Students: This Is Gage Brown from Best Buddies of Desert Oasis in Las Vegas, Nevada, And

Students: This is Gage Brown from Best Buddies of Desert Oasis in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Channel One News starts right now.

Emily: Nice start! And get this: The guys from Best Buddies Nevada are creating new opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, making a positive impact. That is what I love to see. All right, I am Emily Reppert. Let's jump right into it.

Today we are starting off with the war in Syria and a big victory against ISIS in the city of Raqqa. After a four-month-long battle, Syrian forces — backed by the United States — have taken control of Raqqa, a city in Syria that has been a stronghold for ISIS.

Syrian forces celebrated the retaking of Raqqa yesterday after a long and violent battle with ISIS. ISIS fighters are still believed to be lurking in buildings and tunnels in the city, and it could take months before Raqqa is safe and cleared of all the explosives that were laid by ISIS. Then they have to figure out how to rebuild this shattered city.

Today there is barely a building without bombed-out damage. Some of them have been pulverized by fighting, others flattened by U.S. coalition airstrikes. Nearly all of the city's residents, probably all of them by now, have fled the city, and many are living in refugee camps.

Okay, next up, President Trump has picked this man, Congressman Tom Marino, to be our nation's drug czar — basically, the person who oversees the drug control policies in the U.S. But after an explosive news report this weekend on the congressman's drug policies, Marino is saying maybe this job is not really for me, after all.

Congressman Tom Marino withdrew his name to be the next head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

President Donald Trump: He told me, look, if there's even a perception that he has a conflict of interest, he doesn't want anything to do with it.

Emily: Marino came under fire after a “60 Minutes”/”Washington Post” report showed he had sponsored a bill that made it harder for the DEA to fight against opioid drug abuse. The bill passed unanimously last year, but now Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is trying to repeal it.

President Trump says he plans next week to declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency.

Trump: It's a very important step. And to get to that step, a lot of work has to be done.

1 | P a g e Emily: More than 64,000 Americans died in 2016 from drug overdoses, most from opioids.

And you just heard today's Word in the News: epidemic, something harmful that spreads or develops rapidly in a community at a particular time.

All right, now on to football. NFL owners met with representatives of the Players Association yesterday to try and reach a compromise on the protests by players during the national anthem.

Nearly two dozen protestors took a knee outside of the meeting between the NFL, team owners and players in New York.

Jay W. Walker: Their players are standing up for the rights of every single American to be able to live freely.

Emily: Some NFL players have been protesting racial inequality by taking a knee or locking arms during the national anthem before games, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and some owners believe players should stand — not kneel.

The league and players’ union issued a statement saying, “Owners and players had a productive meeting focused on how we can work together to promote positive social change and address inequality in our communities.”

The ongoing controversy has bothered some fans and President Trump, who said players should not be able to kneel during the anthem. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the protests last year. He has since not been picked up by any teams this season. On Monday he filed a grievance against the league claiming team owners colluded — or worked together — to keep him from playing on a team.

All right, coming up, Keith Kocinski takes us to Australia to highlight a young woman shining a spotlight on her culture.

Emily: Today we are taking an inside look at what scientists believe is the oldest known civilization on Earth. The Aboriginal people of Australia were the first people to live on the continent before European settlers arrived. Listen to this: In July archaeologists in north Australia uncovered Aboriginal artifacts possibly dating back 80,000 years.

Keith Kocinski met up with a young woman in a remote area of Australia who is not only honoring her Aboriginal roots but is also breaking barriers for Aboriginal people.

2 | P a g e Keith: Right now, we are heading to Bauwicka. It is a special place for the indigenous people in this area, but the really cool thing about it is the only way to go there is by special invitation.

I was invited to Bauwicka by Magnolia Maymuru, a traditional Yolngu Aboriginal clan member. She was born and raised in Yirrkala, a small indigenous community in Australia's remote and rural Northern Territory. Bauwicka is a sacred spot that has been passed through her family for generations. Magnolia was taking me oyster fishing, but first: a quick reality check.

What are some dangers that we are going to face in these waters?

Magnolia Maymuru: Crocodiles, stingrays, jellyfish, stonefish, snakes. You know, specific bugs that you cannot touch; otherwise, the acid will burn your fingers.

Keith: Well, very comforting.

Magnolia, it looks like there are oysters on top of oysters on top of oysters here. So is this our hunting ground?

Maymuru: Yes. Well, this is one of the hunting spots.

Just hit the oyster like that a few times.

Keith: Can you just eat it like that?

Maymuru: Just eat it. Fresh off the rocks.

Keith: All right. Oyster fresh off the rocks. Let's give it a shot. Besides that sand in there, I mean, it is very good.

Magnolia is one of nearly 700,000 Aboriginals in over 500 different clans living in Australia with distinct cultures, beliefs and languages. And archaeologists believe it may be the oldest living civilization on Earth. But, just like many other indigenous cultures, Aboriginals have a history marked by suffering and discrimination.

Arian Pearson: We were mistreated. We were forced off our lands, forced into different camps. We were used as slaves, murdered. We were raped. Families were split apart.

Keith: The British arrived in Australia in the late 1700s and began taking over the land. For centuries the Aboriginals had no rights and were treated poorly.

Pearson: Even in our Constitution today, we are not recognized as a people in this country.

3 | P a g e Banbapuy Ganambarr: Sometimes you have racism. It's scary. I’ve come across people who are narrow-minded, who bullies you and does not see you as a human being.

Keith: Today the Aboriginal people are still fighting for their land. And it appears they are making progress.

Why is land so important to people in your community?

Ganambarr: It is our backbone. It is the essence of our peoples, of our soul, of our spirit.

Keith: And young people like Magnolia are helping break barriers. As a model, she is showcasing the beauty of Aboriginal people featured in magazines, newspapers and national campaigns.

Maymuru: I would be nothing without my culture, my language and my people.

Keith: Last year, Magnolia became the first full-blooded Aboriginal to represent Australia in the Miss World Australia competition. And as I learned, there is Magnolia the model and Magnolia the traditional Yolngu Aboriginal clan member.

Looks like you have changed.

Maymuru: I have!

Keith: So why is it important for you to change your clothes before going into your community?

Maymuru: For quite a few years now, it’s been our dress code. I go off, and I wearing jeans or tights and stuff, wearing heels to do a runway show or to go somewhere and meet people. And when I come home, back into community-style clothing and back to this culture.

Keith: For Magnolia and many other Aboriginal clan members, cultural music, dance and art survive, carrying on stories for many generations. Even a new emoji of the Aboriginal flag was released on Twitter, helping tell their story.

Pearson: In this time and age, I think it's important for us to move forward and for people to actually reach out to Yolngu people or indigenous people of Australia to learn our ways, our culture and our history.

4 | P a g e Maymuru: I am so happy to be the next person placing the bricks and making that extra mile for these other children in the next generation to walk, and I think anyone can do this now.

Keith: Keith Kocinski, Channel One News.

Emily: Great story. Thanks, Keith.

And we have got more behind-the-scenes from Keith's Australian adventure, plus a really cool slideshow on Aboriginal art, all up on ChannelOne.com.

Now, before we go, we are going to spin into one more thing.

Check out this fidget spinner. It has gone where no spinner has gone before — into space. Astronauts on the International Space Station showed off their spinning tricks in microgravity while playing with the popular toy.

Astronaut Randy Bresnik tweeted: “How long does it spin? I'm not sure, but it’s a great way to experiment with Newton’s laws of motion!”

So how did this toy get into space? NASA is not sure, but we have a feeling one astronaut sneaked it on board a shuttle mission.

5 | P a g e