NBC Nightly News - 2009-02-17

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:01] On the broadcast tonight, the deadline.

[0:03] Two of the biggest names in the car

[0:05] business tell the federal government

[0:07] tonight what they need to survive.

[0:09] Signed, sealed, and now the president

[0:11] has to make sure that massive money

[0:13] package with his signature on it

[0:15] delivers for the American people.

[0:17] Tonight, what we found in the fine

[0:19] print. The explanation. A-Rod, the

[0:22] highest paid player in baseball,

[0:23] explains why he turned to steroids. Shot

[0:26] in the dark. the potential for danger

[0:28] for those parents who refuse vaccines

[0:31] for their kids. Also tonight, the new

[0:34] president's first decision on where to

[0:36] send US troops. Nightly News begins now.

[0:43] From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:46] York, this is NBC Nightly News with

[0:48] Brian Williams.

[0:50] >> Good evening, and there's a whole lot to

[0:52] report tonight. The president has signed

[0:54] that huge stimulus spending bill into

[0:56] law. He's made his first big troop

[0:58] deployment overseas. The stock market

[1:01] finished way down today. And

[1:03] California's big troubles persist. And

[1:05] our lead story tonight has to do with a

[1:08] critical part of the US economy,

[1:10] American cars. The Detroit big three are

[1:13] in big trouble. Two of them have taken

[1:16] government money, Chrysler and and GM,

[1:18] but not Ford. And now tonight, those

[1:21] two, GM and Chrysler, have come back

[1:23] with a plan to save themselves. and they

[1:26] say they need more taxpayer money to

[1:29] make it. It's where we begin on this

[1:31] busy Tuesday night. Phil Leau, of

[1:33] course, covers the car business. For

[1:35] CNBC, he's with us tonight from Detroit.

[1:38] Phil, good evening.

[1:40] Good evening, Brian. General Motors and

[1:42] Chrysler have just turned in their

[1:43] viability reports to the Treasury

[1:46] Department, and they both say the same

[1:47] thing. They can fix what's broken, but

[1:50] it will take a lot more money.

[1:53] claiming they are leaner and moving to

[1:55] become healthier.

[1:57] Chrysler and General Motors are telling

[1:59] the government they need billions more

[2:02] to turn around their businesses. GM,

[2:04] which has already borrowed 13.5 billion,

[2:07] says it could need an additional 16.5

[2:10] billion. Meanwhile, Chrysler with 7

[2:13] billion in loans is asking for an

[2:15] additional $2 billion. It should not be

[2:18] a surprise to the American consumer if

[2:20] these companies need more money today

[2:22] and in the future as well.

[2:25] >> Both Chrysler and GM plan to become

[2:27] smaller automakers with fewer workers

[2:29] and altered lineups.

[2:31] >> We really believe we have to have a

[2:33] shared sacrifice here. It's very, very

[2:35] important. Chrysler, cutting another

[2:37] 3,000 jobs, wants to partner with

[2:40] Italian automaker Fiat, while GM is now

[2:43] planning to close an additional five

[2:44] plants by the end of 2012 as it cuts

[2:47] 20,000 US jobs. And if it can't sell the

[2:50] Saturn brand, it will be phased out

[2:53] after 2011. Both plans will be reviewed

[2:56] by President Obama's auto team with

[2:58] restructuring expert Ron Bloom playing a

[3:00] critical role. Bloom worked through

[3:02] numerous bankruptcies in the steel

[3:04] industry and will be part of a panel

[3:06] looking into the best way to fix

[3:07] America's broken auto industry,

[3:10] including the possibility of bankruptcy.

[3:12] Today's plan is significantly more

[3:14] aggressive because it has to be. We have

[3:16] a lot of work in front of us, but we're

[3:18] confident that our plan will result in a

[3:20] sustainable and profitable General

[3:22] Motors.

[3:24] >> Tonight, GM, Chrysler, and Ford all got

[3:27] a big boost to their bottom lines. The

[3:29] United Auto Workers have agreed to

[3:31] rework their labor contracts with the

[3:33] big three. Brian, that will help all of

[3:35] the domestic automakers become more

[3:38] competitive and close that pay gap with

[3:40] foreign automakers here in the US.

[3:42] >> All right, Phil Leau outside GM

[3:44] headquarters on a cold night in Detroit

[3:45] in more ways than one. Phil, thanks. And

[3:47] now we turn to this stimulus plan

[3:50] designed to help revive the economy.

[3:53] $787

[3:54] billion, biggest package of government

[3:57] spending ever. It is now part of

[3:59] President Obama's legacy. A big part of

[4:02] his still new presidency. He signed it

[4:05] into law today in Denver. Our chief

[4:07] White House correspondent, Chuck Todd,

[4:09] traveling with the president tonight.

[4:10] Chuck, good evening.

[4:12] >> Good evening, Brian. Well, normally a

[4:14] president signs bills into law at the

[4:16] White House surrounded by members of

[4:18] Congress. Not this time and not this

[4:20] president. He went outside the

[4:21] Washington bubble to sign the biggest

[4:24] spending bill in American history.

[4:28] Less than a month in office and the

[4:30] president made dramatic history with a

[4:32] simple stroke of the pen. Here you go.

[4:36] >> Signing into law America's largest

[4:39] economic recovery package ever. Mr.

[4:41] Obama hopes it's a turning point in what

[4:43] has been a run of terrible economic

[4:45] news.

[4:46] >> I don't want to pretend that today marks

[4:49] the end of our economic problems.

[4:53] nor does it constitute all of what we're

[4:55] going to have to do to turn our economy

[4:57] around.

[4:59] But today does mark the beginning of the

[5:01] end. The president's Colorado setting

[5:03] was decidedly non Washington. He used it

[5:06] to highlight the new investment element

[5:07] of the stimulus, featuring alternative

[5:10] energy ideas like solar. So what will

[5:13] this plan do? It includes $287 billion

[5:16] in tax cuts, $120 billion for

[5:19] infrastructure, $140 billion in aid to

[5:22] help state governments with mounting

[5:23] debt. And what does this bill mean to

[5:25] you? If you make less than $75,000 a

[5:28] year, sometime in March, you'll see a

[5:30] small increase in your take-home pay. If

[5:32] you are a retiree or on government

[5:34] disability, you'll get a one-time check

[5:36] for $250 sometime in the next four

[5:39] months. And this bill comes with a new

[5:41] twist for government watchdogers. a

[5:43] White Houserun website to track how the

[5:46] $787 billion is being spent.

[5:49] Underscoring how massive the bill is,

[5:51] the website lacks specific details. Even

[5:54] under a learn more tab, the same numbers

[5:57] are simply presented in a different

[5:59] sleek graphic form. And the bill still

[6:01] has its detractors. Democrats and

[6:03] >> the president, in my view, in a totally

[6:06] partisan fashion, came up with a

[6:08] solution that won't work. Tonight, the

[6:10] White House road show heads to McCain's

[6:11] home state of Arizona, where tomorrow

[6:13] the president will unveil what aids say

[6:15] is a comprehensive housing plan that

[6:17] they hope will stem the country's

[6:19] foreclosure crisis.

[6:21] Now, Brian, this week is about spending

[6:23] government money and going into bigger

[6:25] debt for the country. Next week, they're

[6:27] going to try to shine a light on fiscal

[6:29] responsibility, including holding

[6:31] something called a fiscal responsibility

[6:33] summit. Because guess what happens next

[6:35] week, Brian? We get the first federal

[6:37] budget from the Obama administration. It

[6:40] comes next Thursday.

[6:41] >> All right, Chuck Todd in Denver tonight

[6:43] with the president. Chuck, thanks. As we

[6:45] said on Wall Street today, the second

[6:48] lowest closing number since 2002. The

[6:52] mood was fearful. Stocks fell sharply

[6:54] right from the opening bell. Dow

[6:56] finished down in the end just under 298

[6:59] points. The other broader indexes were

[7:01] also down more than 4% each. Now we go

[7:05] west to California, which is teetering

[7:07] on the brink of insolvency. A huge

[7:10] budget deficit now running out of cash.

[7:12] As a state, the state has started laying

[7:15] off workers and stopping work on various

[7:17] projects. Most states are having budget

[7:19] trouble these days. But like everything

[7:21] else in California, the problems are

[7:23] just simply bigger. Our report from

[7:26] NBC's George Lewis.

[7:28] In California, they're calling it a

[7:30] fiscal disaster. the legislature unable

[7:33] to resolve the state's budget problems.

