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CNN 10
U.S. University Requires COVID-19 Vaccinations For Students; Deadly Flash Floods Strike Middle Tennessee; CNN Hero Helps Children In Nigeria, Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 30, 2021 - 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: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. This Fall Rutgers University says it will require its students to be vaccinated against
COVID-19. Can it legally do that? That is the question that leads off today`s show. Rutgers is based in the state of New Jersey.
It`s a large school. It has three main campuses and enrolls more than 70,000 students in all and it`s one of the first American universities to
announce that most of those students will need a corona virus vaccine come Fall semester. There are exceptions to this rule.
Rutgers says students can request an exemption, permission to attend without getting the vaccine, for religious or medical reasons and the rule
won`t apply at all to students who attend online without actually setting foot on Rutgers campuses.
But the rest of those who do will have to show proof they`ve been vaccinated. At this point Rutgers faculty is not required to get the
vaccines though they are strongly encouraged to do so. Everyone on campus still has to participate in Rutgers COVID testing programs and everyone is
still required to wear masks and keep their distance from one another on campus.
The university says the decisions are in support of its commitment to health and safety for all members of its community but it is a change from
earlier this year when a senior chancellor said that in line with Rutgers stance on protecting human liberties, the vaccine was not mandatory. Most
colleges require students to have certain vaccines before they can attend classes.
What`s different about the corona virus vaccines it that they haven`t been formally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The three
vaccines that Americans can get are authorized for emergency use and the FDA says people have to be informed that they may either accept or refuse
the drugs.
That`s where experts say it`s not clear if Rutgers or any organization can legally require people to be vaccinated. Some say that people`s choice
whether or not to get a vaccine needs to be protected. Others say that courts will probably side with employers or states that require the vaccine
but that it`s been argued in the past that the drugs are still experimental and should not be required.
So there`s a lot of uncertainty about the future of corona virus vaccine requirements on or off campus. Parts of middle Tennessee are struggling to
recover from deadly flash flooding that started last weekend. Severe storms that rolled over the state on Saturday triggered a flash flood emergency.
Some places got five to nine inches of rain. That`s more than Tennessee usually gets in the entire month of March. The forecast calls for another
inch to an inch and a half of rain tomorrow.
That`s normally no big deal according to the National Weather Service but because the state is so waterlogged now, the additional precipitation could
further swell rivers, set a new record for rainfall and trigger additional flash flooding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the U.S. flash floods kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightening. A flash flood creates a rush of moving
water that can sweep a grown man off his feet, a car off the road and even your entire home off its foundation.
When the ground becomes so saturated that water can no longer seep into the soil, it begins to run off quickly into rivers and streams and this causes
a rise in water in a flash. Densely populated areas have an extremely high risk of flash flooding with the additional concrete and less grassy areas
for the water to soak into the soil and they can see flash flooding very quickly.
In mountainous terrain, the combination of gravity plus the easy runoff can lead to catastrophic flooding when all of that water is funneled into
rivers, creeks and even the valleys. Remember flash flooding can happen in a blink of an eye that`s why it`s important to stay alert and pay attention
in case a flash flood watch or warning is issued for your area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. In terms of land area, what is the largest country in Africa? Nigeria, Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan.
Algeria is the largest county in area but it`s mostly desert. Nigeria has Africa`s largest population.
Almost 220 million people live in Nigeria and the nation has the largest economy in Africa. But the CIA estimates that 70 percent of Nigerians live
in poverty and their country also struggles with corruption, crime and terrorism. Boko Haram is based there.
It`s one of the largest terrorist groups in Africa. Since its uprising in 2009, the Nigerian military and its allies have made progress against the
Islamic militants but Boko Haram has kidnapped, displaced or orphaned hundreds of children and a CNN Hero has a heart for helping them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZANNAH MUSTAPHA: Morning. Morning. Morning. My name is Zannah Mustapha. I`m the Director for the Future Prowess Islamic Foundation. We (inaudible) but
(inaudible) we have about 860 of them. Morning. We don`t mind where you hail from, (inaudible), what`s your ethnicity. So (inaudible) is not right.
We find the tutor the population in the school (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From me being an orphan I feel I have lost something (inaudible) an orphan. But as I kept individual promise all of those things
have been provided.
MUSTAPHA: If you can be the leaders of tomorrow, you have to (inaudible) leadership examples now and give us sort of a (inaudible) social support to
get to that, how do you -- how do we coming together and that is where we (inaudible) survivors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kids from military (inaudible). Some of them are from the Boko Haram but then all of us have a different idea from what our
parents have.
MUSTAPHA: There is much counseling. There`s much play. We also (inaudible) books. We have the (inaudible) coming here to teach various (inaudible).
We`re eating rice and beans everyday. Most of the students comes to school (inaudible) teach (inaudible) anything. And then we are giving them some
nutrition and support and (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Who can read for me? What is it?
MUSTAPHA: We have tutors and (inaudible) future progress. It`s like a foundation. (inaudible). To bring (inaudible) relationship, we`re doing all
(inaudible) fight. (Inaudible) where we have huge problem. This is a lemon and it has (inaudible) and then (inaudible). We have about six hectors of
farmland to give (inaudible).
(INAUDIBLE)
MUSTAPHA: Despite the (inaudible) they went to. If they see me, they will tell me what it`s like. They (inaudible) brothers, sisters. They all call
me Allah. I am (inaudible). I have (inaudible) at the end. We are in a community where (inaudible). What did you (inaudible) (inaudible) is keeps
my dream alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Well, this is something new. An artist creates a portrait of a humanoid robot. After that, the robot paints its own interpretation of the
portrait. Then the robot`s painting along with a 12-second video clip of the robot doing the painting goes up for auction and finally a human pays
more than $688,000 for it.
The video clip was offered as a non-fungible token. A new way to prove you own a digital artwork even if it`s widely shared. Now some of you`ve got to
be thinking, you`ve "giggotta" be kidding me.
Why (inaudible) go to the trouble of paying your hard "Monet" to "okey" some "bizarre" digital token that anyone else could "Goya" download with
"Mateeth". I guess if you`ve got the "Shagall" to take the "Veloz" guess work out of who it`s true "Claypur" is.
You can "Countal" yourself it`s one and only "Michaelangelowner". Marlboro, Massachusetts is our last stop today. We want to roar at the "Panthers" of
Marlboro High School. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN.
END
