NBC Nightly News - 1999-07-07
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:00] Live radar working for you.
[0:05] >> A big judgment against big tobacco. This
[0:08] one could affect anyone who's ever
[0:10] smoked. It could cost tobacco companies
[0:12] hundreds of billions of dollars. There's
[0:15] something about Hillary. A Senate
[0:17] campaign officially begins drawing more
[0:19] attention than a presidential front
[0:21] runner. In depth tonight, balance of
[0:23] power. Why the women's vote counts so
[0:26] much. How things change when women are
[0:28] elected to office and sudden impact and
[0:32] SUVs. A new study shows which ones are
[0:34] safest for your family in a crash.
[0:40] From NBC News, this is NBC Nightly News
[0:44] with Tom Brokoff reporting tonight from
[0:47] Los Angeles.
[0:50] >> Good evening. This could be a historic
[0:52] day in the battle against big tobacco.
[0:54] It could mean compensation for anyone
[0:57] who has had a smoke-related disease,
[0:59] cancer or emphyma or whatever. A jury in
[1:02] Florida found big tobacco guilty of
[1:04] producing a dangerous product and hiding
[1:07] that danger from the public. This was a
[1:09] class action lawsuit. That means that
[1:11] all smokers were represented in Florida.
[1:13] So, the implications are staggering.
[1:16] NBC's Bob Kerr has more tonight.
[1:19] >> Bringing in the jury. The sweeping
[1:21] verdict against cigarette makers came
[1:23] late today in a Miami courtroom.
[1:25] Conspiracy, fraud, negligence.
[1:28] >> Philip Morris Incorporated. Yes. R.J.
[1:31] Reynolds Tobacco Company. Yes.
[1:33] >> All the major tobacco companies guilty
[1:36] of making and selling a defective
[1:38] product that causes cancer and other
[1:40] diseases. A first in tobacco litigation.
[1:43] One case on behalf of up to a million
[1:45] sick Florida smokers or their survivors.
[1:48] Until now, the tobacco industry has
[1:50] suffered only sporadic losses that could
[1:54] be described as a crack in the dyke. But
[1:57] today's decision opens up the
[1:59] opportunity for literally hundreds of
[2:02] thousands of people to come into court.
[2:05] >> Some of them showed up throughout the
[2:07] 9-month trial, and in the end, neither
[2:09] they nor the jury bought the company
[2:11] live. You could stand on a rooftop and
[2:15] shout that smoking is dangerous from the
[2:18] top of your lungs and you wouldn't be
[2:21] telling anyone anything they didn't
[2:23] know.
[2:24] >> More doctors smoke camels.
[2:26] >> But using ads and documents that span
[2:28] decades, opponents argued that tobacco
[2:31] companies deceived the World War II
[2:33] generation about the dangers. Then, as
[2:35] older smokers got sick and died,
[2:37] targeted children. Attorney Stanley
[2:40] Rosenblat labeled tobacco an industry
[2:42] without a conscience and seeks at least
[2:44] $200 billion dollars in damages. If this
[2:47] doesn't deserve punishment, what does
[2:51] what does if this doesn't deserve
[2:53] punishment?
[2:54] >> But this trial isn't over. The jury must
[2:57] determine how much its verdict will cost
[2:59] the tobacco companies. The specific
[3:01] medical and hardship claims of the
[3:03] smokers and families must be weighed.
[3:05] Still, it poses the most serious
[3:07] financial threat. the industry has ever
[3:10] faced. Bob Kerr, NBC News, Washington.
[3:14] >> And what is the most watched Senate race
[3:16] of the 1990s, took another major turn
[3:19] today. Hillary Clinton, the first lady
[3:21] to run for elective office, began to
[3:23] acquaint herself with her newly adopted
[3:26] state. But as NBC's Andrea Mitchell
[3:28] reports, Hillary Clinton has adopted New
[3:30] York. But will the state return the
[3:32] favor?
[3:33] It's the start of the first lady's
[3:35] senate campaign on the farm of retiring
[3:37] senator Daniel Patrick Moahan. She
[3:39] promises her first priority from now on,
[3:41] the people of New York. Now, I suppose
[3:44] the questions on everyone's mind is u
[3:47] why the Senate and why New York and why
[3:50] me?
[3:50] >> Her answer, she cares deeply about the
[3:52] people in New York, but some voters are
[3:54] skeptical. Hillary
[3:57] Hillary.
[3:58] >> By far her biggest challenge, convincing
[4:01] voters an outsider can represent them.
[4:03] >> So far, the only thing we know is where
[4:05] she's from. When we know what she's for,
[4:07] we can talk about it.
[4:08] >> How do you address the issue that Rudy
[4:10] Giuliani has raised that you're a carpet
[4:12] bagger?
[4:13] >> I think it's a very fair question and I
[4:15] fully understand people raising it and I
[4:18] think I have some real work to do uh to
[4:22] uh get out and listen and learn from the
[4:24] people of New York. But again, no direct
[4:26] answer. She does have some big
[4:28] advantages. Today, she flew a $36
[4:31] million Air Force jet. Getting attention
[4:34] clearly not a problem. A media crush of
[4:36] more than 200. Even bigger than for
[4:39] George W. Bush's campaign kickoff. Her
[4:42] star power undeniably a big draw.
[4:48] >> I will need your help. The agilation is
[4:51] great, but is she prepared for whatever
[4:52] Giuliani can dish out?
[4:54] >> You know, everyone else can say or do
[4:56] what they um choose, but for me, getting
[4:58] out there and being with people is, you
[5:00] know, really a great opportunity that
[5:02] I'm excited about. What can she expect
[5:04] if Rudy Giuliani is her chief opponent?
[5:08] >> Chaos. The intrigue will be astounding.
[5:13] You will be amazed how hard it is to
[5:15] figure it out and how much fun you will
[5:17] have trying to do.
[5:19] >> How rough will it be?
[5:21] >> It's going to be a wonder to watch.
[5:24] >> And then there's the New York press
[5:26] today. She ducked questions about Monica
[5:28] Lewinsky and Whitewater, but aids know
[5:30] she'll have to deal with that before she
[5:32] can make her case for becoming a
[5:34] senator. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Oni,
[5:37] New York.
[5:39] >> We have another major consumer story
[5:41] tonight. The safety of the hottest
[5:42] vehicles on the roads these days, the
[5:45] SUVs, the sport utility vehicles. Just
[5:48] how safe are they in a high-speed crash?
[5:50] What would happen to your family? Here's
[5:52] NBC's Anne Thompson.
[5:54] >> America's insatiable demand for sport
[5:56] utility vehicles driving the auto
[5:58] industry to a sales record this year.
[6:01] But tonight, new questions about how
[6:03] safe you actually are inside one. The
[6:06] latest crash test results from the
[6:07] Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
[6:10] show mixed performances among six 1999
[6:13] midsized SUVs.
[6:15] >> To get good performance in this test,
[6:17] you don't have to have an expensive
[6:19] design. It just requires a commitment on
[6:21] the part of the manufacturer.
[6:22] >> This test simulates a head-on collision
[6:24] at 40 mph. The best performers, the
[6:28] Mercedes Mclass and the Lexus RX300.
[6:31] Why? Car and driver editor Chubacetta
[6:34] says it's because they are new vehicles
[6:36] and unlike many other SUVs, they are not
[6:39] built on existing truck platforms.
[6:41] >> They were essentially designed from the
[6:43] ground up to be SUVs and consequently it
[6:46] was a little bit easier to design them
[6:48] to meet this crash test.
[6:49] >> The worst performer, the Mitsubishi
[6:51] Monto Sport. Here you can see why. The
[6:54] Lexus is on top, the Monto on the
[6:56] bottom. The occupant compartment stays
[6:59] reasonably intact in the Lexus, while
[7:01] the Montero suffers what the institute
[7:03] describes as a major collapse. Of the
[7:06] other three SUVs tested, the Institute
[7:08] gave the Land Rover Discovery Series 2
[7:10] and the Dodge Durango acceptable
[7:12] ratings. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, by far
[7:15] the best seller of those tested, got a
[7:17] marginal rating. One analyst says these
[7:20] crash tests put pressure on the industry
[7:22] to do better, but don't expect them to
[7:24] put a dent in sales. already up 10% this
[7:27] year. Today, shopping for an SUV in Los
[7:30] Angeles, safety is on Frank and Cina
[7:33] Pasalqua's list of wants.
[7:35] >> Safety has to be the number one factor
[7:37] in buying a car.
[7:38] >> While their size makes consumers feel
[7:40] safe, SUVs are still more likely to roll
[7:43] over and cause more damage in a crash.
[7:46] But institute officials say today's
[7:47] results show some manufacturers are
[7:50] finding ways to make SUVs as safe as
[7:52] they feel. Anne Thompson, NBC News,
[7:55] Chicago.
[7:58] >> There will be more on SUVs and safety
[8:00] tonight on Dline at 87 Central time. And
[8:03] when we come back on the day that
[8:05] Hillary Clinton takes such a big step
[8:06] into the political arena, NBC News and
[8:08] Death Tonight, women in power, what
[8:11] makes them run? What do they bring to
[8:13] the political arena?
[8:14] >> Women uh when they serve as legislators
[8:17] really want to get the job done. They're
[8:20] not interested in proving how tough they
[8:22] are and how macho.
[8:25] >> Women with political muscle tonight in
[8:28] depth and poverty on the reservation
[8:31] Pine Ridge. President Clinton tries to
[8:33] offer Native Americans hope that they
[8:36] live in desperate circumstances.
[8:40] Today, while Amanda Scott was with her
[8:42] students, someone else was negotiating
[8:45] with lenders about her mortgage. At
[8:47] noon, she was keeping order on the
[8:49] playground instead of meeting with a
[8:50] home inspector. At 3, she met with Annie
[8:53] Chun's parents instead of reviewing
[8:56] closing costs with her attorney. And
[8:58] while Amanda was planning tomorrow's
[9:00] lesson, someone else was tying up loose
[9:02] ends at her new home. You've got a life.
[9:05] We let you live it. We're realtors. Real
[9:08] estate is our life.
[9:11] With days in hotels in over 1,800 cities
[9:13] and towns, there's bound to be one where
[9:16] you're headed.
[9:18] You can pretty much bet on it. Days in.
[9:23] There you go.
[9:26] >> This nation was built by heroes who have
[9:28] always driven trucks with the strength
[9:30] to match their own. The GMC Yukon
[9:32] continues this tradition. An SUV with
[9:35] power to do more than expected. So to
[9:38] the heroes, we make this promise. You
[9:41] keep building this land, we'll supply
[9:44] the trucks.
[9:46] Lease a 99 Yukon for only 419 a month
[9:49] for 36 months.
[9:51] The Yukon by GMC.
[9:55] Announcing a new way to see near and
[9:58] far. The new Acu View bif focal contact
[10:01] lens with pupil intelligent design. Call
[10:04] 1 800531-2121
[10:06] for a free trial pair or visit your eye
[10:08] care professional.
[10:30] Also try new genuine bear gel caps. The
[10:33] only gel cap that can help save your
[10:35] life. New Bear Gel Caps. Powerful pain
[10:38] relief and so much more.
[10:40] >> On a new D line tonight. It's the most
[10:42] agonizing choice a police officer will
[10:45] ever make.
[10:45] >> You want to shoot me? Come on. Put one
[10:47] right here.
[10:48] >> Put the gun down.
[10:48] >> Put it right here.
[10:49] >> To shoot or not to shoot.
[10:51] >> Drop the gun. Drop the gun.
[10:53] >> On the streets, a decision that could
[10:54] mean life or death. When to fire. A new
[10:57] dine tonight, 8:7 central on NBC.
[11:02] NBC News and Death Tonight call it the
[11:04] female factor. Women in politics and the
[11:07] effect on all of our lives. Hillary
[11:09] Clinton's candidacy may be getting all
[11:11] the attention, but she's just one of
[11:13] many women making a run for political
[11:15] power these days. In 1988, just over
[11:18] 1,900 women ran for state or federal
[11:21] office. Last year, that number jumped to
[11:24] almost 2,500. That's an increase of 29%.
[11:28] More women in power, more women going to
[11:30] the polls. What does it mean for all of
[11:32] us? Here's NBC's Kelly O'Donnell in
[11:35] depth.
[11:38] >> In Arizona, they call them the Fab Five.
[11:43] All the top offices in this state held
[11:45] by women. A first for the nation and
[11:48] historic break through the glass
[11:50] ceiling, shattering all across the
[11:52] country as well. Here in Arizona, they
[11:55] claim gender was not a factor in their
[11:57] election. But does being a woman affect
[11:59] how they govern? The bottom line issue
[12:02] is, can we perform? We must perform.
[12:05] >> Betsy Bis is Arizona's Secretary of
[12:07] State. She claims there are no so-called
[12:10] women's issues, just people's issues,
[12:13] but says the female leadership here that
[12:15] boasts early success on more education
[12:17] funding does make family, children, and
[12:20] women's concerns a major priority. I
[12:22] don't believe that it took a woman to
[12:25] push the the education issues through,
[12:28] but I believe what happened was that
[12:31] Governor Hull put that issue at the very
[12:34] top of her agenda.
[12:36] >> Governor Jane Hull, observers here say,
[12:38] runs the state with what might be called
[12:40] a more feminine touch. Arizona pollster
[12:43] Michael O'Neal
[12:44] >> has, however you characterize it, it has
[12:46] certainly been far less competitive and
[12:48] much more oriented towards getting
[12:49] things done. Around the nation, more
[12:51] women than ever hold elective office. 10
[12:54] years ago, 1425 women elected to
[12:57] federal, state, and city jobs. Today,
[13:00] that number up more than 40%. Now, more
[13:03] than 2,000 women voted into office.
[13:06] >> I think women uh bring leadership on
[13:09] different kinds of issues. They put on
[13:11] the front burner issues that men often
[13:13] would put on the back burner.
[13:15] >> Case in point, Washington State, where
[13:17] 40% of state legislators are women. the
[13:19] country's highest number. Among their
[13:21] accomplishments this year, getting
[13:23] Medicaid to pay for poor women's
[13:25] contraceptives, increased daycare
[13:27] funding for college student moms, and
[13:29] new laws to protect the privacy of
[13:31] victims of domestic violence. But not
[13:34] every women's initiative sailed through.
[13:36] State Senator Jerry Kostas championed a
[13:38] bill to end discrimination against
[13:40] breastfeeding mothers at work. It
[13:42] failed, but Kostas sees progress. One of
[13:45] the things that we've found over the
[13:46] years is that women tend to get involved
[13:48] in public policy because of a specific
[13:51] issue. Men, for the most part, have
[13:54] really looked at a career in politics,
[13:57] but we're working with young women now
[13:58] to get them to do the same thing.
[14:00] >> Women with new political strength
[14:02] organizing in new ways.
[14:04] >> Women are driving the political process,
[14:06] and I think this election will be
[14:08] happening more than ever. There's a new
[14:10] grassroots effort going on and it's
[14:12] happening on the internet
[14:13] >> and in the voting booth. More women cast
[14:16] ballots than men and have showed up in
[14:18] greater numbers at the polls for the
[14:19] last 35 years. A force electing more
[14:22] women, a force every candidate must
[14:25] respect. Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News,
[14:27] Phoenix.
[14:29] >> Still ahead here on NBC Nightly News, 6
[14:32] months to the year 2000 and some very
[14:34] strange goings on in the Holy Land. You
[14:38] might be surprised by what's behind it.
[14:43] >> We're picking up our CEO. We swerved off
[14:45] the road and boom, the airbags go off.
[14:48] >> There was a deer.
[14:49] >> I never saw it.
[14:51] >> Seconds later, an OnStar advisor calls
[14:53] and says, "I just got a signal. Your
[14:55] airbags went off. Should I send an
[14:56] ambulance?"
[14:57] >> We were fine, but she called for a tow
[14:58] truck and a limo.
[15:00] >> Good thing I called OnStar.
[15:01] >> OnStar called us.
[15:02] >> Oh, right.
[15:04] >> OnStar. During the OnStar summer of
[15:06] savings, get the OnStar phone base
[15:07] system and installation at no extra
[15:09] charge when you prepay for a year of
[15:11] service. Call 1800 OnStar 7. In this
[15:14] envelope with a green star could be a
[15:16] real check for $25,000.
[15:18] In this one, could be $100,000.
[15:21] This week, there are thousands of real
[15:23] checks in selected publishers clearing
[15:25] house envelopes with a green star. Watch
[15:27] your mouth.
[15:28] >> Out here, am I supposed to say, "Slow
[15:31] down. I'm constipated." I don't think
[15:33] so. So, I rely on doctor recommended
[15:36] Metamucil. Works with my body gently,
[15:39] which is important to a sensitive guy
[15:41] like myself.
[15:43] >> I don't just paste my dentures anymore.
[15:46] Now, I bond them with Seabond denture
[15:49] adhesive.
[15:50] >> Only Seab Bond is a soft micro thin seal
[15:52] with two powerful adhesives that bond
[15:55] dentures to your gums so they can hold
[15:57] and fit comfortably all day.
[15:59] >> I can bite and chew with confidence.
[16:02] Easy to remove, no messy cleanups. Bond
[16:05] your dentures with Seab Bond. And now
[16:07] discover Seabond Natural Fresh. All day
[16:09] bonding power with natural mint
[16:11] freshness for fresher breath.
[16:13] >> In hospitalies, they dispense medicines
[16:15] that work fast for heartburn. That's 1
[16:18] minute. It goes to work on stomach acid
[16:20] in 1 minute. Pepsidac could take over 45
[16:22] minutes. Hospitalies rely on mailocks.
[16:25] Shouldn't you
[16:26] >> count on one minute mailocks?
[16:31] Creamy dreamy and brown. It's got yogurt
[16:34] blended right in the creamy taste of
[16:36] butter. You'll try again.
[16:38] >> The goodness of yogurt. The creamy taste
[16:39] of butter with half the fat and calories
[16:41] must be rumbling brown.
[16:43] >> Great news for all you cats.
[16:45] >> That's us, Chuck.
[16:46] >> Really? The whiskers you love in a can
[16:49] now comes in the new flavor lock pouch.
[16:52] >> What a great day to be of the feline
[16:54] persuasion. Now wake her up. You betcha.
[17:01] like this Marv.
[17:04] >> And Whiskers has the flavor lock pouch
[17:06] to seal in all the slowcooked goodness
[17:08] of Whiska's homestyle favorites.
[17:10] >> Whiskers. What?
[17:13] Friday, get a double dose of our summer
[17:15] concert series when Chicago and the
[17:17] Doobie Brothers take it to the streets.
[17:19] Brought to you by the Incredible Edible
[17:21] Egg. Only on Today. Get more of the
[17:24] Today Show with Later Today coming in
[17:26] September.
[17:30] President Clinton is spending this week
[17:31] visiting communities left behind.
[17:33] Despite the country's great prosperity
[17:35] these days, today it was one of the
[17:37] poorest places in America. In South
[17:39] Dakota near the Nebraska border, the
[17:41] Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the
[17:43] Oglala Sue, living in terrible poverty.
[17:47] NBC's Claire Shipman is traveling with
[17:49] the president.
[17:52] He's the first sitting president to come
[17:54] to an Indian reservation since FDR in
[17:56] 1936. And for the Agalasu residents of
[18:00] Pine Ridge, the visit is long overdue.
[18:03] It's perhaps the bleakest stop on his
[18:05] poverty tour. 75% unemployment. Death
[18:08] from alcoholism is nine times the
[18:10] national average. Life expectancy here
[18:13] 15 years less than most Americans. We're
[18:16] coming to Washington from Washington to
[18:18] ask you what you want to do and tell you
[18:20] we will give you the tools and the
[18:22] support to get done what you want to do
[18:25] for your children and their future. Mary
[18:28] Tobacco grew up here, left for college,
[18:30] and then returned. She waited for hours
[18:32] to see the president. And some people
[18:34] come in thinking that they're going to
[18:36] change the entire reservation by
[18:37] starting large, but we have to start
[18:39] small.
