Waching daily Jul 31 2017

Welcome back to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Ten minutes of commercial-free headlines for the classroom.

I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for watching.

First up today, unrest in Venezuela. South American country is officially a federal republic.

That means, the central government`s power is limited and voters may choose their representatives.

But in recent years, the power of Venezuela`s government has increased. It`s moved towards

socialism, taking over control of TV stations, food companies, oil companies. The country`s

president Nicolas Maduro has followed in the footsteps of former president Hugo Chavez.

A controversial leader who envisioned a socialist Venezuela.

The U.S. State Department recently said it was concerned about protests going on in the

country. Afterward, Venezuelan President Maduro kicked out three U.S. diplomats, and the protests

continue.

The streets of Caracas have resembled a war zone. Thousands of anti-government protesters

met with water cannons and armed security forces. Buildings scarred with bullet holes.

These protests began last week when students organized against rising crime, food shortages

and high inflation.

At more than 56 percent, Venezuela has one of the highest inflation rates in the world.

We are here because we hope we can have enough goods, supplies and a safe environment to

live in. We also expect quality education.

President Nicolas Maduro met the opposition with a rally of his own and is not backing

down.

I will continue in power, because the people (inaudible) power. On this constitution I

swear, I swear and I will swear, nothing will take me off the road of building the Bolivarian

revolution that Hugo Chavez left us.

Maduro has the media on a tight leash. The Maduro government threatened legal action

for what it called "media manipulation against Venezuela. And attacks on V-TV, the government

run television station.

While Maduro can still count on a loyal following of Chavistas, supporters of former president

Hugo Chavez, Venezuela`s youth refused to back down.

Jim Clancy, CNN.

There are often obstacles in the Olympics, and not just in the events themselves. Yesterday,

when it was time for men`s biathlon and snowboard cross in Sochi, Russia, there was this: fog,

lots of fog. Thick fog. It caused the events to be postponed. It was the second day in

a row this had happened to the biathlon. American snowboarder Nate Holland said, this is pretty

common. Mother Nature doesn`t always cooperate. It doesn`t seem to matter much to the Americans

or the Russians. Late yesterday afternoon, the two countries were living the overall

Olympic medal count, with 18 medals each. Netherlands was close behind with 17 overall

medals, and Norway and Canada had 15 medals each.

Germany had 13 medals total, but eight of them were gold. Germany was leading in gold

medals alone.

Some call it the winter blues. If you`re - just not feeling yourself when the days are short,

the weather is cold, the sunlight is weak. It`s not just about one hibernate in winter

time. For those who feel depressed this time of year or have symptoms of it. There`s a

medically recognized reason - and thankfully, there are some easy ways to deal with it.

Even if you love the cold and winter sports, you`ve got to admit, this had felt like a

long winter. AT least 12 million Americans suffer from something known as seasonal affective

disorder, or SAD. Numbers probably even higher than that. Longer nights, shorter days. All

that leads to a chemical imbalance in the brain. What happens, is your serotonin levels

are down, and melatonin, which makes you sleepy, that`s up, to make sense. Symptoms can be

mild or severe. You can get fatigue, lack of energy, oversleeping, difficulty concentrating.

And also, cravings for food that cause waking. That probably sounds familiar as well. Diet

and exercise can always help. Also, get outside as much as you can. You can also get a specialty

designed light box. You just sit there and stare at it for a while each day, or at least

put it on your desk. The point is, you can get a boost of more natural light. Worst case,

some doctors may recommend antidepressants or psychotherapy to help you get through this.

Another tidbit, find things that bring you joy. Open up the blinds in your house, play

some of your favorite music and be with your family. Laughter and togetherness are always

great therapy for the winter blues.

Time for "The Shoutout." In addition to Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, whose face

is carved on Mount Rushmore? You know what to do. Is it: Benjamin Franklin, Franklin

Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt or John Adams? You`ve got three seconds, go!

The missing man here is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26 president of the United States. That`s

your answer and that`s your shoutout.

Yesterday, it was president`s day in the United States. But what`s interesting is, it really

wasn`t. Officially, the holiday is known as Washington`s Birthday. George Washington was

born on February, 22 1732. Congress eventually moved the celebration to a Monday, so government

workers could get a three day weekend. What Congress didn`t do was officially change the

name to president`s day in honor of Washington and Lincoln who were both born in February.

Many Americans still call it President`s Day and Lincoln, after all, did get a memorial.

He presided over some of the most transformative events of the last century.

I`m happy to join with you today .

Martin Luther King Jr.`s I have a dream speech. Vietnam War protests. So it`s hard to believe

that this 19 feet high 175 ton Abraham Lincoln, one of the most recognizable memorials in

all the world, almost never existed. And for a familiar reason: congressional gridlock

over government spending.

When you hear people talk about Washington as a swamp, it`s not just a metaphor. Over

a century ago, right where I`m standing, was actually a swamp. It was a place for vagrants

and as legend has it, even a place to dump dead bodies. Now, to build this would cost

$3 million. It doesn`t sound like a lot in today`s terms, but back then, it was the most

expensive in history.

