CNN Student News 埃及現(xiàn)狀有所好轉(zhuǎn)

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

 

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: I'm Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News! We're back from the weekend with 10 minutes of commercial-free headlines, including why you shouldn't believe everything you read.

 

First Up: Egypt in Crisis

AZUZ: We're beginning in Egypt where there are some signs that things are slowly getting back to normal. In the capital city of Cairo, some shops and banks are re-opening, and traffic is starting to look like it did before the political protests of the past couple weeks. But there are some changes going on in the country. On Saturday, some key members of the ruling party resigned. And yesterday, Vice President Omar Suleiman met with representatives from groups that have protested against the Egyptian government. They talked about some ideas for how Egypt might move forward, although some of the protesters still out in the streets said the people meeting with Suleiman don't necessarily represent them.

 

We've been watching this political unrest in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. Barbara Starr joins us now to talk about the potential impact that it could have on the American military.

 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: With unrest now sweeping across Egypt and neighboring countries, new questions about whether it's a security crisis here at the Pentagon. A quick look at the map tells you how deeply tied the U.S. military is to regimes across the Middle East and Persian Gulf.

 

In Egypt, the U.S. provides around $1.3 billion a year in military aid. In return, the U.S. gets vital military air, land and sea access. U.S. warships transit the Suez Canal on their way to and from the Persian Gulf. Loss of the canal could lead to catastrophic delays and a crisis.

 

In Yemen, where President Saleh is facing demonstrations and has already said he won't run for re-election, the U.S. has been quietly training Yemeni forces to go after a rising threat from al Qaeda. The U.S. has conducted drone and missile strikes inside Yemen. The question: will a new government cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts?

 

In Jordan, King Abdullah is facing increasing discontent due to rising prices and unemployment. Jordan remains one of the U.S.'s closest allies in the War on Terror. Jordan's intelligence services secretly operate against key al Qaeda targets. Jordan has also helped train Iraqi forces, and Jordanian troops serve in Afghanistan.

 

Three key Gulf allies provide other assistance. Qatar is home of the regional headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region and keeps a close eye on Iran. Kuwait is a staging area for U.S. troops moving in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq. And Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Persian Gulf and pirate-infested waters off Somalia.

 

The U.S. spends billions of dollars in military aid and assistance across the region in return for all of this access. But the question may now be if the social unrest that is emerging leads to regime change, will the new regimes want to do the old business with the U.S. military? Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

 

(END VIDEO)

Unemployment Report

AZUZ: The U.S. unemployment rate is down! That should be good news, but it's not that simple. During January, the rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 9 percent flat. But some economists' descriptions of the unemployment report ranged from positive to mysterious to disappointing. One thing most everyone agreed on: the weather played a big role in all of this. All of those snow storms we've talked about kept people from getting out to look for work and kept a lot of companies from hiring.

 

Shoutout

MATT CHERRY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mrs. Armstrong's gifted class at Zora Ellis Jr. High School in Talladega, Alabama! Who won the 1980 U.S. presidential election? Was it: A) Ronald Reagan, B) Jimmy Carter, C) George H.W. Bush or D) Gerald Ford? You've got three seconds -- GO! Ronald Reagan won that election to become the 40th president of the United States. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

 

Reagan Remembered

AZUZ: Ronald Reagan was 69 years old when he won that election. The oldest American elected president and during his his 8 years in office, President Reagan had several famous firsts. He appointed the first female justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. He submitted the first trillion dollar budget to Congress. And he was the first U.S. president to address both houses of the British Parliament. Yesterday would have been President Reagan's 100th birthday. He died in 2004. A ceremony for the late president yesterday included a wreath-laying at his memorial site and a 21-gun salute. As America remembers Ronald Reagan, Ted Rowlands takes us on a tour of his presidential library in Simi Valley, California.

 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

 

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Video and sound are a constant feature. Reagan's movies and speeches are played throughout.

 

JOHN HEUBUSCH, EXECECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION: We have right over here to my right, the very famous debate with President Carter, where he asked the question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

 

ROWLANDS: There's also a Berlin Wall, with tunnels, an interactive videogame table and an inauguration day exhibit complete with Reagan's speech on the TelePrompTer. His diaries have been digitized for people to flip through. There's also an exhibit dealing with the assassination attempt on President Reagan after 70 days in office. As in many presidential libraries, you can see an exact replica of the Oval Office. And Air Force One, the actual plane used by seven U.S. presidents and the one Reagan flew in during his eight years in office.

 

HEUBUSCH: They get to see right where the president sits in the aircraft. They get to see his working quarters. They get to see where the Secret Service would sit, where the traveling press corps sits. They get to touch and feel the airplane. It's just a great experience.

 

ROWLANDS: An Iran-Contra affair exhibit deals with the low point of the Reagan presidency. Also on display, the letter Reagan wrote, with the audio of him reading it, announcing to the world he had Alzheimer's.

 

REAGAN: My fellow Americans, I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

(END VIDEO)

 

Is This Legit?

TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? The first Super Bowl was played in 1967. Yep, it's true! That game featured a face-off between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

 

Super Bowl Ads

AZUZ: In Super Bowl XLV yesterday, you saw it, the Packers and the Steelers. You know what happened in the game. We want to talk about the commercials! Whether you thought these were good or bad, all of them had something in common. They were expensive. The average cost of a 30-second ad in this year's Super Bowl was three million dollars.

 

One industry that was a big part of yesterday's ads: car companies. Nine of them paid to run commercials. Some experts think that could be a good sign for the economy. Here's why: If the companies are willing to spend millions for Super Bowl ads, it might mean they think viewers are willing to go out and buy the cars. And if people are willing to buy big items like that, that could mean people are feeling more confident about the economy.

 

Tree Octopus?

AZUZ: Your teacher tells you about an endangered species: the tree octopus. Your assignment is to go learn more about the animal, and there's a web site with all the information you need for your report. Only problem? The entire thing is a hoax! That really happened. The Department of Education sponsored a study run by researchers at the University of Connecticut. They set up this fake web site about the tree octopus filled with all kinds of facts. None of them true; there is no such thing as tree octopus. The researchers wanted to see what kind of impact the internet can have on students' ability to think critically. These were seventh graders. And not only did they accept all the facts on the web site as they were written, after the students were told it was all made up, some of them still refused to believe it was a hoax.

 

Blog Promo

AZUZ: I've never spoken to a student who says he believes everything he's read on the internet. But this study would suggest that many students actually do! We want you to visit our blog today and tell us: What can be done to be sure that what you see online is the truth? CNNStudentNews.com!

 

Before We Go

AZUZ: Two things I can do: I can run four miles, and I can eat a dozen doughnuts. But not at the same time! That's the challenge these folks took on over the weekend. It's the annual Krispy Kreme Challenge. You run two miles, eat a dozen doughnuts, then run two miles back. And you have to do it all in under one hour. I don't think you need an excuse to down a dozen doughnuts, but this race does raise money for charity.

 

Goodbye

AZUZ: And that kind of thing always makes you feel good, doughnut? If you can stomach more puns like that one, we'll hurl some more your way tomorrow. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.