CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to ten minutes of current events from middle and high school classrooms. I`m Carl Azuz with CNN STUDENT NEWS.
You are exactly halfway through September, and we are starting today in Paris. Representatives from about 30 countries were there yesterday. It
was a meeting focused on ISIS, the terrorist group that wants to form its own country in Iran and Syria. Some analysts say the U.S. government has
struggled in its efforts to get concrete support of other nations in fighting ISIS, but the U.S. says a number of them have promised to help.
From its allies and Europe and Canada to its partners in the Middle East. The actual levels of support differ from country to country. The U.S. has
launched more than 150 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq. It`s planning more in Syria, but in the speech last week, President Obama said the fight can`t
be America`s alone.
From a meeting in Paris, we are leaping across the Atlantic and the U.S. to Baja, California. It`s part of Mexico that stretches down between the Gulf
of California and the Pacific Ocean. And it was lashed yesterday by Hurricane Odile.
This is how things looked before the storm made landfall. Odile made a direct heat on Cabo, St. Lucas. As a category three storm on Sunday night.
Wind speeds for 125 miles per hour. Beaches and ports were closed. Streets were drenched, outdoor markets trashed. The storm weakened as it
moved north over Baja, California. But forecasters were warning residents and tourists that the threat of flash floods remain along with the
potential for mudslides. Mexico celebrates its Independence Day today. Events in Baja, California, had to be canceled.
When you think of something endangered, you might think of the Bengal tiger, the blue whale or the black rhino. You probably don`t think of
rivers, or specifically California San Joaquin River. The most endangered one in America.
The state`s historic drought, the one expected to cost California more than $2 billion and 17,000 jobs is one major factor. But it`s not the only one.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I`m John. This is my Kayak and these are my calluses. And this is the most important river you`ve never heard of - the
St. Joaquin.
It`s a river that starts out looking like this and by its midsection looks like this.
It`s the second largest river in California, and whether you`ve heard it or not, it`s a river you`re probably connected to. It helps support a region
that grows about 40 percent of America`s fruits and vegetables. This year, the St. Joaquin was named the most endangered river in America. That`s why
I try to kayak and walk down the entire thing. To get to know the river out its pace, on its own terms. To meet the people who depend on it and to
find out whether this dead river could be brought back to life.
Navigating a river should be easy, right? You start upon the mountains and follow the water down to the sea. That`s not the case with the St.
Joaquin. I tried to follow the river, for more than 500 miles. Always faced with stuff like this. And this. And ultimately, this.
So, why is this river such a mess? Demand. Farmers and residents want as much water as they can get a hold of. And the state has promised those
people eight times as much as actually exist.
To try to make that work, the government has engineered the St. Joaquin into a river of pipes and canals.
Sharing water across the state, moving it from way up here all the way over there.
So much water is pulled out the river that in a few parts they actually have to pipe more back in.
And that still isn`t enough. The river runs dry for about 40 miles, sometimes more.
The St. Joaquin is a shrinking (ph) river. It`s on live support. It`s failing the people and fish who depend on it. And it has made my source to
sea trip a serious challenge.
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