CNN Student News with transcript Week 45, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to standard time and to this November, 3 edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Hope you are doing well this Monday. I`M

Carl Azuz.

First up, investigators are trying to figure out what caused another spacecraft disaster in the U.S. 45,000 feet above the Earth and about 20

miles northeast of Mojave, California, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 broke up in a test flight Friday.

There were two pilots on board. One was killed in the accident, the other parachuted to the ground. He was injured, but he survived. The founder of

the spaceships company says he`s determined to find out what went wrong and to learn from it. He`s still committed to putting people safely in the

orbit, but the accident wrapped up a tragic and trying week for private space travel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ground control lost contact with the experimental spacecraft around 10:000 Pacific Time. The half billion dollar rocket

power craft could sit six passengers, but during this test flight, only two pilots were on board. The Spaceship is carried into flight beneath an

airplane. And that launch vehicle returned to the ground safely, but not the spacecraft. What went wrong is anyone`s guess. The ship is 60 feet

long and designed to fly 62 miles above the earth. And the wreckage in the Mojave Desert attests to the ferocity of the explosion.

A crumpled parachute could be seen on the ground, but still authorities say one pilot was killed and the other seriously injured.

It`s a far cry from the ambitious hopes Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson expressed earlier this year.

RICHARD BRANSON, VIRGIN GROUP, FOUNDER: 200 of the best engineers and technicians building them. Now we are beginning the final stages of test

flights in flight. By the end of this year, you know, we will eventually gone (ph) interspace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Instead, it is another blow to the idea of privatized space travel, and it comes only days after a spectacular Launchpad

explosion in Virginia, a blast that involved a spacecraft once again manufactured by a private company.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: A militant Islamic group in Africa is denying making a deal with Nigeria`s government. More than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted back in

April have not been freed. This contradicts what the Nigerian government announced in October. It said, it had agreed on a ceasefire with Boko

Haram terrorists. And that the girls would be set free.

But there were doubts about that because Boko Haram continued to attack Nigerians after the statement was made. The terrorist group leader says

the girls, some of them Christians, had converted to Islam and that they`ve been “married off.” Nigeria`s government says it`s been fighting a war,

and wars don`t end overnight.

We are following sun east to west as we take today`s roll. First, in the Garden State. The New Jersey borough of Collingswood. We`ve got the

panthers of Collingswood High School.

In the show me state, the city of Kansas City, Missouri, hello to the Vikings of Maple Park Middle School. And to the Grand Canyon state at

Apache Junction High School in Apache Junction, Arizona, the prospectors have just struck gold. Thanks for watching, yo.

Tomorrow is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That means it`s Election Day. The U.S. Congress made the designation in 1845.

This time around, we are not voting for a president, midterm elections determine who represent us in Congress, who will be governor in certain

states and who will serve in other state and local offices.

America declared its independence from Britain, which used to be ruled by kings and queens. So why do we seem to have our own political royalty?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America is a country that rejected royalty when it was founded, but it seems to love dynasties, political dynasties. The Adams`s.

The Roosevelt`s, the Kennedys and in modern times, the Bush family.

GEORGE W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush do solemnly swear. And the Clinton family.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: I, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are among the most popular names in U.S. politics today, but this year`s midterm elections feature branches of several family

trees. Sam Nunn was a powerful U.S. Senator from the state of Georgia. Now he`s given his daughter Michelle an assist in her bid for his old job.

SAM NUNN: And I think you`ve got a pretty good shot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there`s another budding family legacy in Georgia.

JIMMY CARTER: The next governor of Georgia, my grandson Jason Carter.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that`s former U.S. President Jimmy Carter endorsing his grandson Jason for an office he once held, governor of

Georgia. It`s in the family, from Alaska where the son of a former congressman is running for re-election in the Senate, to Louisiana, where

the daughter of a former New Orleans mayor is trying to keep her Senate seat. And it`s all building toward what could be the big showdown between

political dynasties two years from now. The wife of a president, Hillary Clinton versus the son and brother of president, Jeb Bush, in the race for

the White House.

But why do families dominate the political landscape? Well, name recognition goes a long way. Among other things, analysts say family ties

can make it easier for candidates to connect with donors, and political campaigns are more expensive than ever.

In 2012, winning Senate candidate spent an average of $10 million to get elected, and that year`s presidential candidates spent a combined $2

billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Keeping things all in the family might make it easier to run for president, but not

everyone likes the idea.

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: If we can`t find more than two or three families to run for high office, that`s silly.

MANN: Like it or not, political dynasties are part of the American DNA. Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a place plus of worship that was opened to the public 502 years ago, I`m considered one of the

greatest achievements in art, as he painted my frescos, Michelangelo wrote a poem about how difficult it was for him. Do you know it? I`m the

Sistine Chapel, as he painted part of this masterpiece, Michelangelo wrote, “I`m not in the right place, I`m not a painter.”

AZUZ: Michelangelo`s incredible achievement has been incredibly enduring. Not only for its timeless depictions of scenes from the Bible, but that it

stayed in place and stayed vivid since 1512. It was restored once from the 1980s to the 1990s, and it`s seeing some enlightening changes now, because

age alone isn`t the only threat to the Renaissance monument.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: High above the altar in the Vatican Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo`s masterpiece fresco is being seen in the whole new

light. The new glow is a result of a high tech makeover, which includes a new air purification system and 7,000 LED lights. All of which will serve

to illuminate, but will not cause any heat damage.

450 years after Michelangelo`s death, this is an emotional moment for many.

ANTHONIA PAOLUCCI, HEAD OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS (through translator): I felt very moved and very happy, too. Why? Because I got to see the

Sistine Chapel like I had never seen it before. This light allows you to see every little detail of the paintings and at the same time, it allows

you to craft (ph) and experience the Sistine Chapel as a whole in its entirety.

SOARES: Experts hope the facelift will safeguard Michelangelo`s centuries old artwork, from the damage caused by the ever-growing crowds, who bring

in with them that dust and sweat and breathe out carbon dioxide. So, from now on, sensors and cameras mounted on the wall, will count the number of

people in the Chapel and regulate the temperature and humidity. And if the numbers of tourists continue to rise, the Vatican says it may have to limit

the numbers of visitors.

PAOLUCCI: When we reach 6 million, enough. No more. We will not exceed that number. It is the maximum number. After that, regulating the

reservations, we will make sure that number is not exceeded.

SOARES: Bold and enlightening moves that will ensure that no fresco is left in the shadows. Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: It`s college class exercise that can be completed in less than two minutes. If you make it, you get an A and the winner can get $500 in

scholarships. All you have to do is walk on water. It`s part of an architectural construction class at Florida International University.

Students design and build water shoes, then put them to the test trying to cross a 175-foot lake. Some make it, some get soaked, some do both.

Everyone gets exercise. Because it`s a great way to work out or work in your waterobics. It gets students in the swim of design, whether they like

it or not. It`s a trendy way to make waves with everyone wearing boat shoes, and now that you`ve been inundated with puns, we are going to climb

out and fish for more stories for you to soak in tomorrow.

I`m Carl Azuz.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s Election Day in America. But why now and why all states at the same time? You`re about to find out today on CNN STUDENT

NEWS. I`M Carl Azuz.

U.S. general elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Congress made it that way in 1845. More Americans farmed back

then, and they had to travel somewhere to vote.

Earlier November was between the harvest and the worst winter weather. Different states used to have different voting dates.

But as new as begin the travel faster through telegraph technology, the government didn`t want results in early voting states to influence the

turnout and opinion in later voting states.

One Election Day nationwide solve that problem. So, flash-forward to the midterm elections of 2014, and the U.S. House of Representatives -all 435

seats are up for election. Republicans need at least 218 of them to stay in control of the House. Analysts expect them to get.

Democrats currently control the Senate where 36 seats are up for election. Of course, the Democrat will still control the White House, and it`s

possible that even after votes are counted tonight. We still won`t know the final makeup of the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Political stars came out for the final Election Day push: for Republicans, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R) NEW JERSEY: When our Republican Party is at its best. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Democrats, Hillary Clinton hit three states for female Senate candidates.

HILLARY CLINTON: Who`s going to be there for you?

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Who cares about you? Who works for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Clinton went to Iowa.

BILL CLINTON: And I can tell you this, you need to vote for progress, not protest, you need to think about what you want for the next six years.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Still, Republican and Democratic sources say the GOP looks increasingly likely to seize the Senate majority. And Iowa where

James Taylor playing made it appear more peace rally than pep rally is a big reason why. Iowa is so critical to the balance of power that Senate

Majority Leader Harry Reid told Democratic volunteers in a conference call, that if they lose Iowa, it will be very hard for Democrats to keep control

of the Senate.

Here is why: Republicans need to flip six Senate seats to take control. West Virginia, Montana and South Dakota, which was briefly influx, are now

all almost sure to be GOP pickups.

Democrats are bracing for incumbent defeats in Arkansas and Colorado, early Colorado voting shows Republicans eight points ahead of Democratic balance,

according to the U.S. elections project.

Democrats also say losing Alaska is likely. That they have engaged in an unprecedented voter turnout operation, and polling is unreliable.

Democrats feel better about North Carolina and New Hampshire, but polls show both within the margin of error. And there are wild cards. The

Republican incumbent in Kansas could lose to its Independent who could caucus with either party.

Louisiana and Georgia are so close, they`ll likely go into December and January runoffs respectively.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? Worldwide, there are more people with mobile phone than access to toilets?

This is true! A 2013 U.N. study found that 6 billion people have mobile phones, while 4.5 billion have access to toilets.

AZUZ: Mobile phone doesn`t necessarily means smartphone. According to Pew research, 90 percent of American adults have a mobile, fewer than 60

percent have a smartphone.

For those who do have what`s essentially a pocket-sized computer, a lot of the info you have on it is saved in the cloud.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know when you get a new phone and it automatically has your photos and all your contact on it. Well, that is

what we called for Cloud at work.

So, what exactly is the cloud? The cloud are suffering (ph) services that run the Internet (INAUDIBLE) computer. That means that information can be

transferred from device to device to device. It`s how Netflix knows that you are up to episode three of your favorite show even if you watched one

episode on your tablet and the other on your TV.

So, how exactly does it do that? Well, they are both reaching back to the same pool of data. Here to bring it to you, looks absolutely nothing like

a cloud.

It`s a massive collection of servers. Housing buildings the size of football fields. Now they are filled with thousands of computers with

miles of wires and cable that store things like the photos. The videos he watched, your likes on Facebook and your online shopping history.

These servers on the cloud enable all your devices to stay in sync and in turn make your life a little easier.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: But there are some downsides. If the cloud gets hot like Apple`s iCloud was recently, some private information stored on it could be shared

with the Internet. Company salaries or business strategies could be shared, and to access your information on the cloud, you have to be connected to it

through the Internet.

It`s not on your hard drive. It`s a cloud away.

Carl Azuz, present. It`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS roll call.

Ever been in Haverhill, Massachusetts? We hear they watch our show, they are at Haverhill High School, let`s go Hillies.

How about Albany, Louisiana? If you are ever near Albany High School, you`ve got to watch out for the Hornets. And in Savoonga, Alaska, which is

actually closer to Russia than the United States we are happy to see the Huskies of Hogarth Kingeekuk Senior Memorial School. Thank you for

watching.

Despite the failures of two different spacecraft last week, the companies behind them promising to move forward in space travel.

So is SpaceX, it`s scheduled to take supplies to the International Space Station next month. Is it possible it will take humans while beyond that

one day, say, to another planet? Founder Elon Musk says possible, yes, affordable? Maybe not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mars. It has an atmosphere that is 95 percent carbon dioxide. An average temperature of negative 81 degrees

Fahrenheit, and a surface gravity that is 38 percent of what we experience on Earth. And according to billionaire Elon Musk it will someday be the

ultimate destination.

(on camera): There are some people who think this goal of getting to Mars is crazy, that it will never happen. Are they right?

ELON MUSK, SPACEX CEO: Well, they might turn out to be right. I think they are obviously wrong that it`s technically impossible. The only

question is one of economics, because we can definitely, and we sent like the robot to Mars, but if you say, look at the costs of that, that Hope

program it was like three or four billion dollars to send one radio- controlled car with some sensors to the surface of Mars.

CRANE: Right.

MUSK: But it`s pretty cool. You know, radio-controlled car, but I can yet do that on earth. It would cost like a thousand times less.

CRANE: So, it`s different to send the rover and then a person.

MUSK: Yeah, I mean you probably send like one person on a one way trip, like – if they would like. And then maybe try to resupply them every two

years or something. The thing is it`s certainly technically possible. The question is what it costs.

I feel quite confident that you get down to a point where the costs of moving to Mars is less than half a million dollars.

It is an enormous development of it. When we are talking very big rockets, launched a lot.

Let`s say that there is a million people needed to create a self-sustaining base on Mars. Well, OK, a hundred people per flight, that`s 10,000

flights. Mars and Earth only synchronize every two years. I can do a thousand flights every two years, something like that is probably what you

want to do.

CRANE: Right.

MUSK: So, imagine a thousand huge spaceships going to Mars every two years. It looks pretty cool.

On Earth we take advantage of this huge base of industry. We also have all these handy things on Earth that you don`t have on Mars like trees or crops

that just grow, like this is fishing (INAUDIBLE), like go put a hook in there and get a fish. And you have all these challenges of an alien

terrain and having to create the foundations of civilization. Humanity would essentially be the steward of life as we know it. We would be

bringing life to Mars.

And, you know, obviously, the other creatures on Earth, they can`t make spaceships, so- there is no way for them to get to Mars, but we can bring

them along, and -and extend life to planet that currently doesn`t have it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: In a way it was a destination wedding. The destination was Dallas Love Field. But the wedding took place at 32,000 feet between Tennessee

and Texas. The happy couple don`t work for the airline, but they fly a lot. They had so many rewards points they were able to get tickets for 30

family and friends, but the rest of the passengers just got a free wedding with their plane ticket. The peanuts were handed out by a four-year old

flower girl. It`s certainly the height of romance, a couple flying to love, walking on air with their heads in the clouds. And you know that in

a wedding on a plane, no one forgets the wings. I like that. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Tuesday, November 4, was a big night in American politics. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS where we are leading off with

reports surrounding the U.S. midterm elections.

They are called midterms because they happen in the middle of a president`s four year term. They determine state governors, they determine state and

local laws and lawmakers. And they shape the legislative branch of the U.S. Congress.

As Americans from Maine to Alaska head into the voting boots, at stake were all 435 voting seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Its members

serve two year terms. At stake were 36 seats out of 100 in the U.S. Senate. Its members serve six year terms. What were analysts were

watching as we went into the vote?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are three key things we are watching in this midterm and the first is the U.S. Senate. The Democrats have been

in charge here. We are showing them in blue, along with two Independents in purple, but the Republicans are expected to gain seats here. The

Democrats are expected to lose some and control of this chamber will likely come down to nine or ten very close races and the Democrats must hold on to

at least two thirds of those if they expect to maintain control of this chamber.

Meanwhile, secondly we are watching the other side of the Capitol in the House of Representatives. The Democrats have been on the losing side

there, the Republicans on the winning side. That equation is not expected to change.

The question is will Republicans pick up more seats or lose some seats in the process, and if so, how?

If you see more Tea Party presence, that can signal some divisions within the Republican Party that the Democrats might exploit from their minority

position, and the third thing we are watching, the White House reaction to all of this.

If the president`s party loses both chambers and he reacts badly to it, that`s an easy signal for Republicans to say we are going to do nothing

with this lame duck president. On the other hand, if he reaches out too much with an olive branch to the Republicans that could dispirit his own

party. And that could be bad for Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat who wants to be the nominee for the 2016 presidential race.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: We know the answer to two of those questions: last night CNN projected that the House of Representatives would stay in Republican

control. This means Republicans won back more than the 218 seats needed to keep their majority in the House.

They also won enough seats to take control of the U.S. Senate. Before the vote, Democrats had 53 seats, Republicans had 45. Independents had two.

Republicans needed to gain six seats to have a 51 seat majority in the Senate. CNN projected they`ve gained at least that many. We say at least

because some races hadn`t been determined by the time we produced this program.

Teachers, please go to cnn.com to get the latest numbers and projections.

Now, about these projections. CNN projects. It means we expected certain candidates to win certain races. But where do we get our numbers and how

do we analyze them?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We`ve got a really major projection to make right now.

MARK PRESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On election night, you are going to find out the winners and losers by going here – here – here – here. And here.

But this is where it all begins, when you walk out of the voting booth, you might be approached by somebody with a clipboard, a couple of sheets of

paper asking you some questions. This is called the exit poll. Once that data is corrected all across the country, it comes back to here, to our

exit poll team. Five people dedicated to taking all this data from across the country, crunching it, looking at it and trying to figure out what

makes the most sense to explain to you how the election night is unfolding.

OK, so we`ve talked about exit polls. And now what we are over at the decision desk. This is where a dozen members from across the country,

these are journalists, and these are statistician professional mathematicians who sit here and they are working on ten different models at

any given time to try to figure out how to call the race. You can look at the exit poll data and call the race just off of that.

The raw vote is your vote, that`s the vote that we start to see that comes in from the individual states, the individual counties.

By the way, we can do it as we can just call the race on the raw vote. We don`t even use the exit polls because at some time throughout the raw vote

becomes more dominant and more important. And then ultimately, we may never call the race, because it has become so close you are talking about

potentially recounts, and look at how many races are going to be so competitive this year, who knows what`s going to happen?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Even though it wasn`t a presidential election, it seemed appropriate to have a Washingtonian-themed roll call.

