CNN Student News - September 19, 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: First up this Monday on CNN STUDENT NEWS, apparent acts of terrorism on U.S. soil.

I`m Carl Azuz. Let`s go. 

Police in Manhattan, an island and a borough of New York City, are hunting for whoever set off an explosion that injured 29 people on Saturday night. 

They`d all been released from hospitals by the next morning.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said it was obviously an act of terrorism, but then it happened when there was no specific threat against New York City from any terrorist organizations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: We will find who planted these explosives and they will be punished.

(END VIDEO CLI)

AZUZ: You heard him say explosives. Police believe the one that went off was hidden in or near a dumpster and officials found another device a few blocks away, a pressure cooker with wires and a cell phone attached to it. Police didn`t know for certain if it was connected to the device that went 
off nearby. 

They`re also investigating whether any of this is linked to a separate explosion Saturday morning in New Jersey. It went off in a garbage can along the route of the U.S. Marine Corps charity run. But the run had been delayed and there was no one nearby or hurt in that blasts. 

There were several people wounded though in an apparent terrorist attack in a mall in Minnesota Saturday. A man stabbed nine people at the Crossroads 

Mall in St. Cloud before he was shot and killed by police. Part of the Islamic State or ISIS terrorist group claimed it was responsible for that attack.

Next story, on September 9th, in a rural county in Alabama, a leak was found in a gas pipeline. Around 250,000 gallons of gas had spilled and the pipeline was closed. But the effects are rippling up the U.S. East Coast because this particular pipeline provides gasoline for an estimated 50 million people each day. Some gas stations have run out of fuel, and because the pipeline might not be fully function until later this week, ships are sailing with gas from Texas to New York and more tanker trucks are expected on the road.

Pipelines are by far the cheapest way to move gas or oil. So, prices are going up as supply goes down. An analyst from GasBuddy.com says prices could increase by 15 cents per gallon in some places. The governors of Alabama and Georgia had declared states of emergencies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oil is not for the faint of heart. Black gold has made fortunes for some but its price volatility leaves destruction in its wake. 

Here are some of the biggest oil booms and busts of the last century:

One of the earliest oil price shocks of the transportation era was the West Coast gasoline famine of 1920. Demand for oil was surging as more people started driving automobiles. Consumption almost doubled from 1915 to 1920. That led to a shortage in gasoline. Autos were out of commission and 
horses back in style. 

After 1920, oil production in the U.S. boomed in Texas, Oklahoma, California. That meant no more shortages. Increased supply and falling 

prices down 40 percent between 1920 and 1926. Then, toss the Great Depression in the mix. Prices fell another 66 percent by 1931. 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Throughout the world, throngs of people hailed the end of the war in Europe.

ROMANS: After World War II, people were demanding more petroleum-based product and buying more cars. The price of oil increased 80 percent from 1945 to 1947. 

In 1960, OPEC was founded. The coordination of supply from these countries led to relatively prices for the next decade. Just after Syria and Egypt attacked Israel in 1973, OPEC announced an embargo on all oil exports to countries viewed as supporting Israel including the United States. Oil prices doubled and then doubled again and drivers waited in long lines just to fill up their tanks. 

Iran was one of the largest oil producers in the world in 1978 but the revolution in that country hurt production and the country has never fully recovered. The price of oil already historically high pretty much doubled again. And in the U.S. the lines for gas were back. 

If you haven`t noticed already, when there`s conflict in the Middle East, oil prices go up. That`s what happened in 1990 and again when the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. 

Growing demand for oil was booming at the beginning of the 21st century. China was guzzling crude and the U.S. economy was in a bubble. Despite signs of a global recession under way, oil peaked at $142 a barrel in 2008. It helped put the brakes on the economy just before the financial crisis 
brought it all crashing down. 

And today too many players pumping too much oil and concerns about China`s slowing growth have sent oil prices into a tailspin. How will this bust stack up with others from the last 100 years? 

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: An act of protests by an American pro-football player is dividing people on fields and in living rooms across the U.S. Colin Kaepernick is the back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Over the summer, he made headlines for refusing to stand while the U.S. national anthem is 
played. 

At first, he sat on a bench. Later, he took a knee. And he continues to kneel during the anthem at regular season games. 

Kaepernick says that he`s not anti-American, but that he`s doing this to protest what he says is the mistreatment of African-Americans and minorities in the U.S. His protest has been joined by some other NFL players, while the majority of players continue to stand during the anthem.

The NFL says the anthem is an opportunity to honor America. But then the individual has the right to participate or not in the celebration. Some critics say they agree with Kaepernick`s message but not his method of protests by kneeling during the anthem. Others called the protest disrespectful, saying this isn`t the time or the place to do it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political football has a whole new meaning. What began in the NFL with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is now showing up under the glare of Friday night lights.

SF MISSION HIGH FOOTBALL PLAYER: We do think by the consequences. That happened after the game. I won`t give bulls (ph) and negative energy and stuff like that, but it`s like it really don`t matter. If it`s right, then it`s right.

SIDNER (on camera): While the protest is catching on in some high schools across the country, that is not what is happened at Colin Kaepernick`s old high school.

(voice-over): During his alma mater`s game, the national anthem played, hands were over hearts and every player stood stick-straight. But their hometown football standouts protest has sparked controversy and conversation in Turlock, California.

JOSHUA SMITH, TURLOCK RESIDENT: I think it was really disrespectful and I think he`s an idiot.

SIDNER: At Mainstreet Footers, the once popular Kaepernick dog, has been stricken from the menu. Glenn Newsum says it was a business decision that most of his customers agreed with.

GLENN NEWSUM, MAINSTREET FOOTERS CO-OWNER: One of the nice things about country is you get to make choices. But we didn`t want it to become a political football. 

SIDNER: But down the street, at Jura`s Pizza Parlor, Kaepernick`s jersey is proudly displayed.

PAPIOLA AGHASSI, JURA`S PIZZA PARLOR: Here within Turlock, loyalty is a lot. Every -- the community is very loyal. So, we`re going to stay loyal to again our home town boy, as his career continues.

SIDNER: Papiola Aghassi says she is supporting their home town guy, not the way he has decided to protest.

(on camera): Is his protest creating friction in this town? 

AGHASSI: Yes, yes. There are locals that support him and there are locals that don`t support him.

SIDNER (voice-over): Like Navy veteran Veronica Mora.

VERONICA MORA, NAVY VETERAN: I was very disgusted and disappointed. It hurt. It hurt. Yes, like I said, I believe in the flag. I believe in the United States of America.

SIDNER: Ultimately, the hardworking, growing town of Turlock, California, is a microcosm of the rest of America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Before we go, yoga with goats. And I don`t mean the greatest of all time, I mean farm animals. Goat yoga.

The woman who started it says it`s a great distraction from politics, war and the way the world is right now. There`s apparently a waiting list of 500 people to do it. 

One participant says the animals have been running all over the mats and trying to eat the mats and head-butting people and it`s been so much fun.

Unless, of course, losing your equipment gets your goat, in which case, it sounds like a baa-d idea. But for those who find it mee-ditative, it just can`t be bleat. You just got to keep your chin up, make ruminant for others and always be patient with the kids.

I`m Carl Azuz and that`s CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CNN Student News - September 16 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hey. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS. And Fridays are awesome! We`re happy to see you this September
16th. 

We are less than eight weeks away from Election Day in the U.S. and ten days away from the first presidential debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Several recent national polls are close. They indicate that neither major candidate appears to have a strong advantage. Looking at Ohio and Florida, two critical battleground states, also known as swing states, these are states whose voters could choose either a Republican or a Democratic candidate. They don`t tend to vote the same way in every election. 

In Ohio, a recent CNN/ORC poll found that Donald Trump had the lead among likely voters with the support of 46 percent. Hillary Clinton had the support of 41 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson had 8 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein had 2 percent. 

In Florida, the same poll found that Trump had the support of 47 percent. Clinton had the support of 44 percent. Johnson had 6 percent. And Stein had 1 percent. The poll`s margin of error is 3.5 percent.

Now, there had been questions about the candidates` stances on policies. There had been questions about their health, about how open their campaigns have been with information. One thing there`s no question about is that running takes a massive effort.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Running for the White House is unlike any other contest. This is the ultimate prize and it`s definitely the major leagues when it comes to campaigning. 

SUBTITLE: Explain to Me: Running for President.

STEINHAUSER: Everybody thinks the election is in November, but, honestly, that election starts often two years beforehand. 

Going to the early voting states, meaning voters, starting to build up a staff. This is a commitment that takes a lot more than just a few weeks. 

Running for the White House is no cheap proposition. It takes a lot of money. This time around, we will see maybe a billion-dollar campaign.

Why does it cost so much money to run for the White House? Because it`s more than just a state operation. You`re running in all 50 states. And it takes a lot of money, not only to build up a staff to reach out to voters, but also the travel, the commercials. We`re talking about an immense amount of money.

You don`t always be rich to run for the White House. You can have ideas, and if you start generating buzz, well, then the money follows, especially nowadays with the Internet. It is so much easier now to reach out to anybody to raise money than it was in the old days.

To have a successful campaign, you need a pretty large staff, no doubt about it. You have to have people in the early voting states, like Iowa, 

New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada. People who are reaching out to voters, people who are setting up events for the candidate. 

When it comes to a campaign staff, candidates often like to have young people and old people as well. It`s definitely a mixture. Their top strategies are often people who`ve been around for cycles. But a lot of the younger people out in the states, the volunteers and the fresh faces, those are the people who are knocking on doors and saying hello to voters and trying to spread the message about their candidates.

There are a lot of positions in a campaign, but there are a few people that stand out the most. And one of them will be the campaign manager. That`s the person who manages a campaign, basically the boss who decides who does what and where the candidate goes and what the candidate says, to a degree.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Here`s an issue you`ll probably hear discussed in the upcoming presidential debates: the Obama administration has announced plans to increase the number of refugees that the U.S. accepts from around the world. The White House wants to allow at least 110,000 refugees to enter the U.S. in 2017. 

Between 2013 and 2015, the administration accepted 70,000 refugees in all. This year alone, it will accept 85,000. The Obama administration says the increases in line with its belief that all countries should more to help the world`s most vulnerable people. 

But some critics say it doesn`t go far enough, that the U.S. should accept 200,000 refugees. And other critics say the plan goes too far. They`ve discussed concerns that the cost would be high and that U.S. national security could be threatened if terrorists are among the refugees. 

It`s not certain if the plan will go through. Congress could vote to limit the plan by limiting the money spent on it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: Would you use a helmet made of paper?

EcoHelmet wants you to try.

The helmet folds down to the size of a banana. 

EcoHelmet meets European crash test regulations. 

Many rides don`t wear helmets.

To make it waterproof, the helmet is coated with the same kind of wax as a disposable coffee cup.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: All right. The EcoHelmets, it`s just a concept, and it`s not made to be worn over and over, like a regular bike helmet or a football helmet. 

But it has the same job, and avoiding head injuries is a goal of both bike renters and football players, especially with so much attention focused on head trauma in football. 

The National Football League has said that it expects almost one third of retired players to develop long term brain problems. The NFL and its owners are now pledging $100 million. In addition to money and rule changes already committed to better prevent, diagnose and treat head injuries in football.

Supporters say this will help medical officials better identify injuries like concussions and shine more light on brain diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE, which is caused by repeated head trauma. Critics say the NFL has a bad record of handling these issues that has not approved, but player safety isn`t the only challenge for the league.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It costs $481 on average for a family of four to go to an NFL game. It`s a lot less expensive to watch the game at home and even the experience is tough to beat. Technology offers easy access to instant replays and you can switch between big games.

Stadiums are taking notice. Last season, attendance slipped.

Is the game just not enough anymore?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the game still is enough, but modern audiences want to be as immersed in the game and have as much access to the game, as much information about the game as they possibly can.

YURKEVICH: MetLife is one of dozens of stadiums and arenas investing in technology, everything from Bluetooth beacons to mobile apps to virtual reality. 

In order to help fans better connect and get them back in the seats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we have a tremendous Wi-Fi network in the stadium. So, you can use our app to stay connected to all of the scores and stats and everything from that game. You can now have your tickets on the app.

YURKEVICH: And ideally, once you get those people in the stadium, you do want them to spend money to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If more people have a chance to purchase something, all the better, of course. We find that certain groups of people aren`t trying types of products that we want to promote. Now, we can target just those people and deliver a timely message just today.

YURKEVICH: And according to a Northwestern University study, almost half of season ticket holders would pay even more for a better in person experience. 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a very stable business model. We know how to generate revenue.

The great thing in the sports business is if serve the fans right, we will make a fair return on our investment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: How about a world record for walking? Boring.

OK, how about walking on hand? Nope.

What about with the soccer ball? Negative.

Walking on hand with the soccer ball between your legs? Uh-uh.

OK, fastest 50 meters walking on hand with the soccer ball between your legs? Now you`re talking. Now you`ve got a new Guinness World Record. 

A man from China reached out his arms and took home the title with an official time of just over 26 seconds.

So, put your hands together because while running the 50 and 26 seconds is hardly feat, a record was afoot when a hand walker ran the hands down greatest barefoot or bare hands or bare knuckle race ran on two hands. You got to give him a hand?

CNN STUDENT NEWS is headed into the weekend. Hope yours is a winner.