Possible compromise on missile defense system, Week in Review
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(CNN Student News) -- June 8, 2007
Quick Guide
G8 Summit - Learn about a possible change in plans regarding a missile defense system in Europe.
Week in Review - Review the week's top headlines, including an indictment of a U.S. congressman.
Out of Thin Air - Check out an invention that FEMA says would be a big help in disaster response.
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It's our last show of the school year here on CNN Student News, and we're glad to have you with us. I'm Carl Azuz. A change in plans: A possible compromise on a missile defense system may lower the tensions that have risen between the U.S. and Russia. A helpful invention: A new machine can make water out of thin air, and FEMA says it's the future of disaster response. And a commencement double feature: You might have to look twice to believe your eyes when you see how many twins are in the same graduation.
AZUZ: First up, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin might have found some middle ground on missile defense. If you were with us yesterday, you know that there's been tension between the U.S. and Russia on the issue. With both of the leaders at the G8 summit in Germany, meetings between them might be a little bit awkward. But it looks like compromise could be coming. Suzanne Malveaux has more on the possible change in plans.
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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Emerging from their much-anticipated showdown over missile defense, a surprise! Russian leader Vladimir Putin offered a proposal to end his heated standoff with President Bush over U.S. plans to build a missile defense system in eastern Europe, considered a welcome step to repairing U.S.-Russian relations.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: He made some interesting suggestions.
MALVEAUX: The suggestion: to cooperate with the United States in building the missile defense shield, but on Russia's terms.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: This will create necessary grounds for common work.
MALVEAUX: While President Bush envisions putting a radar in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland to confront potential missile launches from rogue states, Putin sees this setup in his own backyard as a threat to Russia's security. Instead, Putin wants to use an old Soviet-built radar system already based in Azerbaijan, which it shares with that government. This would give Russia some involvement in detecting threats.
After Putin laid out his plan, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley huddled with the President's team. U.S. Secretaries of Defense and State will meet with their Russian counterparts to study the plan in the weeks ahead. Putin suggested that if he got his way, he would no longer have to consider aiming his arsenal at Europe.
PUTIN: This will make it possible for us not to change our stance on targeting our missiles.
MALVEAUX: With the chill thawing now between these two, the talk of cold war was replaced with talk of a summer trip.
BUSH: I told Vladimir that we're looking forward to having him up to my folks' place in Maine beginning in July.
MALVEAUX: But Mr. Bush's next stop on this trip is Poland, the site where he wants to put those missile interceptors, an idea that Putin is dead set against. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Rostock, Germany.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Shoutout
GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Brown's 7th and 8th grade classes at Bethany Charter School in Silverton, Oregon. Which state hosted two presidential debates this week? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it: A) New Hampshire, B) Iowa, C) Connecticut or D) Utah? You've got three seconds -- GO! The Granite State, otherwise known as New Hampshire, hosted Democratic and Republican debates this week. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
AZUZ: The stage was full in both debates, with eight Democrats and ten Republicans hoping to stand out from the crowd. The cameras turned on and the country tuned in to watch the White House hopefuls square off on the issues. So what did they say? Find out in our Week in Review, which starts right now!
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AZUZ: The war in Iraq got the most focus at Sunday's Democratic debate. The candidates traded criticisms about their voting record on the conflict, but said that their differences are minor. One thing they all agreed on? Making sure every American can get health insurance. It was the Republicans' turn on Tuesday, and immigration was the hot topic there. But the war got time in the spotlight, too. Most of the contenders defended the invasion of Iraq, and said they support the U.S. commitment there.
Back in Washington, a federal jury charged Congressman William Jefferson with 16 crimes! In 2005, the FBI found $90,000 stashed in the freezer of one of Jefferson's homes, and they say the frozen funds are part of the half-million dollars in bribes the Louisiana lawmaker's taken. Jefferson's lawyer says he's innocent of the charges, but he has agreed to step down from his congressional committee assignment. Tuesday, the House of Representatives ordered its ethics committee to conduct its own investigation to see if Jefferson should be expelled for alleged corruption.
Turning to the Middle East, the Persian Gulf has been suffering through one of the worst tropical storms in decades. A cyclone, which is what hurricanes are called in the Indian Ocean, has been pounding this region. More than 25 people are dead and another 26 have been reported missing after the powerful storm roared through parts of Oman and Iran. Even after it was downgraded to a tropical depression, authorities warned people to steer clear of the shore to be safe.
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Video Yearbook: Steve Irwin
AZUZ: Of all the stories we've covered on CNN Student News, none generated as much response as the death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. Through the e-mails of viewers worldwide, we saw firsthand the impact he had on you, your teachers and parents. And that's undoubtedly part of the reason why Ms. Carruth of Jackson Hole Middle School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, suggested Steve Irwin's death as one of the top stories of the school year. Irwin was killed on September 4 doing what he loved. He was working at Australia's Great Barrier Reef, taping what he described as a "couple of soft stories for a new TV show." That's when he encountered a stingray. The animal's barb struck him in the chest, piercing his heart. And despite their quick work, rescuers were unable to resuscitate him. Funerals and remembrance ceremonies across the world were a testament to how much the zoologist and TV host was loved.
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BINDI SUE IRWIN, STEVE IRWIN'S DAUGHTER: I had the best daddy in the whole world and I will miss him every day.
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AZUZ: And Irwin's father, Bob, said Steve wasn't like a typical son, he was more like a friend. Millions of fans worldwide felt the same way.
Word to the Wise
RAMSAY: A Word to the Wise...
humidity (noun) the amount of moisture in the air; dampness
source:
AZUZ: If you've ever seen a magician make something disappear into thin air, you have to admit it's a pretty neat trick. Well, how about making something out of the air? FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says that magic act could be a big help when disaster strikes. Eric English of WPTV reports on an invention that squeezes the sky to turn humidity into water.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MURPHY, INVENTOR: Today is a fantastic day for making water.
ERIC ENGLISH, REPORTER: For anyone who doubted you can squeeze water from the hot, humid Florida air, here's your proof.
MURPHY: Here's the water.
ENGLISH: David Murphy says his company has found a way to pull more than a thousand gallons from thin air. FEMA officials proudly displayed the latest in air-to-water technology, all mounted on a mobile platform, ready to supply fresh water wherever it's needed.
JOSH WILSON, FEMA SPOKESMAN: We're convinced that this is an incredible innovation that will be the future of disaster response.
ENGLISH: Operators fill five-liter bags with safe drinking water all captured from the surrounding atmosphere.
MURPHY: In conditions like today, you can easily make a thousand gallons of water.
ENGLISH: How it's done is complex.
MURPHY: It is not a giant dehumidifier, like some people might think. This is a very different technology using what we call hyrdascopic media.
ENGLISH: But the secret lies with lithium chloride, an extremely salty solution that attracts the water molecules from the air. FEMA now has two of these half-million dollar self-contained emergency stations.
WILSON: We pre-position this machine right outside a disaster zone and move it in immediately afterwards and begin to see it crank out up to 1,200 gallons of clean drinking water right away.
ENGLISH: For 40 cents per gallon, the air-to-water process can be more cost efficient than trucking in bottled water.
MURPHY: We can make water out of air. and because of this technology, the water itself is very pure.
ENGLISH: FEMA officials say they hope they won't have to use these machines, but say they could be critical if a disaster strikes.
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Promo
AZUZ: Before you break for the summer, let us know what you think about the show! Teachers, if you haven't had a chance to fill out our survey, it's not too late. You can still send one in and let us know your thoughts on CNN Student News.
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, a commencement in California that's a "twin bill." You might do a double take when you see this group of graduates. That's because 8 sets of twins -- 8 sets! -- are in Red Bluff High School's Class of '07! Three identical, 5 fraternal and 16 total -- in a class of just 330. From diapers to diplomas, the similar-looking siblings say they've struggled with the biggest twin trouble: being called the wrong name. And with the deluge of doubles in the last four years, the school's certainly seen a lot of that! So how did one small town end up filled to the brim with twins? No one seems to know.
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ANDRIA ELLIS, TWIN: It's rather amazing that, from Red Bluff, you know, small school, small city, that there are eight twins.
PATRICK GLEASON, RED BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: I'm sure there's lots of things in the water, but I don't know that it has anything to do with twins. I've never seen eight sets of twins together anywhere.
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Goodbye
AZUZ: That double feature is our fond farewell to the show, the week and the school year. But make sure to watch for us over the summer at Thanks for watching and have a great summer, everybody. I'm Carl Azuz.
