CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. The website for people to sign up for health coverage under Obamacare launched on October 1st. In its first month fewer than 27,000 Americans selected an insurance plan from the federal site. Nearly 80,000 others signed up for coverage, but they used state sites, not the federal one.
All together that`s around 106,000 people who signed up for Obamacare in October. The White House expected 1.16 million people to sign up through the end of November. That means more than 900,000 more would need to enroll this month. The site itself has faced major technical problems. During a congressional hearing yesterday, the man in charge of the site said some improvements had been made and more are coming.
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TODD PARK, U.S. CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, THE WHITE HOUSE: Unfortunately, the experience of healthcare.gov. has been highly frustrating for many Americans. These problems are unacceptable. So, the goal that has been laid out is for the site not to be perfect, but in November — people can log on. So, the vast majority of Americans would be able to use the site smoothly. That`s the goal we are — we`re working very hard to get there.
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AZUZ: In the Philippines, the United Nations official describes getting aid to victims of Typhoon Haiyan as a major operation. Yesterday she said, quote, "we are getting there", but in my view it`s far too slow. The U.S. military is big part of those efforts. Marine set up at an Air Base bringing in planes full of medical supplies, shelter, materials and other gear.
The U.N.`s World Food Program is distributing necessary items, too. The agency said it handed out rice to several thousand people of Wednesday.
Survivors are struggling with the need for food and supplies, and with reminders of the devastation that the typhoon caused. Bodies of those who didn`t survive, some buried under debris, other out in the open.
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UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I have seen dead people on the streets and the sidewalk.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Me too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how did that make you feel?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It made me feel scared.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Me too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did it make you feel scared?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Because it was very creepy that there were dead people lying on the streets.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can I.D. me. I was born in Argentina in 1936. I live in the world`s smallest country, and I`m chief of state. My birth name is Jorge Bergoglio.
You probably know me better as Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.
AZUZ: Most talked about person on the Internet. It`s a serious title. When you consider what name is invoked the most on blogs, Internet news sites, social media …
Kate Middleton and Prince George, maybe Beyonce or Justin Bieber come to mind. But far surpassing all these folks, Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, the largest denomination of the world`s largest religion.
The survey came from the Global Language Monitor: a Texas company that tracks what people are talking about on the Internet. Other names and phrases that came up included "Obamacare", "the National Security Agency" and "Edward Snowden."
But Pope Francis has gotten a lot of attention in all forms of media this year. He`s made headlines in blogs and tweets for inspirational acts. He`s been criticized for controversial comments on sensitive topics. In Pope Francis people see someone who`s redefined or exemplified or defied what they think a pope should be. And that`s prompted them to share their views on the pope more than anyone else.
Well, next up today, first ladies: many wives of U.S. presidents become advocates for certain causes: Laura Bush focused on global literacy, Nancy Reagan helped launch an antidrug campaign. When she became first lady, Michelle Obama promoted healthy eating and exercise. But now, she seems to be shifting her focus and putting part of her attention on education issues. This week, the first lady at a high school in Washington D.C. Her message was about continuing education after high school. She talked to the students about some of the challenges she faced growing up, and she said that the future is shaped more by their attitudes than by their circumstances.
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MICHELLE OBAMA: Maybe you`ve had problems at home and you`ve had to step up, take on extra responsibilities for your family. Maybe you come from a tough neighborhood, and you`ve been surrounded by things like violence and drugs. Maybe one of your parents has lost a job, and you`ve had to struggle just to make it here today. One of the most important things you all must understand about yourselves is that those experiences are not weaknesses. They are not something to be ashamed of. Experiences like those can make you stronger and more determined. They can teach you all kinds of skills that you could never learn in a classroom. The skills that will lead you to success anywhere in life.
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AZUZ: All right, high school students, this one is for you. There is something we want you to do before a graduation. We want you to introduce our show. We know you`re older than 13, so you can go to the "How Do I" box on our homepage and click the "Send us a show" open link. Get all the details.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? 25 million Americans have some form of diabetes. It`s true. Experts estimate that of the 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, 7 million haven`t been diagnosed. AZUZ: Today is World Diabetes Day. This year`s theme is education and prevention. We mentioned there different form of diabetes. All of them involve how the body uses blood glucose or blood sugar. Glucose is a main source of energy for your cells. When it enters your body, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin that helps break the glucose down. In diabetics, the body either doesn`t make enough insulin or it doesn`t use it as well as it should. Diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease, blindness. It`s the 7 leading cause of death in America. There is no cure, but there are treatments. Doctors recommend eating well an exercising to help control or prevent diabetes. And a diagnosis doesn`t mean the end of an active life.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, three …
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In (ph) Stolaz, 20-year old Ryan Reed is living his dream.
RYAN REED, ROUSH FENWAY DEVELOPMENT DRIVER: And I`ve been (ph) NASCAR driver since I was four years old.
GUPTA: He was just 17 when NASCAR top drivers recruited him for his development team.
REED: It was just like everything was falling right into place with my life and nothing could stop me.
GUPTA: But something did.
REED: I remember being thirsty a lot, I was using the bathroom extremely frequently and losing a lot of weight.
GUPTA: One of the first things his doctor`s checked his blood sugar. Reed was diagnosed with type one diabetes.
REED: They were like, no, Ryan. You`ll never race again.
GUPTA: Reed found the doctor willing to help him get back on the track. There have been adjustments: a new diet, a (inaudible) sensor has been implanted in his abdomen that transmits his blood sugar readings. There is a continuous glucose monitor mounted to the dash inside his race car. That allows him to check his blood sugar during the race and his fire suit — now sports a ball`s eye.
REED: We have a guy trained on the crew to reach into the (inaudible) pace up and gave me an insulin injection, should I need it.
GUPTA: Reed made his debut in NASCAR second biggest series, April 26th, and just last month, he finished in the top ten. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN,
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AZUZ: Today`s "Roll Call" segment is going to the dawgs — the bulldogs an the terriers an the timber wolves. Terriers we are talking about are from Newark Tech in Newark New Jersey. Idaho is home to those bull dogs — the Kimberly Bull Dogs — thanks for watching, Mariel (ph). And Fort Bragg High in Fort Bragg, California — you can brag that the timber wolves made our "Roll Call".
What would you do if you found money inside of something you bought from someone else? This goes back to our story yesterday, when a man returned $98,000 he found inside a desk. Do you give it back? Do you keep it? What do you do? A lot of people on Facebook agreed with Kelly who said, give it back. Is there another option? But a lot of you said, there are other options. Annika says, first of all, go to the police. Matthew tell us, "I might try to find the owner, but I wouldn`t try too hard, though." Jenny Lee says, she would give one third of it to family, one third to charity, and one third for myself. Christian says, "Keep some and give that part to homeless for their survival." Joshua says, "It all depends on how much money was found. If it was only 50 or 100 dollars, I`d probably keep it, but 98,0000 — with an amount that big, you can`t just keep it. You need to return it." TreQuan tells us, "I would keep it, because if I buy something, whatever is inside, is mine." Ariana disagrees with that saying, "Just because you bought the desk doesn`t mean you bought the money."
Last story today is about mass transit that`s designed to get people moving. But maybe not in the way you think. This machine was unveiled recently at a subway stop in Moscow. It`s a ticket machine, But the number of 30 that you are seeing on it, isn`t how much money you need to put it, it`s how many squats you need to do. 30 squats in less than two minutes earned you a ticket to ride. The idea is to promote the upcoming Olympics and the healthy lifestyle. There are other ideas like this in the works, too. So, I guess we`ll have to wait to see if they work out or if they don`t end up amounting to squat — All right, back tomorrow wrap of the week — we`ll see you then.
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