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U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl Freed from Captivity in Afghanistan; Obama Issues Executive Order to Reduce Carbon Reduction; Spanish King Juan Carlos Abdicating; 100 years to Commercial Aviation
Aired June 03, 2014 - 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: After being held captive for five years, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is headed home. But the story is far from over. It`s first up today on CNN STUDENT NEWS.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the prisoner exchange that led to Sergeant Bergdahl`s release. We covered a couple of them in yesterday`s show. There`s also a debate going on about how and why Bergdahl went missing in the first place. The Pentagon says it doesn`t know why he left his Army base in Afghanistan in June of 2009, but some soldiers in Bergdahl`s platoon say he deserted and that at least six U.S. troops were killed why looking for him. One soldier, a sergeant whom Bergdahl served with criticized the government`s decision to secure Bergdahl`s release by freeing five Taliban prisoners at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo bay, Cuba. Outgoing White House spokesman Jay Carney says that what matters is that Bergdahl was a prisoner in an armed conflict, and that the U.S. doesn`t leave its men and women behind. Bergdahl`s recovering in an American military base in Germany. His father says there will be a long process of getting Bowe Bergdahl transitioned back to American life.
Yesterday, President Obama announced an executive order. This is a type of law that doesn`t need Congressional approval, and this is a big one. It requires power plants to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030. Many scientists blame carbon emissions for damaging the environment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: As president and as a parent I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that`s beyond fixing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Critics say this carbon reduction in the U.S. alone won`t have much impact on the environment, and there could be some economic consequences as well. For one thing it could force hundreds of power plants that are fueled by coal to shut down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MIKE ENZI (R) WYONMING: The administration has set out to kill coal, and it`s 800,000 jobs. If it succeeds in death by regulation, we`ll all be paying a lot more money for electricity if we can get it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the "Shoutout." Which of these words means to give up a position of power? If you think you know it, shout it out. Is it abdicate, advocate, abrogate or adjudicate? You`ve got three seconds, go!
Top one today. But when a king steps down from his throne, for example, he is abdicating it. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.
AZUZ: Almost 40 years after he was crowned, King Juan Carlos I of Spain says it`s time to abdicate, to hand over the throne to a new generation that can take on the challenges of tomorrow. Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. The king`s role in government is mostly ceremonial, he doesn`t set policy for Spain. King Juan Carlos himself is part of the reason for that. He helped transition Spain back to democracy in the late 1970s. In general, he`s been a popular king, but his reputation took a hit in 2012 when he went on a luxurious hunting trip as the Spanish economy was in a deep recession. So, who will be Spain`s new king? That honor will go to Crown Prince Philippe. Juan Carlos says his 46-year old son has the maturity, the preparation and the sense of responsibility needed to serve as king.
We told you yesterday about volunteers for a planned trip to Mars, which may or may not take off in the years ahead, but it was only 100 years ago that the first commercial flight got off the ground or off the water. It was from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida. Airline transportation has soared a long way since most planes had two sets of wings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It all started with the 23 minute flight in a flying boat across Tampa Bay, Florida in 1914. It was humble beginnings for an industry which has transformed a world.
Then the mayor of St. Petersburg paid $400 worth $9000 in today`s money for the privilege of becoming the world`s first paying passenger. Scheduled commercial flights were born.
What the Wright brothers started continued. Allcocom Brown (ph), the Gypsy Muff (ph), these are the machines that helped created industry, which today is worth trillions of dollars. Think about it: 8 million of us each day get on a plane and take to the skies. Some $3 billion journeys we are taking last year. With those trips went the hopes and dreams of deals to be done, families to be reunited, ambitions to be realized.
The entrepreneurial spirit of risk taking spawn by the earlier pioneers continued as more and more airlines took to the skies. Pan American world airways blaze the trail across the Atlantic with jet aircraft and trumpeting service.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new concept in air transportation, the travail has been taken out of travel.
AZUZ: A smooth ride for passengers it might have been, but for the airline the concept of risk and reward eventually went into reverse. Pan Am couldn`t survive.
The industry has suffered as much turbulence in the pocket as it has in the air. American Airlines is another example of risk and reward. Doing what it does best wasn`t enough to keep American from bankruptcy. And it was the last major U.S. area to merge with U.S. Airways. Aviation has always been at the heart of big dreams. Today`s mechanical birds are a century away from that air boat which crossed Tampa Bay, but does one thing that everyone still shares: they balance the risk and the rewards.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: West Coast, East Coast we are transcontinental on today`s Roll Call. Santa Ana California, Europe is the grizzlies of Godinez Fundamental High School leading off today`s roll. We`re making stop in Arizona capital where we found another kind of bear. The bruins are stocking CNN STUDENT NEWS from Trevor G. Browne High School in Phoenix. And still on four legs, it`s the tigers of Ipswich, Massachusetts wrapping things up today. Thanks for watching it, Ipswich Middle School.
All right, now we are headed to a high school in Virginia. Centreville High School, home of the wild cats in Clifton. One 17-year old student there got an incredible surprise last week. It was part of an invitation to prom and you can see there were RG-3 reasons why he couldn`t say know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Centreville High School served as the backdrop Thursday for a dramatic lacrosse playoff showdown. But the emotion of this night involved a student who cannot take the field, but is universally admired for his determination.
IBIS ESPINAL, JUWAAN`S MOTHER: We try to keep Joanne into the mainstream in school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 17-year old Juwaan Espinal despite being non-verbal to the cerebral palsy has a large circle of friends. One of them did the extraordinary.
IBIS ESPINAL: So, he had no clue what was going to happen today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make him feel ordinary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people hiding behind this banner lured Juwaan to the game for a remarkable surprise - it reads "I know I`m not as cool as RGIII, but will you go to the prom with me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is that right there?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And out popped the Washington Redskins` start quarterback RGIII. Juwaan`s favorite player who came to help classmate Morgan Assel ask her friend the big question: Juwaan, would you be my prom date?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Juwaan who can`t say yes or no, of course, said yes. And then was thrilled.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say cheese.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To take selfie after selfie with one of his heroes.
ROBERT GRIFFIN III, REDSKINS QUARTERBACK: And you can tell he`s (INAUDIBLE). We make time in our schedules for the stuff like this because it`s so worth it.
MORGAN ASSEL, JUNIOR: I`m just so excited, I`m really grateful that RGIII came out to Juwaan. Sorry. It just means a lot that people are willing to do this for him because he`s such a special person.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Most 21-year olds do not or cannot run a marathon. Harriet Thompson is 91 and she just did. Next time you think you can`t do something, think of Mr. Thompson. She`s overcome oral cancer, she`s battling skin cancer, she just defeated 26 miles in just over seven hours. And she set a record in doing it for women age 90 and up. Thompson broke the previous marathon record by two hours and 45 minutes. She`s also been married for 67 years, so she knows a little something about going the distance. It was a feat with her feet, a milestone of miles. She is riding new rules of the road just taking that record and running with it. CNN STUDENT NEWS has got a rumble wheel race back your way with more news and puns tomorrow.
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