NBC Nightly News - 1988-03-28

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] Tonight on the seat at 6,

[0:03] >> Jackson and Dukakus at the moment, a

[0:04] dead heat for the Democrats and a

[0:06] potential problem. The Israelis crack

[0:08] down even harder and a special report

[0:10] tonight on drugs and terror.

[0:15] >> NBC Nightly News with Tom Bro.

[0:19] >> Good evening. If Jesse Jackson finishes

[0:21] this primary season with more delegates

[0:23] than any of the other Democratic

[0:25] presidential candidates, but not enough

[0:26] to win the nomination outright, what can

[0:29] the party big shots do? That's the sweet

[0:32] prospect for Jackson tonight and the

[0:34] dilemma for a lot of Democrats. With the

[0:36] withdrawal of Missouri Congressman

[0:37] Richard Gar today, most of his delegates

[0:39] are now distributed to the survivors.

[0:41] And that means a flat tie between

[0:44] Jackson and Michael Dukakus, 623

[0:47] delegates a piece. Senator Al Gore

[0:49] trails with 368. That is the NBC News

[0:52] count tonight. That is still a long way

[0:55] from the 2082 required for nomination.

[0:57] But as NBC's national political

[0:59] correspondent Ken Bod reports now,

[1:01] Jackson's landslide victory in Michigan

[1:03] over the weekend moved him into a higher

[1:05] order. Ken. Tom. Democratic chairman

[1:07] Paul Kirk has said that if Jesse Jackson

[1:09] has the most delegates, there will be no

[1:12] concerted effort to deny him the

[1:13] nomination. The fact that Paul Kirk felt

[1:15] he had to make that statement indicates

[1:17] something about the state of affairs

[1:18] inside the Democratic party right now

[1:21] >> with the most votes.

[1:22] >> Today, Jackson was in Connecticut where

[1:24] his chief opponent, Michael Dukakus, has

[1:26] endorsements from the Democratic

[1:28] governor, US Senator, and members of

[1:30] Congress.

[1:30] >> We're not getting endorsements from top

[1:32] down. We're getting support from the

[1:34] bottom up.

[1:35] >> Dukakus must now prove he can stop

[1:37] Jackson's momentum and regain some of

[1:39] his own.

[1:39] >> Endorsements by themselves don't win you

[1:42] elections. It's the time and effort and

[1:44] energy that the people who support you

[1:46] put into it.

[1:47] >> The landslide results in Michigan got

[1:49] the attention of the Democratic

[1:51] establishment, which has assumed all

[1:53] along that Jackson will not be

[1:55] nominated. Political scientist Ron

[1:57] Walters says white Democratic leaders,

[2:00] many of them elected with black votes,

[2:02] now have an obligation. have to exercise

[2:04] the moral authority to say that anybody

[2:06] who has the ability to appeal to the

[2:09] Democratic constituency uh in the terms

[2:11] that Jesse Jackson has appealed to them

[2:13] really has a right to have a fair shot

[2:15] at being elected president.

[2:17] >> Today the Democratic establishment began

[2:19] to grapple with the dilemma of Jesse

[2:21] Jackson as frontr runner.

[2:23] >> Jesse Jackson's a phenomenon and and uh

[2:27] nothing in politics makes you more

[2:28] nervous and more itchy than uncertainty.

[2:30] Many agreed that Jackson's policies will

[2:33] now get a tougher going over.

[2:35] >> A moderate liberal. That's where we are.

[2:38] Moderate liberal, not radical. And I

[2:41] believe that Jackson's positions are

[2:43] radical. I've said this many, many

[2:44] times. This is not something new.

[2:46] >> The challenge for Jackson will be to

[2:48] prove that he won't spell disaster for

[2:50] the Democrats in November. Specifically,

[2:52] he must demonstrate he can get more and

[2:54] more white votes. Bruce Babbot says

[2:57] Jackson's white boats now come partly

[2:59] because he's a powerful symbol on the

[3:01] century old question of race.

[3:03] >> That's a pride that people in my

[3:05] generation of expectation of hope and

[3:07] say what an extraordinary

[3:10] thing that Jesse Jackson could come in

[3:13] one generation from the streets of Selma

[3:15] Alabama to the front runner to a frontr

[3:18] runner of our party for president. But

[3:21] Babbot also says that the symbolic phase

[3:23] is now over. That anyone voting for

[3:25] Jackson in the primaries in Connecticut,

[3:27] Wisconsin, New York, or the primaries

[3:29] thereafter is sending a message that

[3:31] they really want this man to be

[3:32] president. Tom,

[3:34] >> thank you. Ken voting in Washington

[3:36] tonight. And the withdrawal of

[3:37] Congressman Richard Gart today raised

[3:38] new questions about the importances of

[3:41] those Iowa caucuses, the first test of

[3:44] the season. Gart won there, but as NBC's

[3:46] Dennis Murphy reports now, it's been

[3:48] mostly downhill since then.

[3:52] >> Gart got one of his biggest receptions

[3:54] in the final moments of his campaign.

[3:56] >> It's been said that the opera isn't over

[3:59] until the fat lady sings.

[4:02] Well, last Saturday in Michigan, I think

[4:04] I heard her walking to the microphone.

[4:08] It's time to end a presidential

[4:11] campaign.

[4:12] >> It began for Gart in Iowa. He campaigned

[4:15] hard there for two years, but he didn't

[4:17] catch fire until he began running his

[4:19] commercial about fair trade and Korean

[4:21] car makers.

[4:22] >> $48,000 for one of their Hyundai.

[4:24] >> Gart's protectionist trade message

[4:26] worked and I love Iowa.

[4:28] >> But Iowa was Gart's high water mark. By

[4:31] Super Tuesday, he was broke and reeling

[4:33] from opponents attacks and negative

[4:34] press coverage

[4:35] >> for and against reggonomics.

[4:37] >> He was tagged as a flipflopper, a phony

[4:39] populist. Gart was routed on Super

[4:41] Tuesday. Well, I never told you that it

[4:44] was going to be easy.

[4:46] >> He tried to put it back together in

[4:48] Michigan, but it was all over. Voters

[4:50] abandoned him.

[4:50] >> I have no alibis, and we lost. There's

[4:53] no question about that.

[4:54] >> Tomorrow, Gart will file for reelection

[4:56] to Congress. He freed his 168 delegates

[4:59] to support whom they pleased. Gart may

[5:02] endorse a candidate later, but not

[5:03] today. He left the race without any

[5:05] bitterness.

[5:06] >> I have no complaints today. I'm the

[5:08] luckiest guy in the world. Dennis

[5:09] Murphy, NBC News at the US capital.

[5:13] >> On the Republican side, New York

[5:14] Congressman Jack Kemp endorsed Vice

[5:16] President George Bush, who has all but

[5:18] locked up the GOP nomination. Kemp

[5:20] failed to go anywhere with his campaign,

[5:22] but he does have strong ties to the

[5:24] right, and he is a prospect for vice

[5:27] president. Also coming up here tonight

[5:29] on NBC Nightly News, the Israelis get

[5:31] even tougher. And in a special segment

[5:34] report tonight, Brian Ross will show you

[5:36] how this drug boss and others like him

[5:39] have seized control of much of Colombia

[5:41] with terror and cold cash.

[5:48] >> I get up early to capture the morning

[5:50] light, but sometimes my arthritis pain

[5:52] catches me first. I used to take aspirin

[5:55] or Tylenol, but today it's Advil. Advil

[5:58] contains a non-prescription strength of

[6:00] the medicine in the prescription brand

[6:02] Motrin. You know, just one Advil is as

[6:04] effective as two regular aspirin. That's

[6:06] important to me. And Advil didn't upset

[6:08] my stomach. It gives me hours of relief

[6:10] for minor arthritis pain. Advil,

[6:13] advanced medicine for pain.

[6:16] >> I tell you, he's gotten goofy.

[6:18] >> I like your dad.

[6:19] >> Dad? He thinks he's my brother. Last

[6:22] night, we were shooting hoops at 10:00.

[6:24] So, Marty, this is the same man who

[6:26] never lift his nose out of a newspaper.

[6:28] Now, we listen to Xerrock on the radio.

[6:31] Hm. Who is this?

[6:33] >> The right vitamin nutrition and a

[6:34] balanced diet helps people get more out

[6:36] of life. Some are finding Kellogg's

[6:38] product 19, 100% of 12 vitamins and

[6:41] minerals.

[6:41] >> I just wish he'd act his age, like your

[6:43] dad.

[6:44] >> Feel like 19 again.

[6:48] >> It is Israel's toughest crackdown in the

[6:50] occupied territories in 15 years. The

[6:52] Israeli army today ordered the West Bank

[6:54] and Gaza Strip closed through Wednesday,

[6:57] making a million and a half Palestinians

[6:59] virtually prisoners of those areas.

[7:02] NBC's Martin Fletcher reports tonight on

[7:04] Israel's latest attempt to stop the

[7:05] unrest.

[7:08] The gate to Gaza closed and won't be

[7:11] open for 3 days. The same for the West

[7:13] Bank. For the first time, the occupied

[7:15] territories are closed to all Arabs and

[7:17] Israelis except the army and Jewish

[7:20] settlers. It's the most extreme of

[7:22] several extreme measures Israel's taking

[7:24] to stop the uprising from getting worse.

[7:27] Wednesday is land day, a traditional day

[7:29] of Arab protest against the Israeli

[7:31] government. For many Israelis, when it

[7:33] comes to the territories, no news is

[7:35] good news.

[7:37] >> It is likely to become a massive violent

[7:39] demonstration and we believe that there

[7:41] will be staged demonstrations in front

[7:44] of the TV crews from all over the world.

[7:47] It is therefore a precaution necessary

[7:49] under the circumstances to reduce

[7:51] violence.

[7:52] >> Until now, the army claimed the occupied

[7:54] territories were open to the press,

[7:56] though local officers can and frequently

[7:58] do close areas for what they call

[8:00] operational reasons. The clampdown has

[8:03] been accompanied by widescale arrests of

[8:05] leading Palestinians. So many the army

[8:07] stopped releasing the number. It's

[8:09] believed to be about 3,000. Not all are

[8:12] taken by force. The army told Ali Kasim

[8:15] to report to jail and he says he had no

[8:18] choice but to obey. He's accused of

[8:20] helping incite the revolt against the

[8:22] Israeli occupation. Almost all the

[8:24] occupied territories went on strike

[8:26] today to protest the latest crackdown

[8:28] and West Bank leaders promised that

[8:30] Wednesday will still be a day of

[8:32] violence.

[8:34] Martin Fletcher, NBC News, Tel Aviv.

[8:37] >> Meanwhile, the relentless Persian Gulf

[8:39] tanker war continued today. Iranian

[8:41] gunboats attacking two huge super

[8:42] tankers and setting them on fire. One

[8:44] was a Liberian tanker, the other a

[8:47] Danish ship carrying oil from Saudi

[8:49] Arabia. No casualties were reported on

[8:51] either tanker. Iran has now attacked

[8:54] nine neutral ships in as many days,

[8:56] apparently in retaliation for an Iraqi

[8:59] air raid earlier this month on Iran's

[9:01] Car Island oil terminal. An estimated 50

[9:04] people died in that attack.

[9:07] In Washington, special Iran contra

[9:09] prosecutor Lawrence Walsh said today

[9:10] that he has cut a deal now with Israel

[9:13] for its cooperation in his

[9:14] investigation. After trying for a year,

[9:16] Walsh and his staff now will be able to

[9:18] question Israeli officials about their

[9:20] role in the sale of arms to Iran. The

[9:23] Reagan administration has implied that

[9:25] the arm sales were an an Israeli idea.

[9:30] >> Heartburn again.

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[10:15] >> Come on. Got a lot of eggs there.

[10:18] >> Oh, you know what I always say, Easter

[10:20] ain't Easter without eggs. Just look at

[10:23] this. It's going to be a real great

[10:25] Easter.

[10:25] >> Smoke all these yourself. You know what

[10:27] I always say, Easter ain't Easter

[10:29] without a ham. Hey, didn't I put my eggs

[10:32] there?

[10:32] >> That's the FTD Easter Basket Bouquet.

[10:34] >> Real nice. You know what I always say?

[10:37] >> Easter ain't Easter without flowers. The

[10:40] FTD Easter Basket Bouquet. Bright spring

[10:42] flowers in a colorful Easter basket.

[10:45] Introducing A1 Poultry Sauce with herbs,

[10:47] spices, and fruit meant just for

[10:49] chicken.

[10:55] So A1 Poultry Sauce makes the most of

[10:58] chicken any way you make it.

[11:01] >> Panama's military ruler Manuel Noriega

[11:03] sent his troops to do battle today on

[11:04] the streets of Panama City against

[11:06] crowds of civilians demonstrating

[11:08] against him. Panama's economy is all but

[11:11] paralyzed by a shortage of dollars and a

[11:13] general strike which is now in its

[11:14] second week. However, as NBC's Ed Rabel

[11:16] reports tonight, Noriega is hanging on

[11:19] and hanging tough.

[11:22] More than 5,000 people ignored a

[11:25] government order banning the protest and

[11:27] marched into the streets of Panama City.

[11:31] The march was well underway when

[11:32] Panameanian troops and police using

[11:34] water cannon and tear gas broke it up.

[11:37] Some of the protesters were injured.

[11:39] Those who organized the march called it

[11:41] a lastditch effort to pressure Noriega

[11:43] to give up power and leave the country.

[11:45] But Noriega and the government he

[11:47] controls were able to get through

[11:49] another day.

[11:51] They paid retired government workers

[11:53] pension benefits in cash even though the

[11:56] government is said to be broke. An

[11:58] economic squeeze on Panama by the US has

[12:00] cut off the flow of dollars here.

[12:03] >> This is the last we're going to be. I'm

[12:05] very sure of that. They don't have any

[12:06] more cash.

[12:07] >> The government did threaten to force the

[12:09] banks here to reopen so it could get its

[12:12] hands on some cash, but so far the banks

[12:14] remain closed. The economic squeeze was

[12:17] supposed to have forced Noriega out by

[12:19] this time, but the general has proven

[12:22] more durable than US officials had

[12:23] figured. Now NBC News has learned from

[12:26] sources in Panama that the White House

[12:28] is conducting secret negotiations with

[12:30] Noriega. The sources say a solution to

[12:33] the crisis may be at hand. It calls for

[12:36] the United States to lift court orders

[12:38] which froze $50 million in Panameanian

[12:40] assets in the US. In return, Noriega

[12:43] would agree to resign, install cabinet

[12:45] members acceptable to the US, and put

[12:47] officers in charge of the National Guard

[12:49] the United States agrees to called a

[12:52] Panameanian solution. It would be face

[12:54] saving for both Noriega and the US.

[12:56] According to the sources, if the US is

[12:58] not willing to allow the so-called

[13:00] Panameanian solution, the sources say

[13:02] Noriega vows to continue to tough it

[13:05] out, printing his own currency and

[13:07] creating and arming a civilian militia.

[13:10] Ed Rabel, NBC News, Panama.

[13:14] >> The American combat troops who were

[13:15] rushed to Honduras as a show of force 11

[13:17] days ago after a reported invasion by

[13:19] Nicaragua now are coming back home. The

[13:22] troops never got within 90 miles of

[13:24] where the fighting was reported. But

[13:26] today, as 800 members of the 82nd

[13:28] Airborne Division prepared to leave,

[13:29] they knew that they would be welcomed

[13:31] home in style.

[13:35] And they were.

[13:38] After parachuting into their home base

[13:40] in North Carolina, the paratroopers were

[13:41] serenated by a military band and cheered

[13:44] by their families and friends.

[13:48] When President and Mrs. Reagan go back

[13:50] home to California when his term is over

[13:52] next January, they will be moving to the

[13:53] Bair section of Los Angeles, one of the

[13:56] most exclusive and secluded areas in

[13:58] this country. They have taken a

[14:00] three-year lease on this house with a

[14:03] swimming pool and 6,500 square ft of

[14:05] living space. It has 17 rooms, including

[14:08] three bedrooms, six baths.

[14:11] The house is owned by a group of friends

[14:13] of the Reagans, who bought it with them

[14:14] in mind. There is no word on how much

[14:16] the Reagans will be paying in rent.

[14:18] However,

[14:27] I've heard some people say that all pain

[14:29] relievers are the same. Well, that's

[14:31] just not true. In the hospital after a

[14:34] boating accident, my doctor set me

[14:36] straight. He gave me Tylenol.

[14:38] Stop the pain without irritating my

[14:40] stomach like aspirin or even ibuprofen

[14:42] can. With so many pain relievers today,

[14:45] some people might have trouble deciding,

[14:47] but I know what to trust. Tylenol,

[14:50] because they're not all the same.

[14:52] >> Trust Tylenol, the pain reliever

[14:54] hospitals use most.

[14:56] >> Why I like stove top instead. I used to

[15:00] make my husband potatoes every night.

[15:02] And then one day he said he'd be missing

[15:04] supper cuz he had to work late. I

[15:06] thought that's strange for a milkman. So

[15:08] next night I made stove top stuffing.

[15:10] And when he tasted those breadcrumbs and

[15:12] spices, he said, "Marty, let's have

[15:14] dessert in the gazebo tonight." Well,

[15:17] that was lots of kids and grandkids ago.

[15:19] Do I still make stove top? You bet your

[15:22] gazebo. I do.

[15:24] >> Stovetop instead.

[15:26] Well, I'm stuffed up. I want relief

[15:28] fast. Neosinephrine starts working in a

[15:31] neocond.

[15:31] >> A neocond.

[15:33] I like that.

[15:34] >> Today, nothing works faster to get you

[15:36] breathing.

[15:36] >> Breathing. I like that.

[15:38] >> Neocinephrine. Relief in a neocond.

[15:41] >> Fixing this water damage will cost

[15:43] $1,200.

[15:44] Could I have prevented it?

[15:46] >> You could. Thompson's Water Seal

[15:48] protects wood, brick, and concrete with

[15:50] its special waterproofing formula.

[15:52] Thompson's Water Seal. A great defense

[15:54] against repair expense.

[15:58] The guys around the office think I

[15:59] bought a Buick Regal because it's so

[16:01] beautifully designed and so comfortable.

[16:03] And they're right. But they also think I

[16:05] got a raise. Because in their eternal

[16:07] wisdom, they think this Regal cost $2 or

[16:09] $3,000 more than it did. If that's what

[16:12] you think, go see your Buick dealer.

[16:14] You'll find Regal is priced with T-Ird

[16:16] and Cougar, even less. But don't tell

[16:19] the guys around the office.

[16:24] belongs to.

[16:28] >> We're going to some extra lengths on

[16:29] special segment tonight. Drugs and

[16:31] terror. We keep reporting stories of

[16:34] drug murders or shootouts of one kind or

[16:36] another here and in Latin America, but

[16:39] that's a little like reporting a war one

[16:41] firefight at a time. It doesn't show the

[16:44] whole bloody picture, the incredible

[16:46] extent of drug terror and what it does

[16:48] to whole countries. Tonight on this

[16:51] program, we have set aside extra time to

[16:53] do just that. And we begin with Brian

[16:55] Ross' report on how drug lords are

[16:57] terrorizing Colombia.

[17:00] >> This is one of the border crossings from

[17:02] the west into the tight security police

[17:05] state of Hungary. Sometime last year,

[17:08] somewhere around here, a team of

[17:10] assassins from a long way away managed

[17:13] to slip through all the checkpoints here

[17:15] to get to Budapest to carry out an

[17:18] assignment for one of the world's most

[17:19] ruthless criminal organizations. The

[17:22] assassins were sent here to this quiet

[17:24] street in Budapest by the drug bosses

[17:26] who run the Medí Cocaine Cartel in

[17:29] Colombia. The man the drug bosses wanted

[17:32] dead was the former minister of justice

[17:34] of Colombia who lived here and who had

[17:37] been sent to this Soviet block country

[17:39] as ambassador for his own safety after

[17:41] the drug bosses had marked him for death

[17:43] in Colombia. But even here, thousands of

[17:47] miles from Colombia in a police state,

[17:49] the drug bosses set out to prove that

[17:52] anyone who gets in their way will be

[17:54] killed. This was the scene hours after

[17:57] the assassins made their move, firing

[17:59] five bullets into the Colombian

[18:01] ambassador at close range.

[18:03] >> Shot here, the first one. One who

[18:06] penetrates in the mouth.

[18:09] >> Miraculously, Ambassador Enrique Parejo

[18:12] lived. One of the few times the drug

[18:14] bosses failed in their campaign of

[18:16] murder. Now all over the world,

[18:19] Ambassador Perejo is a hero in the fight

[18:22] against the men who tried to kill him.

[18:24] This was the ambassador just a month

[18:26] after he was shot. With his wouldbe

[18:28] assassin still at large, his bullet

[18:30] wounds not yet healed, his jaws wired

[18:33] shut, Parejo refused to hide or to give

[18:36] up.

[18:40] >> Do you think that by speaking out as

[18:42] forcefully as you are that you're

[18:44] inviting them to come after you again?

[18:46] >> It is impossible for me to change.

[18:50] For that reason I have said they can

[18:52] also kill kill me kill somebody who

[18:57] fight against them but they cannot

[19:01] change the the will of person who are

[19:04] convinced that we have to fight to

[19:08] defeat them.

[19:11] But in Colombia, a place of proud

[19:13] traditions, this is not a time for great

[19:16] acts or even strong words against the

[19:18] cocaine business. The Colombian cocaine

[19:21] bosses may not have intimidated

[19:22] Ambassador Perejo, but with all their

[19:25] violence, their wealth, and their power,

[19:28] they seem to have intimidated,

[19:30] corrupted, overwhelmed much of Colombian

[19:33] government and Colombian society. A lot

[19:35] of important people here say the days of

[19:38] fighting the drug bosses in Colombia are

[19:40] over. That Colombia has paid just too

[19:43] high a price. There has been so much

[19:46] bloodshed, so much killing that the

[19:48] Colombians are numb. No one is safe. The

[19:52] attorney general was murdered in January

[19:54] when he went to Medí to investigate the

[19:56] cartel. And when the attorney general

[19:58] was buried, the president of the country

[20:00] did not come reportedly because he

[20:03] feared for his own life.

[20:06] >> And now the new attorney general says

[20:08] Colombia should not make war on the drug

[20:11] cartel. It should make peace with the

[20:13] cartel by simply legalizing the cocaine

[20:16] business.

[20:18] In fact, it's been years since the big

[20:20] drug bosses here have had much to fear

[20:22] from Colombian judges or prosecutors.

[20:24] This is one of the last times a big

[20:26] cartel boss, Fabio Ooa, was called in

[20:29] for questioning. Ooah showed up at the

[20:32] Bogota courthouse surrounded by four

[20:34] bodyguards carrying machine guns and

[20:37] they went unchallenged right into the

[20:39] judge's chambers. Ooah was quickly

[20:42] released and no charges were ever

[20:43] brought.

[20:44] >> If you were a judge and you receive a a

[20:48] case against a drug trafficker, in a few

[20:50] hours a lawyer will show up. Lou Tams,

[20:52] former American ambassador to Colombia,

[20:55] says the drug bosses use bundles of cash

[20:57] and threats against judges families to

[21:00] get the cases against them thrown out of

[21:02] court.

[21:03] >> And if you're not interested in the

[21:04] bundle, then the lawyer will show you a

[21:08] photograph album.

[21:10] And the photograph album will be of your

[21:13] wife and your children and your

[21:16] grandchildren.

[21:19] And so what do you do? I'll tell you

[21:21] what you do. You let them let them go.

[21:24] You let the suspect go.

[21:26] >> Incredibly, some of the most ruthless

[21:28] drug bosses are now prominent, accepted

[21:31] figures in Colombian society. Pablo

[21:34] Escobar and other cartel leaders under

[21:36] indictment in the United States, have

[21:38] owned leading professional soccer teams

[21:40] in the country. One of Colombia's

[21:42] leading television stars has had an open

[21:45] romantic relationship with Escobar. And

[21:47] one of the country's top sports heroes,

[21:50] Dario Chica is closely associated with

[21:53] the OOA family. And in the remote areas

[21:56] of Colombia, where the drug bosses

[21:58] operate their cocaine business, they

[22:00] live like feudal lords. One drug boss

[22:03] even has a castle. They spend millions

[22:05] raising fancy show horses, and their

[22:08] ranches and farms are some of the

[22:09] biggest in South America. Most troubling

[22:12] of all is that like feudal lords, the

[22:15] drug bosses have made the people in the

[22:16] countryside loyal to them. In the

[22:19] aftermath of a big earthquake, hundreds

[22:21] of homeless peasants stood in line to

[22:23] receive handouts of cash, not from a

[22:25] relief worker, but from a drug boss, the

[22:28] most violent of the Colombian drug

[22:30] bosses, Gonzalo Rodriguez. In a few

[22:33] hours, Rodriguez, guarded by the

[22:36] national police, personally handed out

[22:38] almost $200,000,

[22:41] using a small amount of his billions in

[22:43] cocaine profits to make himself a

[22:45] beloved figure with people who may not

[22:48] know much about what's happened to the

[22:50] prosecutors in Medí or the judges in

[22:53] Bogota or the ambassador in Budapest.

[22:56] >> How close do you think the traffickers

[22:59] are to winning that battle?

[23:01] >> No. If things continue as they are

[23:04] running now, they are very very near to

[23:07] win this battle.

[23:09] >> Brian Ross, NBC News, Bogotaa.

[23:14] >> And today we learned the acting attorney

[23:15] general of Colombia, Alfredo Gutterz

[23:18] Marquez, the man who recommended

[23:19] legalizing cocaine, he has resigned.

[23:22] Gutierrez wrote a letter of resignation

[23:24] to Colombia's president when it was

[23:25] disclosed that his brother brought a

[23:27] huge farm from drug boss Pablo Escobar

[23:30] and a plane believed to belong to the

[23:32] drug cartel landed there recently.

[23:34] Someone who is standing up to the drug

[23:36] bosses, however, is Andre Pastana, the

[23:39] mayor elect of Bogota. During his

[23:42] campaign, he was kidnapped by drug thugs

[23:44] and rescued after a week a short while

[23:46] later. He was elected mayor on a

[23:48] platform of cracking down on the drug

[23:50] trade. Mayor Pastana is in New York to

[23:52] meet with Mayor Cotch about a joint

[23:54] anti-drug campaign. I must say, Mr.

[23:55] Mayor, to an American looking in the

[23:58] situation in your country seems hopeless

[23:59] that you're losing the war. How do you

[24:01] size it up?

[24:02] >> No, I don't think it's it's hopeless

[24:04] until the last Colombian honest

[24:06] Colombian is gone. Uh I think uh we the

[24:10] Colombians inside our country, outside

[24:12] our country, 99% are honest and we are

[24:15] honest and hardworking people. I think

[24:17] if Colombia loses the battle, the world

[24:20] will lose the war against drugs.

[24:21] >> As you know, many Americans believe the

[24:23] thing for us to do is to shut off all

[24:25] aid to Colombia to move troops to the

[24:27] border and maybe even to the country to

[24:29] shut down those cocaine factories that

[24:31] are operating there. What would be your

[24:32] reaction to that?

[24:33] >> I don't think that's the way to to

[24:35] attack the the drug in in your country

[24:37] or in the United States because now the

[24:39] United States and Colombia, we are

[24:41] producing countries. We produce cocaine.

[24:43] Now you're producing marijuana. We are

[24:46] both consuming countries and I think we

[24:48] have to start exchanging opinions on how

[24:51] can we fight the drug in our streets not

[24:53] not only as the policing or repression

[24:56] but also in consumption in the streets

[24:58] with campaigns of prevention and

[25:00] education that's why I want to plan a

[25:03] meeting at the end of this year in

[25:05] Colombia inviting the most important

[25:07] mayors of the United States Europe Latin

[25:09] America to interchange exchange opinions

[25:12] or how can we apply in our country's

[25:14] success campaign against the drug.

[25:16] >> But when they see that footage from your

[25:18] country of bullet ridds and dead

[25:20] officials, don't you think you'll have a

[25:21] hard time getting them there?

[25:23] >> Yeah, but I think we we I have to fight

[25:24] and we have to fight the young people

[25:26] for our generation are our children's

[25:28] generation. We have to find to give to

[25:31] them a free or a drug-free society.

[25:34] >> And do you live in constant fear for

[25:35] your own safety?

[25:36] >> I don't think in the past. I think in

[25:37] the future and I think I have a respon

[25:39] responsibility with my city, with my

[25:41] country and all of us, we have to start

[25:43] fighting against the drug. Mr.

[25:45] >> Mayor, thank you for being with us.

[25:46] >> Thank you.

[25:46] >> It's worth pointing out, by the way,

[25:47] that the mayor is a former television

[25:49] anchor man. Tomorrow on this program,

[25:51] we'll examine how drugs are terrorizing

[25:53] many parts of this country and what can

[25:56] be done about that. That's Nightly News

[25:59] for this Monday night. I'm Tom Brokoff.

[26:01] I'll see you tomorrow night.

[26:04] >> Oh, look at the time. I got to get some

[26:07] Z's.

[26:08] >> Nall will help you get your Z's.

[26:11] >> Nighthol helps you feel drowsy so you

[26:14] can get your Z's.

[26:15] >> NL will help you get your Z's.

[26:20] >> Why do they call it heartburn when it's

[26:23] me, your stomach, that's hurting? When

[26:26] ant acids don't stop the pain from

[26:28] coming back, it could be an ulcer. It's

[26:31] okay because there are treatment

[26:33] programs to help heal ulcers. If you

[26:36] think you have an ulcer, go see your

[26:38] doctor and ask about the available

[26:40] treatment programs. Sponsored by Smith

[26:43] Klein at French, the ulcer experts. You

[26:46] could make your stomach very happy.

[26:51] >> I'm Brian Gumble. Tomorrow morning on

[26:52] today, a disturbing new study on housing

[26:54] in America.

[26:54] >> I'm Maria Shrivever. Also, Martin Sheen

[26:56] and Pro Bailey.

[26:57] >> Join us tomorrow morning on Today.

[27:03] If they could see you now out on a fun

[27:05] ship cruise, you're eating fancy food

[27:08] and doing what you choose. I'd like your

[27:10] friends back home together at the first

[27:14] rate carnival cruise that you took. All

[27:17] I can say is wow. Hey, look at where you

[27:20] are. What a fun ship. Holy cow. They

[27:23] never believe it if your friends could

[27:25] see you now.

[27:26] >> Take a 3, four, 7day cruise on Carnival.

[27:29] The most popular cruise line in the

[27:30] world.

[27:32] My sister recommended Preparation H for

[27:34] my hemorrhoidal problems. Why should I

[27:36] listen to her? Because she's also a

[27:38] doctor.

[27:38] >> It often relieves pain and itching for

[27:40] hours, helps shrink swelling of inflamed

[27:42] hemorrhoidal tissue, and soothes painful

[27:44] irritation.

[27:45] >> Doctors know best.

[28:00] Heat. Heat.

[28:28] Tonight, it will become the bloodiest

[28:29] war in American history.

[28:31] >> Two sons dead. My god, isn't that

[28:33] enough?

[28:34] >> As the president is haunted by dreams of

[28:36] destiny.

[28:37] >> Who is dead in the White House? A world

[28:40] premiere miniseries.

[28:43] The unforgettable finale of Gore Vidal's

[28:45] Lincoln tonight.

[28:49] Coming up next on the scene at 6,

[28:50] campaign promises and big wish lists

[28:53] puts the mayor in a taxing situation.