CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome! Thanks for spending part of (inaudible) with CNN STUDENT NEWS. We`re jumping right in today. German chancellor Angela Merkel says spying among friends is never acceptable. In this case, the friends she`s talking about is the U.S. government. This involves an organization called the NSA, the National Security Agency. Its mission is to help defend the country. Part of the way it does that, according to the NSA website, is to gather information that America`s enemies want to keep secret. Germany, France and Mexico aren`t considered enemies. They are allies. Usually, the U.S. communicated with them through diplomacy, direct communications. But the NSA has been accused of spying on all three, eavesdropping on cell phones, hacking emails. Chancellor Merkel says the U.S. needs to reestablish trust.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One more day, one more revelation of alleged U.S. spying on the close ally. This time, Germany said it received information the NSA monitored the personal cell phone of German leader Angela Merkel. Signaling the seriousness of the charge, Chancellor Merkel and President Obama personally spoke about the issue on the telephone.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can tell you that the president assured the chancellor that the United States is not monitoring, and will not monitor the communications of the chancellor. The United States greatly values our close cooperation with Germany on a broad range of shared security challenges.
SCIUTTO: The White House didn`t specify, however, if such monitoring had taken place in the past. On Monday, it was France revealed to be in the crosshairs of the NSA. The French newspaper "Le Monde" reporting that in the 30 days from December 10th, 2012, the January 8, 2013, the NSA allegedly intercepted over 70 million phone calls in France. And that would be nearly 3 million intercepts per day. The director of National Intelligence said in the statement that report was false, though didn`t specify how. By then, the French foreign minister had already blasted the American policy of widespread surveillance.
LAURENT FABIUS, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): This kind of practice is between partners that violate privacy are totally unacceptable.
SCIUTTO: Documents released by Edward Snowden have now revealed NSA surveillance of the communications of a long list of close U.S. allies, including Germany, England, Brazil, Mexico and the European Union.
(on camera): When you look at America`s soft power, its message and its relationships with these countries, how embarrassing is this?
P.J. CROWLEY, FORMER STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It`s always awkward. I mean what you have here is the situation where either as someone seized the hand in the cookie jar or a strong evidence the hand has been in the cookie jar. Every time this happens, it`s going to be awkward conversations.
SCIUTTO: When each of these surveillance cases is broken, involving American allies, the administration has made two points -- one, that all countries spy on each other and two, that they are conducting a review of this surveillance to get a better balance between security concerns and privacy concerns, but the administration has yet to say what that review has found or what changes it may bring. Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
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ANNOUNCER: Is this legit? The autumnal equinox is the shortest day of the year.
Not true. The shortest day when there is the least amount of day light is the winter solstice.
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AZUZ: The solstice marks the start of winter. In the Northern Hemisphere that happens on December 21st, but the thermostat isn`t waiting for the calendar in some parts of the U.S. "The Farmer`s Almanac" predicted a bitterly cold winter. It seems like it`s starting early.
Grab the winter coats, shovels and ice scrapers. The season`s first (inaudible) is on its way. A blast of brisk winter-like temperature swept over Boston`s Fenway part, just in time for game one of the World Series.
The opening pitch slicing through 48 degree air, making it the third coldest start to the fall classic. A surge of cold air from Canada will sweep across the Great Lakes region, triggering lake-effect snow and frigid temperatures, just in time for the weekend. As much as a foot of snow could fall in New York State, just east of Lake Ontario.
Charleston, West Virginia is gearing up for the impending snowfall. While residents in Ohio and shoppers in Wisconsin fled from the flurries. Meanwhile, residence down south are keeping their eye on the first hard freeze of the season, bad news for farmers and their crops. Frigid temperatures are expected to coat several states with frost from Missouri, across to the Carolinas. As the system moves east, a taste of winter before trick-or-treaters even hit the streets.
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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for "The Shoutout." Which of this is considered the "stress hormone?" If you think you know it, then shout it out!
Is it Cortisol, testosterone, insulin or serotonin. You`ve got three seconds, go! Cortisol is the human body`s primary stress hormone. It can increase in times of physical or psychological stress. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."
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AZUZ: Some of you might get an extra cortisol kick over the next couple of weeks if you`re registered to take the ACT or the SATs, whether we are talking about major standardized tasks or exams in your regular classes. There is just no need for a number two pencil to be a number one cause of stress.
Is it a coincidence that test and stress rhyme? Neither is much fun. But you can make test-taking a little less stress-making by following a few tips: first, expect a little stress. That doesn`t sound like much help, but look, the test is important to you, you want to do well, a little nervousness is natural. Don`t let that psyche you out. Just focus on what you showed up to do and remember that it can`t last forever. Speaking of showing up, do that a little early. Don`t be rushed getting to the test location. It will up your stress before you arrive. The night before the test, make sure you have your stuff packed, gas in the car, the right bus schedule or a dependable ride. You`ll have fewer problems getting to the test venue and getting focused.
Before you walk out that door, though, have something to eat, and yes, I`m preaching fruits and vegetables: heavy foods with a lot of fat can slow you down. So pizza is out, but a bagel and some fruit are in. Chocolate and soda are out, but egg whites and orange juice are in. And if you are allowed, bring a banana or a granola bar to the test. A quiet contended stomach can equal a more focused brain. So can sleep, and this is back by science, when people are tired, they are less patient. You need patience for an exam. When people are tired, they are easily annoyed, and exam is annoying enough. Finally, take a few quiet moments to yourself before test time, whether you are praying, taking deep breaths or calmly and quietly visualizing total exam domination, you are conditioning your mind for the task ahead, and that will help you leave some stress behind.
All right, from yesterday, an undefeated high school football team beat a winless team 91 to zero. One parent complained is a form of bullying. A vast majority of our viewers on Facebook do not agree. Shawn asks, "What does winning a football game have to do with bullying? People need to learn the difference between bullying and success." From Jonathan, "The winning team`s coach did what was right. He took his starters out and had a running clock. It was not bullying. It`s part of the game." Emily says, "The victorious team was simply doing what they know how to do: play football. I don`t understand how this would be considered bullying." Shonda asks, did anyone consider that the winning team did not run up the score, but maybe the losing team gave up?" Cameron says, "I think it`s poor sportsmanship to keep scoring when the game is already over." And Eli writes, "If the winning team tried to prove that they were the best, the overdid it." From Jason, "Society is teaching fairness and everyone wins. I`m sorry, life does not work that way. Life does not let up. Life does not have ties.
One in Virginia plus two in Georgia ads up to the three schools in today`s "Roll Call." Princess Anne High. Hi, and hello to the Cavaliers in Virginia Beach. Our first stop in Georgia is in Austel, with the Eagles from South Cobb High School. Then we head over to Peach Tree City to catch up with my McIntosh High School Chiefs.
David (inaudible) decided to take a bahabi (ph) during his hobby. He`s knitting while running a marathon. He started doing boss separately a few years ago. He combined them after he decided that each can get a little tedious on its own. Tedious plus tedious equals excitement. We`ll leave that up to him. Either way, last Saturday, (inaudible) set a new world record, the longest scarf knitted while running a marathon. So, how do you need a long scarf during the marathon? You put one foot in from of the other. The achievement definitely moves them up to the first string, and the story makes for a good yarn. Everyone should know about it, rather than keeping a close-knit secret. When he finished the race, he was probably starving and scarfed up any food he could see. He might have been needled about this double hobby before, but no one can knit pick now. We`ve got our resources to come up with these puns, and you probably noticed the common thread -- hopefully, they have you in stitches. At least, that was the point. But if not, we`ll try again net time.