CNN Student News Transcript: November 27, 2007
(CNN Student News) — November 27, 2007
Quick Guide
Thanksgiving Disappointment - Discover some reasons behind current tensions between China and the U.S.
Politics and Pickets - Hear where some presidential candidates stand on a recent work stoppage.
A Ban on Plastic - Learn about a debate in San Francisco over plastic bags in grocery stores.
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It’s Tuesday, and you’ve found your way to CNN Student News. Hi, everyone. I’m Monica Lloyd.
ID Me
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I contain more than 200 islands. Officially, I’m a special administrative region of China. You’ll find me stretching from China into the South China Sea. I’m Hong Kong, and though China does not control my economy, it is responsible for my defense.
First Up: Thanksgiving Disappointment
LLOYD: You probably celebrated Thanksgiving with your family. That was the plan for some U.S. sailors stationed in Japan. Their ships were headed to Hong Kong, where the sailors’ family members were waiting. But in addition to controlling the region’s defense, China also makes decisions about Hong Kong’s foreign affairs. And without offering a reason why, the Chinese government essentially posted a Do Not Enter sign for the Navy ships. Barbara Starr has more on the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN REPORTER: It was supposed to be a Thanksgiving port call in Hong Kong for the thousands of sailors in the USS Kitty Hawk battle group. But on Tuesday, just hours before docking, China refused to allow the U.S. Navy into Hong Kong, a port it has visited for years. Admiral Timothy Keating, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, says he wants an explanation.
ADM. TIMOTHY KEATING, U.S. PACIFIC COMMANDER: China’s denial for port access to the USS Kitty Hawk battle group for Thanksgiving is perplexing and concerning to me as the commander of the Pacific Command. It is hard to put a positive spin on this for us.
STARR: Hours later, China relented, but it was too late. The Kitty Hawk was already on its way back to Japan. Hundreds of family members were left waiting in Hong Kong. It’s an embarrassment for the Pentagon. Just over two weeks ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a number of new agreements while in Beijing.
ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We reached agreement on implementation of a direct telephone link between our two defense establishments. We discussed the need to move forward and deepen our military-to-military dialogue, including on that nuclear policy strategy and doctrine.
STARR: There is still a chill on U.S.-China military relations. China has refused to tell the United States details of a test in which one of its missiles shot down a satellite in space, a significant achievement. There are new warnings about China’s spying in cyberspace. A congressional review warns that Chinese espionage activities in the United States are so extensive that they comprise the single greatest risk to the security of American technologies. So, just how serious is China’s cyber espionage? Well, some experts say the type of information it used to take spies years to collect, China can do it in one download session at a computer. Barbara Starr, CNN, The Pentagon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Mideast Summit Update
LLOYD: Back in the U.S. now, representatives from more than 40 countries are in Maryland today for a conference on relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Yesterday, President Bush met with the leaders of both groups at the White House. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he hopes that the summit will lead to a comprehensive peace agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert noted the importance of including the international community in the talks, and he offered his hopes that the meeting will start serious negotiations between his country and the Palestinians.
Politics and Pickets
LLOYD: Now, if you’re not a fan of late night TV, you may not be affected too much by the current Writers Guild of America strike. Movie and TV writers hit the picket lines earlier this month, demanding more money from producers for shows and films that are sold online. Both sides were headed back to the negotiating table yesterday. But as Kareen Wynter explains, some politicians are getting involved in the work stoppage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I’m proud to be with you in this fight for fairness.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN REPORTER: John Edwards on the front lines of the Hollywood writers’ strike. He and his fellow Democratic presidential contenders have become increasingly vocal about the labor dispute.
EDWARDS: This is part of the continuing effort to make sure that people who work hard for a living are treated fairly.
WYNTER: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Governor Bill Richardson have issued statements supporting writers in their battle with the TV networks and studios. But only Edwards has showed up at a picket line in person.
JAMES DUFF, STRIKING WRITER: It’s really nice when Senator Clinton and Senator Obama send a note expressing support. They’ve talked the talk, but John Edwards is coming to walk the walk.
WYNTER: Lest anyone doubt Clinton’s support for the cause, she’s vowed to boycott a CBS News-sponsored debate next month if news writers for that network join the strike. Obama quickly followed suit. And his wife, Michelle, turned down an invitation to co-host ABC’s The View, because their writers are on strike. Edwards and his wife Elizabeth earlier cancelled an appearance on the show. The writers guild applauded that.
JACK KENNY, STRIKING WRITER: I think that people who believe in labor unions shouldn’t cross picket lines.
WYNTER: There’s no mystery why the Democratic candidates would support the strike; labor unions are a critical source of fundraising and organization for a Democratic presidential campaign.
EDWARDS: Thanks guys, great to see you!
WYNTER: They’re speaking out for writers, but the Democratic frontrunners have previously accepted donations from senior executives at some of the very companies the writers are striking against. Clinton, for example, took $4,600 in June from Peter Chernin, president of the parent company of the Fox Network and film studio. That doesn’t mean writers will refuse her support.
KENNY: I’m happy to have the endorsements of Edwards and Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, and anybody else who would like to say something.
WYNTER: Not saying anything are the Republican presidential candidates, none of whom has taken a public stand on the strike. For instance, former actor Fred Thompson, who as a star of Law and Order used to read lines written by members of the Writers Guild. In fact, his Hollywood labor ties include membership with the two largest acting unions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Promo
LLOYD: Republican presidential candidates may not be saying much about that strike, but they will be talking at tomorrow night’s debate. Tune in to CNN to watch the White House hopefuls answer questions directly from YouTube users, and check out our Debate Viewing Guide ahead of time at CNNStudentNews.com!
Word to the Wise
AZUZ: A Word to the Wise…
biodegradable (adjective) capable of being broken down by living things like bacteria
source: www.wordcentral.com
A Ban on Plastic
LLOYD: Now, a lot of times when you hear the word biodegradable, people are talking about trash. So, what happens to waste that can’t be broken down? It piles up in landfills around the country; not the most environmentally-friendly option. That’s part of the reason why San Francisco decided to ban plastic bags. As Chris Lawrence explains, the decision is having an immediate impact on checkout lines at the grocery store.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STORE CLERK: Paper or plastic?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN REPORTER: Now imagine being asked, Paper or biodegradable, compostable bag? Doesn’t have the same ring and it’s more expensive. But it’s the price San Francisco residents have to pay to get rid of hundreds of millions of plastic bags littering the city.
PERSON ON THE STREET: Plastic, I can grip it better and hold the bag better than I can with the paper.
PERSON ON THE STREET: I don’t think it’s good if it’s going to cost the grocer more and the consumer more.
LAWRENCE: The California Grocers Association says regular plastic bags cost a penny or two. Paper’s 5 to 8 cents. Special biodegradable bags are 10 to 16 cents.
DAVE HEYLEN, CALIFORNIA GROCERS ASSOCIATION: Bags are a part of doing business. So, what can’t be absorbed will have to be passed on to consumers.
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: Nonsense. With all due respect to the Grocers Association, they have no one to blame but themselves.
LAWRENCE: Mayor Gavin Newsom says San Francisco considered charging grocers a fee on each plastic bag. The mayor says grocers used their political muscle at the state level and got the legislature to prohibit cities from imposing such a charge. With no power to slow the spread of plastic bags, the city banned them.
NEWSOM: When they double-bag with plastic and they bring 10 or 15 of these things home, they have to realize where these things go. And they end up in landfills and they don’t biograde.
LAWRENCE: Despite the encouraging notice — which most people never read — city officials say only 1 or 2 percent of these bags ever got recycled. They’re hoping for better luck convincing shoppers to bring their own. This is just the latest effort to go green. Last month, San Francisco asked everyone in the city to turn off all non-essential lights for one hour. And earlier this year, the mayor stopped the city from buying bottled water. This time Bay area shoppers won’t be alone. Oakland and Paris have passed similar bans on plastic bags, and it’s up for a vote in London. Chris Lawrence, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Before We Go
LLOYD: Before we go, check out this old school dance dance revolution. Put on your platform shoes and polyester leisure suits. It’s time to dance the night away at the world’s largest disco! More than 7,000 disco denizens shook their groove thing in Buffalo, New York, last weekend. The 14th annual event raised nearly a quarter-million dollars for charity. These dancing queens and disco ducks were burning up with dance fever. And when this celebration played that funky music, they boogie oogie oogied til they just couldn’t boogie no more.
Goodbye
LLOYD: I guess they like the night life and they like to boogie. That’s where we leave the dance floor for today. Thanks for watching. I’m Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend
