CNN Student News with transcript Week 10, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s the third day of the third month of 2014. Happy you taking ten minutes for CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. It was a tumultuous weekend in Ukraine. We`ve told you about protests in the capital Kiev that led to the ouster of Ukraine`s president last month. Most of those protesters want their country to have closer ties with Europe, but many Ukrainians, like their ousted president, want closer ties with Russia. And one region where support for Russia is strong is Crimea. It`s in southern Ukraine. It`s where most residents identify themselves as Russian, and it`s where what we assume to be Russian troops came in the Ukraine over the weekend and took control of the Crimean peninsula, according to the U.S.

The troops surrounded three Ukrainian military bases. There wasn`t any combat, but the U.S. calls this an active Russian aggression and says Russia is breaking international law by sending troops to Ukraine. Russia says there is no open confrontation here, but that it has the right to defend its people and interests in Ukraine.

Time for “The Shoutout.” What`s the most populated state in the U.S.? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it Florida, Texas, New York or California? You`ve got three seconds, go!

With around 38 million residents, California is far and away the most populated state in the U.S. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

It`s been the season of extremes for residents of southern California. While other parts of the country were shivering under snow, ice and bitter cold, areas near Los Angeles have been parched by drought. Windy dry conditions fostered the spread of wild fires, and when rain finally came from a recent storm system, there wasn`t much vegetation left to soak it up. So that meant mudslides. Thankfully, no death have been reported because of the rain and mudslides, but the drought has been so bad that the storms barely made a dent in water levels. Much of the rain is streaming back out to sea and water reservoirs are still at minimum levels. Even a forecast for more rain isn`t good news for some folks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It happened in minutes. Fire scorched land couldn`t hold the rain, so mud poured down from the Glendore (ph) foothills below.

RYAN FRIEND, RESIDENT: It`s (INAUDIBLE). It`s bad. It looks – I mean it`s bad. It hasn`t been this bad in a long time. It wasn`t like this 20 minutes ago.

LAH: They are getting out while they can.

(on camera): But you are not taking anything with you, just grabbing your dog?

MARIO VASQUEZ, RESIDENT: No, we got my laptop. I don`t need too much, too many things. Everything is going to be fine. It`s all replaceable.

LAH (voice over): Just a couple of inches of rain and you can see the effects here when the ground, which is burned by the fire can`t hold all of this and something you`ll notice – the debris it shows – it`s been scarred by wildfire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to make some friends to help get you out. OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

LAH: 1,000 homes are under a mandatory evacuation order. Because they sit below these scorched hills. Two months ago, it was wildfire. Today, mud into their pools and backyards. California has been in drought for months. The sudden rain caught some by surprise.

Two people were found stranded in a tree trying to escape the rising water of the Los Angeles River. Take a closer look. It`s not just people, but there are two dogs. You can see the rescuers, the Los Angeles firefighters as they carefully move the frightened animals out of the tree one by one to the nearby rescue boat.

And there`s more rain coming. Just bad news for Kim and Dennis Kralik. They chose not to listen to the mandatory evacuation order. Their one road in and out too covered in mud to drive.

(on camera): Because you can`t get out.

KIM KRALIK, RESIDENT: No, not right now. Until they clear this, we`re stuck here.

LAH: What has Mother Nature been like the last couple of months for you?

KIM KRALIK: We had fire, droughts and now torrential rain.

DENNIS KRALIK, RESIDENT: Winds.

KIM KRALIK: Yeah, pretty much everything.

DENNIS KRALIK, RESIDENT: Yeah, we`ve hit all four elements at this point. I think we are done at this point with any more crazy storms.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: There may not be much we could do about the weather, but we do a pretty good job of keeping track of it. And NASA has teamed up with Japan`s Aerospace exploration agency to launch a satellite that will track rain and snow. It`s called the Global Precipitation Measurement Co- observatory. And if that sounds like an advanced name, it`s a pretty advanced satellite. It`s designed to circle the earth every hour and a half, observe where it`s raining and send that info back to scientists every three hours. It can tell the difference between rain, ice and snowfall, and the different amounts of each. And it will help researches keep track of the global climate and its water cycle. This is not a cheap project. The satellite cost NASA $933 million. It`s designed to last at least three years.

First “Roll Call” of the month begins in the Pacific Northwest. We`re starting in the Evergreen state where Waterville high school shockers are watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. Glad to be part of your day in Waterwheel, Washington.

Moving east to South Dakota, specifically gregarious South Dakota. It`s where we find the gorillas of Gregory High School. And on the Atlantic Coast, the Collinswood Language Academy Jaguars are on today`s roll, hello to everyone in Charlotte, North Carolina.

March is women`s history month in the U.S. Congress designated this in 1987, and it honors the accomplishments of women and how they`ve changed the country. Good report to kick off this month is about Julia Ernst. You won`t find her in history books, yet she is currently a high school student, a future Harvard student and a 120 pounds wrestling champion.

(BV)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the mat, the wrestler in green is fast, fierce.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop that!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And female. It is a rear sight even now in this overwhelmingly male sport. But Julia Ernst is a rare soul, a young woman beating the boys at their own game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice, Julia. Wow!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of only three females on the seventh grade team at her private school, by freshman year the others had quit, and Julia stood alone.

JULIA ERNST, HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLER: Despite the fact that I have supportive coaches and supportive teammates, it`s still an interesting feeling to walk into a room and be the only person of your type. You know, you`re in a locker room and you can`t really josh around with the boys, you can`t really make nicknames for each other. Talk about whatever – cool moves your learned in practice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Julia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yet encourages by her parents who are into martial arts, she`s started winning over and over again, sparking a range of reactions. Some boys would outright refuse to wrestle her, others .

ERNST: Yes, they are coming into the match with this sense of pride, and the sense of superiority that they are male, they are for there, they are going to win the match. If I do end up beating them, then often, you know, those are the kids that are going to go off and cry in the corner or be really ashamed or have parents that come and yell at them.

JUSTIN GAVRI, GEORGETOWN DAY WRESTLING COACH: She`s one of the hardest working wrestlers I`ve ever met. The hardest working person I`ve ever met, whether it`s school or whether it`s athletics, she`s just – she just goes as hard as she possibly could on every .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wins tournaments and fans. With the season winding down, Julia, a team captain, faced one match to become the winning wrestler in her school`s history.

JENNY ERNST, JULIA`S MOTHER: Everybody was on their feet, shouting and cheering Julia! Julia! And when she won, everybody jumped up and down, women were literally crying to see this victory. She represents for all of these women, and I`ve had many conversations with women at this matches. Julia is my hero. She`s doing, you know, she`s trailblazing for women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Julia believes her little brother may soon enough eclipse her record, but for now she reigns supreme 26 losses, 107 wins. All against men.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN (on camera): When you hear your coach talk about your record at your school, what do you think?

ERNST: I – I`m happy. I`m very happy. I get a little bit giddy to do a little bit of a happy dance, maybe.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Call it Carnival, call it Mardi Gras. In New Orleans right now, it`s whatever floats your float. Despite this video, there is no crabbiness here. Thousands in the Big Easy. To let the good times roll, the party is going on for nine days now. It wraps up tomorrow. Mardi Gras, after all, means “Fat Tuesday.” It ends when the Roman Catholic season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The Mardi Party may not be as big here, as it is in Rio de Janeiro, for instance. But for those who are here, it takes the king cake. The crowd just lent yeps (ph) this up. They`ve got to beat on all the funds. Some might say, they are – crew, but they are OK by me if they are OK by you. We`ll float some more news. See you tomorrow on CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: CNN STUDENT NEWS starts right now. I`m Carl Azuz. Things are changing rapidly in Ukraine. Yesterday, more Russian troops reportedly entered Crimea, it`s a southern region of Ukraine where there is a lot of support for Russia. A Crimean official said things there were quiet last night, there were no signs of fighting. Ukraine`s ousted President Viktor Yanukovych said he asked Russia to send in its military to establish peace and to defend the people of Ukraine. The United States is considering sanctions, economic punishments against Russia. It says Russia broke international law by sending troops to Ukraine. It`s also offering money to support Ukraine`s new government.

Some of the ripple effects – Russia`s stock market was down, Europe`s were down, America`s was down. Corn, wheat and oil prices were up. Ukraine`s a top grain producer for Europe, so a conflict there could disrupt that. And Russia supplies about 25 percent of Europe`s natural gas, much of that flows through pipelines in Ukraine. It shows you how the global economy is connected and affected by events in the nation that`s about the size of Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There`s been a lot of questions about Russia`s interests in Ukraine as well as the West`s interests. So, we could look at the map and we`re going to get a much better sense. First of all, a reminder here: Ukraine is in Europe, it`s not a million miles away, the capital just a few hundred miles from cities that Americans travel to all the time: Rome, Paris, London. And look here, on its western border, four key American allies: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania. All members of NATO and under NATO, the U.S. has an obligation, a treaty obligation to defend them, if they come under threat.

Now, Ukraine not a member of NATO, but in recent years there`s been a lot of talk about bringing them in to a closer relationship.

