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STUDENT NEWS

Violence in Syria

Aired March 2, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you got the blues, you got nothing to lose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you`re not Carl Azuz, and that`s CNN News.

GROUP: Around the world, what`s going on? Around the world, what`s going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want to know what`s happening

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re just trying to be a good citizen.

GROUP: Around the world, what`s going on? Around the world, what`s going on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take it, Carl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: I certainly will. Thank you for that excellent introduction.

As CNN Student News wraps up the week, our first report today is on Syria.

Aid groups have been asking for permission to bring food, medicine and supplies to victims of violence in Syria. Yesterday, they got the permission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): As Syrian government forces moved into the Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs, aid groups were allowed in, too. The city of Homs is in the western part of Syria. It`s been a base for activists fighting against the Syrian military, and it`s been the target of artillery attacks for weeks. You can see some of the damage from this YouTube video.

These forces fighting the government said they left the city so that the aid could get to the civilians there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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AZUZ: What you`re looking here is what was left behind when a massive tornado ripped through the city of Harrisburg, Illinois. We first reported on this yesterday, and Don Lemon talked to one survivor about his experience living through this natural disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just look at this and wonder how you ever got out. A bedroom on this side, a bedroom on that side completely destroyed, and the bathroom right there in the middle, and that`s where I was. And how the bathroom got left, good enough for me to survive, only God knows.

DON LEMON, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: So you, when you ran out, you had to come around on the street?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I came out of that bathroom door that`s facing on that side. You can see where I busted it to get out. And I crawled -- I crawled over all this stuff and came out to here, hollering for anybody.

LEMON: When they started coming out, one by one, were you like, oh, thank God?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. Tears of joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: The tornado in Harrisburg had winds up to 180 miles per hour. Chad Myers compares what it looks like before and after this kind of twister hits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: From this perspective, we`re turning you around so that you look from the northeast. There are the homes, they`re all built homes here. Now let me take you to what the aerial pictures of that exact image looks like. That`s what that neighborhood looks like right from the helicopter from yesterday.

The shot coming through, the bowling ball, that tornado right on through from the west to the east. And now one more shot, Sean (ph), we`re take you over here to where Don Lemon is standing, right there. There`s the strip mall before the tornado. Almost looks like a little bit of landing strip, like an airport. That`s what that strip mall looks like right now.

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AZUZ: The results are in from a political contest out west. The Wyoming Republican presidential caucuses. These caucus meetings went on all through February. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney came away with the most votes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): But because of the rules in Wyoming, all of the candidates won delegates in this contest. That`s the goal in these caucuses and primaries, to win delegates. And next Tuesday, there are more than 400 delegates up for grabs. It`s called Super Tuesday, when 10 states hold elections. So look out for more on that next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this legit? There are more women than men living in the United States.

Totally true. According to the latest U.S. Census information, women outnumber men by about 5 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: We`re looking at more numbers for today`s Women`s History Month coverage. First, we want to mention the Salisbury (ph) High Hornets in North Carolina, because one of them got our social media question, which was related to Women`s History Month.

All right. Already told you that women outnumber men in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): That`s based on the census that was taken in 2010. But the total female population is 157 million. Of those women who are 25 years old and older, more than 30 million of them have a college degree. That`s a little higher than the corresponding group of men.

Going back a little further to 2007, there were 7.8 million American businesses owned by women. Those companies employed 7.5 million people, and they made more than a trillion dollars in revenue.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Navarro`s science and social studies class at Berkmar Middle School in Lilburn, Georgia.

What field does an angler work in? Here we go. Is it geometry, land surveying, billiards or fishing? You`ve got three seconds, go.

An angler is someone who use (sic) a hook and line to fish. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Well, most of you can head to a nearby lake and do some angling. But the fishermen who work on boats off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, need to cast a wide net for their catch. Some officials are concerned about how those net results are affecting the fish population. David Ariosto looks at the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ARIOSTO, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Federal regulators are now contemplating what for generations seemed inconceivable: shutting down or heavily restricting cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine. A recent federal assessment concluded the fish population was far lower than experts had thought.

Just three years earlier, the government had said the region was well on its way to recovery from decades of overfishing. Now officials are saying that forecast was wrong. For these fishermen, hundreds more like them and the thousands on who depend on their trade, tighter restrictions on their catch could cost them their jobs.

ARIOSTO: So we`ve cruising a little over six hours in the Gulf of Maine, and this crew has netted about 100 pounds of fish, mostly flounder and cod. And the day is nearly half over. A successful day is more like 1,000 pounds of fish, from what the guys tell me. So clearly there`s a sense of frustration here along the boat as we try to make that final push and look for more fish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hunt is on.

ARIOSTO (voice-over): But the fishermen say that this was just a bad day, that with fewer boats now and more restrictions, the sea is actually full of fish. Environmentalists reacting to the government`s latest assessment say the industry should contract to safeguard the health of the fishery.

But others say counting fish beneath the water is a murky science. Research boats run random samplings at sea. But because where fish swim is uncertain, the numbers they catch, like our own experience out on the water today, can vary.

STEVE CADRIN, UMASS SCIENTIST: It`s really not much different than a weather report. I think we`ve all become accustomed to the weather report coming from data and a model, and we understand that the forecast may not be perfect.

ARIOSTO (voice-over): Here in Gloucester, Massachusetts, cod is king, bringing in nearly $16 million a year for the regional economy, and even more when distribution sales are tallied. Others with roots here say some way must be found to both protect the ecosystem and keep fishermen working -- David Ariosto, CNN, out at sea in the Gulf of Maine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Update for you on our story about Beren Academy: it`s an orthodox Jewish school, and its basketball team was planning to forfeit its shot at a state title because the semifinal game was scheduled during the Sabbath, a religious observance.

Yesterday an announcement was made that the game would be rescheduled so that the team could play. Before that news broke, we asked what you thought about this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Charlotte thinks the team had planned to do the right thing. "Their religion will be important for the rest of their lives, while basketball is just a hobby."

Trey agrees, saying, "Religion over sports any day. Religion is a part of your self and your beliefs."

Charis -- or Charis -- respects them for keeping their faith, but argues, "There would have been no harm in making the game a one-time thing."

Nathan thinks that if the team signed up for a tournament, they should deal with the scheduled that was already set.

From Hannah, "Everyone should stand up for their faith, and I`m glad even devoted basketball teams are, too."

And CV wrote, "Sports are played to teach daily lessons in life, and this is one of those lessons. Many faithful people realize that a true believer has to make sacrifices in order to show their commitment to their God."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: And before we go, political campaigns are sometimes called horse races.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): But this candidate brings another animal element to a contest in Virginia. Name is Hank, and he wants your vote. He`s actually running for the U.S. Senate.

