NBC Nightly News - 2003-03-15

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:05] Outbreak. A deadly unknown illness. A

[0:08] worldwide alert. Passengers quarantined

[0:10] after a flight from New York. Deaths

[0:13] reported in Asia and Canada. Winds of

[0:16] war. President Bush calls for going the

[0:19] extra mile on the diplomatic front while

[0:21] planning tomorrow's summit with Britain

[0:23] and Spain. And Iraq says the nation is

[0:25] going on a war footing. Terror bust.

[0:29] Another top lieutenant of Osama bin

[0:31] Laden is picked up in Pakistan.

[0:34] And mortgage mania, a record jump in

[0:36] refinancing as rates continue to drop.

[0:40] >> We're in great shape. And if the rates

[0:41] climb, we're locked in.

[0:46] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:48] York, this is NBC Nightly News with John

[0:52] Seanthaler.

[0:53] >> Good evening everyone. And with US and

[0:55] Iraqi troops now poised for war, the

[0:57] world waits tonight for the outcome of

[0:59] this weekend's emergency summit. As

[1:01] President Bush spent the day preparing

[1:03] for tomorrow's meeting with the leaders

[1:05] of Britain and Spain, Iraq announced

[1:07] that it was going on a war footing,

[1:09] preparing for an attack. And in

[1:11] Pakistan, another victory in the war on

[1:13] terror, the capture of one of Osama bin

[1:16] Laden's top leaders. We'll have more on

[1:18] that in a moment. But we begin with the

[1:20] story of an unknown illness. What

[1:22] appears to be a deadly new form of

[1:24] pneumonia that emerged in Asia and is

[1:26] spreading into Europe and North America.

[1:28] Today, an alert was sent out to health

[1:30] officials around the world. NBC's chief

[1:33] science correspondent Robert Bazelle

[1:34] reports.

[1:36] >> In Hong Kong, staff, patients, and

[1:38] visitors in hospitals try to protect

[1:40] themselves from infection with the

[1:42] mysterious and deadly new illness known

[1:44] for now as severe acute respiratory

[1:47] syndrome. We are taking this very

[1:49] seriously and and we're doing that for

[1:51] several reasons. One, we don't know what

[1:52] the cause is. Two, it appears to be

[1:56] transmitted pretty easily from ill

[1:59] patients to healthare workers and in

[2:01] some cases to family contacts.

[2:03] >> So far, at least eight dead and hundreds

[2:05] ill, many critically. It began in Asia,

[2:08] China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the

[2:09] Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and

[2:11] Vietnam. And now it is spreading. In

[2:14] Toronto, an entire family is stricken

[2:16] after one member returns from a trip to

[2:18] Hong Kong.

[2:19] >> There are a total of six cases that are

[2:22] being investigated. Uh, two family

[2:24] members who have died and four others

[2:26] who are ill.

[2:27] >> In Frankfurt today, an airliner arriving

[2:29] from New York is quarantined. Many

[2:31] passengers spending the night in the

[2:33] airport. A passenger on board is taken

[2:35] to the hospital. He is a doctor who had

[2:37] treated a patient with a new disease in

[2:39] Singapore. Health officials say there is

[2:42] no evidence of bioteterrorism,

[2:44] >> but we are keeping an open mind and

[2:46] until we know the cause, we can't jump

[2:48] to any conclusions about what is really

[2:50] going on or what the roots of spread uh

[2:53] include.

[2:54] >> So far, there is no evidence of the

[2:55] disease in the United States. But the

[2:57] doctors sick in Frankfurt attended a

[2:59] medical conference in New York City, and

[3:01] a member of the family in Toronto

[3:03] visited Atlanta on business. So, health

[3:06] officials in both cities are checking

[3:07] for illness among possible contacts.

[3:10] >> The potential for whatever is causing

[3:12] this to move around is is something that

[3:14] we're very mindful of.

[3:15] >> The World Health Organization today

[3:17] issued a travel alert advising

[3:19] passengers and crews on flights from

[3:21] Asia to watch for symptoms of the

[3:23] illness. A temperature of 101 or higher,

[3:26] cough, shortness of breath, or

[3:27] difficulty breathing. Today, the World

[3:29] Health Organization has announced a

[3:32] global emergency because of this

[3:33] disease, because of the speed with which

[3:35] it's spreading.

[3:36] >> So far, the most sophisticated lab tests

[3:39] have failed to find the cause.

[3:41] >> Health officials emphasize there is no

[3:43] reason for Americans to worry unless

[3:45] they've been to Asia recently or in

[3:47] contact with someone who has. They don't

[3:49] want everyone with a cold or flu running

[3:50] to their doctor. John

[3:52] >> Bob, haven't world health officials been

[3:54] concerned about a drugresistance illness

[3:56] emerging around the world?

[3:58] >> Well, we don't know if this is

[3:59] drugresistant, but this is exactly a

[4:01] scenario that health officials have been

[4:02] worried about in Asia where a lot of

[4:04] animals and people are in close contact.

[4:06] Something new would come and spread

[4:07] around the world. Emerging infections,

[4:09] it's been a big concern for a long time

[4:11] and this certainly seems to be an

[4:12] example of that.

[4:13] >> NBC's Robert Brazil. Bob, thank you. Now

[4:15] to the showdown with Saddam Hussein.

[4:17] There are new signs tonight that the US

[4:19] and Iraq are on the brink of war.

[4:21] President Bush and leaders of Britain

[4:23] and Spain meet tomorrow in the Azors and

[4:26] some believe the summit may signal the

[4:28] beginning of military action. NBC's

[4:30] Rosyn Jordan joins us tonight from the

[4:32] White House. Good evening, Roslin.

[4:34] >> Good evening, John. Tonight, it appears

[4:35] that every country has taken a stand in

[4:38] this crisis and tonight they're all

[4:39] standing on the edge waiting for the

[4:41] other guy to make the first move.

[4:45] A lastminute flurry of diplomatic

[4:47] activity today, but no clear answer to

[4:49] the question, can war be averted? In

[4:51] Iraq, Saddam Hussein, employing what the

[4:54] US calls another stalling tactic,

[4:56] invited the top UN weapons inspectors to

[4:59] Baghdad, but they say they won't accept

[5:01] before talking to the UN Security

[5:03] Council first. In a joint statement,

[5:05] France, Russia, and Germany called for a

[5:07] security council meeting Tuesday, saying

[5:10] war is not justified. And at Camp David,

[5:13] President Bush prepared for a summit

[5:14] with key military allies Britain and

[5:16] Spain on Sunday. A former US ambassador

[5:19] to the United Nations says the exclusion

[5:22] of France and others from that meeting

[5:24] suggests the decision to go to war is

[5:26] near.

[5:26] >> If the summit is really to decide the

[5:28] question of the use of force, then those

[5:31] strongly opposed to it are clearly not

[5:33] going to be welcome in that kind of

[5:34] conversation. The president prepared for

[5:36] the summit by phoning key allies today.

[5:39] To Italian Prime Minister Sylvio

[5:41] Veruskonei, Bush pledged to go the extra

[5:43] mile on the diplomatic front to resolve

[5:45] the crisis. And he and British Prime

[5:48] Minister Tony Blair agreed to continue

[5:50] diplomatic efforts in world capitals and

[5:52] at the United Nations. Efforts which the

[5:54] British foreign minister told BBC radio

[5:57] are growing more difficult.

[5:58] >> The prospect of military action is now

[6:00] much more probable and I greatly regret

[6:02] that. Uh but it is not inevitable.

