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CNN 10

CNN Student News

Aired June 18, 2002 - 04:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... if it beats Turkey on Tuesday. Now the question is, how much will this psychological boost really do to help pull Japan's economy out of its decade long slump?

(voice-over): A short-term boost at least is being felt in stores. Shopkeepers say consumers' recent reluctance to spend has loosened a bit as they find various creative ways to celebrate.

Prime Minister Koizumi says he was moved to tears by Friday's victory. But many Japanese say their leaders have something to learn from their football team which lost all its World Cup matches just four years ago.

"Koizumi should work as hard as they did and rebuild Japan with the same kind of passion," says this man.

"Lately we've had a lot of bad economic news," says this woman. "At least our young people have proven that Japan is not weak."

And Japan's main economic daily declared, "Our national team seems to be calling us to start over again."

Meanwhile, as they wait nervously for Tuesday's match against Turkey, shoppers in downtown Tokyo can also stop and pray for victory at this makeshift shrine hoping those victorious vibes will be long lasting.

Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL MCMANUS, CO-HOST: And stick around, if you're cup crazy the action continues online. Click on www.studentnews.com for some great stuff on the World Cup, including team information and player profiles.

Stick around, sports coverage continues in our "Chronicle" segment. Today, Little League Baseball.

And making "Headlines" today, the Colorado wildfires. They're still burning and firefighters are racing against the clock to preserve the progress made against the worst of the blazes. The Hayman fire has consumed over 100,000 acres just southwest of Denver. High humidity and calm wind helped firefighters in that area over the weekend. Firefighters are also trying to contain a blaze churning near the city of Durango. An ironic twist, it turns out a U.S. Forest Service worker whose job it is to protect forests has been charged with starting the Hayman fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty-eight- year-old Terry Barton, seeming somber and wearing coveralls, appeared before a U.S. magistrate in Denver. She'll be kept in custody at least until Thursday when her next hearing is scheduled because, prosecutors argued, there is some risk she could attempt to leave the area.

JOHN SUTHERS, U.S. ATTORNEY: We believe because of the seriousness of the charge and the fact that if she was not detained she would return to a community at which there is -- in which there is considerable hostility towards her which would add to the prospect of her being a flight risk.

OPPENHEIM: Barton is a recreation technician for the U.S. Forest Service charged with starting the largest fire in Colorado's history. On Saturday, June 8, she was assigned to the Pike National Forest. While she was supposed to prevent others from starting fires, authorities say she set one herself in this campfire ring, apparently trying to burn a letter from her estranged husband.

Investigators say as the fire grew, Barton attempted unsuccessfully to put it out. They say Barton's story that she had seen the original campfire that started the huge Hayman fire just didn't add up. Forensic tests poked holes in her story. And on the weekend, she was confronted by investigators and then confessed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMANUS: It became known as Washington's most notorious modern political scandal. June 17, 1972 burglars were caught red-handed at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee. Several people were convicted for breaking into and illegally bugging the office-hotel-apartment complex. Allegations of a cover up pointed to Republicans and the White House.

Prosecutors uncovered evidence of political espionage by the Nixon re-election Committee, illegal wire tapping and contributions to the Republican Party in return for political favors. The political scandal that followed led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Recordings of White House conversations helped incriminate administration officials.

A look now at some of the other evidence that came to symbolize the scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID PAYNTER, NATIONAL ARCHIVES: The Watergate time was the beginning of the time when people started to distrust their government.

What we have are the government exhibits from the trial of United States versus Liddy, the trial of the Watergate burglars. We have a lineup of the -- some of the defendants in the trial. Got E. Howard Hunt here. He was the man who put together the team, more or less. Eugenio Martinez, then Virgilio Gonzalez, Bernard Barker, and Frank Sturgis.

Barker and Hunt worked together on the Bay of Pigs operation. And they -- Barker, when requested by Hunt, would bring in various people that he knew and trusted in the Cuban community to do other operations. And they had broken into the Watergate in -- over Memorial Day 1972 to place bugs and do some photographing. The June break-in was to go in to replace some bugs that weren't working right and maybe move some because the higher-ups in the committee to re- elect and John Mitchell didn't like what they were getting out of the bugs, wasn't productive enough.

Here we have items that were seized on the burglars, on Mr. Martinez, photographic equipment here, film, lights, clamps for photographing documents. Right here, these three items here are telephone bugs. And then we have this box here is a smoke detector into which they were going to place a room bug to overhear what was going on in the room. And that room bug would have been monitored on this little radio.

When these items were introduced, one of the people testifying was a bug expert. And he said the way it's put together is very amateurish. Homemade he called them.

This is one of the more significant items of evidence, it's an address book that was owned by Bernard Barker. It was found in the hotel room after the break-in. And it's one of a couple of items that connect the burglars to the White House because Howard Hunt's name, White House phone number, home address and work are there on the right hand page.

Here we have lock pick tools across the back there, vice grip, a flashlight. They all had these little pen lights, a couple of tubes of mace and they all were wearing surgical gloves.

RICHARD M. NIXON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow.

PAYNTER: Yes, one of the main things is, why don't people A, get rid of the evidence, or B, come forward completely right at the beginning, and not be dangling for and have people taking shots at them the entire time until they can't survive. And Watergate was the first incidence of that and every independent council from then on has aspects of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MCMANUS: Many people have been displaced in New York City because of the events of last September. Some were forced out of business, some out of their homes. Others lost a place to play and just be kids.

Brian Palmer now on some Little Leaguers who finally got to their field of dreams.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was cold and it was wet, but the weather hardly mattered to these young ballplayers. The 32 teams of the downtown Little League have had a tough season. Their field, just a few blocks from ground zero, has been a staging area for the recovery operation. They've been scattered to other fields across the city to practice and play their games.

Putting all that behind them is the reason for this weekend away from New York City at the birthplace of Little League baseball, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

LANCE VAN AUKEN, LITTLE LEAGUE INC.: We're standing in Howard J. Lamity Stadium. This stadium has been here since 1959. The first 12 Little League World Series were played in Williamsport proper and it moved over her to south Williamsport in 1959. And it's been here ever since.

PALMER: The tab for this weekend of non stop baseball in a really cool park is being picked up by the Little League organization, the New York Yankees and New York business.

After September 11, League membership dropped 25 percent. Vito Suppa is trying to build it back up.

VITO SUPPA, PRES. DOWNTOWN LITTLE LEAGUE: AT a certain point, you say I need this to end. I need life to get back to normal. And this is a way that we can say this is what being a kid is all about.

PALMER: What's your impression of the game today?

SARAH SHORE: Well, we lost, but it was really fun because it's a different field.

PALMER: The Sox take their 17-11 loss as only kids can. Justin Latosky and Luke Shapiro pitch for the winning pirates.

We want to hear some pitching secrets, Justin. What's your secret?

JUSTIN LATOSKY: Racing fast ball.

PALMER: Jamie and Mattie Galindo have two sons playing.

How does it feel from Battery Park City to here?

MATTIE GALINDO: It's amazing. It's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm sure the kids are enjoying it.

PALMER: I didn't see the intense Little League parenting that I was accustomed to when I was little?

SUPPA: Well, we try to subdue it a bit. And we try to keep the parents out of, you know, this is for the kids.

PALMER: The parents definitely a have a role. The stadium's massive lights wink on as daylight fades. The kids don't notice. They have too much lost time to make up for on the baseball diamond.

Next season, they'll get their own field back in Battery Park City.

Brian Palmer, CNN, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMANUS: Giving back to communities is a goal for many people and there are so many ways to do it. One popular radio DJ Tom Joyner is aiding students in need at historically black colleges.

CNN's Kyra Phillips reports on one fantastic way Joyner is lending a helping hand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Fantastic Voyage was rocking to the sounds of the OJs (ph), Roy Ayers and Earth Wind & Fire. These were just some of the legendary groups who came out to party with syndicated radio talk show host Tom Joyner.

This is the third time that the Tom Joyner Foundation has set sail around the Caribbean to party with a purpose.

TOM JOYNER, FOUNDER, TOM JOYNER FOUNDATION: It is a great feeling to have 3,800 mostly black people together partying for a purpose, raising money for students to go to black colleges.

PHILLIPS: The Tom Joyner Morning Show has been one of the top rated programs on ABC Radio Networks for five years. Millions of people across the country wake up to Tom and his colorful crew weekday mornings in more than 100 markets. Joyner has a passion for education and his mission is clear.

JOYNER: The foundation does one thing only, we help students stay in historically black colleges and universities, period, that's it. That's all we do.

PHILLIPS: Sixty to 80 students from the selected school of the month are awarded scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $6,000.

JOYNER: Since March of '98, we've raised over $13 million.

PHILLIPS: Joyner's vision to charter a cruise ship that would cater to African-Americans was underestimated by the cruise line industry.

JOYNER: The Royal Caribbean is the best. I can honestly say that the other cruise lines, and we've talked to them all, don't get it.

PHILLIPS: Joyner says that sponsors like Royal Caribbean, General Mills, Hewlett-Packard and Kmart understand that giving back to the black community is huge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kmart is really proud to be associated with such a positive voice in the African-American community.

PHILLIPS: A successful fund raiser of this magnitude is a community effort and Joyner gets help from more than 120 affiliate radio stations around the country and a host of volunteers. But he gives most of the credit to his staff and sons.

The Fantastic Voyage has something for everyone. Old school to new school, hip-hop to jazz, book clubs, seminars and a meeting of the minds.

JOYNER: For whatever reason we get black people together, be it for a party, be it for church or whatever, there should always be some discussion about issues that affect African-Americans.

PHILLIPS: Tom Joyner is not only living his dream, he's also fulfilling what he calls the true meaning of life.

JOYNER: I always felt that to give back is your real purpose in life.

PHILLIPS: Kyra Phillips, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Exploring our world, here now is CNN STUDENT NEWS "Perspectives."

MCMANUS: Soccer and baseball can be played for fun and fitness, but they aren't the only ways to stay in shape. A fitness revolution is sweeping the Chinese capital of Beijing. More and more urbanites are discovering the need for and the benefits of exercise.

CNN's Jaime FlorCruz takes us to the nation's parks and gyms for a look at this revolution in lifestyle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Get a kick out of jianzi, a traditional sport that is putting balance in the lives of many Chinese. The urbanites have discovered the need to ward off the flab, relieve stress and build self-esteem.

TENG JIAVING, RETIRED WORKER (through translator): Now our lives are getting better. We are eating better, but we are also getting more chronic illnesses. Playing jianzi is good for your eyes, neck, legs and waist.

FLORCRUZ: And also for the mind.

JIAVING (through translator): People feel more pressure at work because of fierce competition so the old and young have started working out.

FLORCRUZ: That revolution of sorts in a nation where working out used to simply mean laboring in the fields, factories and offices.

TOMER ROTHSCHILD, CHIEF REPRESENTATIVE, BALLY'S TOTAL FITNESS: I think that any society as it moves towards a more sedentary lifestyle and less bikes and more subways and more buses and more cars and taxis, people are exercising less.

FLORCRUZ: That is changing. Those who can afford a $50 monthly fee hit gyms like this for group aerobics and one-on-one sessions with personal trainers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I joined this gym because they advocate scientific workouts with personal trainers. Working out together with others also creates a good atmosphere.

FLORCRUZ: Sixty percent of gym goers are women.

ROTHSCHILD: I think the women are really, and we're about 65 percent women to men, women are here because I think women in China these days are really focused on keeping their bodies, you know, nice and fit.

FLORCRUZ: Do they really want to become incredible hulks?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not very big, but they -- what they've become energetic, look stronger, yes.

FLORCRUZ: Fitness fans who don't want to spend money go to public parks where workout is free and more leisurely, part of Beijing's campaign to popularize fitness as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympics.

Even senior citizens are stepping up choosing traditional forums like Yanga (ph) group dancing, China's answer to Macarena. In this neighborhood, they meet friends and have fun while keeping in shape.

(on camera): The growing Chinese interest to work out goes far deeper than just following a western fad or a Beijing decree. As part of people's new lifestyle, the desire for health and fitness is here to stay.

Jaime FlorCruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMANUS: For the past 12 years, Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, otherwise known as Dr. Beach, has compiled a list of America's best beaches. Today, we're going to check out a few and find out what might be under the surface.

Now we explore both the perils and the pleasures as John Zarrella takes us to the beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): How does a beach make it to the top 10?

LEATHERMAN: Well, first of all, people want to see a wide beach. They want to see nice, soft sand, the whiter the better. They want to see a beautiful, warm ocean water, clear. They want the amenities. They want natural environment, and all that together, 50 criteria go into making a great beach.

ZARRELLA: They don't want to see seaweed. Unfortunately you got a lot of that today.

LEATHERMAN: Well, that's right. This is a rare day. It's washed in. We've been a little stormy here this time of year. This will be cleaned up. Any beach can have a bad day. We have to realize that.

ZARRELLA: Tell us about the number one beach.

LEATHERMAN: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, it's in the Florida panhandle. First time in six years a Florida beach has made it. But here you find the finest, whitest sand in the world, that famed panhandle sand, emerald green water. You can see in it for 90 feet, crystal clear.

ZARRELLA: Cape Florida is number nine. It's on the list this year.

LEATHERMAN: Right.

ZARRELLA: What was it about this particular spot that put it in the top 10?

LEATHERMAN: Well, this is in the Miami area, so you have all the amenities, but yet it's a world apart. You're out here on a beach park. It's very quiet. You got all the amenities you want, but peace and quiet, ample parking.

Remember, my survey is for so many beaches, and this is really that -- the most popular beaches -- I don't always rate the number one beaches. Now South Beach, certainly the hottest beach in the country, one of my favorites, but won't be on the top 10 list because overdeveloped, too many people. I've been to all these beaches...

ZARRELLA: What a nice job you've got.

LEATHERMAN: I've been to every beach in the United States and I visit over 100 beaches every year and all the contenders for the national champion.

ZARRELLA: Boy, that's a tough life.

There's no question these beaches look absolutely wonderful, but how do you know if a beach that looks clean really is clean? A group of University researchers is conducting a study to find out if there are any hidden dangers, and you'll never guess where: in the sand.

PROF. ANDREW ROGERSON, RESEARCH BIOLOGIST: Good morning. Sorry to disturb you. Would you be willing to help us with us a beach questionnaire? When you stop to think about it, when the tide's coming in and then receding again, any organisms in the water could be getting accumulated in the sand just by the filtering action of the sand. At the moment, the Florida Health Board will check the condition of a beach by testing the water. And what they don't do is they don't ever look in the sand to see if organisms that might cause some illness or some problems are present in the sand.

TONYA DAVIDIAN, RESEARCH ASSISTANT: We sample in triplicate. We have a site A, site B and a site C that are approximately two meters apart from each other. We collect our water samples from about knee high, and we take a sterile bottle, and submerge it under the water and open up the cap under the water and collect the water so the bottle is completely full.

ROGERSON: It's clear that when you look at the numbers of fecal indicator organisms in the water and compare the number in the sand, we are seeing much higher levels in the sand.

DAVIDIAN: And now we want to know what that means, if that is an increased health threat. We don't think so because our questionnaires aren't showing any type of correlation with that. People aren't getting sick at the beach, essentially.

Andrea (ph), have you taken the temperature for the wet sand?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMANUS: You can't go far in Washington, D.C. without seeing them. Their fixture is permanent as the National Mall itself. I'm referring, of course, to students on a field trip.

One reporter from our Student Bureau recently made the tour, interviewed a congressman and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Rob Amsick (ph) reporting for CNN, the Student Bureau, where behind me is the Capitol Building. I've had the chance to speak to Congressman Phil English from the 3rd Congressional District of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

REP. PHIL ENGLISH (R), PENNSYLVANIA: It's been a real honor to be given this responsibility. I hope I've discharged it. And my plan is to do the best I can down here at a really historical time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman Phil English has two responsibilities, serving the Erie community not only in Erie, but in Washington, D.C.

ENGLISH: Erie has faced some real challenges. I think right now we need to turn the corner on building the economy of the future in northwestern Pennsylvania. We've seen a lot of jobs leave, we've seen a lot of manufacturing opportunities leaving and at the same time there is a potential to replace those jobs. But in order to do it, we need to have a very strong local economic development effort.

I've been working with local economic development initiatives to try to -- to try to build them and to enhance them with federal support. At the same time, I think there needs to be a stronger trade policy, a stronger pro-growth fiscal policy. We need to lay the groundwork to have a strong manufacturing sector in the -- in the new economy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vigilance and determination have brought Phil English, Congressman from northwest Pennsylvania, here to the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

For CNN Student Bureau, I'm Rob Amsick (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMANUS: OK, that about does it. I'm Michael McManus. We're broadcasting from CNN Center. You have a good day.

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