NBC Nightly News - 2009-03-11

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] says no one got sick, but we've

[0:01] uncovered private emails that say

[0:04] something else.

[0:06] >> Tonight on Channel 4 News at 6, working

[0:08] for you.

[0:15] >> On our broadcast tonight, path of a

[0:17] killer trying to figure out why a

[0:20] heavily armed gunman did what he did and

[0:22] left such an awful trail behind in the

[0:25] South. Big money. The president signs

[0:27] the stimulus bill into law. huge new

[0:30] spending amid questions about where some

[0:32] of the earlier bailout billions went.

[0:35] Leading ladies, a power duo in

[0:38] Washington today, teaming up to honor

[0:40] women of courage around the world. And

[0:43] acts of kindness. Our special series

[0:45] continues tonight with a one-man effort

[0:47] to help this economy. His way of making

[0:50] a difference. Nightly News begins now.

[0:56] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:59] York, this is NBC Nightly News with

[1:02] Brian Williams.

[1:03] >> Good evening. A shocking number of

[1:05] people in the state of Alabama today

[1:07] described 28-year-old Michael McClendon

[1:09] as friendly, easygoing, and well-liked.

[1:12] They also said he was reliable, a

[1:14] leader, and a straight A student. What

[1:16] they didn't know, what nobody knew was

[1:18] that he had been compiling a hit list of

[1:20] people who had done him wrong. And in a

[1:22] country with enough problems, he turned

[1:24] a corner of this nation into a nightmare

[1:26] late yesterday afternoon when he left

[1:28] home with four weapons and went on an

[1:30] awful rampage through three separate

[1:32] towns. The death toll stands at 10.

[1:35] NBC's Ron Mott starts us off in Samson,

[1:38] Alabama tonight. Ron, good evening.

[1:41] >> Good evening, Brian. This tragedy is the

[1:43] deadliest of its kind ever recorded here

[1:45] in Alabama. And it started as a

[1:47] methodical, deliberate attack, but ended

[1:50] with mass murder

[1:53] all the way around.

[1:54] >> The trouble started Tuesday afternoon in

[1:56] Kinston, Alabama. Police say 28-year-old

[1:59] Michael McClendon shot his mother in the

[2:01] head, then set fire to the house they

[2:03] shared. From there, he drove to his

[2:05] uncle's house in Samson, 12 miles away,

[2:07] and opened fire, killing six more

[2:10] people, including his grandmother. It

[2:12] seemed like we were in Iraq. That's what

[2:15] it sounded like.

[2:16] >> Alina Nolles came running from next door

[2:18] to rescue a three-month-old wounded baby

[2:20] clinging to her dead mother.

[2:22] >> He went for that baby and pulled her up,

[2:25] pulled her put her against me and

[2:27] started headed back to my house when I

[2:28] saw him again.

[2:29] >> Mlendon then headed to another town,

[2:31] Geneva, shooting at random along the

[2:33] way, leaving three more dead.

[2:36] >> Mlendon was armed with two assault

[2:37] rifles, an SKS and a Bushmaster. using

[2:41] high-capacity magazines taped together,

[2:44] a shotgun and a 38 caliber handgun.

[2:46] >> There was no doubt that he intended on

[2:49] killing people that day.

[2:50] >> McClendon also fired at police cars,

[2:53] hitting and injuring two cops. Chief

[2:55] Frank Lindsay was one of them.

[2:56] >> I think we counted something like 15

[2:58] rounds that that actually hit our

[3:00] vehicles. We weren't expecting assault

[3:02] rifles. We, you know, we don't even have

[3:05] assault rifles in our small department

[3:07] here. Officials say they found a list in

[3:09] the gunman's home of people who' quote

[3:12] done him wrong. The killing spree ended

[3:14] an hour after it began. McClendon has

[3:16] shot 200 rounds, left 10 people dead,

[3:19] and then turned a gun on himself.

[3:21] >> I cried so much yesterday, I I don't

[3:23] have a tear left in me.

[3:24] >> During the tense afternoon, Sheriff's

[3:26] Deputy John Meyers was among the

[3:28] officers responding to the emergency. He

[3:30] would learn later the man he was looking

[3:32] for had killed his wife and 18-month-old

[3:34] daughter. The rescue 3-month-old is his,

[3:37] too.

[3:37] >> It still seems like I should be able to

[3:39] walk in the house and my wife should be

[3:41] there and u my baby girl should be in

[3:44] there climbing on me. Um

[3:47] I mean, I'm never in in my life going to

[3:51] be able to

[3:53] fully understand it. I I mean, just

[3:55] going to have to take it one day at a

[3:56] time.

[3:59] As police continue to process multiple

[4:01] crime scenes tonight, three communities

[4:03] are simply trying to come to grips with

[4:05] what happened. Ryan

[4:06] >> Ron M in Alabama for us tonight. Ron,

[4:08] thank you. The news from Alabama was

[4:10] followed by news from Europe. Another

[4:12] mass shooting, this one today by a

[4:14] teenager, a former student at a high

[4:17] school in Vinenon, Germany.

[4:18] Correspondent Robert Moore from our

[4:20] broadcast partners ITN is there for us

[4:23] tonight with the latest. Robert, good

[4:24] evening.

[4:27] >> Brian, good evening. And yes, this was a

[4:29] horrifying sequence of events that have

[4:30] shaken Germany to the core. It began at

[4:32] 9:30 this morning when a former student

[4:35] at this school uh dressed in black

[4:37] carrying his father's stolen pistol

[4:39] walked into the school and simply opened

[4:42] fire. He killed many of the students uh

[4:45] most of them women by shooting them in

[4:47] the head at very close range. The police

[4:49] uh tonight have issued a poignant detail

[4:51] saying when they found the bodies of

[4:53] those students. Many of them were

[4:56] actually carrying and still clutching

[4:58] their pencils. After that he he fled the

[5:02] school. He was pursued by more than a

[5:03] thousand German police officers.

[5:05] Eventually he was cornered and then he

[5:08] decided we believe to shoot himself.

[5:11] Although there were earlier reports he

[5:12] had been shot by a police marksman.

[5:14] Certainly tonight uh Germany is a nation

[5:17] bewildered because behind all of this

[5:19] there is no clear motive. Brian

[5:22] >> Robert Moore in Veneton Germany for us

[5:24] tonight. Robert, thanks. And from all of

[5:26] this awful violence, we turn now to the

[5:28] workings of government, the economic

[5:30] downturn here. President Obama today

[5:33] signed the $410 billion federal budget.

[5:37] It's required to actually keep the

[5:38] government running, but critics said the

[5:40] president should have put put up more of

[5:42] a fight when it came to those pet

[5:43] projects called earmarks. Our White

[5:45] House correspondent, Savannah Guthrie,

[5:47] has more on the bottom line here

[5:49] tonight. Savannah, good evening.

[5:51] >> Good evening, Brian. Well, the president

[5:53] signed this bill behind closed doors. No

[5:55] big public signing ceremony. And perhaps

[5:57] that wasn't surprising. This was a

[5:59] controversial bill. that had more than

[6:01] $6 billion worth of those earmarks,

[6:03] those pet projects some lawmakers like

[6:06] to insert into spending bills. These are

[6:08] the very things that candidate Obama

[6:10] railed against. And critics said he

[6:11] should have just vetoed this to send a

[6:14] strong message and to really make good

[6:15] on some of those campaign promises. AIDS

[6:18] here say that would not be practical,

[6:20] that it would have reopened this budget

[6:21] debate for weeks, if not months. So

[6:24] instead, they use the occasion to talk

[6:25] about reforming the earmark process.

[6:30] If my administration evaluates an

[6:32] earmark and determines that it has no

[6:34] legitimate public purpose, then we will

[6:36] seek to eliminate it and we'll work with

[6:39] Congress to do so.

[6:41] >> Well, also today, the president and the

[6:43] Treasury Secretary called on European

[6:45] leaders and world leaders to do more to

[6:47] stimulate the economy, but some European

[6:50] leaders have said no thanks. They feel

[6:52] they've done enough and they don't want

[6:53] to pile up a huge amount of debt. So,

[6:54] it's a potential point of tension,

[6:56] Brian, as the Treasury Secretary travels

[6:58] to Europe this weekend to meet with

[7:00] financial ministers from the G20

[7:01] nations.

[7:02] >> Savannah Guthrie at the White House for

[7:03] us tonight. Thanks. Also in Washington

[7:06] tonight, fresh questions in plain

[7:07] English about what this nation's banks

[7:10] have been doing with almost $200 billion

[7:13] in taxpayer bailout money. Treasury

[7:16] officials in charge of the TARP, the

[7:18] troubled asset relief program, got an

[7:21] earful at a congressional hearing today.

[7:23] Our senior investigative correspondent,

[7:25] Lisa Meyers, has our report.

[7:29] >> The Persian Gulf state of Dubai, known

[7:31] as the playground of the Middle East. In

[7:34] December, Cityroup, after taking 25

[7:36] billion dollars in bailout money,

[7:39] announced it had arranged 8 billion in

[7:41] financing for public entities in Dubai,

[7:43] some of it the bank's own money. In

[7:46] India, JP Morgan committed to investing

[7:49] as much as a billion dollars there and

[7:51] around the world. while Bank of America

[7:53] bought a $7 billion chunk of China's

[7:57] construction bank. All this while some

[7:59] American companies were struggling to

[8:01] get loans.

[8:02] >> How do you justify to the American

[8:04] taxpayers a bank's decision made after

[8:08] receiving tens of billions of dollars in

[8:10] TARP monies to make a 7 billion dollar

[8:13] investment in a Chinese construction

[8:16] company?

[8:16] >> Treasury official Neil Cashari said it

[8:18] would be a mistake to micromanage the

[8:20] banks. We must remember that many of

[8:22] these financial institutions are global

[8:24] institutions and they take deposits from

[8:27] savers all around the world.

[8:28] >> Are you telling the American people that

[8:30] it's better to invest in another country

[8:33] than it is for these banks who have TARP

[8:35] money to invest in our own country?

[8:37] >> Absolutely not, Mr. Chairman. We

[8:38] absolutely want our banks investing in

[8:40] the US.

[8:41] >> So, how has the $200 billion given to

[8:44] 500 banks actually been spent?

[8:47] >> Qashqari acknowledged the government

[8:49] does not know. Both Republicans and

[8:51] Democrats warned that their constituents

[8:53] have had it.

[8:55] >> There's got to be number one

[8:57] transparency and the American people

[8:59] have got to see that they're getting

[9:00] something out of the deal.

[9:03] >> That's the problem. Duh.

[9:06] >> Today, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Diamond said

[9:09] the bailout is making a difference in

[9:11] the US.

[9:13] >> Banks are lending more because of TARP.

[9:15] So if you ask any TARP bank, they're

[9:17] lending more than they otherwise would

[9:19] have.

[9:21] >> Today, a new independent analysis said

[9:23] based on limited data, there appears to

[9:25] be a trickle of increased spending. The

[9:27] study by a unit of Dow Jones found that

[9:30] three big banks that received $75

[9:32] billion from taxpayers provided about

[9:35] $100 million in additional loans. Brian.

[9:38] >> All right, Lisa Myers, good to have you

[9:40] here with us in New York. We were

[9:42] supposed to be covering a shuttle launch

[9:44] tonight, but it's been scrubbed because

[9:46] of a fuel leak for a number of reasons.

[9:48] There have been worries about this next

[9:50] mission. There are just 10 more shuttle

[9:52] flights left until NASA moves on with

[9:55] the program. Our own Tom Castello has

[9:58] more on tonight's scrub and the bigger

[10:00] mission in space. Tom's in our

[10:02] Washington newsroom. Tom, good evening.

[10:04] Hi, Brian. This is a big concern.

[10:06] Engineers discovered a leak in a

[10:07] hydrogen gas vent line. Had they gone

[10:10] ahead with the launch tonight, there

[10:11] could have been a very serious mishap on

[10:14] the pad. And it points to the bigger

[10:16] problem with all three remaining

[10:17] shuttles. All of them are feeling their

[10:19] age. Discovery has been flying since

[10:22] 1984, Atlanta since 1985, Endeavor since

[10:25] 1992. They all use 30-year-old

[10:28] technology. It's like using an

[10:30] eighttrack tape player in the age of

[10:32] iTunes. And it's very doubtful that NASA

[10:35] can complete the 10 missions it has

[10:37] scheduled before the shuttles are

[10:38] retired in less than two years. Michael

[10:40] Griffin, who just retired as NASA's

[10:42] chief, told me in January that the risk

[10:44] of a shuttle disaster is now about 1 in

[10:47] 80. But if the shuttle's life is

[10:48] extended 5 years, the risk would be 12%

[10:51] per flight. Which is why NASA is anxious

[10:54] to retire the shuttle and start flying a

[10:56] new generation of spacecraft modeled off

[10:58] the old Apollo program very quickly. By

[11:00] the way, NASA says it is hoping to try

[11:02] to launch this shuttle again on Sunday.

[11:05] Brian.

[11:05] >> All right, we'll follow it. Tom Castello

[11:07] in Washington tonight. Tom, thanks. And

[11:09] when our broadcast continues this

[11:11] Wednesday evening, Americans laid off

[11:13] from management jobs forced to downsize

[11:15] their own expectations as they look for

[11:17] work. And later, a story you told us

[11:19] about. A one-man economic stimulus plan

[11:22] really is making a difference.

[11:26] If you have diabetes, Freestyle can help

[11:29] set you free of its burdens. Freestyle

[11:32] light meters never need coating, so

[11:34] they're easy to use, and they require

[11:36] the world's smallest blood sample. Plus,

[11:38] now there's the Freestyle Promise

[11:40] program with information from live

[11:43] certified diabetes educators, support

[11:45] with insurance, and savings on test

[11:48] strip co-pays. Because if you make

[11:50] living with diabetes easier, you can

[11:52] just be you. Restrictions apply. See our

[11:55] website for details.

[11:56] >> Women are learning that as we age, it's

[11:58] harder to build bone density with

[11:59] calcium alone. Introducing Citrial Plus

[12:02] Bone Density Builder, the only calcium

[12:04] supplement with Genine, found naturally

[12:06] in soy and proven to significantly build

[12:09] bone density. Citrial. Hey, are you

[12:12] treating your rheumatoid arthritis but

[12:14] still having trouble with everyday

[12:15] things? Could Arenia help you? Talk to

[12:18] your doctor. I did. Listen for details

[12:21] about the Arenia Promise program and

[12:23] this free co-ay card. Can you open this?

[12:26] Fasten this? Oh, yes, I can. Arenia.

[12:29] It's an RA treatment that's proven to

[12:31] make a difference for many patients,

[12:33] including those who weren't helped

[12:34] enough by other treatments, relieving

[12:36] the symptoms of RA and controlling the

[12:38] advance of joint damage. Do not take

[12:40] Orenzia with another biologic medicine

[12:42] for RA due to an increased risk of

[12:44] serious infection. Orenia can cause

[12:46] serious side effects, including serious

[12:48] infections. Certain cancers have been

[12:50] reported. Tell your doctor if you are

[12:51] prone to or have any infection like an

[12:53] open sore or the flu. If you have a

[12:55] history of COPD, a chronic lung disease,

[12:58] oria may worsen your COPD.

[13:00] >> Thousands of RA patients have

[13:02] experienced Arenia. What about you?

[13:04] >> Go to arensia.com or call 1800ia for

[13:07] more about Arenia and the promise

[13:09] program. For new Arenia patients covered

[13:10] by private insurance, we'll pay your

[13:12] Arenia co-ay for 6 months. If you're not

[13:15] satisfied after 6 months, we'll pay your

[13:17] first copay of another RA medicine. Go

[13:19] online for the Arenia Promise program.

[13:21] Talk to your rheatologist. See if you

[13:23] can say, "Oh, yes, I can."

[13:27] We report week after week here on the

[13:29] growing number of unemployed Americans.

[13:32] But there are some who don't show up in

[13:34] those numbers because they have lost

[13:35] their highpaying management jobs, but

[13:38] they have found other work. The problem

[13:40] is a lot of those jobs are part-time and

[13:43] for way less money. They're called, for

[13:45] good reason, survival jobs. Our report

[13:48] tonight from NBC's Chris Jansing.

[13:52] >> Waking every day before dawn, Mark

[13:54] Cooper scour the internet for work after

[13:56] being laid off from his $70,000 a year

[13:59] job as a manager for a Fortune 500

[14:01] company.

[14:02] >> And you're just wondering, how come you

[14:04] don't hear anything back? Is there

[14:06] something wrong with me?

[14:07] >> It was bad news on top of worse. his

[14:09] wife Maggie was sick.

[14:11] >> I was diagnosed with breast cancer and

[14:13] uh I've I've got to be really honest

[14:16] that um that was easier to take than

[14:19] finding out that my husband had lost his

[14:21] job.

[14:22] >> With the cancer, she says there were

[14:24] cards, calls, food.

[14:26] >> When you lose your job,

[14:28] uh you find out that um very few remain

[14:32] to hold you up and support you. three.

[14:36] That a girl.

[14:37] >> When Maggie went back to her job as a

[14:39] personal trainer, there were just 10

[14:40] clients down from 50. So Mark took a job

[14:44] as a janitor, paying $12 an hour.

[14:47] >> It's not been easy. You're fighting

[14:49] despair, discouragement, and depression.

[14:52] Surviving, yeah, that is the best way to

[14:54] sum it up.

[14:55] >> There are no good numbers on how many

[14:57] executives have been downsized in this

[14:59] recession. But employment experts say

[15:01] more and more are taking these survival

[15:03] jobs at a fraction of their previous pay

[15:05] and at high emotional cost. We're going

[15:08] to have to start writing more.

[15:09] >> Rosyn Lee had 10 years experience in

[15:11] commercial banking when she lost her job

[15:13] and then her house, moved her family

[15:16] into a small apartment, and for the

[15:18] first time in her life got help from a

[15:20] food bank. How do you go from being

[15:22] completely independent, completely able

[15:25] to provide for your family and have

[15:27] extra to what are we going to do now?

[15:30] >> We first met her four months ago last

[15:33] week. Lee just got her second job

[15:35] interview.

[15:36] >> There are so many others out there. We

[15:38] just reason we were doing the story is

[15:39] to let them know they're not alone.

[15:41] >> A deeply faithful couple, the Coopers

[15:43] hope to soften the landing for others

[15:45] who are also facing some very hard

[15:47] times. Chris Jansing, NBC News, Los

[15:50] Angeles.

[15:51] >> Trials.

[15:52] >> And there is this tonight. In case you

[15:54] were worried about the Forbes list of

[15:56] the world's wealthiest people, turns out

[15:58] the economy has been tough on

[16:00] billionaires, too. Microsoft founder

[16:02] Bill Gates is at the top of the list

[16:04] with a net worth of 40 billion. Warren

[16:07] Buffett slipped to number two. Mexican

[16:09] telecom mogul Carlos SL stayed at number

[16:13] three. A lot of Russians fell off the

[16:15] list this year. In all, the world has

[16:17] 330 fewer billionaires this year. There

[16:21] are now 793

[16:23] of them on the planet and they are

[16:25] getting by. We'll take a break. Still to

[16:27] come, our making a difference report.

[16:40] >> The answer is mom.

[16:42] Huh? When your sinuses are blocked with

[16:44] pressure and congestion, everything

[16:46] seems harder. Rush.

[16:50] >> Rush.

[16:58] >> Everything seems harder when your

[17:00] sinuses are blocked. Nothing works

[17:02] faster on nasal congestion than the

[17:03] medicine in Sudafed OM nasal spray.

[17:06] Sudafed OM. Unblock your head. I worried

[17:09] what would happen if I didn't start

[17:10] taking care of my heart, but I wasn't

[17:11] ready to give up taste.

[17:14] Sometimes sacrifice is the name of the

[17:17] game.

[17:17] >> Honey Nut Cheerio cereal tastes great

[17:19] and can help lower cholesterol.

[17:21] >> I guess I can do this.

[17:22] >> Be happy, be healthy.

[17:25] >> It's Lobster Fest, and this year we've

[17:28] created more irresistible ways to love

[17:30] lobster than ever with decadent entre

[17:33] like our lobster lovers dream with

[17:35] tender mane and rock lobster tails. or

[17:38] succulent wood grilled lobster and

[17:40] shrimp. Flame seared to seal in the

[17:42] juices. And 11 other irresistible

[17:45] lobster creations, each served with a

[17:47] fresh salad and warm cheddar bay

[17:49] biscuits. It's Lobster Fest right now at

[17:52] Red Lobster.

[17:56] >> What you doing Rich catching

[17:58] butterflies? Strawberries. I'm catching

[18:00] the smell of strawberries. The smell of

[18:03] strawberries.

[18:04] Tim and Richard Smugger grew up in a

[18:07] family known for making extra delicious

[18:09] jam. The secret? A way to capture the

[18:12] flavorful aroma that used to escape when

[18:14] jam was made.

[18:15] >> Hey, don't let it get away.

[18:17] >> Okay. Okay. Don't worry.

[18:18] >> For five generations with a name like

[18:21] Smuckers, it has to be good.

[18:23] >> Want to bounce back fast from tough

[18:25] pain? Get relief that's liquid fast.

[18:27] Advil strong. Advil Liquid Gels. Faster

[18:29] and stronger than extra strength Tylenol

[18:31] on tough pain. Advil Liquid Gels. Brush

[18:33] relief right where you need it. Advil

[18:35] liquid gels. Liquid fast. Advil strong.

[18:39] >> Rebuilding America's economy will take

[18:41] energy from all sources. And here's some

[18:43] good news. Increased production of

[18:45] domestic oil and natural gas will also

[18:48] create well-paying jobs, drive our 21st

[18:51] century economy, and generate more than

[18:53] a trillion for federal, state, and local

[18:55] budgets. Money for better schools,

[18:57] public safety, and community needs.

[19:00] Maybe that's why most people support

[19:02] putting more of America's oil and

[19:03] natural gas to work for Americans. Log

[19:07] on to learn more.

[19:09] >> He's done it. The US has done it.

[19:12] >> Michael Phelps, Matt Lowour, the Today

[19:15] exclusive, Friday on NBC.

[19:20] >> President Obama won the presidency

[19:22] promising change. There was more

[19:24] evidence of that in Washington today.

[19:26] his wife, now First Lady Michelle Obama,

[19:28] and his former rival, now Secretary of

[19:31] State, Hillary Clinton, a former first

[19:33] lady herself, joining arms, joining

[19:35] forces. A study in style, substance, and

[19:38] power. Really, more on the gathering

[19:40] from our own Andrea Mitchell.

[19:44] >> Two of the world's most powerful women.

[19:46] >> It is my great pleasure and honor to

[19:48] introduce the first lady of the United

[19:50] States, Michelle Obama. the new first

[19:53] lady continuing her tour of government

[19:55] agencies.

[19:56] >> And let me thank Secretary Clinton, I

[19:59] love saying that,

[20:01] >> for that kind introduction,

[20:03] >> and a former first lady who now visits

[20:06] the Oval Office as Secretary of State.

[20:09] >> Two strong women coming together after a

[20:11] tough campaign. I have to say that in a

[20:14] very short time she has through her

[20:18] grace and her wisdom become an

[20:20] inspiration to women and girls not only

[20:23] in the United States but around the

[20:25] world. Still, they approached their jobs

[20:27] in very different ways. When Bill

[20:30] Clinton was president, Hillary took on

[20:32] healthcare. When Barack Obama tackled

[20:34] the same issue last week, Michelle was

[20:37] serving up food at a soup kitchen across

[20:39] town. You know, we want to make sure

[20:41] that our guests here and across this

[20:43] country are eating nutritious items.

[20:47] >> Her style totally modern when it comes

[20:49] to fashion and being fit. In other ways,

[20:52] she chooses to be more traditional.

[20:54] >> You get things that are really, really

[20:55] fresh.

[20:56] >> Already people look up to her. They see

[20:58] her as somebody who grew up with humble

[21:01] means and yet worked hard, received a

[21:03] good education, and then devoted her

[21:05] life to giving back to the community.

[21:08] Now they are both role models. Today,

[21:10] jointly honoring women from around the

[21:12] world for their courage on human rights.

[21:14] Tomorrow, Michelle Obama takes on

[21:16] another of her top priorities, traveling

[21:18] to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to learn

[21:20] more about the challenges facing

[21:21] military families. Andrea Mitchell, NBC

[21:24] News at the State Department.

[21:26] >> And something we had to show you

[21:28] tonight. If you've ever witnessed a

[21:29] sandstorm in the Middle East, as a lot

[21:31] of us did while covering the Iraq war,

[21:33] then you know they are events of

[21:35] astounding proportions. Day becomes

[21:37] night in just seconds. And we have some

[21:39] remarkable pictures tonight of a monster

[21:42] sandstorm. It rolled over the capital of

[21:44] Saudi Arabia this week. A wall of sand

[21:47] really leaving the city virtually

[21:49] blinded. Airport closed. Schools and

[21:51] other buildings shuttered. Traffic was

[21:53] snarled. Headlights had to come on.

[21:56] Everything covered in dust. We're back

[21:58] in a moment with a story we heard about

[22:00] from you. Something you don't see every

[22:02] day. a pile of $2 bills and a good idea

[22:05] about putting them to good use.

[22:10] >> This fiber, I'd had my fill. Then I

[22:12] found Mirax. Miraillax relieves

[22:14] constipation with no bloating, no excess

[22:17] gas, no taste, no grit. You'll see it's

[22:20] clearly different. Restore your body's

[22:23] natural rhythm with Mirax.

[22:25] >> Have you heard about Mirax?

[22:26] >> It's a different kind of laxative that's

[22:28] kind to your body. Mirax relieves

[22:30] constipation with no bloating,

[22:32] >> no cramping,

[22:34] >> and nap, no prescription.

