CNN Student News - October 30, 2017

cnn 10

Tensions in Spain Over Catalonia; Overview of the U.S. government`s "JFK Files"; cnn Hero`s Work to Provide Sports Equipment

Aired October 30, 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: cnn 10 is kicking off its first 10-minute show of the week and we`re happy you`re watching. I`m Carl Azuz.

Tensions are soaring in the European nation of Spain. On Friday, a region of northeast Spain formally declared its independence from the rest of the country, and shortly afterward, Spain`s government invoked article 155 of its constitution.

What does all this mean?

First, Catalonia, it`s a relatively wealthy region of Spain. On October 1st, it held a controversial vote on whether to remain part of the country.

Catalan officials say 90 percent of voters chose independence, but turnout was a low 43 percent.

Spain`s Supreme Court had called the vote illegal. It sent police to prevent voting in some places. Catalonia blamed the Spanish government and a heavy handed police response for the relatively low voter turnout. But many Catalans did not support the vote or want Catalonia to be independent.

And other European nations also appeared to oppose Catalan independence.

Until now, Catalonia has had its own government. It controlled things like education, health care, the police force in Texas. But it was still official part of Spain.

On Friday, Catalonia`s parliament voted to formally declare independence from Spain and shortly afterward, Spain`s government invoked constitutional article 155, which means it`s formally taken control of Catalonia.

What happens next is anyone`s guess?

Catalonia`s leader, Carlos Puigdemont, has called for Catalans to oppose article 155 and to move forward peacefully. But Spain`s government says Puigdemont is no longer in power.

This issue has deeply divided the nation of Spain and the news outlets where many people get their information had been accused of being biased.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, cnn CORRESPONDENT: Journalists at TV 3, Catalonia`s public news station never thought they`d become a part of the story -- part of their own coverage of Catalonia`s push for independence. But that`s exactly what`s happened, after Spain`s prime minister announced he`s seizing control of Catalonia`s public TV and radio station.

Vicent Sanchis is the station`s news director.

VICENT SANCHIS, DIRECTOR OF TV3 (through translator): There is no justification for the government to intervene in public media.

MCLAUGHLIN: The takeover is just one element of Madrid`s plan to exert control over Catalonia, under article 155 of the Spanish constitution. TV3 stands accused of being a propaganda tool in favor of Catalan President Carlos Puigdemont and his campaign for independence.

Is TV3 biased in favor of Puigdemont?

SANCHIS (through translator): This is incredible. We`re regulated by parliament. We`re not controlled by the government. We don`t favor anyone. Even the doubt offends use.

MCLAUGHLIN: Reporters Without Borders, a media watch group, tells a different story. In an October report, it writes: TV3 has a clear bias in favor of the Catalan government.

One example noticed by many Catalans, as the anthem begins to play on Spain`s national holiday, TV3 cuts back to the studio. This is considered a cultural slight. The station says it wasn`t intentional.

Reporters Without Borders is equally critical of the other side, Spain`s national public media, TVE, saying it`s biased in favor of Madrid.

Some TV employees have even protested its coverage of the crackdown on the October 1st referendum, saying the station purposely downplayed the police violence. TVE declined to comment.

The division is also apparent in print. Catalan papers` coverage of the recent general strike offering a very different picture than the papers out of Madrid. On October 1st, images of police violence spread like wildfire on Facebook and Twitter, shocking Europe and the rest of the world.

ALFONSO DASTIS, SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Many of those pictures have been proven to be fake pictures. And that was -- if there was any use of force, it was a limited one.

MCLAUGHLIN: While some of the images shared were doctored, the very real violence of the day was well-documented.

MICHAEL REID, THE ECONOMIST: Catalan independence movement and the Catalan government has been running a PR campaign for a long time and it`s been very effective. I think the Spanish government has been extremely slow to realize that it was losing a propaganda war that it wasn`t even fighting.

MCLAUGHLIN: A war the Spanish government now seems determined to win.

The day after article 155 is invoked, what happens to TV3?

SANCHIS (through translator): We don`t know yet how it will be executed. Obviously, we`re very worried.

MCLAUGHLIN: Anxiety now a common feeling on both sides of this deepening divide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

Which U.S. president famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"?

Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt, or Ronald Reagan?

This quote was part of the 1961 inaugural address of President John F. Kennedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Almost 54 years after he died, questions and conspiracy theories remained, concerning the assassination of President Kennedy. A law enacted in 1992 aimed to put those questions to rest by requiring the U.S. government to release all of its documents related to the investigation.

The date for that release was set for late last week. But though the Trump administration published more than 2,800 records, it kept about 300 files classified, because national security agencies wanted them to remain secret.

President Donald Trump says he hopes to get just about everything to the public. He`s given the agency`s 180 days to review their reasons for holding some files back and he may release more after that time.

But what`s come to light?

For one thing, U.S. intelligence intercepted a call that Kennedy`s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, made to Russian intelligence less than two months before he killed Kennedy. Was Oswald working for Russia?

Another file revealed that the FBI got a call, warning that Oswald himself was a target the night before Jack Ruby shot him. Was there any enough security? Unanswered questions about whether Oswald was connected to U.S. intelligence are included.

And other topics like a reported CIA attempt to hire mobsters to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro, all of it came up in the files.

Now, we`re introducing you to a cnn hero named Max Levitt. He majored in sports management in college. He interned as the equipment manager for his college football team and when he was told to throw out everything in the locker room, even gear that was barely used, to make space for new equipment that was coming, he got the idea for Leveling the Playing Field.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX LEVITT, cnn HERO: A lot of kids learned the importance of work ethic on the sports field. It gives kids a very valuable tool box of experiences that they can pull from as they go through life.

Sports were the most important part of my childhood. When I grew up, I thought it was a given for kids to play sports, but so many kids can`t afford the play sports. There`s millions of dollars on sports equipment that is not being put to use, that is either being thrown away or wasting away in garages.

I thought, why not we just create a food bank for sports equipment? It just seemed like an obvious answer.

Every day, we have folks come by here with cars full of equipment that they drop off, either from their garage or they ran a collection drive.

This is well over a million dollars worth of equipment in our warehouse. We got everything from golf clubs and tennis racket, soccer balls to bats to cleats. We`re donating it to Title 1 schools, charter schools, after school youth programs like a boys and girls club or a YMCA.

They come into our warehouse and free shopping. Within an hour, they leave with everything they need.

KWEISE EHOIZE, COACH: Children want to be a part of something. We would much rather them have their community here than out there on the street.

Before we met Max, we have to literally turn kids away. Once we reached a point where we didn`t have anymore equipment, we had to say, try again next year.

The last couple of years, we`ve gotten at least $15,000 of equipment from Max. It`s been a tremendous help.

It seems really something. But in reality, that passing on of that equipment keep opening up so many more opportunities for our kids.

LEVITT: I think about specific championships I won or great games I played, it was such a great part of my life, knowing that I`m giving that to kids is an incredibly gratifying experience, because it`s so important.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: One look at this and you might be thinking, that took a lot of work, and you`d be right. It`s a top motion video featuring pumpkins, yes, that`s plural. Hundreds of them were used to make this. They were carved, gutted positioned, repositioned, and photographed and this isn`t something that was tackled just this fall. The video took years to put together.

And for a gut job, they did a pretty gore job. It`s something you`d have to seed to believe. The fruit of their labor was pumpkincredible, and it makes for a vine finish on cnn 10.

Thanks for carving out 10 minutes for us. I`m Carvel Azuz.

END