CNN Student News Week 44, 2013

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: The month of October is coming to a close, by a new week of CNN STUDENT NEWS is just getting started. Hello, everyone. I`m Carl Azuz. On Friday, we talked about a controversy surrounding the NSA, the U.S. National Security Agency. A lot of this goes back to a man named Edward Snowden. He was a contractor who worked for the NSA. Earlier this year, he leaked information about secret NSA programs. Snowden fled to Russia to avoid U.S. prosecution. The documents detailed how the U.S. intercepted and collected phone and email data of Americans. There`ve also been accusations of spying on foreign leaders. White House officials say the surveillance activities are necessary to combat threats against the U.S. and its allies. Lisa Monaco is an advisor to President Obama on issues of homeland security and counterterrorism. She says the president has ordered a review of government surveillance programs. Monaco says, “We want to ensure that we are collecting information because we need it, and not just because we can. But meanwhile, some members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans are speaking out against NSA programs. They are proposing a law to limit the amount of data that NSA can collect.

This weekend, a protest outside the U.S. Capitol pushed for the same goal.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Organizers say, this rally is significant because it`s the largest one yet protesting mass surveillance by the NSA. And Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who opened up the entire controversy earlier this year, made a contribution to it. He provided the statement that was read by a representative at the rally. Take a listen.

JESSELYN RADACK, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT: We have not forgotten the Fourth Amendment in our Bill of Rights prohibits government not only from searching our personal affects without a warrant, but from seizing them, in the first place. And doing so in secret. Holding to this principle, we declare that mass surveillance has no place in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

RADACK: It is time for a reform. Elections are coming and we are vouching you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, it`s important to know that these protesters were engaging over the domestic piece of this, data collection from the personal devices or private citizens here in the United States. Now, Hillary Clinton said in remarks on Friday night that she understands the frustration over this kind of intrusion, and thinks there ought to be a bigger conversation about why the United States practices these kinds of techniques. Now, on a broader scale, the White House is also facing heat from other countries, especially our allies over surveillance of foreign leaders, and they have tried to come tensions over that.

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ANNOUNCER: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a geographic feature that covers more than 2 million square mile. I`m located in South America. And I share my names with one of the longest rivers in the world.

I`m the Amazon rainforest. And I`m home to millions of plant and animal species.

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AZUZ: That includes hundreds of newly discovered species. Over the past four years, scientists have been identifying different plants and animals in the Amazon. The Worldwide Life Fund just put out a list of 441 new species from there that were unknown to scientists before now. The list includes 258 plants, like one with filaments that looked like spaghetti. 84 fish, 58 amphibians including a for that`s the size of a thumbnail, 22 reptiles, 18 birds and one mammal. That would be this little guy. It`s a monkey that scientists say purrs like a cat. You`ve also got a piranha (ph), but it`s a herbivore, it refuses to eat meat, and these lizards might have colorful heads, but their names come from their shy nature and their tendency to hide under or between rocks. Just a few of the Amazon`s incredible examples of biodiversity,

22 NFL teams took the field yesterday, but those National Football League games didn`t happen in the same nation. The San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars headed over to London. The teams faced off in Wembley Stadium, home of the England national soccer team. This wasn`t the first NFL game in England this year. In fact, London`s been hosting American football games since 2007. Yesterday, the 49ers got the W beating up on the Jaguars 42 to ten. But the NFL is hoping that with this international games, the ultimate winners will be football and its fans outside the U.S.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that it would work out well here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be pretty cool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is possible in future.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We`ve heard favorable noises from players, coaches and even team owners, as the success of the NFL`s international series of games in London points to a full time overseas franchise.

JOHN YORK, NFL INTERNATIONAL SERIES COMMITTEE: I think it is possible in the future, but I don`t believe that I can predict that future today. What can I say is that we`re doing two games this year, and it`s completely sold out.

THOMAS: Which is why Wembley could be crucial to the NFL`s expansion plans. Amid fears that revenues in America are reaching their pick, London is seen as a gateway to an exciting new European market.

GUR SAMUEL, JOURNALIST, NFL: They don`t see it as 60 million Brits, but all the 400 million Europeans that could be telling its NFL funds. When you think of it in terms of the soar of numbers, it`s absolutely easy to understand why they want a presence there.

THOMAS: One key question is, can an NFL franchise in London sell out Wembley every day? In theory, people from all over Europe would come here, but crucially, a team would need to build a loyal fan based locally.

YORK: If you go back to that first game, the fans came from a very large area, away from London. Each game that has gotten tighter and tighter, so that almost 80 to 90 percent of fans are from the greater London area, which supports the idea that you could do something in the London area.

THOMAS: Even if there were enough fans, players may not want to move abroad, and the distance to London will be an issue. Even the East Coast franchises like the Patriots, Jets, Giants and Dolphins, it`s a long road trip. With flights taking up to eight and a quarter hours. However, teams in this super rugby competition, have successfully handled far longer distances. Cape Town`s Auckland is a flight of more than 17.5 hours.

COBUS VISAGIE, FORMER SUPER RUGBY PLAYER: It basically is about drinking a lot of fluids on the flights, making sure that you sleep at the right time, and I`m sure that all sports, signs, the teams that are now consulting into the top sports teams with – basically, you get a team very well prepared for that.

BLAIR WALSH, MINNESOTA VIKINGS KICKER: I think the travel team we have to be sound – that (ph)be figured out, man. Maybe if you make a base in the northeast of the United States or something, but – I think it could work.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” Wendell Scott was the first African-American to win what? If you think you know it, then shout it out!

Was it, NFL MVP, NASCAR premier event, Cy Young Award or Conn Smythe Trophy. You`ve got three seconds, go!

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In 1963, Scott became the first African-American to win a NASCAR premier series event. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

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AZUZ: Wendell Scott was the first African-American to win a race at NASCAR`s top level and for 50 years, he was the only African-American to win a national series event. That is until this past weekend. NASCAR`s World Truck series hit Martinsville speedway on Saturday and that`s where Darrell Wallace Jr. took home the checkered flag. Wallace is 20 years old, he is a graduate of NASCAR`s Drive for Diversity program, which aims to give minorities opportunities in all aspects of the racing industry. NASCAR`s chairman said that Wallace`s win, “will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport`s history.” The driver put it more succinctly on his Twitter account after the race: “We came, we saw, we conquered.”

We`re trying to come up with themes for our “Roll Call” segment. Some days it happens, quickly, other times like today, it can be a real bear. And that`s the theme, starting with the bears from Manalapan English Town Middle School in New Jersey. Next, we`re heading up to Hortonville, Wisconsin, to check in with the polar bears from Hortonville School and out in Los Angeles, we`ve got the Kodiaks (ph) from Widney High. There you go, a “Roll Call” theme brought to bear.

There are two skills to master when it comes to eating stone crabs. How to crack the crab and how to pick it clean. People at this event needed to add a third skill: speed. It`s a stone crab claw eating contest. 25 claws cracked and consumed as fast as you can. There`s one event for teams, one for individuals. The solo winner took down the 25 claws in just over 17.5 minutes. But hopefully, all the contestants had a good time, so there is no claws for anyone to go home crabby. Hey, do you know what one milk crab to the other milk crab when the female crab walked away? Shell be back! Those are long way to go. Either way, we`ll be back tomorrow with more CNN STUDENT NEWS. See you all then.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: If you`ve ever organized an event, you know it can take a lot of planning. What does it take to get ready for an event the whole world will watch? One country is finding out, and that story is coming up. First though, severe weather in Europe. You see the purple on this map — that`s a major storm. It`s not a hurricane, but it did have winds as strong as a hurricane.

Moving in a little closer, you can see that this storm hit southern England really hard. It also swept across parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. This video gives an idea of how strong the winds work. The storm led to at least two deaths, 220,000 homes lost power in England. Officials worried about the possibility of flooding. The recovery process in England is getting started. In the Northeastern U.S., the recovery process is still going, one year after a devastating storm hit that region. Sandy made landfall in southern New Jersey on this day last year. It`s responsible for 117 deaths across more than six U.S. states and 69 more deaths in Canada and the Caribbean. Officials estimate that Sandy caused tens of billions of dollars in damage along the U.S. East Cost. When a hurricane hits, one of the biggest threats is the storm surge. Those are the waves that come in from the ocean. When a storm makes landfall at an oblique angle like you see here, the storm surge is more spread out. So, it`s a wider area, but less intense. Sandy made landfall at more of a perpendicular angle. In fact, it was closer to perpendicular than any hurricane on the record. That kept the storm surge more contained, but it also made it more intense: one wave in New York harbor was measured at more than 32 feet tall.

During its journey through the Atlantic, Sandy was a hurricane, right before it made landfall, it was reclassified as a post-tropical cyclone. That`s why some people refer to it as Superstorm Sandy. Losing hurricane status also meant the loss of hurricane watches and warnings. Since then, the National Weather Service changed its warning guidelines. Now, warnings and watches can be issued or stayed in effect after a hurricane becomes a post-tropical storm. In these pictures, you can see the damage from Sandy on the left, and on the right, sign to the rebuilding efforts in the year since the storm hit. And the determination that many Sandy victims display.

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ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The power never came back on at Allie Hagen`s place.

ALLIE HAGEN, HOMEOWNER: We had a beautiful front deck.

FIELD: Her house in Breezy Point withstood the storm, but it burnt in the fire that torched her neighborhood after it seemed the worst had passed.

HAGEN: I love you, love you, love you. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss you.

FIELD: Hagen hopes that in another year she`ll be back here. There`s a word for people like her.

DENNIS CHARNEY, AUTHOR: It`s one of those things that if you meet somebody who`s resilient, you kind of know it.

FIELD: For more than 20 years, Dr. Dennis Charney has been studying the science behind resilience. In his book co-authored with Dr. Steven Southwick, they tackled the question, why is it that some people seem to naturally bend without breaking?

Charney says, it`s partially genetic. But we can all learn to adapt traits that would make us more resilient, like optimism and altruism.

CHARNEY: People who are altruistic and get back to others, that helps them in their own recovery.

FIELD: Consider the survivors of 9/11. Or Hurricane Katrina. Those who put others first. Now, consider the faces of Super Storm Sandy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of these employees have been with us for ten, 20, 30 years.

FIELD: Knowing people were counting on him gave Jorge Farber the steam to get up and get half of his chocolate factory back open.

HAGEN: These were basement windows.

FIELD: For Allie Hagen, it was about her neighbors. She helped organize the support group of source to rebuild it together.

HAGEN: Oh, my goodness. We`ve had, you know, 50, 60 people. We have email chains. We`re talking to each other all the time.

FIELD: Charney says their studies prove role models and support systems increase the odds of weathering any of life`s storms.

CHARNEY: If you are working together as a team to overcome a community tragedy or city tragedy, it makes it a lot easier.

FIELD: A lot happened to Allie Hagen last year, but she`s determined to do a lot more next year.

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AZUZ: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” Which of these events happened in 1929? If you think you know it, shout it out!

Was it, Mount Everest summited? Stock market crashed? First Winter Olympics held or Herbert Hoover elected? You`ve got three seconds, go! The stock market crashed on Black Tuesday, October 29th, 1929. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

That was 84 years ago today. The stock market had seen a few days of wild selling and buying beforehand, but on October 28th and 29th the bottom fell out. Billions of dollars were lost. Billions. And this was at a time when a car cost around 400 bucks. Some investors lost everything they had. Americans rushed to banks to get their savings out, and that caused banks to fail. Despite the attempts of President Hoover and other U.S. government officials to reassure Americans saying, this was just a temporary problem with the stock market, the prosperity was just around the corner, the dawn of the Great Depression had arrived. It would meet unemployment rates as high as 25 percent. It would spread poverty around the world. And it would last until World War II.

Time for a shoutout extra credit. Which of these events happened in 1924. You know what to do, was it, Mount Everest summited? Stock market crashed? First Winter Olympics held or Herbert Hoover elected? Put another three seconds on the clock and go!

The French Alps hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout” extra credit.

France has hosted the Winter Olympics twice since then, the U.S. has been home to four winner games, but Russia has never hosted a Winter Olympics. That will change in February, when athletes from around the world gather in Sochi for the 2014 games. Opening ceremonies are about 100 days away, but is Sochi ready for its close up?

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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Sochi`s Olympic bid had one fairly significant witness: no existing sporting facilities. Organizers have tried to turn that into a strength by designing from scratch the ideal model for Olympic venues. This is what they came up with. Two clusters. One by the coast, one in the mountains, a new road and rail line linking the two. Compact. Efficient. No big travel times between venues. The fifth stadium the stage for the opening ceremony doesn`t like it`s going to be ready soon. Sochi`s unpredictable weather and the people directing the opening ceremony have forced big changes on the design during construction. It was supposed to be open, with views of the sea on one side, mountains on the other. But it`s now getting a roof. Russia isn`t a country known for its efficiency. Building all this on time will be a statement to the world. It`s why President Vladimir Putin is taking such a personal interest. Getting the venues ready isn`t Sochi`s only challenge. The whole city was run down, neglected with little investments since the Soviet era. It`s getting a major overhaul, which doesn`t look like it could possibly be ready soon. The skyline is a mess of cranes and partially completed buildings, many of them much-needed hotels. And then there`s the traffic. Ask any local. It`s often appalling.

There are some unusual signs around this Olympic city. Like this mysterious and growing military facility near the coastal venues. Security, always a big Olympic concern, is even more so here. Islamic militants fighting an insurgency not far from Sochi have sworn to disrupt the games. And on the naked, pre-winter slopes, you see these huge silver mounts. In these technically subtropical climate, snowfall can be patching. So, organizers are storing vast amounts of last season`s snow just in case. Russia was promising an Olympics unlike any the world has seen. So different is this city from previous hosts, so great the challenges, it would be difficult not to deliver on that promise. Phil Black, CNN, Sochi.

