Occupy Movement Enters Third Month; Chess in Azerbaijan Aired November 18, 2011 - 04:00:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.

THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Friday`s are awesome. We appreciate you spending part of yours with CNN Student News. My name is Carl Azuz. I`m coming to you from the CNN Newsroom here in Atlanta, Georgia. First up, Occupy Wall Street heads into its third month of protests. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Back in September, organizers urged people to gather in New York City for a couple months of protests. Now the movement has spread to other cities around the U.S. It doesn`t look like it`s ending any time soon. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Even though we`re two months into these protests, we still don`t know what the protesters` demands are. They`re speaking out against the U.S. financial industry. They`re also speaking out against a lot of other things. And there`s no one leader, either. Christine Romans gives us some idea of what this whole Occupy Movement is about. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN REPORTER: This has lasted much longer than any other protest I`ve ever seen on Wall Street, and I`ve seen a lot of sit-ins and protests and marches. This is definitely -- one has more legs than any that I`ve ever seen. ROMANS (voice-over): Occupy Wall Street has been trying to raise awareness of this growing income gap, this growing opportunity and wealth between the richest people in America and the rest of us, the 99 percent, they say. They`re protesting inequality, lack of opportunity, a jobs market that`s not working for everyone, too much student debt, and kind of they feel like they`ve been sold a bill of goods. ROMANS: . that they`ve taken out all this student debt for a place in an economy that`s not giving them a job that`s going to help them pay off that student debt. What they`re protesting, they`re protesting business as usual. ROMANS (voice-over): . in Washington and business in -- as usual on Wall Street. Both

of those two big institutions, two big power structures in America. ROMANS: . that they think have conspired to make the wealthy wealthier, and not serve the middle class and poor people. When you talk to them, they say, we`re not going to draw up a specific list of demands. ROMANS (voice-over): We`re here to draw awareness to the numbers that don`t lie, that the rich are getting richer, the middle are barely holding on and the poor are getting poorer. ROMANS: . and that there are just fundamental unfairnesses that have to go with greed in banks and greed in Washington that make this continue. The richest 1 percent of Americans made $343, 000 last year or more, according to the IRS. That 1 percent has seen its income triple from 1979 to 2007. At the same time, the middle class has seen its income up about 40 percent, and the poor, the very bottom of that income, has barely seen it move. So you`ve seen a widening income gap, the biggest, widest income gap we`ve seen in this country in 70 years. More than punishing the 1 percent, what they`re saying is we are the 99 percent. What about us? ROMANS (voice-over): We are a bigger group. We can be strong. ROMANS: We can stand here and occupy some place and show you and raise awareness that your policies are not benefiting everyone. They`re only benefiting a few. So rather than indicting the top 1 percent -- and there are those who do that -- but they`re really trying to turn the focus on the 99 percent, who they say have been left behind. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Yesterday was the two-month mark since the beginning of Occupy Wall Street. Organizers called for people to make it a mass day of action. Before it got started, New York officials talked about balancing the protesters` rights with the need to keep things under control. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOWARD WOLFSON, NEW YORK DEPUTY MAYOR: The Occupy Wall Street movement has said that this is going to be a massive protest. There are going to be tens of thousands of people in the street. Now this is New York. We will be prepared. We are always prepared. This is a place where we honor the First Amendment, where people come and protest all the time. And

we`re going to make sure that if people want to peacefully protest, they`re going to have the right to do that. If people break the law then, obviously, we`ll deal with that. AZUZ (voice-over): And it was a massive protest. Hundreds of people went back to the park that Occupy Wall Street used as a home base before they were kicked on Tuesday. They marched through the streets near the New York Stock Exchange. Fights broke out between protesters and police. At least 175 people were arrested. Police said several officers were also injured during the day. (END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this legit? The day after Thanksgiving is known as Green Friday. Not legit. It`s called Black Friday, because it`s when stores hope to make enough sales to get "in the black," which means to make a profit. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: If you`ve been brave enough to hit the mall on Black Friday, you know just how crowded things can get. The National Retail Federation estimates that more than 150 million Americans will go shopping over Black Friday weekend. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Stores are trying to get a jump on making those sales. Target, Best Buy and Macy`s are planning to open at midnight. And the day before Black Friday, Walmart will let shoppers in at 10:00 p.m. It`ll be 9:00 p.m. for Toys `r` Us. The day before Black Friday is Thanksgiving, and that`s not going over so well with some of these stores` employees. At least one started a petition to try to get his store to open later so that employees can have more time with their families. Some shoppers are on board with this Black Friday backlash as well, but these early openings can also mean big business, and other customers consider shopping part of their Thanksgiving holiday tradition. So, shopping might be the answer for some of you on our blog question today. We`re asking about your unique Thanksgiving traditions. Running a turkey trot? Hitting the mall at dawn on Black Friday? Maybe guessing how much stuffing you can gobble up? The holiday`s less than a week away now. So we know it`s on your mind. Share your favorite traditions at cnnstudentnews.com. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Durgin`s social studies classes at Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro, Maine. Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue are all famous for what? You know what to do. Is it climbing Mt. Everest, directing movies, winning Pulitzer prizes or playing chess? You`ve got three seconds, go. The three are known for their accomplishments in chess. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: So here in the U.S. many of us dream about playing baseball or football. But in the Asian nation of Azerbaijan, many young people dream about following in the footsteps of their fellow congressman, Garry Kasparov. Azerbaijan is smaller than the state of Maine, but it`s making a name for itself in the world of chess. Check out this report from Jim Boulden. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM BOULDEN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Taking notes, learning to think two and more moves ahead, talking tactics with friends, these young women dream of becoming chess grand masters. In a country where older citizens enjoy backgammon, the younger generation have focused on chess. Remembering Baku-born Garry Kasparov, who dominated chess during the dying days of the Soviet Union. And soon a new chess palace, a place for the country`s prodigies to gather, to learn and look for new ways to say "checkmate," like this 22- year old. She represents Azerbaijan against the likes of Iran, Russia, Georgia and Turkey. BOULDEN: Why do you like chess? Why do you think people in this country play so much chess? NERGIZ UMUDOVA, CHESS PLAYER: Because it`s interesting game, wonderful. BOULDEN (voice-over): Grand master Gadir Guseinov is currently the fifth-ranked male player in Azerbaijan, and just out of the top 100 in Europe. The men`s national team was European champions in 2009, and is currently ranked 10th in the world. And Azerbaijan`s youth teams are showing plenty of promise, too. In early November, its under-16 boys finished fourth, just after Iran in the World Olympiad.

Becoming the kings and queens of the chessboard is a matter of pride for Azeris -- Jim Boulden, CNN, Baku, Azerbaijan. AZUZ: Before we go, we are bringing you a unique dog with a unique skill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Oh, sure a lot of dogs love water. But Bob`s (ph) aquatic adventures make you look beneath the surface. This spiral dive is how he gets there. Bob (ph) works his signature spin move to get his favorite toy from the bottom of the deep end. His owner discovered the skill when Bob`s (ph) toy accidentally fell in, and the dog didn`t want to wait for someone else to get it for him. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: So we guess he "pooled" his courage and just dove in without "paws." Thanks for that special stunt. Bob`s (ph) "tail" is sure making a splash, but we`re going to stop before these puns spiral out of control. We hope you have a great weekend. We will be back on Monday. CNN Student News will be broadcasting next Monday and Tuesday. So we`ll see you then, either online, on TV or on iTunes. For CNN Student News, I`m Carl Azuz. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good boy. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NY Officials Arrest Man Planning Terror Attack; Protests in Egypt Aired November 22, 2011 - 04:00:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: It`s Tuesday. I`m Carl Azuz, and this is CNN Student News. This is our last show this week, but we have a lot of ground to cover before the Thanksgiving break, so let`s go ahead and get to it. First up, New York officials arrest a man they say was planning a terrorist attack. Mayor Michael Bloomberg described Jose Pimentel as a lone wolf. That means he was allegedly operating on his own. Pimentel is reportedly inspired by Al Qaida, not believed to be actually part of the terrorist organization. Pimentel was arrested on Sunday on bomb-related charges. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Surveillance video showed him drilling holes in pipes that authorities say were going to be used as pipe bombs. Pimentel reportedly told police he was about an hour away from finishing his first bomb when he was arrested. According to officials in New York, Pimentel was planning to attack police officers, patrol cars and U.S. military troops who were coming home from serving overseas. Pimentel`s attorney says the case against his client isn`t as strong as authorities say it is. (END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Some American veterans could be getting some help in the job market. President Obama signed a bill into law yesterday that gives tax credits to companies that hire veterans who might have been out of work for a while. This is the only part of the president`s jobs proposal that has been approved. Both the U.S. House and the Senate voted unanimously to pass this bill. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Republicans and Democrats agree on helping veterans. They don`t seem to agree on a plan to reduce the government`s deficit. Yesterday we reported on Congress` super committee. You can check out Monday`s show for details on how the committee was formed and its efforts to come up with ways to cut the deficit. The deadline was Monday for the committee to form a plan. But late yesterday afternoon, it announced it couldn`t reach a deal. For the latest developments and reactions to that announcement, go to cnn.com.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Some significant events that happened on this day in history: in 1906, the Morse code signal SOS was adopted as the international distress signal. In 1917, the National Hockey League was created. It`s the second oldest of the four major team sports leagues in North America. And in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy was 46 years old. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Turning to Egypt now, where the members of the country`s cabinet have all quit. We reported yesterday on the anger and new protests happening in the North African nation. The civilian government reacted to that by offering to step down. The protests in Egypt right now are against the military leaders who are currently running the country`s government. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Some people are worried that the military has too much control, and they want the military to step down. More than 20 people have been killed in the fighting between protesters and security forces. The military took control in Egypt after an uprising earlier this year forced the country`s long-time president out of power. The military says it will hand over control to a civilian government once it`s been elected. But that election process takes a while ,maybe even a year. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: On December 11th, CNN will name the Hero of the Year during a special tribute program. We`ve been featuring this year`s Top 10 CNN Heroes on our show, and at cnnstudentnews.com. Today you`ll meet Richard St. Dennis. He`s spent decades fighting for the rights of disabled Americans. Now, he`s taken his efforts south of the border. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICHARD ST. DENNIS, CNN HERO: In Mexico, people with disabilities who can`t get around have no options. Their world is the four walls of their house. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through interpreter): It`s really hard for me to go very far with my crutches.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through interpreter): It makes me really sad to see my son this way. He is 19. ST. DENNIS: When someone has a disability, the whole family has to pitch in to help them if they don`t have the money, the care that they provide for them is the very basic care. My name is Richard St. Dennis. I take wheelchairs to people in Mexico who can`t afford them, but really need them. In 1976, I broke my back skiing and severed my spinal cord. I see what happened to me as an opportunity to help other people with disabilities. We collect used wheelchairs from the United States to help us distribute the wheelchairs, a lot of people with disabilities work with us. I think this chair we have for him might be perfect. We make sure the wheelchairs meet the needs of the person who receives them. I`m a race car, (inaudible), hot rod. We teach them how to use it. Adelante por ti. Yeah, muy bien. Mobility means being independent and more active. (Speaking foreign language). Someone said, "Richard, I want to thank you for giving up your legs so we could have a better quality of life." When I see them happy, seeing their self-confidence, I know people`s lives are getting better. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Some high school students in Texas showed their support for one teacher this weekend. Mr. Love had a rough week. He`d actually been bullied by a couple of students. So 50 or 60 others.. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): . decided to, well, show him some him some love. They gathered outside his house Sunday evening and brought Mr. Love out so they could share their musical message.

GROUP (singing): All you need is love. All you need is love, love, love is all you need. AZUZ (voice-over): The students planned this entirely on their own, a great way to show some appreciation and pick up someone`s spirits. (END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Mr. Pechtl`s social studies classes at Scobey High School in Scobey, Montana. Who established Thanksgiving as a national U.S. holiday? You know what to do. Was it Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt? You`ve got three seconds, go. President Lincoln`s Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1863 established it as a national annual event. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: President Lincoln might have made the first annual Thanksgiving proclamation. He would have been a little late celebrating the first Thanksgiving meal -- 242 years late. The tradition goes all the way back to 1621, when Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down to dine together and celebrate the harvest. But the holiday has changed a little over the years. Feast your eyes on this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): Oh, sure, it might have started with a cornucopia and a big feast, but not a turkey. There is no proof that turkey was on the first Thanksgiving table in 1621. The fact that it is today isn`t the only unexplained tradition of Thanksgiving. First, take football. What would the Pilgrims and Native Americans say about this? They came together in a spirit of harmony. That`s not what the teams do. Then there`s shopping -- severe shopping, Black Friday shopping, with specials getting earlier and closer to Thanksgiving dinner every year. But why save room for dessert when you can save money on a 3D TV? And what this has to do with giving thanks is as mysterious as stuffing. What is stuffing? For better or for weirder, this is just how we celebrate Thanksgiving. It`s just not the same without this stuff-ing. And even if the turkey didn`t win a place at the founding feast, it did win a place in the heart of Founding Father Ben Franklin. He didn`t want the bald eagle to be our national symbol. He wanted the turkey. He said unlike the eagle, the turkey was a more

respectable bird, a bird of courage -- sometimes too much courage. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No! God! Go away! AZUZ: But just as turkey attacks are often pardoned -- or "tabled" -- heh, heh -- the president pardons one lucky turkey every year in a tradition dating back to 1989. Is this an unusual tradition for the Thanksgiving season? Maybe. But it`s not the only one. After all, at the end of dinner, we are what we eat. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Yeah, turkeys. We all have some pretty unusual Thanksgiving traditions. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): In Marice`s family, they go to the petting zoo the day before Thanksgiving to pet the turkeys in a show of appreciation. Julia and her cousins reenact the first Thanksgiving, and Julia`s always the turkey. Mikeal or Mikeal`s family makes turducken, a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. It may sound disgusting, but it really tastes good. Kirsten`s family watches Filipino soap operas. Every Thanksgiving, there is a marathon of soap operas. Ally`s family heads to their cabin and cuts down Christmas trees. They get enough trees for half the neighborhood, deliver them, and then set up their own Christmas stuff. At Ela`s house, they have a turkey that they always name Pablo. Then throughout dinner, her grandfather sings songs about Pablo that he made up while eating. Madison and Brittain have a "Thanksgiving Bowl" in their back yard. They use ripped-up pieces of cloth and play flag football. And Sarah says it shouldn`t matter if you have a wacky tradition. It only matters that you spend the holidays with people you love. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Well, that, my friends, will gobble up all our time for today. We are certainly thankful for all of you who watch CNN Student News. We`ll be back next Monday. Have a very happy Thanksgiving. END