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Students: This is Ms. Boerstler’s AP art history class in Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Florida, and Channel One News starts right now! 

Keith: All right, Spanish River High, sending some art and sunshine from Boca Raton, Florida — and fellas, I appreciate the shoulder bump. Hey, guys, I am Keith Kocinski. We made it to Friday, so here we go.

First up, it is a conflict getting heated in the Middle East, one that could even lead to a full-out war. We are talking about Israel and Iran, who exchanged attacks this week in the most serious confrontation ever between the two enemy nations.

Israel says it was attacked from Iranian bases inside the country of Syria. Israel claims none of those missiles made it into its territory, but the country fired back at Iranian targets. The conflict comes just days after President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was supposed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Israel, which is an ally and friend of the U.S., rallied against the Iran agreement, but it is not clear how much this recent diplomatic shift plays into the conflict. What is clear is that Iran has been steadily building military bases in Syria as it supports the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, in his fight against rebels. Experts now worry these recent attacks could spill over into neighboring countries. 

Next up, it was a celebration yesterday as three Americans made it back on U.S. soil after being imprisoned in North Korea. The former prisoners raised their hands in celebration as they walked across the tarmac with President Trump after landing at Andrews Air Force Base.

President Donald Trump: These are great people. They've been through a lot.

Keith: The president first met Tony Kim, Kim Hak-song and Kim Dong Chul on board the plane. He thanked North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, for letting them go after more than a year in North Korean prisons. 

Why the Americans were put in prison is not clear; North Korea has been known to imprison Americans to use as a bargaining tool. Often they are accused of spying or hostile acts toward the government, even for things like spreading religion or American ideas.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea for nearly 70 years, isolating the country from the rest of the world and cracking down on anyone who speaks out against it or breaks the rules. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo helped secure the freedom of the U.S. citizens during a meeting with Kim Jong-un. 

Trump: This is a wonderful thing that he released the folks early. That was a big thing, very important to me, and I really think we have a very good chance of doing something very meaningful. 

Keith: President Trump is planning on meeting Kim Jong-un in a few weeks for peace talks. It will be the first time the U.S. has direct talks with North Korea since the 1950s. 

Next up, California is taking advantage of all its sunshine, becoming the first state to require solar panels on new homes. It is an effort to move away from burning fossil fuel, like coal or oil, and toward greener energy from the sun.

California is now requiring solar panels on all new homes and apartments starting in 2020. The Energy Commission estimates that the solar panel mandate will cost homeowners roughly $40 a month an average mortgage payment. But the commission also says people will also save roughly $80 a month on their utility bills.

But the cost of the solar panels will make homes more expensive — by about $10,000 — which may make it more difficult for low-income families to buy a home. But supporters say the new law isn't just about saving energy — it is about saving the environment through the use of renewable energy. 

And you just heard Words in the News: renewable energy. It is energy collected from sources that don't run out, such as sunlight, wind, rain and waves.  

And to check out one model who is using her star power to create solar power for those in need around the world, just head to . 

All right, coming up, it is a fast food problem as restaurants are hungry for teens, but the teens are nowhere to be found. 

Keith: All right, so when it comes to the economy lately, the news has been good. The stock market is up, companies are hiring, and lots of people have jobs — except a lot of people in your generation. And it is not for a lack of jobs out there; it is just that young people don't want them. Emily Reppert has more.

Emily: Yeah, Keith, you know, gigs that used to be considered entry-level, like flipping burgers or making sandwiches at fast food joints like this one, are no longer the go-to summer job for teens.

Nate Pollak: I can't even remember the last time we got a resume from an applicant that was under 25 years old.

Emily: Owner-operator of American Grilled Cheese Kitchen Nate Pollak says it is getting harder to hire employees of any age. 

Pollak: In 2013, when we published an ad on Craigslist or even a hospitality-specific job site, we got hundreds of resumes within two or three days. We're lucky to get 10.  

Emily: The reason, he says, in part: unemployment — the number of people who are looking for work. It is now down to 3.9 percent, the lowest level since the year 2000. 

Pollak: Plus, we have all these other alternative forms of employment that have come about for maybe lower-income, flexible workforce or blue-collar workers, which is the gig economy. 

Emily: The gig economy is a workforce made up of short-term contracts or freelance work rather than permanent jobs, like Uber, Lyft and even the Texas-based app Skratch that matches teens up with odd jobs that fit their schedule, like babysitting.  

Alec Barath: I would only do it on the weekends or in the summer. I never had time to, like, balance it with my school stuff.

Emily: But the number of teens with a job is still at the lowest level since the year 2000. Back then, 45 percent of teenagers age 16 through 19 worked. That has dropped to just 30 percent today. 

Michael Bernick: A lot of the fast food jobs have moved from youth to immigrant adults, who are, frankly, very good workers. 

Emily: In fact, 20 percent of fast food workers are born outside the U.S., but thanks to better offerings, some experts expect teen employment to rise too. 

Bernick: We're beginning to see employers both increasing wages and increasing other benefits. 

Emily: For example, McDonald’s recently announced it is expanding its tuition reimbursement program over the next five years to help employees pay for college.

Though when it comes to working just for the experience, Nate wonders if that is a thing of the past.

Pollak: Families that are affording to live here are not necessarily encouraging their kids to go get a job. They are maybe encouraging them to go learn to code or do extracurriculars to get into a better college.  

Emily: Emily Reppert, Channel One News.

Keith: All right, we have got D here with a great story to wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week. 

Demetrius: Now, we have been hearing how much you all love your teachers, but they are not the only ones that keep the schools running. Check out this Feel-Good Friday story about a school janitor who has lived a life out of this world.

Here we are, just two seconds into this story, and, if you are like most people, you have already made some assumptions about the star of this story, Maury Forrester. But the students here at Coulter Grove Intermediate School near Knoxville, Tennessee, say be careful of first impressions.

Abe Hayes: You never know what people have done. 

Alexis Nunley: I was surprised. 

Avery Kumes: It makes you wonder, like, how did he get here?  

Demetrius: Seventy-seven-year-old Maury Forrester was part of the team that helped put a man on the moon. During the 1960s and 70s, he worked for a company that designed crucial launch components.

Maury Forrester: I look at it now, I'm amazed that it happened. It was so complex and so involved, and there were so many people.

Demetrius: His certificates and awards could fill an office, yet here he is in the broom closet, a highly trained electromechanical designer on the business end of a mop. In 2014 Maury suffered something like a stroke, which caused him to lose many of his everyday brain functions. But he knew that if he wanted to keep living, he would have to keep working.

Forrester: I've gotten to care very much for them.

Demetrius: And this new job gives him some love and appreciation he didn't feel before.  

Forrester: I can't say that I would give this up.

Demetrius: Some people never figure out the key to a successful career, but Maury shows it is not rocket science.

Demetrius Pipkin, Channel One News.

Keith: What a cool and humble dude.

Well, that is going to do it for us today. But as we wrap up the week, we have some more awesome shout-outs to your teachers. Have a great weekend, guys.

Students: This is … seventh-grade social studies class from Miller, South Dakota. And we want to thank Mrs. Rembold for being the best math teacher ever.

Student: I would love to thank my teacher Mrs. Wilson. She makes me feel so loved and accepted, and her classroom is really a place where I can go and I know that I can be myself.

Student: I’d like to shout-out Ms. Hammond, Ms. Meadows and Ms. DaVita for always being a nice teacher and putting a smile on my face.

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