Tom: Hey everyone, it is Wednesday, August 31, and today scientists in California make it rain, plus some serious girl power for one public school. I am Tom Hanson, and Channel One News starts right now.
First up today, lawmakers have asked the FBI to investigate whether Russia might be trying to influence our presidential race.This comes after reports that foreign hackers broke into several state voter registration websites.
In a letter to FBI Director James Comey, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says there is a direct connection between the Russian government and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Reid's request to investigate comes after reports that foreign hackers broke into voting registration websites in Arizona and Illinois.
The FBI wouldn't comment on any investigation but says it does take these accusations seriously.
James Comey: Those kinds of things are something we take very, very seriously and work very, very hard to understand so that we can equip the rest of our government with options for how to deal with it.
Josh Earnest: There has been a discussion about whether or not to designate certain voting systems that are, of course, maintained at the state and local level as pieces of critical infrastructure.
Tom: The FBI is warning states to check their voter databases. Currently, there are over 8,000 voting districts across the country, all with different ways of running their elections using different types of machines.
While cyber security experts say the recent hacks show there are cracks in the election process, thepresident of the National Association of Secretaries of State says all machines have to meet government standards.
Denise Merrill: The idea of a national hack of some sort is almost ridiculous because there is no national system.
Tom: Both Arizona’s and Illinois’ election systems are back online with improved security after being shut down for a week.
Next up today, some good news for thousands of migrants rescued off the coast of the country of Libya in Northern Africa.
This is the scene that has played out hundreds of times on the Mediterranean Sea. Ships from the Italian Coast Guard and other groups find overcrowded boats full of African migrants — some just babies. On Monday 6,500 migrants were pulled from the sea; many are from the countries of Eritrea and Somalia in East Africa. They are fleeing the war and poverty of their homelands for a chance at a better life in Europe.
But for now, they will be put in camps like this one in Calais, France, joining tens of thousands of others who have also fled wars in Syria and Afghanistan.
Migrant: In here no one is with me. Every night I am scared — from police, from people, from animals.
Alexandra Simmons: It’s not the healthiest of places to be living here. Hygiene is very hard to maintain — very cramped living conditions. There are rats everywhere; as you can see, food and rubbish and waste is quite a big problem.
Tom: Over a million migrants entered Europe last year.
Okay, now it is time to see what you guys said with our first poll question of the year, and there were plenty of opinions on this one. We asked you, do you think it is disrespectful not to stand up during the national anthem? Seventy-seven percent of you said yes, it is, and 23 percent of you said no, it isn't.
Caleb said, "No matter how bad the world is, you should still stand and respect the people that served for our lives and our country."
Gracie said, "Yes, I agree it is incredibly disrespectful to America, and I agree with his concern, but he is still incredibly rude to this country."
Mrs. Baughman's class chimed in: "Yes, it is disrespectful, but we do have the freedom of speech."
But Liam said, "No, because it's part of our freedom. And in the First Amendment, you have the freedom of speech, and not standing up is a form of protest.”
And Michae said, "You can do whatever you want. It's just the national anthem, and you guys are taking it too seriously." Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Okay, coming up, when it comes to rain, scientists are giving Mother Nature a helping hand.
Tom: All right, now, it is time to get your geek on with a battle between California and Mother Nature that Keith is here to tell us about.
Keith: Yeah, Tom, the state is thirsty, still suffering from a drought that has gone on for years. Residents are conserving water, lawns are dying and farms are struggling.Now Los Angeles County has decided it is not waiting on Mother Nature anymore. Instead, it is turning to science.
Rainfall like this is so rare in Southern California that Los Angeles County is hoping to squeeze out every drop by cloud seeding from ground stations like this one.
Los Angeles County has paid a half a million dollars to a cloud-seeding contractor promising to make more rain.
Kerjon Lee: This actually comes with a lot of science behind it.
Keith: Cloud seeding works when silver iodide particles are sprayed into a saturated cloud. They act like a nucleus, which attracts supercooled water vapor that freezes into ice. Once the ice becomes heavy enough, it falls and melts to become rain.
Graeme Stephens: It's been shown that, under certain circumstances, it works, but in a very marginal way, and even then, it would be difficult to prove how much actually increases occur.
Keith: L.A. County officials insist they can get up to 15 percent more rainfall with no health risks.
Lee: Based on our 50-year study, we think we can get an additional 1.5 billion gallons a year.
Keith: And that would be a welcome drop in Southern California's shrinking reservoirs.Keith Kocinski, Channel One News.
Tom: Now, according to NASA, the cloud seeding for L.A. County is projected to add
1.4 billion gallons of rain per storm season. That is enough drinking water for
36,000 residents.
Now, we have got you covered with what you should know about what is happening in California. Here are 5 Things to Know about the California drought:
One, California is currently in its fifth year of a severe drought.
Two, 2015 was California's warmest year on record.
Three, California is under a state of emergency because of the drought, with rules about how much water residents can use.
Four, 80 percent of California's water is used in farming. California produces almost half of all the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the U.S.
And five, the drought cost farmers and ranchers about $2 billion in losses last year.
Okay, after the break, a brand-new school that is all about girl power.
Tom: Okay, a brand-new school year usually means new clothes, new classes, new school supplies. Well, check this one out: One group in Los Angeles got a brand-new school that is the first of its kind, and Arielle is here to break it down.
Arielle: Yup, this one is all about the girls. For the first time in California's history, a public school just for girls is opening with a focus on STEM — a career field that could really use some more girl power.
Student: Boys will distract girls.
Arielle: And that is why this student says she is getting a fresh start — with no boys allowed. She will be attending California's first public school just for girls.
Elizabeth Hicks: There are just amazing, intelligent, curious, wonderful girls. And we hope that they develop and keep their voice from middle school all the way through high school.
Arielle: Principal Elizabeth Hicks founded the Girls Academic Leadership Academy. Its focus is on STEM classes — science, technology, engineering and math — subjects that are encouraged more for boys than girls. The school will be welcoming students from 51 schools and 39 zip codes, from both private and charter schools.
Hicks: It's definitely important because there's not a lot of women, particularly women of color, in the fields of engineering and computer science.
Samantha Kissane: I really love engineering and science.
Arielle: Samantha Kissane helped the school get ready before the big opening. In her last school, she felt alone in STEM classes.
Veronica Kissane: There were no girls, and so she was upset that she was the only one in there. And she was crying, saying, “I don't want to go back, even though I really love the class. I feel weird being the only one.”
Arielle: Los Angeles school district says statistics suggest girls-only schools graduate about 30 percent more girls than regular coed schools. They also claim single-sex schools are good for all students. But other research shows single-sex education offers no significant benefits, and some critics say it could even be harmful, promoting stereotypes about boys and girls.
Still, the L.A. school district isn't stopping with the girls. The district has plans for an all-boys STEM school next year.
Sheyla Menzie: Sometimes they feel intimidated by boys, you know; they feel that they are not capable of doing things, you know. But here they're teaching them something different.
Emely Amador-Menzie: I'm going to have people who are just like me and different all around me.
Arielle: A new beginning that is all about the girls.
I think it is a cool idea, but we want to hear from you. Do you think students learn better in single-gender classes? Head on over to ChannelOne.com to vote or leave a comment — or send us a video response to .
Tom: Pretty cool, thanks, Arielle.
All right, guys, that is going to wrap up the show today. We will see you right back here tomorrow.
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