CNN Student News Transcript: February 11, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- February 11, 2008

Quick Guide

Voting at 17 - Learn why some 17-year-olds will be voting in several presidential primaries.

The End? - Hear about a possible end to a work stoppage in the entertainment industry.

Kings of the Road - See how some Pakistanis are cruising the streets of their country in style.

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We hope you had a great weekend, and we hope you're ready to get the week started with this brand new edition of CNN Student News. Hi, everyone. I'm Monica Lloyd.

First Up: America Votes

LLOYD: First up, we want to catch up on some presidential contests that took place over the weekend. Four states, three caucuses, two primaries, one day: It wasn't quite Super Tuesday, but it was a busy Saturday for the White House hopefuls from both parties. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a virtual dead heat for delegates. While Republican front-runner John McCain is several hundred delegates ahead of his closest rival, Mike Huckabee. John Lorinc fills us in on the results of this weekend's contests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN LORINC, CNN REPORTER: No signs of being a longshot in Mike Huckabee's voice on Sunday.

MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you look at where our votes are, it's clearly coming from the people who are the most conservative. I think that makes sense. I'm the most conservative candidate left standing.

LORINC: Huckabee bested front-runner Senator John McCain in contests Saturday in Kansas and Louisiana. McCain won caucuses in Washington state. On the Democratic side, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama campaigned in Virginia Sunday.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everywhere I go, people say they want a new direction for the country, they want to write a new chapter in American history.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is imperative that we have leadership that believes again.

LORINC: Saturday, Obama swept contests in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington state and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The wins cut further into Clinton's already razor-thin overall delegate lead. Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. hold primaries for both parties Tuesday. I'm John Lorinc, reporting from Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Voting at 17

LLOYD: Maine held its Democratic caucuses on Sunday, and you can find those results on our Web site, CNNStudentNews.com! Now, if you've had a chance to check out our One-Sheet on the right to vote, you know the legal voting age in our country is 18. But tomorrow, some 17-year-olds will be heading to the polls in the so-called Potomac Primaries in Maryland and Virginia. Kate Bolduan explains the reason why these younger voters get to cast ballots.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN REPORTER: If scenes like this are any sign, young people are bucking the stereotype of being disengaged and apathetic, instead they're getting involved in the 2008 presidential race. And the candidates are taking notice.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everybody talks about, well, how ya gonna get the younger vote?

OBAMA: In Iowa, on the day of the caucus, I had been telling reporters, you know, young people were going to come out like never before.

CLINTON: We can solve our problems again, but I can't do it without your help.

BOLDUAN: And young voters are even younger. In the upcoming Maryland and Virginia primaries, along with a handful of other states, 17-year-olds can vote as long as they are 18 by the general election.

STUDENT: Is this another school election we're going to be participating in, or is this a joke?

BOLDUAN: That's what many teenagers may ask themselves. But Maryland high school students we talked to say they love the idea.

BEN ELKIN, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I will absolutely be out there on Tuesday, staffing the polls and voting.

IAN MUIR, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I might not be of age, or I might not have a job or secure income per se. I still have the right to say what I think.

BOLDUAN: Polls show the young voters in general are doing just that, making their voices heard. The Pew Research Center says the California Democratic primary is one example.

MARK LOPEZ, PEW RESEARCH CENTER: Young people increased their share of voters on election day from about 10 percent to 14 percent. To be able to do that is really quite striking.

BOLDUAN: Striking, maybe. But will it last? These students say absolutely.

JULIE CHANG, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: Youth in America are realizing that when you don't vote, you don't get a say.

BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO)

Promo

LLOYD: And if you haven't checked out our One-Sheet on voting rights, now's your chance! It gives students some background information on important milestones in American suffrage. We've also got a Learning Activity that lets students research some of the champions of voting rights. The resources are part of our "Talking Democracy" series, and you can find them all at CNNStudentNews.com!

Shoutout

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: It's time for the Shoutout! What are the initials of the labor union that represents movie and television writers? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) AFl-CIO, B) SAG, C) DGA or D) WGA? You've got three seconds -- GO! The WGA, or Writers Guild of America, represents thousands of writers who write your favorite television shows and motion pictures. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

The End?

LLOYD: But they haven't been writing much recently. That's because WGA members have been on strike for more than three months! The group hit the picket lines back in November after clashing with producers. The main reason for the work stoppage: money! The two sides couldn't agree on how much writers should be paid when their work is used on the Internet or DVDs. But it looks like this story finally has a happy ending. Over the weekend, the union's leaders accepted a new offer from the studios, and they say the full membership will vote on the deal tomorrow. One of the heads of the WGA says it's all thanks to the strike.

PATRICK VERRONE, WGA WEST PRESIDENT: It was arguably the most successful strike in the American labor movement in a decade, certainly the most important of this young century. It is not all that we hoped for, and it is not all we deserve. But as I told our members, this strike was about the future. And this deal assures for us and for future generations of writers, a share in the future.

Spoken Word

MICHAEL MOORE, MOVIE DIRECTOR: The chief thing has already been gained, that a union in the United States of America stood up to corporate America and said we're not gonna take this anymore. I wouldn't have thought it would be the writers. You know, usually, I'd expect it from the steel workers or the auto workers. The fact that it was a bunch of people that got beat up in school, you know, because they liked to sit around and write in their journals, it's kind of impressive.

Shoutout Extra Credit

RAMSAY: Time for a Shoutout Extra Credit! Look at this map: Which of these countries is Pakistan? Is it A, B, C or D? Another three seconds on the clock -- GO! B is Pakistan! The south Asian nation borders the Arabian Sea, Iran, Afghanistan, India and China, and it's almost twice the size of the state of California. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout Extra Credit!

Kings of the Road

LLOYD: Pakistan also has about 160,000 miles of roadways. And some of the vehicles that travel those roads are covered in symbols. You see it here in the U.S., too: cars that show off the driver's favorite sports team or favorite band. You might not always see a bumper sticker, but in Pakistan, there's no chance of missing a driver who's decked out in designer decals. Frederik Pleitgen tells us about the rulers of Pakistan's roads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN REPORTER: They are the kings of Pakistan's roads, and once they get rolling, better move over. These trucks look great, but they're not exactly easy to drive. They don't have power steering and they don't have power brakes either. With all the decoration, it's pretty hard to see, even through the windshield. But that's what it's all about: style.

TRUCK DRIVER: "There is a lot of competition between the drivers to have the nicest truck," this driver says.

PLEITGEN: What might look like a scrapyard to some is Ejaz Hussein's customizing workshop in Rawalpindi. His workers call him Papa Riaz. He's been pimping up old British Bedford freighters for more than 40 years.

EJAZ HUSSEIN "PAPA RIAZ," TRUCK CUSTOMIZER: "I can make good money," he says, "but it's not like we paint a large number of trucks in one day. It takes us ten to twelve days to paint one truck and to decorate it."

PLEITGEN: Painting, hammering and welding. Some owners pay up to 2,000 dollars to get their rides customized, a fortune by Pakistani standards. The detailed decoration is deeply rooted in Pakistani culture.

HUSSEIN: "It's the history of this region," Ejaz Hussein says. "During the days of the moguls, they used to paint and decorate their tombs and mosques and their houses like this. And that's where the inspiration comes from, and we adapted this practice."

PLEITGEN: History on wheels in a country where truck and bus customizers won't be going out of business anytime soon. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Pakistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

LLOYD: And finally, a story about the sweetest part of any wedding: the cake! Meet Larry Bach. For the past 13 years, Larry has been baking up wedding cakes. His tasty pastries have been enjoyed by thousands of happy couples, and... Uh, Larry, why are you cutting the groom in half? You see, Larry also makes divorce cakes. It all started a few years ago. An old customer walked into Larry's store. Turns out the couple had split up, but she told Larry that his cake had been the best part of her marriage. Larry figured that something sour deserved something sweet, and viola! The divorce cake was born.

LARRY BACH, MAKES "DIVORCE CAKES": I think it's a healthy thing. I mean, you have to... You know, it's the end of something bad and the beginning of something good. And I think that's probably cause for celebration.

Goodbye

LLOYD: For the record, Larry says he enjoys making wedding cakes a lot more. That's the last slice of today's show. We'll see you tomorrow for more CNN Student News. Have a great day, everyone. I'm Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend