join us next for "teen kids news." here's a look at what we're reporting on this week. forget the movies, i'll take you inside the real headquarters of the cia. >> i'll tell about a special program that helps kids who are legally blind to keep their goals in sight.

>> find out why some people are wild about rugby! >> grab your tape. we have the biggest comic book in the world. >> coming up, an interview with a grammy award-winning musician. >> and there's more, just ahead on "teen kids news." >> hi, i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. we'll start with headlines from around the world. ed the two american journalists are home safely. laura ling and euna lee were arrested in march when they illegally entered the communist country. after months of negotiations, the women have been pardoned and released by the north korean government. they returned stateside with former president bill clinton, who was in north korea to

arrange their release. >> we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea. and we are so happy to be home. >> meanwhile, his wife, secretary of state hillary clinton is working to free three american hikers arrested in iran. officials believe the three went on a hike along the iraqi/iranian border and didn't realize they had crossed over. >> we are concerned. we want the matter to be brought to resolution as soon as possible. >> an australian family and their dog were reunited after nine long years apart. what is that in dog years?! muffy the dog went missing outside her home in brisbane. last month, she was found over 1,000 miles away. it was the microchip inserted in muffy's neck that helped officials identify her owners. for "teen kids news," i'm hannah. >> ever wonder what it would be like to be an undercover agent like james bond? lauren went to visit the cia to find out if real life is anything like the movies.

>> i would like to be a spy for the cia. >> do like cool stuff, spy stuff. why not? >> i don't know, something you think about when you, like, see the movies. you're like, "ooh, i want to do that!" >> if i didn't get shot at, yes. otherwise, um, i don't know. >> you fight crime, you just be like undercover. >> sounds fun and exciting. >> i want to help support like, my country and become a spy. >> the central intelligence agency, known as the cia, is a government agency that gathers information about things going on all over the world. they call this information "intelligence." the agency analyzes the "intelligence" and then gives it to the president and other top officials so they can decide what to do. i got the opportunity to visit the cia headquarters in langley, virginia. there i met with marie harf, who gave me a tour of the building.

>> we are the nation's first line of defense. we go where others cannot go. we do things that other agencies cannot do. we are tasked with collecting intelligence about issues that are of the most importance to natural security. >> what is intelligence in terms of the cia? >> that's a good question. there are a lot of different kinds of intelligence. there is human intelligence, which is what our national clandestine service does. >> clandestine means secret. >> they collect intelligence from human beings, things that only other human beings can tell you. that's sort of what our, quote, spies do. there's also signal's intelligence, open source intelligence. >> cia agents gather open source intelligence from newspapers and other public sources, as opposed to secret sources. this intelligence gathering is not exactly like the fast paced action you see in movies. most cia agents lead normal lives. >> for the majority of agency officers, life is not dangerous.

it's really not. it's not "james bond," evading people with your car and shooting people. it's really not like that at all, but we do some critical work in some of the most critical hotspots of the world. we do. >> but there are a few similarities between real life spies and the ones you see in movies. >> well, we do have a lot of people who work undercover, who, uh, you don't know they work for the agency, their friends don't know, often family members don't know. we call them covert. so, i guess that's sort of like "james bond." although, everybody knows "james bond." >> to protect the identities of those covert agents, we were not allowed to tape any of the people who work here. that's why you are seeing a lot of video of marie and me walking around. if working at the cia sounds like something you're interested in, listen up. >> we have a whole variety of different careers and services

and things you can do to use your talents to help with our mission. not just being an undercover agent, but of course we have positions for those people as well. >> and marie has a few suggestions for those of you who would like to get involved. >> if you are interested in a certain part of the world, learn about it, be curious, read books and newspapers and watch the news. and try and learn a foreign language, if you're interested in foreign language. but if you want a job in the spotlight, this might not be the place for you. the cia's missio to gather information, not to make headlines. i'm lauren for "teen kids news." >> the giant sequoia trees in california are in danger. because of hotter, drier weather, their roots aren't getting enough water. another problem is that the wildfire season is getting longer. experts say forest managers have to come up with a way to keep the trees alive as the climate changes. >> when it comes to technology, some kids have a special touch. >> we'll have their story, next. .

