NBC Nightly News - 1996-02-15 (partial)

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:01] One of Pat Buchanan's national campaign

[0:03] chairman steps aside after charges of

[0:05] racism.

[0:06] A Tennessee man unconscious for more

[0:09] than seven years speaks and then

[0:11] undergoes a dangerous operation. NBC

[0:14] News in depth tonight. Juvenile justice.

[0:16] Is it time to treat the very violent

[0:18] young as adults?

[0:20] And Norman Schwarzoff's America. This

[0:23] week, a high school principal who shows

[0:25] how to get the right results.

[0:28] From NBC News, this is NBC Nightly News

[0:33] with Tom Bro.

[0:35] >> Good evening. As a leading candidate for

[0:38] the Republican presidential nomination,

[0:39] Pat Buchanan takes no prisoners. His

[0:42] outspoken views on abortion,

[0:44] immigration, women, gays, also exports,

[0:47] his impressive showing in Iowa this

[0:49] week. It's all led his opponents to

[0:51] charge that he's too extreme to be

[0:53] nominated or to be elected. Well,

[0:55] tonight they have new opportunities to

[0:58] say, "See." One of Buchanan's national

[1:01] co-chairman stepped aside. NBC's Gwen

[1:04] Eiffel tonight on the charges.

[1:07] Pap Buchanan had been hitting his stride

[1:09] on the campaign trail until today when

[1:11] he was forced to explain how a top

[1:13] campaign adviser came to attend a 1992

[1:17] Colorado meeting with white supremacist

[1:19] leaders. Flustered and on the defensive,

[1:21] Buchanan said accounts of the meeting

[1:23] reported today by the Center for Public

[1:25] Integrity Research Group were overblown

[1:27] nonsense.

[1:28] >> These are vicious and false reports.

[1:32] There is no truth to them. I'm not going

[1:33] to run around investigating all these

[1:35] charges. I'm running for president of

[1:36] the United States.

[1:37] >> The adviser, Larry Pratt, is executive

[1:40] director of Gun Owners of America and

[1:42] author of a book titled Armed People

[1:44] Victorious. He says he did not know that

[1:46] leaders of the Ku Klux Clan and Aryan

[1:48] nation were at the meeting.

[1:50] >> What is clear to me is that the effort

[1:52] is ma being made right now to do

[1:55] anything possible to stop Pat Buchanan

[1:58] and even something as scurless as uh

[2:02] making charges that are completely

[2:03] groundless.

[2:04] >> Pratt said he speaks before such groups

[2:06] frequently but is not a white

[2:08] supremacist.

[2:09] >> Everyone has a right to associate any

[2:10] way they want in our country and that's

[2:11] his business. But when he becomes the

[2:13] co-chairman of a national presidential

[2:15] campaign,

[2:17] uh, I think the public should be aware

[2:19] of this.

[2:19] >> In Washington today, Bob Dole didn't

[2:21] mind capitalizing on the surging

[2:23] Buchanan campaign's misstep.

[2:25] >> Larry Pratt's been giving me a fit for

[2:27] years. You know, he's the real wing.

[2:30] >> Thank you.

[2:31] >> President Pat Buchanan.

[2:33] >> Dole's newest television ad in New

[2:34] Hampshire takes aim at Buchanan.

[2:36] >> She's too extreme and he can't beat Bill

[2:38] Clinton. Buchanan said it was just the

[2:41] distraction, but distractions can hurt.

[2:44] And Pratt was moved quickly today out of

[2:45] his post in the Buchanan campaign. Gwen

[2:48] Eiffel, NBC News, Manchester, New

[2:51] Hampshire.

[2:52] >> Buchanan and former Tennessee Governor

[2:54] Lamar Alexander are determined to derail

[2:56] Bob Ro Bob Dole's run for the nomination

[2:59] and both emerged from Iowa in shape to

[3:01] do just that. For Alexander, it was a

[3:04] chance to break from the pack. But what

[3:06] does he stand for? More on that now from

[3:08] NBC's David Bloom.

[3:10] >> Hope I'm shaking hands on the next.

[3:11] >> Well, not as much as I hope so.

[3:14] >> For almost a year, Lamar Alexander

[3:16] toiled in obscurity, waiting for this

[3:18] moment.

[3:22] >> Now, the media are watching. New

[3:24] Hampshire voters listening.

[3:25] >> I didn't think a thing about you until

[3:27] this week after Iowa. And I'm almost

[3:29] ashamed to admit that.

