CNN Student News September 29 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: I`m Carl Azuz, kicking off your Thursday edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS.

First up, a historic showdown between the U.S. Congress and the U.S. president. Earlier this month, the House and Senate passed a controversial bill. Its goal was to allow the families of terrorism victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

Why? The Middle Eastern country has been accused of helping the terrorist group that conducted the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Fifteen of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has denied having any role in the attacks.

Why did President Obama oppose the bill? He said it would interfere with his ability to conduct foreign policy and that it could potentially lead to the U.S. government being sued in other country`s court systems.

For its part, Saudi Arabia threatened to abandon hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in American assets if the bill passed.

Why did U.S. lawmakers support the bill? They felt the families of 9/11 victims deserve to have their day in court against Saudi Arabia. One attorney in the suit suggested that if the Saudi government was innocent, it wouldn`t have to be afraid of the lawsuits.

So, what happened with the bill? President Obama vetoed it last week. But yesterday afternoon, Congress overrode that veto. It was the first time that`s happened since President Obama took office. Overriding a veto takes a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.

And it`s pretty rare. Only around 4 percent of U.S. presidential vetoes had ever been overridden according to "The Wall Street Journal".

The U.S. government is planning to send roughly 500 additional American troops to the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. Right now, there are around 5,000 troops serving there. That includes those in Iraq on temporary status. The numbers have been increasing since 2014.

Iraq`s government requested more U.S. forces to help out with the upcoming battle for Mosul, a city in northern Iraq that`s controlled by the ISIS terrorist group. U.S. officials have indicated that the Americans might be closer to combat, though not at the front lines. That`s significant because in 2014, President Obama said American combat troops would not be battling on foreign soil in the fight against ISIS.

U.S. officials expect this will be the last increase of American military troops in Iraq. But the nation will likely remain a challenge for America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The next U.S. president will be caught between Iraq and a hard place.

Barack Obama called U.S. troops out in his first term. Now, they`re back. They`re there to help crush ISIS, which was born in Iraq.

But the war against the terror group has obscured one important fact -- Iraq is never far from falling apart.

There are three main groups in the country, the Kurds, who basically controlled much of the north, the Shia who ruled from Baghdad and are influenced by Iran, and the once dominance Sunni-Arab minority who don`t trust the Kurds or the Shia.

In the post-ISIS future, the next American president will have the unenviable tasks of trying to keep Iraq together while at the same time preventing a return of ISIS in different incarnation.

It`s not mission impossible, but it`s close to it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: Landfall in Taiwan.

Typhoon Megi is the third typhoon to batter Taiwan in two weeks. The typhoon made landfall at 1:30 p.m. local time with winds in excess of 143 mph (230 kph).

The second busiest port in Taiwan, Taichung Port, reported wave height of 10.8 meters (35 feet).

At least four people have died and 316 others were injured due to Typhoon Megi.

Rainfall totals have reached 1,000 mm (over 24 feet) in 24 hours in the mountainous Yilan County.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: To the Midwestern U.S. state of Iowa, the National Weather Service has extended flood warnings to Sunday in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Thousands had to evacuate after more than 10 inches fell in Eastern Iowa and Western Wisconsin last week.

Over the weekend, city workers, contractors, volunteers and National Guard troops banded together. They built temporary walls, levees and laid down

250 sand bags and it looks like it all worked.

The city manager says the efforts appeared to protect the city of Cedar Rapids from serious flooding. The major concern was the Cedar River and how high it would rise. It crested at just over 22 feet and that is six feet above what`s considered major flood stage.

So, what`s the difference between river flooding and flash flooding?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can see these different categories. A pair in the purple, that`s major flood stage. And then, of course, those orange, that is minor flood stage.

So, you take the first one. This is a flash flood event. And you can see how steep this spike is. It`s basically flat and then in the matter of hours, boom, peaks and then it drops off rather quickly as well.

Another instance, you may have two thunderstorms, so you have a small peak, and then you have a big peak. But the point is, it happens extremely quickly. The difference in river flooding is that it`s a very gradual process. The river will rise sometimes taking days, and they`re gradually falling. That`s a river flood.

Here`s another example, even more dramatic, and you can see the slow rise and then the slow fall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: The head of SpaceX, a space exploration company, is laying out a plan for humans to colonize Mars, the planet. And Elon Musk says this could happen in 50 to 150 years, though he wants to get it started, sending the first humans to Mars in the year 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, CEO TESLA MOTORS: I think there are two main motivations for Mars. I mean, one is, is the sort of defense reason of saying, OK, if something would have happened to Earth, is live as we know it, does it end? Or if it`s on another planet, then it probably doesn`t end.

Multi-planet civilization is likely to last a lot longer than a single civilization.

The other part of it is, just being an incredible adventure. It would be a very exciting and even if somebody never plan to go to Mars, just following the progress I think would -- vicariously would be quite aspiring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: But at the moment, quite expensive. Musk says it costs $10 billion to get someone there with today`s technology. He wants to get the price of a ticket down to $200,000 per person, through the development of newer and more advanced systems. He says, ultimately, the mission would need a combo of private and government funds.

The downsides: Musk says that people wanting to go to Mars would have to be prepared to die, that the fatally risk would be high. Also, SpaceX is currently dealing with setbacks, like the explosion of one of its rockets on a launch pad earlier this month. But the company, like the U.S. government, is working to send people far beyond the moon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If technologically it becomes possible to colonize other worlds, do you think our bodies and our brains could handle it?

SCOTT KELLY, NASA, RETIRED ASTRONAUT: Definitely our brains could handle it.

SUBTITLE: Astronaut Scott Kelly believes we`re ready for Mars.

KELLY: Probably the biggest impediment to just going there is the cost. I mean, I think we can overcome the challenges if we could overcome the financial requirements. Who knows what the resources are in Mars, but I think there are advantages, assuming you could do it to having another
livable planet.

NASA believes in redundant systems and earth is a system. So, if at some point in our future became feasible to maybe make Mars somewhat like Earth, then it would be -- there would be a lot of value to that.

But there`s also value in just exploring for explorations sake. I mean, we`re explorers, and I think doing stuff that is really complicated, really difficult, that challenges us, also adds, you know, to our economy and, you know, makes our lives better right there on Earth.

CRANE: Do you think that Elon Musk setting up his own Mars architecture, that that compromises that government`s ambitions in any way, shape or form?

KELLY: Not at all. And, you know, I would hope that NASA would even partner with him in some respects. You know, having competition in everything always helps to if we look at like, you know, someone`s trying to get there first. That would be helpful too.

CRANE: Would you go to Mars?

KELLY: Yes.

CRANE: You would go to Mars?

KELLY: Yes.

CRANE: For how long though?

KELLY: I would go on the three-year trek where you come home.

CRANE: Were you ever counting down the days when you were spending that year in space?

KELLY: I tried to count up. Unfortunately, my colleague Nisha (ph) started counting down at day 100 and every day, he would say 99, 98, 97.

So, I had to count down because of him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Before we go, a British prince totally disrespecting a Canadian prime minster. A few well known members of Britain`s royal family are spending the week in Canada. They arrived Saturday. Three-year-old Prince George was among them.

But when Canada`s leader knelt down to offer a high five, the little prince just shook his head, no high five, no low five, not even a handshake -- nothing. I guess the young royal just thought he`d keep his hands to himself.

Does he deserve a hand? Does he need a hand learning etiquette? You could call it a royal snub, or a princely putdown. You say the whole situation got out of hand, but in this case, it seems it`s the Briton who`s declaring independence.

I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CNN Student News September 28 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Welcome to a new day of international events covered. I`m Carl Azuz at the CNN Center.

First up, the World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, has a new warning out about air pollution. It says that nine in ten people around the world live in areas with unsafe levels of pollution. The organization collected data from thousands of locations worldwide and says air pollution contributes to more than 3 million deaths every year.

Poor air quality is one reason why you see people wearing face masks in some Chinese cities. Pollution in China is said to factor in to more deaths per year than in any other country.

But India also has a high death toll blamed on air pollution, followed by Russia. And the World Health Organization says air pollution increases the risk of stroke, hearth disease, respiratory infections and lung diseases including cancer.

The report measured pollutants like sulfates, nitrates and black carbon, blamed for getting into people`s lungs. It said that the vast majority of air pollution related deaths occurred in low and middle income countries. As far as the U.S. goes, the WHO estimated that air pollution was tied to more than 38,000 deaths in 2012.

Solutions: the WHO suggests clean forms of transportation, better management of garbage, better cooking stoves in poor countries, and more renewable energy. But it said human activity wasn`t the only cause of pollution. Natural events like dust storms and areas near deserts also pollute the air.

The civil war that`s been tearing apart the Middle Eastern nation of Syria since 2011 shows no signs of ending soon. A ceasefire organized by the U.S. and Russia earlier this month has collapsed. Hundreds of airstrikes hit the rebel-held city of Aleppo over the weekend. For the civilians there, food prices have shut up dramatically and medical care and supplies are getting harder to find.

Syria`s war is an international crisis and whoever wins November`s U.S. presidential election will likely have to address.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here are three reasons why Syria could be the biggest global headache for the next U.S. president.

The big one. It`s ground zero for ISIS and the launch pad for many of its terrorist attacks around the world.

The world can`t figure out what to do with the Syrian president. The U.S. views him as a brutal dictator who has killed hundreds of thousands of its people and wants him out. But Iran and Russia want him in.

Meanwhile, the deadlock has created the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. What happens in Syria doesn`t stay in Syria, and here`s what I mean by that. The fault lines that have emerged from this conflict now threaten to break up the entire region, along religious and ethnic
lines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Syria was not something the candidates discuss much at their first U.S. presidential debate, though Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump did talk about ISIS and the importance of defeating the terrorist group. More than 80 million watched them face off on Monday night. It was the most watched debate ever. That`s according to audience research info by the Nielsen Company.

We don`t know yet how or if this debate will impact the national polls. But John King takes a look at how they can.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": What does history tell us? Can a debate change a race? Can one candidate come in behind and pull out ahead?

Well, let`s go back and study some history.

SUBTITLE: Debates matter. (Sometimes.)

KING: It`s a tough question, how much do the polls move before and after debate? In part, it depends on how close is the race. It`s the race already baked. Is somebody already on the path to victory? Then, they move less.

And also, it depends on performance. Let`s be clear, it`s a debate.

SUBTITLE: Back in 2008 --

KING: What was interesting about the third debate is that Obama was -- in the instant polls, Obama scored the winner. But this is the debate, if you go back and think about it, we met Joe the Plumber. John McCain tried to make the case that Senator Obama --

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: What you want to do to Joe the Plumber and millions more like him is have their taxes increased.

KING: So, it`s a good moment for John McCain. You see, he benefited by a point after that debate, a very good debate moment. Good reviews for Senator McCain after that debate, but again, the race was pretty much baked.

If the voters have already decided which way they`re most likely going, even a strong debate sometimes doesn`t get your much.

SUBTITLE: And back in 2012 --

KING: 2012 is a different case and that`s why every campaign is a little different. 2012, like 2016, was a more competitive race. So, let`s take a look at some of the things coming in.

In the first debate in 2012, the big headline was, where was this guy? The incumbent president of the United States didn`t seem like he wanted to be at the first debate. If you go back and look at the clips, he seemed disinterested, he seemed a little bored, like he wanted to be somewhere else, but he didn`t think that guy, Governor Romney, belonged on the same stage as the president of the United States.

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don`t know how the president could have come into office, facing 23 million out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the kitchen table, and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for Obamacare instead of fighting for jobs for the American people.

KING: Guess what? Debate performance matters. Mitt Romney came up six points, the president went down six points after that first debate. A lot of the conservatives came in to the first debate thinking, we`re going to lose, they came out of the first debate thinking, hey, we got a shot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Well, there`s a debate going on in the scientific community about the flu shot. When is the best time to get it? U.S. Centers for Disease Control says getting a vaccination every year is the best protection against the flu, that it can reduce our chances of catching the flu by 50 or 60 percent under good circumstances.

But though flu season doesn`t peak in the U.S. until January or February, clinics and drug stores start marketing the shot as early as August, and some experts have concerned that if people get it that early, especially people over age 65, the vaccine`s effectiveness could wear off before flu season peaks.

Doctors don`t know exactly how long a vaccination`s protection lasts. One immunologist says the best time to get one is between Halloween and

Thanksgiving. Government health officials say an earlier shot is still better than none at all.

When Dr. Edwin Smith started his career in dentistry, he saw a lot -- people with chronic infections, people who`d super glued their teeth back under their gums. But it was the kids in dental pain who troubled him the most.

So, in 2005, Dr. Smith started Kids First Dental Services, a non-profit that`s helped more than 43,000 children. He`s today`s "Character Study".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. EDWIN SMITH, CNN HERO: I was born and raised in Appalachia. I`ve been here all my life. It`s a special place, but there`s jaw-dropping poverty, too. We have people in great need.

Are you OK?

You`re doing great.

I`ve been practicing this for 27 years when I first started. I saw a lot of patients who hadn`t seen a dentist before. I would see a lot of kids who had a mouth full of rotting teeth. In most heartbreaking to see these kids who were in pain. They won`t smile.

Once I was exposed to that, then I felt like something had to be done. We turned a trailer in a multi-dome plank.

We go to the schools. We see in the children who want to be seen.

I`m going to have a look of your teeth, OK?

We provide free checkups.

And get them some education early on.

If you do the preventative work, then they`re going to continue to stay healthy as they get older.

Very nice. Do you brush your teeth? She got really pretty teeth.

We travelled all across Kentucky.

We want to take a baby tooth out here.

I do follow-up care, not practice.

You`re done. It`s easy one.

If they can`t get here, we`d help them get in to another practice.

We treat people regardless of their ability to pay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dentist will take a look at your teeth.

She had some really bad tooth decay.

We ain`t got no brown smile no more, do we?

You want to look at your mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can smile real pretty now.

SMITH: Thank you, baby.

