CNN Student News with transcript Week 8, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Ten minutes of commercial-free headlines for the classroom. I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for watching.

First up today, unrest in Venezuela. South American country is officially a federal republic. That means, the central government`s power is limited and voters may choose their representatives. But in recent years, the power of Venezuela`s government has increased. It`s moved towards socialism, taking over control of TV stations, food companies, oil companies. The country`s president Nicolas Maduro has followed in the footsteps of former president Hugo Chavez. A controversial leader who envisioned a socialist Venezuela.

The U.S. State Department recently said it was concerned about protests going on in the country. Afterward, Venezuelan President Maduro kicked out three U.S. diplomats, and the protests continue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The streets of Caracas have resembled a war zone. Thousands of anti-government protesters met with water cannons and armed security forces. Buildings scarred with bullet holes.

These protests began last week when students organized against rising crime, food shortages and high inflation.

At more than 56 percent, Venezuela has one of the highest inflation rates in the world.

DANIELLA ROJAS, PROTESTER (through translator): We are here because we hope we can have enough goods, supplies and a safe environment to live in. We also expect quality education.

CLANCY: President Nicolas Maduro met the opposition with a rally of his own and is not backing down.

PRES. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELA, (through translator): I will continue in power, because the people (inaudible) power. On this constitution I swear, I swear and I will swear, nothing will take me off the road of building the Bolivarian revolution that Hugo Chavez left us.

CLANCY: Maduro has the media on a tight leash. The Maduro government threatened legal action for what it called “media manipulation against Venezuela. And attacks on V-TV, the government run television station.

While Maduro can still count on a loyal following of Chavistas, supporters of former president Hugo Chavez, Venezuela`s youth refused to back down.

Jim Clancy, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: There are often obstacles in the Olympics, and not just in the events themselves. Yesterday, when it was time for men`s biathlon and snowboard cross in Sochi, Russia, there was this: fog, lots of fog. Thick fog. It caused the events to be postponed. It was the second day in a row this had happened to the biathlon. American snowboarder Nate Holland said, this is pretty common. Mother Nature doesn`t always cooperate. It doesn`t seem to matter much to the Americans or the Russians. Late yesterday afternoon, the two countries were living the overall Olympic medal count, with 18 medals each. Netherlands was close behind with 17 overall medals, and Norway and Canada had 15 medals each.

Germany had 13 medals total, but eight of them were gold. Germany was leading in gold medals alone.

Some call it the winter blues. If you`re – just not feeling yourself when the days are short, the weather is cold, the sunlight is weak. It`s not just about one hibernate in winter time. For those who feel depressed this time of year or have symptoms of it. There`s a medically recognized reason – and thankfully, there are some easy ways to deal with it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even if you love the cold and winter sports, you`ve got to admit, this had felt like a long winter. AT least 12 million Americans suffer from something known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Numbers probably even higher than that. Longer nights, shorter days. All that leads to a chemical imbalance in the brain. What happens, is your serotonin levels are down, and melatonin, which makes you sleepy, that`s up, to make sense. Symptoms can be mild or severe. You can get fatigue, lack of energy, oversleeping, difficulty concentrating. And also, cravings for food that cause waking. That probably sounds familiar as well. Diet and exercise can always help. Also, get outside as much as you can. You can also get a specialty designed light box. You just sit there and stare at it for a while each day, or at least put it on your desk. The point is, you can get a boost of more natural light. Worst case, some doctors may recommend antidepressants or psychotherapy to help you get through this. Another tidbit, find things that bring you joy. Open up the blinds in your house, play some of your favorite music and be with your family. Laughter and togetherness are always great therapy for the winter blues.

(EV)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for “The Shoutout.” In addition to Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, whose face is carved on Mount Rushmore? You know what to do. Is it: Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt or John Adams? You`ve got three seconds, go!

The missing man here is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26 president of the United States. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: Yesterday, it was president`s day in the United States. But what`s interesting is, it really wasn`t. Officially, the holiday is known as Washington`s Birthday. George Washington was born on February, 22 1732. Congress eventually moved the celebration to a Monday, so government workers could get a three day weekend. What Congress didn`t do was officially change the name to president`s day in honor of Washington and Lincoln who were both born in February. Many Americans still call it President`s Day and Lincoln, after all, did get a memorial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He presided over some of the most transformative events of the last century.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: I`m happy to join with you today .

BASH: Martin Luther King Jr.`s I have a dream speech. Vietnam War protests. So it`s hard to believe that this 19 feet high 175 ton Abraham Lincoln, one of the most recognizable memorials in all the world, almost never existed. And for a familiar reason: congressional gridlock over government spending.

When you hear people talk about Washington as a swamp, it`s not just a metaphor. Over a century ago, right where I`m standing, was actually a swamp. It was a place for vagrants and as legend has it, even a place to dump dead bodies. Now, to build this would cost $3 million. It doesn`t sound like a lot in today`s terms, but back then, it was the most expensive in history.

THOMAS LUEBKE, SECRETARY FOR THE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS: Joe Cannon who was the speaker of the House, he called it a swamp, and he didn`t understand how we could have a presidential memorial out here.

BASH: It took almost a decade, five failed votes in Congress to approve this site.

LUEBKE: The designer who was Henry Bacon, he came up with this idea of putting this thing on elevated kind of hill, on pylons, 60 feet in the air. And that`s where the temple – the memorial actually begins.

BASH: Finally, in February 1914, 100 years ago this month, construction began and took eight years to complete.

LUEBKE: It`s an epic memorial, and the idea that it`s not only a president – it actually speaks to this huge American experience that was so important in our history.

BASH: But the Lincoln Memorial isn`t just iconic, because it commemorates history, it`s because it`s a place where history is made, the place for political protest.

That all started in 1939 with a concert by opera singer Marian Anderson.

MARIAN ANDERSON (singing)

LUCY BARBER, AUTHOR, “MARCHING ON WASHINGTON”: She had been scheduled to sing at the Daughters of American Revolution, but when it was learned that the audience would be segregated, she refused to do so. It was a concert, but it was a protest, and people knew it. Afterwards in the `40s, in the `50s, you just have a steady stream whether it`s an explicit protest, a conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Prayer Pilgrimage organized by Martin Luther King.

LUEBKE: The latest in this chapter was actually at the Obama – the first Obama inaugural. The day before they had a huge event here, which was very celebratory, but actually draws on this very same tradition.

BASH: So, was a memorial itself, is it tribute to Lincoln from his famous speeches to his hands? One clench for strength, the other open to show compassion. Its legacy for the last century is the perch Lincoln provides to Americans to protest and celebrate.

BARBER: This has become a place that the American people really feel attached to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Last Friday`s “Roll Call” went to the dogs, today`s goes to the cats, because we re feline like it. The Cougars at Springfield High School are watching. Glad to see you all in Springfield, Pennsylvania. What about the wild cats? They`ve got us on in Guntersville, Alabama. Home of Guntersville High School and out West in Nevada, it`s all about the Garrett Junior High School Bobcats. They are watching right meow in Boulder City.

Believe it or not, we`ve seen a surfing cat. We`ve shown surfing dogs. I remember a song about a surfing cow. But you only see something like this hen pigs surf. It`s a surfing pig. The owner says it fell into the pool one day – that`s how they found out it could swim. After that, well, why not? Take it surfing. It hangs out, it hangs to, it wipes out, up pops the snout. It gets back on the board and rides the waves to shore. Looks like it`s in hog heaven. It has onlookers squealing with surprise, although some say for surfing bodies, it`s a pork choice. After every ride, he`s just bacon to go again. And we`d show you more, but we`re just snout at time. I`m Carl Azuz hanging it up for CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz reporting from Atlanta, Georgia. We`re starting with news from Ukraine. Parts of Kiev, the capital, were lit up by fires last night. As we put this show together. Earlier in the day at least 14 people had been killed. Seven civilians, six police officers and one government employer as protests intensified in Kiev.

Ukraine got its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. More than two decades later, its people are people divided. Some want closer ties with the European Union, others, including the president, want closer ties with Russia. Protests over this have been going on for months, each side is blaming the other for Tuesday`s violence.

For Americans in the U.S. Northeast who are sick of snow, now is the winter of their discontent. The good news is, it`s going to get warmer for them as this week goes on. The bad news, meteorologists are saying at least another month of cold, snow and ice will follow.

Interesting news, some cities are approaching records. For Chicago, this is the fifth snowiest winter ever recorded with almost 67 inches of snow so far. For Philadelphia, the third snowiest, over 58 inches of snow there. And for Indianapolis, this winter is the snowiest ever. Almost 52 inches of snow and we are only in February.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once again, the northeast is bracing for another snowy blast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to stop. I cannot see where I am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This latest winter storm already causing crippling whiteout conditions in northern Illinois and slamming the Chicago area with up to six inches of snow.

In Milwaukee, icy roads causing a vehicle to spin off the highway hitting this squad car which was at the scene of another crash.

The massive amount of snowfalls and the relentless storms near record breaking totals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s been a little bit too much snow for my taste.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Washington D.C. almost doubling its normal amount of snowfall for February so far, while New York City and Philadelphia triple their yearly accumulations. All the snow causing problems for many school systems. Officials now forced to make up snow days. In parts of Pennsylvania, class was in session on President`s Day.

CINDY KOONS, PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: We may lose Easter Monday. We may lose a professional development day that the teachers were going to have to have and a retreat day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Schools in Delaware are considering extending days by 30 minutes, and some schools in New Jersey may hold classes on Saturdays.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It kind of stinks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bucket ready for the big thaw: later this week, temperature will finally rise, melting this massive accumulations of snow from Washington, D.C. to Maine.

On the West Coast, it`s heavy amounts of rain and snow in Oregon that brought down trees. Demolishing homes and landing inches away from people inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can`t see how she got out of it alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And in Seattle, mud slides trapping this car in a highway and closing some transit tracks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Time for the “Shootout.” Which part of the U.S. government tests the fuel economy of new cars? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it the EPA, FDA, FAA or DHS? You`ve got three seconds, go! T The environmental protection agency, EPA gives the fuel economy info you see on new car labels. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

The U.S. government sets minimum gas mileage requirements for new cars. Now, the Obama administration is ordering new requirements for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Tractor-trailers, buses and vans.

Why? The government wants all new vehicles to get better gas mileage and give less pollution. It hopes the new rules will help make that happen. One complication is that the technology it takes to do this can cost more, raising the price of new vehicles. The government says this will be offset when money saved on fuel. The American trucking industry wants the president to proceed cautiously, saying its supports saving on fuel, but it hopes the new rules won`t conflict with safety, or force vehicles to use new technologies that aren`t fully tested. The president`s new guidelines were issued by executive order, which means they won`t go through Congress for approval.

Last November and December the personal information of as many as 110 million people were stolen. They`d used credit cards at Target. At around the same time, more than a million other had their info stolen. They`d used credit cards at Neiman Marcus.

Paying for something electronically is convenient. It allows you to buy whatever, without going wherever. But is it secure?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, there was cash. Then came checks. And credit cards, smartphones and even crypto currencies.

The size and scale of the non-cash economy is vast. One report estimates non-cash transactions top 333 billion in 2012. That`s 47 for each man, woman and child on the planet. And the more money slosh into the system, the greater the risk.

WILLIAM NOONAN, U.S. SECRET SERVICE. Over the past four years, the Secret Service has nearly arrested 5,000 cyber criminals. In total, these criminals were responsible for over a billion dollars in fraud losses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The recent cases of U.S. retailers, Target and Neiman Marcus were a global wakeup call. Here in New York, the district attorney admits, it`s his greatest challenge.

CYRUS VANCE, NEW YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY. I think it is a tsunami. I think that cybercrime identity theft is occurring at a pace and a level, which make it one of the most significant criminal developments that we`ve seen in our generation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Target and Neiman Marcus did not just expose the magnitude of the problem, they also revealed the sophistication of those behind it.

(on camera): Is it a case of skimming the numbers from the back of the card, cloning the card, looking at the card in the restaurant or the shop?

VANCE: We`re also looking at situations where because of people`s – criminals technical expertise, obviously they are doing things as alleged in the Target case: going through the software that control the air system in the company and through the backdoor, being able to move into data and identifying customer data, customer credit card numbers and the like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The real victims are the consumers. Both Target and Neiman Marcus are investigating.

MICHAEL KINGSTON, SENIOR V.P. AND CIO, NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP: We have learned that the malware, which penetrated our system was exceedingly sophisticated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And have apologized.

JOHN MULLIGAN, EXECUTIVE V.P. AND CFO, TARGET BRANDS: I want to say how deeply sorry we are for the impact this incident has had on our guests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both are still facing major class action lawsuits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: We love Worldwide Wednesdays on the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” It gives us another chance to go globetrotting to places like Nantou County, Taiwan. And that`s where we are online at National Chi Nan University.

