CNN Student News Transcript: May 20, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- May 20, 2008

Quick Guide

Everglades on Fire - Learn about efforts to contain wildfires scorching the Florida Everglades.

America Votes 2008 - Hear from two White House hopefuls who disagree on an approach to Iran.

Learn & Earn Report Card - Examine a controversy involving a school program that pays students to study.

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: On Headline News, online, on iTunes; wherever you are, we're glad you're spending part of your Tuesday with us here at CNN Student News. From the CNN Center, I'm Monica Lloyd.

First Up: Everglades on Fire

LLOYD: First up, firefighters are battling against flames in Florida. They're scorching a path across the Everglades. Authorities have evacuated more than 2,200 inmates from nearby prisons, as the wildfire spreads across the region. Firefighters are working on the ground and in the air to contain the blaze, which was about 30 percent under control yesterday afternoon. But as Carl Azuz tells us, the flames have already caused tremendous damage to this national park.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: It's literally a "river of grass," this marshy region covering thousands of square miles in southern Florida. The Everglades are home to hundreds of plant and animal species. More than 350 kinds of birds alone live here, along with these sinister symbols of Florida wildlife. It's around this time of year that rain picks up in the Everglades, filling the sporadic pools with the glaze of water that coats the region in the fall. Unfortunately for firefighters, the rainy months aren't in full swing yet.

MICHAEL LAWRENCE-RUDOLPH, WORKING THE FRONT LINES: There are some 10- to 15-, some 20-foot flames out there.

AZUZ: Four major blazes have laid waste to 36,000 acres here; that's more than 27,000 football fields with end zones. Hundreds of firefighters are trying to contain the flames.

LAWRENCE-RUDOLPH: To walk through, and kinda beat the fire down as much as we can.

AZUZ: The weather forecast includes possible thunderstorms. While that could bring some moisture to the region, windy conditions could fan the flames. And though this area is flat, containing the fires is an uphill fight.

FIREFIGHTER: It's hard on their feet. It's hard on the equipment, because it's rough country that they're going in and out.

AZUZ: But it's important that they're here. An endangered bird whose only home is the Everglades is threatened. The country's pristine marshland, scenery like nothing you'll see anywhere else in the United States, is threatened. Everglades National Park is America's last subtropical wilderness. That's why the top priority is to save it. Carl Azuz, CNN Student News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Shoutout

NINETTE SOSA, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! What lake lies on the northern edge of the Everglades? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Lake Okeechobee, B) The Great Salt Lake, C) Lake Pontchartrain or D) Veronica Lake? You've got three seconds -- GO! Lake Okeechobee and its estimated 1 trillion gallons of water borders the Everglades to the north. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

China Moment of Silence

LLOYD: Sirens and horns sounded across China yesterday afternoon, exactly one week after a massive earthquake hit the Asian nation. The people you see here gathered in a city near the quake's epicenter and observed three minutes of silence to honor the victims. It's all part of a national period of mourning. Officials say more than 34,000 people were killed by this natural disaster. Many other countries and international organizations are offering their help to China in the relief efforts.

America Votes 2008

LLOYD: Back in the U.S., two presidential candidates are trading some heated words over foreign policy, specifically the issue of Iran. Barack Obama has said that if he's elected president, he plans to meet with Iran's leaders to hear them out and discover what issues they agree with the U.S. At a speech in Oregon on Sunday, Obama said that this approach is far from a new idea.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Krushchev, that's what Reagan did with Gorbachev, that's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean, think about it: Iran, Cuba, Venezuela; these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet, we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union.

LLOYD: But presumptive Republican nominee John McCain strongly disagrees. He claims that Obama's statement shows that the Democratic candidate doesn't fully recognize the danger that Iran poses for the United States. And he thinks Obama's willingness to meet with Iranian leaders shows a lack of understanding of international relations.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Obama has declared and repeatedly reaffirmed his intention to meet the president of Iran without any pre-conditions. Likening meetings between former American presidents and the leaders of the Soviet Union; such a statement betrays the depth of Senator Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment. These are very serious deficiencies for an American President to posses.

LLOYD: This debate over how the president should interact with another country brings up the issue of treaties. A treaty is a contract between two or more countries, like the U.S. and Iran, that's signed by authorized representatives. So, what branch of the U.S. government has the power to make a treaty? The executive branch! Break out a copy of the Constitution, go to Article II, Section 2, and you'll see that this power belongs to the president. But it's not all up to the oval office. Keep reading that article and section, and you'll find that the power to ratify a treaty sits with the Senate! It's part of our government's system of checks and balances. Two-thirds of the Senate have to agree with the treaty to make it official.

