Scott: What is up? It is Thursday, January 22nd. I am Scott Evans and Channel One News starts right now.
Let's start off with headlines.And we begin with Israeli police who are now on a heightened security alert after eleven people were stabbed in a terror attack on a bus in Israel’s capital city of Tel Aviv.
Emergency crews rushed to save victims who were stabbed right on the streets of Tel Aviv yesterday. Officers saw the bus swerving out of control and a man running away.
Mickey Rosenfeld: Special patrol units chased the suspect. He was shot in his leg and is now in police custody.
Scott: Police say the man is a 23-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank who wanted to seek revenge for Israel’s war against Gaza last year.
The militant group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, praised the attack. Israeli officials called it an act of terrorism by a lone wolf.
Wednesday’s violence comes as tensions in that part of the world are high between Israelis and Palestinians as they continue to clash over disputed holy sites in the city of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their own.
And next up, it looks like there’s a cheating scandal brewing for one of this year's Super Bowl teams.
The NFL is investigating the footballs used by the New England patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game after several reports say they were under-inflated.
According to several news reports, 11 of 12 footballs used by New England in Sunday’s game were under-inflated by two pounds per square inch, or about 16 percent. The NFLrequires each team to provide 12 of its own footballs which are checked by a league official two hours before kickoff.
So while the Indianapolis Colts were playing with regulation footballs, the Patriots were reportedly using the deflated footballs. Experts say the deflated ones would be easier to grip and catch, especially in rainy conditions.
So far, the NFL is not commenting on its investigation.
CBSsports also reported that some Baltimore Ravens believe that there were problems withfootballs used in their playoff game with the Patriots, a week earlier.
And to check out some other big scandals in the sports, including one where players were banned for life, head to ChannelOne.com. And coming up, what is free speech mean?Well, we will take a closer look after the break.
The recent attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has brought the debate over free speech front and center. Keith Koscinski explores the question, can you place restrictions on speech, and if so, is it still truly free speech?
Salman Rushdie: The moment somebody says,“Yes, I believe in free speech, but…” I stop listening.
Keith: Students at the University of Vermont got a lesson in free speech from someone who knows it well, author Salman Rushdie, who in the 1980's faced death threats and spent 10 years in hiding after publishing some of his books, which offended Muslims in many countries.
Rushdie: The moment you limit free speech, it's not free speech.
Keith: Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights guaranteed to Americans, part of the First Amendment.
Logan key: Freedom of speech really defines our country. And it’s what our country is founded on.
Brennan Ackerman: My thoughts are mine, and I should be able to express them if I want to.
Keith: But there's new global debate about what should be protected as free speech after the attacks on the French newspaper, Charlie Hebdo.The newspaper was known for its offensive cartoons about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. And that's the reason terrorists say the paper was attacked.
Last week, the paper showed another cartoon of Muhammad on the cover, which sparked protests around the world.
In Pakistan, thousands of Christians and Muslims believe free speech ends with religion.In Russia, tens of thousands rallied in the mostly Muslim region of Chechnya.
Even Pope Francis said last week that there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules a person's faith.
Millions have rallied on the opposite side.
From Vienna to Londonto Istanbul, Beirut, Moscow andNew York City, the message“I Am Charlie,” in support of Charlie Hebdo to print whatever it wants.
What no one disagrees on is that the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo was an attack on the freedom of speech.
Female: We defend the values of freedom of speech, freedom of expression.
Keith: But even as world leaders stood in support of free speech at this march in Paris, there were some faces in the crowd whose own records are questionable.
Like Jordan's King Abdullah, whose government last year sentenced ajournalist to jail with hard labor. And Egypt’s foreign minister, a country which has imprisoned a group of journalists for 500 days and counting.
The foreign minister of Russia, a country accused of imprisoning a journalist for insulting a government servant. And the prime minister of Turkey, a country that sends more journalists to jail than any other in the world.
And even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew into Paris to support FrenchJews and freedom of expression, back home in Israel, mocking Islamic prophet Muhammad can bring a prison sentence.
Even France has rules around what is protected free speech.Since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, more than 50 people have been arrested or detained for something they said or wrote, including a French comedianwho posted a Facebook comment supporting one of the alleged terrorists who killed 4 hostages at a supermarket.
That's because in France, hate speech against a particular group of people is not protected. But speech that mocks religion is.
This map shows an analysis of freedom of speech by the group Reporters Without Borders. It ranks France in yellow as satisfactory, 39th in the world for freedom of speech.
The darkest countries show where there is very little freedom of speech.Like China, ranked 175th, where speaking out against the government could get you thrown in prison.
Here in the U.S., you can say almost anything you want. But there are some limits, including incitement speech, which is getting a crowd riled up to commit violence, for example.And there are limits on slander and libel, saying or writing lies about someone.
On the global free speech listthe U.S. ranks 46, satisfactory, but a big drop from the year before. That’s because of government crackdowns on whistleblowers and information leaks, as well as seizing phone records from journalists.
In order to have a true democracy, there needs to be a free exchange of information.
So protecting our First Amendment rightsand the rights of everyone to speak freely without worrying about violence or imprisonment is something we should all care about.
Erik Stadlin: I think it's really important that wherever you are in the world you can say what you want.
Keith Koscinski: Channel One News.
Scott: Thanks Keith.
Coming up we take a look at how one girl's message is inspiring a whole community to pay it forward.
And Maggie is here with us now with a pretty emotional story.
Maggie: Yeah Scott, it is hard to imagine exactly how to react to the loss of a loved one. But one California girl you are about to meet writes to her father who passed away.She does it every year, but this year she got a response.
Ashlynn Marracino: I miss him, a lot.
Maggie: Almost every year since her dad died suddenly in 2010, 16-year-old Ashlynn Marracino has written him a letter on his birthday, January 6th.
Every year she sends a new letter on a balloon. She says, so he can read it in heaven.
Ashlynn: While I was writing it, I was just crying so much. And then when I let it go, I kind of calmed down and watched it go. And I didn't think anybody would find it.
Maggie: But someone did. The most recent balloon landed outside Lisa Swisley's restaurant in Auburn, California, 436 miles away.
Last week, Lisa and Ashlynn spoke for the first time on Skype. Lisa recently started a pay it forward Facebook page for her town to encourage people to give back. She shared Ashlynn's letter, and now cards and packages for the teen are pouring in.
Ashlynn: I told him to show me a sign, and I think this is his sign.
Maggie: A sign, says Ashlynn, to let go of regret.
Ashlynn: To forgive really easily.
Maggie: The night before her father died, she saw he called and didn’t pick up.
Ashlynn: Wish I could fix it.
Maggie: It took a balloon, hundreds of miles, and strangers to remind Ashlynn what her dad would say if he could.
Ashlynn:That he loves me.
Maggie: Talk about amajor surprise, right?
Scott: Yeah, I mean, that’s pretty awesome. And that's all the time we have got for you today. I am Scott Evans.
Maggie: I am Maggie Rulli.
Scott: And we will see you right back here, tomorrow.
1 | Page