NBC Nightly News - 1982-04-06

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] L

[0:05] >> This is NBC Nightly News

[0:07] with Roger Mudd in Washington, Tom

[0:09] Brokaw in New York, and commentary by

[0:12] John Chancellor.

[0:15] >> Good evening. It's a mess. It's a real

[0:17] mess. That sums up the situation in many

[0:20] parts of the Midwest and Northeast

[0:21] tonight as winter simply won't give up.

[0:24] Record cold temperatures and fierce

[0:26] blizzards followed life from the Rockies

[0:28] to the Atlantic Seaboard. Here's Bob

[0:30] Jamieson in the East and Norma Quarles

[0:32] in the Midwest.

[0:35] >> In the Northeast, the 17th day of spring

[0:37] brought a storm worse than any which hit

[0:39] the region during winter, trailing a

[0:40] foot of snow and blizzard conditions in

[0:42] some parts of the region. Weather radar

[0:45] showed that two storms collided over New

[0:46] York City, the one which hit the Midwest

[0:48] yesterday and another which moved off

[0:50] the Carolina coast today. In Boston,

[0:52] streets emptied when officials declared

[0:54] an emergency as 5 in of snow were

[0:56] whipped by winds up to 70 mph. Schools

[0:59] were closed at the noon hour, businesses

[1:01] advised to shut early. Boston's Logan

[1:03] Airport was shut down as was the

[1:05] Massachusetts State House. The governor

[1:07] was vacationing in Florida.

[1:09] New Jersey was hardest hit. A foot of

[1:10] snow combined with gale force winds,

[1:12] scores of schools were closed and state

[1:14] police advised motorists to stay home.

[1:17] New York City's three major airports

[1:19] closed, stranding thousands of travelers

[1:21] including many headed south.

[1:23] >> And we're just stranded.

[1:25] >> Long lines developed at bus stops this

[1:27] evening with public transportation

[1:28] [music] reporting delays. But many of

[1:30] New York's 3 million commuters stayed

[1:32] home today and some businesses didn't

[1:33] open, easing rush hour problems. But at

[1:36] Yankee Stadium, even George Steinbrenner

[1:37] couldn't prevent cancellation of the

[1:39] Yankee season opener with the Texas

[1:41] Rangers. And New Yorkers used to

[1:43] adversity coped.

[1:44] >> What do you mean? What do you think of

[1:45] this weather?

[1:46] >> Forecasters said the snow would end

[1:47] tonight and after freezing temperatures

[1:49] predicted spring would eventually

[1:51] return. Bob Jamieson, NBC News, New

[1:53] York.

[1:56] >> Midwesterners were busy digging [music]

[1:58] out today trying to cope with one of the

[2:00] worst spring snow storms in memory. In

[2:02] northern Indiana, highways were dotted

[2:04] with abandoned cars and trucks.

[2:06] Motorists who left their vehicles during

[2:08] the storm took refuge where they could.

[2:10] 30 people spent the night in a firehouse

[2:12] in Wheeler. Farmers in southern Indiana,

[2:15] Kentucky, and Illinois are keeping an

[2:17] eye on their crops. Last night's

[2:19] sub-freezing temperatures have already

[2:20] damaged this year's apple crop. Another

[2:23] big freeze is expected tonight, and

[2:25] temperatures dropping into the teens

[2:26] could ruin their strawberry crop.

[2:28] >> If we lose a an apple crop this time of

[2:31] the year or

[2:32] our strawberries, you have no chance of

[2:34] replanting, of course, for this year.

[2:36] >> Cleveland was almost shut down by

[2:37] yesterday's storm, which dumped 11 in of

[2:40] snow on the city. The snow was so heavy

[2:42] that even snow plows got stuck. Other

[2:44] drivers couldn't control their cars.

[2:49] It was the snowiest season ever in

[2:51] Cleveland. The total, just over 100 in.

[2:55] In Milwaukee, they spent the day plowing

[2:57] out from under almost 9 in of snow while

[2:59] suffering through record cold

[3:00] temperatures of 16°.

[3:03] And here in Chicago, where spring is a

[3:05] rarity, people were trying to dig their

[3:07] way out of almost 9 and 1/2 in of snow.

[3:10] It was the heaviest snowfall ever for an

[3:12] April 5th. But the sun was shining and

[3:14] spirits were pretty good.

[3:15] >> My favorite thing to do in April.

[3:18] >> Norma Quarles, NBC News, Chicago.

[3:21] >> National Weather Service forecasters

[3:23] expect the situation to improve by

[3:25] tomorrow. That's not good enough for a

[3:27] Madison, Wisconsin lawyer. He's suing a

[3:29] local groundhog, which didn't see its

[3:31] shadow on February 2nd, a sign of an

[3:33] early spring.

[3:35] Roger.

[3:37] >> Winter almost let go of Washington

[3:39] today. There were heavy winds here,

[3:40] predictions of snow and rain, but

[3:42] conditions were manageable. In some

[3:44] sections of the country, however, life

[3:45] seemed ideal today. Along Farm Road 359

[3:49] near Hempstead, Texas, about 30 mi from

[3:51] Houston, there were blue bonnets and

[3:53] buttercups and Indian paint brushes all

[3:54] photographed by Tom Newcomb of KPRC-TV.

[3:58] Flowers enjoying nearly perfect weather,

[4:00] temperatures in the low 60s with blue

[4:02] skies and light thin clouds. And in Los

[4:04] Angeles, life for the baseball fans

[4:06] seemed perfect today, 61 degrees,

[4:09] balloons and shirtsleeves for the

[4:10] opening game between LA and San

[4:12] Francisco. Not only that, two home runs

[4:15] in the early innings. The first by Jack

[4:16] Clark of the Giants

[4:18] and the second by Steve Yeager of the

[4:20] Dodgers.

[4:21] It was beautiful in LA.

[4:29] >> After I returned the call that he

[4:31] returned.

[4:32] >> Most of the phone calls you make at your

[4:34] office

[4:34] >> No. No. It's after I returned the call

[4:37] that he returned.

[4:38] >> are wasted.

[4:39] >> After I returned the call

[4:41] >> That's not productive [music]

[4:43] and productivity is what IBM office

[4:45] systems are all about. Today, IBM has a

[4:47] system for companies [music] with many

[4:49] phones

[4:49] >> Record.

[4:50] >> When I get back next Thursday, there

[4:52] will be a meeting of all department

[4:53] heads.

[4:54] >> that stores your voice messages in a

[4:55] computer. [music]

[4:56] >> Delivery time, Tuesday June

[4:58] >> and delivers them any day you want to

[5:00] one [music] person or to 10 with just

[5:02] one call and the system keeps trying

[5:04] till everyone gets your message.

[5:08] Even if [music] you're nowhere near a

[5:09] phone. IBM office systems. With more

[5:12] than 40 years of experience, no one is

[5:14] more committed to the [music] office,

[5:16] where it is now and where it will be.

[5:18] Where will you be?

[5:22] >> [music]

[5:25] >> IBM

[5:28] >> British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

[5:30] refused to resign today telling her

[5:31] opponents she would press ahead with

[5:33] plans to recapture the Falkland Islands

[5:35] from Argentina and she denied newspaper

[5:38] reports that the British government knew

[5:39] of Argentina's invasion plans 10 days

[5:42] before the takeover. Here are two

[5:44] reports.

[5:47] >> Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called

[5:48] in her reshuffled cabinet including new

[5:50] Foreign Secretary Francis Pym. She set

[5:53] her political house in order and stepped

[5:55] up economic sanctions against Argentina.

[5:57] No more imports from there, no more

[5:59] exports to Buenos Aires, and a formal

[6:02] request to the common market to do the

[6:03] same.

[6:04] Four Western European countries have

[6:05] already stopped selling weapons to

[6:07] Argentina.

[6:08] Most members of Parliament agree with

[6:10] national polls in which people support

[6:12] Mrs. Thatcher's quiet British way of

[6:14] dealing with the crisis, but that wasn't

[6:16] good enough for some members of the

[6:18] Labour Party who today demanded her

[6:19] resignation.

[6:20] >> She herself should be considering an

[6:22] early resignation to allow somebody else

[6:26] >> Mrs. Thatcher had been expecting that

[6:28] challenged and brushed it aside.

