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Controversial NSA Revelations; 49ers, Jaguars Square Off in London

Aired October 28, 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: The month of October is coming to a close, by a new week of CNN STUDENT NEWS is just getting started. Hello, everyone. I`m Carl Azuz. On Friday, we talked about a controversy surrounding the NSA, the U.S. National Security Agency. A lot of this goes back to a man named Edward Snowden. He was a contractor who worked for the NSA. Earlier this year, he leaked information about secret NSA programs. Snowden fled to Russia to avoid U.S. prosecution. The documents detailed how the U.S. intercepted and collected phone and email data of Americans. There`ve also been accusations of spying on foreign leaders. White House officials say the surveillance activities are necessary to combat threats against the U.S. and its allies. Lisa Monaco is an advisor to President Obama on issues of homeland security and counterterrorism. She says the president has ordered a review of government surveillance programs. Monaco says, "We want to ensure that we are collecting information because we need it, and not just because we can. But meanwhile, some members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans are speaking out against NSA programs. They are proposing a law to limit the amount of data that NSA can collect.

This weekend, a protest outside the U.S. Capitol pushed for the same goal.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Organizers say, this rally is significant because it`s the largest one yet protesting mass surveillance by the NSA. And Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who opened up the entire controversy earlier this year, made a contribution to it. He provided the statement that was read by a representative at the rally. Take a listen.

JESSELYN RADACK, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT: We have not forgotten the Fourth Amendment in our Bill of Rights prohibits government not only from searching our personal affects without a warrant, but from seizing them, in the first place. And doing so in secret. Holding to this principle, we declare that mass surveillance has no place in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

RADACK: It is time for a reform. Elections are coming and we are vouching you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, it`s important to know that these protesters were engaging over the domestic piece of this, data collection from the personal devices or private citizens here in the United States. Now, Hillary Clinton said in remarks on Friday night that she understands the frustration over this kind of intrusion, and thinks there ought to be a bigger conversation about why the United States practices these kinds of techniques. Now, on a broader scale, the White House is also facing heat from other countries, especially our allies over surveillance of foreign leaders, and they have tried to come tensions over that.

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ANNOUNCER: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a geographic feature that covers more than 2 million square mile. I`m located in South America. And I share my names with one of the longest rivers in the world.

I`m the Amazon rainforest. And I`m home to millions of plant and animal species.

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AZUZ: That includes hundreds of newly discovered species. Over the past four years, scientists have been identifying different plants and animals in the Amazon. The Worldwide Life Fund just put out a list of 441 new species from there that were unknown to scientists before now. The list includes 258 plants, like one with filaments that looked like spaghetti. 84 fish, 58 amphibians including a for that`s the size of a thumbnail, 22 reptiles, 18 birds and one mammal. That would be this little guy. It`s a monkey that scientists say purrs like a cat. You`ve also got a piranha (ph), but it`s a herbivore, it refuses to eat meat, and these lizards might have colorful heads, but their names come from their shy nature and their tendency to hide under or between rocks. Just a few of the Amazon`s incredible examples of biodiversity,

22 NFL teams took the field yesterday, but those National Football League games didn`t happen in the same nation. The San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars headed over to London. The teams faced off in Wembley Stadium, home of the England national soccer team. This wasn`t the first NFL game in England this year. In fact, London`s been hosting American football games since 2007. Yesterday, the 49ers got the W beating up on the Jaguars 42 to ten. But the NFL is hoping that with this international games, the ultimate winners will be football and its fans outside the U.S.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that it would work out well here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be pretty cool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is possible in future.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We`ve heard favorable noises from players, coaches and even team owners, as the success of the NFL`s international series of games in London points to a full time overseas franchise.

JOHN YORK, NFL INTERNATIONAL SERIES COMMITTEE: I think it is possible in the future, but I don`t believe that I can predict that future today. What can I say is that we`re doing two games this year, and it`s completely sold out.

THOMAS: Which is why Wembley could be crucial to the NFL`s expansion plans. Amid fears that revenues in America are reaching their pick, London is seen as a gateway to an exciting new European market.

GUR SAMUEL, JOURNALIST, NFL: They don`t see it as 60 million Brits, but all the 400 million Europeans that could be telling its NFL funds. When you think of it in terms of the soar of numbers, it`s absolutely easy to understand why they want a presence there.

THOMAS: One key question is, can an NFL franchise in London sell out Wembley every day? In theory, people from all over Europe would come here, but crucially, a team would need to build a loyal fan based locally.

YORK: If you go back to that first game, the fans came from a very large area, away from London. Each game that has gotten tighter and tighter, so that almost 80 to 90 percent of fans are from the greater London area, which supports the idea that you could do something in the London area.

THOMAS: Even if there were enough fans, players may not want to move abroad, and the distance to London will be an issue. Even the East Coast franchises like the Patriots, Jets, Giants and Dolphins, it`s a long road trip. With flights taking up to eight and a quarter hours. However, teams in this super rugby competition, have successfully handled far longer distances. Cape Town`s Auckland is a flight of more than 17.5 hours.

COBUS VISAGIE, FORMER SUPER RUGBY PLAYER: It basically is about drinking a lot of fluids on the flights, making sure that you sleep at the right time, and I`m sure that all sports, signs, the teams that are now consulting into the top sports teams with - basically, you get a team very well prepared for that.

BLAIR WALSH, MINNESOTA VIKINGS KICKER: I think the travel team we have to be sound - that (ph)be figured out, man. Maybe if you make a base in the northeast of the United States or something, but - I think it could work.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for "The Shoutout." Wendell Scott was the first African-American to win what? If you think you know it, then shout it out!

Was it, NFL MVP, NASCAR premier event, Cy Young Award or Conn Smythe Trophy. You`ve got three seconds, go!

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In 1963, Scott became the first African-American to win a NASCAR premier series event. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."

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AZUZ: Wendell Scott was the first African-American to win a race at NASCAR`s top level and for 50 years, he was the only African-American to win a national series event. That is until this past weekend. NASCAR`s World Truck series hit Martinsville speedway on Saturday and that`s where Darrell Wallace Jr. took home the checkered flag. Wallace is 20 years old, he is a graduate of NASCAR`s Drive for Diversity program, which aims to give minorities opportunities in all aspects of the racing industry. NASCAR`s chairman said that Wallace`s win, "will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport`s history." The driver put it more succinctly on his Twitter account after the race: "We came, we saw, we conquered."

We`re trying to come up with themes for our "Roll Call" segment. Some days it happens, quickly, other times like today, it can be a real bear. And that`s the theme, starting with the bears from Manalapan English Town Middle School in New Jersey. Next, we`re heading up to Hortonville, Wisconsin, to check in with the polar bears from Hortonville School and out in Los Angeles, we`ve got the Kodiaks (ph) from Widney High. There you go, a "Roll Call" theme brought to bear.

There are two skills to master when it comes to eating stone crabs. How to crack the crab and how to pick it clean. People at this event needed to add a third skill: speed. It`s a stone crab claw eating contest. 25 claws cracked and consumed as fast as you can. There`s one event for teams, one for individuals. The solo winner took down the 25 claws in just over 17.5 minutes. But hopefully, all the contestants had a good time, so there is no claws for anyone to go home crabby. Hey, do you know what one milk crab to the other milk crab when the female crab walked away? Shell be back! Those are long way to go. Either way, we`ll be back tomorrow with more CNN STUDENT NEWS. See you all then.

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