Let`s get a better sense now of Russia`s interests there. You look at Crimea, on the tip of that peninsula, the Sevastopol Military Naval Base, this is the headquarters of Russia`s Black Sea Fleet. It`s their only warm water port, all the ports up north, they are frozen in winter. Access to the Black Sea, to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, essential for Russia, and that`s the first place that many of those 6,000 and even more Russian troops went when they crossed the border from Russia into Crimea. I remind you, sovereign Ukrainian territory. But let`s look inside the country as well, because there`s a real split between east and west there.

Western part of the country here leans towards Europe, only five percent of the population in this part speaks Russian, ethnic Russians. Eastern part of the country, 75 percent here, they speak Russian. They are ethnic, they feel the pull towards Russia. This part of the country feels the pull towards the West and Europe. Jim Sciutto, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: From Ukraine we are moving to Iran, the Middle Eastern nation of about 80 million people. Its Muslim leaders want that number to go up and fast. Iran`s Supreme Leader says if people have four or five children, and they able to find jobs, they`ll contribute to Iran`s development. That jobs part may be the tough part. More than 18 percent of Iran`s population is estimated to be living below the poverty line. And that`s made some folks hesitant to have kids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iran`s population is still young, roughly 45 percent under 25, including these munchkins. But under an effective government family planning campaign designed to counter a baby boom during the 1980s, family size dropped drastically, from seven children to two today.

SAEED LAYLAZ, POLITICAL ANALYST: They are worried about it.

SAYAH: Analyst Saeed Laylaz says 40 years from now, Iran may not have enough young workers to drive the economy. Doctors and nurses to care for the elderly, and soldiers to bolster the military. Authorities have already set plans this year to extend military duty from 21 month to 24.

LAYLAZ: There had been too young ten years ago, 15 years ago. We are too middle aged people, and we will be too old people 20, 30 years or later. This is very bad trends.

SAYAH: Many here say the campaign to get Iranians to have more babies won`t work, because in a failing economy they are choosing to stay single.

HOSSEIN MIRZANEJAD, BACHELOR: It is very difficult to get married, let alone having a lot of babies.

BEHROUZ MIRZAJANI, BACHELOR: You mean in addition to me and a five being poor, we should drag children into this, too? Asks bachelor Behrouz Mirzajani.

25 -year old Pejman Rowshan and his wife say they do plan to add to the family.

“An only job isn`t good,” says Rowshan. I don`t want my society to be old. It keeps the economy from growing. For the Rowshan`s the biggest challenge is convincing their son, do you want brothers and sisters, asks dad. “No,” – clocks Ali.

(LAUGHTER)

Reza Sayah, CNN, Tehran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for “The Shoutout.” Which of these events occurred in 1957? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it when the first satellite launched, Korean War ended, color TV was introduced or Disneyland opened? You`ve got three seconds, go!

The only one of these events that happened in 1957 concerned a satellite named Sputnik One. The first manmade satellite in orbit. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

Sputnik One lasted about a year before it reentered Earth`s atmosphere and burned up. The thousands of other objects we`ve launched in the space don`t do that. They just hang out in orbit, spinning around the Earth until they possibly hit something. A lot of you saw the Oscar-winning movie “Gravity”. Is it only a matter of time before space junk threatens space travelers?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON KESSLER, SPACE DEBRIS SCIENTIST: There`s about 5,000 objects in – large objects in Earth`s orbit, and there`s only about 1,000 that are functioning. You have bunch of electronics up there, you`ve got rocket engines that have to be used to put the object in orbit. I published my paper in 1978, which led to this Kessler Syndrome name. It`s a cascading phenomenon in the sense that when things break up, they produce both a very large distribution of small fragments and a smaller number of larger fragments. And those larger fragments are still large enough to go on and get a satellite and totally break it up. And so it cascades into – in increasing number of collisions as – with time. It`s a slow process, it`s not something that would normally happen as quickly as demonstrated in the movie “Gravity,” but it`s still a real process.

The film illustrated the larger fragments breaking things up, but at the same time there would have been a lot more small fragments doing things like penetrating suits and causing leaks or penetrating the capsules that the astronauts were in causing leaks, making them uninhabitable. So, and that would be a much more probably thing to happen, actually, than the cascading that (INAUDIBLE).

The space station was one of the first vehicles to be designed to be protected against orbital debris, and consequently, they had – in order to get the safety that they wanted, they had to add shielding to the older habitation modules. And that shielding is to protect them against roughly marble size objects traveling at about ten kilometer per second.

They also had to worry about the larger stuff that would totally break up the space station – by satellite. And so they do collision avoidance in order to avoid that. But there`s a region between the one centimeter and a roughly ten centimeter, which is the largest thing that they can track where the space station is totally vulnerable, there is nothing they can do. They can`t see it coming. They can`t maneuver to get out of the way, and it were to hit a module, it would be catastrophic to the people inside that module.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: It`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” It seems today`s themes about green. In Henderson, Nevada, we`ve got the Gators of Green valley High School. In East Grand Forks, Minnesota, we`ve got the green wave, of the East Grand Forks senior high. And finally, the hornets. What`s green about that? They are watching from Greenville Weston High School in Greenville, Mississippi.

Alaska, they are not very green this time of year, but the snow, ice and unexpected obstacles are all part of the Iditarod, what`s known as the last great race. It started Sunday with this ceremonial truck through Anchorage. It will cover about 1100 miles crossing two mountain ranges on a winding path to Nome. The modern version of this began in 1973, but its roots are in the early 1900s when sled dogs helped people get mail and supplies to mining camps in northwest Alaska. Today`s dog teams are supervises by the mushers (ph) and race veterinarians to make sure they get through safely and healthily.

It`s spring training for the boys this summer, and the Milwaukee Brewers have a team member who`s a serious publicity hound. Meet Hank. He`s probably around two years old, but no one knows for sure, because he`s a stray. He just wondered into the team`s training camp one day. When they weren`t able to find his owner, well, the Brewers just adopted him. Hasn`t had one – yet but Hanks is already a star. The number on his jersey – one. He came out of Lakefield, caught the team of base, but seems to be having a ball. If the Brewers do well, we`ll know what dog their opponents, what made them panned, what got Milwaukee into the howl of fame. He`s a regular yogi barker. A Steven Strosspark, a babe Ruff! He`s an instant hit as long as he avoids the catcher for all K) innies. I`m Carl Azuz, and I`m out.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s worldwide Wednesday on CNN STUDENT NEWS. Not just in our “Roll Call”, but in the countries we`re reporting on today. We`re starting in Eastern Europe, moving to South America. Stopping in North America and heading to Africa. It all starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP))

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If Russia does not choose to deescalate, if it is not willing to work directly with the government of Ukraine as we hope they will be, then our partners will have absolutely no choice, but to join us to continue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visiting the Ukrainian capital, speaking about Russia`s involvement in Ukraine. It`s a nation divided between people who want closer ties with Russia and people who want closer ties with Europe. The U.S. government has sided with the pro-Europe Ukrainians. But Ukraine is also important to Russia. It has Russia`s only warm water port in the Black Sea. It gives Russian ships access to the Mediterranean. Russia says it will not fight Ukraine, but the U.S. says Russian troops have entered the European country and that it`s considering sanctions against Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As Russian troops push further into Ukraine, the West pushes back economically, not militarily. That`s adding to the pressure on Russia`s main stock market. The MICEX tanked almost 11 percent on Monday, wiping the equivalent of $60 billion off the value of its biggest companies, and that`s more than the estimated cost of hosting the Olympic Games in Sochi. Well, since then the MICEX has rebounded slightly. Meanwhile, the ruble has lost ten percent of its value since the beginning of the year raising fears of inflation and painful memories of previous currency devaluation. But that may not be a concern for President Putin.

REGIS CHATELLIER, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL MARKETS SOCIETE GENERALE: He`s perfectly aware of the cost it can have, you know, over the next few years. It could even trigger the recession outside.

I`m not sure that he would be blamed for, let`s say, two percent recession over the next three years compared to the rest of Ukraine or some part of Ukraine joining Russia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For its part, the international community believes sanctions could be the best move. They calculate it will (INAUDIBLE) Russia, but avoid war.

Despite its oil wealth, Russia is increasingly reliant on the West. That country imports more than 50 percent of all its goods from Europe, and Europe is its most important investor. But if the West piles on too much economic pressure, Russian President Vladimir Putin could respond by cutting off Russia`s oil and natural gas exports to the E.U. with potentially disastrous consequences.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Across the Atlantic, in Venezuela, the carnival season was not all celebration. Divisions deepened and violence flared between the government and those who want it changed. Venezuela`s last two presidents have moved their country towards socialism, increasing the government`s control. Some Venezuelans have seen better living conditions and education opportunities. Others have seen jobs dry up, the economy suffer and crime flourish.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Opposition protesters are beginning to throw up these street barricades in preparation for potential clashes with government security forces.

We can now see a lot of movement behind the security barricades. Riot cops on motorcycles are beginning to draw up.

The protests in Venezuela are now almost a month old. (INAUDIBLE) as a call to the government to curb spiraling crime, and also to rescue a tanking economy.

The government accuses these groups of being radical right wing agitators. They say, they are simply students.

(on camera): Protests has been (inaudible) down for much of the afternoon. (INAUDIBLE) The students say that they (INAUDIBLE). The riot police on foot, and on motorbikes (INAUDIBLE).

(voice over): The potential for political turmoil to worsen this week is high, as a divided Venezuela gets ready to mark the first anniversary of the death of the death of (INAUDIBLE) leader, Hugo Chavez. He was a hero to some, and a villain to others.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, to North America. In the U.S. capital, the U.S. president has presented a budget. President Obama`s proposal would spend just under $4 trillion for the 2015 fiscal year. It would increase government spending on things like roads and education and pay for that by raising taxes on people who make more than $200,000 a year. The president says his proposal would reduce the government`s deficit and help the middle class.

The Republicans say, it has too much spending, too much borrowing and taxing and that it would hurt the economy and cost jobs.

Here`s what`s interesting: the president`s budget has very little chance of getting through Congress. What it does, is give Democrats points to debate as they try to hold on to a slim Senate majority in this year`s midterm elections.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you can I.D. me. My official language is French, because I got my independence from France in 1960, but I`m located in Western Africa. My borders tough Angola, Cameroon, Gabon and the Atlantic Ocean. I`m the Republic of Congo, a nation of 4.5 million people.

Almost half of those people leave below the poverty line. Unemployment in the Republic of Congo is 53 percent. That`s why there is so much poaching, illegal hunting. In this case, hunting of endangered animals like the African forest elephant. Their tusks are ivory. It`s a valuable material that poachers are willing to kill them for, even at the risk of the hunters` own lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s been eight grueling hot hours on this river, chasing poachers in hunting connected and affected by events in the nation that`s about the Republic of Congo`s largest national park.

For these eco guards, disappointment follows disappointment.

(on camera): When you put your hand inside, it`s actually still quite warm, which means that they probably left earlier in the morning.

(voice over): Finally around the bank signs of activity. Smoke rising along the bank. They rush ashore and fan out into the jungle. Within seconds, a gunshot.

And the pursuit begins. The terrain is dense and disoriented. The men force their way through the undergrowth and sloshed through knee-deep water. Our CNN team can barely keep up.

(on camera): They`ve all gone forward, trying to chase down what seems to be a poacher who at least most definitely is armed. They apparently have caught him completely by surprise.

(voice over): Matthew Akal (ph), head of the park`s antipoaching division, brandishes the weapon captured by one of his men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) trying to shoot him.

DAMON (on camera): There is elephant meat in the boat.

(voice over): The men find the poacher`s canoe, weighed down with fresh elephant meat. The non-profit group African Parks, which runs Odzala estimates that Central Africa has lost 62 percent of its forest elephants in the last decade. In this park alone, thousands have been killed in the last five years. In the week we spend here, we only saw one alive.

The park about the size of Connecticut is patrolled by just 76 eco guards, not nearly enough, but some 40 percent of them are former poachers themselves.

They eco guards torch the camp to send a message. These men often find themselves pursuing people they once worked with, friends, neighbors and even family members. In the ever-evolving fight against the ivory trade out here, it`s now personal. Arwa Damon, CNN, Odzala National Park, Republic of Congo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: On Wednesdays, as you know, we go worldwide for the CNN STUDENT news “Roll Call.” We`re starting today in Eastern Europe where we are online in Serbia. Hello to all the students at the International School of Belgrade. Thanks for watching.

Next to Baja, California. It`s part of Mexico, it`s where we are happy to have viewers at the Discovery American Academy. And hopping over the Pacific, we are greeting everyone in Jitu (ph), South Korea. We`re happy to see you at Jitu foreign language high school.

Yesterday was National Grammar Day, a day to encourage proper speech and writing. Why is this important? Well, there are obvious perils for anyone who works in an office. I love how they felt the need to label this, to begin with. When it comes to dining out, some folks might not be lured in by starting anew with Alaskan salmon. Parking is hazardous with unattended vehicles and ride in a parting lot, and you might be parted from your bike or your board. Finally, I just don`t know where to start with this one. Everyone`s free to make mistakes from time to time, you all. After all, it`s not the United States of Grammarica. I remember teachers telling me ain`t a word only to find it ain`t (INAUDIBLE) from a dictionary. In school, in letters, on resumes, in articles it`s a fine idea to practice proper grammar. But if you tweet me not to end the sentence with a preposition – I ain`t going to write nothing back, because that is the way I like to be tweeted to. Have a great Wednesday.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: You`re only a day away from Friday. You`re watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. You`re ten minutes away from getting up to speed on current events. We are starting in China today. Big meeting there. It`s the once a year gathering of the National People`s Congress. It includes thousands of delegates from all over the country. China is a communist state. The government controls the economy and other parts of society. So, the National People`s Congress is limited. It won`t be voting on any major laws. But this meeting is a chance for China to talk about its economic plans. And because it`s the world`s second largest economy, international economists are watching to see what China will do.

Other parts of the international community are watching Ukraine. A lot of talking about the crisis there yesterday. Meetings involving officials from the European Union, Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., but there wasn`t a lot of action. Some U.S. officials are still considering economic sanctions against Russian for its involvement in Ukraine. Russia`s threatening economic action of its own that could hurt trade in other parts of Europe.

You didn`t see it, you didn`t feel it. You might not have known it was there. But an asteroid zipped by us yesterday. Well, that`s relative. It was close by space standards, it wasn`t in terms of miles. But since there is a one in 10,000 chance of this same asteroid coming back near us, on March 4, 2046, Chad Myers is going to help us get to know it.

Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Carl, an asteroid yesterday flew between the Earth and the Moon, or at least the orbit of the Moon. It`s about a quarter of a million miles between the Earth to the Moon. And this was slightly inside of it. 90 percent, all the way from here to here, or ten percent from here to here. So, it was still about 217,000 miles away as it flew on by the Earth.

Now, let`s think about the size of this. Because here`s the baseball diamond right here. Here`s actually the tournament field. If you take a ball of – a big rock and you put it right over the infield, that`s how big this asteroid was. Right over the infield of any baseball diamond. Now, you take that, you fly that in between the Earth and the Moon. And you have something going for it. Now, this is not one of the closer ones probably will have this year. But it certainly is 90 percent of the way between the Earth and the Moon, and it`s called DX-110. 110 because it`s actually the hundred and tenth asteroid that they have found so far this year.

Think about this, though: last year 21 asteroids flew closer to the Earth than this one, and the chance of this actually hitting the Earth was only one in about ten million.

Now, it was probably more of a big deal to the asteroid that the Earth got so close. Because if you`re standing on the asteroid and all of a sudden the Earth flies on by, you`re thinking yourself, wow, that was the size of an Earth, not the size of the baseball field. And a lot more danger to the asteroid right there than to the Earth as it flew on by. Carl.

AZUZ: Big changes are coming to the SAT exam: fewer students have been taking it. And the College Board, the group that administers the test, says it wants the SAT to be more connected to what`s being taught in high school. Changes take effect in two years. The top score you can get currently, 2400. It`s going back to 1600. Vocabulary words will be easier, essays will no longer be mandatory. And you won`t need to know as much about as many subjects. Critics say it will dumb down the test. It will be more closely aligned with common core curriculum, which supporters applaud for setting national education standards. The critics say it hurt students and goes against state`s rights to set their own standards.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for “The Shoutout.” The word “aurum” is Latin for what element on the Periodic Table? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it, silver, aluminum, tungsten or gold? You`ve got three seconds, go.

With atomic symbol Au and atomic number 79, gold comes from the Latin term “Aurum.” That`s your answer, and that`s your shout out.

AZUZ: Yesterday, gold was trading on a stock market at over $1300 and ounce. It doesn`t tarnish or corrode, it`s been used in Jewelry for thousands of years. It`s mentioned in the Bible, the Torah, the Koran. And it`s been the one universally acceptable form of currency. People have haunted Golden Mountains and seas. But recently, it just turned up in someone`s back yard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may be the greatest buried treasure ever found in the United States. Coin after coin, more than 14,000. Al of them pure gold, found by some lucky couple on their California property.

Estimated worse? $10 million dollars.

(on camera): How do they find these coins?

DON KAGIN, COUPLE`S COIN DEALER: They were out walking the dog on their property like they`ve done for years, and they spied something metal and they went to investigate. They though it was full of paint.

SIMON (voice over): The couple wants to remain anonymous. But that hasn`t stopped some people from trying to figure out who they are and how the riches wound up on their property.

The latest theory is that it`s part of an earlier 20th Century heist at the San Francisco Met. This newspaper article from 1901 makes reference to the sum of $30,000 in gold coin stolen from the vault of the cashier. The face value of the buried treasure was nearly the same amount.

The thief Walter M Dimmick was eventually busted where that gold was never found. Could this be the long lost loot? And if it is, could it also spell bad news for those who found it. Yes, according to legal experts.

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: In the case where you can clearly identify the owner and clearly identify the crime, the finder`s right to the treasure certainly diminishes.

SIMON: But don`t start feeling sorry for them. Apparently, in this case it really is finders` keepers. The man says “It doesn`t have any information linking the coins to any thefts at any U.S Mint Facility.” Perhaps, the most likely scenario, it was just a guy hiding his money.

KAGIN: Back then, they didn`t always trust the banks, you know.

SIMON: They lucky couple is trusting these men to be their coin dealers. Filthy and covered with the 120 years of dirt, they brought them back to their original luster.

(on camera): Do you think your odds are better of winning the lottery of finding gold buried in your yard?

DAVID MCCARTHY, COUPLE`S COIN DEALER: Winning the lottery, no doubt about it.

SIMON (voice over): The treasure unearthed, but the secret behind it remains buried. Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Sale into port and bat in the hatches. Because there is a storm brewing in today`s “Roll Call.” We are taking you to Chandler, Arizona. Where the forecast at Santan Junior High School is for the storm with the chance of awesome. Next, we are moving north to Mount Pleasant, Utah. That`s where they hawks are perched watching from North Sanpete High School. And we`ll up todays` roll in Iowa saluting the Trojents (ph) of West Marshall Middle school. Glad to be part of your day and stake center.

When good things happen to good folks. 12-year old Louis Corbett is a giant Boston Celtics fan. He`s never seen the game in person. Louis leaves in Oakland, the largest city in New Zealand. Because he has a rare eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, his parents and his favorite team are helping him see all he can while he can.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 7 a.m., from 9,000 miles away, Louis Corbett shakes out the sleep wearing the Celtics T-shirt and a permanent smile. He gets a kiss from mom, and he`s ready to Skype on his favorite topic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very excited.

LOUIS CORBETT: Well, Larry Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Louis, like two of his brothers has a rear genetic eye disease that leaves most patients blind by age 40.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s going that way quickly.

In fact, Louis doesn`t expect to have his sight for much longer.

CORBETT: I just think of it as just – slowly going down, but I don`t know -(INAUDIBLE) watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His parents do, and they want Louis to build a library of images in his brain. Memories in his mind`s eye. And when they asked him what he wants to see most.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to see basketball in America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kid is always wearing Celtic screen. Even when he got to meet a professional New Zealand hoops team. Neighbors started raising money for a trip to Boston, and it`s spread on social media. That`s when the Celtics owners, the Grousbecks whose son is blind, thought. And they were all over, Corinne Grousbeck tweeting, “Our son has a similar disease that affected him at birth. I`m on it!”

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boston Celtics got hold of us and said, hey, if you`re coming – love to see you. And what can we do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The team`s bringing Louis to Boston next week. He`ll watch his favorite team live from a lecture (ph) box.

CORBETT: I`m (INAUDIBLE) the Celtics who (INAUDIBLE) because yeah, first (INAUDIBLE) and me, I just want to make (INAUDIBLE) that will be cool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now that is a banner night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: There are a number of traditions associated with Lent in the carnival and Mardi Gras season. This is when you probably don`t know about. It`s the Washington National Cathedral Pancake race. Competitors try to flip flap jack three times before the finish. Legend has it that back in 1445, a British woman was making pancakes when she heard the church bells ring. She didn`t want to be late for the service, so she took her frying pan with her. That run is no piece of pancake. It`s no cake walk. You know, they say, no pan, no gain. And when push comes to shrove, the race will put your skilling to the test. Do what you can to avoid a flapjack, and we`ll see you fry-day when CNN STUDENT NEWS returns.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome. I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to the week`s last edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Could part of Ukraine secede from the rest of the country and become part of Russia? That is the question. The protests in the capital that led to the ouster of Ukraine`s president were by Ukrainians who wanted closer ties with Europe. But in Crimea, a region of southern Ukraine, many people identify more with Russia, and its local government has decided to hold a vote later this month to let Crimeans decide whether they want to be part of Ukraine or Russia. Ukraine`s government says this is an illegitimate decision, and President Obama who supports the pro-Europe Ukrainians says borders can`t be redrawn without approval from democratically elected leaders. But Russia says Ukraine`s government broke the law when it kicked out its democratically elected president. And Crimea is important to Russia. It gives Russia`s Navy access to the Black Sea. The standoff has international diplomats working around the clock to find the peaceful solution.

Next up today, the U.S. and South Korea have been allies since the Korean War. Every year, the two nations team up for a series of military exercises, and every year it makes North Korea mad.

North Korea has been launching rockets into the ocean. They are not aimed at anything or anyone in particular, but one rocket came uncomfortably close to a Chinese passenger jet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: South Korea is calling it a very dangerous situation. The Defense Ministry says that a Chinese passenger jet, which had more than 200 people on board, flew through the trajectory of a North Korean rocket, which had been fired just seven minutes earlier. The Chinese Southern Airlines plane was flying on Tuesday from Narita in Japan to Shenyang in China. Airline officials did not respond to CNN calls for comment. The rocket was just one of seven that Pyongyang fired that day. China said they would seek verification from relevant parties and express their concern.

QIN GANG, CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): When a relevant country conducts military drills or training, I should take measures to ensure safety of civilian aircraft or ships in the relevant era of marathon space. According to international norms.

HANCOCKS: South Korean says the North hadn`t given any navigational warning for the rockets. Pyongyang says that their recent rocket tests have “not affected international navigational order, although it made no mention of the Chinese plane.

North Korean claims that these rocket tests are justified and they are in self-defense, saying that the U.S.-South Korean joint military drills, in fact, are a provocation, but on Monday the U.S. said that these rocket tests do violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What civil time is currently being observed throughout the U.S.? If you think you know it, shout it out!

Is it: Standard time, Daylight-savings time, Central time or Atlantic Standard time? You`ve got three seconds, go.

The civil time is the official time of a local region and the U.S is currently observing standard time. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: That all changes this Sunday when most U.S. states spring forward moving their clocks ahead one hour to daylight saving time. This year, it runs from March 9 to November 2. So it will actually spend more time in daylight saving time then we will in standard time. And we`re unlikely to get our standard amount of sleep unless we all suck out earlier on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: It puzzles the day lights out of some people: Why have daylight saving time if daylight is just going to get longer any way, as the northern hemisphere approaches summer. Well, for one thing, it`s the law. Before 1966, states had different times and dates for springing forward and falling back. The Uniform Time Act was passed to get them all synched up. But unlike many other laws, if states don`t want to participate, they don`t have to. Most of the state of Arizona as well as Hawaii, don`t. So, if you go there, they`ll tell you what time it is. The idea is a lot older than the `60s, though. Ben Franklin apparently had enough time on his hands to propose saving daylight. And several countries took him up on it. Well, they did about 130 years later. World War One was on, so daylight saving time was used to help save electricity. With the sun up later, people didn`t need to turn lights till later.

It stopped nationally after the war and stayed that way until Congress got around to setting times for it. But today, daylight saving time is sleepy time for many Americans, especially Monday morning after springing ahead. The Better Sleep Council says people struggle and slog around in bad moods. Sleepbetter.org says America loses hundreds of millions of dollars because workers aren`t as productive until they get used to it. They are not saying we should get rid of daylight saving time, but this sheds light on why some sleepy people might want to.

The Winter Olympics are over for another four years. But the Paralympics start today in Sochi, Russia. They`ll run for the next nine days. Just like the February games we saw, this is an international competition. It`s for physically disabled athletes. It will include five sports from skiing and biathlon to hockey and curling, and it will feature almost 700 athletes from 47 countries. All of them are exceptional. They are Olympians. And one from the U.S. will have competed in both the summer and winter games.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for Tatiana McFadden. She was born with spina bifida. That`s a birth defect that prevents the spinal court from properly closing while the baby is still in the womb. As an unwanted disabled child in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tatiana was immediately sent to an orphanage after her surgery.

TATYANA MCFADDEN, 2014 PARALYMPIAN: I didn`t have a wheelchair, so my legs were atrophied behind my back, and I walked around on my hands all the time.

GUPTA: Six years later, a chance visit by an American to the orphanage changed her life.

MCFADDEN: I immediately knew that she was my mom.

GUPTA: Adoption gave Tatyana an instant family. Her mom pushed Tatyana to participate in sports.

MCFADDEN: Getting involved with sports, you know, saved my life. I wrote down my goals and I said I really want to be a Paralympic athlete and (INAUDIBLE)

GUPTA: At 15 year old, became the youngest member of the USA track and field theme. At the Athens Paralympic Games. McFadden won four more medals in Beijing. And in London, she finally won gold. In 2013, McFadden won the Grand Slam title for marathon wheelchair racing, and then traded her wheelchair for a sitski.

Now, McFadden is back in Russia where she`s competing in the Sochi Paralympic cross country Nordic skiing event. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Poland is not the capital of Oregon, but it is the largest city in the state. Of course, the Scotts already knew that. We are talking about the Scotts, the Mascot of David Douglas High School. They are watching in Portland. In New Mexico, there are some warriors on today`s roll. They are in Gallup in the northwest part of their state at Kennedy Middle School. And over in the northeast, we are roaring for the Lions of Bassick High School. Glad to see you in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Finally today, this is one challenging workout, baby. I mean the workout baby on the left. She`s actually the instructor here, showing her dad some superman crunchies. Then grabbing a quick nap. Millions YouTube video has gotten more than a million wraps. Her credentials include a lifetime of experience, almost seven months of it. One reviewer, a fitness enthusiast, no doubt, says this will strengthen you all muscles. It might not include everything in your core routine after all. It`s just toddler robbics. It`s not a heavy lift. But baby pushups can work your criceps and no one is going to argue when you change it up. It`s OK to carry baby fat, to wear your formula, to drink your post-workout shape from a bottle. You may have to stay near your crib, but you can bench on it being fun even if it`s just child`s play. I`m Carl Azuz. I`m glad we can work this out. Hope you have a great weekend.