[6:29] >> With regard to resig- resignation, no.

[6:32] Now is the time for strength and

[6:33] resolution.

[6:34] >> In fact, Labour doesn't have the votes

[6:36] to force her out.

[6:38] Diplomatic efforts go on, but so far

[6:40] with no sign of a breakthrough. Here at

[6:42] the Foreign Office, there is deep

[6:43] concern that American eagerness to find

[6:45] a solution may produce a formula which

[6:47] would compromise the British commitment

[6:49] to resist aggression and to regain the

[6:50] Falklands.

[6:52] American sources here say those fears

[6:53] are without foundation.

[6:55] And should diplomacy fail, say those

[6:57] sources, the US is unlikely to wave a

[6:59] red flag at the British fleet.

[7:01] New ships joined that fleet today

[7:03] including shallow draft assault vessels

[7:05] from ports in southern England.

[7:07] The task force has been practicing war

[7:09] ever since leaving Portsmouth Harbor

[7:11] yesterday.

[7:13] The Royal Navy permitted pictures of

[7:14] flight operations and of combat alerts

[7:17] in what may have been an effort to

[7:18] impress and intimidate the Argentine

[7:20] forces waiting in the South Atlantic.

[7:22] Steve Delaney, NBC News, London.

[7:29] >> These pictures of the invasion appear in

[7:31] an Argentine magazine coming out

[7:32] tonight. They show British troops at the

[7:35] moment of defeat with their hands above

[7:37] their heads. And they show how the

[7:39] British were held as prisoners by the

[7:41] Argentines the first day after the

[7:43] invasion was over. According to

[7:45] eyewitness accounts, the British fought

[7:46] for 2 hours. When they finally realized

[7:49] they were surrounded and outnumbered,

[7:51] they gave up.

[7:52] These pictures clearly show the

[7:53] humiliation of the British. Argentine

[7:56] military officials on the Falkland

[7:57] Islands have said that under no

[7:59] conditions will Argentine troops be

[8:01] withdrawn. Argentina is continuing to

[8:03] build up its occupation there. It is

[8:06] promising the British citizens that they

[8:07] will enjoy the same freedoms and way of

[8:09] living they had before the occupation.

[8:12] This officer told the press, quote,

[8:14] "We're going to stay here forever, dead

[8:16] or alive."

[8:17] In Buenos Aires, the Minister of

[8:18] Interior, General Américo Saint Jean,

[8:21] said Argentina is studying President

[8:23] Reagan's offer to act as an

[8:24] intermediary. But he said Argentina is

[8:26] not willing to make any major

[8:28] concessions.

[8:29] The Argentine government says four

[8:31] soldiers have been killed so far in this

[8:33] [music] conflict. Their deaths, as far

[8:35] as this government is concerned, have

[8:37] raised the stakes in [music] the fight

[8:38] for the control of the Falklands. What's

[8:40] important to realize here is that even

[8:42] though the Argentine generals are quick

[8:43] to say that they're prepared for war,

[8:46] many of the Argentine people are not.

[8:48] There's a lot of nationalist fervor

[8:49] here. But many observers feel that when

[8:52] the British fleet is only a few days

[8:53] away, the Argentine people may display a

[8:56] more moderate tone.

[8:58] Robin Lloyd, NBC News, Buenos Aires.

[9:01] >> It turns out there are 28 Americans on

[9:03] the Falkland Islands, and American

[9:05] officials expected to go to the town of

[9:07] Stanley, where they all live, to check

[9:09] on their condition.

[9:10] Roger.

[9:12] >> Administration sources have told White

[9:14] House correspondent John Palmer that

[9:15] both Great Britain and Argentina have

[9:17] signaled acceptance of President

[9:18] Reagan's offer for the United States to

[9:20] mediate the Falkland dispute.

[9:22] Reportedly, the negotiations actually

[9:24] began today with the arrival at the

[9:26] State Department of the Argentine

[9:27] Ambassador Esteban Takacs

[9:29] and the British Ambassador, Sir Nicholas

[9:31] Henderson.

[9:32] They both met separately today with

[9:34] Secretary of State Haig.

