Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Here's the 55th news conference from President Jimmy Carter, broadcast from the East Room of the White House, and aired here as an NBC News Special Report over WMAQ Channel 5, and hosted out of Washington by John Dancy.

A "bonus"(?) will follow.

Includes:

Opening (voiceover by Mac McGarry)

John previews the main gist of this conference, mainly discussing his latest anti-inflation program and what it entails, when the President arrives

Carter starts right off the bat with his "historic" meeting over this initiative to balance the Federal budget, including trimming the Federal workforce, reducing credit, and imposing an import tax on oil brought into this country - and comparing the economy to an out-of-shape athlete

After his opening statements, he takes the following questions on a wide range of topics:

- from Frank Cormier of the Associated Press about the budget

- from Helen Thomas of United Press International about the Camp David accord and Israeli settlements

- from Daniel Schorr of CNN (and formerly of CBS News) about a recent United Nations resolution (this was 2½ months before CNN first hit the air, on June 1st 1980)

- from Judy Woodruff of NBC News about prior efforts by the administration to fight inflation

- from Walter Rodgers of AP Radio and Terence Smith (first name misspelled Terrence on the lower-third) of The New York Times about SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties), Senate ratification, and overall compliance

- from Jo Ann Rowe of Rowe News Service about Federal grants to cities and whether they were used to buy votes for those leaning towards re-electing him

- from Chris Ogden of Time magazine about the budget for Fiscal Year 1981 since Carter submitted it in January

- from an unidentified reporter on the Congressional Black Caucus' assessment of the budget as it relates to minority communities

- from Lesley Stahl of CBS News about the continuing hostage situation in Iran

- from Godfrey Sperling of The Christian Science Monitor about Senator Edward M. Kennedy's chances in the coming Illinois and New York primaries

- from Sarah McClendon of McClendon News Service (unidentified on the screen) about this country letting in 9,000 Iranians after the taking of the hostages

- from Bob Moore of Mutual Radio about the proposed Gasoline Conservation Fee

After his answer to which, the President concludes his conference, and Dancy sums up the points raised about the anti-inflation program and the proposed oil import tax

Ending titles (voiceover by Mac McGarry)

Partial NBC "Peacock" ID slide, after which recording cuts to bonus:

First two minutes of Pink Lady and Jeff (S01E02), with guests Donny Osmond, Sid Caesar, Teddy Pendergrass, and special guest star Larry Hagman (wearing his Dallas hat), and a snippet of Jeff Altman's monologue

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, March 14th 1980 during the 8:00pm to 8:35pm timeframe.

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