May 16, 2008
Quick Guide
Judicial Review - Learn how California's Supreme Court ruled on a same-sex marriage ban.
China - One Child Policy - Hear how China's one-child policy is impacting some earthquake victims.
A Morehouse First - Meet the first white valedictorian of a historically black U.S. college.
Transcript
Teachers, we ask that you please preview today's story about China's one-child policy.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Fridays are totally sweet, and we're glad you're spending part of yours with us here at CNN Student News. From the CNN Center in Atlanta Georgia, I'm Carl Azuz.
AZUZ: First up, we're looking at a couple stories making headlines today, including the latest relief efforts in China following this week's earthquake. But let's start with a controversial ruling by the California Supreme Court.
In a 4-3 decision, the justices declared that a state ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Several gay and lesbian couples, along with gay rights groups and some San Francisco officials, had sued over the ban, saying it discriminated against them unlawfully. One of their attorneys called yesterday's ruling "a moment of joy for many families." Groups opposed to same-sex marriage also reacted strongly. One said that "marriage is, and always has been, between a man and a woman."
In making this ruling, the California High Court was exercising judicial review. That's the authority to decide whether or not laws are constitutional. The concept goes back to the early days of the United States, but there are different opinions on just how much power it actually gives judges. And the topic of same-sex marriage in California isn't finished. Opponents are pushing for a constitutional marriage amendment on November's ballot. That means voters could get to decide on this issue.
Turning to China now, where the government says the toll from this week's powerful earthquake, already reported to be near 20,000, could eventually reach 50,000. Vehicles are bringing supplies to victims in the area where this quake started. But mudslides, debris and falling rocks, all of this is stalling other rescue efforts, as troops and medics search for survivors in the ruins of businesses, homes and schools.
AZUZ: Several schools collapsed in the earthquake, trapping hundreds of children in the rubble. It's unimaginable for a parent to lose a child under any circumstances. But as Kyung Lah tells us, a law in China prevents many parents from having more than one baby to begin with. That means some families have lost their only child. Teachers, we ask that you please preview this segment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER: It defies the natural order, a parent losing a child. Yet many of the parents of the 900 children buried in the rubble of Juyuan Middle School are now confronting that horror, and under China's one-child policy, may have lost their only child. It is an intolerable grief shared by so many here.
Back in 1979, the government mandated a one-child-per-family policy as its population neared one billion. Some wealthier families ignore the order and pay a fine. And in rural areas like the earthquake-devastated Sichuan province, families can petition for an additional child. But the government rarely relents. Last year, violence broke out in southwest China after authorities went house to house collecting thousand-dollar fines from families with more than one child. China's population minister praised the one child rule, saying it has prevented 400 million children from being born.
But thousands of Chinese parents are now coping with one tragic consequence of that rigid law, while others pray for the miraculous rescue of their one child. This rescuer tells a trapped second grader to hang on, then they pull the small child out of the rubble, alive. Applause as rescuers free an eight month pregnant woman, trapped for two days. But for every child saved, so many are lost. Many are missing at a middle school in Qingchuan. And back at Juyuan Middle School, the sorrow seems endless. Kyung Lah, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Young People Who Rock
AZUZ: The reverse situation, when a young person loses a parent or family member, can be just as difficult. Kate Atwood experienced it herself, and she decided to help other people who are dealing with a similar loss. Nicole Lapin talks with the founder of Kate's Club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go back in order to get to where we are today. When you were 12 years old, your mom passed away. What was that like?
KATE ATWOOD, KATE'S CLUB FOUNDER: My mother had breast cancer and she had battled for six long years. And she passed away on April 25. And I was 12 years old; I had a 14-year-old brother. I think even with my mom being sick for so long, we never really anticipated or were prepared for that day she would pass away. It was something that made me abnormal amongst my peers, and that made for a really challenging adolescence. No kid wants to be different or be abnormal, but I suddenly was the girl whose mom had died.
I got involved as a volunteer at a camp in Virginia, and as a 19-year-old, was asked to share my story with the entire camp. And I had never shared my story, not with my best friend, not with my family. I had never given my grief a voice. And that was a moment for me, in front of all of those kids in front of that camp, that changed my life. The seed of Kate's Club was what I would have wanted as a 12-year-old; to be with friends, to have fun. We've now grown to be able to provide emotional and clinical support for these kids in a myriad of programs that we offer at our clubhouse. So, it's kind of evolved from just being this social and recreational support, to really this comprehensive therapeutic support for these kids.
LAPIN: Thank you so much, Kate.
ATWOOD: Thanks so much for having me.
LAPIN: You can read more about Kate's story on our Web site, cnn.com/youngpeoplewhorock. Are you a young person who rocks out there? Do you know somebody like Kate, doing amazing things out there? Well, you can nominate that person at this Web site as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Shoutout
GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! What do Martin Luther King, Jr., David Satcher and Spike Lee have in common? If you think you know it, shout it out! Are they: A) Natives of Atlanta, Georgia, B) Nobel Prize winners, C) Morehouse men or D) U.S. Poets Laureate? You've got three seconds -- GO! They weren't all born in Atlanta, but all three men attended Morehouse College there. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
AZUZ: Morehouse is one of the most well-known, historically black colleges in America, and its history is just as distinguished as its alumni. Since it was founded in the 1860s, the all-male institution has awarded bachelor's degrees to more African-American men than any other college or university in the U.S. Don Lemon introduces us to a Morehouse man who really stands out in the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN REPORTER: It's graduation season, and the proud men of Morehouse College in Atlanta are ready.
TODD LEVERETTE, SENIOR: We're men of Morehouse. When we cross that stage on May 18th, we will be Morehouse men.
LEMON: For over a century, Morehouse men have prided themselves for personifying Dr. King's dream: intelligent, successful and black. Until now.
JOSH PACKWOOD, VALEDICTORIAN: I'll be the first white student at Morehouse to become valedictorian.
LEMON: Surprising to some maybe that a white guy who also had a full-ride scholarship to Columbia University would end up at an historically black college. But not to Josh Packwood, who attended a mostly black high school.
PACKWOOD: I guess it was kind of strange that I kind of always gravitated to the black community.
LEMON: Josh fit in at Morehouse immediately. School administrators say he was elected dorm president and to class council in his freshman year.
DR. ROBERT FRANKLIN, MOREHOUSE PRESIDENT: Mr. Packwood is deserving. He has earned this. We are committed to merit, to hard work no matter who it might be.
LEMON: But Josh is aware that his top-of-the-class status has raised eyebrows among some students, but mostly among alumni.
STERLING HUDSON, DEAN OF ADMISSIONS: I think that segment of our alumni has to wake up to a new world; basically, a diverse world.
KAHOA BONHOMME, JUNIOR: Most likely, they never had the opportunity to even dream of becoming valedictorian at a predominately white institution. So, I can definitely understand where they're coming from. I respectfully disagree.
PACKWOOD: People have been willing to take a chance on me and get to know me, as opposed to just writing me off as the crazy white kid who decided to come to an HBCU.
LEMON: Josh's brother starts at Morehouse this fall. Don Lemon, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Promo
AZUZ: You guys have probably thought a lot about where you want to go to college. And many of you seniors already know where you're headed in the fall. So, here's your chance to show off your school spirit! Head to our blog at CNNStudentNews.com and tell us where you're going, or where you want to go, and most importantly, why.
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, most skydivers jump out of planes with a parachute. But this thrill-seeker leaped into the blue with a pair of self-made wings! Here's the kicker: They come equipped with four jet engines! Awesome! And when those babies kicked into gear, this former fighter pilot zoomed across the sky at close to 190 miles per hour! He dived, turned, did a couple loops, I think he even pulled off a barrel roll at one point. All before touching down safely a few minutes later.
Goodbye
AZUZ: That's where today's show comes in for a landing, and where we take off for the weekend. Hope you have a great one. I'm Carl Azuz.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
Read
VIDEO
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
