NBC Nightly News - 2000-08-26

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (YouTube automatic captions)

[0:06] Security at the Olympics.

[0:09] Reassurances from Australia after

[0:11] newspaper reports about a nuclear

[0:13] reactor and some suspicious activity.

[0:16] President Clinton's mission to Africa.

[0:19] Step one, shoring up the fragile

[0:21] democracy in Nigeria.

[0:23] >> Your fight

[0:25] is America's fight and the world's

[0:27] fight.

[0:29] >> The redeem the dream march on

[0:31] Washington. A call to end police

[0:33] brutality and racial profiling.

[0:36] And the searing heat in Texas, where

[0:39] some haven't had rain for nearly 2

[0:41] months.

[0:42] >> We're in the middle of a Texas-size

[0:44] drought.

[0:48] >> From NBC News world headquarters in New

[0:50] York, this is NBC Nightly News, reported

[0:54] by John Seigenthaler.

[0:57] >> Good evening, everyone. We begin tonight

[0:59] with the massive security operation

[1:01] planned for the Olympics in Australia

[1:03] and concerns about a terrorist attack.

[1:06] Australian officials today sought to

[1:08] reassure the world about security

[1:10] despite published reports of a possible

[1:12] plan to attack the country's only

[1:15] nuclear reactor. NBC's Fred Francis

[1:17] joins us tonight from Washington. Good

[1:19] evening, Fred.

[1:20] >> John, NBC News has learned that there is

[1:22] no credible threat at this time facing

[1:24] the Sydney Olympics. Not from infamous

[1:27] terrorist Osama bin Laden and not from

[1:29] three men arrested in New Zealand more

[1:31] than 5 months ago.

[1:34] >> US intelligence sources tell NBC News

[1:37] that New Zealand police arrested and

[1:39] released three men with ties to

[1:40] Afghanistan after charging them with

[1:43] passport fraud. One of those men had a

[1:45] map which highlighted a small nuclear

[1:47] reactor in the city of Sydney, where a

[1:49] million people will gather in 3 weeks

[1:51] for the games.

[1:52] >> These people

[1:54] um

[1:54] had the uh the the room in the house set

[1:56] up in such a way that it it it gave us

[1:59] cause for concern

[2:01] that they might be intent on some

[2:04] activity as a prelude to the Olympic

[2:06] Games.

[2:07] >> Other officials played down the

[2:08] suspicions.

[2:09] >> If they had clear evidence of terrorist

[2:12] activity, someone would have been

[2:13] arrested. That's the that's the truth of

[2:15] it.

[2:15] >> Australian officials agree that the

[2:17] reactor at Lucas Heights is safe.

[2:19] >> Government

[2:21] sees no credible threat to the Lucas

[2:24] Heights facilities, whatever.

[2:26] >> The Sydney Olympics with its geographic

[2:28] proximity to Southwest Asia, where Bin

[2:30] Laden has his support, has assembled the

[2:33] most integrated and sophisticated

[2:34] security organization ever seen. It ties

[2:37] Australia to every major police and

[2:39] intelligence organization in the world

[2:41] including the CIA. And US intelligence

[2:43] sources tell NBC News that there is no

[2:46] information at the CIA's

[2:47] Counterterrorism Center that Sydney is

[2:49] vulnerable.

[2:51] >> But that does not mean, John, that

[2:53] officials in the US and Australia are

[2:55] not on alert. As secure as Sydney will

[2:57] be in 3 weeks, there is no way to

[2:59] protect a million people against every

[3:02] threat. John.

[3:03] >> NBC's Fred Francis, thank you.

[3:05] Now, President Clinton is in Africa

[3:07] tonight beginning a 3-day trip aimed at

[3:09] strengthening fragile democracies there.

[3:12] NBC's John Palmer is traveling with the

[3:14] president and reports from the Nigerian

[3:16] capital of Abuja.

[3:20] >> President Clinton's visit comes 2 years

[3:22] after he snubbed Nigeria during his

[3:25] first African trip. A pointed message to

[3:27] the generals who were then in charge.

[3:30] Now the generals are gone, replaced by

[3:33] democratically elected President

[3:35] Obasanjo who greeted President Clinton

[3:37] today. Nigeria's 15-month-old democracy

[3:40] is at a critical stage as it tries to

[3:43] reduce tension between its diverse

[3:45] religious and ethnic groups and manage

[3:47] the nation's oil reserves in a more

[3:49] productive way. Nigeria exports almost

[3:53] $10 billion worth of oil each year, but

[3:56] has a long history of corrupt military

[3:58] officials siphoning off the profits. In

[4:01] the first meeting between the two

[4:03] leaders today, oil was a central topic

[4:06] with President Clinton asking the

[4:07] Nigerian president to use his influence

[4:10] on other oil producing nations to raise

[4:13] production. Mr. Clinton got a promise

[4:15] Nigeria would work for more stability in

[4:18] world oil prices. Later in a speech to

[4:21] the new democratic parliament, Mr.

[4:23] Clinton offered Nigeria financial and

[4:26] political support.

[4:27] >> Your fight for democracy and human

[4:29] rights,

[4:30] for equity and economic growth,

[4:33] for peace and tolerance,

[4:36] your fight

[4:37] is America's fight and the world's

[4:39] fight.

[4:40] >> Nigeria, Africa's most populous country,

[4:43] is mired in poverty. President Clinton

[4:46] offered additional financial aid for

[4:48] primary schools and disease prevention

[4:50] today, fattening a US aid package that

[4:53] has grown from $7 million to $108

[4:56] million in 2 years.

[4:59] The Nigerian military is being beefed up

[5:01] with US financial support and US

[5:04] military trainers in hopes of bringing

[5:07] more stability to all of Africa. But

[5:10] it's a move that's questioned by some

[5:12] who know Nigeria well.

[5:14] >> The focus really needs to be on

[5:15] strengthening the civilian government

[5:17] and not perhaps dangerously preparing

[5:20] the Nigerian military for a return to

[5:23] power.

[5:23] >> But White House officials argue that

[5:25] Nigeria needs both economic and military

[5:28] aid, calling this the most important

[5:31] democratic transition in Africa since

[5:33] the collapse of apartheid in South

[5:35] Africa. John Palmer, NBC News with the

[5:38] president in Nigeria.

[5:40] >> On the mall in Washington, famous in

[5:42] civil rights lore, thousands turned out

[5:45] today to call for an end to police

[5:47] misconduct, which they say happens

[5:49] almost routinely in minority

[5:51] communities. NBC's Hillary Lane reports

[5:54] on the problem and attempted solutions.

[5:57] >> On the 37th anniversary of Martin Luther

[5:59] King Jr.'s historic March on Washington,

[6:03] a new generation is applauding the

[6:04] progress but voicing new concerns.

[6:08] >> The injustices of the criminal justice

[6:11] system threaten to make a mockery of

[6:13] almost half a century of hard fought

[6:16] right right work that we did since we

[6:18] listened to Dr. King.

[6:20] >> King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and

[6:22] their son, Martin Luther King III, were

[6:24] among the speakers calling on America to

[6:26] redeem the dream and citing recent civil

[6:29] rights cases such as the New York City

[6:31] police beating of Abner Louima. Wanted

[6:34] today an end to the practice of racial

[6:36] profiling by police, stopping minority

[6:39] drivers solely because they fit a

[6:40] certain description.

[6:42] >> I'll put this smoke alarm book. We have

[6:43] a new program.

[6:44] >> Adjacent to the city of Washington is

[6:45] Maryland's Montgomery County, one of the

[6:48] wealthiest counties in the country. In

[6:50] January, the county and US Department of

[6:53] Justice reached an agreement concluding

[6:55] a more than 3-year civil rights review

[6:57] into complaints by minority drivers of

[7:00] racial harassment by county police.

[7:02] >> These are general overview of the types

[7:05] of complaints that we are receiving.

[7:06] >> Montgomery County admitted no

[7:08] wrongdoing, but now police officers are

[7:11] training to enact a new system, which

[7:13] they hope will counter past and future

[7:15] accusations.

[7:16] >> We think it'll be very useful because

[7:18] the criticisms out here,

[7:20] but we don't have any facts to defend

[7:21] against that criticism.

[7:22] >> Do you have your driver's license with

[7:24] you?

