Tom: Hey guys, it is Fridaythe 13th — dun dun dun! I am Tom Hanson, and here we go.
Big news today for a family that was kidnapped by militants five years ago. They have finally been freed.
American Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband,Joshua Boyle, were captured by terrorist militants with ties to the Taliban while hiking in Afghanistan. They had three children while being held hostage for five years.
Chief of Staff John Kelly: They have been essentially living in a hole for five years. I mean, that is the kind of people we are dealing with over there.
Tom: U.S. officials knew they were alive because of this video that surfaced last year.They were freed after U.S. intelligence alerted the Pakistani government that the family had been moved from Afghanistan to neighboring Pakistan.
Boyle’s parents got the news at their home in Canada.
Woman: That's the first time in five years we got to hear his voice.
Tom: Boyle’s father said his son told him they were being transported in the trunk of a car when Pakistani troops opened fire, killing their captors — an account U.S. officials could not confirm.
President Trump said he believes it is a sign the U.S. is becoming more respected.
President Donald Trump: The Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honoring America's wish that it do more to provide security in the region.
Tom: Okay, now we are getting a preview of today's Word in the News: executive order, an order issued by the president to an executive departmentof the government that has the same power as a federal law.
President Trump signed an executive order yesterday on healthcare.
Trump: It directs the Department of Health and Human Services, the Treasury and the Department of Labor to take action to increase competition, increase choice and increase access to lower-priced,high-quality healthcare options.
Tom: The president said his executive order will increase healthcare choices and will allow employers to join together to offer healthcare across state lines to millions of Americans.
Trump’s order is a way to go around Congress, which failed to undo President Obama's signature healthcare law,calledObamacare. Democrats argue the president’s plan will cripple Obama's Affordable Care Act by increasing prices forthe elderly and very sick.Expect some states to sue the president.
Moving on, 10 college students were arrested this week in the death of a fraternity pledge at Louisiana State University. They are accused of pressuring the pledge to drink extreme amounts of alcohol as part of a hazing ritual. Now, hazing is an activity expected of someone participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them regardless of a person’s willingness to participate.
Nineteen-year-old student Matthew Naquin turned himself into LSU police yesterday morning, charged with hazing and negligent homicide in the death of 18-year-old Max Gruver.
Nine other men, ranging from 18 to 21, are also in custody. Each faces one misdemeanor hazing charge. Eight are currentlyLSU students. All of them were members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. The national organization terminated their membership.
David Bourland is an attorney for Zachary Hall.
David Bourland: Well, he's very sad about what happened. I mean, who isn't, all right? That was a fellow fraternity brother of his, and he feels horrible about that. But he had nothing to do with those unfortunate circumstances.
Tom: On September 13, police records show pledgeswere quizzed about the fraternity's history, and if they got an answer wrong, they were forced to drink alcohol. An autopsy showed that Gruver's blood alcohol level was six times the legal limit when he died.
Gruver is the second student to die in an alcohol-fueled hazing incident this year.Nineteen-year-old Penn State student Timothy Piazza died at a fraternity party in February.
All right, coming up, the Boy Scouts are no longer just for the boys. We will explain.
Tom: All right, it is a showdown: boys versus girls, or should I say Boy Scouts versus Girl Scouts, right,Arielle?
Arielle: Oh yes, it is a full-on feud this week. The Boy Scouts announced it will soon be adding girls to the ranks, and get this: The change has made Girl Scouts very unhappy campers.
Sydney Ireland: Not every girl has to want to do the things that the Girl Scouts do.I don't —I want to do the things that the Boy Scouts do.
Arielle: Sixteen-year-old Sydney Ireland, who has been an unofficial member of her brother's Boy Scout troop since she was 4, wanted to become an Eagle Scout, just like her brother.The Boy Scouts says it is girls like Sydney that led it to open the organization up to boys and girls.
Sydney: It's really amazing.
Arielle: The Boy Scouts of America CEOMike Surbaugh made the announcement Wednesday.
Mike Surbaugh: We talked to parents about what they want for their kids, and what we heard is that they want their sons and daughters to have a place where they can come as a family, participate in exciting activities that lead to character and leadership development.
Arielle: The Boy Scouts will start admitting girls next year.Cub Scout dens— the smallest unit — will remain single-gender. The larger Cub Scout packs, made up of several dens, will have the option of remaining all boys or welcoming girls. The program for older girls will start in 2019 and allow them to pursue the rank of Eagle Scout.
Damian: Basically be the exact same, just, well, there would be some girls involved.
Arielle: But critics say the move is designed to boost the Boy Scouts' sinking membership — critics like the Girl Scouts, which is also facing declining numbers.The GirlScouts released this statement:
"The need for female leadership has never been clearer or more urgent than it is today — and only Girl Scouts has the expertise to give girls and young women the tools they need for success."
Arielle Hixson, Channel One News.
Tom: Okay, so personally, I think it is a pretty cool move.
All right, moving on, we are continuing our series for National Bullying Prevention Month, highlighting young people who are making a difference to put a stop to bullying. Today the stars are coming out to stomp it out. Emily Reppert has the story in this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
Emma Roberts: Please stand up against bullying.
Lea Michele: It's up to all of us.
Emily: Celebs have joined forces to send a message for young people to come together and put an end to bullying.
Laura Marano: I mean, we all have the power to be kind!
Chloe Grace Moretz: It’s a simple call to action.
Derek Hough: So let’s make bullying history!
Emily: It is part ofSTOMPOut Bullying, a national anti-bullying organization, and its message is catching on. The program has teamed up with the New York Jets to recognize students and schools for their commitment to tackling this problem.
Ross Ellis: This school just will not tolerate it; they step in. They — it's not just intervening, but they educate, and that’s so important.
Emily: This is Pierrepont School in Rutherford, New Jersey, and today it is being honored for its anti-bullying efforts.
Okay, so the kids are starting to make their way in for the assembly. They know it is with the New York Jets, but what they don't know is that two of the players are coming to share their own experiences with bullying with the kids.
Man: We have No. 9,Bryce Petty, and we have No. 78,Jonotthan Harrison.
Emily: These two NFL stars took a time-out from their busy schedules to share their own game plan when it comes to tackling bullying.
Bryce Petty: Anytime you can educate kids on one, how to stay away from it;two, how to respond;butthree, just how to prevent it is the best thing. So it's a unique experience and a fun one that we like.
Jonotthan Harrison: And using the Jets as a platform to help motivate the kids to do so. Especially, you know, if we come and actually talk to them in person, then they realize that, you know, these players do take it seriously and we should consider, you know, just stomping out bullying.
Emily: The event kicked off by recognizing some superstars who are helping to make a difference at this school.
Man: Ayla Hernandez!
Emily: You were recognized as being an upstander for bullying. Can you tell me what that means?
Ayla Hernandez: It means, like, you show good character in school and you stop bullying, and if you see somebody, you should help them.
Emily: And have you ever experienced bullying?
Ayla: Yes, I have. People would make fun of my size, like, they would use words, like meaning, like, I’m fat or something like that. But I wouldn't let it get to me, because I knew I wasn't and I can be strong myself.
Emily: But Ayla is not alone. In fact,1 in 4 students say they have been bullied, a stat even NFL stars like Bryce and Jonotthan know firsthand.
Petty: I was definitely bullied.I had a huge gap in my teeth.
Harrison: I was getting picked on because, you know, there weren't too many kids of my race or color in the classroom. So, you know, at lunch I wasn’t openly accepted at the tables at lunch. Recess, you know, nobody would want to be on my team; they'd kind of gang up on me.
Emily: But sharing their stories today means they are making a difference and giving hope for the future.
Ellis: “Here's a Jets player who went through what I went through or what I’m going through.”And so they can identify, and it gives them tools to be able to stop it.
Emily: Emily Reppert,Channel One News.
Tom: Awesome story — got to love it.
And to hear more from celebrities about their experiences with bullying, head on over to ChannelOne.com, where you can see what the cast of “The Gifted” has to say about their experiences, so check it out.
All right, that does it for us today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you on Monday.
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