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U.S. Stocks Continue to Climb; Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom; CNN Hero Wendy Ross Talks About ASD Program; Man In Oregon Runs Van Service for Dogs

Aired April 29, 2019 - 04:00   ET

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


CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. Welcome to everyone watching worldwide. It`s great to see you this Monday. The month

of April is drawing to a close and this Friday the first Friday of the new month, the U.S. governments latest jobs report is due out. It will look at

economic indicators like the unemployment rate. The percentage of the American workforce that doesn`t have a job. For the past two months it`s

been at 3.8 percent considered a very low rate and a good sign for the economy. The report monitors whether wages are growing and by how much.

Wage growth can be a good sign and it will examine the number of jobs that were added to the economy in April.

That`s statistic has been a rollercoaster this year. Hiring boomed in January with more than 300,000 jobs added. The number dropped dramatically

in February with less than 35,000 added and it bounced back in March with just under 200,000 new jobs. Predicting what the economy will do, how much

it will grow is done by looking at information like this and by reading the trends in the U.S. stock market. Christine Romans from CNN Money explores

how it continues to rise and what could slow that down in the months ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, ANCHOR OF CNN MONEY: Resilience is still the word in stocks after one of the best first quarters in years. April brings the

major U.S. averages close to record highs. This year the NASDAQ is up more than 20 percent, the S&P 500 up 16 percent, the Dow up 13 percent. The Dow

is now up more than 40 percent since the election. Now so far the beginning of earnings season hasn`t changed this narrative. Yes, profit

growth is expected to turn negative in the first quarter but guess what? Investors largely saw that coming.

The U.S. economy is growing and the job market is strong. Wages are beginning to pick up but overall inflation is low. There`s enough

confidence in the markets and the economy to bring a wave of tech start ups public, so called "unicorn" parade of IPOs. Ten years into an economic

expansion and J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told shareholders the expansion could run for years more. What could go wrong? Well plenty.

The early benefits of new tax laws in the U.S. are beginning to fade, rising gas prices could bite consumers. Oil prices are up 35 percent this

year and the average price of gas in the U.S. jumped almost 10 cents in a recent week.

America`s trade wars are ongoing and trade talks unfinished. Beware of breakdown in trade talks with China or a worsening trade situation between

the U.S. and it`s largest trading partner the European Union. President Trump has until May to decide whether to slap tariffs up to 25 percent on

European car imports. Any of these factors could make the historic stock market run a lot more vulnerable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. According to the Pew Research Center, 77 percent of Americans have what? Is it a smartphone, landline, dog or passport?

Smartphones are the answer here and cell phones in general are owned by 95 percent of Americans.

A debate is raging over kids and screen time. How much of the day they should spend in front of TVs, smartphones, tech? The World Health

Organization recently released guidelines on this. It says for young kids, screen time needs to be limited to an hour a day or less. That`s similar

to a recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Experts say too much screen time early in life is associated with delays in language

skills, social skills, even the brain`s ability to think. But there are other studies that suggest limited screen time, especially with educational

apps or programs can encourage creativity and sometimes problem solving skills. So the research is mixed. In some classrooms for older kids,

administrators have found a place for artificial intelligence. What`s not known is whether this could be a substitute for old school education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A timeless scene that has been played out in schools around the world for centuries. Young students enjoying their break

between lessons. But back in the classroom of this school in Abu Dhabi, a transformation is happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this lesson, you learn to solve equations with rational coefficients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whiteboards, markers and books have been replaced with interactive calendars, digital avatars and laptops.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let`s solve this equation together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen year old Mari Amahamad (ph) is just one of 25,000 students in the UAE and the U.S. being taught through the Olive

Education Platform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you are using books it was like so boring, so it`s nice to use (inaudible) traditional way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Founded in Abu Dhabi in 2015, the online program is using technology to disrupt traditional education in the classroom.

Children are encouraged to create their own avatar. And through the use of videos, animation, digital content and questions along the way, the Olive

Platform aids learning. At its headquarters in Abu Dhabi in a secure control room, analysts use artificial intelligence to make sense of the

reams of information coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We capture millions of data points on a daily basis. The human cannot process that many data points.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The premise is simple. If a pupil struggles with a concept, the system adapts and presents the lesson again in a form more

tailored to the student. The result is reframing the future of education.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wouldn`t it be great if you could look at artificial intelligence and data to drive kids into the right careers, into the right

choices post secondary education?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it comes to adopting AI technology, the United Arab Emirates is one country leading the way. But with artificial

intelligence expected to generated $96 billion towards the economy by 2030, some are worried that this technology comes at a cost, with a growing

debate over whether the benefits outweigh increased screen time for children or potential privacy concerns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in 59 children in America has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It can

involve problems communicating, bonding emotionally or repeating the same behaviors. Dr. Wendy Ross was named a CNN Hero in 2014 for her work to

help children on the spectrum take part in every day activities. Now she`s helping the medical industry better understand patients with Autism

Spectrum Disorder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. WENDY ROSS: Hey. How are you? Hi, Alex (ph). Patients coming in on the spectrum may have a more difficult time communicating. Those with

autism also have heart attacks or cancer and without doctors that can understand how to interact with them, they`re not going to get appropriate

healthcare.

Alex, I know you`ve been using the letter board but can you tell me, what was it like to be unable to communicate for so long?

My patient Alex Lapeck (ph), despite being nonverbal actually has an IQ that is very, very high.

ALEX TRANSLATED: It was frustrating. I had some tough days but the first time I spelled openly, I knew my life had changed forever.

ROSS: You never want to underestimate somebody`s ability but then again doctors need to understand for someone on the autism spectrum who doesn`t

often look at faces. That pain scale, that`s not really a good way of monitoring their pain. Some of the accommodations that our program

provides are noise cancelling headphones. Things like fidgets to help reduce their anxiety. We are really providing autism friendly healthcare.

What would you like to tell other people about you and other people on the spectrum?

ALEX TRANSLATED: They are so thirsty to learn. Our brains are like sponges.

ROSS: Alex has a lot to say and so he`s really become a huge part of our program in terms of consultation, on making things autism friendly. What

was the moment, like, when you realized that other people could understand you?

ALEX TRANSLATED: It was like the Eagles winning the Super Bowl.

ROSS: We want those on the spectrum to exceed everyone`s expectations including their own and we would like to exceed everyone`s expectations in

the care that we deliver.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: A lot of kids with dogs know the animals only wish they could ride the school bus. Now, they can. A man in Portland, Oregon offers a service

that picks up pups in a custom van. He takes them to a large fenced in pasture that`s like this giant dog park for the day so they can run, play

and be dogs. Then he takes them back home. One difference between this and school recess though, sometimes kids are allowed to join the animals on

a play date.

So in this case the kids and the van have gone to the dogs. Wonder if the animals "hound" or "pug" their owners about this? "Barking" about how they

like staying home "mastiff" the time but love their "Newfoundland" of recess and wish they could "skipperkey" over "terrier" more "offenventure".

From time to time they got to let out their "rot wilder" side. I`m Carl Azuz now making a "bark load" of puns for CNN.

END