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U.S. Congress And The Fed Try To Limit Coronavirus` Economic Damage; Marble Racing Picks Up Fans; The Northern Lights Illuminate The Sky Over Lapland
Aired March 24, 2020 - 00:04 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 everyone. Always good to have you watching CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz. I am not at the CNN Center but our team is working
together from different places to bring you the daily show. There are some businesses that are staying very busy during this ongoing coronavirus
pandemic.
Companies that make cleaning products like phone and hand sanitizers, medical equipment and supply organizations, toilet paper manufacturers and
food delivery apps and their employees. But scores of businesses are seeing major losses as the disease spreads. Malls are closed. Factories are shut
down. Flights have been canceled.
People in affected countries have been told to stay home. Without consumers out and about spending money and without businesses making products and
hiring people, the economy has effectively ground to a halt. The United States Federal Reserve, the central bank of the country, says the
coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous hardship.
So in addition to dropping interest rates to zero, which encourages people and companies to take loans, the Fed is buying bonds, opening new credit
facilities, starting a new lending program. In a nutshell, it`s using all of its tools to try to limit the economic damage from COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has been debating a massive stimulus bill. A package of government spending that`s intended to stimulate the economy. It
could include loans to companies that are in trouble, more spending on healthcare and direct payments to American taxpayers.
Its cost could be as high as $2 trillion and Congressional Republicans and Democrats generally agree that the stimulus is needed. But they`ve had some
disagreements over what exactly the money should be spent on and how it should be given out and that`s delayed the bill from passing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the last couple weeks many Americans went from not even hearing about the coronavirus to having President Trump recommend the
closing of schools or social distancing meaning not more than 10 of us in a room at the same time. And so people are rightfully wondering what does it
mean? What happens next? Could we see quarantines or forced curfews? Experts say the Federal government cannot legally or operationally put the
United States under a complete lockdown or quarantine.
What the Federal government can do is monitor or close borders and limit how people can get into and move around the United States as well as detain
individuals upon entry if they are believed to have been exposed to the virus. Our Constitution does not have an on-off switch for pandemics and
there would be challenges in every district, in every courtroom to protect individual rights and our governmental structures. America`s frontline for
responding to an epidemic really resides in the hundreds of local and state and tribal and territorial health authorities.
Because of that we are seeing lots of things going on in different states but there`s no unified approach, partly because the Federal government has
been relatively quiet on some of these issues. Another reason is because our government structure is so fragmented.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know different states need different things.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): That is the role of the Federal government and national leadership and it is lacking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is up to state and local governments to regulate, encourage, discourage human behavior.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Constitution was set up to not only have a strong central authority but also to give the states their own authority. The
Federal government can make recommendations about what kind of standards they want for public health authorities in a pandemic but those public
health authorities reside with state governments. And include the right to quarantine and isolate and the power to set curfews because of a local
public health threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. The region known as Lapland includes a part of which of these nations? Greenland, Finland, Iceland or Scotland. Part of
Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland are located in Lapland.
And it`s in Lapland that an extraordinarily light show was recently visible courtesy of mother nature. The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights twisted,
danced and glowed in hues of green. Though the phenomenon can be seen at any time of the year, late winter or early spring during the overnight
hours is said to be the best time to see them here. But besides being really "purrdy" to look at, there is some science behind these wondrous
waves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Described as one of the most greatest light shows, an aurora is one of the most fascinating and beautiful naturally occurring
phenomena. You might know it as the Northern Lights but its technically called the Aurora Borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and the Aurora
Australia or Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere. This phenomenon occurs above the magnetic poles in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
They form when gases, particles in the Earth`s atmosphere collide with charged particles released from the sun. Electrons and protons from the sun
are blown toward the Earth by the solar wind.
As these are carried towards Earth, most of them are deflected by Earth`s magnetic field. However, the magnetic field is weaker at the poles allowing
some of the particles to funnel into the Earth`s atmosphere. The vibrant colors produced are determined by the type of gases that are colliding. The
result is a brilliant display of the common green and yellow, less common blue and violet, even rare reds painting the night sky in ribbons, arcs or
shooting rays.
Oxygen produces green and red light while nitrogen gives off blue and purple. The best time of year to view the light show is during the winter
months when the nights are longer, under a cloud free sky away from light pollution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Quick. Think of an organized sport. OK. Guess what? It`s been effected in someway by the spread of coronavirus. Americans in at least 12
states have been given orders to stay home. This accounts for about a quarter of the population, since some of those states are the most
populated. But the sport fans among them are wondering, OK, we have all this time to watch sports but no sports to watch. So some are turning to
marble racing, as in marble racing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s getting pretty serious now. People see an experience it like sports (ph), a real sport. It`s blowing my mind. We did
it in the backyard of my grandfather`s house on a (inaudible) and I start helping them and also people would (inaudible) have a degree (ph) of
patience. So one thing they all needed was a (inaudible) and I was one of his (inaudible). When (inaudible) starting filming marble runs just a
simple model run (ph), it was quite successful. So later we wanted (ph) to use a new element and more like competition (ph) and -- and racing.
There`s a whole community online and they make memes and they enjoy their self (ph) sometimes we are surprised how many posts and -- and (inaudible)
social media. (inaudible) to follow because it so big now. The decision we made to have (inaudible) people from everywhere to have contact and to
communicate (ph) with people all over the world. It`s sucking you in (inaudible) the world free of war and everything in human dimension is the
magic of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Another alternative sport we`re following today is "Hungry, Hungry, Hippos" life sized edition. Forget about the old school board game. A
nursing home in Wales, United Kingdom came up with a creative way to keep its residents busy. The object of the game is to capture as many colored
balls as possible using what looks like baskets on broomsticks. But its safe to say a lot of laughter and a lot of smiles were captured here as
well.
What a great idea. And it "Boggles" the mind why more people don`t take the "Trouble" to "connect four", get a "Clue" and "Scrabble" together a board
game when they`re bored. It`s an easy low "Risk" "Operation" that stimulates the "Cranium" plus multiple "Scattegories" in this "Pursuit of
the Trivial". And you can "Yatzhee" why not "Uno" person is "Sorry" when enjoying this game of "Life". All right. Gray-New Gloucester Middle School
in Gray, Maine is watching today. Thank you so much for subscribing to our YouTube channel. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN.
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