captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: suicide car bombings killed at least 44 people in damascus today, the most serious violence to hit the syrian capital in nine months of protests against the assad regime. good evening. i'm judy woodruff. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the blasts from deborah amos of npr in beirut. >> woodruff: then, after a week of partisan wrangling and an agreement on extending the payroll tax cut, we get the analysis of mark shields and david brooks. >> suarez: in our second report from morocco, we examine the nation's struggle for greater democracy.

it was the arab isn't ittime democratcratic position. >> woodruff: jeffrey brown talks with author daniel yergin about how the demand for more and more energy has shaped political and economic change around the globe. we as a country today are twice as energy efficient as we were during the era of the energy crisis. if we weren't we really would be in trouble. >> suarez: and fred de sam lazaro tells the story of an unusual christmas celebration at a minnesota church. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> intel. sponsors of tomorrow. >> and by 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. >> suarez: the carnage that has bloodied much of syria came home to the capital today. two bombs erupted in damascus, killing nearly four dozen people and wounding more than 150. we begin with a report narrated by inigo gilmore of independent television news.

>> reporter: one of the bomb blasts left this huge crater in the ground. the tangled bodies of the dead were ferried away on stretchers, a doubly whammy in the heart of the capital damascus. the targets-- two buildings belonging to syria's security forces. >> ( translated ): i heard the explosion and saw many body parts. there were dead bodies all over the place. bodies of women and children in their cars. >> reporter: the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers driving vehicles packed with explosives. at least that's what the government claims. >> ( translated ): even before >> reporter: even before the dust had settled, syria's state media seized on the attacks,

saying they were further evidence of a threat from foreign linked armed gangs. within minutes, state tv were saying terrorists linked to al qaeda were responsible. at the bombing sites, heavily armed security forces gathered to pledge their loyalty to the regime. car bombings have become a familiar feature in neighboring iraq, but these were the first in damascus since the uprising began. opponents of bashar al-assad's regime scoffed at the government's claims about al qaeda links to the attacks, pointing out that these security buildings were heavily guarded. >> reporter: he was referring to a visit by a delegation from the arab league, who arrived in syria just hours before the bombs blasts.

they've come to oversee an initiative aimed at stopping the violence that's left more than 5,000 dead. today, they were taken straight to the scene of the bombings to see the conflict from the regime's perspective. "and you still say there are no armed gangs in syria", a state journalist scoffs at this female delegate. accused of being perpetrators of mass killings, the regime today was casting itself as the victims. it's a propaganda windfall at a crucial moment. they're confident they've got their opponents on the run. this amateur video apparently shows large scale demonstrations today in the northern region of idlib, the scene of a massacre this week, according to the opposition. these are the bodies of up to 90

men from the opposition free syria army, allegedly killed by regime forces. it's mass killings like this one that continue to fuel the protests. whether the arab league will stand up to the regime and insist on hearing stories of atrocities firsthand will determine if they can do anything. >> suarez: for more on developments in syria, we turn to npr's deborah amos in beirut. she's been covering the syrian uprising, and regularly speaks with members of the opposition inside syria, as well as those who have fled the country. we just saw the scenes evero of the country's most feared and powerful intel against services.

technical difficulties this fits into the government story

this is an attack by armed gangs, a foreign plot there is no pop loor up riding in the country. what this is the attack by armed militants and armed gangs and al qaeda and foreign plot. and so today, this was their story. and this was the way that syrian seltelevision played this story. this proffer profits proves whan saying all along that armed gang are trying to attack the country. >> are they inside of thecountr. >> there is not there are j.ihae border and coming into iraq. some of those people didn't leave. some of those people are still in syria. al qaeda has not played a role inside of syria. >> that is why this is sounusuas bombs go off today. that is why there were so many questions outside of the country. washington washington condemned a terrorist act and said they

would condemn any terrorist ability. they called on the arab league to do their job. monitors are in the country this week or at least an advanced team to set up monitors in the country. the advanced team was brought to the bomb site today by a high official from the foreign ministry who said to them, you see this is what we have always said. these are tertse terrorists aftr syria. it gives a bad start to the monitoring group to ham o happey with a bombing in d dasmascus. >> images and stories haveoccurs in syria with a tremendous loss of life. >> we a massacre in a smallvill. >> between 60 and 0 100 peoplewy surrounded the town and shelled

the town. and apparently this was a village that was harbor being army defectors. and that seems to be what sparked the most horrific incident in this ten month old uprising. we have reports of two mass cures. one of a group of men who were defecting from the army. they were on their way to the turkish border and they were surrounded and this vil villagep in the mountainous part of syria near the border. >> we are beginning to seevideo. the electricity if i ther theren off and the phone comowncation has been down. and we did see videos in the last 24 hours bodies laid out in mosques there. men with name tags it looked like notebook paper taped on to their bodies. and the cell phone camera pans

across dozens of bodies from this village. in some ways, ray, it seems like we are in a new phase in the crisis we have some of the largest casualty totals in the last week. we have a reported al qaeda bomb in the middle of the capital and we have an advanced team from the arab lea league it's changee dynamics in what we have seen this week. >> they have seen the damage id. given the rules of engagements with the arab league what is the chance they will head up north? >> that is exactly what theadvao do. those details have not been worked out. there is serious questions. who provides security? is it the syrian government or the arab league? who provides the cards. when is it announced the monitored teams will go somewhere. do they have to announce to the

syrian government where they are going. that is what the team is there to sort out. can they go to the north. we'll have to bai wait and see. these people have made stipulations about what they want to see happen. this monitoring team stays transparent and is able to see for itself what it going on on the ground. >> npr'r's deborah amos. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour: shields and brooks; morocco after the arab spring; the quest for energy around the world; and the sinking of an allied ship on christmas eve, 1944. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: congress made quick work today of passing a payroll tax cut extension for two months. it won unanimous consent, first in the senate, and then in the house, with only a handful of lawmakers present.

without objection the bill is engrossed. read for a third time and passed and the motion reconsidered is laid on the table. >> sreenivasan: for much of the week, house republicans had refused to consider anything except a full one-year extension. they dropped that demand yesterday, under intense pressure. today, senate majority leader harry reid claimed victory, and took a swipe at "tea party" freshmen in the house. i hope this congress has ha. especially those who are newer to this body. everything we do aren' around he does not have to wind up in a fight. that is not the way things need to be. >> sreenivasan: democrats did agree to open negotiations on a one-year extension right after the holidays. for his part, president obama quickly signed the temporary bill into law. he called it "good news just in the nick of time for the holidays". the president then boarded air force one bound for hawaii, where he was born and spent part of his youth. he will join his family there for the holidays. the congressional action to extend the payroll tax cut was enough to buoy wall street.

the dow jones industrial average gained 124 points to close at 12,294. the nasdaq rose 19 points to close at 2,618. for the week, the dow was up more than 3.5%; the nasdaq rose 2.5%. in the presidential campaign, vice-president biden and republican mitt romney traded jabs, with the iowa caucuses looming. in "the des moines register", the vice-president wrote that romney would "settle for an economy in which fewer people succeed, while the majority tread water or fall behind". but romney insisted the president's policies are hurting the country, and he said: "i don't think they understand from fantasyland what's happening in real america." the tributes flowed amid solemn ceremony today at the prague funeral of vaclav havel, the former czech republic president. he led the "velvet revolution" that put an end to communist rule in what was then czechoslovakia. lucy manning of independent television news narrates this report.

>> he led his people overthrowit regime and now his people stood thousands strong to honor him. from playwrite and political prisoner to prize thi presidenta man that changed history. and so world leaders came to acknowledge what he had achieved the prime minister and the former prime minister david cameron said no one of his generation would forget the scenes of the velvet revolution. >> the clintons and formsecret.e he had loved hi music and president clinton'visit there hahad seen the two men jamming n a. -- jazz club. >> the church bell tolled andthr the the man from the east to

west. me he proved the pen was mightier than the sword. echoed by a message sent by the pope. >> he defended human rights attm systematically denied to the people of your country. >> after the sound of the rec we iin preston. in frys -- prison. he brought light into the places that is deepest darkness. as his coffin was carried out like in that revolutionary year they waved their keys the sign for the communists to go home and the doors to be locked and they applauded the leader that led them it t to that freedom.

>> sreenivasan: havel died sunday morning at the age of 75. in iraq, a tense calm prevailed in baghdad a day after bombings killed at least 69 people there. but elsewhere, several thousand sunnis rallied in samarra, ramadi, baiji and qaim. they were protesting against shiite prime minister nouri al- maliki. the crowds demanded that the charges against sunni vice- president tareq al-hashemi be dropped. he is accused of running assassination squads. france is now offering to pay for 30,000 women to have their breast implants removed after more than 1,000 of them ruptured or leaked. the implants were recalled last year. investigators say the french company poly implant prothese used industrial grade silicone in the implants instead of a medical variety. the firm is now going out of business. the silicone gel implants are not sold in the u.s., but were sold in europe and south america. royal dutch shell acknowledged today that a faulty underwater pipe caused an oil spill off nigeria this week. the pipeline-- seen in this photo on shell's web site-- spewed crude into the sea for up to 25 hours.

the company says the leak has now been plugged. today, oil sheens and slicks from the spill inched closer to the southern shore of nigeria from the bonga oil field. shell estimated the leak at nearly 1.7 million gallons, likely the worst spill off nigeria since 1998. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to judy. >> woodruff: and to the analysis of shields and brooks-- syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. good to have you here sir. >> the stand off over thepayrol, yesterday the republicans gave in. were they out ma maneuvered what happened this. >> i sympathizessed with them i. we have a number of pastimes baits balbasebaseball and apple. that is what we decided to do. they received a rushed temporary come prcompromise to pay for sts

spenting. in the house the republicans said something is going on here and they began to reject the idea. some of them the two months extension and they wanted the full year and why do this two month thing. they rebelled and they rea rebed against the sen sens net. -- senate and they tried to take a stand without having princple. they got rolled. in politics you don't have a good option you have six options and you choose the least bad one. this is their education and sometimes the circumstances is such just go with the least bad and get it over with. and that will be the education for them. >> how much damage has this don? >> i will add.the republicans mn reactionary missio mistake, jud.

>> in the republican housecaucue understood the democrats had overwhelming supported and the house supported and the president supported it and they were out voted. this was in the republican house and the caucus and party nationally there is an anti-obama reaction. and if the president can endorse the commandments and say can we cut it to 7. there was that reaction. that was part driven in part by eyidealology as well. >> it was personal. >> the same party will fighttooe 1.5 trillion dollars in tax cuts that president bush wrote into lieu that will benefit the most wealthy among us. that never wondered how the iraq war should be funded or financed

alt oall of a sudden become a gn eye shade of accoun accountantsd bookkeepers. i agree with david it's a questionable public policy to take the stream that is dedicated to social security and to use it and we have done it. this is not the first time it's been done. but it should not be done. >> you boasting that is amistakd it. we are going to have to pay it. it's not like it's free money. the defense of what the republicans were objecting to is a permanent tax cut has long term economic effects. and a temporary tax cuts no one hires people for a two month benefit. that is the inte intellectual t. >> is it a bad idea to take they fund if you feel it stimulates the issue? >> i think it's the only federal

vote for. is this tax cut. so i can understand. they are putting money into people's pockets. i can understand the theory behind it and it's more than plausible. and i think in that sense you can make a case for it. bubut it isn't like three other policies that the republicans would enact. i don't think anyone thought it would be for two months. the republicans saw themselves arguing process. what is the problem here is we don't have regular order. people's eyes are glazing over and the democrats have the wall poster argument to say where are the tax cuts. >> how much are the democratsrr? >> the republicans did give int.

instead we are talking about why they are crazy and why they can't run an organization. i think the whole country is tuned out. we have had a series of budget fights and people are focused on the presidential race. if you take a look at the apology who d -- polling who tox policy the republicans have a huge advantage and that advantage is now gone. we must may a role on that. >> david is right.it helps the e sense that in reality they see partisanship and they see dysfunction and malfunction and however you want to put it. i think it does two things. it makes the president look like the one grown up in the entire melodrama. and it hurts. it hurts newt gingrich it reminds people what it was like when we were impeaching a

president. the only way you can account for newt gingrich slipping. not that commercials are being used against him in iowa because no one is seeing them. outsidi think there is a sense e want to go back to those times. >> the newt gingrichrelationsh n relationship was a reallt rereay compared to where we are now. the super packs are loselyad mitt romney and too hit him on freddie mac and everyone else. ron paul and mitt romney are looking like the front runners which has to be good news for mitt romney in the long term. i don't think ron paul is going

to go t toe toe-to-toe. >> ii think onthis show a week d something incorrect. i thought when ron paul made this iran statement in the debate, where we h he said we should not go to war with iran. it was an an posturing for ron paul. he is leading speeches with it and he is doing fine. >> in iowa? >> iiowa.you >> you are saying he could win. >> the case that the reverse is. i will make note. >> i think that it is romney.tht david, the question being losely affiliated.

the super packs. this is legal fiction we go through. they're part of the campaign and thanks to terrible court decisions. this is a way of washing my hands of it. my supper packs attacks you. i intervened and that would be wrong. >> we will clarify for peopleth. these are independent entities that raised a lot of money. >> that is right. >> that are not technicallylegae candidates. >> that is right.where they do r supporters of one of the candidates more than other candidates and they never attacked the can gat candidate r criticized the candidate for whom they are raising money. it's basically a savaged grin gingrich out there. >> this week they asked romneyt. i would be thrown into the big house. >> technically that is correct.g

romney it doesn't take a genius to attack beginnin gingrich on e mac. >> they are all on the same side record to with stand this scrutiny. and now we are seeing ron paul get attacked for the racist things that went out under his name years ago. >> we reported in the news thata piece going after the economy. >> i do not understand. >> i think that the presidenthas are up at least in comparison. i don't understand it but i am sure there is some shrewdness to it. the problem on the attack judy for gingrich he finds himself attacking and responding to the attacks. he is totally off message now. he is now arguing about the campaign. campaigns are about voters they

are not about campaigns and they are not about candidates. the more newt gingrich feels he should respond to romney and criticize romney about this. the less he is communicating to voters and the message that got him to the point where he is the front of the race. >> why is he doing it? >> he has nothing left.and to ms that the gradual silent capitulation byru byrum b by ro. >> by? >> by conservatives. >> you see the others the sanyof anti-romney's rising and we are not seeing any new fresh romney. that makes me think that the conservatives are beginning to capitulate. >> i think probably the argument

that the democrats made in 2004 about john carey in iowa he was the most deelectible. >> do you have a holiday wishfon politics or policy making? david. >> i would say the fourcongregad them up to a beautiful place in glacier national park montana frozen lake. maybe they can do nextyears. they are reading mcconnell. >> it's a beautiful place andthd be a better country. >> talk about the grinch.my wisr he or she is as a colleague is

civil and decent and honorable. >> the two are kind of connecte? >> he always thought he washono. >> thank you. >> thank you.happy holidays to . we'll see you next week. >> suarez: now, the second report from my recent trip to morocco. tonight, how changes sweeping the arab world brought new elections in the north african nation and new hopes for greater democracy. moroccans have voted before, but this time was different, this was new. there's a promise of change from an islamist party with new political powers, and moroccans now find themselves eager, skeptical, and curious about what may lie ahead.

the new constitution and the elections that followed were meant to avoid an arab spring style uprising, to give moroccans a louder voice in the affairs of this country after long years where all the decisions that mattered were made by the king and his inner circle. this year, 32 million moroccans have looked on as, one by one, other arab nations have erupted into struggle, uprising, deadly violence. what unfolded on the streets of morocco was a peaceful but similar refrain-- the demand for a more democratic government. when the protests subsided, the king quickly organized a constitutional referendum and, under the new rules, a national election. all part of a transition, he said, toward greater power for people, and less for the palace. the u.s. ambassador in morocco, sam kaplan, calls the latest election a move in the right direction.

>> we have to see yet whether or not the new constitution as applied to a new administration will indeed result in the sharing of power that it contemplates, sharing of power between his majesty, king mohamed vi, and the parliament and the prime minister. it's a fascinating opportunity for change. >> suarez: one group of moroccans with really high hopes for the new political system are the winners in november 25's election. bassima el haqqawi is a leader of the winning party, the islamic justice and development party, or pjd. >> ( translated ): now, we are in a new era. it is the people who have power now. the king has been considerate of people's will and got engaged in this democratic process by accepting the results and naming the head of the islamic party as the prime minister of the government. >> suarez: the pjd has never been a part of a moroccan government. it won a quarter of the november vote, enough to claim victory

