CNN Student News Transcript: March 4, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- March 4, 2008

Quick Guide

America Votes 2008 - Examine the potential impact of today's presidential primary contests.

Women's History Month - Discover some of the accomplishments of racing sensation Danica Patrick.

Protesting Whaling - Watch activists clash with a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters.

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: It's Tuesday, and you've found your way to CNN Student News, your commercial-free source for news for the classroom. We're happy to have you with us. I'm Monica Lloyd.

First Up: America Votes 2008

LLOYD: First up, voters head to the polls in four states on what could be a decisive day in the race for the White House. Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont: They're all holding presidential contests today, and the results just might tell us who the nominees are from both parties. On the Republican side, John McCain is way out in front, and has been for a while. He's less than 200 delegates away from wrapping things up, and there are more than 250 GOP delegates up for grabs today.

For the Democrats, things aren't quite so clear. Barack Obama is about 100 delegates ahead of Hillary Clinton heading into these primaries, but neither one has enough to win the nomination, even with the 370 delegates at stake today. But as Josh Levs explains, what happens could give us a hint about just how long the Democratic campaign will last.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is great to be back here in Waco with all of you.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: O-H!

CROWD SHOUTS BACK: I-O!

JOSH LEVS, CNN REPORTER: The political world is focused on Tuesday's showdowns in Texas and Ohio, knowing they could end Clinton's campaign or press reset on the dynamics of the race and give her momentum. If that happens, what's next? The next big delegate prize is in Pennsylvania, seven weeks later on April 22nd. March 4th has become the political version of Groundhog Day. Instead of telling us if...

ANNOUNCEMENT AT GROUNDHOG DAY: Six more weeks of winter it will be.

LEVS: Tuesday tells us if seven more weeks of this race lie ahead. Not that it would necessarily end in Pennsylvania. Clinton's campaign says she'll clinch the nomination by June. The Obama camp calls the Clinton camp's math "lunacy." But there's nothing crazy about the idea of a nomination race lasting months.

CLINTON: We forget that my husband did not win the nomination until June, that longer primaries have been frankly the norm until relatively recently.

LEVS: Still, no one seems to want that. And their party's leader has made clear April could be something of a deadline.

HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement.

LEVS: But what that arrangement would be, at this point, is pretty much anyone's guess. Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

LLOYD: All right, so delegates are the key to winning the nomination, and as we mentioned, there are hundreds at stake today. But how will the results of any of the remaining contests affect the overall count? See for yourself! We've got an interactive delegate counter that lets you assign different totals from different states to different candidates, and see how it impacts the race. You can find it "In the Spotlight" section on CNNStudentNews.com!

Spoken Word

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: It's taken nearly 60 years for Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble to be awarded the medal he earned on the battlefield in Korea. His nominating paperwork was lost and then it was re-submitted and then it was lost again. Then the deadline passed and Woody and his family were told it was too late. Some blamed the bureaucracy for a shameful blunder. Others suspected racism; Woody was a full-blooded Sioux Indian. Whatever the reason, the first Sioux to ever receive the Medal of Honor died without knowing it was his. A terrible injustice was done to a good man, to his family and to history, and today, we're going to try and set things right.

Women's History Month

LLOYD: It started as a day in the early 1900s, became a week in 1980 and about 20 years ago, Congress declared all of March to be Women's History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout U.S. history. Today, CNN Student News is shifting our coverage of the month-long event into high gear.

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: And we're off, racing into Women's History Month with Danica Patrick. One of the fastest-driving women ever -- certainly the most famous female in the racing world -- the 26-year-old Patrick has a simple goal: to be a winner. In 2007, Patrick drove home 11 top-10 finishes, including third-place finishes in Texas and Nashville. And in the overall points standings, Patrick crossed the line in 7th place. Oh, and in 2005, she became the first woman ever to lead at a little race called the Indianapolis 500! All this after getting into racing because her sister was. And since then, Patrick has picked up work as a model as well as a model athlete.

DANICA PATRICK: I'm so lucky. I have so many fans and so many people that cheer for me and, whether I'm having a good day or a bad day, and that really means a lot.

AZUZ: A woman making history on the track this Women's History Month.

Promo

LLOYD: Danica Patrick proves that gender doesn't matter behind the wheel. When she's racing around the track, she's just another driver. We've got a Learning Activity that lets students research how gender roles have changed for men and women over time and the impact that those shifts have had. You can check it out at CNNStudentNews.com!

ID Me

AZUZ: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm a South American country bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. My name sounds like a famous U.S. district, though it's spelled differently by one letter. My capital is Bogotá. We're identifying Colombia, a republic containing about 44 million people.

South America Tinderbox

LLOYD: Colombia's also bordered by Ecuador and Venezuela. And right now, tensions are high between all three nations because of a regional crisis. It all started over the weekend, when Colombian forces crossed the country's southern border into Ecuador during a raid that killed two high-profile rebels. The Ecuadorian president was outraged. He claimed that civilians died in what he called an "unjustified massacre." He responded by sending troops northeast to the Colombian border, and yesterday, the country broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia. Venezuela got in on the situation, too. President Hugo Chavez is an ally of Ecuador, and he sent troops south to his country's border with Colombia. For its part, the Colombian government says it has no plans to move any military forces.

Protesting Whaling

LLOYD: Shifting from land to sea now, an incident between two ships in the Antarctic Ocean is drawing attention to Japan's whaling practices. The country's hoping to gain support for its program, but conservationists have been clashing with whale-hunting vessels. And as Kyung Lah tells us, they're trading more than just words. Teachers, we ask that you please preview this segment, as it contains some content that may not be appropriate for some students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER: Defying an order warning them to back off, anti-whaling activists aboard a Sea Shepherd Conservation Society boat hurled package after package at the Japanese whaling ship. Inside those four dozen brown paper bags, what the activists described as a foul-smelling acid. They say the chemicals are harmless, but the Japanese government says four of its crewmen suffered minor injuries.

LAH: This is harassment and terrorism, charged the Japanese government. But the activist group calls Japan's whale hunt intolerable. International law allows the yearly hunt of up to 1,000 whales because Japan says the aim is science. For months, the Japanese fleet and a Sea Shepherd ship have faced off in the Antarctic waters.

In January, two Sea Shepherd crewmen, unannounced, jumped aboard the Japanese vessel, forcing the hunt to stall. This isn't Japan's only problem. Australia launched its customs ship to monitor the whale hunt and released this emotional video of whalers hauling aboard what the Australian government described as a mother and baby whale. Japan said they were not mother and calf, but a larger whale and a smaller one.

Now trying to turn the tide of international opinion, Japan is lobbying 12 officials from Africa and Asia who are gathered in Tokyo. The Japanese government wants the officials to support its position when the International Whaling Commission meets in London later this week to address global whaling rules. Greenpeace activists greeted the officials with an inflatable whale and a picture of Japan's prime minister on a dollar bill, and accused Japan of trying to buy the support of Whaling Commission officials.

PIERRE COUSSEY, GHANA, SPECIAL ADVISOR: They haven't paid us to be here. You know, we're here on our own volition. I don't think people are brought into things. They have an argument; somebody should listen.

LAH: Listening is something Japan says it isn't getting from activists or governments who oppose the country's whaling activities. Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

LLOYD: And before we go, check this out! This passenger jet came in for a landing in Germany over the weekend. But as you can see, it's not quite lined up straight with the runway. It's not because of a cross-eyed pilot. It's because of cross winds! They slammed the plane during its approach, and the tip of one wing actually grazed the ground before the pilot pulled the plane back up into the sky.

Goodbye

LLOYD: Luckily, everyone on board was safe, and the second landing attempt went a lot more smoothly. That's where today's show takes flight. Thanks for watching. I'm Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend