The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour

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herb herb salah said stew santa santa santa santa santa santa santa i was boy good evening i'm robert mcneill in your non margaret warner in washington after the news summary we have two reports on boris yeltsin's military and political troubles of or chechnya then we have a newsmaker interview with transportation secretary

kenya a farewell interview with republican house leader bob michel a nepal solomon reports on the power rangers business you literally lose our provided the archer daniels new company at an ingredient in thousands of consumer products it's no wonder that the epa is quite a supermarket to the world and by new york life yet another example of the wise investment philosophy new york life has been following for the last one hundred and fifty years and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by the annual financial support from viewers like you less than a day after a devastating fire bomb ripped through a crowded new york subway car police arrested a suspect in the attack forty five people were injured when the crudely made device exploded yesterday afternoon in lower manhattan one of those most critically injured with the suspected bomber forty nine year old edward

lear a police cracked the case when the unemployed computer operator asked for medical help after leaving the scene evidence was later found it leary's new jersey home allegedly linking him to yesterday's bombing and a similar one a week ago at a news conference this morning officials talked about a possible motive the predawn search investigators uncovered a significant evidence that evidence would seem to point to the motive in this incident that mode of being extortion money investigators are also looking at twenty link between wednesday's incident and one in which three teenagers was years we've heard earlier this month at the under forty fifth street station on the eye it larry findings by the nypd bomb squad mate yet indicated the cheerios founded leary's residents in new jersey a consistent with old devices police commissioner bratton said that the extortion plot may have been aimed at new york's transit authority which runs the subway is leery who was burned over forty percent of his body

remains under guard at a new york hospital he could face life in prison if convicted on the forty five counts of attempted murder and assault robin a homeless man who was shot by us park police in front of the white house on tuesday died last night nasa leno corneal were shot in the chest in right away when he ignored orders to drop a knife at officers whitehouse express our core new presidential spokesperson dee dee myers said the incident underscored the violence in american society in california corn yields family has retained a lawyer to investigate whether police used excessive force in economic news the commerce department reported today that the gross domestic product grew more strongly in the third quarter than originally estimated the revised report now says that there are order gdp grew at an annual rate of four percent the gdp measures all goods and services produced in the us the mexican peso lost nearly twenty percent of its value today despite efforts by the us and canada to prop it up the currency has tumbled since the mexican government devalued it earlier

this week the slightest met heavy losses for north american investors holding pesos and stocks of mexican companies and oil spill forced the closing of the busy portion of the lower mississippi river today nearly thirty eight thousand gallons of oil were released into the river after a barge struck an underwater objects cleanup crews are on the scene north korea today turned over the remains of a helicopter pilot who was killed when his aircraft crashed there last weekend army chief warrant officer david hallerman died in the accident is co pilot bob they all survived and remains in custody ottomans remains unchanged in a ceremony at a border town between the two countries the body was accompanied by congressman bill richardson has been acting as an intermediary for the clinton administration richardson said north korea has agreed to return one officer hauled her assumed but there's no word yet on when that might occur the fighting in chechnya escalated today about two dozen people were killed when russian forces launched several airstrikes against the capital

crossley was the heaviest fighting since chechnya's bid for independence will have more in chechnya right after the news summary in bosnia two people were killed when artillery shells slammed into a market in sarajevo today seven others were also wounded un envoy kai she called the attack outrageous but he said both sides were close to finalizing the details of the four month ceasefire that is scheduled to begin tomorrow italy's prime minister silvio berlusconi resigned today just after seven months in office berlusconi quote i head of a scheduled no confidence vote in parliament the media tycoon turned politician was under investigation for alleged bribes to texans you remain in a caretaker position well a new government is formed it would be at least fifty fourth since nineteen forty five white house press secretary dee dee myers held her last briefing for reporters today the thirty three year old former clinton campaign worker is the first woman to serve in that position meyer's resignation comes several weeks after white house chief of staff leon panetta made it clear he wanted someone else for the

job at today's briefing she got some praise from an unexpected visitor as for the fear coming here and unnecessary and far more you have very grateful i am for everything he has done enough for mia since long before i became president soaring in our campaign our mother the first trip we've had together was on the airplane and i fell asleep which was some sort of known about how helpful i've been answering questions and we have a wonderful in a professional relationship we've had a good person friendship and it is one of the best people i've ever had the privilege of working with an ongoing illness or state department spokesman mike mccurry is expected to replace myers during this morning's briefing spokesman myers criticized a lucrative book deal made recently by incoming house speaker newt gingrich georgia republican has reportedly accepted a four

million dollar advance from publishing company owned by media magnate rupert murdoch meyer said the deal raises serious ethical questions gingrich called the mire statements silly sorcery of the top stories now it's on to the fighting in chechnya but transportation secretary bob michel of illinois and the power ranger business first tonight the russian army's effort to subdue rebels in the rebel province of chechnya and the increasing political turmoil the military action has caused russian president boris yeltsin there were reports today that disagreements over the chechnya policy in moscow led to the firing of six top officers we have two independent television news reports from gabi rhino in moscow and andrew simmons in the capital of chechnya in an uneasy calm the people of girls they try to do what they could

offer the heaviest nigel collins says the russian invasion started the sound of ashcroft called no alarm ordinary people believing it safer to go out in daylight bombing at night reconnaissance by day have been the tactic of the russian air force until today as we were filming this is the civilian and a short distance away the appalling off the mark of what russia has called precision bombing these people once in

the abdomen we are the soldiers holmes and this soft rain down on the city we counted thousands of dead most of them civilians and in moscow they say the air force is fitting strategic targets for months that that american freelance photographer this is the college of day like warming which despite the advanced technology of a former superpower proved inaccurate because grozny try to absorb this the biggest bombardments and president yeltsin ordered his troops in the journal that i was still claiming that his people had two choices either death or freedom looking across his hospital job filled to overflowing bustling with civilians that comes as no surprise that senior russian officers are refusing to advance on this tiny republic but the might of russia's air force but as balsam firepower fell down on growth as people today and despite the carnage many seemed able to carry on

with the suffering the russian defense ministry rock why corruption scandals earlier in the year is now clearly in the throes of an even more serious crisis are conflicting reports of the sacking of six officers suggested disastrous collapse of confidence word leaked out this afternoon the general eduardo far beyond deputy commander of ground troops handed in his resignation later came a report now the night that he was among the six officers sacked the man behind the original league chairman of the parliamentary defense committee on segregation cough is a former yeltsin supporter disillusioned with the president over the chechnya is to a one time army colonel he voices dissident officers feelings you want us to hold the destruction of armed gangs is not a job for an army of the police and other special forces secondly and chechnya when not talking about an armed gangs but armed people naturally any general

who understands he's not fighting against armed gangs but against armed people are armed civilians who cannot take responsibility for such a shameful wall the discontent among senior officers has another plus an embarrassment to mr groucho he visited grossly just three weeks ago and claim to successfully of that conflict and sort of the chechen leader jakarta via just days later russian troops were sent in very soon after that there was going to be in the russian officer corps major general leave an artichoke refused to move his arm any miracles me stating that threatening civilians there was against the constitution russian ground forces have in fact largely kept the minute the plan and circling cars in the latest report say they've dug in on all sides accept the south moscow has in recent days been stressing that on the ground at least is prepared to play a waiting game to avoid high casualties inflicted instinct feisty fighting many of the chechen fighters have taken advantage of the russian strategy and

regrouped in the mountains and so those who understand the caucuses probably forgot that the russian forces will be faced with a long guerilla war in moscow the claims of the muslim chechens have been joined in the hideouts by fundamentalists from islamic states government is concerned that a religious element is entering the conflict even just kenyans we categorically denied that there is any confrontation between russia and the muslim world on the contrary russia is interested in the development of a constructive dialogue with the muslim world in the case of chechnya it is a case of fighting not muslims but bandits you are all aware that there are people other than muslims living in chechnya the russian duma or voted this morning to hold a special joint session the upper house of parliament on saturday the debate could just be a crisis a measure of the political chaos enveloping most voters this evening's publication of a letter from president yeltsin refusing to attend a joint session to meet his presence to make it legitimate

president knows that with an overwhelming majority in both houses against this policy it's embarked on yet another height advantage in confrontation with the elected parliament among president yeltsin's critics are a number of economic reformers including former prime minister yegor gaidar he has called for yelpers impeachment over the chechnya policy how next tonight questions about the nation's transportation system as christmas approaches those traveling by air are face renewed concerns about safety on commuter airlines train riders may have hurt last week's announcement of comeback som amtrak and there's a joy to the highways or even the crosstown bus to visit relatives they wonder how cutbacks announced earlier this week and new washington politics will affect their travel in the future for some answers we're now joined by the secretary of transportation federico pena he joins us from the white house briefing room to separate artifact of dryness oriented hear you announced

an aviation framework agreement with canada today why is it needed what's expected to do it's amazing that here we have the tune those market oriented economies in the world where you can it is our largest trading partner and we have well most restrictive aviation agreements in the entire hemisphere making very difficult for americans or canadians to fly back and forth and of course i think the pressing the opportunities of the north american free trade agreement etc so after twelve failed attempts that had been tried in years past we finally have reads a new framework agreement we will begin formal negotiations in early january hope to complete those very soon it is absolutely critical to both of our countries to the hemisphere will support me to consumers because right now we have a very regulated aviation environment where prices have to be approved by the government routes are restricted and eventually we will but in a

sense have the same kind of domestic aviation servers with canada and you probably won't notice a difference for our consumers will notice a reduced fares they will have for more opportunities to fly to many more cities in canada and vice versa they'll be more competition and i think in terms of business communication and and tourism there will be an explosion of economic opportunities for us and canadian businesspeople of course for tourism so it is a win win for both countries were very excited to making us with today they endured apartment president clinton has announced big cuts there as well as some other places in the budget six point seven billion dollars over five years how is the pomegranate fear was that well first of all those cuts result from a number of things were going to consolidate our department we have about ten different agencies aired a day will consolidate those down to three will take thirty different programs that we have

with either grants or the loans are subsidies cannot combine those two three were going to give the states and the mayor's much more flexibility much more authority and how to use these moneys and try to provide them any a block grant would create state infrastructure banks which we will capitalize with federal dollars that for every dollar we put into those big infrastructure banks they'll be leveraged to three or four more times which means appleby more construction more investment and transportation infrastructure throughout the country and lastly we will retain a federal fund to invest in projects center of national importance or regional imports for example or somewhere to build a high speed rail system across five states there will be a national fund to help deal with that help courtney vance it'll still be a national presence but i think much more flexibility for the states to the cities and most importantly shrinking the size of my department by department when i came here two years ago with a hundred and nine thousand people by the time we're through would it be down about fifty five thousand people will take forty thousand

air traffic controllers and put them into a corporate like structure which will make it much more efficient but the bottom line is all be able tell taxpayers that your tax dollars are being used much more efficiently much more strategically and we'll have more transportation investment a high speed rail link across five states is partnering with the genesis era late no other a number of states have a great interest in high speed rail systems florida california state of texas and other states along the north east and we think at long term there is a federal role to play to help synchronize those decisions so that we can bring those things together it obviously will be a lot of investment from the states and hopefully for the private sector so i wouldn't say it's a total five three back to what you said a moment ago you said mayors and governors would have more flexibility but the reality is they're going to have less money or have to provide more of that from their own state taxpayers them from the federal government there will be some reduction in the federal money to build highways and paved streets and

repair and build airports and so on yet that there will be some reduction in those federal dollars but remember when i discuss the infrastructure banks what we're hearing from states in and governors and others is they like would like more flexibility to allow them to finance projects that they otherwise can't do today so we will provide them that flexibility and we believe that for every dollar from the federal government we invest that will multiply four five times of them currently investors so then at the end of the day but the sooner were nineteen ninety nine today we would be able to say that we have probably five six seven maybe ten billion dollars more being invested in our transportation infrastructure because you have now private sector involvement you have more states and cities involved with the federal dollars and that's what i think the american people want us to do is leverage and combine the resources of both the federal state local governments and the private sector lot of the money you pay out for these projects comes from the highway and air travel to texas and trump trust funds

those are not as does that mean you're going to keep back some of that trust fund money and pays and in highway taxes are in airline taxes and not get as much of that out of the state right now the federal government has about a fourteen percent the federal gas tax and a ten cent the ticket tax on anybody who buys a ticket in those or separate trust fund that we have in washington and we will keep those trust laws i think that over time those trust funds will be spent down because for a long time a large surpluses have been built in the us built up in those trust funds and we're not using that money i think now will begin to spend those trust funds down and use the money for the purposes which they were intended for sure on me and your department are quoted as saying that turn your in addition to that you're going to a reduce what you spend for using subsidizing mass rail trains they're trying to separate there will probably be

