CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: A bailout worth billions: that`s the story that leads off today show. Hello, I`m Carl Azuz. Last week we reported on a problem: the financial crisis in the island nation of Cyprus. Today, we know the solution. E.U, the European Union in Cyprus have worked out a deal: the country will get a bailout worth 10 billion euros, but Cyprus has to do some things in order to get that help. For example, cutting the country`s banking industry in half. We`re going to bring in Zain Asher to talk about why the rest of the world has been so much attention to what`s been happening on this small Mediterranean nation. Zain.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carl. You`ve probably been hearing a lot about Cyprus lately and the fact that it`s been a big worry to people who participate in a stock market. But why? That might be your question. Basically, Cyprus`s banking system has gotten too big, and it is at risk of collapsing. Cyprus is part of the Euro zone, it`s made up of 17 countries that all use the euro as their currency, much like we use the dollar. Because these nations are all very interconnected through that common link, a problem in one can easily ripple to cause problems in another. That`s the worry for the stock market, because much like the euro zone, the global economy is all interconnected, too. For example, when the United States fell into recession, back in 2007, many European countries quickly followed, that`s because we all rely on each other for so much. Including things like trade, tourism and basic business relations. The good news is, though, the problems in Cyprus aren`t that big of a deal, a compare to if something like this happens some place larger, like Germany or France. Cyprus is a tiny island in the Mediterranean, and accounts for just a small fraction of the Eurozone`s economy and lawmakers there were able to reach a deal on Monday to keep the banking system up and running. Carl.
AZUZ: Thanks, Zain.
Now, this week the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments about a couple of cases that deal with the same subject, same sex marriage. It`s a controversial issue, a lot of emotion on both sides of it. We`re going to lay the groundwork so we know exactly where the court is starting from. Right now, same sex marriage is legal in nine states, the ones you see highlighted on this map. It`s also legal in Washington, D.C. 12 other states have laws that recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships. In those states, same sex couples get some of the same benefits as other couples, but without full marriage rights. The remaining 29 states have changed their constitutions to include a ban on same sex marriage. So it`s illegal in those states. Those are the laws that the Supreme Court will be looking at. Today, the court is considering Proposition 8. That was the name of the ban on same sex marriage in California. When it was on the ballot in 2008, voters approved the ban by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. Now, keep in mind this is a court case. So, the Supreme Court is going to be looking at the legal definition of marriage. On one side, the argument is that this is about civil rights.
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KAMALA HARRIS, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: When we talk about fundamental right as it relates to the Constitution, we are talking about those rights that we as a nation designated as being some of the most sacred of all the rights we can have. And 14 times the United States Supreme Court has described marriage as a fundamental right.
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AZUZ: The legal argument on the other side is that this issue should be decided at the state level.
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AUSTIN NIMOCKS, AMERICANS DEFENDING FREEDOM: Americans on both sides of this issue are deeply invested in this debate on marriage, we don`t need a 50 state solution, presented by the Supreme Court when our democratic institutions are perfectly capable of handling this issue, and that`s really what`s the court is going to decide, whether it`s going to impose a redefinition of marriage about all Americans, or whether we are going to be allowed to continue to work on this together state by state.
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AZUZ: One example of how interested some people are in this case - the lines started forming last Friday in the snow to try to get a seat inside today`s hearing. Courts ruling isn`t expected to (ph) tell sometimes this summer.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s "Shoutout" goes out to Mrs. Brown`s honors law & justice classes at Apex High School in Apex, North Carolina.
Which of these can be caused by an algae bloom? You know, what to do. Is it a riptide, neap tide, red tide or tsunami? You`ve got three seconds, go!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Algae blooms can cause a phenomenon known as red tide. When the sea water changes color. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."
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AZUZ: Algae makes up the base of food for pretty much all life in the water: plants, animals, fish, everything. When a red tide happens, the algae let off a toxin that can be poisonous to that same marine life. John Zarrella examines how that sudden shift in habitat is taking a toll on one species around Florida.
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JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For wildlife biologist Denise Boyd, this was one of the best days in a long time.
