Students: Good Morning, We're Coach Fitz's First-Period U.S. Government Class from Columbia

Students: Good morning, we're Coach Fitz's first-period U.S. government class from Columbia High School in Columbia, Mississippi, and Channel One News starts right now!

Keith: Thanks to Columbia High School for kicking us off today. First up, a long-awaited announcement from President-elect Donald Trump: He revealed his pick for America's top foreign diplomat, secretary of state.

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted out the news; he wants Rex Tillerson to be his secretary of state, calling him one of the truly great business leaders of the world. The job of secretary of state is to carry out the president's foreign policies and manage relationships with foreign governments.

Tillerson has no foreign policy experience, but as CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson has negotiated deals with governments around the world. He was responsible for drilling agreements with Russia in the 1990s, and Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded him a Russian Order of Friendship in 2013.

Tillerson and Putin have known each other for 15 years. ExxonMobil has billions of dollars of deals in Russia that have been put on hold because of U.S. sanctions. Those are trade restrictions meant to punish Russia for taking over land in Ukraine.

The incoming Trump administration views Tillerson's relationship with Russia as an advantage. But he also has to be approved by the Senate, and several senators, including John McCain, have said they have concerns about Tillerson's ties with Russia.

President-elect Trump also got some other visitors to Trump Towers yesterday. Tech billionaire Bill Gates stopped by to talk innovation, and rapper Kanye West stopped by for a visit — apparently to just talk about life.

Donald Trump: Just friends, just friends, and he’s a good man.

Keith: Next, we move to the country of Syria. The battle for the city of Aleppo is over, that is, according to Russian officials speaking to the United Nations. But as the final standoff took place, the United Nations didn’t spare any words, calling it a “complete meltdown of humanity.”

The rebels fighting the government of Syria and President Bashar al-Assad were outnumbered and outgunned. In the final stages, the United Nations received reports of pro-Syrian forces killing unarmed civilians — some women and children.

1 | P a g e Rupert Colville: We have the names of 82 people who have been killed in this way, apparently, including 11 women and 13 children.

Keith: Human rights groups said anyone sympathizing with the rebel groups was being gunned down. Young people took to Twitter to post a final plea of help.

Video: This may be my last video. More than 50,000 of civilians who rebelled against the dictator al-Assad are threatened with field executions or dying under bombing.

Keith: It prompted an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting to address the situation. There are reports that more civilians will be evacuated today and that a complete cease-fire is in place, with humanitarian relief on the way. The United Nations is working to confirm that.

It is definitely a situation President-elect Trump will have to deal with. Speaking of that, we are less than a week away before the Electoral College officially casts its vote for president. Yesterday, we told you how some people want to change the process.

We asked you: Should the U.S. get rid of the Electoral College system? And you guys were split right down the middle with a 50/50 split.

Scott says, “The only reason this is being brought up is because Hillary supporters are hurt she didn't win. If she won, this wouldn't be discussed right now.”

Cory says, “The Electoral College gives small states a voice.”

But Connie says, “No! All votes should count the same, no matter where they are cast.”

And Tucker said, “It may not be the most useful way to elect our leaders, but it's the best option we have.”

The election was definitely one of the top stories of the year, but what do you think were some of the other big stories of 2016? Go ahead and vote on ChannelOne.com, and we will have the results and wrap up the year on Friday's show.

All right, coming up, say goodbye to your smartphone as schools start cracking down.

Keith: Today is the 4-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, which left 20 students and six teachers dead. Emily is here with a reminder of how some are working to keep another tragedy like this from happening again.

2 | P a g e Emily: Yeah, Keith. Some of the victims’ families released a new public service announcement to show how gun violence can be prevented if you look out for the signs, which might be right there in front of us. It is a disturbing story, meant to shock you into paying attention. Take a look.

The video is called “Evan.” We see Evan and a girl writing notes to one another, but while we are watching romance blossom, what we also see — but don't notice — is another boy being bullied, posting a selfie on social media with a gun and the message “See you at school” and plotting in the background on a computer. Finally, just as the couple discover each other, the unthinkable:

Nicole Hockley's 6-year-old son, Dylan, was one of 20 children and six adults killed during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. She is the founder of Sandy Hook Promise, which produced the video.

