NBC Nightly News - 1992-03-05

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] Her secret of shame revealed tonight at

[0:03] 7:30.

[0:05] >> And we had uh

[0:07] >> this is a congressional posi holding the

[0:09] names of those who bounce checks, some

[0:11] for six figures.

[0:14] >> This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Broth

[0:18] reporting tonight from NBC News

[0:20] headquarters in New York. Good evening.

[0:23] It turns out the congressional check

[0:25] balancing scandal is worse than first

[0:27] reported. Much worse. Late today, the

[0:29] House Committee investigating the

[0:31] scandal reported in and the numbers are

[0:33] staggering. Almost 20,000 bounce checks.

[0:36] Now, the full House will decide whether

[0:38] to release the names. NBC's Andrea

[0:40] Mitchell is in Washington tonight.

[0:42] Andrea,

[0:43] >> Tom, the ethics committee reported that

[0:44] 355 current and former members had

[0:47] overdrawn their accounts in the House

[0:48] Bank and recommended that the 24 worst

[0:51] abusers be named. I was rather shocked

[0:54] by uh the number of checks that were

[0:56] written and uh and the size of the

[0:58] overdrafts in certain cases. As I said

[1:00] to some others, I don't know how some of

[1:02] these folks uh slept at night.

[1:04] >> The 24 worst offenders include five

[1:07] former congressmen and 19 current

[1:09] members. All had bounced at least one

[1:11] check of at least $2,400 once a month

[1:14] for eight months.

[1:15] >> In numerous cases, there are several

[1:18] hundreds of bad checks. The face amounts

[1:21] are in the six figure range for many of

[1:24] these people.

[1:25] >> I may say so. I don't mean it

[1:26] disrespectfully my colleagues. I'm a

[1:28] little tired of them coming up to on the

[1:29] floor and saying, "Oh gosh, they didn't

[1:31] tell me."

[1:32] >> The committee criticized House

[1:33] Sergeant-at-Arms Jack Russ, who ran the

[1:35] bank and had at least one overdraft of

[1:37] more than $10,000. Earlier this week,

[1:40] Russ said he was mugged, shot in the

[1:42] face by an asalent. Police described the

[1:44] circumstances as highly unusual.

[1:46] American people.

[1:47] >> There was a call from dissenting members

[1:48] to release all the names immediately.

[1:50] >> I don't think they think that we'll pass

[1:52] the smell test.

[1:54] >> It will be up to the full house next

[1:55] week to decide whether to disclose the

[1:57] names, which most people think could be

[1:59] a political death sentence for those

[2:00] involved. Tom

[2:02] >> Andrea, isn't it likely that those

[2:04] members who are not guilty are going to

[2:06] insist that these names be disclosed?

[2:08] >> Well, it cuts thigh ways. There could be

[2:10] some big names on that list and there

[2:12] might be some effort by the leaders to

[2:13] cover that up. But the Republican

[2:15] leaders are now demanding full

[2:16] disclosure and Democrats are telling me

[2:18] privately they think that the public

[2:20] pressure will mean they'll have to go

[2:21] along with it.

[2:22] >> And Andrea, what about reform? Since the

[2:24] scandal was first disclosed,

[2:26] >> they have shut down the House Bank.

[2:27] That's probably the biggest reform and

[2:29] they've taken other steps to try to

[2:31] reform some of other abuses in the

[2:33] House. They're also calling for the

[2:34] appointment of a House administrator.

[2:36] >> Thank you very much. Henry Mitchell in

[2:38] Washington tonight. And tonight, owners

[2:39] of IBM and IBM compatible personal

[2:42] computers are like high-tech doctors.

[2:45] They're trying to defend against a

[2:46] coming epidemic, a computer virus called

[2:49] Michelangelo. As NBC's Robert Viselle

[2:51] tells us now, this deliberate act of

[2:53] computer sabotage is due to strike

[2:55] tomorrow. Robert.

[2:56] >> Tom, estimates of the number of infected

[2:58] computers range from tens of thousands

[3:00] to millions. But even with the low

[3:02] estimates, it's a very serious problem.

[3:06] and Macaffy Associates, a computer

[3:08] security company in California's Silicon

[3:10] Valley. Phone calls and faxes were

[3:12] pouring in today.

[3:14] >> People who have the virus, people who

[3:15] think they have the virus, or people who

[3:16] have some other virus

[3:18] >> at the Principal Financial Group

[3:20] Insurance Company in De Moine, computer

[3:21] workers found the virus.

[3:23] >> The first hard disk partition table uh

[3:26] contains the strain of Michelangelo.

[3:28] >> If the virus had gone off as planned, it

[3:30] would have destroyed a lot of the

[3:31] company's records. clients, companies,

[3:34] investments, our productivity here. Uh,

[3:37] it would take a lot of time to restore

[3:38] the information if we'd lost it.

[3:40] >> Michelangelo even made its way into some

[3:42] computers in congressional offices. The

[3:45] virus is a tiny piece of information,

[3:47] some software that spreads from computer

[3:49] to computer on discs. If a computer is

[3:52] infected with the Michelangelo virus,

[3:54] when the computer's internal calendar

[3:55] turns to March 6th, the birthday of

[3:57] Michelangelo, the program obliterates

[4:00] all the information on the computer's

[4:02] main storage system, it's hard disk.

[4:04] There are more than a thousand viruses,

[4:06] but Michelangelo is the most insidious

[4:08] yet.

[4:09] >> It was spread during manufacturing, so

[4:11] some companies unknowingly shipped out

[4:13] discs with new programs that were

[4:15] infected.

[4:16] >> All we know that it is that it is the

[4:18] most widely reported virus. It is really

[4:20] out there and we're in for serious

[4:22] trouble tomorrow.

[4:23] >> To avoid trouble tomorrow, computer

[4:25] users should either not use their

[4:26] computer at all or use a program by

[4:28] midnight tonight that searches for and

[4:30] destroys viruses. At this store in

[4:33] Atlanta and across the country today, a

[4:35] lot of customers came in looking for the

[4:36] anti virus software. Many stores have

[4:39] run out. Computer experts do not know

[4:41] who wrote the virus, but they know why.

[4:43] It is an intellectual exercise to create

[4:46] something that will take on a life of

[4:47] its own and move from one machine to

[4:50] another throughout the world almost like

[4:52] a living organism.

[4:54] >> This is going to become more and more of

[4:55] a problem as we become more dependent on

[4:57] computers in our lives. But to combat

[4:59] this particular virus, people either

[5:01] should not use their computers at all

[5:03] tomorrow or tonight set the calendar

[5:05] back so it doesn't reach March 6th. Tom,

[5:08] >> thank you. Robert, in Los Angeles,

[5:10] another well-known charge of crime is in

[5:12] the news tonight. Alleged assault. The

[5:14] four Los Angeles police officers who

[5:16] appeared in that videotape of the Rodney

[5:18] King beating went on trial today. NBC's

[5:20] Diana Kirki.

[5:23] >> Mobbed by reporters from as far away as

[5:25] Kenya. Veteran Sergeant Stacy [ __ ] was

[5:28] upbeat going into the trial.

[5:30] >> I've waited so long for this day. It's

[5:31] finally come. It's kind of hard to

[5:33] believe it, too. officers.

[5:35] >> Attorney Michael Stone hinted at the

[5:36] defense view of Rodney King's beating.

[5:39] >> It's the use of force to subdue a

[5:41] violent resistant suspect. That's what

[5:43] it is.

[5:44] >> Friends of King appeared, but he is not

[5:46] expected until he testifies.

[5:48] >> Didfully inflict great bodily injury or

[5:51] torture.

[5:52] >> The prosecution led by Terry White will

[5:54] argue that the beating was racially

[5:56] inspired and that King feared for his

[5:58] life.

[5:59] >> The evidence is going to show, ladies

[6:01] and gentlemen, that Mr. King was

[6:02] speeding, that he did not stop, that he

[6:05] acted silly, that he did not cooperate

[6:08] in initially. The evidence is also going

[6:11] to show that the beating you are about

[6:12] to see on this videotape is unjustified.

[6:16] >> Jurors saw the first of what will be

[6:18] many viewings of the videotaped beating

[6:20] and still photos of what the defense

[6:22] argues was King's lunge at one of the

[6:24] officers. Their claim that King was

[6:27] violent, resistant, and on drugs. The

[6:30] conclusion of every officer who was

[6:33] there at the scene was that they had a

[6:35] duster on their hands. A person who was

[6:38] under the influence of fencyine, PCP, or

[6:42] angel dust.

[6:43] >> Witness George Holiday, who shot the

[6:46] video tape, recalls having thought King

[6:48] looked drunk.

[6:49] >> Well, why why would you have said that?

[6:52] >> The impression that I have of him not

[6:54] reacting to the blows.

[6:56] >> No blacks sit on the sevenman, fivewoman

[6:58] jury. chosen from the conservative LA

[7:01] suburb of Seami Valley where the trial

[7:03] is being held. Judge Stanley Weissberg

[7:06] will soon decide whether King's police

[7:08] record may be admitted as evidence. So

[7:10] far, the judge has only allowed defense

[7:12] to say that King was on parole when the

[7:14] beating occurred. Diana Kuriki, NBC

[7:17] News, Los Angeles. And still on the

[7:19] crime beat tonight, the trial that could

[7:21] break up a big piece of the mob

[7:22] continued today with a former underboss

[7:25] still on the witness stand telling what

[7:27] he says are the dirtiest secrets of John

[7:29] Gotti, the man the law calls the

[7:32] Godfather. NBC's John Miller.

[7:34] Is it possible that the lack of a warm

[7:36] winter coat may lead to the crumbling of

[7:38] John Gotti's mob empire? In the summer,

[7:41] Gotti would take these long walks with

[7:43] his underboss, Sammy the Bull Gravano,

[7:45] to discuss the secrets of the mob. But

[7:48] in the winter, Gotti came in from the

[7:50] cold. It was his big mistake. These

[7:53] talks took place in an apartment

[7:55] upstairs from Gotti's club. And when Sam

[7:57] Graano heard tapes from the FBI's bugs

[8:00] in that apartment, he decided to talk.

[8:03] Sammy the Bull Graano became the biggest

[8:05] mob informer ever. In Gotti's trial,

[8:08] Gravano told all about murders, the

[8:11] rackets, the rules of Kosanostra. Today,

[8:15] John Gotti's lawyers got their chance to

[8:17] try and take Gravano apart. Albert Kger

[8:20] skipped the crime questions and went

[8:22] straight to, "What do they call someone

[8:24] in your position?" Graano answered. "An

[8:26] informer." "Is there another name?"

[8:28] asked Creger. Gravano said, "A rat."

[8:32] Kger pounded away, asking Gravano why he

[8:35] turned on his friend and mentor. Creger

[8:37] wanted Gravano to say he did it to save

[8:39] his own skin. Quoting now, "Didn't you

[8:42] tell the government, I will give you

[8:45] John Gotti's head on a platter, and you

[8:47] will give me my freedom?" Graano

[8:49] answered, "No." The court session was

[8:52] interrupted by a bomb scare. The

[8:54] building had to be emptied. Even

[8:57] prisoners were taken out for a walk, but

[9:00] neither side seemed worried. I mean, why

[9:02] would I ask for a mistrial just because

[9:03] there was a bomb scare?

[9:05] >> No.

[9:06] >> Rose Masa used to work as Gravano's

[9:08] secretary. Her brother, Mikey Bats, is

[9:11] one of the 19 people Gravano had

[9:14] murdered.

[9:14] >> I just wanted to see somebody be held

[9:16] accountable and sitting in a court of

[9:18] law and he had him speaking in a

[9:20] courtroom setting to a judge to to the

[9:23] people in the jury to people in the

[9:25] courtroom.

[9:25] >> Throughout the day, defense lawyers were

[9:27] unable to rattle Gravano. Still, they

[9:29] have the rest of the week to keep on

[9:31] trying. John Miller, NBC News, New York.

[9:36] >> When Nightly News continues in a moment,

[9:38] a new study on pain recommends a more

[9:40] generous use of painkillers.

[9:43] >> I've got a 6 a.m. flight. I've got to

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[10:02] >> You need new Scalpison, the

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[10:29] >> If your doctor has recommended Metamucil

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[10:33] like those glasses of thick liquid,

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[10:44] With no money and few prospects,

[10:46] Nebraska Senator Bob Kerry today pulled

[10:48] out of the Democratic race for

[10:49] president. Of the dozen contests so far,

[10:51] Carrie has won only South Dakota. But

[10:53] today she took it with a smile.

[10:56] >> After Tuesday, I feel a little like the

[10:58] Jamaican bobsled team.

[11:01] At the end of the campaign, we were

[11:03] ready to go full throttle, but

[11:05] unfortunately we ran out of gas. Uh

[11:08] while we have plenty of potential and

[11:10] plenty of enthusiasm,

[11:12] uh unfortunately, we do not have plenty

[11:15] of money.

[11:16] Jerry Brown doesn't have much money

[11:18] either, but he still is very much in

[11:20] this race in his third run for the White

[11:22] House. Now, the former California

[11:24] governor is living off the land as he

[11:26] runs this time as the outsider.

[11:30] >> Are you sure we're in the right place?

[11:32] >> For the moment, Jerry Brown is in the

[11:34] right place. A low-budget give them hell

[11:36] anti-W Washington crusade aimed at this

[11:39] year's angry voters.

[11:40] >> The tax code in this country is what I

[11:42] call a banquet feast of corruption. And

[11:45] we got to fight to make this stagnant,

[11:48] corrupt, unresponsive,

[11:50] decrepit leadership move aside. I want

[11:53] you to raise your hands if you have

[11:55] never given a thousand dollars to an

[11:58] American politician ever in your

[11:59] lifetime.

[12:00] >> Is this reborn anti-olitician, the same

[12:03] Jerry Brown who raised tens of millions

[12:05] of dollars for California's Democratic

[12:07] party? The former two-term governor,

[12:09] member of a political family, this man

[12:12] an outsider. even to say outsider in in

[12:14] reference to somebody who's been

[12:16] governor for eight years, whose father

[12:17] was governor, whose sister is the

[12:19] elected treasurer. Uh I'm not an

[12:21] outsider in the sense of my uh of who

[12:24] I've been and who I am, but rather my

[12:27] commitment is to the unrepresented.

[12:29] >> Ironically, this protest candidate brags

[12:32] about his years in office.

[12:34] >> I've come with experience. Most of you

[12:36] know I was the governor in California uh

[12:39] after Reagan. After wandering the world

[12:42] on a spiritual quest, Brown is back. Now

[12:44] flying charter planes, but still

[12:46] outspent three to one by Bill Clinton

[12:49] and Paul Sonis, hammering the

[12:51] competition for taking thousand checks.

[12:53] >> They have allowed themselves to be

[12:55] trapped and in some cases corrupted by

[12:59] the powerful forces of greed.

[13:01] >> In campaign debates, he's like a TV

[13:04] preacher soliciting money through his

[13:06] 800 number at every chance.

[13:08] them join this campaign through the

[13:10] number 1 800426.

[13:13] >> Jerry Brown hopes to hold his shoestring

[13:15] campaign together through the primaries

[13:17] grand finale this June and that's in

[13:19] Brown's home state of California which

[13:21] could leave him with real leverage going

[13:23] into the Democratic convention if he

[13:24] does well there. One of the hot button

[13:26] issues for all the candidates this year

[13:28] is welfare reform. And a report today

[13:31] says there are more than 13 million

[13:33] Americans now on welfare. That's two

[13:36] million more than when this recession

[13:38] began.

[13:51] In Japan, they buy a remarkable new car

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[14:47] every gallon of Easy Living Painter on

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[14:55] wonderful, but did you know ounce for

[14:57] ounce, you get more vitamins and

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[15:04] >> Sweet, delicious California prunes. Find

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[15:14] There is no matter more urgent to

[15:16] American voters than reviving this

[15:17] nation's economy. Bill Clinton's remedy,

[15:20] more taxes for the rich, fewer taxes for

[15:22] everyone else. And that's just for

[15:24] starters. NBC's chief financial

[15:26] correspondent Mike Jensen tonight takes

[15:28] a closer look.

[15:34] >> Bill Clinton in Savannah getting ready

[15:36] to preach his economic gospel. Tax cuts

[15:39] for the middle class.

[15:41] He tells it one-on-one to commuters in

[15:43] suburban Maryland. To crowds like this

[15:46] one at Georgetown University. The

[15:49] average working families tax will go

[15:51] down about 10%, a savings of about $350

[15:54] a year. And I won't finance it with

[15:57] increasing the deficit. Instead, we will

[15:59] ask those earning over $200,000 a year

[16:02] to pay some more. Economists say that

[16:05] wins votes, but doesn't really help the

[16:08] economy. Those same economists give

[16:10] Clinton high grades for much of the rest

[16:13] of his economic program. Things like a

[16:16] 50% cut in the capital gains tax for

[16:19] long-term investments in new businesses

[16:21] that create jobs in America. More

[16:24] government research money for

[16:26] development of new products instead of

[16:28] military equipment. Defense spending to

[16:31] be reduced by 36% over the next 5 years.

[16:37] But Clinton also offers a slew of

[16:40] expensive goodies for almost every

[16:42] voting group. I want to spend more money

[16:45] on people on education and training and

[16:47] child care. I'm tired of people being

[16:49] told they're too rich to get college

[16:50] aid. I think I've got a record second to

[16:52] none in helping farmers. We're going to

[16:53] have to provide a basic fundamental

[16:56] health care package to all Americans.

[16:58] >> Clinton is quite specific about his

[17:00] spending programs, but the funding is

[17:03] something else.

[17:04] >> Where is the money going to come from

[17:06] for many of the things that you talk

[17:08] about in your economic program? Well,

[17:10] first of all, if you look at the way we

[17:13] did raise taxes in Arkansas, I think

[17:14] that's the way the American people want

[17:16] them raised. If we raise taxes, we

[17:18] dedicated the taxes and we paid for an

[17:20] investment in the future so the people

[17:21] got their money's worth.

[17:24] >> As governor of Arkansas, Clinton raised

[17:27] taxes on gasoline and cigarettes and

[17:29] presided over a general sales tax

[17:32] increase. Now he's promising to cut

[17:35] taxes and use money from the defense

[17:37] budget. But by the fifth year of my

[17:39] defense cuts, we'll have a $90 billion a

[17:42] year peace dividend.

[17:44] >> A lot of analysts say that big a cut is

[17:46] unlikely. And even if the entire defense

[17:48] budget were eliminated, it would just

[17:50] about cover the annual budget deficit.

[17:54] >> But Clinton says it can all be worked

[17:56] out and that someone has to start

[17:58] looking out for the middle class.

[18:01] >> Mike Jensen, NBC News, Mon Georgia. And

[18:05] when Nightly News continues in a moment,

[18:07] a government call for more painkillers

[18:09] for patients who undergo surgery in this

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[20:15] >> Every year more than 23 million

[20:17] surgeries are performed in this country.

[20:18] And today, a panel of government experts

[20:20] said many doctors failed to prescribe

[20:23] enough painkillers. More on that tonight

[20:25] from NBC's Robert Hager.

[20:28] >> Just 12 hours after Laura Hitchcock's

[20:30] recent radical surgery on her sinuses,

[20:32] her doctor abruptly reduced the dose of

[20:34] painkiller.

[20:35] >> I was in excruciating pain. When I uh

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[20:43] said, "Look, this isn't working. I need

[20:45] more." He was very um um what's the

[20:51] word? Reluctant to prescribe anything

[20:55] stronger.

