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CNN Student News: Ten Questions

(CNN Student News) — October 31, 2007

1. What evidence presented in the program suggests that progress is being made in the war in Iraq?

*

*

2. According to Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, what casualty numbers coming out of Iraq are the most important, and why?

*

*

3. Why do you think that the U.S. wants Iraq to assume control over its own security? What challenges do you think that Iraq faces in terms of achieving this objective? In your view, what might the U.S. do to help Iraq address these challenges?

*

*

4. According to the report, how are the pressures of war impacting many U.S. troops in Iraq? *

*

5. What measures is the U.S. military planning to take to help U.S. troops and their families? *

*

6. Do you think that these measures will be enough? Why or why not? If not, what additional measures do you think that U.S. military leaders should take?

*

*

7. Do you know someone who is deployed overseas? If so, how is this experience impacting his or her family? *

*

8. According to the program: What two problems have astronauts recently encountered with the international space station? Why is it important that these problems get resolved?

*

*

9. What’s the best Halloween costume that you have ever seen?

*

*

10. At what age, if any, do you think that someone is too old to go trick-or-treating? State your rationale.

*

* E-mail to a friend

found here.

CNN Student News Transcript: October 31, 2007

(CNN Student News) — October 31, 2007

Quick Guide

War Deaths Down - Hear U.S. military officials discuss some signs of progress in Iraq.

Price of War - Learn some ways in which the U.S. Army plans to provide aid to military families.

Off the Beaten Path, Halloween Edition - Travel Off the Beaten Path to check out some humorous Halloween happenings.

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: Hi, I’m Carl Azuz. Thanks for checking out this Halloween edition of CNN Student News. First up today, we’re heading to the Middle East to get some new information on the war in Iraq. But before we do that, we want to put your geography skills to the test. Think you can pick out Iraq on a map?

Shoutout

AZUZ: Where is Iraq located on this map? Is it A, B, C or D? You’ve got 3 seconds — take a look and shout it out! Iraq is D on this map. The other countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!

First Up: War Deaths Down

AZUZ: The conflict in Iraq has been going on for more than four years, and the country has certainly seen its share of violence. There have been battles between coalition forces and insurgents, and sectarian fighting between different local groups. Earlier this year, President Bush put a new strategy in place, sending a surge of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. And as Jim Clancy tells us, some recent numbers show signs of progress in the Middle East nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CLANCY, CNN REPORTER: It was January. While the surge was debated in Washington, U.S. troops battled for Baghdad’s Haifa Street.

CAPT. GENE PALKA, U.S. ARMY: In January, you could not drive up and down Haifa Street without getting shot at. Now, when you drive up and down Haifa Street, you see four or five pickup soccer games going on at one time.

CLANCY: In most, but not all, places U.S. troops operate in Iraq, casualties are in steep decline, from a high point this year of 126 fatalities in May to October’s current assessment in the mid-30s for U.S. military deaths. The totals are encouraging.

LT. GEN. RAYMOND ODIERNO, CMDR., MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: I tell everybody we have momentum. We have not yet created what I consider to be irreversible momentum, but our goal is to create that irreversible momentum.

CLANCY: Of all of the numbers coming out of Iraq today, which one matters most?

REAR ADMIRAL GREGORY SMITH, DEP. SPOKESMAN, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: Civilian casualties. I mean that’s the real key, because our job here is to provide security to the civilian population.

CLANCY: Though exact numbers are hard to come by, it’s estimated that over the past eight months, those civilian casualties due to car bombs or IEDs are down 80%. The number of car bombs is down 65%. Abu Khaled is one of 2007’s car bomb statistics. He recovers watching his country stagger back on TV.

ABU KHALED (TRANSLATED): We’re starting to feel security, simple security, he says. At least people can walk the streets.

CLANCY: On Baghdad’s Karada Street, fish seller Atwan Hassan agrees things are better. The situation is very good in Karada; security is good, he says. But not everyone is convinced. Iraqis know the situation depends on where you are and, sometimes, who you are.

CLANCY: Even at a media conference about the security gains, a ban remained on showing the faces of Iraqi journalists. The murder of one more that very day brought the painful, personal toll of journalists or their staff to 233 since the start of the war, according to one group. Iraqis involved in reconciliation, now prime targets for al Qaeda and pro-Iranian factions.

ODIERNO: These special groups, they’re using the same tactics as al Qaeda was, which finally turned the population against them: intimidation, murder, extortion.

CLANCY: Three ingredients that may explain why al Qaeda lost its grip. The consensus now is that the Iraqi government must seize the initiative. The message from Washington: This is it. There is only so much U.S. military forces can do. Increasingly, it will be up to the Iraqis themselves to shoulder the burden and put aside their sectarian and political differences. Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Price of War

AZUZ: And there’s more positive news out of Iraq this week. Coalition forces caught 17 suspected terrorists in raids Monday night. So, the situation there does look to be improving. But it’s still a very dangerous place. Just yesterday, the U.S. military announced that three soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb struck their patrol near Baghdad. As Barbara Starr explains, the loss of life is just part of the toll that’s weighing on American troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN REPORTER: Since the surge began in February, more than 600 U.S. troops have been killed, nearly 5,000 wounded. One family’s tragedy is proof the cost of the war is counted in more than just battlefield casualties. Specialist John Austin Johnson was in a Texas Army hospital recovering from an IED blast. His wife and three small children were driving to visit him when a car accident killed two of the children. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he’s getting an earful from exhausted troops at home and in Iraq.

ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: They’re tired, and in particular, the group — one of the groups I spoke with — had been there 14 months. They were ready to come home and their families were ready to have them come home.

STARR: Mullen and other senior military leaders say the number one complaint: the 15-month tour of duty. Suicides have risen, and the latest Army survey shows nearly one in every three soldiers returning report signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

KATHLEEN HICKS, SR. FELLOW, CSIS: There are a lot of factors that really go into that sense of tiredness, that sense of low morale. I think the biggest factors are the unpredictability of how long the tours are going to be, the repetition on the tours and then how long they have at home to readjust.

STARR: The Army will spend an additional $1.4 billion to improve military housing, child care and family assistance programs. But will it be enough?

MULLEN: Are the ground forces broken? Absolutely not. Are they breakable? They are. And I will do everything I can to prevent them from breaking.

STARR: The human toll on the military may well have happened even without the surge, but six years after the War on Terror began, commanders say the troops just need to get a rest. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Uhh…Houston?

AZUZ: Moving into orbit now, astronauts have run into another problem with part of the international space station. Yesterday, we told you about a malfunctioning gear. The new concern is a tear in a panel of solar arrays. You can see it right there in the middle of the picture. Neither problem poses any safety issues, but they both need to be fixed before new laboratories can be added to the station next year.

Promo

AZUZ: For a closer look at that tear on the solar array, check out this story that’s In the Spotlight on our Web site. You’ll hear NASA technicians as they discover the tear, and you can explore an interactive explainer of Discovery’s mission to the space station. All that, at CNNStudentNews.com.

Off the Beaten Path, Halloween Edition

AZUZ: Ah, Halloween. The one day each year that belongs to ghosts and goblins, costumes and candy. But scares and sweets aren’t really our speed. So instead, we’re taking a special trip Off the Beaten Path and checking out some humorous Halloween happenings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: At first, it looked like many other morning newscasts… until the screaming. What might’ve been a horror scene was actually a Halloween prank that a news producer played on his anchors using actors from a local haunted house. It’s even better in slo-mo: Check out how the lady on the right just bolts, while the one on the left ducks under the desk! I really hope my producer isn’t getting ideas.

Now, here are some interesting ideas for Halloween attire. As if the dog dressed as a cow weren’t good enough for a costume contest, check out the mane attraction: a horse dressed as a poodle. A hoodle! You almost feel bad for all the dogs that dressed up, though. It’s like entering a singing competition against Rihanna: You lose!

But we definitely found some winners at DragonCon, a sort of sci-fi convention that recently beamed into Atlanta. Batman, Chewbacca, I don’t even know what this is. But I can tell you what this isn’t: a Halloween party! Now why, you may ask, would someone wear this much armor or this much makeup if they’re not getting free candy? Here’s one reason. Here’s another:

DRAGONCON CONVENTIONEER: The costumes. People getting into character.

AZUZ: So it’s kinda like what grown-ups do when they just don’t want to let go. Whether you’re into hairy performers or Harry Potter, you’ll find fellow fervent fans at this far-out freak-fest.

DRAGONCON CONVENTIONEER: I think Jar Jar Binks held the door open for us.

AZUZ: And as for other otherworldly characters, well…

DRAGONCON CONVENTIONEER: You’re watching CNN Student News, Jedi Scum!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Goodbye

AZUZ: We hope you have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone. I’m Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend

found here.

Britney Spears allowed monitored visits to sons three times a week

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — A court commissioner granted Britney Spears three monitored visits a week with her two small sons while ordering the pop star to childproof her house and work out a schedule for the visits with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, according to a ruling made Tuesday.

Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon also required that Spears undergo random weekly drug and alcohol tests.

Spears, 25, also must continue meeting with a court-appointed parenting coach, and the youngsters must be in car seats when they are being driven, the ruling states.

Calls to lawyers representing Spears and Federline weren’t immediately returned.

The nine-page ruling said Spears could have overnight visits with her kids — something she had been seeking. She will get two visits a week from noon to 7 p.m. and one from noon to 10 a.m. the next morning.

The order also cited some details of an Oct. 19 report submitted by parenting coach Lisa Hacker about her observations of Spears with her children.

The report makes it clear that Hacker feels Spears loves her children and the children are bonded to her, the ruling states.

However, Hacker was concerned that Spears didn’t seem to have child-centered interactions, according to the ruling.

The environment at the house ranged from chaotic to almost somber with little communication at all, Hacker reported, according to the ruling.

During all three of her visits, Spears rarely engaged with the children in either conversation or play, Hacker said in her report.

Hacker also reported that Spears seemed to have a lack of general attention at times but added there was nothing she would characterize as abusive in a traditional sense.

Hacker added that during an additional visit Oct. 23, Spears seemed much more engaged with [Hacker] and the children, the ruling stated.

The ruling came after a three-hour hearing last Friday attended by Spears and Federline. Extensive testimony was presented on a number of issues.

Gordon previously said there was evidence that Spears is a habitual, frequent and continuous user of drugs and alcohol.

He had withdrawn approval for her to even visit the children after finding she had failed to comply with some conditions for shared custody.

He later withdrew the ban and allowed her to visit Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 — but only in the presence of a court-approved monitor.

Spears had filed a request Friday to terminate or modify the order, according to court records.

Additional details about the request weren’t disclosed.
found here.

Mukasey stays vague on waterboarding

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush’s pick for attorney general called the interrogation technique known as waterboarding a repugnant practice Tuesday, but again refused to say whether it violates U.S. laws banning torture.

Judge Michael Mukasey told Senate Judiciary Committee members that he has not received classified briefings on what techniques American interrogators are allowed to use and can’t make a legal judgment.

Hypotheticals are different from real life, and in any legal opinion the actual facts and circumstances are critical, Mukasey said in a written answer to Democrats on the committee.

Mukasey offered a similar response in his October 18 confirmation hearing. Watch why Mukasey’s answers raise concerns

Human rights groups consider waterboarding — in which prisoners are strapped down and either dunked in water or have water poured over them in order to produce the sensation of drowning — a form of torture.

It was specifically banned in a 2006 law passed by Congress.

Bush has acknowledged authorizing the use of alternative interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists.

Though his administration insists that it does not torture prisoners, it refuses to reveal which interrogation techniques may be used.

When we find somebody who may have information regarding a potential attack on America, you bet we’re going to detain them and you bet we’re going to question them, because the American people expect us to find out information, actionable intelligence, so we can help them — help protect them, Bush said earlier this month.

He said his administration sticks to U.S. law and our international obligations, adding that the techniques that we use have been fully disclosed to appropriate members of the United States Congress.

Mukasey’s refusal to declare waterboarding to be torture has boosted opposition to his nomination.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island — who raised the issue during the Judiciary Committee hearing — called Mukasey’s answer a massive hedge, and three Democratic presidential candidates have cited it as a reason to oppose his confirmation.

The top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, urged Mukasey last week to clarify his response to questions about waterboarding and the president’s authority to order electronic surveillance.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont and the committee’s chairman, said he remains very concerned that the retired federal judge finds himself unable to state unequivocally that waterboarding is illegal and below the standards and values of the United States.

I await his response to other written questions and letters from Republican and Democratic senators that were sent to him last week, and I will consult with Sen. Specter and other members of the Judiciary Committee before scheduling committee consideration of this nomination, Leahy said.

Waterboarding is not being used as part of its interrogations now, sources with knowledge of the CIA-run interrogation program have said.

But it was used in the interrogation of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is facing trial for planning al Qaeda’s 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, the sources have said.

In Tuesday’s letter, Mukasey restated his belief that the Constitution and federal law bar the president from ordering the use of torture.

He said the techniques Democratic senators described to him seem over the line or, on a personal basis, repugnant to me, and would probably seem the same to many Americans.

Mukasey promised to review any coercive interrogation techniques used by U.S. intelligence operatives once confirmed.

If he determines them to be torture, I will not hesitate to so advise the president and will rescind or correct any legal opinion of the Department of Justice that supports use of the technique, he told the senators.
found here.

CNN Student News: Ten Questions

(CNN Student News) — October 31, 2007

1. What evidence presented in the program suggests that progress is being made in the war in Iraq?

*

*

2. According to Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, what casualty numbers coming out of Iraq are the most important, and why?

*

*

3. Why do you think that the U.S. wants Iraq to assume control over its own security? What challenges do you think that Iraq faces in terms of achieving this objective? In your view, what might the U.S. do to help Iraq address these challenges?

*

*

4. According to the report, how are the pressures of war impacting many U.S. troops in Iraq? *

*

5. What measures is the U.S. military planning to take to help U.S. troops and their families? *

*

6. Do you think that these measures will be enough? Why or why not? If not, what additional measures do you think that U.S. military leaders should take?

*

*

7. Do you know someone who is deployed overseas? If so, how is this experience impacting his or her family? *

*

8. According to the program: What two problems have astronauts recently encountered with the international space station? Why is it important that these problems get resolved?

*

*

9. What’s the best Halloween costume that you have ever seen?

*

*

10. At what age, if any, do you think that someone is too old to go trick-or-treating? State your rationale.

*

* E-mail to a friend

found here.