CNN Student News - September 29, 2017

cnn 10

Saudi Arabia Decides to Allow Women to Drive; Mount Agung Threatens Bali; New Plan Takes Aim at U.S. Tax Code

Aired September 29, 2017 - 04:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CARL AZUZ, cnn 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz. We`ve been monitoring this and can now confirm -- Fridays are awesome!

Welcome to cnn 10, your objective explanation of world news.

Our last show of the week begins with a significant cultural change in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom and absolute monarchy has announced that women will be allowed to drive. Saudi Arabia is the last country on earth where this is illegal.

Experts say it`s one of the most religiously conservative Islamic countries and that this issue has divided the nation for years. But they also called this a signal that the nation`s 81-year-old king and 32-year-old crown prince are determined to reform society. Their decision is partly economic.

The Saudi economy is heavily dependent on oil and oil prices have dropped in recent years, decreasing government revenue. Allowing women to drive could increase their numbers in the workforce which could in turn boost the economy.

Not everyone agrees with the change. Saudi critics have called allowing women to drive inappropriate and threatening to traditional Saudi families.

But for those celebrating the change which takes effect next summer, it`s been a long time coming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi Arabia`s young, ambitious crown prince is making history in the kingdom, letting women hit the roads here, meaning simple things like this allowed everywhere else in the world will be allowed here too.

Although that`s come down from the palaces, it`s really come up from the streets. Here, right after the ban, the first protest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love driving. I wish I can drive in the country, in our country.

ANDERSON: From then, until now, time and again, year after year, women, thousands of them, taking on the often punishing fight to get Saudi back to the future, to where it was in 1989, the year before the ban came in, alongside the countless protests and just as many arrests.

The battle is being fought on social media, wildly popular in the kingdom and that`s where the celebrations are. Like this by prominent activist Manal al-Sharif, jailed for driving for nine days back in 2011, forced into exile. Now, sharing a photo of herself behind the wheel, smiling, happy, proud. The caption: the rain begins with a single drop.

There`s a real arc of history here, in a country celebrating his 87th birthday, this in a kingdom where just on Saturday, for the first time ever, women were allowed into a sports stadium.

Saudi women are often seen as under the thumb, hidden away. But now, they are slowly emerging as soon to be drivers and much needed workers. As women start to turn the wheel, so the country is starting to steer in a new direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: This volcano on the island of Bali could soon erupt.

Mount Agung has not erupted in more than 50 years.

The volcano`s danger status was recently raised to its highest level.

More than 75,000 people have been evacuated.

A 7.5 mile zone around the mountain has been deemed usafe.

Mount Agung is about 40 miles away from Bali`s main tourist areas of Kuta and Seminyak.

The volcano last erupted in 1963.

Destroying multiple local villages and killing nearly 2,000 people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Which part of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to collect income taxes?

The Preamble, the Bill of Rights, the 16th Amendment, or the 24th Amendment?

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes is the text of Amendment 16.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: U.S. Tax Code has changed a lot since that amendment was ratified in 1913. And though many lawmakers and economists agree, it`s very complicated today, tax reform is not an easy thing to achieve. The last time it happened was in 1986.

This week, the Trump administration revealed a Republican proposal that it says would both reduce taxes and simplify the tax code. The nine-page plan is called the United Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code. And one way it could simplify taxes in America is by reducing the number of income tax brackets there are.

In general, the more money Americans earn, the higher a percentage of that money they pay in taxes. The Republican plan would reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three and lower the percentages that many Americans pay. It would increase the amount of money that people could deduct from their taxes, potentially paying less. It would increase the child tax credit, so Americans with children would pay less. And it would reduce the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, so business would pay less.

The proposal does not include some key details, like specifics income levels for the new tax brackets. Its supporters, including House Speaker Paul Ryan say the plan would help the economy, that the lower tax rate for businesses would allow them to hire more people and increase wages and that improved economic growth would mean more revenue for the government.

Income taxes make up the largest source of government revenue, about 47 percent of it, and critics say tax cuts would mean less government revenue and a greater deficit. And while President Trump has said he doesn`t support tax breaks for the wealthy, congressional Democrats like Senator Chuck Schumer say that`s who the plan would benefit, while hurting the middle class.

The Trump administration hopes to push its tax reform plan through Congress by the end of the year.

Next, candy and cavities seem to be friends, but it`s not sugar alone that hurts your teeth. It`s when the bacteria in your mouth feed on that sugar and make the acids that attack tooth enamel. It might impress dentist that you know that, it might not impress them when you say it was their predecessors who invented cotton candy. But that`s today`s "Great Big Story".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER: Cotton candy, who knew sugar and air could taste so sweet?

Well, a guy named James Morrison, an amateur inventor whose occupation and taste buds didn`t exactly align.

SUBTITLE: The dentist with a sweet tooth.

REPORTER: He was a dentist. And during his lifetime, James even became the president of the Tennessee Dental Association.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t forget to flush.

REPORTER: But he was also a confectionery enthusiast, with a fashion for culinary advancement. He paired with John C. Wharton, an old friend and fellow confectioner.

Together, the two designed and then (ph) patented what they called the electronic candy machine. The device rapidly spun and melted sugar through small holes until it was fluffy and nearly 70 percent air.

They called the new treat "Fairy Floss". They introduced their product at the 1904 Worlds Fair, selling it in small wooden boxes for 25 cents each.

That`s about $6 today.

Fairy Floss was a huge success. In six months, they sold over 68,000 boxes, grossing in today`s money around $440,000. But despite the success of the sugar spun business, Morrison returned to his day job as a dentist.

So, next time a dentist tells you you`re eating too many sugary treats -- well, blame him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Don`t know if a father in Michigan was trying to make all the other dads look bad, but while some of them build tree houses, he built this, a playhouse that`s more like a real house except that it has a bridge and a slide and rock climbing wall too. His daughters get to enjoy hardwood floors, light fixtures, kitchen supplies, a fresh coat of paint.

Their father does have an advantage. He owns a residential remodeling business. And maybe it will lead to a new reality show, like my super sweet six, or playhouse hunters, maybe property daughters? They`re already living in tiny luxury and while there`s no need for a renovation and no way that`s fixer upper, there`s no debate over whether it was a flip or a flop. For the kids, it`s second home sweet home.

I`m Carl Azuz and cnn 10 hopes you have a great homecoming weekend.



CARL AZUZ, cnn 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz. We`ve been monitoring this and can now confirm -- Fridays are awesome!

Welcome to cnn 10, your objective explanation of world news.

Our last show of the week begins with a significant cultural change in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom and absolute monarchy has announced that women will be allowed to drive. Saudi Arabia is the last country on earth where this is illegal.

Experts say it`s one of the most religiously conservative Islamic countries and that this issue has divided the nation for years. But they also called this a signal that the nation`s 81-year-old king and 32-year-old crown prince are determined to reform society. Their decision is partly economic.

The Saudi economy is heavily dependent on oil and oil prices have dropped in recent years, decreasing government revenue. Allowing women to drive could increase their numbers in the workforce which could in turn boost the economy.

Not everyone agrees with the change. Saudi critics have called allowing women to drive inappropriate and threatening to traditional Saudi families.

But for those celebrating the change which takes effect next summer, it`s been a long time coming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi Arabia`s young, ambitious crown prince is making history in the kingdom, letting women hit the roads here, meaning simple things like this allowed everywhere else in the world will be allowed here too.

Although that`s come down from the palaces, it`s really come up from the streets. Here, right after the ban, the first protest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love driving. I wish I can drive in the country, in our country.

ANDERSON: From then, until now, time and again, year after year, women, thousands of them, taking on the often punishing fight to get Saudi back to the future, to where it was in 1989, the year before the ban came in, alongside the countless protests and just as many arrests.

The battle is being fought on social media, wildly popular in the kingdom and that`s where the celebrations are. Like this by prominent activist Manal al-Sharif, jailed for driving for nine days back in 2011, forced into exile. Now, sharing a photo of herself behind the wheel, smiling, happy, proud. The caption: the rain begins with a single drop.

There`s a real arc of history here, in a country celebrating his 87th birthday, this in a kingdom where just on Saturday, for the first time ever, women were allowed into a sports stadium.

Saudi women are often seen as under the thumb, hidden away. But now, they are slowly emerging as soon to be drivers and much needed workers. As women start to turn the wheel, so the country is starting to steer in a new direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: This volcano on the island of Bali could soon erupt.

Mount Agung has not erupted in more than 50 years.

The volcano`s danger status was recently raised to its highest level.

More than 75,000 people have been evacuated.

A 7.5 mile zone around the mountain has been deemed usafe.

Mount Agung is about 40 miles away from Bali`s main tourist areas of Kuta and Seminyak.

The volcano last erupted in 1963.

Destroying multiple local villages and killing nearly 2,000 people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Which part of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to collect income taxes?

The Preamble, the Bill of Rights, the 16th Amendment, or the 24th Amendment?

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes is the text of Amendment 16.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: U.S. Tax Code has changed a lot since that amendment was ratified in 1913. And though many lawmakers and economists agree, it`s very complicated today, tax reform is not an easy thing to achieve. The last time it happened was in 1986.

This week, the Trump administration revealed a Republican proposal that it says would both reduce taxes and simplify the tax code. The nine-page plan is called the United Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code. And one way it could simplify taxes in America is by reducing the number of income tax brackets there are.

In general, the more money Americans earn, the higher a percentage of that money they pay in taxes. The Republican plan would reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three and lower the percentages that many Americans pay. It would increase the amount of money that people could deduct from their taxes, potentially paying less. It would increase the child tax credit, so Americans with children would pay less. And it would reduce the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, so business would pay less.

The proposal does not include some key details, like specifics income levels for the new tax brackets. Its supporters, including House Speaker Paul Ryan say the plan would help the economy, that the lower tax rate for businesses would allow them to hire more people and increase wages and that improved economic growth would mean more revenue for the government.

Income taxes make up the largest source of government revenue, about 47 percent of it, and critics say tax cuts would mean less government revenue and a greater deficit. And while President Trump has said he doesn`t support tax breaks for the wealthy, congressional Democrats like Senator Chuck Schumer say that`s who the plan would benefit, while hurting the middle class.

The Trump administration hopes to push its tax reform plan through Congress by the end of the year.

Next, candy and cavities seem to be friends, but it`s not sugar alone that hurts your teeth. It`s when the bacteria in your mouth feed on that sugar and make the acids that attack tooth enamel. It might impress dentist that you know that, it might not impress them when you say it was their predecessors who invented cotton candy. But that`s today`s "Great Big Story".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER: Cotton candy, who knew sugar and air could taste so sweet?

Well, a guy named James Morrison, an amateur inventor whose occupation and taste buds didn`t exactly align.

SUBTITLE: The dentist with a sweet tooth.

REPORTER: He was a dentist. And during his lifetime, James even became the president of the Tennessee Dental Association.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t forget to flush.

REPORTER: But he was also a confectionery enthusiast, with a fashion for culinary advancement. He paired with John C. Wharton, an old friend and fellow confectioner.

Together, the two designed and then (ph) patented what they called the electronic candy machine. The device rapidly spun and melted sugar through small holes until it was fluffy and nearly 70 percent air.

They called the new treat "Fairy Floss". They introduced their product at the 1904 Worlds Fair, selling it in small wooden boxes for 25 cents each.

That`s about $6 today.

Fairy Floss was a huge success. In six months, they sold over 68,000 boxes, grossing in today`s money around $440,000. But despite the success of the sugar spun business, Morrison returned to his day job as a dentist.

So, next time a dentist tells you you`re eating too many sugary treats -- well, blame him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Don`t know if a father in Michigan was trying to make all the other dads look bad, but while some of them build tree houses, he built this, a playhouse that`s more like a real house except that it has a bridge and a slide and rock climbing wall too. His daughters get to enjoy hardwood floors, light fixtures, kitchen supplies, a fresh coat of paint.

Their father does have an advantage. He owns a residential remodeling business. And maybe it will lead to a new reality show, like my super sweet six, or playhouse hunters, maybe property daughters? They`re already living in tiny luxury and while there`s no need for a renovation and no way that`s fixer upper, there`s no debate over whether it was a flip or a flop. For the kids, it`s second home sweet home.

I`m Carl Azuz and cnn 10 hopes you have a great homecoming weekend.

END