CNN Student News Transcript: August 18, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- August 18, 2008

Quick Guide

Golden Boy - Learn about one swimmer's record-breaking week at this year's Olympics.

Russia-Georgia Conflict - Examine the causes of recent fighting between Russian and Georgian troops.

Forum of Faith - Hear what the leading presidential hopefuls discussed at a recent forum.

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: We're back! I'm Carl Azuz, and this is CNN Student News. Hope you had an awesome summer. We are kicking off our first show of the school year, so let's get to it.

First Up: Golden Boy

AZUZ: "One of the greatest weeks of my life." That is how Michael Phelps describes his experience at this year's Olympics. All of the athletes competing in the Summer Games have the same goal: gold! For 36 years, Mark Spitz set the standard. He swam for a record seven golds in the 1972 Games. But you know what they say about records. Thanks to Phelps, another swimmer, this bar is now a whole lot higher. Larry Smith has more from Beijing on the newly crowned king of the pool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SMITH, CNN REPORTER: There will be thousands of pictures to show what Michael Phelps did in Beijing this past week and millions of words to describe it. But years from now, what will not fade is eight pieces of gold, a shining testament to a transcendent performance.

MICHAEL PHELPS, U.S. SWIMMER: Records are always made to be broken, no matter what they are. Anybody can do anything they set their mind to. I said it all along. I want to be the first Michael Phelps, not the second Mark Spitz.

SMITH: Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture. These games started on 8-8-08, and they were taken over by Phelps shortly thereafter. Each race became a fireworks show of its own, seven world records punctuating his perfection.

PHELPS: I guess it's a lucky number for me now too. Seeing 8-8-08 and the opening ceremonies starting at 8:08. I guess maybe it was meant to be, I don't know.

SMITH: To say Phelps is now a superstar is to understate his achievement. 17 races over 9 days with both thrilling and dominating finishes splashed throughout, all live in front of a world captivated. If overcoming Mark Spitz's Olympic record of seven gold medals was historic, what comes next may be as epic as once building the Great Wall itself. Possibly the greatest Olympian ever, at 23 with a legacy still looking towards London in 2012.

PHELPS: There are some things I still want to do. I want to raise the bar in the sport of swimming more. It's come a long way. And I think it can go even farther.

SMITH: This country is rich in a history colored by grand achievements that took millions many years to accomplish. Michael Phelps will now be part of that history, but his wonder will be remembered as singular and it will only be one color: gold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Ask Michael Phelps

AZUZ: If you could ask this Olympic champion a question, what would you want to know? What it takes to be a great swimmer? Maybe some training tips? Where he stores all those gold medals? On Tuesday, Phelps will be answering some viewer questions on CNN.com live. So, grab your camera and send in your question in an iReport. Remember to keep submissions brief and to the point, and to get your parents' permission. You can find a link to send in your questions at our Web site: CNNStudentNews.com.

Other Olympians

AZUZ: Some other Olympic headlines: The title of "World's Fastest Man" belongs to Jamaica's Usain Bolt. An appropriate name. He covered the 100 meters in 9.69 seconds on Saturday, and that is a new world record. Forty-one year old American Dara Torres won three silver medals in Beijing. Her twelve medals since 1984 ties her for the record for most medals ever by an American woman. And in women's gymnastics, the U.S. finished first and second in the all-around competition, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson taking gold and silver.

Is this legit?

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece was found in what is now the country of Georgia. This one's true! According to the legend, Jason and the Argonauts retrieved the famous fleece from the ancient kingdom of Colchis, which is part of the present-day country of Georgia.

Russia-Georgia Conflict

AZUZ: That present-day country is presently in the news because of recent fighting with Russia. But a cease-fire agreement is offering hope that the violence has reached an end. Russia is the largest country in the world, more than one-and-a-half times the size of the U.S. Georgia, which borders Russia to the southwest, is a little smaller than the state of South Carolina. This country was absorbed into the Russian empire back in the 19th century, and regained its independence in 1991. The recent fighting is centered around two provinces inside Georgia that want their own independence. They each have their own governments and they are supported by Russia. The conflict started more than a week ago. Georgian troops went into one of the provinces to deal with a pro-Moscow uprising. Russia responded by invading the country, and the fighting spread. It's not clear how many people have been killed, but the U.N. says more than 150,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes. For now, both sides have agreed to end the hostilities.

Tropical Storm Fay

AZUZ: Back in the U.S., parts of Florida are bracing for Tropical Storm Fay. It's expected to move past the Keys tonight, then head into the Gulf of Mexico before moving back over Florida later in the week. And it could strengthen into a hurricane by the time it affects the U.S. Residents in the Keys started preparing for Fay over the weekend, tying down boats and stocking up on supplies. Officials urged visitors to evacuate ahead of the storm, and the governor of Florida pre-emptively declared a state of emergency.

Shoutout

RAMSAY: Time for the Shoutout! At what wind speed does a tropical storm become a hurricane? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) 52 miles per hour, B) 63 miles per hour, C) 74 miles per hour or D) 85 miles per hour? You've got three seconds -- GO! When a tropical storm's wind speed reaches 74 miles per hour, it gets upgraded to a category 1 hurricane. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

Forum of Faith

AZUZ: Shifting over to politics now and the first time that Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have shared a stage since they both became the presumptive nominees of their parties. This event took place Saturday night at the Saddleback Church in California, but it wasn't a debate. It was a forum where the presidential hopefuls fielded questions on issues like reproductive rights, the war in Iraq and their personal faith. Patty Lane has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATTY LANE, CNN REPORTER: "How will your values form you as a president" was a central theme at a forum held for Barack Obama and John McCain Saturday night at a southern California church. Asked about a time when he had to go with his conscience against what was popular, Obama spoke about his early opposition to the Iraq War.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There were a lot of people who advised me, "You should be cautious, this is going to be successful."

LANE: On other issues, Obama said he is pro-choice but supports ways to reduce the number of abortions, and said he would go to war without United Nations approval if he felt it was justified. Halfway through the forum, John McCain joined Obama on stage, before the stage was turned over to the Republican senator. McCain on moral failures, both his own and the nation's:

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The failure of my first marriage is my greatest moral failure. I think America's greatest moral failure has been throughout our existence, perhaps we have not devoted ourselves to causes greater than our self interests.

LANE: On abortion, McCain said he believes life begins at conception, and said his presidency will have strong pro-life policies. I'm Patty Lane reporting from Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

AZUZ: The next big step on the campaign trail: conventons! That's when the nominees ditch the "presumptive" part of their title, and it's our Talking Democracy topic for August. We've been breaking down election-related issues and inviting you to submit iReports on them all year long. Check out all of our Talking Democracy coverage online, and stay tuned for more on conventions later this week.

Before We Go

AZUZ: Before we go today, we'd like to take you back to elementary school. You remember those nervous kids going up to the front of the class, holding up a report and saying "What I did on my summer vacation"? Well, this is our version of that, giving you a sense of what was going on when we were off the air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Sunny San Antonio: The trails, the Alamo, the National Educational Computing Conference! That's where our producer and executive producer told education industry pros how you can get involved in "Talking Democracy." The short version: through iReports! When there was a break from presenting CNN Student News to teachers, there was a tour of Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery, hosted by our own Web producer, Jeff DeHayes. We also hosted about a hundred Georgia high school students for "Leadership Unplugged," a weeklong summer program that puts students on the Georgia Tech campus and works to develop their leadership skills. Meanwhile, some of us hit the gym. Some of us hit the beach. Some of us hit both. We spent some time on the trail, I spent some time in the sky, and we spent some time working on bi-weekly summer Webcasts, so you'd always have something special to see on CNNStudentNews.com.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Goodbye

AZUZ: Not a bad way to spend the summer. Now it's your turn. Send us an iReport showing off how you spent your vacation. And then check back tomorrow for more CNN Student News. We'll see you then. I'm Carl Azuz.