NBC Nightly News - 2009-03-19

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:01] On the broadcast this evening,

[0:03] salesman-in-chief, far from Washington,

[0:05] the president pitches his economic plan

[0:08] and responds to students with a message

[0:09] of their own about the American dream.

[0:12] Bonus question, Congress moves to get

[0:14] back the money spent on those AIG

[0:16] bonuses amid finger-pointing over who's

[0:19] to blame.

[0:20] Fallen star, remembering actress Natasha

[0:23] Richardson, a sudden tragic death and

[0:26] some answers tonight about just what

[0:27] happened.

[0:28] And screen gem, small-town movie palace

[0:31] with a big idea that's packing them in

[0:34] and making a difference. Nightly news

[0:36] begins now.

[0:39] >> [music]

[0:42] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:44] York, this is NBC Nightly News with

[0:47] Brian Williams.

[0:49] Good evening, I'm David Gregory, in

[0:50] tonight for Brian Williams. The

[0:52] president is in California tonight,

[0:54] making the hard sell for his economic

[0:56] agenda. He's doing it during a week when

[0:58] Americans' anger about Wall Street's

[1:00] excess, those AIG bonuses, boiled over.

[1:03] Mr. Obama has, for now at least, taken

[1:05] the reins as chief spokesman on the

[1:07] economy, trying to tamp down the

[1:09] public's frustration while forecasting

[1:11] brighter days ahead. And he's doing it

[1:13] on many fronts, including an appearance

[1:15] on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a

[1:17] first for a sitting president. Our White

[1:20] House correspondent Savannah Guthrie,

[1:21] traveling with the president, is tonight

[1:23] in Los Angeles. Savannah?

[1:25] Well, David, good evening. The president

[1:26] just concluded his appearance on the

[1:28] Tonight Show with Jay Leno, it will air

[1:30] later tonight on NBC stations. It was

[1:32] billed as a chance for the president to

[1:34] reach ordinary Americans to talk about

[1:36] the economy, but for most of it, Leno

[1:38] seemed more the serious interview than

[1:41] comedian. He asked about the AIG bonus

[1:43] scandal and also what the president is

[1:45] trying to do to fix the economy.

[1:51] Now, it's only what, 59 days now, right?

[1:54] And 59 days. So much scrutiny, uh, is it

[1:57] fair to judge so quickly? I mean, how

[1:59] Well,

[2:00] we are [snorts] going through a

[2:01] difficult time.

[2:02] Uh, I welcome the challenge. You know, I

[2:05] ran for president cuz I thought we

[2:06] needed big changes and uh, I I I do

[2:09] think in Washington, it's a little bit

[2:11] like American Idol, except everybody is

[2:13] Simon Cowell. Wow,

[2:16] wow.

[2:17] Well, the president was also asked about

[2:18] his Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner,

[2:20] who's been under fire for some perceived

[2:22] missteps, especially about that AIG

[2:24] bonus scandal. And he has, he has

[2:27] before, defended Treasury Secretary

[2:28] Geithner.

[2:30] I actually think that he has taken the

[2:32] right steps and we're going to have our

[2:33] economy back on the move. Now, see, I

[2:35] love that it's all his problem.

[2:37] No, no, no, I mean, I mean,

[2:39] I mean, when he came in, you probably

[2:40] said, "Hey, this is not a problem." Now

[2:42] it's, "Hey, you got this, you got that.

[2:44] Hey, good luck."

[2:46] No, no, but this is the the the the

[2:48] this is the point that I made, uh, I

[2:50] think 2 days ago when, uh, somebody

[2:52] asked, "Well, do you have confidence in

[2:54] Tim Geithner?" I said, "Look, I'm the

[2:55] president. So, it it it it it

[2:58] ultimately, all this stuff is my

[3:00] responsibility."

[3:02] Well, it wasn't all serious news of the

[3:04] day. Leno asked the president if it was

[3:05] cool to fly on Air Force One, and Obama

[3:07] said he thought it was, but that his

[3:09] girls, Sasha and Malia, weren't as

[3:11] impressed as he was.

[3:13] Malia and Sasha, my daughters,

[3:15] uh,

[3:16] they're just not as impressed. We First

[3:18] time we went on Marine One, all right?

[3:19] You got the Marines in front and they're

[3:21] saluting you and and and we go up and

[3:25] and we're passing the Washington

[3:27] Monument, circling around on the way to

[3:28] Camp David, and uh, Sasha looks over and

[3:31] she says, "Are those Starburst?"

[3:33] You know, it's like it's like the candy

[3:35] in the little, you know, canister.

[3:37] That's "Can Can we have some?" And so

[3:40] so they're splitting up the Starburst.

[3:43] And the president did make some news

[3:45] tonight about that dog he's promised his

[3:47] daughters. He said the dog will be in

[3:48] place at the White House by the time he

[3:50] returns from the NATO summit in early

[3:52] April. Now, this Tonight Show

[3:54] appearance, of course, is the end of the

[3:55] president's two-day trip to California.

[3:57] He held two town halls and visited a

[4:00] plant that manufactures electric car

[4:01] batteries, and this is all part of a

[4:03] push to get out of Washington and sell

[4:05] his agenda directly to the American

[4:07] people, hoping that it will help him as

[4:09] he tries to get his ambitious budget

[4:11] through Congress in the coming days,

[4:13] David.

[4:15] Savannah Guthrie, thanks. And of course,

[4:16] you can see President Obama with Jay

[4:18] Leno later tonight, right here on NBC.

[4:21] Congress took quick action today to go

[4:23] after the insurance company AIG and

[4:25] those notorious bonus payments using

[4:27] taxpayers' money. And lawmakers had

[4:29] plenty of harsh words, too, as they

[4:31] tried to find someone to blame for this

[4:33] fiasco. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has more

[4:35] tonight from Capitol Hill. Kelly?

[4:37] Good evening, David. Well, after days of

[4:39] anger and outrage and yes,

[4:41] finger-pointing,

[4:42] now we have Congress taking some action,

[4:44] and it was unusually fast. The House

[4:47] tried to come up with a plan to

[4:48] effectively eliminate these bonuses with

[4:51] the power of a big new tax. The woman

[4:54] from California, the speaker of the

[4:55] House, is recognized.

[4:56] >> What Congress did today looked a lot

[4:58] like a high-profile do-over. We want our

[5:01] money back and we want our money back

[5:03] now for the taxpayers. But how the

[5:06] taxpayers' money got away and ended up

[5:08] in bonuses for bailed-out AIG sent the

[5:11] Washington blame game into extra

[5:13] innings. Who knew what and when did they

[5:17] know it? Republicans said it was the

[5:19] Democrats' fault.

[5:21] And their response? It's a typical

[5:23] Democratic response. What's tax people?

[5:25] Democrats blamed Wall Street greed. And

[5:28] we

[5:30] are going to sit idle

[5:32] and allow them

[5:34] to receive these bonuses?

[5:36] Lawmakers under fire because the

[5:38] stimulus package that the White House

[5:40] wanted and Congress passed with only

[5:42] three Republican votes actually

[5:44] permitted scheduled bonus payouts. But

[5:47] today, both Democrats and Republicans

[5:50] voted for a fix.

[5:51] A 90% income tax on the bonus money if

[5:54] the company received more than $5

[5:56] billion

[5:57] in government bailout funds. Part of the

[6:00] day was full of bluster. Help us find

[6:02] out who that was. A clamor to identify

[6:05] some unnamed official who pushed for a

[6:07] change in the original stimulus bill

[6:09] that allowed AIG bonuses. Senator Chris

[6:12] Dodd had been behind an effort to limit

[6:15] executive pay and says it was the

[6:17] administration that thought the limits

[6:19] went too far. They came and said, "Look,

[6:21] we'd like to make some modifications."

[6:23] Treasury officials say department

[6:25] staffers did advise Dodd that part of

[6:27] his proposal would not hold up because

[6:30] of existing employment contracts at the

[6:32] bailed-out firms.

[6:35] And asked about this today, Secretary

[6:36] Geithner said that, yes, he agreed with

[6:38] the advice his staffers gave to Senator

[6:40] Dodd. He was concerned that if you try

[6:42] to get rid of pre-existing bonus

[6:44] packages, that that could end up in

[6:46] court. Well, this new idea about taxes

[6:49] now moves over to the Senate. They'll

[6:50] begin working on it next week. David?

[6:53] Kelly O'Donnell on Capitol Hill tonight.

[6:54] Kelly, thank you. While much of the

[6:56] attention and the anger is focused on

[6:58] AIG bonuses, that $165 million may be

[7:01] relatively small. New York Attorney

[7:04] General Andrew Cuomo said today he's

[7:06] investigating the bonuses paid by all

[7:08] big banks that got a taxpayer bailout.

[7:11] As NBC senior investigative

[7:12] correspondent Lisa Myers reports, the

[7:14] estimates run into the billions.

[7:18] So far, most of the big banks, which

[7:20] have taken taxpayer money, refused to

[7:22] disclose how much they've paid out in

[7:24] year-end bonuses. NBC News asked six

[7:27] major banks, which received $160 billion

[7:30] in TARP funds,

[7:32] to disclose overall bonus payments and

[7:34] how many employees received more than a

[7:36] million dollars. Only Bank of America

[7:39] provided information, saying it paid out

[7:41] $1.6 billion in bonuses to 180,000

[7:45] employees. All the other banks,

[7:48] Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman

[7:51] Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo

[7:54] would say only that bonuses had been cut

[7:56] significantly and that top executives

[7:58] received no bonuses at all. Anyone can

[8:01] safely say that most of the major banks

[8:03] paid out in the billions of dollars of

[8:05] incentives,

[8:06] uh, but it had dropped probably almost

[8:08] in half from the prior year. Alan

[8:11] Johnson, a compensation expert,

[8:13] estimates that most of the major banks

[8:15] paid 3 to 5 billion dollars in year-end

[8:17] bonuses in both cash and stock. Why are

[8:20] the banks so reluctant to reveal the

[8:22] numbers? I think they feel that anything

[8:25] they divulge on, uh, the size of bonus

[8:28] pools will be used against them.

[8:29] Especially after the frenzy in Congress.

[8:32] It's disgusting. It's disgraceful.

[8:35] But some experts say Congress mostly has

[8:37] itself to blame. That Congress was

[8:39] repeatedly warned last fall about the

[8:41] need to require banks to disclose how

[8:44] money was spent and to impose

[8:46] restrictions. Instead, they say Congress

[8:49] wrote a blank check. We ended up with

[8:52] the total lack of transparency and

[8:53] accountability in TARP simply because

[8:56] Congress sold their votes and souls to

[8:58] the banking lobbyist. Now spurred by an

[9:01] angry public, Congress is struggling to

[9:03] get some of the money back. The voice of

[9:05] the people will be heard. Lisa Myers,

[9:08] NBC News, Washington.

[9:10] Some more help today for the troubled US

[9:12] auto industry. The government said it

[9:14] will provide $5 billion in financing to

[9:17] auto parts suppliers. Many of those

[9:19] companies that do business with the big

[9:21] three automakers are thought to be near

[9:23] bankruptcy. The money would come from

[9:25] the rescue package that's already been

[9:27] passed by Congress. Wall Street's recent

[9:29] rally took a pause today after an early

[9:32] rise. The Dow finished the day down 85

[9:35] points.

[9:36] Turning now to the tragic story of

[9:38] Natasha Richardson, the actress's family

[9:40] and friends tonight are still reeling

[9:41] from the shock of her death last night,

[9:43] so soon after a fall during a skiing

[9:46] lesson on Monday. Tonight, the medical

[9:48] examiner has determined the cause of

[9:50] death, but as NBC's chief medical

[9:52] editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, reports,

[9:54] there are still many questions.

[9:57] Three days after her fall on a ski slope

[9:59] in Quebec, the New York City Medical

[10:01] Examiner today determined the cause of

[10:03] Natasha Richardson's death to be an

[10:05] accident caused by epidural hematoma due

[10:09] to blunt impact to the head. An epidural

[10:11] hematoma results when a blood vessel

[10:13] between the brain and the skull is torn,

[10:15] bleeds, and forms a clot. If the

[10:18] bleeding is brisk, brain tissue is

[10:19] compressed against the skull, putting a

[10:21] person at great risk. The signs of

[10:24] trouble can be straightforward. They're

[10:26] drowsy or lethargic. Or if they had

[10:29] slurred speech, if one arm starts to get

[10:32] weak, or they have poor balance or

[10:34] vision, that's a symptom that the

[10:36] brain's not functioning. Falls are the

[10:38] leading cause of traumatic brain

[10:40] injuries. This injury is rare in middle

[10:42] life. Those at highest risk are young

[10:44] children and adults ages 75 and older.

[10:47] The key is to get to that emergency room

[10:50] as soon as we can at even the slightest

[10:52] sign of trouble. The ski patrol reported

[10:54] that Richardson, who was not wearing a

[10:56] helmet, was joking after the fall and

[10:58] signed a release refusing medical care.

[11:01] She complained of a headache and not

[11:03] feeling well shortly thereafter.

[11:05] Richardson's accident has raised more

[11:07] questions about safety on the slopes. A

[11:09] survey by the National Ski Areas

[11:11] Association found 43% of recreational

[11:15] skiers and boarders wear helmets, up

[11:17] from 25% in 2003.

[11:20] Adult beginners are the least likely to

[11:23] use them. If any kind of good can come

[11:25] out of this, it can be a wake-up call

[11:26] for all of us, and I'm including myself,

[11:30] that

[11:31] uh it's there's no shame in being

[11:33] careful and cautious. Tonight, Broadway

[11:36] is dimming its lights in a tribute to a

[11:38] wife, mother, and actress, Natasha

[11:41] Richardson.

[11:43] Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC News, New York.

[11:47] When NBC Nightly News continues in a

[11:49] moment, using YouTube to reach all the

[11:51] way to the White House. How some high

[11:53] schoolers got the president's attention,

[11:56] and making a difference, family night at

[11:57] the movies on the house, a place to

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[14:04] Olbermann lays into Wall Street and

[14:05] Congress over AIG's bonus debacle. Nice

[14:09] work. Countdown with Keith Olbermann

[14:11] tonight on MSNBC.

[14:15] We told you at the top of the program

[14:16] about President Obama's day in

[14:17] California, one of the states hardest

[14:19] hit in this economic crisis. He also

[14:22] spent some time there with a group of

[14:23] teenagers who had already gotten his

[14:25] attention. NBC's George Lewis has that

[14:28] story.

[14:30] At Village Academy High School in

[14:32] Pomona, the kids were elated

[14:36] about to meet the President of the

[14:37] United States. And why?

[14:40] Because of this YouTube video they made

[14:42] talking about how the economy affects

[14:45] them. My father walked out on us, and

[14:49] it's really hard

[14:50] because

[14:52] like my mom, I see her struggling.

[14:56] I mean, I can get out, but for my

[14:57] brothers,

[15:00] my brothers

[15:03] they might be homeless pretty soon.

[15:08] At the moment, I am currently the only

[15:09] one that can support my family and

[15:11] can't.

[15:12] My mom won't let me get a job to help

[15:14] her, and I'm really, really scared that

[15:17] I might have to put off school for

[15:18] another year. Pomona has been hard hit

[15:20] by the economic crisis. A lot of

[15:22] construction jobs vanished when the

[15:24] housing bubble burst. Unemployment here

[15:27] has hit 12%, but it took a group of

[15:30] teenagers to put a face on the

[15:32] suffering.

[15:33] And when Ivonne Vera Hughes spoke, we're

[15:36] all businessmen and doctors and lawyers

[15:38] and all this great stuff, and we have

[15:40] all this potential,

[15:42] but the way things are going, we're not

[15:43] going to be able to do that.

[15:45] She got the president's attention.

[15:47] There's something I want to say to

[15:48] Ivonne and her class at Village Academy.

[15:52] I am listening.

[15:54] We are listening.

[15:56] >> [applause]

[15:56] >> America's listening.

[15:58] And to underscore that, today he met

[16:00] personally with Ivonne and her

[16:02] classmates. Yes, I was I still I'm

[16:05] speechless, so I don't know, like it's

[16:08] very exciting and

[16:10] uh

[16:10] it's just crazy. It's insane. Their

[16:12] instructor says there's a point here.

[16:15] One of the things the kids want to do

[16:16] with this video is make people aware

[16:17] across the country there are kids in the

[16:19] same condition, if not worse.

[16:21] An urgent plea for help to a president

[16:24] who said he got the message. George

[16:27] Lewis, NBC News, Pomona, California.

[16:31] While President Obama spent this day in

[16:32] California, First Lady Michelle Obama

[16:34] was inspiring some young people back in

[16:36] Washington. She paid a visit to

[16:38] Anacostia High School for an event

[16:40] marking Women's History Month and spoke

[16:42] with students there about the importance

[16:44] of aiming high, working hard, and

[16:45] overcoming obstacles, offering herself

[16:48] as a prime example.

[16:51] I wanted an A, you know, I wanted to be

[16:54] smart. I wanted to be the person who had

[16:56] the right answer.

[16:58] And I didn't care whether it was cool,

[17:00] cuz I remember there were kids around my

[17:01] neighborhood would say, "Oh, you talk

[17:03] funny.

[17:04] You talk like a white girl." I heard

[17:06] that growing up my whole life. I was

[17:08] like, "I don't even know what that

[17:09] means, but you know what? I'm still

[17:10] getting my A."

[17:13] First Lady Michelle Obama speaking to

[17:14] high school students in Washington

[17:16] today. When we continue this Thursday

[17:18] night, shocking revelations today about

[17:20] the price of war and charges that it was

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[19:42] symptoms. And that's how Singulair works

[19:44] differently. One pill,

[19:46] >> [music]

[19:46] >> once a day.

[19:47] Side effects are generally mild and vary

[19:49] by age, and may include headache, ear

[19:51] infection, sore throat, and upper

[19:53] respiratory infection. Singulair, a

[19:55] different way to treat allergies.

[19:56] [music]

[19:57] NBC's Peter Alexander and his sister

[20:00] Rebecca share the story of her rare

[20:01] [music] disease.

[20:02] >> have time to sit around and pity myself.

[20:06] >> Tomorrow on today.

[20:07] Nightly news at nightly.msnbc.com.

[20:12] We're back now with our in-depth report

[20:14] and tonight we revisit a war that

[20:16] dominated the headlines as the year

[20:17] began, the fight between Israelis and

[20:19] Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has always

[20:22] said that its assault on Gaza was an act

[20:24] of self-defense, a response to missile

[20:26] attacks against Israeli civilians.

[20:28] But now Israel has been shaken by

[20:30] charges from some of the soldiers

[20:32] themselves that the Israeli military

[20:34] acted far more brutally than previously

[20:36] thought. NBC's Martin Fletcher has the

[20:39] latest tonight from Tel Aviv.

[20:42] To keep their own soldiers safe in Gaza,

[20:45] Israeli tanks flattened Palestinian

[20:47] homes rather than drive on roads with

[20:49] landmines. The price today, Palestinians

[20:53] homeless in crushed neighborhoods.

[20:55] The Israeli army insisted during the war

[20:58] they were extra careful to avoid

[20:59] unnecessary damage and to protect

[21:02] Palestinian civilians.

[21:04] But today Israelis were shocked by

[21:06] reports of soldiers speaking out saying

[21:09] they intentionally destroyed Palestinian

[21:11] property and killed civilians. These

[21:13] soldiers, most of them uh did not think

[21:16] that they were telling anything unusual.

[21:18] They basically thought that was their

[21:21] experience, that's the way they told it.

[21:24] A squad leader said a mother and two

[21:26] children were allowed to leave a

[21:28] building and turn right, but they turned

[21:30] left instead. And nobody had told a

[21:32] nearby sniper they were coming. He

[21:34] killed them. The squad leader said,

[21:36] quote, "I don't think he felt too bad

[21:38] about it. He did his job according to

[21:40] his orders."

[21:42] In another case, another soldier said

[21:44] his commander ordered that an old woman

[21:46] be killed although she was a hundred

[21:48] yards away. The squad leader said there

[21:50] was a general atmosphere that, quote,

[21:52] "The lives of Palestinians, let's say,

[21:54] is something very, very less important

[21:57] than the lives of our soldiers."

[22:00] Hamas spokesman responded saying, quote,

[22:02] "These confessions confirm the criminal

[22:05] and terrorist mentality of the Israelis.

[22:07] During the war, the army spokesman

[22:09] routinely denied such claims, but today

[22:12] we we have decided to open an

[22:13] investigation, a thorough investigation,

[22:16] to check these matters. It's important

[22:18] for me to say that the IDF policy is to

[22:21] save lives on both sides of the border.

[22:24] It isn't clear how widespread these acts

[22:26] were during Israel's war against Hamas

[22:28] in Gaza, but tomorrow the newspaper said

[22:31] there will be more revelations by

[22:33] Israeli soldiers.

[22:35] Martin Fletcher, NBC News, Tel Aviv.

[22:38] When we come back, a story about going

[22:40] to the movies and making a difference.

[22:42] No money down.

[22:46] I thought I knew all about my high

[22:47] cholesterol. But then my doctor told me

[22:49] something I didn't [music] know. While I

[22:51] was building my life, plaque was

[22:53] building in my arteries. It had been

[22:55] building [music] up most of my life.

[22:56] That's why my doctor prescribed Crestor

[22:59] to help slow the build-up of plaque.

[23:01] People like you are learning that plaque

[23:03] can build up in arteries [music] over

[23:04] time. And that along with diet, Crestor

[23:07] lowers bad cholesterol, raises good, and

[23:10] is approved to slow the build-up of

[23:12] plaque in arteries. [music]

[23:13] Is Crestor right for you? Crestor isn't

[23:15] for everyone, like people with liver

[23:17] disease or women who are nursing,

[23:18] pregnant, or may become [music]

[23:20] pregnant. Simple blood test will check

[23:22] for liver problems. You should tell your

[23:24] doctor [music] about other medicines

[23:25] you're taking or if you have muscle pain

[23:26] or weakness, that could be a sign of

[23:28] serious side effects.

[23:29] >> Like others, while you've been building

[23:31] your life, [music] plaque may have been

[23:33] building in your arteries. Find out more

[23:35] at crestor.com. Then ask your doctor

[23:38] [music] if it's time for Crestor. If you

[23:41] can't afford your medication,

[23:42] AstraZeneca may be able to help.

[23:45] >> [music]

[23:46] >> Change your allergy medicine to Alavert.

[23:48] With Alavert, you'll get effective

[23:50] 24-hour non-drowsy relief, relief even

[23:52] Claritin can't beat. But how's this for

[23:54] change? You'll get all that allergy

[23:56] relief for less. Compare and save.

[23:59] Alavert, a good change to make. When you

[24:01] have your period, you guard your own

[24:03] movements. It's so difficult to sleep.

[24:05] [music] That's why there's Stayfree

[24:06] overnight, the only one with night guard

[24:08] zone and 18 anti-leak [music] channels

[24:10] for maximum protection, no matter how

[24:12] you move. Wake up to a beautiful morning

[24:14] with Stayfree. [music]

[24:17] I don't always let my bladder problems

[24:20] or the worry my pipes might leak

[24:22] compromise what I like to do, like

[24:25] hunting for bargains, not always

[24:27] bathrooms.

[24:29] I take care with Vesicare.

[24:34] Once daily Vesicare can help control

[24:37] your bladder muscle and is proven to

[24:39] reduce frequent sudden urges and leaks

[24:41] day and night. If you have certain

[24:44] stomach or glaucoma problems or trouble

[24:46] emptying your bladder, do not take

[24:47] Vesicare. Tell your doctor right away if

[24:50] you have a serious allergic reaction,

[24:52] severe abdominal pain, or become

[24:54] constipated [music]

[24:54] for three or more days. Vesicare may

[24:56] cause blurred vision, so take care while

[24:58] driving or doing unsafe tasks. Common

[25:01] [music] side effects are dry mouth,

[25:02] constipation, and indigestion. You

[25:05] deserve better than to always be

[25:06] compromised by urges and leaks. Ask your

[25:09] doctor today [music]

[25:10] about taking care

[25:12] with Vesicare.

[25:16] This is a KGW [music] NewsChannel 8

[25:18] update. Next, new information about who

[25:21] will get custody of a four-year-old girl

[25:23] found wandering in a Salem neighborhood.

[25:25] And Oregon winemakers worried about a

[25:26] tariff threat from Mexico. What touched

[25:29] this off?

[25:30] And I'm Matt Zaffino now less than 12

[25:32] hours from the start of spring. Will it

[25:33] be wet or dry? The answer at six.

[25:40] Making a [music] difference brought to

[25:42] you by Vesicare.

[25:46] As you know, we have been looking to you

[25:48] to let us know about some of the good

[25:49] news around the country while we all

[25:51] struggle through this recession. Well, a

[25:53] viewer got our attention with word about

[25:54] this next story, one town's efforts to

[25:56] provide something special for nothing.

[26:00] It is a movie theater leading the way

[26:02] and making a difference. Here's Ron

[26:04] Mott.

[26:10] Thank you, ma'am.

[26:11] >> Outside Charlotte,

[26:12] >> This is wonderful. the race is on.

[26:16] Popcorn's hot,

[26:18] drinks ice cold,

[26:21] and lights mean action.

[26:25] It's showtime at the Gem, number one

[26:27] film at the box office now playing.

[26:31] But that's not why the house is full,

[26:33] 900 strong. This is One adult and two

[26:36] kids? Yes.

[26:38] Thank you, ma'am. It's free tonight.

[26:39] >> How many adults? How many children? Two

[26:41] adults and one child. Thank you. It's

[26:42] free tonight. Free admission. Hey,

[26:45] thanks y'all for doing this. You're

[26:47] welcome.

[26:47] >> Appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed it. What

[26:49] owner Steve Morris calls his recession

[26:51] buster, a way to keep the tough going in

[26:54] these tough times. We're busting that

[26:56] that recession

[26:58] uh image that's out there, you know, by

[27:01] doing something fun and taking people's

[27:03] mind off of it. It's an offer too good

[27:05] to pass up. Things have been hard for

[27:07] everybody, and so to enjoy a night out

[27:10] for free,

[27:11] it's had to take advantage of it.

[27:14] >> [laughter]

[27:14] >> It's pretty big savings, so, you know,

[27:16] something fun for them to do and and

[27:18] still save money and and stay on a

[27:20] budget. Six years ago, thousands of jobs

[27:23] were lost when the local textile mill

[27:25] closed. 10% of the population was out of

[27:27] work. But Kannapolis is no stranger to

[27:30] recovery. This theater first started

[27:32] thrilling audiences on the cheap during

[27:34] another rough economic patch in American

[27:35] history, 1936, the height of the Great

[27:38] Depression, and it's been one of the

[27:40] best bargains in town ever since. Greg

[27:42] Farr, who runs the ice cream shop around

[27:44] the corner, scoops up a good deal, too.

[27:47] Helps us maintain a way of life. I mean,

[27:48] that's that's critical to our survival.

[27:50] Surviving together, Morris says, makes

[27:53] it even better. It's been positive for

[27:55] us all the way around, you know.

[27:56] Hopefully we've made some new friends.

[27:58] New friends helping an old place thrive

[28:00] again, all thanks to a gem of an idea.

[28:04] Ron Mott, NBC News, Kannapolis, North

[28:07] Carolina.

[28:09] That's Nightly News for this Thursday

[28:10] night. I'm David Gregory in for Brian

[28:12] Williams. And this program note, join me

[28:14] Sunday on Meet the Press when my guests

[28:16] will be three political heavyweights,

[28:18] New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg,

[28:19] Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and

[28:21] California Governor Arnold

[28:22] Schwarzenegger. The economy, the

[28:24] bailout, and the country's anger. It's

[28:27] all this Sunday on Meet the Press. Thank

[28:30] you for being with us tonight. We hope

[28:31] to see you right back here tomorrow.

[28:34] >> [music]

[28:40] >> A net

[28:41] >> [music]

[28:45] >> A net gain? The Major League Soccer

[28:47] season [music] kicks off tonight in

[28:48] Seattle as Portland is set to land a

[28:50] team of its own tomorrow. But where

[28:52] [music] some see excitement,

[28:53] >> The the challenge here from an economic

[28:55] standpoint has always been that the

[28:57] benefit of doing [music] this on the

[29:00] margin is not that great.

[29:01] >> Others see missed opportunities. March

[29:04] madness indeed around the Rose Garden,

[29:06] traffic snarled by college basketball.

[29:09] The best way to get around it. And trade

[29:11] war, new restrictions on Mexican trucks

[29:13] entering the US have led to [music] a

[29:15] tariff backlash.

[29:16] >> That would be very difficult for us to

[29:18] continue to sell wine internationally.

[29:20] How it's hurting Oregon wineries.

[29:24] From the KGW HD Studios,

[29:29] where the news comes first. NewsChannel

[29:32] 8 at 6 starts now.

[29:35] Hello, I'm Joe Donlon. And I'm Tracy

[29:36] Barry, first at six. Major League Soccer

[29:39] is about to announce a new team in

[29:41] Portland. Fans and critics tonight are

[29:43] looking to Seattle for some perspective.

[29:46] That city already has a new pro soccer

[29:48] team and tonight is opening night. Our

[29:51] city beat reporter Randy Neves is live

[29:53] at PGE Park with that debate, Randy.

[29:55] Well, critics say there's no publicly

[29:57] available market study that explains why

[30:00] it's a good idea to renovate PGE Park

[30:02] into a pro soccer venue. Proponents, on

[30:05] the other hand, say, "Hey, just look

[30:06] look at Seattle where fans bought 20,000

[30:09] season tickets before the team ever took

[30:11] the field."

[30:14] A flag flies atop Seattle's Space Needle

[30:17] announcing that city's newest

[30:19] professional team, the Sounders. Get all

[30:21] the information you need to know on the

[30:23] Sounders.

[30:23] >> So far, Seattle's population has

[30:25] supported 20,000 season ticket sales.

[30:28] It's an international city. It's a world

[30:30] melting pot. Soccer is the language of

[30:33] the world and so

[30:36] SAIF Corporation, helping make Oregon a

[30:39] safer place to work for all Oregonians.

[30:43] Online at saif.com.

[30:45] Willamette University MBA in Salem and

[30:48] Portland, helping to empower managers

[30:51] and developing executives. Now accepting

[30:54] applications online.