CNN Student News with transcript Week 19, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS on Cinco de Mayo, 2014. We`ll have a report on that in a couple of minutes. I`m Carl Azuz. First up today, U.S. jobs numbers. The latest report is out from the federal government. It has figures for the month of April. On one hand, things seem pretty good, 288,000 jobs added in the U.S. April was the best month for job growth in two years. And the unemployment rate, it was 6.7 percent in March, it dropped to 6.3 percent in April. One analyst says with warmer weather we are seeing the economy hit up.

On the other hand, things seem not so good. One reason the unemployment rate fell is because fewer people entered the workforce. It`s possible more young workers are sitting on the sidelines. And another analyst says that`s not a good sign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Class of 2014, you`re looking at a tough job market. It`s been five years since the recession ended, but the effects are still being felt, especially among young people.

A new report by the economic policy institute, a liberal think tank, shows one in five high school graduates and one in ten college grads aren`t working and they are not in school either. Even those simply approaching graduation don`t face great prospects. The institute says those young people will join the sizeable backlog of unemployed college graduates from the last five graduating classes, and then an extremely difficult job market. And once they actually get hired, the problems aren`t over either. Recent high school grads making average of $9.82 cents an hour, 11 percent lower than what they would have in 2000. College grads are making more, about $16.99 an hour, but again, that`s quite a bit lower than their predecessors.

Plus, employees overall aren`t being as generous with benefits as they once were. The report warns that it is possible to overcome these setbacks, but that it could take ten to 15 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: The nation of Ukraine is on shaky ground. Divisions are deepening, violence is breaking out between those who want a closer alliance with Russia and those who want a closer alliance with Western Europe. What`s been happening in the Ukrainian city of Odessa reflects the tension of the whole country. Yesterday, protesters who support Russia stormed a police headquarters. They demanded the release of dozens of people who`d been arrested two days earlier for allegedly participating in violent protests. 67 detainees were released Sunday without a shot being fired or a life lost. But that wasn`t the case Friday when 46 people died in a riot that ended in a building fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The emotions are powerful here. Fury, confusion, grief. These are the senses of people who were trying to understand how, why Ukraine`s ethnic and political divide suddenly flared here in Odessa, taking so many lives. It started on the streets, pro- Russian and pro-Ukrainian forces throwing what they could at each other. Guns were used, too. The pro- Russians were outnumbered. And they retreated into the Trade Union Building. Witnesses say, there were hundreds inside when it caught fire.

It`s unclear how the fire started, whether it`s because of Molotov cocktails thrown at the building or whether it`s because they were mishandled by those seeking shelter here, but the fire took hold quickly and in the moments that followed, dozens were killed, most overcome by smoke. But some trying desperately to escape.

Odessa is a city with rich historic and cultural links to Russia. There have been disturbances here in recent weeks, but nothing like this. This isn`t like Ukraine`s East, these people are a long way from the Russian border, but the flames of political and cultural hatred now burn strongly here as well. Phil Black, CNN, Odessa, southern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: We are heading back to North America to report on a holiday associated with Mexico. The nation declared its independence from Spain in 1810, in September. Spain recognized that independence in 1821, in September. So, if someone comes up to you today and says, happy Cinco de Mayo, it`s Mexican Independence Day, you can say nah-ah, here are a few useful facts you can point out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABRIELA FRIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Attention and for the last time, please, help me spread out the word: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico`s Independence Day, OK? It`s not. Cinco de Mayo we celebrate le Batailla de Puebla (ph), the battle of Puebla. Puebla is a state, you know, 85 miles away from Mexico City. It`s just basically the victory of the Mexican Army against a French army.

Napoleon`s army. But it is important because the French army had not been defeated in 15 years, and they came over to Mexico to collect a debt. So that`s why we celebrate it.

No, no, Cinco de Mayo is not as big as it is in America, so thank you very much for celebrating Cinco de Mayo for us. I`ve been here 14 years, I have never seen such a big celebration on Cinco de Mayo, (INAUDIBLE) on the street, we don`t celebrate it that much.

Don`t say happy Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, because they`ll know you are not from Mexico. We don`t say that. May be we say have a nice day. But we don`t say happy Cinco de Mayo at all. So, please don`t confuse our Independence Day. Mexico`s Independence Day is on the 16th of September. But we start celebrating it on the 15, so don`t confuse it and I`ll tell you in September why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Carl Azuz? Present. It`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS Roll Call. First, to the Empire State. We are happy to have the Patriots watching at the Martin Luther King Jr. School. They are in (INAUDIBLE), New York. Go Hawks! That`s the mascot – to go hawks. They are checking us out at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. That`s in Waverly, Iowa. And in the Grand Canyon state of Arizona, there are mountain lions stalking us. We found them at Mountain View School in Woodall (ph). It`s teacher appreciation week. If you`re on Facebook, we are at Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews looking for your thoughts about your favorite teacher.

For Sara, that`s Ms. Wilcox, she`s Sara`s history teacher who`s good at teaching the subject and making it fun. Michael mentioned Ms. Silliger at Louisville High School, an A.P. world history teacher who shares her experiences in traveling and serving in the Peace Corps. Nicholas praised Mr. McGrew (ph) for being there for him and his classmates and helping solve problems that came up. Dale said if it weren`t for Ms. Latshott, Dear Valley High School, he wouldn`t know where he`d be today. And Theo – said her drama teacher, Mr. Joseph, inspired her to follow her dreams.

And our next story is an appreciation of another sort of teacher. His name is Ned Norton. He opened a specially designed gym. It allows people to exercise and build strength like any other gym, but it`s not for profit. And his clients have spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome. The strength that Norton`s helping them find is why he`s a CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED NORTON, CNN HERO: When I`m running, I feel limitless. Being in motion makes me feel free.

When you are really pushing yourself, that`s when you really feel alive. But there are millions of people around the world that are facing severe physical limitations. They can`t be independent, they can`t live their lives. I spent years training Olympic athletes, football players, body builders.

One day, a young guy, Nuli (ph), spinal cord injured, came to the gym asking for help. At first, I didn`t know what to do, but we just worked together. He made tremendous progress.

Take a breath! Reach up! Reach up! Bring it back!

Before you knew it, my phone ran off the hook. With people asking for help .

Bring it up.

So, I opened a gym designed to fit their needs.

Now you go to work?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

NORTON: For the past 25 years, I`ve provided strength and conditioning training for people with disabilities .

Stretch up! Nice job.

People come to me when they are at their lowest.

Up! Up! Up! Hold it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel much better now!

NORTON: You come to the gym and all of a sudden, you have a natural support network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1971, I broke my back and I`ve been in the wheelchair ever since.

NORTON: That`s it, Tom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks to Ned, I keep my upper body`s strength at a maximum. I`ve been able to live a full life.

NORTON: I never worry about what they can`t do. I worry about what they can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can go right now.

NORTON: Yes, you can. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did up the ten!

NORTON: I`m building them up, building them stronger, so they can – and live life like they are supposed to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: At a softball game, you might expect to hear things like keep your eye on the ball, make sure no one steals. In this game, you`ve got to keep your eye on the glove, because someone (INAUDIBLE) nose, and he`s not likely to give them bark. This dog is a maniac. A kleptomaniac. Running some serious interference from the in-field to the outfield. No one desires that he`s way off base before his owner finally calls him out.

Umpires will be chewing over ways to prevent that. After all, the clubs are off. You can say that pit bull against ball. It was certainly a foul play, though he makes some great grabs before going home. I`m Carl Azuz. We are out of time, and that`s a doggone shame. See you tomorrow on CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for taking ten minutes for CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. It`s great to see you.

We are following up on a story we told you about before. It happened in the West African country of Nigeria. Police there say 223 girls are still missing after a terrorist group kidnapped them from their dormitory on April 14. Many Nigerians don`t think their government is doing enough to rescue the girls. Hundreds have been protesting in the city of Lagos. Their nation`s president says his government would find and free the kidnapped teenagers. Meantime, people around the world are trying to spread the word about this atrocity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost 200 schoolgirls missing for more than two weeks. How did that happen? Nigeria`s no stranger to problems with militant groups, but they`ve never seen something like this before. This militant group, Boko Haram, their name means western education is a sin. They went into a high school filled with girls, took them out and many of them haven`t been seen since. Moms, dads, grandparents – villages are going out into force and they are not seeing the Nigerian government, they are not seeing the Nigerian military, they are not seeing the people who they expect to be out there looking for their girls.

The Nigerian armed forces say they will keep on looking for the girls until they find them, but they admit that they are being unindated with information they believe might actually be a ploy to try and destruct them, but the people – they are frustrated, they are upset and many of them feel that they have nowhere else to turn except for social media.

All you have to do is type in a few letters, BRI and immediately, #bringbackourgirls pops up. Not just Nigerian, but people from America to Australia hoping to get the attention of their governments, maybe they can do something to try and find these girls.

So, I was just looking at the CNN Facebook page and saw Nigerian after Nigerian asking for more attention, pleading to send just another reporter so that these story can be seen by everybody. And that these girls can be found.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: You just heard that Boko Haram is the group responsible for the kidnapping. It`s a militant Islamist organization with ties to the al Qaeda terrorist group. A video released on Monday shows a man who claims to be Boko Haram`s leader. He says he kidnapped the girls, that he plans to sell them and that Western education should end. He then encourages girls to get married instead of getting an education. One student who spoke to CNN says that`s not what most of the girls themselves want.

(BV)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we need to go to school so that we can be who we want to be, because many girls – if you – if I wish you could talk to many of us, we are going to (INAUDIBLE) their dreams. I want to be a lawyer. I want to be a nurse. And it`s very – I think you can get only like 2 percent that will tell you, I just want to marry and just be a mother, just be a housewife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Moving east to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is where most cases of MERS have surfaced. MERS standing for Middle East respiratory syndrome. It`s a dangerous virus that has sickened hundreds of people and killed more than 100.

For the first time, someone was diagnosed with MERS in the U.S. He`s a health care provider who`d traveled to Saudi Arabia in late April. He checked into an Indiana hospital with symptoms on the 28. Doctors say he`s recovering well and should be able to go home soon, and that there are no other known cases in America.

But what did this virus come from in the first place?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don`t know exactly where this virus comes from. They believe it made a jump from camels to humans. About three quarters of single-humped camels in Saudi Arabia have the antibodies to this particular virus, they`ve even found the virus itself in camels over there. But exactly how it gets transmitted, is it from droplets in camels spit, could it be camel meat or even unpasteurized camel milk, they just don`t know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: All right. Quick bit of trivia for you. Who is the world`s longest reigning monarch? Here`s a hint: it`s not Britain`s Queen Elizabeth. For the answer, you have to look toward Thailand. Like the U.K., it`s a constitutional monarchy, and like the U.K.`s queen, Thailand`s Kind doesn`t have significant governmental power. But King Bhumibol Adulyadej is deeply revered in his country. It`s illegal to criticize him. His birthday is Thailand`s national holiday. Thousands turned out yesterday wearing the king`s color: yellow to celebrate the 64 anniversary of his coronation. King Bhumibol is not in good health. He hasn`t been for years, but he still attended the celebration along with citizens who see him as Thailand`s father. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just the facts: the disease malaria is caused by a parasite. It can be transmitted to humans when they are bitten by a mosquito that carries that parasite. Symptoms can include a high fever, sweating, shaking, chills and malaria can be deadly. There are a number of treatments for it, but there is no vaccine yet.

So, if you are watching in the U.S. it`s unlikely you`ll have to worry about malaria. But in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, India, Haiti, this disease is more of a threat. And in poor countries where doctors may not be able to treat malaria as effectively or as quickly, malaria kills more people. That`s where some scientists hope their insect repellant could save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURENCE J. ZWIEBEL, PH.D., CHAIR IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, VANDERBUILT: It turns out that if we found the world`s greatest mosquito repellant no one would care. So we needed to find something that would work against all insects. Agricultural pests, disease factors, even nuisance insects that make us crazy in our backyards.

These are anopheles gambiae, it`s literally the most dangerous animal in the planet.

A child would die of malaria every 30 seconds today. Malaria is a very real problem for most of the world.

Most of the commercial insect repellants that people come in contact with are basically targeting the insect`s olfactory system, to make mosquito not find you. We decided to take a more aggressive approach and rather than turn off the mosquito`s olfactory system, we`ve looked for something that would turn it too far off. To see if we could design a new generation of insect repellants based on overloading their smell system, their olfactory system.

They hate just like we hate overstimulation. They will move away from too much smell.

We know that these chemical which we call VUAA1 has the ability to turn on insect organ (ph) receptors from every insect we`ve tried. Not just mosquitoes. We are just now in the process of doing the toxicity. So far we don`t see any toxic effects.

Our hope is that we are able to help develop a product that can be sold for profit in the developed world and use that profit to leverage the distribution in a developing world

We`ve finished the discovery phase and we`ll have an opportunity to develop the product that we are interested in. Our hope is that every time we spray on a mosquito repellant here in America, we are subsidizing malaria reduction in Africa and Asia.

Flying high with the falcons today on the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call” We`ll start in Texas with the Timber Creek High School Falcons. Glad to have you all watching in Fort Wort (ph). Now, it`s north to Wisconsin, the Falcons of Salem are watching. We found them at Westosha Central High School. And on East Coast, it`s the falcons of Crain`s Creek Middle School. They are online in Carthage, North Carolina.

CNN STUDENT NEWS appreciates all the world`s teachers. Here`s what some of your students are saying this teacher appreciation week.

Adam writes, his favorite teacher is Mrs. Hutchings, because she always tries her hardest and never gives up. Kyoko says it`s Mr. Lenihan, an English teacher in Japan. “He always makes me laugh.” For Chazz, it`s Mr. Kammer. “He`s been the greatest social studies teacher I`ve ever had.” Luiz says, “Since Mr. Ortley was transferred to my high school, he`s challenged us to think outside the box.” And from Alex, “Mrs. Gasper from Ellensburg High School in Ellensburg, Washington. “She`s an awesome teacher because she challenges us and prepares us for the future.

Sometimes you call upon to lend a helping hand. After getting stuck in an elevator recently, a man decided to lend his back. A team of moving men was trapped with an elderly lady. She said she couldn`t stand for long periods of time, so one of the man got down on all fours, so she can have a seat on his back, and he stayed like this for 30 minutes. It`s a tale of kindness, chivalry and you can see why the 23-year old`s mom says she`s so proud.

By landing his back, he refused to turn his back. Maybe one day he`ll lead the company, he`d make a great chairman. After all, they say chairing is caring, and though this wasn`t a planned seat-in it`s a story that seems to sit well with everyone. We`ve got to move. I`m Carl Azuz. We hope you`ll have a seat for CNN STUDENT NEWS on Wednesday.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN STUDENT NEWS. Welcome to Wednesday`s edition of our commercial free show. I`m Carl Azuz. First up, the White House has released a new report on climate change. It says that the global climate is getting worse and that it hopes this report will influence Americans to support government action and community action to fight climate change. Some Republicans call this report a political tool. They say it`s being released so the Obama administration can make changes to energy laws, changes that critics say would hurt the American economy.

Officials with the Obama administration plan to fan out across the country carrying messages from the report of how different regions could be affected.

Here`s what the report lays out for our future. The Northeast can expect more heat waves, increased coastal sea level surge flooding and more severe inland flash flooding. The Southeast will see new fresh water issues due to drought and increased population. As well as increased ocean search flooding from tropical systems along the coast. The Midwest – yes, there will be a longer growing season. But more extreme heatwaves, droughts and flash flooding may counteract that positive.

The Plains will experience an increased demand for water and energy due to the higher temperatures.

In the southwest, severe droughts and wildfires will increase, fresh water may become more scarce than it already is.

The northwest, earlier than normal snow melt may stress summer water supplies in the river systems there.

In Alaska, retreating glaciers, receding summer ice levels and thawing permafrost will cause damage to infrastructure and ecosystems.

And finally the ocean. It is absorbing carbon dioxide as carbonic acid. And it`s rapidly changing the Ph worldwide. It`s called “ocean acidification.” Stressing marine ecosystems, coral reefs and the food chain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shoutout.” U-2, C-130 N3N are all examples of what? If you think you know it shout it out.

Is it – planes, trains, automobiles or elements? You`ve got three seconds, go!

These are all types of aircrafts with very different types of technology. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

AZUZ: The U-2, for instance, is an American plane designed to gather intelligence, spy, and it`s been in service since the 1950s. A U-2 can fly at very high altitudes up to 90,000 feet. One of them was flying high over California last week. FAA officials say they weren`t concerned about the fact that it was a spy plane. But the FAA computer that picked it up thought it was flying much lower, like in the crowded airspace with other planes lower. And the Federal Aviation Administration system got confused by all of the changes in the U-2`s flight pass. So it shut down for an hour. Did that disrupt flights in California? Yes. Did it have lasting effects? Yes, for half a day. Delayed flights, diverted flights, canceled flights. Fortunately, there were no accidents or injuries.

Fighting in the Korean War ended in 1953. But the conflict itself was never formally resolved. The U.S. is the ally of South Korea. These two counties are still at odds with North Korea. And the North often makes threatening statements directed at the U.S. What`s worrying American officials now is the fact that North Korea may be getting closer to a very long range weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: U.S. military intelligence now believes Kim Jong-un`s regime is ready at any time to conduct both an underground nuclear test and to test a missile that could reach you at shores. The problem – no one knows if and when North Korea might do it.

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: We continue to monitor the situation on the Korean Peninsula very closely as we always do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the U.S. is watching is this test site in North Korea. The Web site, 38 North, which closely monitors North Korea says commercial satellites snap to these pictures showing engine testing for a crucial long range missile called the KNO-8. The KNO-8 for showing as a mock up at this parade is a mobile intercontinental missile, a huge worry. Because if North Korea can develop a mobile missile with a nuclear warhead, they can move it around quickly. A U.S. space satellite might not find it before it launches.

