To the Point

Enron, Damage Control and the Domestic Agenda

The Enron collapse has a lot of the elements that made for scandal during Bill Clinton-s Administration: big money, inside access, presidential double-talk, and investigations by Congress. Kenneth Lay, the CEO of the corporation that holds the dubious distinction of being America-s biggest bankruptcy of all time, has been the number one contributor to George W. Bush, and there-s evidence that he and Enron had special access and influence on policy and appointments. But this is wartime, the Democrats took money from Enron too, and, so far, there-s no smoking gun. Will Enron be Bush-s Whitewater, or just water under the bridge? We speak with pundits on both sides and specialists in damage control from the Clinton and Reagan White House. Newsmaker: Harman on Airport Security, Middle East Meetings The Bush Administration says airlines will meet tomorrow-s deadline for screening checked baggage, but House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt says the intent of Congress has not been satisfied. Jane Harman, a Democrat from Los Angeles and ranking member of the House subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, reviews security developments at home and abroad. Reporter's Notebook: Four Ex-Radicals Arrested for 1975 Bank Shooting Police have arrested four people charged with first-degree murder during a bank robbery near Sacramento in 1975. The victim was depositing church receipts when the robbery occurred. In the getaway car was newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. Los Angeles TV news producer Pete Noyes, who covered the story then and now, offers recollections of the marginal group of former would-be terrorists known as the Symbionese Liberation Army.