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CNN 10
A Terrorist Attack in Spain; A Mudslide in Sierra Leone; Controversial Statues in the U.S.
Aired August 18, 2017 - 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.
We`re starting today`s show with an explanation of a terrorist attack that took place yesterday in northeastern Spain. The mayor of the Spanish city
of Barcelona scheduled a minute of silence to take place Friday morning. All public events were cancelled and train stations were closed there
yesterday after a terrorist attack killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 others.
It started when a van was driven into Las Ramblas yesterday afternoon. This is a very popular tourist spot in Barcelona, filled with pedestrians
there to see the sights, shop and stop to eat.
A witness who saw the van speeding through the crowd said there was no doubt it was intentional and police say they`ve arrested two suspects.
A media branch of the ISIS terrorist group, ISIS standing for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said the attackers were affiliated with the group. But
ISIS itself hadn`t formally claimed responsibility as of last night.
This incident is similar to several recent terrorist attacks in Europe. Vehicles have been used to target civilians in Berlin, Germany, London,
U.K., and Nice, France. Leaders from Europe and around the world are offering their support to Spain.
Another type of disaster, but this one natural, took place earlier this week in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. It was a mudslide that
struck near Freetown, the nation`s capital. The area has gotten more than twice the amount of rain it normally gets this time of year.
CNN`s Stephanie Busari witnessed the search for survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is an intense time for this country and people are just mostly standing around in this area, shell-
shocked. They can`t quite get over that this is happening again in a country that has suffered so much tragedy in such a short time, with the
war, with Ebola, and now, this. They`re really just asking, why Sierra Leone and why now?
Everywhere you go, there are tales of death and devastation, and hardly, anyone in this country will have -- will not be affected by this very, very
tragic event.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: In several U.S. states and communities, debates are flaring over what to do about Confederate monuments and statues in public areas. Last
weekend`s protest and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, followed a city council decision to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E.
Lee from a public park.
The history behind these controversies goes back to the U.S. Civil War, which raged between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865. A
number of complex issues led to it. The authority of the federal government, economic differences, states rights, all factored in.
Slavery was a major issue. Confederate states where slavery was legal also wanted it to be legal in future states, as the U.S. population grew and
moved west.
A few Union states also allowed slavery at the start of the war, but the Union did not want it to be allowed in the Western territories. And in
1863, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery altogether in Southern states. Of course, the Union ultimately won the war. Slavery was
abolished nationwide after the conflict ended.
And today, many Americans who want Confederate statues removed from U.S. parks and landmarks see these statues as symbols of slavery and racism,
while many who support keeping the statues, including U.S. President Donald Trump, see them as symbols of American history and heritage.
There are estimated to be around 1,500 Confederate symbols on U.S. public land today. They can be found in 31 states across the country. Schools,
parks and other public works are named for Confederate generals. Most of the statues and symbols exist in the Southern U.S., though they can be
found as far north as Massachusetts and as far west as California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
Scientists estimate that, throughout the world, there are around 1,000 species of what?
Bats, cats, rats or lobsters?
There are a lot of bats out there. Scientists say about 20 percent of all mammals on earth are bats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Bats are common just about everywhere people live around the world. But there`s one place where you can see them by the millions, during the
spring and summer. It`s in central Texas. It attracts tourists, as well as snakes and birds of prey, which go there for a bite to eat, and it`s one
of the next stops on today`s edition of CNN 10.
To the bat cave.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MYLEA BAYLESS, BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: In the evening, the bats will come swirling out of this sinkhole and they do this beautiful dance
where they all fly around and disappear often to the night sky. It`s out of the most spectacular wildlife events that you can see anywhere.
I`m Mylea Bayless with Bat Conservation International and I want to welcome you to Austin.
Right now, we`re standing under Congress Avenue Bridge waiting for a bat flight, which is the emergence of millions of Mexican free tail bats.
Right around sundown, the bats will come out from the under the bridge and fly east down the river, right underneath the capitol building in Texas.
When this bridge was put in 1980, they used concrete beams next to each other and they created these perfect slots. And so, very quickly, the bats
found it and they moved in and now, Austin loves its bats. They have bat festivals. They have bat statues and I think the bats are here to stay and
they`ll never be able to tear this bridge down because the people of Austin will riot.
So, if you like the Congress Avenue Bridge experience, this will knock your socks off.
We`re at Bracken Cave right now, which is about 70 miles south of Austin. It`s the largest congregation of bats in the world and they come out of
this cave by the millions and they`ll circle up like a giant tornado into the sky and they`ll fly out over the corn and cotton field eating
agricultural pests.
The bats will keep flying for hours and hours. In fact, there are so many bats in this cave that the emergence lasts three, four hours long, and just
can`t see the rest because it`s dark.
So, if you`re wondering whether or not you should visit the bat cave, because maybe you`re scared of bats, there`s a lot of myths that just
aren`t true. Bats don`t get in your hair and they`re not going to run into you. In fact, they can see find in the daylight. They just have the added
benefit of echo location to operate in the dark. They don`t all have rabies and the likelihood of contracting rabies is very low, unless you
pick up and handle a bat.
So, most of those misconceptions that you`ve heard just really don`t apply. I think you should come out and see a bat flight and not worry about what
you`ve heard and judge for yourself.
This is my favorite part, when the bats are flying overhead and you can hear their wings beating and you can hear them talking to each other as
they come out of the cave. It`s pretty magical.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Thirteen years ago, a Canadian woman named Mary Grams was gardening at her family farm. While pulling out a weed, her engagement ring slipped
off and when she couldn`t find it, Grams went to a jeweler to get another ring. She didn`t tell her husband and he never noticed.
But recently, the ring turned up on a carrot that had grown around it. And it was retuned to the 84-year-old woman. The ring is back on her finger.
The vegetable is probably in a soup.
Guess it was like finding a needle in a haystack, a diamond in the rough, a secret in the garden and one carrot ring all at the same time.
We`re glad you picked CNN 10 for news and puns. I`m Carl Azuz.
We`re back on Monday, the day of the upcoming U.S. solar eclipse and you can watch the live stream and Monday`s show at CNN10.com. Have a great
weekend.
END