[7:36] >> Don't try and pin this on the

[7:37] Republicans because we don't want to

[7:39] raise taxes.

[7:41] >> And today, Governor Arnold

[7:42] Schwarzenegger honoring Captain Chzley

[7:44] Sullenberger, the heroic US Airways

[7:47] pilot who landed safely on the Hudson,

[7:49] made reference to his budget battle with

[7:51] the lawmakers.

[7:53] >> They need us right here in a state

[7:54] capital that should inspire all of the

[7:57] legislators. Because of the crisis,

[8:00] Schwarzenegger also sent out layoff

[8:02] notices to 20,000 state workers. And

[8:06] thousands of infrastructure projects

[8:08] like adding more carpool lanes to this

[8:10] freeway are being put on hold. Also

[8:13] halted, construction work on this

[8:15] facility for California veterans.

[8:17] California is not alone in having fiscal

[8:20] problems. 46 states face budget

[8:22] shortfalls. Those with the biggest

[8:24] projected deficits for this year and

[8:26] next include California 39.6 billion,

[8:31] New York 15.4 billion, Florida 8.1

[8:35] billion, New Jersey 6.1 billion, and

[8:38] Connecticut 5.7 billion.

[8:41] >> This is a budget problem that is going

[8:42] to last for some time in the states

[8:44] because of the depth and severity of

[8:46] this recession. The experts say the

[8:48] economic stimulus signed today by

[8:50] President Obama will ease the state's

[8:52] problems somewhat, but won't erase the

[8:54] budget deficits.

[8:56] So, in Sacramento, legislators are faced

[8:59] with tough choices. Cutting programs,

[9:01] hiking taxes as their leaders order them

[9:04] to stay in session day and night until

[9:06] the impass is broken. George Lewis, NBC

[9:10] News, Los Angeles. We mentioned this at

[9:13] the top of the broadcast as well.

[9:14] President Obama has ordered the first

[9:16] major military deployment of his

[9:18] presidency. We learned late today he's

[9:21] sending an additional 17,000 American

[9:24] troops to Afghanistan. Our own Jim

[9:26] Mlesky on duty at the Pentagon tonight

[9:29] with details. Jim, good evening. Good

[9:31] evening, Brian. Military officials say

[9:33] with an startling rise in violence in

[9:36] Afghanistan, these additional forces are

[9:38] urgently needed now. The president today

[9:40] authorized 17,000 more forces and orders

[9:44] were signed out today for the first

[9:45] 12,000 8,000 Marines and 4,000 Army

[9:49] combat troops. The Pentagon is calling

[9:51] this a remissioning because many of

[9:53] these forces were set to go to Iraq but

[9:55] will now be diverted to Afghanistan. And

[9:58] politically speaking, that could help

[10:00] President Obama meet two of his campaign

[10:02] promises to reduce the number of forces

[10:04] in Iraq while increase that number in

[10:06] Afghanistan. And tonight, Pentagon

[10:09] officials say the White House actually

[10:10] wanted to delay these orders until it

[10:13] finished a 60-day review of the overall

[10:15] Afghanistan strategy. But Brian, many

[10:18] military officials feared that by then

[10:20] it may have been too late. Jim Mlesky at

[10:23] the Pentagon tonight. Jim, thanks. This

[10:25] next story doesn't have anything to do

[10:26] with economic stimulus or soldiering,

[10:28] but it's an unfolding story that so many

[10:31] young families and athletes are

[10:33] watching. Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, highest

[10:36] paid player in baseball, facing the

[10:39] media for the first time since admitting

[10:41] he used performance enhancing drugs. He

[10:45] was 25 when he signed a contract to play

[10:47] baseball for over a quarter of a billion

[10:50] dollars. Today, his youth was part of

[10:53] his excuse. Our report tonight from

[10:55] NBC's Carrie Sanders.

[10:58] >> It was unfamiliar territory for Alex

[11:01] Rodriguez. I'm a little nervous or a lot

[11:04] nervous.

[11:05] >> The often cocky, highest paid player in

[11:07] baseball was humble today.

[11:09] >> When you're young and stupid, you're

[11:10] young and stupid. And and I'm I'm very

[11:13] guilty for both those.

[11:14] >> A-Rod says he is ashamed of his decision

[11:16] to inject his body with steroids for 3

[11:19] years beginning in 2001. and to my

[11:21] teammates.

[11:31] >> This is about me. I'm the one that

[11:32] screwed up and no one else.

[11:35] >> Where did he get the steroids? Rodriguez

[11:38] says he and his cousin bought them in

[11:39] the Dominican Republic. Street name

[11:42] Bully. My cousin would administer it to

[11:45] me, but neither of us knew how to use it

[11:47] properly, providing just how ignorant we

[11:50] both were. He took the drug while

[11:52] playing for the Texas Rangers when he

[11:54] hit his 200th career home run. Among the

[11:56] youngest players in baseball to achieve

[11:58] that milestone in New York today, avid

[12:02] fans watched with keen interest.

[12:04] >> Still a big fan of A-Rod, even though he

[12:06] took steroids.

[12:09] And in Alex Rodriguez's hometown, little

[12:12] leaguers are confused.

[12:13] >> It's not really cheating, but it's not

[12:16] good for him.

[12:16] >> All of this comes on a day when there

[12:18] are reports prosecutors are asking

[12:21] former Yankees teammate Roger Clemens

[12:23] about his denials that he used drugs

[12:26] when he testified before Congress.

[12:28] >> It's a sign of the times. It's a sign of

[12:30] the steroids era in baseball. Uh we're

[12:33] probably going to have a few more and uh

[12:35] baseball just has to get through it.

[12:37] Another sign of the times forgiving fans

[12:41] looking past Alex Rodriguez's foul

[12:44] already eager for opening day. Carrie

[12:47] Sanders, NBC News Tampa.

[12:50] >> When we continue this Tuesday night with

[12:52] all the worry about vaccines and autism,

[12:55] what about the danger of not having

[12:57] children vaccinated? And later, what if

[12:59] your computer could report on how things

[13:02] are working in your house? Tonight,

[13:03] what's being called an example of what

[13:06] works.

[13:09] I Sam Bailey

[13:11] >> Clara

[13:12] >> Dennis to hereby pledge to chase the

[13:14] wind whichever way it blows

[13:17] >> and forgive pollen when it gets carried

[13:19] away. I promise to grant dust a reprieve

[13:21] >> and I will find the strength in Zerek to

[13:23] relieve my worst allergy symptoms

[13:25] indoors and outdoors. I solemnly swear

[13:28] to catch the breeze no matter which

[13:29] trees are blooming because with Zerek

[13:32] >> I can love the air.

[13:34] >> Try Zerek 5 or 14 count. If you don't

[13:36] love it, we'll refund your money.

[13:38] >> OH, NO. NO. IT JUST WORKED HERE A SECOND

[13:41] AGO. GIVE ME A BREAK, WILL YOU?

[13:43] >> DR. Scholes massage and gel insoles with

[13:45] two different gels for softness and

[13:47] support are outrageously comfortable.

[13:50] >> On second thought, I think I'll walk.

[13:52] >> Are you jelling Dr. Scholes?

[13:53] >> Peptoism. Nausea, heartburn,

[13:55] indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.

[13:56] >> I want to know if we're covered. My

[13:58] friend is having a cherry overload.

[13:59] >> What's been ingested?

[14:00] >> Cherry pie. Cherry dog.

[14:02] >> Sounds like he needs more cherry.

[14:03] >> Cherry Pepto. It's our fantastic tasting

[14:05] coverage. Cherry Pepto-Bismol. Yep,

[14:08] you're covered. Batters up and so is

[14:10] Jones checking the sign to the men's

[14:12] room.

[14:13] >> Oh, not the first time. He's going over

[14:15] and over.

[14:16] >> Now Johnson's rounding the corner

[14:17] heading for the men's room.

[14:19] >> Going urgently.

[14:20] >> You bet. Carter steps out. He was in

[14:22] there a long time.

[14:24] >> Stopping and starting. These guys should

[14:25] see their doctor.

[14:26] >> Good point. Could be male urinary

[14:28] symptoms due to BPH and enlarged

[14:30] prostate. For many guys, prescription

[14:33] Flowmax reduces their urinary symptoms

[14:35] due to BBH in one week.

[14:37] >> One week. Only your doctor can tell if

[14:39] you have BPH, not a more serious

[14:40] condition like prostate cancer. Avoid

[14:42] driving or hazardous tasks for 12 hours

[14:44] after your first dose or increase in

[14:46] dose, as a sudden drop in blood pressure

[14:48] may occur, rarely resulting in fainting.

[14:50] If considering cataract surgery, tell

[14:52] your eye surgeon you've taken Flowmax.

[14:54] >> Common side effects are runny nose,

[14:55] dizziness, and decrease in semen.

[14:57] >> Ask your doctor if Phmax is right for

[14:59] you. Call 8774 Flowmax to see if you

[15:02] qualify for up to $40 off FlowMax

[15:04] prescriptions.

[15:05] >> For many men, Flowmax can make a

[15:07] difference in one week.

[15:10] >> Perhaps you have seen the reports of the

[15:12] measles and hooping cough and menitis

[15:15] outbreaks so far limited in different

[15:17] parts of the country. Health officials

[15:19] say that is due in part to some parents

[15:22] choosing not to have their children

[15:24] vaccinated. And experts warned that

[15:27] decision often emotionally driven puts

[15:29] children at risk. Our report on this

[15:32] tonight from our chief science

[15:33] correspondent, Robert Bazelle.

[15:36] >> TAKE A SHOT.

[15:37] >> Two years ago, Matt Lasik, now five,

[15:40] contracted menitis, a severe brain

[15:42] infection.

[15:43] >> And the doctor looked at me and he said,

[15:45] "Your son is going to die. He doesn't

[15:47] have much time." Matt's mom, Kelly, soon

[15:49] learned her son had a bacterial

[15:51] infection called Hib, an illness usually

[15:54] prevented by routine immunization. But

[15:56] >> he put his head down.

[15:57] >> But because she had heard that

[15:58] vaccinations might cause the

[16:00] developmental disorder autism, she

[16:03] decided not to get Matt vaccinated.

[16:05] >> You don't have to fight the octopus

[16:07] yourself. Honestly, I never really

[16:09] understood how serious and risk the risk

[16:13] that we put our son at. After extensive

[16:16] treatment, Matt recovered. In the state

[16:18] of Minnesota, there have been five

[16:20] childhood hip cases in the past three

[16:22] years, including one death.

[16:24] >> Three of the five children who had this

[16:28] terrible invasive infection had not

[16:31] received vaccine because of parental

[16:35] refusal.

[16:36] And that is really very troubling.

[16:40] Part of the problem, officials say, was

[16:42] a temporary shortage of vaccine. But

[16:45] they say the larger worry is that when

[16:47] some parents stop vaccinating their

[16:49] children, many germs circulate more

[16:52] easily through the entire community.

[16:54] Even though some parents of children

[16:56] with autism feel very strongly that

[16:58] vaccines played a role in their

[17:00] children's condition. A special federal

[17:02] court ruled recently there is no

[17:04] evidence to back that claim and many

[17:06] public health officials hope the

[17:08] decision will start to change parents'

[17:10] minds.

[17:11] >> The court's decision is an affirmation

[17:13] of science and good medical practice and

[17:15] great public health. And I think it is

[17:17] clearly a step in the right direction.

[17:19] >> A list of organisms,

[17:20] >> a step every major health organization

[17:23] says we need

[17:24] >> to protect children from diseases that

[17:26] have been all but eradicated in this

[17:28] country

[17:29] >> but still pose a threat.

[17:32] Robert Bazelle, NBC News, New York.

[17:35] >> When we continue in just a moment, that

[17:37] bill the president signed today, it's

[17:39] over a thousand pages. What's buried in

[17:42] there?

[17:48] Lindsay Fawn takes the lead. Earlier,

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[17:55] it? What is that? I think we've

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[19:14] If you have a history of COPD, a chronic

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[20:16] Nightly news at nightly.msnbc.com.

[20:23] We are back with in depth tonight and

[20:25] about that giant stimulus bill the

[20:27] president signed today. 787 billion

[20:30] dollar in spending. Hopes are high it

[20:32] will help. It's designed to put

[20:34] Americans to work. But at over a,000

[20:37] pages, people are still reading through

[20:39] it, discovering what's in it, and a lot

[20:41] of critics, of course, are looking

[20:42] closely. Our report from our senior

[20:45] investigative correspondent, Lisa

[20:46] Meyers.

[20:48] Added behind these doors in the final

[20:50] draft of the stimulus package, $8

[20:53] billion for high-speed rail projects.

[20:55] Critics say some of that is likely to go

[20:57] for a pet project of Senate Majority

[21:00] Leader Harry Reid, a magnetic levitation

[21:02] rail line from Las Vegas to Disneyland

[21:05] near Los Angeles. Critics say such

[21:07] projects may be good for Vegas and other

[21:09] local, but they're not critical national

[21:12] priorities.

[21:13] >> There's lots of things around this

[21:14] country. People talk about crumbling

[21:15] infrastructure. That's where we should

[21:17] be putting our resources rather than

[21:19] some sort of gleam in Senator Reid's

[21:20] eye.

[21:21] >> Another provision designates a billion

[21:23] dollars for clean coal technology, which

[21:25] Senate Democrat Dick Durban says he

[21:27] hopes will revive the future gen coal

[21:30] project in Illinois, killed by the Bush

[21:33] administration after costs doubled. The

[21:35] Washington Post called the project

[21:37] prohibitively expensive, one of many

[21:40] items attacked by Republicans.

[21:42] >> The cost is too great.

[21:44] >> It's a wrong approach. You have to be

[21:46] kidding.

[21:47] >> Misdirected spending spree.

[21:50] >> Critics complain that Democratic Party

[21:52] priorities get big money. Education,

[21:55] health care, communities, the arts,

[21:58] without enough specifics.

[21:59] >> And what we end up doing is handing over

[22:01] big pots of cash to federal agencies and

[22:04] to states and letting them spend it how

[22:06] they want.

[22:07] >> Democrats say that misses the point of

[22:09] what this package is supposed to do.

[22:11] >> Then you get the argument, well, this is

[22:13] not a stimulus bill. This is a spending

[22:15] bill.

[22:17] What do YOU THINK A STIMULUS IS?

[22:19] >> Conservative economists say that though

[22:21] some of the spending is worthwhile, the

[22:23] package is not properly designed to

[22:26] stimulate the economy.

[22:27] >> It's going to waste a lot of money uh

[22:29] particularly on the expenditure side. On

[22:31] the tax side, it doesn't provide

[22:33] incentives. It's basically throwing

[22:35] money at people. It's not the useful way

[22:36] to expand the economy on either side.

[22:39] >> Then there is the price tag. If the

[22:41] package creates or saves three and a

[22:42] half million jobs as predicted, it will

[22:45] cost a quarter of a million dollars per

[22:48] job. The Obama administration says the

[22:50] cost of doing nothing would be much

[22:52] greater in human and economic terms.

[22:55] Lisa Meyers, NBC News, Washington.

[22:58] >> Depending on where you're watching us

[23:00] tonight, we sure hope you can see us at

[23:02] this time tomorrow night. You know, all

[23:04] those announcements about local TV

[23:05] stations switching their broadcasting

[23:07] signals to digital, whatever that means.

[23:10] Well, for some of them, mostly in

[23:12] smaller cities, that's tonight at

[23:14] midnight. Others will switch in June.

[23:16] It's again only supposed to affect those

[23:18] watching us using an antenna. We'll be

[23:21] right back with what we're all supposed

[23:23] to know about smart grid technology.

[23:30] >> I'm going to do another one of my sleep

[23:32] studies. Advil P.M. or Tylenol PM. Here

[23:36] we go. Middle of the night. Awake again.

[23:41] Asleep with Advil PM. She's spending

[23:44] less time lying awake with aches and

[23:46] pains and more time asleep.

[23:49] He should switch to Advil PM. Maybe you

[23:53] should switch, too. Advil PM. The

[23:55] difference is a better night's sleep.

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[24:58] >> I never thought it could happen to me.

[25:01] Heart attack at 53. I had felt fine, but

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[25:48] a rare but serious side effect.

[25:50] >> I was caught off guard, but maybe you

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[25:54] >> Have a heart-to-heart with your doctor

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[25:59] >> This is a KGW News Channel 8 update.

[26:02] >> Next after nightly news, stimulus money

[26:04] by the billions comes home to Oregon.

[26:06] The road projects you'll see, plus a

[26:09] sign of the time shoplifting up at

[26:11] grocery stores. How they're fighting

[26:12] back.

[26:13] >> I'm Massino. The showers are ending.

[26:15] Find out how long the dry weather lasts

[26:17] at 6.

[26:21] >> What works brought to you by Lipur.

