NBC Nightly News - 1984-04-08
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:05] This is NBC Nightly News reported by
[0:08] John Palmer.
[0:10] >> Good evening. The mission of the space
[0:12] shuttle Challenger suffered a major
[0:14] setback today. An attempt by space
[0:16] rocking astronaut George Nelson to
[0:18] capture and haul in the crippled
[0:20] satellite Solar Max ended in failure.
[0:23] And things don't look good tonight for
[0:24] another attempt tomorrow. Here's science
[0:27] correspondent Robert Bazelle in Houston.
[0:31] The day aboard the space shuttle
[0:33] Challenger began in a light mood with
[0:35] James Van Hoff in the foreground and
[0:37] George Nelson called Pinky playing catch
[0:40] with a roll of tape.
[0:41] >> Looks like Pinky Knox are working real
[0:42] hard down there.
[0:43] >> Obviously, they're ready if all they got
[0:45] to do is play.
[0:46] >> Roger.
[0:47] >> Meanwhile, Commander Robert Krippen
[0:49] maneuvered the spacecraft closer and
[0:51] closer to the disabled scientific
[0:53] satellite called Solar Max.
[0:56] >> Ah, satellite out there. When Challenger
[0:58] was 200 feet away, Nelson, wearing a
[1:01] space suit and strapped to the jet
[1:02] backpack, took off to try to capture the
[1:05] satellite.
[1:06] >> Challenger Houston, the Solar Max is
[1:08] ready for capture.
[1:10] >> Roger. We copy. Ready for capture.
[1:12] >> Solar Max is rotating in space, and
[1:15] Nelson's goal was to hook up with it to
[1:17] stop the rotation. But the device that
[1:20] was supposed to attach him to the
[1:21] satellite did not work. Next, Commander
[1:24] Krippen suggested that Nelson try to
[1:26] stop the rotation by grabbing the huge
[1:29] solar panels on the satellite.
[1:31] >> You have to hold on to it. Both hands, I
[1:33] imagine.
[1:35] >> That attempt actually increased the
[1:37] satellite's rotation. Next, Krippen
[1:40] suggested that Nelson try another
[1:41] approach.
[1:42] >> Okay. Do you think you'd be doing a
[1:44] better job if you went in and grabbed
[1:45] hold of the endector?
[1:46] >> But Nelson was worried about the fuel in
[1:48] his jet backpack.
[1:49] >> I don't know if I'm going to have enough
[1:50] gas to do that.
[1:51] >> Okay, come on back in.
[1:53] As Nelson followed orders and returned
[1:55] to the spaceship, harried engineers in
[1:57] mission control tried to decide what to
[1:59] do next. They advised Commander Krippen
[2:02] to try to catch the satellite with the
[2:04] shuttle's robot arm. That too failed.
[2:07] >> We can't close that time, but no cigar.
[2:09] >> Late today, engineers at the Gddard
[2:11] Space Center in Maryland were sending
[2:12] commands to Solar Max to try to slow
[2:15] down its rotation so that tomorrow the
[2:17] astronauts can try again to grab it with
[2:19] the robot arm. Because some fuel
[2:22] supplies are running low on the shuttle,
[2:23] the astronauts can no longer use the jet
[2:25] backpacks, and they will have only one
[2:28] more chance to try to capture the
[2:29] satellite with the shuttle's robot arm.
[2:32] They won't even get that chance if
[2:33] engineers cannot stabilize Solar Max. If
[2:36] the astronauts can capture the
[2:38] satellite, they will fix it as planned.
[2:40] If they fail, they will come home early.
[2:43] Robert Bazelle, NBC News at the Johnson
[2:45] Space Center, Houston.
[2:47] All in all, it was a very frustrating
[2:49] day for the astronauts aboard the space
[2:51] shuttle and for NASA officials at
[2:53] mission control in Houston. Shuttle
[2:55] commander Robert Krippen summed it all
[2:57] up. All of that frustration when he
[3:00] said, "We got close, but no cigar."
[3:05] Coming up, Fred Francis in Washington,
[3:07] where the administration denies any
[3:09] contingency plan to use American combat
[3:12] troops in Central America.
