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CARL AZUZ: We're traveling the world to report today's news.
And we're happy to have you along for the ride.
I'm Carl Azuz.
First story takes US to Europe, where
the United States is deploying 3,000
more servicemen and women.
They're headed to Germany, Poland, and Romania.
And the American military says additional troops
could be on the way.
This is designed to send a signal
that the US is prepared to defend its allies in Europe.
More than two dozen countries on that continent
are members of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
It was formed in 1949 as a guard against the Soviet Union.
The United States is also a member
and NATO's biggest contributor.
And NATO's concerned that Russia may soon try to invade Ukraine.
Russia's positioned more than 100,000 troops
near its Western border with Ukraine.
NATO operates on the principle of collective defense.
An attack on one country is an attack on all of them.
But Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Some Ukrainians want their country to be.
Others want closer ties to Russia.
One thing Russia wants is a promise that Ukraine
won't become part of NATO.
Russia is trying to keep European influence
at a distance.
But the US and European allies have not promised that.
Will American troops get involved if Russia invades?
US President Joe Biden has said, no.
And the Pentagon says, the thousands
of American forces headed to the region
now would not be fighting in Ukraine.
But they'll be there to assure America's other allies
in the region that the US supports them,
if Russia were to consider crossing other borders,
for instance.
Russia has said it has no plans to invade Ukraine.
And some Ukrainians near their country's Eastern border
don't seem too worried.
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CLARISSA WARD: This is Ukraine's first line of defense
if Russia decides to invade.
And it is basic, half a dozen soldiers
in snow covered trenches, no sign of heavy weapons.
Russian backed separatists are just half a mile away.
[non-english speech]
CLARISSA WARD: He's that every night, there's fighting,
once it gets dark.
These front lines have been frozen for years.
A Russian offensive would change that in an instant.
But the alarm in Washington is not shared here.
What's amazing to see is that despite the buildup of tanks
and heavy weaponry on the Russian side
of the border, which is less than 20 miles from here.
Here, on the Ukrainian side, there's
no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.
The Sergeant here asked we not give his name.
He says he doesn't expect conflict.
But he is prepared.
- [non-english speech]
CLARISSA WARD: Our commanders told us that we must be alert,
he tells us.
We are ready to meet guests from Russia.
CLARISSA WARD: What kind of weapons
do you have at this position?
Do you have any heavy weaponry?
I don't see any.
But I just want to make sure.
- [non-english speech]
CLARISSA WARD: You don't need to see.
And the enemy doesn't need to see, he says.
But we have everything.
What they don't have here are many layers of defense.
Driving from the front, we see just a handful of checkpoints.
If the Ukrainian army can't hold this area,
Russian forces could reach Mariupol, a port city
of half a million, in hours.
Despite the threat, life here goes on much as normal.
At the local market, stalls are open.
And the shelves are full.
I'd love to know if you think that there will be a war.
[non-english speech]
- We don't want war.
We have children and grandchildren, Natalya says.
And there won't be war.
We believe that.
Some, like Arjan, say that America
is exaggerating the threat.
- [non-english speech]
CLARISSA WARD: No, there will not be a war, he says.
It's only Biden who thinks this.
It's interesting talking to people here.
Nobody seems to be remotely concerned about the prospect
of an imminent invasion.
These people are no strangers to war.
All around Mariupol, the hollowed
out remnants of villages destroyed and abandoned
by fighting between Ukrainian forces
and pro-Russian separatists.
But whether moved by denial or disbelief,
these soldiers and the people they're protecting
don't expect history to repeat itself.
For now, they wait, and they watch.
And they hope.
The US has been sending a steady stream of weapons to Ukraine,
including those much coveted javelin
missiles, anti-tank missiles.
But under the rules of the current cease fire,
even though it's being broken on a regular basis,
neither side is allowed to bring heavy weaponry down
to the front line.
So those javelins cannot go to the front lines.
