CNN Student News with transcript Week 2, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Happy New Year. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS and our first show of 2014. My name is Carl Azuz. We`re starting off this January 6 program with a bang. Millions of them. Cities worldwide lit up their landmarks as the clocks struck midnight, January 1. One of the most remarkable fireworks displays was in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates has the world`s tallest building, biggest shopping mall and now the Guinness world record for largest fireworks display. The previous record, 77,000 fireworks in just over an hour. The new one, 500,000 and who cares how long it took.

Of course, some folks stayed in on New Year, some were stuck inside or inside an airport due to winter weather. Some were stuck in a ship. A group of scientists, journalists and tourists were trapped by sea ice on a holiday cruise to Antarctica. They have plenty of food and supplies during the ten days they were stranded, but they had to be rescued by helicopter when another ship that tried to help also got stuck in ice. How does that happen?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: You`d think that because this is a glacial environment, sea ice would move in a glacial pace. Not the case. Roughs (ph) of ice move quickly, rushed over the sea by wind. They can expand and grow thicker, rise and fall with the waves beneath them. And blizzard conditions common to Antarctica even in summer, don`t help.

You might remember this scene from Minnesota, when wind blew ice ashore from Mille Lacs Lake, climbing and cracking in the doors and window. Think of the same principle and a massive frigid sea. And you can see how a Russian research vessel en route to the Antarctic got trapped. How Ernest Shackleton in “The Endurance” were surrounded, and how that ship was eventually crushed. Even animals used to these conditions like the trapped whales dramatized in last year`s movie “Big Miracle” are vulnerable.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see that?

AZUZ: So, what does it take to get through the ice and rescue whales, cruise ships or anything else that get stranded? Wait. Sea ice as thick as ten feet can be broken and the sloping holes (ph) of some icebreakers are designed to actually wedge up on top of the ice, so the heavy ship can crush down on it. The bows (ph) are also designed to then move the cracked ice to the side, plowing a path that other ships can follow, a crusty road to open water out of frozen maize.

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AZUZ: As many of you are getting back into the swing of school today, the U.S. Congress is getting back in session this week, getting back into the swing of making laws. The Republican Party controls the House of Representatives. The Democratic Party controls the Senate, and for most lawmakers, this is an election year. So there are a lot of challenges ahead on their to-do list.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The president`s vacation is over. He faces a colder reality now – Congress.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: If you`re a glass half full kind of person, like I am, they are the number one most unproductive Congress in modern history.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get ready for possible deja vu.

SEN. HARRY REID, (D ) MAJORITY LEADER: I wish I had a magic want to say, I know things will be better.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This year Congress has a full plate – right off the bat, a potentially easy one for the Senate, confirming Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. But next, a real battle over long term unemployment benefits, both sides arguing Sunday.

Even before vacation was over, President Obama pressed this weekend to extend the payments.

SEN. RAND PAUL, (R ) KENTUCKY: With regard to unemployment insurance, I`ve always said that I`m not opposed to unemployment insurance, I`m opposed to having it without paying for it.

REID: We have never offset emergency spending. This foolishness. We have people who are desperate. They`ve been out of work for some as much as two years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On January 15, a major deadline to fund the government: a deal was reached last year, but it needs to be finalized.

As early as February, a deadline to raise the debt ceiling again, with both sides already dug in.

GENE SPERLING, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: I think that it will be harmful not just for the economy, but I think it will be harmful politically, if Republican choose 2014 as a year to threaten defaults again on the debt limit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And an even heavier lift for a deal on immigration reform, which has escaped Congress for years.

REP, ERIC CANTOR, (R ) MAJORITY LEADER: It can`t be my way or the highway on such a big issue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not to mention, continue (INAUDIBLE) by Republicans to change Obamacare.

REP. DARRELL ISSA, ( R) CALIFORNIA: This has been a failed launch, a flawed law and it needs real change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t hold your breath for all of this to be crossed off the list. According to a CNN/ORC poll, released last year, two thirds of Americans called “Congress, the Worst Ever.” And the midterm elections will suck up much desire this year to compromise.

THOMAS MANN, CONGRESSIONAL SCHOLAR: These are not likely to be times of large fruitful legislative harvest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Time for “The Shoutout.” What factor most determines the shape of a snowflake? Is it temperature? Humidity? Altitude or cloud type. You`ve got three seconds, go.

Ultimately, the temperature determines the basic shape of the Ice crystal that makes up a snowflake. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

At last night`s NFL game in Wisconsin, where the Green Bay Packers hosted the San Francisco`s 49ers, the wind chill was forecast to hit negative 15, making it one of the coldest NFL games ever. The Packers were giving free hand warmers, hot chocolate and coffee to fans. If you live in certain parts of North America and you think it`s never been this cold before, you might be right. On January 2, the National Weather Service Key West tweeted that between International Falls, Minnesota and Key West, Florida, there was a 115 degree temperature difference. We have what a CNN meteorologist calls, a polar vortex, chilling the bones of almost half the U.S. population. As that arctic cold air mass plowed east, from the plain states to the East Coast, temperatures plunged 30 to 50 degrees below normal in some spots. The effects – traffic accidents, flight cancellations, school closings. The dangers – hypothermia, frostbite. The forecast – temperatures will be getting back to normal starting Wednesday. The western U.S. was mostly unaffected.

Now, for the CNN STUDENT NEWS, roll call. Here`s a look at some of the schools watching our show. First, from Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina. The Red Tornadoes. We head it over to Kentucky next for Olmstead Academy North and the Colts. And last, but not least, from Sanford, high school in Sanford, Maine, the Spartans are on today`s roll.

Last month, hundreds of farmers in Utah noticed something disturbing. Dozens of bald eagles lying sick on the ground. It left officials at the wild life rehabilitation center of northern Utah scratching their heads – what was causing this, could it be linked to a recent dieoff of eared grebes, which stopped at the Great Salt Lake this time a year and which Eagles are known to eat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LESLIE MCFARLANE WILDLIFE DISEASE PROGRAM: It`s very troubling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a puzzling mystery.

MCFARLANE: Right now we have 27 Eagles that we know have died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nearly three dozen bald eagles dead. Another five, sick.

MCFARLANE: Lead poisoning has been definitively ruled out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The division of wild life resources looks at every possibility.

MCFARLANE: We`ve been able to rule out a lot of things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they couldn`t rule out is the West Nile Virus. A virus spread by mosquitoes, but mosquitoes this time of year?

MCFARLANE: Now all the science and symptoms that we were seeing in the birds indicated something similar to West Nile, but the time of year threw that guess off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, they kept digging and determined that the bald eagles had been scavenging on dead grebes infected with West Nile. How they got the virus in the winter, is still not clear. Maybe they picked it up in another state then migrate it here to Utah. Or the grebes arrived here early, when mosquitoes were still around.

MCFARLANE: We don`t think that overall, the mortalities that we see will affect our population here in Utah or it was in the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Although 27 dead eagles seems like a lot wildlife bosses don`t t think Utah`s population of bald Eagle`s numbering about 750 to a 1000, will be adversely affected. As for the five sick yet surviving birds, they are recovering.

MCFARLANE: Cutie would be responding really well to treatment. Hopefully, we`ll be able to release them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Week story: two babies born in different years, better story – they are twins. You`re looking at a pair of sisters. They were born a minute part at a hospital in Texas, but what a difference that minute made. One girl was delivered at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2013. The other, 12 a.m. on January 1, 2014. Both are healthy, though there were complications early in the pregnancy. For that reason, their mother says they`ll each get their own birthday party. I`m guessing the reaction to that idea would be identical – it`s a win-win for the twin-twin.

We hope you find the time to watch CNN STUDENT NEWS again tomorrow. We can`t promise another story like that, but if we find one, it will make us all twice as happy. Have a great day, everyone.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. And I`m bundled up. With much of the U.S. feeling the effects of the polar vortex, which sounds cool to say and means something much cooler, we`re focusing a lot of today`s show on the cold. How cold is it? Well, in Chicago the National Weather service called it Siberia yesterday. Temperatures fell to 14 below zero. That was colder than the South Pole, in Antarctica. Minneapolis, Minnesota warned its residents of historic and life threatening cold. With wind chills hovering around 50 below zero, frostbite can happen in a matter of minutes. Now about that polar vortex. It`s the circulation of winds that normally surround the North Pole. But occasionally, those winds can get distorted, they can deep south, and when that happens …

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Brutally cold arctic air is spreading a dangerous deep freeze over half the country. The frigid blast forcing schools and government offices to close from the deep south to the North East.

MAYOR GREG BALLARD, INDIANAPOLIS: The temperatures that we are talking about are deadly. This is a combination that is unlike with anything we`ve seen in a long, long time.

AZUZ: Nearly 140 million people will experience wind chill temperatures of zero degrees or below by Wednesday. Temperatures the country hasn`t seen in decades. In fact, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta are all colder than Anchorage, Alaska.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The conditions are very bad. Roads are really slippery.

AZUZ: And it`s not just the plummeting temperatures. A massive snowstorm, battering the Midwest dumped up to 16 inches of snow in St. Louis. The iconic St. Louis Arch, barely visible under the onslaught of snow.

MAYOR FRANCIS SLAY, ST. LOUIS: This is a dangerous storm. Driving conditions range from difficult to impossible.

AZUZ: In Illinois, the entire basketball team from Southern Illinois University got stranded in the snow. Returning home from a game, their bus caught in the powerful winter storm. The team was stuck on the interstate for six hours before a tow truck was able to dig them out. But there is relief in sight. The subzero temperatures and snow will virtually be gone by Wednesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you can I.D. me. I`m a type of flu virus that spread worldwide in 2009. My symptoms are like those of a typical flu. But I used to be known as swine flu. Because I`m like a virus that circulates in pigs. I`m H1N1 and I`m the most common strand of flu that Americans are catching this year.

AZUZ: Of course, we don`t catch it from pigs. We catch it from other people. And with flu season in full swing, millions of Americans are coughing, running fevers, getting chills and body aches. And unfortunately, passing it around.

Just over the past week, the number of states reporting widespread flu activity jumped from ten states to 25. Widespread means large chunks of states are reporting flu cases. The most common strain, H1N1 virus is affecting a lot of young people, particularly in the south. With proper care, it`s not usually life threatening, but it`s sure not fun. So, how can you avoid it? Doctors say, the flu vaccine is a good start. It takes about two weeks before it`s effective, though. Another way to protect yourself, wash your hands. You`ve been exposed – wash your hands. Ready to eat – wash your hands. It makes the virus less likely to hit your body.

We always enjoy taking a moment to recognize some of the schools recognizing us. It`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” We`re going to start out west with the Natrona County High School Mustangs. They are online in Caspar, Wyoming. North Stafford High, you`re on our roll. The Wolverines are watching in Stafford, Virginia. And leaving a legacy in Orlando, Florida, we`re taking off with the jets from legacy middle school. Our friends in Minnesota know about the St. Paul winter carnival, called the coolest celebration on earth. They`ve got some competition in northern China, and like the American event, you can`t mind the cold. This celebrates it. If highs in the single digits don`t` keep you locked inside, the reward is carved artwork of snow and ice. Multicolored lights accent the frigid architecture and as you might guess, it attracts tourists from all over the world, who hopefully remember their coats. China, actually, offers travel packages focused on this event. But you might be wondering how all off this comes together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you think you`re pretty handy building a snowman, you might want to get yourself to northeast China where most builders one of the coolest shows on earth, the Annual Harbin Ice Festival. Thousands of workers have been hacking blocks of ice out of the river to carve giant sculptures and make fairy tale palaces and castles. One of the main attractions this year, a replica church set to tower 150 feet high. All of ice are illuminated with computer controlled displays. Of course, if you are coming, don`t forget your thermal underwear. Organizers say you could catch frostbite.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: And that`s with minimal trouble getting around in the snow. What do you do if you`re in a wheelchair? There are all terrain tires available that can give more grip, some are wider, some are nubby. But what about the smaller front wheels? What can be done to help those glide over the snow? Especially for those who live in snow all winter long?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I just hold that for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sam and Tracy Tabaka have never allowed their wheelchairs to hold them back.

TRACY TABAKA, WHEELCHAIR USER: We both enjoy marathons and triathlons and all sorts of fun outdoor stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But ever winter .the everyday becomes a challenge.

SAM TABAKA: Do you see how much slower this is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Front wheels have a tendency to sink in the snow making moving or even staying in the chair difficult.

TRACY TABAKA: There is a lot of tipping yourself back and kind of trying to jump over piles of snow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve taken many spills.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, a new product has all but eliminated the seasonal obstacle. The Tabakas are the first Minnesotans to try out wheel blades.

TRACY TABAKA: Oh, it`s a huge difference, just for comfort and for feeling secure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Essentially, small skis for the front wheels, the blades glide over snow and ice.

TRACY TABAKA: We spent over many months out of the year with snow in Minnesota and I mean this is a huge thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest impact is in the daily routine. Small tasks that once took time and energy have never been easier.

SAM TABAKA, WHEELBLADE USER: It definitely allows me to be more independent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A twist on cold weather culture that`s now moving winter mobility forward.

SAM TABAKA: It`s definitely changed, you know, my outlook on what I can do in the winter on my own.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Good stuff there. We`re going to come in from the cold for a moment for a bit of spoken world. It`s a kind of performance art. Can`t be poetry, can`t be monologue and it can`t help a group of young people do everything from find their voices to cope with the troubles they face every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Expressing themselves through poetry, finding like-minded youth with a passion for verse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of most beautiful things that I`ve ever been a part of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Safety. It means growth. It means lights.

VALENCIA: Cofounded nearly five years ago by then 16-year old poet Natalie Cook, Atlanta Word Works is a nonprofit, empowering teen and young adults through poetry. Members say it allows them to be among their peers, unlike most groups, which are led by adults.

ARIELLE LUCIER, ATLANTA WORD WORKS: Here`s this organization that is kind of for kids, by kids, with kids, the whole step of the way.

VALENCIA: The thoughts first go on paper that expressed in spoken word.

KALI SCURDY, MENTOR ATLANTA WORD WORKS: Each student that comes to work with this organization, they find and develop their voice.

VALENCIA: Students like Ivan who`s struggling with the likely deportation of his family, undocumented immigrants to Mexico. He`s now ready to face the possibility of leaving the only country he`s ever known.

IVAN, ATLANTA WORD WORKS: And this is not just my story, this is a story of millions of people all around the United States right now. They are scared, and I`m scared.

VALENCIA: And poetry is how Ivan expresses his fears.

IVAN: It is said that when a child is born into (INAUDIBLE) he has to be quick to adept and survive.

(on camera): I chose this over actual therapy, because I feel as though this heals me a lot more than anything else could heal me.

VALENCIA: And Ivan is not alone. Many in the group are dealing with the kind of issues most young people face: peer pressure of divorce in their families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a physical process, as well as an emotional and mental process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free to share and free to inspire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Historians have become like janitors …

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (inaudible)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rinsing revolutions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And washing away America`s history.

VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Back once more to Minnesota. Where it feels like anything but a balmy beach. So, a trio of brothers brought the beach to their home with a sculpted snow shark. That`s one way to illustrate biting cold.

It took them about 95 hours to build it. It sits about ten feet high, and it`s only natural predator is the sun. The brothers started doing this a few years ago with a puffer fish, so you could say when it comes to sea creature sculptures, they are pretty big fins.

Of course, the neighbors might complain if they are not in the swim, but given the recent plunge of temperatures there, a giant ice sculpture is hardly sharking. As long as those who made it are able to withstand the wind gill. I`m Carl Azuz, and more CNN STUDENT NEWS are swimming your way tomorrow.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. I`m Carl Azuz. And this is CNN STUDENT NEWS. Our first story today centers on the Middle Eastern country of Iraq. There`s been an increase in violence there. One reason – terrorists. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria known as ISIS has been fighting the Iraqi government and trying to seize more power in the country and the region. Another reason – religious divisions. Iraq`s two main religious groups – Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims don`t always get along. In some places they`ve been fighting each other. The U.S. is getting involved again. It let an international group of countries to invade and overthrow Iraq`s former dictator in 2003. The coalition then battled terrorists and insurgents for years. The last U.S. combat troops left in 2011. Now, America`s sending weapons and drones to help Iraq`s government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been very clear in his support for the Iraqi government saying that the United States will support the legitimate and elected government in Iraq. He describes ISIS, al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria was being the biggest threat in the region. Their brutality is well known. But he does say that the United States will stop short of sending in troops on the ground. This is what he said.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a fight that belongs to Iraqis. That is exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we left Iraq. So, we are not, obviously, contemplating returning. We are not contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight. But we`re going to help them in their fight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: For the first time in its 100-year history, the U.S. Federal Reserve will be led by a woman. The Fed sets U.S. monitory policy. It decides things like interest rates and how to stimulate the U.S. economy. It has an influence of world economic decisions. On Monday, the Senate confirmed 67-year old Janet Yellen as Fed chair. She`s worked at the bank for more than a decade. She has expertise in macroeconomics and the elements of unemployment. Some of Yellen`s work in high school may give clues as to how she sees herself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She`s cracked one of the highest glass ceilings in America. We took a look at Janet Yellen`s younger years. She graduated from Ford Hamilton High School in Brooklyn in 1963. In high school, she was both valedictorian and editor of the school newspaper. Her high school had a tradition for the editor to interview the valedictorian, and since Janet Yellen held both titles, she ended up interviewing herself. It certainly does give you a sense of how Janet Yellen viewed herself objectively in the article. She doesn`t shy away from listing her success, listing her awards, describing herself as a “versatile, attractive and talented senior.” But she means it in a very sort of tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Yellen will be taking over Ben Bernanke`s job. The current Fed chairman second term is up at the end of the month. Yellen and Bernanke share many of the same views on U.S. monetary policy. So, Bernanke`s critics have concerns about Yellen`s appointment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shoutout.” At what measurement, in degrees are Fahrenheit and Celsius the same temperature? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: negative 40 degrees, negative 12 degrees, zero degrees or 14 degrees. You`ve got three seconds, go.

It`s a cold hard truth that negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to negative 40 degrees Celsius. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: And yes, parts of the northern U.S. have seen temperatures hovering around negative 40 this week. That`s negative 40 Fahrenheit and Celsius. Yesterday morning, all 50 U.S. states recorded temperatures below freezing. It`s not all for the same reason, that arctic vortex that spilled frigid temperatures across the plains states in eastern U.S., but it is all part of winter. There were some concerns about Florida`s citrus crop. Freezing temperatures can have a significant economic impact on the state, if that crop is damaged by the cold. As of yesterday afternoon, though, Florida`s Fruit and Vegetable Association said the crop was OK.

Still, several deaths have been blamed on the cold in other places. Record lows have been recorded. Power grids have been strained by the need for home heating. And some folks have found creative ways to illustrate what happens when temperatures drop.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say it`s about 20 below.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With this week`s arctic blast, what may be one man`s frozen tundra .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is another`s winter wonderland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making clouds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Despite the biting temps, a brave few are testing the elements.

(on camera): It`s so called that if you take boiling water and throw it into the sky – it turns into snow just like this.

(voice over): Some are getting creative, timing the two minutes it takes to freeze a wet T-shirt in Michigan ..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it cold out here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And blowing bubbles into the brisk wintry air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watch as the now frozen bubbles roll across the deck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will look like cellophane.

(on camera): I like just getting out and getting the breath cold. Reminds you that you are alive, that`s what I like to think.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): OK, so and as we are looking that you`re alive, let`s look at your moustache.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My icicles, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): This cold spell even stunning the sceptics, proving you can freeze an egg if it`s cold enough.

And a whole tray of ice cubes in less than 20 minutes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: So, the students in today`s “Roll Call” are battle bore. That`s because we start in the silver state – Nevada with the trailblazers from Durango High School in Las Vegas. Stocking up north, we`ve got some Panthers watching from Alberton High School in Alberton, Montana. Welcome, big sky country.

And the Lions are keeping an eye on things over at Chandler High School. That`s in Chandler, Oklahoma. That`s the state, and that`s today`s “Roll Call.”

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for a “Shoutout Extracredit.” Which of these candies was invented first You know what to do. Was it, M&Ms, Twix, sour patch kids, or Junior mints. You`ve got three seconds, go!

It was back in 1941 that M&M`s went on sale in the U.S. Years before any of these other options. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: The colors have changed a bit over the years. Now, thousands of Americans want to change to their ingredients. Specifically those that give M&Ms their vibrant colors. There is no scientific consensus that artificial colors are harmful. They are cheaper than natural colors. They are more likely to stay, well, more colorful. But there`s a push for M&Ms to go more natural.

(BV)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The colors of M&Ms are so iconic. They have candy- coated stars of their very own TV commercials.

So, what gives the real M&Ms their colors? Well, that depends on what country you are in. We bought this M&Ms locally. Yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40 – all names for artificial food colorings derived from petroleum. But these M&Ms come from England and their colors come mostly from plants.

RENEE SHUTTERS, MOTHER: I just think it`s just not fair that our country is the one that`s getting the artificial dyes while Europe is getting the natural dyes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Renee Shutter says her son Trenton used to suffer regular meltdowns, but then his behavior improved remarkably when she took artificial dyes out of his diet, including no more M&Ms. Now, she`s building support for her cause. More than 140,000 people have signed her Change.org petition calling on the candy company Mars to remove artificial food coloring from M&Ms. And she might just have a chance. In November, under similar pressure from parents, Kraft took out the iconic artificial yellow coloring contained in some of its mac and cheese products and swapped it for a natural coloring. And Mars tells CNN in the statement, they are exploring the use of natural colorings. They`ve already obtained approve (inaudible) to Food and Drug Administration for a natural blue and green dye. But changing the natural colors won`t happen overnight, the company warrants. And they say they have absolute confidence in all their ingredients. It`s debatable whether artificial colorings really do cause hyperactivity. The FDA says, for some kids they may be an issue, but Renee Shutters is convinced.

SHUTTERS: I thank God every single day that we figured this out. And what breaks my heart is thinking about all these families that will never put those pieces together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: For some it`s just another winter time chore, but there is snow way this yellow lab is going to miss it. It`s like an all you can eat snow flake. Wouldn`t recommend trying this with your own dog – snow blowers are somewhat dangerous, and there is no guarantee that any other animal would eat up the opportunity like this one. For Bailey, that`s his name, Bailey, basking in snow blowers snow is second only to snacking on milk bones, though, he probably doesn`t get as many treats as he gets snow.

But to him, they are one and the same – snow cones, chocolate chip cookie snow, snowcodoodles. With little appetite and imagination, there are endless pass snobilities and Bailey is enjoying his just desserts. We are not deserting you. CNN STUDENT NEWS will have a buffet of stories on Thursday. See you then.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to your January Ninth edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. In less than a month the XXII Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Sochi, Russia. The opening ceremony is Friday, February 7th. Here`s by the numbers look at what`s ahead: 6,000 athletes competing. The best in the best in winter sports from 85 countries worldwide. The Olympics will run 17 days in the resort city. They`ll include 1650 Paralympians and they`ll be traveling to Sochi from 45 countries. Total number of events, 89. Some of them will take place near Sochi`s coast. Others in the mountains overlooking the city.

This could be the most expensive Winter Games ever. Russia`s spending at least $50 billion on things like roads, railways, stadiums, ski jumps and security. Russia says this will be the most secure Olympics ever. 25,000 police officers, 8,000 additional security officers. The country`s confident in Olympic safety, and that`s despite recent terrorists bombings in another Russian city. And this could be the warmest games ever. Sochi`s average temperature in February, 47 degrees Fahrenheit.

It`s colder than in Vail, Colorado, one of America`s largest ski resorts. It has some of the best skiing in the U.S. In Vail`s back country, away from the mountain itself, the terrain is only for the most experienced skiers and snowboarders. There is an avalanche control here. And two skiers and two snowboarders got caught in a sudden slide of snow Tuesday. Three of them were temporarily trapped. The fourth person, the grandson of one of Vail`s cofounders was killed. Officials believe the avalanche was caused by the skiers and snowboarders. Conditions might have been right for one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN GREENE, COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER: What we`ve been seeing over the last, say, ten days or so – is just a general increase in the size of the avalanches in the back country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is that?

GREENE: Well, we have some very weak snow near the ground that formed earlier in the season, and we`ve been getting kind of consistent snowfalls, so the slab over it starting to get thicker and larger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Skier Davis Lamere (ph) recently rescued his brother from an avalanche in the same area. It clearly shows you how quick and dangerous these events can be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shoutout.” Which of these college sports is not regulated by the NCAA? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: baseball, football, water polo or none of the above?

In addition to football and baseball, the NCAA oversees many college sports including water polo, rifle (ph) and bowling. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: NCAA athletes are known for competing at top collegiate levels, but at some schools, they may not be able to compete academically. What does it matter, if they are helping bringing money for universities and sports like football and baseball? And if they are hoping to go pro. Well, for one thing – they probably won`t. The percentage of NCAA football players who go pro, 1.7 percent. Percentage of NCAA basketball players who go pro, 1.2 percent. And the chances of high school athletes going pro are well below one percent for every major U.S. sport. This is why: the low test scores reported for many of today`s college athletes are causing concern well beyond campus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The University of North Carolina is not just an athletic powerhouse with dedicated fans. It`s also a top tier academic institution. But one academic counselor there who spent years tutoring student athletes, says too many of them can`t even read.

MARY WILLINGHAM, UNC WHISTLEBLOWER: I mean we may as well just go over to Glenwood Elementary right off the street and just let all the fourth graders in here, third graders in here.

GANIM (on camera): If they can`t read and there are no remedial classes, what`s the option? To cheat?

WILLINGHAM: The other option is to cheat. That`s correct. Or to find some professor, some course of curriculum where there are professors or there is little or no work expected of the student.

GANIM (voice over): Mary Willingham says there are athletes who come to the University of North Carolina who are reading at a third and fourth grade level. She says there is no way for them to succeed in a college classroom. The only place they can succeed here, is on the football field.

Willingham is one of the few people we could find who`s looking at the reading levels of athletes in the revenue-generating sports: football and basketball.

WILLINGHAM: They are leaving here, a profit-sport athletes without an education. They are significantly behind the level of reading and writing that`s required .

GANIM: With the university`s permission, she combed through eight years- worth of test scores. And found that up to 25 percent of athletes in the revenue sports don`t have the skills to take classes at a community college, let alone a competitive university like UNC. Looking at 183 football and basketball players between 2004 and 2012, Willingham found that eight percent were reading below a fourth grade level, and 60 percent were reading between a 4 and 8 grade reading level.

We wanted to know: is this happening in other schools? The NSAA told us that in 2012 alone there were 30 football and basketball players who were admitted with very low test scores. Of course, they point out, that`s just a small percentage of the 5700 athletes admitted that year who are playing those sports. But we wanted to know for ourselves. So, we filed open records requests at 37 public universities across the country or open records the laws apply. We asked for six years` worth of data.

We`ve got data back from 21 division one universities, including top 25- ranked footballs schools like Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Climson (ph). The results were startling. Most schools had between seven and 18 percent of football and basketball players scoring so low on the reading portion of their exams, experts told us they would only be reading at an elementary level. That`s an ACT score of 16 or less, or below 400 on the reading portion of the SAT.

