Students: This is Ms.Henry's sixth-grade class at Catholic Central School in Springfield, Ohio, and Channel One News starts right now!
Keith: Thanks so much to Catholic Central School for getting us in gear. I am Keith Kocinski. The end of the school week is here, so let's get to it.
All right, first it was Facebook; now it is Twitter's turn.Company executives were grilled on Capitol Hill yesterday, and they are going to need a whole lot more than 280characters to answer these questions.Senate investigators want to know how Russian internet trolls used the social media platform to spread fake news during the 2016 presidential election.
Congressional investigators say the goal for Russia was simple: to divide Americans, putting them against each other.One ad on Facebookconfirmed to be from Russia specifically targeted Baltimore, Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement.These reports just add to the list of ways Russians are allegedly trying to influence American opinion.
SenatorDianne Feinstein: We hope to learn factsof what has been done, what has been published, who is doing what in this.
SenatorBob Corker: It would be useful to understand what these social media outlets are doing to protect the public.
Keith: During the election investigators say at least 21 states were targeted by Russian hackers.Russian bots and trolls also reportedly spread fake news and attacks against Hillary Clinton on social media.
And lawmakers say the trolls are still at it.Oklahoma Senator James Lankford said while NFL players were protesting the national anthem this weekend, Russians were flooding social media with #BoycottTheNFL and #TakeAKnee.
Senator James Lankford: They were taking both sides of the argument this past weekend and pushing them out from their troll farms as much as they could to try to just raise the noise level in America.
Keith: Facebook has already handed over files and data to Congress about Russian-bought ads promoting fake news. But last night the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee called Twitter's presentation "deeply disappointing."
Yesterday's meeting was behind closed doors, but Google, Facebook and Twitter execs are being invited to testify publicly on November 1.
Okay, next up, the U.S. military is stepping up, trying to help the residents of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.The USNSComfort, a Navy hospital ship, is on its wayto provide medical care.Aid and food have now been delivered to the island, but the big problem is it is still not in the hands of those who need it.
More than 3,000 shipping containers with food and water are sitting at the port of San Juan, but there are no truck drivers to deliver the items.Most roads are still blocked by debris, and fuel is in very short supply.
People are waiting in line for basic necessities like food and water. Under pressure from Congress, yesterday President Trump temporarily set aside a restriction on foreign ships to allow more deliveries of supplies into Puerto Rico.
A new tax code is on the table. President Trump delivered his new tax plan this week to the American people, calling it a $6-trillion tax cut that will help working-class Americans.However, Democrats saythat is not the case.
Trump says the plan will simplify how people pay taxes.
President Donald Trump: Tax reform will protect low-income and middle-income households, not the wealthy and well connected.
Keith: The plan also calls for cutting taxes on businesses from 35 percent to 20 percent. But opponents like Senator Chuck Schumer say it will hurt families.
Senator Chuck Schumer: A large percentage of middle-class families would pay more taxes. Looking at this plan,I think almost every wealthy family would get a big break.
Keith: But some analysts warnless taxesmeans less money for the government, making it harder to pay its billsand pay off the nation's $20-trillion national debt, which is growing by the minute.
Okay, now you just heard our Word in the News, and a word you had better get used to: national debt, which is the total amount of money a country has borrowed and still has to pay back.
Okay, coming up, how one countryis speeding up its rights for women.
Keith: Okay,Demetrius Pipkin is here with a story about getting behind the wheel of a car for the very first time. Looking back on it, that was an awesome time, wasn’t it?
Demetrius: It felt like freedom, right?
Keith: It really was, it really was.
Demetrius: ButKeith, we are not talking about teenagers getting their license.We are talking about women in the country of Saudi Arabia, who will, for the first time,be allowed to drive.
For years women in Saudi Arabia have been breaking the law by getting behind the wheel and secretly posting these videos online.
Madeha al-Ajroush: The car, for the Saudi women, have become the symbol of wanting our voices to be heard and our needs to be heard.
Demetrius: And after more than two decades of campaigning in the strict Islamic nation, they have finally won the right to drive.
al-Ajroush: My reaction is I'm on cloud nine. I'm very, very happy.
Demetrius: Saudi Arabia is a deeply religious place, where many people hold tightly to their strict Islamic traditions. Women are often separated from men, including at restaurants, banks and at school.Many hardliners even believe that women's sports are a sin.
Minura: It's like your life in a box. You can't live life in a box.
Demetrius: The country has been mocked for its driving ban for years. The new decree from the Saudi king will allow women to lawfully take to the road starting next June.A Saudi spokeswoman calls the move "the right decision at the right time."
Fatimah Baeshen: This is just another step in the march towards progress.
Demetrius: The march toward progress has been slow but steady in Saudi Arabia.
There are now more women than men in Saudi universities, and the government is encouraging women to join the workforce. And just last week, women were allowed into the national sports stadium for the first time.
The U.S.State Department says ending the ban on women driving is a good move.
Heather Nauert: It's a great step in the right direction for that country.
Demetrius: But some are still opposed to ending the driving ban or expanding women's rights, claiming it goes against the country's way of life.
Demetrius Pipkin, Channel One News.
Keith: Thanks,D.
Now, you can see how other women around the world are fighting for their rights over at ChannelOne.com.
All right, now it is time to get the feels with this week's Feel-Good Friday story. Today Cassie Hudson meets upwith one teenwho is changing the game of footballfor young people with disabilities.
Cassie: Commitment, teamwork, characterand dedication —these are just a few of the reasons why Charlie Burt has the heart of a giant.
Charlie Burt: Playing football — it's kind of just like a brotherhood, you know. You don't get that in any other sport.
Cassie: His role as captain of the football team at Mahopac High School in New York is one he takes very seriously.
Mark Langella: And he leads by example, and when players lead by example, that’s how they get to that position of being nominated as captain.
Cassie: Off the field the 17-year-old stays busy studying, volunteering, even finding time for an after-school job.
Langella: If Charlie was to run for mayor of Mahopac tomorrow, he probably would be mayor of Mahopac.
Cassie: But things haven't always been easy for Charlie.He was born without a left hand.
Charlie: Anytime Iwas starting to feel a little negative, because it does happen, honestly. No one is going to be positive all the time; that's just a little unrealistic. You just — you need someone to be there for you, to catch you when you start to fall, and that's what my parents were there for, my coach.
Cassie: Where some people might see a limitation, Charlie sees limitless possibilities.
Charlie: I live to prove people wrong, honestly. That's like my favorite thing to do. I love when people look at me and say, "Oh, he's not going to do that,” and I give them the old, "Yeah?Well, watch me!"
Cassie: His ability to overcome adversity and push his body to the limits didn't go unnoticed.
Teammate: He truly is the reason why I play football to this day.
Teammate: He's one of the hardest-working kids I’ve known.
Langella: He inspired me!
Cassie: Coach Langella nominated Charlie for the USAFootball Heart of a Giant award, an honor presented to high school football players who show work ethic and passion for the game. And with the support of his classmates and hometeam, he landed a spot as a finalist for the award.
If Charlie knew what was coming next, he didn't show it. While he was giving a speech to students at a school assembly, a surprise guest showed up.
Rashad Jennings: I’m humbled to be here today to honor somebody who is so special, who represents what it means to have a heart of a giant.
Cassie: Can you describe that moment?
Charlie: It was just an awesome experience. It was really cool to meet Rashad too. He's an awesome guy.Because he's overcome obstacles too,so he kind of understands, and it’s kind of cool to relate to him.
Cassie: And it didn't stop there. The New York Giants invited him to MetLife Stadium to be honored on the field during a game.
Charlie: Because it kind of just felt like everything thatIhad hoped for and everything Ihad worked for came true, and in that moment,I realizedthat thatwas it, you know? I made it.
Cassie: Cassie Hudson, Channel One News.
Keith: Wow. Charlie is definitely an inspiration.
Well, that is it for us. Have a great weekend, and we will see you right back here on Monday.
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