Across the Pacific in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, hello to the students of Esquella Internacional Sampedrana.

And across the Atlantic, our final stuff is in Lakenheath, England. Thank you for watching it, Lakenheath American Middle and High Schools.

On cell phones and tablets, there are a lot of apps and services we can get for free. What are the providers like Apple, Google, Facebook or Pandora get out of it? For one thing, they`ll sell some ad space to businesses that make money off that. For another, they get information. They learn a lot about us. And Laurie Segall looks at how even our politics could factor in.

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEYTECH CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carl. Well, if you are one of the millions of people who use Pandora to listen to music, the company says it knows more about you than your favorite song. And they are hoping to cash in. Pandora`s planning to roll out a new ad service to help political candidates target voters. That means the next time you listen to Miley Cyrus or Jay-Z, you might get pegged as a Democrat or Republican. At the heart of this, your zip code. When you sign up for Pandora, you`re entering your zip code. That gives the company valuable geographical data. And they can tell a lot about you by where you live. Now, in the past, Pandora has used this location data to look at how other people in your area vote. Now, they are adding in to your listening preferences. Now, using your location and what you`re listening to, Pandora says they determine your political preference.

So, let`s take a look at what Pandora says your taste reveals about your politics. Listen to Daft Punk, Pandora may determine you`re likely to vote Democrat. If you like country music, Pandora infers you`re more likely to vote Republican. Love some Jay-Z? Well, according to Pandora it`s hard to determine your political affiliation.

Listen, Carl, one thing is for sure: those apps on your smartphone, they are looking to make money, many of them are, and to do that, they`ve got to get to know you better. That`s the advertising game and it looks like Pandora`s got a head start. Carl.

AZUZ: Before we go, when octopi attack. It doesn`t typically occur unless they feel threatened. So, when this happened, the two divers off the coast of California recently, they kept one camera rolling as an eight-foot giant Pacific octopus tried to take out the other. The diver who posted this on YouTube thinks the animal saw its reflection in the lens, mistook it for another octopus and went after it. When the camera flashes went off, the octopus went away.

Would you have stuck around? I can think of eight good reasons not to. It`s interesting that diver never thought he octopushed it away. It was eight armed and dangerous. I guess when that happen so fast, you don`t have time to ink about it. CNN STUDENT NEWS dives back in tomorrow.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Political and cultural divisions lead off CNN STUDENT NEWS this Thursday. I`m Carl Azuz. We`re glad you`re watching. Over the past couple of weeks, we`ve told you about protests going on in three world capitals, Kiev, Ukraine, Bangkok, Thailand, Karakas, Venezuela. These are divided nations. Governments and those who support them are facing off against protesters who want those governments changed. And what`s started as peaceful demonstrations in some cases, have turned violent. Our look into these events begins in the Ukrainian capital where dozens have died in recent fighting as other countries consider getting involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Capital cities are in chaos. Karakas …

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kiev.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the streets of Bangkok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The images are stunning and the atmosphere – it`s deadly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at live pictures here of antigovernment protests taking place in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the protesters came up to the parliamentary building, they called government quite (ph) around it, and this is when the flashes started.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I (inaudible) in Independence Square which has been the setup point for the opposition movement.

And it is where the crowds have effectively been driven through the streets of Kiev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the long line of fires. Those are fires set by whom? What exactly are we looking at?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is bad, as far as I can see, a burning fire, an (inaudible) and the purpose is clearly to form a defensive barrier and stop the police and security services getting through.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R) ARMED SERVICES CMTE. This is all about whether Ukraine is a European nation or part of Russia. That`s what this is really all about.

The protests are also taking place on the streets of Thailand. Protesters have been camped out in Bangkok since November, demanding the prime minister step down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a street process that was supposed to be peaceful, and then this happened.

One of the police officers was killed, at least three civilians in the ensuing violence, Patricia, have also been killed. The protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who leads this umbrella group of protesters, if you like. He said he was sorry about the violence, but he said that they will backed out in force. So, they want to see her step down. She`s refusing to go, she held an election. It was inconclusive. And now we are seeing that things are getting up to boiling points on the streets of Bangkok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Demonstrations last week left three people dead, four people have already died in protest against the socialist government …

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Antigovernment protesters are still blocking the six lane freeway that leads through the heart of Karakas.

