CNN Student News Transcript: October 28, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- October 28, 2008

Quick Guide

Cross-Border Raids - Discover the reason for heightened tension between Syria and the U.S.

Tainted Food - Learn about new concerns involving contaminated Chinese food products.

Help Wanted? - Examine the job prospects of college graduates in the current economy.

Transcript

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

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Whether you're watching us on Headline News, online or on iTunes, thanks for checking out this Tuesday edition of CNN Student News.

First Up: Cross-Border Raids

AZUZ: First up, tension between the U.S. and Syria over an attack in the Middle Eastern nation during the weekend. Syria's foreign minister says that the U.S. broke international law when American forces entered that country on Sunday. But an American official calls it as a successful operation against a suspected terrorist accused of working with al Qaeda. Syria threatens that if it happens again, it'll defend its territory. Jamie McIntyre has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. sources confirm Syria's claim: American commandos in Black Hawk helicopters carried out the cross-border attack Sunday. A Syrian Web site posted this video showing U.S. helicopters over Syria, but CNN cannot confirm its authenticity. The Syrian government says it knows of the video but did not release it. However, the Syrian foreign minister says witnesses saw four U.S. helicopters arrive at a farm five miles inside Syria, that two landed and American forces emerged and opened fire, killing at least seven civilians.

WALEED MOALLEM, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: They killed four of one family: the father and three children. They killed the guard of the farm and his wife. They killed also a fisherman who was fishing from the Euphrates River outside the farm.

MCINTYRE: But a U.S. official calls the attack a "successful strike," telling CNN the target was a man who went by the "nom de guerre" of Abu Ghadiyah. He was identified as an Iraqi national who is the leader of a smuggling network operating with impunity out of Syria. Described as a "facilitator" for al Qaeda in Iraq, running arms, money and foreign fighters along so-called "rat lines" into Iraq. Syria denounced the attack as an act of "serious aggression," and summoned the U.S. representative in Damascus for answers.

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: She went in. She listened to the Syrians. They brought her in there to raise with her these reports of activities in Abu Kamal.

MCINTYRE: The representative didn't admit U.S. involvement, nor has there been any official acknowledgement from Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I.D. Me

ERIC GERSHON, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm an international organization that's part of the United Nations. I'm responsible for providing leadership on global health issues. My constitution was put into place on April 7, 1948, which is now known as World Health Day. Who am I? I'm W.H.O., the World Health Organization.

Tainted Food

AZUZ: As part of its role in global health matters, the W.H.O. is weighing in on an issue involving a substance called melamine. You might remember reports from earlier this year about how this chemical was part of a major scandal involving food produced in China. That safety scare has spread significantly. Tim Lister fills us in on the latest concerns being addressed in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM LISTER, CNN REPORTER: Now, it's eggs. Over the weekend, officials in Hong Kong announced that nearly double the legal level of melamine had been found in eggs imported from northeast China. They believe the melamine, a chemical often used to make plastics, have been in contaminated feed given to chickens. Hong Kong authorities have now expanded checks to include farmed fish and pork imported from other parts of China.

Nearly 4,000 children in China are still sick, and four babies have died because of milk and milk powder tainted with melamine. Authorities blame middlemen for adding the melamine to make the milk seem higher in protein when tested. Thousands of tons of milk powder have been destroyed in a very public effort to reassure consumers. And the Chinese leadership says it's looking at ways to improve food safety standards, including a new law.

WEN JIABAO, CHINESE PREMIER (TRANSLATED): Food is a continuous process that begins in the fields and ends on your dinner table. From production to transportation to refining to packaging to manufacture, every process needs to go through thorough and strict testing.

LISTER: The World Health Organization has urged China to create a single agency with real power to enforce food safety, to replace a patchwork of disjointed regulation, and to hold companies more responsible for the food they produce. The recent scandals have hurt an industry that's vital to China's economy. Chinese food exports were worth nearly $27 billion in 2006. But the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea are among more than 20 countries that have banned some Chinese food imports after finding high levels of melamine and other chemicals. Tim Lister, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Where They Stand

AZUZ: Shifting to presidential politics now and our look at where the candidates stand on some of the issues. Today's topic: energy. Senator John McCain is opposed to a tax on big profits for oil companies, and he supports offshore oil drilling. If elected, he's said that he'll promote alternative fuels, such as wind, hydro and solar power. By the year 2050, Senator McCain wants the country to reduce its carbon emissions to 60 percent below where they were in 1990. Now, Senator Barack Obama supports that tax on oil company profits. He was originally against offshore drilling, but now, he says he's willing to consider it. If elected, Senator Obama will require that 10 percent of America's energy come from renewable sources by 2012. And as for carbon emissions, he wants to lower them by 80 percent by the year 2050.

Promo

AZUZ: One week from today, voters cast their ballots for those candidates. Teachers: Can your students predict the outcome? We've got a Learning Activity that challenges them to predict the next president by researching this year's swing states. Check it out at CNNStudentNews.com!

Guilty Verdict

AZUZ: Staying with politics here, a jury has found Alaska Senator Ted Stevens guilty of making false statements. The charges were related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and work on the senator's house. Stevens is the longest-serving Republican senator in history. He's the first senator to be convicted of a felony since 1981. He's still on the ballot, and Stevens says he'll fight what he calls the "unjust" verdict with every ounce of energy he has.

Word to the Wise

GERSHON: A Word to the Wise...

networking (verb) communicating with other people for mutual help or support

source: www.dictionary.com

Help Wanted?

AZUZ: A lot of people rely on networking when they're looking for a new job. Having that kind of advantage can definitely come in handy, especially when there are fewer positions available, like now. You know that the economy is struggling, and companies are scaling back down work force. For college students, that could mean a tough transition into the working world. Stephanie Elam examines the prospects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN REPORTER: For many in the class of 2009, the next step after graduating from college may be the unemployment line. With the country losing about 760,000 jobs so far this year and nursing economic wounds that are far from healed, it is no surprise that companies are cutting back. And if they aren't axing jobs, employers are slashing hiring plans. That's bad news for recent grads.

FARNOOSH TORABI, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Young adults, in some ways, are the most financially disadvantaged folks in this country. When you think about graduating from college with an average of $20,000 in student loans. A third of college students are graduating with more than $5,000 in credit card debt, and they are entering a job market that has a big question mark over it.

ELAM: In a poll this month, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, or NACE, found companies plan to hire one-and-a-third percent more grads in 2009 than this year. While it is not a decrease, it is still a large drop from the group's projection of 6% made just in August. While the number of people who have lost their jobs this year continues to rise, so are the ranks of college graduates. That means lots of competition on the job hunt, and it is forcing graduates to get creative.

STUDENT: There are a lot of people out there who are fighting for the same jobs, so I'm expanding my search a little bit.

STUDENT: I started my own company.

STUDENT: I'm interested in exploring a variety of fields.

STUDENT: There's a lot of opportunities globally.

STUDENT: I think pretty much everyone I know is using the career center a lot more than they imagined they would.

STUDENT: Networking is really all of it, isn't it?

ELAM: The decline in hiring is broad, but the NACE survey found the U.S. government boosted its college hiring expectations this month by nearly 20%. Of course, recent grads do have one major thing on their side: time. In this economy, even where everyone is struggling, young adults are almost at an advantage. They can make mistakes and they are going to be ok, because they have that whole lifeline before they retire. Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

AZUZ: Before we go, check out a thrilling dance revolution. Now, most of you probably have no idea what this is, but we bet your teachers do. These undead dancers are taking part in a worldwide "Thriller" celebration. The song was a sensation back in 1983, thanks in part to a music video that looked like a horror movie. And now, thousands of dancers around the world get together to mimic the moves.

Goodbye

AZUZ: Without too much rehearsal, from the looks of it. That ghoulish groove is our final note for today. You guys have a great one.