[26:26] Finally, here tonight, our series of

[26:28] reports on what works. Some say this

[26:30] next idea fits that definition. The

[26:32] president talked about this very thing

[26:34] today. It's called smart grid

[26:36] technology. We get our report from

[26:38] Boulder, Colorado, and our chief

[26:40] environmental affairs correspondent,

[26:42] Anne Thompson.

[26:43] room. Originally,

[26:44] >> Val Peterson says she's a human lab rat.

[26:47] >> I joke that my husband and I, Chancellor

[26:49] GP Bud Peterson, University of Colorado

[26:51] at Boulder, that we have donated our

[26:53] bodies to science.

[26:54] >> Their maze, the chancellor's residence,

[26:56] testing solar panels, storage batteries,

[26:59] and programmable thermostats.

[27:01] >> Can you turn down the temperature of

[27:03] your house from anywhere in the world?

[27:05] >> Anywhere in the world. If you give me a

[27:07] computer and I can get on the internet.

[27:09] Val is in a smart home, part of XL

[27:12] Energy's $100 million experiment called

[27:14] Smart Grid City. The goal to improve how

[27:17] energy is delivered in Boulder and how

[27:19] consumers use it. 15,000 customers are

[27:22] connected to it. Today, the Chancellor's

[27:24] House uses 30% less energy.

[27:27] >> In the last 30 days, we have avoided

[27:30] 513.1

[27:32] pounds of CO2 of carbon emissions. A

[27:35] smart home has a smart meter monitoring

[27:38] energy usage, constantly sending

[27:40] information to network boxes on utility

[27:42] poles in Boulder and then to XL's office

[27:44] in Denver. How big a change is this for

[27:47] you?

[27:48] >> This is a significant change. We're

[27:50] going from being very reactive as a

[27:53] utility to being proactive.

[27:55] >> This is not just about using power more

[27:57] efficiently today, but also in the

[27:58] future. One study predicts America's

[28:01] demand for energy will increase 40% in

[28:04] the next 25 years. A future that might

[28:07] see the price consumers pay for energy

[28:09] depend on when they use it.

[28:11] >> It really only makes sense to work with

[28:13] customers to educate them to say if it's

[28:16] a really hot day, it's going to cost a

[28:17] lot more or a lot more money to get the

[28:19] energy to you.

[28:20] >> The experiment changed Dennis and Julie

[28:22] Orfman.

[28:23] >> In negotiations with my wife, we don't

[28:25] use the dryer at all. their energy usage

[28:28] cut in half.

[28:30] >> A joint venture between consumers and a

[28:32] utility to power the future in a smarter

[28:35] way. Anne Thompson, NBC News, Bold. OPB

[28:39] is ready and we know most of you are

[28:41] too. In order to allow everyone to be

[28:43] ready when the time comes, OPB will

[28:46] honor the government's request to delay

[28:48] the final switch to June 12th. But don't

[28:51] wait. Now is the time to act. Start

[28:54] enjoying digital OPB today. If you need

[28:57] help, call the OPB digital help center,

[29:00] 1 800241-8123.

[29:06] The wild pigs invading parts of Oregon

[29:08] not only look dangerous, they are. These

[29:10] vicious predators are also responsible

[29:12] for destroying valuable land. We'll show

[29:15] you what's being done to try and stop

[29:17] this non-native and why some folks want

[29:19] them around. You'll also see some

[29:21] fascinating behavior from wild fish

[29:23] struggling to survive.

[29:26] And find out more about one of Oregon's

[29:28] more unusual cash crops, swampland.

[29:31] Oregon Field Guide, Thursday night at

[29:33] 8:30.

[29:36] >> I support OPB at the cornerstone level.

[29:39] There isn't anything really more

[29:41] important to me than um knowledge. I

[29:44] virtually live and breathe OP.

[29:47] >> It keeps me tuned in to what's going on

[29:48] in the world. My morning starts with it.

[29:50] My night ends with it. OPB is my

[29:52] lifeline to the state, to the arts, to

[29:54] politics, to what's happening

[29:56] internationally. I love the Oregon

[29:58] Public Broadcasting Cornerstone Society.

[30:00] It is a very meaningful place to share

[30:04] my enthusiasm and my passion for OPB.

[30:07] >> To find out more about the OPB

[30:09] Cornerstone Society, please visit

[30:11] opb.org/cornerstone

[30:13] or call Julie Arnson at 503977765.

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