My fellow Americans:
There are many men and women in America -- sincere and faithful men and women -- who are asking themselves this Christmas: How can we light our trees? How can we give our gifts? How can we meet and worship with love and with uplifted spirit and heart in a world at war, a world of fighting and suffering and death? How can we pause, even for a day, even for Christmas Day, in our urgent labor of arming a decent humanity against the enemies which beset it? How can we put the world aside, as men and women put the world aside in peaceful years, to rejoice in the birth of Christ? (1)
It is well in this solemn hour that we bow to Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln as we face our destiny with its hopes and fears -- its burdens and its responsibilities. Out of the past we shall gather wisdom and inspiration to chart our future course. (2)
In the light of Christmas, the dark curtains of the world are drawn aside for the moment. We see more clearly our neighbors next door, and our neighbors in other nations. We see ourselves and the responsibilities that belong to us. (3) CONTINUED >>
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
A few things before we get going:
Do we believe Roger Clemens?
And to those of you who have written about Multiple Myeloma, thank you. Indeed, our family has been touched by it, and its my pleasure to support the good folks (and great achievements) of the MMRF. Dr. Ken Anderson is regarded as something of a living saint by the patients who have come to know him.
Last night, minutes after our story about the "floating cross" some people insist was intentionally featured in the Huckabee Christmas campaign ad, we got emails from viewers saying they had noticed something similar in the background during our interview with Time Magazine managing editor Rick Stengel. I can't believe people "discovered" it. Or maybe it's true that people just see what they want to see.
Yesterday we talked about the OEOB and energy. I listed quotes to show that "energy independence" is not a new goal. Today we concentrate on silverware. The moral of the collection of quotes below: President Bush wasn't the first one to joke -- as he did today -- about people "stealing" the silverware from the White House. Nor was he joking about it for the first time! Take a look at these varied attempts at presidential humor, all of a theme:
Silverware Pattern
Good morning. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday reception at the White House as much as Laura and I enjoyed it. We took an inventory of the silverware, and this year only a few pieces were missing. So like if you see Gregory, tell him to bring them back.
-- President Bush at today’s press conference (referring to NBC's David Gregory)
I love meeting with the Members. For those of you who have been to our office, thanks for coming. For those of you that have not been to our office yet, you're coming. Just don't take any silverware. [Laughter]
-- President Bush, February 2, 2001, two weeks after taking office; remarks at the Republican Congressional Retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia
It's good to see my old fellow owner, "the Boss." [Laughter] What a record you've had -- a man who demands excellence and oftentimes gets it. [Laughter] But thank you for coming, George. I know the real boss of the Yankees is here, too, Arthur Richman. [Laughter] How are you, Arthur? Good to see you. I told you one of these days we would get to the White House. Just don't take any silverware, Arthur. [Laughter]
-- President Bush, May 4, 2001, referring to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and senior advisor Arthur Richman during remarks honoring 2000 World Series Champion New York Yankees.
Thank you all for coming. I'll see you Thursday, coats and ties. [Laughter] This year, Gregory, don't take any silverware. [Laughter]
-- President Bush, December 15, 2003 press conference; referring to upcoming holiday party
I want to thank Bob Wallace, the executive director. He spends a lot of time in the Oval Office. I'm always checking the silverware drawer. [Laughter]
-- President Bush, August 22, 2007, referring to VFW executive director Robert E. Wallace during remarks at Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
As you know, this is the second time that we've had editorial cartoonists here during this term. Last May 1 had some of you over for lunch. We're still looking for the missing silverware. [Laughter]
-- President Ronald Reagan, May 7, 1987; remarks to Members of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists
We have a lot of ground to cover tonight -- from New Orleans to Washington. We'll have an update on Rudy Giuliani's health, and a report on the so-called "War on Christmas." (My favorite is the retailing website that talks about opening gifts on "holiday morning"... exactly what morning is that?) We'll cover politics, medicine and more.
We hope you can join us tonight -- and thank you.
By Mary Murray, NBC News Havana bureau chief
Reporting from communist Cuba is always a challenge.
Most times, it’s just not easy finding people willing to talk—especially when you are a U.S. journalist asking strangers to share their thoughts on topics that have been taboo for decades.
So when we drove into the small village of Perico, I wasn’t certain we would find anyone willing to tell us what happened here in the early morning hours of November 24th. Instead, we found an entire town wanting to talk about nothing else: Los Desaparecidos – the Spanish term for “The Missing”.
CONTINUED >>
By John Rutherford, NBC News producer, Washington
Three civilian contractors, among 11 Americans killed last week in Iraq, died Dec. 9 when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad. A fourth contractor, badly injured, was expected to survive.
"I don't know, I guess it just wasn't his time to go," Christine Johnson said of her injured husband, Billy, according to the Milford (Mass.) Daily News.
All four men were military veterans who willingly took on the dangerous assignment of providing security for contractors who search for and destroy old Iraqi munitions stockpiles.
"It's just in their blood," Christine Johnson told the Daily News. "It's part of them, but I think he [her husband] is done now."
CONTINUED >>
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Before I finish a thought that began on the air last night, a story from this morning:
We were midway through our morning editorial conference call when someone said, "Look at what's on MSNBC!" -- It was a live picture of smoke rolling out the windows of the Executive Office Building next to the White House. I immediately reeled back to my time years ago as a White House intern. I knew the massive building almost by heart -- I could tell from the windows and balcony exactly where the fire was burning, and I even remembered details (the floor, the ceiling, the vice president's desk with the signatures under glass in the drawer, the bullet-proof glass shields -- everything down to the light switches and fixtures) from the many tours I had led down that hall and through that room. I shudder to think of the history lost in the fire, not to mention the beauty of the offices and furnishings, the records and telecommunications equipment and the water and smoke damage for several floors above and below the fire. (We're trying to confirm a report that all firefighters entering the building had to be accompanied by Secret Service -- before they could fight the fire. If true, it is the bureacracy of security run amok, and someone should probably lose their job over it.)
The magnificent 19th century building, now officially called the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, once housed the Departments of State, War and the Navy. For years, it was known as the Old Executive Office Building, and despite my love for President Eisenhower, I will forever call the building the "OEOB," as a lot of Washington veterans do (the same people who still call the airport "National"). I was stunned to see the live pictures of the unfolding disaster. I understand there was one injury: a Marine who cut himself breaking out a window.
We have a number of visitors in the studio tonight: correspondents Ian Williams, Janet Shamlian, and TIME Magazine Editor Rick Stengel, on his "Person of the Year" cover choice, Vladimir Putin. My nominee? Mother Earth. I lost.
CONTINUED >>
By Janet Shamlian, NBC News correspondent
Editor's note: After Janet Shamlian's report aired on the broadcast, we received many of your emails asking how you can help the Sanchez family. This is a link to the Jeffco Action Center, which says it will direct all donations to the Sanchez's.
It's a new and uncomfortable position. Michiko and David Sanchez never thought they'd need help. They both have full time jobs, and their combined income of $60,000 was enough to allow them to donate 10 percent to their church. That was last year. This year, the Sanchez' are the recipients of the kind of goodwill they used to selflessly offer others. After their mortgage jumped, they lost their house to foreclosure. Now, as they save for a deposit on an apartment, they're getting their groceries from a food pantry. When I visited them in Denver a few days ago, they had $60 to make it to payday Friday. With three children in the home, they've already told the kids.. there won't be any Christmas gifts under the tree.
Their story comes as no surprise to food banks across the country, struggling with an unprecedented need from families trying to make ends meet. The weakened economy and the credit crunch has transformed tens of thousands of middle class Americans from donors to reluctant recipients. At the Jeffco Action Center in Denver, donations are down 50 percent from last year and the non-profit will have to buy food for the first time in its 39 year history. 75 percent of the needy there hold a full time job.
Michiko Sanchez has no room for pity and chooses to look at their struggle as a way to teach her kids about the season's true meaning. "There won't be any presents," she told me, "but we'll spend the day together, celebrating the wealth of our love."
Click here for one of the organizations featured in this report.
By Pete Williams, NBC News Justice correspondent (and architecture buff)
The fire that damaged the Eisenhower Executive Office Building today is just the latest indignity it has suffered during its 120 or so years as one of Washington's major buildings -- and from the beginning, one of its most controversial.
It took 17 years to build, at a cost of $10 million, and was such an excess of opulence that it was immediately considered over the top. Three times it was the subject of direct assaults:
-In 1917, a federal commission asked architect John Russell Pope (whose most famous design is the Jefferson Memorial) to vastly modify the building's outward appearance.
-In 1929, after Herbert Hoover declared the building an "architectural orgy," another firm was asked to perform modifications.
-And in 1957, a presidential commission went further and recommended it be completely torn down.
The first two efforts failed for lack of money. And President Eisenhower himself intervened to save the building from demolition, which is one reason it is now named for him.
The building's original architect, Alfred Mullett, didn't fare so well. Considering himself overworked, underpaid, and severely under appreciated, he sued the government for more money. When that came to nothing, he committed suicide.
By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent
Editor's note: Watch Ian Williams's report on tonight's broadcast.
Sankar Masthri is a monkey catcher. It says so on his business card.
"Monkey, Dog Hunter," it reads, together with little drawings of his targets and his cell phone number. The phone's ringing a lot these days, as India’s capital tries to rid itself of an exploding primate population that’s accused of all kinds of mayhem.
"Problem is, monkeys [are] getting smart," Masthri said, as we watched from a distance as one audacious monkey leaned inside a cage baited with bananas and made away with the food before Masthri could pull a wire to close the hatch and trap it.
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Dec. 19: NBC's Janet Shamlian reports on America's charities feeling the pinch this holiday season. Click here to watch.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Although she left us for CNN, frequent viewers of this broadcast remember Campbell Brown fondly, as we all do. Today's welcome bulletin has to do with Campbell and her husband Dan -- they have a magnificent new arrival, Eli James Senor, born just this morning. We were thrilled to hear the news and wish our friends Campbell and Dan just the very best.
Thanks to those of you who joined us for our political coverage on MSNBC today -- it was fun, as it always is, taking the reins for an hour at 1pm Eastern time. My day got compacted from there -- we're crashing on some stories for the top of the broadcast and I'm behind on writing, but Andy Franklin has penned a magnificent political piece below which deserves its own headline:
UNDER THE BIG TOP
The process of choosing a president has become a marathon in this country. All the major candidates declared their intentions months ago, and ever since they’ve been loudly and busily campaigning, debating, raising money, airing commercials, attacking their opponents, defending their records and positioning themselves for the contests to come. Those contests are now almost upon us: the Iowa caucuses are 16 days away, followed by the New Hampshire primary five days later. Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina and Florida follow in quick succession, leading up to February 5th (aka “Super-Duper Tuesday”) when 20 -- count ‘em -- 20 states have scheduled their contests. The nominations may be settled after all that, but if not, don’t worry -- the primary season continues until early June. If things are still up in the air, we can count on the conventions to sort things out. The Democrats hold theirs in Denver in late August, followed by the Republicans in St. Paul in early September. By then we’ll finally have just two candidates -- or maybe three, if there’s an independent in the race. That’s when things get serious -- not that things aren’t very serious now, of course. Between the conventions and the election, we’ll have about ten weeks of flat-out campaigning, not to mention flat-out campaign coverage. Then, on November 4th, 46 weeks from today, there will be an election. At long last, we’ll have a new president. Except we wont; that doesn’t actually happen until Inauguration Day, eleven weeks later. At which point the 2012 campaign will begin.
CONTINUED >>
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
I've found that with a little barbeque sauce, crow actually tastes...like chicken. I reference of course my trash talk in my Friday posting, predicting -- ASSUMING -- a Giants victory over the Redskins last night. My son and I were there for the humiliating loss. We braved the 17-degree wind-chill, we braved snow and wind in the face, we even braved the sausage sandwiches at the stadium. When we turned around in our seats and realized the season ticket holders sitting behind us in section 212 didn't bother to come back to their seats for the second half, we knew we had a problem. Our beloved Boys in Blue really stunk up the place. Later, in line for the bus back to the Port Authority in New York (the ONLY way to travel to the Meadowlands without spending a significant portion of your life in the Meadowlands parking lot) my son guessed that it was the coldest he'd ever been. I placed it third -- after Bosnia and Iraq. He's just 16; give him time. We had a great night, and we were even polite to the Washington fans who walked past the bus line of hundreds of Giants fans singing the Redskins fight song, "Hail to the..." I can't finish it.
Much excitement surrounding tonight's broadcast. We've been looking for a new announcer ever since our beloved, veteran "voice of Nightly News" Howard Reig left us for retirement two years ago. Many of you will be reading this after 6:30 eastern time (our first live feed of the broadcast) when the "identity" of our new announcer will already be known. Let me just say this about this man: I called him, I appealed to his sense of history and tradition and his love of the medium -- and he said yes without hesitation. I was a fan before this. Now I am devoted to the guy.
CONTINUED >>
By Mara Schiavocampo, NBC Nightly News Digital correspondent
Editor's note: Mara is on assignment in India, preparing several stories for Nightly News. Watch for her reports soon on the Digital Dispatch.
I’ve had the privilege of shooting photos and video of people all over the world. I’m always interested in how individuals respond to a camera. In some cities I’m greeted with friendly curiosity. In others, disdain. Sometimes, annoyance.
But in India, I’ve seen a reaction I’ve never found anywhere else. The moment I point a camera at someone, they stop whatever they are doing and stare into the camera, proudly, dutifully. Below are some photos of those who have turned their eyes on me, as I have turned mine on them.
In Srikalahasti:
CONTINUED >>
By Martin Savidge, NBC News correspondent
Batman had his Bat-mobile.
The Green Hornet had the Black Beauty.
And Michael Knight had KITT.
Now the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has its first Animal CSI-mobile.
CONTINUED >>
On Monday, December 17, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" will debut a new, very special announcer who will introduce the program and Williams nightly.
Who will it be?
Here's a hint. The announcer has had a rich, extensive, award-winning theatrical career for nearly forty years.
Make sure to listen carefully at the beginning of Nightly News and send us your best guess as to who it is.
We will reveal the announcer's identity at end of Monday's broadcast.
Good luck!
by Lester Holt
It was potluck Sunday here in the Nightly newsroom this afternoon as we shared favorite dishes (I made an apple-berry cobbler) and said good-bye to some of our colleagues who are moving on. A big thanks to Tom Bowman, a senior producer on the show, and one of the first people I got to know when I joined MSNBC back in 2000. I'd miss him regardless, but now that I've discovered he cooks up a mean mac and cheese, I'm suggesting we compete more aggressively to keep him.
CONTINUED >>
by Lester Holt
We're officially in that "crunch time" period before Christmas when shoppers become more mission focused as the calendar ticks down. For a second straight weekend shoppers in many parts of the country are going about their tasks with an ear cocked to the weather forecast. All week we've been hearing of a stronger punch of winter-like weather on way following that damaging ice storm. Snow is falling today from Kansas into Indiana, and our colleagues at NBC Weather plus tell us it's all likely to re-develop into a Nor'easter on Sunday, bringing snow, rain and wind to the Northeast. The questions tonight: how bad will it turn out to be, and where is the snow/rain cutoff line? Bill Karins will join me on Nightly News tonight to tell us all what we're in fo.
CONTINUED >>
By Jim Maceda, NBC News correspondent
What a joy it was to shoot in Afghanistan again...and not be shot at... even once. Finally, 6 years since the war began, my Afghan camera-and-soundman, Iqbal Sapand, and I were here to do a NON-military story. What a perk! A story, not about suicide bombings or coalition losses, but a Hollywood movie, starring Afghans, about Afghans. The 'Kite Runner' - based on Khaled Hosseini's blockbuster novel - debuts today in the US. We wanted to ask ordinary Afghans, as well as some Afghan officials, how they looked upon a potentially award-winning film that throws a POSITIVE light on their war-torn country.
We met with a wide swath of people in Kabul, a city that was still too unsafe for 'The Kite Runner' to be shot here (all scenes were filmed in China). In fact, we never went into the streets without a discreetly armed body guard watching our backs. We spoke with an Internet chat room host, worshippers after Friday prayers, workmen in the Hazara district (the traditionally suppressed ethnic tribe of Mongol origin), a master kitemaker, a human rights director, a sociologist, and lots of kite enthusiasts - young and old - who honed their skills on Nadir Khan Hill, overlooking the capital, on a Friday afternoon.
CONTINUED >>
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
We have several favorites in the broadcast tonight: including a story -- the favorite of many of us in the newsroom -- that came to us from our Miami station, having to do with something that happened at a Starbucks yesterday. We also have great reporting tonight on the baseball scandal, New Orleans' latest issue, and the environment. And of course: Making a Difference.
My son and I have tickets to the New York Giants victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday night. So I'm going to ask our meteorologist Bill Karins to accelerate the timing of the snowstorm scheduled to arrive this weekend. I'm pretty sure he can do that for me. He knows people.
I exchanged emails today with a young commander in Iraq -- as I sat in my office looking at the plaza and the Christmas tree here at 30 Rock, he was looking out over a complex of military base housing units (some of them converted tractor-trailers) and humvees and latrines. He was between patrols. It was a healthy reminder (the same reason why I keep a medallion from the U.S. Army First Cavalry in my pocket every day -- since the day it was given to me in Ramadi) that we must think of these volunteers while we go on about our parallel lives. Especially this time of year.
CONTINUED >>
By Brett Holey, NBC Nightly News director
Tonight we say goodbye to a familiar voice, an era for NBC and a small piece of broadcasting history.
Tonight's broadcast will be the last time you'll hear announcer Howard Reig say the familiar words introducing the broadcast following John Williams' spectacular fanfare. Monday you'll hear a new voice that will be familiar but in a whole new way.
Howard is diminutive in stature but a giant in heart and voice. His career in the television business has spanned the entire history of "the business." When his voice was first heard on NBC Radio, FDR was president, the U.S. population was less than half of what it is today, there were fewer than 7,000 televisions in America and only a handful of commercial stations.
CONTINUED >>
By Mara Schiavocampo, NBC Nightly News digital correspondent
Editor's note: Mara is on assignment in India right now, preparing several stories for Nightly News. Watch for her reports soon on the Digital Dispatch.
I’ve spent most of my adult life in two cities: New York and L.A. And I work in television. So I’m used to seeing celebrities. For the most part I ignore them. I figure I’d hate to be constantly bothered by strangers, so why force myself on someone else? But this was one I couldn’t ignore.
Quickly, some context: I’m in India working on several amazing stories that you’ll soon see on the Digital Dispatch and other NBC News programs. This morning I left Bangalore, a major city, for a tiny city called Tirupati. So tiny that there are more cows on the streets than cars. So tiny that I had to re-arrange my planned itinerary because on some days there are no flights in or out. That tiny.
But huge at the same time. Tirupati is home to a Hindu temple which is one of the most visited religious sites in the world. Indians claim it’s more popular than the Vatican. This weekend alone, hundreds of thousands of devotees will come here to worship.
Now back to the story. A few minutes after checking into my room I got a phone call from my Indian guide in the lobby. “Mara, are you busy?” he asks. “No, why? What’s up?” I reply. “Well,” he starts tentatively, “the Hollywood actor Chris Rock is here in the lobby.” “HE’S HERE?!?!?” I shouted, and made a mad dash for the door.
When the elevator doors opened, there was Chris Rock - in tiny Tirupati, India - with about seven other men, including well-known producer and writer Nelson George. “What are you doing here?” I asked. He told me that they were working on something for HBO, but wouldn’t say much more than that. (My guide, Uday, later told me what they are working on and it’s the same reason I’m here. So now I’m determined to beat them to air. HBO, I’ve got my eye on you. You’ve been warned.)
Anyway, back to Chris Rock. I begged for an interview. Nelson George said, “No, no, no.” I begged for a video shout out for this blog. Again, “no”. I meekly asked for a picture, and finally got a “yes”.
I went to Tirupati, India and all I got was this lousy photo.
Seriously though, Chris (we’re on a first name basis now) and his crew were all gracious and friendly. And in all fairness, I got a lot more than just a picture. I have a cool new travel story too.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
If you were walking down West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan last night and heard loud music, that was us. The staff of Nightly News had a terrific time at our annual party. We celebrated the hard work done by this team to make us the #1 newscast in America, and we toasted all of you as well. We were treated to some great music (a band headed up by our senior East Coast promotions executive Frank Radice) and the voice of an angel, Nightly News's own Amber Payne, whose singing voice is positively transporting. It was loud, fun and went late.
To today: one of the few times when only a single voice could be heard throughout our newsroom: during George Mitchell's press conference today. What a dark day for baseball. What a tough time for parents who have young players at home -- as I do -- yearning for positive role models in the game.
The only other audible sounds in the newsroom: the sleet that is presently tapping against our windows, and the sound of the wind howling. Winter is visiting New York City today, just as it threatens to hit the East Coast again on Sunday with a powerful storm. It'll all be part of our reporting tonight.
We will close tonight's broadcast with a quirky feature on one of my favorite new products of the last few years: light-emitting diodes, or LED's. They are tiny (some not so tiny) light bulbs that burn cool, burn bright, and burn almost forever. They have revolutionized Christmas tree lighting, law enforcement (those REALLY bright flashing roof racks that you never want to see in your rear-view mirror) and even airplane reading lights, auto headlights and stoplights. I am lit by them during the broadcast. While they come in any color, they are decidedly green in terms of the environment.
Finally, if I may put in a plug. As you may know, I'm on the board of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Foundation. We are bestowing an honor similar to the Medal on ordinary folks who do extraordinary things. Those who put service above self. Those who act above and beyond the call of duty. We'll collect nominees, research them and celebrate those honored during a prime-time special in March in Washington. If you know an extraordinary person to nominate, you have until December 16th to do so. Please go to aboveandbeyond365.com to read all about it.
Andy Franklin has given us a great politically-themed gift below. We sure appreciate you joining us tonight. As always.
CONTINUED >>
By Stephanie Himango, NBC News producer
Editor's note: Mark Potter's report on LED lights airs tonight on the broadcast. Watch a preview here.
Lite Brite is a game I hadn't thought about in years--until I started thinking about LED lights. Any child of the 1970s who was captivated by Lite Brite probably has the same recollection I did when looking at LEDs in their infinite applications: tail lights, traffic lights, cross walks, holiday lights, billboards and more. The circular stippled appearance of vibrant LED lighting is definitely reminiscent of the light and paper-punch game.
But the similarities are purely visual, and end there.
CONTINUED >>
By John Rutherford, NBC News Producer, Washington
Army Sgt. Alfred Paredez Jr. was due home from Iraq in October, but his deployment with the 1st Cavalry Division was extended for three months, and he was killed one month into his extension by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
"He faced fear for 13 months in Iraq," an Army colleague said at Paredez's Nov. 29 funeral in Las Vegas, according to the Review-Journal newspaper.
Paredez, 32, was one of a growing number of soldiers killed after their combat tours were extended from 12 months to 15 months to accommodate President Bush's troop surge.
"We did that with a full understanding that it was temporary," Army Chief of Staff George Casey said in a recent spe
