Tom: All right, all right, all right, guys, the bad news: Summer break is officially over.
Azia: But the good news is that means we will be right back with you in the classroom.
Keith: Definitely. All right, let’s get this started. It is Tuesday, September 5, and Channel One News starts…
All: Right now.
Keith: What is up, everyone? I am Keith Kocinski. And the world is reacting to another show of force by North Korea. Today the United Nations Security Council is meeting to figure out what to do about the secretive and unpredictable nation.
Over the weekend North Korea said it tested a powerful nuclear bomb. It is the sixth nuke test by the North Koreans since 2006. The international community has tried to stop the country from making nuclear bombs by blocking trade and using other punishments, but there hasn't been much success.
So why are nuclear bombs such a big deal? Well, Maggie Rulli took an in-depth look at nukes a few years ago, and it seemed like a good time to revisit her series, so take a look.
Maggie: In an instant it took more than 70,000 lives.
Sheigeiko Sasamori: So many people, just dead on the street.
Maggie: The most powerful weapon ever created.
Eric Schlosser: These are the most deadly, dangerous machines on Earth.
Maggie: Nuclear bombs. Many fear they could lead to the end of the world.
Schlosser: There’s no question — nuclear weapons are the greatest threat that we face. And they're the threat that we're not paying enough attention to.
Maggie: But others say they are saving our world.
Major General Garrett Harencak: They exist for one reason, and that’s to defend America and our friends and defend our values, our way of life.
Man: It is a massive, massive responsibility, and it's not something that anybody takes lightly.
Maggie: Right now, it is believed that nine countries have nuclear weapons, with about 15,000 total nukes in the world. Experts say it would only take 100 nuclear explosions to devastate our planet’s climate, killing tens of millions. That is why the world fears who has control of that massive power and who is trying to get it.
Alan Carr: Today it’s not the number of weapons that’s dangerous; it’s the number of proliferators. There are more countries that have nuclear weapons and pursuing them. It’s not just a bilateral issue anymore.
Maggie: While several countries now have nuclear weapons, nearly all of the world's stockpile is controlled by the U.S. and Russia. We currently spend more on our nuclear arsenal than any other country and at this very moment have nearly 2,000 nuclear warheads on high alert, ready to use on short notice.
For the past 70 years, scientists have been using this remote location in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to test nuclear weapons. This is Los Alamos National Laboratory.In the 1940s, in the middle of World War II, Los Alamos was the center for the Manhattan Project, a top-secret mission that employed nearly 130,000 across the country.
Carr: The Manhattan Project was really one of history’s most secret projects. Nobody knew what was going on.
Maggie: The country's smartest minds, trying to tap into the power of the atom. Their goal: create the world’s first nuclear weapon.
It all starts in the nucleus of an atom. Fission, when atoms are split, or fusion, when atoms are fused, causes an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction that releases massive amounts of energy.Today's nuclear weapons use both fission and fusion to create almost unimaginable destructive power.
Carr: The initial goal was to beat Adolf Hitler to the atomic bomb. Can you imagine a world where only Adolf Hitler had access to nuclear weapons? That was what we were up against early on. The scientists had to wake up every morning wondering if they were going to read about London, for instance, being hit with a Nazi nuclear weapon.
Maggie: Motivated by fear and competition, the first nuclear weapon was developed in just about 28 months.
Carr: July 16, 1945, we conduct the world’s first nuclear test. That test was a remarkable success. They’d achieved a yield of 21,000 tons of TNT. Before this had happened, it had taken hundreds and hundreds of bombers hours and hours to deliver that kind of firepower. Now you could do it with one bomber and a few kilograms of uranium or plutonium. This revolutionized warfare. It really changed the world.
Maggie: While Germany had already surrendered, World War II raged on in the Pacific. And now, thanks to the Manhattan Project, the U.S. had a new weapon and was ready to show its power to the world.
Carr: In developing the nuclear weapons at Los Alamos, we gave policy makers in Washington an option for bringing the war to an abrupt halt.
Maggie: And they chose two cities in Japan: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It was in this exact location when, at 8:15 in the morning on August 6, 1945, the first nuclear weapon was dropped in war. Instantly, this entire area was devastated. The heat from the blast lasted only three seconds, but it was enough to literally melt the skin off of people's bodies.
Just days later, Japan surrendered, ending years of war. It was man-made devastation the likes of which no one had ever seen and has never been seen since. The U.S. is the only nation that has used a nuclear weapon in war.
Man: Bottom line, they’re here to stay.
Maggie: Over the next few days, we will look at how the bomb forever changed the way we wage war, the reasons we fight for peace and how nuclear weapons have helped establish America's status in the world.
Maggie Rulli, Channel One News.
Keith: Wow. Definitely a lot to think about there, and it is always nice to see you, Mags. If you want to know more about nukes and the situation with North Korea, head over to ChannelOne.com.
All right, we are back to class after a long weekend, but the Labor Day fun continues when we come back.
Keith: So you had a day off of school yesterday for Labor Day. But do you know what the holiday is all about? Here are five things to know about Labor Day:
One, Labor Day was established in 1894 to honor the contributions workers have made to our country.
Two, it was part of the labor movement at the turn of the 20th century, when workers pushed for more rights and protections.
Three, new laws were passed to limit workers' hours, require safer working conditions and to outlaw child labor.
Four, labor unions and collective bargaining became more powerful during the movement. That is when workers who do the same job organize into groups and then negotiate rules about things like salaries for the entire group.
Five, the U.S. Department of Labor was established in1913.
All right, I guess we have got to go back to work. But even though you were off on Monday, we didn't want to miss out on the Next Big Thing, so let’s get to it.
Before we turn the page on this week's Next Big Thing, let's see what you guys thought about last week's idea. We toldyou about the high-tech solution for mowing the front lawn — the Robomow. So is it the next big thing? Sixty-three percent said, “Yes — great for my grass!” Thirty-seven percent said, “Nah — cut it out.”
Class: We are Mrs. Benac's sixth-grade class from Rockridge Junior High in Taylor Ridge, Illinois, and we think the Robomow definitely makes the cut!
Class: This is Ms. Fannin's sixth-grade social studies class at Porter Elementary in Johnson County, Kentucky, and we think the Robomow is the next big thing!
Class: This is Mr. Bailey's class from Norwayne Middle School in Creston, Ohio, and we think the Robomow is not the next big thing!
Keith: Thanks for your responses, Channel Oners. Make sure you keep them coming.
Okay, Cassie is here with what you guys have been waiting for… Cass?
Cassie: Wait.
Keith: Cass!
Cassie: One second. I am almost done!
Keith: Stop texting! Cass, we have a show to do here.
Cassie: Keith, I am not texting my friends! These are actually characters in a book. It is all part of this new way to catch up on some reading, just in time for National Literacy Month. Check it out.
Nineteen-year-old Mikey Sean McGuigan says the first time he heard about the app Hooked, he was sold.
Mikey Sean McGuigan: The name really wraps it all up. It hooks you into the story.
Cassie: The app allows users to read fast-paced short stories right on their smartphones, and in the form of text messages between two people.
McGuigan: Because you're actually going through these texts, and it's almost as if you were, like, texting he's, like, running away from a killer or something.
Cassie: Since its release three years ago, the rise in popularity of chat fiction apps like Hooked has led book authors like Kayla Parent to take a leap into the new format.
Kayla Parent: “Honey, please ignore it until I get home.”
“How am I supposed to do that? It's getting louder.”
“Don't go down there."
Cassie: Hooked has topped Apple's app store three times, and more than 20 million people have downloaded the free app.Users could also pay for an upgrade and get unlimited reading.
McGuigan: It almost feels like you're actually going through what the characters are going through.
Cassie: So what do you guys think? Is chat fiction the next big thing? Weigh in at ChannelOne.com, and don't forget to leave us a comment.
Keith: Even better, send us a video response to .
All right, guys, we are going to put a bookmark on today's show, but we will pick up where we left off right here tomorrow.
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