2010-05-02 CNN
U.S. Supreme Court says that a memorial out in the Mojave Desert does not violate the U.S. Constitution. The memorial is a large cross. It was put up in 1934 to honor fallen soldiers. But it's located in a national park, and some people argue that it's a religious symbol that goes against the concept of separation of church and state. The cross , which you can see right here , was boarded up because of the legal battle. Yesterday's Supreme Court decision was close: 5 to 4. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that this cross represents "far more than religion." But in opposition, Justice John Paul Stevens argued the government can't lawfully endorse a religious symbol as a way to pay tribute to veterans.
We have a new video up on our Facebook page. It's all about the month of the military child, which is right now! April! We're gonna have more about this on our show later this week. Now, maybe you know someone who's a military child, maybe you are one. Either way, we'd love for you to head to Facebook, check out this new video, share your thoughts. You might see them on a show later on this week.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom are telling people not to travel to Thailand unless it's absolutely necessary. The reason is violent political unrest. It has gripped the Asian country for a while now, and fighting broke out again yesterday. Police forces facing off against protesters who are opposed to the government. A CNN reporter on the scene described it as a "tense and intense standoff." She said police used rubber bullets and live ammo. Thailand's government has actually made rules about this. It says troops can use tear gas if protesters get within about 100 yards and live ammo if the protesters get within 100 feet.
Over in Europe, the financial outlook for a few countries isn't looking too good. The investment ratings for Spain, Portugal and Greece all went down this week. Greece might be the worst situation. Experts are using the word "junk" to describe that nation's investment rating. Basically, they're saying that it's very risky to put your money there. Greece has a massive debt, nearly $400 billion. That's bigger than the country's economy. Greece is developing ways to cut spending, but Greek workers aren't too happy about some of those plans, and they've been protesting about it, like you see here. Greece is also asking for financial help from the European Union: a bailout of more than $50 billion.