[9:38] >> You were very concerned when you had 52

[9:40] hostages. We have 2,000 hostages down

[9:43] there.

[9:44] >> But in the meantime, the world waits for

[9:46] the arrival in the Falkland Islands of

[9:47] the British Navy task force and what

[9:50] that might mean for a military match up

[9:52] with Argentina. George Lewis reports.

[9:56] >> There's no question Argentina's Navy

[9:57] would be outgunned in a battle for the

[9:59] Falkland Islands. Most Argentine ships

[10:02] are of World War II vintage or earlier

[10:04] and they are outnumbered by the task

[10:06] force the British are sending.

[10:08] Argentina's entire Navy has one old

[10:10] carrier, 23 other warships and 36,000

[10:14] sailors. The British task force has two

[10:16] modern carriers, 34 other warships, more

[10:20] than 40,000 sailors and 1,500 Marine

[10:23] Commandos.

[10:24] But the British have potential problems.

[10:26] They would be fighting 8,000 miles away

[10:29] from home while the Argentines would be

[10:30] only a few hundred miles off their

[10:32] mainland. Some naval experts believe the

[10:35] British would be hard-pressed to sustain

[10:37] any long-term operation across the

[10:39] Atlantic.

[10:41] Another advantage for the Argentines is

[10:43] that their planes, American-made

[10:44] Skyhawks, have a range of 700 miles.

[10:48] Some of them could be moved to the

[10:49] Falklands for additional cover.

[10:51] The British Navy's Harrier jump jets

[10:53] have a range of only 100 miles. So the

[10:56] Argentines could attack the British task

[10:58] force before the British could launch

[11:00] their own air strikes.

[11:02] Some Navy analysts believe the best

[11:04] tactic for the British would be to cut

[11:06] off the islands from the mainland,

[11:08] perhaps a naval blockade or the mining

[11:10] of Argentine harbors. Britain has

[11:12] underwater superiority with its modern

[11:14] submarines.

[11:16] >> British officials say it will take two

[11:18] to three weeks for the task force to

[11:20] reach the Falklands.

[11:21] Given the difficulties they may have

[11:23] taking and then holding the islands, the

[11:26] British do not seem to be moving at full

[11:28] speed.

[11:29] George Lewis, NBC News, the Pentagon.

[11:33] But the United States says it intends to

[11:35] steer a middle course in the dispute.

[11:37] Pentagon spokesman Henry Catto said

[11:39] today, "We have no idea of doing

[11:41] anything but walking right down the

[11:42] middle." Catto said, "We're not going to

[11:44] give anybody any help either way."

[11:52] >> [music]

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[12:23] >> Yeah.

[12:25] >> Sounds like a hit, Laura.

[12:26] >> Thanks.

[12:27] >> How about some coffee?

[12:28] >> Great. What?

[12:30] >> Only half a cup? I thought you loved

[12:32] fresh brewed coffee.

[12:33] >> Mhm, love the rich taste. [music] It's

[12:35] the caffeine I can do without.

[12:36] >> Me, too. That's why we're drinking Brim

[12:38] Decaffeinated Coffee.

[12:39] >> This is Brim?

[12:40] >> This is Brim Ground, and it's

[12:42] decaffeinated so you don't have to stop

[12:43] at half a cup.

[12:44] >> Mhm, if it tastes this rich, I don't

[12:46] want to stop. Fill it to the rim.

[12:47] >> With Brim, fill your cup to the rim with

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[12:53] >> Out of the blue comes [music] the ice

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[13:01] Out of the blue comes the [music] Aqua

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[13:07] Looking for the light scent,

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[13:22] >> The Reagan administration is trying to

[13:24] stay one step ahead of the growing

[13:25] nuclear freeze movement. Yesterday, the

[13:27] president referred further questions on

[13:29] his policy to Alexander Haig. Today, Mr.

[13:32] Haig not only gave the administration's

[13:34] response to the freeze, but strongly

[13:36] supported a build-up of nuclear forces.

[13:38] Marvin Kalb reports.

[13:40] >> Secretary Haig engaged in a preemptive

[13:43] strike, advancing to today the

[13:45] administration's first comprehensive

[13:47] policy statement on nuclear weapons.

[13:49] Why? Because in this room tomorrow, a

[13:51] quartet of establishment experts on the

[13:53] subject, Robert McNamara, George Kennan,

[13:56] McGeorge Bundy, and Gerard Smith, is set

[13:58] to propose that both superpowers agree

[14:00] not to be the first to use nuclear

[14:02] weapons. Haig, mentioning no names,

[14:05] flatly rejected that idea, pointing out

[14:08] the costs as he sees them.

[14:10] >> Those in the West who advocate the

[14:13] adoption

[14:14] of no first use policy

[14:17] seldom go on to propose that the United

[14:21] States reintroduce the draft, triple the

[14:23] size of its armed forces,

[14:25] and put its economy on a wartime

[14:27] footing.

[14:28] >> Haig was no more generous to those

[14:30] pushing a variety of proposals to freeze

[14:32] the development and deployment of

[14:34] nuclear weapons.

[14:35] >> A freeze at current levels would

[14:37] perpetuate an unstable and unequal

[14:41] military balance.

[14:43] It would reward a decade of unilateral

[14:46] Soviet build-up

[14:48] and penalize the United States

[14:51] for a decade of unilateral restraint.

[14:54] >> On Capitol Hill, proponents of a nuclear

[14:56] freeze intensified their criticism of

[14:58] the Haig position.

[15:00] >> The inferiority complex running rampant

[15:03] in the Reagan administration is a result

[15:05] of a myopic concentration on nuclear

[15:08] bean counting.

[15:10] >> Significantly, Haig chose not to echo

[15:12] the president's surprising comment of

[15:14] last week that the Soviet Union has now

[15:16] achieved a definite margin of

[15:18] superiority. The secretary spoke only of

[15:20] a military balance that is now

[15:22] threatened.

[15:24] Marvin Kalb, NBC News, the State

[15:25] Department.

[15:27] >> Yesterday, House Speaker O'Neill was

[15:29] optimistic about reaching a budget

[15:31] compromise. Today, the Speaker said

[15:33] pessimistically he will not consider

[15:35] Social Security revisions unless

[15:36] President Reagan backs off the Kemp-Roth

[15:39] tax cut. Some say O'Neill's pessimism is

[15:41] calculated, that everything is really on

[15:44] track. Tom?

[15:46] >> Taxes and Social Security are two of the

[15:48] prime targets in this debate on how to

[15:50] control the huge budget deficit. And as

[15:52] John Chancellor tells us in his

[15:54] commentary tonight, that debate ignores

[15:55] a law about deficits already on the

[15:57] books. John?

[15:59] >> Tom, as you know, the government these

[16:01] days is running huge deficits, spending

[16:03] many billions of dollars more than it's

[16:05] taking in. But what a lot of people

[16:07] don't know is that for the past few

[16:09] years these deficits have been against

[16:11] the law. There's a law on the books

[16:12] right now, part of Public Law 95-435,

[16:16] which says in full,

[16:19] "Beginning with fiscal year 1981, the

[16:21] total budget outlays of the federal

[16:23] government shall not exceed its

[16:25] receipts."

[16:26] That law has never been repealed, but

[16:28] since fiscal year 1981 we've had more

[16:30] than 150 billion in deficits with more

[16:33] on the way. Why? Well, the Congress just

[16:36] decided to ignore that law, which was

[16:38] introduced by Senator Harry Byrd, and

[16:40] there's nothing that can be done about

[16:41] it. You can't sue the Congress. So, the

[16:44] balanced budget folks have turned to the

[16:46] Constitution. The Congress is now

[16:48] considering a proposed constitutional

[16:50] amendment which would require a balanced

[16:52] budget. And the idea, if not the

[16:54] details, is being endorsed by one of the

[16:56] biggest deficit builders in history.

[16:58] >> Yes, I can endorse the concept of that.

[17:01] As a matter of fact, I've talked about

[17:02] it many times in my belief that it is

[17:04] the answer to uncontrollable government

[17:06] spending.

[17:08] >> The amendment needs a 2/3 vote in the

[17:10] Congress and Mr. Reagan's signature

[17:11] before it goes to the states. It has

[17:13] some support in the Senate, less in the

[17:15] House, and there'll be a Senate vote

[17:16] next month.

[17:17] But, what strikes me as remarkable is

[17:19] that there is a law right now calling

[17:21] for a balanced budget, which everybody

[17:23] in Washington, including the president,

[17:25] has simply chosen to ignore. There is

[17:28] more to the federal government than

[17:29] meets the eye. Or is it less? Tom?

[17:33] >> Abe Fortas died last night of a heart

[17:34] attack. As a Supreme Court Justice on

[17:36] the Warren Court, Fortas wrote a number

[17:38] of important decisions expanding civil

[17:40] liberties. He resigned from that court

[17:42] in 1969 after it was disclosed that he

[17:45] was receiving money from a former

[17:46] client. Fortas denied any wrongdoing,

[17:49] and he remained an influential

[17:51] Washington lawyer.

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[19:02] >> Oh, Sue, what's wrong?

[19:04] >> I love ice cream, but it hurts my teeth,

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[19:32] >> The same group of building trade

[19:33] unionists who yesterday sat on their

[19:35] hands for President Reagan today put

[19:37] them to work when they heard Edward

[19:38] Kennedy and Walter Mondale. But as

[19:40] Irving R. Levine reports, one speech was

[19:42] a virtual replay of the other.

[19:46] >> Aspiring presidential candidates,

[19:48] Mondale and Kennedy, seeking labor's

[19:51] support. But to the union leaders

[19:54] hearing their almost identical phrases,

[19:56] it was like choosing between Tweedledee

[19:58] and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

[20:00] >> On unemployment.

[20:02] >> In 1982,

[20:03] the issue is still jobs, jobs, jobs.

[20:08] >> The issue before the country is

[20:11] jobs, jobs, and more jobs.

[20:16] >> On the tax cut.

[20:17] >> The Congress should repeal the first

[20:19] personal tax cut for 1983.

[20:22] >> We must repeal the third year of an

[20:24] incredible tax windfall.

[20:25] >> Both invoked the same party hero.

[20:28] >> Everything that Roosevelt did

[20:31] was designed to include

[20:34] the excluded.

[20:36] >> Franklin Roosevelt

[20:37] proclaimed that his

[20:38] >> And the same ghost of the past.

[20:40] >> It didn't work for Hoover.

[20:42] >> Nothing more than the old Hooverism of

[20:45] 50 years ago.

[20:47] >> As for audience reaction, a tie. Three

[20:50] standing ovations for Mondale, three for

[20:52] Kennedy. As for the laugh meter, Mondale

[20:55] the winner with this one aimed at the

[20:57] president.

[20:58] >> What he doesn't understand is that it's

[21:01] already past high noon for our economy.

[21:04] All the hands at the OK Corral have been

[21:07] laid off.

[21:10] And even Tonto's unemployment benefits

[21:12] have expired.

[21:14] >> [applause]

[21:17] >> Kennedy couldn't match that.

[21:20] Irving R. Levine, NBC News, Washington.

[21:24] >> The FBI's figures for the 1981 crime

[21:27] rate show virtually no change over 1980.

[21:30] There was a slight increase, 1%, in

[21:32] violent crime, but most other categories

[21:34] were down. The two main reasons,

[21:36] apparently, are greater security and a

[21:38] declining teenage population. Tom?

[21:42] >> In Missouri today, weight and length

[21:44] were on the ballot. The weight and

[21:45] length of trucks that use Missouri

[21:47] roads, use them, and in the minds of

[21:49] some, abuse them. Here's Roger O'Neil.

[21:54] >> Missouri voters are deciding whether or

[21:56] not to permit longer, heavier trucks to

[21:58] operate on their highways. A citizens

[22:00] group, financed largely by the

[22:01] railroads, forced proposition A, the big

[22:04] truck law, onto the ballot after the

[22:06] state legislature said yes to bigger

[22:07] trucks.

[22:08] >> No, because I think the big trucks have

[22:10] been abusive to our highways.

[22:12] >> I voted for the proposition.

[22:14] >> 47 states presently permit trucks

[22:16] weighing up to 80,000 lb to use their

[22:18] roads, mostly on the interstates.

