Students: We are the class of 2017 from Mrs. Adams’ journalism class from Pewamo Westphalia High School, and our senior year and Channel One News starts right now.
Keith: Thanks to Pewamo Westphalia High School for kicking us off today. I am Keith Kocinski, and we have got some great advice for every graduating class coming up. But first, let's get to your headlines.
Air travelers say they are sick of endless security delays at airports across the country. Now the government's travel authority is shaking things up before one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.Extremely long lines at some of the nation's airports have angered flyers andCongress, so now the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, has kicked out its head of security.
Kelly Hoggan is out and replaced by his deputy. Hoggan has recently come under fire for the delays and because of how much money he made last year. Hoggan's base salary was more than $181,000 a year. On top of that, he took home more than $90,000 in bonuses, even as the screeners he oversaw failed to detect mock explosives or banned weapons in 95 percent of tests by the inspector general.
Representative Jason Chaffetz: Since his promotion to that position in 2013, security operations at TSA have been abysmal.
Keith: Nationwide, tens of thousands of people have missed their flights as screenings have slowed. The TSA blames staffing shortages, tougher screening measures and an increasing number of flyers.
Now, remember we told you about a group of World War II female pilots who were fighting for the right to be buried at Arlington?Well, they have won the fight.President Obama recently signed a measure allowing the honor of burial at Arlington for America's first female pilots.
During World War II, when there was a shortage of male pilots, about 1,000 women signed up for the job. They were called the WASPs: Women'sAirforce Service Pilots. The unit was formed in 1942 with the intention of granting its participants full military status. But the WASPs weren't sent into combat, and because of that, they weren't allowed to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, a military cemetery just outside Washington,D.C.
But the families of WASPs fought back and got lawmakers on their side.
Senator Amy Klobuchar: We aren't going to be able to change history, but we can change how these brave women are honored.
Keith: Next up, it was a rare feat,climbing to the summit of Mount Everest and snapchatting along the way. But yesterday one of the climbers we told you about actually made it. Cory Richards finally reached his mark of 29,000 feet above sea level on Tuesday, and the “National Geographic” photog reached the summit without the help of extra oxygen, something only 200 other people have ever done.
His buddy and fellow climber,Adrian Ballinger, had to turn back and failed to make the mission because of cold temperatures. And climbing Mount Everest is a pretty remarkable accomplishment; the world's tallest mountain has claimed the lives of at least six climbers just in the past week.
All right, coming up, we hit the road with new stats about teen driving safety.
Keith: Tom, do you remember the first time that you got your driver’s license?
Tom: Definitely, Keith. It was pretty cool.
Keith: So you were driving through the corn fields of Iowa with the wind blowing through your hair.
Tom: I lived in suburbia, Keith.
Keith: Anyway, you know driving, it is a lot of responsibility.
Tom: Exactly. And that is why a new report says that teen drivers should get a minimum of 50hours of supervised driving before getting their license. Check it out.
Luke Wheeler is learning the rules of the road and the risks. The 17-year-old has a learner's permit.
Luke Wheeler: I don't wanna be another statistic about distracted driving.
Tom: In early 2003 the rate of teen fatalities in car crashes started dropping, but in 2014 there was an uptick. And it is not clear why.
Kate Carr: It could be more teens driving, and it could also be more distraction because there are more teens using devices.
Tom: But a new report by Safe Kids Worldwide finds parents can help keep their teens out of harm's way by creating a safe driving contract.
Carr: When it comes to teens who have a formal agreement with parents, we found that they are 10 times less likely to drive after they've been drinking; they're four times less likely to drive when distracted — that's using their cell phone.
Woman: We're really proud of you for taking it seriously.
Tom: Luke and his parents have a contract. All parties involved must agree to drive by the rules.
Andrew Wheeler: Children model behavior from their parents, teachers, friends, and we've got to set a good example.
Tom: As for Luke, when he finally gets his license…
Luke: I don't know;I’m probably gonna play some music and just drive around the block a couple times by myself.
Tom: No rules against that.Tom Hanson, Channel One News.
Keith: And we have plenty of tips on how to stay focused on the road over atChannelOne.com.
All right, coming up, it is commencement, and we have a wrap-up of all of the coolest grad speeches.
Keith: Well,Maggie, the future is now for thousands of college graduates across the country.
Maggie: Yeah, Keith, but you don't have to be graduating from college this year to still find inspiration from all of the commencement speechesthat are happening across the country. So sit back, relax and soak up some of these words of wisdom and humor.
Opening cheers and congratulations…
President Obama: Hello,Rutgers!
Vice President Joe Biden: Class of 2016, man, you're a good-looking bunch.
Sheryl Sandberg: Congratulations to the magnificent Berkeley class of 2016! Wooo!
Maggie: …quickly followed by some advice…
Obama: So, class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be. In politics, and in life, ignorance is not a virtue.
Peter Greenberg: You want to make a difference in this world, I’ll tell you what you do:You define yourself by the rules you break.
Condoleezza Rice: Don't let anyone else define your passion for you because of your gender or the color of your skin.
Sandberg: That when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, find the surface and breathe again.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch:And you are the ones, when you’re asked about your goals, you still say, "I want to change the world." Don't ever lose that.
Charlie Rose: Be crazy, be humble, dream big. Make your story a great story. Make all of us proud of what you can be, what you have been and what you will do.
President Bill Clinton: Now, nearing 70, I can tell you it doesn't take long to live a life, but the journey is a glorious thing.
Obama: You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I'll repeat that. I want you to have passion; you have to have a strategy.Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes.
Maggie: …even life lessons on compromise from political rivals.
John Boehner: You can find common ground with the other side without compromising your core beliefs. Ladies and gentlemen, Vice PresidentJoe Biden is one of those people. Joe and I had many disagreements on many different issues.
Biden: Let's get something straight right off the bat.I don't like John Boehner — I love him.
Maggie: With lots of humor…
Obama: The truth is, Rutgers, I came here because you asked. Now, it's true that a lot of schools invite me to their commencement every year, but you are the first to launch a three-year campaign. I even got three notes from the grandmother of your student body president. And I have to say, that really sealed the deal. That was smart because Ihave a soft spot for grandmas.
Sandberg: And I mean in person — not just in a message with a heart emoji.
Russell Wilson: Of course, I'm also here to share some things I've learned, And if you're playing New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, and you've got 26 seconds left, and you're down by four and it's second and goal on their 1-yard line, try not to throw an interception.
Maggie: …and, of course, lots of love.
Biden: You're the most tolerant, talented, technologically advanced generation in American history.
Obama:Let me say something that may be controversial, and that is this: America is a better place today than it was when I graduated from college.
Lynch: The class of 2016, congratulations to you all.
Oprah Winfrey: And your future's so bright, JCSU, it burns my eyes. Go with God.
Obama: God bless.God bless the United States of America.I'm proud of you!
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