[6:05] >> The president heads to the summit in the

[6:06] face of mixed polling numbers. The

[6:08] latest Newsweek poll says that 53% of

[6:11] those surveyed approve of the

[6:13] president's job performance. That's down

[6:15] from 61% a month ago. And while more

[6:18] than half of those polls still want the

[6:20] United States to cooperate with the

[6:21] United Nations on Iraq, the percentage

[6:23] has dropped from 67% in February to just

[6:27] 52% this week. So what can the world

[6:30] expect to see come out of this summit?

[6:32] Brookings Institution senior fellow Evil

[6:34] Dalder.

[6:35] >> What they will not see is the kind of

[6:37] diplomatic compromise proposal that

[6:40] might lead to a second resolution being

[6:42] accepted.

[6:43] >> The president and the British and

[6:45] Spanish prime ministers are expected to

[6:47] talk to reporters after their meetings

[6:48] tomorrow. However, it's anyone's guess

[6:50] tonight, John, what they're going to say

[6:52] about what they're doing about Iraq.

[6:54] >> NBC's Rosyn Jordan at the White House.

[6:56] Roslin, thank you. Now to Baghdad, where

[6:59] Saddam Hussein placed his country on a

[7:01] war footing tonight, preparing for the

[7:03] possibility of a US-led invasion. NBC's

[7:06] Ron Allen is in Baghdad. Ron, what does

[7:09] it mean that the country is now on a war

[7:10] footing and divided into four military

[7:13] zones?

[7:15] >> Well, it means that the Iraqi military

[7:17] is taking even greater control here than

[7:18] normal. The reports say that Saddam

[7:20] Hussein has put only his top aids in

[7:22] charge of those four districts,

[7:23] including one of his sons. Essentially,

[7:26] it means that there are also reports

[7:27] that Iraq has closed its borders. There

[7:29] are also reports saying that the capital

[7:31] Baghdad has now been surrounded. But all

[7:32] that again has not been confirmed. It's

[7:34] certainly all going to add to the level

[7:36] of tension here. For most Iraqis,

[7:38] however, there's very little that they

[7:39] can do. Most are too poor to stockpile

[7:41] food and water. Some who can have been

[7:43] leaving the capital for other areas of

[7:44] the country which are presumably safer.

[7:46] Humanitarian organizations here are

[7:48] trying to put together disaster

[7:49] emergency plans before they pull out.

[7:52] and the few remaining diplomats here

[7:53] organizing convoys to evacuate. It seems

[7:56] the only question now is when. John

[7:58] >> and Ron, what about this invitation for

[8:00] chief inspectors to come back? Is that a

[8:03] sincere gesture or just an attempt to

[8:05] delay the inevitable?

[8:08] >> Well, this idea was first proposed by

[8:10] the Iraqis right after the United States

[8:11] put forward its March 17th deadline and

[8:14] ultimatum. But it doesn't seem right

[8:16] right now that Iraq has any major new

[8:17] initiative to put on the table when the

[8:19] inspectors come. They've just given the

[8:21] inspectors a 25page report trying to

[8:23] back up their claim that VX nerve gas

[8:25] was destroyed more than a decade ago. A

[8:27] similar report on anthrax is due. Both

[8:28] reports are a week overdue. I should

[8:30] also add they're still destroying

[8:32] alimood missiles as well very slowly.

[8:34] And all of that, of course, the United

[8:35] States dismisses. So, it's unclear right

[8:37] now what Iraq plans to do to

[8:38] significantly change the situation here

[8:40] on the ground if the inspectors come

[8:42] back. John

[8:43] >> NBC's Ron Allen in Baghdad. Ron, thank

[8:45] you. And this program note tomorrow,

[8:48] Vice President Dick Cheney in a full

[8:50] 1-hour interview with Tim Russard on

[8:52] Meet the Press. Now, about 25,000 people

[8:56] marched through downtown Washington DC

[8:58] today to protest the Bush

[8:59] administration's war policy against

[9:01] Iraq. The gathering in the nation's

[9:03] capital was among the largest of several

[9:05] simil similar marches that took place in

[9:07] cities all across the country today. In

[9:10] San Francisco, thousands marched through

[9:12] the streets and in the city's

[9:13] neighborhoods with the same anti-war

[9:15] message. The protests were generally

[9:18] peaceful and orderly with only scattered

[9:20] reports of arrest. In Atlanta, thousands

[9:23] of flag waving people chanted

[9:25] pro-administration slogans gathered at

[9:28] Centennial Olympic Park to show their

[9:30] support for the White House campaign

[9:32] against Saddam Hussein. The event was

[9:34] part of a series of rallies for America

[9:36] that have been held this month in

[9:38] different US cities.

[9:41] Another victory tonight in the war on

[9:42] terror. Authorities in Pakistan have

[9:44] captured a highlevel al-Qaeda operative

[9:47] that some suggest may be a sign the US

[9:50] is closing in on Osama bin Laden. NBC's

[9:52] Kevin Tibbles reports from Pakistan.

[9:56] >> In the hunt for Osama bin Laden tonight,

[9:58] another big arrest. Another one of his

[10:01] lieutenants. Once again it's in Pakistan

[10:04] and once again it's in a big urban

[10:06] center. This time in the city of Lahore

[10:08] 200 mi southeast of the capital

[10:10] Islamabad. Little is known publicly of

[10:13] the man called Yaser Al Jazeri except

[10:15] that he is North African trained in bomb

[10:18] making and sources say close to bin

[10:20] Laden. US government sources are calling

[10:22] this arrest very significant. But he is

[10:25] a big fish especially in the context of

[10:27] the Algerian cells which he represents

[10:30] and the Algerian cells also have many

[10:32] linkages in Europe. So this could be

[10:34] very significant. It's been a great week

[10:36] for the US-led war on terror in areas of

[10:39] Afghanistan patrolled by US forces and

[10:42] in Pakistan. More than 20 al-Qaeda and

[10:44] Taliban operatives have been

[10:46] apprehended. But since 9/11, all the

[10:49] major arrests have come in Pakistan's

[10:51] big cities. from this house in Ral

[10:53] Pindi. Just two weeks ago, police

[10:55] apprehended the number three al-Qaeda

[10:58] man, Khaled Shik Muhammad. In September

[11:01] of last year, in a dramatic shootout in

[11:03] Karachi, September 11th, organizer

[11:05] Ramsey Bin Elsheib was caught. And a

[11:08] year ago, Pakistani intelligence and the

[11:11] FBI picked up an al-Qaeda leader Abu

[11:14] Zuba in Fiselbad. This is clearly a

[11:16] designed strategy to disperse their uh

[11:20] key operatives around the country and

[11:22] and in some cases outside the country so

[11:24] that if we arrest one individual, it's

[11:27] not going to necessarily damage the

[11:28] entire network.

[11:29] >> But those hunting the world's most

[11:31] wanted man say they are beginning to

[11:33] break through the barriers and more

[11:35] arrests are imminent. It's like a jigsaw

[11:37] puzzle and uh you know you have

[11:39] information from all sides and then you

[11:41] try and make sense out of it and

[11:43] sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

[11:45] >> Tonight it's becoming clear the pieces

[11:47] of that jigsaw puzzle are beginning to

[11:49] fit together and the net may be

[11:51] beginning to close on Osama bin Laden.

[11:54] Kevin Tibbles, NBC News, Islamabad.

[11:57] >> Up next on NBC Nightly News, the Arab

[12:00] world in America calls for a backlash

[12:02] against any American invasion of Iraq.

[12:05] That story coming up in depth. And

[12:08] later, financial relief on the home

[12:10] front. Is refinancing your home a good

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[14:48] NBC News in depth tonight. Inside the

[14:50] Arab world, more protest today in Arab

[14:53] capitals and a call from some religious

[14:55] leaders for a holy war or jihad if there

[14:58] is an American attack on Iraq. NBC's

[15:01] Donna Fzen tonight on the scene for us

[15:03] in Cairo.

[15:05] >> Another display of anti-war anger at

[15:07] Cairo University.

[15:10] >> Down with USA, they shout. Riot police

[15:13] keep tight control. Egypt's government,

[15:15] like other Middle Eastern regimes, more

[15:17] accustomed to musling public opinion

[15:19] than managing it. But as the war looms,

[15:22] the fear is more Muslims will not only

[15:24] speak out, but fight back.

[15:26] >> A terrorist act that is made by a

[15:28] government would also, of course,

[15:30] encourage terrorist acts that are uh

[15:32] made by individuals. It is just a

[15:34] natural result.

[15:35] >> A new poll backs that up. asked whether

[15:38] war in Iraq will bring more or less

[15:40] terrorism against the US. 74% of

[15:44] Egyptians and 97% of Saudi Arabians said

[15:48] more. The majority of people already

[15:50] outraged by the Israeli Palestinian

[15:52] conflict and the perceived pro-Israeli

[15:54] bias in Washington, now furious the US

[15:58] may unilaterally attack Iraq.

[16:00] >> The depth of opposition, the depth uh of

[16:04] resentment is is the highest I have

[16:06] seen. And I think the militants would

[16:08] have an easy time to mobilize the

[16:10] public, an angry public, a passionately

[16:12] angry public.

[16:13] >> Islamic clerics are speaking out too.

[16:16] And not just radicals, but wellrespected

[16:18] ones like here at Egypt's Alazar, the

[16:21] highest seat of Sunni Muslim learning,

[16:23] calling for jihad or holy war if Iraq is

[16:27] attacked. At Friday prayers, the imam

[16:29] explains jihad means self-defense, not

[16:32] aggression or terrorism. But the nuance

[16:35] is lost at the protest after prayers.

[16:38] >> We want jihad camps open. We want

[16:41] training to use guns. He shouts. In

[16:43] Iraq, that's already happening. These

[16:46] pictures shot by the Arabic language

[16:47] station Al Jazzer show volunteers from a

[16:50] number of Arab countries being trained

[16:52] by Iraqi officers. This man Syrian.

[16:56] Our faith is the most important thing.

[16:58] We are proud to fight under the flag of

[17:00] Allah.

[17:02] united in their belief that as good

[17:04] Muslims they must take up arms against

[17:07] America. An extreme interpretation of

[17:09] Islam, a symptom of the sthing anger

[17:12] Arab analysts say could inflame even

[17:14] moderate Arabs if the US attacks Iraq.

[17:19] Donna Fzen, NBC News, Cairo.

[17:23] Hundreds of thousands of mourners jammed

[17:25] the streets of Bgrade for the funeral of

[17:27] Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Gingich was

[17:31] gunned down Wednesday in downtown

[17:33] Bgrade. The government has blamed the

[17:35] assassination on underworld figures and

[17:37] others associated with former

[17:39] Yugoslavian President Sloan Malloich who

[17:42] is now standing trial for war crimes.

[17:45] When we come back, the boom in mortgage

[17:48] refinancing.

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[20:10] >> After a day of talk of disease and war,

[20:13] a story tonight about security on the

[20:14] home front, financial security. A record

[20:17] number of Americans are rushing to the

[20:19] bank to refinance the mortgages on their

[20:21] homes. But is it right for you? Here's

[20:24] NBC's Anne Thompson.

[20:26] >> Closing figures adjustments are

[20:27] >> Donna and Craig Breer, part of the

[20:29] records shattering boom in refinancing.

[20:32] your interest rate 5.875.

[20:34] >> Seeking smaller payments, homeowners

[20:36] like this New Jersey couple pushed

[20:37] refinancing applications to a new high

[20:40] in the first week in March, making up a

[20:42] whopping 80% of all mortgage

[20:44] applications. The Breers refinancing for

[20:47] the second time in as many years, trying

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[20:51] debt. We went from a, I believe, a

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[20:57] And now I'm paying actually about $75

[21:01] less a month.

[21:02] >> This burst of activity ignited by

[21:04] mortgage interest rates sinking to

[21:05] record lows. 5.61% for a 30-year fix,

[21:10] 4.93 for a 15-year fix. Cheap loans

[21:13] combined with a market that saw homes

[21:15] appreciate more than 7% last year now

[21:18] make mortgages an important financial

[21:20] tool for many families.

[21:22] >> I remember my parents having the

[21:24] mortgage burning party when they paid it

[21:26] off. That's not the mindset today. A

[21:29] mortgage is simply one part of an

[21:31] overall household budget and financial

[21:33] plan.

[21:34] >> Economists estimate last year alone

[21:36] refinancing gave homeowners an extra

[21:38] $200 billion to spend. Some consumers

[21:41] tapping into their homes equity, taking

[21:44] cash out and putting it back into the

[21:46] economy. But with all the concern about

[21:48] a possible bubble in the housing market,

[21:51] much like the one in the stock market

[21:52] that burst, consumer advocates say that

[21:55] money should not be used to run up more

[21:57] debt. Most importantly, spend the funds

[22:00] on needs, dire emergencies, uh capital

[22:05] investments to improve a home or perhaps

[22:08] uh get an education and avoid spending

[22:12] uh the funds on luxury items such as

[22:15] discretionary vacations.

[22:16] >> The savings, especially over time, can

[22:18] be dramatic. As the Breers found out,

[22:21] >> the Breers will save over $100,000 uh in

[22:24] the long run by reducing their term by

[22:26] almost uh 10 years,

[22:27] >> putting a key financial goal within

[22:29] their reach.

[22:30] >> By the time we retire, we'll be mortgage

[22:32] free.

[22:34] >> Today's home, more than just shelter for

[22:37] a growing number of Americans, a piggy

[22:39] bank in this uncertain economy. And

[22:42] Thompson, NBC News, New York.

[22:44] >> Hope we don't do this again. You can

[22:46] find out more about refinancing your

[22:47] home and how much your home is worth on

[22:49] our website msnbc.com.

[22:53] A family spokesman says Elizabeth Smart,

[22:55] the 15-year-old found Wednesday in Salt

[22:57] Lake City, Utah, 9 months after she was

[23:00] abducted from her home, is overwhelmed

[23:02] by the cards and flowers sent by

[23:04] well-wishers. And the Salt Lake County

[23:06] Sheriff says investigators are asking

[23:08] hard-nosed questions about the teen's

[23:10] 9-month ordeal. Her accused kidnapper,

[23:13] Brian Mitchell, reportedly wanted to

[23:15] take multiple wives. Officials say they

[23:18] likely won't charge M. Mitchell until

[23:20] Monday. When we come back, life on the

[23:23] front line and a countdown to war.

[23:32] >> If you have acid reflux disease, you

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[23:37] >> But there's something about acid reflux

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[23:48] >> I didn't know. I didn't know.

[23:50] >> I didn't know. Your doctor knows about

[23:52] the purple pill called Nexium. For many

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[23:57] day provides complete 24-hour day and

[24:00] night heartburn relief.

[24:01] >> Complete heartburn relief.

[24:03] >> And Nexium can heal even severe acid

[24:06] reflux erosions. Other serious stomach

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[24:15] So talk to your doctor and call this

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[24:20] trial offer from Nexium. Relieve the

[24:23] heartburn, heal the damage. It's

[24:25] possible with the purple pill called

[24:27] Nexium.

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[24:34] If you have an idea, a plan, a dream,

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[24:44] Still scratching that itchy scalp.

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[24:59] >> Even if you brush your dentures every

[25:01] day, you're missing something. Brushing

[25:03] can miss odor-causing food particles

[25:05] trapped in crevices. Polyadent with more

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[25:15] Announcing non-drowsy allergy medicine

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[25:45] >> Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney

[25:47] weighs in. The ultimate inside view on

[25:49] Iraq, the UN, and the president. How

[25:52] close are we to war? If it's Sunday,

[25:54] it's Meet the Press.

[25:55] >> Iraq 11th hour talks. NBC Nightly News

[25:58] Monday.

[26:01] Thousands of young American soldiers

[26:03] have trained and prepared diligently to

[26:05] fight in Iraq, but most have never

[26:07] experienced combat. NBC's Chip Reed is

[26:10] in Kuwait with a frontline unit of

[26:12] Marines whose leaders say anxiety is

[26:14] common and natural for fresh-faced

[26:17] youngsters as well as veterans alike on

[26:19] the eve of war.

[26:21] >> Can I do one more?

[26:23] >> I can't.

[26:24] >> Gunnery Sergeant Octaviano Gyos is a

[26:26] battleh hardened Marine.

[26:28] >> Push him up right there. Don't push him

[26:30] up. His men though, many of them

[26:31] teenagers, have never been close to the

[26:33] horrors of war.

[26:35] >> I got points.

[26:36] >> All say they are proud to be here, proud

[26:38] to be Marines. But many readily admit

[26:40] that with frontline assignments, fear is

[26:43] never far from their minds.

[26:45] >> Everybody goes through it at night. I

[26:46] mean, maybe some more than others, but

[26:49] everybody thinks about it. You know,

[26:51] what happens if I don't go home?

[26:53] >> Home where 18-year-old Michael Vasana

[26:56] has spent only 4 days with his

[26:57] two-month-old son. It's real hard not

[27:00] seeing my son missing every first that

[27:02] he does. I'm supposed to be there for

[27:04] him instead of I'm over here.

[27:06] >> You got to come out here and do

[27:07] something physical. Get

[27:08] >> the man who would lead them into war

[27:10] says there's nothing wrong with what

[27:11] they're feeling.

[27:12] >> You just try to convey the fact that

[27:14] it's okay to be scared. It's okay to be

[27:15] afraid, but it's got to be controlled

[27:17] fear.

[27:18] >> Left open doorway.

[27:19] >> To keep their fear under control and

[27:21] skills razor sharp training is constant

[27:25] up. They rehearse the kind of

[27:27] house-to-house combat they could see in

[27:29] Baghdad.

[27:30] >> All right. ALL CLEAR. ROOM. ALL CLEAR.

[27:32] >> The battlefield maneuvers they'll use to

[27:34] get there. And they practice responding

[27:36] to a possible chemical attack along the

[27:38] way.

[27:39] >> Okay. Check his face. Check his check

[27:41] his mask.

[27:42] >> But the top marine brass understand that

[27:44] at a time like this, so close possibly

[27:46] to going to war, morale is absolutely

[27:49] crucial. So every day they get to do at

[27:51] least a little bit of this.

[27:54] >> PLAYING THAT. YEAH.

[27:56] >> BUILDING CAMARADERIE. All part of the

[27:58] making of a Marine.

[28:00] >> Try to be strong.

[28:01] >> Keep your fellow Marines strong.

[28:05] >> Just come home together.

[28:07] >> The Marines of Camp Grizzly eager to go

[28:09] home, but ready to go through Baghdad to

[28:12] get there. Chip Reed, NBC News in

[28:14] northern Kuwait.

[28:17] >> And stay with NBC News for all the

[28:18] latest developments on the Iraq story.

[28:20] Tonight, Iraq announced it is going on

[28:22] war footing. And President Bush holds a

[28:24] summit tomorrow with leaders of Britain

[28:26] and Spain. Continuing coverage on MSNBC

[28:29] on cable and the internet tomorrow

[28:30] morning on Today and Tim Russard with

[28:33] Vice President Dick Cheney tomorrow on

[28:35] Meet the Press. I'm John Sigenthaler in

[28:37] New York. I'll see you back here again

[28:39] tomorrow night.

[28:52] NBC News, America's news leader.

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