And that could potentially be a big problem
for Ukrainian forces in those areas,
if Russia launches some type of lightning offensive.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
CARL AZUZ: More Americans quit their jobs in 2021 than in
any other year ever recorded.
This is according to new data from the US Labor Department.
47.4 million people left their jobs, voluntarily, meaning
they weren't fired or laid off.
They just chose to leave.
This doesn't mean they all stopped working.
Millions took new jobs that paid more
or offered better benefits.
But employers still had trouble filling available positions.
This graphic shows the number of job openings
in America over the past 10 years and how available jobs
skyrocketed in 2021.
Among those who quit without getting new jobs, some retired.
Many had trouble finding child care
and quit to be with their kids.
Experts say some were concerned about catching COVID,
while others refused the vaccine that some employers required.
All of this pressured businesses to up their efforts
to attract employees.
10 second trivia.
Where would you find Point Nemo.
Great Barrier Reef, Remote South Pacific, Key West
Florida, or Bali, Indonesia?
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Point Nemo is an area in the South Pacific
that's the farthest location from land.
That's why more than 260 pieces of discarded space equipment
have been sent to and sunk near Point Nemo.
And the International Space Station will probably
be headed there in 2030.
That's when NASA plans to stop operating
the orbiting laboratory.
It costs billions of each year to maintain.
And the US Space Agency has been pushing for more
private investment in the ISS.
NASA expects commercial stations will eventually replace it.
And Russia plans to leave the international project in 2025.
So the ISS is scheduled to crash into the ocean in early 2031.
The US covered 2/3 the total cost of the ISS.
And critics have said it hasn't been
worth the investment, in terms of scientific discoveries.
- It's the most expensive object ever built,
costing over $100 billion.
And it's a true marvel of engineering.
So what do we have to show for it?
First of all, we have the station itself.
Astronauts help put the floating laboratory together,
250 miles above Earth.
And it was a monumental task, seeing
as it weighs in at nearly a million pounds
and has the same livable space as a six bedroom house.
And Bob Cabana literally turned the lights on.
ROBERT CABANA: We actually open the doors to the Space Station,
powered up the computers, and turned on the lights
for the first time.
And that was a pretty amazing mission.
I will never forget that.
- It took over 40 rocket launches to build this thing.
The first piece was sent up in 1998.
But it wasn't deemed complete until 2011.
It's been occupied since 2000.
[music playing]
ROBERT CABANA: The International Space
Station, it's an international cooperative effort.
And I think this is the way that, when we leave planet
Earth, when we go exploring, it's
set the model for how we're going
to explore beyond planet Earth.
We've got the United States, Russia,
Canada, Japan, the European Space
Agency and all its partners.
And we are working together up there.
- Congress declared the US portion
of ISS and National Laboratory.
Crew members spend about 35 hours per week
conducting research, which has led to a critical understanding
of how the human body reacts to a microgravity environment
and has also helped in the development of vaccines
against pathogens, like salmonella, and developing
drugs to combat osteoporosis.
But the overarching goal of the station is much greater.
ROBERT CABANA: Our goal right now, at NASA,
is to put boots on Mars.
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CARL AZUZ: You know those cardboard cutouts of sports
fans at pro games in 2020?
Well, this happened recently at a town green in Connecticut.
Penguins are not Indigenous to Connecticut.
This was the idea of a local artist, who wanted
to bring smiles to residents.
And judging by their reactions, mission accomplished.
- I think it's absolutely fabulous that we live in a town
where someone cares enough to take the time
and energy to spread joy.
CARL AZUZ: People were getting penguin-into it.
They marched from all over to see it.
Of course, this was a Guilford, not Gotham.
So Batman wasn't around.
But while I'm being flippant, fans thought
a great idea had been hatched.
And even if it doesn't take flight to other places,
people still found it Antartistic.
We've got Conrad Weiser area school district watching today.
It's great to see you in Robesonia, Pennsylvania.
I'm Carl Azuz.
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