happy about it yet. that s the word from some republicans on a possible agreement to extend the payroll tax cut. while the senate today did give a final thumbs-up on a $1 trillion bill to keep the government running through next summer, the payroll tax deal faces another fight and soon. congressional correspondent nancy cordes has the latest. reporter: with the holidays fast approaching, senate leaders set aside their differences, to a point. we ll get it done. reporter: and crafted a deal that will extend the payroll tax cut but just for the next two months. the ayes are 89, the nays are 10. reporter: in a rare saturday session, the senate voted overwhelmingly today to keep payroll taxes at 4.2%, down from the traditional 6.2%. we stayed in session to present issues to the american public that were extremely important. reporter: they voted to give long-term jobless americans 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. but because negotiators could not agree on how to pa
before the first votes are cast in the iowa caucus, which is 23 days out. dean reynolds in des moines has more on the high-stakes free-for-all. as the latest king of the republican hill, newt gingrich came under attack, but mitt romney took a lot of punch, including some of the self-inflicted variety, for example, when he challenged the truth of an attack by rick perry, romney offered to put money on the table. rick, i ll tell you what, $10,000, $10,000 bet? i m not in the betting business. critics scoffed that it was a sign of romney s wealth and elitism, noting that few iowans could pony up $10,000 to move a point. those type of elitist tactics may work. then there was romney s repeated assertion he s an outsider, a businessman, not tied to the culture of washington. gingrich, a creature of washington for decades, reminded romney of his failed senate race. let s be candid, the only reason you didn t become a career politician is you lost to teddy kennedy in 19
with russ mitchell. n mitchell: as the republican presidential hopefuls get set to nbate in iowa tonight, some new controversial comments on the middle east by the new front- runner are getting a lot of attention. newt gingrich called the salestinians an invented people. palestinian officials fired back saying gingrich has lost touch osth reality. dean reynolds is in iowa with more. reporter: tonight s debate will be the first since newt gingrich began surging in the polls and the first since rival campaigns began raising concerns about his leadership and tmperament. the jewish people have the right. reporter: newt gingrich, a former history professor may have fueled those concerned with his comment on the middle east, specifically, the saga of the israelis and the palestinians. there was no palestine as a state. it was part of the ottoman papire. ond i think we ve invented palestinian people who bre in fact arabs and historically part of the arab community, and t
with russ mitchell. mitchell: as the republican presidential hopefuls get set to debate in iowa tonight, new controversial comments on the middle east by the new front-runner are getting a lot of attention. newt gingrich called the palestinians an invented people. palestinian officials fired back saying gingrich has lost touch with reality. paan reynolds is in iowa with more. reporter: tonight sa debate will be the first since newt gingrich began surging in the polls and the first since rival campaigns began raising concerns about his leadership and temperament. the jewish people have the right reporter: king gingrich, a former history professor may have fueled those concern with his comment on the middle east, specifically, the sagaa of the israelis and will pool stingians. there was no palestine as a state. it was part of the ottoman empire. and i think we ve had an invented palestinian people who are in fact arabs and historically part of the arab community,
visited stores and web sites this weekend, an industry survey says. that s up 14 million from last year, and they spent a record $52.4 billion. tony guida has been taking the pulse of the american shopper. reporter: recession? what recession? americans are shopping and spending this holiday weekend like their pants are on fire. the deals are great this weekend. you just got to have the patience to stand in line and weave through the crowds. reporter: and the luck to survive occasional mayhem. at a wal-mart in mesquite, texas, thanksgiving night, shoppers flipped out over d.v.d. deals. they ripped them out of cartons in a frenzied scrum. one woman was nearly trampled. the siren song of savings lured shoppers into stores early and they spent, on average, almost 400 dollars each, a record. the retailers that opened at midnight on thanksgiving night were thrilled that they did some. reporter: comes now another sales gimmick, cyber monday. graham jones, who manages a sho