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CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: The internet's involvement in unrest, a book retailer's bankruptcy, and an inspiring athlete. We've got it all covered in today's show. I'm Carl Azuz. CNN Student News starts right now!
AZUZ: $3.7 trillion. More than 2,400 pages long. President Obama's 2012 budget proposal is not small. And when he released it earlier this week, that was just one small step on the way to the government getting a budget. Still to go: committee meetings, hearings, votes in Congress. There's a lot that has to happen between now and October 1st, when the government's 2012 financial year starts.
The president's proposal is just that -- a proposal. Congress is the group that actually approves the budget. And in those 2,400 pages: what government agencies and programs might gain or lose money. Democrats and Republicans are finding a lot of ideas that they disagree with. Jim Acosta, let the debate begin.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ALAN SIMPSON, (R) DEBT COMMISSION CO-CHAIR: If you spend more than you earn, you lose your butt.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leave it to the famously plainspoken Alan Simpson, Republican co-chair of President Obama's deficit commission, to boil it all down. He says the president's budget is still drowning in red ink for one reason: politics as usual.
SIMPSON: It isn't going away. This is a stink bomb in the garden party.
ACOSTA: Yes, the $3.7 trillion budget for 2012 would reduce the deficit by $1 trillion in 10 years. But $7 trillion would still get tacked on to the national debt by the end of the decade. While the president is talking tough about cutting spending for domestic programs, like billions for college financial aid and billions more to help the poor pay their heating bills...
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will mean cutting things that I care deeply about.
ACOSTA: ...The White House is steering clear of where the real money is: popular entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) BUDGET CHAIRMAN: I guess I would say debt on arrival. D-e-b-t on arrival.
ACOSTA: Then there are congressional Republicans, who just laid out their plans for cuts to current spending. The GOP is reluctant to touch defense spending, but would slash domestic programs and foreign aid.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The truth is that cuts of that level will be detrimental to America's national security.
(END VIDEO)
Middle East Unrest
AZUZ: A wave of political protests is sweeping across parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Let's get caught up on some of the latest here. First stop, Bahrain, a small country in the Persian Gulf that's home to a U.S. naval base. This YouTube video shows a funeral procession for a man who was killed during protests recently. The king of Bahrain has promised changes following the violence in his country.
From there, we move around the Arabian Peninsula to Yemen, a country that's home to more than 23 million people. Protests, like this one from Monday, have been going on in that nation for six straight days. A lot of the fighting there has been between groups who support and are against Yemen's government.
Shifting over to North Africa and one of that region's larger nations: Libya. Up to 200 protesters were out on the streets this week, speaking out against the government. But one Libyan source said, "Libya is not Egypt. This is not an organized revolution."
And our final stop today is Tunisia, which is just to the west of Libya. Tunisia was the first country where these kinds of protests started recently. The government lifted a curfew there, but Tunisia is still under a state of emergency.
Internet Freedom
AZUZ: You might have noticed in that last video from Tunisia that someone wrote "thank you, Facebook" on a wall. Protesters have been using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to organize. There have been reports that governments in that region are restricting access to the internet. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that's a bad decision and one that the U.S. wouldn't make.
CLINTON: For the United States, the choice is clear. On the spectrum of internet freedom, we place ourselves on the side of openness. Now, we recognize that an open internet comes with challenges. It calls for ground rules to protect against wrongdoing and harm. And internet freedom raises tensions, like all freedoms do. But we believe the benefits far exceed the costs.
What's the Word
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: What's the Word?
it's an adjective describing a business that is unable to pay off its debt
BANKRUPT
That's the word!
AZUZ: The second largest book retailer in the country is bankrupt. Borders is filing for what's called Chapter 11 bankruptcy. What that means is that the company is asking a judge to change the way it has to pay off its debt. Borders isn't completely going out of business, but part of its plan is to close 200 stores.
Back in the 1980s and '90s, Borders and other big book chains were accused of knocking out smaller bookstores. Now, those big stores are having trouble competing against online retailers and discount stores. Borders says that customers are spending less on its books. It hopes that by closing stores that aren't performing well -- that aren't making a lot of money -- that Borers will be able to survive in the long term.
AZUZ: Moving from bankruptcy court to the basketball court. When you watch a game, the action on the floor is usually what gets the crowd going. But at a recent high school basketball game in Pennsylania, the biggest moment happened while play was stopped. Colin Riccobon of affiliate WBRE brings us this inspiring story.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
COLIN RICCOBON, WBRE SPORTS REPORTER: Center court is where every basketball game starts. On this night, it's where Kiel Eigen's dream finishes.
AL SEMENZA, OLD FORGE HEAD COACH: It's going to be one of the biggest victories this basketball program has ever had when that guy gets to half court.
RICCOBON: Five years ago, a devastating spinal cord injury while playing 8th grade football confined Eigen to a wheelchair.
KIEL EIGEN, SUFFERED SPINAL CORD INJURY FIVE YEARS AGO: If you doubt me, its only going to make me try twice as harder to prove you wrong.
RICCOBON: With a capacity crowd watching and chanting his nickname...
CROWD: Superman! Superman!
RICCOBON: ...Kiel Eigen walked step by step, bringing plenty of tears and fans to their feet.
KEITH EIGEN, KIEL'S FATHER: Kind of hard to put it into words. It's just, I felt so proud of him, so happy for him at the same time.
CANDY EIGEN, KIEL'S MOTHER: I had no doubt that he would walk again. I believe that there will be more. I think that this is just the beginning.
RICCOBON: Kiel never lost the love for sports, remaining an important part of Blue Devil football and basketball.
KIEL EIGEN: Sports has been my whole life. If it wasn't for sports, I don't know what would make me get through all this, especially with all the support from everyone.
SEMENZA: As a coach, you try to teach your younsters more than the game of basketball. And what Kiel Eigen has taught me and the rest of his teammates, I could have never taught them.
RICCOBON: Usually, athletes are remembered for hitting the game winning shot. Kiel Eigen inspired an entire community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are going to be so many people that are going to remember February 15, 2011, where he actually took his first steps in front of God only knows how many people are in this building right now.
(END VIDEO)
CNN iReports Awards
AZUZ: CNN iReports give you the chance to be heard. Now, it's time to name some of the best. The first ever CNN iReport Awards celebrate videos from 2010 in six different categories. And you can help pick the winners. From now through March 7th, go to CNNireport.com/awards and vote for your favorites.
Blog Report
AZUZ: You know we sometimes air your iReports at the beginning of the show. And we're airing your blog comments right now! Topic: Can a computer ever be as "smart" as a human, as we've seen on Jeopardy! this week? Ben says a computer would have an unfair advantage on shows: "It has no emotions or feelings, so it couldn't be nervous about what's at stake." Jia-sheng notes that "humans think and work in a biological way, while machines follow natural rules and cannot think or create something by themselves." And William feels that "computers are smarter than humans, but can't think for themselves." Will writes, "Look at how intelligent computers are already. They can do everything from guessing what you're about to type to parallel park a car." But Miranda tells us "humans use their knowledge, and not percentages, to conclude answers; humans are ultimately superior to a computer's thinking." And listen to Misty: "Computers will never be able to write a comprehensive essay, understand the deeper meanings in a classic novel, or know what they want to accomplish and then accomplish it."
Before We Go
AZUZ: Very good insight. We're gonna see what's on deck for today's Before We Go segment. It's one of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, and a trick shot that's a lot harder than he just made it look. The hook here is that he hit that hook shot from one cruise ship to another. His teammate stepped up afterward and hit another cross-ship shot. That was a two-handed shot instead of a hook. But as long as the ball goes through the hoop...
Goodbye
AZUZ: ...It's the same net result. I'd like to believe I could make the shot, too. But I think that is just swish-ful thinking. No sign-off line tonight, but on Facebook the other day, Alex asked how long it takes to produce one an edition of CNN Student News. The answer? It's about eight hours for our team, from start to finish. If you've got a question or sign-off line for us, Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews! Hope you have a great day!