[22:20] Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas limit

[22:22] truck weights to 73,000 lb. The three

[22:25] states form a wall down the center of

[22:27] the nation. The trucking industry and

[22:29] truckers hate the barrier.

[22:30] >> You have to load light on the West

[22:31] Coast, go to the East Coast.

[22:33] >> Is that money out of your pocket?

[22:34] >> You bet.

[22:35] >> The controversy over big trucks has been

[22:37] raging for years. There are more than 2

[22:39] million miles of paved roads, and they

[22:41] are falling apart faster than they can

[22:42] be rebuilt or repaired. A Washington

[22:45] highway and bridge research group says

[22:46] 53% of our highways need major repairs.

[22:50] Government studies say the big trucks

[22:51] decrease the normal 20-year lifespan of

[22:53] a highway by 4 years. The trucking

[22:55] industry doesn't believe it.

[22:57] >> A truck

[23:00] at the legal limits

[23:01] creates no more damage to that highway

[23:04] than does a passenger car.

[23:05] >> But Missourians against bigger trucks

[23:07] say road damage in their state would

[23:09] double.

[23:10] >> A 180,000 lb truck, a five-axle truck,

[23:14] does as much damage as 9,600 cars. We

[23:18] are not against the 80,000 lb truck, but

[23:20] we are saying that if you want that

[23:22] truck in the state of Missouri, then we

[23:24] should probably have a weight-distance

[23:26] tax to see that it pays for its fair

[23:29] share of the road damage.

[23:30] >> An independent survey of voters taken

[23:32] before today's election showed Missouri

[23:34] residents were against bigger, heavier

[23:35] trucks by a two-to-one margin. Roger

[23:38] O'Neal, NBC News, Kansas City.

[23:41] >> El Chichonal volcano in southern Mexico

[23:43] threw ash and steam 6 miles into the air

[23:46] again today, once again keeping rescue

[23:48] crews from the slopes of that mountain.

[23:50] Mexican authorities now are saying that

[23:52] they fear 5,000 people who live there

[23:55] may not be alive. The volcano has been

[23:57] erupting for more than a week. Falling

[23:59] ash has darkened skies, filled the air,

[24:02] and made water supplies undrinkable.

[24:04] 60,000 people are being evacuated from

[24:06] the surrounding countryside.

[24:09] A magazine called Entrepreneur

[24:11] specializes in success stories. It

[24:14] advises readers on how to do well in

[24:15] business. But now the publisher of

[24:18] Entrepreneur, Chase Revel, has filed for

[24:20] bankruptcy saying the magazine's debts

[24:22] are much greater than its assets. Mr.

[24:24] Revel said the bankruptcy really hurts

[24:26] his credibility.

[24:33] >> How long does a John Deere lawn tractor

[24:35] last? 10 or 15 years is not unusual,

[24:38] which means [music] with ordinary use,

[24:40] you could mow past from New York, across

[24:43] Pennsylvania, [music] through Indiana,

[24:46] Missouri,

[24:47] Kansas,

[24:49] Colorado, Utah, all the way to the west

[24:52] coast. [music]

[24:53] Imagine mowing clear across America.

[24:56] Just think how many times you could mow

[24:57] your lawn. John Deere, you may pay

[24:59] [music] a little more, but they'll last.

[25:03] >> Let the good times roll. GMAC has rolled

[25:06] back car and truck financing rates to

[25:08] 12.8% through May 31st. Yes, your

[25:12] participating [music] GM dealer now has

[25:13] the deal you've been waiting for at just

[25:15] 12.8.

[25:17] Get that new GM car or light duty truck

[25:20] at this low 12.8 [music]

[25:21] rate and save hundreds of dollars. See

[25:24] your GM dealer for qualification details

[25:27] and get GMAC financing at 12.8%

[25:30] and let [music] the good times roll.

[25:36] >> Are you [music] ready for the next great

[25:39] romance in your life? Introducing new

[25:41] Silhouette Special Edition.

[25:44] >> I know all about great romances. [music]

[25:46] I'm Jana Daley. Silhouette Special

[25:48] Edition is unlike any other, longer,

[25:51] spicier. Why, you'll be so involved you

[25:54] can't put it down.

