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U.S. Senate Advances Legislation To End "Standard Time"; New Relics From Centuries Ago Are Unearthed Beneath The Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 17, 2022 - 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: Hey, I`m Carl Azuz.
Twice a year for as long as I can remember, we reported on the biannual time change observed by the United States and dozens of other countries.
Whatever would we talk about if the practice were to stop? But that is our first topic today, the potential end of Standard Time.
Right now, America is on the other kind of civil time, Daylight Saving Time. We sprang forward to that, moving our clocks ahead one hour earlier
this week. However, a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, meaning we`d no longer change our clocks twice a year has just sailed through the
U.S. Senate and if it passes in the House and is signed by President Joe Biden, bye-bye time change in America.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said this isn`t the most important issue facing the country but it`s one
with a lot of agreement. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, a Democrat who sponsored the bill said not falling back in autumn would add
a little sunlight into most people`s lives.
So the idea has support of Democrats and Republicans but it`s not clear if or when the House will take up the bill. And if it`s ultimately approved,
the new law wouldn`t take effect until November of 2023. The reason why is that the U.S. transportation industry has already planned out its schedules
for the months ahead. It requested the extra time to prepare for the adjustment.
The main goal of Daylight-Saving Time in summer was to save electricity. The practice getting widespread use during World War One. The U.S. Congress
made it permanent in 1966, but it`s not required by law. So no one fines or jails Hawaii and most of Arizona for not observing it.
Studies have been mixed on whether DST actually saves electricity. The U.S. government has found that it does a tiny bit for each household that adds
up to a large amount nationwide. A different study by an economic research group found that it increases demand for electric heating and cooling and
that balances out what people save on lighting.
Either way, will there be any widespread disagreement about the new law? That`s harder to say. Permanent Daylight Saving Time would mean more
sunlight in the early evening hours of winter, but falling back moves the time of dawn closer to when we wake up, so we`re not starting and ending
our winter days in the dark.
We expect to hear more opinions about this in the days ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
Where did Napoleon Bonaparte crown himself emperor of the French?
Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles, Champs-Elysees, or Notre Dame Cathedral?
Napoleon was at Notre Dame when he took the crown from Pope Pius VII and placed it on his own head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Almost 860 years since construction began on Notre Dame and almost three years since it was damaged by a fire, the renowned cathedral
continues to reveal secrets. Archaeologists are doing some excavation work there before part of the roof is restored and they just came across a
sarcophagus, a coffin made of stone that might date back as far as the 1300s.
In addition they found cloth and the remains of some plants, which indicates the relics have been very well-preserved according to experts and
a pit has also been found under the floor of the cathedral. Archaeologists believe it was probably dug around the year 1230. It`s possible none of
this would have been explored if it hadn`t been for the fire.
In the months after the blaze took place, investigators suggested it was likely caused either by a discarded cigarette or a problem in the
cathedral`s electrical system, but they weren`t 100 percent sure. French officials are hopeful that Notre Dame will be fully restored and reopened
to the public in 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Its vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows and elaborate columns, as you can see on these images shot by CNN,
so much of what makes Notre Dame, one of the world`s most exquisite gothic wonders, stands tall, almost miraculously.
The construction of the cathedral may have taken 182 years from when it began in 1163. It took the fire of 2019 a matter of hours to compromise its
stability.
The work of the last two years has been all about ensuring that the cathedral stayed upright.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to be sure that the structure is solid. So, I have to take a lot of measures to consolidate. We don`t want to make
reconstruction without being reassured.
BELL: Here you can see the iconic north tower that at one point had been threatened by the flames on the night of the fire. In the end, they were
put out before it could collapse, but this was where the most devastating part of the fire took place and it was here that the famous Notre Dame
spire once stood.
As the world watched, the spire which had been under renovation collapsed, breaking through the vaulted ceiling which then crashed into the nave. The
scaffolding that had surrounded it, 40,000 tubes of metal now twisted into the structure then had to be carefully picked through and removed.
General Jean-Louis Georgelin who`s in charge of the renovations gave CNN a rare tour.
GENERAL JEAN-LOUIS GEORGELIN, IN CHARGE OF THE RENOVATIONS: This is a place where this spire collapsed, you know? This is the center of a drama.
BELL: The general then shows us the exact spot where the spire first came crashing through. Here the vaulted ceiling is held up by wooden pillars,
each weighing a ton and a half.
They ensure, explains the project manager, that if the stones give way for whatever reason, bad weather, a tremor, a shock, while the wooden support
beams will keep the structure standing.
This is the central part of the nave where the great majority the reconstruction is going to have to take place since it`s here that the
spire collapsed bringing down the stone structure with it. Elsewhere, what`s really remarkable is how intact the structure is. These stones that
had stood for more than eight centuries almost exactly as they were.
Outside, too, the cathedral`s iconic gothic facade stands as a testament to a construction that has proven as sturdy as it is delicate. Cathedral
officials say that almost a billion dollars have been raised through donations from countries so far, a reminder of the place that Notre Dame
has not just in the history of France but in the hearts of so many all around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
AZUZ: Three weeks ago, we reported on the Guinness World Record for the most Eminem stacked on top of each other. That record is six. It was
completed by an Australian man not too long ago. The M&Ms have to be plain milk chocolate and they have to stand for at least seconds.
I recently said on social media that if that record had been two, I could have totally matched it. It is a lot harder than you think.
CNN`s Jeanne Moos interviewed the previous record holder who said that though five was not a big number, the task was no small feat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: M&Ms, they may have orbited the Earth with the astronauts, but did you ever try to stack them?
M&M CHARACTER: Do you think I`m an idiot?
MOOS: British civil engineer Will Cutbill is no idiot, but folks are underwhelmed when he says he broke the Guinness record for stacking M&M`s
with a grand total of five.
WILL CUTBILL, GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS HOLDER: When I tell them it`s a whopping five, I think they`re a bit shocked that they want to give it a
go straight away and try and beat me. So, it`s a lot harder than it looks.
MOOS: Bored out of his mind on a rainy afternoon during COVID lockdown, Will says he suffered through hundreds of failures.
The previous record was four. His master`s degree in civil engineering was useless, doesn`t really take a --
M&M CHARACTER: Genius.
MOOS: For two to three hours, his mini towers kept collapsing.
CUTBILL: They`re not as flat as you think. They`re quite spherical so it`s a bit like you could imagine balancing footballs or soccer balls.
MOOS: But finally, Will did it.
CUTBILL: Five M&Ms, five M&Ms.
M&M CHARACTER: We win!
CUTBILL: I was pretty ecstatic when I got the fifth one, can`t lie. I was running around the room, arms -- arms in the air.
MOOS: And how did Will honor the winning five chocolate covered candies?
CUTBILL: As soon as the record was broken, I`ve got to admit, I did eat them all.
MOOS: Who wants to get chocolate all over your Guinness record?
AD ANNOUNCER: Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
CUTBILL: Five M&Ms, five M&Ms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Some of you seemed kind of blue, when you couldn`t stack more than two. Stacking three is news to me, leaving many green with envy. Any lady
or any fellow who`s not yellow could try four but trying five could leave you red-faced when they fall brown to the floor. Still orange you glad you
tried, even if when you say you stacked six you lied.
I`m Dr. Carl Azuz snacking and stacking on puns.
Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia, gets today`s shout-out. Folks there know the only way to get a mention on our show is to subscribe and
leave a comment at YouTube.com/CNN10.
END
