CNN Student News Transcript: November 14, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- November 14, 2008

Quick Guide

World Finance Summit - Hear President Bush's position on how to fix the global financial crisis.

TroopTube - See how the U.S. military is helping troops connect with their loved ones.

As it Was - Take a virtual tour of the sights, sounds and smells of an ancient city.

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: Fridays are awesome. I'm Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN Student News.

First Up: Out of Gas?

AZUZ: First up, it looks like the auto industry's "big three" -- GM, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler -- may have to wait to see if they can get help from the U.S. government. Yesterday, we mentioned a controversial proposal to give part of the $700 billion bailout to the struggling automakers. But a leading Senate Democrat says that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.

SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D) CONNECTICUT: I, for one, would like to see us do something. Right now, I don't think the votes -- I don't know of a single Republican who's willing to support. And you've heard Senator Shelby publicly speak out on his opposition to doing anything in the automotive area. So, I want to be careful about bringing up a proposition that might fail, in light of the fact that the authority exists. And under an Obama administration, there seems to be a greater willingness to deal with the issue.

AZUZ: Senator Dodd was talking about Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who's said that the auto industry's struggles aren't a national problem, but its own problem caused by its own mistakes. A spokesperson for Republican Senator Mitch McConnell says his party is willing to help automakers, just not how the Democrats are proposing, by using money intended to help the financial industry.

Dow Update

AZUZ: The stock market, meanwhile, took Wall Street on a roller-coaster ride yesterday, but it ended with a 552-point gain for the Dow Jones Average! That's good news, because the Dow, as you know, indicates how the overall market is doing. The market made its climb after dropping earlier in the day, and by closing, it had gained about $700 billion in value.

World Finance Summit

AZUZ: All people should be free to worship as they see fit. That was President Bush's message yesterday to an interfaith conference at the United Nations. The goal of the meeting is to bridge the differences between religions and cultures. Starting today, President Bush is hosting a meeting of world leaders to discuss the global financial crisis. Elaine Quijano gives us a preview of the president's position on how to turn things around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN REPORTER: As he prepares to host an international financial summit, President Bush said America would continue to lead in the global economy.

U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: The world will see the resilience of America once again.

QUIJANO: But his comments come on the heels of more evidence that right now, America's bleak economy is leading in the wrong direction. Last week, more than half a million Americans filed new claims for unemployment insurance, the highest level since the weeks after September 11th. Amid the continued downturn, the president traveled to Federal Hall in the heart of Wall Street to argue that recent government action is slowly making a difference.

BUSH: Credit markets are beginning to thaw. Businesses are gaining access to essential short-term financing. And a measure of stability is returning to financial systems here at home and around the world.

QUIJANO: But some say investors are looking beyond the current president, who has roughly two months left in office. But with President-elect Barack Obama steering clear of the summit and some European leaders pushing for global financial regulation, the outgoing president is defending Western capitalism and free market principles, even as he acknowledges parts of the system are broken.

BUSH: And the answer is not to try to reinvent that system. It is to fix the problems we face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

AZUZ: Every Friday, we put your news knowledge to the test with ten questions about some of the stories we've covered throughout the week. Can you get a perfect score? Head to our Web site and check out the free Newsquiz to find out! But don't go yet. One of this week's questions is from our next story!

TroopTube

AZUZ: If you're looking for a funny video clip, you might end up on YouTube, where users can post almost anything. I myself, have been a victim. But U.S. troops aren't allowed to use YouTube. So, the military's come up with an alternative that gives personnel serving overseas and their families the chance to communicate via online video. Alina Cho dials up the details on TroopTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOY OZMENT, MILITARY WIFE: Hey. We want to give a shout out to 3rd Brigade, A Troop, 133 Cavalry.

ALINA CHO, CNN REPORTER: Joy Ozment never thought she'd be able to talk to her husband serving in Iraq face to face. Well, almost.

OZMENT: Thank you for all that you are doing, and we can't wait to see you.

CHO: This is TroopTube, the U.S. military's answer to YouTube. The site is new. There are personal messages, music.

OAK RIDGE BOYS SINGING: Oh say can you see.

CHO: Even a heartfelt welcome from General David Petraeus.

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: Saying thanks for your tremendous work.

CHO: Joy says knowing her husband can log on, see her and post videos himself, takes some of the loneliness away.

OZMENT: Knowing that he sees, hey, everything's normal back at the house. I don't have to worry about the family. I can see what they're doing.

CHO: Their dad is back with them now, but says when he redeploys, he'll feel like a piece of him is still home.

SERGEANT FIRST CLASS TROY OZMENT, U.S. ARMY: Instead of just knowing your daughter graduated or had the lead in a play, you can actually see it and hear it, and it makes a difference.

CHO: A year and a half ago, the military blocked troops from accessing video-sharing sites like YouTube. On TroopTube, all videos are prescreened to make sure they're tasteful and don't compromise national security.

KRISTEN VALVERDE, MILITARY WIFE: Be safe and come home fast. We love you.

CHO: For Kristin and her husband, Sgt. First Class Chris Valverde, the videos mean the kids won't forget their dad.

VALVERDE: Christmas, opening presents, birthdays, the first softball game, my son losing a tooth. Just events that he definitely would want to share with him, it almost puts him there.

SERGEANT FIRST CLASS CHRIS VALVERDE, U.S. ARMY: It's definitely the next best thing to being home physically.

CHO: The only problem, from Joy Ozment's standpoint?

OZMENT: They picked a terrible spot to stop the video! And I was like, oh no, that's terrible looking!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Shoutout

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Bailey's Social Studies classes at Hemmeter School in Saginaw, Michigan. Which of these would you find in the ancient city of Rome? Is it the: A) Hanging Gardens of Babylon, B) Parthenon, C) Sphinx or D) Colosseum? You've got three seconds -- GO! The Colosseum opened its doors in 80 A.D., and it's still standing in Rome today! That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

As it Was

AZUZ: After a couple thousand years, the Colosseum looks a little more run down than when it first opened. But that's the only way to experience this famous building, right? Wrong! Thanks to a new virtual reality exhibit, you can see the Colosseum and all of ancient Rome in its original condition, sort of. Alessio Vinci takes us on the tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN REPORTER: What the glorious Roman empire looked like in the old days has been pretty much left to your imagination, until now.

3D REWIND ROME: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Colosseum!

VINCI: Just a stone's throw away from the real Colosseum...

3D REWIND ROME: Step this way, folks, for your chance to peek into the Temple of Vesta.

VINCI: ...Entertainment and history merged into a 30-minute interactive journey.

3D REWIND ROME: This loose stone should give us an undisturbed view.

VINCI: Starting with a replica of today's excavations, visitors can take a virtual tour of ancient Rome with some surprises.

OLIVIA MENAGUALE, 3D REWIND ROME: You are back in time. You are smelling the history.

VINCI: So, you actually reproduce the smells, as well?

MENAGUALE: We do. You can smell the mold. You can see a little powder coming from the top. You can hear water going around your side, and you can even hear the squeaky noise of animals scurrying around.

VINCI: Animals; rats?

MENAGUALE: You need to leave the surprise for the people who are coming.

VINCI: You actually use real rats?

MENAGUALE: I can't tell you, you know.

VINCI: 3D technology allows visitors to walk through the hustle and bustle of Roman life.

3D REWIND ROME: It's the poorest part of Rome, where us ordinary mortals live.

3D REWIND ROME: Brave gladiators, give us a day to remember.

VINCI: The sensation is like walking through a virtual time machine. Olivia Menaguale is one of the partners in the project, but also an art historian.

MENAGUALE: So, we are just an enhancement to the classic tour that you should do, because here, that's why we are just 80 meters away from the Colosseum. We don't want to be detached from the real thing; we want to be part of it.

VINCI: And through this wireless device, the audio is actually in eight different languages, right: Chinese, Russian, German, French, Spanish, English, right?

MENAGUALE: Italian at the moment.

VINCI: Arabic, maybe?

MENAGUALE: Yea. Yea, of course; will be the next one, possibly.

VINCI: Most of it, though, doesn't really need translation. Alessio Vinci, CNN, in ancient Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

AZUZ: Before we go -- you guys are gonna love this -- we've got a dog who's standing on her own two feet... because that's how many she has! This hound was born with only her hind legs, but that doesn't seem to keep her down. In fact, it looks like just the opposite. Faith is her name, and her owners used the dog's favorite food to teach her to stand up for herself. Now, she can run, or hop, just as well as any other four-legged friend.

Goodbye

AZUZ: All right, we're done dogging on her. And we're out of time. You guys have a great weekend. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.