[7:24] >> Yes, sir.

[7:24] >> Okay.

[7:24] >> Starting Friday, each of the county's

[7:26] more than 1,000 police officers will be

[7:28] required to enter information into a

[7:31] handheld computer about every routine

[7:33] traffic stop such as this one for a

[7:35] faulty brake light, the age, gender, and

[7:38] ethnicity of the driver, the reason for

[7:41] and length of the stop and data about

[7:43] any search or arrest made.

[7:46] >> This is our opportunity to show people

[7:47] in our community that the Montgomery

[7:49] County Police Department makes decisions

[7:51] based on behavior.

[7:52] >> The county's minority community hopes

[7:54] the new system will force change and

[7:57] improve relations.

[7:58] >> It's going to take some time to to um

[8:01] come look at some results, you know, as

[8:03] to whether it's going to

[8:06] really make a difference.

[8:07] >> Similar reviews have led to federal

[8:09] action against police forces in New

[8:10] Jersey and Ohio. 10 other states have

[8:13] enacted programs aimed at curbing racial

[8:15] profiling. Hillary Lane, NBC News, New

[8:18] York.

[8:19] >> When NBC Nightly News continues in a

[8:21] moment, the brutal heat and a costly

[8:24] drought in the heart of Texas.

[8:27] And later in focus, guess who's playing

[8:29] the stock market.

[8:37] >> Your computer can do amazing things.

[8:41] It can be your photo gallery, your bank,

[8:44] your jukebox, your soapbox, your

[8:47] passport to the world. All of which

[8:50] means nothing

[8:51] if someone doesn't show you how.

[8:54] Starting today, we will. Technology's

[8:57] great, but in Gateway Country, people

[9:00] rule.

[9:01] Come in or call.

[9:03] >> If foods like onions and peppers give

[9:05] you gas, then do what I do. Take Beano

[9:08] before eating. It has a natural food

[9:10] enzyme that helps prevent gas caused by

[9:12] many vegetables, including beans. And

[9:14] for me, that's great news. Prevent gas

[9:17] with Beano.

[9:18] >> We all want to look good in our

[9:20] sunglasses.

[9:21] >> Right now at LensCrafters for only $99,

[9:24] you can find great-looking sunglasses in

[9:25] your prescription.

[9:27] >> Hundreds of the latest sunglass styles,

[9:29] all for only $99.

[9:31] >> Hurry, event ends soon.

[9:34] >> Have you seen the latest One A Day Joint

[9:36] Health with glucosamine, a unique blend

[9:39] designed to help you maintain

[9:41] flexibility. It's from One A Day.

[9:45] And just what you need to feel your

[9:47] best.

[9:48] >> Man, I'm hungry.

[9:51] What a buck for a sliver of raw fish?

[9:53] >> It's sushi.

[9:54] >> Sushi? Where I'm from they call that

[9:56] stuff bait.

[9:57] >> What else can you get for just a dollar?

[9:58] >> Well, I can get a 20-minute phone call

[10:00] for only 99 cents.

[10:02] >> Quit kidding around.

[10:03] >> No, it's true. Dial 10-10-2-20, it's

[10:04] just 99 cents for all calls up to 20

[10:06] minutes.

[10:07] >> And just 7 cents a minute after that.

[10:09] >> And get this, there's no monthly fee.

[10:11] >> 10-10-2-20 really is a great deal.

[10:13] >> We know.

[10:14] >> Hey.

[10:15] >> You forgot to cook this.

[10:16] >> Dial 10-10-2-20.

[10:20] >> In Texas, it is fast becoming a summer

[10:22] to remember. Once again, there were

[10:24] triple-digit temperatures in places

[10:27] where people inland are already parched.

[10:30] Here's NBC's Jim Cummins.

[10:32] Today, more blistering heat and rainless

[10:35] skies over Texas. It's been this way for

[10:37] 57 straight days now. The record is 58.

[10:41] >> Father, man cannot see in rain.

[10:43] But Father, we can sure pray.

[10:45] >> In the small town of Electra, the

[10:46] faithful have gathered along Main Street

[10:48] to pray for rain.

[10:49] >> Send the rain, dear Lord. You're like

[10:51] when Noah was building the ark.