That move to blockade (inaudible) comes just hours after the Harvard- educated, Ohio State educated Leopoldo Lopez turned himself in to the National Guard. The government has accused him of provoking what they called fascism after stocking this (inaudible) in Karakas, which have now been going on a week. But if (inaudible) is much bigger than a fight just against the government of Nicolas Maduro. This is Venezuela right wing opposition, fighting against what they see as a 16-year old experiment in socialism. They say, enough is enough. And (inaudible) of government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: An update last night concerning Ukraine. President Viktor Yanukovych said that negotiations had begun aimed at stopping the bloodshed and stabilizing the situation in Ukraine “for the sake of civil peace.” The U.S. State Department said the Ukrainian government and opposition were moving toward a truce, though fires set in Kiev continue to burn throughout the night.

The economies of the world are tied together. A boomer bust in one world capital can affect the economies of others. Easy concept. But predicting what the global economy will do is like predicting the future. One article I read yesterday said the global economy is weak. Another says it`s on the up and up. One thing economists look at when making predictions is unemployment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLAD DUTHIERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Japan`s unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent in December a six year low, while the availability of jobs improved to a six-year high. And while that is good news, the number of contract workers who are paid less than regular staff, is still at a record high. And this week, Japan released GDP figures, which pointed to a slowing economy due to weak exports and a concern over job security and wages. Now, that fear seems to be holding back consumer spending before a rise in the national sales tax in April makes goods much more expensive.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pressed large companies like Toyota to raise wages. It`s not very clear that smaller companies will be able to follow soon.

JOHN DEFTERIOUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Middle East and North Africa region has a dubious honor of having the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. The situation has most occurred in the countries of the Arab Spring. In North Africa, youth unemployment is 29 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what Arab Spring has, indeed, to a certain extent locked out or slowed down the development of the private sector, because it slowed down – slowed down attracting investments coming into the region.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.K. unemployment picked at 8.4 percent in 2011, right to the height of the nation`s double dip. Well, since then it`s tumbled rapidly toward seven percent, a figure deemed significant by the Bank of England. But even that number is more than two percent higher than pre-recession levels.

The creation of new jobs didn`t keep pace with the numbers people entering the labor market, meaning that the rate of unemployment actually rose from 7.1 percent to 7.2.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The last two employment reports out of the U.S. were big disappointments. December showed only a gain of 75,000 jobs. January only showed a gain of 113,000 jobs. But analysts are cautioning not to read too much into these week numbers, because it`s believed that the severe weather across the U.S. really kept people from job hunting and kept the employers from hiring. And don`t be surprised to see February`s numbers impacted as well, as the Eastern part of the country was pounded by snow and ice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shootout.” What U.S. city is known as the city of brotherly love? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it Nashville, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Flagstaff, Arizona, or Loveland, Ohio? You`ve got three seconds, go!

William Penn called Philadelphia the city of brotherly love in hopes that it would be a healthy and wholesome place. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: People who know Kevin Grow say he has those Philadelphia ideals. He`s an 18-year old student at Bensalem High School. He recently signed a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. It`s a two day agreement, not two years. Two day. But we have a feeling the thrill is going to last a lot longer for the NBA team, for Kevin and for his growing number of fans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bensalem High School. Number 33 ….

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kevin Grow!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Meet the new breakout star of the Philadelphia 76ers. Already, a fan favorite and the center of the team huddle.

His name is Kevin Grow.

Before he was a free agent, the 18- year old with Down syndrome was already a star player.

For four years, Kevin was the manager of the Bensalem High School basketball team. With two minutes remaining in the final game of the season, Kevin`s coach took him off the bench and put him in the game. He scored four three pointers, knocking in this …

(CHEERS)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After the play went viral, it was only a matter of time before the pros came calling. The (inaudible) signed Kevin to a ceremonial two-day contract with the team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations!

KEVIN GROW: You two!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you can – but you can play defense, too?

GROW: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say we give him a three-day time …

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kevin hit the court for team practice sporting his new custom jersey, scouring extra points with fans and family. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The joy and love that he brings is just incredible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: We`re going to settle up and head out west for today`s “Roll Call”. We`ll start with the Hawks, they are perched in Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Moving up to Spring Creek, Nevada. This is Spartans country, Spring Creek High School. And springing over the Rock Spring, that`s in Wyoming. It`s also where the tigers watching are Rock Springs High School.

One of my favorite Winter Olympic events is the snowboard cross. The cameras all over the course give you great views of what`s going on. But what does it look like for the riders? We now know, thanks to British Olympian Zoe Gillings. She wore a helmet cam while she was training for the games, and now we can see what top competitors see as they ride camboard (ph) turns, jumps, drops and eventually pass their competition. It`s an event with plenty of snowboarders, but absolutely snoboardom. We`re grateful that Gillings wore the camera Sochi could show us what it was like. Though riding at that level would be an Olympic achievement. We`ve got to go right now, but we`ll be right back tomorrow on CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Friday. And thank you for spending ten minutes of it with CNN STUDENT NEWS. It`s a little bit of a different look for us today. We mentioned yesterday that opposing groups in Ukraine looked like they were headed toward a truce. Hopes for that crumbled yesterday.

And violence got worse, between protesters and police. The protesters say police had snipers firing at them, and that 100 people had been killed. The government isn`t saying how many were killed, but it says demonstrators were kidnapping police officers. This all goes back to the Ukrainian president`s decision last year to sign a trade deal with Russia. It would help Ukraine`s economy, but some Ukrainians wanted a deal with the European Union instead, and the divisions deepened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you have to look at where Ukraine is located, because this really is the historic divider between Russia and the rest of Europe. Right, Max?

MAX FISHER, WASHINGTON POST: Yeah, historians think the country`s name actually means borderlands. So the sense of being in between is really baked in to Ukraine`s identity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it`s only about 900 miles, if you were to drive down to Sochi, where the Olympics are going on right now. Let`s talk about the makeup of this country, Max.

FISHER: Yeah, it`s about the size of Texas, and its 45 million people. So, it`s big.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Now, why did all of this launch? It really goes back to something that happened in November with the European Union.

FISHER: Yeah. Ukraine was considering a deal for great economic integration with the European Union. And a lot of Ukrainians like this because they thought it was a good deal, and they liked the idea of being a part of Europe, but they didn`t get that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They got a very different deal, indeed. What happened?

FISHER: So, what happened is Ukraine`s surprised everybody by taking a deal with Russia instead for about $15 billion in bailout in cheaper natural gas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so those who opposed it, who wanted the European Union deal, then turned their attention, even more so, on the president.

FISHER: Yeah. President Viktor Yanukovych who`s seen by a lot of Ukrainians as corrupt, he`d been ousted in protests in 2004 previously. He`s seen as very cozy with Russia. It`s actually – Russian is his native language. So when he took this deal, people thought well, he`s sold out our country to Moscow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, in many ways, what this comes down to, is a historic division. And this has always been like two countries in one space and now it`s coming to a hit.

FISHER: Yeah, that`s right. So, if you look at this map, this purple western half, this actually mostly speaks Ukrainian. That`s where Kiev is, that`s where most of the protests are. The eastern half – people mostly speak Russian. That`s where Yanukovych is from. People have a little more fondness for the old ties to Russia. So, what you are seeing play out is this identity crisis Ukraine has had since its independence between are we a European country or are we facing more towards Russia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And of course, there is a big poll from both sides from Europeans and from the United States and others saying you should be free to do what you want and from the Russian side, because bear in mind: this was the region that went it was part of the Soviet Empire produced one quarter of all the agricultural products. It is a huge trading partner to Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Parents, children, brothers, sisters divided for more than 60 years. It`s like they`ve lived one state away from each other, but the line that separates them is between North and South Korea, countries whose governments have been in odd since the Korean War.

And people aren`t able to travel freely between them. Reunions between dozens of North and South Koreans are going ahead, even though North Korea had threatened to cancel them earlier this month.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim Sung Yung (ph) is 96 years old. The oldest person at this reunion. Her father urged her to walk hundreds of miles from North to South Korea at the start of the Korean War. Her sister was too young to join her. They are final reunited more than 60 years later.

This reunions are so rare, and those picked so elderly, even illness couldn`t keep them away. 90-year old Kim Sung Kian (ph) was transported in an ambulance and attended the reunion hooked up to an I.V. drip. Determined a bout of the flue wouldn`t ruin his only chance to see his son and daughter.

CNN affiliate YTN quotes him as saying, even if I die now, if I have seen my family, I will die in peace.

Every single story is heartbreaking. And a stark reminder of the pain of the people divided. The Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953. Without any regular forms of communications between the two Koreas, families have gone decades without contact. Even this contact was monitored. North Korean officials stood by every table, listening to every conversation.

For some, the overwhelming emotion was simply too much. Tens of thousands of Koreans applied to be part of this reunion. Those that were picked already had one disappointment last September when the meeting was canceled at the last minute.

HANCOCKS: These reunions are bitter sweet. The joy of being reunited is tainted by the fact they only spend a total of 11 hours together, before going back to their separate lives knowing that their good bye is permanent. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

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AZUZ: A lot of people have temporary loneliness, the kind that comes when you move to a new city or school. But for those who live with it, day in and day out, it`s a serious condition. One that doctors say can significantly affect your health. It can keep you from getting good sleep. It can shorten your life. CNN`s Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently contributed to a PSA called “Just Say Hello.” It encourages people to do that, say hello to strangers or folks they hadn`t heard from in a while. Here`s why.

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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN ANCHOR: What sort of struck me as – from a physical standpoint, if someone`s having a heart problem, for example, you may know to go over there and pump on their chest. If someone is suffering from loneliness or something, we tend to avoid those people. They are loners. They are people who are sort of, and we know these people in our buildings, in our workplace. And this was part of this campaign, it was trying to address that particular issue. Recognizing that loneliness by itself is a risk factor for so many different things.

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AZUZ: For those who are lonely, ways of addressing it include becoming active. Getting involved in activities, clubs or places of faith like church.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actual pictures of Glenn in the capsule will give scientists the opportunity to study his reactions. As he passes over the Canary Islands, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australia, back across the Pacific and over the United States. He speeds at 17,500 miles an hour, reaching a high point of 160 miles and the low altitude of 99 miles. Each of the three orbits takes about 90 minutes. Three times the colonel sees the sunrise within the period of four hours and 56 minutes. Three times around the globe.

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AZUZ: Still impressive, all these decades later, but it took amazing courage back in 1962 when the U.S. manned space program was just getting off the ground. Yesterday was the 52 anniversary of when astronaut John Glenn made those trips around the Earth. He was the first American in orbit, and in 1998, he went back up on the Space Shuttle Discovery becoming the oldest person ever to travel in space. That time, he was 77. Glenn is more than an astronaut. Throughout his life, he`s served as a Marine fighter pilot, a test pilot, a U.S. senator. He worked as an adjunct professor at Ohio State University. And in 2012, he was awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom.

Isaac Lufkin is accomplished in his own right. He`s only 14, but as a freshman, he helped classical high school in Providence, Rhode Island to win the freshman football state title.

Lufkin was born without arms. But he takes a no excuses approach to everything he does. His continuing success story, on and off the field, has gotten him national recognition. Lufkin who is featured on our show earlier this month, was a VIP at this year Super Bowl. He met former president Bill Clinton while he was there. And he just received a letter of praise from President Obama. It says, Lufkin`s achievements remind people of what can be accomplished when they work hard and stay focused on reaching their goals.

On yesterday`s CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call” we started out west. Today, we are starting in the Midwest. Check out the ellers (ph). That`s a cool mascot. They are watching from Elkhorn Middle School in Elkhorn, Nebraska. We`ve got the Hart – it`s good to see you all in Hartley, Iowa where we find Hartley Melvin Sanborn High. And we`ll zoom east, northeast, all the way to Lewiston, Maine. The blue devils from Lewiston High School are on today`s roll.

Not all hamburgers are created equal. The true king of them may not even be at Burger King. At first glance, this may look like any old burger. But wait till you see the bun. Oh, yeah. That`s a mark of royalty right there, a New Orleans King Cake. Just ahead to Mardi Gras season, to give a little extra flavor to an all-American favorite, it`s becoming a bestseller aboard the food truck that introduced it. Of course, it carries a truckload of calories, but the holiday isn`t called Fat Tuesday for nothing. And if taste is truly king, this may take the cake, maybe, as it`s paraded around New Orleans, it`s sure to attract the crew of fans. People who love carnival food would probably tell you – you just can`t beat it. I`m Carl Azuz and we`ll be floating more news in pongee way next week.