DENISE BOYD, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE INSTITUTE: Those two noses are behind us, right at that corner.
ZARRELLA: Boyd was out with Florida wildlife officers on the Orange River near Fort Myers, looking for sick or dead manatees and endangered species. None so far, a hopeful sign after a brutal start to the year.
BOYD: The number of mortalities has exceeded anything I`ve seen in the past.
ZARRELLA: The lethal toxin from an algae bloom called red tide had settled in the worst possible place: the sea grass beds off south west Florida where manatees feed during the winter, killing more than 180 since January. A lack of winter rains, scientists say, may have caused a more widespread bloom this year.
RON PERRY, WILDLIFE OFFICER: We started getting five or six in day and now, there was - there was a few days when you`d have ten calls for manatees.
ZARRELLA: They eat the toxic grass, breathe the toxic air at the surface, and by the time they move up into the river, their warm water winter retreat, paralysis sets in and they drown.
Wildlife officers say it`s a good sign when they`re approaching a manatee, and it`s moving to get out of the way. Because when they are sick, with the toxin in them, they usually just sit there.
But even when the creatures are in distress from the toxin, it`s not too late, if they are found, they can be saved.
VIRGINIA EDMONDS, TAMPA`S LOWERY PARK ZOO: We get them to fresh water, they`ll get rid of the toxin, and once it`s out of their system, then they`re feeling like a new manatee.
ZARRELLA: Virginia Edmonds is the animal care manager at Tampa`s Lowery Park Zoo. The lucky ones, the dozen or so that have been rescued are brought here. To keep them from drowning, their heads are held out of the water, until the toxin clears their system.
EDMONDS: ... having red time toxin to the degree that some of these manatee do, when they come in, they are - they are comatose in a way, and can`t move their heads or the bodies and that`s why we have to support their heads and help them get a breath.
ZARRELLA: It`s estimated there are no more than 5,000 manatees left in Florida. For biologists, the most frustrating part of this episode has been not finding them in time to save more of them. The outbreak, biologists think, may finally be nearing its end. But the toll has never been worth.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you can I.D. me. I`m a mountain that`s named for a British surveyor. I`m part of the Himalayas, and I`m located in the country of Nepal. At more than 29,000 feet tall, my peak is the highest point on Earth.
I`m Mount Everest. And the first people to reach my summit were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
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AZUZ: It`s an extreme environment. It`s got storms, frigid temperatures, avalanches, of course, plus a really difficult climb in really thin air. Most people who actually try to summit Mount Everest, don`t make it. Think about this: it takes more than a week of hiking just to get to base camp. It`s about a 70 mile journey. And it makes Eli Reimer`s accomplishment even more impressive. Traveling with this dad, the 15-year old recently became the first person with Down syndrome to reach Everest`s base camp. The altitude there, more than 17,000 feet. Eli did it to raise money and awareness for kids with disabilities. He trained for year to make the climb and his father said, Eli was leading all the way.
Seniors! We know you got a lot on your minds with school winding down: prom, graduation, how to get on CNN STUDENT NEWS. We know that stops. We can help with at least that sentence in I-Report introducing show. You can get the details and the resources box on our home page. And teachers, you can find our daily feedback link in that same box. We know you`ve got thoughts on today`s show. We want to hear them. Cnnstudentnews.com.
It`s March. We know there is this tournament going on right now. We figured we`d try something similar. We decided to put our own spin on it.
You definitely deserve a round of applause. No matter how you slice it, he`d be getting his just deserts. What`s behind the change for the game - I don`t know. Maybe it was just board. Oh, yes, it`s puntology. We want you to feel the madness. 16 sweet puns facing off head to head in matchups in a bracket kind of like this one. You get to decide the winners. We`ve got four brackets. Animals puns, sports puns, food puns and other puns that didn`t really fit a specific category. We`re doing all of this on Facebook. So, if you`re on Facebook, head to our page on Wednesday, get all the details on how it`s going to work. Puntology. It`s not serious. It`s just for pun. Keen an eye out for the opunning games this week. And we hope you have a great rest of your day.