Arielle: Hey guys, I am here in Hawaii with a coming-of-age tradition that will definitely leave a mark. I am Arielle Hixson, and Channel One News starts right now.
Azia: Aloha, Arielle. We will check back with her in just a bit.I am Azia Celestino. Here we go.
First up today, President Trump signed into law a bill designed to protect young athletes from abuse.
Senator Dianne Feinstein sponsored the bill, which protects women from abuse in sports.
Senator Dianne Feinstein: USAGymnastics was fostering a culture that put money and medals first, far ahead of the safety and well-being of athletes.
Azia: The law cleans up a patchwork of state rules and requires adults working with young athletes to report suspected cases of abuse to law enforcement within 24 hours.It applies to the governing bodies of all amateur sports.The law also changes the statute of limitations for these crimes, which means you will have more years to report a crime even after it has happened.
Feinstein: It doesn't begin to run until victims realize they've been abused.
Azia: Young athletes will also be able to turn to the new Center for SafeSport to report abuse allegations.
All right, next up, midterm elections are just nine months away.That is why this week, top intelligence officials warned Congress about Russia, saying the Russian government is at it again, trying to interfere in the upcoming election, just like last time.
Director Dan Coats: Frankly, the United States is under attack.
Azia: Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, said Russia is already working to disrupt this year's coming midterm elections.According to this 28-page intelligence community report, Russia views the 2018 midterm elections as a potential target for hacking units backed by the government.
Coats: We need to inform the American public that this is real, that this is going to happen, and the resilience needed for us to stand up and say we're not going to allow some Russian to tell us how to vote, how we ought to run our country. And I think there needs to be a national cry for that.
Azia: In 2016Russian hackers targeted voter systems in at least 21 states. But there is still no coordinated national strategy to counter similar Russian operations this year.Critics say the Trump administration isn't doing anything to stop Russia.
Last month, the White House didn't impose punishments on Russia for its meddling in the presidential election, even though almost all of Congress voted to punish the country.
And that brings us to Words in the News: director of national intelligence, who is in charge of the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA, FBI and Naval Intelligence.
All right, organizers at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, spent years getting everything just right for the games, but there is one thing you can't control — and that is Mother Nature.
Ferocious winds are causing problems for athletes during the first week of the Winter Games.Gusts up to 40 miles per hour have disrupted or postponed numerous events, including the women's slalom, which has now been pushed back twice.
British snowboarder Aimee Fuller had a tough time during her slopestyle runs this week.
Aimee Fuller: As I was in the air,this gust just took me and swept me under my feet.And I’m happy to be in one piece. I had a pretty heavy slam on that last run.
Azia: Fuller says she feared for her safety, and other athletes had the same feeling.Not a single snowboarder completed two error-free runs.
Jenny Wiedeke: No athlete is, naturally, forced to go down and compete; that's the first thing I want to make clear.
Azia: Alpine skiing began Tuesday after two days of postponements. In the men's combined event, downhill skiers started lower down the course to avoid some of the fiercest winds.Organizers see no reason to hold events when the weather is questionable.
Mark Adams: If the wind continues to blow for the next 15 days, then I guess it might be a problem, but at present, everything is okay.
Azia: Forecasters are hoping for milder weather this weekendbut caution the winds can whip up at almost any time.
Okay, after the break, we are introducing you to someone who doesn't mind a little winter blast. In fact, they love it.
Azia: Now we are heading to the North Pole, where scientists have got some cool new techto track every move that polar bears make.And they are learning how climate change is having an impact on animals more than they thought.Keith Kocinski takes a closer look.
Keith: With Arctic temperatures at 20 degrees below zero, this is as close to a polar bear selfie as scientists can get. The cameras, attached to tracking collars, are providing a new look into how the threatened species hunts, eats and roams around.
Anthony Pagano: Really quite fascinating to learn the basic behaviors of these animals.
Keith: Scientists studying polar bears in the Arctic say climate change is having a bigger impact on the animals than first thought.The U.S.Geological Survey followed nine female polar bears off the coast of Alaska at springtime over a three-year period, equipping them with a GPS collar similar to a Fitbit. They logged the animals' behavior on sea ice, which is vital for hunting.
Scientists found climate change and shrinking ice cover are making it difficult for bears to catch enough prey to meet their bodies' needs.They actually lost weight instead of putting on the pounds needed to reproduce, care for cubs and survive harsh winters.
But these researchers are not the only ones tracking polar bears. A couple years ago,I got to see these awesome creatures in person when I visited the Arctic.
You can see the head popping out of the water.It is just by thatZodiac over there,and so we are heading that way right now.
Polar bears are great swimmers, as you can see, gliding through the water for miles, but it is not what they prefer. They hunt on ice, and without it, they can go hungry, so if more ice melts, that is not good for our polar pals. Scientists hope these trackers will collect info that will help come up with a solution.
Keith Kocinski, Channel One News.
Azia: Thanks, Keith.
Okay, next up, we are picking back up with our Coming of Age in America series.Arielle Hixson has been following teens as they mark the journey from adolescence to adulthood. Today we are meeting a young person on a cultural rite of passage sealed in ink.
Arielle: This one is going to leave a mark — in more ways than one.
Moeaitino Lavea: They say it's supposed to make you a better man.And it doesn't just stand for that; it stands for your family, your village.
Arielle: Sixteen-year-old Tino Lavea works at Soul Signature Tattoo, a parlor that specializes in traditional Samoan tattoos that are part of their culture.
Su'a Sulu'ape Toetuu Aisea: That’s generation to generation.
Arielle: Here, Tino embraces his culture while learning the importance of traditional Samoan customs.
Moeaitino: I'm here to learn about my culture.To me, it's just shame that I know more about somebody else's culture instead of mine, you know.
Arielle: These tattoos historically symbolize one's status in society, genealogy and maturity, or coming of age.
In American Samoa, a chain of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, tattoos are given when a young person has taken on adult responsibilities, like cooking, cleaning and making a living — basically, building a home, growing upand becoming a man. And in American Samoa, people can become a "man of the house" as young as 16yearsold.
Aisea: At a certain age, you leave your mom and dad, and you kind of live with the community, with all the boys. You start doing the chores, tend to plantation. But through those things, you're learning the culture, you're learning what it takes to be a man.
Arielle: But here in Hawaii, things are different.
Aisea: United States, the new 16 is 21. So 21 is still like, you're still a little kid somehow;you still got lotsmore to learn.
Arielle: By studying and working at the tattoo parlor,Tino feels like a part of the Samoan community and is constantly learning from his mentors.
Moeaitino: There's a life lesson in everything I do around here.
Arielle: Once the tattoo master in his community believes he has reached full adulthood, then he will get his tattoo.
Moeaitino: I don't know when it will come, but yeah,I will be excited — I am excited. That's the only tattoo in my life I'm going to get because it actually means something, you know? In Samoa it's something big, you know; it really means a lot to a lot of people.
Arielle: Now, this isn't your typical arm or back tat.A traditional tattoo covers half the body, stretching from the stomach all the way down to the legs. Ink is applied with a process called tapping, when the ink is tapped into the skin with wooden tools.And it is completely personalized.
Aisea: The master marks the skin according to bone structure, body size. There's no blueprint; there's no drawing whatever. It's all basically freehand.
Arielle: Afterward,it is a traditional ceremony, where I put on a sarong out of respect.
Moeaitino: Tradition is very important, especially to us islanders. Tradition is everything. Sometimes, it's the only thing we've got.
Arielle: A small Samoan "village" is brought into the parlor, witnessing one's journey to manhood.
Aisea: You see them change.Hopefully, they change for the best because now you're about this, so you gotta be about it totally.
Arielle: You're wearing your culture.
Aisea: Yeah.
Arielle: Watching the ceremony, Tino gets excited for the big day when he will get a full Samoan tattoo.
Moeaitino: I don't think I'm halfway there to becoming a man. I'm just starting to get halfway there. My journey, basically, is to become a better man.
Arielle: Arielle Hixson, Channel One News.
Azia: And there is much more that Arielle couldn't fit into the story, so make sure you check out those videos onChannelOne.com.
Okay guys, have an awesome day, and we will see you back here tomorrow.
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