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. This is CNN Student News, coming to you from Atlanta, Georgia, where we saw some unseasonal snowflakes over the weekend...in Georgia! Some parts of the country, though, are dealing with much worse conditions than we are.
AZUZ: Especially the midwestern U.S. A powerful snowstorm plowed through that part of the country over the weekend. Parts of Wisconsin got more than a foot and a half of snow, the state's governor declaring a state of emergency for more than 70 counties. What that does is help free up emergency workers and resources to help deal with it.
Minnesota got hit pretty badly, too. In Minneapolis, the hometown Vikings were supposed to play an NFL game against the Giants yesterday. But this before-and-after picture shows you why that couldn't happen. That is the Metrodome, the Vikings' stadium. On the left is what the roof is supposed to look like. On the right: what it looked like yesterday. The roof caved in! This is a dome that's held up by air pressure. And after it got more than 17 inches of snow, just too much extra weight caused it to fail. Some workers were up on top, trying to shovel off the snow. They're not sure how long it's gonna take for the building to open back up. The Vikings game got moved back until tonight, and it'll be played in Detroit.
Holiday Wreath Laying
CORAL VIDAL, FORTMAN, MARYLAND: I took my time and then, after I laid the wreath, I said thank you for your service. And I think it's just awesome being here laying these wreaths.
JOHN ROYSTER, WEST POINT, VIRGINIA: I read whose name was there and their dates and said a thank you. These are men and women who have given the ultimate. All gave some, some gave all.
AZUZ: Two of the hundreds of volunteers who helped lay wreaths on the gravesites of American troops at Arlington National Cemetery this weekend. It's a tradition that's been going on for nearly 20 years, and it happened at hundreds of other cemeteries across the country.
I.D. Me
APRIL WILLIAMS, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm a West African nation located between Ghana and Liberia. I gained my independence from France in 1960. My official name is Côte d'Ivoire. Many people know me as Ivory Coast, and I'm home to around 21 million people.
AZUZ: Côte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, is in the middle of a political crisis. After a run-off in the country's recent presidential election, both candidates -- the current president and one of his opponents -- declared victory. That's not gonna work. The heads of other West African countries say the idea of two leaders just isn't for Côte d'Ivoire. Christian Purefoy gets us up to speed on the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, LAGOS: Sworn in as President of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo stands defiant. The Ivorian people did not elect him president, says the international community. This man, Alassane Ouattara, who has also sworn himself in, is the true president, according to the independent electoral commission
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: We are in full agreement that Alassane Ouattara is the rightfully-elected president of Cote d'Ivoire, and that former President Laurent Gbagbo should respect the results of the election and peacefully transfer power to his successor.
PUREFOY: Since the election results were announced this month, there has been a dangerous stalemate in Ivory Coast, a standoff threatening to degenerate into civil war. In the early 1990s, Cote d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, was the economic powerhouse of West Africa and attracted immigrants from across the region. But as that economic success began to falter, people in the south of the country turned on what they saw as immigrants in the north. And in 2002, the country was split by civil war. But now, it seems that weeks of regional and international pressure are forcing Gbagbo to the negotiating table.
LAURENT GBAGBO, INCUMBENT PRESIDENT OF IVORY COAST [TRANSLATED]: There's no war, and we need to sit down and talk. If there's a problem, we'll talk about it. But men don't hold discussions when things are still hot. They wait for things to cool down to start. So when it'll cool down, we'll talk. So, there won't be a war. I thank you for all that you have done for the Ivory Coast. We are together and the problems you see now, we will resolve them.
PUREFOY: Whatever the discussions, other influential West African leaders say a unity government that includes both leaders is unacceptable.
GOODLUCK JONATHAN, PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA: It's immediate, it's immediate. Elections have been declared, somebody has won, so he has to hand over.
PUREFOY: But talks do not mean action, and for now, the uneasy standoff between the two presidents continues. Christian Purefoy, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.
(END VIDEO)
Climate Conference
AZUZ: Okay, from Africa, we're heading over to Cancun, Mexico, where a two-week conference on climate change ended with an agreement. Representatives from around the world came up with a plan that Mexico's president is calling the start of "a new era of cooperation in climate change." Among other things, the agreement will create a $100 billion fund to help developing countries deal with climate change. You see a lot of people clapping here, but not everyone likes this deal. The government of Bolivia says the agreement won't be effective. And Bolivia claims that wealthier nations bullied other countries into accepting the deal.
This Day in History
[ON SCREEN GRAPHIC]
December 13, 2000 -- Al Gore concedes defeat to George W. Bush in the U.S. presidential election
December 13, 2003 -- Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. soldiers
December 13, 2007 -- The Mitchell Report on the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball is released
Blog Repot
AZUZ: In Memphis, Tennessee, a school's trying to get students to pull up their saggy pants by giving teachers zip ties that they'll use as belts on the students' pants. On our blog, 71 percent of you think the "no saggy pants" policy is a good idea. Lana likes it, but here's what she has a problem with: "The wall of shame that shows photos of students with their pants hiked high." Most of you don't agree with the photo board. Brandon says that low riding defines certain people, and adds "if you don't like it, don't look at it." And Robert argues, "Teachers don't have the right to decide what students wear; it should be up to parents". But Desiree writes that "everywhere you turn, there are pants on the ground or someone's underwear showing." She bets 80 percent of her school doesn't own a belt. Robby calls showing your underwear, "gross. It would be so embarrassing if a girl saw your underwear." And Katia calls saggy pants very unattractive, saying, "I know I don't wanna see boxers." Add your comment at CNNStudentNews.com. Remember, it's first names only!
Shoutout
SHELBY ERDMAN, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Williams' history classes at Canyon Vista Middle School in Austin, Texas! What is the name of this trophy? Is it the: A) Hart Trophy, B) Naismith Award, C) Heisman Trophy or D) Cy Young Award? You've got three seconds -- GO! You're looking at the Heisman Trophy, the award for the most outstanding college football player. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Heisman Winner
AZUZ: This year's Heisman Trophy winner is Cam Newton, the quarterback from Auburn University. He won the award on Saturday night. Newton has thrown or run for 48 touchdowns this year, leading Auburn to an undefeated season and a spot in the national championship game, and that's coming up in January. But he's also been the focus of some controversy. The NCAA ruled that Newton's father was involved in a pay-for-play scandal. Essentially, he told schools that they had to pay money for Cam to play football there. An NCAA investigation determined that neither Cam Newton nor Auburn knew what Cam's father was doing, so he's been cleared to play.
AZUZ: Just how important are the rules in sports? We're about to show you a set of rules that sold for more than $4 million! It's the "Founding Rules of Basketball," written by the man who's considered the inventor of the game: James Naismith. It's a 119-year-old document that was auctioned off last Friday. In the original rules, players could pass the ball, but not run with it; there was no provision for dribbling. And there wasn't any physical contact. Things have, of course, changed a bit since then. The couple who bought the rules is hoping to donate them to Kansas University, where Naismith was a coach.
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, competitions aren't always fun and games. But here's one that sure seems like it is. It's a robotics competition in Maine. But here's the catch: the robots have to be built from LEGOs. 350 students participate in the event. They had to use LEGOs to build robots that could complete a series of tasks. By watching it, you'd be pretty impressed. If we had to compete, I don't even know what kind of robot we'd design.
Goodbye
AZUZ: There are a few ideas we could toy around with. Not gonna share any of them, though. After all, we wouldn't want to LEGO any of our secrets. Whoo! All right, it's no secret that CNN Student News returns tomorrow. We'll look forward to seeing you then. Remember, this is our last week on the air before the break. Take care. See you soon!