over dozens of other parties campaigning. the islamist party ran on improving the economy and fighting corruption. >> ( translated ): we have an islamic background, but we are not a religious party. we are a party like the others. we are just a political party with a special position. >> ( translated ): the islamic justice and development party, despite its islamic background, will not close bars and so on. moroccans are free. there are non-bearded men who go to the mosque for the prayers; there are girls who don't wear headscarves. the new party will not impose hijab or cause oppression to people or accuse them of heresy. they will serve its country and moroccans. >> suarez: the king remains popular with moroccans. but economic growth has been slow and uneven. and that's where it gets interesting. how much change is it realistic to expect? how much power does the king really intend to surrender? >> ( translated ): the question remains, after the arab spring,

can we deviate from an executive monarchy to a parliamentary one? i think it is a big adventure. >> suarez: mohamed darif is a political scientist in casablanca. he says the king hasn't surrendered much so far. >> the king still has all his power in morocco. the new constitution grants him security, military, and even executive powers. what we have done is create a government council, which is presided over by the king, so all the decisions taken by the government via the council of government should be first approved by the king. >> the king of morocco is not a symbol. he's the only game in town. >> suarez: over the last decade, journalist and publisher ahmed benchemsi had his magazines, "telquel" and "nichane" seized, was dragged into court, and thrown in jail by the government. he now teaches at stanford university, and isn't buying the moroccan spring. >> if you dig a little bit, if you go beyond the veneer, it's not democratic at all. it just strengthens the absolute autocratic power. the thing with smokescreens is that they can last forever and they... by nature, they just

disappear whenever the wind of protests starts blowing again. >> suarez: zineb belmkaddem is one of the leaders of the february 20 movement, morocco's grassroots answer to the democratic agitation across the arab world. she's skeptical about a real democratic transition when the man in the driver's seat is a king who can decide to stop the process whenever he wants. >> this is the arab spring, people have overthrown regimes. isn't it time for morocco to finally make that democratic transition? we are no longer going to wait. this is it, this is the opportunity. if we let this pass, it's over again for a long time. >> suarez: so, really, if a half a year, another year and half passes and there isn't real change, you feel like the moment has been lost altogether? >> i think that if we don't

start to build, and it might take a long time but we have to stay determined for that change. it might take even two, three, five years in morocco to see things happening, but i believe if we don't hold onto this moment that, yes, if we give up this is it, it's going to be gone for a long time. >> suarez: america's top diplomat in rabat tempers expectations. >> i cannot conceive of a time when, in this country, his majesty will give up power and only become a ceremonial leader. but definitely, a sharing of power is possible. and i have heard a term used here in morocco that i've never heard used anywhere else, and that is that this country is headed towards a "democratic monarchy," which means, as i understand it, a monarchy where the king has real power, will continue to have that, but in

terms of human rights and democratic attributes, the country is moving on the democratic compass in the right direction. >> suarez: but is the tempo at a quick enough pace for the average moroccan, or has it been timed as part of an international political dance? skeptics say the king and his supporters only want to show the world the minimum change needed to get credit for doing the right thing, and keep dissent down internally. >> the king still appoints civil servants and cabinet members at will, regardless of any electoral outcomes. he alone decides huge spending budgets, regardless of whatever the government says or think. he appoints security officials. he does everything. i mean, he's the undisputed and true leader in morocco, and this is regardless of any kind of vote or democratic practice.

>> suarez: moroccans struggling to earn a living, get their kids educated, improve their own lives, mirrored the concerns of the political insiders, a mix of high expectations, and hopes tempered by the country's current reality. >> ( translated ): there are issues that need to be solved concerning the country's management. of course, we all love our king. we are hopeful that the new government will make real change. >> ( translated ): we want things to change for the best, we want people to work and develop, and we want politicians to listen to us as we listen to them. >> ( translated ): there are people who voted for the left wing, others for the right. despite winning the majority, we need to see the program of the islamic peace justice and development party. if it is against our wishes, we will all rise against it. and we all know now how to protest. people have learned to say no. >> suarez: a reminder to the king, and to the new ruling party, that people who have had a taste of democracy often want more, not less.