Bonney Lake High School is in Washington. At Bonney Lake, we`ve got the Panthers on the roll.

In Laredo, Texas, it`s Washington Middle School. Hello to all the Bobcats watching the day.

And in Cherokee, Iowa, we found Washington High School. You all know I`m a big braze (ph) fan.

Strictly defined, the robot is any machine that can complete tasks on command. They are using everything from manufacturing to the military,

from searching for bombs to vacuuming the floor. A fully functional C-3PO is probably a ways-off, but a robot security guard isn`t.

It`s not Robocop, it can`t personally fight crime, but it can alert those who do to where it`s happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK GLASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we think of security, we think of CCTV cameras, banks of monitors and the solitary guard.

Well, that security guard is about to get some help from a roaming pair of eyes.

His name is Bob.

DR. NICK HAWES, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Bob is an autonomous security robot that can run for a long time and learn about the world as he runs.

GLASS: Dr. Nick Hawes, an academic of the University of Birmingham in the U.K., is working towards that future. He`s made a career out of developing

artificial intelligence.

HAWES: It`s developing software and – so instructions to computers that can – can solve hard problems. And that always fascinated me. I didn`t

really believe it existed when I first heard about .

GLASS: Dr. Hawes`s initial work in IR was in videogames, making the characters more live-like. But he saw a new film, “the merging” where his

expertise could be applied, and so Bob was born off the shelf hardware combined with state of the art software.

HAWES: In the – here we go – a laser, that`s his main navigation sensor. You can measure 30 meters around him, 15 times a second. We got that

camera, so that gives you a 3d image in front of the road ball. We use it for obstacle avoidance.

A second debt (ph) camera on the head that we use to look at people, look at the tops of desks, look at objects. He`s got his eyes, his head. No

sense (INAUDIBLE), no cameras, just so it can, you know, be interpreted by humans, or human can feel comfortable with this robot ..

GLASS: And we are better to try Bob as a security guard in the offices of the world`s largest security company, G4S.

On patrol, Bob had to detect whether doors were open or closed, lay (ph) on the layout of the offices and scan for things that might look a little out

of the ordinary.

Then, he`d report back to his human colleague.

HAWES: The big moment for me was when we left him overnight for the first time. It was almost like sending your kids after school for the first

time. You had to kind of trust that he would be OK, and coming back the next day and say that he had carried on operating on his own overnight,

with no human input. That was – that was the big exciting moment for me.

GLASS: The trial is part of a $16 million European project to develop robots that can assist us, humans in our daily lives. Although Bob is

complex, we are still a long way from the future predicted in science fiction movies.

But for Dr. Hawes, a world where human and machine work side by side, isn`t so farfetched.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Teeing off with a couple of golf stories before we go. If you think that drivers never have quite enough reach, maybe you should reach for

this: The Guinness world record for longest usable driver, though usable is debatable.

It measures 20 feet six inches and the drive on this shot was 63 yards. So, if you`re driven to have a record, sure. If you`re driven to drive,

nope.

But if you are looking for something more useful and dangerous, and you think golf just takes too long – the record fastest golf card ever. Quart

a mile, just over 12 seconds. Top speed, 118 miles per hour. Potential, not much. It`s not really street or golf course legal. But it`s faster

than the swing of top pros. And of golf course, it can make those with slower carts, greens with envy. Could it be the path to a faster game? It

really depends on how many people join the club, who want to take a swing at something different, who don`t mind a grassroots project and whose will

to speed is made of irons. CNN STUDENT NEWS. We`ll be back on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Obviously, Republicans had a good night. What stands out to me, though, is that the

American people sent a message, one that they`ve sent for several elections: now they expect the people they elect to work as hard as they

do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: First up today, on CNN STUDENT NEWS, President Obama reacting to a midterm election that largely went against his

political party in Congress.

Americans voted to take Senate control from the president`s fellow Democrats and give it to Republicans. They also voted to give Republicans

their biggest majority in the House of Representatives since World War II.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what is right now, is the Congress that looks nothing like the Congress that Barack Obama started with.

Look at the U.S. Senate first. We fly it up high here.

Back when he took over in 2008, the Republicans were on the ropes. They had 41 seats. The Democrats had 57, plus two Independents that caucus with

them. In 2010, they lost six seats here on the Democratic side, gained a little of it back in 2012, but then came the deluge. Look at what happened

overnight. The Republicans had 52 at least, as we go through the counting here, Democrats down to 43, a couple of Independents, one of them – they

changed sides, and some undecided, but nonetheless, Republicans in charge.

This chamber has changed in a dramatic way.

And if you go across the rotunda in the Capitol, over to the U.S. House of Representatives. There the numbers are even more stark. Let`s change

everything over here, and look at the House and take it up high. 2008 when Barack Obama took over, Republicans are 178 seats, Democrats, 257. Then,

two years later, there was a landslide. The Democrats lost 66 seats. They gained a little bit back. Look at the numbers now, because this is where

we stand at this hours. We are adding this up. 242 for the Republicans, 174 for the Democrats. Some still undecided out there, but this is a

route. You add it all up, and President Obama in his two midterms will end up losing somewhere between 60 and 70 seats in Congress. Compare that to

some other presidents out there.

Ronald Reagan lost 31 during his midterms, George W. Bush, lost just 22 during his midterms and Bill Clinton lost just 49. All this means that if

the numbers keep running true this way, Barack Obama will have ended up losing more seats, his party will have lost more seats during his midterms

than any party has with any president since Harry Truman. So, this is a real setback for the Democrats right now. And the landscape, the

fundamental political landscape is changed dramatically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Now, this is why it matters: the U.S. has an executive branch controlled by a Democrat. And it will have a legislative branch controlled

by Republicans. Can they bridge their differences on how to govern the country? You know from civics that bills usually start in the House – or

Senate, details are hammered out between the two chambers, and if a compromise has reached, it heads to the president for signature in the law.

But if c a Democrat, doesn`t like the bills that Republican lawmakers pass. He can veto them. And it takes it two thirds

vote in both chambers of Congress to override that veto. That`s hard to do. The president can bypass Congress and make policy changes through executive

orders.

But those are limited. They can be challenged in court, and Congress can decide, not to fund them. Without significant compromise, the capital

could get tents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: For all of the Democratic lawsuits, the single biggest casualty of the night may have been President Obama`s agenda. His ability to

determine what`s being discusses in the houses of Congress. Here`s some specific examples.

After the Newtown shooting, there was a lot of energy in this country for new gun control laws. The Democrats couldn`t turn that into passable

legislation. It is very unlikely that embolden Republicans will now give the president any kind of other shot at that. What about immigration

reform? Democrats and Republicans have constantly disagreed on how that should be managed. Again, unless the president changes his stance a lot,

Republicans are not going to help him get anything through in all likelihood.

Yes, Republicans like the idea of new infrastructure improvements. They like new bridges, new roads, new dams, new electrical grids. But they will

not want to pay for this with increased taxes. They will want cuts to social programs to pay for it. That`s a non-starter for Democrats, and of

course, there is Obamacare.

Many Republicans can see they cannot overturn it now, but they can certainly make it very hard for President Obama and Democrats to make any

refinements or changes that could make it work better in Democratic eye.

All of this could basically take all these things off the table, kill them right now and more importantly Republicans could then start shoving

legislation at the president that he feels he simply cannot sign as a Democrat and then the Republicans will say ah, which party is the party of

“No” now?

And that could be a tough pill for the Democrats to swallow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Why are old school pirates always depicted wearing an eye patch? Well, they are not alive to tell us, but a popular theory has nothing to do

with injuries from sword fights. If a pirate had to move quickly from top side to below deck, from bright sunlight to near total darkness, keeping

one eye covered would keep that eye accustomed to low light, making it easier for him to see without having to take the time to adjust its vision.

It`s not documented in history, but it`s not hard to envision. Plus, it`s random.

This is a cat, and he is feline, all right. But the term “cat” describes much more than this. It includes any members of the family felidae tigers,

lions, leopards, cougars.

And there`s a place in Texas that rescues big cats that might have been abandoned or abused or maybe they came from zoos or circuses after

retirement. What it`s like to care for them?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK KRAHN: My name is Derek Krahn and this is what it`s like to work with big cats.

I`m the operations director of the Center for Animal Research and Education, it`s a non-profit big cats` sanctuary. As of right now, we`ve

got 41 cats, mostly tigers. We`ve got cougars, leopards, lions. We live here on site with our family. I mean they are basically in our backyard.

I`m normally surrounded by all of these cats.

(on camera): My goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Hi.

(voice over): I thought that the lifestyle that I was living here was very interesting and it could be very relatable to a lot of different people.

What really set everything off was when I started funding (ph), and I started just taking six second clip of the cats. I had spent years

building the relationship with all of the different cats, and I was able to then translate that to live video content.

