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CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, there! My name is Carl Azuz. This is CNN Student News! This school year may be fleeting, but we've got 10 minutes to bring you today's commercial-free headlines.
AZUZ: First up, President Obama is sending troops and money to the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The announcement came out late Tuesday. 1,200 additional National Guard troops and $500 million more, all aimed at increasing border security and cutting down on illegal activities. The plan is for these troops to help out with drug enforcement and intelligence efforts until the Customs and Border Protection agency recruits and trains new agents to serve at the border.
According to a new CNN poll, nearly nine out of every 10 Americans think more troops are needed along the border. Arizona's lawmakers agree. Their state is part of that border with Mexico, and some of them have been calling for more troops. One of those lawmakers, Senator John McCain, says the president's plan isn't enough though. He thinks it'll take 3,000 new troops, and that's just to cover the Arizona-Mexico border. As for Mexico, it says the additional forces will help out, but Mexican officials say they hope these troops will be fighting against crime and not getting involved in immigration laws.
Gulf Coast Oil
AZUZ: Well tomorrow, President Obama is scheduled to visit the Gulf Coast to see how things are going in the fight against that giant oil spill we've been telling you about. Yesterday, the fight took a new turn. You've heard us talk about the so-called "top kill" procedure they're going to try. Around 2 p.m., BP started it. They started pumping 50,000 pounds of a special mud-like fluid that has about twice the density of water and they were pumping that into the leak. They hope -- we all hope -- it stops the oil. Then, the whole thing will be sealed off with cement. The head of BP said there was about a 60 to 70 percent chance of success. President Obama said if it works, it should seriously reduce or even stop the flow of oil. If it fails, the president says they'll move onto the next strategy. When we recorded this show yesterday, the process was still going on. We hope to have more details on it for you tomorrow. In the meantime, you can always get the latest details at CNN.com.
Korean Tensions
AZUZ: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is back in the U.S. after spending a week in Asia. Her last stop on that trip was South Korea. And as you've heard, things have been tense between that country and North Korea. If you haven't heard, you can watch our archived shows from this week to find out why. You will find those show at CNNStudentNews.com. Getting back to Secretary Clinton, she says the North is provoking the South. She calls it unacceptable and she's urging North Korea to stop making threats. She says the international community has a responsibility to respond to the situation, and she made it clear that the U.S. is standing behind South Korea.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Let me repeat publicly what I expressed privately to President Lee and Minister Yu. The United States offers our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the 46 sailors killed in the sinking of the Cheonan and to all the people of South Korea. We will stand with you in this difficult hour and we stand with you always.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Miss Poole's civics and economics class at Hobbton High School in Newton Grove, North Carolina! What is the term for a group of military ships? You know what to do! Is it: A) Battalion, B) Phalanx, C) Fleet or D) Conclave? You've got three seconds -- GO! A group of military ships is referred to as a fleet. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
AZUZ: And a celebration involving a group of military ships is called Fleet Week! It's taking place right now in New York City. Fleet Week is actually a celebration of all the military sea services: the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. They happen in different cities all over the country. New York has hosted a Fleet Week nearly every year since 1984. Thousands of sailors, Marine and Coast Guard members are in New York for the event. It kicks off with the Parade of Ships, which you see right here. Once they dock at the pier, people can go on board and take tours of the Navy vessels. Plus, there are dozens of military demonstrations throughout the week.
Home and Away
AZUZ: Fleet Week runs through Memorial Day this weekend. Of course, Memorial Day, the holiday, pays tribute to all American troops who have lost their lives while serving the country in battle. CNN has a new website that does the same kind of thing. It's called "Home and Away." You see it on your screen right here. It's focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 6,000 U.S. and coalition troops have been killed in these conflicts. The "Home and Away" site connects where these men and women died with where they lived, and it gives family members and friends an opportunity to share memories about their loved ones. You'll find a link to the site in the Spotlight section of our home page; that's CNNStudentNews.com.
Is this Legit?
STAN CASE, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? The space shuttle Atlantis is named after the legendary lost city. Nope! The shuttle is named after a sailing ship that was run by an oceanographic institute.
AZUZ: Atlantis came in for what could be its final landing yesterday. The space shuttle program is scheduled to end later on this year, and Atlantis is the first shuttle on the retirement list. It touched down at Kennedy Space Center after its 32nd mission. During that time, it helped with the international space station and launched spacecraft that explored Venus and Jupiter. Atlantis' service in space isn't necessarily over though. It's the back-up shuttle for a future mission if anything goes wrong, so NASA's getting the shuttle ready just in case. Once the shuttles do retire, they're not headed for the junk yard, and you can't really recycle them. John Zarrella thought looks at what could happen once the space shuttles are permanently grounded.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As they rocket to space, the astronauts watch the world fall away below them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Getting RPM. Three, two, one, mark.
ZARRELLA: Discovery does a somersault as it approaches the space station. Nearly 30 years of these "oh wow" moments almost over. The end of this year or sometime next, the last shuttle will fly. So, what do you do with three old orbiters? Heck, Atlantis has got 120 million miles on her. If you're NASA, you can't get all teary-eyed and nostalgic. You've got to unload those old clunkers and move on; put a for-sale sign on Atlantis and Discovery and Endeavour.
So, you've got to build a building right here that would enclose the space shuttle for a bit. It's got to be a temperature-controlled building, right?
BILL MOORE, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, VISITOR COMPLEX: Has to be all up to artifact standards. But more than just the building for the shuttle, we have to tell the story.
ZARRELLA: Bill Moore heads the privately-run Visitor Complex at the Kennedy Space Center. They are one of at least a dozen suitors ready, in fact eager, to fork over to NASA $28.8 million for an orbiter.
ALLARD BEUTEL, NASA SPOKESMAN: We're not selling them, remember. This is what it's going to cost to get it cleaned up and make it safe to display and then to actually get it there.
ZARRELLA: You've got almost $30 million ready to hand that check to NASA.
MOORE: Between our cash and the loan arrangements, we could take the shuttle tomorrow and get ready to go.
ZARRELLA: There is no real rush, space agency officials say, to announce who gets which one because the orbiters are still flying. NASA has offered Discovery, the oldest in the fleet, to the Smithsonian. Museum officials there told us questions about cost "have not been resolved, although the museum is exploring options."
One orbiter option is the Big Apple. Folks at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum say more people would see it here than anywhere else. They estimate a 30 percent increase in attendance.
SUSAN MARENOFF, INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: We figure over 300,000 people additional to the Intrepid to New York City. Couple that with the $106 million in economic benefits, we think that's a pretty good deal.
ZARRELLA: Landing one of history's first space planes would certainly qualify as a pretty good deal. John Zarrella, CNN, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, why didn't the duck cross the road? 'Cause it was chicken! You would be too if you were trying to make it across rush hour traffic. Luckily -- don't be afraid -- someone spotted the junior jaywalkers and called the cops. The officers arrived, stopped traffic and escorted the fearful fowl across the highway. Youi see that taking place right here. It's cute. But it does raise a question though. When police officers are called in to help ducks...
Goodbye
AZUZ: Who gets stuck with the bill? If that one didn't get you to quack up, we'll try again tomorrow. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.