Teachers: Hi,I'm Jessica Taigen.I'm Shauna Long, and we're social studies teachers at Franklin Junior High School in Mesa, Arizona, and Channel One News starts right now!
Maggie: So happy to have teachers start off our show today on Teacher Appreciation Day!I want to give a big shout-out to all the teachers out there and the amazing work that you do — thank you, thank you so much.
I am Maggie Rulli here in the Channel One newsroom taking a look at the top stories of the day. And first up, we are heading to Cuba.That is where the first U.S. cruise ship in nearly 40 years docked in Havana yesterday.
Carnival Cruise Line's Adonia became the first U.S. cruise ship to visit Cuba since the late 1970s.More than 700 people onboard made the historic trip that further shows how the U.S.–Cuban relationship is warming.The U.S. and Cuba have been enemies for decades, but President Obama began opening up ties with the island nation in 2014. Travel is now allowed, but a lot of other things like business deals are still off limits.
Next up,Bitcoin is a controversial currency, one that is created and exchanged digitally, and its inventor has long been a mystery. But yesterday an Australian millionaire came forward.
Craig Wright: Some people will believe; some people won't, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care. I was the main part of it; other people helped me.
Maggie: Craig Wright, an Australian businessman and computer scientist, says he is the creator of Bitcoin and that he came forward because his friends and family were being harassed.Bitcoin has become the world's most commonly used virtual currency, attracting the interest of banks, regulators and even criminals because it is almost impossible to track Bitcoin transactions.But some people aren't buying Wright's claims.
And though it might be Teacher Appreciation Day, teachers in Detroit,Michigan, say they aren't feeling appreciated.Nearly all of the schools in Detroit were shut down yesterday after teachers called out sick.Ninety-four out of Detroit's 97 public schools were closed yesterday, affecting more than 40,000 students.
Teachers called in sick as a way to protest after they found out that the district is set to run out of money soon.Many teachers might not get paid if state lawmakers don't send extra money to help the district.These protests have been going on for months, but yesterday was the largest sick-out yet.
Over the weekend, the district said it would run out of money by the end of June.Some parents and administrators spoke out against the sick-outs and called them counterproductive, saying students suffer by missing class time.
Allright, coming up, after 200 years of performances, one famous circus closes the curtain on its most iconic act.
Maggie: The elephant act at the circus is iconic, but Arielle,it is also pretty controversial.
Arielle: Yeah,Maggie. After two centuries the elephants of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus are taking their final bow.
The “greatest show on earth” is letting go of its biggest performers. Eleven Asian elephants performed their last headstands this week and took their final bows, ending a 200-year spectacle that has both amazed fans and enraged animal activists for years.
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson says these mesmerizing giants always stole the show.
Johnathan Lee Iverson: We can have trapeze artists. We can have people shooting out of cannons. You bring an elephant on the floor— you can walk on water, but I’m gonna tell you, that elephant will get all the attention.
Arielle: But many saythe retirement is way overdue.
Elinor Molgebott: It's the end of an era that should've ended a long, long time ago.
Arielle: Kenneth Feld is the chairman of the parent company that owns Ringling Brothers.
Kenneth Feld: It is a bittersweet decision; there is no question about that, but it is the best thing, and we felt this was the right time to do it.
Arielle: The right time to retire these enormous animals, with their star-studded tiaras, who have been the subject of thousands of YouTube videos from activists citing animal abuse. It is all part of a huge shift in the national attitudes toward animal entertainment; the pushback forced Sea World to phase out its killer whale shows at its amusement parks last month.
Now, elephants have been an iconic symbol of American circuses since the 1800sand even paraded through city streets, but growing concern for their welfare has led cities including Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Austin to ban or place restrictions on wild and exotic animal acts, like the elephants.
Circus historian Dominique Jando says the city bans plus the cost of maintaining the touring troupe also make it unprofitable.
Dominique Jando: For Ringling, traveling with elephants, if they cannot reach those big markets, it's an enormous financial loss.
Arielle: For now, these former circus elephants will join 29 others in retirement at this 200-acre conservation center in Florida run by the owner of the Ringling Brothers. Ringling says now it is moving on and has plans to fully reinvent its show.
Alana Feld: We are working on a show with a lot of new technology, a whole different look to the show — a whole different performance space.
Arielle: But the controversy isn't exactly over. The circus says it will still feature other animals, like lions, tigers and horses, and animal rights activists say they will keep on protesting.
Maggie: Definitely something to watch. Thanks,Arielle.
All right, coming up next, how parkour is giving one group of young people a new jump on life.
Maggie: The Gaza Strip is a war-torn area in the Middle East where life is pretty tough, but Keith, you have a story about how young people there are flipping the script on their reality.
Keith: Yeah,Mags, these guys are amazing, and they say they are just trying to make the best out of their situation. This unbelievable video speaks for itself. Check it out.
A war-blasted apartment building in Gaza becomes a perfect stage for parkour.It is an extreme sport blending gymnastics with agility training, developed for a military obstacle course.These guys call themselves Three Run Gaza because they have survived through three wars.
Uday: Parkour makes us feel free. Nothing is holding you back.
Keith: Gaza is a small strip of land self-governed by Palestinians on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Egypt and Israel. Nearly 2million Palestinians live in this densely populated area that is controlled by Israel and surrounded by a border wall.Gaza has a history of being a place of unrest from wars with Israel and fighting between different groups within itself.
Gaza's ruined and twisted cities are an unexpected perfect outlet for their energy.The young men don't see danger, but challenge. Crazy leaps and twists from floor to debris-strewn floor to the rooftop.And from up here, they can see an Israeli Army watchtower.
Hamza: No matter how much they destroy or kill, I will still dance and have fun.
Keith: And the next generation wants in on this too, excited for drills that teach how safety comes from practice.Mohammad is the team's coach and its philosopher.
Mohammad: We love life and hope and peace.
Keith: So what an outsider sees as death-defying, the guys behind Three Run Gaza see as life-fulfilling. “All around us is sadness,” they said, “but in the air, in the moment, is the sheer joy of being young.”
That video still amazes me. I can’t believe those guys are jumping from two- and three-storybuildings.
Maggie: It is crazy! Really, really cool. Well, how well do you know parkour? You can take our quiz over at ChannelOne.com. What about you, Keith? Do you think you could do that?
I guess that is a yes?
All right, well, we are almost out of time, but we have got one more thing to show you before we go.
Class: Happy Teachers’ Appreciation Day!
Class: Teacher Appreciation Day!
Class: Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!
Maggie: Today is all about teachers, and all across the country, you guys sent in your shout-outs…
Class: Thank you,Miss Weiss!
Maggie: …celebrating with confetti and clapping…
Class: Please welcome the best teacher you'll ever meet, Ms. Cara!
Maggie: …and sending love to the special people in your life.
Class: Mrs.Martin, you rock!
Class: We love you,Ms. Gainz; you're our favorite teacher.
Class: And Ms. Fasicilian, if you're watching this, I love you.
Maggie: Hats off to all the teachers out there!
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