Arielle: All right, Friday is here. I am Arielle Hixson, and let's get right into it. Now, first up, a 19-year-old is under arrest in connection with a series of bomb threats against Jewish institutions and community centers across the U.S.
Israeli police say this teenager is behind weeks of threats against more than 170 Jewish community centers, which have had police on high alert in several U.S. cities. The teen is a Jewish Israeli with dual American citizenship. He was arrested yesterday in Israel and is also accused of making threats in Australia and New Zealand.
Authorities have not identified him, but according to the suspect's lawyer, the teen has suffered from a brain tumor for years, and that it affects his behavior and ability to go to school.
Attorney General Sessions released a statement saying, "Today's arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents."He goes on to say, "We will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs."
Okay now, next up, this week, President Trump, for the first time ever, added a bumblebee to the list of endangered species. The rusty patched bumblebee gained federal protection this past Tuesday, giving it endangered protection status. Over the past 20 years, the species has suffered a 90-percent decline in population and habitat.
You can only find rusty patched bumblebees in 13 states, down from 28. In eastern Tennessee's Smoky Mountains National Park, the bees are nowhere to be found.
Becky Nichols: We haven't seen them here in the park since 2001.
Arielle: The bees face many threats, including pesticides and diseases. And about
75 percent of the world's food supply depends partly on what bees do.
Professor Sydney Cameron: One in every third bite of food is pollinated by bees. A huge factor is the bumblebee itself. A lot of our food is dependent upon these bees. If that is not important, I don’t know what is.
Arielle: All right, guys, when we get back, a young woman punching through barriers on her way to the top.
Arielle: If you are an athlete, facing your opponent is the ultimate rush. But for some athletes, competition is clashing with their faith. Yesterday, we told you about a group of Muslim girls on the basketball court shooting hoops. And today, Emily Reppert talks to one young boxer who is fightingjust for the chance to fight.
Amaiya Zafar: You have to live it. You really have to live it.
Emily: For Amaiya Zafar, boxing is life.
How much work and time do you put into this sport?
Amaiya: All of my time — all of my time. I'm here four hours every day.
Emily: For the past three years, the 16-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, has given this sport her all.
Amaiya: You have to be hungry for it; you have to want it, like really, really, really want it. And the moment I walked into a boxing gym, I was in love — in love.
Emily: It was love at first sight for Amaiya, but when it comes to her amateur boxing career — well, she is still waiting for her fairy-tale ending …
Amaiya: I haven’t actually fought, so I don’t know what it’s like to have that moment where it’s all on me.
Emily: … because boxing isn't her only love.
Amaiya: My religion and boxing is my whole life. Like, I practice my religion and I practice boxing every day.
Emily: And, as of now, her religion is standing in the way.
Amaiya: They have said I can’t fight with long sleeves and pants and a scarf.
Emily: The Muslim teen follows a traditional dress codesome women follow, which consists of veiling, or covering, the entire body except the face, hands and feet. And the scarf she wears on her head is called a hijab.
Amaiya: To me, it’s like my crown. It’s my way of saying I’m a Muslim. I need to wear that for my religion; I’m not willing to go without it. And because of that, they haven’t let me fight.
Emily: According to the International Boxing Association and USA Boxing Rulebook, boxers must wear a sleeveless athletic shirt and a pair of loose-fitting trunks that reach halfway down the thigh, no lower than the knees. Boxers are not permitted to wear additional apparel other than the competition uniform into the ring, something she disagrees with and considers to be a jab to not only her religion, but freedom.
Amaiya: I shouldn’t have to compromise my hijab and my modesty for my sport, and I shouldn’t have to compromise my sport for that. It's America — you know, I should be able to practice both.
Emily: But when it comes to hijabs and sports, that doesn’t always seem to be the case. In fact, the International Basketball Federation, the International Volleyball Federation and the International Swimming Federation all have regulations that prevent or significantly limit an athlete's ability to compete if they wear a hijab or cover their bodies.
However, there has been progress. The International Football Association overturned its ban on religious headgear in 2014. And advocacy groups like Shirzanan are currently fighting the hijab ban in basketball.
Mara Gubuan: This rule had been in place for maybe 20 years, before Muslim females were widely playing the game.
Emily: Why does this need to change, and not only for basketball, but for all sports?
Gubuan: Well, No. 1, as it’s written in the Olympic charter, that the practice of sport is a human right.
Emily: Shirzanan, which means “female heroes” in Persian, works to advance Muslim women's rights in sports and media, and now it is fighting for Amaiya, too …
Gubuan: I just contacted her. We're trying to determine how to implement a standard uniform that's acceptable for all observant Muslims to wear.
Emily: … making her its youngest ambassador alongside other trailblazers just like herself.
Amaiya: To me, that makes it feel really real, that I might — you know, I am a trailblazer. I am working to get things changed.
Emily: Last November, at the Sugar Bert Boxing National Championships in Kissimmee, Florida, what appeared to be another defeat turned out to be a victory in disguise.
Amaiya: So when we went to Florida, and they disqualified me, the girl I was going to compete with — when they disqualified me, she gave me the belt. And that turned the situation around, like it went from feeling like I got cheated and feeling like it wasn’t fair — what happened wasn’t fair — to being like, “You know what? It wasn’t, but we’re going to change it,” like, I have people that are standing with me.
Emily: Standing with her and, for some, even looking up to her …
Amaiya: When I'm working with a kid and I see them get excited because they’re doing it right, I see myself in them.
Emily: … because she knows this battle is about more than just her.Emily Reppert, Channel One News.
Arielle: Great story. Thanks, Emily.
Okay, next up, we are sticking with sports in this week's March Madness Feel-Good Friday.
Arielle: March Madness is heating up,and Keith is here with a Feel-Good Friday about a balling family.
Keith: Yeah, Arielle, we are talking about Lonzo Ball. His team, the UCLA Bruins, is taking on the Kentucky Wildcats in a Sweet 16 matchup tonight. And his family shares his love of the game — simply put, the Ball brothers can flat-out ball.
When it comes to basketball, the Ball brothers are the royal family. Oldest brother Lonzo Ball is a star guard for the UCLA Bruins and an expected top-five NBA draft pick this year. Middle brother Liangelo is a high school senior and one of the top college prospects. He put up 72 points in one high school game.
Oh yeah, and you can’t forget about little brother Lamelo. He is following in their footsteps. He dropped 92 points in a high school game like it was automatic, and many of his videos go viral. This one has been viewed more than a half a million times.
It is no surprise; the boys have been working at it for years right here. Their dad, Lavar Ball, built the court with one goal in mind: to turn the three Ball brothers into ballplayers.
It is really no coincidence; their parents, Lavar and Tina Ball, met when both played college basketball, and the couple's basketball genes were passed along to their sons.
Lavar Ball: I knew I had a brand once I had all three of them. It's going to be the Big Baller brand.
Keith: Of course, those Big Ballers started off small.
Lavar Ball: And it was kind of contradicting because people was like, "Look, Big Ballers, and small as they are," but after we finished whooping their tail, they knew who the Big Ballers were.
Keith: And soon they weren't so little. The boys trained with their father seven days a week, even on holidays.
Lavar Ball: Come on, Melo! Come on, Melo!
Keith: That dedication led to success.Last year, all three played together at Chino Hills High School in Southern California. Their on-court chemistry electrified packed gyms as they led the school to its first undefeated season and a state championship.
Lonzo Ball: The game is just a lot easier, you know, when you get to play with the people you live with and see them every day.
Keith: Whether or not these three basketball phenoms all end up playing in the NBA, you know there is one place you will always find them playing ball.
Arielle, you think you could beat the Ball brothers on the court?
Arielle: Oh, yeah, and I have totally got my squad: I got Azia, Cassie and Emily, and we will take them down.
Keith: Ooh, that sounds like a challenge. Ball brothers, are you listening?
Arielle: I am ready.
Keith: And what do you think about it, guys? Do you think you were born an athlete or have the moves on the court? Check out our quiz on ChannelOne.com, and we will see how you score.
Arielle: All right, well, that is it for us. Have a great weekend, and we will see you right back here on Monday.
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