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Pro-Palestinian Protests Disrupt Colleges Across the U.S.; Low Sea Ice Threatens Antarctica`s Penguins; Trillions of Cicadas Set to Emerge Across the Eastern Half of the United States. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired April 30, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to CNN 10. I`m Coy Wire, here with the news for you this Tuesday, April 30th. Already the last day of
April this year is flying by.
We start today with the latest on a story that`s been growing and evolving over the past several weeks, pro-Palestinian protests disrupting college
and university campuses across the United States. At several schools, students have set up encampments to occupy main parts of campus. Some
colleges and universities have called in the police to help disperse the crowds, which has led to some students facing disciplinary action, as well
as dozens of arrests of students and faculty.
So what do these protesters want, exactly? As we discussed last week, many colleges and universities have endowments, which are basically big sums of
money that they acquire largely through donations. The schools invest these endowments, and these student protesters want their schools to divest or
take money away from Israeli companies, from companies that work with Israel, or create weapons for Israel.
The protesters say these companies are helping Israel in its war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the health
ministry there. Israel says it`s fighting this war to take out Hamas, a terrorist organization that runs the Gaza Strip, after Hamas killed more
than 1,200 people on October 7th.
CNN`s Rafael Romo has more about how colleges and universities are dealing with these protests as the academic year comes to a close.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At university campuses across the nation, heated protests and some violent clashes between police and
pro-Palestinian protesters.
MARTIN BERG, EMORY UNIVERSITY ARRESTED STUDENT: What I saw was unprovoked and severe brutality exacted by police.
ROMO: On some campuses, as fast as the protests popped up, universities called police to shut them down by removing demonstrators, a move that has
been harshly criticized, and not only by those protesting.
NOELLE MCAFEE, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The real problem here is that the administration called the
Atlanta police.
ROMO: The University of Southern California has canceled its main commencement ceremony, citing new safety measures in place. Dozens were
arrested Thursday at Emory University in Atlanta, including Martin Berg. The third-year law student who`s expected to graduate in three weeks says
their protest was peaceful until the police showed up.
BERG: Nothing was disrupted, and anyone saying that, you know, campus was disrupted, doesn`t understand what a campus is. A campus is a place for
open expression and exchange of ideas, and that`s exactly what folks were doing out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are gathered here and we stand firmly.
ROMO: But some Jewish students say that the last few months since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, and Israel began its assault on Hamas in
Gaza, they have been subjected to a hostile environment.
ALYSSA ACHIRON, VICE-PRESIDENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY JEWISH LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION: I believe everyone has a right to protest. The problem is when
it becomes threatening.
ROMO: Others, like this first-year law school student, say tensions within the student body have made it very difficult not only to learn, but to
attend school altogether.
AVITAL KESSLER-GODIN, FIRST YEAR LAW STUDENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We`re told that we don`t belong on campus because we don`t identify with their
movement. To me, that says that they don`t want to have a dialogue.
ROMO: As schools get ready for graduation, they`re under intense pressure to bring the situation under control, and many students say that`s also
what they want.
SUEDA POLAT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT NEGOTIATOR: It is in our best interest to reach an agreement before commencement because we want students
and families to be able to celebrate this milestone together on this campus.
ROMO: The volatile situation has also become a political issue, with leaders such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott blasting protesters. Students
joining in hate-filled anti-Semitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled, he said on X.
KESSLER-GODIN: I truly do think that dialogue is the only way we as a society are going to be able to come together to truly create lasting
peace.
ROMO: But in an environment where the rhetoric is so loud, the few voices calling for peace are getting drowned out.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Next up, we head to Antarctica, home to a fascinating creature, the emperor penguin. Did you know that they can grow to an average of almost
four feet tall? They`re the tallest of all penguin species, but scientists are worried melting sea ice might lead to 99% of the emperor penguin
population dying out by the end of this century. But all hope is not lost. CNN`s Lynda Kinkade explains how these waddling warriors are adapting to
their ever-changing environment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Waddling and gliding through the Antarctic, some of these penguins have seen better days. The world`s
largest penguin species, emperor penguins, are severely threatened by climate change. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey say tens of
thousands of emperor penguin chicks may have died as the species battled to survive record low sea ice in 2023.
PETER FRETWELL, BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY: We know that they breed on sea ice. We know that sea ice is one of the first things affected as
temperatures warm, ocean temperature, air temperatures, and we`re starting to see these losses in Antarctica now. Our models are quite dire.
KINKADE: Dire because these penguins also lay their eggs and raise their chicks on sea ice. But with the ice melting away, the chicks may fall into
the sea before they get their waterproof feathers, leaving them to freeze to death or drown. Despite the recent losses, 2023 wasn`t as bad as 2022
for the emperor penguins.
Scientists say it`s because some colonies adapted to the worsening conditions by moving south to find better ice or to more stable ice shelves
or icebergs.
FRETWELL: It was reassuring that it wasn`t quite as bad as we feared with the worst ever sea ice, but it was still bad.
KINKADE: While this is a good sign, Fretwell says work still needs to be done to save the emperor penguin, and we should do it before it`s too late.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Pop quiz hot shot. Entomology is the study of what?
Dinosaurs, birds, insects, or trees?
If you said insects, you are exactly right. There are about a million different species, so there is plenty of work to be done.
We recently told you about cicadapocalypse. It`s the phenomenon that hasn`t happened in more than 200 years in the U.S. It occurs when two different
groups of cicadas emerge at around the same time, filling parts of the East and Midwest with a constant buzzing sound.
Let`s go to CNN`s Whitney Wild to see what all the buzz is about in Illinois, where the cicadas are set to surface.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you live in several Midwest or Southern states this spring, neighbors you likely didn`t know
were there will make their presence known by the billions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Millions of these bugs are about to burst from the ground together for the first time in over 221 years.
WILD: Two broods of cyclical cicadas will emerge. Brood 19 and Brood 13 have been living underground for 13 and 17 years each, well before Abby
Warren and Persia Arcillus (ph) were born.
(On camera): Are you excited for cicadas?
ABBY WARREN, VISITOR, PEGGY NOTEBAERT MUSEUM: Yes.
WILD: How come you`re excited, Abby?
WARREN: Because I love how they`re really loud and they go ear, ear.
WILD (voice-over): The two broods haven`t crawled above ground at the same time since 1803. Back then, Thomas Jefferson was president and Illinois
wasn`t a state yet. Fast forward to 2024 and teenage cicadas are set to crawl in every corner of the Prairie State.
Major metro areas like Nashville, Atlanta and St. Louis will also see their share of what`s been dubbed cicada-geddon. When groups of males get
together, their mating call will be impossible to ignore. The volume of the buzz can rival a dump truck.
ALLEN LAWRENCE, ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF ENTOMOLOGY, PEGGY NOTEBAERT NATURE MUSEUM: We could see up to a million cicadas per acre emerging in some
spots.
WILD: Allen Lawrence studies insects at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago and can`t wait for this year`s Super Bowl of Super Bugs.
LAWRENCE: This means a chance to just be fully immersed in just a really unique entomological phenomenon. This really only happens in the U.S.
WILD: Here, swarms have pestered the press and politicians alike.
JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: Watch out for the cicadas. I just got one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: For today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, I`d like you to meet an 11- year-old who loves dogs and cats so much that she wants everyone to have one. Malia Martinez is using her impressive sewing skills to make dozens of
bandanas for shelter animals every week. How cool is that?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALIA MARTINEZ: I thought if we may be like got them like a bandana, they would look cute and be like, oh, this one`s cute. Like maybe I can adopt
this one and they would get a home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: She sells her bandanas too with all the proceeds going to charity. Her goal is to help as many animals as possible. Well done, Malia.
And well done to all of you. Thanks for all the shout out requests on our CNN 10 YouTube page. Shout out to Ms. Flannery`s class at East High School
in Sioux City, Iowa. Go Raiders!
And this shout out goes to Ms. George`s class at Weston Middle School in Weston, Connecticut. Hope you have an awesome day.
Remember tomorrow is #YourWordWednesday, so put your unique vocabulary word and definition in the comment section of my most recent posts on Instagram
or TikTok. And we`re going to pick a winner to highlight in tomorrow`s show. Put your school, city, state, and teacher`s name in there too.
Go on out and be great today because you are more powerful than you know. I`m Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.
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