[22:36] >> Restore your body's natural rhythm with

[22:38] Mirax.

[22:39] >> This might not be the best time to sell

[22:41] a home,

[22:42] >> but we just can't wait for the market to

[22:44] heat up. Need to sell? Remax agents have

[22:47] the experience to get the job done.

[22:49] Nobody sells more real estate than

[22:51] ReMax. Where do you want to be?

[22:54] >> I was in the grocery store when I had a

[22:56] heart attack. My daughter was with me. I

[22:59] took a bear aspirin out of my purse and

[23:01] chewed it. My doctor said the bear

[23:03] aspirin saved my life. Please talk to

[23:05] your doctor about aspirin and your

[23:07] heart. I'm going to be grandma for a

[23:09] long time.

[23:10] >> Are you like me? I have high blood

[23:12] pressure and I have high cholesterol.

[23:15] >> But he treats both with one pill.

[23:18] >> Kadawit makes it easier to manage my two

[23:20] conditions. Katawit contains two proven

[23:23] medicines. One for lowering high blood

[23:25] pressure, the other for lowering high

[23:26] cholesterol combined in one pill.

[23:28] Katawit that works for me.

[23:31] >> Katawit is one of many treatment options

[23:33] in addition to diet and exercise that he

[23:35] discussed with his doctor.

[23:37] >> Kataw is not for everyone. It's not for

[23:39] people with liver problems and women who

[23:41] are nursing, pregnant, or may become

[23:43] pregnant. To check for liver problems,

[23:45] you need simple blood tests. Tell your

[23:47] doctor about any heart problems and all

[23:49] other medications you are taking or if

[23:51] you experience muscle pain or weakness

[23:52] as they may be a sign of a rare but

[23:54] serious side effect.

[23:57] Along with diet and exercise, katawit

[23:59] effectively lowers both high blood

[24:01] pressure and high cholesterol. Two

[24:03] medicines, one pill. Ask your doctor if

[24:06] katawit is right for you.

[24:10] Wait till you see how we've taken

[24:11] veggies and served them up in a great

[24:13] way. V8 Soups from Campbell. A full

[24:17] serving of vegetables in a soup so

[24:19] velvety and delicious you won't be able

[24:21] to contain yourself. Campbell's V8

[24:24] Soups.

[24:25] >> Anxious about quitting cold turkey? Make

[24:28] that first step easier with the Nicoderm

[24:30] CQ patch. Nicaderm steps you down from

[24:32] nicotine gradually, doubling your chance

[24:34] for success. Nicoderm CQ. Three steps,

[24:38] 10 weeks, and you're free.

[24:40] Coming up, what really happened in the

[24:42] examining room at the local VA hospital.

[24:45] >> At 6, the VA says no one got sick, but

[24:47] we've uncovered private emails that say

[24:50] something else.

[24:52] >> Tonight on Channel 4 News at 6, working

[24:54] for you.

[25:04] Making a difference brought to you by

[25:07] Nicoderm CQ.

[25:10] We're back now with tonight's

[25:12] installment in our series of reports. We

[25:14] asked for stories of the good that we

[25:16] know is going on everywhere in this bad

[25:18] economy, and we have been inundated with

[25:20] responses and viewer reaction. Emails

[25:23] like this one from Jennifer, who writes,

[25:25] "The worsening economy merely put

[25:27] alcohol on an open wound in the already

[25:29] hurting city of Richmond, Indiana. Yet,

[25:32] the owners of a small wedding and prom

[25:34] dress shop donated several thousand

[25:36] dollar worth of dresses to the local

[25:38] high school to give to girls who would

[25:40] not be able to afford one this year.

[25:41] These women should be recognized for

[25:43] their generosity and spirit lifting in

[25:45] this time of economic downturn. Bethany

[25:48] writes us from Bristol, Tennessee. My

[25:50] mom works for Nationwide Insurance

[25:52] Company. Her clients are losing their

[25:53] jobs and are unable to make their

[25:55] monthly payment. On a couple of

[25:57] accounts, my mom has paid their balance

[25:59] and simply listed in the comments paid

[26:02] by an angel. So, the customer won't know

[26:04] that she was actually the one who

[26:06] actually paid it. In these hard times,

[26:08] every little bit helps. And a Nightly

[26:11] News viewer from Alabama, Janet Teal,

[26:13] sent us this next story. This is

[26:15] happening in a town that's about 2 hours

[26:17] away from the scene of last night's

[26:19] awful tragedy in Alabama. But this is a

[26:22] story about something good. A one-man

[26:24] effort to stimulate the economy. His

[26:27] story of making a difference from NBC's

[26:29] Michelle Kazinski.

[26:33] >> Brutin, Alabama

[26:35] is one of those small southern towns

[26:37] bursting with aelas and history. But all

[26:40] is not perfect. Today's economy has

[26:43] swept in with layoffs and worries.

[26:45] >> Here on out, it should either be the $5.

[26:48] >> That's when Danny Catrell, owner of a

[26:50] busy pharmacy, had an idea. When he

[26:53] first told us we had a mandatory storm

[26:54] meet and I kind of break out in hives.

[26:56] >> They expected pink slugs but were handed

[27:00] >> hundreds of dollars each 16,000 total.

[27:03] >> You know, for somebody to just give you

[27:05] $700 for no reason is just

[27:09] it's overwhelming.

[27:11] >> Danny also gave them two rules. Spend it

[27:14] locally and give 15% to charity. to

[27:17] Bobby Edwards who actually retired but

[27:20] keeps showing up for free. That's just

[27:23] the kind of place this is.

[27:24] >> My 15% I paid for a little guy's

[27:26] medicine that came in other day.

[27:28] >> I ask them not to save it and not to pay

[27:31] your bills off with it. So they they

[27:36] started shopping with a vengeance

[27:38] >> and spend it they did. About twothirds

[27:40] of those $2 bills have already been put

[27:42] right back into this century old

[27:44] downtown and spent thoughtfully. One man

[27:47] needed two mattresses, so he bought one

[27:49] in each shop.

[27:50] >> We got a stack of them, Danny.

[27:52] >> A windfall in $2 bills that Danny

[27:55] specially ordered from his bank so

[27:56] they'd remind people to keep giving

[27:59] something back.

[28:00] >> Okay, Miss Henderson, there are your $2

[28:02] bills and send them in Brutin.

[28:04] >> It gives people hope in humanity

[28:07] actually.

[28:07] >> I wanted to help my employees. I wanted

[28:09] to help the town and I wanted to help

[28:12] some people in need. And I think we've

[28:15] managed to do all that.

[28:18] >> A one-man stimulus plan

[28:22] >> $2 at a time. Michelle Kosinski, NBC

[28:25] News, Brutin, Alabama.

[28:28] >> Tomorrow night, Friday night, many

[28:29] nights to come, we'll have more of the

[28:31] stories you sent to us about those who

[28:33] are making a difference. That is our

[28:36] broadcast for this Wednesday night.

[28:38] Thank you for being with us. I'm Brian

[28:40] Williams. We hope to see you right back

[28:41] here tomorrow. Good night.

[29:00] A Sunday morning legacy of more than 60

[29:03] years. Now, David Gregory begins the

[29:05] next great chapter. If it's Sunday, it's

[29:08] still Meet the Press. Obama plus big

[29:11] agenda equals too much. He takes on the

[29:13] president's critics for faulty political

[29:15] math. Countdown with Keith Oberman

[29:17] tonight on MSNBC.

[29:21] >> Working for you in high definition. This

[29:24] is Channel 4 News.

[29:26] >> Good evening and welcome to Channel 4

[29:27] News at 6.

[29:28] >> Well, just when you thought spring had

[29:30] arrived, here comes snow and sleep. Many

[29:33] of you could wake up tomorrow in the

[29:34] company of snowbird. First thing, let's

[29:36] hear from meteorologist Lisa Spencer in

[29:38] the Channel 4 Pinpoint Weather Center.

[29:40] >> Well, it's amazing. One day, 80 degrees,

[29:42] now we're in the 40s across the area.

[29:44] And colder air is on the way. It will

[29:46] mix with that leftover rain. Let's take

[29:48] a look right now at our temperatures.

[29:50] And there's definitely a chill with 40°

[29:52] Clarksville, 42 Nashville, and 44

[29:54] degrees now in Smyrna. How about what

[29:57] we're seeing on radar? Well, as we check

[29:58] across the air on our live Pinpoint

[30:00] Doppler network, we find still a few

[30:02] showers across the region. Most of this

[30:05] is moving toward the northeast, but keep

[30:07] in mind there's much more moisture off

[30:09] to the west of us that's going to be

[30:11] running into this cold air and by

[30:14] tomorrow morning setting up the perfect

[30:15] scenario.