(CNN Student News) -- February 14, 2008
Quick Guide
Clemens on the Hill - Hear what pitcher Roger Clemens discussed during his testimony in Washington.
The End - Learn what's included in the new deal between Hollywood writers and producers.
Is Romance Dead? - Celebrate Valentine's Day with a report that looks at the existence of romance.
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 the middle of the month and the start of a new day of CNN Student News, and we're glad you're spending part of this Valentine's Day with us. Hi, everyone. I'm Carl Azuz.
AZUZ: First up, Roger Clemens tells a congressional committee that he's never used performance-enhancing drugs. Baseball fans are used to seeing the All-Star pitcher take the mound. But yesterday, Clemens was up on the Hill, testifying about steroids and human growth hormone. The committee also heard from Brian McNamee, the man who has accused Clemens of using the substances. Nicole Collins has the details of what was said during yesterday's hearings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE COLLINS, CNN REPORTER: Under oath on Capitol Hill, Cy Young award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens vehemently denied drug accusations made by his former trainer Brian McNamee.
ROGER CLEMENS, PITCHER: Let me be clear: I have never taken steroids or HGH.
COLLINS: While Clemens is sticking to his story, McNamee changed his account of what happened once again.
BRIAN MCNAMEE, CLEMENS' FORMER TRAINER: I now believe that the numbers of times I injected Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch was actually greater than I initially stated.
COLLINS: Under questioning, McNamee admitted he has lied in the past, like when he first told officials he had never given Clemens steroids.
REP. DAN BURTON, (R) INDIANA: We have lie after lie after lie after lie. I don't know what to believe. I know one thing I don't believe and that's you.
COLLINS: Some lawmakers contended that Clemens' credibility is stronger than McNamee's. However, the evidence against the Yankee pitcher was challenging to explain. Like a sworn statement from teammate Andy Pettitte, who told investigators Clemens admitted he used human growth hormone.
CLEMENS: I believe Andy has misheard, Mr. Congressman, on his comments about myself using HGH, which never happened.
COLLINS: Clemens' medical records also were presented, confirming McNamee's claim that the pitcher developed an abscess on his buttocks in 1998. But expert evaluations reached opposite conclusions on what may have caused the abscess, one saying the injury was consistent with steroid use, and the other saying steroids were not a factor. If Clemens or his accuser is found to be lying, there is the possibility that criminal charges could follow today's testimony. In Washington, Nicole Collins for CNN Student News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Baseball & Steroids
AZUZ: Thousands of young people play baseball and look to Major League stars as role models. And it can be natural to want to copy the actions of people we look up to. But are the potential benefits of using steroids worth the possible consequences? We went to a baseball training facility and asked some young players and their parents for their thoughts on the matter.
ROBERT SCHERL, PLAYER: In the greater hitters and pitchers, I have less trust in them that they're telling the truth that they are not doing steroids.
MICHELLE ZENKEL, MOTHER: They have all of these baseball heroes that they look up to. And Jack still dreams about being a professional baseball player. And all of a sudden, all their images are tainted.
MICHELLE DECKER, MOTHER: Matt and I have talked about steroids and how steroids are drugs, and drugs are bad and they're bad for your body, and why not to do them.
MATT DECKER, PLAYER: Well, she told me that they're bad for you and you shouldn't take them, even if you really kind of stink at it.
Promo
AZUZ: All right, we're talking about this topic on our blog, and we want to hear what you guys have to say. How do you think that baseball should handle the issue of steroids? How should players who are found guilty of using performance enhancers be punished? Leave us your thoughts at CNNStudentNews.com.
Spoken Word - Stimulus Package
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: Congress passed a really good piece of legislation, and they did so in a very expeditious manner. The bill I'm signing today is large enough to have an impact, amounting to more than $152 billion this year, or about 1% of GDP.
AZUZ: "A booster shot for the economy." That's how President Bush described the economic stimulus plan that he signed into law yesterday. And it means many American taxpayers can expect some money in their mailboxes in the next few months: $600 for most individuals and $1,200 for married couples, as long as they fall below certain income limits. The government's hoping that the money will give a boost to the struggling U.S. economy.
AZUZ: The show must go on, and it will! TV and movie productions are getting ready to crank back into gear after grinding to a halt back in November, when writers walked off the job because of a contract dispute with producers. Kareen Wynter fills us in on the details of the deal that ended the expensive work stoppage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN REPORTER: The votes are in and it's official! The 12,000 members of both the Writers Guild of America East and West have voted to end a three-month strike.
PATRIC VERRONE, WGA WEST PRESIDENT: I can't say that there was unanimity, but there was certainly overwhelming support for the contract and for the success of this strike.
WYNTER: The Tuesday night vote ended the strike, but the official 3-year tentative agreement won't be ratified for several days.
VERRONE: We came in with three chief goals, and we achieved two of them. The first was jurisdiction and new media when content is made for the Internet. Secondarily, we wanted to make sure going forward that the Internet has a delivery system of existing television shows and movies, that our members get paid a residual rate. And for the first time in our history, we have a new contract that covers new media that actually pays better in residuals than the old contract.
WYNTER: Although the union secured a share of the booming digital media market, the Writers Guild Of America West Coast president says there was one thing the guild didn't get.
VERRONE: What we were hoping to accomplish was to shore up our coverage in current programming, particularly reality television, animated feature films, cable non-fiction; areas where we don't have coverage.
WYNTER: Expect to see an immediate difference in the late-night talk shows' format. Hosts Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert will get their writers back. But for sitcoms and dramas like Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, it will take longer before fresh episodes appear. Patric Verrone says several weeks. And for films?
VERRONE: There's a lot of elasticity in motion picture production.
WYNTER: Restarting production on sets might be easier than recouping the substantial financial loss.
JACK KEYSER, CHIEF ECONOMIST, LA CO. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.: You've probably had a loss of about $500 million because you've had 60 scripted TV shows shut down. We calculate that the LA County economy generates about $1.3 billion a day, so you've lost maybe about three days of output.
WYNTER: But there is an upside to this, and you can thank the Oscars for it.
KEYSER: One piece of good news: We are going to have a real Academy Awards. And this is important. This is $130 million to the LA County economy.
WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Shoutout
GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for a lovestruck Shoutout! What poet wrote the famous verse: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways"? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it: A) Lord Byron, B) Emily Dickinson, C) John Keats or D) Elizabeth Barrett Browning? You've got three seconds -- GO! The well-known words were penned by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who was counting all the ways she loved her future husband! That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
AZUZ: Ah, love. Amour. It's a many splendored thing, and it's certainly in the air on Valentine's Day. Flowers, chocolates, maybe even a modern spin on that classic Browning verse. Today is filled with people finding their own ways to express their emotions, or maybe just working up the courage to ask that special someone to be their valentine. But with all this love everywhere, it got us thinking: Is romance still part of the deal?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: The word "romance" hits some people like a strong perfume: Some swoon, some sicken. But has it changed from the days of William Shakespeare, who compared his love to a summer's day and said the girl was better?
PERSON ON THE STREET: I think of old times, not now, present day. I think of Romeo and Juliet, stuff I learn in language arts.
PERSON ON THE STREET: I just think it's just not the way it used to be, like with my parents.
AZUZ: So, at the heart of the matter: Is romance dead?
PERSON ON THE STREET: I think it is.
PERSON ON THE STREET: Definitely. Something old people do.
AZUZ: One viewer, Lilly, wrote in, "I think romance is dying because so many people don't want to be embarrassed or rejected." Jorge thought so too, saying that people were more concerned about other things that made them forget the essentials of a relationship. But he goes on to say that romance is important. And he's right on according to Julie Ward, an Atlanta-area marriage and family therapist. She notes that while romance isn't necessary to keep a relationship alive, it enriches a marriage, helping it to thrive. But it's something that takes work; it's not something that just happens. What kinda work are we talking?
PERSON ON THE STREET: Probably flowers, dinner, cards...
PERSON ON THE STREET: Having fun, watching movies, eating out at McDonald's on the dollar menu.
AZUZ: Well, why not save a buck? And one way you can do that is through poetry. But are lines of love, smooth or sappy, hot or not?
PERSON ON THE STREET: Hot. Depends on who does it. Love poetry is great. I think it's hot. I think it's very hot.
AZUZ: Of course, there are those who won't write any winsome words.
PERSON ON THE STREET: No, not unless you're emo.
AZUZ: But what is gonna happen, at least for Valentine's Day, is that some people, somehow, are gonna show some serious sweetness. Because after all...
PERSON ON THE STREET: Romance is something that's from the heart. You can't put words to it. You know it when you got it.
AZUZ: And when you got it, you know you're alive, whether or not you thought romance was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Goodbye
AZUZ: And that's where we wrap things up for today. We hope you have a happy Valentine's Day, and we hope to see you back again tomorrow to close out the week. I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend 
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed |
Read
VIDEO
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
