05.06.2011

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We are bringing the world to your classroom. Tthis is CNN Student News! Hello, everyone, and welcome on this Friday, May 6th. My name is Carl Azuz. And as we kick off today's headlines, we're beginning at Ground Zero.

First Up: Ground Zero Visit

AZUZ: That's the site of the World Trade Center in New York City, which was targeted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And it's where President Obama was yesterday for a ceremony paying tribute to the victims of that violence. The president helped lay a wreath at Ground Zero. Vice President Joe Biden did the same thing at the Pentagon, which was another target of the 9/11 attacks. The president's visit came days after the death of Osama bin Laden, the man behind the attacks. Deborah Feyerick talked with two sisters who were in middle school on September 11th, 2001, and whose father was killed in the attacks.

BRIENNE MCNALLY, FATHER KILLED ON 9/11: It's definitely mixed emotions, because you definitely feel relief that somebody that represents injustice and cruelty, that was responsible for the murder of my father, finally, the fact that he's no longer on this earth brings a justice to the situation. But at the same time, it brings up all these emotions from that day when I found out that he died, and just knowing that my dad will never come back. And it's hard to have that hole in your life, and that will never be, I'll never get full closure on that.

AZUZ: Samantha Hayes joins us now on the president's visit to Ground Zero.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Obama paused Thursday afternoon to honor the victims of September 11th. After the wreath-laying at Ground Zero, the president met privately with the families of 9/11 victims and first responders. It was a moment full of meaning and emotion.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: Most Americans today feel that this not about any kind of political issue. This is an issue to feel good about America.

HAYES: Earlier in the day, the president stopped by the Engine 54 firehouse. This station lost 15 firefighters on September 11th.

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is a symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day.

CHIEF EDWARD KILDUFF, NY FIRE DEPARTMENT: For him to come here and to see faces of the firefighters who were killed on September 11th and see the shrine that was erected in their honor really meant something to him.

HAYES: The president's visit comes just 24 hours after announcing he would not release the photos of Osama Bin Laden after he was killed. It's a decision that some disagree with, saying the photos offer closure and send a message.

BILL BENNETT, CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOST: This is what happens at the end to someone who threatens Americans and who kills Americans.

HAYES: As the political discourse continues, so does the progress at Ground Zero. This time lapse by Project Rebirth shows the evolution of the space where the Twin Towers once stood. Another symbol that America is moving forward, but will never forget what happened nearly ten years ago. Reporting near Ground Zero, I'm Samantha Hayes.

(END VIDEO)

Severe Flooding

AZUZ: Intentionally flooding parts of the U.S. in order to avoid catastrophic floods in other communities. It's not a plan that everyone agrees with, but it is a plan that is moving forward. This is what parts of Illinois looked like on Tuesday. River levels have dropped nearly two feet since engineers started their work. But this was the result of that work: plots of farmland in Missouri that are now sitting underwater. The flooding, which has spread into Arkansas, has been caused by massive rain, and meteorologists don't expect that to let up until next month.

I.D. Me

BARBARA HALL, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm a country located in the Western hemisphere. I declared my independence from Spain in 1810. My national Independence Day is September 16th, not May 5th, or Cinco de Mayo. I'm Mexico, and my president is Felipe Calderon.

Mexico Mine Blast

AZUZ: An official in President Calderon's administration isn't holding out hope for a group of trapped miners. This started with an explosion on Tuesday morning at a mine in the city of San Juan de Sabinas, Mexico. It's the center of the country's coal mining industry. Rescuers began searching for victims as soon as it was safe for them to go inside the mine's tunnels. As of yesterday, six bodies had been recovered. Mexico's labor secretary said there was "no hope of life" for the eight other men trapped in the mine.

Unrest in Syria

AZUZ: From Mexico, we're moving to the Middle Eastern nation of Syria. That country's government says military forces are leaving the town of Daraa. Syrian officials say the military finished its mission to "restore security and calm" in Daraa. Troops have been fighting with protesters there who've been speaking out against Syria's government. It's been going on for more than a month, and one human rights group says hundreds of people have been killed. Protesters say reports of troops leaving Daraa are not true.

Japan Nuclear Crisis

AZUZ: Finally, we go to Japan and to the nuclear power plant that was damaged by that massive earthquake and tsunami back in March. Nearly two months later, engineers continue their work trying to get the Fukushima Daiichi plant's reactors under control. This video shows a robot going into the plant's number one reactor. Yesterday, people went inside for the first time since the quake. They're installing a ventilation system that will hopefully let workers stay inside the reactor longer as they try to shut the thing down.

This Day in History

AZUZ: On this day in history, in 1915, George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his first Major League home run. The legendary player hit 713 more of those during his pro career.

In 1937, the Hindenburg, a German airship that was the largest dirigible ever built, exploded as it arrived in New Jersey. That killed 36 people.

And in 1954, Roger Bannister, a medical student, became the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. He beat it by 6 tenths of a second.

Remembering A Combat Veteran

AZUZ: On tomorrow's date in history, back in 1915, a German submarine sank the Lusitania. It was a British passenger ship. And that was a major event during World War I, a conflict that engulfed huge parts of the globe. Yesterday, the last known veteran who fought in that war died. Tamara Akers of Australia's Network Ten has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

TAMARA AKERS, REPORTER, NETWORK TEN: His navy mates called him "Chuckles." Renowned for enjoying a laugh, Claude Choules was in good form right to the end.

DAPHNE EDINGER, DAUGHTER: Extremely good spirits. He even sang to us and told some jokes to the kids.

AKERS: The world's last World War I combat veteran died in his sleep at a Perth nursing home overnight, age 110. Like many others, he lied about his age and joined the British Navy at 15.

CLAUDE CHOULES, LAST WORLD WAR I VETERAN: We all did, all us boys. They didn't have our birth certificates.

AKERS: Mr. Choules later transferred to the Australian Navy as a demolition officer. He was integral in diffusing German mines during World War II before retiring in Perth in 1956. Despite all his years of service, Mr. Choules' family said he very rarely spoke about the war. And if he did, it was only ever about the good times.

MALCOLM EDINGER, GRANDSON: To him, war was just simply a waste of human resources: life, money and time. He had no time for it.

AKERS: Instead, his daughter says he lived for his family, which includes three children and 36 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Mr. Choules also believed they were the secret to a long life.

CHOULES: Just marry young and stay young, and have a lovely family. And keep your family around about you, and you're all right then.

AKERS: Tamara Akers, 10 News.

(END VIDEO)

Before We Go

AZUZ: I always say that we have the best audience, and you've been helping us celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week here on CNN Student News. We've gotten some excellent iReports talking about your favorite teachers, and we're featuring a few of them right now in today's Before We Go segment.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

BRIAN KRAUS, CROFTON, MARYLAND: Brian Kraus, Crofton, Maryland, reporting that Mrs. Quick is the best teacher at Crofton Middle School.

KAYLA MARIUZZA, MT. KISCO, NEW YORK: Hi, I'm Kayla, and the teachers I appreciate are Mrs. Kivel and Ms. Orlando. I appreciate them because of all the creative things they let us do.

MAKENZY BOWERS, BRYAN, OHIO: My name is Makenzy from Bryan Middle School in Bryan, Ohio. I would have to say my favorite teacher is Ms. Cox because she doesn't hold anything against you and she's very caring and always gives you candy. I love you, Ms. Cox!

BRENDA PIEDRAGIL, ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA: Hi, I'm Brenda from Ontario High School. And for teacher appreciation I choose Mr. De Jong, because he's always helping me with my work and he's a really good, good teacher, and he's funny too. Go Mr. De!

(END VIDEO)

Goodbye

AZUZ: All right, those are just some of the iReports we got. You can check all of them out by clicking on the Teacher Appreciation Week link; that's in the Spotlight section at CNNStudentNews.com. Big thanks to everybody who sent in iReports. And a big thanks to all you teachers out there. We hope everyone appreciates the weekend. And CNN Student News will see ya Monday!