[20:56] >> Today, the federal government said in a

[20:57] report that about half of all surgery

[20:59] patients suffer needlessly because

[21:01] doctors in hospitals don't pay enough

[21:03] attention to painkiller. Health

[21:05] Secretary Lewis Sullivan talked about

[21:07] myths that pain builds character. Myth,

[21:09] he said that infants don't feel pain.

[21:12] Another myth that elderly patients have

[21:14] a higher tolerance for pain or that

[21:16] painkillers are addictive. All myths. A

[21:19] government task force said the risk of

[21:21] becoming addicted from a hospital stay

[21:23] is minuscule. One in 2500. And the task

[21:26] force recommended that demorall which is

[21:28] used most often now be replaced by

[21:30] morphine which is stronger. The

[21:32] >> young man the little boy who's expected

[21:34] to to grit his teeth and bear it. uh the

[21:38] woman who complains and is and is uh

[21:41] thought to be uh neurotic because she's

[21:43] complaining of her pain and those are

[21:44] the sorts of attitudes that are not

[21:46] useful in help in increasing the healing

[21:49] process and helping patients get better

[21:51] faster.

[21:52] >> Also noted increased use of devices

[21:54] through which patients themselves

[21:56] control the release of painkiller into

[21:57] their systems. The panel said

[21:59] painkillers that work can get patients

[22:01] up and about faster after surgery and

[22:04] speed healing. Robert Hager, NBC News,

[22:07] Washington.

[22:08] >> John Chancellor is here with his

[22:09] commentary now talking about American

[22:11] politics, British politics, and

[22:12] something in the Middle East. John,

[22:14] >> Tom, here is this week's quiz. Name two

[22:17] national leaders who are losing

[22:19] popularity and who face an election

[22:21] during during an economic slump. The

[22:24] answer, George Bush and John Major, the

[22:27] British Prime Minister. Our election is

[22:29] in November. Theirs could come as early

[22:30] as next month. Approval ratings are down

[22:33] for both men. The economy is in trouble

[22:35] in both countries. Major's predecessor,

[22:38] Margaret Thatcher, has been saying rude

[22:40] things about him, and Ronald Reagan has

[22:42] been more or less snubbing George Bush.

[22:44] And this week, both Bush and Major are

[22:47] being forced to think about Saddam

[22:48] Hussein, the famous butcher of Baghdad.

[22:51] He is refusing to let the UN destroy his

[22:54] weapons of mass destruction, which is

[22:56] clear defiance of the Gulf War ceasefire

[22:58] agreement. The United Nations could

[23:00] destroy Iraq's weapons facilities in air

[23:03] attacks. The British government says it

[23:05] isn't ruling out force. The American

[23:07] government is warning Iraq of serious

[23:09] consequences. There are two American

[23:11] aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. A

[23:14] BritishAmerican air strike authorized by

[23:16] the UN is a possibility. But an air

[23:19] strike could become a political

[23:21] liability for the president and the

[23:23] prime minister. Voters might see it as

[23:25] an election-year stunt, a diversion from

[23:27] a bleak economic situation. Reopening

[23:30] the war, even from the air, even with UN

[23:32] approval, might be politically risky. On

[23:35] the other hand, something needs to be

[23:36] done to make Saddam Hussein keep his

[23:38] word. Nobody knows what's going to

[23:40] happen, and the clock is ticking. Tom,

[23:43] >> thank you, John. On Wall Street today,

[23:45] stocks fell sharply again in heavy

[23:47] trading today.

[23:53] Ro

[23:57] paradise surrounds me. There's no place

[24:01] like this on land.

[24:04] Oh my behind me. The world's in my

[24:09] career.

[24:10] >> One cruise line has been named best in

[24:12] passenger satisfaction 10 years in a

[24:14] row. Royal Caribbean, the grand resorts

[24:16] of the seven seas.

[24:22] I saw my doctor because the pain was so

[24:24] bad. I was afraid I needed surgery for

[24:27] my hemorrhoids. I was itching. The

[24:30] burning was awful. But my doctor said my

[24:32] hemorrhoids weren't serious. I didn't

[24:34] need surgery. He told me it was time I

[24:36] started using Preparation H.

[24:38] >> Preparation H helps shrink swelling of

[24:40] inflamed hemorrhoidal tissues and often

[24:42] brings relief from pain, itching, and

[24:44] burning for hours.

[24:46] >> What a difference Preparation H makes.

[24:48] Doctor recommended preparation H.

[24:53] >> You're going to grill it so you can hear

[24:54] it, so you can see it and so you can

[24:56] smell it. It's going to be like the best

[24:58] thing you ever ate in your life. Wait,

[25:00] it's not done.

[25:03] No, it's done. A1. It's how burgers are

[25:07] done.

[25:07] >> Call me a trends setter, but I was

[25:09] eating wheat thins before people knew

[25:11] why they were baked and not fried. Now

[25:13] everybody knows who needs a greasy chip,

[25:15] right? Besides, wheat fins are

[25:18] delicious. Delicious is still in, isn't

[25:20] it?

[25:22] >> You know, California prunes aren't just

[25:24] great snacks. They're good with

[25:25] breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert.

[25:30] Why? The possibilities are endless.

[25:32] >> Sweet, delicious California prunes. Find

[25:35] out how good they really are.

[25:41] >> Don't get hit by an annual feed.

[25:44] Carry the card that doesn't charge one

[25:48] and keep yourself out of the hole. It

[25:51] pays to discover.

[25:54] Assignment Earth tonight. One of the

[25:56] most successful wildlife movements in

[25:57] recent years has been the ban on ivory

[26:00] to discourage the poaching of elephants.

[26:02] South Africa and other African nations

[26:04] proposed lifting that ban to help the

[26:06] elephant herds. NBC's Charles Mlan

[26:09] explains from South Africa. Miniature

[26:11] carved ivory sculptures on sale today

[26:14] legally in Johannesburg. Ivory taken

[26:17] from surplus elephants called from South

[26:19] Africa's carefully managed herds. For

[26:22] sale in South Africa, but not for

[26:24] export.

[26:26] Illegal ivory confiscated last night by

[26:28] Japanese authorities. The second largest

[26:30] ivory bust ever. Over 800 lb of elephant

[26:33] tusks smuggled out of Africa. Despite

[26:36] the ban on the ivory trade, demand

[26:38] remains high.

[26:40] Delegates to the latest convention on

[26:42] international trade in endangered

[26:44] species meeting in Japan this week will

[26:46] be discussing whether to maintain their

[26:48] ban on international trade of elephant

[26:50] products.

[26:52] Under current regulations, African

[26:54] elephants get the group's highest level

[26:56] of protection. But South Africa and five

[26:59] neighboring countries want the

[27:00] Endangered Species Conference to

[27:02] reclassify their elephants, allowing

[27:04] limited trade. They say lifting the ban

[27:06] on ivory would actually save elephants

[27:09] lives. Because if we are able to market

[27:11] the products from our culling

[27:13] operations, then we would be able to

[27:15] plow that money back into increased

[27:17] policing of the of the game reserves and

[27:20] therefore in fact cut down on the

[27:21] voyage.

[27:22] >> But not all African conservationists are

[27:25] ready to lift the ivory ban. More than 2

[27:27] years ago, the government of Kenya

[27:29] burned 12 tons of elephant tusks to

[27:32] demonstrate its opposition to the ivory

[27:34] trade.

[27:36] Both those who want the ivory ban lifted

[27:38] and those who want it retained share a

[27:40] commitment to the survival of the

[27:41] African elephant. The question now is

[27:44] whether conservation must be made to pay

[27:46] for itself with the elephant bartering

[27:48] his tusks for his survival.

[27:51] Charles Mlan, NBC News, Johannesburg.

[27:55] And tonight, there is an unconfirmed

[27:57] newspaper report out of Tokyo that South

[27:59] Africa and the other nations have now

[28:01] withdrawn their request to overturn that

[28:04] Ivory ban. That's nightly news for this

[28:06] Thursday. I'll be working along the

[28:08] Super Tuesday campaign trail tomorrow.

[28:10] Margaret Larson will be here tomorrow

[28:11] night. I'll see you again on Monday.

[28:25] Wow.