some reduction in our subsidization of mass transit but there will still be a transit operating assistance program which is i think what you're referring to because we still strongly believe that transit is very important to metropolitan communities all over our country and those transit systems are key to mobility to reduce the air pollution and to eliminating congestion in our very large and even more rural metropolitan communities and amtrak has just announced big cuts in its passenger service because of its own deficit this year is what you just said mean that you're going to be cutting the amtrak is federal subsidy even more and consequently they may have to make even more service cuts we hope that there will not run a billion dollars a year to nine hundred and something it's a little that's what a lesson that amtrak was going to experience about a two hundred million dollar losses here and i supported the boarded amtrak in making its decisions to look at its root structure to begin to eliminate those roots which were losing lots of money there was no market reason to have those roots we will continue

to provide some level of subsidy for amtrak because we believe amtrak should be a viable rail passengers system for our country and i am very confident that the board and mr downs the president and track i had made the right decision to give amtrak back on a strong financial footing the american people can continue to ride amtrak and hopefully over time we can begin to rebuild it as it becomes financially stronger but but still the message is a subsidy which is now nearly a billion will be less than that and he's got to be lowering than subsidies are on track will be forced to make even further servers are well not not because of that whenever the decision that amtrak just maybe reduces it's a total operation by about twenty percent so since the toll road structure is reduced by about twenty percent you don't need the same subsidy that we used to provide it'll be a smaller amount but there will still be a subsidy for amtrak we will be supportive of amtrak we believe it's very important for our

country and i have great confidence in the board its decisions i think the american people will be pleased with the new business orientation that we're bringing to the amtrak operations the year in coming chairman of the house transportation committee a republican vouchers three pennsylvania said that amtrak is on a life support system and it's a disaster it needs to get off that system in other words suggesting that subsidies need to be replaced by private partnerships industry with state or private companies and state and local governments do agree with that philosophy subsidy needs to be ended by i'd met with the colors in those shoes to very recently we talk about amtrak it told me that he was pleased with the decision that amtrak i had made it was concerned as i was that had the amtrak board not made those decisions i think it would've been a great move in the congress to totally eliminate any funding of amtrak now that amtrak has demonstrated that it's putting its financial house in order i think it has a very strong argument to make to congress that there still is a

legitimate reason for a continued assistance to amtrak given its new focus on financial stability and i think a person shooter and i are of like minds on that question and we are hopeful we can continue to be supportive of amtrak do you don't expect a republican majority in congress to eliminate or attempt to eliminate which has been tried before the sums that are operating subsidies i think there will be some effort by some to eliminate the payments to amtrak we're prepared however to argue that since the amtrak board has now made a business like this asian there is now a business plan in effect that over time the amtrak will do business much better to argue for continued congressional support because there'll be confidence that those congressional dollars will be used wisely and effectively and will benefit the american people have the amtrak board not made the decision had made a week or so ago i think congress would have had many more reasons to essentially pull the plug on amtrak i think

now we got a good argument to make a good presentation to have to present to the congress and we're hoping that will continue to be a supportive of amtrak you said last just heard airlines now you said last week after the latest commuter crash that you are troubled about the number of airline accidents this year you announced a survey safety survey of all the airlines and tighter regulations a pilot training and sewn on commuter airlines you and the faa commissioner mr henson promised congress that you would bring in new rules on commuter pilot training last spring why are they only announced now and nearly nine months later after more accidents rob lowe yes a question there were i think there is in this understanding of the facts here we started two years ago too elevate the levels of safety for the small aircraft the thirty seats and last commuter aircraft to the same standards of the large aircraft we start that

first with the icing which we did in nineteen ninety three we have done that with ground proximity warning devices which we did earlier this year and we did start on the pilot crew training or regulations what we announced very recently is that we were going to accelerate the rulemaking that we had already started many many months ago and add even new standards and new regulations so they're within one hundred days we will complete that rulemaking and is headed out for public comment and basically synchronize or elevate all the major safety standards that applied to large aircraft who apply to smaller aircraft this administration mr henson and the secretary of transportation i spent a lot of time on safety and we have acted i think ever responsible fashion ensuring the american people that say it will continue to be our highest standard lot of criticism of the faa you're the agency the federal aviation administration which comes under your department in the last week or so after these accidents it's ridiculous as it has in the past of a tombstone

mentality or a body count safety policy of only tightening safety standards after crashes how to respond i would agree that that criticism which it was launched against the faa made many years ago and has been a problem and a concern and a concert of mine we have addressed us since i had been secretary of transportation and says administrator henson has been his position under this administration we have accelerated our rulemaking we have emphasize safety in a way that i think of the american people to have confidence and we have ground aircraft we need to be grounded such as the eighty or we are grounded airlines with his kiwi airlines and leisure air where they needed to be grounded we have grounded pilots where they were not satisfied safety rules so wherever we need to take tough action we will do that in january i will have a face to face a day and a half being with the administrator we've invited all of the airline executives their chief pilots they have

a very intense a session on how we can do better how we can take the improving safety record that we've seen over the last ten or fifteen years and make it even better how it how would you just a final question how would you respond to the incoming chairman of the senate transportation committee until the mural mr pressler were told the new york times i found the faa to be unresponsive and insensitive and reluctant to do their job is clearly a problem i would say doesn't replace pressler that some time ago prior to the time that this new administration that came on board and there were many concerns that raised like the senator has raised and i would suggest to him and others that says i have been secretary of transportation we've had our new administrator we have run this agency much differently we have accelerated our rulemaking we have taken tough actions we have focused more on consumers and their needs and we have both i think goat broth a much more aggressive a safety program then perhaps we have historically seen it in the faa i'm not here

to talk about what happened prior to the time that i was here i am actually a happy to discuss with the senate the actions that i had taken and that the new administrator has taken who has been here for about a year long list of trigger and it still ahead on the newshour congressman bob michel and the power rangers story next tonight bob michel as republicans prepare to take control of the house of representatives for the first time in forty years the man who was their minority leader for forty years bob michel is moving into retirement congressman congressional correspondent kwame home and reports you're like that was republican quality with that picture were dumplings that chair on the last day of the one hundred third congress does that they will vote approving the general agreement on tariffs

and trade house speaker tom foley of ordered republican leader bob michel a rare opportunity they're temporarily wield the gavel feel the power during fourteen years of minority leader michael often joked about his dream of one day becoming speaker but it will not be when the new one hundred fourth congress convenes in january and republicans assumed control newt gingrich will become house speaker and bob michel will retire from public life congressman is there any irony to be found in the fact that you have been in the minority for almost forty years and finally the republicans are in the majority and your car or no question about it you look i've never was possessed or lol with the ambition that oh boy i'm going to be a failure unless i became speaker although obviously that's got a be and year in year old picture book out there

because that's what the name of the game is becoming a majority party and yes now that were there i guess i'll just be relegated to be an observer on the side but i have no regrets having made my decision because i'm good in those years when i think of the job probably demand somebody who had the battalion them but i had when i was a young you are a freshman member the college after thirty eight years an eight years and eighty on so many old the edges of the sharp would all recognize for michael the us last year in congress has been filled with nostalgia tributes tearful goodbyes and from the white house the presidential medal of freedom and apparel sense he represents a minute the heart of america the values of america in the sense of fairness the air i have an adult michel was first sent to congress in nineteen fifty six representing the people in and around the peoria illinois and he gradually worked his way up through the

republican leadership and in nineteen eighty one was elected minority leader by his colleagues becoming president reagan's point person in the house why more security gates were eighty one and eighty two and we put together the reagan revolution with the tax cuts and more in marginal tax rates and the fed and the expenditure cuts and those were those were good heady days i held together one hundred and ninety two republican solid and reached over had the temperament to pick up twenty seven eight nine votes on the democratic side to win seven straight vote by three or four vote margin out that was that was that was as i said i am my heyday i love that it was exhilarating and that's what i thought i did best back then michael says he found it easy even of pleasure to work with the majority democrats his friendship with house speaker promised to o'neal endure even when they disagree for instance on the issue

of continued us aid to the contra rebels in their war against nicaragua's marxist government because bigger alive you were great i respect her i know the emotional issue that this is with you i think i know something special about that that i won't relate here but i just have to say the day your role your role your role the ball the allies to talk about how we could go either hamburg paulson still after the war we could sit down play gender have a brewer one thing we can go play ball but michael's relationship with o'neill successor jim wright was strained rights iron fisted control of health affairs and forays into us foreign policy infuriated republicans and eroded the traditional comedy between the two party the two leaders deep ideological differences came to a head over complicated there's no way you can save the democratic resistance

as a meaningful force if you bought this package now look what's needed at our morale it as a bonus you can sustain them enough real what recourse do they have out there on the role michael's relationship with wright bottomed out when wright opened his own diplomatic channel with nicaragua's mark says president daniel ortega you were very opposed to that was that a major part of your prose well i think that was about we could still sit down and quietly that it was never any acrimony between us personally when we sat down together but i think the image that was projected was such that here to real fierce adversaries in and i hadn't really extended interpersonal relationship in addition to a professional arguments that have to be made on that particular issue michaels good friend congressman henry hyde is less forgiving

of right jim have this agenda was not only to take over foreign policy especially in central america but i really have contempt for reagan and reagan administration and so we all had to react to that than we did instinctively react against the list right and he paid an awful prize for i think a tempting much too much jim wright eventually resigned under the pressure of an ethics investigation of profits he made on a vote but it wasn't about michael who had spearheaded a campaign against right it was a little known but very aggressive house republican from georgia newt gingrich i think he's clearly based on the public record the least ethical speak of the twentieth century gingrich's role in jim wright's political undoing was a major factor in his rise to power and had

served notice on the democrats and genial style of all of that practice by bob michel no longer would be the republicans i don't fall tom michael of all i am more comfortable with bob michel style bob so maybe it's time for that freshman congresswoman deborah pryce of ohio a close ally of gingrich's agrees that bob michel style of politicking has run its course thank you the matter is he represented and reflected an era and that era like it or not has gone on an era when people were nicer to each other before that as more gentlemen ladies either want to mail a ceramic that point in time but today it's a different time now and like it or not this is the time we live and then his leadership style probably isn't as though well adapted to what we are living through politically now gingrich gradually assumed ideological

leadership of house republicans although bob michel remained of their elected leader at times michael match gingrich's firebrand opposition to democrats control of the house as at the swearing in of speaker tom foley no political party no man or woman in the house no faction no ideology has a monopoly on or to human folly as an equal opportunity employer know there is no monopoly on version of for over thirty five years there has been a monopoly of power in a house thirty five years of uninterrupted power and act like a corrosive that upon the restraint of civility and come out of the democratic monopoly of like the institution well each one of us freely elected from four hundred and thirty five districts are entitled to represent our

constituents abuse in that body and when it's denied cut off some rarely to the degree that it's impossible for that to happen yeah get an idea to serve those constituents are denied full representation in the house of representatives that's what happened what happened over that that period of time when the rule became tighter and tighter and more closed and the statistics will show that the number of what we call cold rules very tight you know one commander one substitute are just mushroom why do you think the democrats that that's something that you think is government felt well simply because they have to before this last election and a vote margin in our way we run this place gonna be our way we got the votes we're going to do it our way and so we just all have to be well we don't have to be troubled and bothered with this extensive debate in the

final analysis we get the votes and we're going to carry the day right through the recently overturned one hundred third congress it seemed no major house floor debate was complete without an appearance by an agitated bob michel you on the democratic side have the votes to beat us down a day but this isn't the end of the fight it's just the beginning times have we been out on our side of the aisle by the rules of those files this as i present although and it remains whether or not we can make an impact in a different on cleaning up a bad well that's what i thought wow and you want to take advantage of that opportunity when that's right but bob michel says now that republicans are in the majority they should not copy the democrats' heavy handed tactics i told him as he takes over i said no number two wrongs don't make a right and where we were they might have aired on some of these things i think we are a whole line on

what they're reasonable or right the relationship between bob michel and newt gingrich has been one of the most delicate and interesting to watch in washington michael acknowledges gingrich would have to challenge him for the top leadership job this year abby not retired and it's unlikely gingrich ever would have been michael's choice to lead the republicans' years ago when he had a chance to groom a successor michael vick the soft spoken congressman from wyoming dick cheney i guess on dick cheney a family and a good friend and competent individual from his bar are having dealt before but here's a man ought to replace may someday and the movement of the analytics service but but in nineteen eighty nine when the senate rejected john powers nomination to be secretary of defense president george bush cheney from the country that gave newt gingrich an opportunity to challenge for the number two position among house republicans and by a margin of two votes he defeated another about michael's