[18:40] >> The White House says it's doing just
[18:42] that by highlighting one glaring
[18:44] problem. housing. 40% of residents here
[18:47] live in substandard quarters.
[18:48] >> How many people live in here?
[18:50] >> Between two houses, there's 28.
[18:52] >> As the physical fitness director at the
[18:54] reservation's hospital, Mary Tobacco,
[18:56] sees the effects of the housing shortage
[18:58] firsthand.
[18:59] >> It's depressing. People when people are
[19:02] depressed, then they'll turn to alcohol
[19:04] or drugs to escape that. And I think
[19:07] that's a huge problem. The situation is
[19:09] so bad here that encouraging private
[19:12] investment, the theme of the president's
[19:13] trip, is virtually impossible without
[19:16] government help. HUD, the Department of
[19:18] Housing and Urban Development, has
[19:20] formed a partnership with private
[19:22] lenders to make mortgages easier to get.
[19:24] And HUD is actually helping to build
[19:26] homes. 50 more like this one are
[19:28] expected this year. But the fact is
[19:31] 4,000 more homes are needed. And former
[19:34] tribal leader Milo Yellowhair believes
[19:36] now is the time to solve problems.
[19:38] >> I believe that America is big enough.
[19:41] It's powerful enough. It's rich enough
[19:43] and it's safe enough. It's secure at
[19:45] home, you know, to really deal with the
[19:47] American Indian in the way it should be
[19:48] done.
[19:49] >> But the president also cautioned that no
[19:51] amount of help from Washington will make
[19:53] a difference unless the Agala themselves
[19:55] are committed to making a better life
[19:57] here. Claire Shipman, NBC News, Pine
[20:00] Ridge, South Dakota.
[20:03] 10 years ago, NBC's Betty Rollin and ML
[20:05] Flynn produced an award-winning series
[20:07] on the terrible effect of alcohol on the
[20:10] people of Pineriidge. This week, we
[20:11] asked Bob Faw to give us an update on
[20:14] one of the young Sue, his life a decade
[20:17] later.
[20:19] For Nathaniel Blacksmith, today sadly
[20:22] was much like 10 years ago on the
[20:24] Pineriidge Reservation, where
[20:26] 12-year-old Nathaniel lived in a broken
[20:28] world where alcoholism was rampant and
[20:31] almost no tribal members had jobs.
[20:34] >> I think it's the worst place. With his
[20:37] mother and 16 others, he lived in a
[20:39] ramshackle house provided by the federal
[20:41] government, floundered in school,
[20:43] wandered aimlessly, even considered
[20:45] suicide, which Native American children
[20:47] committed four times more often than
[20:49] other students.
[20:50] >> I come this close to hang myself. I
[20:52] should have.
[20:53] >> Official Washington, which once broke
[20:55] treaties with Native Americans and
[20:56] confiscated their lands, has also made
[20:58] lavish promises to help them and has
[21:00] spent lavishly, too. $29 billion since
[21:04] 1993. Has it helped? 10 years later,
[21:07] Nathaniel has dropped out of high
[21:09] school, has been in and out of trouble
[21:11] with the law, has an infant son, and a
[21:13] broken marriage.
[21:15] >> I still have my times of um thinking of
[21:17] the thinking the worst of myself where I
[21:20] just basically know lose my hope, lose
[21:22] my faith.
[21:24] >> 10 years later, he's back home living
[21:26] with his mother in the same crumbling
[21:27] house. 20% of households don't have
[21:29] plumbing gear. There is a new casino the
[21:32] tribe owns and operates and a new
[21:34] recreation center. But unemployment is a
[21:37] staggering 73% and alcoholism, a scourge
[21:40] then remains a scourge today. But
[21:44] Nathaniel has changed. Has received his
[21:46] high school equivalency, is certified as
[21:48] a carpenter, talks of going to college,
[21:50] and acknowledges that to succeed he will
[21:52] probably have to leave the reservation.
[21:55] There is opportunity. There is jobs. But
[21:57] it's just a matter of you getting to
[22:00] look at know look at the draw the straw.
[22:02] You know,
[22:03] >> he will need more than luck here. The
[22:05] odds against him are overwhelming.
[22:07] >> What we're doing today is just a whole
[22:09] different deal cuz we're surviving. I'm
[22:11] going to make it. I plan to.
[22:15] >> But Nathaniel's laugh is nervous. He has
[22:17] seen that change when it does arrive
[22:19] moves very slowly here. And that even in
[22:22] the land of the great Sue warriors, it
[22:25] takes more than good intentions to fix
[22:28] all that is broken. Bob F, NBC News,
[22:31] Washington.
[22:34] At the other end of America, on Wall
[22:35] Street, high hopes for corporate
[22:37] earnings sent stocks higher today. The
[22:39] Dow was up more than 52 points. A new
[22:41] record 11,187.
[22:44] NASDAQ was also up more than six points.
[22:47] Up next, Americans on a long, very
[22:49] strange trip to the Holy Land. It's
[22:52] called the Jerusalem Syndrome.
[22:58] This week, the Publishers Clearing House
[22:59] Prize Patrol has no van to drive and no
[23:02] checks to deliver.
[23:04] Because this week, Publishers Clearing
[23:06] House is putting thousands of real
[23:07] checks right in the mail. If you get an
[23:10] envelope with this green star, open it
[23:12] and you could find a real check for
[23:14] $100,000 that you can take right to the
[23:16] bank. So this week, the prize patrol
[23:18] will have to find something else to do.
[23:21] >> Yes. Nice one.
[23:22] >> Watch for a publishers clearing house
[23:24] envelope with a green star. There could
[23:25] be a real check inside. Great meal.
[23:29] Uh-oh. Gas pressure. What now? What
[23:32] else? Gas X. With the most powerful
[23:35] medicine for fast relief. Nothing works
[23:37] faster. Hey, want to go for ice cream?
[23:39] Gas X, the power to fight gas fast.
[23:42] Announcing a new way to see near and
[23:45] far. The new Acu View Bif focal contact
[23:48] lens with pupil intelligent design. Call
[23:51] 1800531-2121
[23:53] for a free trial pair or visit your eye
[23:56] care professional.
[24:00] >> Hi, I have a question about buying
[24:02] stock. What's the difference between a
[24:04] market order and a limit order?
[24:12] Hello.
[24:17] Excuse me. When you have an investment
[24:19] question, does your online brokerage
[24:21] have anybody there to answer it? We do.
[24:25] >> It's It's not funny anymore.
[24:27] >> It's summer when everybody can use the
[24:29] refreshment of a good hose down. And
[24:31] your deck can use the refreshment of a
[24:33] new coat of Thompson's wood protector
[24:35] for rain, sun, mildew. It's the most
[24:37] powerful Thompson's yet. Thompson's Wood
[24:39] Protector. It never takes a day off.
[24:43] >> With Days in hotels in over 1,800 cities
[24:46] and towns, you can go as far as you
[24:50] want.
[24:51] We'll always be right down the lane.
[24:54] Days in. There you go.
[24:57] >> I just bought every overnight laxative I
[24:59] could find.
[25:00] >> Why?
[25:01] >> To prove nothing's gentler than Philip's
[25:03] milk of magnesia. XLax Cynicott. Every
[25:06] one of these others contains stimulants.
[25:08] That one says on the label it may cause
[25:10] abdominal discomfort, faintness, and
[25:12] cramps. Phillips is the only one that's
[25:14] stimulant free. Nothing's more
[25:16] effective. Nothing's safer. Does that
[25:19] explain everything?
[25:20] >> Yeah, except who's taking these back.
[25:24] >> Phillips. Safe, effective relief without
[25:26] harsh stimulants.
[25:29] >> Just ahead at 6, some prominent country
[25:30] music insiders may be coming to the aid
[25:33] of an alleged stalker here in Nashville.
[25:35] And the garbage is piling up in one
[25:37] middle Tennessee town. All because of a
[25:38] dispute over pay. We will look at what
[25:41] it will take to get the garbage
[25:42] collectors back on the street. Stay with
[25:44] us. The scene at 6 is just minutes away.
[25:50] As we heard from NBC's Jim Olo last
[25:52] night, many of the Christian faithful
[25:54] are headed for Jerusalem for New Year's
[25:56] Eve, drawn by their faith that something
[25:59] momentous will happen in that ancient
[26:01] city. Well, tonight Jim tells us about
[26:03] another kind of pilgrim.
[26:07] >> Jerusalem, ancient city. For thousands
[26:09] of years, an irresistible force
[26:12] attracting pilgrims from three of the
[26:14] world's major religions. But there is a
[26:17] new kind of pilgrim now, preaching doom,
[26:19] tied to Bible timets. Some interpret as
[26:22] predicting Armageddon in the year 2000.
[26:25] >> He's up there, people. Right up there.
[26:27] He's getting near. Some can't handle the
[26:30] power of the place. This man is one of
[26:33] them. He calls himself Elijah, God's
[26:36] prophet. The
[26:37] >> greatest place ever to be in the world
[26:39] is going to be Jerusalem.
[26:41] >> Elijah suffers from what psychiatrists
[26:43] call Jerusalem syndrome. A genuine
[26:46] mental illness that often strikes deeply
[26:49] religious people drawn to the holy city.
[26:52] Elijah says he's a carpenter from
[26:54] California, transformed by a visit to
[26:56] Jerusalem when he heard God's voice tell
[26:59] him that leaking water near the ancient
[27:01] temple of the Jews spells the end for
[27:04] non-believers.
[27:05] >> Water shall start flowing at the as
[27:08] drops as a stream and then it's going to
[27:10] become a river and it's a sign of the
[27:12] coming of Messiah.
[27:13] >> Some Jerusalem syndrome sufferers are
[27:16] perfectly normal before and after their
[27:18] visit here. Others transform forever,
[27:21] taking on the identity of biblical
[27:23] characters, regularly talking to God.
[27:26] >> What does God sound like?
[27:28] >> Very awesome.
[27:29] >> Psychiatrist Dr. Ya Barl discovered
[27:32] Jerusalem syndrome 20 years ago.
[27:34] >> Yes, the contact of the holy places is
[27:36] the trigger.
[27:37] >> Normally, he sees three to four cases a
[27:40] year, but the crush of millennial
[27:42] pilgrims has him worried. On this very
[27:45] spot inside the Japa gate in the old
[27:47] city of Jerusalem exactly 2,000 years
[27:50] ago, absolutely nothing important
[27:52] happened. But somehow this historically
[27:55] insignificant place has become the
[27:57] Mecca, the Jerusalem, the Rome to
[27:59] pilgrims of the millennium. In fact,
[28:01] registered at this very hotel right now
[28:03] are Elijah, John the Baptist, Gabriel
[28:06] the Angel, and two Messiahs.
[28:09] One of the messiahs, a former teacher
[28:11] from America's east coast, arrived six
[28:14] weeks ago. So crowded he rents living
[28:16] space on the roof of the hotel.
[28:18] >> I want to invite you all to come and see
[28:21] me here in Jerusalem.
[28:22] >> As for who made him savior, his answer
[28:24] is simple.
[28:25] >> Somebody has to be the Messiah. Experts
[28:28] say the only cure for Jerusalem
[28:30] syndrome, which can disappear in a week,
[28:32] is to leave the Holy Land, cut all
[28:35] direct contact with the religious
[28:37] shrines, and in the year 2000, leave
[28:39] this ancient city to the ancients. Jim
[28:42] Avala, NBC News, Jerusalem.
[28:47] That's nightly news for Wednesday. Don't
[28:49] forget Dine tonight at 8 for more on
[28:51] those SUV crash tests. I'm Tom Brokoff.
[28:55] Good night.
[28:59] Nightly News is a presentation of NBC
[29:01] News. More Americans watch NBC News than
[29:04] any other news organization in the
[29:06] world.
[29:09] A fatal car crash kills two young
[29:12] Nashvilleians. Now on the scene at 6,
[29:14] find out why a tragic twist may have led
[29:16] to their deaths. Also, police say he's a
[29:18] dangerous criminal. But tonight, find
[29:20] out why this accused stalker may be
[29:22] getting some help from some