CNN Student News 2012-06-08

(CNN Student News) -- June 8, 2012

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

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Union Point (ph) School in Harmonelle (ph), Illinois, and you`re watching CNN Student News.

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CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Here it is, our last show of the school year. We want to thank those students in Illinois for that awesome iReport. Thanks to all of you who`ve sent in iReport introductions. I`m Carl Azuz. Let`s get started.

First up, the FBI is investigating leaks that involve classified national security information. Some Republican lawmakers have accused the White House of giving information to the news media. The White House denies that. Some members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans are outraged about these leaks.

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AZUZ (voice-over): Yesterday the top members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees released a statement on the situation. They said that these leaks, quote, "have seriously interfered with ongoing intelligence programs." They added that "each disclosure puts American lives at risk." Brianna Keilar has more on the accusations and anger surrounding this story.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Early May, reports of the U.S. thwarting a plot in Yemen to build an undetectable airplane bomb. Last week, a "New York Times" story detailing President Obama`s close oversight of a terrorist kill list. Then another describing how he ordered an aggressive cyber-attack that slowed development of Iran`s nuclear program.

Senator John McCain is now accusing the White House of purposely leaking classified information for political gain.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZ.: They cite leaked classified or highly sensitive information in what appears to be a broader administration effort to paint a portrait of the President of the United States as a strong leader on national security issues.

The release of this information in these articles harms our national security and puts in danger the lives of the men and women who are sworn to protect it.

KEILAR (voice-over): White House officials vehemently deny the charge. Press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday, "Any suggestion that this administration has authorized intentional leaks of classified information for political gain is grossly irresponsible."

President Obama`s national security successes, like killing Osama bin Laden and taking out a number of other Al Qaeda leaders, are a political asset in an election year. Republicans are no doubt trying to tarnish those accomplishments. But concerns about the leaks are bipartisan.

Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said she was, quote, "deeply disturbed by the continuing leaks of classified information to the media."

She and Carl Levin, the Democrat who heads up the Senate Armed Services Committee, are discussing a joint hearing into the leaks.

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AZUZ: A blueprint for ending distracted driving: that`s what the U.S. Department of Transportation`s calling a plan that was released yesterday.

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AZUZ: Right now, it`s illegal to text and drive in 39 states. This new plan would encourage the other 11 states to pass similar laws. It would also work with driver`s ed programs to include information about the potential dangers of distracted driving.

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AZUZ (voice-over): This plan came out one day after a Massachusetts teenager was convicted of homicide resulting from texting while driving. Aaron Deveau was found guilty in connection with a crash last year in which the other driver was killed. Deveau will serve one year in prison. His driver`s license will be suspended for 15 years.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just the facts: post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition. It develops when someone experiences an event that causes intense fear or helplessness. PTSD symptoms include bad memory and increased anxiety. These symptoms usually start within months of a traumatic event, but sometimes they may not appear for years.

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AZUZ: Post-traumatic stress disorder is especially common among people who`ve served in combat. Mary Cortani, one of this year`s CNN Heroes, started an organization to help military veterans work through PTSD. They do that with some help from our four-legged friends.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got back from Iraq, I stayed away from large crowds, mall movies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn`t leave the house. Just didn`t want to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staying inside, windows were blacked out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was really numb. Didn`t feel like I had a purpose anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nightmares constantly, flashbacks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything to me is still a combat zone.

MARY CORTANI, CNN HERO: Veterans with invisible wounds, we can`t see a wheelchair, a prosthetic leg. They appear like you and i. But their suffering goes so deep it touches the soul.

I learned how to train dogs while I served in the Army. I knew that a dog can add a lot in your life. I realized this is what I was supposed to do.

My name is Mary Cortani. I match veterans with service dogs, train them as a team so that they can navigate life together.

When a veteran trains their own service dog, they have a mission and a purpose again.

Talk to them. Tell them they did good.

Dogs come from shelters, rescue groups. They`re taught to create a spatial barrier and can alert them when they start to get anxious.

CORTANI: You OK? You getting overwhelmed? Focus on Maggie.

The dog is capable of keeping them grounded.

You`re focusing on him and he`s focusing on everything around you.

You start to see them get their confidence back, communicate differently. They venture out (inaudible) beginning to participate in life again. Being able to help them find that joy back in their life, it`s priceless.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our final Shoutout of the school year goes out to all of this year`s graduating seniors. At the U.S. Supreme Court, who is the current Chief Justice? If you think you know it, then shout it out. Is it William Rehnquist, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor or Thurgood Marshall? You`ve got three seconds, go.

John Roberts was sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States in 2005. That`s your answer and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: Chief Justice Roberts and his colleagues at the U.S. Supreme Court are part of one of the stories we`re looking ahead to over the next several months.

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AZUZ (voice-over): The U.S. Supreme Court will be ruling on President Obama`s health care reform law. The case centers around whether or not part of this law is constitutional. We don`t know for sure when the ruling will come out, but it`s expected to be later on this month.

Another major event on the horizon, the Olympics. London is gearing up for this year`s games, making it the first city to host the Olympics three times. The event starts in late July and lasts for two weeks.

And we`re looking ahead to the U.S. national political conventions. First the Republican Party in Tampa, Florida, then the Democrats in Charlotte, North Carolina. That`s when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama will officially become their parties` presidential nominees.

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AZUZ: Keep an eye on cnnstudentnews.com over the summer. We`re going to be posting updates on these news stories and others as well. That`s not the only way to keep in touch with us, though. You can check our "A to Z" and "Schools of Thought" blogs on our home page. And if you`re on Facebook, you can find us there at Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews.

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AZUZ: Our end-of-the-year news quiz is now available at cnnstudentnews.com. What you do is go to our website, click on "Test your Knowledge," and you`ll see questions like this. In what country did activists and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi win a seat in parliament?

Now the answer is Myanmar, also known as Burma, and I picked that question because it`s the hardest. See how well you do on the other nine, cnnstudentnews.com.

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AZUZ: All right. We asked what you thought were the best puns of the school year.

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AZUZ (voice-over): Well, back in October we had a story about some so-called Post-It wars in France. It was really a battle between creativity and productivity and we covered it to make sense of a very sticky situation.

All right. Some of you flipped out for this acrobat. We said you could expect this kind of thing from a black-and-white feline because after all, some are pepper and "somersault."

Next, hot dog antics, there were a lot of "buns" possible here. But when a participate fed a hot dog to his puppy, it was truly a dog-eat-dog world.

And then, the hot tub in a boat on the water, the ultimate in aquatic relaxation, didn`t want you to "Jacuzz-me" of watering down the puns.

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AZUZ: We thought we`d float a couple more by you, but that`s "a-boat" all the time we have for now. We want to thank all of you who took the time to send us your favorite puns. Everyone who posted on our blog and Facebook page this year, and mostly from all of us here, we want to thank everyone for spending part of your school year watching CNN Student News.

The daily show will be back on August 13th. Have an awesome summer and we look forward to seeing you again soon. I`m Carl Azuz.

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