Hello and welcome to the September 19th edition of - come on, Friday`s are awesome. You wanted
to hear it, I wanted to say it. It`s good to have you watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. First
up, Scotland, home to more than 5 million people, about the size of South Carolina.
Scots have contributed world-changing inventions related to bicycle tires, penicillin, television.
Yesterday, they decided on a potentially nation altering question: should Scotland be an independent
country? The polls were closed when we produced this show, the vote was over. But it was expected
to be very close, and we don`t have results for you yet.
For the latest, teachers please visit cnn.com. We do have an excellent fact-filled look at
how Scotland came to be the division of the United Kingdom that it has been for the past
307 years.
What we know as modern Scotland was formed in the 13 century when England and Scotland
signed the treaty of York. Mapping out Scotland southern border.
60 years later, the countries were at war, with the legendary Scottish rebel William
Wallace helping to lead the charge. Wallace`s fight for freedom was a subject of Hollywood
blockbuster, Brave Heart. Years of war paid off for Scotland. IN 1328, England recognized
Scottish independence in the treaty of North Hampton. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth, the last
of the Tudors, died at the age of 69. And that cleared the way for King James VI of
Scotland, son of Mary, Queen of Scotts, to become England`s king, too. It was known as
the union of the crowns.
Just over 100 years later, parliaments of England and Scotland passed the Acts of Union.
It joined the two separate states into one. The Kingdom of Great Britain, one parliament,
one monarch.
Australia used to be part of the United Kingdom, and like the U.K., it`s an ally of the U.S.
in fighting the ISIS terrorist group. Yesterday Australia`s government said it had prevented
a terrorist plot on Australian soil. Two men were arrested and charged Thursday. Australian
officials say they planned to kill a member of the public, a civilian, just like ISIS
has killed some of its innocent victims in Iraq and Syria.
Australia`s Sydney "Morning Herald" says, dozens of Australians are fighting overseas
on the side of terrorists groups, and that more than 20 of them had returned to Australia
afterward.
For that reason, plus the fact that Australia`s military is helping in the fight against ISIS,
the Australian government raised its terror alert level to high last week. That its second
highest level.
Meantime, some American lawmakers are giving President Obama the go ahead for part of his
plan to fight ISIS. Earlier this week, the House of Representatives voted 273 to 156
to authorize training and weapons for rebels in Syria. The Senate was expected to approve
this as well.
Syria is in the middle of a civil war. ISIS terrorists have taken over some Syrian land.
The rebels that the U.S. supports are fighting both Syria`s government and the ISIS terrorists.
So, the American plan is to help these rebels defeat both. Some lawmakers don`t support
arming the rebels. They say at war torn Syria, it`s not always clear who the rebels are and
who the extremists are. And that the strategy of arming rebels has sometimes failed in the
past.
We are starting out West today on the CNN STUDENT NEWS Roll Call at West Heaven, UTA.
Can you bear the grizzlies? They are all over Rocky Mountain Junior High School.
One state northeast, we`ve got Wyoming on the roll. Kelly Walsh High School in Casper,
home of the Trojans. And in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, the Prowlers are on the prowl.
They are stocking CNN STUDENT NEWS from Lincoln High School.
It looks like Sarah Saldana is about to make history. She is the president`s nominee to
lead the U.S. immigration and customs enforcement agency. She`d be the first Latino ever to
hold the job, if she gets it. We say if because President Obama doesn`t have the final say.
TheConstitution says he has to seek the advice and consent of the Senate. As part of that,
the Senate held a confirmation hearing this week to interview Saldana. Because it went
smoothly, analysts expect she`ll get the job.
One responsibility of the ICE agency is to decide which illegal immigrants get to stay
in the U.S. and which are deported.
Decades ago, the word immigration conjured of images of boats at Ellis Island, of course,
the Statue of Liberty. Today, it`s a different story. The issue is more heated, more politicized,
more complicated. Immigrants are now entering the U.S. from every corner: Miami to Seattle,
L.A. to New York, and especially along the Mexican border. We are talking more than 40
million immigrants in the United States right now. Both legally and illegally. That`s roughly
13 percent of our population, making America the number one destination for immigrants.
So, who are these new arrivals? Well, (INAUDIBLE), 11 million are undocumented. A number that`s
increased almost year by year since 2000.
Of those who become legal residents, you`d probably get some of them are from Mexico.
You`d be right, 14 percent, but you might be surprised to find out the next two leading
countries of birth for new U.S. residents: China and India. Those are the two most populated
countries on the planet.
As for work, the latest labor stat show by and large, immigrant workers are in the service
industry. We are talking hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and they are making a lot less
than U.S.-born workers, about 160 bucks less per week.
So, regardless of how you feel on the issue, there is no doubt immigrants are here to stay
and they play a huge role in the American economy every day.
Beyond all of the benefits of listening to music or creating it, it`s been shown to help
heal certain brain injuries and decrease anxiety.
Today`s character study`s about a musician who believes music is medicine for the mind.
His work has helped hundreds of wounded warriors.
Music is my earliest memory. I never decided to be a professional musician. It`s just what
I`ve always done. It feels great to play music, but it`s also a mechanism for healing.
We were on this an early morning patrol, walking down the road. I`d never been hit by an IED
before. It felt like I got hit by a wrecking ball. I sat up, my legs were completely gone.
What happens if you don`t quite get killed, and you don`t quite survive, you`re somewhere
in the middle? I was a shell of a man. Who I was was gone.
So, let`s take it right before the melody comes in.
Our organization helps wounded warriors play music and recover their lives.
We match the injured troops with professional musicians who come visit at Walter Reed Medical
Center and work with them on music projects. Learning music, writing and performing.
We are going to try to incorporate (INAUDIBLE)
I`m a music therapist, a musician. By injecting music into the space we can inject life.
Something survived that horrible injury in Afghanistan, and that was my ability to play
the guitar.
Arthur and his program changed my outlook on what is possible.
Music has no stigma. The folks to work with, when they do music, there`s nothing injured
about the way to do it. It`s just good music.
Members of the Minnesota National Guard`s 114 Transportation Company just returned from
Afghanistan. There`s some ceremony and procedure to this. The troops stand in formation for
a few moments, but a toddler just didn`t care. And that didn`t seem to bother anyone else
either. After his mother`s nine month deployment the boy decided he`d waited long enough, not
long afterward everyone else got the chance to reunite with their loved ones.
The happy homecoming brings together this Friday edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. We hope
to reunite with you next week, and if you are in a military or you have a parent or
a relative who is, thank you for your service. Have a great weekend, everyone.