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CNN 10
Joe Biden To Be Sworn In As 46th President Of The United States; The 45th U.S. President Donald Trump Will Not Attend Biden`s Inauguration; Manta Rays Classified Vulnerable By International Union For Conservation Of Nature. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired January 20, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNKNOWN: No, this is carnival day in Pumpkin Center; it is the day of days in Washington D.C.
UNKNOWN: The presidential --
UNKNOWN: Presidential --
UNKNOWN: -- oath of office.
UNKNOWN: Here comes the inaugural parade.
UNKNOWN: Sir, are you prepared to take the oath of office as president of the United States?
UNKNOWN: I am, sir.
UNKNOWN: Left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.
UNKNOWN: Raise your right hand.
UNKNOWN: You will raise your right hand and repeat after me.
UNKNWWN: Repeat after me. I, William Jefferson Clinton do solemnly swear.
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Jimmy Carter.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Barack Hussein Obama.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.
JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I will faithfully execute the office.
UNKNOWN: And I will faithfully execute the office.
UNKNOWN: Execute the office of President for the United States faithfully.
UNKNOWN: Faithfully the office of the president office of president of the United States.
OBAMA: The office of the president of the United States faithfully.
UNKNOWN: And we hope for the best of my ability ---
UNKNOWN: Best of my ability --
UNKNOWN: Eisenhower began his second term as leader not only of America but all free people.
UNKNOWN: To preserve and protect and defend.
UNKNOWN: Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
UNKNOWN: Constitution of the United States.
UNKNOWN: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and the grief-stricken widow with him takes the presidential oath aboard the jet, which brings him together
with the body of the late president back to Washington.
UNKNOWN: The flag flies at half stuff. President Truman asks the full Roosevelt cabinet to remain in office.
UNKNOWN: So help you God.
UNKNOWN: So help me God.
OBAMA: So help me God.
CLINTON: So help me God.
UNKNOWN: So help me God.
UNKNOWN: So help me God.
BUSH: So help me God.
UNKNOWN: So help you God.
UNKNOWN: So help me God.
UNKNOWN: So help me God.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: And that`s what`s happening in Washington D.C. today as the term of the 45th U.S. President ends and the term of the 46th
leader begins.
CNN.com will have live coverage. Like so many major events, things will look very different this time around. A far cry from any of these historic
clips you just saw.
Normally, U.S. lawmakers each get hundreds of tickets to fill about 200,000 seats near the front of the Capitol building where the president is sworn
in and hundreds of thousands more people usually come to the national mall to watch the event from a distance.
We don`t know how many people will come to watch this year. Because of concerns surrounding coronavirus, President-elect Joe Biden`s planning team
has asked the public to watch online or on TV from home.
As far as congressional tickets go, each member of Congress will get two, one for him or herself and one for a guest for a total of 1,070 seats
instead of 200,000. There will be additional seats for other government members, justices of the Supreme Court and the incoming president`s Cabinet
nominees. And every one of those folks will have to wear a mask.
The 45th U.S. President Donald Trump will not be there. Several U.S. leaders are known to have avoided their successor`s inaugurations for
political reasons. President Trump is the first in 150 years to do so. His last full day in office was Tuesday the 19th.
The White House`s official schedule said he`d be working through the day holding calls and meetings. The 46th U.S. President, Joe Biden spent part
of the 19th attending a vigil for coronavirus victims. He said his first priority as leader will be addressing the pandemic but he`s also expected
to release a major immigration proposal on his first day in office.
And as President-elect Biden prepared to take the oath of that office, the U.S. Senate held hearings for his Cabinet nominees, giving the advice and
consent required by the Constitution.
Ten-second Trivia. The waters off Ecuador are believed to hold the world`s largest population of what? Bull shark, sea turtles, manta rays, or
humpback whales?
The large population of the world`s largest species of ray is located off Ecuador.
Manta rays are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. What that means is that there`s a high risk they
could become extinct in the wild. Giant mantas can weigh thousands of pounds and have a wing span approaching 30 feet. But their numbers are
decreasing.
The U.S. government says the biggest threat to them is commercial fishing, whether they`re caught accidentally or targeted for their meat or gill
plates, which are used in Chinese medicine.
Environmentalist say deteriorating conditions in the manta`s habitats are also a problem. But there are a number of organizations working to protect
manta rays around the world and advocates say these animals are easy to love.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BETH FAULKNER, BAA ATOLL PROJECT MANAGER, THE MALDIVIAN MANTA RAY PROJECT: Our ultimate purpose is to get manta rays protected worldwide and also to
protect their habitat that we know they need to survive.
Education is a huge tool for this. We do education with local communities, also guests and try and reach out to as many people as possible to inspire
them the way we are inspired by the ocean.
When we`re out in the field, we collect lots of data. So we collect the I.D. photos. We also record environmentals when we`re in the water. So
current, plankton, weather, wind as these are all things that may influence manta sightings.
We also have an ultrasound system that we use that can help us to research their fecundity and reproductive systems. And we also have a system for the
stereo video that allows us to measure the mantas.
Once you see a manta ray, there`s no way you couldn`t care about them. Being in the water with them, you understand how gentle they are, how
charismatic they are. The more people are aware of manta rays and their environment, the more they`re going to want to protect them.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: If you think I`m loud, this hotline`s a scream.
The idea, you call it, you scream, you hang up. You maybe go to the Web site and hear other callers scream. The hotline was created by an
elementary school teacher. It says whether people are unhappy, terrified, frustrated or elated, they have perfectly good reasons to scream.
Tens of thousands have reportedly called to do this. So it`s obviously struck a vocal cord, a cry for yelp from thousands who want to let it all
shout. Of course, critics might howl in protest, supporters might shriek with laughter. But I guess if all the voices are raised in high-pitched
humor, all`s well that ends well.
Heck, we want to give a shout to St. Martin High School, the students watching in St. Martin Mississippi. Hope you don`t mind us giving you a
holler. That`s all the yelling I`m going to do today, at least on air. But we`ll see you right back here tomorrow. I`m Carl Azuz.
END
