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Some Illegal Immigrants Can Avoid Deportation Through New Program; Secret Lives of House Cats

Aired August 17, 2012 - 04:00:00   ET


CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Any of you who watched our show last year know one thing you can always count on: Fridays are awesome. I`m Carl Azuz, CNN`s STUDENT NEWS starts right now.

First up today, we are talking about a new program for some immigrants living in the United States. It started earlier this year, when President Obama signed an executive order. That`s a law that a president creates without getting it approved by Congress.

This one set up a program called "The Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals." It lets some illegal immigrants fill out an application to avoid being deported, being sent back to their home country. Applicants have to be younger than 30, and they have to have arrived in the U.S. before they were 16. They can`t pose a criminal or security threat, and they have to have been a successful student or have served in the military. If the application is approved, the deportation deferral lasts two years. And during that time, the immigrant can apply for U.S. work permit. This is a big change in immigration policy. And a lot of people wanted to take advantage of it. Huge lines formed at help centers and lawyers offices for people to fill out application forms.

One thing this program doesn`t do is guarantee public benefits like drivers licenses for successful applicants. That let Arizona Governor Jan Brewer issue her own executive order this week. It told government agencies in her state to deny those public benefits to immigrants who get the deferrals. Governor Brewer, who is opposed to the president`s policy, says those benefits would have a significant negative impact on Arizona`s budget and healthcare system. Governor Brewer isn`t the only critic. Some Republican leaders have called the program unlawful, and they`ve said President Obama created it through an executive order to avoid any opposition to it in Congress. Something else to keep in mind here, executive orders can be cancelled by a future president, so you can probably expect this to be a big issue leading up to this year`s presidential election.

Military officials are investigating a helicopter crash that happened in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. Eleven people were killed in the crash, including seven American service members. The helicopter was a UH-60 Blackhawk, like the one you see right here, was on patrol when it went down. Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said it was important to remind Americans about the war in Afghanistan. He said, "I just want the American people to take the time and reflect on this sacrifices."


UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the "Shoutout."

What is addressed in the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? If you think you know it, then shout it out! Is it women`s voting rights, free speech, vice presidential selection or voting age? You`ve got three seconds. Go. The 19th Amendment guarantees women the right to vote. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.


AZUZ: In the U.S. today, it`s hard to think of a time when someone was not allowed to vote because she was a woman. But back in earlier 1900s, many Americans considered allowing women to vote to be a radical change to the U.S. Constitution. It took decades for supporters of women suffrage to get the right to vote. It was so long, in fact, that many of those who fought for it early on, didn`t live to see it happen. But on August 18th, 92 years ago, States ratified the 19th Amendment, which states "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

So after years of protest, marches, lectures and articles, a victory for women`s voting rights came in 1920.


UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for a "Shoutout Extra Credit." Christianity is the world`s largest religion, so what is the second- largest? Here we go. Is it Buddhism, Judaism, Islam or Hinduism? Put another three seconds on the clock and go. With more than a billion and a half Muslims around the globe, Islam is the world`s second largest religion. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout Extra Credit."


JORDAN BIENSTOCK, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Islam has five pillars. There are the five fundamental beliefs and practices in the religion. And one of them is observing the holy month of Ramadan.

Now, Ramadan is the most sacred time on the Muslim calendar. The Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was given the first revelations on the Koran, that`s Islam`s holy book. So what happens during Ramadan is the Muslims fast, they don`t eat and they don`t drink, at least not during daylight hours. So, a typical day would go, a Muslim would wake up before sunrise, they`d have a meal then, then from sunrise to sunset, no eating, no drinking. Once the sun goes down, Muslims break the fast every day, that`s when they have another meal. This year, Ramadan started on July 20th and ends on August 18th. Now, the reason I say this year, is because Ramadan doesn`t always come at the same time, at least it doesn`t always start on exact same day. That`s because Islam uses a calendar that`s based on the moon, and in a lunar calendar, there are actually fewer days per month than there are in the January to December calendar. So when you try to match them up, that`s why Ramadan shifts a little bit from year to year.

Now, at the end of Ramadan, there is an event called Eid al-Fitr, and it`s a day of feasting, so a month of fasting ends with a day of feasting.


AZUZ: If you play a game of scrabble, the world cheating will get you 14 points. But actually cheating will get you kicked out of the national tournament. A top youth player was busted at this year`s championship. After one game, he held on to the two blank tiles instead of putting them back in the grab back. Before the next game started, his new opponent asked to have the tiles in the bag counted; two were missing. Uh-oh. The player was questioned, he confessed, and then he got kicked out. The tournament wasn`t all scandal, of course. The eventual champion set two new records for his third consecutive title and fourth overall.

Next up, a story about a high school student in Minnesota. He saw some of his classmates being bullied on Twitter, so he decided to turn the tables. Osseo Nice Things has tweets like "doesn`t get enough credit for his effort." And "great artist, but even better friend." The guy behind it, Kevin Curwick, is a senior and a captain of a football team. He said he wanted his classmates to feel welcome and happy about who they are. And Kevin says since he started his Twitter account, the ones attacking other students have stopped.

But before we go today, we`ve got a report from Jeanne Moos. She examines the secret lives of household cats. And you may think you know your pets, but how well do you really know them? Check this out.


JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever wonder what cats do when they think we are not looking? Me neither, but thanks to kitty cams hanging off their necks, now we know. They are jumping over fences, they are scrambling across roofs, they are hiding under cars and growling at dogs. University of Georgia researchers teamed up with "National Geographic" to put critter cams on 60 pet cats. You`ve got to love those whiskers. The video was eye-opening for the owner of Booker T (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew that Booker T`s favorite place to go is down in the storm sewer, and now I know what the storm sewer looks like.

MOOS: And when Booker T stopped for a drink, you could almost taste it. Then it was the cat that stumbled on a tree stump full of Chex Mix to chew on.

But the most popular prey for cats in the study, lizards. That`s a lizard in his mouth. It turns out there was a lot of bird watching, but less bird killing.

Birds accounted for only 12 percent of the creatures killed.

The study resulted in cat calls ranging from "virtual killing machines" to "secret world of slaughter." Though only 44 percent of cats did any hunting when left outside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They brought home an average of two prey items a week.

MOOS: That probably doesn`t count the cat that attacked an opossum that came too close to the cat`s home.

Chief researcher, Kerrie Anne Lord, said most cats left their prey after they killed it.

KERRIE ANNE LORD, RESEARCHER: Rather than bring it home as a gift for the owners.

MOOS: It doesn`t take a kitty cam to know that cats turn up in weird places.


MOOS: Like the ceiling of the University for Peace in Costa Rica. But one of the most common places they hang out seems to be under cars. One of the cats gave the undercarriage of this truck a closer look than most mechanics would.

Perhaps the most emotionally devastating revelation of this study -- say it ain`t so -- four of the cats were found to be leading double lives, cheating on their owners. Archer the Tabby was caught on Kitty Cam in the neighbor`s house, these two timers are getting ...

PROF. SONIA M. HERNANDEZ, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: Lots of food, but also love and affection, and a place to sleep during the day.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.


AZUZ: Cats sneaking out to spend time with other families, you got to call them cheetahs. It`s true, we used that pun once already this week, but it seemed pretty good for a two-timer. That`s all we have fur now, hope you have a great weekend. For CNN STUDENT NEWS, I`m Carl Azuz.