VICTOR CHA, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: It`s estimated that this road mobile missiles could have a range of as far as 6,000 miles. Again, we don`t know if that`s true because they haven`t tested one, but if they can fire road mobile missiles that far, that puts places like Alaska, Hawaii and Los Angeles within range.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Analysts say the imagery shows evidence that engine test happened in a recent two week period. Fuel tanks have been moved from the immediate test area to a post-test storage site. As you can see here, from the Website 38 North, it also shows vehicles have been brought in, carrying personnel and equipment and the trench has turned white, possibly from the blast of an engine test.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: From West to East, it`s time for an international “Roll Call” this worldwide Wednesday. Pioneer Middle School is located in Alberta, Canada and we are glad to have them watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. Across the Pacific, hello to everyone at Chionan Girls` High School. They are online in Seoul, South Korea. And in the Philippines, we have some viewers at International School of Manila. They are seeing today`s show in their nation`s capital.

There are a lot of ways you can honor educators this teacher appreciation week. You can write a letter. You can send a card if you`re on Facebook, you could join the hundreds commenting at Facebook.com/cnnstudentsnews.

Miyanah says Senora Smith at Nottoway Middle School understand her. That she is like a big sister she can tell anything to. Kiaya or Kia says Ms. Smathers at Balch Springs Middle School is the best math teacher ever. “She really cares about us.”

Joe writes, “Mrs. Malone, my 8th grade science teacher was always there for me when no one else was. She inspired me to become a biologist.

And Noah says, Mr. Speas is the best social studies teacher for making a boring class not boring.

When a school invites a highly visible public figure to speak at its graduation, it might be taking a risk. Some students might not agree with the person`s work, or views, or politics. Something interesting this year is the number of would-be graduation speakers who are backing out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s that time of year again.

(CHEERS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majesty of public circumstance. Accolades.

OPRAH WINFREY: An honorary doctorate from Harvard.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And potentially important advice.

STEVE JOBS: Stay hungry, stay foolish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is, if the commencement speaker is allowed to speak. This year, a number of high profile invitees to this vibrant institutions of debate and discussion and ideas – well, they are being protested because some people don`t like their ideas.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was selected to address graduates at Rutgers University, but her past involvement with the Iraq War caused some students to say no to Condo!

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Yeah to Gandhi! (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Stanford professor decided to say no to them, writing on her Facebook page “Rutgers` invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community.”

But at least Rice was apparently able to make that decision on her own. Brandeis University offered an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali Dutch critic of Islam, but students protested her views and Ali`s honorary degree was rescinded. It all might make you wonder just who is running these schools and what exactly is being taught about free expression and debate.

Controversy can strike even the least likely of invitees: in 1990 then first lady Barbara Bush was deemed unsuitable by students graduating from Wellesley College. Her husband protested back.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: I think that these young women can have a lot to learn from Barbara Bush and from her unselfishness and from her advocacy of literacy and of being a good mother and a lot of other things.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama had to defend himself in 2009 when Notre Dame students protested his stand on abortion rights.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I also want to thank you for the honorary degree that I received. I know it has not been without controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Applauded or protested, this year speakers will be addressing a very important group – the next generation of controversial invitees.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Before we go, this would have made one heck of a speed bump. We may never know why the chicken crossed the road, but that`s a lot less disconcerting than this giant alligator. A South Carolina state representative saw this monstrosity not far from Myrtle Beach. Fortunately, the man who got this video was in a car. Imagine coming up on this thing in a bike. The gator eventually wandered off to some water nearby, by made for one great story when the reptiles his friends. They could jaw for a while over that siting. It could really test his lizard of storytelling. Hopefully, people will think it`s a croaker or tall-tale because that will be kind of cold bloodied. I`m Carl Azuz, and we`ll see you later.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: This Thursday, May 8, we are happy to have you along for CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. You might not have heard of synthetic drugs. This can describe a wide range of chemical substances that mimic the effects of other drugs like marijuana or heroine. The U.S. government says synthetic drugs can be even more dangerous than then illegal ones they try to imitate. Synthetic ingredients are sometimes more potent. They are untested. The names in ingredients are often changed to prevent drug busts, but that doesn`t always work. Yesterday, the government announced more than 150 people have been arrested over the past four months for making or selling synthetic drugs. Police seized hundreds of thousands of drug packages and more than $20 million in cash and other assets.

The government`s particularly concerned about synthetic drugs in part because a 2012 survey found that one in nine high school seniors said they used synthetic marijuana. That was that group`s second most frequently used drug behind actual marijuana.

Next up today, Janet Yellen, she`s the leader of the Federal Reserve, the Central Bank of the U.S. She expects the U.S. economy to grow “somewhat faster than it did last year. But she has some concerns. For one, the U.S. housing market. It`s weak, homes are at selling as well as economists expected. One thing the Fed`s doing is keeping interest rates low to encourage people to borrow money for purchases like houses.

Interest rates are one tool at the Fed`s disposal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, we`ve had that phase that, you know, money makes the world go around, but you may have asked yourself once or twice, OK, well, who makes the money go around? So, the answer is the Federal Reserve or as my friends and I like to call it, the Fed.

So, the Fed is pretty much unlike any other U.S. institution that I can think of.

It`s run by board of governors based in Washington D.C., it has 12 (INAUDIBLE) banks located around the main banking centers of the country, some places like New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia.

Presidents of these banks and the board of governors, they meet eight times a year to make big policy decisions and to ensure the economy is moving at a stable (INAUDIBLE).

So, Congress oversees the Fed, but the Fed doesn`t really answer to Congress. The Fed operates completely independently because it doesn`t care about politics. All it cares about is basically two things: number one, keeping prices stable and number two, trying its best to ensure that everybody who wants the job gets one. So, if the economy is heating up, it tries to cool things down by raising the cost of borrowing, my making it harder to borrow money. And if things are getting too cold, it does the opposite. So, you can sort of think of the Fed like Goldilocks. It doesn`t really like things too hot, too cold, it wants everything to be just right.

So, you probably want to ring – OK, well, you know, how does the Fed work its magic? What its secret weapon? The answer is, interest rates.

So, the way the Fed gets interest rates at just that right level at that sweet spot is through buying and selling U.S. Treasuries and other bonds. So, when it wants to cool the market down it sells you as treasuries. Stashes away the cash, and not reduced the money supply. So, that makes it harder to borrow money, and that basically slows down economic growth.

When really wants to heat the market up, it essentially starts buying up U.S. treasuries and other bonds that floods its markets with cash and fuels economic growth. So, it`s not necessarily a perfect system, but it works, at least for now, and as they say on Wall Street, don`t fight the Fed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you can I.D. me. I`m a nation that`s the world`s largest producer of platinum. I have three capitals including Pretoria. You`ll find me in the southern north part of Africa. I`m South Africa, and I`ve been governed by President Jacob Zuma since 2009.

Even though 79 percent of South Africa`s population is black, the country didn`t have its first black president until 1994. The reason – Apartheid. South African government policy of segregation. It discriminated against people who weren`t white. It was officially over by 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected, and his political party was expected to do well in Wednesday`s election. Though scandals surround the country`s current leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the first election since the death of Nelson Mandela. And it`s his party, the Liberation Party, the ANC that is guaranteed to win at the polls and give Jacob Zuma, the president, a second term. But many of these voters have become disenchanted with South Africa 20 years after that first democratic election. Scandals involving the president, for example, have angered many. A recent report has said that the president misused public funds to privately upgrade his own home. So, what does that mean when these people go into these voting halls and mark their ballot paper? Well, the question is how much support will the ANC lose and will opposition party, such as the EFF, and the Democratic Alliance gain more support. But in the end, the ANC will get more than over 60 percent of the votes, say polls, because there`s still deep emotional attachment to the party that liberated South Africans. Robyn Curnow, CNN, Alexandra, South Africa.

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AZUZ: Next report takes us from Brunei to Beverly Hills. First, a bit about Brunei. This is the South East Asian country that`s a little smaller than Delaware. And it has less than half of Delaware`s population, about 422,000 people live in Brunei. Almost 80 percent of those people are Muslim. And their government just instituted a strict form of Islamic law called Sharia law. Under Sharia law certain acts like leaving Islam or committing adultery are illegal, in some cases they are punishable by death. Not at Beverly Hills. A landmark there, the Beverly Hills Hotel is part of the hotel chain. Brunei`s leader invests in that chain. And because they disagree with Brunei`s Sharia law, a number of celebrities have stopped staying at the hotels. That`s having some side effects.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beverly Hills Hotel employees packing a City Council meeting pleading members to not pass a resolution condemning the laws of a country half a world away.

ANNA ROMER, POLO LOUNGE SERVER: It strangles our livelihood. It causes us to be unable to support our children, our families. My sick grandmother in Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the pleads failed to stop it from passing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With tremendous honor -yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Beverly Hills City Council resolution targets this man, the sultan of Brunei, a small South East Asian country. Brunei recently enacted new Islamic Sharia law that punishes adultery, abortions and same sex relationships with flogging and stoning.

The sultan is reportedly worth more than $20 billion and has the best seat in the hotel chain that owns the story Beverly Hills Hotel.

JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Maybe people just become aware.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Celebrities now vowing to boycott the iconic hotel and the entire chain. Richard Branson tweeting, “No Virgin employee nor our family will stay at the Dorchester Hotels until the sultan abides by basic human rights.

LENO: It`s all economic, you know. How big an economic impact will it have? Let`s find out and see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hotel says the boycott has already cost it more than a million dollars, but will try to avoid layoffs.

CHRISTOPHER COWDRAY, CEO DORCHESTER COLLECTION: It`s getting to hurt our employees. And they have – nothing to do with them, no whatsoever.

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AZUZ: Trojans, tornadoes and eagles – welcome to the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” We are starting today in Topeka, Kansas, with the Trojans. They are making our roll at Topeka High School. Spinning up to Anoka, Minnesota. Hello to the tornadoes. Thank you for watching it, Anoka High School. And in Tolland, Connecticut, the eagles are soaring over Tolland High School. It`s great to know you all are watching.

It`s teacher appreciation week and we are featuring your comments. From our student viewers already on Facebook, Min appreciates Ms. Carey at Buscan International Foreign School. She makes science interesting and inspires me to become a scientist. Mackenzie`s favorite teacher is Mrs. Makos. “She`s helped me with my math skills and made me a better student.” Sarah writes, `Mr. Marquez is one of the best social studies teacher someone could have. You`ll never get lost in his class.” Laverrio says, Coach Wingo is world history teacher is very chill and laid back. Any teen would be happy to have him as a teacher. And Sean says Mrs. Hall teaches us a lot about how America came to be and how current event affect us.

If you never wondered what it looks like when a relatively small hovering pile of twisted plasma shifts back and forth a little bit before blasting off in the space, well, NASA`s got your answer. You`re looking at a prominence eruption, something that scientists say is pretty common on the Sun and no threat to us here. This view is from NASA`s solar dynamics observatory, an $850 million space craft that orbits the earth, staring at and studying the Sun. There`s plenty of space for puns here. You could say, it really heats up interstellar interest, that it gives a startling view, that it`s plasmatic, enlightening, illuminating, radiant, brilliant. It`s certainly something else and it lets us end our show on a sunny side – hope you make more space again for CNN STUDENT NEWS tomorrow.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. I`m Carl Azuz. We are happy you are taking ten minutes for CNN STUDENT NEWS. Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan spoke out yesterday against Boko Haram. It`s a terrorist group that kidnapped more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls on April 15. The president says that would be the beginning of the end for the terrorists, but his country hasn`t been able to rescue the girls. And Boko Haram just continued attacking and killing Nigerians. The Islamic militants say they kidnapped the girls because they were getting a Western education. The terrorists say that`s a sin.

Malala Yousafzai knows what it`s like to be targeted for that reason. In 2012, she was attacked for her education efforts in Pakistan.

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MALALA YOUSAFZAI, EDUCATION ACTIVIST: When I heard about girls in Nigeria being abducted, I felt very sad. And I thought that my sisters are in prison now. And I thought that – I felt that as if I should speak up for them, because I felt responsibility. I believe that we are being sent to this world as a community, and it`s our responsibility that we take care of each other.

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AZUZ: The U.S. is planning to get involved in Nigeria, but we are not sure exactly how.

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CROWD: Now!

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mounting worldwide outrage of Boko Haram`s vicious kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls. Now, leaving the U.S. to offer widespread intelligence and military assistance to Nigeria.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They`ve accepted our help, a combination of military, law enforcement and other agencies who are going in.

STARR: Nigeria agreed to accept U.S. help somewhat grudgingly and still has to agree to the specifics.

A team of U.S. military experts along with the FBI and others are offering help with intelligence, communications and planning for a possible rescue.

There`s already talk of U.S. commando raids.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D) MINNESOTA: I think that the people on the ground have to go and have to determine if Special Forces are necessary.

STARR: But the Pentagon says, don`t expect to see U.S. troops in action. More likely, detective work.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, FMR. AIR FORCE COLONEL: Every single thing is based on having iron clad intelligence on the target and on exactly where the girls are and how the girls are being treated. What they also look at is how the guards operate, you know, what the routine is.

STARR: And that`s the kind of intelligence the U.S. simply doesn`t have at this point. And what if the girls have already been moved.

LEIGHTON: Each one is going to be in individual house, probably in different buildings, maybe even in different cities and that makes it really difficult to do a coordinated raid to go after them at exactly the same time.

STARR: Without all the raids at exactly the same time Boko Haram would have advanced warning the U.S. is coming after them.

So, what could the U.S. military offer? Well, perhaps drones flying overhead. To begin to monitor Boko Haram`s movements and communications. A first step to tracking them down. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

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AZUZ: From Nigeria, we are moving across the Indian Ocean to Australia. Western Australia is the state that occupies about a third of the country. There`s been a series of deadly shark attacks there in recent years, and the state government just wrapped up a three-month program to hunt various sharks. In all, Western Australia says 172 sharks have been captured. It allows those that are more than 10 feet long to be killed and 50 of them have been. The most are tagged and released. The government says the program has made people feel safer at the beach and contributed the scientific research about shark behavior.

It may extend the program, but none of those animals caught had been great whites. They`ve been responsible for most of the deadly attacks on humans. Conservationists say it`s mostly tiger sharks, which haven`t killed people that have been captured.

We are kicking off this “Roll Call” in the “Who is Your Stay” in case you are wondering who`s your first school. It`s Plainfield Hi, yo! The Quakers of Plainfield, Indiana lead off today`s roll. In Valley Springs, Arkansas, we are in the eye of the Tigers. Valley Springs High School, thank you for keeping an eye on us. And how about them dogs? The bulldogs of Turlock High School are watching. They are hunkered down in Turlock, California.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you an I.D. me. I became a U.S. state in 1912, but Native Americans lived here more than 1,000 years before that. My state nickname is “Land of Enchantment”, my capital is Santa Fe.

I`m New Mexico and relicts of early inhabitants are all over the state.

AZUZ: What`s fascinating is that researchers in New Mexico are using some of our latest technology to study those ancient relicts. Now, when you think of archeology you might think of digs, ditches, dredges, but drones? They are helping people see beneath the desert surface to study ruins underneath vegetation and sandstone without touching a shovel.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With a small remote control drone, equipped with thermo technology, archeologists were able to see underneath the dry New Mexican desert. The remains of a 1,000 year old village in north-western New Mexico.

DR. JOHN KANTNER, ARCHEOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: And really, just a few days` work allowed us to do something which would have taken a decade of work if we were to actually be – trying to excavate this entire area, for example.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. John Kantner with the University of North Florida says he studied the landscape south of Chaco Kenyon for decades and new there were homes from Pueblo ancestors in an area now called Blue Jay. But with thermal imagery, he and a team found even more.

KANTNER: We were able to find rooms, we think we may have been able to find as I mentioned before at least one kiva there`s blow to surface.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kantner says one of the most interesting discoveries is a possible Kiva, the ceremonial structure where people would meet for warship and decision making.

KANTNER: That really shapes your interpretation of what their lives were like. So, for me it`s very exciting that we may have actually been able to using this technology, identify these features below the surface.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The images helped guide continued research into the past where the estimate hundreds of people once lived.

KANTNER: If you drive now to Interstate 40 today, you have to imagine that 1,000 years ago it actually was a pretty packed landscape.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The new technique gives archeologists a way to piece together what remains of those who came before us.

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AZUZ: Teachers! Thank you! We appreciate your efforts to educate, inform and inspire young people worldwide. As we wrap up teacher appreciation week, Bhumija say her favorite teacher is Mrs. Degraff who teaches French and Spanish. She`s always encouraging us to do the best and right thing.

Meghan says Mr. Blake from St. Anne Catholic School makes language arts exciting while teaching us great life lessons.

For Faith, it`s Mr. Meaney from Manchester Township High School. His motivation in school, sports, and life itself just makes him all around great.

Dipendra honors Mrs. Knechtal, who is always there to help when needed. And R. Hudson writes, “Mrs. Ann is the best homeschool mom teacher in the world.

That last comment dove tailed nicely in the Mother`s Day. It`s this Sunday, don`t forget mom! Kevin Durant didn`t. He was just named the most valuable player of the National Basketball Association. He`s got four NBA scoring titles. He`s won an Olympic golden medal and the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and he hasn`t forgotten the woman who helped make it all possible.

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KEVIN DURANT, NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: We weren`t supposed to be here. You made us believe. You kept us off the street. You put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn`t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You`re the real MVP.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Great stuff. I don`t know how his brothers can atop that. I mean talk about MV peer pressure. It was certainly something worth crying about in a tributiful way to go in a Mother`s Day weekend. Thanks to all of you watching CNN STUDENT NEWS.