CNN Student News Transcript: April 16, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- April 16, 2008

Quick Guide

Coming to America - Check out the itinerary for Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the U.S.

Fueling Your Ride - Hear how high gas prices are affecting some U.S. school districts.

Real-life Wizengamot - Learn why J.K. Rowling has accused a super fan of plagiarism.

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: Thanks for tuning in to CNN Student News. We're at the mid-point of the week and we are your commercial-free source for news for the classroom. Thanks for joining us, I'm Carl Azuz.

First Up: Coming to America

AZUZ: First up today, Pope Benedict XVI begins a six-day visit to the United States. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush met the religious leader as he arrived in Washington, D.C., yesterday. It's his first trip to America since he was elected pope, and it will take him from the White House to the United Nations in New York, where he'll address the U.N. General Assembly later this week. Nicole Collins has more on Pope Benedict's visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE COLLINS, CNN REPORTER: Three years after being elected as the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto American soil for the first time as head of the Catholic Church.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: In many ways, Benedict XVI is still a bit of an unknown for the average American Catholic. Recent polls find that almost two-thirds of American Catholics say they know nothing or next to nothing about Benedict XVI.

COLLINS: Unlike his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who was known for his charisma, Benedict is more of an intellectual and an introvert.

CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE, ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO: John Paul II was extroverted and he got energy talking to people, and the present Holy Father loses energy.

COLLINS: America's Catholic community is 70 million strong, the largest and wealthiest in the world. Benedict XVI hopes to energize them amid a massive sex scandal that has left some members disillusioned.

CARDINAL EDWARD EGAN, ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK: It's a source of blessing, of Holiness for us, and I hope it will be a source of inspiration and comfort.

COLLINS: The pontiff will celebrate Mass at two Major League Baseball parks this week in D.C. and New York. Crowds are expected to be huge and security will be tight with 27 federal, state and local agencies in the mix.

JEFF IRVINE, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: Every security aspect that you ever have been exposed to will be deployed and, quite frankly, a few that you have never seen deployed.

COLLINS: A welcome ceremony will be held for Pope Benedict Wednesday on the South Lawn. This is the second time in history a pontiff has visited the White House. In Washington, Nicole Collins for CNN Student News.

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Fast Facts

MICHELLE WRIGHT, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for some Fast Facts! Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany as Joseph Ratzinger 81 years ago today! When he was chosen as the 265th pope in 2005, he was the oldest person elected to the title in nearly 300 years. Pope Benedict speaks five languages and is an accomplished pianist, and he serves as the head of the world's smallest independent state: Vatican City!

Somali Pirates Captured

AZUZ: Updating you now on a story we first told you about last week, the French government wants to bring a group of pirates to France to stand trial. You may remember the story: The pirates allegedly attacked and took over a French yacht off the coast of Somalia earlier this month and held the ship's crew captive for a week. The crew was released last Friday, and French troops caught some of the suspects in Somalia. Because the pirates were captured in another country, the French have to get permission to bring them to trial in France.

Airline Merger

AZUZ: Looking at a few financial stories now, what do you get when you add the numbers three and five? One! How's that, you ask? Let's do the math! Delta, the third largest U.S. airline, and Northwest, the fifth largest, are planning to merge. And if it goes through, it would form the biggest airline in the world! But it's not a done deal yet. Some pilot and flight attendant unions have raised concerns about the deal.

Tax Deadline

AZUZ: Yesterday marked the deadline for filing income tax returns. The U.S. Postal Service kept some locations open right up until midnight to help out any procrastinators who waited 'til the last minute. And for people who knew they couldn't beat the calendar cut-off, there's always an extension. File for that, and the IRS gives you an extra six months to send in your paperwork.

Oil Prices on the Move

AZUZ: And oil prices are on the move, heading in the same direction they've been going for a while now: up! The cost of crude reached new heights again yesterday, hitting nearly $114 per barrel. A new report says Russian oil production went down this year for the first time in a decade. It's all part of the concern over global oil supplies.

Fueling Your Ride

AZUZ: Oil prices aren't alone. The cost of gas is breaking new records as well. And when you go to fill up your car, it can hit you where it hurts: your wallet. But it turns out these increasing expenses can also take a toll on where you learn.

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AZUZ: If you drove to school, you know what it cost. If you didn't, you either got a ride or you boarded one of these: big, yellow and fueled by diesel. Just like unleaded gas, diesel is up too, so much so that it's costing some school districts as much as $70,000 more a year just to run buses. But that can't affect students, can it? Well, for some Northern California students, bus stops aren't as close as they used to be. The Paradise Unified School District canceled three bus routes last year to save on fuel costs. In Helena, Montana, there are fewer field trips, less sports equipment, scaled back extracurricular activities. And at one Iowa school district, the budget for classroom supplies has been frozen; that means no extra workbooks and software updates will take longer. In the words of a local transportation director, "The pie is only so big. If a bigger slice is going to transportation, it leaves a smaller slice for everything else." For example, with the $50,000 more a year that a district spends on diesel, it could hire two new teachers. So, if you're riding the bus because your folks can't afford the extra gas to get you to school, keep in mind that your school district is hurting too.

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Word to the Wise

WRIGHT: A Word to the Wise...

plagiarism (noun) the act of claiming someone else's words or ideas as your own

source: www.dictionary.com

Real-life Wizengamot

AZUZ: That's what one Harry Potter fan is being accused of by the author behind the famous boy wizard. From the accio spell to Zonko's Joke Shop, the fan created a Web site with entries about the wizarding world from A-Z. And now, he's written an encyclopedia based on the site. But J.K. Rowling says the new book is plagiarizing the world of magic and muggles that she began creating in 1990. Phil Black reads between the lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN REPORTER: Magic, wizards, monsters and demons have become a multi-billion dollar industry through the Harry Potter books and movies. That industry has given birth to another: The boy wizard has a global army of fans who contribute to Harry Potter Web sites with reviews, analysis, even their own fiction. There are also companion books to the series. Potter creator J.K. Rowling says she's never had a problem with any of this until now.

J.K. ROWLING, AUTHOR: It gives me no pleasure to take legal action, but I'm here today because I feel very strongly about an issue that affects many more people than just me.

BLACK: Rowling is taking legal action against a planned book, "The Harry Potter Lexicon." It's an encyclopedia of everything Potter from the creator of this Web site, a super-keen fan named Steven Vander Ark. Rowling likes the Web site, she's used it herself, but doesn't like the book.

ROWLING: There are lots of books in many languages that comment on or criticize Harry Potter, and I'm delighted about that. But the book in this case is different. It provides no analysis and virtually no commentary. It takes far too much and it gives far too little.

BLACK: Rowling says The Harry Potter Lexicon is plagiarism, the wholesale theft of 17 years' work and characters that are as dear to her as her own children. Publishers RDR say it's a reference book that uses her material fairly. Lawyers say a result in Rowling's favor will set a legal precedent for how much one writer can borrow from the work of another.

AMBI SITHAM, MEDIA LAWYER: They will have to look at those percentages very carefully and ensure that they're putting in a lot of original content into it, as opposed to simply taking an original piece of work, remixing it and reselling it.

BLACK: Rowling says she's working on her own encyclopedia of the Potter world as an act of loyalty to her fans. But her fans will be concerned by Rowling's comment in court that this legal battle is blocking her creativity to such a degree that she's stopped writing her new novel. Phil Black, CNN, London.

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Promo

AZUZ: Miss something we said on today's show? No need to rewind, just go online! Our daily transcript includes every word you hear on CNN Student News, unless of course, I mess up! And if you missed a program, you can go to CNNStudentNews.com, access that day's transcript, and click the Video tab at the top of the page.

Before We Go

AZUZ: Before we go, get ready to get your geek on! What you are about to see is not a costume party, and Halloween's still six months away. So, what's with all the crazy clothes? It's the Geek Prom, and it's open to dorks, doofuses and dweebs alike. Sounds like my kind of party. The annual dance started back in 2002 as a formal event for adult misfits, where "those who were too geeky to attend their high school prom... can finally be accepted." Of course, the night includes the crowning of the geek king and queen by past royalty.

Goodbye

AZUZ: After all, with great power, comes great responsibility. And that geeky line ends today's program. Have a good day. I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend