Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
Trump Designates North Korea as State Sponsor of Terror; Waivers in the U.S. Army; A Fight Against an Invasive Fern
Aired November 21, 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: This is CNN 10`s second and last show of the week. We`ll be offline for the Thanksgiving holiday and return next
Monday, November 27th. I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for watching.
First story we`re explaining today, North Korea has been added to the U.S. government`s list of state sponsors of terrorism. That list now includes
four countries, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and once again, North Korea.
It was on the list before from 1988 to 2008. But in that year, then President George W. Bush took North Korea off the list, because it had
agreed to reverse its nuclear program. The deal fell through, North Korea continued to develop its nuclear weapons technology, and U.S. President
Donald Trump says, in addition to that, the East Asian country has repeatedly sponsored acts of terrorism, including assassinations of people
in other countries.
What being on this list means?
More U.S. sanctions and penalties on North Korea. It also opens the door for American to punish people or countries that trade with North Korea.
The decision had some bipartisan support in Congress. Last month, 12 U.S. senators, six Republicans and six Democrats had urged the Trump
administration to do this. It`s a way for the U.S. to increase pressure on the East Asian country, to give up its nuclear program.
We don`t know yet how or if North Korea will respond, but we`ll keep you updated in the days ahead.
Next, the U.S. Army is on a mission to recruit 80,000 new soldiers by next year. It`s easier said and done. Many people don`t meet the military`s
requirements to join.
Weight, age, drug use, medical conditions, criminal records, they can all keep someone out. But in some cases, the Army offers waivers that will
allow someone to serve even if he or she doesn`t meet all the requirements.
And according to a recent report by "USA Today", an Army policy that went into effect in August could open the branches` doors wider. Specifically,
people who`ve hurt themselves, who`ve used certain drugs or who`ve been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder can now apply for waivers.
The Army says it has not changed its medical entrance standards for people with mental health issues. But critics say expanding the waivers it offers
could come with certain risks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARMY RECRUITS: I will support --
LT. COL. ROBERT FRIEND, SURVIVING TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: And defend --
ARMY RECRUITS: -- and defend --
FRIEND: -- the Constitution of the United States against all enemies.
ARMY RECRUITS: -- the Constitution of the United States against all enemies.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It just got real for about a dozen recruits in Perris, California. Administering the oath, Lt.
Colonel Robert Friend, one of the few surviving Tuskegee Airmen.
FRIEND: And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.
ARMY RECRUITS: And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.
COSTELLO: It`s hard to hear but the words are powerful: I will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies.
Diana Neal is one of the Army`s star recruits. She has a degree in biology, chemistry and nutrition and a deep love of country.
(on camera): When the oath was being read, what was going through your mind?
DIANA NEAL, FUTURE SOLDIER: I was nervous and excited and emotional. Serving your country is a very big deal and I don`t ever want to take that
lightly.
MAJOR GENERAL JEFF SNOW, U.S. ARMY RECRUITING COMMAND: How many regular army? You`re all regular army? OK. And how many army reserve? That made
a difference. OK.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Major General Jeff Snow was in charge of recruitment. His mission: to enlist the largest class of men and women
since 9/11.
(on camera): So, how difficult is your job at the moment, on a scale of one to 10?
SNOW: I would say on a scale of one to 10, I would say it`s somewhere between an eight and a nine.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Recruitment is tough because America is too fat to fight, only 31 percent of recruits meet the Army`s weight standards. Other
contributing factors, dangerous missions overseas, and a booming economy that makes Army life and the relatively meager salary that comes with it a
difficult sell.
(on camera): I have heard that the military is lowering some of its standards as far as people getting in. What about other blemishes on the
record, like petty crimes or stuff like that?
SNOW: So, what we do is we take a look at what was the nature of that particular, say it`s a crime and look at it, you know? Did it happen as a
juvenile? Did it happen as an adult? What was the characterization? Was it an isolated incident? Or was it a pattern of misconduct?
If it`s an isolated incident, there is a waiver process and I think they come overcome it and still serve.
COSTELLO (voice-over): But lowering standards like the military did after 9/11 allowed people to serve who never should have graced the uniform.
Former Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was court-martialed for deserting his post, comes to mind. A psychologist who testified for the defense says
Bergdahl should never have served because of mental health issues in his background.
General Snow is painfully aware of that.
SNOW: You are correct. In some cases, we met a number but we did not meet the standard. And those of us that led soldiers (ph) in combat saw that,
and the guidance from the leadership is very clear now. There is a Department of Defense standards and we are not going to lower standards.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: A war is being waged for control of a lake. It`s on the border of Texas and Louisiana. This doesn`t involve people fighting people, but
people fighting giant salvinia, a fern from Brazil that`s causing a lot of problems in other parts of the world. You can kill it by spraying
chemicals and government officials are, but some volunteers are also fighting salvinia naturally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve been all over his lake for 62 years. Never seen nothing like this just happened in my lifetime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it`s certainly not our friend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, they say it doubles in size every four to five days.
UNIDENIFIED MALE: And it has real long tentacles into the water.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is literally a monster that is overtaking one of the most beautiful places I`ve ever been.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The weevils are the best bet because its nature fighting nature. If it wasn`t for the weevils, we would be a bad trouble
right now.
SUBTITLE: Fear no weevil.
ROBERT SPEIGHT, VP, GREATER CADDO LAKE ASSOCIATION: This is giant salvinia. Scientists call it the world`s worst weed. On the surface, it
looks friendly enough. It`s bright green, fuzzy, and it has small oval leaves.
But make no mistake: it is a late killer.
TIM BISTER, BIOLOGIST, TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE: Giant salvinia is an invasive species from Brazil that first appeared in Texas in 1998.
Under ideal conditions, it can cover 40 square miles in three months.
Boats can`t drive through it. Native plants can`t grow underneath it and fish and other wildlife struggles to survive.
For 20 years, we tried to get rid of it. Somebody even tried to kill it with a blowtorch once. Today, we use an integrated approach to manage
salvinia, including a very small and unique insect from Brazil.
SPEIGHT: By 2013, a group of us became convinced that weevils help promised to combat giant salvinia. So, we organized the grassroots effort
to build a weevil greenhouse here in Uncertain, Texas.
TED BARROW, MANAGER, M.H. WEEVIL GREENHOUSE: The main goal of the greenhouse is to raise a large army of weevils with a diet of fresh
salvinia and once their numbers expand to a certain level, then we take them out onto the lake.
I`ve never raised bugs before and I`m not an entomologist. Everyone here is a volunteer, and the reason we`re doing this is because we care about
the lake.
Today, we have raised 350,000 weevils. This is not an easy fight, but it`s worth trying to do this. They`ll continue to do it. I`ll continue to do
it, and most people down here will continue to do what they can to save this lake.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Until yesterday, only one stadium, one facility in the whole world has hosted the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was the
Georgia Dome, a stone`s throw from CNN Center. It`s been there for 25 years.
But yesterday morning, in less than 25 seconds, poof -- at least mostly. Parts of the dome were still standing after a possible malfunction with the
explosives. It will take three months to clean up the area. After that, a hotel, some green space and parking for the new stadium next door will fill
the Georgia Dome`s footprint.
It`s a big shoe to fill. A stadium that once seem indomitable (ph) no longer dominates the skyline. Now, we wouldn`t say it fell flat, but the
site is certainly disconcerting to fans who arena-t in agreement with the dome-cesion and feel kind of dome-founded. Luckily, the new venue nearby
is pretty stadium-pressive.
I`m Carl Azuz and we`re thankful for all the turkeys in our audience and wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.
END
