NBC Nightly News - 1988-03-30

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] magazine.

[0:03] >> Attorney General Mi says he won't quit.

[0:05] Jimmy Swagger defies his church and a

[0:08] bloody day on the West Bank in Gaza.

[0:13] >> NBC Nightly News with Tom Bro.

[0:17] >> Good evening. I'm Connie Chung sitting

[0:18] in for Tom Brokaw who is off tonight.

[0:21] Embattled Attorney General Edwin Me

[0:23] tonight is defying all calls for him to

[0:26] resign despite increasing pressure and

[0:28] scathing criticism from not only

[0:30] Democrats on Capitol Hill, but also from

[0:32] some members of his own party. President

[0:35] Reagan today stood behind his friend of

[0:37] 20 years. But as NBC's White House

[0:39] correspondent Chris Wallace reports, Mie

[0:41] is now fending off mounting attacks

[0:44] sparked by yesterday's dramatic

[0:45] resignation of two senior Justice

[0:47] Department officials.

[0:49] It was a determined Edmise who met with

[0:51] reporters late today, making it clear he

[0:53] won't be forced out by the resignation

[0:55] of top aids.

[0:57] >> Are you thinking about calling quit,

[0:58] sir?

[0:58] >> No, not at all. There's no reason to.

[1:00] The management team is very strong and

[1:02] everything's going along well. So, uh,

[1:04] business is is operating as usual at the

[1:06] Justice Department.

[1:07] >> But Misa's statement did nothing to

[1:09] silence the steady drum beat of calls

[1:11] for the attorney general to step down.

[1:13] On Capitol Hill, Democrats attacked with

[1:15] a vengeance. If the top people in

[1:17] justice no longer trust Mr. Me, how can

[1:20] the American people?

[1:21] >> I think it's only a matter of time

[1:24] u before the attorney general uh will

[1:26] leave office.

[1:27] >> Senate Majority Leader Bird was even

[1:29] tougher, calling me the crown jewel of

[1:31] the sleeves factor in Reagan

[1:32] administration history. And Republicans

[1:35] were also dismayed by the spectacle of

[1:37] conservative me appointees suddenly

[1:39] bailing out. The real issue is whether

[1:43] the Justice Department can fulfill its

[1:45] function and do its job.

[1:47] >> But me continues to have support where

[1:49] it counts. The president making it clear

[1:51] he has no intention of asking the

[1:52] attorney general to leave.

[1:54] >> I have every confidence in him. He's

[1:55] been a friend for 20 years and I'm not

[1:58] going to comment any further on what is

[2:00] going on there.

[2:00] >> Reagan aid say the president's support

[2:02] is rock hard. But despite yesterday's

[2:04] resignation by conservatives, Mr. Reagan

[2:07] believes the opposition is basically

[2:09] political. Reagan sees Edm as a

[2:12] fellow conservative, a soulmate. And

[2:15] finally, Reagan sees Edm as a target, as

[2:18] as a as a victim from some of the same

[2:21] people who are heaping abuse on Ed me

[2:23] are also the president's enemies.

[2:25] >> Still, some of the president's men say

[2:27] privately they'd love to see me go and

[2:29] hope the attorney general will give in

[2:31] to the mounting pressure, removing a

[2:32] tough issue for Republicans in the 88

[2:34] campaign. Today, Democratic candidate

[2:37] Jesse Jackson condemned

[2:38] >> the growing sleas fact in this

[2:40] administration with uh Mr. Me going back

[2:43] and forth to court every day as a

[2:44] defendant as opposed to a prosecutor.

[2:46] >> And Vice President Bush, who has already

[2:48] said he's tired of being embarrassed by

[2:50] government scandals, did not sound happy

[2:52] about Misa's latest troubles.

[2:54] >> It seems to me that the Justice

[2:55] Department has to be above reproach. It

[2:59] it troubles me. No question about that.

[3:03] Me came to the White House late today to

[3:05] meet with Chief of Staff Howard Baker.

[3:07] But officials here say they discuss

[3:08] routine business, not Meis's troubles,

[3:11] and that unless he's indicted, Me will

[3:13] stay on. Connie,

[3:16] >> thank you, Chris. Edwin Me has been

[3:17] reeling in controversy ever since he

[3:19] first came to Washington. As NBC's law

[3:22] correspondent Carl Stern reports, it is

[3:24] one man in particular who has been at

[3:26] the root of his latest troubles. Carl

[3:29] >> Connie, when criminal division chief

[3:30] William Weld quit yesterday, he told

[3:32] staff members privately, his first

[3:34] reason was the attorney general's

[3:37] relationship with Bob Wallak.

[3:39] >> It is Mis's friends who have gotten him

[3:41] into trouble, not his enemies. Mis's

[3:44] dealings with University of California

[3:45] Law School classmate E. Robert Wallak is

[3:47] his biggest problem. According to

[3:49] Justice Department officials, it was

[3:51] Wallak who allegedly used his friendship

[3:53] with me to get contracts for and money

[3:56] from the scandalridden Wedtech

[3:57] corporation. Me at Wallak's request

[4:00] promoted an Iraqi oil pipeline deal,

[4:02] even though a note to me implied that

[4:04] illegal bribes might be paid. And Wallak

[4:07] set out to raise money for Me himself,

[4:09] including a stock account that me knew

[4:11] was growing faster than his own share

[4:13] could reasonably generate. Special

[4:16] prosecutor James McKay regarded that as

[4:18] a possible bribe. McKay has been within

[4:20] an inch of seeking Mis's indictment for

[4:22] that, according to officials. Meanwhile,

[4:25] the attorney general's wife is being

[4:27] investigated in connection with a

[4:28] $40,000 a year job as a development

[4:31] director with the Multiple Sclerosis

[4:32] Society. Investigators want to know

[4:35] whether the salary is being subsidized

[4:36] by Mis's friends and a contractor who

[4:39] may have done business with the Justice

[4:41] Department. A lawyer for the foundation

[4:43] that employs Ursula says it's all

[4:45] perfectly proper.

[4:47] >> She could have gotten many jobs in this

[4:50] town without any difficulty at all, but

[4:53] MS wanted her because of her experience

[4:55] in this field and her record as a good

[4:58] worker.

[4:59] >> Me has been in trouble since his

[5:00] confirmation was delayed more than a

[5:02] year while a special prosecutor

[5:04] investigated complaints that Me found

[5:06] government jobs for people who had

[5:08] helped him out of personal financial

[5:09] scrapes. Independent council Jacob Stein

[5:12] declined to prosecute, but said he would

[5:14] not comment on Mis's ethics, propriety,

[5:16] or fitness for office. Since then, Mis

[5:19] has also been in hot water for failing

[5:21] to fill out financial disclosure forms

[5:23] properly, failing to get rid of stock he

[5:25] was supposed to, and according to some,

[5:27] giving Oliver North time to shred vital

[5:30] evidence in the Iran Contra scandal.

[5:32] Those who quit yesterday said the

[5:34] cumulative weight of all this had just

[5:37] become too much. Connie

[5:39] >> Carl, thank you. Later on NBC Nightly

[5:42] News, John Chancellor will have some

[5:43] thoughts about Ed Me and the man he

[5:45] works for and Robert Bazelle's special

[5:48] segment. Is alcoholism really a disease?

[5:52] >> Your daughter's wedding

[5:53] >> at last.

[5:54] >> And you've got dirty dentures.

[5:56] >> I just soaked them.

[5:57] >> Soaking's not enough. Brushing with

[5:59] denture cream denture toothpaste cleans

[6:01] almost twice as clean.

[6:02] >> Twice as clean.

[6:03] >> Brush with denture cream or denture gel.

[6:07] Does car shopping confuse you? If you've

[6:10] shopped, and I have, you'll find the one

[6:12] place where the confusion ends is your

[6:14] Buick dealer. That's why I just bought a

[6:16] brand new Buick Regal. Regal is actually

[6:18] priced under T-Ird and Cougar. The new

[6:21] Regal just looks like it costs thousands

[6:23] more. So, don't get confused. Shop where

[6:26] you like, but start at your Buick

[6:28] dealer. The car is regal, but the price

[6:30] sure isn't

[6:32] >> great.

[6:36] This Easter you can send flowers in

[6:38] another green glass vase or send

[6:41] something worth keeping. Teleaf flora's

[6:43] ceramic spring basket bouquet. Gorgeous

[6:46] flowers in a charming ceramic basket. To

[6:48] send one anywhere, just call your

[6:49] florist and say, "Tell flora."

[6:53] Jimmy Swagard has decided to defy the

[6:55] national leaders of the Assemblies of

[6:57] God church one day after they barred him

[6:59] from preaching for at least one year. As

[7:02] NBC's Kenley Jones reports, Swagger

[7:04] plans to resume preaching only 3 months

[7:06] from the February day he stepped down

[7:08] from the pulpit after confessing what he

[7:10] called a moral failure.

[7:13] >> His he is anticipating being in the

[7:15] pulpit on May the 22nd. That's correct.

[7:17] >> Swagger's lawyer, William Tribe, said

[7:19] the evangelist's decision is based on

[7:22] the belief that his fellow ministers in

[7:24] Louisiana had the authority to suspend

[7:26] him for 3 months instead of a year. So

[7:29] you have a question of the proper

[7:30] interpretation of the constitution and

[7:32] bylaws.

[7:33] >> But last year there was no question in

[7:35] Swagger's mind about what punishment Jim

[7:37] Baker should be given for sexual

[7:39] misconduct.

[7:40] >> Well, with anyone and these symptoms of

[7:42] God has nothing to do with Jim Baker.

[7:43] It's with anyone myself, whomever it may

[7:45] be. Our rulings are that he place

[7:49] himself if he wants rehabilitation. He

[7:51] places himself under or he is placed

[7:54] under another minister. He does not

[7:56] preach for the period of a year.

[7:58] >> If um Jimmy Swagger is not able to

[8:01] preach for a year, obviously the

[8:04] ministry is built around him and the

[8:06] ministry would certainly suffer.

[8:08] >> The ministry has already suffered. More

[8:11] than 100 employees have been laid off

[8:13] and all construction at the complex

[8:15] stopped because of uncertainty over the

[8:17] ministry's future.

[8:19] >> I would like for you to sit down and do

[8:20] the very best that you can do

[8:22] financially. I want you to write the

[8:25] largest check that you can.

[8:27] >> Swagert's son, Donnie, has made

[8:28] fundraising appeals on the ministry's

[8:30] television program while his father has

[8:32] been absent, but the audience appeal of

[8:34] the program is questionable without the

[8:36] elder Swagard's presence. He needs to

[8:39] get back on the air as soon as possible.

[8:41] Swagard's problem is that television

[8:43] stations may not be anxious to carry the

[8:45] program if he withdraws or is expelled

[8:48] from the Assemblies of God church. uh he

[8:50] should not be on the air uh May 22nd. I

[8:54] my feeling is that he should have

[8:56] submitted himself to the uh the decision

[8:59] of the Assemblies of God.

[9:04] >> Swagger says the ministry is not his but

[9:06] God's. He says he has faith that it will

[9:09] survive no matter what. Kenley Jones,

[9:11] NBC News.

[9:14] With the solid victory of Michael

[9:15] Dukakus over Jesse Jackson in

[9:17] Connecticut's primary, Dukakus has

[9:19] pulled ahead in the delegate count. Even

[9:21] though he has not pushed Jackson out of

[9:23] the spotlight, the NBC News delegate

[9:25] count shows Dukakus with 676

[9:29] to Jesse Jackson 652. On Monday, they

[9:32] were tied. Albert Gore is third with 369

[9:36] delegates and Paul Simon has 187.

[9:39] Today, Jackson met in Washington with 50

[9:41] of the party's top leaders at his

[9:43] request. He talked about his campaign

[9:46] and his plans for a Jackson

[9:47] administration. And as NBC's Ken Bod

[9:50] reports tonight, the party leaders

[9:52] listened to what he had to say

[9:54] respectfully.

[9:56] >> Jackson is seeking to raise what he

[9:58] calls the comfort level of the

[9:59] Washington Democratic establishment,

[10:01] which is nervous at the prospect that he

[10:03] might be nominated. It's also to get

[10:05] more support and uh and more help in

[10:09] critical policy areas. After all, I'm

[10:11] preparing to to govern. Today's meeting

[10:14] included members of previous Democratic

[10:16] administrations from Truman to Carter.

[10:18] Among those invited, former Secretary of

[10:20] Defense Clark Clifford, a pillar of the

[10:22] Washington establishment. Not all

[10:25] supporters. Jackson characterized some

[10:27] as advisers, others just came to listen.

[10:30] Some experienced and skeptical Democrats

[10:32] say the press and his opponents have

[10:34] been treating Jackson too gingerly.

[10:36] >> He has not been asked uh the tough

[10:39] questions. What what did he mean when he

[10:41] said Viva Castro? Viva Java. To my

[10:44] judgment, he has never even backed off

[10:45] of his support for Louis Farrakan.

[10:48] >> Others have suggested that Jackson's

[10:49] past won't bear scrutiny. Former

[10:51] Democratic chairman John White, who has

[10:53] signed on to help with Jackson's

[10:55] convention operations, addressed that.

[10:57] You can vote against Jesse Jackson

[10:59] because you don't agree with his

[11:00] positions,

[11:02] but you shouldn't vote against him for

[11:04] some heddup reason that he's got

[11:06] something in the past that we don't know

[11:08] about. Because if he's got anything in

[11:10] his past, it would be in front of us

[11:12] now.

[11:13] >> Warming up for next month's New York

[11:14] primary, where he will portray Jackson's

[11:16] Middle East policies as outside the

[11:18] party's mainstream. Albert Gourd Jr.

[11:21] nominated himself as the man to take off

[11:23] the gloves on Jackson

[11:25] >> government. He hasn't served a single

[11:26] day in the national government uh or had

[11:30] a single day's experience in foreign

[11:32] policy.

[11:33] >> Gore's charge of inexperience made its

[11:36] way to Jackson's meeting.

[11:37] >> Reverend Jackson can bring to his

[11:41] administration, should it turn out to be

[11:44] a Jackson administration, the best

[11:46] brains that the party and the country

[11:49] have to offer. Clifford made it clear he

[11:52] has not endorsed Jackson, but has been

[11:54] talking about defense policy with him

[11:55] for some time.

[11:56] >> I haven't uh been particularly surprised

[12:00] by any position that I've read about in

[12:02] his attitude toward defense.

[12:05] >> Times are changing for Jesse Jackson. As

[12:07] a serious potential nominee, his

[12:09] policies, his background, his experience

[12:12] will undergo a greater scrutiny. Jackson

[12:15] hopes to use the attention he has now to

[12:17] cross a threshold of acceptability

[12:18] within the Washington beltway where in

[12:20] some precincts there is still abject

[12:22] fear that his nomination would cause

[12:24] defeat for the Democrats from the White

[12:26] House through the Congress to the

[12:28] courouses. Ken Bod, NBC News,

[12:30] Washington.

[12:32] >> It was 20 years ago that members of the

[12:34] Kerner Commission wrote a report saying

[12:36] the United States was moving toward two

[12:38] separate but unequal societies, one

[12:41] black, the other white. Today in

[12:43] Memphis, four members of the commission

[12:45] had a reunion and they agreed that after

[12:47] 20 years, that conclusion holds true

[12:50] today.

[12:52] In North Carolina, Honda lawnmowers are

[12:55] assembled from the wheels up, then the

[12:57] final critical step, the Clara Johnson

[13:00] test. If Clara pulls and it starts, it's

[13:04] a Honda.

[13:05] >> Ship it.

[13:07] I can't marry you.

[13:09] >> Why? I'm only 6 years younger. Oh, I

[13:11] don't care about that.

[13:12] >> What do you care about? My hair, my tie,

[13:15] >> your breakfast.

[13:16] >> This?

[13:17] >> Yeah, it's oldfashioned.

[13:19] >> Hey, I'm an old guy.

[13:20] >> All those years of sugar and

[13:21] preservatives.

[13:24] >> You're right.

[13:24] >> Neutrorain whole wheat flakes. No sugar

[13:26] added, no preservatives.

[13:29] >> That's good. Now, will you marry me?

[13:31] >> I thought you were 5 years younger.

[13:34] >> Dedicated to the

[13:36] >> Walter. This is mother.

[13:41] Mother wants to use the phone. Fine.

[13:44] Right there.

[13:46] >> Second class. They're making

[13:50] phones. Oh, that silly phone. Use our

[13:53] AT&T phone in there.

[13:56] >> For phones that work like phones are

[13:58] supposed to work. Stick with the first

[14:00] class phones of AT&T.

[14:02] >> It's okay. It works.

[14:07] Introducing A1 Poultry Sauce with herbs,

[14:09] spices, and fruit meant just for

[14:11] chicken.

[14:17] So A1 Poultry Sauce makes the most of

[14:19] chicken any way you make it.

[14:22] >> A bloody day of protest on the occupied

[14:25] West Bank and Gaza Strip. Four

[14:27] Palestinians were killed, 50 wounded.

[14:29] NBC's Martin Fletcher reports on today's

[14:31] widespread demonstrations.

[14:35] The toughest ever Israeli clampdown on

[14:37] the occupied territories didn't work.

[14:39] The day's violence ended with one of the

[14:41] uprising's highest tolls of dead and

[14:43] wounded on the Gaza Strip. These are the

[14:46] only pictures available because Israel

[14:48] closed the area to all reporters except

[14:50] those escorted by the army. No Arab was

[14:53] allowed to leave his house. Arrest

[14:56] continued, a thousand in the past week,

[14:58] many without charges. the aim to stop

[15:02] widespread violence by Palestinian Arabs

[15:04] in support of Israeli Arabs who held a

[15:06] general strike today and widespread

[15:09] demonstrations of their own. For the

[15:11] Israeli Arabs, it's land day, a protest

[15:13] against Israeli confiscation of Arab

[15:15] land 12 years ago. And this year,

[15:18] they're supporting the Palestinian

[15:19] uprising. There's been a debate among

[15:22] Israeli Arabs for weeks about how to

[15:24] demonstrate in support of the uprising,

[15:26] peacefully or violently.

[15:30] The young wanted violence to support

[15:32] openly the PLO with the PLO flag. Older

[15:35] Arabs forced the young to obey Israeli

[15:37] laws. Israeli Arabs live a dilemma.

[15:40] >> You know, it's difficult to live the two

[15:44] kinds of life. We must feel like them.

[15:46] We must go with them. We must uh uh cry

[15:50] and support them. Another blow to the

[15:52] Palestinian movement came today when

[15:54] police closed the Palestinian press

[15:56] service for 6 months, silencing an

[15:58] alternative source of information from

[16:00] the occupied lands. Gula Cohen has long

[16:03] called for limiting press freedom.

[16:05] >> I'm not for freedom of the press. I'm

[16:07] for the freedom of Israel.

[16:11] >> Support is increasing in Israel for

[16:13] tougher measures to end the uprising.

[16:15] Martin Fletcher, NBC News, Tyber,

[16:18] Israel.

[16:19] Israel's ambassador to the United

[16:21] Nations, Benjamin Netanyahu, resigned

[16:23] today. He said the AmericanIsraeli

[16:25] alliance, often demonstrated at the

[16:27] United Nations, had been shaken.

[16:29] Netanyahu cited a meeting last Saturday

[16:32] between Secretary of State George

[16:33] Schultz and two American Palestinians.

[16:36] He said that meeting effectively

[16:38] breached a US commitment not to

[16:39] negotiate with the PLO.

[16:42] Sources in Panama tell NBC News that the

[16:45] government of General Manuel Noriega has

[16:47] just received a muchneeded infusion of

[16:49] $5 million in cash. The money, taxes,

[16:52] and other fees came as routine payments

[16:54] from American corporations. Noriega used

[16:57] the money to pay the army and civil

[16:59] servants. In Panama, supermarkets

[17:02] reopened today, the first major break in

[17:04] a 10-day old general strike aimed at

[17:06] forcing Noriega to resign. The

[17:08] opposition said the strike would

[17:10] continue against other businesses, but

[17:12] more economic relief is in sight. Banks

[17:14] are scheduled to reopen for limited

[17:16] withdrawals in 9 days.

[17:19] In Washington, the House of

[17:20] Representatives tonight approved a $ 48

[17:23] million package of non-lethal aid for

[17:25] the Nicaraguan Contress. It was

[17:27] described as a show of support for last

[17:29] week's temporary truce and for talks to

[17:31] achieve a permanent ceasefire. The vote

[17:33] was 345 to 70. And the Senate Foreign

[17:36] Relations Committee today recommended

[17:38] full Senate ratification of the Soviet

[17:40] American Treaty on medium-range

[17:42] missiles. The committee vote was 17 to2

[17:45] with Helms of North Carolina and

[17:47] Pressler of South Dakota voting against.

[17:50] Senate debate on the treaty is scheduled

[17:51] to begin in midappril.

[18:00] >> Come on. Got a lot of eggs there.

[18:03] >> Oh, you know what I always say. Easter

[18:05] ain't Easter without eggs.

[18:08] >> Just look at this day. This will be a

[18:10] real great Easter.

[18:11] >> Smoke all these yourself.

[18:12] >> You know what I always say? Easter ain't

[18:14] Easter without a ham? Hey, didn't I put

[18:16] my eggs there?

[18:18] >> That's the FTD Easter Basket Bouquet.

[18:20] >> Real nice. You know what I always say?

[18:22] >> Easter ain't Easter without flowers.

[18:25] >> The FTD Easter Basket Bouquet. Bright

[18:27] spring flowers in a colorful Easter

[18:29] basket. These mountains exist only in a

[18:32] computer. They were created from nothing

[18:34] but numbers using a special kind of

[18:37] mathematics called fractal geometry.

[18:39] Developed at IBM Research, fractals give

[18:42] scientists a new way to look at nature

[18:45] to study longrange pollution patterns or

[18:47] explore the Earth's oil reserves.

[18:49] Fractal geometry, another innovation

[18:52] from IBM that helps people understand

[18:55] how the world adds up.

[19:00] Mom sure know how to make life easier.

[19:03] Mine was always there for me. Like

[19:05] another mom I know. This mom. Philips

[19:08] Milk of Magnesia. M O M. The laxative

[19:12] that helps your body work naturally for

[19:14] easy overnight relief. Would mom be

[19:17] harsh? No. And mom's even easier to take

[19:20] with this dosage cup. See, mom knows

[19:23] just what you need. So, when you run

[19:24] into trouble,

[19:26] remember, nobody treats you better than

[19:29] mom.

[19:30] >> How many days a week do you take it?

[19:32] >> I take aspirin twice a week. I have a

[19:34] touch of arthritis, so I take it often.

[19:36] >> My doctor told me to take aspirin.

[19:38] >> For the millions who take aspirin more

[19:40] than once a week and are concerned about

[19:41] aspirin stomach upset, there's a new and

[19:43] better aspirin product. Try Buffered

[19:46] Bufferin. Better than plain aspirin

[19:48] because it's 100% aspirin. Plus, three

[19:50] buffers do not help protect against

[19:51] stomach upset aspirin can cause.

[19:53] >> It is better.

[19:55] >> New Tribuffered Bufferin. If you take

[19:57] aspirin more than once a week.

[20:01] >> Since President Reagan took office, 59

[20:03] administration officials have resigned

[20:05] after being linked to scandals. They

[20:07] were among more than 110 senior

[20:10] administration officials who have been

[20:11] accused of unethical or illegal

[20:14] activities. So, Attorney General Edwin

[20:16] Meis may not be unique, but as John

[20:18] Chancellor notes in his commentary

[20:19] tonight, Me's relationship with the

[20:21] president is John.

[20:23] >> Connie, you know, you can understand why

[20:25] Ronald Reagan is standing by Ed Me.

[20:27] They're old friends. It is much harder

[20:30] to understand why Ed me is sticking to

[20:32] Ronald Reagan. Much harder to understand

[20:34] why one old friend would do so much

[20:36] damage to another. The final months of

[20:38] the Reagan administration are being

[20:40] dishonored by Ed Mis's continuing

[20:42] troubles. It's a terrible embarrassment

[20:44] and some people close to both the

[20:46] president and me are saddened by it. The

[20:49] San Diego Union is a powerful newspaper

[20:51] which has always been a friend of Ronald

[20:53] Reagan's. Last month it said, "Given the

[20:55] dismal litany of poor judgment and

[20:57] ethically questionable activities

[20:59] disclosed by current and previous

[21:01] investigations, how can Mr. Meis

[21:03] continue to carry out his duties

[21:05] effectively even if he is exonerated of

[21:07] any criminal misconduct? Would not the

[21:10] president and the nation be served by

[21:12] Mr. Me is stepping down. When a paper as

[21:14] supportive of Mr. Reagan as the San

[21:16] Diego Union says that, you've got to pay

[21:18] attention. Yet there sits Ed Me. The

[21:22] president is being humiliated. The

[21:23] Justice Department is being destroyed.

