CNN Student News Transcript: November 1, 2007

(CNN Student News) -- November 1, 2007

Quick Guide:

Madrid Bombing Verdicts - Learn how a Spanish court ruled against the perpetrators of a terrorist attack.

Democratic Debate - Hear what some Democratic presidential candidates said during a recent debate.

Unnecessary Roughness? - Watch a cheerleader survive a virtual stampede by a high school football team.

Transcript

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

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It's the first of November, and we're glad to have you starting off the new month with CNN Student News. From the CNN Center, I'm Carl Azuz.

ID ME

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm a Western European country that was neutral in World Wars I and II, but I'm not Switzerland. You'll find me between Portugal and France. My official language is Castilian Spanish. We are I.D.ing Spain, a country of 40 million whose capital is Madrid.

First Up: Madrid Bombing Verdict

AZUZ: A legal ruling in that capital city is causing some controversy right now. Back in March of 2004, 191 people were killed and more than 1,700 were wounded when bombs exploded on four commuter trains in Madrid. This was considered Spain's 9/11. Nearly 30 people were charged for their involvement in the terrorist attack, and yesterday, a Spanish court announced their sentence. Paula Newton has more on the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: With hundreds of police officers surrounding the courthouse and helicopters overhead, survivors of the Madrid train bombings and victims' families huddled together here, waiting for a verdict they hoped would give them a measure of justice. But as the chief judge methodically rendered his verdict, off camera there was stunned silence. The defendants, behind bulletproof glass, sat resolute after the judge announced that five suspects were convicted of belonging to a terrorist organization, but were acquitted of the most serious charges, mass murder. Three suspects were convicted of the most serious mass murder charges. The judge detailed the concrete, forensic evidence that led to their conviction of mass murder. Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan who passengers identified as having been on one of the trains, received a 40,000-year sentence for planting one of the bombs; a similar sentence for Otman el-Gnaoui, a Moroccan convicted of transporting the explosive. And thousands of years too for former Spanish miner Emilio Suárez Trashorras, who the judge called a "necessary accomplice" for providing the stolen dynamite used in the bombings. But they may all be free one day, because the maximum prison time that can be served under Spanish law is forty years. Where the forensic trail went cold, there were acquittals for five of the eight charged with mass murder for lack of evidence. In all, 21 of the 28 suspects were convicted, but only three of the mass murder charges. Victims' families were numb.

VICTIM IN SCRUM (TRANSLATED): "The truth is," he says, "the verdicts were soft. It should have been tougher."

NEWTON: Jesus Ramirez is one of the leaders of the victims' groups.

JESUS RAMIREZ, SURVIVOR (TRANSLATED): He says the first impression of the victims was that this was just not enough justice done.

NEWTON: From the chief prosecutor, though, some satisfaction.

PROSECUTOR OLGA SANCHEZ: "This sentence is a judicial landmark," she says, "because it's the first time in history there was a trial of a group of people who directly took part in such a terrible massacre."

NEWTON: Paula Newton, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Is this legit?

RAMSAY: Is This Legit? Nationally, there are the same number of Democrats and Republicans running for president. True! Eight Republicans and eight Democrats are currently on the list.

Democratic Debate

AZUZ: And with just about a year to go before the presidential election, candidates from both parties are trying to find ways to stand out in a crowded field. Now last week, we showed you what happened when Republicans got together to debate the issue. This week, it was the Democrats' turn. Candy Crowley fills us in on what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN REPORTER: Barack Obama called it the most hyped fight since Rocky versus Apollo Creed, after which he took a jab at what he called politically convenient politics.

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Senator Clinton in her campaign, I think, has been for NAFTA previously; now she is against it. She has taken one position on torture several months ago and most recently has taken a different position. She voted for a war, to authorize sending troops into Iraq, and then later said this was a war for diplomacy.

CROWLEY: Looking to change the dynamics of a race dominated by Hillary Clinton, her chief rivals stepped it up in their 7th debate, questioning her consistency, her credibility, her electability.

CHRISTOPHER DODD (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whether it's fair or not fair, the fact of the matter is that my colleague from New York, Senator Clinton, 50% of the American public that are not going to vote for her.

CROWLEY: It was not the knock down, drag out so many predicted, but it was pointed. John Edwards wielded the sharpest blade, standing by his accusation of double talk.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton says that she believes she can be the candidate for change, but she defends a broken system that is corrupt in Washington, D.C. She says she will end the war, but she continues to say she will keep combat troops in Iraq and continue combat missions in Iraq.

CROWLEY: There was an edge to her, but Clinton played the frontrunner's game, refusing to engage with her Democratic opponents. She was aiming higher.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have stood against George Bush and his failed policies. They want to continue the war in Iraq. I want to end it. The Republicans are waving their sabers and talking about going after Iran. I want to prevent a rush to war.

CROWLEY: It is nearly impossible for a single debate to fundamentally change things, but this one kicked up enough dust for Bill Richardson to step in to defend Clinton. He suggested things were getting a little personal. Democrats, he said, should be positive. Candy Crowley, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

News from Cali

AZUZ: From that debate in Philadelphia over to the West Coast now, for a couple of stories making news in California. A young boy has admitted to accidentally starting one of the recent wildfires. His name and age haven't been given, but he told police that he was playing with matches, and that's what sparked the Buckweed fire. You can see it here in these I-Report photos. It's been completely put out, but the blaze burned more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 houses.

And up in Northern California, an earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night. The 5.6-magnitude quake was the strongest to hit the region in nearly 20 years. And while it rattled some things around a bit, as you can see in this grocery store, there were no reports of any serious damage or injuries.

Shoutout

AZUZ: Time for the Shoutout! Which of these shapes best describes a football? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Prolate spheroid, B) Oblate spheroid, C) Truncated icosahedron or D) Conical octahedron? You've got three seconds -- GO! The shape of a prolate spheroid best describes a football. And if you thought the question was tough, just imagine having to read it. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

Unnecessary Roughness?

AZUZ: For as long as people have been tossing around that prolate spheroid, cheerleaders have been there to root them on. They're usually showing off their support and spirit safely on the sidelines. And "safely" is the key word here, because for one cheerleader at a recent high school game in Washington state, the sideline was anything but safe. Luke Ducey of affiliate KOMO has the story: Wrong place, wrong time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUCEY: You've seen the hit. Now meet the 18-year-old cheerleader who got trampled. It probably hurt.

CALI KALTSCHMIDT, AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER: It hurt really bad.

DUCEY: Cali Kaltschmidt.

KALTSCHMIDT: It's not like something that I'd want to be known for, I guess. I mean it was really embarrassing.

DUCEY: At halftime, Cali says she saw something wrong with her team's banner.

KALTSCHMIDT: Well, they put the sign up, and it was kind of like at an angle. It wasn't really ready for the boys to run out yet.

DUCEY: But when she tried making one last adjustment...

KALTSCHMIDT: Barely got there.

DUCEY: ...50 football players were sprinting right for her.

KALTSCHMIDT: And smack, I got ran into by Zach.

DUCEY: And this is Zach: 6 feet tall, 245 pounds. He says at the time, he didn't even know what he ran into.

ZACH, FOOTBALL PLAYER: I thought I just slipped and fell. (laughs)

DUCEY: But Cali got the last laugh. Taking another look now in slow motion, you can actually see her take down the much bigger lineman straight to the turf. Did he apologize?

ZACH: Yes, I apologized.

KALTSCHMIDT: A while later, he got around to it.

ZACH: I was in the middle of a game.

KALTSCHMIDT: It's okay, I understand.

DUCEY: But Cali's story doesn't end there. During our interview, we found out she didn't just have a bad night.

KALTSCHMIDT: I got in a car accident on Thursday, the day before the game. That morning, totaled my car, and I got like a bruise on my neck from the seatbelt.

DUCEY: She had a bad week.

KALTSCHMIDT: Then the next day, I got trampled by the football players.

DUCEY: And even though she got a few bruises here and there...

KALTSCHMIDT: Yeah, there was like a little small one right here after it happened.

DUCEY: ...Cali insists that she's okay.

KALTSCHMIDT: I'm good, I'm fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

AZUZ: Did you miss a day of CNN Student News? No need to worry. Just head to our Web site, CNNStudentNews.com, and access that day's transcript. Then click on the Video tab at the top of the page to watch the show.

Before We Go

AZUZ: Carving a jack-o-lantern can be tough enough on its own. But try doing it in the middle of a bunch of sharks! Man versus beast versus gourd! It's part of the Sharktoberfest fun at an aquarium in Florida. Daredevil divers jumped in the tank to do some underwater carving yesterday. And when they were done, the only scary teeth they had run into were they ones they put on the pumpkin.

Goodbye

AZUZ: At least they didn't put them on the anchor. If you saw yesterday's show, you know what we mean. That's gonna do it for today. But we'll see you tomorrow for more CNN Student News. I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend