Students: We’re Miss Whyler’s seventh-grade seminar in Louisburg, Kansas, and Channel One News starts right now!
Keith: Thanks to Miss Whyler's class from Louisburg, Kansas, for kicking us off today. Now let's get into the news.
Today a judge is expected to make a decision on a lawsuit to stop the construction of an oil pipeline in western North Dakota. Thousands of people have been camped out for months in protest of the pipeline.
The pipeline would carry about 450,000 barrels of oil daily. Its route would cross four states, including land on North Dakota which is home to the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of Native Americans.But opponents say the construction of the pipeline could put drinking water at risk of contamination and may also disrupt historical sites sacred to the Sioux tribe.
Protests have been going on since April. Many are camped out at the site and are gaining support from other Native American tribes across the country.
Protestor: When we stand in unity, that's where we have the most strength.
Bobbi Jean Three Legs: I think our prayers are being heard. This is almost an indigenous worldwide movement now.
Protestor: You read about it in our history books. I mean, you read about it just — it's all around us, you know what I mean, how it seems like Native Americans have been forgotten about.
Keith: Last weekend the peaceful protests turned violent when activists clashed with a private security group hired by the oil company.
Supporters of the pipeline say it would create jobs, lower gas prices and help the United States become more energy independent.
Okay, next up, the fight against Zika in Florida is back up and running today. It was put on hold because of a backlash to spraying a chemical to kill mosquitoes. Over and over, an angry crowd shouted at the Miami mayor.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez: That's what the experts are telling me.
Woman: You’re lying!
Keith: They are upset over Miami's plan to spray a chemical pesticide to kill mosquitoes in hopes of stopping the spread of the Zika virus.
Residents are worried the chemical could harm human beings even though health officials say the low dose is safe. The city of Miami delayed spraying for 24 hours but plans to begin today. Last week the same chemical was sprayed in South Carolina. A beekeeper who didn’t know the spraying was planned lost 2.5million bees, she says, killed by the toxin.
In Washington, D.C., lawmakers are still arguing over money to fight Zika. The
$1.1 billion plan was put on hold after Democrats voted it down because of other controversial add-ons in the bill.
All right, coming up, how NASA is rocking in outer space.
Keith: Okay, it is time to get your geek on. And Demetrius, you have seen the movies: An asteroid is about to hit the Earth, and at the very last minute, scientists shoot up into the sky and save the day.
Demetrius: Yeah, Keith, but this is no “Deep Impact” or “Armageddon,” but NASA engineers did launch a pretty bold project to do just that, with the hopes of unlocking some of the secrets of the universe.
Scientists believe the asteroid Bennu holds the keys to our solar system and life on Earth. Last night NASA launched what it is calling a robotic asteroid hunter named OSIRIS-REx.
Christina Richey: OSIRIS-REx will be the first NASA-led mission to retrieve a sample and return to Earth that sample from an asteroid. It will also be the largest sample return since the Apollo era.
Demetrius: The trip to Bennu will take two years, and then the SUV-sized spacecraft will cruise around the asteroid and make a map of its surface.
NASA Expert: We are going to spend a couple of years mapping it in great detail, first globally so we can understand what areas of the asteroid are safe and where is the most scientifically valuable material.
Demetrius: And then comes a robotic high five when OSIRIS-REx extends its arm and vacuums up gravel and soil samples to bring back to Earth.
NASA Expert: We will go down for a five-second contact, grab that material, bring it back on another two-and-a-half-year cruise back home.
Demetrius: Bennu is a black space rock about the size of the Empire State Building, and it is on NASA's list of potentially hazardous asteroids, meaning it could one day possibly collide with Earth.
This mission, with its billion-dollar price tag, will take seven years if successful. Demetrius Pipkin, Channel One News.
Keith: Wow, that was one really cool space attempt.
All right, next up, it is time for OneVote.
Keith: We have already rapped up with two main presidential candidates in this upcoming November election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But they are not the only ones making a play for the keys to the White House. Today we introduce you to some of the third-party candidates who are trying to get your vote with a different beat.
You don't gotta vote Democrat or Republican.
I know at times that politics can be puzzling,
but you got choices — you don't never gotta rush.
Lemme tell you that there’s third parties
that we don't discuss.
Trust.
And one is the Libertarian.
Less government,
more business advantages,
and if you feeling that, then you could side
with Gary Johnson.
Born in North Dakota,
built an empire in college,
fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
Net worth $3 million; that is just the minimum.
Once governor of New Mexico,
like his wages high and his taxes low.
Opposing foreign war — that is not optimal,
military budget cut in half if he won it all.
And there is another party titled Green.
It prefers that corporations all be governed all the same
and every woman, man and child shouldn't have to pay a thing
just for health care
because it is something that we need.
If you like that,
then you could vote for Jill Stein.
Her medical degree at Harvard sharpened her mind.
Fighting for the people
and the people in the mines.
Rich taxes rise; the poor tax decline.
Food
water
housing
working lights
health care
voting
all of those is human rights.
Get rid of the student debt,
plans to treat the planet right,
put billions in the economy, looking to give it life.
Right.
See, people, yeah, there is always a choice.
Everybody has their pride,
and we all have a voice.
If you stuck worried about voting Clinton or Trump,
It is other options on the table; you could choose what you want.
Yeah yeah yeah.
You could choose what you want.
It is other options on the table; you could choose what you want.
Keith: Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are the two leading candidates that aren't Republican or Democrat, but there are dozens of other groups we didn't mention. It is tough for these guys to even get on the ballot or be included in the presidential debates; there are a lot of requirements, and a lot of people feel like voting for a third-party candidate is a waste since the winner is almost always the Democrat or Republican.
However, in 1992 Independent candidate Ross Perot was pretty popular, actually receiving nearly 20 percent of the votes.And he did have an impact on that election, even if he didn't win.
Now, we do have a few Team OneVote members that aren't ready to vote for Trump or Clinton. Let's see what they have to say.
Genny: Currently, I am undecided about a party. My political beliefs do not line up with my family because my dad is a Republican, and my mom is an Independent, and I tend to be a little more Democratic in some of my beliefs.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, so I’m gonna just shut my mouth on that one.
Brooke: For the election of 2016, I support Gary Johnson and Bill Weld for president and vice president, respectively.
People always tell me that voting for a third-party candidate won't work, that the vote will be meaningless, and so, therefore, they should go with the major party affiliation, Republicans or Democrats, instead of their principles. And to me, that's so unfair. If everybody who actually agreed with the Libertarian Party voted for the Libertarian Party, we would easily become president.
Keith: There is so much more to come from our Team OneVote as they are always blogging about their opinions on our website. You can take a look at Brooke's blog about what it means to be a Libertarian right now on ChannelOne.com.
All right, coming up, students are turning caring into a career.
Keith: All right, Tom is here to get us into that Feel-Good Friday mood with a story about teens helping animals.
Tom: Yeah, Keith. This is a good one, but it starts off with a pretty staggering statistic. According to the ASPCA, nearly 8 million pets are taken to animal shelters in the U.S. each year, which means volunteers are needed at every moment. Take a look at these Connecticut teens who are stepping up.
Lauryn Giuliano: I just like helping animals and making sure that they’re healthy.
Tom: Trumbull High student Lauryn Giuliano is learning the ropes, volunteering at West Haven's animal shelter. She is one of five students getting a doggone amount of class credit or community service time here lightening the load for local animal control officers.
Sergeant Eric Pimer: In West Haven animal control calls are the second most calls we go on in the whole city, so my officers don't have time to be in here and socialize animals. They don't have time to walk them; they don't have time to clean up after them.
Tom: It is a model that has gotten a round of "appaws" — I mean, applause — over the years, though the work can be "ruff" — often cleaning cages before getting in on any sort of puppy love.
Animal Control Officer Shannon Rose says that is the best part.
Shannon Rose: Seeing the realities of it, it's not all cuddling puppies and petting kittens. There's a lot of hard work behind all of that as well.
Tom: She would know; after volunteering for class credit as a teen, she became an officer just last year.
West Haven High grad Rebecca Collins has also turned volunteering into a career — now a member of the paid staff.
Rebecca Collins: I get a chance to walk the dogs and touch the animals, but I also get to see, like, the feral cats; they go from feral to friendly, and they get adopted, so that's very nice.
Tom: She eventually wants to become a veterinarian.
Tom Hanson, Channel One News.
Keith: Really cool story, Tom.
Well, that is it for us today, but I do have some more good news for you before we go —it is the weekend! Have fun, and we will see you on Monday.
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