Just seeing that we`re still making a difference keeps me going. It means everything to me, to be able to serve my community. This is my home, my

people. This is who I am.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: A manager of a cell phone store in California recently ordered a pizza and bread sticks for lunch. That`s not what was delivered. Inside the box were packs of cash, almost $5,000 worth. She assumed it was for a bank deposit.

But the pizza store didn`t return her call. It took days for her to get in touch with the franchise owner. When she did, though, her reward was a year of free pizza from the restaurant and a week`s paid vacation from her employer.

So, her honesty truly paid off in dough and pizza dough. Oh, sure, someone crust, you might have tried to box up the cash and take it all the way home. But there`s topping doing the right thing. It often delivers a sense of inner pizza.

I`m Carl Azuz and we hope you`ll order more news and puns tomorrow.

CNN Student News - September 27 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Recapping last night`s U.S. presidential debate. This is CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz.

Suspense has been building for weeks. The size of the TV, online and social media audience was expected to be historic. It was the first head to head match up between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

There are other candidates. Why just those two on the debate stage? Because you take part in the U.S. presidential debate, the Commission on

Presidential Debates requires candidates to have the support of at least 15 percent of voters in national polls. Only Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump had that.

And in those polls, they are neck and neck. In CNN`s average of five of the most of the recent national polls, Clinton had the support of 44 percent of likely voters. Trump had the support of 42 percent.

But in a number of battleground states, states where either a Republican or a Democrat could win the electoral vote, the two main candidates were so close, they were within the margin of error, meaning neither had a commanding lead.

Now, for the debate. It was scheduled to last 90 minutes with no breaks and no commercials. Donald Trump stood to the left of the moderator,

Hillary Clinton to the right. That was decided by a coin toss.

Hillary Clinton was to receive the first question of the debate, also decided by a coin toss.

And NBC News anchor named Lester Holt moderated. His plan was to spend 30 minutes on each of three main general topics.

The first was on achieving prosperity. It was the chance for the candidates to discuss the status of the U.S. economy and their plans for where to take it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are different views about what`s good for our country, our economy, and our leadership in the world.

And I think it`s important to look at what we need to do to get the economy going again. That`s why I said new jobs with rising incomes, investments, not in more tax cuts that would add $5 trillion to the debt.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But you have no plan.

CLINTON: But in -- oh, but I do.

TRUMP: Secretary, you have no plan.

CLINTON: In fact, I have written a book about it. It`s called "Stronger Together." You can pick it up tomorrow at a bookstore --

TRUMP: That`s about all you`ve --

(CROSSTALK)

LESTER HOLT, DEBATE MODERATOR: Folks, we`re going to --

CLINTON: -- or at an airport near you.

HOLT: We`re going to move to --

CLINTON: But it`s because I see this -- we need to have strong growth, fair growth, sustained growth. We also have to look at how we help families balance the responsibilities at home and the responsibilities at business.

So we have a very robust set of plans. And people have looked at both of our plans, have concluded that mine would create 10 million jobs and yours would lose us 3.5 million jobs, and explode the debt which would have a recession.

TRUMP: You are going to approve one of the biggest tax cuts in history. You are going to approve one of the biggest tax increases in history. You are going to drive business out. Your regulations are a disaster, and you`re going to increase regulations all over the place.

And, by the way, my tax cut is the biggest since Ronald Reagan. I`m very proud of it. It will create tremendous numbers of new jobs. But regulations, you are going to regulate these businesses out of existence.

When I go around -- Lester, I tell you this, I`ve been all over. And when I go around, despite the tax cut, the thing -- the things that business as in people like the most is the fact that I`m cutting regulation. You have regulations on top of regulations, and new companies cannot form and old
companies are going out of business. And you want to increase the regulations and make them even worse.

I`m going to cut regulations. I`m going to cut taxes big league, and you`re going to raise taxes big league, end of story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: So, strong views, strong disagreements. That continued in the second segment of the debate. The focus here: America`s direction -- where is the country headed, how would the candidates address the challenges of American communities and how will the candidates lead?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we have to be very strong. And we have to be very vigilant.

We have to be -- we have to know what we`re doing. Right now, our police, in many cases, are afraid to do anything. We have to protect our inner cities, because African-American communities are being decimated by crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we have to be very strong. And we have to be very vigilant.

We have to be -- we have to know what we`re doing. Right now, our police, in many cases, are afraid to do anything. We have to protect our inner cities, because African-American communities are being decimated by crime, decimated.

You need better relationships. I agree with Secretary Clinton on this. You need better relationships between the communities and the police,

because in some cases, it`s not good.

But you look at Dallas, where the relationships were really studied, the relationships were really a beautiful thing, and then five police officers were killed one night very violently. So, there`s some bad things going on. Some really bad things.

HOLT: Secretary Clinton --

TRUMP: But we need -- Lester, we need law and order. And we need law and order in the inner cities, because the people that are most affected by what`s happening are African-American and Hispanic people. And it`s very unfair to them what our politicians are allowing to happen.

CLINTON: Lester, I think implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just police. I think, unfortunately, too many of us in our great country jump to conclusions about each other.

When it comes to policing, since it can have literally fatal consequences, I have said, in my first budget, we would put money into that budget to

help us deal with implicit bias by retraining a lot of our police officers.

I`ve met with a group of very distinguished, experienced police chiefs a few weeks ago. They admit it`s an issue. They`ve got a lot of concerns.

Mental health is one of the biggest concerns, because now police are having to handle a lot of really difficult mental health problems on the street.

They want support, they want more training, they want more assistance. And I think the federal government could be in a position where we would offer and provide that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: And that brings us to third planned section of the showdown. Securing America was the theme here. How do Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump plan to keep the country safe and what are their visions for the future of U.S. foreign policy, how it works with other nations of the world?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: How do we protect our people?

And I think we`ve got to have an intelligence surge, where we are looking for every scrap of information. I was so proud of law enforcement in New York, in Minnesota, in New Jersey. You know, they responded so quickly, so professionally to the attacks that occurred by Rahami. And they brought him down. And we may find out more information because he is still alive, which may prove to be an intelligence benefit.

So we`ve got to do everything we can to vacuum up intelligence from Europe, from the Middle East. That means we`ve got to work more closely with our allies, and that`s something that Donald has been very dismissive of.

We`re working with NATO, the longest military alliance in the history of the world, to really turn our attention to terrorism. We`re working with our friends in the Middle East, many of which, as you know, are Muslim majority nations. Donald has consistently insulted Muslims abroad, Muslims
at home, when we need to be cooperating with Muslim nations and with the American Muslim community.

They`re on the front lines. They can provide information to us that we might not get anywhere else. They need to have close working cooperation with law enforcement in these communities, not be alienated and pushed away as some of Donald`s rhetoric, unfortunately, has led to.

TRUMP: The secretary said very strongly about working with -- we`ve been working with them for many years, and we have the greatest mess anyone`s ever seen. You look at the Middle East, it`s a total mess. Under your direction, to a large extent.

But you look at the Middle East, you started the Iran deal, that`s another beauty where you have a country that was ready to fall, I mean, they were doing so badly. They were choking on the sanctions. And now they`re going to be actually probably a major power at some point pretty soon, the way
they`re going.

But when you look at NATO, I was asked on a major show, what do you think of NATO? And you have to understand, I`m a businessperson. I did really

well. But I have common sense.

And I said, well, I`ll tell you. I haven`t given lots of thought to NATO. But two things.

Number one, the 28 countries of NATO, many of them aren`t paying their fair share. Number two -- and that bothers me, because we should be asking -- we`re defending them, and they should at least be paying us what they`re supposed to be paying by treaty and contract.

And, number two, I said, and very strongly, NATO could be obsolete, because -- and I was very strong on this, and it was actually covered very

accurately in "The New York Times", which is unusual for "The New York Times", to be honest -- but I said, they do not focus on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Two very different candidates with two very different views on the future of the U.S. presidency, there`s no debate about it.

There are two more presidential debates scheduled and one vice presidential debate, all of them are set for next month, and CNN STUDENT NEWS will continue to follow the people, the polls and the process moving forward in this U.S. presidential election cycle.

I`m Carl Azuz. We hope to see you again tomorrow.

CNN Student News September 26 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. It`s good to see you today. I`m Carl Azuz. And welcome you to CNN STUDENT NEWS on this last week of September 2016.

The stage is set. At 9:00 Eastern Time tonight, the lights, the cameras and the action will be on at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

It`s the first of three scheduled U.S. presidential debates between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The two main candidates are making last minute preparations and so is Lester Holt. He`s a news anchor at NBC and the moderator of tonight`s debate.

And there`s a debate going on over the moderator`s role. Should he fact- check the candidates? We don`t know if Mr. Holt will do that tonight. But while some people believe the moderator should immediately correct the candidates if they make false claims, others say that`s not a good idea, that the candidates should fact-check each other like they have in the past.

One thing no one`s debating about the debate is that it`s a big one. Analysts expect it could draw 100 million or more viewers, like the Super

Bowl. And a recent poll showed that one-third of voters said the debate would significantly influence their decision on whom to support.

And while we`re on the subject of polls, a recent ABC News/"Washington Post" poll shows 46 percent of likely voters support Clinton, 44 percent support Trump, 5 percent support libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and 1 percent support Green Party candidate Jill Stein. The polls margin of
error: 4.5 percent.

Keep in mind that different polls even in the same state can find different results. But most do suggest a very close race between the two main candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton holds the lead in the national polls heading into the first debate, but a bunch of new state polls suggest we have a very tight race, high stakes for the candidates.

Let`s look through some of the new numbers in recent days.

Number one, for a new poll out of the state of New Hampshire. We lean this state Clinton`s way and the Monmouth University poll shows she`s got a lead 47 percent to 38 percent over Donald Trump. The third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein filling out the field here. But that`s
encouraging for Secretary Clinton. The state, a small state but one she wants to hold.

Down in battleground Florida, though, look at these numbers here. Clinton ahead in this Monmouth University. Others have shown a closer race, but Monmouth has Clinton with a five-point lead in the state of Florida, again, very encouraging for the Clinton campaign.

Florida is a state Donald Trump must win. Without its 29 electoral votes, impossible to see Donald Trump getting elected president. The Clinton campaign will like that poll. Again, some of other polls have shown it a little bit tighter.

Let`s move to battleground North Carolina, again, a must win for Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton very much would like to win this state, but Trump would be encouraged by this. That`s a statistical dead heat, but the Elon University Poll shows Donald Trump pulling into the lead, 44-43. Gary

Johnson is 6 percent. Jill Stein, the green party candidate, not on the ballot in North Carolina.

That`s three, still some more to go. This one is very encouraging for Donald Trump. In the state of Nevada, Latino voters, key to vote of

President Obama`s victories in the state, Democrats have been doing better in Nevada.

But at a moment, a new FOX News poll out shows Trump up three. Now, statistically, that`s a tie, but Donald Trump with momentum in Nevada for sure, 43 percent to 40 percent.

One more, let`s move over to battleground Ohio, like Florida, Donald Trump cannot win the presidency without winning in Ohio and he will be encouraged by this, another FOX News Poll showing Donald Trump with a five-point lead, 42 percent to 37 percent in the state of Ohio, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein riding out the numbers.

What does that mean? Well, let`s switch maps and take a peek. Clearly, Clinton still has an edge when it comes to the stage, but if you look at this right now, here`s Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, 273 for Clinton, 191 for Donald Trump.

Assume Donald Trump wins Nevada, wins Iowa where he`s leading, no new poll in there, but he`s leading there, wins Ohio, wins North Carolina. Clinton is ahead in Florida right now, Donald Trump must find a way to win it. Even if he did all that, look, Hillary Clinton would still win.

The challenge for Donald Trump heading into this first debate, get more momentum, take something that`s blue here, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, something that`s leaning Clinton`s way and pull it back into the tossup and lean it red. That`s Donald Trump`s big challenge heading into the first debate. A bit of momentum perhaps at the state level, but not enough yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Three broad debate topics planned for tonight, include the direction of the U.S., the security of the country, and how America can achieve prosperity. These debates give the candidates a chance to show off their knowledge of U.S. and global issues and how they plan to deal with them.

Today, we`re kicking off a new series of international challenges facing whoever becomes the next president, starting with the nation of Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three reasons Turkey could be a major global headache for the next U.S. president.

The biggest, Turkey is the main gateway for ISIS fighters trying to go to and come from neighboring Syria. To stop the flow of militants, the U.S. needs Turkey`s support. Millions of refugees have fled Syria into Turkey and many of them have then moved on to Europe, throwing European politics
and borders into turmoil.

Turkey is a key member of the NATO military alliance. But in July, a faction of the Turkish military tried and failed to overthrow the government. The Turks are demanding that the U.S. hand over an exiled cleric leaving in Pennsylvania who they accuse of organizing the coup, and the U.S.-Turkish strategic alliance is now at risk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Players and fans of Major League Baseball are mourning the death of Jose Fernandez. The 24-year-old Miami Marlins pitcher was the National League rookie of the year in 2013 and a two-time all star. Police say Fernandez and two other men were killed early yesterday in a boating
accident. Officials believe they were traveling at full speed at nighttime when their vote hit the rocks of a jetty near Miami Harbor.

Major League Baseball said it was devastated at the news. Fernandez was widely remembered for his love of the game and his community service. The Marlins game against the Atlanta Braves was canceled on Sunday.

Up next today, an epidemic in the United States. There`s been an alarming increase in the number of drug deaths. In fact, since 1999, the number of deaths from overdoses has gone up in all 50 states and drugs are now the leading cause of accidental death in the country. States that had been affected the most, meaning those states with the most drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people include West Virginia, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

New Mexico has struggled with the issue for the longest period of time and what`s troubling so many researchers is how quickly these rates have gone up. From 1999 to 2014, heroin related deaths for example have increased 439 percent. Scientists in several areas say the blame lies with the
increased use of that drug and of synthetic, manmade opioids, like commonly prescribed painkillers.
What makes them so addictive?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before we can explore your brain on opiates, we need to understand a few things. An opiate is chemical derived from opium and it`s the key ingredient in heroin. Those narcotics in your medicine cabinet -- codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone -- they`re opiate-like, but they are man-made and more commonly referred to as opioids.

So, how do these chemicals affect the brain?

One big way is by exerting powerful pain relief to the rest of the body. Chemicals flood the system, latch on to millions of opiate receptors peppered throughout the body. Think of opiates and the receptors like puzzle pieces. When they bind together, pain signals are dulled, or they go away all together.

If the brain already has opiate receptors, doesn`t that mean it can naturally provide pain relief?

That`s right. Feel good chemicals like endorphins are natural opiates that dull pain and also give you a rush.

The problem with manmade opiates that mimic endorphins, take too many and they can overwhelm the system, give you too much of a rush. That can lead to dependence or abuse. Addiction becomes an ever bigger problem, because opiates also slowdown breathing and heart rate.

Mix them with other things that slow down your body and everything could grind to a halt. In fact, every 19 minutes, someone dies of an accidental prescription drug overdose. Most of the time, it involves an opiate. It`s now more common than dying in a car crash.

If you want to avoid that fate, don`t take more than you`re prescribed. Don`t use other people`s prescriptions. Never mix opiates with alcohol.

And maybe try other ways of alleviating your pain, like over-the-counter pain relievers and good old fashion exercise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Things didn`t go so well for my college football team this weekend, but at least nobody disappeared. During the Big 10 network broadcast of

Michigan State versus Wisconsin, the coach in the white short vanishes. What?

Le`s see that again. Now, you see him, no you don`t. Where did he go?

It seems he just walk away at just the right time, watch the player that cuts in front of him. You can see just part of the coach`s white polo moving behind the jersey.

Didn`t want to pass on that. Glad we had the option to reverse that shot to see the trick play action. The coach got a great block while moving from his post and out of his zone and a sort of slant route, you can see the draw of the end around off the screen. And what`s got to be called the coach and back sneak.

I`m Carl Azuz and we`ll hand it off to your teachers.

Debate coverage tomorrow on CNN STUDENT NEWS.

END

CNN Student News September 21, 2016

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS. Welcome to the show.

We`re getting started in the Middle East today with an update on what appears to be a crumbling situation in the nation of Syria. 

"Just when we think it cannot get any worse, the power of depravity sinks lower." That`s a quote from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He`s referring to the apparent bombing of the United Nations` aid convoy, a group of vehicles that was reportedly trying to unload aid supplies in a 
town west of the Syria city of Aleppo. 

The U.N. says 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were hit Monday night. A warehouse belonging to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was also struck. 

Twenty people were reportedly killed in the bombing.

No one has claimed responsibility for it and it`s not clear yet whether the trucks and warehouse were shelled or hit by an airstrike. The bombing happened shortly after Syrian government officials declared that a ceasefire that took effect last week had ended. 

The attack forced the United Nations to suspend sending aid convoys into the area around Aleppo, and that`s a place that concerned humanitarian workers for months because an estimated 250,000 civilians are there in need of food, medicine and water. The dangers of reaching them mirror the 
complications of Syria`s civil war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, if you take a look at a map, you get a much greater idea of the complexity of the situation. This is where that aid is needed the most, in eastern Aleppo. 

This part of the city is controlled by the rebels. It`s home to roughly 300,000 civilians and it`s where the most intensive bombardment has been happening. 

For months, it has been besieged by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. You can see regime territory is all of this area marked in red, entirely surrounding eastern Aleppo. That means there`s no food or medical aid getting in. 

When we visited Syria earlier this year, there was still one road into eastern Aleppo that was under the control of the rebels, Castello Road. It was very dangerous to travel because it`s flanked by the Syrian army in red and by Kurdish fighters which you can see just there in blue. 

Now, Castello Road is under the control of the regime. And this is the road that the aid trucks are hoping to take in. Several weeks ago, rebel forces were able to clear a small, shaky corridor down in this area called Ramouseh, but after heavy fighting, that area is now back under regime control, too. 

So, in order for aid trucks to get from the Turkish border into the hardest hit areas, they will need to go through regime, and rebel and Kurdish held areas. And negotiating that kind of access takes time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Up next, it`s restaurant report card time. Six nonprofit activist organizations recently got together and graded U.S. fast food restaurants. 

Better grades went to chains that serve meats that were not raised on antibiotics at farm. Chipotle and Panera got A`s. The report said their meats are raised without the regular use of antibiotics. 

Chick-fil-A got a B as it converts its chicken supply to antibiotic-free status. Subway improved from an F last year to a B for its new antibiotics policy. McDonald`s improved to a C+ for changes in its chicken, but made no promises about its beef and pork. Pizza Hut and Papa John`s got D`s. 

And the majority of chains failed. 

The goal of this was to encourage companies to serve meats not raised on antibiotics. But why, if many farmers used the drugs to keep animals healthy and help them gain weight, making them more profitable?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: What`s in the meat you eat?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a second year now, consumer interest groups have been sounding the alarm about the use of antibiotics in meat served at 25 of the nation`s largest restaurant chains. Last year, 20 of those 25 received a net rating. This year, the news is not much better. 

SUBTITLE: Sixteen out of 25 restaurants received an F rating.

GUPTA: Like last year, only Chipotle and Panera Bread received an A.

(on camera): So, why should you care about this? Well, as you know, antibiotics should be used to treat an animal or a human with a bacterial infection. But in this case, antibiotics were used to prevent potential diseases that could stem from poor diets and crowded, dirty conditions.

But here`s the problem with that, using antibiotics when they`re not needed can make bacteria resistant and that human can potentially eat those bacteria, especially if the meat is not cooked properly. The result, antibiotics may not work when we need them most.

You should know that the beef industry also uses six hormones to promote faster growth and weight gain. 

You know, here`s a good rule of thumb, read the ingredients and try to avoid eating foods that contain ingredients it can`t pronounce. The old adage has always and will forever continue to hold true -- you are what you eat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: The countdown is on. Five days from now, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will meet at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. It will be their first head to head presidential debate, focusing on America`s national 
security, the direction of the country, and how to achieve prosperity. Many Americans say the debates do have an influence on how they vote.

So, people`s reactions are going to be very closely watched, especially in battleground or swing states like Florida. It has a lot of electoral votes and it`s where the race is currently too close to call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The state that could make all the difference on the electoral map come election night is also one of the hardest to predict -- Florida and its 29 electoral votes yet again a tossup in 2016, with voters divided on the issues and the candidates.

There are 4.6 million registered Democrats in Florida and about 4.4 million registered Republicans -- a razor thin difference when you consider Florida`s nearly 3 million unaffiliated voters. 

So, both campaigns are throwing money at the middle, spending roughly $48 million on television ads since the start of the general election.

According to ad tracking firm Kantar Media, Hillary Clinton and her super PACs have pummeled Donald Trump, outspending the Republican four times over. Since early June, Clinton`s team has spent $38.7 million on TV in the Sunshine State, to Trump`s $9.2 million. 

Despite the imbalance in spending, recent polls show Clinton and Trump are still in a tight race.

SUSAN MACMANUS, USF POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR. Flip a coin, it`s now all about turnout.

SANCHEZ: Really?

MACMANUS: It`s so close and it has been for sometime. In Florida`s last three elections, it`s two governor races and the 2012 presidential, the victor only won by 1 percent.

SANCHEZ: There are few areas the really illustrate why Florida is such a battleground better than the central part of the state. You got retirement communities like The Villages, which happens to be older, less diverse and a Trump stronghold.

And only about 45 miles away, you have the polar opposite, Orlando. It`s much younger, much more ethnically diverse and it skews toward Hillary Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. This is Rebecca, calling from the Florida Democratic Party. How are you?

SANCHEZ: To find an edge in Central Florida, home to nearly 40 percent of the state population, Clinton is investing heavily in an expanded ground game.

SIMONE WARD, STATE DIRECTOR, HILLARY FOR AMERICA: We`ve been on operation over several months, but it just can`t be matched. It is the ground game that will make a difference in a state that is 1 percent.

SANCHEZ: The Clinton camp is courting more than a million Puerto Ricans living in Florida, about half of them in the Orlando area.

WARD: She is talking to them about the things that matter to them, about economic stability, offering jobs.

SANCHEZ: The Trump campaign has been slow to build a ground game in Florida, but thanks to a major boost from the RNC, officials say they expect to have several dozen offices up and running soon, along with more than 200 people on staff and several thousand volunteers.

SUSAN WILES, STATE DIRECTOR, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: We do have our offices open. There are 60 between the Republican National Committee, the party, the Republican Party of Florida, the other candidates and us. So, there are plenty of places for volunteers to gather.

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: America can be strong. America can stand tall again.

SANCHEZ: While Mike Pence energized Trump`s base at The Villages on Saturday, state officials say their campaign is not focused on any specific demographic group. Their strategy is simply to get their candidates and message in front of as many Floridians as they can.

WILES: But we believe that if you meet him, you support him and you like him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: When you think of something slick, speedy and seaworthy, one thing that probably doesn`t come to mind is a pumpkin. But they do float, kind of, and they can be used as boats, kind of. And well, it all kind of comes together, that the great pumpkin race in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. 

Is it fast? No. Is it clumsy? Yes. What do the winners win? Bragging rights. And while they can certainly swim faster than they could paddle a pumpkin, the event seems to sow seeds of happiness. 

So, you could see why it floats their boat, why they carve out the time, why they have a hard vested interest in victory, even if they all finish up the creek.

I`m Carl Azuz and I`m holding back on pumpkin puns. We`re not in October yet and those things don`t grow on vines. We see you all tomorrow.