[3:30] >> The former Tennessee governor talks

[3:32] about new ideas, but the principal idea

[3:34] he's pushing is that he's electable.

[3:36] Remember your ABCs. ALEXANDER, HE'S

[3:41] PRANKING RIGHT.

[3:42] >> Alexander is a mildmannered man, a

[3:45] moderate Republican with a radical plan

[3:47] to turn virtually all federal programs

[3:49] over to the states. One example, he'd

[3:52] scrap federal welfare programs.

[3:54] >> Let's agree today to cancel the food

[3:56] stamp and the AFDC program.

[3:58] >> That makes some voters here nervous.

[4:00] >> A lot of the social programs in this

[4:02] state are already at rock bottom. I I

[4:04] favor bringing the money and the

[4:06] responsibility back.

[4:07] >> Alexander touts himself as a Washington

[4:09] outsider. He wants to scrap the

[4:11] Department of Education, but never

[4:13] talked about that when he was Secretary

[4:14] of Education, a former Senate staffer, a

[4:17] Nixon aid. He now favors a part-time

[4:19] Congress. And he wants a new branch of

[4:22] the military to stop drugs and illegal

[4:24] aliens.

[4:25] >> We have to control our borders, and we

[4:27] need to take a bold step to do it.

[4:30] Alexander wants schools open year round

[4:32] and in Tennessee push through merit pay

[4:34] for teachers. He opposes a

[4:36] constitutional ban on abortion, but I

[4:38] believe states have the right to

[4:40] restrict abortion and should.

[4:42] >> These days, Alexander takes pains to

[4:44] contrast himself with Bob Dole.

[4:46] >> I don't think he has very many ideas

[4:48] >> and Patrick Buchanan.

[4:49] >> So, I'm not for building a wall around a

[4:51] trade wall around America.

[4:53] >> That's the other guy.

[4:54] >> But Alexander's campaign is strapped for

[4:56] cash. She has little organization beyond

[4:58] New Hampshire. Without a strong finish

[5:01] here, he'd be hardressed to go on. Ideas

[5:04] alone are not enough. David Bloom, NBC

[5:07] News, Manchester.

[5:10] Tomorrow here on NBC Nightly News, we'll

[5:12] examine Alexander's financial sheet.

[5:13] He's done very well, even while in

[5:16] office with the help of some

[5:18] well-connected friends. We'll have an

[5:20] in-depth investigation on all of that

[5:21] when NBC Nightly News continues.

[5:24] fighting the explosion in juvenile crime

[5:26] in this country. One hard-nosed solution

[5:28] that's paying off.

[5:30] >> This is no picnic and and it's not

[5:32] intended to be. It's intended to send a

[5:34] message.

[5:35] >> Does one Florida town have the answer?

[5:37] Could it work elsewhere? We'll have

[5:39] answers on NBC News inepth. And coming

[5:42] up, a medical mystery. After seven years

[5:44] of silence, a man speaks again. What's

[5:46] happening in that Tennessee hospital?

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[7:23] Sex and violence on television in the

[7:25] news again tonight. For years, critics

[7:27] have called on the major networks to

[7:29] rate their programs according to their

[7:31] content. Now, it does appear that the

[7:33] networks are ready to do just that. For

[7:35] its part, NBC is confirming tonight it

[7:37] is discussing voluntary ratings, a

[7:40] system similar to the one now used for

[7:41] commercial films. There's late word

[7:44] tonight that a federal judge in

[7:45] Philadelphia has blocked a part of a new

[7:47] telecommunications law. The judge agreed

[7:49] with the ACLU that the section banning

[7:52] indecency is so vague on the internet

[7:55] that it raises serious constitutional

[7:57] issues. And a medical mystery tonight in

[8:00] Chattanooga, where a patient is

[8:02] recovering right now from surgery to

[8:04] remove fluid from his lungs. This is a

[8:07] life and death procedure, but wait until

[8:09] you hear the rest of the story. Here's

[8:11] NBC's Robert Biselle.

[8:13] Gary Dockery, a former cop, has been

[8:15] severely disabled, unable to speak since

[8:17] the night in 1988 when a drunk shot him

[8:20] in the head. On Sunday, 7 and a half

[8:22] years later, he started talking again

[8:25] for brother Dennis. Word came with a

[8:27] phone call

[8:27] >> to me. So, I got the phone, said,

[8:29] "Hello." And this voice comes across the

[8:31] phone and says, "Hey, buddy."

[8:34] And I couldn't believe what I was

[8:37] hearing. I could not believe it.

[8:40] I started screaming my brother's name.

[8:42] Gary. Gary.

[8:44] >> Dennis Dockery rushed to his brother's

[8:46] bedside with other family members.

[8:48] >> Once he started talking, he talked for

[8:50] 18 hours straight, basically nonstop.

[8:54] >> Early reports said that Dockery had been

[8:56] in a coma. He was not.

[8:58] >> Certainly, we cannot consider Mr.

[8:59] Dockery to have been comeomaosse over

[9:01] the last seven years. But Dockery, the

[9:05] father of two sons, has been in such bad

[9:07] shape that he could respond to questions

[9:09] only by blinking his eyes or moving

[9:11] fingers.

[9:12] >> I cannot count the times that I have sat

[9:14] by Gary's bed, the times I have prayed.

[9:16] Please, just if you could just speak to

[9:18] me, if you could just give me some

[9:21] indication, if you could just say

[9:22] something.

[9:23] >> Neurologists say the fact that Dockery

[9:25] spoke again is remarkable. It's hard to

[9:27] understand why what process could take

[9:30] seven years uh uh to to to happen.

[9:34] >> Doctors speculate there may be some

[9:36] connection between Docker's talking and

[9:38] a massive lung infection he suffered

[9:40] over the past few days, but they admit

[9:42] they really don't know what happened and

[9:44] they worry that this case may give false

[9:46] hope to others.

[9:48] >> I think it would be irresponsible to say

[9:50] that this is a miracle.

[9:52] >> Today, Docky underwent surgery to treat

[9:54] the infection. Tonight he is recovering

[9:56] and no one knows whether he will speak

[9:58] again. Robert Bazelle, NBC News, New

[10:02] York.

[10:03] >> AIDS is back in the news tonight with

[10:04] the latest numbers from the Centers for

[10:06] Disease Control. Health officials say in

[10:09] 1994, almost 60,000 people in this

[10:12] country died from the disease. That's up

[10:14] 9% from the year before. For the second

[10:17] year in a row, AIDS was the leading

[10:18] cause of death for Americans ages 25 to

[10:22] 44. All of this was brought into sharp

[10:24] focus by pro boxer and actor Tommy

[10:26] Morrison confirming today at an

[10:29] emotional press conference that in fact

[10:31] he does have the virus.

[10:34] >> There was a certain point in time in my

[10:35] life

[10:37] that I lived a very permissive

[10:41] fast

[10:43] re reckless lifestyle.

[10:46] I knew the HIV virus is something that

[10:48] anyone could get, but I also believe

[10:50] that the chances were very, very slim. I

[10:53] honestly believe that I had a better

[10:55] chance of winning a lottery than

[10:57] contracting this disease. I hope that I

[11:01] can serve as a warning

[11:03] that living this lifestyle can only lead

[11:05] to one thing,

[11:08] and that's misery.

[11:11] Morrison says that he's been talking

[11:13] with Magic Johnson, who is also HIV

[11:15] positive. He wants to help teach people

[11:18] about the disease. When NBC Nightly News

[11:20] continues, kids in crime. More and more

[11:22] young adults are committing violent

[11:24] crimes. Some solutions to this growing

[11:27] problem. Our in-depth reports.

[11:32] >> Oh, cornflakes for breakfast, huh?

[11:34] >> Yeah, she's into nutrition.

[11:35] >> Oh, yeah. Perhaps you should eat total.

[11:37] It has 100% of 11 of the many vitamins

[11:40] and minerals you need to get that from

[11:41] corn flakes. You'll both have to add

[11:42] more than just milk.

[11:44] >> Yeah. Such as

[11:45] >> well raspberries for vitamin C.

[11:47] >> Oh, okay.

[11:47] >> Catfish for B6.

[11:48] >> What? Beets for folic acid?

[11:50] >> Yes.

[11:51] >> And some craw dads for nice.

[11:53] >> So corn flakes for

[11:55] >> big total part of a balanced diet. One

[11:58] bowl 100%. Hey, had enough? Hey,

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[13:03] On NBC News in Depth tonight, we're

[13:05] talking about a crisis in this country.

[13:06] Violent crimes, very violent crimes

[13:09] committed by juveniles. The problem is

[13:12] so out of control that it's taking its

[13:14] toll on everyone. Take a look at these

[13:16] numbers. They're staggering. From 1990

[13:18] to 1994, murder by juveniles in this

[13:21] country jumped 16%.

[13:24] Robbery by juveniles up 26%. Aggravated

[13:27] assault, it was up 22%.

[13:30] How can we turn this around? We begin

[13:32] our in-depth reporting tonight with some

[13:34] answers. NBC's Fred Francis on the Law

[13:36] and Order beat.

[13:40] >> Hard time in Jacksonville, Florida for

[13:42] dangerous felons, but the inmates here

[13:45] are children. No question this is the

[13:48] only way to deal with these kids.

[13:49] According to Harry Shorstein,

[13:51] Jacksonville's prosecutor.

[13:53] >> If you tell a child each time at 11, at

[13:57] 12, at 13, at 14, next time, I mean it,

[14:00] you're going away, and nothing happens,

[14:02] you're really encouraging criminal

[14:04] behavior.

[14:05] >> Shorstein's program may be a model for a

[14:07] country fed up with scenes like this.

[14:10] Fed up with kids who are stone cold

[14:11] killers. Kids who rape and rob and if

[14:15] tried as juveniles at most will be

[14:17] jailed only until age 21. Simply

[14:20] slamming young criminals into jails

[14:21] until they're 21 years or older almost

[14:24] guarantees that they will come out as

[14:26] hardened adult predators. So now almost

[14:29] everyone agrees there must be another

[14:32] way. Four years ago, Shorstein started

[14:34] dividing young criminals into two

[14:36] categories. The worst get sent away for

[14:38] a long time. For the less violent like

[14:41] these kids, still a harsh penalty, but a

[14:44] way out, too.

[14:45] >> We're going to put you in jail, but if

[14:47] you go to school every day in jail, if

[14:49] you participate in our guidance uh uh

[14:51] and counseling sessions, if you

[14:54] participate with the mentor we give you,

[14:56] you will have a chance to totally erase

[14:58] your new adult record and have one more

[15:00] chance in life.

[15:01] >> Shorstein's babyface criminals serve up

[15:03] to a year in the county jail.

[15:05] 16-year-old Sylvester Green is here for

[15:07] armed carjacking. I just know if I got

[15:10] caught that I'd probably get go, you

[15:12] know, somewhere overnight and then go

[15:13] back home the next day. I didn't really

[15:15] know how bad the juvenile system was or

[15:17] what it was like.

[15:18] >> And what's this place like?

[15:20] >> Hell.

[15:21] >> Shorstein is so driven he sends letters

[15:23] to all students warning that

[15:24] Jacksonville is the national leader in

[15:26] jailing juveniles. Is it working? Over

[15:29] the last four years, murder by juveniles

[15:32] was down 31%, rape down 48%, robbery

[15:36] down 44%. In Virginia, they studied

[15:39] Sheen's program and announced a similar

[15:41] plan where a slap on the hand for

[15:43] juveniles will soon be history.

[15:45] >> The average time served for murder in

[15:47] Virginia for juveniles was only 6 years.

[15:50] For rape was only 3 years. For armed

[15:52] robbery of a person at a convenience

[15:54] store, for example, the time served was

[15:56] less than one year. Now, that's not

[15:58] protecting the public.

[16:00] >> In Jacksonville, besides hard time, the

[16:02] kids have to spend time in school.

[16:04] >> 5* 4 is 20. They're in class from 7:30

[16:07] to 2:20. A real school inside the jail.

[16:10] It's the ultimate pass fail. Do well or

[16:13] do more time. The vast majority actually

[16:16] study and learn.

[16:18] >> This is no picnic and and it's not

[16:20] intended to be. It's intended to send a

[16:22] message. One, that they'll be

[16:23] incapacitated and two, to the younger

[16:26] juveniles who look up to these older

[16:28] serious habitual juvenile offenders that

[16:31] there will be consequences for their

[16:32] criminal activity. Sharstein says for

[16:34] these kids and for us it may be the last

[16:37] chance. Fred Francis, NBC News,

[16:40] Jacksonville.

[16:42] >> Some juveniles are learning the very

[16:44] hard way that you don't always get a

[16:46] second chance. We met a career criminal

[16:48] who is serving a life sentence with no

[16:51] chance of parole. The story of Augustine

[16:53] Pena tonight in his own words.

[16:58] >> Man, this place is hell. The jury.