[21:26] And the Democrats have a campaign issue

[21:28] against the Republicans, which will last

[21:29] all year. Ed me owes his whole career to

[21:33] the loyalty of his old friend, Ronald

[21:34] Reagan. There is one last thing he could

[21:36] do for his benefactor. He could resign

[21:39] now before the law works its way through

[21:41] his tangled affairs. That gift from an

[21:44] old pal would give the president some

[21:46] peace in his final months of office.

[21:50] >> Oh, look at the time. I got to get some

[21:53] Z's.

[21:54] >> Nightall will help you get your Z's.

[21:57] >> Nighthall helps you feel drowsy so you

[21:59] can get your Z's.

[22:01] >> Nightall will help you get your Z's.

[22:05] There's a big company that makes these

[22:07] and a small one that makes these. Why

[22:09] would they both do business with IBM?

[22:11] Well, the company that makes these wants

[22:14] a computer company big enough to get

[22:15] them where they want to go. Bone voyage,

[22:17] kiddo. And the company that makes these

[22:19] needs a company with an eye for the

[22:20] smallest details. Small businesses have

[22:23] big reasons for calling IBM. Big

[22:25] businesses even have small reasons to

[22:27] call IBM.

[22:29] But smart businesses have every reason

[22:30] to call IBM.

[22:32] IBM the bigger picture.

[22:36] >> I'm Brian Gumble. Tomorrow morning on

[22:38] today we'll check out the Justice

[22:39] Department problems of Ed Me.

[22:40] >> I'm Maria Shrivever. Also Sophia Lauren

[22:42] and do me more.

[22:43] >> Join us tomorrow morning on Today.

[22:47] I've been writing a lot of stories about

[22:48] aspirin lately. But if you think you've

[22:50] heard all the news about aspirin, think

[22:52] again.

[22:55] Clinical tests on headaches show there's

[22:57] a better aspirin formula. It's an

[22:59] listen. The tests show that compared to

[23:02] regular strength aspirin, Anisonin

[23:04] provides a more effective level of

[23:05] headache relief. Better relief. The

[23:07] latest good news about aspirin is an

[23:11] >> a better aspirin formula.

[23:15] >> What's the best kind of fruit? The kind

[23:17] that's fresh, moist, and plump. That's

[23:20] why sunsweet are my favorite kind of

[23:22] pitted prunes. Moist, plump, and fresh.

[23:26] Sunsweet because the best prunes are

[23:28] fresh prunes.

[23:31] On special segment tonight, alcoholism.

[23:34] Is it a disease? If not, what is it? For

[23:37] 30 years, alcoholism has been widely

[23:39] considered a disease in the United

[23:41] States. But some experts disagree, and

[23:44] the issue even has been raised in a case

[23:46] now before the Supreme Court. NBC's

[23:48] Robert Bazelle examines the scientific

[23:50] evidence in a controversy that could

[23:52] affect the treatment of many of the

[23:54] nation's 10 million alcoholics.

[23:56] >> He throws it away. Chris Mullen plays

[23:58] basketball for the Golden State

[23:59] Warriors. After alcoholism threatened

[24:02] his career, he talked about the

[24:04] difficulty of entering treatment. I

[24:06] learned now that it was mostly my

[24:07] disease speaking. All the negative

[24:09] points was my disease telling me not to

[24:11] go.

[24:11] >> The disease is a family disease.

[24:14] >> Actress Suzanne Summers on the Donghue

[24:16] show introduced her father, sister, and

[24:19] two brothers as recovered alcoholics.

[24:21] This disease tried to ruin this family

[24:23] and it individually tried to kill

[24:24] everyone who's sitting here and almost

[24:26] succeeded.

[24:27] >> The idea that alcoholism is a disease as

[24:29] opposed to problem behavior is

[24:31] widespread in the United States. The

[24:34] American Medical Association called it a

[24:35] disease in 1956.

[24:38] But a small but growing number of

[24:39] researchers say it is not. And they say

[24:42] that calling it a disease may be

[24:43] harmful. The idea that alcohol can take

[24:46] control of your body no matter what you

[24:49] do, no matter what choices you make, can

[24:51] be a self-fulfilling prophecy and can

[24:53] make it more likely that this will

[24:54] occur.

[24:56] >> Alcoholics. May I help you?

[24:58] >> Much of the American view that

[25:00] alcoholism is a disease comes from

[25:02] Alcoholics Anonymous.

[25:04] >> Well, you're not a bad person. You're a

[25:06] sick person. You want to be well person.

[25:08] >> There has never been scientific proof

[25:10] that alcoholism is caused by some

[25:12] malfunction of the body. Several studies

[25:14] have suggested there is an inherited

[25:16] factor that makes some people more

[25:18] susceptible to alcoholism.

[25:20] >> If the risk for alcoholism in men in the

[25:22] general population is about 10%, then

[25:24] the risk for sons of alcoholics is

[25:27] perhaps as high as 40ish%. In his

[25:29] laboratory, Dr. Shucket is trying to

[25:31] find out what might be inherited to put

[25:34] some people at higher risk of

[25:35] alcoholism. Young men, some the sons of

[25:38] alcoholics, drink measured amounts of

[25:40] alcohol, then perform a series of tasks.

[25:43] Shucket says the sons of alcoholics have

[25:45] a different response than the others.

[25:47] >> It appears as if they're not feeling as

[25:49] much effective booze.

[25:52] >> Shucket and other scientists say that

[25:54] while this genetic evidence indicates

[25:56] alcoholism might be a disease, it does

[25:59] not prove it. In many countries,

[26:01] alcoholism is not considered a disease.

[26:04] Many British doctors say it is more a

[26:05] matter of choice.

[26:07] >> It's a bit like cigarette smoking. We

[26:09] don't consider cigarette smoking a

[26:10] disease. We know that cigarette smoking

[26:13] and dependence on cigarettes can cause

[26:15] lung cancer, can cause a bronchitis, can

[26:18] cause heart attacks. But we don't say

[26:20] that people have got cigarettitis in the

[26:22] way that we say that people have got

[26:24] alcoholism.

[26:25] >> Treating alcoholics in the United States

[26:27] has become a big business. At St.

[26:30] Joseph's Hospital in Burbank,

[26:31] California. Patients are charged $12,000

[26:35] for a 4-week course of alcoholism

[26:37] treatment, which includes exercises,

[26:39] psychotherapy, and lectures, usually

[26:41] insurance pays. This billion dollar a

[26:44] year industry could shrink drastically

[26:46] if alcoholism were not regarded as a

[26:48] disease. Proponents of the disease

[26:50] approach say such a change would

[26:52] discourage alcoholics who need treatment

[26:54] from getting it. If you view this thing

[26:56] as a moral matter u and approach it as

[26:59] though you are blaming somebody or

[27:02] finding them guilty of some act some

[27:05] criminal act that this the practical

[27:08] effect of this in the real world is to

[27:10] stiffen their resistance to getting

[27:12] well.

[27:13] >> This is a group of compulsive shoppers.

[27:15] The idea that problem behavior can be a

[27:17] disease has spread recently from

[27:19] alcoholism to many other areas.

[27:22] Compulsive gamblers have created a mo an

[27:24] organization modeled exactly on the

[27:26] basis of AA. People get up and say I'm

[27:29] out of control of my gambling and I've

[27:30] got a disease. So my question is is that

[27:32] inherited? Um should that be treated

[27:35] medically? So a major part of the debate

[27:37] about alcoholism is if it is considered

[27:39] a disease, what other behavior should

[27:42] also be considered diseases and at what

[27:45] cost to society?

[27:47] Robert Bazelle, NBC News, New York.

[27:51] And that's our news. I'm Connie Chung in

[27:53] New York. I'll see you again tomorrow

[27:54] night. Thank you for joining us. And for

[27:56] all of us at NBC News, good night.

[28:15] Tonight

[28:28] on Aaron's Way, Aaron wants a driver's

[28:30] license. The problem is

[28:31] >> I do not have any identification.

[28:32] >> How do people know who you are?

[28:33] >> I tell them that I am Aaron Bell.

[28:36] >> Then on a special Highway to Heaven, Bob

[28:37] the Angel Hope guest stars. Going be a

[28:39] tough assignment. You're the angel. Wing

[28:41] it. And the Bronx premieres at its new

[28:43] night in time to end an exciting evening

[28:45] of drama tonight.