Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Health officials have added 45 infants to the list of more than 700 who were exposed to tuberculosis at a hospital in El Paso, Texas.

Earlier this week, the city's Department of Public Health announced that 706 infants and 43 health care workers had been exposed to tuberculosis, commonly called TB, at Providence Memorial Hospital.

An employee at the hospital came to work with an active case of TB some time between September 2013 and August 2014. He or she worked with infants in the nursery and in the post-partum unit at the hospital, the health department said.

These 45 additional cases were exposed during the same time period, and are being notified along with the rest of the group.

The family of each patient was sent a certified letter and is being contacted via telephone with instructions on how to get tested for TB. Any necessary follow-up care will be provided free of charge by the health department and the hospital.

As of Monday, more than 350 appointments had been made for screenings, according to the health department. Parents and other family members of the infants are not being told to get tested because they "are not considered exposed," health officials said in a statement. There is no word yet on whether any of the people exposed have tested positive for the disease.

The infected health care worker is no longer working and is receiving treatment, the owner of the hospital, Sierra Providence Health Network, said in a statement.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that generally causes coughing, chest pain and difficulty breathing, according to the Mayo Clinic. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide have what's called latent TB, where the bacteria remain dormant and don't cause symptoms.

"Once in the body, the bacteria usually lay dormant for months or years before they begin to grow and cause a case of active TB," the El Paso Department of Public Health said in a statement. "That is why it is so important to identify people who may have been exposed, screen them, and provide treatment."

The bacteria that cause TB spread through the air when an infected patient coughs or sneezes, but it's not a highly contagious disease; close contact over a longer period of time is required before another person becomes infected, according to the Mayo Clinic. Only active TB can be spread.

The Texas Department of State Health Services conducted an on-site investigation at Providence Memorial Hospital last week and cited the hospital "for deficiencies that represent immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety," said Carrie Williams, the department's director of media relations. Investigators "found serious deficiencies in the areas of infection control, patient rights and governing body."

The Center for Medicare Services has placed the hospital on a termination track, said David Wright, deputy regional administrator for CMS in Dallas. He said CMS is giving the hospital until October 11 to identify policy changes that need to happen to ensure something like this won't happen again. If the hospital fails to do so, its Medicaid and Medicare funding will be cut off.

"This is one of the largest TB exposure investigations we've ever been involved in, and it involves infants, so it is particularly sensitive," Williams said. "Babies are more likely than older children and adults to develop life-threatening forms of TB."

Patients with TB must take antibiotics for six to nine months. Some strains of TB are resistant to antibiotics, which makes them more dangerous. Without treatment, TB can be fatal, the Mayo Clinic says.

There is one vaccine for TB -- Bacille Calmette-Guerin, known as BCG -- that is not widely used in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; it is given more often to children in countries where TB is common.

There were 9,582 recorded cases of TB in the United States last year. In October, health officials identified 140 infants who may have been exposed to tuberculosis in a similar incident at a hospital in Nevada.

Response: 751 infants and 43 health care workers have been exposed to TB. Hospital worker in El Paso, Texas, came to work with active case of TB. TB is an infectious disease, but not highly contagious.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The Obama administration plans to announce Wednesday the creation of seven "climate hubs" to provide information to rural communities facing extreme weather conditions.

The hubs by the U .S. Department of Agriculture will provide scientific knowledge to help farmers, ranchers and landowners battle risks associated with climate change, including drought, floods, pests and fires.

"For generations, America's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners have innovated and adapted to challenges," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

However, he said, rural communities face more complex challenges today because of climate change.

"USDA's climate hubs are part of our broad commitment to developing the next generation of climate solutions so that our agricultural leaders have the modern technologies and tools they need to adapt and succeed in the face of a changing climate," Vilsack said.

The hubs will be in Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon and New Mexico.

Additional sub-hubs will be set up in various other states, including Michigan and California.

Climate hubs will focus on regional issues, and will equip local communities with knowledge to help them adapt.

"Sub hubs will support the hub within their region and focus on a narrow and unique set of issues relative to what will be going on in the rest of the hub," the White House said in a statement.

Rural communities have been especially hit by climate change.

In the Midwest, for example, the fire season is 60 days longer than it was three decades ago, the statement said.

In addition to affecting food supply and rural economies, climate change comes with a hefty price tag.

"Drought alone was estimated to cost the U.S. $50 billion from 2011 to 2013. Such risks have implications not only for agricultural producers, but for all Americans," the statement said.

The hubs are part of a broader commitment by President Barack Obama to make climate change a priority.

Vilsack will introduce the hubs at the White House on Wednesday.

Response: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to introduce the new venture Wednesday. Climate change has led to increased risks for farmers, ranchers and landowners. The hubs are part of a broader U.S. commitment to deal with climate change.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Millions of people are expected to go to Washington to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, but with a troubled economy and pocketbook issues on the mind, the president-elect must be careful to set the right tone.

Construction of the inaugural stand continues in front of the White House last week.

President Bush raised a record $42.8 million dollars for his second inauguration, and according to Public Citizen, more than 90 percent of the donations to that ceremony were from executives or corporations.

But this year, some say throwing a multimillion-dollar party would be unseemly in a time when crash, bailout, and foreclosure fill the economic headlines.

"A lot of it is about tone and making sure that the celebrations that do take place are not over the top, that they don't appear to be insensitive to the pain people have right now," said Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

The inaugural committee for Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to make sure the ceremony underscores the incoming administration's "commitment to change business as usual in Washington."

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has limited individual contributions to $50,000. There is no law restricting the size of donations, but in the past, inaugural committees  have set contribution limits as high as $250,000.

The PIC said it will not take contributions from corporations, political action committees, current federally registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens or registered foreign agents.

Obama has promised to "take power away from the corporate lobbyists" -- a pledge that would be questioned should the president-elect rely on them to foot his inauguration bill.

"If he can pay for these parties with small donations, I think there'd be a lot more acceptance of that," Alexander said.

Watchdog groups say there are some things Obama can do to take control of the tone. For example, he could make donations to charity, and Michelle Obama could opt for something more reasonably priced than a designer dress.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office, he also faced a financial crisis. He gave voters a now famous pep talk about the failing economy, then skipped the fancy inaugural balls because they sent the wrong message.

But analysts say Obama's not expected to go that far because so many people want to celebrate his historic win.

"Washington, D.C., was pro-Obama and had Obama-mania long before November 4. But the moment November 4 occurred, all -- all craziness sort of broke loose," said Anne Schroeder Mullini, a gossip columnist for Politico.

As inauguration organizers work to keep the tone in check, they are speaking out against those trying to make money by scalping tickets to the event.

Tickets for the inauguration are distributed through members of Congress, and just 240,000 seats are available for the actual swearing-in ceremony.

The tickets are supposed to be free, but with demand outpacing supply, a traditional giveaway has turned into a thriving online marketplace.

Legitimate ticket brokers -- the same companies that peddle tickets to rock concerts and NASCAR races -- are selling tickets to the inauguration for thousands of dollars, even for standing-room areas on the National Mall.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants to make that practice a crime, punishable by up to a year in prison.

Organizers of the inauguration say it violates the spirit of the event and could spell disappointment for people who buy tickets for the ceremony.

"We think it's absolutely insane to be selling those tickets. We understand some people want to make a buck, but for those people thinking of buying tickets, it's buyer beware," warned Howard Gantman, staff director of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

CNN's Carol Costello, Brianna Keilar and Erica Hill contributed to this report.

Response: President Bush raised a record $42.8 million dollars for his second inauguration. Barack Obama has limited individual donations to $50,000. Some say an extravagant celebration would be out of place, considering economy. Inauguration organizers say ticket scalping violates the spirit of the event.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties as Real Madrid beat ten-man Athletic Bilbao 4-1 to maintain their five-point lead over arch rivals Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.

The Portuguese striker fired home his 22nd and 23rd goals of the league season from 12 yards to help Real gets back to winning ways after their midweek defeat to Barca in the Spanish Cup.

Real fell behind against Bilbao when Fernando Llorente volleyed home Javi Martinez's cross but Brazilian defender Marcelo equalized 12 minutes later.

Llorente missed a great chance to restore his side's lead but he sliced wide with only Iker Casillas to beat. It would prove to be a costly error.

Ronaldo scored his first penalty after Kaka had been pulled to the floor in the penalty area by Ander Iturraspe and got his second 20 minutes later after Mesut Ozil was fouled by Oscar De Marcos, who was shown a red card.

Jose Callejon scored Real's fourth as he raced onto Gonzalo HiguaÃn's pass and fired into the net.

Earlier on Sunday, Lionel Messi's fifth hat-trick of the season sent Spanish and European champions Barcelona on their way to a 4-1 win at Malaga.

The Argentina striker got his first just after the half hour, heading home Adriano's cross before an Alexis Sanchez tap in made it 2-0.

Messi's next two goals were carbon copies as he burst through Malaga's defense before slotting home. Rondon grabbed a late consolation for Malaga.

A win for both Real and Barca was perfect preparation for the second leg of their Spanish Cup clash on Wednesday, with Barca leading 2-1 on aggregate.

Elsewhere in Spain, Valencia were held to a 1-1 draw by Osasuna while Mallorca won at Rayo Vallecano. Levante and Real Zaragoza drew 0-0.

In Italy, AC Milan kept the pressure on Serie A leaders Juventus with a 3-0 win at bottom club Novara. Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted twice while Brazilian striker Robinho scored the other.

Milan's city rivals Inter moved into fourth spot in the table after coming from behind to beat Lazio 2-1 at the San Siro. Tommaso Rocchi scored first for the visitors but goals from Diego Milto and Giampaolo Pazzini rescued Inter.

Udinese beat Catania 2-1, Palermo toppled Genoa 5-3 while the games between Bologna and Parma, Lecce and Chievo, Siena and Napoli, and Cagliari and Fiorentina all ended in draws.

In Germany, champions Borussia Dortmund thrashed Hamburg 5-1 to go level on points at the top of the table with Bayern Munich and Schalke.

Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski both scored twice for Dortmund. In Sunday's other game Lars Bender scored the winner as Bayer Leverkusen beat Mainz 3-2.

Response: Cristiano Ronaldo scores two penalties as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1. Real retain their five-point lead over rivals Barcelona who beat Malaga by the same score. Argentina striker Lionel Messi scores his fifth hat-trick of the season for Barcelona. In Italy AC Milan beat Novara to close within one point of league leaders Juventus.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Tired of staying in anonymous corporate hotels? Maybe you should try one of the gorgeous lodgings named by Wallpaper* as its best business hotels of 2012.

A panel of well-traveled creatives picked the hotels from a shortlist. Highlights include New York's NoMad, which houses a two-floor library that turns into a cocktail bar, and the Fasano Boa Vista, in Brazil -- a resort that has natural forest and lakes in its vast grounds.

More from Wallpaper*: The new breed of designer hostels

But this year's best business hotel is the Georges, a tiny boutique establishment in Istanbul's Galata district, which offers its pampered guests a private butler. Who says you shouldn't mix business with pleasure?

For more on travel, visit wallpaper.com.

© 2012 wallpaper.com. All rights reserved.

Response: Wallpaper* has picked its best business hotels of 2012. The winner is the Georges, a tiny boutique hotel in Istanbul. Other highlights include New York's Nomad and Fasano Boa Vista, in Brazil.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Chiquita Chavis is an Army Reservist who served in Afghanistan and is waiting to see if she'll be deployed for a second time.

But since returning from her first tour in 2010, she has fallen on hard times.

She came back to find that the civilian job she left had been restructured, and with only part-time work, she struggled to make ends meet for herself and her young daughter. They ended up living in a friend's garage.

"I never had to live in the street," said Chavis, 30. "But I (was) not in a situation where I could support myself on my own."

Chavis is not alone. While the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that overall veteran homeless rates are going down, female rates are going up. In fact, female veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. homeless population and are more at risk than their male counterparts, according to the report.

Read the report on veterans' homeless rates (PDF)

The VA says veterans become homeless for many reasons, including mental health issues and substance abuse. But it notes that female veterans can face additional challenges, such as sexual abuse. Female veterans are also more likely to be single parents, the VA says, which can make it more difficult to find adequate housing.

Chavis' luck changed at a job fair when she met Jaspen Boothe, a captain with the Army National Guard. Within days, Boothe had helped Chavis and her daughter move to a transitional home where they could stay until they got back on their feet.

Boothe, 35, considers it her mission to help her female comrades who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Since 2011, she has provided transitional housing or financial assistance to more than 50 female veterans and their children through her nonprofit, Final Salute.

"Not every veteran is living under a bridge," Boothe said. "Not all veterans have mental issues. Not all veterans have experienced substance abuse. Some veterans have just fallen on hard times."

When they do fall, it can be hard for female veterans with children to find housing, according to the Government Accountability Office. It reported that 60% of the homeless shelters that serve female veterans don't accept children or have restrictions based on age or the number of children that can be housed.

Read the GAO report on veterans and housing (PDF)

In the past two years, Boothe has opened two transitional homes in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, where veterans and their children can live for up to two years while they get their lives back on track.

Her nonprofit also offers them assistance with child care, employment placement and accessing benefits or counseling through the VA.

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes

"We offer wrap-around services ... anything they could possibly need to help get themselves back in a state of independence," Boothe said. "We give all the tools that you need, but your success in this program is up to you."

Additionally, Boothe works to prevent homelessness by providing interest-free loans or grants to help female veterans pay for rent, deposit and utilities.

To date, she's helped 100 women and children through her programs, and she has given plenty of personal support and encouragement along the way.

"I definitely am someone who relates to them on their level," she said. "(I) let them know: "Hey, you can get past your circumstances. They're only temporary."

She should know; she was once homeless herself.

As a single mother, Boothe joined the Army Reserves to make a better life for herself and her young son. She was based in New Orleans and set to deploy to Iraq in 2005 when her life was turned upside down.

Hurricane Katrina hit. Boothe and her son were fine -- she'd already sent him to live with a relative in Missouri while she prepared to deploy -- but the family lost everything, and Boothe became homeless.

A month later, she was diagnosed with head, neck and throat cancer. She underwent surgery and radiation treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, but she was eventually discharged from the Reserves because of her illness.

When Boothe asked the VA what assistance was available for her, she was told they didn't have any programs that could help with the challenges she was facing as a female veteran with a dependent child.

They referred her to local social services, which Boothe called probably the most demeaning experience of her life.

"You're treated basically as a baby's mama or a crack head, or some woman who's made a bunch of bad decisions with her life, and the only resources available were welfare," Boothe said. "I'm not a welfare mom, I'm a soldier."

Boothe joined her young son in Missouri, where she was able to eventually get her life back together. Today, her cancer is in remission, and she lives with her son, her new husband and their son in Virginia, where she is on active duty with the Army National Guard.

For years, Boothe considered her experience an isolated incident. But when she realized that other female veterans were struggling, too, she decided to take action. For her, it's part of the oath she swore to uphold when she entered the service.

"As a soldier, you raise your right hand, and with that comes certain responsibilities," she said. "One of those is to never leave a fallen comrade. ... So whether they're in or out of uniform, they have me if they need me."

Boothe's help has given Chavis the break she needed.

"I have a job now, and I got promoted in like two weeks," Chavis said. "I'm really at peace here, and I can focus on what my next steps are. ... Jas set me up for success."

Boothe is determined to help as many female veterans as she can. At the end of the month, she'll be getting another opportunity when she starts her dream job: working in women veterans outreach at the VA.

One way or another, her ultimate goal is to make organizations like hers obsolete.

"I don't have a blueprint, but I'm going to figure it out," she said. "It's my duty as a soldier to help my fellow sisters."

Want to get involved? Check out the Final Salute website at www.finalsaluteinc.org and see how to help.

Response: Jaspen Boothe is committed to helping out homeless female veterans. Government reports say female veterans have to deal with issues that men do not. Boothe, a captain with the Army National Guard, was once homeless herself. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it has started the process of firing 25 of its agents and suspending 19 others for not following screening procedures.

The 44 employees all worked in a checked-baggage screening room in Terminal B of Newark's Liberty International Airport, TSA spokesman David Castelveter told CNN in a written statement.

In November and December of 2011, they were caught on surveillance cameras not following proper screening protocols, an agency internal investigation revealed.

After passengers check their bags, TSA screeners are supposed to search the luggage with electronic scanners and open some bags by hand.

In this case, the employees allegedly didn't follow procedures on about 250 bags during the two months, the agency said. All bags did receive some screening, however.

The punishment marks the largest removal and suspension of TSA officers in the agency's history, and part of a larger internal crackdown on improper behavior by TSA agents.

"Accountability is an important aspect of our work and we take appropriate action with any employee who does not follow our procedures or engages in misconduct," Castelveter said.

In June, the same investigation prompted the agency to fire eight checked-baggage screeners at Newark for violating TSA procedures, including some of them for sleeping on the job.

That same month, 43 TSA workers in Fort Myers, Florida, were disciplined for not performing additional screening on random passengers and carry-on bags.

At Boston's Logan Airport, 20 checked-baggage screeners were punished in August for reading newspapers or talking on the phone when they were supposed to be screening bags, or for not reporting the misconduct, a spokesperson told CNN at the time.

And last year, 36 checked-bag screeners in Hawaii were fired after they were caught on a security camera in 2010 ignoring procedures, including putting bag inspection notices in bags without actually inspecting them, an inspector general's report said.

TSA screeners put inspection notices in bags they didn't inspect

TSA reprimands bag screeners over job performance at Boston airport

Speedier trip through airport security could come within a decade

TSA behavior detection officers will be retrained after profiling complaints

Response: The TSA says 44 employees at Newark's airport did not follow screening procedures. It plans to fire 25 of them and suspend the other 19. Procedures were not followed on about 250 bags over two months, the TSA says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Bogota, Tennessee (CNN) -- Those who say no man is an island never met Danny Hayes. The 61-year-old retired construction supervisor lives in Bogota, Tennessee, a farming community so small that when asked how to find the town, locals respond, "Don't blink."

Hayes' trailer in Bogota is about seven miles from the Mississippi River. Historic flooding across the region brought "the Old Muddy" much closer to him.

The two-room trailer is more than 5 feet off the ground, but the river's invasion reaches Hayes' door and, at its height, threatened to evict him.

"There's the possibility the trailer could shift, could turn. Could flip over," Hayes said, standing on the trailer's small porch. "Then again, I am not worried about that because I will get out."

The Mississippi's flooding has already forced hundreds to flee small towns like Bogota to cities like Memphis.

And meteorologists say the heavy rainfall across the South could mean weeks more of high water. Whatever comes, Hayes said he will not be moved.

"I'd say for the average person who grew up in towns, you'd be in a dangerous situation," he said. "I'd say a person who learned to live off the land and to survive, it's not a big thing."

The one acre of land Hayes retired to is no longer recognizable to him. Groves of pecan trees now stand half-covered in water.

Homes abandoned by neighbors sit in several feet of dank and stinking water. To get to dry ground, Hayes paddles a small boat about 50 yards to Highway 78.

Once on shore, he then walks the half-mile to town each day for a pack of cigarettes and a little conversation. The homes around Hayes' trailer sit empty, but as he waits out the flood, he is hardly alone.

Since the waters began to rise, Hayes said, all manner of animals have swum by the trailer, looking for higher ground. The snakes, he shoots.

"It's illegal to kill snakes in Tennessee," he said with a serious look before breaking into a wide smile. "Unless it's for your own protection."

The nine-shot revolver with a long barrel that Hayes keeps close also works to ward off other predators.

Empty homes in the rural area could make for an inviting target for looters, he said. But his and his neighbors' homes are safe, Hayes said, while he patrols his small "island."

To make his point, Hayes suddenly shoots the pistol three times in sudden succession into the invading waters.

"I am a crazy old man," he said with a laugh, "And I will shoot the hell out of you, and I am serious about that."

As he waits for the waters to retreat, Hayes' family checks in with him regularly by cell phone. His two sons and their families fret about his decision to ride out the flood.

But Hayes said he never considered leaving. He's too stubborn.

So stubborn he married and divorced the same woman three times before they finally called it quits.

Too stubborn "to run for the hills over some water."

"Rescue all them poor people and don't worry about this 61-year-old man," he said. "Don't waste no 911 on me."

But with the water slowly receding, it appears that Hayes will be spared from the flood's wet grasp. Still, it could be another week, he predicted, before Bogota begins to dry out.

Asked what he will do while the floodwaters retreat, Hayes replied with a ready joke.

"I got to sell this here land," he said, "while it's still waterfront property!"

CNN's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.

Response: Danny Hayes, 61, lives in Bogota, Tennessee. The flooded Mississippi River has reached the door of his two-room trailer. Armed with his revolver, he is refusing to evacuate. "I got to sell this here land while it's still waterfront property," he jokes.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Sunday she won't vote for any more money to support the four-year-old war in Iraq without a plan to start bringing U.S. troops home.

Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton greets people before speaking in Washington on September 17.

"I've reached the conclusion that the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home," the New York senator and former first lady told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

"I don't believe we should continue to vote for funding that has an open-ended commitment, that has no pressure on the Iraqi government to make the tough political decisions they have to make, or which really gives any urgency to the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts."

Clinton's declaration comes as the Senate debates the Defense Department's 2008 spending authorization bill. It follows her vote against a $120 billion war-spending bill in May, when Congress dropped a call for the withdrawal of American combat troops by March 2008 after President Bush vetoed a bill containing that provision.

"The president has no intention of changing his policy in Iraq," she said. "He's now talking about leaving it to his successor."

Meanwhile, the Senate's Republican minority routinely filibusters Democratic proposals to wind down the war, which is costing the Treasury about $10 billion a month and has claimed the lives of nearly 3,800 American troops.

May's spending bill made continued U.S. support contingent on a set of benchmarks for Iraq's government.

But the Iraqis met only 11 of the 18 benchmarks, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

"Even those who are implementing this policy of the president's cannot tell us it will make America more safe, nor that it will lead to the kind of political decision-making that we have to expect from the Iraqis themselves," Clinton said.

Nearly two-thirds of the American public now opposes the war, according to a CNN-Opinion Research poll conducted in early September.

Clinton said, if elected president, she would end the conflict "as quickly and responsibly as I can," but said some U.S. forces would likely remain as trainers, to protect Americans and to battle Islamic militants loyal to al Qaeda.

The two-term senator, who leads her Democratic presidential rivals by a double-digit margin in national polls, made the rounds of all five Washington talk shows Sunday.

Last week, Clinton supported two amendments that would have forced the Pentagon to begin a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

But she said Sunday that even if Democrats muster enough Republican support to break a filibuster -- something they have been unable to do -- Democrats would still be unlikely to get the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto.

"The answer for this is, let's elect more Democrats in 2008," she said. "That will help solve the problem." E-mail to a friend

Response: Clinton on CNN: Best way to support troops is to begin bringing them home. Polls suggest Clinton is the leading presidential candidate among Democrats. She says administration policy doesn't put enough pressure on Iraqi leaders. If elected, Clinton says, she would end the war as "responsibly" as she can.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- For Connor Hays, nothing said summer more than spending a day at Joyland Amusement Park.

Back in its prime, the Wichita, Kansas, theme park drew families with novelty rides, carnival food and live entertainment. Hays, now 25, says he visited Joyland at least twice each summer when he was a kid in the 1990s.

After moving back to his hometown earlier this year, Hays wanted to revisit his childhood amusement park. But he couldn't. Joyland was no more.

The theme park, which had been operating for 55 years, closed in 2004. What Hays found instead was a heap of scraps from a forgotten place. With a camera in hand, the web designer walked carefully through the tall fields of grass that now surround much of the abandoned remnants of the theme park.

Within the confines of Joyland, Hays was hit with a rush of memories from his youth. "My older brother and I would beg my parents to take us," Hays said. "When we got there, we would ride the same three rides over and over again."

Those deep feelings of nostalgia associated with places like local, homegrown theme parks are quite common, according to Jim Futrell, a historian with the National Amusement Park Historical Association. "In this Internet era, people are looking for something different to do, and a lot of amusement parks are able to capitalize on that," he said.

Attendance at U.S. theme parks increased by 59 million visitors from 2000 to 2013, said David Mandt, a spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

The jump in attendance is positive news for an industry that historically goes through cycles of park closures. From 2004 to 2008, amusement parks hit a slump with dozens of theme parks shutting their doors nationwide.

This includes several smaller theme parks that closed in the mid-2000s, including some that had survived a century, Futrell said. Ohio's Geauga Lake and Pennsylvania's Bushkill Park, were examples of this trend, Futrell wrote in a 2006 article for Funworld Magazine.

Those smaller theme park closures have left a void for some intrepid travelers who are looking for a more nostalgic amusement park experience.

Our fascination with abandoned buildings

Jessica Georgia is one of those travelers who is always searching for a vintage or "Old Americana" place to explore. It's what brought her and her family to the gates of Land of Oz, a relic theme park, sitting all alone on top of Beech Mountain in North Carolina. Georgia stumbled onto the theme park while doing an online search for interesting places to visit with her family. There wasn't much information she could find on Land of Oz, except that it once operated in the 1970s before closing its doors.

What she did find online were photos of a real-life version of "The Wizard of Oz." Its yellow bricks, steel gate and lush green trees sparked her curiosity.

She and her family visited the park in late May and found that the gates to the theme park were open, so they stepped inside. Georgia, her husband and daughter walked carefully down the yellow brick road. The path was still brightly colored after all these years, with a few bricks missing here and there.

"I don't think you are supposed to walk in the way we did," she said. "The gates are there, there were the yellow bricks, and the shell of what used to be a castle. The Tin Man was also there, and the trees looked like they were looking at you."

Land of Oz may seem like an abandoned theme park, but it's actually not. The amusement park is closed, and the space has been converted into vacation rental property. Visitors can rent out Dorothy's house, which looks like an antique cottage, for two nights or more. Other parts of the park can also be rented for small events.

The theme park hasn't been operational since the 1980s, when it first shut down. But the space went through a revival in the 1990s, according to Cynthia Keller, the property manager of Land of Oz and self-appointed "Keeper of Oz."

Libraries are dying? Think again

"You get the grounds to yourself, and you can stroll the yellow brick road," Keller said. "We have been doing vacation rentals for the last 20 years."

Spending the night in Dorothy's home and waking up on top of a picturesque mountain is an experience that keeps the park's rental calendar pretty much booked up, Keller said. Even those who aren't hardcore fans of the classic Technicolor movie enjoy spending time at the converted theme park.

"We aren't crazy about 'The Wizard of Oz,' but I definitely had some nostalgia walking through," Georgia said. "I had a lot of childhood memories of watching that movie with my sister when we were little, and being able to pass that experience down to my daughter. It makes you want to be a kid again."

Hays says going to Joyland with his parents always felt like a treat, giving him a "special feeling that is hard to recreate or describe once you have grown up."

Although Hays doesn't have children yet, he hopes to share that same feeling with his own kids in the future. He plans on taking them to a theme park similar to Joyland.

"There is something about local amusement parks," he said. "When you go to Six Flags, I don't think you have the same emotional connection to that park like a smaller theme park gives you."

Response: During the mid-2000s, several smaller U.S. theme parks closed their doors for good. Nostalgic travelers are looking for a more intimate theme park experience. Vintage theme parks like Land of Oz learned to adapt by offering nostalgia for visitors.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN)  -- The operator of a trolley that rear-ended another trolley should have been able to see the other vehicle was stopped 480 feet ahead, a federal investigator said Monday.

Passengers walk past firefighters at a Green Line station in Boston after the trolley collision Friday evening.

The trolley driver has told investigators he was text messaging during Friday night's collision, which injured 20 people.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which previously had banned operators from using cell phones and other portable devices, now has told employees to leave the devices at home while on duty, National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman said Monday.

Hersman also noted investigators have determined that the operator may have missed some crucial indications of a stopped trolley ahead on the tracks.  Watch new transit rule on cell phones »

"There were several signals -- two green signals, a yellow signal and a red signal -- coming out of the station, and the point of collision occurred 80 feet past that red signal," Hersman said. "We did a site-distance test, and we know that the operator had the ability to see the trolley stopped in front of him 480 feet in advance of the collision."

Boston officials said over the weekend that the trolley operator was using his cell phone. Numerous media outlets, including CNN's Boston affiliates, have identified the driver as 24-year-old Aiden Quinn.

"The operator of the striking train was interviewed at the hospital by two detectives," said MBTA general manager Daniel Grabauskas. "He admitted that he was texting at the time of the accident."

The operator told detectives that, when he looked up, "it was too late as he applied the brake and the train struck the other trolley," Grabauskas said.

He described himself as "outraged."

"We have reinforced for a number of years that the use of cell phones or any other kinds of electronic devices while operating a train or a bus is absolutely prohibited," Grabauskas said.

Though the investigation is ongoing, he said, the two-year employee will be fired if his version of events is confirmed.

None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, the MBTA said.

The collision happened at 7:18 p.m. ET Friday as the Green Line trains were traveling between the Park Street and Government Center stations in downtown Boston.

Both trains were traveling westbound when one train rear-ended the second, an MBTA official said.

A train operator also was text messaging last year in a California train crash that killed 25 people.

CNN's Rob Frehse and Gary Bender contributed to this report.

Response: Federal investigator says Boston trolley crashed 80 feet past a red light. Trolley driver told investigators he was texting during wreck that injured 20 people. Drivers already banned from using phones; authority now says keep them at home.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Even though the Ryder Cup prize ceremony took place at Medinah long after the sun had set, the staggering nature of Europe's triumph eclipsed the gloom -- and left many golf fans wondering how the visiting side had recorded the most remarkable comeback in the competition's 85-year history.

Trailing 10-4 at one point on Saturday, and 10-6 as Sunday's singles got underway, the team led by Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal defied the odds to win a record eight-and-a-half points on the final day and thus the trophy itself.

As darkness enveloped Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Europe's captain Olazabal talked of how the spirit of Seve Ballesteros had been key to his team's success.

Inspirational and flamboyant, Ballesteros won five major championships, revolutionized the European Tour and revelled in the passion of a Ryder Cup battle with the United States. He died in 2011 after a long battle with cancer.

"Our team played in the spirit of Seve without ever giving up," Olazabal said.

For leadership and teamwork specialist Khoi Tu -- a man who has advised Formula 1 champions and some of the world's leading companies -- the spirit of Ballesteros hung heavy over the European team.

"The thing that Europe had -- distinct to the United States -- was the notion of playing for Seve, and teams are often at their best when playing for an idea," says Tu, whose book 'Superteams' will be published next month.

"I'm not sure the U.S. did a lot wrong. But since the contest was so close, the key differentiator could be the 'Seve' idea. After all, could the power and pulling together of the U.S. team match his story?

"Like most sports, golf is a combination of will and skill and at this level, the will is often more important than the skill.

"The differentiator here was Seve had played a role in all the European players' lives and would have meant something for many of them."

As Spaniards and fellow professionals, Olazabal and Ballesteros shared a strong bond before the latter's death last year.

On the course, the Spanish pair formed Europe's most dyanmaic Ryder Cup partnership (with 12 points gained from their 15 matches) and Olazabal ensured his late compatriot was never far from any of his team's minds this week by strategically placing his image on the players' clothing and bags.

With Justin Rose looking up to the heavens in triumph, Sergio Garcia suggesting that Seve 'was with me all day' after his win and Europe's star man Ian Poulter saying he owed his presence on the team to Ballesteros, Olazabal's unorthodox approach to captaincy produced compelling results.

The 46-year-old may have lacked the organizational ability of previous European captain Colin Montgomerie, whose side triumphed in another nail biting clash in Wales two years ago, but he compensated in other areas, says Tu.

"Compared to Montgomerie, Olazabal was all about emotion -- connecting with individuals on a very visceral level," he said.

"Montgomerie was about thorough preparation and leaving no detail unturned in an attempt to ensure the players were given the best platform to produce victory.

"This year, people felt emotionally connected to Olazabal and his ability to translate that Seve factor was very powerful.

"His organization wasn't perhaps the best though, given what happened with Rory McIlroy," referring to the world No.1 nearly missing his tee-off slot on Sunday after confusing his time zones.

The Northern Irishman eventually made it onto the course just 10 minutes before he was scheduled to start thanks to a siren-wailing police escort from the team hotel to Medinah.

Despite that glitch, Tu believes Olazabal built a team where belief became an intrinsic value and where his man management skills produced inspired results.

"Olazabal did do some interesting structural things -- such as choosing Poulter as a wild card," says Tu. "Poulter has a brilliant Ryder Cup record and his infectious attitude will only ever amplify the belief in others."

Tu highlighted the way in which Martin Kaymer put a disappointing season behind him to emerge as the effective match-winner, as the German coolly sank a pressurized putt on the 18th to beat Steve Stricker and ensure that Europe retained the Ryder Cup.

"Teams play for a leader," says Tu. "The worst leader of Europe in recent times was 2008 captain Nick Faldo, who told Lee Westwood in the middle of a round that he would not be playing the next day.

"Compare that to Olazabal's management of Kaymer, who was not in great form coming into the tournament and who didn't play on the Saturday either.

"Somehow, Olazabal managed to turn a potential weakness into a positive, by stressing to Kaymer that his absence on Saturday was a sacrifice for the team's greater good.

"This would have liberated Kaymer -- and just look at the way both he and Stricker handled the pressure in their clash late on.

"A lot of small things combined to tip Europe into the belief they could win and as the scores came through, their momentum became unstoppable.

"This momentum helped Kaymer -- and so did the Seve influence, as he was playing with something beyond himself. Stricker saw the increasing blue on the scoreboard and began to feel the pressure.

"It's a fine line between that pressure either being turned into a positive or negative, but Stricker knew everyone was relying on him -- which became pretty tough pressure -- and the game just ran away from him."

Stricker's misery was compounded by the fact he was the only player among the two dozen involved who failed to win a point all week -- a statistic that history will not look kindly upon as Americans try to understand how they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Wall Street Journal is already debating this, with the newspaper pointing an accusatory finger at the decision by U.S. captain Davis Love III to select Stricker as one of his four wild cards.

"The better questions to ask might be how teams from Europe consistently pull rabbits out of their hats at these Ryder Cups. Europe has now won two in a row, five of the past six and seven of the past nine," the paper wrote on Monday.

"If it were just this U.S. team that lost when on paper it seemed to have the better players, the blame might be easier to assign. But that's not the case."

For Tu, the answer is simple.

"The Europeans were playing for each other, for their leaders and for a purpose -- Seve."

Response: Europe staged a stunning fightback to snatch the Ryder Cup from U.S. grasp. The U.S. had seemingly built up an unassailable lead before huge turnaround. Leadership specialist tells CNN memory of Seve Ballesteros drove Europeans on. European captain Jose Maria Olazabal was close friend of late Spaniard.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Girl wonder beats boy wizard.

The Hunger Games trilogy has surpassed the Harry Potter books to become the best-selling series on Amazon.com, the company announced Friday.

"Since debuting in 2008, Katniss Everdeen and the Hunger Games have taken the world by storm, much as Harry Potter did a decade before," said Sara Nelson, the editorial director of books and Kindle at Amazon, which is the largest bookseller in the United States.

"Interestingly, this series is only three books versus Harry Potter's seven, and to achieve this result in just four years is a great testament to both the popularity of the work and, we think, the growth in reading digitally during that time," she said.

Katniss is the Hunger Games heroine, whose prowess with arrows and boys has made her the envy of millions of fans. She is the star of the books in Suzanne Collins' trilogy, "The Hunger Games," "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay."

Author J.K. Rowling penned the Harry Potter series about a boy wizard by the same name and his friends at Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. She is currently working on her first novel for adults.

Both series got a big boost from films based off the books.

CNN's Stacy Cowley contributed to this report.

Response: The Hunger Games has "taken the world by storm," says Amazon. The trilogy bests the Harry Potter books. Both series got a big boost from films.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Films have altered the course of human history before. The rise of Nazism would not have been as rapid and absolute had it not been for the Reich's potent command of propaganda, including Leni Riefenstahl's monumental glorification of the fascist regime, "Triumph of the Will." And D.W. Griffith's celebration of white supremacy, "The Birth of a Nation," helped to resurrect the Ku Klux Klan.

Both these films are repellent, yet are judged to be masterpieces of world cinema, and their directors among the greatest of all time. So it's hard to imagine that a movie as slight and crude as "The Interview" could serve as a similar kind of historical watershed. And yet, future generations may well look to it as marking the emergence of a new chapter in geopolitics, dominated by a fresh set of actors and wildly different forms of conflict.

If the attacks of September 11 taught us to fear insurgent groups using improvised weapons against civilians -- al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS -- what we've learned from the "Interview" fiasco is that even nation states and "traditional" terror organizations can now find themselves to be nothing more than blindsided bystanders in strange battles between entities with hidden (or purposely misleading) agendas. Corporations. Mysterious ad hoc hacker networks. Even motivated individuals. And these struggles will play out in the dark, with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences.

Was the hacker attack that crippled media titan Sony insider sabotage, an attempt at extortion, a terrorist strike or, as more hawkish types have suggested, the overture to formal war? Were its perpetrators disgruntled employees, Internet pranksters, black hat mercenaries or the shadowy digital armies of rival nations? Perhaps the most frightening thing is that, months after the assaults, we still don't know exactly when they began, what their true objective was and, of course, who was actually behind them.

Sony was quick to assign blame to North Korea, based on the conclusions of federal investigators. President Barack Obama issued a condemnation of the hermit kingdom's "cybervandalism" and promised to "respond proportionately." And, in a gesture of profound corporate cowardice, Sony yanked "The Interview" after a number of movie theater chains said they would not screen the movie.

Since then, other researchers have raised serious questions about North Korea's real role in the hacks, pointing to the fact that while North Korea might have had a clear motive -- suppressing the release of a work that might embarrass its supreme leader -- early messages to Sony reportedly did not focus on "The Interview," and instead sought vague "monetary compensation."

Meanwhile, publicly released evidence of North Korean involvement seems flimsy, the country itself has hotly denied it is behind the hacks, and more recent theories have pointed instead to a possible inside job, or to hackers from other countries with greater resources and more ambiguous aims. The results of independent linguistic analyses performed on the messages sent by hackers make their North Korean origin questionable, and even suggest they were translated from Russian. (It's also worth noting that Russia's Foreign Ministry this week held a press conference slamming "The Interview" as "aggressively scandalous," while also denouncing the U.S. accusations against North Korea as being without "direct evidence."

As these theories and allegations have circulated, the playing field has continued to shift. A group claiming to be members of the enigmatic hacker coalition Anonymous vowed vague reprisal against North Korea. A few days later, North Korea's Internet access was shut down by a denial of service attack.

As all this occurred, Sony changed its mind about releasing "The Interview," allowing 300 theaters to screen the film despite warnings of physical attacks on moviegoers, while putting it on Google's Play store and YouTube. But the fact that it instantly leapt to the top of the popularity charts on both platforms has led some conspiracy minded people to wonder whether the entire episode wasn't a PR stunt (albeit one that got out of hand -- the revelations from the email leaks were far too damaging to have been released intentionally).

And this is where things get oddly meta.

I mentioned that "The Interview" comes off as a trivial work of frat-boy comedy, full of the toilet humor, misogyny, gay-panic japery and racial stereotypes that have marked other Franco/Rogen collaborations. (However, unlike others who've criticized it, I don't think it is any worse than, say, "Pineapple Express.")

But the movie's last scene (spoiler alert!), consciously or not, turns it into something with a darker kind of self-awareness. Franco's character, celebrity talk show host Dave Skylark, is shown reading the last page of his best-selling book about their madcap assassination adventure in North Korea to a huge and rapt crowd.

He begins as follows: "It was the beginning of a revolution. A revolution Aaron [Rappaport, Skylark's producer, played by Rogen] and I started."

They continue by noting that this "revolution" was not one waged with ordinary weapons, but with the power of the media -- and with what can only be defined as trollery. "This was a revolution," he continues, "ignited with nothing more than a camera and some questions. Questions that led a man once revered as a god among mortals to cry and sh*t his pants. The end."

It's a concise summary of the new era in which we live, where the ability to manipulate media and technology has increasingly become a critical strategic resource, where combat is conducted not just on battlefields but on servers and screens and social networks, and where it's increasingly impossible to tell the difference between pranks, crimes and acts of war.

Welcome to the Troll Age. Buckle your seat belts -- and change your passwords.

Response: Jeff Yang: Films have often helped shape course of history. Uncertainty still surrounds Sony hack, Yang says. But it may mark the emergence of a new chapter in geopolitics, he says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has called plans to build a community center and mosque near the site of the 9/11 terror attack in New York City an "unnecessary provocation."

"Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts," Palin wrote in a Twitter post Sunday. "Pls reject it in interest of healing."

The former Republican vice presidential nominee also posted a plea asking "peaceful New Yorkers" to "pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real."

Plans to build a $100 million, 13-story center have sparked an emotional debate.

The developer, Sharif El-Gamal, describes the project as an "Islamic community center" that will include a 500-seat performing arts center, a lecture hall, an exhibition space, a swimming pool, a gym, a culinary school, a restaurant and a prayer space for Muslims.

He said the project "is not a mosque." Plans for the project have called for a prayer space where an imam would lead services. A "mosque" is generally considered a space where Muslims worship.

New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission is scheduled to vote in August on whether an 1850s structure on the site of the proposed center should be granted landmark status. Even if the commission approves landmark status, though, that may not necessarily halt construction of the center.

Voices opposing the center dominated a hearing on the subject last week.

"It would be a terrible mistake to destroy a 154-year-old building in order to build a monument to terrorism," one woman said.

The heckling and intense nature of the hearing got to be too much for some participants.

"I'm ashamed to be an American today," said Rakif Gathwari, a Muslim-American who reminded the crowd that people from many countries and religions died in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

"I want to prove to this hall that I am a citizen," Gathwari said, holding up his passport.

Some Muslim community leaders say the project could provide an opportunity for improving interfaith relations.

CNN's Deb Feyerick, Julian Cummings, Ed Payne and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report

Response: Palin appeals to "peace-seeking Muslims" to stop center near Ground Zero. She says the project "stabs hearts" at a time when pain is "too raw" and "too real". Backers of the project say it would help improve interfaith relations. The project includes the construction of a $100 million, 13-story community center.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:San Diego (CNN) -- The latest person to accuse San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment is a great-grandmother.

Peggy Shannon, 67, who works at the Senior Citizens Service Desk in San Diego City Hall, allegedly faced "continuous inappropriate sexual advances by the mayor while trying to do her job," according to the office of her attorney, Gloria Allred.

Shannon said the mayor kissed her and once asked "me if I thought he could go eight hours in one night."

"Every day that I went to work, I had butterflies in my stomach because I did not know what was going to happen the next time the mayor came by my desk," Shannon told reporters Thursday.

"I have three sons, four grandsons and two great grandsons. As our mayor, you should be -- but are not -- a role model for any of them," she said.

Later, Shannon spoke to CNN's "Piers Morgan Live," and called for the mayor's resignation.

"I can forgive anybody but he needs to step down," she said. "People are surprised that as a great-grandmother that this happened to me -- so it could happen to anybody else."

Shannon is the 16th woman to come forward with such allegations, according to CNN affiliate KFMB.

Filner's office has not responded to multiple CNN requests for comment on the allegations.

As the list grows, city officials said Thursday that Filner might be booted from office later this month over a different, but related issue: money.

Hooters blackballs San Diego mayor

'Inappropriate movement on my body'

A local attorney became the 15th accuser against Filner, speaking to KFMB this week.

Kathryn Vaughn told the station that after her husband walked away at a public event 10 years ago, Filner "made an inappropriate movement on my body."

Filner, 70, was elected mayor of the eighth-largest American city in 2012, after 10 terms in Congress. His accusers range from a singer at a campaign fundraiser to his former communications director, who called him unfit for office.

He has rebuffed calls to resign from all nine City Council members and from fellow Democrats, including California's two U.S. senators. He now faces a recall effort that is trying to gather more than 100,000 signatures needed to put his future up to a new vote, though some political observers doubt organizers can succeed.

In July, Filner acknowledged that he "failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me" and that he was "embarrassed" by his actions. But he also said he would be vindicated by "a full presentation of the facts" and he would not resign.

Out of rehab, but locked out of office

Mayor could be booted over money

Now, investigators are also looking into possible financial impropriety -- including questionable charges at the Westgate Hotel, where Filner allegedly took women.

The San Diego's City Attorney's Office told CNN Thursday that it had found the charges were inappropriate. Filner's attorney and the mayor's office did not respond to CNN's requests for comment Thursday.

The city attorney's office said a rarely used section of the city charter, Section 108, dating back to 1931, would allow for Filner to be removed from office -- without a recall -- over unauthorized payments from the city treasury.

The city council plans to vote August 28 on whether to invoke that section. If it does, it would then ask a court to boot Filner from office.

Did Mayor Filner target victims of military sexual assault?

Kevin Faulconer, a Republican who sits on the council's audit committee, raised questions about other charges as well.

He alleged that Filner charged hundreds of dollars in personal expenses and threatened the city's credit by failing to pay the bill. The mayor's city credit card was stopped in July, Faulconer's office said.

"Mayor Filner's continued abuse of power knows no bounds," the councilman said in a statement. "Based on this new evidence, I am broadening the scope of my Audit Committee hearing to investigate how Mayor Filner was able to circumvent credit card rules and how to prevent negative effects on the City's credit rating as a result of one person's misuse of taxpayer dollars."

CNN's Kyung Lah and Linda Hall reported from San Diego; CNN's Josh Levs reported from Atlanta. CNN's Chuck Johnston and Matt Smith contributed to this report.

Response: NEW: "I can forgive anybody but he needs to step down," Peggy Shannon says. She works at the Senior Citizens Service Desk at City Hall. 15 other women have previously come forward. Filner has acknowledged failure "to fully respect" some women, but says he'll be vindicated.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- Time magazine on Wednesday named Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as its 2009 Person of the Year, calling him "the most powerful nerd on the planet."

Bernanke will be featured on the cover of the magazine that hits stores Friday.

He beat out Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, President Obama, Apple CEO Steve Jobs and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among other finalists.

Time said Bernanke was the reason the U.S. financial crisis wasn't worse.

"The story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much, much weaker. Thank the man who runs the Federal Reserve, our mild-mannered economic overlord," the article said.

"He didn't just reshape U.S. monetary policy; he led an effort to save the world economy."

Time: Person of the Year 2009

Bernanke is considered a scholar of the Great Depression. A series of his writings were compiled into the book "Essays of the Great Depression."

Michael Grunwald, who authored Time's article, on Wednesday told NBC's "Today" that "basically [Bernanke] saw what looked like another depression coming, and he decided he would do whatever it takes to forestall that. And basically, I think he did. It could have been a lot worse."

Grunwald said, "There are things that he could have done better. One of his responsibilities is for full employment in society, and he hasn't really stepped up on that, but basically in terms of influencing how the economy went this year, Bernanke was the guy."

The Time senior correspondent added, "Look, he's been criticized from left and right, from liberals and conservatives, you know, for ... running the unelected fourth branch of government. He's a controversial figure."

Wednesday's announcement comes a day before a Senate Banking Committee vote on whether Bernanke should be given another term.

"Remember, he's a Republican appointed by a Democratic president. It's the Democrats on the committee that are going to vote to confirm. It's a really interesting combination of factors," Grunwald said.

One of Bernanke's harshest critics is Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, the only senator to vote against the economist's appointment four years ago by President Bush.

In a statement Wednesday, Bunning said, "I find it ironic that a man who has spent the last year rewarding others for failure is now being named 'Person of the Year.'

"But if Time magazine is in the business of rewarding failure, Ben Bernanke is their man -- he has certainly excelled at that."

Bunning called Bernanke a "moral hazard," accusing him of supporting the "easy money policies of his predecessor, Alan Greenspan," who made the cover of Time in February 1999, along with then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and his successor, Lawrence H. Summers.

Another sharp critic of Bernanke, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, said December 2 that he plans to place a "hold" on Bernanke's nomination for a second term once it leaves the Banking Committee.

A "hold" is an informal practice in which a senator informs the majority leader that he or she does not want a bill or nomination to reach the floor for a vote.

Majority leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, would not need to act on Sanders' request, but Sanders could launch a filibuster to delay the motion to nominate the Fed chairman for another four-year term.

"The American people overwhelmingly voted last year for a change in our national priorities to put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the greed of Wall Street and the wealthy few," Sanders said then, explaining his action.

"What the American people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the Bush economy."

Time magazine noted that Bernanke, who turned 56 Sunday, defies the stereotype of "a typical Beltway power broker."

"He doesn't have a commanding presence. He isn't a mesmerizing speaker. He has none of the look-at-me swagger or listen-to-me charisma so common among men with oversize Washington offices," the article said.

Bernanke was sworn in as Federal Reserve chairman in February 2006. He spent years in academia, as a professor at Princeton, Stanford and New York universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the Fed's Web site.

Time magazine, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.

Response: GOP senator and critic calls Ben Bernanke "moral hazard". Time magazine calls Bernanke, 56, " the most powerful nerd on the planet". Bernanke, a Great Depression scholar, feared new one, writer says. Senate panel set to vote on whether Fed chairman get another term.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:March 3, 2015

You may not be familiar with the city of Tikrit, but what's happening there now could be a sign of things to come in the war against ISIS. You may not know the name Steve Fossett, but today marks a significant anniversary of one of the adventurer's records. And you may not know how many times glass can be recycled, but we'll tell you on today's edition of CNN Student News.

On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call.

TRANSCRIPT

Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program.

Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published.

CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show.

ROLL CALL

For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call!

Thank you for using CNN Student News!

Response: This page includes the show Transcript. Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary. At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call..


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- It's the YouTube equivalent of a roundhouse kick in the face.

Remember last month's viral video that showed action star Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits between two moving Volvo trucks?

Now, Chuck Norris -- an actor who's also known for his martial arts feats -- appears to have upped the ante.

A spoof video by Hungarian company Delov Digital shows a CGI likeness of the actor doing the splits between two airplanes soaring through the sky.

But that's not all. There's also a squad of 11 commandos balancing on his head, in the shape of a Christmas tree.

As their clothes light up, a message that says "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" appears above them.

It's unclear whether Norris, 73, was involved at all in producing the video, which has garnered more than 13.5 million hits on YouTube since it was posted last week.

Representatives for Norris and Delov Digital did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Response: A spoof video shows a likeness of Chuck Norris doing the splits. A Hungarian company made the video. It's unclear whether the actor was involved. Last month a video showed Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits between trucks.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Responding to an allegation by the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that Pakistan's main intelligence agency has a "longstanding relationship" with a Taliban-allied insurgent group that targets U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said: "We do have a relationship: that of an adversary."

"We have made our resolve very clear that (the Haqqani Network) is an enemy we need to fight together," said the official, who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters.

In an interview that aired Wednesday on Pakistan's Geo TV, Adm. Michael Mullen spoke forcefully about the Haqqani Network, which he said "very specifically facilitates and supports the Taliban who move in Afghanistan, and they're killing Americans."

"I can't accept that and I will do everything I possibly can to prevent that specifically," he said.

Then Mullen said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence "has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani Network. That doesn't mean everybody in the ISI, but it's there."

"I also have an understanding that the ISI and the (Pakistani military) exist to protect their own citizens, and there's a way they have done that for a long period of time," Mullen said. "I believe that over time, that's got to change."

Based in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier, the Haqqani Network "has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in Afghanistan, responsible for many high-profile attacks," according to the United Nations. The group is believed to have three main sources of funds: donations from the Persian Gulf region, drug trafficking, and al Qaeda payments.

Pakistani forces in December announced they had seized Nasiruddin Haqqani, son of the group's leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani.

Other U.S. officials in recent months had expressed concerns that Pakistan has not been aggressively confronting militants operating in the tribal regions.

The Pakistani intelligence official told CNN that "we have our hands full" fighting other Islamist militant groups along the border with Afghanistan, notably those under the umbrella of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)  "and once we are through with them we can turn on the other (the Haqqanis). We do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations."

The official said the "onus of providing proof of this" relationship was on the Americans and it was not up to the ISI "to start providing clarification."

Asked if offense was taken by Mullen's remarks, the intelligence official said: "Not personally, no."

Earlier in the Geo TV interview, Mullen was pressed on issues such as the arrest of CIA contractor Raymond Davis and unmanned drone strikes against targets within Pakistan, which have marked what he called a "rough patch" of increasingly complex relations between the two nations in recent months.

The admiral traced the difficulties back to the 12-year period in which the two countries had severed diplomatic ties, then restored them in the midst of the global terrorism crisis that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"We can't snap our fingers and say all of the sudden we trust each other," he said, "and that's what we're trying to work our way through in the midst of these huge terrorist challenges that we both have."

"It's the focus from the United States' perspective on the terrorist threat (in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas), the al Qaeda leadership which still lives there and still threatens to kill as many Americans as they possibly could, combined with what I would call this federation of terrorist organizations that are getting along more than they used to, and at least from my experience ... the complexity is increasing, not decreasing."

As Joint Chiefs chairman, Mullen is the highest-ranking uniformed official in the U.S. military's chain of command. He has been part of recent discussions that have included CIA Director Leon Panetta and their Pakistani counterparts: Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the ISI's director, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

Mullen's term is set to end this year.

"It's been a very rough patch lately," Mullen said, "and I think the leaders, including Generals Pasha and Kayani, Director Panetta and myself and others are very committed to working our way through this because we see the need to solve this problem, and we just can't walk away from it."

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva and Nasir Habib contributed to this report.

Response: Adm. Mike Mullen said ISI has "longstanding relationship" with the Haqqani Network. A senior Pakistani intelligence official says that relationship is "that of an adversary". "Onus of providing proof on this" rests with the Americans, the official says. Despite strain, Mullen says leaders "are very committed to working our way through this".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The 2013 tennis season may only be in its fledgling stages but already the heat is well and truly on for those preparing for the year's first major.

As the great and good on the men's and women's circuits fine tune their game ahead of the Australian Open that starts in Melbourne on Monday, they are having to contend with stifling temperatures in Sydney.

According to the Australia Bureau of Meteorology, Monday was the hottest day in the country since records began over 100 years ago with an average temperature of 40.3 degrees.

Officials in New South Wales have warned of a "catastrophic" fire threat as strong winds combine with the heat to increase the danger of bushfires spreading out of control.

Players had to battle heat that reached 41.4 deg in Sydney, with world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska claiming it was "too hot" to play and that officials should have halted proceedings under their extreme heat policy.

But the Pole, along with the other players scheduled on Tuesday, battled through the searing sunshine with the help of regular breaks, ice towels and gallons of liquid.

"I think this is too hot to play tennis," Radwanska told reporters at a press conference. "Even for players, for ball kids, for even the people sitting out there, I think it's just too hot."

One saving grace for Radwanska was her quick 6-4 6-3 victory over Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm which meant she was only on court for 68 minutes.

Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova battled through to a 7-6 1-6 6-2 victory over former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, though both players benefited from a heat break before contesting the deciding set.

Kuznetsova told reporters: "I think it shows you one more time how tough the tennis is right now. How players have to be fit to play in the hot conditions, the windy conditions. We're like iron women almost.

"It was very hot out there. In the second set the heat definitely disturbed me a lot. But the break really helped me before the third set."

The 2011 French Open champion, Li Na of China, was quoted as saying by AFP that she felt like she was "playing in a sauna."

Germany's Angelique Kerber triumphed 6-2 7-5 over Russian qualifier Galina Voskoboeva who took a medical time out because of the extreme heat.

Kerber: "It was unbelievably hot. Usually I practice before my matches, 30 to 35 minutes, today it was just 10 or 15 minutes because I couldn't play more. It's tough to play in these conditions.

"I was trying to focus on the next point and not thinking about the heat, the sun and the weather. The whole match was tough from the first point. I'm happy I won in two sets."

Temperatures were due to cool off for Wednesday's play but by the end of the week the thermometer will be back up to 37 degrees in Melbourne, according to Jenny Harrison from the CNN Weather Center.

She told CNN's World Sport show: "We do see this every couple of years but this is record-breaking heat. Monday has been confirmed as the hottest day across Australia since records began.

"It looks as if Tuesday, once we get the stats in, could be the hottest day and outdo Monday.

"What has happened in the last few hours is a front has come through across the south east of Australia. In literally an hour the temperature in Sydney has dropped more than 10 degrees.

"Melbourne is cooler than that as the front went through there first. But in Melbourne by the end of the week the temperature is going to rise again, getting well above average."

Response: Record temperatures hit Australia during tennis tournament in Sydney. Stifling heat of 41.4 degrees make conditions uncomfortable for players. World No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska claims it was "too hot" to play. Monday confirmed by Australia Bureau of Meteorology as hottest since records began.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:HANOVER, Germany (CNN) -- Archaeologists have found more than 600 relics from a huge battle between a Roman army and Barbarians in the third century, long after historians believed Rome had given up control of northern Germany.

Some of the artifacts are so well preserved that the scientists can already retrace some of the battle lines.

"We have to write our history books new, because what we thought was that the activities of the Romans ended at nine or 10 (years) after Christ," said Lutz Stratmann, science minister for the German state of Lower Saxony. "Now we know that it must be 200 or 250 after that."

For weeks, archeologist Petra Loenne and her team have been searching this area with metal detectors, pulling hundreds of ancient Roman weapons out of the ground. They paint a picture of a highly organized, technologically superior Roman army beset by Germanic tribes in a forest about 80 km (50 miles) south of the modern city of Hanover.

The hillside battlefield was discovered by relic-hunters illegally searching for souvenirs of more recent wars near the town of Kalefeld-Oldenrode. One of them brought some of the items he found to Loenne, who works for the local government.

The artifacts are so well preserved that the scientists can already retrace some of the battle lines.  Watch how the battlefield discovery could re-write history »

"We believe the Germans ambushed the Romans here, but the legions quickly fired back with catapults and archers -- and then it came to a massive man-on-man onslaught," Loenne said.

The items unearthed so far include an axe, still sharp after nearly 1,800 years; horseshoes; shovels; spearheads; and dozens of arrowheads for a Scorpio, a cross between a catapult and a crossbow -- the ancient equivalent of artillery.

"With a very high speed, on a very long distance -- about 300 meters -- you can hit targets precisely," said Henning Hassman, of Hanover's archeological institute.

Researchers say the evidence suggests the tribesmen lured the Romans into the forest to keep them from making full use of those long-range weapons and draw them into hand-to-hand combat, outside of the formations the imperial troops had mastered. However, they believe the Romans ultimately prevailed.

Other relics include coins depicting the late second-century Roman emperor Commodus, depicted in the Oscar-winning Hollywood epic "Gladiator" -- a film that opens with a scene of battle against a barbarian horde that scientists say appears to be largely accurate. And Loenne said her team may have only begun to scratch the surface of the forest.

"We hope we might find fortifications and if we are lucky, maybe even battlefield graveyards," she said.

Response: Relics found from battle between Romans, Barbarians in third century. Historians had thought Rome had given up control of northern Germany by then. Battlefield found by relic-hunters illegally searching for souvenirs of recent wars.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Paul Walker's sudden death has left many in Hollywood nearly too stunned to speak.

As the news of his death spread on Saturday, some celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Alyssa Milano, tweeted their disbelief.

Adored for his work in the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise, Walker was in the midst of filming a seventh installment at the time of his death. Two of his co-stars in the blockbuster series, Ludacris and Tyrese, expressed their grief on social media.

"I can't believe I'm writing this," singer/actor Tyrese shared on Instagram, along with a photo of himself with the late star. "My heart is hurting so bad no one can make me believe this is real Father God I pray that you send clarity over this cause I just don't understand ... My heart hurts it's broken no one can convince me that this is real.... Prayer warriors please pray real hard for his only child, his daughter and family..."

Ludacris, meanwhile, remembered Walker for his "humble spirit" with a verse: "Wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers & our birthdays are only 1 day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts."

The 40-year-old actor, who rose to fame in 2001's "The Fast & The Furious" after appearing in '90s hits "She's All That" and "Varsity Blues," died in a car accident. He'd been attending a charity event for his organization, Reach Out Worldwide.

Throughout the industry, several are mourning the loss of a great friend and, by their account, giving humanitarian:

Tellingly, Walker's passing was felt throughout the entertainment world, as even those outside of acting took a moment to reflect on the sobering death.

Walker's next film, "Hours," is scheduled to be released on December 13.

Response: Actor Paul Walker died in a car crash Saturday. Several in Hollywood were stunned by the news. Stars took to social media to express their grief.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)Wanted: film director, must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets.

CNN confirms that Michelle MacLaren is leaving the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie (The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story).

MacLaren was announced as director of the movie in November.

CNN obtained a statement from Warner Bros. Pictures that says, "Given creative differences, Warner Bros. and Michelle MacLaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct 'Wonder Woman' together." (CNN and Warner Bros. Pictures are both owned by Time Warner.)

The movie, starring Gal Gadot in the title role of the Amazon princess, is still set for release on June 23, 2017. It's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero.

Gadot will appear beforehand in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," due out March 25, 2016.

In the meantime, Warner will need to find someone new for the director's chair.

Response: Michelle MacLaren is no longer set to direct the first "Wonder Woman" theatrical movie. MacLaren left the project over "creative differences". Movie is currently set for 2017.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Formula One team Sauber will feature a message of support for the people of Japan on the livery of their cars at the opening grand prix of the season.

The Asian country was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Friday last week with over 5,000 people now confirmed to have died.

One of Sauber's drivers, Kamui Kobayashi, is a native of Japan and was born in the Hyogo prefecture.

He and Mexican Sergio Perez's cars will carry a message in Japanese at the Melbourne Grand Prix in Australia on March 27 that reads 'may our prayers reach the people in Japan.'

Sauber's team principal Peter Sauber told Formula One's official website it was important the team did something to demonstrate their support.

"It is difficult to find the right words to express our emotions and feelings, but silence means we can't even begin imagine how to try," he said.

"We can hardly believe what we are seeing. Our thoughts are with the people in Japan.

"We hope they will have the necessary strength to overcome these circumstances of extreme adversity."

Response: Formula One team Sauber to show support for Japan at opening race of the season. Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi is from Japan. Message to be displayed on the livery of Sauber's cars.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- You've been thinking about it for weeks. Mounds of turkey piled high with buttery mashed potatoes, dripping with gravy.

Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Or sweet potato casserole and pecan pie. Cranberries. Collard greens. Stuffing.

Every year, we spend hours making the traditional Thanksgiving favorites just like our mom used to do, like her mom did before that.

"When you do something repeatedly over the years, it builds up a kind of power," nutritional psychologist Marc David says. "It creates its own momentum. To make the same dish year after year, decade after decade, there's something in that that connects us to the past."

Nostalgia comes from the Greek word for homecoming (nostos) and pain (algos). But experts say feeling nostalgic is actually good for your mental health.

Anything can bring on that special moment -- music, smells, photos. We play the same songs, cook the same recipes, take the same family photo in the same spot next to the same fireplace because we're human, David says. Our biological functions are based on repetitive rhythms. Our brains are hardwired to relax when surrounded by the familiar.

"Emotional eating has gotten a bad name," David says. "We're emotional people. We are emotional beings. We're built for pleasure."

Nostalgic products fill a need to belong and feel socially connected, according to an Arizona State University study published in the Journal of Consumer Research last year.

That's why this time of year, TV and radio ads are filled with smiling families sitting around a large table in holiday sweaters, passing the dinner rolls. Even if you're far away from home, companies want you to believe that buying those same dinner rolls will fill your heart with holiday joy. Turns out, it works.

Dr. Clay Routledge works with other researchers from the University of Southampton's nostalgia project. He recently published an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled "The past makes present meaningful."

Nostalgia, Routledge found, increases a person's self-esteem. Daily activities like going to class or attending meetings are routine, even boring. When we engage in nostalgia, we tend to think of the things that are really important to us. That makes us feel like our life is meaningful.

Taste of Home's sweet potato tart recipe

"What's amazing about autobiographical memory is that bad memories fade faster than positive memories," Routledge says. "One thing that's interesting about nostalgia is that it's not 100% detail accurate -- it's more the highlights."

Nostalgia is largely social. Routledge' s studies found that people who are alone or disconnected feel better after engaging in nostalgia. Yet you're probably dreaming right now about your grandfather's deep-fried turkey, not about him, right?

"Is it really about the food?" Routledge asks. "Or is the food just sort of a trigger or cue for what the holidays are really all about, which is relationships. We don't eat these foods other times of the year because we've segmented them off as special. They go with this occasion. They go with the relationships."

For Taste of Home editor Catherine Cassidy, Thanksgiving means cooking for the ones she loves. She gets satisfaction in putting good food on the table for her family. So many of our best moments from the past, she says, are rooted in our sense of smell.

"We call them food memories. When it comes to the holidays we are always trying to recreate the magic and the specialness we experienced when we were children."

So indulge in a little Thanksgiving daydream. Long for the oyster stuffing. Sniff the air in anticipation of mom's pumpkin pie. Then on the big day, enjoy your holiday feast, and all the benefits that come from the power of nostalgia.

Response: Nostalgia comes from the Greek word for homecoming (nostos) and pain (algos). Nostalgic products fill a need to belong and feel socially connected. People who are alone or disconnected feel better after engaging in nostalgia.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Two health care workers went to the emergency room with flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with a patient confirmed to have Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, officials said Tuesday.

The Florida patient represents the second confirmed case of MERS brought into the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. MERS is a mysterious virus that can be fatal, and was first found in the Arabian Peninsula in 2012.

One health care worker in Orlando began showing symptoms 72 hours after exposure to the MERS patient but did not meet criteria for admission and was sent home, said Dr. Antonio Crespo, an infectious disease specialist at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, where the MERS patient is being treated. The health care worker will be monitored and seems to be improving, Crespo said.

The other one, whose symptoms began 24 hours after exposure, was admitted to the same hospital, officials said Tuesday at a press conference.

"We're just waiting for the results from the testing that was done yesterday to decide about discharge," Crespo said.

At-risk workers at home

The two health care workers are among 20 in the Orlando area who may have been exposed to the MERS patient, and they are being tested for the virus, officials said. They were all notified and told to stay home and not work for 14 days, Crespo said. They also should monitor their temperatures and check for possible symptoms such as a cough, sore throat and fever.

Five health team members who may be at risk have been identified at Orlando Regional Medical Center and 15 at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Crespo said.

They were all evaluated for signs and symptoms that would be consistent for MERS. Samples were sent to the state lab for testing, said Dr. Ken Michaels, medical director for occupational health at Orlando Health.

"I'm glad to report that I've spoken to most of these team members today. They all report that they're doing great," Michaels said.

On the 14th day, everyone involved will be brought back for further testing. Once medically cleared, they can return to work, officials said.

Initial testing should be back within the next day or two, Michaels said.

MERS: 5 things to know

Two confirmed U.S. cases

The confirmed MERS patient visited Orlando Regional Medical Center on May 5, accompanying another person who was having a medical procedure, officials said.

"I think the risk is negligible to those in the waiting room or the radiology area at (Orlando Regional Medical Center)," said Dr. Kevin Sherin of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.

The MERS patient was admitted to Dr. P. Phillips Hospital on May 9.

"Before the patient came to the hospital, he was not having a cough," Crespo said. "He was not having respiratory symptoms. So we believe that that makes less risk of transmission to other potential contacts."

Officials from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health are investigating the MERS case.

During a White House briefing Tuesday, press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the MERS situation in the United States and that the CDC is taking the lead.

The first U.S. case was reported this month in Indiana. That patient was released from a hospital Friday into home isolation, according to state health officials.

The Indiana patient was an American health care provider who had been working in Saudi Arabia and was on a planned visit to Indiana to see his family.

The Florida patient is also a health care provider who lives and works in Saudi Arabia, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service and director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. She said that he is not a U.S. citizen and that the Florida case is not linked to the Indiana one.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will post CDC advisories at more than 20 U.S. airports to alert travelers about the virus.

Although there are no recommendations to change travel plans, the signs will advise travelers to the Arabian Peninsula to avoid contact with sick people and wash their hands often. They should contact a doctor if they develop symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and coughing, the CDC said.

"We think it's really critical to avoid overreacting in the community but also avoid under-reacting in the health care environment," Schuchat told CNN. "The reason for the signage is so that we can promptly identify potential cases so that they can be separated from other people."

Can SARS lessons prevent a MERS virus outbreak?

What is MERS?

As of Friday, there have been 538 cases of MERS in 17 countries, including 145 deaths, according to the World Health Organization, Schuchat said.

The virus is also known as MERS-CoV since it is a coronavirus, the same group of viruses as the common cold. It attacks the respiratory system, according to the CDC. Symptoms can lead to pneumonia or kidney failure.

There is no vaccine or special treatment for MERS. Doctors said they believe the Indiana patient's quick diagnosis and care dramatically increased his chances for getting better.

The "risk to the general public remains very low," Schuchat said. In some countries, the virus has spread from person to person, but only in close contact, such as a person who was caring for an ill person.

"This virus has not shown the ability to spread easily from person to person in community settings," she said.

Out of "an abundance of caution," the CDC has been contacting people who were passengers on the same flights as the two patients with confirmed MERS, Schuchat said.

No cases of MERS have been diagnosed as a result of transmission on a plane, the CDC's Dr. Marty Cetron said.

The 44-year-old Florida patient traveled on May 1 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to London, then from London to Boston, Boston to Atlanta, and finally Atlanta to Orlando.

The man began feeling unwell on the flight from Jeddah, with symptoms including "fever, chills and a slight cough," Schuchat said.

Family members of the patient have been tested as well, Crespo said.

"The patient has been doing very well," Crespo said. The patient had a low-grade fever of 100.2 on Monday night but has a minimal cough, and he is "in great spirits."

MERS mystery: Virus found in camels

CNN's Miriam Falco, Elizabeth Cohen, Jen Christensen, and Athena Jones contributed to this report.

Response: NEW: TSA will put up advisories about MERS in airports. Two cases have been confirmed in the U.S.. At least 20 health care workers told to not come to work. They can return to work after 14 days if medically cleared.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- A Native American chief has asked all tribal employees not to use FedEx until the Washington Redskins changes its team name.

"Until the name of the NFL team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting, I direct all employees to refrain from using FedEx when there is an alternative available," Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear penned in his directive to all employees.

The tribe also issued a news release saying that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder "chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive. FedEx chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of Mr. Snyder's organization."

It concludes, "The Osage Nation chooses not to use FedEx services. We encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions."

Standing Bear was not available for an interview, but Assistant Chief Raymond Red Corn said the tribe would "stand-pat" on the press release.

"It was not our intention to become a news item," he said, adding that "ethics" drove the tribe's decision.

The Redskins play their home games at FedExField, to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year, $207 million deal in 1999, Forbes reports. Fred Smith, FedEx's chairman, president and CEO, is part of the team's ownership group.

Patrick Fitzgerald, FedEx's senior vice president of marketing and communications, released a statement Wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and "we are proud that FedExField is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups."

"FedEx has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the Washington Redskins team name, but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner," Fitzgerald said.

Snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a March letter that the name "captures the best of who we are and who we can be, by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents."

The team has employed Native Americans to defend the name and launched a site called Redskins Facts to promote its stance that the names honors Native Americans rather than disparages them.

The team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities.

The good deed hasn't stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists, and President Barack Obama said last year that if he were Snyder, he might change the name.

In June, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team, saying they were offensive. The team appealed the decision, saying it spent millions defending the trademark, and the patent office ruled the Redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete.

The National Congress of American Indians has spoken out against the use of Redskins and other Native American mascots, and the Native Voice Network, which represents numerous Native American organizations, has targeted FedEx in its effort to convince Snyder to change the team name.

The Native Voice Network says use of "R-word" has a negative, dehumanizing effect on children, a major concern when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Native American people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Chrissie Castro, the Native Voice Network's "network weaver," says her group "definitely" supports Osage Nation.

"We're very proud of their position and we'd love to see other tribal communities do the same," she said.

The Oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in Osage County, the setting for the Meryl Streep movie, "August: Osage County."

CNN's Devon M. Sayers contributed to this report.

Response: Chief: Don't use FedEx until Redskins change "disparaging and offensive" name. Washington Redskins team name has been source of controversy. Team defends name and says it honors rather than disparages Native Americans. Redskins stadium changed name to FedExField in 27-year, $207 million deal in 1999.