[3:14] Connie Chung in Pennsylvania on Gary
[3:16] Hart's problem getting delegates on the
[3:18] ballot
[3:20] and Linda Ellerby on publishers who drop
[3:23] evolution from their textbooks.
[3:28] >> A poorly designed computer can be a
[3:30] painful experience. Burroughs is
[3:32] changing this by studying the effects
[3:34] computers have on the people who use
[3:35] them.
[3:36] >> Morning Claire. We developed a
[3:38] highresolution screen that's easy on the
[3:40] eyes, an adjustable keyboard that's easy
[3:43] on the back, even modified the sound of
[3:46] the key click. What's important to
[3:48] Burrows isn't just how well computers
[3:50] work, but how well people work with
[3:52] computers.
[3:53] >> Night.
[3:58] >> Nobody thought European automotive
[4:00] technology could be affordable. Then
[4:02] Renault introduced Alliance. At first,
[4:04] only a few discriminating buyers
[4:06] recognized the benefits. Sedan comfort
[4:08] for five, a quiet, smooth ride. But its
[4:11] reputation grew and grew until Alliance
[4:14] became the bestselling American car
[4:16] line. Launched in 1983, Renault Alliance
[4:19] 5959.
[4:20] European technology that's affordable.
[4:23] >> The one to watch. The one to watch. The
[4:25] one to watch.
[4:26] >> Renault.
[4:28] How do competitive air delivery services
[4:31] stack up?
[4:33] Leading services deliver a 10 lb package
[4:35] coast to coast for $44. With UPS Nextday
[4:39] Air, the same package costs $21. And if
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[4:47] UPS Nextday Air and Secondday Air from
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[4:55] money from the ground up.
[4:58] Are there contingency plans for the use
[5:00] of US combat troops in Central America?
[5:03] Some of the highest officials in the
[5:05] Reagan administration say there are
[5:07] none, but Fred Francis reports from
[5:09] Washington that such plans do exist
[5:11] despite the denials.
[5:14] >> Today, Secretary of Defense Weineberger
[5:16] speaking on ABC's This Week flatly
[5:19] denied published reports that the
[5:20] administration has drafted contingency
[5:23] plans for Central America. That's
[5:25] another of those stories that uh appears
[5:27] and is attributed to an administration
[5:29] source who's usually some man you catch
[5:31] in the hall who gives you the answer
[5:32] that you want. Uh there is no plan of
[5:35] that kind nor is there any necessity for
[5:37] it.
[5:37] >> But ambassador Otto Reich of the State
[5:39] Department says there are contingencies.
[5:42] >> There are no plans to use US combat
[5:45] troops in Central America. Those are
[5:47] plans uh contingency plans. Every nation
[5:49] must have plans to deal with unforeseen
[5:53] uh contingencies or situations. So there
[5:55] is a difference between the two, but
[5:56] there are no plans, as the president has
[5:58] said, to use them. If the contingency
[6:00] plans are activated, the Pentagon is
[6:02] ready. Almost the entire nation of
[6:04] Honduras is a staging area. From this
[6:07] $13 million airfield at Kyagua, United
[6:11] States combat aircraft could strike into
[6:13] El Salvador and Nicaragua.
[6:16] And at San Lorenzo, close to both
[6:17] borders, the Pentagon wants to build
[6:20] ammunition bunkers and stock them just
[6:22] in case.
[6:24] >> Representative Solars of New York is
[6:25] troubled by the preparations.
[6:27] >> But I am concerned about the extent to
[6:29] which this appears to indicate that the
[6:32] Reagan administration is seriously
[6:34] contemplating sending American combat
[6:36] forces into Central America.
[6:39] >> The Salvadoran army would have to be
[6:41] near collapse before American force
[6:42] would be used. Nicaragua would have to
[6:45] import Soviet MIGs or attack its
[6:47] neighbors before US involvement would
[6:49] begin there. Under any scenario,
[6:51] Pentagon strategists say that US air
[6:53] power, not combat troops, would be the
[6:56] most effective response. But even that
[6:58] would have to pass a very reluctant
[7:00] Congress. Fred Francis, NBC News,
[7:03] Washington.
[7:04] >> Relations between Congress and the White
[7:06] House are already under severe strain on
[7:09] the subject of foreign policy.
[7:10] Diplomatic correspondent Marvin Calb
[7:12] reports. The White House wants it that
[7:15] way.
[7:16] >> By deliberate design, the administration
[7:17] has attacked Congress for the setback in
[7:20] Lebanon. Ironically, hoping in this way
[7:22] to achieve a degree of support for its
[7:24] controversial policy in Central America.
[7:27] It started last week when Secretary of
[7:29] State Schultz criticized congressional
[7:31] restrictions on the president's ability
[7:33] to conduct a coherent foreign policy.
[7:36] Then on Wednesday, the same theme from
[7:38] the president at a prime time news
[7:40] conference. On Friday morning on NBC's
[7:43] Today program, Secretary Schultz was
[7:45] back on the attack. A few hours later,
[7:48] the president clearly by now running
[7:50] against Congress. Its fault, not his,
[7:52] for what happened in Lebanon. And
[7:54] yesterday, with Lebanon very clearly on
[7:56] his mind, the president argued that once
[7:59] troops are committed, Congress should
[8:01] not undercut American policy by changing
[8:03] the ground rules. On Capitol Hill, that
[8:06] line of reasoning is producing only
[8:07] limited sympathy from Democrats as well
[8:10] as Republicans.
[8:11] >> The president is trying to blame
[8:13] Congress for the failures of his
[8:15] policies. After all, Congress over my
[8:18] objections gave him a blank check 18
[8:20] months in Lebanon. But eventually, it
[8:22] dawned on him that his policy wasn't
[8:24] working and he had to pull out. The
[8:26] mission failed because it was flawed
[8:28] from the very beginning that the 1,600
[8:30] Marines were not going to do anything to
[8:32] 40,000 Syrians that were in Lebanon.
[8:35] There were simply too few of them there
[8:36] to make any kind of of effort from a
[8:39] military point of view, and there are
[8:40] simply too many of them there to conduct
[8:42] a diplomatic political presence. Some
[8:45] Republicans think it's good strategy to
[8:46] run against Congress perhaps, but some
[8:49] Democrats led by Cranston now want to
[8:51] hold hearings on whether the
[8:53] administration intends to commit
[8:54] American forces to Central America.
[8:57] Marvin Cal, NBC News, the State
[8:59] Department.
[9:00] >> Soviet leader Chernyenko blamed the
[9:02] Reagan administration today for
[9:04] increasing world tensions and insisted
[9:06] that US nuclear missiles must be removed
[9:09] from Western Europe before the nuclear
[9:11] arms talks can be resumed. The White
[9:13] House responded by citing the foreign
[9:16] policy speech made by President Reagan
[9:17] on Friday and said there will be no
[9:20] concessions made to get the Russians
[9:22] back to the talks. And a Soviet military
[9:25] official says last fall's shooting down
[9:27] of Korean Airlines flight 007 with the
[9:30] loss of 269 lives is proof that Soviet
[9:34] air defenses are doing their job. The
[9:36] Soviet deputy defense minister compared
[9:39] the Korean airliner with the American U2
[9:41] spy plane shot down over the Soviet
[9:44] Union back in 1960.
[9:48] >> Coming up, Ken Bod in Philadelphia on
[9:51] elections Philly style where street
[9:53] money talks.
[10:00] >> They say a tire is a tire.
[10:03] You can't tell one tire from another.
[10:05] >> But Goodyear said,
[10:07] >> baloney and spent a billion dollars to
[10:10] design and build the world's leading
[10:11] radial tires. Did anybody notice?
[10:14] Drivers did. They're buying more
[10:16] Goodyear radials than any other brand.
[10:18] More than all foreign radials combined.
[10:21] Wow.
[10:23] Sometimes it really pays not to listen
[10:25] to what they say.
[10:28] >> Goodyear.
[10:31] There are lots of ways to communicate
[10:32] over long distances, but with some, you
[10:34] may not be able to reach everywhere you
[10:36] want, anytime you want. And a far away
[10:38] message may feel far away. But you can
[10:41] always count on AT&T. The only
[10:43] long-distance service that let you call
[10:45] from anywhere to anywhere with operators
[10:47] standing by. And with AT&T, your calls
[10:49] will sound as close as next door. So why
[10:51] settle for anything less? AT&T. The more
[10:55] you hear, the better we sound.
[10:59] One,
[11:01] >> this woman has had diabetes for years,
[11:03] >> Mrs. Johnson.
[11:04] >> So, there's a chance her daughter may
[11:05] also develop it. Diabetes is a serious
[11:08] illness, but it can be controlled.
[11:09] >> How have you been feeling?
[11:11] >> Kind of tired.
[11:12] >> Mhm. Are you often thirsty?
[11:15] >> Yes.
[11:15] >> 11 million Americans have diabetes.
[11:18] Maybe even you, especially if you're
[11:19] over 40 and overweight. So, check with
[11:22] your doctor. This message was brought to
[11:24] you by Fizer Pharmaceuticals.
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[11:28] partners in healthcare.
[11:31] >> The three Democratic presidential
[11:33] candidates campaigned in Pennsylvania
[11:35] today in advance of that state's primary
[11:37] on Tuesday. Pennsylvania has a two-part
[11:40] primary. Part one is the popular vote or
[11:42] the beauty contest. The second part is
[11:45] the vote for delegates committed to a
[11:47] specific candidate. And it is this
[11:49] second part that is causing serious
[11:51] problems for Gary Hart. Connie Chung
[11:54] reports tonight from Pennsylvania.
[11:56] Oh my god.
[11:58] >> Hart's problem is that he does not have
[12:00] enough delegates carrying his name on
[12:02] the ballot. Montdale has 117 for 117
[12:06] positions. Hart has only 47. Even Jesse
[12:09] Jackson filed 57 before the deadline.
[12:12] >> Hart is now suffering the consequences
[12:15] of decisions he made early on to put all
[12:18] of his resources into Iowa and New
[12:20] Hampshire. Now, those decisions were the
[12:22] correct one because without those, he
[12:25] he'd be like Alan Cranston and John
[12:27] Glenn, but he has no delegates filed in
[12:30] many districts, and that will cost him
[12:33] the delegate race in Pennsylvania.
[12:35] >> I see John Glenn, I see Jesse Jackson, I
[12:38] see Manddale, I see uh Ruben Ascu, I see
[12:42] uh Alan Cranston. I don't see Gary
[12:44] Hart's name appear here at any time. I
[12:47] don't know why
[12:48] >> Hart has succeeded in adopting some
[12:50] Glenn and Cranston delegates, but voters
[12:52] don't necessarily know that a vote for a
[12:54] Glenn delegate is a vote for Hart.
[12:57] >> It's an organizational nightmare is what
[12:59] it is. We've got uh roughly 2/3 of the
[13:02] slate that will be show up on the ballot
[13:04] with somebody else's name.
[13:06] >> Ralph Hers was a Cranston delegate.
[13:09] That's the way his name appears on the
[13:10] ballot. Now he supports Hart and he
[13:13] needs to tell voters. Here is the uh
[13:16] heart slate.
[13:17] >> Wait a minute, Ralph. You keep
[13:18] forgetting to tell them you're listed on
[13:20] the ballot under Cranston. Hart's trying
[13:23] to solve the problem with palm cards.
[13:25] One and a half million handed to voters
[13:27] at the polls to identify mislabeled
[13:29] delegates. Do palm cards work?
[13:31] >> Average is a very difficult thing to do.
[13:33] Um I my guess is that it will help elect
[13:36] three, four, five, six, seven delegates.
[13:38] That few.
[13:39] >> Meanwhile, Manddale's delegates work the
[13:41] ward. I mean, I think you know me well
[13:43] enough that I don't have to go into my
[13:44] background.
[13:45] >> Nuts and bolts machine stumping
[13:47] choreographed by Manddale's Joe Sha.
[13:50] There are 17 Joe Shaes in Pennsylvania
[13:52] helping Manddale delegates get elected.
[13:55] >> But what about Hart's adopted delegates?