Nicole Hockley: The purpose of the video is actually to raise awareness that the signs of violence and gun violence are often right in front of us, but because we are not trained on how to recognize them, we don't. But once we know what to do, then we can take action and help people.

Emily: The video ends with a message saying, "While you were watching ‘Evan,’ another student was showing signs of planning a shooting.” Hockley says she hopes it will be a learning tool for parents, teachers and students.

Hockley: I think it is a great conversation for parents to have with their kids around the signs because their kids are seeing things, especially on social media, that the adults are not, so this is an awesome opportunity for a conversation.

Emily: Emily Reppert, Channel One News.

Keith: Next up, a story about how some schools are cutting off students’ tech. A lawmaker in Arkansas proposed a bill to ban smartphones and other personal devices at all public schools. Azia Celestino explains.

Abby Boyd: Teachers make us have a bucket, and we put our phones in the bucket.

Azia: Abby Boyd is a seventh-grader in Fayetteville, Arkansas, who doesn't think she should have to give up her phone in school.

Abby: No one uses their phone in class, normally, so it`s not a distraction, anyway.

3 | P a g e Azia: But an Arkansas lawmaker is proposing a ban on smartphones and other personal electronic devices at all public schools in the state. Students would turn in devices at the beginning of the school day and pick them up at the end. School districts in New York, Los Angeles and other big cities have placed similar bans in classrooms in the past.

A study from Louisiana State University and the University of Texas found that keeping smartphones out of the classroom could help students learn. Researchers found that schools that implemented cellphone bans saw student test scores go up by as much as 6 percent.

Representative Kim Hendren: Cellphones and these media are a great tool if they are properly used, as like anything else in life.

Azia: Representative Kim Hendren, who proposed the ban, says leaving it up to each school district administration to come up with smartphone policies isn't working, and he says smartphones can be a distraction in the classroom.

Hendren: So this is just a step in the, I hope, in the direction to make our education more effective.

Azia: Fort Smith School District Superintendent Gordon Floyd says digital comes with challenges, but it is how this generation learns, and he can see the benefits of that.

Gordon Floyd: Schools have to balance the problems that come when students bring electronic devices to school with the benefits that they get by using those devices to learn.

Abby: Students use their phone to use research for school. They also use their phone to talk to their parents in case of an emergency, like they need to go home, or their parents have an emergency, can`t get to the office immediately.

Azia: Azia Celestino, Channel One News.

All right, coming up, we put some pep in your step with some really cool sneaker tech.

4 | P a g e Keith: Time to get your geek on, and if you are a sneakerhead, you might be asking for a new pair this year. They are definitely not cheap, with shoemakers charging big prices for the latest designs, but are those expensive sneaks really any better? Well, Demetrius Pipkin checks out the killer kicks technology.

Demetrius: At the Portland, Oregon, headquarters of sportswear maker Adidas, footwear developers are using motion-capture technology to design its latest shoes.

Developer: The blue kind of represents areas that aren’t stretching as much.

Demetrius: It is called ARAMIS technology. NASA has used it to measure stress on space shuttles. So here they look at how materials stretch on the foot while it is in motion.

Andy Barr: We’re using it to map the body from head to toe.

Demetrius: Manufacturers show off their latest innovations, with prices to match — some shoes sell for upwards of $300. But are they worth it?

Professor John Mercer: The way your shoe performs is probably not related to the price of the shoe.

Demetrius: University of Nevada biomechanics professor John Mercer studies athletic shoes.

Mercer: The problem with the shoe industry is everyone needs a little different shoe.

Demetrius: At Mercer's lab in Las Vegas, he has analyzed dozens of shoe brands and styles.

Mercer: Don't be brand loyal, and don’t be model loyal. That means you've got to be open to trying different types of shoes to figure out what is going to work for you.

Demetrius: He recommends taking shoes for a test run, and if you're a serious athlete, maybe have an expert analyze your running style.

Demetrius Pipkin, Channel One News.

Keith: Pretty cool kicks, D.

Okay, we are stepping out, but we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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