and fiona hill, a senior fellow at the brookings institution. from 2006 to 2009, she served as national intelligence officer for russia and eurasia at the national intelligence council. welcome to you both. fiona hill, it wasn't long ago that putin was hugely popular for raising living standards and bringing order to russia despite his concentration of power. what happened? >> well i think in many respects it's what we call or some people call the seven-year itch of politics. after a certain period, the... it gets steal. you see that with many leaders. tony blair or margaret thatcher using my british perspective here. enormously popular when they came in. towards the end of their tenure, after they had gone through two terms and we really got into the end of that decade, they started to lose their popularity. people got a little tired of seeing them. in other words, mr. putin's bun has gone steal. he hasn't been able to reinvigorate it. >> warner: what would you add to that, matthew murray, about why it suddenly seems to have coalesced and erupt

fiona: it was like suddenly being transported onto the set of brideshead revisited. i was continually struck by the sheer beauty of the place. in the grandeur of the bodleian library, i could read any book i wanted, from dickens to dante. i could stroll through the sheldonian, where i finally graduated. and my student essays might've been thrown together at the last minute, but i could scribble them in the splendor of the radcliffe camera, right next to my college, before seeking vital refreshment in the pub, of course. one of my abiding memories of my time here is being asleep in my room, usually till about mid-day, and then being woken up by hordes of tourists right under my window. they'd all come to see the room of the famous author evelyn waugh-- just here. and he wasn't the only well-known alumnus. there's been a bit of a rash of news readers here-- natasha kaplinsky, christian guru murphy-- i've been known to do a bit of that myself. must be something in the water. and yes, here i am, looking proud as punch with fellow students at the end of my first term. oka

[applause] ana and reid, fiona ma. i also want to thank quickly our entertainers for the evening. we have had some incredible entertainment. the golden gate band. the hoover middle school jazz band. the birchen high-school drum corps. the young people music theater company. the george washington high school marching band. the brunos. press, circus -- presscot circus. i also want to thank our co-host for the evening, the newly formed parks alliance. the parks department cannot do it alone. the alliance has really become our best friend. i want to recognize their board chair. our executive director matt o'grady will come up to say a few words. >> thank you so much. the parks alliance is the new kid on the block. a brand-new organization, and yet, a very familiar organization, because we come from the san francisco parks trust and from the neighborhood council. these two organizations got together and realize they can do so much more by combining forces to make this park system the best open space system in the world for san francisco. i wanted to give you a couple of samples of some

shrek and fiona are married and we've explained to them our commitment when we decided to start a family was the greatest commitment. once you have six children you're committed. >> reporter: while she is still committed to acting jolie says there is much more on her road ahead. >> i just feel there's so many great actresses in the world and they have so much to do and they are doing great things and they don't need me. i'm not -- i don't feel needed in a position of being an actor. i feel like i'm needed at home as a mom. i would like to direct or write or have more projects about issues dealing with situations that i feel passionate about. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm christiane amanpour in new york. >> angelina's new film "land of blood and honey" opens in new york and los angeles on december 23rd. our thanks to her and christiane amanpour. and coming up next, fun lovers in las vegas give new meaning to the term party with a backhoe. [ sniffling ] ? [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the right relief simpler than ever. click on the robitussin

shrek and fiona are married. we explained to them, once you have six children, you're committed. >> reporter: and while she's still committed to acting, jolie says that there is much more on her road ahead. >> i don't feel needed in a position of being an actor. i feel like i'm needed at home as a mom. i would like to write and work on, produce more projects about issues dealing with situations that i feel passionate about. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm christiane amanpour in new york. >> "in the land of blood and honey" is in select theaters now. >>> up next, we interview a man who is just not like other guys. did you know you can be smart about your calorie intake, and still get the nutrition your body needs? try boost® calorie smart nutritional drink. it provides key nutrients your body could be missing. each serving is packed with sixteen grams of protein and also contains twenty-four vitamins and minerals- including calcium and vitamin d and it's under two hundred calories. get the balanced nutrition yo

fiona: all the ingredients of a roadshow classic-- a delighted owner, an excited expert. what a remarkable object. i reckon it may be even more cherished from now on. there's no doubt that one of the great bonuses for me on the roadshow is getting privileged access to some remarkable venues, and dumfries house is a bit of a jewel. now, you remember earlier on in the introduction i told you about the rescue mission to save this house. well, the support of one man in particular was invaluable. prince charles spearheaded that rescue mission. recently i joined him back at dumfries house to find out why he felt he had to get involved. your royal highness, why was it so important to save dumfries house? well, the-- the-- the most important thing, of course, was the fact that it was an intact and unique connection, which is very rare-- to have a house that still has all its original furniture, and everything made for the house-- in this case by chippendale and those three great edinburgh furniture makers, matthew, brodie, and peter. i remember hearing about this house, and, uh,

. >> reporter: her best friends, fiona and hank are gone. >> they would just jump on you. >> reporter: she had them for around seven years. animal services says they died from anti-freeze poisoning this week. >> i don't understand why someone would hurt them. >> reporter: investigators believe someone lose the the poisoned cheese over the fence. >> did neighbors complain about them? >> over a year and a half ago but that neighbor moved. >> reporter: now their toys, bowls, bones, and bed are still in the living room. >> this house is just so empty because they used to be at the front door when i came in. >> reporter: the animal control officers will talk to the neighbors in the community. they are asking the community for help. while animal services investigates grief turns to anger. >> i'm mad. how dare you do this. if you had a problem with me or with them, could you not have done something differently? could you told me? were they barking too much? >> reporter: investigators want anyone with information to call the loudoun county animal services at 703-777-0406. in lees burg i'm sho

fiona: in this splendid art deco building, we're asking some of our experts to choose their ultimate age of elegance, and eric knowles, with the era you've chosen, you should feel very much at home. i do. i mean, this is-- bridlington's art deco temple, it really is, and yes, i mean, those interwar years really do it for me. because it was the age of thoroughly modern millie, when it was stylish to raise your skirts and bob your hair, and people just wanted to have a party. i mean, they'd had the horrors of the first world war, and there's this new generation, this new emancipated woman, um, and, uh-- they were able to get out and follow their heroes and heroines on the silver screen, 'cause hollywood introduced glamour to the working classes in general. i mean, this figure-- this is josef lorenzl. i affectionately always refer to him as "legs lorenz." and here's this woman, i mean, she is the epitome of perfect health and form. and, uh, again, this was an age where people took, you know, a great interest in their own-- in their own health. so, um-- certainly the lines of this are be

fiona: quite a moment for eric. he tells me he's been waiting a mere 27 years for such a moment. and i think there'll be a bit of a celebration in one ayrshire home tonight. okay, please. before we close, just time to hear about something of a new beginning. the rescue of this remarkable house by the heritage trust set up to look after dumfries house doesn't end here. the trust is keen to ensure it continues to play an important role in revitalizing the economy of this region. it's an enterprise close to the heart of the prince of wales. i felt that here's an opportunity to see if we can begin the regeneration process for, um, an area which suffers some great disadvantage in east ayrshire. former mining community. all the mines have closed. and it just seemed to me, here was a real chance to do something worthwhile. and, you know, to link the local community with the house-- it all hinges on this enabling development on the edge of cumnock, which is the local town. and i want to try and see if we can do a version of what we've already been doing with the duchy of corwall on the e

. >>> state assembly woman fiona ma who represents san francisco says the new law makes alcohol on par with spray paint, cigarettes and prescription medications. >>> making good grades and getting a good score on tests will not guarantee you a spot into college. emphasizing personal achievement in determining who they accept. other factors will include special talents and whether a student from a weak school managed to take advantage of every educational opportunity. >>> congressional members don't appear to be feeling the same economic pain as the people they serve. a new report shows a growing number of lawmakers have made millions of dollars, including a local representative. damian trujillo is in san jose with a look the how it all adds up. >> reporter: mini gourmet in san jose where we spoke to a chef who works the overnight shift. he has to pay the bills and wasn't too happy to hear that congress is only getting richer. "the new york times" and the washington post did extensive research on congressional wealth and their findings revealed there's a millionaires club on capitol hil

nancy pelosi, gavin newsom, mark leno, fiona ma, dennis herrerra, the san francisco labor council, mc

nancy pelosi, gavin newsom, mark leno, fiona ma, dennis herrerra, the san francisco labor council, mc hammer, if you will, san francisco chamber of commerce. there have been just innumerable ones. but some of the ledger is are compelling, and i want to read just a few comments from some people, because i think they reflect this extraordinary man. from john pritzgber, as a sentencing scheme of 30 plus years, i have not known one person who was more of a booster of san francisco as warren. his rap -- love for the city manifest itself in obvious and even more not so obvious ways. from the executive director of san francisco child abuse prevention center, i simply cannot think of a more worthy individual in our community to honor with this renaming then warren hellman. has been a hero to thousands of children and families at san francisco, and the championing of our public schools in countless ways to advocating for a vital school bonds and other funding measures creating opportunities for hundreds of children. i would guess thousands myself. to enjoy bluegrass music at the annual festiva

nancy pelosi, gavin newsom, mark leno, fiona ma, dennis herrerra, the san francisco labor council, mc hammer, if you will, san francisco chamber of commerce. there have been just innumerable ones. but some of the ledger is are compelling, and i want to read just a few comments from some people, because i think they reflect this extraordinary man. from john pritzgber, as a sentencing scheme of 30 plus years, i have not known one person who was more of a booster of san francisco as warren. his rap -- love for the city manifest itself in obvious and even more not so obvious ways. from the executive director of san francisco child abuse prevention center, i simply cannot think of a more worthy individual in our

. >> the bison's $7,000 price tag was paid by assembly woman fiona mau and dick blum husband of u.s. senator dianne feinstein. also $50,000 was kicked in to pay for the new digs. >> i think the story goes mr. blum purchased a herd of bison in honor of his wife in 1984. i think three of whom the descendants of whom are out there today. >> reporter: once upon a time an estimated 60 million bison roamed north america. >> there was a survey in 1890 and there was only a thousand bison left on the great plains. >> reporter: though the numbers have greatly rebounded san francisco will be more than content with its ten all american buffalo gals. nbc bay area news. >> i love that part of the golden gate park. >>> did you see it? if you were up early enough this morning you might have been able to see the total lunar eclipse. this is the video in the bay area sky. people on the west coast and hawaii and far east witnessed the flight starting shortly after 6:00 this morning when the moon was completely engulfed in the earth's shadow. the eclipse lasted 51 minutes ending just before 7:00. you'll

. ♪ fiona: apart from our desire to explore all corners of the country, we've been drawn to this part of the yorkshire coast for a special reason. each week, we hear our experts wax lyrical about beautiful objects brought along to the show. so, today, alongside the normal roadshow, we're asking our experts to choose which era they believe produced the finest, most beautifully crafted objects. when was the ultimate "age of elegance"? so, where could we stage such a show? how about a highly fashionable resort of the edwardian era? the bridlington spa and gardens was a clever idea, recognizing that rain was as likely as sunshine during a typical british summer. it combined exterior and interior space for 5,000 people right on the edge of the beach. from the very start, the riff raff were strictly excluded. people deemed as "objectionable" were banned from admission, so all came to the spa in the best and most fashionable outfits. tragically, two fires ravaged the original buildings in the early 20th century, and in the 1930s, a new center was erected on the site-- the spa royal hall, and

fiona: i'm not surprised. did you keep the bear? what happened? no, we've decided to take it to an auction house in london. they valued it at roughly 10,000 to 15,000. left it with them, and my daughter flew over to london for the auction. she had the pleasure of seeing him sold for 20,000. so there you were, you sold at auction, got £20,000 for it. i guess that must have come in pretty handy. oh, it certainly did. my daughter was getting married, and some of the money went towards that. and the rest i bought premium bonds with. and now today, you've brought in another teddy. tell us about this one. this is a dean's rag doll panda. oh, it's a panda. yes, but he's got lead feet. you put a lead on, and he walks like a dog. i think we need to get you to our expert to have a look at this. judith miller, she's the woman for you. i'm sure we've met before. at lord's for sports relief. you were mary peters' running shoes. that's right, yes. but i thought you were a great sportsman. yes, but i also have a great interest coming from belfast and harland an