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Authorities Identify Navy Yard Shooter as Aaron Alexis; Floods Damage Thousands of Colorado Homes

Aired September 18, 2013 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Yesterday, Americans paused and families mourned as the investigation into Monday`s shooting at the Washington Navy Yard moved forward. Authorities identified this man, Aaron Alexis, as the shooter. He is the former Navy sailor who was working as a military contractor. Police say they`re sure Alexis acted alone. They haven`t offered any clues about what his motive might have been.

Ceremonies and vigils around the nation`s capital honored the victims of Monday`s shooting. 12 people were killed in the attack at the Navy Yard, they were civilians and contractors, all between 46 and 73 years old. At least eight other people were wounded, several of them are recovering at local hospitals. There was a moment of silence in the U.S. Capitol building yesterday. And another one at National Stadium before the baseball game between the Nationals and the Braves. The team postponed Monday`s game after the shooting. D.C. police used part of the stadium as a place for families to reunite with loved ones who work at the Navy Yard.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other military commanders gathered at the Navy Memorial Plaza for a wreath-laying ceremony. Secretary Hagel also ordered a worldwide review of security at U.S. military bases.

Officials say the investigation in the Monday`s attack will spread across the country. One U.S. Attorney said it could take weeks or months to put all the pieces together in order to figure out what happened at the Navy Yard and why.

These pictures are from Lyons, Colorado. They were sent in by Tori Powers, a CNN STUDENT NEWS viewer who is a victim of the flooding in Colorado. They give you an idea of the power of the severe weather. The floods have damaged thousands of homes around Colorado. CNN`s Kyung Lah was in Lyons as residents returned to see what was left.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you want to understand the force of the water, this used to be a roadway, a bridge, what right over. Take a look at where the bridge is now. Right over there, there is a black bridge, covered with trees, those houses and between, all flooded and take a look at that, that`s a car completely flipped over.

(on camera): Are you saying your house was picked and moved?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Our house has been picked and moved several feet. Today is our first day up here since we`ve been evacuated and I feel like it`s (ph) worse than I thought it would be. We lost absolutely everything we owned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: It`s time for "The Shoutout." The islands of Capri, Giglio and Sardinia are all located off the coast of what country? If you think, you know it, then shout it out!

Is it Brazil, Portugal, Greece or Italy? You`ve got three seconds, go! You`ll find all of those islands off the coast of Italy. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: One of those islands has been getting a lot more attention recently. The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground on Giglio in January of 2012, 4200 people were on board, 32 were killed. The ship has been lying there on its side ever since, at least until this week. A massive salvage operation is under way, and the first steps appeared to be a success. A steel platform was built on the sea floor. And pulleys cables and steel tanks were attached to one side of the ship. The process is called, parbuckling. And you`re about to see what it looks like: the salvage crew rolled the ship off the rocks and onto that platform. The Concordia is 952 feet long, it weighs 114,000 tons. No ship that large or that heavy had ever been parbuckled before. Next stage is for floatation devices to be attached to the other side, and for the Costa Concordia to be refloated, so it can be towed away. Organizers don`t expect that to happen until next summer.

Normally, the ship would have been blown up or taken apart on site. That`s not an option here. Because the Costa Concordia is filled with toxic materials, thousands of pounds of spoiled and rotten food. Tanks of chemicals and paints. If the parbuckle maneuver had gone wrong, the ship could have been broken apart, and these toxic contents could have spilled out. But an Italian official said, there doesn`t appear to be any sign of a leak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a U.S. government agency that was established in 1946. My original mission was to fight the spread of malaria. Now, I work to prevent and control all types of diseases. I`m the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more commonly known as the CDC.

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AZUZ: It`s a knee-jerk reaction for a lot of folks, you get sick, you go to the doctor and ask for an antibiotic. But you don`t always need one. Doctors say it won`t kill of a virus like the common cold, and overuse of antibiotics is blamed for the rise of what some call, Superbugs. Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, infections that are harder for medicines to kill. The CDC says these things have gotten so bad, they are now officially considered a threat to human health. 2 million people in America get superbug infections every year. At least 23,000 people die because current drugs can`t cure them. So, what can we do about it?

First and foremost, the CDC says to use antibiotics correctly. As much as half the antibiotics used in the U.S. isn`t necessary or called for. These can be good effective medicines, they can kill harmful bacteria, they can also kill helpful bacteria. And germs that are resistant to antibiotics may be left over to grow, according to the Missouri Department of Health. So, make sure you work with your doctor to avoid overusing antibiotics, and closely follow directions on how, when and how long to take them. Don`t save some for the next time you`re sick when your doctor tells you to use it all.

Washing your hands is a good thing, too. One key to reducing infections is not to get them in the first place.

Well, folks who have special talents can often get a sense of personal satisfaction whenever they use them. But your talent, whether it`s in sports, art or music can also be used to help others. For example, take Autumn de Forest. A young artist found a way to pay tribute to victims of Superstorm Sandy and to help the relief fund. Now, for more on a Autumn`s work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AUTUMN DE FOREST: This is an unfinished painting, "A Bird Feeder." This is me holding a little piece of bread right here, and this is - these are seagulls. What the power (inaudible) means to me, is take whatever you`re feeling, whether it`s happy, whether it`s sad, just put it out on campus.

I`m Autumn de Forest. And I love to paint.

The first time that I started displaying my artwork, was when I was seven.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

DE FOREST: I started home schooling in third grade, my tutor comes at 8 o`clock, then I go to have a nice painting session, and then I come back, do some more score, go out again.

KATHERINE DE FOREST, MOTHER: You`re going to wait for her.

There has to be structure. If we just let her go, she would probably just paint, but Autumn is very much a people person. She has the opportunity to make a difference, she knows she has a gift. Part of being able to hang on to a gift is by giving back.

AUTUMN DE FOREST: I was so heartbroken about the Sandy hurricane, I just wanted to do a painting for them, and I wanted it to be a image of hope and team work and corporate both these flags. This is the New Jersey girl and that`s the new York girl.

What I love about this painting, it`s imperfect, it`s flawed, but that`s what makes it special.*

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Time is running out and your chance to meet Malala Yousafzai, the girl who was shot by the Taliban because she wanted to go to school. Students 13 to 18 in the 48 contiguous states can submit an essay explaining how they`ve been inspired by Malala`s work. Full rules for the contest can be found at the url you see below, the entry format, cnnstudentnews.com. But don`t wait. The deadline to submit essays 8 P.M. Eastern tonight.

Today, we`re recognizing schools in Nashville, Denver and Plymouth. But not Tennessee, not Colorado, not Massachusetts. The Berrien High Rebels from Nashville, Georgia lead off today`s "Roll Call." Georgia, we said. Then it`s up to Denver, the one in North Carolina and the Mustangs from East Lincoln High School. Plymouth, Mass is off the East Coast, but our last stop is in Plymouth, Wisconsin, home of the Panthers from Plymouth High.

In our last video today, some turtles are making a break for the water: a very slow break for it. OK, he`s going to need some help. Luckily, there were plenty of people there to help, as four sea turtles were released over the weekend. It`s part of the South Carolina aquarium sea turtles rescue program. One of these guys was found stranded on the sand bar, it`s good to see him getting back out into the wild. At the time of this rescue, he was just a shell of his former self. It`s time for us to wave good-bye, have a great rest of the day, we`ll see you back here tomorrow for more CNN STUDENT NEWS.

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