After a Winter Break, Congress Is Back in Session Today. but Things Are Looking a Little

Maggie: Hey everyone it is Tuesday, January 6th. I am Maggie Rulli and Channel One News starts right now. After a winter break, Congress is back in session today. But things are looking a little bit different. For the first time in President Obama’s presidency, Republicans control both the House and the Senate. As Scott Evans explains, this might lead to clashes over energy, healthcare, and the size of government. Scott: A new year means new strategy for President Obama as experts say he is going to push to use his executive power even more. Douglas Brinkley: Barack Obama is an executive power president, free from the straight jacket of a midterm election, ready to make the most out of his last two years in office. Scott: The president says he wants to work with the new Republican Congress on big issues like taxes, trade, and fixing America’s crumbling roads and bridges. But the president has been going his own way the last few months, with executive actions on immigration, Cuba, and climate change for example. And that suggests cooperating with congress may be unlikely. Republicans, who now have their largest majority in the House of Representatives since the 1920s, say they plan to act quickly on things like the Keystone oil pipeline, immigration, and changing or even getting rid of the Affordable Care Act. That’s the healthcare law known as Obamacare. Marsha Blackburn: The president is going to have to decide to come work with us. Scott: Republican leaders say they plan to pass legislation, and dare the president to use his veto power. In six years the president has only vetoed two bills, far fewer than any other president in modern history. But he recently suggested that could change. Obama: If Republicans seek to take health care away from people who just got it, they will meet stiff resistance from me.

Scott: Scott Evans, Channel One News.

Maggie: Alright coming up, we are going to run down the rest of today’s top stories, including an ancient discovery thousands of years in the making. Let’s see what else is making headlines today. Investigators in Indonesia are one step closer to finding out what happened to the AirAsia flight which crashed nine days ago. Crews recovered more wreckage yesterday from AirAsia flight 8501. Officials say they may have found the tail of the crashed jetliner. And that’s where the plane's black boxes, which record information about the flight, are located.

1 | P a g e Sonar has identified five large pieces on the ocean floor, but strong currents are keeping search and rescue teams from getting closer. The U.S. military has been helping in the search. Daniel Clark: We can find things as small as a golf ball, or, of course, something as big as an airplane. Flight 8501 was flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on December, 28 when the plane lost contact with air traffic. 162 people were on board. Indonesia's weather service says seasonal storms could have been a “triggering factor” in the crash. Investigators have suspended airport officials who allowed the flight to take off without proper permits. The crackdown may bring little comfort to mourning families who want to know how their loved ones died, and give them a proper burial. Next up, it is an intriguing and awesome find. Archeologists discovered the tomb of an unknown queen in Egypt dating back thousands of years. And the tomb is believed to belong to the wife of Pharaoh Neferefre, who ruled Egypt 4,500 years ago. It was found in Neferefre’s funeral compound south of Cairo, Egypt, and is believed to be his wife because of the inscription found. The discovery is an important one because it will shed light on the fifth dynasty of rulers of Egypt who were around during the construction of the very first pyramids. To learn more about ancient Egyptian kings and queens, just head on over to ChannelOne.com Alright coming up, Keith Kocinski is in Southeast Asia to learn how one region turned tragedy into opportunity. Keith: Ten years ago an earthquake and tsunami devastated Northwest Indonesia. Today we tell you how communities have rebuilt and how they are preparing for the next disaster. Umar bin Abdul Aziz: From 270, to just about 75 students remain in the school at that time. Keith: This is the sad truth of what the tsunami swept away on December 26th, 2004 after the massive wall of water barreled through Banda Aceh in Indonesia. Nearly 170 thousand people died in just Banda Aceh alone. But from the devastation came an opportunity to rebuild and heal. Not just the wounds of a natural disaster, but from the scars of a manmade one too.

2 | P a g e Umar: Somehow we feel blessed because the tsunami functioned as a turning point for the Acehnese, bringing the Acehnese to become stronger. But the tsunami also contributed to the ending of the long decade conflict in Aceh. Keith: In 2004, three decades of civil war had torn apart the province of Aceh. But just eight months after the tsunami hit, the government and the rebels it had been fighting, agreed to peace, and began turning over their weapons. And the billions in aid that poured into the region from around the world allowed Aceh to "build back better." Umar, a Unicef staff member leading the rebuilding in Aceh, took me back to the school that lost nearly three-fourths of its students. It is now primary school number one, meaning the first school reconstructed by Unicef. This is one of over three hundred schools that were built by Unicef following the tsunami. It is a child friendly school and it is one that can even withstand some of the strongest earthquakes. Here students are at work, reciting prayers, and having fun. There are two thousand more schools in Aceh today than there were before the tsunami. This school was just one of the many things “built back better” in Aceh. Right now we are on a two- lane highway in Aceh. It is one of the many examples of the new and improved roads that were built following the tsunami. Before the tsunami, roads were crumbling, water was polluted, and diseases were taking the lives of many in this area. But today one hundred- thousand people now have clean water, thanks to a new water treatment facility. And malaria, a deadly disease spread by mosquitos, has been almost completely wiped out. And now, they are also better prepared for disasters. Before 2004, there were no tsunami warning systems in the Indian Ocean. Now scientists track tides at most ports and harbors in the world, along with deep water monitors that alert scientists on land of tsunami dangers; giving those on the ground more time to evacuate. And the people are also running drills. So when that siren goes off, what does that mean? Ahmad Husein: That means that everybody should go to the safer place. Keith: These young people are leading a disaster preparedness drill in their village. The goal is to practice how to safely get to higher ground in case of a disaster. For the people in this village who may have lost loved ones in the 2004 disaster, this drill is more than just a performance. It is their reality.

3 | P a g e Cutlisa Maulita: I take part in this drill so that the children and other people can be informed and get an understanding that this is really important for them in case something happens. Keith: Are you afraid of another tsunami? Cutlisa: Yes of course, I’m still afraid. But through the drill and things like this, it reduces my feelings because now I’m more confident about how I can prepare better. Keith: But with all the success stories, come people struggling to regain their lives. Even ten years after the tsunami, some say change starts with the Indonesian government. Rudianto: There is still a lot of work because the government needs to incorporate the knowledge and initiatives and policies, and determine what we need to handle the disaster better. Keith: And village leaders say they practice emergency preparedness drills a couple times a year as more than just a reminder. Amad: This drill unites them. Keith: So this drill unites this community? Ahmad: This community, yeah. Keith: Uniting a community who is determined to make the future better. Rudianto: It’s something I never dreamed before. Now the city is back to normal and it is a beautiful city. The social culture here is much better. The tsunami was not good. It was a disaster. It was very sad. But what is good is the humanity of people around the world. That humanity is what ties us together. Keith Kocinski, Channel One News. Maggie: Thanks, Keith. And if you want to learn more about Indonesia, just head on over to ChannelOne.com. Alright guys, that is going to do it for us. I am Maggie Rulli and we cannot wait to see you tomorrow.

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