But many of the universities had different explanations for low test scores, like Texas, which said some athletes don`t try very hard, aiming only to become NCAA eligible. Or “Washington,” which pointed out, low scores may indicate learning disabilities. And Louisville, which says entrance exams are just one factor considered when admitting a student athlete. You can read their full responses on cnn.com.

Not every school we asked would give us information. In fact, about half refused or said they`d send the data after football season. Why did we first go to UNC? We were following up on a scandal from two years ago, when it was discovered that many student athletes were enrolled in classes that required little or no work.

Even though the NCAA said it found no athletic scandal, a professor was recently indicted for fraud and UNC`s own internal investigation found evidence of academic fraud. As a result, the schools says it put in place 120 reforms and insist that UNC`s athletic program is now clean.

(on camera): And you are confident here that you`re doing the right thing by student athletes.

BUBBA CUNNINGHAM, UNC ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: I`m very confident. And I think our track record over time that we admit students who can do the work. Now, we are also highly competitive, and our students have to compete Monday through Friday as well as they do on Saturday. And I think the ones that are really committed to being authentic students, they are.

GANIM: Mary Willingham says she`s skeptical these changes have made a difference.

WILLINGHAM: We say that we made 120 changes, which you can make all the changes you want, but if you are still not meeting students where they are at as an educator, and bringing them along so that they can have success in the classroom. Then those changes are all for nothing.

GANIM: CNN also talked to a dozen professors and advisors at multiple universities and may echo what Mary Willingham found. Now, the universities argue, they are satisfied with their overall graduation rates, but the question, of course, is how these athletes graduate if they can`t read. Sara Ganim, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: From Newport to Noonan, we are heading states on both U.S. coasts, and today`s CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” In Newport, Washington, hello to the grizzlies of Newport High School. Stopping by New Mexico to check in with the Monzano High School monarchs in Albuquerque. Monarchs rule. And from Noon in Georgia, shoutout to the Cougars of Noonans High School. Thanks to some of you for visiting earlier this week.

AZUZ: Think fast. Favorite vending machine food. Candy, cookies, snack bars. But a burrito? Oh, no. But oh, yes, says this beef been and tortilla machine. It`s located at a West Hollywood gas station and some of those who tried it, say for the price. The burritos are pretty good. They are $3 each, so you could do the math on that. The machine offers free WiFi for the wait, because it does somehow cook the food. After all, no one would want a Burrito.

It`s pretty detailed and it shows you how vending machines are just stuffed with possibilities. Well, now the secret`s out. We`ve spilled the beans, and we`ll be looking to more news in the tomorrow`s 10 minute raps. We hope you lead that up. For CNN STUDENT NEWS, I`m Carl Azuz.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome. My name is Carl Azuz. It`s my pleasure to welcome you to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Our first story on the last day of the week concerns Syria. For almost three years now, Syria has been torn apart by civil war. It involves government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It involves rebels who want that government overthrown, and it involves terrorists who are trying to increase their power in Syria. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions have had to leave their homes. Last spring, it appeared that chemical weapons had been used in the conflict. After pressure from other countries, the Syrian government agreed to get rid of its chemical weapons. One step in that process was taken on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dangerous cargo, a Danish ship has set sail carrying the first batch of Syria`s chemical weapons due for destruction.

SIGRID KAAG, SPECIAL COORDINATOR, and OPCW-U.N. JOINT MISSION IN SYRIA: It`s an unprecedented situation, unprecedented effort and also, unprecedented in the fact that chemical weapons are actually destroyed outside of the stat party`s territory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The toxic materials were removed under a U.N. -backed deal arranged by Russia and the U.S. in an effort to eliminate Syria`s chemical arsenal by the middle of the year. The departure of this first shipment was delayed more than a week due to fighting in Syria`s civil war, logistical problems and bad weather. The head of the U.N.-backed disarmament mission tells CNN, this is a milestone, but much work remains to be done.

KAAG: The process of accumulating and consolidating all the other priority on chemicals is still ongoing. More movements need to take place within the Syrian Arab Republic, to Latakia, the Danish vessel will have to do many trips, multiple trips, rather, to Latakia .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For each of those trips, the vessel carrying chemicals will leave from the Syrian port of Latakia, escorted by ships from China, Denmark, Norway and Russia, headed for an undisclosed port in Italy where the chemicals will be transferred to a U.S. ship capable of destroying them at sea.

Workers put the finishing touches on that ship to Cape Ray just days ago at its own port in Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: The World Health Organization says that one out of every three cigarettes smoked worldwide is smoked in China. It might make sense that the country with the most smokers would be the country with the highest population. According to a global adult tobacco survey, in 2010 more than half of Chinese men smoked. Chinese health officials say more than a million people die from tobacco-related diseases every year. So China is putting a ban on smoking, specifically indoor smoking in public areas, restaurants, buses, hotels will be illegal in China by the end of the year. Smoking is both a health problem and an economic one when you factor in the medical and health care costs for tobacco users and their families.