It`s my huge impact on my life and the life of my family and at the life of the organization. And I think the people really appreciate that honesty

above the real human-based stories that we`ve got going on here.

(on camera): I`ll let you not do it. You are being kind of rude, honestly. I`ve got to do an interview.

(voice over): You do become like a surrogate father figure to a lot of them.

(on camera): How are you? You peed on me. That`s great.

(voice over): Really, what a lot of that boils down to, it`s just they become your friends. They become your very, very close and very dear

friends.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: On our transcript page, at cnnstudentnews.com, we are getting thousands of “Roll Call” requests every day, thanks to all of you for your

patience.

We are going to start in Kaohsiung today. It`s in Taiwan and it`s where we are on in Kaohsiung High School. The centennial State of Colorado is next

at Monte Vista Middle School at Monte Vista. Hello to the pirates. How are you doing? And how about the dogs? The bulldogs of UMS-Wright

Preparatory School is watching. Good to see you in Mobile, Alabama.

Apparently, some researchers thought that the cameras in the “March of the Penguins” just didn`t get close enough to the birds. So, someone invented

this: It`s a remote control penguin rover. It`s got mobility, it`s got cameras, it gets really close up viewers of the animals. Now, you might be

asking why.

Researchers say that penguins are less stressed by rovers than humans, that they are heart rates are lower, so the camera can get closer.

Now, you might think it`s for the birds, but for scientists with the funding it`s a penguiner. It`s a really beak deal. It makes the

flightless more frightless, wondering what will they think of next. I`m Carl Azuz winging it for CNN STUDENT NEWS. Tomorrow is Friday and you know

what that means.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome! And after a week of laryngitis it feels good to be able to say that like that. Thanks for

sticking with me. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS.

First up, a U.S. airstrike in Syria. But this attack wasn`t aimed at ISIS. It was aimed at Khorasan, another terrorist group operating in the war-torn

nation. The attack was on Wednesday night, the target was a vehicle that the U.S. believed was carrying a bomb maker from France. Considered a very

dangerous operative, he joined up with Khorasan terrorists in Syria.

U.S. officials don`t know if he was killed. They think he was. But they say they are making progress against ISIS and Khorasan in Syria.

The has targeted Khorasan before, it`s made up of former members of the al Qaeda terrorist group, and the U.S. believes it`s plotting new attacks

against Western countries, including America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time for “The Shoutout.” Cytology is the study of what? You know what to do. Is it resources? Cultures? Cells or blood.

You`ve got three seconds, go!

A cytologist studies living cells, and may focus on those that cause disease. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

In one way cytologist do that is by looking at blood samples. Those can indicate how organs are functioning, what disease people may have. From

heart disease to pre-diabetes to cancer. But blood tests can take days or weeks to yield results.

And news came out recently that a technology company is experimenting with nanoparticles, trying to fit a test into a pill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Google X Labs is creating a pill aimed at detecting cancer and other conditions. Here is how it would work: tiny particles

from the pill are programmed to spread throughout the body and latch on to abnormal cells. A wearable device tracks the particles in theory to find

out if cancer or other diseases are present, monitoring would be on a daily basis, and information can be downloaded by doctors. This could make many

blood and urine samples obsolete.

Google has come under fire for privacy and security in the past, but they say they won`t be handling individual data. A partner will do that.

If this sounds too good to you, don`t get too excited: it could take years for the technology to be ready if ever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: And, of course, blood tests alone can`t diagnose everything. They may not be able to confirm mental illness, for example. Though they may

help doctors find something physical that`s causing it.

To diagnose bipolar disorder, doctors can use a number of tests: a physical exam, bloodwork, a psychological exam and then have patients chart

their moods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that around six million Americans suffer from. I will tell you, it`s really

hard to know the numbers, because sometimes people don`t seek help.

Bipolar depression, manic depression, these are terms that are all meaning the same thing: the manic part of it thinks of that as the highest of

highs in your life. You feel great, you may be more reckless (INAUDIBLE). The depressed part of it is sort of the lowest of the lowest.

I want to try and simplify this for you, because I find this really fascinating.

Well, here`s the frontal lobes of the brain, and deepened here is an area of the brain called the amygdala. Think of the frontal lobes of the brain

as your judgment area of the brain, but also your brakes.

The area of the brain that tells you to slow down, to stop, think a little bit before you do something. And think of the amygdala as the emotional

center on the brain. So, someone who is manic, typically has no brakes, frontal lobes are not really active, and the amygdala is red hot meaning

it`s super-active. Things that you think you immediately do, it may lead to wild bursts of creativity with unlimited energy.

That`s often time at the manic phases. Depression, think about this as exactly the opposite: The frontal lobes are now turned all the way up.

That means everything is just stopped. Nothing is getting out. The amygdala turned low. It means you have just no emotion. So, you are

apathetic, you don`t want to get out of the house, you simply don`t want to do anything.

That` what`s happening in the brain with someone who has manic depression.

The episodes can last hours, they can last days, they can last weeks. People can go through cycles over a time. So, within a year you could have

four cycles, from mania to depression and so forth.

Typically, people really start to develop symptoms (INAUDIBLE), teens, early 20s. But half of people are diagnosed before the age of 25.

Many people can get good treatment for bipolar depression. And I think it`s fair to say that it`s not easy. First of all, it can be challenging

to get the diagnosis. Second of all, it can be challenging to try all medications, see if they are working. But the key is ultimately finding a

medication that`s more of the mood stabilizer. You don`t want to give someone an antidepressant who could possibly go into a manic phase. That

could just worsen the mania. It`s more about giving mood stabilizations, to cut down on the intensity of the mania and the depression.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: FROM our transcript page, at cnnstudentnews.com, we are hitting the trail with some pioneers on today`s “Roll Call.” Gregory Middle School,

welcome to the roll. Good to see you guys in Naperville, Illinois. Call Mississippi the Magnolia state, call it the hospitality state. We call it

home of the lions. Cedar Lake Christian Academy is in Biloxi. And in Jeju, South Korea, we`ve heard from the dragons. Thanks for watching it, Korea

International School.

Now, heading to the city of Marietta, Georgia. Hello to our viewers there. It`s where we found an exoskeleton in action. Now, when you think robotic

exoskeleton, you might think Iron Man, but real ones exists and have practical uses. They can help people who`ve injured or paralyzed walk

again, and they can help workers lift equipment and handle heavy tools without fatigue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Check out the Hercules C-130. It`s a military plane used to carry weapons, Humvees and even drop bombs.

Not exactly a light load. And to handle the tools responsible for building them, you`ve got to be strong, really strong. Here`s is one solution: a

robotic suit aimed to giving workers superhuman strength.

(on camera): Right now tell me, what does feel like to you right now?

JIM MEDLEY, LOCKHEED MARTIN: Pretty much weightless.

SEGALL: But I`m told that this is definitely not weightless.

MEDLEY: No, it is not.

SEGALL: All right, so we are going to try it, right, and I`m going to see.

MEDLEY: You got it?

SEGALL: All right?

MEDLEY: Pull it out.

SEGALL: Oh, OK. So, that certainly not weightless.

(voice over): When you stand or kneel, FORTIS transfers weight to the ground. It has weights on the back to serve as a counterbalance.

Putting on the FORTIS is like a cross between wearing a spacesuit and becoming a robot.

It`s a little awkward to move around, but wearing FORTIS can suddenly allow you to lift heavy objects for long periods on end. And that`s helpful when

you are building something as big as a plane.

(on camera): We`ve all seen Ironman before, but it seems so futuristic. What was the idea behind it?

PATRICIA AELKER, EXOSKELETON MANAGER, LOCKHEED MARTIN: We are looking at different technologies, we found that there was a need to help industrial

workers who are experiencing fatigue from holding heavy tools out for long periods of time.

SEGALL (voice over): You don`t want the people building this thing to be tired. Objects are literally flying out of it.

Lockheed Martin makes FORTIS to sell to its customers. The Navy just got two, but here at the C-130 plant, Lockheed is using it as a new

manufacturing upgrade to a plane they`ve been making since the 1950s.

But the 2014 model is being built in a way that`s very futuristic. Laurie Segall, CNN Money, Marietta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: One week ago, we showed you a guy at a Tennessee college win $10,000 for this. You`ve got to make a layup, a free throw, a three-pointer and a

half-court shot, all in 30 seconds. Missing the first two layups, not a good start.

But at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, the freshman didn`t give up. And after he somehow hits the three pointer, you are not going to believe

this.

(CHEERS)

AZUZ: Dude won a truck. Four new wheels for four good shot. He didn`t lay down after the failed layups, he got a thinking feeling: put his back

backboard into it, made some pretty good points and drove home a pickup.

It was full court impressive, you, have a great weekend from all of us here at CNN STUDENT NEWS.