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CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome on CNN Student News! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with some students from Harlem High School in Harlem, Georgia. Want to give a very warm welcome to them and to all of our viewers worldwide!
AZUZ: First up, President Obama sits down with Republicans and Democrats to talk about reforming the country's health care system. It's not a new subject; you've heard us talk all about it. But why should you care? When you get sick and have to go to the doctor, it costs money. If you don't have health insurance, it can cost a lot more. And that insurance can be expensive, too. Those financial concerns, even tougher when times are tight, like they are right now. That is why lawmakers are talking about reforming the country's health care system. The thing is, they don't agree on how to do it. Yesterday's meeting was an attempt to find some common ground.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER, (R) TENNESSEE: We want you to succeed. Because if you succeed, our country succeeds. But we would like, respectfully, to change the direction you're going on health care costs.
AZUZ: Democrats and Republicans have very different ideas about health care reform. And President Obama acknowledged that it might be hard to get past those differences.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I don't know that those gaps can be bridged. And it may be that, at the end of the day, we come out of here and everybody says, "Well, we have some honest disagreements. People are sincere in wanting to help, but they've got different ideas about how to do it, and we can't bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans on this." But I'd like to make sure that this discussion is actually a discussion, and not just us trading talking points.
AZUZ: But by the time the meeting was over, some analysts said that's exactly what happened. One called it "a big PR stunt," and he said it probably won't change people's negative opinions about how Washington works. Some Republican leaders didn't seem too optimistic either. But President Obama said he thought it was worth trying.
Whale Accident
AZUZ: Our next story for you today is a tragic one out of Florida. At SeaWorld, the chain of amusement parks, the company has cancelled all of its shows involving orca whales after a fatal accident killed Dawn Brancheau. She was a trainer at the SeaWorld in Orlando. She died Wednesday after one of those whales, one that she had trained and cared for, suddenly pulled her underwater for an extended period of time. Tilikum, the whale, is massive, even by orca standards. He weighs 12,000 pounds. He's been linked to two other deaths in the last 20 years. Officials are trying to find out what exactly happened on Wednesday. In the meantime, SeaWorld is reviewing safety procedures when it comes to dealing with these whales.
Is this Legit?
MATT CHERRY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? This is the national flag of Iran. Not legit! What you're looking at is the national flag of Afghanistan. The symbol in the middle is the country's national emblem.
Flag Raising
AZUZ: That flag is now flying over Marjah. And this is why that's significant: That city had been a stronghold for the Taliban, a militant, Islamic group that ruled Afghanistan before it was overthrown by coalition forces back in 2001. When the flag was raised over Marjah yesterday, it symbolized that the city is now under control of the Afghan government. Marjah's new mayor, along with Afghan officials and a few hundred residents, attended the ceremony. The shift in power from the Taliban to the government was made possible by Operation Moshtarak. We've been talking about this for the past couple weeks. It's a military action designed to push the Taliban out of Marjah and the surrounding region. Moshtarak started about two weeks ago. It could go on for another two to three weeks. But one U.S. commander says that, so far, the operation has been a success.
BRIG. GEN. LARRY NICHOLSON, U.S. ARMY: I gotta tell ya, I think we're feeling pretty good about the control of the populated areas, the infrastructure. There is still some, I think, some fighting to do, and potentially in some areas that we haven't gotten into.
AZUZ: Afghanistan might be part of the reason why representatives from two other countries got together this week. Officials from India and Pakistan met yesterday. This was the first formal meeting between those two nations in more than a year. Some experts think that a stable relationship between India and Pakistan can help the region deal with the situation over in Afghanistan.
But the countries have been at odds over a number of issues. And one of the biggest of those is a terrorist attack in 2008. It happened in Mumbai, India; it was allegedly carried out by Pakistani militants. Another controversial topic is Kashmir. This is a region that both countries say belongs to them. In fact, they've fought two wars over it since 1947. Neither country called yesterday's meeting a success. They did both say, though, it was a good opportunity to talk about some of their concerns, and they agreed to continue these discussions.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! In what sport would you find fouls, assists and triple-doubles? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Soccer, B) Baseball, C) Basketball or D) Hockey? You've got three seconds -- GO! These are all part of the game of basketball. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Profiling An African-American First
AZUZ: Ken Hudson called his fair share of fouls back in the day. In the late 1960s, he became one of the NBA's first African-American referees. As part of our Black History Month coverage, I spoke with Mr. Hudson earlier this week about his experiences on and off the court and about his desire to give back. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
AZUZ: Now, you helped break the color barrier in the NBA; one of the first African-American referees. What was that like?
KEN HUDSON, FORMER NBA REFEREE: It allowed me to open the doors for other people to come behind me. And I was very fortunate in that regard, and I've always been a firm believer that you reach twice in life. You reach out for help and you reach back to help. During the course of those years, refereeing, the players were very positive. I never experienced any major difficulties, especially with the players and neither with the coaches.
AZUZ: Now from there, you went on to work for Coca-Cola as a business man. How did what you learn as a ref help you in your professional career with Coke?
HUDSON: When I joined the Coca-Cola company, I was very fortunate because I was in a situation which allowed me to interact with a lot of different people in different backgrounds. But we had one particular purpose and that was to make sure the company was successful, just as you would in an NBA game. You work with the other referees to make sure that the game moves along smoothly; there are no unnecessary situations that you can't control and handle. So, when I moved on into the corporate world, business world, I applied that same experience into that job, and it allowed me to grow at a very high rate.
AZUZ: How do you motivate younger people today? We talked with someone earlier who discussed tough love, and I understand tough love is something that applies to you as well?
HUDSON: One of the things I talk about is I emphasize communications and relationships; learning how to communicate. Not being able to communicate is unacceptable, because as you proceed in life, you have to learn how to communicate. Also, relationships, learning how to meet and deal with people; ones who don't look like you, who come from different backgrounds. Because as you grow older and go out into the world, you're going to encounter working with people who don't look like you, don't speak like you. But you have to learn to adapt and adjust to meet their needs as they will adjust to meet your needs.
AZUZ: If you have somebody who's gotten some tough breaks, what would you tell that person to help him or her become successful?
HUDSON: Any mountain can be climbed. It's just the matter of you deciding what you want to do and climbing that mountain. There are going to be obstacles; every day is not going to be the best day of your life. But if you put forth that effort it can be a progressive day, a positive learning experience.
(END VIDEO)
Blog Report
AZUZ: He was great to talk to. Moving toward the end of our show now, we're talking about seat belts: Why don't some people wear them despite all of the warnings we've heard, all of the PSAs we've seen? It's what we're talking about on our blog, and Victoria says, "People think, 'It's not going to happen to me.' People don't believe they will end up in a wreck, so they don't bother with seat belts." Tammey writes she's five-three and that the belt runs right on her neck and will leave a red mark sometimes. "It's very uncomfortable." Tyson told us "it takes about two seconds to put one on. And in those two seconds, you can save your life. I'd rather look uncool than be badly injured." At Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews, Darian gave a few reasons why some don't buckle up. He says: "They're too lazy. They think they're the safest drivers in the world. We think we're invincible. Or all of the above." And Samantha says she has very few friends that don't wear seat belts and encourage others to do so as well. "We've had too many teens die in our small town area for people to not take seat belts seriously."
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, our last story will truly amaze you. You're looking at what could become the world's largest ice maze! Brace yourself for the cold, hard facts: 2,200 blocks of ice. More than 600,000 pounds. Took about a week to build. And when it's finished, it should portray a buffalo standing at around center ice. It's cool to look at, though the thought of getting lost in it is chilling.
Goodbye
AZUZ: Especially if you couldn't ice-scape from this ice scape. I'm Carl Azuz for CNN Student News, and I'm out!