next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.b.p. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. in california, firefighters are racing to gain control of the six wildfires burning through the southern part of the state before high winds return to the region later today. since thursday, more than 8,500 firefighters have used a break in the high-powered gusts that can spread and intensify the flames

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. republicans in congress are on track to pass one of the biggest overhauls to the tax code in more than 30 years this coming week. on the brink of his first major legislative victory, president trump predicted today the tax bill would benefit the middle class and spur economic growth. >> we're really goi

next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> stewart: good evening, and thank you for joining us. protests against the iranian government grew for a third straight da

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: all eyes are on alabama today as voters choose their next senator in a special election. it was supposed to be a little- noticed race with no real competition. but as john yang reports, due to state politics and sexual misconduct claims, the race between republican roy moore and democrat doug jones has come down to the wire. >> yang: embattled republican senate candidate roy moore saddled up today, going on horseback to vote at the fire station in gallant. moore was asked if he had a message for the multiple women who have accused him of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, moore replied: "tell the truth." he also had a message for alabamians. >> i think they oughta go out and vote their conscience and we have a tremendous turnout-- states, th

. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: all across southern california, from the mountains to the coast, major wildfires are burning into the weekend. they have already destroyed hundreds of homes and forced nearly 200,000 people to flee. william brangham has our report. >> brangham: by this morning, the largest of the fires had swept across even more of ventura county. along the way, the so-called thomas fire burned at least 430 homes and other buildings. the flames scorched a car and left a staircase that now leads nowhere. >> it's amazing to watch the magnitude of the winds and the firesto

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: house and senate republicans are rushing to finish their sweeping overhaul of the tax code, as they press to hold a final vote next week. as william brangham reports, details of the compromise are still emerging, as are some potential roadblocks. >> brangham: congressional republicans raced to keep their promise of sending a final tax overhaul bill to the white house by christmas. house speaker paul ryan: >> this tax

. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: leaders of arab and muslim countries around the globe are warning tonight of disaster, while israel's leaders are hailing president trump's dramatic policy shift on jerusalem. john yang begins our coverage. >> yang: it was a move long anticipated, and president

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thanks for joining us. president trump is expected to approve a plan to provide ukrainian

>> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: all eyes tonight are on alabama. the polls are closed, but we are still waiting for results in the special election for u.s. senate. with 15% reporting, republican roy moore has 50% democrat doug jones has 49% it was originally expected to be a little-noticed race with no real competition, but as john yang reports, due to state politics and sexual misconduct claims, the race between republican roy moore and democrat doug jones has come down to the wire. >> yang: embattled republican senate candidate roy moore saddled up today, going on horseback to vote at the fire station in gallant, alabama. moore was asked if he had a message for the multiple women who have accused him of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, moore replied:

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. republicans in congress are hoping to pass their $1.5 trillion ta

. >> sreenivasan: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: a record-setting blizzard has blanketed much of the northeastern u.s. in snow, while parts of the midwest bundled up today for brutal wind chills. john yang has our report. >> yang: the joys of a picturesque white christmas quickly gave way to the reality of digging out in sub-zero temperatures. wind chill warnings or advisories were issued for parts of nearly a dozen states, from north dakota to maine. >> it's cold; cold is cold and you've just got to adjust. >> yang: erie, pennsylvania recorded its snowiest christmas day ever: 34 inches of snow. overnight, another 19 inches on top of that. farther north, the wintry weather snarled post-holiday travels. snow blanketed roadways in buffalo, new york, making for hazardous whiteo

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.b.p. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. the u.s. senate has passed one of the most sweeping overhauls to the u.s. tax code in more than 30 years. >> the tax cuts and jobs act, as amended, is passed. ( gavel bangs ) ( applause ) >> sreenivasan: just before 2:00 a.m. this morning, with vice president mike pence presiding, the u.s. senate narrow

all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> majorunding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: at least 41 dead, more than 80 wounded: that's the toll in today's bombing attack in kabul, afghanistan. it was the latest in a series of strikes by the islamic state group. john yang begins our coverage. >> yang: cries of grieving relatives echoed through the wreckage of a shiite cultural center. most found only shoes on a blood-stained floor. >> ( translated ): i saw many dead in the area. i was looking for my cousin but i could

. >> sreenivasan: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention. in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: a cold wave kept the nation's midwest and northeast in the deep freeze today. wind chill warnings and advisories stretched from north dakota to new hampshire, as arctic winds dropped temperatures to 20 degrees below zero in some places. officials warned o

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: republicans are reveling tonight in passage of a sweeping revision of the nation's tax laws. the house approved it today, 227 to 203, and the senate moved to follow suit. but a last-minute procedural glitch meant the house will have to vote one final time, tomorrow. lisa desjardins begins our coverage. (cheering) >> desjardins: cheers as the g.o.p. tax overhaul received final house passage, largely along party lines. it signaled the end of republicans' sprint to get the bill to the president by christmas. minutes before the vote, protesters in the house gallery interrupted the debate several times, with some chanting "kill the bill." but for republicans, like speaker paul ryan, who has long focused on tax policy, it was a day to celebrate. >> this is

. >> o'brien: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> o'brien: president trump came to the defense of his former national security adviser today. michael flynn pleaded guilty on friday to lying to the f.b.i. about his contacts with russia. today, the president called the charges "very unfair." we'll have more on the unfolding russia investigation, later in the program. mr. trump is also throwing his full support behind roy moore, the republican senate candidate in alabama. in tweets today, the president said democratic opposition to tax cuts is "why we need roy moore to win in alabama." moore has denied knowing any of the wom

all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: at least 41 dead, more than 80 wounded: that's the toll in today's bombing attack in kabul, afghanistan. it was the latest in a series of strikes by the islamic state group. john yang begins our coverage. >> yang: cries of grieving relatives echoed through the wreckage of a shiite cultural center. most found only shoes on a blood-stained floor. >> ( translated ): i saw many dead in the area. i was looking for my cousin but i co

all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: he was candidate trump's, and then president trump's, main adviser on national security and foreign policy. but today, michael flynn entered a guilty plea in the special counsel's investigation into russia, the trump campaign and the 2016 election. william brangham begins our coverage. >> brangham: michael flynn walked into federal court in washington this morning, and plead guilty to a single count of making false statements to the f.b.i. he's now the senior-most member of the trump administration to cooperate in special counsel robert mueller's probe into russian m

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. ank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. president trump continued his criticism of f.b.i. deputy director a

. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: it is a done deal. congressional republicans today pushed their sweeping tax bill across the finish line. then, they partied with the president. lisa desjardins begins our coverage. >> hasn't been done in 34 years. but actually, really, it hasn't been done becau

. >> o'brien: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> o'brien: new evacuations are spreading along the southern california coast tonight as wildfires burn out of control. the flames so far have chased tens of thousands of people from their homes, and destroyed at least 200 homes and other buildings. the biggest and most destructive of the fires blazed its way down to the beach today in ventura county. fire crews fought back, but the thomas fire repeatedly closed

all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: two weeks before christmas, residents and workers in new york city experienced another heart-wrenching moment when an explosion occurred in a passageway in the subway near the port authority bus terminal. the would-be suicide bomber left at least three people with minor injuries. >> approximately 7:20 this morning we had a terror-related incident in the subway in the >> brangham: emergency crews swarmed the streets near times square this morning, after a man detonated a homemade pipe bomb in the subway. >> it's the guy in the hoodie. >> brangham: here, cellphone video of a por

all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: an arctic cold wave still dominates the nation's weather tonight. it's blamed for several deaths, and it's making life miserable for millions of people. that includes new york, where a dozen people died last night, in the city's worst residential fire in decades. john yang begins our coverage. >> yang: it was just 15 degrees when the bronx blaze erupted, forcing firefighters to battle both the fire and the cold. residents escaping the flames had to brave the elements. >> all i see is a bunch of kids on the fire escape-- cold, and with no jacket, no pajamas, no not

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.b.p. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. friday former national security advisor michael flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the f.b.i. and today in a series of early morning statements on twitter, the president attacked both the f.b.i. and its former director james comey. the president reiterated his claim: "i never asked comey to stop investigat

. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: house and senate republicans have reached an agreement in principle on a sweeping tax overhaul package. it reportedly will narrowly cut the top tax rate for individuals to 37%, but slash the corporate tax rate to 21%. at the white house, president trump hailed t

. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing probl- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: house and senate republicans have reached an agreement in principle on a sweeping tax overhaul package. it reportedly will narrowly cut the top tax rate for individuals to 37%, but slash the corporate tax rate to 21%. at the white house, president trump hailed the p

all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president trump signed the republicans' $1.5 trillion tax overhaul into law today. he marked his first major legislative victory in the oval office, and said the numbers will speak to americans, despite polls showing the bill is seen unfavorably. >> i think its selling itself. it's becoming very popular but i think it will really, you'll see something when they open up the paycheck. that's when you're going to start to see it. by signing it now, it kicks in this year. >> woodruff: the president also signed a spending bill to keep the government open into january. it

next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.b.p. foundation. the anderson family fund. rosalind p. walter, in memory of abby m. o'neill. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. ank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. it's just two days until the special senate election between republican roy moore and democrat doug jones in alabama. president trump again supported moore, this time by recording a robocall that will start reaching alabama voters today. in the recording, obtained by abc news, the president tells voters he

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: congress moved this evening to pass a temporary spending bill that will keep the federal government running through january 19. the house passed a republican measure, and the senate moved to follow suit. it includes short-term health care funding for veterans and low-income children. but republicans and democrats still argued over the outcome. >> without action on this bill, existing government funding will expire tomorrow and the government will shut down. this legislation provides a simple clean extension of current funding levels through january of 2018. >> th

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the u.s. supreme court today heard one of the biggest cases of this term: whether religious beliefs override the rights of a gay couple. a colorado baker refused to bake the couple's wedding cake in 2012. today's arguments pitted his religious convictions opposing same-sex marriage against the couple's claim of discrimination. >> our case has always been about being singled out in public and humiliated, just for who we are and who we love. and we pursued this case not just for ourselves but because we don't want another loving couple to have to go through what we want, or, what happened to us. >> it's hard to believe the government is forcing me to choose between providing for my family and employees and violating my relationship with god. that is no

for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org wes: we're the history detectives and we're going to investigate some untold stories from america's past. elyse: this week, did this old brass cann ignite the first battle of the revolutionary war? [ boom ] tukufu: is this riding crop a reminder of a brutal beating that took place on the floor of the senate? gwen: and was this new york townhouse w

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the wreckage of an amtrak train lies strewn around an overpass in washington state tonight. it derailed this morning, with more than 80 people on board. at least six were killed and dozens were hurt. the southbound train went off the rails near the town of dupont and shut down part of interstate 5. near the scene is austin jenkins of radio station kuow and the northwest news network, a collaboration of npr stations.

for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour h been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org - today on america's test kitchen: julia makes spanish braised chicken, jack challenges chris to a tasting of israeli couscous, and bridget makes israeli couscous salad. right here, on america's test kitchen. america's test kitchen is brought to you by dcs. dcs: manufacturers of professionally styled indoor and outdoor kitchen equipment. at dcs, our

. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: two main stories out of congress tonight: on sexual misconduct and taxes. we begin with the senate debating into the night on the republican tax bill, as the measure picks up some key votes. lisa desjardins begins our coverage. >> if you look at who benefits from this. >> desjardins: in the sharply political senate, today, a meaty, substantive debate. >> the argument again that this is somehow simply a tax cut for th