Friday, May 2, 2003

The Premier of "Morning Papers"

Aaron was elated with the new segment. He was always a newspaper man.

BROWN: Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT, morning papers, tomorrow morning's papers. We get tomorrow's news tonight. Man it could not get better than that. We'll take a break first. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Time for morning papers, the check of newspapers around the country and around the world, though we generally don't get around the world. I can't explain that. If there's a pattern to today's papers, I can not figure it out, but here we go.

"The New York Times" understandably and predictably the shooting in Fallujah again in the center of the front page, and a neat story actually right below it that perhaps less was taken at the Iraqi National Museum than was first thought. But the best story, come in tight if you can, arsenic poisonings at church mystify small town in Maine. This is in New Sweden, Maine, and maybe somebody was putting, this is like an Agatha Christie thing, maybe somebody was putting arsenic in the coffee at the church social. In any case, one person has died, 15 people in the town are hospitalized, and it's a terrific mystery story, and that's "The New York Times," all the news that's fit to print. We'll set that aside for a second or longer perhaps.

The "San Francisco Chronicle" Mid East peace is their big story on the front page and Fallujah is a big story on the front page. Come down here now if you can. I've seen this on nobody's front page. It's a very good story.U.S. works to weaken global tobacco treaty. Bush administration opposes worldwide ban on advertising. One hundred sixty nations, I think, are involved in this very complicated treaty to try and get people to stop smoking and try and reduce the appeal of cigarettes around the world. Phillip Morris not very happy with that, and the Bush administration working to weaken that according to this report in the "San Francisco Chronicle.

"The Times Herald-Record" which is upstate New York, Hudson Valley and the Catskills, "The Choice" you can vote. How good a front page is that? It's a ballot. Legislators say the two legislative leaders want to raise taxes in the state. The governor says -- the state has an enormous budget deficit, the governor says cut education statewide and other cuts too, and you can vote if you're living up there. Anyway, we like this paper, the "Times Herald-Record."

OK, cool, 30 seconds. (David would always 'speak' out the time remaining. The guys had fun with this whole thing. It was the one time David could be heard and I loved it. He frequently took license with it. It always made me smile.)

The "Chicago Sun Times," Daley scolds top cops, Mayor Daley, for rash of murders. Gang violence in Chicago is what that's about. Elizabeth Smart's on the front page. The North Carolina missing boy story is on the front page. But here's the story I like, forked tongue, Reverend Meeks wants law to prevent tongue splitting and I live in fear of such things in my house, OK, and the weather tomorrow in Chicago is nefarious, if you're keeping track.

That's a look at morning papers around the country.Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT, Segment 7 (unintelligible). That's what it's going to be with a question if economists - just watch it. We'll be right back.