[10:52] >> This is what remains of Lake Electra.

[10:55] Normally, the water is 20 ft deep here.

[10:58] So, there's water rationing. Pat

[10:59] Gilbert's ration, 4,000 gallons for her

[11:02] family of three for the next month.

[11:04] >> If this was before, I'd be standing here

[11:06] running water till it was running out my

[11:08] ears.

[11:10] And that's the next step.

[11:12] And I'm going to leave this water

[11:15] all evening.

[11:16] >> The drought has cost Texas farmers and

[11:18] ranchers about $600 million in losses so

[11:21] far.

[11:21] >> It's all across the state, San Angelo

[11:24] and the plains. Anybody in dry land

[11:26] cotton is probably out of business.

[11:29] >> Boat marinas are losing money about as

[11:31] fast as water levels are going down on

[11:33] Lake Lewisville.

[11:34] >> Just pray for rain and hope for a better

[11:36] near better year next year.

[11:38] >> John and Elizabeth Nujent have a house

[11:40] on the lake.

[11:40] >> Yeah, we don't take our kids out

[11:41] swimming anymore because of the stagnant

[11:43] water now.

[11:44] >> In neighboring Oklahoma, a wildfire

[11:46] swept across 5 square miles of prairie

[11:48] near the small town of Binger,

[11:50] destroying several homes and a girl

[11:52] scout camp. Jimmy East watched

[11:54] helplessly as his neighbor's house was

[11:56] consumed by the flames.

[11:57] >> It's all

[12:00] all lost. We all always close together.

[12:05] I hate to see it for anybody.

[12:06] >> It took 23 fire departments 2 days to

[12:09] stop the wildfire. The cause, somebody

[12:12] burning debris, prompting the state to

[12:14] ban burning in all but six Oklahoma

[12:16] counties.

[12:17] In Texas, Governor Bush says 195

[12:20] counties are threatened by wildfires. He

[12:22] asked for federal aid to fight the fires

[12:24] and Friday, his request was rejected.

[12:27] Federal officials say the fires do not

[12:29] yet threaten lives or public health.

[12:31] >> There's a hint of rain in the weather

[12:32] forecast, possibly by late next week,

[12:35] but that would be days after the record

[12:37] falls for the longest running dry spell

[12:39] here. Jim Cummins, NBC News, Dallas.

[12:43] >> Now to the effort in this country to cut

[12:45] off the supply of cocaine. The US

[12:47] Customs Service announced today it has

[12:49] dismantled a drug smuggling operation

[12:51] that agents have been tracking for

[12:53] years. $400 million worth of cocaine was

[12:56] recovered during the raid. NBC's Dan

[12:58] Lothian reports.

[13:01] >> A major drug operation busted. Two

[13:03] suspected Colombian drug lords now in

[13:06] custody on US soil. Ivan De La Vega and

[13:09] Antonio Luis Navia accused of

[13:11] trafficking 70 tons of cocaine over 3

[13:13] years worldwide using commercial ships.

[13:16] They were booked and fingerprinted in

[13:18] Florida this week. More than 40 others

[13:21] also arrested overseas.

[13:23] >> We wiped out a sprawling organization

[13:25] whose tentacles reached around the

[13:27] world.

[13:28] Massive amounts of cocaine will be kept

[13:31] off the streets of Europe and America.

[13:34] >> Almost 25 tons of cocaine seized along

[13:37] with five ships in a two-year

[13:39] international investigation dubbed

[13:41] Operation Journey. 12 countries acting

[13:44] on inside information following a

[13:46] sophisticated cocaine trail.

[13:49] >> They mix drugs with legitimate cargo,

[13:50] sugar and different types of fruits.

[13:53] They had drugs in creative false

[13:54] compartments.

[13:56] >> Federal authorities say cocaine was

[13:57] transported by land or air from Colombia

[14:00] to an area in the jungles of

[14:02] northeastern Venezuela, then taken by

[14:04] small boats offshore, put on cargo

[14:07] freighters and shipped mostly to Europe

[14:10] but also the US. Documents were found

[14:13] detailing the key to coded

[14:14] communications and more evidence, a fax

[14:17] authorities say sent to a ship's captain

[14:19] outlining cocaine pickup points and what

[14:22] radio frequencies to use.

[14:24] >> This is the latest round in the

[14:26] long-running and frustrating battle

[14:28] aimed at cutting off the drug pipeline

[14:30] from South America. US officials say

[14:32] Colombia alone is responsible for 300

[14:35] tons of cocaine each year.

[14:38] >> Have you won the battle? No way. We're

[14:40] never going to seize our way or arrest

[14:42] away out of the drug problem in this

[14:44] country.

[14:45] We need a significant reduction in

[14:46] demand.

[14:47] >> But the arrests and seizures from

[14:49] Operation Journey seen as progress in

[14:51] the drug war. Dan Lothian, NBC News, Los

[14:54] Angeles.

[14:56] >> A program note now, money and politics

[14:59] is the topic tomorrow on NBC's Meet the

[15:00] Press. Democratic Senator John Kerry and

[15:03] Republican Congressman John Kasich are

[15:05] Tim Russert's guests. When NBC Nightly

[15:08] News continues, why children are now

[15:10] climbing aboard the Wall Street roller

[15:12] coaster.

[15:22] >> The school supply thing.

[15:24] >> I know,

[15:25] but until the school budget catches up,

[15:26] I really don't see any other way.

[15:30] The kids really need those supplies.

[15:32] >> It's just

[15:33] it's really starting to add up.

[15:36] >> I didn't become a teacher for the money,

[15:37] Steven.

[15:39] We're just going to have to watch how we

[15:40] spend.

[15:42] >> There are thousands of teachers who

[15:44] reach into their own pockets to buy

[15:45] supplies for their students. So, to

[15:47] help, Office Depot is crediting 5% of

[15:50] your back-to-school to the school of

[15:52] your choice.

[15:53] >> That's for Arlington Elementary School.

[15:54] >> Sure. Thanks.

[16:08] >> Office Depot, helping schools take care

[16:11] of business.

[16:14] >> Life is just a bowl of cherries. Don't

[16:18] take it serious. Life's too mysterious.

[16:23] So, keep repeating it's the berries.

[16:26] >> Smucker's from Smucker's, a fun,

[16:29] convenient way to put a smile in your

[16:31] day.

[16:32] With a name like Smucker's, it has to be

[16:34] good.

[16:36] >> Life is just a bowl of cherries. So,

[16:40] live and laugh at it all.

[16:46] >> Sunday on Today, you'll never have a

[16:48] better reason to go shopping. What you

[16:50] must have when your little bundle of joy

[16:52] arrives as our Today's Baby Series

[16:53] continues. Sunday on Today.

[16:57] >> In focus this evening, the new group of

[16:59] Americans the Wall Street firms are

[17:01] courting, kids. CNBC's Sharon Epperson

[17:04] has our report.

[17:09] >> A typical day for the Triano kids,

[17:12] shooting hoops, getting into the van,

[17:14] heading out to a swim meet, and checking

[17:16] their portfolios.

[17:18] >> Track AOL. Let's see what that's at.

[17:20] >> Christopher is nine, sister Katie 11,

[17:22] big brother AJ is 12, and investors

[17:25] their age are not unusual. According to

[17:28] recent survey, 10% of the 8th to 12th

[17:31] grade children in this country own

[17:32] stocks or bonds. About 7% own mutual

[17:36] funds.

[17:37] 77 million strong and growing,

[17:40] investment companies see Generation Y as

[17:43] the key to a successful future.

[17:45] >> They've managed to spend a hundred and

[17:46] five billion dollars last year on their

[17:49] own, and that doesn't account for what

[17:51] they actually influenced through their

[17:53] parents.

[17:54] >> Your money just keeps growing on your

[17:56] money.

[17:56] >> Brokerage companies send financial

[17:58] consultants to schools around the

[18:00] country selling the idea of investing.

[18:03] The competition is fierce and the stakes

[18:06] are high. Six years ago, Stein Roe's

[18:09] Young Investor's Fund had about 4,000

[18:11] accounts. Now it has 231,000.

[18:16] And investment companies even have

[18:17] mutual funds designed for youngsters and

[18:20] promoted online.

[18:21] >> And you can see the evolution of the

[18:23] letters we get. It used to be, "Thank

[18:25] you for teaching me about a stock." And

[18:27] now it is, "I told my mother when we

[18:29] invested in this hedge fund that it

[18:31] wasn't a good idea, and I'm glad you

[18:33] validated that for me."

[18:34] >> But the chairman of the Children's

[18:36] Financial Network has a warning for

[18:38] parents.

[18:39] >> It's very tempting to say to the kids,

[18:40] "Here's a thousand dollars, go play with

[18:41] it." It's not about playing, and we

[18:44] don't want to turn these kids into

[18:45] little day traders because there are

[18:47] more losers than there are winners, and

[18:49] they get caught up in the zeal and zest

[18:52] of the challenge, of the game, of it.

[18:54] And investing is not a game.

[18:57] >> I worry about them not appreciating

[18:58] those simple things, simple pleasures in

[19:00] life.

[19:01] >> More and more parents worried about how

[19:03] the booming economy will affect their

[19:05] children attend workshops like this one

[19:08] looking for advice on helping kids deal

[19:10] with material wealth.

[19:11] >> And if you're clear what your values

[19:13] are, your behavior is going to be very

[19:16] close to that.

[19:17] >> Investment houses know that marketing of

[19:19] the stock market to kids is also a way

[19:22] to reach their parents.

[19:23] >> They would come home and do their

[19:24] homework.

[19:25] And then you would you would look at it

[19:27] and say, you know, if we invested here,

[19:29] we would make 3,000 within a year. And

[19:31] you start looking at that and you say,

[19:32] okay, we'll give it a try.

[19:34] >> Marking the start of a new family

[19:35] pastime at the Triano home, riding the

[19:38] bull market.

[19:40] Sharon Epperson for NBC News.

[19:43] >> The search continues tonight for the

[19:45] stock market manipulator who put out

[19:47] false information on a company named

[19:49] Emulex yesterday causing its value to

[19:51] drop by 60% temporarily.

[19:55] When we continue, gun safety aimed at

[19:57] kids.

[20:06] >> What is it, Chuck?

[20:07] >> I mean, what was it?

[20:09] >> No nibbling.

[20:10] >> Don't worry.

[20:11] >> Is she kidding?

[20:11] >> No, she's cooking.

[20:14] >> Whiskas Homestyle Favorites taste like

[20:16] food you'd make if you could. Four new

[20:18] meals, each with all that slow-cooked

[20:20] goodness sealed in the flavor-lock

[20:22] pouch.

[20:23] >> Hi. Ready for dinner?

[20:24] >> Trust me, he's not.

[20:26] >> Should we save him some?

[20:27] >> Whiskas Homestyle Favorites, what cats

[20:29] want.

[20:31] >> The forces of nature are waging a war

[20:33] and their target is your deck. But

[20:35] Thompson's will stop them because when

[20:37] others fail, Thompson succeeds

[20:39] protecting your deck like no other,

[20:41] guaranteed. Thompson's wood protector,

[20:43] it never takes a day off.

[20:45] >> It's allergy season and for once I'm not

[20:48] miserable. It's the Nasalcrom. Unlike

[20:50] these, it can't make you drowsy. And

[20:52] unlike these, it can't make you jittery.

[20:54] Maybe that's why allergists recommend

[20:56] Nasalcrom most. Nasalcrom, the best way

[20:58] to stop suffering is never to start.

[21:02] >> Hungry for seafood?

[21:04] There's only one thing to do. Head to

[21:06] Red Lobster for Lobster and Shrimp just

[21:09] $12.99 right now at Red Lobster. So,

[21:12] hurry in and get it before it's gone.

[21:16] >> You know, you can clean your dentures

[21:17] faster than you can shower?

[21:19] >> Because Polident 5-minute has such minty

[21:21] cleaning power, it leaves your dentures

[21:23] minty fresh and clean in just 5 minutes.

[21:25] >> Minty fresh Polident cleans and freshens

[21:28] in only 5 minutes.

[21:31] >> Um, did you want to be alone?

[21:33] >> Um, no.

[21:34] >> No?

[21:34] >> Not at all.

[21:35] >> Okay.

[21:37] >> The irony is I started doing this to be

[21:39] part of the crowd and now

[21:40] >> Me, too.

[21:41] >> Oh, do you

[21:41] >> No, no. I I just quit. Nicoderm CQ.

[21:43] >> Aren't the cravings unbearable?

[21:45] >> Well, I'm not jumping, if that's what

[21:47] you're thinking. No. CQ is good on the

[21:49] cravings. It's strong medicine. It's

[21:50] with you 24 hours. It works.

[21:53] >> Nicoderm CQ, now in a clear patch, too,

[21:56] for a more personal way to quit.

[21:58] >> Quit, huh?

[21:59] >> Hey, join the crowd.

[22:01] >> To gun safety now and the latest attempt

[22:04] by one community to better protect its

[22:06] children. Here's NBC's Frederica

[22:08] Whitfield.

[22:10] >> Today in South Miami, free gun locks

[22:13] along with one-on-one lessons on how to

[22:15] use them at home.

[22:17] >> This goes behind the trigger.

[22:19] You just line this up. Snaps into place.

[22:22] Turn the key.

[22:24] Gun's locked.

[22:25] >> South Miami, now the first city in the

[22:27] US with an ordinance requiring locking

[22:29] devices on firearms in all homes. Today,

[22:33] city officials expecting to hand out 100

[22:36] free gun locks, were overwhelmed giving

[22:38] out 325 before running out. One city

[22:42] commissioner says the new ordinance was

[22:44] specifically designed to save children's

[22:46] lives.

[22:47] >> And you think your child doesn't know

[22:48] where your gun is? You think your child

[22:49] doesn't know where the Christmas

[22:50] presents are, you know, the 1st of

[22:52] December? You're wrong.

[22:53] >> Among the victims, 11-year-old

[22:55] Christopher Hernandez, who died 2 years

[22:58] ago.

[22:58] >> My son looked in my drawers, found my

[23:00] gun, and shot himself in the head.

[23:02] >> Christopher's father, Fernando

[23:04] Hernandez, is now a gun lock advocate.

[23:06] >> And after that, I've taken it upon

[23:08] myself to talk to other parents

[23:11] and educate them the need to have gun

[23:14] locks on their guns.

[23:15] >> In Dade County since 1997, promoting gun

[23:18] locks has been a countywide campaign.

[23:21] Over the past 3 years, 10,000 locks have

[23:24] been distributed. The county has seen an

[23:26] 80% reduction in gun-related deaths of

[23:29] young people from an average of one

[23:31] child death a week in 1996 to an average

[23:35] now of one per month. Some believe the

[23:38] new ordinance puts people's lives in

[23:40] jeopardy.

[23:40] >> If you've ever been confronted, you're

[23:43] not going to have time to react to you

[23:44] take a lock off of a gun.

[23:46] >> South Miami officials were so impressed

[23:48] by today's turnout, they're offering

[23:50] vouchers for people to pick up the $10

[23:52] gun locks on their own. Federica

[23:55] Whitfield, NBC News.

[23:57] >> In southwestern Montana tonight, the

[23:59] already bad fire situation has gotten

[24:01] worse. Two large wildfires have combined

[24:04] to form a single blaze covering nearly a

[24:07] quarter of a million acres.

[24:09] When NBC Nightly News continues in a

[24:11] moment, a reunion of a rescuer and the

[24:13] boy he rescued 6 months ago.

[24:18] >> Welcome back. Please get a pen and

[24:20] paper.

[24:23] You have an extra pen? Regular

[24:25] or gel ink?

[24:26] >> Gel.

[24:27] >> Comfort grip or standard?

[24:29] >> Comfort.

[24:33] >> Do you have any paper?

[24:34] >> Staples has everything you need for back

[24:36] to school.

[24:37] >> Bobby?

[24:39] Do you have any chalk?

[24:42] Regular

[24:43] or dust free?

[24:45] >> Want low prices? staples.com. Yeah,

[24:47] we've got that.

[24:48] >> We all want to look good in our

[24:49] sunglasses.

[24:51] >> Right now at LensCrafters for only $99,

[24:53] you can find great looking sunglasses in

[24:55] your prescription.

[24:57] >> Hundreds of the latest sunglass styles,

[24:59] all for only $99.

[25:01] >> Hurry, event ends soon.

[25:04] >> Thanks for making a leave. For almost 5

[25:06] years, I had a hard time walking. I went

[25:09] from doctor to doctor, but even after

[25:10] surgery, I had some pain. Tylenol worked

[25:13] for a while, then quit, and the pain

[25:15] came back. Finally, a doctor suggested

[25:18] Aleve. Within a week, I was dancing all

[25:21] night like I hadn't done in years.

[25:23] >> Aleve can stop pain all day with just

[25:25] two pills. It would take eight Tylenol

[25:27] to do that.

[25:27] >> Now, people say I'm a walking

[25:29] advertisement for Aleve.

[25:30] >> All day strong, all day long.

[25:34] >> Lysol presents Facts of Life.

[25:37] Fact, the more germs on an object, the

[25:40] more desirable it becomes.

[25:42] Fact, a child who shares nothing else

[25:45] will share the cold bug. Fact, Lysol

[25:47] disinfectant spray is the best because

[25:50] it kills 99.9% of germs in seconds and

[25:53] is proven to help reduce school days

[25:55] missed.

[25:57] Fact, you can protect a child from

[25:58] anything but himself. Life demands

[26:01] Lysol. That's a fact.

[26:04] >> Sunday, Decision 2000, your money in the

[26:07] fight over the budget surplus. How much

[26:09] do you want back? Gore and Bush battle

[26:11] over tax cuts. Sunday on Meet the Press.

[26:14] A secret weapon against drunk driving,

[26:16] NBC Nightly News next week.

[26:19] >> Just 6 months ago, the images of

[26:21] flood-ravaged Mozambique stunned the

[26:24] world as thousands of people were swept

[26:26] from their homes. Today, the emergency

[26:28] in that southern African nation is over,

[26:30] but there are more difficult days ahead.

[26:33] Here's NBC's Donna Freeze.

[26:38] >> In a country with little to celebrate,

[26:40] one village in Mozambique rejoices.

[26:47] They lost everything in the flood, but

[26:49] say the Lord has not forsaken them

[26:51] because in the distance a truck arrives

[26:53] carrying supplies to finally rebuild

[26:56] their homes 6 months after they were

[26:58] destroyed.

[27:00] Many other villages though are still

[27:02] waiting, and international aid money is

[27:04] running out.

[27:05] >> We haven't got any more funds for any

[27:07] other projects.

[27:10] >> Thousands, like 12-year-old Nelson da

[27:11] Silva and his family, still live in a

[27:13] makeshift shack, but he counts himself

[27:16] as one of the lucky ones. In February,

[27:19] Nelson and three others were huddled on

[27:21] top of a car engulfed by floodwaters. A

[27:24] South African rescuer managed to grab

[27:26] one boy, but Nelson and the others who

[27:29] couldn't swim were left stranded. It

[27:32] seemed they'd be lost, but then

[27:34] miraculously, the rescuer pulled up all

[27:37] four boys.

[27:39] Six months later, an emotional reunion,

[27:42] the rescuer returns to the village of

[27:44] the boys he saved.

[27:46] >> I actually thought I was going to drop

[27:47] them, but I just

[27:48] by the

[27:49] God's will that we managed to get them

[27:51] all in the chopper.

[27:54] >> Nelson's mother is grateful for her

[27:56] son's life, though she has little hope

[27:58] for his future.

[28:00] The February flood was catastrophic,

[28:03] engulfing hundreds of square miles of

[28:05] farmland, villages, and towns. Today,

[28:08] roads and rail lines still lie in ruins.

[28:11] The biggest town to be flooded remains a

[28:13] stagnant wasteland. Emergency supplies

[28:15] that poured in during the flood have now

[28:17] slowed to a trickle. Leaving the people

[28:20] of Mozambique grateful to all the

[28:22] countries which helped them, but facing

[28:24] a bleak future nevertheless.

[28:27] Donna Freizan, NBC News.

[28:31] >> And that is NBC Nightly News for this

[28:33] Saturday. Thanks for watching. I'm John

[28:34] Seigenthaler in New York. I'll see you

[28:36] right back here tomorrow night.

[28:53] >> NBC News, America's news leader.

[28:58] >> Big line Soviet