>> woodruff: next, a look at the ever-growing global search for energy. oil prices rose to nearly $100 a barrel today amid concern over tensions and violence in iraq and syria, and the possible disruption to oil supplies. the hunt for untapped reserves and other sources of energy is the subject of a new book. jeffrey brown has our conversation. >> new drilling platt formses is pipe line in the u.s. and the demand for automobiles in china. it's all worry for the environmental impact on the planet. >> daniel yergin in his newbook.

he is the chairman of ihs cambridge energy research associates and he has been on panels talking about energy use. welcome. >> thank you.you write here a ls have changed. >> first the collapse of thesose disppearance and the rise of china. china had a couple of words and it's the only country at that gets two chapters of it's own. >> one major question at thatres abouwhether and how quickly the world is running out of oil. >> right. >> you argued and you arguedhert such fears are exaggerated. >> it's a contentious andemotio. it goes through cycles when

prices are high and ma ar markee tense. we are seeing production in the united states in ways that were not expanded a couple of years ago. that doesn't european ther thera big challenge for a world that china and india become big players the notion that we will run out soon is not borne out by the evidence. >> is it a certainty or you aret you see around the world. >> it's the assessment ofreserve world and you see things that no one expected north dakota to be the fourth producin producer ine united states. >> they raise a whole other new. >> they are not cheap.it put a e price. >> but in term of the potentiall

spill. all kind of new thing happen when you go to places you didn't formally go. >> and you didn't have the tooln accident of that scope. you were operating at a depth that nobody was trying to solve that type of problem before. >> if people see a an an experie worried about seeking out new sours. >> i think you see that in shal. >> zplrnght sompeople are conce. >> it's fracking. >> the environmental issues havt mean technology and best practices and that is a requirement for going forward and for public confidence. >> you were on a governmentpan g forward. we were charged with looking at the environmental issues around

that and we have 20 rec moan recommendations that we have come up with. that means we can go forward on a sound environmental basis with transparency an disclosure an those things you need and have the benefit of the resource for this country. >> is that evidence that thatca? that the industry looks at what it does with transparency and the government ri regulate. i'm going back to the average person thinking about what happened in the gulf? >> that is.and that cast a shadr everything in the energy arena. and thus the issue of public confidence and trust becomes that much more important. people want to know what the championships are used in. fracking. and it's the states that regulate oil and gas production. >> the impact of the energy use. >> in the form of climatechange.

is it possible to continue our focus on fossil fuels and continue to protect the planet? >> i was going to write onechapd climate change go from something that a few scientists were worried about in the 19th century and i ended up writing six chapters on it because it's a fascinating story. it's one of the three major themes of the book for which we will see the answers they will unfold how to match environmental objectives including on climate include with the world's need for energy. when you look at what happened in china where they sell more cars every year than the united states does. >> how worried are you? >> it's a concern and it has to. i think so much of the book is about what i call the great revolution. technology is finalling -- finding answers.

and some people think we are where we are and i have a optimistic frame of mind. >> where do you see us going ind the renewables. >> i talk about the rebirth ofr. now you look back and think that is a immature technologies. >> yoi think they have become bl relative to the overall energy mix. wind is not an alternative it's another form of accepted energy. >> i notice one of your areas of conservation and decreased efficiency. you say we should think of these as sources of energy. we under estimate the impact mplets. >> we as a country are twice ase era of the energy crisis. if we weren't we would be in

trouble. the problem it's not traumatic. i quote a european union official saying there is no red ribbon to cut. it's part of any sensible energy strategy. our cars are getting more efficient and that accounts forr a lot. >> the whole idea of energyinnim politicians you think it's not the way to think about it. >> we could do a litany ofpresid become energy departmen indepent doesn't happen. it's our security that matters. our economy is vulnerable and we are not vulnerable to disruptions. and certainly domestic resource is important and the diversification an as you diversify your retirement

portfolio it's part of our energy security. >> we are going to continue thi. zha >> woodruff: a postscript to jeff's conversation: earlier this month, the obama administration resumed selling leases for oil and gas drilling in the gulf of mexico. b.p. was among the 20 companies bidding on the first leases in the gulf since the "deepwater horizon" oil spill. the bids are subject to three months of environmental reviews. >> suarez: finally tonight, the true tale of a christmas eve attack and rescue during world war ii, retold by a minnesota congregation. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro has our story. >> reporter: people at westminster presbyterian church in minneapolis are encouraged to

share personal stories of christmas. this year, it was pastor tim hart andersen's turn, and he delivered an epic. dozens of volunteers came together to stage a 1940s-style radio drama, arranged by "prairie home companion" veteran and church member vern sutton. it's based on a true story the pastor heard from his father when he was growing up. on december 24, 1944, some 2,200 g.i.s boarded the belgian ship "leopoldville" in england, headed to the belgian frontier and the decisive battle of the bulge. >> it just don't feel like

christmas eve... >> reporter: hart-andersen's father, hank anderson, was crammed in the ship's hold. >> it was just a miserable situation, so i said, "let's go up on deck and sing christmas carols." i would say there were about 15 to 20 of us there, and we were singing christmas carols and i was leading them. all of a sudden, this is becoming a tender story. and we could see the lights of cherbourgh in the distance. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: not far from the shores of france, disaster struck. some 800 lives were lost in the deadliest incident of the war for the u.s. army. >> all hands to emergency stations.

the "leopoldville's" been hit! >> the u-boat torpedo hits the "leopoldville" below the waterline on the starboard side, scores of those lovely yankee boys are killed instantly by the explosion. others drown as water rushes into the ship. most of the survivors stand on the deck, and watch as other ships come alongside to begin rescue operations. >> sarge, what'll we do? that british destroyer has pulled along side us. shall we make a jump for it? >> these guys were paralyzed. they just would not jump! and... and they had seen some jump and not made it. so, it was quite a jump across, and i remember getting over there and sliding across what little deck there was, slammed

into the bulwark that was there. staggered back up to the rails. and the sight that i had made it enabled them then to start jumping. >> gee, rosenblum, are you gonna jump? >> is there another choice? >> reporter: the character rosenblum was written into the drama when gail rosenblum, a local columnist, came across andersen's story. her late father sidney was on the ship, and she's convinced he was in the singing group. and that, she'd like to think, influenced her love of this music. >> my friends tease me because i'm a jewish girl who loves christmas carols, and i always loved them as a girl, and now i understand why i love them. they saved my father's life, because all the men that came up on deck to sing, thanks to hank leading them up there, they survived. and all the men who didn't come up were the victims of that torpedo.

>> reporter: her father had this love of music before he went into the service, and my father did, and the more we talked, the more began to sense a kind of narrative that really wound together in some pretty remarkable ways. >> hey, archer, can't a jew enjoy the lights and sing a few tunes? >> you sing christmas music?! >> so who do you think does the best christmas music? ever wonder about that? irving berlin? mel torme? johnny marks? all jews. "winter wonderland," "white christmas"? all invented by my people. who else would name a red-nosed reindeer rudolph? ( laughter ) ♪ ♪ >> reporter: his family says sid rosenblum talked very little about his war experience. he became a psychologist. he died in 1988 at 63. hank andersen was headed to a law career before the war, but became a minister instead. he was an active civil rights campaigner in the '60s,

influenced deeply by an all- black unit-- the army was segregated then-- which fed and comforted the ship's survivors when they reached land. >> they surrounded us and sang christmas carols and i was so... uh, i was so stunned... >> reporter: at 87, he lives in retirement with mary andersen, his wife of 64 years. tim hart-andersen says he's glad his father is still alive to see an important story preserved by and for the next generation, one that, in some ways, has morphed into a sermon. >> it's a theme that's universal.

it becomes everyone's story because we all thrive in the light and long for the hope, and we can all sing our way to it. ♪ ♪ >> suarez: fred's reporting is a partnership with the undertold stories project at saint mary's university of minnesota. >> woodruff: again, the major developments of the day: two car bombings killed at least 44 people in damascus, syria, in the worst violence to hit the city since the uprising began. and congress passed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut affecting 160 million americans. online, we mark the 40th anniversary of the national cancer act. hari sreenivasan explains. hari. >> sreenivasan: don't call it the "war on cancer," say some oncologists. they suggest better metaphors on our health page. and on "need to know" tonight, what the ouster of saddam hussein has meant for christians in iraq. correspondent martin himel joins

refugees now living in canada as they return to the scene of a deadly attack on a baghdad church last year. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. ray. >> suarez: and that's the newshour for tonight. on monday, we'll talk with four veterans of the iraq war about how the conflict changed them and the nation. i'm ray suarez. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. "washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you online, and again here monday evening. have a happy holiday weekend. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> intelligent computing technology is making its way into everything from cars to retail signs to hospitals; creating new enriching experiences. through intel's philosophy of investing for the future, we're helping to bring these new capabilities to market. we're investing billions of dollars in r&d around the globe to help create the technologies that we hope will be the heart of tomorrow's innovations. i believe that by investing today in technological advances

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