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JOYCE JOSEPH, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: You're tuned in to CNN Student News, where Fridays are always awesome! Hi, everyone. Carl Azuz is off today. I'm Joyce Joseph. Let's get to the headlines.
First Up: Lessons To Be Learned?
JOSEPH: First up, political protests turn violent in some of the Middle Eastern nations we've been talking about these past few weeks. The U.S. government says it's "deeply concerned" about the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain. Yesterday, several people were killed and hundreds more were injured in fighting between protesters and security forces. In Yemen, at least 20 people were hurt when groups that support and oppose that country's government threw stones at each other yesterday. And in Libya, some web sites called for a "Day of Rage" Thursday. That could be a sign that anti-government protests are picking up in the country.
In all of these countries protesters are calling for change. That's already happened in Egypt, where long-time President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down. Sandra Endo explains why Egypt should study history to see where things might go from here.
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SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON, D.C.: A revolution in Iran 32 years ago. Months of bloodshed, protest, but success: the ouster of the Shah and his oppressive government. Three decades later, a similar fight, this time powered by Egyptians. The sweet taste of victory, forcing a dictator out of office. But what's next?
For Iranians, more than thirty years later, the battle for freedom still remains. Mehdi Amini was 17 years old when he took part in the Iranian revolution. He says the honeymoon was short lived after the Shah's regime was over and a repressive Islamic republic took charge. He wants Egyptians to learn from Iran's history.
MEHDI AMINI, IRANIAN PROTESTER: We have Iran as a good example of the hopes that people had and what it eventually ended up being. So, I'm just hoping that they don't have the same outcome and that they should be under watch.
ENDO: A big warning for Egyptians.
TRITA PARSI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL: It's very positive that there's so much optimism, but it should not be translated into naivety. This is where the hard work begins, to ensure that getting rid of a dictatorial system actually translates into achieving democracy. And that's a very, very hard path that the Egyptians will walk. But hopefully, they will be more successful than the Iranians were in 1979.
ENDO: For Iranians like Amini, their fight will continue.
AMINI: I hope to see a day where I can go and vote freely for someone who I choose. I hope to see a day when women and men have the right to just, basically, walk with each other, not be fearful of the repercussions of what's going to happen. And I hope to see, basically, a day when I can go back to my country.
ENDO: Sandra Endo, CNN, Washington
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This Day In History
JOSEPH: It's February 18th, and on this day in history...
In 1861, Jefferson Davis became the president of the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy ended with its loss in the U.S. Civil War.
In 1930, Pluto was discovered by an astronomer at an observatory in Arizona. It was once thought to be the solar system's 9th planet, but Pluto was downgraded in 2006.
And in 2001, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., "The Intimidator," was killed in a car crash during the last lap of the Daytona 500.
JOSEPH: It didn't happen on this day in history, but two years ago yesterday, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Most of us know it better as the stimulus bill. This law, which had a final price tag of $814 billion, caused a huge controversy. It was designed to give the U.S. economy a jump start, but Democrats and Republicans disagreed about whether or not it would work.
Two years later, they still disagree. President Obama's administration says the stimulus has helped save more than 3 million jobs and kept the country from suffering another depression. Republicans say the stimulus hasn't created the kind of recovery that the president promised it would. As part of their argument, Republicans point to the country's unemployment rate. It's gone down recently, but it's higher now than when the stimulus bill was signed. Some experts say it's hard to judge the success of the stimulus because more than a third of the money from it hasn't even been spent yet.
Shoutout
JOHN LISK, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mrs. Savannah's social studies class at Heartland Academy in Radcliff, Kentucky! What name was associated with U.S. laws that enforced racial segregation? Was it: A) John Brown, B) Jim Crow, C) Dred Scott or D) Homer Plessy? You've got three seconds -- GO! Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation between the 1870s and 1950s. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
JOSEPH: You might have learned about some of the Jim Crow laws in school: whites and blacks had to use separate water fountains, sit in different parts of the bus, go to different schools. While these laws were in effect, and even after they were overturned, African-Americans weren't welcome everywhere. Fredricka Whitfield shows us how a special book helped people travel safely around the country.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: The pictures on his wall are from 50 years ago, but Ernest Green remembers it like yesterday. Green was one of the Little Rock 9, a group of African-American students who enrolled in Central High School in the Arkansas capital in 1957. While Green was making history in the schools, his family navigated the segregated roads using a little-known guide for African-American families.
ERNEST GREEN, LITTLE ROCK NINE: The Green Book was a, I think an institution in black life. It was one of those unknown survival tools for black people that had to move around the country. I was a teenager, so I knew that the Green Book was a necessity for us to have a place to stay.
WHITFIELD: A place to stay, a place to eat, even a car repair shop that would be friendly to blacks, all pulled together in this directory.
GREEN: I had had a personal experience with the Green Book. My aunt and mother mapping out a program for us to travel from Little Rock to Hampton, Virginia for my sister's graduation.
WHITFIELD: Personal tales like this inspired the playwright, and he learned about the travel guide's 1936 genesis.
CALVIN RAMSEY, PLAYWRIGHT, AUTHOR, "RUTH AND THE GREEN BOOK": Well, Victor Green, an African-American gentleman who had traveled himself and had hardships on the road, embarrassment, embarrassing situations that he didn't want to see his people continue to have. So he said, "If I can do something about this, I will."
WHITFIELD: The idea took off. And year after year, the Green Book grew, providing resources for all 50 states. Today, Ramsey takes his children's book, "Ruth and the Green Book," to elementary schools, bringing old tales to a new audience. And in the process, picking up on a dream that the creator of the Green Book held dearly.
GREEN: Travel, exposure, knowledge, all of it is fatal to prejudice. It requires people to think broader to this idea about universality that begins to see people as people.
WHITFIELD: Big lessons from the little guide that history almost forgot. Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
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Pictures Don't Lie
JOSEPH: Teachers, we have a documentary we think you'll want to check out. "Pictures Don't Lie" tells the story of civil rights photographer Ernest Withers, who may have also been an FBI informant! The program airs at 8 p.m. Eastern this Sunday on CNN. And you can find our discussion guide in the Spotlight section at CNNStudentNews.com!
Blog Promo
JOSEPH: And right underneath the Spotlight section you'll see a link to our blog. Today's question: Who are your Black History Month heroes? They might have made significant achievements in the world of politics, entertainment, sports, business or civil rights. Head to our blog at CNNStudentNews.com. Tell us who you're picking, and why.
Before We Go
JOSEPH: Before we go, I hope you guys are hungry, because somebody's gonna have to finish all these fish tacos. 260 in all. Of course, before anyone eats them, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia is hoping they measure up to a world record: the world's longest taco line. That's 80 pounds of fish, 45 pounds of veggies, four gallons of salsa. The stunt is helping promote a new menu item at the cafeteria.
Goodbye
JOSEPH: So, they may "taco" good game about the world record, but it's also possible they're fishing for compliments. Either way, it's food for thought. CNN Student News will cook up our next program on Tuesday. We're off on Monday for Presidents' Day. We hope you enjoy the long weekend. I'm Joyce Joseph.