[13:57] Is there anyone on the Hart staff
[13:59] teaching them how to get elected?
[14:01] >> Not to my knowledge.
[14:03] >> I I'm not aware that there is.
[14:05] >> Hart's track record of winning adopted
[14:07] delegates is not good. In Illinois, he
[14:10] did not win a single adopted delegate.
[14:12] Hart only lost the popular vote by a
[14:14] whisker, but Montdale won more than
[14:16] twice as many delegates. In Florida,
[14:18] Hart won the popular vote, but Montdale
[14:21] won 10 more delegates. Coming up, five
[14:24] more important states have two-part
[14:25] primaries. Hart must scramble to avoid
[14:27] disaster. When the Democratic primary
[14:30] process is over in June, Hart can make
[14:32] one more stab at gathering delegates.
[14:34] For the first time, delegates to the
[14:36] Democratic convention are not bound.
[14:38] Even now, Hart has quietly begun
[14:40] courting Manddale delegates who have
[14:42] already been elected, urging them to
[14:44] switch to him. A switch they will make
[14:46] only if they believe Hart can beat
[14:48] Ronald Reagan and Walter Manddale can't.
[14:51] Connie Chung, NBC News, Philadelphia.
[14:55] >> Street money. Local political campaigns
[14:57] in the big cities could hardly operate
[14:59] without it. It's paid as a reward to
[15:02] those who get out the vote for a
[15:03] particular candidate. Here's national
[15:05] political correspondent Ken Bod.
[15:10] The street. It's where elections are won
[15:13] and lost in Philadelphia. Campaign
[15:15] workers are hitting these rowhouse
[15:17] neighborhoods like an invading army.
[15:19] >> COME ON, LET'S GO. JIMMY'S OUT HERE.
[15:21] LET'S GO. Let's go.
[15:23] >> This is part of the Jimmy Tune for
[15:25] Congress brigade. Brigade leader Tony
[15:27] Morrison.
[15:28] >> Boy, he's going to lose 40 lbs when I
[15:29] get done with him.
[15:31] >> Hang in there, pal. Your corpse might go
[15:33] to Paris. For these workers, the
[15:35] presidential race is low priority. On
[15:37] election day, they'll be on the streets
[15:39] again for pay. What they're paid with is
[15:42] called street money.
[15:44] >> Jimmy Tune is a W leader himself. Four
[15:46] years ago, we watched him count out
[15:48] street money for his workers.
[15:51] >> Thank you very much.
[15:52] >> Thank you, Jimmy.
[15:54] >> Don't count it.
[15:57] >> Street money is the lifeblood of an
[15:59] organization on election day. It is with
[16:02] this street money that we're able to
[16:03] hire pole watchers, pole workers.
[16:06] >> Joe Venola is the city controller of
[16:08] Philadelphia. He approves the entire
[16:10] city budget. For Congress, he's for
[16:13] Teun's opponent, Tom Foletta. Venola's
[16:16] candidate for president is Waler
[16:17] Manddale. Joe Venola is also a W leader,
[16:20] so he passes out his own street money to
[16:22] his own workers.
[16:23] >> What happened to me this morning? I went
[16:25] in to see the party chairman and
[16:26] treasurer. All the Philadelphia ward
[16:29] chairman picked up their street money at
[16:30] the same time.
[16:31] >> I got $50 per division. I have 27
[16:34] divisions. I got $1,350.
[16:36] >> Ward chairman add to that street money
[16:38] the contributions they get from
[16:40] candidates all up and down the ballot.
[16:41] So, how much money will be on the street
[16:43] in the Tun Fleta race?
[16:46] >> $50 to $75,000 I think is a very
[16:48] realistic number.
[16:49] >> A piece.
[16:50] >> A piece.
[16:51] >> Street money, sometimes called walking
[16:53] around money, has a bad name in many
[16:55] places. It suggests corruption, shady
[16:57] deals, even vote buying. However, in
[16:59] Philadelphia, it's paid out and accepted
[17:02] by all sides, a regular part of this
[17:04] town's civic ethic.
