Tom: Hey everyone. It is Friday, March 6th. I am Tom Hanson, and Channel One News starts right now.
Let's start off with headlines, and first up, the trial began this week for the suspect in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Attorneys spoke before the court as the trial opened in a Boston courtroom Wednesday with heart-wrenching testimony from the day of the attack.
A 17-year-old Sydney Cochran, along with her mother were severely injured that day along the finish line. She told jurors “I remember thinking that this was it. I'm gonna die. I'm not going to make it.”
Prosecutors told the court that on the day of the bombings Dzhokar Tsarnaev, just 19 years old at the time, stood between a row of children and slipped a backpack with a bomb inside on the ground.
The prosecutors described Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlin as equally guilty partners in crime who were determined to punish America for killing Muslims overseas. Attorneys for Tsarnaev don't deny that the two brothers carried out the bombings, but claim that Tsarnaev was pressured by his older brother who was shot and killed by police following the attack.
The trial is expected to last for several months, and Tsarnaev faces the death penalty.
Hillary Clinton finally spoke out in a controversy that’s been brewing this week over her use of a personal email address for government business as she served as secretary of state under President Obama.
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton said she wants the public to see her emails from when she served at the State Department.
She tweeted, “I asked state to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible."
The issue? Clinton used her personal email account on a server in her home for official government business. And her aides did not submit those emails to the government archives, as required by a 2009 law.
They claim nine out of 10 emails she sent were to State Department colleagues and therefore in the department's computer system.
The controversy has raised questions about whether Clinton is trying to hide something, and whether her private email system posed a security risk.
Last year, at the request of the State Department, Clinton’s aides did turn over 55,000
1 | P a g e pages of communications. On Wednesday, a House committee asked for "all communications of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton related to Libya." The committee is investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead.
The State Department said Clinton did not act improperly.
Clinton served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.
Alright last up, no more Dumbo at the greatest show on earth. The Ringling Bros. announced that it is dropping its elephant act after pressure from animal rights groups.
They have been a favorite at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 100 years.
Female: She loved that part. They were amazing.
Tom: But yesterday, the Ringling Bros. announced it is retiring its elephants after years of growing pressure from animal rights groups and legal trouble over how the animals are treated.
Meghan McGill: It’s not okay to beat, whip, chain up any of them. And it’s not okay to make them do tricks for profit.
Tom: The company which owns the circus, Feld Entertainment, pointed to shifting consumer preferences in their decision, saying it was in the best interest of our company, our elephants and our customers.
The show will continue to feature other animal performers including the tiger and lion acts. But by 2018, the elephants will have packed their trunks for retirement at the company’s conservation center in Florida.
That's it for headlines. Ok, coming up. A chart-topping single is at the center of a heated debate over copyright.
Now, Arielle's here now with a music controversy.
Arielle: Tom, they are decades apart, but some argue that their notes are closer than a coincidence. Take a listen.
That was Robin Thicke's hit collab with Pharrell "Blurred Lines." Now take a listen to this.
And that was Marvin Gaye's number one hit "Got to Give it Up" from 30 years ago.
Tom: Ok, pretty similar, right?
2 | P a g e Arielle: Well, it takes a courtroom to make that decision. Check it out.
“Blurred Lines,” the song by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke was called the song of the summer in 2013. It sold more than six million digital copies and was on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 12 weeks in a row. But it is also the center of a controversy.
Many thought the song sounded too similar to Marvin Gaye’s classic “Got to Give it Up" from 1977, and that Thicke and Williams ripped off Gaye's work.
Gaye’s family sued for copyright infringement.
A copyright gives artists and creators exclusive rights over their works, like songs or paintings with a few exceptions. It means that the work can't be used by others without the creator’s permission.
This week, the case was heard in a Los Angeles court. Pharrell Williams told the jury “Blurred Lines” did channel the feel of Marvin Gaye, but it is not a copy of his work.
Matthew Belloni: The argument is this, can you copyright a groove? The answer is basically no. So the question is, is there more compositional similarity between “Blurred Lines” and Marvin Gaye’s "Got to Give it Up" than just the groove, the feel of the song? That's what this case turns on.
Arielle: The trial has focused on the sheet music, the musical DNA, note by note, chord by chord. Expert witnesses, called musicologists, came to different conclusions about whether “Blurred Lines” is a copy. Robin Thicke says any similarities are simply coincidental.
But many are wondering about the origins of the song.
In 2013, in an interview with GQ magazine, Thicke said he told co-writer Pharrell Williams, quote "We should make something like that, something with that groove," referring to Gaye's “Got to Give it up.”
“Blurred Lines” has made more than 16 million dollars in profit. And Gaye's family is suing for 40 million in damages.
But even more importantly, this case could change the future of music, making artists a lot more careful when tiptoeing on other musician’s beats.
Belloni: There is going to be a floodgate opened of potential cases where every legacy
3 | P a g e artist is going to start looking at songs that have come out and say, “You know what, maybe we have a claim here.”
Arielle: And you know Tom, the court can make a decision as early as today.
Tom: We will be sure to keep an eye on that. Thanks Arielle.
Alright coming up, we are taking you on a ski lift to check out the Next Big Thing.
From the Midwest to the East Coast, much of the U.S. was covered in snow and ice this winter, which is good news for skiers. But before we hit the slopes with week's Next Big Thing, let's see what you thought about last week's.
We told you about shopping with a conscience by using apps that rate products and businesses on how well they treat the environment, human rights and social justice.
So, is it the Next Big Thing?
Fifty-two percent of you said yes, app-solutely. Forty-eight percent of you said no, power-down.
So before the winter comes to a close and all of that snow melts away, here are some gadgets that you may want to take up to the mountains for some slope side fun.
One way to stay plugged in is with Oakley's Airwave or Recon's Snow 2. Both goggles feature a heads up display, a small screen on the lower right that shows information like your speed, music, and even text messages. The goggles also have maps to show which trail you are on.
And check this out, wireless Bluetooth headphones, like the CHIPS®, let you take calls easily and listen to tunes while shredding downhill. Lift tickets are going high tech too. Now, some of them connect directly to an app that stores data. Kind of like a fitbit tracks how many steps you take.
Some goggles come with a built in GoPro, but those can be pricey. So if you don't want to spend that much, then get a waterproof iPhone case with a wide angle camera lens, attach the case to a fifty dollar chest mount, and you have got a good GoPro alternative.
So, are snow gadgets the Next Big Thing? Head on over to Channelone.com to vote.
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Remember to keep them coming at [email protected].
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