The Christmas season may be over, but NASA says it just got a tremendous gift from the White House. The Obama administration wants to keep the International Space Station running until at least 2024. With the extension, the laboratory would be expected to crash into the South Pacific in about six years.

For the deal to be done, though, Congress has to approve it. Part of the reason for that, it`s expensive. Though China, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency contribute to the station, it costs the U.S. government alone about $3 billion a year to operate. It`s taking $100 billion to build. A White House science advisor and a NASA official say that`s worth it because the station, “offers enormous scientific and societal benefits”. Many Republicans and Democrats agree. Congress is expected to approve the move and the money.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shoutout.” Which term means “charging more for goods or services than the regular selling price?” If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A, inflation, B, Insider trading, C, Market dividing, D, Price gouging. You`ve got three seconds, go!

When a seller prices something above its regular price, especially when no other alternative is available, it`s said to be price gouging. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: Unless it`s done in an emergency or after a disaster, price gouging, which may be unethical, is not always illegal. But a football fan says the NFL has done something illegal that`s caused price gouging. New Jersey will host Super Bowl 48 next month. There is a state law that says most seats for a public event need to be sold at face value. One man says, because that`s not happening, and because he paid so much more for tickets, there should be a flag on the plate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: It`s packed with super store athletes, super charged performances, and a promises super high television ratings. But if you are looking for a seat inside New Jersey`s MetLife Stadium .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The average fan, the true fan really can`t – can`t afford to go to the game and enjoy it. They have to watch it at home. The average Super Bowl ticket price has risen by $200 in the past five years, but that`s just face value. Tickets for Super Bowl 48 are once again soaring into the thousands via secondary markets like StubHub and Ticket Exchange. One fan, Josh Finkelman, is so upset he is suing the NFL after shelling out $4,000 for two tickets, much higher than face value.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think probably all the corporate pig was taking all the tickets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His lawsuit claimed the league`s violated New Jersey`s consumer fraud acts by only releasing a meager one percent of these tickets to the general public through a lottery system, leaving the majority of tickets susceptible to enormous price gouging.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: So, with demand being so intense and the supply, right being so low, obviously, you have this gouging that comes about, and it becomes very problematic for the common fan who wants to go to the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to the NFL, roughly 75 percent of tickets are given out to individual teams who in turn are supposed to sell a percentage at face value to fans. But the lawsuit alleges teams instead offered them in large part to resellers who grossly inflate the price.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think more people should have access to the tickets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lawsuit claims one such reseller packages their tickets for a whopping $19,000.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Today, CNN STUDENT NEWS` “Roll Call” starts up north where hopefully, some of our student viewers are starting to thaw out. This one is for you, Maple Grove Senior High, we are talking about the crimson in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Heading south for our next school in Plano, Texas. Hello to the Stallions of Shelton High. And we wind up out west with the (inaudible) from Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California. Thanks to all you for watching.

The Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up today in Las Vegas aims to sell the future. Smartwatches, smartphones, smartTVs, smart stuff. CES is a tradeshow for all kinds of electronics. Not everything there will be successful. 3DTVs, for example, never really took off, though they once headlined CES. But some things on display regardless of their size could be big hits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This happened to be curve, which means that you sort of are (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the big features everybody is talking about when we talk about automotive technology, it`s driverless vehicles. What it`s like to be in a car when it`s driverless. To see the wheel moving, yet there is no driver! It`s your own personal valet.

Swipe, and now the car will park itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now check this out – as we are hovering, I can see on my iPhone ..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s David, our cameraman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wearable tech, sensors in everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to see wrist revolution, we are going to see mommy tech, we are going to see silver tech, which is where, you know, people of a certain age- and it`s this type of technology, wearable technology, technology that you can take with you and integrate with your phone that`s hot here at CES.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: One of our video editors sends us an email that says, penguins chasing a butterfly. We know pretty fast what our “Before We Go” segment will be. This is a scene from a Japanese zoo, when a member of the order Lepidoptera encountered members of the order Sphenisciformes. Things got a little out of order from there. The insect kept the rock hopper penguins hopping rocks for quite a while, and as far as we know, it fluttered away unscathed.

I had a story like this from years ago from another zoo. The pun was probably my favorite ever. We could have said it was the butterfly effect. It was freightless versus flightless. It was when wings work and flippers flop. But this one took the cake – the pupa became the master. Oh, yeah. Hope you have a great weekend. We`ll catch you on Monday if you flutter by.