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Rising Gas Prices; CNN Champion for Change Creating Safe-Space Cyphers for Lyricists in Atlanta; Giant Nacho Pulled Off a Record-Setting Cheese Stretch. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired September 21, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, lovely people. It`s Thursday. Or as I like to say, happy Friday Eve. We`re almost to the end of the week. So let`s
take in a deep breath and push away all the worries. Let`s lock in and get her done.
Now, if you`ve heard word of falling gas prices being brought it around, don`t believe it just yet, buckle in because our first story might make all
of you drivers out there slam the brakes. You may have noticed that lately gas prices are actually going up as high as $6 per gallon in California
right now. Nationally gas prices hit their highest point of the year this week at $3.88 cents per gallon. On average, that`s according to the AAA
auto club, that means it could cost upwards of 50 bucks to fill her up. Even a small car. That`s surprising because gas prices usually go down
after labor day when the summer driving season ends. Instead, the national average is about 20 cents higher than this time.
Last year, some experts say gas prices are likely to drop again soon. And officials told CNN last week that the White House is taking a wait and see
approach for now. So what makes gas prices go up and what are you actually paying for at the pump? CNN Producer, Jon Sarlin has the answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON SARLIN, CNN PRODUCER: What`s in a number specifically that number? The number everyone can stop noticing these days. Well, nationally right now,
the price of gas as we`re filming this is $4.30 cents a gallon. Here in California, where we`re filming this it`s even higher. The highest in the
country. Right now it`s $5.70 cents a gallon. So what goes in a gallon of gas?
Let`s break it down. Here in California, they publish a breakdown of what actually goes in the cost of a gallon of gas. So we`re -- we`re going to
focus on them and they use $5.19 cents a gallon for this. So those are the numbers that we`re going to be using. First up, taxes. There`s local, state
and federal, and there`s a wide variance in state taxes. The median national excise tax is just over 25 cents a gallon while the lowest is
Alaska. It`s 8 cents. But here in California, it`s $0.51 cents a gallon.
Those costs go to things like maintaining roads and infrastructure. Then you have other local state taxes and fees that adds on and another $0.13
cents. And then there`s the national gas tax that adds $0.184 cents per gallon. And this number actually hasn`t changed in decades. So across state
houses and federal government, people are calling for a gas tax holiday to help keep the price of gas lower.
But others are arguing that no, this is too important. A revenue source to come, then it on $0.36 cents for the distribution, marketing and profits of
the gas stations. That money goes towards things like rent, wages, utilities, the cost of the pump, insurance, advertising, and then the gas
station`s profit. All that in $0.36 cents.
Then there`s the cost of refining the gas. That adds $1.12 cents per gallon. That includes refining the gas, also transporting it and the
profits for those companies. Then we get to the biggest piece of the pie, the cost of crude oil. Right now that adds $2.87 cents per gallon.
Now, this is the largest and most volatile part is what makes up a gallon of gas. When you see the price of gas going up, you can count on the cost
of crude oil, having just gone up as well. All of those factors go into what you pay at the pump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Now, it`s not just pain at the pump. The U.S. faces economic headwinds, amid nationwide strikes, and those high fuel prices could hurt
other sectors too. Here`s CNN`s John Laurence to break it all down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID BLANCHFLOWER, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE: People are running out of the excess savings that they had. Though -- and banking,
sectored loan growth is slowed.
JOHN LAURENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By anyone`s yardstick, the U.S. economy is facing a few financial hurdles.
BOBBY BRADLE, FARMER: Input cost or through the ceiling. My risk exposure is through the ceiling. It`s -- it`s a risky, scary time.
LAURENCE: First, there`s the United Auto Worker strike, which may soon expand.
SHAWN FAIN, UAW PRESIDENT: If we don`t make serious progress by noon on Friday, September 22nd more locals will be called on to stand up and join
the strike.
LAURENCE: The writer strike in Hollywood is also ongoing. AAA says gas prices are reaching record levels, affecting everyone from commuters to
farmers.
BRADLE: Last year, we put out 31,000 in few. I`m scared to even imagine what it`s going to be this year.
LAURENCE: New home building in the U.S. collapsed 11% in August, according to the census bureau. And to top it off Washington, D.C. has less than two
weeks to prevent the government from being forced to close its stores.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: It`s about time for our Champions for Change. I`m going to run like our examples for today. A group reaching out to youth, finding ways to
help, including teaching values like expressing yourself, Soul Food Cypher. That`s the name, whole group rhyming (ph), that`s the game. And with
positive influence there in schools rocking with students, creating safe spaces, talking life by using music, beats of play, jams go hard. Let their
tracks tell, meet today`s chance with our Victor Blackwell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You the say they`re rapping, embracing their freestyle and see just how it happens.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: So, I chose this story, first, because I love the art form. I love the music. Hip-hop and rap had been the soundtrack of
my teen years, my 20s, 30s and now 40s too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Call me Gitzen (ph) oh like hell boy.
BLACKWELL: And often when we see these ciphers or we see or hear hip-hop or rap people assume that it`s negative. But it these ciphers, that`s not
what we see. What we see is people telling their truths and sometimes they are difficult, but these are loving spaces.
(MUSIC)
BLACKWELL: Alex, also know Cost One, creates this safe place where people feel comfortable to talk about what is happening in their lives and where
they want to go. It`s aspirational as well.
(On camera): Tell me about how you got not just loving the cipher, loving hip-hop but doing something with it? Where did that start?
ALEX COLE ACOSTA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUL FOOD CYPHER: I realize that there was a magic there. By design, ciphers are femoral. They pop up and
then they dissipate. Why not create a permanent cipher?
So, I brough some of my best friends together and we created Soul Food Cypher.
We are an organization that has been around for 11 years and we look to showcase the positive elements of hip-hop culture through our cipher events
and also our workshops and performances as well.
So, a lot of times rap music, especially, popular mainstream, et cetera, et cetera. So, why is the lyrical content important? It`s important that we
change that narrative.
BLACKWELL: Outside of the monthly ciphers, Soul Food Cypher goes into schools. And this is the part that I think is the most fantastic. What I`ve
learned also from some of the instructors is that it helps them grow as well.
BUNDUKE, TEACHING ARTIST, SOUL FOOD CYPHER: As we come through the curriculum and I`m teaching them and allowing them to express these gifts
that are already inside of them, they get this feeling and it builds a connection, it builds a bond. They`ll share some things that`s like crazy.
And it`s like, dang, that`s what you`re going through at home? You know, and it`s like, oh, can you come to my soccer game? Nobody comes to my
soccer game. Bro.
I used to be that kid. Like that truck is crazy to me, man. So, I`m like, I got to come back.
BLACKWELL: You get, obviously, a lot out of it as much as you give to these students. Speak to the question of why it`s important to pass the art
form to the next generation.
ACOSTA: We`re using English language in order be able to inspire, influence. Because sometimes our voices only is the only thing we do that.
But then you`re reminded by Instructor Bunduke, Enan (ph), Breathless (ph), Soul Food Cypher that you have a power and that your voice matters.
We are building community and we`ve done it before between people, and it`s a very, very powerful thing to have like hip-hop church. You`re going to
see love and you`re going to see respect, knowledge, joy, you`re going to smile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Cheese Louise. Did you hear about the champion chip in England? Not Joe average snack plate. Check out this giant chip, y`all. So big, it was
dipped by a helicopter into an even bigger pile of cheese. Doritos, pulling off a stunt that snacked them the new record for world`s longest cheese
stretch, 49-feet. If you love nachos, I can`t imagine it can get much cheddar than this.
(Foreign language). Congrats to Damu and Mr. Watson Nabisushi`s (ph) class in Higashi Katsu Chika (ph) High School in Japan. You submitted the winner
for #YourWordWednesday for bruit, a verb, meaning to spread or report rumors widely. Well done.
And today`s special shoutout is going to Chicopee, Massachusetts. The bulldog of Edward Bellamy Middle School. We see you.
Fun fact, a bulldog is also the mascot up United States, Marine Corps, Chesty XVI. Not only is he, the official mascot, Chesty was also promoted
to private first-class last year.
I`m Coy. This is CNN 10. And I`ll see you tomorrow.
END