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AZUZ: It`s time to say “Hello, hot” to the “Roll Call.” There`s not one lone star in this segment. We like to spread the sunshine. You figured out where are we going? The sunshine state and the Lake Howell High School (inaudible) in Winter Park, Florida. The Lone Star state, how about these falcons from Los Fresnos High School in Texas? And (inaudible) state. So, we can say “Hello, hot” to the Eagles from Hawaii Baptist Academy and Honolulu. Aloha!

You can relate to this next story, if you`ve ever had a favorite shirt. This is David Pell`s (ph). It`s a green bay Packer`s jersey, at least that`s what it started as. Now, the names worn off the back, the numbers on the sleeves are pretty faded. That`s bound to happen when you wear the same shirt for three years in a row. David`s going for a record. And yes, the shirt does get hand-cleaned every other night. A record and recognition versus three years of the same shirt, it might be a wash. David has one year and goal to go, then he can take off the shirt and pack it away. It`s time for us to take a hike. Have a great day!

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: I`m Carl Azuz welcoming you to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Hosting an international event can come with an intense spotlight. Yesterday, we talked about some of the challenges that Russia is facing as it gets ready for next year`s Winter Olympics. There`s also been a focus on a controversial Russian law that deals with homosexuality. The law doesn`t make it illegal to be gay. But it prohibits distributing information to minors that promotes same sex relationships. The law had some people concerned about the upcoming Olympics. What kind of behavior would or wouldn`t be acceptable from athletes or fans. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said everyone would be welcomed at the games. Quote, “We are doing everything so that participants and guests feel comfortable in Sochi regardless of nationality, race or sexual orientation. What kind of impact could President Putin statement have?

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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Putin`s comment is clearly an attempt to cook some of the international anger over Russia`s antigay propaganda law, which makes it illegal to tell children here that gay and straight relationships are equal. It`s being branded discriminatory. His words are unlikely to satisfy gay and human right activists around the world who aren`t just worried about what this law means during the Olympics, they are angry about its very existence. And it will mean for gay people in this country before, during and after the games.

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AZUZ: Next up today, advice and consent. It`s phrased right out of the U.S. Constitution, and it`s one of the responsibilities of the U.S. Senate. It works like this: the president nominates people to feel certain positions in the U.S. government. Then, the Senate advises and consents or it doesn`t. Senators consider the nominees, ask them questions, then they either confirm or deny the nominees for the jobs.

This is Senator Lindsey Graham. He is threatening to block every nomination from President Obama until he gets answers about an attack on the U.S. facility last year.

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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R ) SOUTH CAROLINA: To this date, we don`t have the FBI interviews of the survivors conducted one or two days after the attack. We don`t have the basic information about what was said of the night of the attack that`s been shared with Congress as of this day.

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AZUZ: The terrorists` attack Senator Graham is talking about is the one on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed, and Senator Graham says they died in a different way than the Obama administration says they did. He`s been pushing to get details on what happened and on the administration`s response. He wants the Senate to be able to question the survivors of the Benghazi attack.

So, what about Senator Graham`s plan to block the nominations? He can do that. The rules of the Senate allow members to hold up nominations through different methods. It`s something Democrats and Republicans have done. The goal is to force action or compromise.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” Which country is part of two continents? If you think you know it, then shout it out! Is it Australia, Mexico, Turkey or there aren`t any. You`ve got three seconds, go.

Turkey spans continental lines, the Bosphorus Strait separates the Asian part from the European part. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

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AZUZ: Turkey has been called a bridge between Europe and Asia. In fact, there`s an actual bridge over the Bosphorus that connects the continents. Now, there is a passage way underneath the Bosphorus, too. Yesterday, Turkish leaders and officials opened a new underwater railway tunnel. It`s a multibillion dollar project that engineers say can get you from one continent to the other in about four minutes.

You probably studied the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that linked China with the West. Officials are hoping this tunnel will be an important part of a modern Silk Road. This report looks at how it came together.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Istanbul, a maritime city crippled by heavy traffic. The Bosphorus Bridge is one of just two road connections across the city`s strait. Cars, along with the city ferries carry the load of more than 1 million daily commuters.

I`m aboard one of the commuter ferries on the Bosphorus. And it is difficult to imagine when you are here that 60 meters below us works are ongoing on the world`s deepest submerged tunnel ever built.

This is the core of the Marmaray Project. The remarkable feet of engineering, this tunnel sits beneath one of the world`s busiest shipping lanes and about 16 kilometers from the nearest fault line.

(on camera): So where are we now?

MEHMET CHILINGIR, DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER: We`re at the Sirkigi (ph) Station, which is the deepest station of the system.

ANDERSON: On the European side.

CHILINGIR: On the European side.

ANDERSON: This is an area of seismic activity, I understand. So, what are you doing to minimize the risks?

CHILINGIR: We have seismic joints in the tunnels. Those will act like a flexible joint between two tubes and will take the effects off seismic movement.

ANDERSON (voice over): The immersed tube tunnel was assembled from 11 concrete segments. And it`s part of an overhaul of the existing cross city railway system.

Works started in 2004, but construction is put on the hold following the discovery of an ancient Byzantine court.

BINALI YILDIRIM, TURKISH TRANSPORT MINISTER: The tunnel is going under very historical area, so every piece of soil is examined by expert. Because of that, believe me, we lost five years.

ANDERSON: THE Marmaray will take passengers across the strait in a little over two minutes. Easing congestion, while bringing Europe and Asia closer together.

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ANNOUNCER: Time for a “Shoutout” extra credit. Which of these is not a medical vital sign? Is it breathing, consciousness, pulse or temperature? Rewind the clock to three seconds and go.

A vital sign check includes breathing, pulse, temperature and blood pressure. But not consciousness. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout” extra credit.

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AZUZ: Checking vital signs is one of the first things a paramedic does in an emergency situation. And in a hospital emergency room, a patient`s vital signs are monitored continuously. When doctors are training, they don`t always work on live patients, and dummies don`t usually have vital signs. But technology is helping make training more real.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alert, alert, (inaudible) wound.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s get two liters of fluid …

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blood pressure 84 to 56.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s go ahead and intubate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sites and sounds of an emergency room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The body, who do you feel it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conditions the trauma doctors like Robert Benjamin are trained to handle. But this is not an average workday.

DR. ROBERT BENJAMIN, LAKELAND HOSPITAL: I had no idea that this was going to be that intense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The trauma team is training. Their patient is bleeding, and has rapidly changing vital signs, but he is not in danger of dying because he is not real. This is a high-tech patient simulator.

BENJAMIN: You`re able to do a neuro check, moving extremities, looking at his eyes, breathing and respirations were very, very accurate.

DR. LUIS LLERENA, CAMLS: All right, we`re going to stop!

(on camera): Many times the learners know they are being trained! I just switched the scenario? I`ll drop its blood pressure. What are you going to do now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: a control room teem monitors the training and the patient`s simulator`s vitals are manipulated by remote control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He lost a total amount of 1500 milliliters of blood. His respiratory rate is now back up to 45.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything is recorded, giving the team video to review and an experience that could help in real life.

BENJAMIN: We need to build up more trauma teams, and they need to get the training in order to, you know, become those (inaudible) …

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have another trauma on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s all staged, but for trauma training, this is as real as it gets.

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AZUZ: It`s a worldwide Wednesday when the “Roll Call.” Checks in with some of the schools watching CNN STUDENT NEWS from around the world. Today`s schools all have something in common.

First up, we have the Dragons from Kubasaki School in Okinawa, Japan. Then, we have the Dragons. This time, from Singapore International School in Danang (ph) Vietnam. And finally, guess what, we have the Dragons. Balboa Academy in Panama City, Panama. Welcome, one and all, to the “Roll Call.”

These fishermen are showing off their big catch. But keep a close eye on the right side of your screen. There it was. Sea lion, just pokes the guy`s fish. It came right up over the side, snatching it out of his hands. Maybe he should have been more concerned with his grip than with his paws. Thanks to the YouTube video, at least there is evidence that at some point he had the fish. Most – there it is again – most stories about the one that got away are met with skepticism, and if he tries to tell this tale, you know how people would respond. See? Lying!

After all, without the video, the story sounds a little fishy. We are at a time today – that was easily, the worst pun we`ve had all year. And you know I ain`t lion. We`re back tomorrow with more CNN STUDENT NEWS. See you then.

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CROWD: We are Spartans (ph) from (inaudible) Junior High. Roseville, California. Take it away, Carl!

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CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: I will. Big thanks for an awesome introduction to our Halloween edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. We`ll have more of your impressive pumpkin prowess later on, but we start today with the Affordable Care Act, which is usually known as Obamacare. The site where people can sign up went live at the beginning of October. But the launch didn`t go smoothly. One person described the experience of using the site as miserably frustrating. And that was the person who is charge of it. Kathleen Sebelius is the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Her department is responsible for different parts of Obamacare. That includes the enrollment Web site and the problems that have come with it.

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KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, HHS SECRETARY: I`m as frustrated and angry as anyone. With the flawed launch of healthcare.gov. So, let me say directly to these Americans. You deserve better. I apologize.

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AZUZ: Secretary Sebelius faced hours of questions during that Congressional hearing yesterday. Democrats and Republicans in Congress talked about the problems with the Obamacare Web site. But that isn`t the only controversy surrounding the new law. There is a big debate about the health insurance plans that Americans already have. Most Americans who have health insurance, get it through their employers or government programs like Medicare. But more than 15 million Americans have individual health care coverage. When this law was proposed, President Obama and his administration said many times, that Americans could keep their health care plans. But people who work in the insurance industry, say most of those Americans with individual plans will see changes or even cancellations.

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ANNOUNCER: Just the facts: the Cold War was a historic period that started after World War II. The main opponents were the United States and the former Soviet Union, although other countries were involved as well. The Cold War included spying between countries, but it never developed into a direct military conflict. But it was over by 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.

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AZUZ: One of the biggest symbols of the Cold War was in Germany, the Berlin Wall. It split the city and the country in half. Separating communist East Germany from Democratic West Germany. The wall came down in 1989, and Germany reunited the next year. Now, Germany says it`s the victim of Cold War tactics: spying. And German officials want answers.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: NSA field station, Berlin Teufelsberg, a relic of U.S. espionage in the forests around Berlin. Now, a (inaudible) for graffiti artists and backdrop for some of the best kite flying in the German capital.

From this vantage point, right on top of the tiny island that was West Berlin, every — which direction you looked, was East, the Eastern Block. This was one of the most important surveillance posts of the Cold War.

Now, if the allegations made in Germany`s “Der Spiegel” magazine are true, the United States has used an even more conspicuous location from which to gather intelligence. Though this time, on its friends. That`s its own embassy roof, a stone from government cultures. Germany`s interior minister has promised to expel any U.S. diplomats proven complicit in spying operations. Including alleged eavesdropping on the chancellor`s personal mobile phone.

Germans are especially sensitive to the dangers of state surveillance, and the destructive nature of the society, which spies on itself. The federal commission for the Stasi records, the secret police force of the former East Germany understands, perhaps, better than most, why intelligence gathering needs controls.

DAGMAR HOVELSTADT, FEDERAL COMMISSION FOR THE STASI RECORDS: We have a very direct historical link to what it means if the state doesn`t respect the boundaries of privacy and the rights of its own citizens. So, the shadow of the past kind of lingers always when something as seemly not so dramatic to an American like a wiretapping of a cell phone happens.

MAGNAY: Delegates from the European parliament are already in D.C. demanding an explanation. Germany`s top intelligence officers are set to follow. Trying to establish a mechanism whereby intelligence agencies operate within acceptable international frameworks, while it`s holding to account counterparts who`ve reportedly failed to keep faith with the allies. Diana Magnay, CNN, Berlin.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” Who was the captain of the Queen Anne`s Revenge? If you think you know it, then shout it out! Was it Edward Teach, John Paul Jones, Francis Drake or Jack Sparrow? You`ve got three seconds, go.

The Queen Anne`s Revenge was captained by Edward Teach, also known as Black Beard the Pirate. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

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AZUZ: In the early 18 century, Black Beard terrorized the waters along the Virginia and Carolina coasts and out into the Caribbean. He was eventually killed in a battle with British troops. Black Beard`s legendary treasure has never been found. But his ship, which sand off the North Carolina coast, has been a treasure trove for archeologists. On Monday, divers recovered five canons from the wreckage. The guns weighed 2,000 to 3,000 pounds each, including this 20 canons have now been salvaged from the ship. They`ll probably be in the exhibit of artifacts from the Queen Anne`s Revenge. So far, there are more than 280,000 items in that exhibit.

It`s Halloween, and for many retailers, business is boo-o-oming. Average spending maybe down a bit from last year, but consumers are still expected to spend about $6.9 billion dollars on all things sweet and scary. Here, five things you might not know about the business side of Halloween.

First up, the average Dracula is expected to spend about $75 on the holiday. That includes money for decorations, costumes, candy and having some fun, according to the National Retail Federation. All those fixed spider webs and tomb stones add up. If you break down decorations alone, retailers estimate that the average person will spend 21 bucks on them. That makes Halloween second only to the Christmas season in decorating. The candy of choice — according to a National Confectioners Association Survey, people want to sink their fangs in the chocolate. And by a wide margin, 72 percent. Chocolate makes up about three quarters of a trick-or- treater`s candy bag, which makes cavities excited, too.

And second place in the candy market, there is the time honored fall classic, candy corn. It`s the sweetest corn. The tricolored confection was invented in the 1880s. What is now the Jelly Belly candy company has made it pretty much the same way since 1900. Using mostly sugar, corn syrup and marshmallow. Here`s and odd fact, though: Some think there is a right way to eat candy corn: 47 percent of those surveyed said to eat the whole thing at once. 43 percent said to start with the narrow white end first. Only ten percent said to start with the wide yellow part, because who`d want to do that.