Primary Coverage Promo

LLOYD: Of course, Obama and McCain aren't the only White House hopefuls. Hillary Clinton is battling Obama for the Democratic Party's nomination. The candidates face off in Kentucky and Oregon today, as voters head to the polls in those two states. We'll have the latest results on tomorrow's show.

Learn & Earn Report Card

LLOYD: A few months ago, we told you about a program in a couple of Georgia schools that paid students to take part in after-school tutoring. Getting money for learning might sound pretty good to some of you, but the idea stirred up some controversy. Well, since the school year's almost over, Josh Levs went back to talk with some of the students who participated, and find out how the "Learn & Earn" program worked out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH LEVS, CNN REPORTER: A celebration for kids under a national microscope. They've completed a 15-week program created by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who sends a video.

NEWT GINGRICH: You're now a part of history.

LEVS: And controversy. A private foundation paid these students in Fairburn, Georgia, near Atlanta, eight bucks an hour to show up for 4 hours of tutoring a week in math and science. The program was aimed at low-income families.

Some area parents wrote to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution condemning the program. One called it unfair to kids who work hard to begin with. Some experts worried it could make kids less interested in learning if they're not paid.

ALFIE KOHN, AUTHOR, "PUNISHED BY REWARDS": Rewards aren't just ineffective, they're counterproductive, and we've seen this over and over again.

LEVS: The school says the "Learn & Earn" program brought...

GREG FIELDS, ASST. SUPERINTENDENT, CREEKSIDE HIGH SCHOOL: A lot of academic growth.

LEVS: Junior Khamylle Meeks was failing math.

KHAMYLLE MEEKS, JUNIOR, CREEKSIDE HIGH SCHOOL: I came for the money.

LEVS: She says it worked.

MEEKS: And I passed each and every last one of my Georgia high school graduation tests.

LEVS: As for the money, she tells us later...

MEEKS: I use it for my hair. I use it for my hair, accessories and stuff. That's about all it can pay for.

LEVS: 14-year-old Jailyn Brown signed up partly to help his mom pay bills. But he says now...

JAILYN BROWN, 8TH GRADER, BEAR CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL: I would do it if the money wasn't involved.

LEVS: His mother Alanna Taylor wants him to continue without being paid.

ALANNA TAYLOR, JAILYN BROWN'S MOTHER: He's motivated by the learning now.

LEVS: Determining the program's success could prove tricky, since some students, like Alexis Yarger, say they never cared about the money and just wanted good tutoring.

ALEXIS YARGER, JUNIOR, CREEKSIDE HIGH SCHOOL: My math grade was like a 30-something; now it's 82.

LEVS: Of the 40 students selected for the program, school officials say 34 stuck with it. One moved away; 5 quit.

JIM EMSHOFF, "LEARN & EARN" EVALUATOR: And the ones that dropped out, we do know anecdotally that the ones that dropped out simply felt like it wasn't enough money for the amount of work they were doing.

LEVS: One teacher says the program is a sign of the times. He says parents are busier than when he was in school, and society more materialistic.

DAVID MACKEY, TEACHER, BEAR CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL: We're looking for alternative measures to try to save, to try to invest in the children, to try to give them that extra edge.

LEVS: The school plans to have an official report this summer analyzing how the program affected kids' grades, and how important the money was overall. School officials say if the program is declared a big success, they may expand on it and encourage other schools to follow. Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

LLOYD: Back when we first talked about this on our blog, we got hundreds of comments, and most of you thought "Learn & Earn" was a bad idea. Now that you've heard from some of the students that have finished the program, does it change how you feel about it? Head back to our blog at CNNStudentNews.com and share your thoughts.

Before We Go

LLOYD: And finally, we're heading back to Florida to check out a parade of pizzas. Might not look like much at first, but this string of cheese stretches out more than 700 feet! And that mouth-watering milestone might just be a new Guinness World Record. But this pizza party isn't just about getting into a crusty book. The restaurant owner is raising dough to help out a firefighter whose home recently burned down.

Goodbye

LLOYD: That slice of life is our last bite for today. But we'll be back tomorrow with more CNN Student News. Have a great day. I'm Monica Lloyd.