Joe Cannon who was the speaker of the House, he called it a swamp, and he didn`t understand

how we could have a presidential memorial out here.

It took almost a decade, five failed votes in Congress to approve this site.

The designer who was Henry Bacon, he came up with this idea of putting this thing on

elevated kind of hill, on pylons, 60 feet in the air. And that`s where the temple - the

memorial actually begins.

Finally, in February 1914, 100 years ago this month, construction began and took eight years

to complete.

It`s an epic memorial, and the idea that it`s not only a president - it actually speaks

to this huge American experience that was so important in our history.

But the Lincoln Memorial isn`t just iconic, because it commemorates history, it`s because

it`s a place where history is made, the place for political protest.

That all started in 1939 with a concert by opera singer Marian Anderson.

She had been scheduled to sing at the Daughters of American Revolution, but when it was learned

that the audience would be segregated, she refused to do so. It was a concert, but it

was a protest, and people knew it. Afterwards in the `40s, in the `50s, you just have a

steady stream whether it`s an explicit protest, a conference of the National Association for

the Advancement of Colored People, the Prayer Pilgrimage organized by Martin Luther King.

The latest in this chapter was actually at the Obama - the first Obama inaugural. The

day before they had a huge event here, which was very celebratory, but actually draws on

this very same tradition.

So, was a memorial itself, is it tribute to Lincoln from his famous speeches to his hands?

One clench for strength, the other open to show compassion. Its legacy for the last century

is the perch Lincoln provides to Americans to protest and celebrate.

This has become a place that the American people really feel attached to.

Last Friday`s "Roll Call" went to the dogs, today`s goes to the cats, because we re feline

like it. The Cougars at Springfield High School are watching. Glad to see you all in Springfield,

Pennsylvania. What about the wild cats? They`ve got us on in Guntersville, Alabama. Home of

Guntersville High School and out West in Nevada, it`s all about the Garrett Junior High School

Bobcats. They are watching right meow in Boulder City.

Believe it or not, we`ve seen a surfing cat. We`ve shown surfing dogs. I remember a song

about a surfing cow. But you only see something like this hen pigs surf. It`s a surfing pig.

The owner says it fell into the pool one day - that`s how they found out it could swim.

After that, well, why not? Take it surfing. It hangs out, it hangs to, it wipes out, up

pops the snout. It gets back on the board and rides the waves to shore. Looks like it`s

in hog heaven. It has onlookers squealing with surprise, although some say for surfing

bodies, it`s a pork choice. After every ride, he`s just bacon to go again. And we`d show

you more, but we`re just snout at time. I`m Carl Azuz hanging it up for CNN STUDENT NEWS.

For more infomation >> CNN Student News - July 31, 2017 | Massive Anti-Government Protests in Venezuela - Duration: 10:01.

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CNN Student News October 17, 2011 - Duration: 10:30.

An earthquake and hurricane may have delayed this day, but this is a day that would not

be denied. For this day, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.`s return to the National

Mall. In this place, he will stand for all time

CNN Student News rocks!

Mr. Johnson`s (ph) students, you rock for sending us that iReport. Thanks so much for

that.

Hello, everyone, my name is Carl Azuz. This is CNN Student News. First up today, we`re

going to Washington, D.C., and the event where President Obama was speaking.

The dedication of the national memorial for civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King

Jr. You heard the president mention delays from an earthquake, from a hurricane.

This dedication was actually supposed to happen back in August on the anniversary of the historic

march on Washington. That`s when Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

During yesterday`s ceremony, President Obama talked about how Americans today could draw

inspiration from King`s work and how, quote, "we can`t be discouraged by what is. We`ve

got to keep pushing for what ought to be."

The dedication included musical performances and speeches by a wide range of people from

Dr. King`s children to other leaders in the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. was from Atlanta and some students from the city had plans to head

up to D.C. for this dedication. They talked about why they were looking forward to the

event.

I`m excited because not only will I be able to get to meet certain civil rights activist,

but I will able to stand and see everything that Dr. Martin Luther King worked for.

He was not just about helping blacks. He was about helping all races, no matter what color,

no matter what you did to him. He was about forgiveness. He wasn`t just about, OK, well,

this is my race, and we don`t have this. He was about equality to all mankind. Everybody

deserve equal rights.

I want to witness something that should go down in history like it`s very -- it`s very

emotional for me, because since I wasn`t there when Martin Luther King was alive, it`s good

to witness something like this and you have to come back and tell everyone about it.

The "Occupy Wall Street" movement seems to be going global. These protests started several

weeks ago in New York. Different people who were involved say they`re protesting against

a lot of different things. But anger at the U.S. financial industry has been a consistent

theme with these.

Well, the protests have spread to other cities in America, now to other cities worldwide,

Rome, Berlin, London, Hong Kong, people all over, talking about how the world`s financial

problems have hit them.

Most of the protests were peaceful. Some did turn violent. For example, in Italy, a different

group joined the "Occupy" protests. They fought with police, set cars on fire and smashed

windows.

Today`s Shoutout goes out to Mr. Krieger`s social studies classes at Morgan Township

School in Malden, Indiana.

On what continent will you find the capital cities of Kampala and Kinshasa? You know what

to do.

Is it Europe, Asia, Africa or South America? You`ve got three seconds, go.

Kampala and Kinshasa are the capitals of two African countries. That`s your answer, and

that`s your shoutout.

Specifically, those are the capitals of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S.

troops are heading to those nations and two others, the Central African Republic and South

Sudan. They`re going to advise regional forces, so to give advice to folks in their fight

against a militant group that`s accused of killing thousands of people and kidnapping

large numbers of children.

President Obama says his decision to send troops is connected to protecting America

national security. But some U.S. leaders have raised concerns about getting involved in

a commitment that the U.S. might not be able to get out of. Barbara Starr looks at the

U.S. military`s efforts across Africa.

President Obama is sending 100 combat equipped troops to central Africa to advise local forces

on getting rid of one of the continent`s most vicious operatives, Joseph Kony, the head

of the Lord`s Resistance Army, a group responsible for atrocities across the region.

It`s the first open deployment of U.S. ground combat power to Africa since the Black Hawk

Down incident in Somalia in the 1990s that killed 18 troops. U.S. troops may wind up

now in Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the

Congo. It`s part of a growing military effort to engage in Africa.

And so our presence on the African continent is part of our network of building partners

of gaining intelligence.

Still, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff warned current

budget cuts could risk it all at a time when the threat to Americans is rising.

Gen. Carter Ham oversees all U.S. military operations on the continent. His major worry:

Al Qaida in Africa`s threat to Americans. Right now, he said, Al Qaida groups in Somalia,

as well as Algeria, Mali and Nigeria, are trying to join forces.

At least the stated intent for those organizations to collaborate and synchronize, which, if

they are able to do so, would establish an extremist link, network, if you will, that

would extend from Somalia across the north, into the Sahel and then into west Africa.

And that network would be very dangerous, not only to us as Americans, but clearly to

the Africans as well.

Gen. Ham, along with the Central Intelligence Agency, is focused on targeting the militant

Al-Shabaab group in Somalia, which is recruiting American Somalis for terrorist training.

See if you can ID me. I`m a famous European landmark. You`ll find me in Italy, where my

construction started in 1173. I`m known for not standing up straight.

I`m the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and I lean because I settled unevenly on soft ground.

Concern about soft ground is why some engineers are looking into another famous tower`s tilt.

This one`s in London, the clock tower known as Big Ben. The lean isn`t nearly as noticeable

as the one you`ll see at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In fact, some people weren`t sure

if Big Ben was leaning at all.

So Max Foster went inside the mystery in the tower to get some answers.

Well, there it is, instantly recognizable, of course. But rumor has it this whole tower

is toppling over. And what`s worse, it`s toppling over this way, so I feel a bit vulnerable

right now. Anyway, to get to the bottom of these rumors, I`m going to climb right back

up to the very top.

The first thing to say is we`ve just climbed 334 steps and, yes, I am feeling it.

The second thing to say is that when we talk about Big Ben, we`re talking about this: it`s

the bell. Big Ben is not the tower, it`s not even the clock, it`s the bell. It`s a common

misconception, but now you know.

Well, this is an iconic image. This is the clock face here at the tower, looking at it

from behind, obviously. And a vast clock face it is from this angle. Jonathan Prew, thank

you so much for joining us. You`re the principal surveyor here, and you`re the expert. So tell

us: is the tower leaning or isn`t it?

Yes, the tower is leaning, but just by a very small amount.

How much?

Well, at this level here, where we`re standing, it`s just about 267 millimeters, which is

about that much.

But, as I understand it, it`s leaning more every year. So it`s a -- it`s a -- it`s a

growing problem?

It`s gradually leaning, but it`s leaning at a very small amount. It`s less than a millimeter

per annum.

And at what stage, then, do we get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Well, if nothing happened, it`s over 4,000 years.

And so nothing to worry about right now?

Nothing to worry about now.

Well, before we go, a lesson about why you should carefully consider how you answer some

questions.

For example, what would you do for a free season pass to your favorite amusement park?

The answer to that one is why these people are chowing down on giant roaches. The promotion

was simple: eat a roach, win free roller coaster rides, two events that aren`t for those with

weak stomachs. There are some strategies for this. The best way to eat a roach is, of course.

. "insections." That was probably the first time they tried that promotion idea. Before

the second attempt, you know, they`re just going to have to work the "bugs" out.

Ah, yes, the "pun" continues on CNN Student News. Our Facebook fans requested it. And

if you`re on Facebook, stop by facebook.com/cnnstudentnews and help us decide whether to pun or not to

pun. See you tomorrow.