NBC Nightly News - 2009-05-01
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:00] cast tonight, job opening, and it's a
[0:02] big broadcast tonight, job opening, and
[0:05] it's a big one. Supreme Court Justice
[0:07] David Souter announces his retirement.
[0:09] That means decision time again for
[0:12] President Obama. Flu track, where it is
[0:15] tonight, how bad is it, and we'll take
[0:17] you where it has shut virtually
[0:18] everything down. Diet danger, have you
[0:21] seen this product advertised on TV? Did
[0:24] you buy any? The government wants
[0:25] everyone to know about some serious
[0:28] health risks. And recipe for success,
[0:30] finding opportunity in the kitchen. A
[0:33] woman who's changing lives and making a
[0:35] difference. Nightly news begins now.
[0:39] >> [music]
[0:41] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New
[0:44] York, this is NBC Nightly News with
[0:47] Brian Williams.
[0:48] >> [music]
[0:49] >> Good evening. A funny thing happened in
[0:50] the White House press briefing room
[0:52] today, right in the middle of the
[0:54] briefing by Press Secretary Robert
[0:56] Gibbs, in walked the president himself
[0:59] to say he had just spoken with Supreme
[1:01] Court Justice David Souter by phone, who
[1:03] had formally and personally announced
[1:06] his retirement from the court. Justice
[1:08] Souter is going home this summer to his
[1:11] beloved New Hampshire. He will turn 70
[1:13] this coming fall, and this blindingly
[1:16] smart, quiet, and bookish man, who is
[1:19] not fond of television or cell phones or
[1:21] email or even newspapers, will return to
[1:24] the simpler life he left decades ago to
[1:27] head to Washington and join the court.
[1:29] And now President Obama has another big
[1:31] decision on his 102nd day in office. We
[1:35] start off our coverage tonight with our
[1:36] justice correspondent Pete Williams over
[1:38] at the Supreme Court. Pete, good
[1:39] evening.
[1:40] >> Brian, in the 220-year history of the
[1:43] Supreme Court, this has rarely happened.
[1:45] A justice voluntarily walking away in
[1:48] the prime of life, but that is exactly
[1:50] what David Souter has decided to do,
[1:52] just shy of 19 years on the bench.
[1:57] >> No comment from Justice Souter as he
[1:59] left home for the court, but today he
[2:01] sent President Obama a simple four-line
[2:03] letter saying that at the end of the
[2:05] current court term, quote, I intend to
[2:07] retire.
[2:08] >> He approached judging as he approaches
[2:09] life with a feverish work ethic and a
[2:12] good sense of humor.
[2:14] With integrity,
[2:15] equanimity, and compassion.
[2:17] >> Friends say he wants to return to his
[2:19] beloved New Hampshire farm while still
[2:21] in good health. By Supreme Court
[2:23] standards, Souter, who's 69, is barely
[2:25] middle-aged. Only three justices are
[2:27] younger, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito.
[2:29] >> The deed is done.
[2:31] >> But he has never defined himself as a
[2:33] Supreme Court Justice and recently
[2:35] described the job as mentally limiting.
[2:37] >> I find the the workload of what I do
[2:39] sufficiently great that
[2:41] when the term of court starts, I undergo
[2:45] a sort of annual intellectual lobotomy.
[2:48] And it lasts until the following summer.
[2:51] >> No fan of Washington, he once told a
[2:53] friend he had the world's best job in
[2:55] the world's worst city.
[2:57] David Souter is part of the Supreme
[2:59] Court's moderate to liberal wing. So his
[3:01] replacement by a Democratic President
[3:03] and Senate probably will not change the
[3:05] court's ideological makeup.
[3:08] But Souter was considered a conservative
[3:10] when the first President Bush put him on
[3:12] the court in 1990. Less than two years
[3:15] later, he voted to uphold the right of
[3:16] access to abortion. And he dissented in
[3:19] 2000 when the court voted to end the
[3:21] Florida recount and allowed George W.
[3:23] Bush to become President.
[3:25] >> [applause]
[3:26] >> No more Souters became a conservative
[3:28] nomination mantra. But one legal expert
[3:30] says that kind of surprise is not likely
[3:33] to happen again.
[3:34] >> We are past the day at which a president
[3:37] put somebody on the Supreme Court and
[3:38] hopes for the best. They're going to
[3:40] know a lot about the person that they're
[3:43] nominating to the Supreme Court.
[3:45] >> In his letter to the President today,
[3:47] Justice Souter says he'll continue to
[3:48] wear the robes, hearing occasional cases
[3:50] in the lower courts as retired justices
[3:53] often do, Brian.
[3:54] >> And Pete, isn't Justice Souter a man
[3:56] almost of another century, a kind of
[3:58] living example that the Supreme Court in
[4:01] this media age is the last mystery?
[4:03] There was no telling how he'd rule. He
[4:05] surprised President 41 who appointed
[4:07] him, and no predicting when he'd leave.
[4:10] >> That's right, and I and I think the way
[4:11] he handled this is is sort of charmingly
[4:14] innocent. He had told many people of his
[4:17] plans, but was still quite surprised
[4:19] when this leaked out and somewhat
[4:20] agonized that it became public before he
[4:22] had a chance to personally tell the
[4:24] president, Brian.
[4:25] >> Thus his deep affection for the city of
[4:27] Washington. Pete Williams, our justice
[4:29] correspondent at the court, having
[4:30] covered this story since last night.
[4:33] Pete, thanks. So, President Obama, who
[4:35] plainly has enough going on right about
[4:38] now, now gets handed a big decision the
[4:40] big decision. Short of sending troops
[4:43] into battle, appointing a justice for
[4:45] life on the court is one of those
[4:46] presidential decisions that has the most
[4:49] influence on American life. White House
[4:51] correspondent Savannah Guthrie standing
[4:53] by on the north lawn tonight. Savannah,
[4:55] you've been reporting all day today that
[4:56] they were ready for this.
[4:59] >> They were ready. Of course, any
[5:00] president knows that a Supreme Court
[5:02] vacancy can happen at any time. This
[5:04] White House was in fact ready. Actually,
[5:07] that coincidentally, there was a meeting
[5:08] with senior staff on this just yesterday
[5:10] before they had any word of Justice
[5:12] Souter. And the president, a former
[5:14] constitutional law professor, took such
[5:16] an interest that in in back in December,
[5:18] he personally gave his staff some names
[5:20] to consider.
[5:22] >> If or when we hear something?
[5:23] >> Justice press secretary Robert Gibbs was
[5:25] trying to explain why everyone but the
[5:27] White House knew Justice Souter was
[5:29] retiring.
[5:31] >> Please, everybody have a seat.
[5:32] >> In came the president with the official
[5:34] news.
[5:35] >> Just got off the telephone with Justice
[5:38] Souter.
[5:39] >> Faced early on with the kind of decision
[5:41] that can determine a president's legacy,
[5:43] Mr. Obama made clear he's looking for
[5:45] not just a brilliant legal mind, but an
[5:47] empathetic heart.
[5:49] >> I view that quality of empathy
[5:51] of understanding and identifying with
[5:54] people's hopes and struggles as an
[5:56] essential ingredient for arriving at
[5:59] just decisions and outcomes.
[6:01] >> Already there is intense pressure from
[6:03] the president's Democratic base to
[6:05] nominate a woman or Hispanic with
[6:07] speculation centering today around
[6:09] appellate court judges Sonia Sotomayor,
[6:12] Diane Pamela Wood, and Solicitor General
[6:14] Elena Kagan. But aides insist any lists
[6:18] are premature.
[6:19] >> I'm not going to get into
[6:21] short, medium, or long lists. What you
[6:23] describe are so repugnant, so ugly.
[6:26] >> Past Supreme Court confirmations have
[6:28] been famously divisive, raising
[6:30] hot-button social issues like abortion
[6:33] rights, the division of church and
[6:34] state, and same-sex marriage. Culture
[6:37] wars the president has tried hard to
[6:39] avoid.
[6:40] >> He's a man of the center even though
[6:42] he's a progressive Democrat.
[6:44] And he will find somebody who commands
[6:46] the center.
[6:46] >> Republicans acknowledge the president's
[6:48] nominee will likely get through easily.
[6:51] >> I do not expect him to appoint a
[6:53] conservative to the to the court. As
[6:55] long as he appoints people who are
[6:57] really qualified
[6:59] and who abide by the rule of judging, I
[7:01] think it's going to be pretty tough to
[7:02] vote against them.
[7:04] >> Well, he certainly has the numbers in
[7:05] the Senate to get his nominee through.
[7:07] There is still the potential of an
[7:09] ideological battle, the battle lines
[7:11] drawn between interest groups tonight.
[7:12] They are ready for a fight, Brian.
[7:14] >> Savannah Guthrie after another busy day
[7:16] inside the Obama White House. Savannah,
[7:18] thanks. Change of subject now. We turn
[7:20] to the story we've been covering here
[7:22] all week. This swine flu outbreak the
[7:24] Centers for Disease Control says tonight
[7:26] confirmed cases of the flu have now
[7:29] risen to more than 200 in the US and
[7:32] it's in 23 states across the country,
[7:35] about half the nation now. The outbreak
[7:37] has produced an abundance of something
[7:39] else, caution. We get the latest once
[7:42] again tonight from our chief science
[7:43] correspondent Robert Bazell.
[7:46] >> In graduation ceremonies at Northeastern
[7:48] University in Boston today, most faculty
[7:51] and students followed the
[7:53] administration's advice to avoid the
[7:55] customary handshakes.
[7:58] At the city's Logan Airport, a United
[8:00] flight from Munich to Washington, D.C.
[8:03] made an unscheduled landing because one
[8:05] passenger appeared to have flu-like
[8:07] symptoms. Health workers took the woman
[8:09] to a hospital for a checkup and gave the
[8:12] other passengers pamphlets telling them
[8:14] to contact their doctors if they felt
[8:16] sick.
[8:17] >> Most health experts agree there would
[8:18] have been little danger to the
[8:20] passengers if the plane flew the extra
[8:22] hour to its destination, but they are
[8:24] waiting to see if the other measures,
[8:26] like avoiding handshakes and closing
[8:28] schools, affect the spread of the virus.
[8:30] >> Well, thank you everybody.
[8:31] >> At the first meeting of his full
[8:33] cabinet, President Obama put swine flu
[8:36] at the top of his agenda.
[8:37] >> I want to make clear to everybody and
[8:40] the reason I brought this cabinet
[8:41] meeting together is that
[8:44] we are taking this very seriously and we
[8:47] will take every single step that's
[8:48] necessary to make sure that the American
[8:51] people are safe.
[8:52] >> We are taking aggressive [music] action
[8:54] to combat this public health threat.
[8:56] >> The government today released a series
[8:58] of PSAs and is beginning to make a
[9:00] vaccine against the new strain, a
[9:03] process experts warn is very uncertain.
[9:06] >> Everything about making an influenza
[9:07] vaccine is if. If everything goes right,
[9:10] we could have a vaccine in 4 to 6 months
[9:13] with most of the nation not yet getting
[9:15] vaccine for probably another 3 or 4
[9:17] months after that.
[9:18] >> But the positive news remains that the
[9:20] virus has caused no more deaths as it
[9:22] continues to spread widely. Robert
[9:25] Bazell, NBC News, New York.
[9:29] >> I'm Kerry Sanders in Mexico City. This
[9:31] was rush hour today. A city of at least
[9:34] 20 million now a virtual ghost town.
[9:38] By government order, all non-essential
[9:40] businesses and services will remain
[9:42] closed for 5 days.
[9:44] >> [music and singing]
[9:45] >> Markets are open, but they're mostly
[9:47] empty, as are hotels. This Marriott
[9:50] closed all but two floors. Occupancy now
[9:53] at 3%. Most residents say they're on
[9:56] board with the government's plan to
[9:57] limit contact and in turn stop the
[10:00] spread of the swine flu, even if it's
[10:02] their wedding day.
[10:05] The Moscarella family began their own
[10:06] self-imposed lockdown 3 days ago.
[10:09] 15-year-old Lucia texting friends and
[10:11] passing the time, while mom says
[10:13] everyone's going a little stir-crazy.
[10:15] >> You can't go out. We're told to stay
[10:16] home. Classes are suspended. No one is
[10:19] supposed to shake hands or, you know,
[10:20] everyone was always shaking hands and
[10:22] kissing each other when you when you
[10:23] welcome them.
[10:24] >> As the death toll here appears to be
[10:25] leveling off,
[10:27] funerals are underway. 34-year-old Juana
[10:30] Torobio, a mother of two, is one of the
[10:33] confirmed swine flu deaths here. Her
[10:35] family took up a collection to pay for
[10:37] her funeral. In an effort to stop
[10:40] unsuspecting travelers from carrying
[10:41] home the virus, today the government
[10:43] here installed high-tech heat sensors.
[10:46] Anyone who shows up too hot is told they
[10:49] can't leave.
[10:50] >> The credibility of Mexico is online, and
[10:54] uh and I think this government
[10:55] understands that.
[10:56] >> Tonight, with Mexico on day one of a
[10:58] 5-day standstill, there are high hopes
[11:01] this will work.
[11:03] Kerry Sanders, NBC News, Mexico City.