and picked candidates at madigan of illinois michael was gracious in defeat there's such a frustration on our side at being wired down in the minority early in all of eighty votes or more that there are any number of people who would say the bomb but we have to just change something less do something it'll end and dramatic and there and different and new york question about during his tenure in the congress has been an activist an and i guess there's there's certainly a time for activists with people lt michael and gingrich also have had their public differences but michael says he was undercut by gingrich in nineteen ninety after tense budget negotiations between congressional leaders and the white house at andrews air force base finally lead to a compromise package and it wasn't until we got actually end of the cabinet room of the white house in all well in the

first though was evident today that it was making a break and couldn't wait at that time probably go out of the room he was taking it is my conclusion that it will kill jobs week in the economy the tax increase could be counterproductive and that it is not a family which i could support the result of a very few people talk about it today it costs twenty billion dollars of tax reduction and twenty billion dollars of tax increases because eventually what the compromise was was so much worse than what we originally had and that was done because we added a fraction but michael says he and gingrich have long since straightened out their differences and now have a good relationship oh sure is a nice he's smart he's well read he's a historian who's got a great sense of of history he's the technologies is he's energetic and indefatigable work or

as i said if there are those of the pluses that there's a criticism there's too many balls in the air at the same time that i knew i think your weaknesses one to follow through you know you don't have to come out on everything in it sometimes i found it's very close to obama hollow i'll think about that much you know and asleep on an overnight hear your answer may be a little bit different caught unawares and i'm thinking that anything you say oh that comes out is going to be right as for his own future bob michel says he'll split time between hometown peoria and washington dc doing volunteer work maybe some teaching and visiting with old friends and the new majority i like the kind of comeback and sneak in the back door and then check check in on things once in a while i will you know why i didn't get to savor as an active member but i can enjoy it we also i believe the congress as the republican minority leader having sudden

example democrats might now to follow finally tonight the shoppers nightmare it seems every christmas there's one item that everyone wants and it's in short supply with bashir is no exception business correspondent paul song of wgbh boston reports this christmas it's a small world of marketing there's a miracle of thought on thirty four three and just about everywhere else in the world to say to us it's a case study in business strategy with marketing messages for all the power rangers are the hottest toy items and cabbage patch dolls and international craze reading right now from tiger shere my in tokyo to toys r us in cambridge massachusetts you know if anyone anywhere

now soars like if they owe schwartz on fifth avenue they are stuck to the rafters power ranger merchandise will top a billion dollars in sales this year but the hot items are in very short supply especially the white ranger and his various successor is in the boston globe for example a coveted white tiger soared thirty nine ninety nine retail is being scalped for three hundred hours cod even the newshour family has fallen victim to the graves says the son of our economics producer laurie cohen and this via home video is her closet a virtual safe deposit box fourteen power rangers and producer lee current focus is collected treasures which in a few years could pay for our kids' college education though frankly li's son viktor orban have would probably trade tomorrow diploma for today's green ranger i'm like i'm not white and it's not just toy laurie's son

jeremy five and a half years almost a fashion model for the power ranger why i hope i was devouring to rain death of the green on air mr reit they're now in the interest of journalistic failure every newshour how this disease so seven year old daughter of one of those seniors so he played his halloween by dressing up as her favorite character sorrows are you went about halloween party and how is everyone else dressed as a chance against the law the mighty morphin hourly the number one show in the world scene in more than thirty countries with another forty was ready to not originally the show was leading

a program that was attacked again but when our villain reader paulson were exported to america for us for this show seem positively time she and noticed that we have been done to you a shell has saved money by recycling much of the japanese original the key characters however are recast the power rangers themselves as a multiethnic multi talented group of teenage good guys and gals their greatest talent more thing at our operators often more cheaply into japanese production numbers even more cost effective it turns out is that the same as figures can be sold everywhere the show airs in fact the show debuts in a country only when the toys are ready to go on the shelf this is truly global marketing

though harvard steve granger thinks it's more luck than strategy i don't think this is a great example of global branding i think it's a good example of how an idea as global legs the worldwide appeal of power rangers is rooted in the fact that when the characters more if they have no racial or ethnic look consequently the show has the protests show to appear to be indigenous in a lot of places in the world so in this year of global marketing weekend for our first practical tip think globally start locally ok time for less numbered to shortages can be good there are shortages of keep our arranger joys this christmas which rivers are normal occurrence of course especially now that our parents and grandparents search high and low for items that scene in infuriating a short supply but many think this year's ranger shortages are not like the liver including knows our producer league farm folk

there are none of the cool toys here i mean this came at a pinball these costumes these are not if you're a four to eight year old boy these are not or you can find us anywhere at the charge of phony shortages is a grave and demand response from somebody of southern california the company that licenses the product so we enlisted another member of the newshour family la correspondent jeffrey gate to put the tough question to peter bank did you guys purposely hold back to try to create a shortage and an increased the dimmer i think from a business standpoint it's very stupid because you'll never ever know the lifetime of the toy and on top of that when your heart especially in the toy business you it would spoil it but no matter the shortages are purposefully not the business over the serenity brandenburg the

benefits are the same and substantial so shortages can have two affects the first is that they can actually make products more desirable either simple fact that they're scarce and an aunt sarah po nature at the second effect concerns the age old struggle between manufacturers and retailers huge chains have been calling the shots in recent years shortages shift the power back the manufacturers away from retailers so now the retailers suddenly find themselves competing for prop they're no longer in the driving seat and the manufacturer gets to determine the shelf space allocation for its part it's able to negotiate better payment terms if you like the mighty morton's novel the power and this illustrates our second marketing insight shortages can be good for suppliers but the third and final point modifies the second because gold russia's unfinished ugly as

exemplified by our next example lucy sachs now sells souvenir t shirts and thirty stores nationwide in the early eighties she too had a holiday craze lucy's laces and that almost like you're out i put them in my stores they sell like hotcakes that the companies really couldn't provide me with inventory fast enough so there was this constant inner chopping at the bit of that my customers in the stores who want to buy for me to get the product and i'm basically as as the behold she lives where it was going up i didn't have merchandise and then as the fat was going down i was getting the merchandise and so i ended up with a lot of inventory that i just couldn't get rid of me was a nightmare must last you know everything that i had almost lost my house and in my business and zack still has a few shoelaces despair because of the time it took figure out of the flag with that ad in terms of power rangers the story of lucy's lease is brings us inevitably put a scrooge might

call the question of christmas future just how long before the rangers lose their magic well victor couzens eleanor role as is clear for some video of him watching the show taken by his mom the producer and our other producer laurie cohen was still loading up just last week to satisfy her son's passion which he shared with virtually every one of his classmates and a school halloween party race seems to have affected just about everyone maybe things are numbered what the journey now want for christmas forget rio branco was known for a while what is it with her current war are dreadful team leaders to authorities at least for the tv ads our goal in the toy business they could be here today gone tomorrow moreover the bigger and faster the fed quite often the further the fall and in the toy business youth that have grown so big so fast as the mighty morphin power rangers

but the savant company has a plan to postpone ad even prevent an ugly finish in the short term they're pumping out toys as fast as they can so they say and i'll be introducing them in more more countries along with a tv show but most significantly the show itself is being transformed into a generally more durable soap opera form with frequently changing characters fall forces this year when traders a new alien leader we introduced the new ranger white ranger and re introduced three new grangers call that is evolving with them at the story line and as peter dame's colleagues stan bowman explains about the joys of merchandise will paul that there are visible one spring which could mean when all is said and done the mighty morphin power rangers navy around and then businesses

again the major stories of this thursday police arrested an unemployed computer operator in yesterday's fire bombing of a crowded new york subway the nation's economy showed stronger than expected growth in the third quarter the north korea returned the body of an american pilots his helicopter crashed in its territory the surviving copilot remains in custody and i'm honored that i ran an exit for the newshour tonight with you again tomorrow evening i'm margaret warner deny funding for the macneil lehrer newshour has been provided by the archer daniels midland company with edm ingredients in thousands of consumer products it's no wonder of the world and by new york life yet another example of

the wise investment philosophy new york life has been following for the last one hundred and fifty years and by the corporation for public broadcasting and the annual financial support you lose you many thanks video cassettes of the macneil lehrer newshour are available from pbs video call one eight hundred three to eight pbs one thousand it's been