NBC Nightly News - 1982-04-07

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:03] This is NBC Nightly News with Roger Mud

[0:07] in Washington, Tom Brokco in New York,

[0:10] and commentary by John Chancellor.

[0:14] >> Good evening. Great Britain tonight

[0:16] announced a major new military move

[0:17] against Argentina in the dispute over

[0:19] the Faulland Islands. For its part,

[0:21] Argentina said it will defend the

[0:23] islands to the last Argentine soldier,

[0:25] and the United States stepped up its

[0:26] diplomatic role. The British announced a

[0:29] blockade of the islands beginning

[0:30] Sunday, warning that any Argentine ship

[0:33] found within 200 nautical miles of the

[0:35] islands could be fired on. The purpose

[0:38] of the blockade is to cut off

[0:39] reinforcements and supplies from

[0:41] Argentina. Steve Delaney reports from

[0:44] London tonight. Robin Lloyd from

[0:45] Buenazaris.

[0:49] With the fleet at sea, the financial

[0:51] markets jittery, and the government

[0:52] under fire, Parliament today discussed

[0:54] whether it's worthwhile to try to

[0:56] recover the Falcons. Tony Ben, the most

[0:58] leftwing of British Labor Party figures.

[1:01] >> We are sending the fleet really to

[1:02] recover Mrs. Thatch's reputation and not

[1:04] the islands. And I think as time goes

[1:06] by, people will appreciate that it's a

[1:08] tragic error for this country.

[1:11] >> The opposition is torn between contempt

[1:13] for Argentina's rightest government and

[1:15] reluctance over going to war. That split

[1:17] gives the Thatcher government an edge in

[1:19] the debate.

[1:20] >> What we in Britain must now do is to see

[1:23] to it that Argentina's intolerable

[1:26] defiance of the international community

[1:29] and of the rule of law is not allowed to

[1:32] stand.

[1:35] >> Underlying the political debate is the

[1:36] economic weight of this crisis. It has

[1:38] depressed the London stock market,

[1:40] eroded the British pound, and unsettled

[1:41] the financial community.

[1:43] >> I can't see that it would ever be

[1:44] justifiable. uh in profit and loss

[1:47] terms.

[1:48] >> Relatives of the Falconers have their

[1:50] own concerns about the naval operation.

[1:52] Vivian Townsen's brother is a Port

[1:54] Stanley school teacher.

[1:55] >> I mean, the ships go there and the

[1:56] threat of them shooting and killing and

[1:58] the islanders will be killed. I mean,

[2:00] there's no um I mean, they've got

[2:02] they'll be caught in it. There's nowhere

[2:04] for them to go.

[2:05] >> In the effort to get the islands back,

[2:06] the economic cost is enormous, the

[2:08] political risk substantial, and the

[2:10] military option potentially bloody. But

[2:13] having noted all that, the British are

[2:14] going ahead anyway because they say

[2:16] aggression should not be rewarded by

[2:18] success and because the Falcon Islanders

[2:20] are British and want to stay British.

[2:23] People here are not prone to armwaving

[2:25] convulsions of patriotic passion, but

[2:28] they seem at ease with sending the Royal

[2:30] Navy off to, as they say here, sort

[2:32] things out. The Royal Navy has been

[2:35] sorting things out for this country ever

[2:36] since the days of Lord Nelson and

[2:38] before. The Argentines themselves

[2:40] learned something of the power of that

[2:42] navy early in World War II when British

[2:44] ships ran the German battleship Gruff

[2:46] Spay into the river plate and defeated

[2:48] her in Argentina's front yard. The

[2:50] British hope the generals in Buenos Iris

[2:52] still remember that. Steve Delaney, NBC

[2:55] News, London.

[2:58] The British embassy staff and their

[3:00] families filed quietly onto the bus that

[3:02] would take them to the airport. One boy

[3:04] carried his dog. For the most part, they

[3:07] left with only a few belongings.

[3:09] >> How do you feel about leaving?

[3:11] >> I don't know. It's pretty sad.

[3:14] >> A block away at the ambassador's

[3:15] residence, his car was being loaded.

[3:17] Ambassador Anthony Williams and his wife

[3:19] Hedwig met briefly with reporters in the

[3:22] garden. He advised all British citizens

[3:24] in Argentina to leave, at least

[3:26] temporarily, and he said he believes a

[3:28] confrontation between the two countries

[3:30] can still be avoided. uh we've been

[3:32] negotiating in the hope that it's a

[3:34] problem which can be resolved. I I think

[3:36] that uh the the fact that there is a

[3:39] possible way out still remains true.

[3:42] >> One Argentine woman, a friend of the

[3:44] ambassador's wife came to say goodbye.

[3:46] She left flowers. Shortly thereafter,

[3:49] the ambassador and his wife who was

[3:50] carrying the flowers she had just

[3:52] received said goodbye to the caretakers

[3:54] of the residence. First, the bus

[3:56] carrying the staff went by and then the

[3:59] ambassador's car followed, escorted by

[4:01] the Swiss, who will represent the

[4:03] British now. Meanwhile, in the Faulland

[4:05] Islands today, this man, General Mario

[4:07] Mendez, was sworn in as governor. He has

[4:10] been ordered by the Argentine High

[4:12] Command to treat the islanders well. So,

[4:14] even as the British naval fleet

[4:16] continues on its course, the Argentines

[4:18] are consolidating their hold over the

[4:20] Faulland Islands, and the British

[4:22] diplomats are leaving in protest. It is

[4:24] one more sign that a potential

[4:26] confrontation is getting closer. Robin

[4:29] Lloyd, NBC News, Buenocitis.

[4:32] >> France, Belgium, and Switzerland

[4:33] announced today they would hold up

[4:34] delivery of weapons and spare parts to

[4:36] Argentina as a result of this Faulland

[4:39] Islands invasion. Roger.

[4:42] President Reagan, after two days of

[4:44] maneuvering between our traditional

[4:46] loyalty toward Great Britain and our

[4:47] treaty obligations toward Argentina,

[4:50] ordered Secretary of State Heg to go to

[4:52] London and Buenesires to make the next

[4:54] move in the Faulland dispute. Bernard

[4:56] Cal reports.

[4:59] In both London and Buenosiris, Heg will

[5:01] engage in what's officially described as

[5:03] preliminary discussions. US officials

[5:06] deny that he'll be carrying any formula

[5:08] for a settlement, but this trip does put

[5:10] US prestige on the line. The Pentagon

[5:14] today denied reports that the US had

[5:16] given the British advanced warning of

[5:17] the invasion aerial pictures of the

[5:19] Argentine preparations. These reports

[5:22] have caused a fura in Britain where

[5:24] thatcher government critics have

[5:25] complained that the country should have

[5:26] been prepared. At the State Department,

[5:29] the spokesman disclosed that the US did

[5:31] have some advanced evidence prior to the

[5:33] Friday attack and communicated with

[5:35] London.

[5:36] >> There were some indications uh a couple

[5:39] days before it took place.

[5:40] >> And do you know how we acquired that

[5:42] information some days before?

[5:43] >> Uh I don't have any comment offer you on

[5:46] that.

[5:46] >> And was that information related to the

[5:48] British? We were in touch with the

[5:50] British uh on this subject and uh

[5:54] within uh

[5:57] the time frame that's been discussed

[5:58] publicly.

[6:00] >> Among the possible face saving solutions

[6:02] is this one. Argentina gets sovereignty

[6:04] over the disputed islands and the

[6:06] British get a lease to administer the

[6:08] islands. Bernard Calb, NBC News. The

[6:11] State Department. Secretary Heg wanted

[6:14] to leave for London this afternoon, but

[6:16] preparations and repairs on his special

[6:18] government plane have delayed his

[6:19] departure until 3:00 a.m. tomorrow.

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[7:29] President Reagan left Washington today

[7:31] for an official visit to Jamaica,

[7:32] followed by his Easter vacation in

[7:34] Barbados. Mr. Reagan left the capital in

[7:36] a high wind. He wore no top coat,

[7:39] although the temperature was 35° and the

[7:41] wind chill factor was five. When Air

[7:44] Force One reached Jamaica 4 hours later,

[7:46] the president stepped into 83° weather.

[7:48] John Palmer reports from Kingston.

[7:53] The White House build the president's

[7:54] trip to Jamaica and his visit later this

[7:56] week to Barbados as more than a goodwill

[7:59] tour or a vacation, saying the president

[8:01] planned to discuss the long-term US

[8:03] economic and political commitment to the

[8:05] Caribbean with Democratic leaders of the

[8:08] area. In Kingston, the president was

[8:10] greeted by Conservative Prime Minister

[8:12] Edward Siaga, who is trying to bring

[8:14] President Reagan's brand of free

[8:16] enterprise to the island's ailing

[8:17] economy. The success of our venture

[8:21] depends on cooperation and cooperation

[8:24] is easier between friends who share the

[8:27] same ideals. For this reason, we are

[8:30] pleased to find ourselves working

[8:32] together with the leaders of countries

[8:34] with such strong democratic traditions.

[8:37] Mr. Reagan is the first president of the

[8:39] United States to visit Jamaica, and the

[8:41] welcome was warm and colorful. During a

[8:44] brief motorcade, the president left his

[8:46] enclosed car to greet several hundred

[8:48] school children. At a meeting with Prime

[8:50] Minister Siaga, the president explained

[8:52] that Secretary of State Heg was absent

[8:54] because of Heg's efforts to settle the

[8:56] Faulland Islands dispute. In the

[8:58] meeting, the president discussed his

[9:00] so-called Caribbean Basin Initiative,

[9:02] offering $350 million in economic and

[9:05] military aid to countries in the

[9:06] Caribbean and in Central America.

[9:10] With a number of Caribbean countries

[9:12] vulnerable to leftist insurrections

[9:14] because their economies are in such bad

[9:16] shape, the administration believes more

[9:18] economic aid will act as a buffer to

[9:20] Soviet and Cuban influence. John Palmer,

[9:23] NBC News, with President Reagan in

[9:25] Jamaica.

[9:26] The Reagan trip was originally planned

[9:28] as pure vacation, built around a visit

[9:30] to the Barbados home of actress Claudet

[9:32] Colbear, but aids feared there might be

[9:34] presidential image damage from a

[9:36] tropical vacation in the midst of a

[9:38] winter recession. In order to limit the

[9:40] potential criticism, the White House

[9:42] added several working sessions with

[9:43] Caribbean heads of state. Tom,

[9:47] >> President Reagan's visit to Jamaica is

[9:49] getting a mixed reception in that

[9:50] country's political circles. As Don

[9:52] Porter tells us, the current Jamaican

[9:54] leadership wants more American economic

[9:56] aid, while the opposition is suspicious

[9:58] of American motives.

[10:02] >> The tourists are back in Jamaica. 40%

[10:04] more visitors than last year. Two years

[10:07] ago, armored cars roamed the streets of

[10:09] Kingston, putting down a wave of

[10:11] pre-election violence that frightened

[10:12] tourists away. The winner in that

[10:15] election, present Prime Minister Edward

[10:16] Siaga. The loser, socialist Michael

[10:19] Manley, portrayed by Siaga as a friend

[10:21] of Fidel Castro and blamed for bringing

[10:23] the Jamaican economy to the brink of

[10:25] ruin.

[10:29] Today, the economic news is brighter.

[10:32] Inflation is down. There are more goods

[10:34] for sale. But despite the improved

[10:36] outlook, Jamaica is still counting

[10:38] heavily on more US aid. To obtain that

[10:41] aid, Prime Minister Siaga is relying on

[10:43] his personal relationship with President

[10:45] Reagan, which began when Siaga became

[10:47] the first head of state to visit the

[10:49] White House after Mr. Reagan's election.

[10:52] >> Since then, the president has come to

[10:53] view Siaga's Jamaica as a role model for

[10:55] the Caribbean, conservative, pro

[10:58] business, and anti-Castro. But opponents

[11:01] led by former Prime Minister Michael

[11:02] Manley have harsh words for the US.

[11:05] >> Divisive, dangerous, warlike, and

[11:08] retrogressive. Manley fears few of the

[11:11] promised economic benefits will trickle

[11:13] down to Jamaica's poor. But at Jamaica's

[11:15] leading distillery, lower tariffs are

[11:17] expected to double US sales of Jamaican

[11:19] rum and create new jobs in Jamaica,

[11:22] where unemployment stands at 26%.

[11:25] Other businessmen take a cautious view

[11:27] of the Jamaican American connection.

[11:29] Jamaicans appear of two minds about the

[11:31] renewed American interest in their

[11:33] country. US dollars are always welcome

[11:35] here. At the same time, however, there

[11:37] remains a determination not to allow

[11:38] Jamaica, a colony of Great Britain for

[11:40] 300 years, to become an economic colony

[11:42] of the United States. Don Porter, NBC

[11:45] News, Kingston, Jamaica.

[11:48] And in El Salvador, NBC News has learned

[11:50] that all six political parties have

[11:52] agreed to a nine-member commission,

[11:54] which will shape a new government of

[11:56] national unity. The commission

[11:58] reportedly will include representatives

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[12:02] well as the two leading right-wing

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[13:43] >> It's hard to imagine a detective novel

[13:45] revolving around the federal budget. But

[13:47] for the past few days, Washington has

[13:49] been filled with limousines whisking

[13:51] people to secret meetings. And today,

[13:53] the negotiating team working on a budget

[13:55] compromise laid out a series of

[13:56] proposals which may reduce the Reagan

[13:58] deficit. Bob Kerr reports.

[14:03] Secret discussions held at the vice

[14:05] president's house. Chief of Staff James

[14:07] Baker's House and at Blair House on

[14:09] Pennsylvania Avenue have ended. Now,

[14:11] President Reagan in this house and

[14:13] Speaker O'Neal of this House must decide

[14:15] whether compromise is possible. Today,

[14:18] House Budget Committee Chairman James

[14:20] Jones, one of several key congressmen,

[14:22] senators, and cabinet officials who

[14:24] participated in the secret talks, called

[14:26] the situation perilous. If we do uh

[14:29] reach an impass, I think the kinds of

[14:32] signals that will send out to the

[14:34] financial markets and to investors will

[14:37] be very dire and negative indeed, and I

[14:40] wouldn't predict where this economy is

[14:42] going to go if that is the result.

[14:44] >> Jones says without compromise, this

[14:46] year's deficit could reach $180 billion.

[14:49] Senate sources have told NBC's John

[14:51] Dancy that options worked out in the

[14:53] secret talks aimed to bring this year's

[14:55] deficit down to 100 billion dollars and

[14:58] to continue the downward trend in 1984

[15:00] and 85 until the deficit is 50 billion.

[15:03] Among the main options under

[15:04] consideration are relatively small cuts

[15:07] in military spending, a minimum tax on

[15:09] highincome individuals and corporations,

[15:12] a gasoline tax, a tax on energy use

[15:15] excluding home heating oil. That

[15:17] exemption is out of difference to

[15:19] Speaker O'Neal, whose Massachusetts

[15:21] constituents use a lot of home heating

[15:23] oil. Other cuts are under consideration,

[15:25] but they're not expected to make much of

[15:26] a dent in the deficit. Big dents could

[15:29] come from the scheduled tax cut

[15:31] President Reagan doesn't want to delay,

[15:32] and cost of living increases for Social

[15:34] Security, which O'Neal doesn't want to

[15:36] touch. Both men are being urged to hold

[15:39] a summit meeting next week. Bob Kerr,

[15:41] NBC News, the capital.

[15:44] Former Attorney General Griffin Bell

[15:46] says Jimmy Carter never should have

[15:47] given Walter Montdale an office in the

[15:49] White House. In his forthcoming book,

[15:50] Bell says Montdale was able to establish

[15:52] his own power center in the West Wing

[15:55] and frequently shaped Carter policy to

[15:57] his way of thinking. Montdale said he

[15:59] hadn't seen the book and wouldn't

[16:00] comment until he did. In this case,

[16:02] he'll probably have to buy his copy.

[16:04] Tom,

[16:06] >> Soviet President Brv, who's been out of

[16:08] public view for about two weeks, was

[16:10] prominently featured on the front page

[16:11] of Pravda today. Four largely ceremonial

[16:14] messages carried Brev's signature. Still

[16:16] no response to President Reagan's

[16:18] invitation to arms control talks.

[16:20] However, an important part of this

[16:22] nuclear question is the first use of

[16:24] nuclear weapons. The United States

[16:25] always has reserved the right to be the

[16:27] first to use nuclear weapons if there's

[16:28] a war in Europe. The Russians have said

[16:31] they won't go first if the United States

[16:33] also agrees. Well, this first use debate

[16:35] is the subject of John Chancellor's

[16:37] commentary tonight. John,

[16:39] >> four fairly heavy hitters stood up in

[16:41] Washington today and said the time has

[16:43] come to study the idea of telling the

[16:45] world that if war breaks out in Europe,

[16:47] NATO will not be the first to use

[16:49] nuclear weapons.

[16:51] They are Mc George Bundy who advised

[16:53] President Kennedy on war and peace,

[16:56] George Kennan, a former ambassador to

[16:57] Moscow. Gerard Smith who negotiated the

[17:00] first salt treaty and Robert McNamera a

[17:03] former secretary of defense.

[17:04] >> We have concluded that there is a deeper

[17:06] and an overriding danger that arms

[17:09] control alone cannot yet meet.

[17:13] It is the danger of continuing to rely

[17:15] on NATO's present military strategy.

[17:19] A strategy which is based on the first

[17:21] use of nuclear weapons. They have put

[17:23] their ideas in an article for the

[17:25] magazine Foreign Affairs. They say the

[17:28] United States needs enough nuclear

[17:29] weapons to strike back if the Soviets

[17:31] use nuclear weapons first and that NATO

[17:34] should have enough conventional forces

[17:35] to fight a non-uclear war. They argue

[17:38] that the race to build ever more

[17:40] superior nuclear weapons, including the

[17:41] neutron bomb, would slow down if the

[17:44] United States said it would use its

[17:46] weapons only if someone else used theirs

[17:48] first. They say it's impossible to

[17:50] believe that any nuclear war could be

[17:52] contained, but they believe a

[17:54] conventional war might be contained if

[17:56] Western forces are strong enough.

[17:58] Secretary of State Heg disagrees. He's

[18:01] against a no first use policy. Those in

[18:04] the West who advocate the adoption

[18:08] of no first use policy seldom go on to

[18:12] propose that the United States

[18:14] reintroduce the draft, triple the size

[18:17] of its armed forces, and put its economy

[18:20] on a wartime footing. Secretary Heg

[18:22] makes it sound like cost effectiveness,

[18:24] that it's cheaper to plan for a nuclear

[18:26] war. Conventional wars do cost more to

[18:29] prepare for. Bundy, Kenan, Smith, and

[18:31] McNamera are saying that if we don't

[18:33] press the nuclear button first, maybe

[18:35] the Soviets won't either. Maybe they're

[18:37] as afraid of nuclear war as we are.

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[19:15] our competition wrote about the madness

[19:17] in his methods. At Newsweek, we also saw

[19:20] the method in his madness. We revealed a

[19:23] man so feared, the CIA marked him for

[19:25] possible death. So dangerous, he was

[19:28] sheltering the terrorist Carlos. And so

[19:30] arrogant, we disclose the Reagan

[19:32] decision to confront him 2 days before

[19:35] the air battle that stunned the world.

[19:37] But not the readers of Newsweek. We

[19:40] don't fit the mold, we break it.

[19:43] Newsweek.

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[20:15] The spring of 82 still looked like the

[20:17] winter of 82 today with record low

[20:19] temperatures from Georgia to Chicago.

[20:21] And a new snowstorm heading across the

[20:23] Great Plains. In Boston, biting winds

[20:25] and cold took some of the enthusiasm out

[20:27] of clearing yesterday's 13 in of snow.

[20:30] In other parts of New England, winds

[20:32] gusted up to 80 m an hour. Most airports

[20:35] in the Northeast were open again today,

[20:37] but the weather slowed down almost all

[20:39] public transportation. In New York, a

[20:41] snow-filled Yankee Stadium. There were

[20:44] those who did not forget what season

[20:45] we're in. Tomorrow's game already has

[20:47] been cancelled. The Yankees were there

[20:49] beneath the stands warming up in the

[20:51] best sense of that word. An inmate

[20:53] protest continued today at a maximum

[20:55] security prison in Danora, New York. 50

[20:58] convicts refused to report to work. 800

[21:00] inmates have not eaten or spoken at the

[21:03] last three meals. They're protesting the

[21:05] actions of prison guards, some of whom

[21:08] appeared on a prison video tape. Here's

[21:10] Steven

[21:10] >> Frasier. That's all.

[21:14] The tape shows the prisoner on the

[21:16] floor, partially hidden behind the guard

[21:18] on the right. Although the guards say he

[21:20] lunged at them first, he was on the

[21:22] floor all the time the camera was on. 3

[21:24] minutes.

[21:26] The Justice Department has begun an

[21:28] investigation of the way Danamora is

[21:30] run. The department took two of these

[21:32] guards to court for violating the

[21:34] prisoner's civil rights, but the jury

[21:36] couldn't reach a verdict. One member

[21:37] became ill and a mistrial was declared.

[21:40] A second trial will start next month.

[21:44] >> Prison officials won't talk about the

[21:46] incident while the guards await trial,

[21:48] but a lawyer who regularly visits

[21:49] inmates here says the beating was not an

[21:51] isolated case.

[21:53] >> I've been working here out of this

[21:54] prison for 5 6 years now. It is run on

[21:57] violence and fear. Uh this prison is

[22:01] renowned through this state as being the

[22:03] most repressive one there is. This is

[22:05] how they think they have to maintain

[22:07] control. The prison cameras which

[22:09] recorded the incident were installed to

[22:11] document charges of inmate attacks on

[22:13] guards. New York's Commissioner of

[22:15] Corrections viewed this tape and kept

[22:17] the guards on the job.

[22:20] >> We don't run country clubs. Our maximum

[22:22] security prisons have a way of running.

[22:24] They've been running that way for a

[22:26] number of years and they'll continue to

[22:27] run that way for a number of years.

[22:28] Inmates don't like it. Relatives of

[22:31] inmates don't like it, but they're in

[22:33] jail. What can I say?

[22:35] The retrial of the two guards won't be

[22:36] the last case to focus attention on

[22:38] conditions at Danamura. A class action

[22:40] lawsuit brought by inmates seeks the

[22:42] transfer of 27 guards. Steven Frasier,

[22:46] NBC News, Danamora, New York. Missouri

[22:49] voters have decided they don't want

[22:51] heavier, longer trucks on their roads.

[22:54] They voted down a new law which would

[22:56] put Missouri in line with most other

[22:57] states on truck weight and length.

[23:00] Roger. In nearby Fairfax County,

[23:03] Virginia, the public intermediate

[23:05] schools are named for authors James

[23:06] Fenomore Cooper, Henry Wodsworth

[23:08] Longfellow, Mark Twain. Robert Hagar

[23:10] reports on what's been happening at the

[23:12] school, named in honor of one of

[23:13] America's most famous novelists.

[23:17] The image of Samuel Clemens is

[23:19] everywhere at this school that bears his

[23:21] pen name, in the library, and on the

[23:23] principal's wall. But some of his words

[23:26] were banned from the school's classrooms

[23:28] just before students left for spring

[23:30] vacation this week. A committee of

[23:32] teachers and parents voted to ban The

[23:34] Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as

[23:36] required reading in any class. The book

[23:39] is to be confined to the school library

[23:41] because of racial references that are

[23:43] generally interpreted as Twain's effort

[23:45] to portray the wrongs of prejudice, such

[23:47] as Huck's comment, Jim's a [ __ ] and

[23:49] wouldn't understand. Or when Ansali asks

[23:52] after an explosion, "Good gracious,

[23:54] anybody hurt?" and Huck answers,

[23:56] "Nomenom killed a nigger." An

[23:58] administrative aid at the school, John

[24:00] Wallace, led the fight against the book.

[24:02] >> It uh creates a feeling of low esteem in

[24:05] black children for themselves and uh it

[24:08] also gives the same feeling to white

[24:11] youngsters of having low esteem for

[24:13] blacks. No respect.

[24:15] >> But the argument has split the school

[24:17] community. Student Dan Phillips says the

[24:19] book is bad for class.

[24:20] >> It's not fair cuz people are created

[24:23] equal.

[24:24] >> Neighbor Kirsten Kaiser defends the

[24:26] book. It's a realistic slice of life at

[24:28] that time and well that's what counts.

[24:30] They should teach that to people. They

[24:32] should make it aware of the prejudice

[24:33] that are here and and try to stop it.

[24:36] >> The county school board is now reviewing

[24:38] the ban. Robert Hager, NBC News, Fairfax

[24:41] County, Virginia.

[24:47] >> I got my John Deere lawn and garden

[24:49] tractor the same year my son Eddie was

[24:51] born. They sort of grew up together. And

[24:54] I'll tell you, over the years, I've had

[24:56] more problems with Eddie than I've ever

[24:58] had with that tractor. John Deere builds

[25:01] them tough and solid. And your John

[25:03] Deere dealer is a man you can count on

[25:05] to keep them running year after year. Or

[25:07] you may pay a little more for a John

[25:09] Deere, but they'll last.

[25:11] I'm not so sure about Eddie.

[25:18] Mrs. Johnson, when you need an ant acid,

[25:21] watch your salt. The Surgeon General's

[25:23] report says Americans get too much salt.

[25:26] So reach for Riyopan Plus, the low

[25:28] sodium ant acid for fast relief. In

[25:31] laboratory tests, Riyopan Plus worked in

[25:33] seconds, four times faster than the two

[25:36] leading liquids, and kept on working to

[25:38] neutralize excess acid. So reach for

[25:41] Ryan Plus, the low sodium ant acid for

[25:44] fast relief. Ryan Plus.

[25:47] There is one $23,000 sedan today that

[25:51] has the nerve to put function first. The

[25:54] MercedesBenz 240D. Surgically precise

[25:58] steering, tenacious road holding,

[26:00] powerful, fadeer resistant disc brakes.

[26:04] The Mercedes-Benz 240D, aiming to be as

[26:07] road efficient as it is fuel efficient.

[26:10] Aiming for efficiency in all its forms.

[26:17] With 48 million dogs and 35 million

[26:19] cats, a major medical policy for pets

[26:22] seem bound to come. Frank Burkholtzer

[26:24] reports from Los Angeles. It's already

[26:26] here.

[26:30] Hospital costs are soaring and not only

[26:32] for people. This is a dog undergoing

[26:35] eyelid surgery by athomemologist Dr.

[26:37] Marilyn Twitchell. Cost $200.

[26:41] This black cat after minor surgery is

[26:43] recuperating in a hospital ward. cost $

[26:46] 35 or $40 a day. In the waiting room, a

[26:50] steady stream of patients, small and

[26:52] large, young and old.

[26:54] >> This is Frank. Frank has arthritis of

[26:57] his right rear leg.

[26:58] >> Frank's treatments cost about $25 each

[27:01] visit.

[27:02] >> Zanuk, a stud dog, has an income, but he

[27:05] has to keep pretty busy to meet his

[27:07] medical costs. say over the last four

[27:10] years we have spent 15 to $20,000 in

[27:14] veterary expenses on this dog.

[27:17] >> For most patients, it's just pay and

[27:19] pay.

[27:20] >> Astronomical. Astronomical.

[27:23] >> Astronomical costs often make it too

[27:25] expensive to keep pets alive. So today,

[27:28] Hollywood's current Lassie received the

[27:30] first veterinarian's pet insurance

[27:32] policy in a ceremony with Los Angeles

[27:35] Mayor Bradley. Organized by 700 vets,

[27:38] the company offers accidental injury and

[27:41] major medical plans. $71 a year for both

[27:45] for a small dog. Someday, pets like

[27:48] Billy the goat and Sam the snake may be

[27:50] eligible for hospitalization insurance,

[27:53] but for a start, it's just cats and

[27:55] dogs.

[27:56] >> Frank, let's go this way. Come on,

[27:57] Frank.

[27:59] >> This is Frank Bergholzer, NBC News, Los

[28:02] Angeles.

[28:04] That's NBC Nightly News for Wednesday.

[28:06] I'm Roger Mud in Washington.

[28:09] >> And in New York, I'm Tom Brokoff. Good

[28:11] night for all of us at NBC News.

[28:24] Coming up in just a minute on the scene

[28:26] at 6, a legislative conference committee

[28:28] okays a pay raise for state employees,

[28:30] but fails to complete action on the

[28:32] budget. An accident at a local pool

[28:34] raises questions about regulations

[28:36] governing swimming instructors. And

[28:38] we'll have the final part of our unit 4

[28:40] series on income tax preparation

[28:42] services.

[28:44] These stories and more news coming up on

[28:46] the scene at 6.

[28:50] >> Take home a basket full of savings this

[28:52] Easter with terrific holiday values from

[28:55] Wind Dixie. Brighten up Easter with

[28:57] Super GradeA white large eggs with a

[29:00] coupon two dozen or a dollar. $1.49 and

[29:03] a coupon buy a pound package of Land of

[29:05] Sunshine Butter. A 16 to 19 lb WD whole

[29:09] smoked ham is 99 cents a pound. A 10 lb

[29:11] bag of harvest fresh Idaho baking

[29:14] potatoes is $1.99.

[29:15] >> Wind Dixie wishing you a basket of joy

[29:18] this Easter.

[29:21] This is Channel 4 WSMV Nashville

[29:26] from Channel 4 News. This is the scene

[29:29] at 6 with Dan Miller, Lonnie Lartner,