CNN students news 2011-03-30

(CNNStudentNews)--March30,2011DownloadPDFmapsrelatedtotoday'sshow:TranscriptTHISISARUSHTRANSCRIPT.THISCOPYMAYNOTBEINITSFINALFORMANDMAYBEUPDATED.CARLAZUZ,CNNSTUDENTNEWSANCHOR:You'rewatchingCNNStudentNews!Yougiveus10minutes,we'llgiveyoutoday'sheadlines,withabsolutelynocommercials.I'mCarlAzuz.Let'sgoaheadandgetstarted.FirstUp:LibyaMissionAZUZ:Firstup,PresidentObamamakeshiscasefortheU.S.military'sinvolvementinLibya.InaspeechonMondaynight,thepresidentsaidheorderedtroopstotakeactionagainstLibyabecauseofwhathecalledtheloominghumanitariancrisisintheNorthAfricancountry.PresidentObamasaidthatoutweighedotherconcerns.U.S.PRESIDENTBARACKOBAMA:It'struethatAmericacannotuseourmilitarywhereverrepressionoccurs.Giventhecostsandrisksofintervention,wemustalwaysmeasureourinterestsagainsttheneedforaction.Butthatcannotbeanargumentforneveractingonbehalfofwhat'sright.Inthisparticularcountry,Libya,atthisparticularmoment,wewerefacedwiththeprospectofviolenceonahorrificscale.Wehadauniqueabilitytostopthatviolence.AZUZ:Thepresident'sbeengettingalotofcriticismforhowhe'shandlingthissituationinLibya.Youcanseesomeofthatinyesterday'sshow.PresidentObamahadsaidpreviouslythattheU.S.goalwastoremoveLibyanleaderMoammarGadhafifrompower.ButinthespeechhemadeonMondaynight,thepresidentsaidtheU.S.shouldn'tdothatdirectly.AndaleadingRepublicansenatorsaysthatshiftisaseriousmistake.SEN.JOHNMCCAIN,(R)ARIZONA:IfGadhafiremainsinpower,it'llbeastalemate.WesawastalematebeforeafterOperationDesertStorm.Wesawano-flyzoneandsanctionsthatlastedfor10yearsthatSaddamHusseinwasabletoremaininpower.Astalemateisnotanacceptablesolution.U.S.RadiationConcernsAZUZ:Ournextstorytoday:whetherit'samilitarysituation,likeinLibya,economics,orevensomethingenvironmental,youknowthateventsinonecountrycanhaveanimpactaroundtheglobe.Now,thatincludesthedamagetoanuclearpowerplantinJapan.BrianToddexplainshowwhat'shappeningattheFukushimaDaiichinuclearplantinJapanisstartingtoshowupintheUnitedStates.(BEGINVIDEO)BRIANTODD,CNNCORRESPONDENT,WASHINGTON,D.C.:TinyamountsofradioactivityfromFukushimahavenowtraveledatleasthalfwayacrosstheworld,asfarasAmerica'sEastcoast.Particles,believedtohavecomefromJapan,havebeendetectedintheairorinrainwaterinatleastadozenstates.Isitahealthrisk?Governmentofficialssaythelevelsarefarlowerthantheamountthatwouldposeanyconcern,sometimesthousandsoftimesless.WecaughtupwiththehealthdirectorinMaryland,whereradiationfromFukushimawasdetectedintheairandrainwater.WhatdoesitmeanoverallthatthishastraveledallthewayfromJapantonowtheEastcoastoftheU.S.?DR.JOSHUASHARFSTEIN,MARYLANDSECRETARYOFHEALTH:Well,youknow,itshowsthatanenvironmentaleventinonepartoftheworldcanhave,canbeseen,sortoftheechoesofit,inotherpartsoftheworld.AndwhenChernobylhappened,asimilarthingwasseen.Whenradioactivematerialgetsintotheatmosphereandcantravelaroundintotheweatherpatterns,itgetsdilutedasitgoesalong.AndbythetimeitgetstoaplacelikeMaryland,it'ssosmallit'snotapublichealthconcern.TODD:Sofar,noradioactivematerialhasbeenfoundindrinkingwaterormilksuppliesintheU.S.Thefederalgovernmentismonitoringradiationaswell.We'reonarooftopinWashingtonwheretheEPAhasgivenusaccesstoaRadNetfixed-airmonitor.Thereare124oftheseacrosstheU.S.It'sahigh-volumemonitor.Itmeasuresthreetimestheamountofairinonehourthatwebreatheininoneday.Theairissuckedinunderhereanddepositedonafilterrighthere,butmeasuredwithagammamonitorandabetamonitor.Thosemeasurementsaretransferredtoacomputerinsideherewhereofficialscancomeinandlookatitinrealtime.Thatreal-timedataistransferredtoaU.S.governmentlabinAlabamathroughthissatellitedishrighthere,acell-phonetransmissionthere,andalsoafixed-phonetransmission.Butofficialsdocomeuphereandchangethefiltereverycoupleofdays,alsotogetmoresensitiveandaccurate,redundantinformation.BrianTodd,CNN,Washington.(ENDVIDEO)ShoutoutTOMEKAJONES,CNNSTUDENTNEWS:Today'sShoutoutgoesouttoMr.Hudson'ssocialstudiesclassesatBedfordMiddleSchoolinBedford,Indiana!Whatwouldyoufindatthelatitudeof90oNorth?Herewego.Isitthe:A)NorthPole,B)CapeHorn,C)TropicofCapricornorD)AntarcticCircle?You'vegotthreeseconds--GO!Ifyouwerestandingat90degreesNorthlatitude,you'dbechillin'attheNorthPole.That'syouranswerandthat'syourShoutout!ArcticStudyAZUZ:At90degreesNorthlatitude,theNorthPoleisintheArcticOcean.Thisisanoceanthatiscoveredinice.AndscientistswhostudytheEarth'sclimatewanttoknowwhathappenswhentheicefromthatoceanmelts.Soinordertodothisstudy,they'vesetupabaseintheArcticCircle,wherethetemperaturegetsdownto40degreesbelowzero.CNNhasacameracrewtheretocoverthisresearchproject.Andthisisawesome,becauseit'stheclosestwehaveevercomefromactuallybroadcastingfromtheNorthPole.ScientistPhillipeCousteautellsuswhattheresearchisallabout.PHILIPPECOUSTEAU,CNNISPECIALCORRESPONDENT:Well,we'rehereforaweekwiththeCatlinArcticSurvey,whichisagroupofscientiststhatarelookingatvariousdifferentissuestounderstandhowtheArcticsystemworks,howtheecosystemandtheenvironmentworkshere,what'shappeningwiththetrendofgettingicecaps,withtheuptakeofcarbonintheenvironmentwithoceanidentification,withsalinitychanges,reallytotrya