[17:06] >> Thanks to her,
[17:06] >> what's the difference between being a
[17:08] ward leader and a candidate for
[17:09] Congress? Well, today, Jimmy Tune began
[17:11] paying out his street money. This year,
[17:13] he pays by check with all the checks
[17:16] written and signed by his assistant,
[17:18] Louie.
[17:19] >> He'll make $1,000 on a selection.
[17:21] >> Tony Morrison. If Taune wins, Tony wins,
[17:24] too. Then he may run for ward leader
[17:26] himself.
[17:27] >> You knock on that door. You asked him,
[17:29] "Would you vote for Jimmy Taun, please?"
[17:32] >> Meanwhile, Tony works the streets.
[17:34] >> We're doing now. This is old time
[17:35] politics that you can't beat. It's the
[17:37] greatest. It's like we go door to door.
[17:40] Nothing the media, nothing can beat this
[17:42] here. This is getting to the people.
[17:44] You'll see the response here if you've
[17:45] seen it already from the people. It's a
[17:46] fantastic response.
[17:48] >> And when will the cash that Tony already
[17:50] has in his pockets trickle down? In
[17:52] other words, when will Tony pay off?
[17:54] They get their street money Tuesday
[17:56] after the election.
[17:57] >> After the election.
[17:58] >> After the election.
[17:58] >> Why?
[17:59] >> Why
[18:01] >> does anybody pay you before you work?
[18:03] They pay you after you work.
[18:04] >> Ken Bod, NBC News, Philadelphia.
[18:08] >> Senate investigators looking into the
[18:10] financial affairs of presidential
[18:12] counselor Edwin Meis have further
[18:14] broadened their inquiry. They're now
[18:16] looking into a 1980 Reagan transition
[18:18] fund and how it spent nearly half a
[18:21] million dollars which it raised from
[18:22] private donors. Me was a trustee of that
[18:25] fund.
[18:27] >> Coming up, Linda Ellerby in Texas on the
[18:30] fight to teach creation in the
[18:32] classroom.
[18:42] The return of American business. It's
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[19:37] >> When people pump their own gas, they
[19:39] sometimes forget to check things. So,
[19:41] when they come in for service,
[19:42] >> Mr. Good Wrench, there's something
[19:43] wrong.
[19:44] >> Well, let's take a look.
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[19:47] has the right tools and the right GM
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[20:02] >> with Mr. Good Wrench.
[20:05] >> GM parts.
[20:07] >> The Texas Board of Education will meet
[20:10] next week to respond to a controversial
[20:12] ruling by that state's attorney general.
[20:14] He ruled that the board's policy of
[20:16] requiring that creationism be taught
[20:18] along with evolution is
[20:20] unconstitutional. Texas is the largest
[20:23] purchaser of textbooks in the United
[20:24] States and its standards for textbooks
[20:27] are followed by major publishers. So
[20:29] this issue has implications for the
[20:31] entire country. Here's Linda Ellerby.
[20:37] We invite you to join with us in
[20:39] celebrating the 148th anniversary of
[20:42] Texas independence.
[20:44] >> An independence that goes beyond
[20:46] ceremony and into the school system.
[20:49] >> We feel no responsibility to the other
[20:51] states. We don't think they're that it's
[20:53] fair that they charge that we're
[20:56] choosing their books.
[20:58] >> But Texas is the largest buyer of
[21:00] textbooks in the country. And what Texas
[21:02] wants, publishers are inclined to give.
[21:04] The state school board decides what
[21:06] Texas wants and has decided Texas wants
[21:08] less evolution. In 1974, the board ruled
[21:12] Darwin's theory of evolution could not
[21:13] be taught to the detriment of any other
[21:15] theory. Say the Bible theory of creation
[21:18] and that books must say that. In 1984,
[21:21] the board left the way open to omit
[21:22] evolution entirely. How did that happen?
[21:25] >> We have thousands of textbook reviews.
[21:28] >> Mel Gabler is not a public official and
[21:31] neither is Norma, his wife. But for 22
[21:34] years, the two of them, working out of
[21:36] their home in Long View, Texas, has
[21:38] studied textbooks and lobbyed the school
[21:41] board to make the changes they want to
[21:43] purge books of those things the Gablers
[21:46] consider factually wrong or morally
[21:49] wrong.
[21:50] >> The values which most Americans hold
[21:52] dear have been censored from textbooks.
[21:54] The very values that we need to foster
[21:57] if we want to continue as a moral
[22:00] nation. Why should a a handful of
[22:02] liberals totally control what's going on
[22:05] in in our textbooks?
[22:07] >> The efforts of the Gablers and others
[22:09] who agree with them have paid off. The
[22:11] school board responded to pressure. The
[22:13] rule was passed. The books were changed
[22:15] and that has brought out lobbying from
[22:16] the other side.
[22:18] >> We found those books in Ohio and Maine
[22:20] and all the other states showing that
[22:22] the books verbatim as they're adopted in
[22:24] Texas find their way into the classrooms
[22:26] across the country. We tried to talk to
[22:29] textbook publishers. They wouldn't talk.
[22:31] One sent us a statement. We called the
[22:33] Association of American Publishers. It
[22:35] canvased its members. No luck. One
[22:38] publisher called, but he wouldn't give
[22:39] us his name. He said, "We provide a
[22:42] service. We don't dictate content.
[22:44] Publishers don't want to be caught in
[22:45] the middle here." Well, just who is
[22:47] caught in the middle here? In biology
[22:50] classes in this San Antonio high school,
[22:52] they taught evolution. But a local
[22:53] preacher tried to go into the school to
[22:55] give the teachers his preferred science
[22:57] book, one that teaches creation. Then he
[22:59] mailed the books to teachers houses and
[23:01] made everybody mad.
[23:03] >> I think it's too bad we're caught in the
[23:05] middle and that's what I resent.
[23:07] >> To assistant superintendent Lane, it's
[23:09] not just the teachers, but the students
[23:11] who are caught.
[23:12] >> It's sad that certain individuals have
[23:14] limited, in my judgment, the Bible and
[23:18] are now trying to make it a book of
[23:19] science. Here the Bible is used in
[23:22] science class. It's a religious school
[23:24] run by the preacher who tried to
[23:25] distribute creation books in the public
[23:27] schools. A religious school that uses
[23:29] modern methods, modern computers to
[23:32] teach reading and writing and creation
[23:34] according to the Bible. Keto Merkens,
[23:37] the pastor, will tell you he just wants
[23:39] fairness. That's all.
[23:41] >> I don't think it's proper to enforce my
[23:43] kind of belief on the general public. We
[23:46] live in a pluralistic society, but the
[23:48] least that we could expect would be a
[23:50] balanced treatment.
[23:51] >> Do you teach evolution in your school
[23:54] here?
[23:54] >> We teach creation.
[24:00] >> Even though Guido Merkkins doesn't teach
[24:01] both and students don't get asked, a
[24:03] poll shows most Americans think both
[24:05] should be taught and they have a
[24:07] powerful friend. But if it was going to
[24:09] be taught in the schools, then I would
[24:11] think that also the biblical theory of
[24:14] creation, which is not a theory, but the
[24:16] biblical story of creation should also
[24:18] be taught.
[24:19] >> That's what the Texas school board
[24:20] thought, but the attorney general said
[24:22] it was unconstitutional.
[24:23] >> This particular rule was not passed for
[24:25] secular purpose. It was passed clearly
[24:27] in a religious context, in a religious
[24:30] debate, and it was passed in an effort
[24:32] to appease a a a religious philosophy.
[24:36] Now the school board must decide whether
[24:38] or not to repeal its rule on evolution.
[24:40] >> We won't do anything and we'll see what
[24:43] happens.
[24:44] >> There seems to be no question that this
[24:45] will end up in federal court. There's no
[24:47] question either that the desires of the
[24:49] school board in the state of Texas have
[24:50] been granted and textbooks printed
[24:52] accordingly. The number of words
[24:54] concerning Darwin and evolution has
[24:56] greatly diminished and even major
[24:58] publishers have gone so far as to print
[24:59] biology textbooks that do not mention
[25:02] evolution in text index or glossery.
[25:04] This November, the state of Texas will
[25:06] choose textbooks for the next eight
[25:08] years. And it will be in our interest to
[25:10] see what Texas thinks we should know
[25:12] about science and our origins. Linda
[25:15] Ellery, NBC News.
[25:20] >> Coming up, liver transplant survivor
[25:23] 2-year-old Trina Engson comes home.
[25:31] To the millions who use paint remover on
[25:33] varnished furniture, I have some advice.
[25:35] Stop immediately.
[25:36] >> But I've always used it.
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[25:47] sanding, no scraping. With Formbby's
[25:50] furniture refinisher, the wood's beauty
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[25:53] >> Homer Formbby. No one knows wood as
[25:55] good.
[25:56] >> Try my tongue oil wood stains and
[25:58] finishes.
[26:01] You know about Murphy's law. Whatever
[26:03] can go wrong will.
[26:07] But you can worry a lot less about
[26:08] Murphy's law when you own a lawn boy.
[26:11] There's no oil to change, no valves to
[26:13] go bad. THERE'S LESS
[26:17] to go wrong.
[26:18] >> Ready to cook?
[26:19] >> And for years of mowing, the engine is
[26:22] designed to last 50% longer than most.
[26:24] So get yourself a lawn boy and help make
[26:27] sure whatever can go wrong won't.
[26:32] >> Say, what's that cereal you're enjoying?
[26:34] >> Ah, all these dates
[26:35] >> and raisins.
[26:36] >> Walnuts.
[26:36] >> It's fruit and
[26:37] >> fruit and
[26:40] >> we forget.
[26:41] >> Post fruit and fiber cereal tastes so
[26:43] good you forget the fiber. You get the
[26:44] goodness of high fiber mixed with tender
[26:46] dates, plump raisins, and crunchy
[26:49] walnuts in a combination so delicious.
[26:51] The name fruit and uh
[26:55] >> Can I help, Dad?
[26:56] >> Fruit and fiber tastes so good, you
[26:58] forget the fiber. Also with apples and
[27:00] cinnamon.
[27:02] >> 2-year-old Trina Enabson is back with
[27:04] her family in Miami today. And that in
[27:06] itself is a victory. Trina is the
[27:09] survivor of a liver transplant. And as
[27:11] Jill Beach of WSVN in Miami reports, the
[27:14] young girl's future is bright.
[27:20] Clutching brand new toys, gifts from
[27:22] well-wishers and friends, two and a
[27:25] halfyear-old Trina beamed as her dad
[27:27] carried her down the airport concourse.
[27:29] Her long hair temporarily gone from
[27:31] intense medical treatments. Her mother,
[27:34] Maryanne, and sister Lisa. Throngs of
[27:36] cameras, reporters, and friends all
[27:38] there.
[27:39] >> You're bringing home a child that was
[27:41] supposed to be dead.
[27:42] >> Now she's got a second chance in life.
[27:44] All right.
[27:45] >> Waving and smiling, Trina showed her
[27:47] delight to be home. Thanking friends and
[27:50] the news media for all their help and
[27:53] coverage, Trina's parents say their
[27:55] daughter has made a surprisingly quick
[27:57] recovery. Her transplant was just three
[27:59] months ago. Her dad teased about his
[28:01] little girl's stamina.
[28:03] >> It's his half Norwegian.
[28:06] >> I knew that was coming.
[28:11] A police escort took the family to the
[28:13] port of Miami and the cruise liner Lars
[28:15] Angretzen captains. Trina's father is
[28:17] leaving on a week-long trip and the
[28:19] family plan to spend the afternoon
[28:21] together on board. Their first afternoon
[28:23] together in Miami in nearly three.
[28:26] >> Tonight on an allnew 2-hour Nightrider
[28:29] movie, Michael must save a beautiful
[28:30] woman from a madman bent on destruction.
[28:32] >> We'll never survive a direct hit
[28:34] >> on Nightrider.
[28:36] >> Then Mr. and Mrs. America, you made your
[28:38] own homemade comedy tapes. You sent them
[28:40] in and now you can watch them on the
[28:42] homemade comedy special tonight. Be
[28:45] there
[28:47] right now at John F. Blonds.