Let`s see. That covers decorations, candy. Now, costumes. Consumers will shall out about 2.6 billion on costumes this year. Overall, witches and Batman seem to be most in demand for adults, while kids often planned to dress as princesses, animals or Batman. So, Batman forever! And this is kind of scary! A good chunk of what consumers spend will be on costumes for their pets! Retailers expect that humans will spend $330 million to totally humiliate Fito (ph) and Fluffy for their furry photo ops. Awkward pet photos or first (inaudible) problems. Either way, it`s frightening.

We`re doing it out big today. We have a hipping, helping of Halloween “Roll Call.” The theme for today`s mascots, what else Halloween? There are some demons from Greenway High School out in Phoenix, Arizona watching. Wouldn`t it be Halloween without ghosts? Kaukauna, Wisconsin, is home to the galloping ghosts from Kaukauna High. How about Goblins? We have those two. The Harrison Goblins from Harrison, Arkansas. And the Blue Devils get a mention. Gull Lake High School in Richland, Michigan, spooking of devils will close things out with the Red Devils from Erie High School, Eerie high School in Kansas.

We asked for your pumpkin creativity, and you delivered — some Red Sox love from students in Banger High School in Maine. We got this carving of Totoro from a Japanese exchange student. Little mascot mastery from the Hox (ph) out in Huma. Next up, a sugar scull. The I-Reporter said it took her three hours to paint this. Time well spent. This wolf designed awesome. One group of I-Reporters sent us a picture of their triple pumpkin display, and finally, a carving that`s close to our hearts. Thanks to everyone for sending in your I-Reports.

If you want to brag about them on Twitter, you have our permission to go trick or tweaty. We hope you have a very happy and save Halloween. For CNN STUDENT NEWS, I`m Carl Azo-o-oz.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to our November 1 edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Today is the first deadline for Syria regarding its chemical weapons program. International officials say the country is on target. Syria`s civil war started more than 2.5 years ago. It`s not over. Government troops and rebel forces were fighting yesterday. But Syria is following an international agreement to get rid of its chemical weapons. Today`s deadline was about destroying equipment at chemical weapons facilities. Inspectors say that happened on time. But they couldn`t get to two of the sites, because they were considered too dangerous.

Syria says those sites are abandoned and empty, but inspectors say they can`t be sure, so they only certified the sites they went to. The next deadline for this mission is in two weeks. By November 15th, the inspection agency has to approve Syria`s plan for how it will destroy its supply of chemical weapons.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And please turn off all cellular phones and other electronic devices.

AZUZ: Sounds familiar? On U.S. flights, passengers can`t use electronic devices during takeoff and landing, but that rule is getting grounded. The Federal Aviation Administration says airlines can let passengers use smartphones, tablets or laptops throughout the flight.

The devices have to be in airplane mode, and you still cannot make phone calls. Plus, airlines can ask passengers to turn off their devices in certain situations. The old thinking was that the devices were a safety issue. The concern was about radio signals interfering with the plane systems. Newer studies show most planes can`t handle the interference. Airlines will have to prove that to the FAA before they can put the new rules into effect.

The first two days of November mark two holidays celebrated around the world. November 1st, All Saints Day, November 2, Day of the Dead. We`ll start with All Saints Day. The meaning of the holiday is right there in the name. It`s the celebration of all Christian saints. In Christianity, a saint is someone who is officially recognized as very holy because of how he or she lived. There`s not one definitive explanation for how or when All Saints Day started, but we do know that Pope Gregory IV made it an authorized holiday starting in the 9 century. Many Christians celebrate the day after All Saints Day as All Souls Day, when people pray for friends and relatives who have died. It`s the same basic idea as the Day of the Dead. That holiday is mostly celebrated in Mexico, although other parts of Latin American and Mexican-American communities in the U.S. have celebrations as well. In Spanish, the holiday is called Dia de los Muertos. It`s not supposed to be a sad or a scary occasion, the ideas to honor dead loved ones and to think about death is a natural part of life. People often celebrate in their homes, making altars with pictures and special objects from their loved ones. Sculls and skeletons are common symbols of the Day of the Dead, but they are often used in light-hearted ways.

100 points in a single NBA game. Wilt Chamberlain. Seven career no hitters, Noland Ryan, 208 career touchdowns, Jerry Rice. Sports are filled with records and with athletes trying to set new ones. Off the coast of Portugal, one surfer just took on a mammoth wave, whether or not he set a record, is up for some debate.

It`s the big wave seen around the world.

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CARLOS BURLE, BIG WAVE SURFER: Like going down a mountain (ph) that never ends.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Surfer Carlos Burle describes catching a ride on what maybe a world record wave. It happened Monday off the coast of Portugal. Everyone is still talking about the Brazilian surfer`s amazing fit. But not everyone is sure it`s a record.

LAIRD HAMILTON, BIG WAVE SURFER: Boy, if he is claiming that he`s ridden (ph) the biggest wave ever ridden, I`d say maybe he wiped out on the biggest wave ever ridden.

SWEENEY: Eyewitnesses say, Burle rode a tiring wave, estimated at 30 meters or 100 feet in height. If that`s confirmed, it would break Garrett McNamara`s current world record. He surfed a wave nearly 24 meters or 78 feet high in the same spot back in 2011. This time, McNamara was a member of Burle support group and he says ….

GARRETT MCNAMARA, BIG WAVE SURFER: You know, I watched all the waves, and I didn`t see any waves that were bigger than the wave I caught last year. There was definitely no waves over 100 feet ridden.

SWEENEY: Experts are also questioning Burle over a close call involving his surfing partner. Burle helped rescue Maya Gabera (ph) on Monday after she nearly drowned attempting to catch one of these monster waves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She doesn`t have the skill to be in these conditions, and she shouldn`t` be in, you know, in this kind of surf. And I feel like it`s Carlos`s responsibility to take care of her, and he`s just lucky that — that she didn`t drown.

BURLE: She wanted to surf badly, you know, and sometimes people think that I push her, but that`s not true, because I`m just here to help her.

SWEENEY: Gabera suffered a broken ankle, but is otherwise OK.

When it comes to the record, that will only to be sorted out by officials from Guinness World Records. But Burle says, he`s confident he has set the bar.

BURLE: You can check all the images. You can check the footage, all the pictures and it`s incredible. I made it, and I made it, and I was glad just to do it, you know.

SWEENEY: Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” Pesky`s Pole, the Green Monster and Yaz Door are all part of what stadium? If you think you know it, then shout it out! Are they in Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park or Camden Yards? You`ve got three seconds, go.

Those are all famous features of Fenway Park. Home of the Boston Red Sox. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

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AZUZ: Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. But not at home. The last time the Sox won a championship in Fenway Park was 1918. World War I was about to end. The first-ever Tarzan movie premiered. And the first class stamp cost three cents.

Then, this happened Wednesday night. Boston beat the St. Louis Cardinals and won the World Series. It`s been nearly a century since Sox fans could celebrate their teams victory in Boston. That allowed for moments like this. Boston fans who found their way to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, the site of the terrorist attack back in April. The phrase Boston Strong developed after that bombing. It became a rallying cry for the city, and a mantra for the Red Sox. After Wednesday night`s World Series win, NVP David Ortiz said this is for you, Boston. We`ve been through a lot this year, and this is for all of you.

In honor of the Red Sox championship, today`s “Roll Cal” schools all hill from the state of Massachusetts. We`ll start in Leominster with the Blue Devils from Leominster High School. The Taunton Tigers from Taunton High School get a spot on today`s “Roll Call.” And the warriors from Foxborough, High, round things up for us.

Something to look forward to do this weekend. An extra hour of sleep. Most folks in America fall back on Saturday night, setting our clocks back one hour, as daylight saving time officially comes to an end. But what exactly are we falling back to?

Daylight saving time sounds kind of special. You`re not just saving time, you`re saving daylight time. But it puzzles the day lights out of some folks. Why we fall back to standard time? That`s what it`s called, standard time. We spend eight months out of the year in daylight saving time, but standard, which is hardly the standard, is still called standard. It`s been shrinking since World War I. That`s when daylight saving time was first implemented to save energy. The switch made the sunset time later in the day, so people didn`t have to turn their lights on as early. But what about winter, and the fall back to standard? Well, look at it this way: most parts of the U.S. only get about 9.5 hours of day light in winter time. That`s not much. If we didn`t` set our clocks back in the fall, sunrise wouldn`t be until 8:30 A.M. in many places. You`d be starting and ending your day in the dark. Following back to standard keeps the time of dawn a little closer to what we are used to. It helps us start our day in the light. Plus, there is that whole extra hour of sleep thing, assuming you go to bed on time when we fall back. So, less daylight, but more sleep. Unless you happen to live in Arizona or Hawaii, most parts of Arizona and all of Hawaii don`t observe daylight saving time. They don`t have to. It`s not required by law.

So, at least during standard time, they may have an easier time computing time differences for phones calls or travel to other time zones. After all, that takes time.

A lot of dogs love going for a ride in the car. But not Tommy. This YouTube video catches a petrified pooch who is looking more like a scaredy (ph) cat. And what does the dog do when it`s nervous? The same thing you might do during the scary movie: hold hands with the person next to you. Tommy doesn`t want to let go. When his owner tries to put that hand back on the wheel, Tommy says, ho-ho, no, you don`t.

Whether you call it nerves, or affection, it makes sense to commend Tommy`s performance. After all, he deserves a hand since he obviously wants a pause. A paw pun (ph). Nailed it. But it`s time for us to paws. Hope you have a great weekend, everyone. For CNN STUDENT NEWS, I`m Carl Azuz.