[11:07] >> Back here in New York, quick note about
[11:08] Wall Street today. Stocks continued
[11:10] April's winning ways on this first day
[11:12] of May. The Dow closed up more than 44
[11:15] points. When we continue along the way
[11:18] to end the week here on a Friday night,
[11:19] some dieters and bodybuilders like it.
[11:22] You may have seen the TV ad, perhaps you
[11:24] ordered some, but tonight the feds say
[11:27] no way to a popular diet supplement. And
[11:29] later, the woman who's showing the
[11:32] unlikely way to success and making a
[11:34] difference.
[11:44] >> For a limited [music] time, get your
[11:45] Double My Bucks certificate at CVS
[11:47] Pharmacy or at cvs.com so you can earn
[11:49] double ExtraBucks every time you
[11:51] purchase [music] a prescription.
[11:52] >> Hi. CVS Pharmacy pays you back. And
[11:54] these days, everybody could use a few
[11:56] ExtraBucks.
[11:57] >> There you go.
[11:57] >> Thanks.
[11:58] >> Hey, honey.
[11:59] >> Mhm?
[11:59] >> Did you know [music]
[12:00] >> the thing? Yes, I know.
[12:03] Thanks.
[12:04] CVS Pharmacy, for all the ways you care.
[12:08] >> Bye-bye, [music]
[12:09] paste.
[12:11] >> So long, ooziness.
[12:12] >> And your paste can feel oozy.
[12:14] >> Yuck.
[12:15] >> But Seabond adhesive wafers have no
[12:17] paste to [music] use.
[12:18] >> Get Seabond dry.
[12:19] >> Bye-bye, ooze. Hello, Seabond.
[12:23] >> I'm going to do another one of my sleep
[12:24] studies. Advil PM Liqui-Gels or Tylenol
[12:27] PM?
[12:28] With Advil PM, she's spending less time
[12:30] [music] lying awake with aches and pains
[12:32] and more time asleep. They should switch
[12:34] to Advil PM Liqui-Gels for a better
[12:36] night's sleep.
[12:38] >> To stay in tune with life after 50, I
[12:40] switched to a complete multivitamin with
[12:42] more. Only One A Day Women's 50+
[12:45] Advantage [music] has ginkgo for memory
[12:46] and concentration, plus support for bone
[12:48] and breast health. Just what I need. One
[12:51] A Day Women's.
[12:54] >> [music]
[12:57] >> Can't stop weeding? Then apply Preen for
[12:59] gardens. [music] In just one
[13:01] application, Preen prevents weeds for 3
[13:03] months. Stop weeds with Preen. Preen
[13:06] works so you don't have to. [music]
[13:07] >> Cheez-It bakes so much real cheese in
[13:09] such small bites, people are wondering,
[13:11] >> How does Cheez-It do it?
[13:13] >> I know.
[13:17] >> [music]
[13:29] [music]
[13:30] >> Cheez-It.
[13:32] >> Really?
[13:33] >> Yeah.
[13:33] >> Lots and lots of cheese baked into
[13:35] little, little bites. Cheez-It, the big
[13:37] cheese. A new two-hour date line.
[13:42] Cool dudes, uncool [music]
[13:43] deeds.
[13:44] >> It was just a group of guys that party
[13:46] and fight.
[13:46] >> Beach boys and bad blood.
[13:49] >> I was screaming, "Look what you did."
[13:51] >> Breaking the Bird Rock Bandits, a new
[13:53] two-hour date line tonight 9:00 8:00
[13:56] Central on NBC. Key on Colbert and
[13:59] conservatives, are Republicans in on the
[14:01] joke?
[14:03] Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonight
[14:05] only on [music] MSNBC.
[14:09] >> The story we mentioned earlier, the
[14:10] government tonight is warning Americans
[14:12] to stop taking an over-the-counter
[14:14] dietary supplement that's popular with
[14:16] dieters, bodybuilders. 9 million bottles
[14:19] of it were sold last year, but the FDA
[14:22] now says it can cause liver damage and
[14:24] may be linked to one death. Our report
[14:26] tonight from NBC's Tom Costello.
[14:29] >> Millions of Americans
[14:30] >> The ads are everywhere, from cable TV
[14:33] [music]
[14:33] >> I'm Jillian from Illinois, and I lost 39
[14:36] lb fast with Hydroxycut.
[14:38] >> to the pages of beauty magazines
[14:40] promising to help burn away those
[14:42] unwanted pounds. Hydroxycut is one of
[14:44] the country's top-selling dietary
[14:46] supplements, but the Canadian
[14:48] manufacturer is now recalling 14
[14:50] products after the FDA found evidence
[14:53] Hydroxycut can be very dangerous.
[14:55] >> There is a potential risk, which is
[14:57] serious, and we recommend that the
[14:59] product be discontinued.
[15:00] >> The FDA believes Hydroxycut can damage
[15:03] the liver. It has 23 reports of serious
[15:05] problems ranging from jaundice and
[15:08] potential liver damage to liver failure
[15:10] that required transplant. The FDA also
[15:13] reports one death. Other side effects
[15:15] include seizures, cardiovascular
[15:17] disorders, muscle damage, and kidney
[15:19] failure. In a statement, the company
[15:21] says the number of adverse event reports
[15:23] described by the FDA in its advisory is
[15:25] small relative to the many millions of
[15:27] people who have used Hydroxycut products
[15:30] over the past 7 years. It's just the
[15:32] latest scare involving the diet
[15:33] supplement industry, an industry that
[15:35] Congress has given the FDA limited
[15:37] authority to regulate. Amazingly, the
[15:40] FDA cannot pre-screen products if the
[15:42] ingredients existed before 1994. And the
[15:46] FDA admits that's a big problem.
[15:48] >> Many of the dietary supplement
[15:51] ingredients that are now mixed in
[15:53] various ways in the current dietary
[15:56] supplements were ingredients that were
[15:58] marketed before 1994.
[16:00] >> Consumer advocates say that has to
[16:02] change.
[16:03] >> The whole population becomes in a sense
[16:05] a guinea pig to find out whether
[16:07] something is safe because the company
[16:09] didn't have to do anything to find out
[16:10] whether it's safe when it came on the
[16:12] market.
[16:13] >> Now, with 114 million adults taking some
[16:15] type of dietary supplement from vitamins
[16:18] to energy drinks, health experts argue
[16:20] FDA oversight before products come to
[16:23] market is long overdue.
[16:25] Tom Costello, NBC News, Washington.
[16:28] >> If you don't like heights, you won't
[16:30] like this. But, if you want the
[16:32] sensation of floating 103 stories above
[16:34] one of the more spectacular cities on
[16:37] Earth, this is for you. The Sears Tower
[16:39] in Chicago will soon be opening a new
[16:41] tourist attraction, a glass-bottomed
[16:44] skydeck that will give those brave
[16:46] enough to venture out on it the sense of
[16:49] walking out onto thin air atop the
[16:52] tallest building in the Western
[16:54] Hemisphere. Not for the faint of heart.
[16:56] Danny Gans died suddenly today. If
[16:59] you've been to Las Vegas, there's a good
[17:01] chance you know his name or you're one
[17:03] of the millions who've seen his show.
[17:05] Gans himself used to joke about being
[17:07] relatively unknown outside of the Vegas
[17:10] Strip. He was a comic and a mimic and a
[17:12] singer. He first came to fame for his
[17:14] George Burns imitation. But, he was a
[17:17] gold mine for the Mirage Hotel over the
[17:20] years drawing record crowds and voted
[17:22] Vegas entertainer of the year for 12
[17:25] straight years. A former minor league
[17:28] ball player, Danny Gans leaves behind a
[17:30] wife and three children. He was just 52
[17:34] years old. When our broadcast continues
[17:36] in just a moment this Friday night, a
[17:38] few details from the massive Chrysler
[17:40] story you might not have heard when the
[17:43] big news first broke yesterday.
[17:49] >> I've had asthma forever.
[17:50] >> I've had asthma for as long as I can
[17:52] remember. [music]
[17:53] >> 10 years.
[17:55] >> I used to wonder why my medicine
[17:57] wouldn't help prevent help prevent my
[17:58] symptoms from coming back.
[17:59] >> I just figured it couldn't get any
[18:01] better.
[18:01] >> And then, I found out something I didn't
[18:03] know.
[18:03] >> I found out there are two main causes
[18:05] [music] of asthma symptoms.
[18:06] >> Airway constriction you feel and
[18:08] inflammation you may not.
[18:09] >> Most medicines don't treat [music] both.
[18:11] >> So,
[18:11] >> my doctor prescribed Advair.
[18:13] >> Advair treats both main causes to help
[18:15] prevent symptoms in the first place.
[18:17] >> Advair contains salmeterol. [music]
[18:18] Salmeterol may increase the chance of
[18:20] asthma-related death. So, Advair is not
[18:22] for asthma that's well-controlled on
[18:24] another controller medicine. Advair will
[18:25] not replace fast-acting inhalers for
[18:27] sudden symptoms [music] and should not
[18:29] be taken more than twice a day. Talk to
[18:30] your doctor about the risks and benefits
[18:32] of Advair. [music] If you take Advair,
[18:34] see your doctor if your asthma does not
[18:36] improve or gets worse.
[18:37] >> If you're still having symptoms, ask
[18:39] your doctor how to help prevent them
[18:40] with Advair.
[18:41] >> Find out [music] how to get your first
[18:42] full prescription free at advair.com.
[18:45] >> Advair.
[18:46] >> Now you know.
[18:48] >> If you've had a heart attack caused by a
[18:50] completely blocked artery, another heart
[18:52] attack could be lurking waiting to
[18:53] strike. A heart attack caused by a clot,
[18:56] one that could be fatal. [music] But,
[18:58] Plavix helps save lives. Plavix taken
[19:00] with other heart medicines goes beyond
[19:02] what other heart medicines do alone
[19:04] [music] to provide greater protection
[19:05] against heart attack or stroke and even
[19:07] death by helping to keep blood platelets
[19:09] [music] from sticking together and
[19:11] forming clots. Ask your doctor about
[19:13] Plavix, protection that helps save
[19:15] lives.
[19:16] >> If you have a stomach ulcer or other
[19:18] condition that causes bleeding, you
[19:19] should not use Plavix. When taking
[19:21] Plavix alone or with some other
[19:22] medicines, including aspirin, the risk
[19:24] of bleeding may increase, so tell your
[19:26] doctor before planning surgery. And
[19:27] always talk to your doctor before taking
[19:29] aspirin or other medicines with Plavix,
[19:31] especially if you've had a stroke. If
[19:33] you develop fever, unexplained weakness,
[19:35] or confusion, tell your doctor promptly
[19:37] as these may be signs of a rare but
[19:38] potentially life-threatening condition
[19:40] called TTP, which has been reported
[19:42] rarely, sometimes in less than 2 weeks
[19:44] after [music] starting therapy. Other
[19:45] rare but serious side effects may occur.
[19:48] >> If you take Plavix with other heart
[19:49] medicines, continuing to do so will
[19:51] [music] help increase your protection
[19:52] against a future heart attack or stroke
[19:54] beyond your other heart medicines alone.
[19:56] You may be feeling better, but your risk
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[20:00] protected. Stay with Plavix.
[20:03] >> Sunday, Democratic Senator Arlen
[20:05] Specter, his first [music] television
[20:07] interview since switching parties, and
[20:09] what it means for the GOP, only on Meet
[20:11] the Press.
[20:13] Nightly News at nightly.msnbc.com.
[20:18] >> Now we turn to the car business, a day
[20:20] after Chrysler became the first major
[20:22] American automaker to declare
[20:24] bankruptcy, and we have a look at April
[20:26] sales numbers that reinforces why the
[20:29] automakers are struggling to stay in
[20:30] business. Chrysler sales down 48% from
[20:34] the year before, Toyota down 42%, GM and
[20:38] Ford each down more than 30%. One tiny
[20:41] bright spot here, Ford sold more cars
[20:44] than Toyota did last month, and as you
[20:46] may know, Ford is the only one of the
[20:48] big three not to take government bailout
[20:50] money. For Chrysler though, today it was
[20:53] bankruptcy court. Phil LeBeau covers the
[20:55] car industry for CNBC. He's at a
[20:57] Chrysler plant in Sterling Heights,
[20:59] Michigan for us tonight. And Phil, some
[21:01] of the details in the magnitude of the
[21:03] big story coming out yesterday kind of
[21:05] got lost on a lot of folks. Number one,
[21:08] that that Chrysler would be all but shut
[21:11] down for a time here.
[21:14] >> Correct. They're going to be shutting
[21:15] down all of their assembly plants at
[21:17] least while they're in bankruptcy
[21:18] protection. This helps them clear out a
[21:20] lot of inventory. They've got too much
[21:22] too many cars and trucks that are
[21:23] sitting on lots. They've been built,
[21:25] they're sitting around. They need to
[21:26] clear that out and they also need to
[21:28] assess what plants they're ultimately
[21:30] going to keep and which ones they're
[21:31] going to shut down.
[21:32] >> And a lot of people are just now
[21:33] learning how it's going to be
[21:34] structured. Among other things, Canada
[21:37] will have a seat on the board of
[21:38] Chrysler.
[21:40] >> Right.
[21:41] Right. And and the ownership structure
[21:42] is it's a collection of people and
[21:44] groups, I should point out. The UAW
[21:46] retirement fund will own 55% of the
[21:49] shares of the new Chrysler Corporation.
[21:51] Italian automaker Fiat will have 20%
[21:54] initially, but that could grow up to 35%
[21:57] over time. The Treasury Department, the
[21:59] US government, it will have 8% and 2%
[22:02] will be owned by the Canadian
[22:03] government. So, it's a collection of
[22:05] owners at least initially for Chrysler.
[22:07] >> And Phil, is it too early to tell how
[22:09] this marriage with Fiat is going to
[22:11] work? The wrap on the Daimler-Chrysler
[22:13] deal was that Chryslers were slowly
[22:16] looking like Mercedes' and vice versa.
[22:18] Are they going to take on each other's
[22:20] attributes?
[22:22] >> Well, historically alliances between
[22:24] automakers have not done very well.
[22:27] Nissan-Renault is the one exception.
[22:29] Fiat believes that it can use the plants
[22:31] that Chrysler has here in the United
[22:32] States build small cars, which is a
[22:34] weakness for Chrysler, and that they can
[22:37] supplement what Chrysler already has in
[22:39] its lineup. They say that they're not
[22:40] going to do any cross-pollination, but
[22:42] inevitably, that's going to be something
[22:44] that people are going to be looking at.
[22:45] >> All right. Phil LeBeau on the car
[22:47] business for us on a Friday night. Phil,
[22:49] as always, thanks. Tomorrow is the first
[22:52] Saturday in May, which means it's Derby
[22:54] Day in Louisville, Kentucky, the 135th
[22:57] Run for the Roses. We're told there's a
[22:59] better than even chance of rain in the
[23:01] forecast, meaning a muddy track likely
[23:04] for the field of 20 at Churchill Downs.
[23:06] Coverage of the Kentucky Derby begins
[23:08] tomorrow afternoon tomorrow afternoon
[23:11] that is 4 Eastern time right here on
[23:13] this NBC station. When we come back
[23:15] right here tonight a woman who's making
[23:17] all kinds of things in the kitchen but
[23:19] mostly making a difference.
[23:24] >> Mom was diagnosed with moderate
[23:26] Alzheimer's.
[23:27] >> [bell]
[23:28] >> It was tough news to hear.
[23:30] Everything changed. [music]
[23:35] I didn't know what to do.
[23:37] >> [music]
[23:38] >> Right about then our doctor mentioned
[23:39] the Exelon Patch.
[23:41] He said it releases medicine
[23:42] continuously for 24 hours. He said it
[23:45] could help with her cognition [music]
[23:47] which includes things like memory,
[23:48] reasoning, communicating, and
[23:50] understanding. [music]
[23:51] >> The most common side effects of Exelon
[23:53] Patch are nausea, vomiting, and
[23:55] diarrhea. The likelihood and severity of
[23:57] these side effects may increase as the
[23:59] dose increases. [music]
[24:00] Patients may experience loss of appetite
[24:02] or weight. Patients who weigh less than
[24:04] 110 [music] pounds may experience more
[24:06] side effects. People at risk for stomach
[24:08] ulcers or who take certain other
[24:10] medicine [music] should talk to their
[24:11] doctor because serious stomach problems
[24:13] such as bleeding may worsen.
[24:14] >> Mom's diagnosis was hard to hear but
[24:17] there's something I can do.
[24:18] >> Ask your doctor [music] about the Exelon
[24:20] Patch. Visit exelonpatch.com to learn
[24:23] more.
[24:24] >> I have arthritis in my left hand and I'm
[24:26] left-handed but I've been taking Aleve.
[24:28] >> Only two Aleve can stop pain all day.
[24:30] That would take twice as many Advil or
[24:32] four times as many Tylenol.
[24:33] >> I've been bowling for 50 years.
[24:36] I would feel bad if I couldn't bowl.
[24:40] >> Roundup Extended Control does two jobs
[24:42] at once.
[24:45] One, kills weeds [music] to the root.
[24:47] Two, forms a barrier preventing new ones
[24:50] for up to four months. Roundup Extended
[24:52] Control.
[24:54] >> [music]
[25:03] >> If you have a history [music] of smoking
[25:04] and breathing problems, it could be
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[25:09] [music] and emphysema or both.
[25:11] Discover Spiriva, the only once-daily
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[25:24] Spiriva does not [music] replace
[25:26] fast-acting inhalers for sudden
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[25:28] Stop taking Spiriva and call your doctor
[25:30] if your breathing suddenly [music]
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[25:54] >> This is a KGW News Channel 8 update.
[25:58] >> Next, Western Oregon University cancels
[25:59] classes over the swine flu. The number
[26:02] of probable cases the state's testing.
[26:04] Plus, insulating with Styrofoam, how
[26:06] it's credited with lowering energy
[26:08] bills.
[26:09] >> I'm Matt Seafino. We're going to raise
[26:10] the rain rates this weekend. I'll let
[26:12] you know when you'll find some dry time
[26:13] at 6:00.
[26:16] >> Finally tonight, our Friday night Making
[26:18] a Difference report. It's about a woman
[26:19] who is teaching people to put to better
[26:22] use a skill they already possess. And
[26:25] NBC's Miguel Almaguer has our report
[26:27] from Los Angeles.
[26:31] >> Every morning, Sandy Mama Remetto opens
[26:34] her doors
[26:35] and her Los Angeles kitchen
[26:38] to cook up a recipe for change.
[26:40] >> Good. Good. Good. Good. We help
[26:41] individuals who are cooking at home
[26:44] learn how to work in a commercial
[26:45] kitchen and how to start making those
[26:47] steps toward becoming their own small
[26:49] business owners.
[26:51] >> Like Rocío Ramírez, who went from
[26:53] pushing a cart in the park to running
[26:55] her own kitchen.
[26:58] Now she pays it forward, doing for
[27:00] others what Romedo did for her.
[27:03] Teaching a new generation of
[27:04] entrepreneurs in her restaurant.
[27:08] >> She helped to change my life.
[27:10] >> But Mama didn't stop in the kitchen.
[27:12] There was that park across the street.
[27:14] >> Literally people would lean up against
[27:16] the windows in our of our storefronts
[27:18] and just hit rock cocaine pipes out in
[27:20] the open.
[27:21] >> Back then MacArthur Park was bad for
[27:23] business. Sandy Romedo didn't just set
[27:26] out to change this park. She wanted to
[27:28] change the lives of the people who call
[27:30] this area home.
[27:31] >> I would never walk home.
[27:33] >> Karen Marcus, a local activist, knew the
[27:35] old park well. Drug addicts, drug
[27:38] dealers, gangs ran the neighborhood.
[27:40] Murders weren't uncommon.
[27:42] >> Okay, who got the enchiladas?
[27:43] >> But people like Romedo were.
[27:45] >> Sandy was instrumental in getting the
[27:48] community together to take the park
[27:50] back.
[27:51] >> And she helped the community get past
[27:52] that infamous May Day melee in 2007. The
[27:56] LAPD spent millions to settle lawsuits.
[27:58] They manhandled the public in the park
[28:00] after a peaceful rally.
[28:02] >> You're looking pretty gorgeous there,
[28:03] kid.
[28:03] >> Thank you.
[28:04] >> Now even the police chief is a believer.
[28:06] >> We should rename this park Mama Tamale
[28:08] Park. That you know
[28:09] >> Mama
[28:10] >> Yeah, that's my name. I'm Mama.
[28:12] >> Even though the park may not share her
[28:13] name
[28:14] >> Thank you.
[28:15] >> If we all gave back and all just reached
[28:18] out to people how how much better this
[28:20] world would be.
[28:22] >> This community does share her spirit.
[28:25] Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, Los Angeles.
[28:29] >> And with that report we want to welcome
[28:31] Miguel to our NBC News family. That is
[28:33] our broadcast for this Friday night and
[28:35] for this week. Thank you for being with
[28:37] us for all of it. I'm Brian Williams. We
[28:39] do hope to see you right back here
[28:41] Monday night. In the meantime, have a
[28:43] good weekend. Good night.
[28:47] >> [music]
[28:53] >> Campus closed.
[28:55] Signs line the sidewalks at Western
[28:57] Oregon University [music] canceling a
[28:59] weekend track meet after a student test
[29:01] probable for swine flu.
[29:02] >> A whole campus shuts down and um it's
[29:06] it's a little unnerving.
[29:07] >> A look at the number of flu cases in
[29:09] Oregon.
[29:10] Phone records revealed.
[29:12] The mayor's office releases phone bills
[29:14] detailing how many times Sam Adams
[29:16] called the [music] teenager he later had
[29:18] an affair with.
[29:19] >> When something is under investigation,
[29:21] I'm not allowed to comment. Uh no matter
[29:23] no matter what.
[29:24] >> New allegations about what happened in
[29:26] the city hall men's room.
[29:29] May Day masses. Hundreds rally [music]
[29:31] at the state capitol calling for
[29:32] immigration reform.
[29:34] >> The current system is broken. The
[29:36] current system is