Hank got a handful of votes when he ran for state senate recently. So his owner and campaign manager decided Hank was destined for higher office. He has a political platform, even it`s just a scratching post. His main focus? Keeping the streets clean.

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AZUZ: Figures that a cat would be most concerned with litter. Ha. Maybe one day he`ll run for president if he`s "feline" up to it. Whoo! All right. We only scratched the surface of the "pun-tential" for this story. Hope you have a great weekend. Bye-bye.

END

STUDENT NEWS

High School Shooting in Ohio; Iran`s Nuclear Program

Aired February 28, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz, and you`re watching CNN Student News. Today we`re talking about political primaries, a matriculation milestone and a musical mentor. But we`re beginning in the state of Ohio.

Residents and officials in the city of Chardon are trying to make sense of a shooting at a high school there. One student was killed in the attack; four others were wounded. According to reports, the suspected gunman is also a student at the school. He was arrested yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): As students ran from the shooting, some of them used their cell phones to call police, or text their parents to let them know they were OK. A lot of schools practice what to do in these types of situations. They run drills for shootings or natural disasters. And one student at Chardon High said he thinks what happened yesterday could have been even worse if it wasn`t for that preparation.

EVAN ERASMUS, STUDENT, CHARDON HIGH SCHOOL: I think that`s what really helped keep it at a minimum of what it was, as bad as it was already. I think it could have been a lot worse if it -- we didn`t do the drills that we -- that they had us to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Jumping now to the presidential campaign trail, it`s been a few weeks since the last Republican contest. But two states are taking over the political spotlight today, and those two states are Arizona and Michigan. Voters are heading to the polls there, casting their ballots for Republican presidential candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Senator Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Representative Ron Paul -- they`re trying to win delegates in these primaries and caucuses. Win enough, and you get the party`s nomination for president.

There are 59 delegates up for grabs today in Arizona and Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: One issue that comes up a lot during presidential campaigns is education. According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the country just marked an educational milestone. Has to do with how many Americans have a college degree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): In March of last year, 30 percent of adults who are at least 25 years old had a degree. Back in 1998, it was less than 25 percent. The director of the Census Bureau called this, quote, "an important milestone," saying the more education people have, the more likely they are to have a job and earn more money.

According to another census report, workers with a bachelor`s degree earned around $20,000 more on average than workers with a high school diploma.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. McElroy`s social studies classes at Hilton Head Christian Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Which of these places is divided by the 38th parallel? Is it the Bering Strait, Korean Peninsula, Aleutian Islands or Marianas Trench? You`ve got three seconds, go.

The parallel at 38 degrees north latitude divides North and South Korea. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: When those countries fought against each other in the Korean War, the United States was on the side of the South. And the United States and South Korea are still allies. They`re both the target of harsh words from North Korea right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): That is because of military drills, like the ones you see right here. The U.S. and South Korea are running joint operations right now . They`re working together. But North Korea says the drills are designed to provoke them. And officials from the north say they`re ready to fight a war against South Korea and the U.S.

North Korea`s relationships with other countries have been uncertain since long-time leader Kim Jong-il died in December.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Well, part of the tension surrounding North Korea has to do with its nuclear program. Similar situation in Iran. You`ve heard us talk about sanctions, penalties put on Iran by the U.S. and the United Nations. The goal of those sanctions was to get Iran to stop its nuclear activities. Matthew Chance has more on the tension between Iran and the integrity community.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN REPORTER: But Iran says very clearly that it is not building a nuclear bomb. It says that it`s never done any research into building a nuclear bomb. It says that all of its nuclear activities are directed towards purely peaceful purposes.

The trouble is that it`s, you know, not many people in the international community believe Iran. They do believe -- and there`s evidence to suggest that, in the past, they may have conducted some research which would be relevant to making a nuclear bomb.

What we know is that it certainly doesn`t have a nuclear weapon. I mean, that`s one thing to make absolutely clear. What it does have is the ability to enrich uranium. Uranium is the substance which is needed to fuel nuclear reactors. And if you enrich it even more, it`s the substance that you need to create a nuclear bomb.

Iran has been enriching this uranium for years now, as it has every right to do, because it`s a member of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. It`s allowed, under that treaty, to enrich uranium. But the trouble is, in the past, it`s not disclosed some of its activities to the international community, and that`s why there`s such a lack of trust with Iran at the moment.

Well, IAEA is the U.N.`s nuclear watchdog agency. It`s the independent body, which has, you know, a whole range of nations that are members, including Iran, that inspects nuclear facilities, not just in Iran, but all over the world.

There are a lot of questions that the IAEA has that Iran has not answered. For instance, it wants access, the U.N. does, to search suspicious nuclear sites that it suspects may have been the location where nuclear weapons testing may have been carried out or development for those weapons may have been carried out. And so there are lots of areas, lots of gaps in Iran`s story, that it has yet to fill out.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can ID me. I`m a title that`s associated with the music industry. Originally, I was used to describe radio hosts, but now I can be anyone who plays recorded music in media or in clubs.

Some famous examples include Wolfman Jack, Spinderella and Moby.

I`m a deejay, which stands for disc jockey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Beverly Bond has made her mark on the music world because of her skills with a turntable. She`s also helping train the next generation of deejays. It`s part of an organization that she started that uses music to send a positive message.

Fredricka Whitfield has more on Bond`s efforts to empower young African-Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): This popular deejay is on a mission. She`s trying to remix the image of black women in media.

DJ BEVERLY BOND, FOUNDER, BLACK GIRLS ROCK: Women are often objectified, especially in entertainment. Those messages do take a toll. They hack away at our self-esteem in the most subliminal of ways.

Other people thought that there was no point in talking about it, just kind of play in this boys` club.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): But Beverly Bond scratched her way in, playing by her own rules.

BOND: There were certainly some guys who were very taken aback by me and how good I was. It was almost like they weren`t expecting me to be so good. But the women were so supportive of me, and that was a beautiful thing. They were from all walks of life, who just had an admiration and a respect for the fact that I represented women well.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): In 2066, Bond, a former model, founded Black Girls Rock, a non-profit dedicated to empowering girls of color through academic and arts-based programs. One of the first lessons learned is to deejay.

BOND: I think it`s important to tell all girls that they rock. I just think that black girls do not get the message.

You can`t find the sound (ph)?

They are just as important as any other girl in the world.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Through Black Girls Rock, Beverly hopes to inspire girls to be confident and, above all, themselves.

JAHIRA COLBERT, BLACK GIRLS ROCK: Black Girls Rock is like a family to me. Like it means that I have, you know, a comfort place, to know that I can be comfortable in the skin that I`m in.

VEANNAH SMITH, BLACK GIRLS ROCK: Beverly Bond inspired black girls like myself by showing that we don`t have to follow the stereotype of not following what other people are saying. I`m doing what, in my heart, I think is right.

BOND: We need to inspire the next generation to know that there is greatness beyond just the very limited media images that they often see as the only representations of their sex.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Well, the dog in today`s "Before We Go" segment isn`t necessarily a musician.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): But he definitely has some rhythm. Listen to this YouTube video.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, good job.

AZUZ (voice-over): He is barking to the beat of his own jumping, and he seems to launch into a new round on command. All right, we know that a dog on a trampoline isn`t necessarily unique. But give him some time. He`s trying to pioneer a canine crossover between athletics and music. And it takes a little while for something like that to get off the ground. But once he gets it right --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: -- everyone is probably going to jump on the idea. It`s time for us to bounce, because "dog-gone" it, we`re out of time on CNN Student News. I`m Carl Azuz, and we`ll see you tomorrow.

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END

STUDENT NEWS

Two Military Helicopters Collide, Killing 7 Marines

Aired February 24, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re students at Spelman College.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to CNN Student News.

BEN TINKER, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: You`re going to hear more from those students at Spelman in just a bit, but we want to thank them for getting us started today, and thank all of you for spending part of your Friday with CNN Student News. Carl is out today. I`m Ben Tinker, and I think that paper airplane should be ready to launch any second now.

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TINKER: First up today, authorities are investigating an accident that led to the deaths of seven U.S. Marines. It happened Wednesday night when two military helicopters collided in midair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER (voice-over): The crash took place during a training operations near a Marine base in Arizona. Arizona`s governor said it`s a reminder that no military mission is ever routine, whether it`s in combat or in training.

The two helicopters that were involved in the crash were a Super Cobra attack helicopter and a Huey utility chopper. The Marines on board were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan, and that`s why they were training in Arizona, because the terrain there is so similar to what they would experience overseas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: The tension in parts of Afghanistan doesn`t look like it`ll ease up any time soon. This, of course, is related to the coalition forces admitting that they accidentally burned some copies of the Quran, Islam`s holy book.

President Obama apologized yesterday to Afghanistan`s president for the, quote, "error."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER (voice-over): Meantime, hundreds of Afghans have been protesting for days, sometimes outside of military bases in the country. Afghan officials who are investigating the situation have urged the protesters to avoid resorting to violence.

Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, and an unnamed official said the gunman is thought to have been acting in conjunction with a protest taking place outside the base.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? The word forensics means the study of formal debates.

This one`s true. You might have heard about forensic science, but the word also applies to debates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: And it applies to an event held in Arizona Wednesday night. Another forensic foray, if you will, for the leading Republican presidential candidates. They got together for the 20th debate this campaign season. And the last one before a bunch of upcoming primaries and caucuses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER (voice-over): Health care, the economy and social issues were some of the big topics the candidates focused on, and this was their first time Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Senator Rick Santorum and Texas Representative Ron Paul shared a stage since the debate in Florida about a month ago.

And it was the last opportunity the candidates will have to face off against each other before next Tuesday`s primaries in Arizona and Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: The eventual Republican nominee will face off against President Obama, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. Yesterday the president was focused on another issue that came up during Wednesday night`s debate: energy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER (voice-over): This is something a lot of people are worried about, especially as prices at the pump climb higher and higher. In fact, the average cost of a gallon of gas is up more than 10 percent over the last two months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: And during a speech in Miami yesterday, President Obama talked about developing a policy that includes different sources of energy, like oil, nuclear, solar and wind. The president said he`ll work to help Americans who are dealing with the rising cost of gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We`re going to look at every single aspect of gas prices, because we know the burden that it`s putting on consumers. And we will keep taking as many steps as we can in the coming weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: The housing industry is one of the big factors that experts look at when they`re figuring out how the U.S. economy is doing. Now this much we know: home sales are increasing.

Good news if you`re looking to buy, but part of the reason for that increase is that home prices are incredibly low, and that`s, of course, bad news if you already own a house. Christine Romans has a look at where things stand right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Home prices in this country are now the lowest they`ve been in a decade. Since November 2001, that`s the verdict from the National Association of Realtors. This is what home prices looked like in January of 2012, last month, $154,700 is the median price of an existing home in this country.

Take a look at how that has come down dramatically from the peak of $219,000 in 2007. Let`s move it forward, shall we? Zillow says last year home prices were down nationwide almost 5 percent. And this year they could go down another 3.7 percent.

That means overall, home prices are still falling. But look, all real estate is local. It`s different where you live, and there are three categories here: places where home prices are still falling, where they`re bottoming out and also where they`re starting to rise.

Let`s look at the zones that are still falling: Atlanta. This year, Zillow says, Atlanta home prices could go down another 8 percent and change. Chicago as well, down more than 7 percent. Seattle, Cleveland, Sacramento, St. Louis -- you get the picture. These are some of the areas where home prices in this country are still falling.

Where are they bottoming out? Places like Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Diego, San Francisco, you could see small, very minor losses in home prices for the year. But for the most part, there`s a feeling that in those places the worst price losses are behind us.

And where are prices rising? Because there are some parts of the country where very low mortgage rates and a washout of all of these foreclosures is providing some opportunity. Those are places like Baltimore; Riverside, California; even Phoenix, which has had a real estate crisis for several years; Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the Shoutout. Which of these schools is an HBCU, a historically black college or university? If you think you know it, then shout it out. Is it Howard University, Morehouse College, Cheyney University or Spelman College? You`ve got three seconds, go.

If you picked any of these options, you`d be right, because they`re all HBCUs. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: And, of course, the term HBCU refers to schools that were founded before 1964, explicitly for African-American students. Today, there are around 100 historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. And as part of our continuing coverage of Black History Month, we talked with some students at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges right here in Atlanta, about their experiences attending HBCUs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGINALD SHARPE, JR., MOREHOUSE COLLEGE JUNIOR: The reason I wanted to come to Morehouse is because I heard about so many of its alumni. The first black mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson, went here. Spike Lee and so many others went here.

Martin Luther King Jr. went here, and the list goes on and on and on, and I said, well, if those men made it here, I want to be here, and I wanted to have the opportunity to learn what they learned and walk where they walked.

Every day, there are moments when I just have to -- I walk outside and look at the statues. There are statues of Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin E. Mays (ph) around the campus. There are certain spots on this campus, like Sale Hall, where different leaders actually sat. They used to have graduations there.

And I`ll just walk in there and just breathe the air, because it`s just -- there`s a sense of belonging that I sense here.

GABRIELLE HORTON, SPELMAN COLLEGE SENIOR: An HBCU is really an environment that cultivates and nurtures the young minds of African- American men and women, although, you know, it`s a very multicultural environment.

I think you get to see people from different walks of life in terms of diverse socioeconomic experiences, but I don`t think I was ever exposed to, throughout any my years of schooling, and I think this international mindset I`ve kind of kept in mind, you know, this going global theme is -- permeates throughout Spelman`s culture.

JARRAD MANDEVILLE-LAWSON, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE JUNIOR: I feel like Morehouse is built on the fact that all the students here are accountable for their brothers. We`re not going to let one fall behind or fall below. We`re going to constantly have our brothers` back and uplift them.

I heard Oprah say when you empower men of Morehouse, you empower the world, and I thought that was just the -- that was so moving, and I wanted to be a part of it. Morehouse gives you different characteristics so you can surround yourself with different people that help empower your identify, empower your inner man.

KIRSTIN EVANS, SPELMAN COLLEGE JUNIOR: I did grow up in a majority white environment in Malta (ph), New Jersey, and I didn`t have many black friends there. So when I came here and I was surrounded by African- American women that were driven, I really connected with my identify.

When I was a freshman, I was very shy. Spelman has allowed me to grow and to be more forward and have the ability to talk to anyone. Just the opportunity that Spelman has given me -- and I call my parents and tell them stories, and they`re just like, wow, Kirstin, you do belong at Spelman.

SHARPE: And sometimes when I am discouraged and classes are getting rough, I will literally just walk slowly through these walls and listen to the voices. And I hear them saying, "If I made it, you can make it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: And sometimes we like to feature cute animals in our "Before We Go" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER (voice-over): But, man, that is one ugly looking dog. Luckily, it looks perfect for a baby aardvark. This little guy is the newest arrival at a zoo in Illinois. He`s only about 40 days old, so he doesn`t have a name yet. The zoo, for now, is just calling him "It."

Officials made sure to point out that "It" is an aardvark, not an anteater --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TINKER: -- although when they described how he was feeling, they said he was strong, but a little bit antsy. You know, it`s "aard" to come up with puns sometimes, so we "burrowed" that one from the zoo. Hope they don`t mind.

And before we take off, as we promised, we want to mention that the students at Daniel Wright (ph) Junior High School in Illinois, one of you guys got the answer to our social media question right. That`s going to wrap things up for us. Enjoy your weekend, everybody. For CNN Student News, I`m Ben Tinker.

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END

STUDENT NEWS

New Hope for Greece

Aired February 22, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Well, whether you`re observing Ash Wednesday, George Washington`s birthday or just marking the midpoint of the week, we are glad you`re doing it with CNN Student News. I`m your host, Carl Azuz, bringing you 10 minutes of headlines, no commercials.

New hope for Greece: the country that`s been struggling with severe debt is getting another bailout from other European countries. This is the second deal that Greece has gotten in two years. The latest one is worth $172 billion, and it`ll help keep Greece from going bankrupt.

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AZUZ (voice-over): You`ve heard us talk about Greece before. In order to get money from other countries to stay afloat, Greece has had to make deep cuts in government spending, what it pays government workers and how much retirement money they get.

In the short term, Greece will be able to pay some of its debts which have been reduced by the deal. But some analysts are saying this is just a quick fix. It`s not going to help the country in the long term, and if Greece`s economy eventually goes completely under, it could significantly hurt other economies throughout Europe. They`re interconnected.

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AZUZ: Well, here`s an example of how a headline you hear on our show can directly affect you. Oil prices are going up worldwide. It`ll likely mean higher gas prices, and part of the reason is the action recently taken by the Middle Eastern nation of Iran. Tommy Andres explains how it factors into what we pay at the pump, and how high gas could get in the months ahead.

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TOMMY ANDRES, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Cuts in Iranian oil exports are raising fears that the already rising price of gas could go up higher than first expected. Oil prices surged after Iran announced it`s cutting exports to Britain and France.

ANDRES: This is largely a symbolic move because Britain hasn`t been buying oil from Iran for over a year. France buys only a modest amount. And the reason oil prices spike is because there`s so little spare capacity in global oil markets right now that oil prices spike on the smallest headlines.

ANDRES (voice-over): Iran`s decision was made in retaliation against new sanctions over its nuclear program. Most of the oil the U.S. imports comes from Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. But because oil is an internationally traded commodity, Iran`s decision is increasing prices everywhere.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says the U.S. needs to take steps now to prevent the rising cost of oil from affecting gas prices.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The Saudis in the Gulf states ought to pump more oil immediately. And that`s what our government ought to do. It ought to tell the Saudis, you know, we`re trying to keep Iran in line by squeezing them economically, but they ought to pump more oil so the price doesn`t go up.

ANDRES (voice-over): Already some states are seeing gas prices above 4 bucks a gallon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s outrageous, but I mean, I guess it is what it is, you know, you got to just keep working harder and hopefully it`ll go down and fluctuate as it does yearly.

ANDRES (voice-over): Analysts say the price of gas could rise on average more than 50 cents a gallon by this summer. That means some states could be looking at as high $5 a gallon gas.

I`m Tommy Andres reporting.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the Shoutout. Which of these Middle Eastern countries is Yemen? If you think you know it, shout it out. Is it, A, B, C or D? You`ve got three seconds, go.

On this map, the letter A represents Yemen, located between the Red Sea and the nation of Oman. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: Yemen`s government is categorized as a republic, and what means is that its citizens vote for people to represent them. But until last November, the country had had the same leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh, for decades. He resigned after months of protests.

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AZUZ (voice-over): And on Tuesday, voters streamed to the polls to decide who to replace Saleh. There was one name on the ballot, that of the country`s former vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a worker with Yemen`s interior ministry was optimistic, calling this a people`s election.

But Hadi became vice president in 1994. So some of Yemen`s citizens are skeptical about whether he`ll be able to fulfill his promises of making Yemen safer and creating more jobs there.

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AZUZ: Well, one side effect of the violence going on in Syria, food and medical supplies aren`t getting to the people who need them. Fighting between government forces and the groups opposing them has killed an estimated 9,000 Syrians since last March. Now CNN can`t independently confirm that because the Syrian government has limited what journalists are allowed to do inside the country.

But the International Red Cross has called for a cease-fire. It called for that on Tuesday. And what the Red Cross wants is just a two- hour stop in the violence so that humanitarian aid can be distributed in Syria. CNN`s Arwa Damon illustrates why that is so incredibly crucial.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): The men call out names, carefully counting out and distributing baby diapers to families huddled in a bunker. Everything here is carefully rationed, including food, which is running short.

Sheikh Amin (ph), who leads the humanitarian effort in Baba Amr tells us that in the last two weeks nothing has come into the neighborhood. Some of what they`ve gathered comes from shops and homes or is salvaged from stores hit by artillery.

"We take the products to distribute so they don`t go to waste," Sheikh Amin (ph) explains. "We keep track of everything we took to reimburse the owners." Moving the staples is an elaborate process.

DAMON: Even an operation like this one, bringing in these basic supplies that residents here so desperately need, has to happen under cover of darkness. They also have to be as fast as possible.

They`ve been quickly calculating exactly what it is that they need to take out for the time being, and they`ve been loading things like babies` diapers, cracked wheat, lentils. But then someone called out, saying, "Oh, should we put cooking oil on the truck?" Well, they`ve run out of cooking oil. In fact, this is pretty much all that they have left.

DAMON (voice-over): All they have left for the thousands trapped in Baba Amr.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

DAMON (voice-over): "There is no food. There is only cracked wheat and rice," this woman at a bunker laments, showing us what bread she has left.

"Look at it. Look at what we are eating," she cries. The shortages are not just confined to Baba Amr. On the outskirts of Homs, there are entire networks in place, just to deliver bread and fuel. War brings out the worst in people, but also the best.

DAMON: Abu Fadi (ph), here is one of the many people who is trying to help others out, by making runs to Damascus to get things like bread, gasoline, cooking oil.

DAMON (voice-over): "But even that takes lengthy planning and great risks," he tells us. "We have people there that we are working with to gather the products," he says, "but it takes time, and the road is very tough. We have to go through the farmlands, getting shot at, just for a bite of bread and a bit of fuel."

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? In the U.S., there`s an infinite amount of capacity to provide cell phone service.

Not legit. Wireless experts do not know exactly what the limit is, but they do agree there is one.

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AZUZ: We can`t see the wireless spectrum, but we will probably see the effects of hitting its limits, and that could happen as early as next year.

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AZUZ (voice-over): We wireless users can expect more dropped calls, slower data and Internet on our phones, and possibly higher service prices, too. The reason is the skyrocketing demand for video, email and apps for mobile phones. Compared to an old school cell phone, some smartphones use up to 24 times the amount of wireless spectrum. Tablets can use 122 times as much.

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AZUZ: With more and more Americans using these devices, capacity for wireless service is simply running out. The good news here is that there are ways to extend the wireless spectrum limit. The bad news is there are no quick fixes to this, and all of those fixes that are available are expensive. So higher service prices could be inevitable.

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AZUZ (voice-over): There`s a big debate tonight between the Republican presidential candidates. It`s cohosted by CNN and the Republican party of Arizona, and it`s not only the last debate for the next round of primaries and caucuses, it could be the last GOP debate of the season. Tune into CNN tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern to hear the Republican candidates make their cases live.

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AZUZ: And before we go today, how often do you meet somebody who holds an official world record? Not often.

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AZUZ (voice-over): That`s why a 16-year-old Vermont high school student made this, what is likely the world`s longest staple chain. He was bored after finishing his science test, so he started a small staple chain, and then he looked up what the world record was. Guinness said that was 422 feet of staples. So the student just went for it. He spent his summer stapling, stringing along 750 feet of heavy metal.

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AZUZ: It`s not exactly a strength record, but you could still call him the Man of Steel. Having the patience alone to do that would test anyone`s "metal," but the end result is definitely off the chain. I know. You might be groaning, but the puns are a CNN Student News staple. For now, we`ll clamp it and stamp out a new show for you tomorrow. I`m Carl Azuz.

END

STUDENT NEWS

Violence in Syria

Aired February 17, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Carl. We are the English class from China.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, my name is (inaudible).

ALLE (PH): I`m Alle (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).

LEBOS (PH): I`m Lebos (ph).

AMY (PH): I`m Amy (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

URSULA (PH): I`m Ursula.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).

GROUP: (Inaudible). Yay!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: An introduction all the way from China, that is awesome. We thank you all for sending that in. We thank all of our audience for spending part of your Friday with CNN Student News.

Twelve months -- that`s how long this political revolt and violence have been going on in the Middle Eastern nation of Syria. Other countries have spoken out against Syria`s government for reportedly attacking civilians.

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AZUZ (voice-over): Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that calls for an immediate end to the violence. It`s the strongest statement that the U.N. has made on the crisis in Syria. But the resolution isn`t binding. It doesn`t force Syria to do anything.

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AZUZ: A lot of the violence has been reported in cities like Homs and Dura (ph) those are in the southern part of the country. Ivan Watson`s team were in the northern part of Syria. He filed this report on the situation there.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN REPORTER: What is striking is at one point we saw a skyline of the largest city in the area, Idlib. And there you could see a Syrian government flag prominently flying in the heart of the city, and less than a kilometer away, a Syrian opposition flag of green, black and white, also flying in the heart of the city.

WATSON (voice-over): It`s very clear that government and opposition control, sometimes what`s dividing these forces is sometimes just kilometers.

And there have been cases, we have been told, within the last 24 hours, of deadly artillery assaults hitting opposition-held villages and killing at least two residents of that village. The inhabitants here, they are enjoying what they say is self-rule. They are calling these pockets of liberated Syria.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today`s first Shoutout goes out to Ms. Dearinger`s photojournalism and broadcast journalism students at Legacy High School, in Mansfield, Texas.

Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac are all brands from what car company? You know what to do. Is it Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota? You`ve got three seconds, go.

Those brands are all made by General Motors. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: General Motors is celebrating some good company news this week. It announced that in 2011, it made its biggest annual profit in GM`s history, $7.6 billion. It was two years ago that General Motors declared bankruptcy and needed a bailout from the U.S. government.

But that`s actually why this profit news is kind of mixed.

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AZUZ (voice-over): When GM declared bankruptcy, it let the company make some significant changes. It closed plants. It closed dealerships and it got rid of some brands. That restructuring helped the company be more profitable. But it`s not because of how many vehicles GM is selling. Sales levels in 2011 were lower than they were before the recession.

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AZUZ: Well, no matter what you drive, the federal government wants carmakers to limit what you can do using the car`s electronics. On some vehicles, drivers can tweet. They can use navigation or Facebook.

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AZUZ (voice-over): Well, the Department of Transportation is recommending that a lot of that stuff be shut off to drivers while the car`s in motion, or at least limited in how much they can spend using it. The reason? Wrecks. In 2010, more than 3,000 people in America died in crashes blamed on distracted driving.

Down the road, the government may recommend electronic limits on any devices brought into the car, like smartphones or tablet computers. But for now, it`s only for devices already installed in cars. And these are voluntary recommendations for carmakers, not laws they`re required for follow.

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AZUZ: We`re going to try to fold in one more automotive story, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We should be able to make it fit, since it`s about a car that can fold.

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AZUZ (voice-over): It`s an electric car that was built at MIT. You`re about to see why it`s unique. Watch the wheels. They can turn all toward the center of the car, which lets it fold up on itself.

And you`re probably wondering what the point it. The idea is to save space when parking on city streets. When these cars fold up, you can fit three of them in a space that would normally fit one vehicle. Plus there are no side doors -- you get out from the front.

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AZUZ: And our social media question of the week: we asked you which organization was founded 55 years ago this week during the Civil Rights Movement. One of the Thunderbirds at Harmony Middle School in Kansas was the first person to get the right answer: the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or SCLC.

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AZUZ (voice-over): The organization was officially founded on February 14th, 1957. Its headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia, and its first president was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The mission of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is to ensure equal rights and justice for all Americans. The group worked to achieve that goal by helping local organizations that were part of the Civil Rights Movement. The SCLC coordinated training programs, education projects and voter registration drives.

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AZUZ (voice-over): The SCLC was founded 55 years ago this week. Did you know that the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was created more than 100 years ago. If so, you already know one of the answers on our Black History Month quiz. Check it out in the "Spotlight" section, cnnstudentnews.com. See if you can score a perfect 10.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for a Shoutout Extra Credit.

Whose face is on the U.S. nickel. Here we go. Is it Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Franklin Roosevelt or George Washington? Rewind that clock to three seconds and go.

The five-cent piece bears the face of America`s third president, Thomas Jefferson. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout Extra Credit.

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AZUZ: President Obama`s administration says it`s more concerned with what`s in coins than who`s on them. The penny in your pocket might look like copper, but copper actually makes up less than 3 percent of a one-cent coin. And the main metal in nickels ain`t nickel. According to this next report from Athena Jones, the material makeup of U.S. currency could be in for a change.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Julian Leidman knows coins. He`s been collecting them since he was 11 years old, and he`s been dealing them for nearly half a century.

JULIAN LEIDMAN, COIN DEALER: When cents were first made, this was the size of the cents.

JONES (voice-over): He says the look in metal content of the coins made in America have changed multiple times over the years.

LEIDMAN: They started in 1793. There was three different designs in 1793.

JONES (voice-over): And now pennies, as well as nickels, could be set to change again as part of an effort to cut costs. In the last budget the Obama administration asked Congress for permission to change the metal makeup of pennies and nickels, because they`ve become more expensive to produce than they are worth -- a lot more expensive.

It costs 2.4 cents to make one penny, and 11.2 cents to make a nickel as of last year.

The reason? The rising prices of the copper, nickel and zinc that go into the coins. Since 1982, pennies have been made mostly of zinc, and are merely copper plated. Nickels, on the other hand, are 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. And at current market rates, the price of raw materials alone is almost six cents per nickel. Add in the minting process, and it`s more than double face value.

JONES: Does it surprise you that it costs so much to make these coins?

LEIDMAN: Well, because of the raw metal, no, it doesn`t surprise me. It`s -- what surprises me is they haven`t found something before.

JONES (voice-over): The U.S. mint is in the early stages of studying the issue, so it`s too soon to know what the final mix could be or just how much cost savings could be achieved.

But Leidman thinks both coins could be discontinued.

LEIDMAN: My thoughts as a coin dealer is I`d like to have them. I`d like whatever they make them of, I`d like to have them. My thoughts as a guy on the street is get rid of them. And do the rounding.

JONES: This is just the latest attempt to cut costs at the mint. The decision to stop making the presidential one-dollar coins last December is expected to save the mint $50 million a year -- Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

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AZUZ: We`re going to admit we were a little confused with today`s "Before We Go" video. We know that --

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AZUZ (voice-over): -- these two are out for a walk. What we`re not sure of is if she`s walking the dog, or if the dog is walking her. Maybe he thinks she just needs a little push to get going.

According to the guy who`s shooting this YouTube video, the upright rover refuses to put all four feet on the ground when he goes out for a walk. Might be a little odd, probably a little stubborn --

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AZUZ: -- but at least she`s willing to make a stand. Whoo! All right. Now, before you give us our walking papers, want to let you know that there`s no show on Monday in honor of President`s Day. We hope you enjoy the long weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday.

END

STUDENT NEWS

Iran`s Nuclear Program; China`s VP Visits Iowa

Aired February 16, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Hey, happy Thursday. I`m Carl Azuz. This is CNN Student News. It`s your passport to 10 minutes of global headlines. Today we`re spending time in North, Central and South America, but we start in the Middle East.

The nation of Iran has a controversial nuclear program. Iran says the program is designed for peaceful uses, but other countries, including the U.S., believe Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon. One thing we know for sure is that this program is moving forward.

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AZUZ (voice-over): This is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the middle of your screen. He was part of a presentation yesterday where fuel rods were loaded into the core of a nuclear reactor. These are the first nuclear fuel rods made inside Iran, so this is a big advancement for the country`s nuclear program.

The United Nations and European Union have put sanctions -- penalties -- on Iran in part because of its nuclear program. Those sanctions have been affecting Iran`s economy and its citizens. President Ahmadinejad responded to the latest sanctions yesterday. He said Iran will cut oil exports to six European countries.

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AZUZ: Moving to the Central American nation of Honduras, where officials are investigating a deadly fire at one of the country`s prisons. It happened overnight on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday afternoon, at least 272 inmates had died. The fate of more than 100 others was unknown.

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AZUZ (voice-over): This was a minimum security prison that can hold around 850 prisoners. More than half of the facility was affected by the fire. One survivor said he and other prisoners were asleep when they heard screams.

He said everyone ran for their lives. Authorities don`t know how the fire started. They`re looking into whether a short circuit might have sparked it, or whether a prisoner might have set a mattress on fire.

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AZUZ: All right. Let`s say you`re China`s vice president and you`re visiting the United States. Where do you want to go? Muscatine, Iowa, is where. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping insisted on a stop in the town yesterday. It`s because he spent two weeks in Muscatine back in 1985, and he wanted to visit with his old friends.

Ted Rowlands has more on Vice President Xi and what his leadership could mean for the relationship between U.S. and China.

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TED ROWLANDS, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was serving his first stint as governor when Xi came in `85. The two met again last fall in Beijing, and Branstad says the next Chinese leader said he wanted to come back.

GOVERNOR TERRY BRANDSTAD (R) IOWA: He was so pleased with the warm and friendly welcome he received, and he really considers Iowans his old friend.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Experts say for years, Xi was known mostly for his famous wife, a Chinese singer, while his lineage runs deeps in the Communist Party, he represents a new generation of leaders. Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman believes Xi could be good for American business.

JON HUNTSMAN, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: He`s gone out of his way in recent years to bone up on economics and trade, knowing full well that these are the issues that are going to determine whether or not the United States and China are able to get through the years to come.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): China has been blamed for the loss of thousands of American jobs, some of them here. But China buys soybeans, pork, farm machinery and other products from Iowa. In fact, from 2000 to 2010, the state enjoyed a 1,200 percent increase in exports to China.

Governor Branstad wants to expand that relationship and thinks Xi will help.

BRANSTAD: Personal relationships are really important to the Chinese people. Having this kind of relationship with the next leader of China, I think, is very helpful to the state of Iowa.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): People here are exciting, including the Maeglins, who say they are honored that the man standing in their kitchen 27 years ago wants to come back.

DICK MAEGLIN, MUSCATINE, IOWA, HOST: Just for a little time, time spend an hour, hour and a half, in the room with, as he says, his old friends. That`s significant. That`s significant if he weren`t the president.

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AZUZ (voice-over): On this day in history, back in 1923, British archeologist Howard Carter opened the tomb of ancient Egypt`s Kind Tut- ankh-amen.

In 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as the new leader of Cuba. The former revolutionary established Cuba`s communist government, which he ran for nearly 50 years.

And in 1968, an official in Alabama made the first 9-1-1 call. He was testing the new nationwide emergency number.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: All right. You know that phrase, "I smell a rat," definitely applies to our next story. But the real question is, what does the rat smell? Police officials in the nation of Colombia hope the answer is explosive. You`ve heard of bomb-sniffing dogs. We had a report recently about dolphins that help identify mines. Rafael Romo reports on their rodent counterparts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): At a base at the Colombian National Police, a new recruit is being trained. Today`s mission for this four-legged trainee is to find the scent of an explosive device hidden underground, which it does in less than a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Spanish).

ROMO (voice-over): The white rat is showered with praise and a reward.

Though safer than a decade ago, Colombia is a country where land mines and car bombs are still a threat.

EDGAR RAMIREZ, LIEUTENTANT, COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE (through translator): Colombia still faces conflicts, such as guerillas and criminal and paramilitary groups. There are many disputed territories because of the drug trade, or simply to take control. And many groups set up land mines in these territories.

ROMO (voice-over): In the past, the Colombian police used bomb- sniffing dogs, but their weight would often trigger the explosives. That`s not a problem for these rats, which weigh slightly less than a pound. And according to the trainers, their sense of smell is just as good as a dog`s. Rats have already been used in Mozambique to detect land mines. One disadvantage is their short lifespan.

RAMIREZ (through translator): These animals live only three to four years, which is a relatively short period of time from a human perspective. On the other hand, they`re very prolific. They reproduce themselves exponentially in a very short time.

ROMO (voice-over): So far, the rats have been trained to detect seven different kinds of explosives. In the process, they`ve become relaxed around humans, and even get on with the cat that protects them from other predators.

ROMO: Officials with the Colombian National Police say they expect to take the bomb-sniffing rats into the field in the second half of this year. They also say they`ve been able to successfully train about 70 rats in the last four years since the project began, and have been able to learn a lot about how the rodents can help them clear fields full of land mines in the Colombia countryside. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Roberts and Ms. Briel`s American government class at Reservoir High School in Fulton, Maryland.

Which of these words specifically describes a student who skips school? Here we go. Is it delinquent, tardy, didactic or truant? You`ve got three seconds, go.

A student who`s out of school without permission is truant. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: There`s a charter school in Cincinnati, Ohio, that`s tried different ways to fight truancy. They`ve tried pizza parties. They`ve given students occasional Fridays off. But nothing really seemed to work.

So the principal`s trying out a new idea: money.

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AZUZ (voice-over): Show up for school and behave well, and you`ll get paid. Seniors can get $25 per week. Underclassmen can get 10 bucks. Private donors are helping put up the money, and the school`s principal says the program also helps students save for the future.

RAMONE DAVENPORT, PRINCIPAL: Each time a student gets paid, we take $5 and put into a savings account. So when that student graduates, they will at least graduate with some type of funds.

BETHANIE NICHOLSON, STUDENT: (Inaudible) like this is a job. Why am I not getting paid? And I`m getting paid now, so getting paid to come to school, like that`s every kid`s dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: All right. So some students think this is a great idea -- not all of them agree. Principal Davenport says he`s gotten some complaints about paying students for something they should be doing anyway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Well, we`re taking this to our blog at cnnstudentnews.com. Want to know what your opinion is on this. Would paying students help them in terms of their attendance? Would it help them get a better education? You can talk to us on our blog, cnnstudentnews.com. Remember, we`ve got one big rule we want you to follow there. It is first names only. Look forward to hearing what you have to say.

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AZUZ: Well, before we go, an instrumental invention that is out of this world.

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AZUZ (voice-over): It`s a Millennium Falcon electric guitar. It might sound like other six-strings, but something tells us the force is strong with this one. The head is shaped like a famous droid, so you can R2-D-tune up the instrument. And the body is built from a Millennium Falcon toy. What`s amazing is the guy who made this had no previous experience building guitars. He was a total Wookiee.

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AZUZ: But he had no reason to fret. The awesome creation is bound to make him a Star -- Wars. "Ikess (ph)" he`ll be able to use it in a band, but a Millennium Falcon guitar seems built for a Solo career. We hope you "guit-ar" sense of humor. If not, maybe tomorrow offers a new hope. For CNN Student News, I`m Carl Azuz.

END

STUDENT NEWS

US Budget Presented; Greek Economic Crisis

Aired February 14, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GROUP: Welcome to CNN Student News from Mr. Law`s seventh grade social studies class at Wapakoneta Middle School, the hometown of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Have a fun time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Home of Neil Armstrong. We want to take one small step and thank Mr. Law`s class for that introduction before we take a giant leap into today`s headlines. I`m Carl Azuz. This is CNN Student News.

All right. You`ve had experience making a budget at some point in your life. You planned how much money you`re going to spend, how much you`re going to save. The U.S. government has to work with a budget, too. President Obama released his budget proposal yesterday. Total price tag on this one: $3.8 trillion.

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AZUZ (voice-over): The president`s proposal would make cuts in some areas of government spending. It would also spend money on education and infrastructure, things like roads and bridges. Plus, it would raises taxes on some wealthy Americans. President Obama says there isn`t room in the budget for everything.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Do we want to keep these tax cuts for wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep investing in everything else? Education, clean energy, a strong military? Care for our veterans? We can`t do both. We can`t afford it.

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AZUZ: All right. Now Republican leaders have been against the idea of raising taxes on the wealthy. They say that will not help the American economy. They also argue the country should be spending less, not more, and they President Obama`s budget proposal could actually hurt the economy.

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SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: Well, this is a very sad day, when the President of the United States fails to keep his promises to the American people once again, and rather than treading water, he actually makes things worse.

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AZUZ: One thing to keep in mind in all of this, the budget proposal is just a proposal. The president doesn`t actually set the country`s budget. That`s something that Congress does.

Well, next up, Greece is in the middle of an economic crisis. It`s been going on since 2010. You probably heard us mention it several times on our show. Other European countries have offered bailouts to Greece. But in order to get them, Greece`s government has to make some spending cuts.

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AZUZ (voice-over): That means cuts to workers` salaries and their retirement, their pensions. Many Greek citizens aren`t happy about this.

Thousands of people gathered in front of parliament over the weekend. They were protesting against the newest cuts. Those protests turned violent with crowds throwing rocks and firebombs at police. Officials say 106 officers and dozens of civilians were injured in the fighting.

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AZUZ: Matthew Chance filed our next report today about the impact that this crisis is having on different generations of Greek citizens.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN REPORTER: Well ,this is just a part of the aftermath of that terrible violence that we witnessed on Sunday night here in Athens. This is a building, obviously, in the center of the Greek capital. It actually housed one of the city`s most historic cinemas.

And there`s a lot of people in the city who are reviled, disgusted at the fact that the protesters torched this building and left it in this state. But even though most people here don`t, you know, approve of the violence that led to this, I think it`s pretty clear that it was an expression of a much wider anger and frustration amongst Greeks about what`s happening to their country.

OK. Well, one of the groups that`s most affected by the crisis in Greece are people between the ages of 16 and 24. Official statistics say unemployment in that age group is a massive 48 percent.

Young and old affected by this economic crisis, some pensioners say they`ve already endured a 25 percent cut in their monthly income, and now they`re going to have to face more cuts with these new austerity measures that are being implemented.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s the word? It`s the place on the Earth`s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. Epicenter, that`s the word.

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AZUZ: You probably remember the massive earthquake that hit Japan last year. The epicenter of that was out in the ocean, more than 200 miles away from Tokyo. But scientists in the island nation are considering the possibilities of another major quake, one whose epicenter could be right in the heart of the country`s most populated city.

Kyung Lah looks at how Japan and its people might prepare.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER: Is it a matter not of if, but when?

LAH (voice-over): "What I`m saying is that sooner or later the earthquake will happen," says Professor Shinichi Sakai (ph). He`s not talking about just any earthquake, but the big one, epicenter Tokyo.

Sakai (ph) is with the Earthquake Research Institute at Tokyo University, the agency of record when it comes to earthquakes in Japan. And the institute believes there is a 50 percent chance that in four years a massive magnitude 7.0 will strike Tokyo.

Ominous words not lost on any of Tokyo`s 12 million residents. Thousands took part in this nationwide drill for when that big one hits.

The earthquake institute says since March 11th, quakes have hit Japan at five times the normal level. In essence, say researchers, the entire country`s ground structure shifted, making a massive quake centered on Tokyo much more likely.

LAH: Tokyo is built to withstand a massive quake, but it`s not these modern high-rises that concern city leaders. It`s the older houses, where people live in the city, structure collapses and building fires -- that`s what researchers say will kill an estimated 10,000 people if a magnitude 7.0 strikes here.

LAH (voice-over): "It`s scary," says Setsuko Morita. "There are so many quakes lately." She adds, "I don`t know what any of us can do about this."

"All you can do is prepare and go through the motions of an actual disaster," says Tokyo resident Kenji Isono, logging into the practice disaster site via his mobile phone. He also bought a hand-operated phone recharger just in case of a quake.

LAH: Why do you think more about disasters now?

LAH (voice-over): "Because I feel so many quakes all over Japan," he says, "even though the huge quake centered on Tokyo hasn`t struck yet, we`re more aware."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this legit? Mt. Kilimanjaro is not part of a mountain range.

It`s true. Kilimanjaro is a freestanding mountain that`s surrounded by forests.

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AZUZ: Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, and it`s one that Kyle Maynard can look down on. He made a successful climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro this year.

You might remember Kyle Maynard. We`ve had him before on CNN Student News. He`s a quadruple congenital amputee. His arms and legs end at the elbows and the knees. He was here at the CNN Center recently, speaking with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about why he took on the challenge of Kilimanjaro.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, is that right, 19,336 feet?

KYLE MAYNARD, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: Yes.

GUPTA: You must have the number memorized, seared into your brain.

MAYNARD: It`s definitely -- the experience is seared in, that`s for sure. It was on up top, that 19,000 feet, you`re looking at half atmosphere. So that`s half the amount of air that we have here at sea level.

GUPTA: It`s -- the images are behind you here, Kyle, of what it looked like a little bit. And first of all, I`m just so inspired and excited to have you here, and thank you for coming.

Where does this -- the -- where did this idea come from, and just the mental fortitude and just the idea that, I mean, this is what you want to do. You want to do something that`s -- is frankly seemingly impossible. How did -- how did it all come about?

MAYNARD: You know, our purpose behind this from the beginning was really just to have this vision to help other people go and say, that, look if you are unsatisfied with, you know, whatever condition, circumstances are in your life, then you have the choice to be able to go and create a life that you want, and to be able to go and make the decision to go and do it.

And things aren`t going to be perfect when you start. But just to go and choose that, you know, say that, hey, like I`m capable of living more.

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AZUZ: That`s great stuff.

Well, before we go, even though I`m not wearing the colors, today is Valentine`s Day.

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AZUZ (voice-over): This holiday has really gone to the dogs. At least it has in a town in Ohio. It`s the annual Valentine`s Day social.

There`s a costume contest, a kissing booth and if anyone falls in puppy love, the canine couples can head to the corner chapel and get hitched. Here comes the bride, all dressed in -- fur. We assume they write their own vows for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish --

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AZUZ: -- till death do us bark. That brings us to the -- I like that pun. That brings us to the tail end of today`s show. We hope you have a very happy Valentine`s Day. And for CNN Student News, I`m Carl Azuz.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s time for the Shoutout. If you think you know it, then shout it out. You`ve got three seconds, go.

That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to

You know what to do.

You`ve got three seconds, go.

That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ (voice-over): On this day in history,

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