzz about e-book readers. yo