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STUDENT NEWS

Greece Agrees to More Austerity Measures in Exchange for Another Bailout; Female DNA Found on Boston Bomb

Aired May 1, 2013 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s a new day and a new month. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. First up today, we`re heading to Europe. Greece has been dealing with severe economic problems, it`s been getting financial bailouts from the European Union, and the country is looking for more help right now.

These bailouts come with conditions, Greece has to find ways to reduce its massive debt. On Sunday, Greek lawmakers agreed to cut 15,000 jobs by the end of 2014. This vote and others in the past have not been popular. Critics argue that the steps Greece is taking to get the bailout money are increasing unemployment without really helping the country`s economy.

Next today, we`re heading to the Netherlands. For the first time in more than 120 years, that country has a king - King William Alexander. He took over the throne on Tuesday, when his mother, the former Queen Beatrix stepped down. The process called the instrument of abdication as outlined in that country`s constitution. Back in January, Queen Beatrix said she thought it was time for a new generation to lead. Crowds gathered outside the palace in Amsterdam for yesterday`s event, it all happened on the Dutch national holiday called Queen`s Day.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? DNA stand for deoxyribonucleic acid. It`s true! DNA is a code to a person`s genetic information, and it`s in nearly every sound in the human body.

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AZUZ: DNA is like a set of biological instructions. It`s what makes each species, each person unique from others. And it can play a big role in criminal investigations as you might have seen on TV. Investigators can use something called a DNA fingerprint to profile based on information from 13 DNA regions. Experts say if it`s used in the right way, this profile can help accurately identify people.

Authorities in Boston told CNN they found female DNA evidence on a fragment from one of the bombs that exploded there in last month`s terrorist attack. That could mean that a woman worked with the bombing suspects, but investigators say the DNA could also come from any woman who touched any item used to make the bomb. It can also be from a female victim. Those bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The city`s police commissioner says, he`d consider using drones, unmanned aircraft to increase security and surveillance at next year`s race. Laurie Segall looks at some of the different way those vehicles can be used.

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LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine a fleet of mini-drones working in tandem to do everything. From play the James Bond theme song to act as first responders at the scene of the crime. Here University of Pennsylvania GRASP Lab, they`ve developing very small unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs that will travel in fleets. And like Bond himself, they are there when danger strikes.

PROF. VIJAY KUMAR, UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA GRASP LAB: Think of this as being the first responders. The idea is that it gets to the scene before a human (INAUDIBLE) can.

SEGALL: It`s technology being built by academics that is yet to hit the market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we really want to do is make these robots really small and then have them collaborate to perform tough autonomous lead that individually they cannot perform.

SEGALL: They`ll have sensors that talk to each other so they can work together.

But unlike the UAV`s used in combat, these robots are intended to go inside buildings. They can map rooms and hallways.

KUMAR: If you look closely, that`s the window that you see at the back of the room there.

SEGALL: They tested the technology in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

KUMAR: And we were able to show how these robots can actually map the interiors of buildings.

SEGALL: The idea of using fleets of small UAVs in crisis situations appeals to campus security.

MAUREEN RUSH, UNIV. OF PENN., V.P. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Since Columbine, every police department in the country trains officers to go in as a unit. Wouldn`t it be fabulous to have a robot who could go a few feet in front of them with a camera that could project back to a command center like the one warrior. And say the gunman is actually in room 210.

SEAGAL: The GRASP Lab spawn off a drone company, started by two recent graduates.

(on camera): So, who are the people that are contacting you that are interested.

DANIEL MELLINGER, KMEL ROBOTICS: Some are pretty obscure. People wanted to deliver pizzas or burritos or something like this.

SEGALL (voice over): Sounds far fetched? A Web site called Taco copter said it wanted to replace the delivery man with a drone flying tacos to San Francisco apartments. It was a hoax, but the idea of something flying around in the sky collecting information raises major privacy questions.

KUMAR: There are a lot of other technologies that are very similar in nature that are already being deployed. So, for example surveillance cameras, and I think we really have to engage in a public dialogue about the benefits of this technology and the possible misuses of this technology.

SEGALL: Drones for commercial use aren`t supposed to be in the skies until 2015. But about 80 universities and law enforcement groups apply to the FAA for licenses n 2012. And the uses for this small UAVs could have beat implications.

Laurie Segall, CNN Money, Philadelphia.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re basically making history in (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This prom is integrated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We share everything else together, why not have this one moment that means the world to us together?

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AZUZ: Those students go to Wilcox Country High School in Georgia, and they helped plan one of these year`s proms. And for decades, the school`s white students have gone to one prom, the school`s black students have gone to another prom. The school isn`t involved with any of these dances. They`re organized by parents and students. So, with this year`s two dances: a white prom and an integrated prom, the first one in Wilcox County history.

When we first reported on the story, we asked you to share your thoughts on our Facebook page. Matthew said they should keep the separate proms in order to maintain tradition. Jasmine said she felt like segregated proms degraded what the country has tried to become.

James didn`t agree with the idea of segregated proms, but he said if they are privately funded events, they should be allowed to do it. And Samantha thought the idea of separate proms based on skin color was absurd.

Here is what some of the students from Wilcox County had to say about their first integrated prom.

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KEVIN RAVAZZA, PROMDATE: Everybody should kind of gather and have a good time. There shouldn`t just be - just one race anywhere. I mean at football games, baseball games, you see, it`s integrated. It is how our prom should be.

ALEXIS MILLER, SENIOR WILCOX COUNTY HIGH: I think it says something for the county, you know, for the (inaudible). Because it`s been so divided before and now we can all just come now and (inaudible) together. It`s really fun.

JAKEIVUS PETRSON, PROM DATE: That`s my first time.

ANNA GONI, SENIOR WILCOX COUNTY HIGH: I mean, we are both people, we are both human beings. I mean, why not go to prom together. I mean (inaudible) for the color of people skin. You know, why not just look at the people on the inside, look at what they stand for, look at how their heart is, look at how they treat people. Why we get somebody for what color they are.

I guess we just came together and realized, within themselves that you know, why if we do everything else together, why not do this together? They realized, OK, even though my parents probably don`t stand for this, why don`t I take a stand for what I believe in?

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AZUZ: When something comes up in the news, tornadoes, concussions, papal succession, the Masters, we run videos from the "CNN Explains" series. Now, we get emails from teachers asking where they can find them. Cnnstudentnews.com, head to the resources box, look for the link to the "CNN Explains" archive. Try near the link where teachers can share their thought on today`s show. You`ve got opinions -we want to hear them.

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AZUZ: You probably haven`t heard of Cameron Lyle - he was a star college athlete, but for the sports of shoved (ph) put disks and hammer, which don`t get the same coverage as football. He recently did something, though, that made him one of the most important people in the stranger`s life. Lyle donated his bone marrow, and to do it, he had to give up his college athletic career. Bone marrow can be found in your hip and thigh bones. It has stem cells in it, which can form in the other cells that fight infections or help blood clot. It`s used to help cancer patients survive, but matching a patient to a donor is very difficult. When Lyle was a sophomore, he put his name on the donor list. There was only a small chance he`d ever get called, but senior year, he was.

CAMERON LYLE: When they said it was a match, they said would you like to proceed? And I said, absolutely.

AZUZ: For weeks after the procedure, Lyle isn`t allowed to lift more than 20 pounds over his head. That`s why his college track and field base are over. And he doesn`t know who got his bone marrow - by law, that information`s kept secret for a year. All he knows, it`s someone who`s 28 years old, has leukemia and needs his help.

LYLE: I mean you can`t - judge your life against really anything. When you have an opportunity to save someone, that`s how you`ve got to go for it.

AZUZ: Lyle`s greatest fit made from a hospital bed.

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AZUZ: All right. Last story today, let`s say you`re on the scuba diving trip. Suddenly, you guide says dives over back in the boat now. What do you expect to see? Probably not this - the divers who shot this Youtube video, got upclose and personal with a pod of killer whales. 20 of them following the boat, jumping and playing around in its wake. The group of animals has been spotted before, but no one remembers them getting behind the boat like this. So, it looks like those divers got an exclusive scuba. A pun about animals jumping out of the water - it was a podsibility. It might have a little bit overreach. Whale, it`s time for us to go for CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. We`ll see you tomorrow.

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