CNN Student News Transcript: April 10, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- April 10, 2008

Quick Guide

Torch Trek - Follow the Olympic torch on its journey through the streets of San Francisco.

Talking Democracy - Hear why one group of students is examining the media's role in an election.

After the Oval Office - Discover how some U.S. presidents have made ends meet after leaving office.

Transcript

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

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It's Thursday, I'm Carl and this is CNN Student News! We are ubiquitous, on Headline News, online, on iTunes and we're glad to have you with us. Let's get to it!

First Up: Torch Trek

AZUZ: First up, the Olympic flame goes on a wild ride around the city of San Francisco. If you've watched our program this week, you know there's been a bit of controversy surrounding the torch relay. Protesters turned out in London and Paris to speak out against China as the host of this year's Olympics. And the Chinese government has spoken out against the protesters. Kara Finnstrom tells us what happened during the latest stop on the torch's travels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN REPORTER: Following clashes between human rights activists and pro-Chinese demonstrators, the Olympic torch finally made it to the streets of San Francisco. The torch, surrounded by a beefed up police and security team. But just as the relay was to start, the first torchbearer took the flame from a lantern and ran into a warehouse, disappearing for about 45 minutes. The torch later emerged along an alternate route. Because of street confrontations between opposing groups of protesters, authorities cut the six mile route in half.

Demonstrations began in the city Monday when protesters scaled the Golden Gate Bridge, unfurling a banner assailing China's human rights record. The Beijing Olympics has ignited protests in city after city. The torch relay created chaos during relay legs in London and Paris. California is the only U.S. stop for the relay. The torch's next stop: Buenos Aires. The protests here today and the fact that the torch relay had to be cut short could impact future torch relays. Already under discussion, whether the international leg of future relays should be done away with all together. In San Francisco, Kara Finnstrom for CNN Student News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Spoken Word

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER 1: There's just no organization here.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER 2: We've been here over an hour and no one's told us anything.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER 3: I have to spend the night. I can't get out until tomorrow. My luggage is on its way to Detroit.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER 4: I have to fly out tomorrow. It stinks. I have to take tomorrow off, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER 5: It's a big deal because I'm a physician and I have patients to see tomorrow, and I have to call and find some people to see them.

American Airlines Flights Cancelled

AZUZ: Besides being pretty frustrated, what do all of those people have in common? They're all passengers on American Airlines. At least, they were supposed to be. The carrier canceled more than a thousand flights yesterday in order to run safety inspections on some of its planes. The cancellations affected more than 40 percent of the airline's daily schedule. The company apologized for the inconvenience to customers and said they'll do "whatever it takes" to help out.

DAN GARTON, EVP, MARKETING, AMERICAN AIRLINES: We are extremely sorry for this great inconvenience. We are humbled by the loyalty of our customers, and we are very, very disappointed to ever let them down. We know how difficult this has been. Whether you're on a leisure trip or a business trip, this kind of interruption is truly unacceptable.

Gas Prices Up

AZUZ: Turning to financial news now, oil prices have reached a new record high. The cost of crude hit $112 per barrel yesterday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. And gas is keeping pace! According to AAA, the average cost of regular went over $3.34 a gallon yesterday. Gas prices are up more than 20 percent from last year.

Petraeus On Hill

AZUZ: And in Washington, Gen. David Petraeus wrapped up a second day of congressional hearings on the Iraq war. The U.S. commander told a House committee that his goal in Iraq is "a country that is at peace with itself and its neighbors." He said any recommendations on U.S. troop levels will be based on conditions in the Middle Eastern nation.

Big Ben Birthday

AZUZ: Look, y'all, Big Ben! Uh, sort of. This famous British landmark's official title is actually the Palace of Westminster Clock Tower. Big Ben is the name of the giant bell inside the tower whose well-known chimes are recognized around the world. And that bonging bell is celebrating a birthday today: 150 years old! That's when ol' Ben was originally cast by the same company that made the Liberty Bell.

Is This Legit?

MICHELLE WRIGHT, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this Legit? Big Ben stands next to the River Avon in London. Not legit. The River Thames flows through London, and Big Ben sits on its banks.

Talking Democracy

AZUZ: There's a presidential election in November. You might have seen something about it on TV, on the Internet, in a magazine, in a newspaper, on the radio, maybe even right here. The race for the White House is in the media; all the media. And as Josh Rubin tells us, that component of the campaign is the main focus of a group of Philadelphia students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HORWITS, TEACHER: If you were a media consultant for...

JOSH RUBIN, CNN REPORTER: Philadelphia's Central High is educating students about how politicians try to educate voters. They start with the history.

HORWITS: How has advertising changed since 1952 in your mind?

STUDENT: Back then it was a simple cartoon: You showed a cartoon, and if it caught people's eye because it was amusing, then that was that. Nowadays, the candidates get so deep into it, it's getting to the point they even put psychology aspects in to it.

RUBIN: Making these newest voters media savvy is the goal, and it seems to be working.

STUDENT: I think that they want to target certain demographics.

HORWITS: Through hearing themselves in the media and actively researching the issues, they feel that they devop a certain ethicacy and feel part and parcel of the discourse that shapes our democracy.

RUBIN: Through April 22nd, Pennsylvania is the center of the political universe. So these kids are plugged in, because they know that if they want an A in this class, they better know what's going on.

HORWITZ: Where does McCain fit? Does he get helped or hurt by this kind of competitive race with the Democrats?

STUDENT: He gets helped!

HORWITZ: How? Why?

STUDENT: It will be harder for them to beat McCain because one half of the party will be salty or bitter.

STUDENT: You learn so much about Obama. You learn so much about Hillary.

HORWITZ: The kids focus on the issues. I've never seen a group more connected

RUBIN: Josh Rubin, from CNN's Election Express, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

AZUZ: Now we want to hear from you guys! What are your thoughts on the election process, insights about the issues? Break out those video cameras and tell us in an iReport! You'll need to get your parents' permission. But once you do, you can go to CNNStudentNews.com and learn how to submit your videos.

Shoutout

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: It's time for the Shoutout! What's the annual salary of the president of the United States? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) $100,000, B) $400,000, C) $500,000 or D) $1,000,000? You've got three seconds -- GO! The current presidential pay is $400,000! That's an increase from George Washington's day. The country's first president took home just $25,000 a year! That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

After the Oval Office

AZUZ: OK, so that's how much the Oval Office occupant pulls down while he's in the White House. But what happens when you add "former" to the front of his title? There are three past U.S. presidents alive today, and President Bush will join that group in January. So, what future waits beyond the walls of the West Wing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: You've held the highest office in the land, made $400,000 a year and after a term or two, you're retired. What do you do after you're president? You make money, and we're not talking about the $191,000 pension you get every year for the rest of your life. Former President Bill Clinton has earned $52 million by talking! The previous prez pockets a particularly impressive $250,000 per speech, give or take. Make a couple hundred of those, do a little business work, get a $15 million book advance -- you know, dabble a bit -- and you're making more retired than you ever did leading the country. Also banking on executive experience: former President Ronald Reagan. He once made two million dollars for a couple of speeches he gave in Japan in 1989. That's one million bucks for 20 minutes of talking. Not too bad.

President Bush's father makes money when he takes the mic. So does Jimmy Carter. Harry Truman: Now there's someone old-fashioned! Truman once wrote that he could never "commercialize on the prestige and dignity of the office of the presidency." His government support: an Army pension of just $112 a month. And then, there was Ulysses S. Grant. From war hero to president to broke, when the firm he went to work at hit the skids. He did later write a book that made $450,000, but he didn't live to enjoy it; he died right after finishing the manuscript. Not to end on a downer, though, let's talk about Rutherford B. Hayes. He gets the "keepin' it real" award. The story goes that after he led the United States, Hayes moved back to Ohio and started farming chickens; did pretty well at it, too! So, what's next for President Bush? Farming at the ranch? A bestselling book? These days, one thing's certain: There are millions to be made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

AZUZ: And finally, what do you get when you cross a plastic giraffe with a subway train? Art? OK, it might not look like much more than a garbage bag at first. But once the subway train moves underneath that vent, the air rushes up and fills the bag. Voila! Instant animal art! This gradually growing giraffe is the work of a visual arts student. But he refuses to take all the credit. He says he just sets the animal up. The subway train is what really brings it to life.

Goodbye

AZUZ: And that's where we blow on out of here. Thanks so much for watching. Have a great day, everyone. I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend