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Quick Guide & Transcript: Alito confirmation hearings, Baby Noor surgery
RELATEDSPECIAL REPORTCNN STUDENT NEWS(CNN Student News) -- January 11, 2006 Teachers: Please preview the first story in today's program, as it addresses a sensitive issue that may not be appropriate for all students. Quick GuideJudging Alito - Hear how a high court hopeful responded to some difficult questions. Baby Noor - Observe how U.S. doctors have given new hope to a crippled Iraqi infant. Can Dolphins Count? - Dive in and explore the mathematical potential of certain marine mammals. TranscriptTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: CNN Student News is now in session! It's great to have you along -- I'm Monica Lloyd. He's in the midst of a judicial job interview and every answer is under close watch. Hear how Samuel Alito addressed some touchy topics in Tuesday's hearings. She was found in Iraq with a deadly birth defect and rushed to the U.S. for treatment. Meet a child whose name means "light," and whose future has gotten much brighter. And they're famous for everything from theatrics to therapy. But we'll show you how dolphins have learned to count for much more! First Up: Judging Alito COOK: Senators are grilling supreme court nominee Samuel Alito. They want to know what he thinks about eavesdropping. The reason: The National Security Agency tapped some phone calls without court approval in the months after September 11th. President Bush says listening in helped keep tabs on terrorism; critics say it was an invasion of privacy. Tara Mergener shows us how that controversy and other issues, were brought up in Tuesday's hearings. Teachers, this report mentions the issue of abortion. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TARA MERGENER, CNN REPORTER: Judge Samuel Alito faced his first full day of questions from the committee, and Democratic senators came out swinging. SEN. TED KENNEDY, (D-MA) We need to know whether the average citizen can get a fair shake from you. SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT): You said that they were justified in strip searching this 10 year-old and the mother. MERGENER: As expected, senators asked Alito about abortion. SAMUEL ALITO, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I would approach the question with an open mind. I would listen -- SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (R-PENN): You would approach it with an open mind notwithstanding your 1985 statement? ALITO: Absolutely, senator. MERGENER: Alito's decisions in his 15 years on the bench came under scrutiny, along with his membership in a college group opposed to the admission of women and minorities. But among the criticism, there was praise from Republicans. SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UTAH): Well, I have to say, judge, you went above and beyond your ethical duties here. I think you're to be applauded not to be criticized for your rigorous attention to judicial impartiality and integrity. MERGENER: On another issue, Judge Alito would not specifically say whether President Bush was justified in allowing wiretaps of Americans without warrants. ALITO: No person is above the law, and that means the president, and that means the Supreme Court. MERGENER: Reporting for CNN Student News, I'm Tara Mergener in Washington. (END VIDEO CLIP) Promo LLOYD: Our in-house educators have put together a great way for your class to learn how jobs are filled at the supreme court. It's linked to national standards. And you'll find it in the "Watch and Learn" box on our web page, CNN.com/EDUCATION. Shoutout CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS REPORTER: Time for the Shoutout! Which of these countries does not border the nation of Turkey? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Syria, B) Iraq, C) Iran or D) Azerbaijan? You've got three seconds--GO! Trick question! All of these countries border Turkey, in addition to Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Greece! That's your answer and that's your Shoutout! Around the World LLOYD: Now for some international stories: Health officials say more than a dozen people in Turkey have bird flu and there could be as many as 100 other cases. At least two people have died. Now, this the first time this strain of the virus has killed anyone outside of Asia. And the Turkish government is trying to stop the disease by sending workers to kill infected poultry in 21 provinces. In Jerusalem... Doctors say Israel's leader is showing signs of improvement. He had a massive stroke last week. But Prime Minister Ariel Sharon moved his left hand yesterday. He's already moved his right hand and leg, but this movement on the left side of his body is significant because it's controlled by the right side of the brain. And that's the side that Sharon's stroke damaged. Doctors say his vital signs are normal and his condition is stabilized. Baby Noor LLOYD: Another health story now, that spans the globe. U.S. National Guardsmen were hunting insurgents in Iraqi homes, when they came across a two-month-old baby and her family. What made the child exceptional was a beautiful smile, and a birth defect that would've taken her life. But with the help of U.S. officials and charity groups, Baby Noor, as she's called, was brought to Atlanta for a free, life-saving operation. Rusty Dornin describes the struggle to defeat her disease. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUSTY DORNIN CNN REPORTER: Baby Noor's journey from Iraq was shrouded in secrecy, but her arrival made headlines across America. The infant's grandmother and father came here for what may be a two month recovery period. This is the first of possibly three surgeries at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. This one was to reposition her spinal cord and close the hole in her back. DR. RODGER HUDGINS, NEUROLOGIST: It did go very well. It was difficult as I thought it was going to be, because again, this is not the time that we typically close a defect such as this. DORNIN: Her family is staying in seclusion for now, and a spokesperson says they were very anxious, but full of hope. CHRISTINA PORTER, CHILD SPRING INTERNATIONAL: There were tears of joy. I wanted to share one thing that the grandmother did say, which is 'Shakra America. Shakra America.' DORNIN: It's Arabic for thank you. But while the first hurdle has been cleared, there are more to come. HUDGINS: It does look like she will not be able to use her legs she will be paraplegic. DORNIN: The immediate concern is fluid build up in her brain. Doctors will watch her closely and could possibly perform another surgery to drain the fluid as early as Wednesday. Her doctor, now one of her greatest advocates says he and the staff are growing to love what they call a 'special baby.' HUDGINS: She looks you in eye, she's smiling now she's cooing now in the most delightful little way. It is my hope that she will be developmentally and mentally normal. DORNIN: A hope now shared by many here and around the world. Rusty Dornin, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEO CLIP) Fact Check: Spina Bifida KYRA PHILIPS, CNN REPORTER: Right now in the U.S., there are an estimated 70-thousand people living with spina bifida. It is the most common permanently disabling birth defect. The condition arises during the first month of fetal development, when the spinal column doesn't close completely. Sixty million women are at risk of having a baby born with spina bifida, and each day, an average of eight babies are affected with the condition or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. The condition can be detected before birth through blood tests, ultrasound or amniocentesis. The exact cause of spina bifida is unknown. But research has shown if women take folic acid every day before and after becoming pregnant, the risk of having a baby with spina bifida or another neural tube defect is reduced by as much as 70-percent. Can Dolphins Count? LLOYD: They're natural athletes, they're highly intelligent, and they've even gotten extensive military training to hunt underwater explosives. But we're not talking about the Navy Seals. Instead, it's dolphins -- the natural kind -- who are making a new kind of research really count. John Zarrella dives in to a classroom where a lot adds up for these marine mammals. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LINDA ERB, VP ANIMAL CARE: On your mark get set go Talon. JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN REPORTER: OK. It's not a revelation. We all know Dolphins can do amazing tricks. ERB: What an athlete. ZARRELLA: Talon here loves showing off. Here's his shark imitation. ERB: That's a scary shark impression. ZARRELLA: By the animal kingdom's standards dolphins are pretty darn intelligent. Now, scientists are discovering they may have more on the ball than anyone imagined. ERB: Less. Good boy. You did it again! ZARRELLA: Bottle Nosed dolphins can look at two quantities, in this case white dots on a board, and tell which board has less. ERB: Does he go one, two three in his head. Probably not. But he is recognizing them as individual and counting them for practical purposes. ZARRELLA: They may not be able to count as we humans do, but anew three year study by the Dolphin Research Center here found a level of cognition in dolphins that scientists say had never before been demonstrated. First, Talon and a second dolphin, Rainbow, were shown two boards with different numbers of dots: Two and 6. They were trained to always pick the board with two dots no matter the size or location of the dots on the board. ERB: You got it. Yes you did. I know. I know. Are you proud of yourself? Are you? Good for you. ZARRELLA: Researchers say, learning this skill meant they understood two is different from six. That they could grasp intellectually the concept of more and less. For their final exam, the dolphins had to show they could pick out the smaller number from sets they'd never trained on. ERB: Oh hard one. that was a hard one. A reverse. The reason that that is so significant, is when you run the test he has to see new number pairs, in other words, combinations that he's never seen before. ZARRELLA: Talon and Rainbow aren't perfect. They got it right 80 percent of the time; showing a level of smarts that never has been measured, but is still limited. The study is over, but Talon and Rainbow still go to class once a week just to keep up their skills. John Zarrella, CNN, Grassy Key, Florida. (END VIDEO CLIP) Goodbye LLOYD: And you can always keep up your current events skills, with CNN Student News! We'll see you tomorrow, everyone! I'm Monica Lloyd. 
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