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Ebola Outbreak Devastates African Villages; Barack Obama Dealing with Russian Expansion and ISIS Threat; ISIS Compared to al Qaeda
Aired September 04, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: This is commercial free CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. It`s good to see you this Thursday. First up, an American doctor in
Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus. Dr. Rick Sacra, a Christian missionary wasn`t treating people with Ebola, but he`s in the
country that`s been hardest hit by the latest Ebola outbreak. And that`s one of five things to know about this virus. It`s killed thousands in West
Africa. Second point, it`s a fever. Other symptoms are muscle pain, vomiting, bleeding. It`s spread through direct contact with blood and body
fluids.
Three, there`s no cure. About half of those who`ve gotten it have died. Quick treatment with fluids, vitamins and medicines seems to help in some
cases.
Four, there`s an experimental drug being used on some victims. Quantities are extremely limited, and its effectiveness isn`t proven. Some who`ve
gotten it have survived, some have died.
Five, this outbreak, the worst so far has been largely limited to West Africa. And you`re about to see how Ebola has turned parts of Liberia in
the ghost towns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Half the population here have either died or fled. Many not even stopping to carry their belongings.
(on camera): Why are these houses abandoned?
(voice over): Gazali Johnson told us he lost his eight months pregnant sister, his brother, niece and many others. Too many to name.
From Zango (ph) we go further into the jungle. Through a quarantine gate into nearby Bakuda (ph). Some 8,000 people live here, no one has been
allowed to leave.
This community has been completely isolated. Of the over 1,000 death from Ebola in Liberia, 20 percent have died right here, in this town. The town
chief tells us, they worried if the virus doesn`t kill them, hunger and disease will.
This is what it`s like across Lofa, locked in, afraid and alone.
Sometimes the county health workers are called in to investigate a case and when they get that, they discover it`s actually one of their own. This
clinic had to be looked up after all the health workers in it contracted Ebola, only one of them survived.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(NO SOUND)
AZUZ: Traveling north from Africa to Europe. President Obama visited Estonia yesterday and met with its president. It was a sharp support for
America`s NATO ally, and a kind of warning to Russia not to get involved in other European countries, like it`s accused to doing in Ukraine. Another
subject discussed, ISIS, a terrorist group in Iraq and Syria that slaughtered people who don`t agree with its views on Islam.
ISIS has executed American journalist and routinely murders civilians. President Obama has been criticized for being too cautious and having an
unclear plan of how to address ISIS. In Estonia, he worked to clarify his policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We learn that we will not forget and that our reach is long and that justice will be served.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: You`ve heard of the al Qaeda terrorist group. This school year we`ve been talking more about ISIS. What is the difference?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ISIS and al Qaeda have deep ties and along history. In fact, when ISIS begin during the fight against U.S. forces in
Iraq, it was allied with al Qaeda and shared the name. It was called al Qaeda in Iraq. And there are other similarities and connections as well.
Both these groups sprung from long civil wars. Al Qaeda from the fight against Russian troops in Afghanistan. ISIS, the fight against American
troops in Iraq and later against Bashir al-Assad in Syria.
Both groups seeking to establish an Islamic state, a so called caliphate. Also, both of them willing to establish that state to attack and use brutal
violence against both non-Muslims, Americans, Westerners and Muslims as well.
Non-Sunni Muslims, but really any Muslim that they consider not devout enough, not extreme enough.
But there are many differences, and it`s - some of these differences that greatly concern U.S. and other Western officials, ISIS has been able to
seize and control much more territory than al Qaeda was ever capable of.
Today, ISIS controls broad swaths of both Iraq and Syria.
Two, U.S. officials tell me consistently that ISIS behaves and seizes and controls territory very much like a military force, not just a terrorist
organization. They are much more difficult to fight.
Three, ISIS is largely self-funding. It operates as a government in the territory that it controls issuing taxes. It also uses extortion and theft
to get money and it even sails oil in areas like it has captured in Iraq and Syria. And by some estimates it`s making a $1000000 a day or more.
Finally, although there were some Westerners who joined al-Qaeda, Anwar al- Awlaki among them, ISIS has proven a much more powerful magnet for Westerners and Americans. It`s now believed U.S. intelligence officials
say that something along the lines of a dozen Americans have joined ISIS and dozens more have joined other extremist groups in Syria. And the great
concern is what happens when those Americans, when those Europeans come home. Do they bring Jihad with them?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Today`s "Roll Call" takes us from North Dakota to Northeast Pakistan. You can`t miss the flashes. They are in the lightning Sawyer
Public School in Sawyer, North Dakota. The Panthers are on the prowl. We found them at Pikeville High School in Pikeville, Kentucky. And in
Southeast Asia, glad to be part of your day at Lahore American School in Lahore, Pakistan. Thank you all for making your requests on Wednesday`s
transcript page cnnstudentnews.com.
Back in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separating blacks and whites in schools was unconstitutional. It was the landmark Brown v. Board
of Education case. But three years after that, segregation still existed in some places.
Little Rock, Arkansas was one of them. A group of nine black students was originally blocked from attending Little Rock Central High School. On the
first day of school, September 4, 1957, members of the Arkansas National Guard raised their guns and waived the teenage girl of campus. She didn`t
return until she succeeded and made history.
A modern photographer recently captured here in a reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLATON, PHOTOGRAPHER: One of my favorite pictures wasn`t of the world leader, of the Little Rock nine. I invited them to come together again in
front of the high school where they originally went and kind of changed America.
We flew them in from around the world. So, there they are all are. This epic scene. Gothic High School in the background, and they are all
standing in a line. The cultural heroes of our time.
And I suddenly felt I`m not qualified to do this. Firstly, I`m white, I`m not black. Secondly, I`m too young. And thirdly, I`m not even American.
And there was this lady in the middle of the group. Her name is Elizabeth Eckford. And if you Google her, you`ll see footage of her as a 16-year old
little girl clutching her schoolbooks trying to get into school. And she`s separated from her friends by an angry mob of white (INAUDIBLE) and that
pushing her and pulling her about, they do not want her going to school with their white kids.
And it`s the most horrific side of America you can imagine. So, let`s move on many, many years. There she is as an elderly lady standing in front of
me. And she had a head held high rather - or (INAUDIBLE) like this. So, I made a mistake and I said excuse me, my dear, I shout it out. Would you
mind lowering your chin so that you can get it in line with everybody else? And she said, young man, don`t you ever ask me to lower my chin. I hold my
head up high with pride because I`m so proud of what we did. And I will never lower my chin or bow my head ever again. And at that point they all
raised their chin to her level, and then they will held hands. And I caught it on film.
I made a social mistake. I never meant any disrespect, but I was quick enough to realize that what I accidentally created was a moment again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Gabriel N. Wright (ph) a reporter in Ohio had to weather some serious weather this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a good scenario to be out in right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: No, it wasn`t. She was outside reporting when a wind storm didn`t just flip her umbrella, it crushed it. Despite getting drenched, she and
her cameraman kept rolling along and when everything had dried out and clearly umbrella which somehow survived, she was right back on the air.
She gave her viewers some serious flood for thought, and even if she couldn`t stand under her umbrella-ella-ella, it was her resilience that
reigned supreme. We are out now and hopes are precipitating Friday. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS.
END