[25:56] >> Make your own special time even [music]

[25:57] more special. Relax with new Silhouette

[26:00] Special Edition now.

[26:03] >> In California, this was Anna Conrad's

[26:06] first full day of freedom in 5 days. For

[26:09] 5 days, she was trapped by tons of snow

[26:11] from an avalanche that killed nearly

[26:13] everyone around her. Don Oliver has more

[26:15] on Anna Conrad's story.

[26:19] >> She had just graduated from college, was

[26:22] going to be a teacher, but first she

[26:24] wanted some fun as a ski lift operator

[26:26] at Alpine Meadows in California's Sierra

[26:29] Nevada.

[26:30] Last Wednesday, she and her boyfriend

[26:32] were in the ski instructor's building

[26:34] when the avalanche hit.

[26:35] 22-year-old Anna Conrad thought it was

[26:38] an explosion. She was knocked out for a

[26:40] day, then heard rescuers digging above.

[26:43] They didn't hear her. For 5 days, she

[26:46] was tucked in an air pocket under a

[26:47] bench, covered by tons of snow. Her feet

[26:51] frostbitten. She never gave up hope.

[26:53] >> It it kind of frustrating when they left

[26:56] after they talked to me and stuff, but

[26:58] understandable as long as they got

[27:00] through, I was happy.

[27:01] >> The parents say it is a miracle that the

[27:03] weather cleared and the search resumed.

[27:06] The doctor agrees the girl lived through

[27:07] a miracle, but he says it will take

[27:09] another one if she's to survive without

[27:11] some sort of amputation.

[27:14] Dr. Roger Mason performed surgery to

[27:16] remove blood clots from her frostbitten

[27:18] feet.

[27:19] >> So without the tremendous

[27:22] inner strength that she obviously

[27:24] exhibited, uh might have given up and

[27:27] succumbed uh after 2 days. So

[27:30] >> Incredible.

[27:32] Just absolutely incredible and

[27:35] a release that uh

[27:37] a person

[27:38] experiences once in a lifetime. Just

[27:41] thank God

[27:43] that miracles really do happen.

[27:48] >> Don Oliver, NBC News, Truckee,

[27:50] California.

[27:53] >> That's Nightly News for this Tuesday

[27:54] night. I'm Tom Brokaw in New York.

[27:57] >> And in Washington, I'm Roger Mudd. Good

[27:59] night from all of us at NBC News.

[28:03] >> Tomorrow morning on Today, the wild

[28:05] winter of '82. Bryant Gumbel looks at

[28:07] the April snows and the winters of the

[28:09] future. Also, Chris Wallace interviews

[28:11] the French Secretary Caspar Weinberger.

[28:14] All that and more tomorrow on Today.

[28:18] >> [music]

[28:25] >> It's [music] a look at the world from a

[28:27] woman's point of view.

[28:28] >> Yeah.

[28:29] >> It's the battle of the sexes, but look

[28:31] who's winning.

[28:32] >> Oh.

[28:33] >> Don't hurt me.

[28:34] >> I won't.

[28:35] >> Starring Ann Jillian, Madeline Kahn,

[28:36] Morgan Fairchild, Tyne Daly, and Betty

[28:39] White [music] in a new series from the

[28:40] producer of Real People, The Shape of

[28:42] Things, tonight.

[28:46] >> Coming up in just a minute on The Scene

[28:48] at 6, a tragic accident adds new impetus

[28:50] to the drive for truck tougher drunk

[28:52] driving penalties. The collapse of a

[28:54] Sumner County bridge draws attention

[28:56] again to the dilapidated condition of

[28:58] scores of bridges in the county. And

[29:00] we'll continue our Unit 4 series on tax

[29:03] preparation services with part two of

[29:05] The Bottom Line.

[29:08] >> These stories and more news coming up on

[29:10] The Scene at 6.

[29:15] >> The reason for the lines outside the

[29:16] theater? The line inside the theater.

[29:19] There's [music] Cassie

[29:22] and Richie

[29:25] and Val.

[29:26] >> [music]

[29:31] >> Mike