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there's a program that teaches kids basic computer skills, like typing and surfing the web. but as felipe reports, there's more here than meets the eye. >> seems like your typical computer class, right? but all these kids are actually legally blind. here at the jewish guild for the blind, a special saturday computer workshop is available to students who are visually impaired. >> the goal of this program is to make students more independent as far as doing research, preparing their own documents for school and also some fun with the assisted technology -- being able to access some sort of games on the internet. >> you may be wondering how these students are able to see anything at all. it turns out there's more to

blindness than what you may have thought. >> my vision is not that good, it's fairly decent, like something to you that seems clear might not be so clear for me. >> people who are totally blind are actually a very, very small group. only about 4% or 5% of the legally blind are totally blind. >> that means there are a lot of people who can get by with poor vision, as long as they get some help. that's where this program comes in. it relies heavily on new technologies that are now available. >> this is a cctv, closed caption television, and it basically has a camera underneath that magnifies the information to this flat screen monitor up here. >> when i research on the internet, i make everything bigger so it won't be too small and i can see everything fine. >> and that's just some of the tech that enables these kids to keep up in a world increasingly dependent on computers. >> i learned more about how to navigate the computer and go online, and that helped me with

school and papers and homework. >> steven is a perfect example of just how successful this program can be. what we teach here is basic. he went and moved onto advanced and he was able to use that adaptive technology to apply to all these colleges where he has now been accepted to harvard. >> steve refuses to see blindness as a barrier. he's quick to point out that new york's current governor, david paterson, is legally blind. >> oh my god, i'm so excited that we have a blind governor in new york! i think that's great because, yorlg i don't know, the world needs to realize that blind people are -- are, i don't know, are smart. we're not blind and can't do anything, you know. so, i'm excited. >> this technology is expensive. much of it is paid for by generous donations and grants. you can learn more about the center for workplace technology. follow the links on our website teenkidsnews.com.

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>> tired of playing the same sports with friends? why not try rugby? as tyler reports, it's a fast growing sport that a lot of kids are getting a kick out of. >> play rugby usa is an after-school program founded by mark griffin. he's had an interesting career before starting the program. >> yeah, it's been a bit of a muddle. i played semi-professionally in england for a team over there until 1999, then actually came over here with a bank at the time. and spent the last seven or so

years -- yeah, the next seven or so years over here banking. >> in 2006, mark decided to retire from banking. he started up the play rugby program fulltime to give kids in the u.s. an opportunity to play the game he loves so much. >> the number one thing is it's fun. and i think, again, 'cause it's new, it's a level playing field. so, everybody has a place on the team. so, it's fun and it's all inclusive. and i think they're the most important things. but those lead to the kids really getting engaged in the program and really, really working. teamwork, discipline, is a big part of rugby. >> for those of you unfamiliar with the rules of rugby, it's actually quite simple. here's what you need to know. first, the rugby game is played on a field called a "pitch" with two h-shaped goal posts on opposite ends. the object of the game is to get the ball to your end zone and score a touchdown, or in rugby terms a "try." so far, pretty much like football. and just like football, the game begins with a kickoff. now here's where it gets interesting. once the ball hits the ground, there's no stopping. not even when a player drops it.

the ball can be passed, but only backward or side to side. once a player is tackled they must release the ball, but don't worry, these kids are using flags instead of tackling. >> safety. safety's number one with anything when you're dealing with kids. >> we play with flags and the flags are used so instead of tackling somebody, you just pull their flag and call flag, and that will stop the play. >> like you can't spin, you can't grab shirts, you can't -- you can't really dive. and the refs just try to keep it less intense than it should be. >> and don't think rugby is just a boys' sport. >> they take advantage because we're girls, they think we don't know to play. but we do know how to play. >> she has never come home with a bruise, or you know, any complaints. she's actually called the beast and she enjoys the name for the sport. >> in 2008, play rugby usa hosted new york's first ever mayor's cup tournament. >> it's really a sort of

historic moment, i think, to have a city-wide youth rugby tournament. it's the first one of those. it's the first mayor's cup, and all these kids here are making it happen today. >> of course, there's nothing like the thrill of winning. just ask coach grozav. >> it was excellent for the kids. we had a long train ride over here, which took us about two hours to get here. so, this -- this is for them. it was great for them. >> could rugby take off in america like soccer has? that's what mark hopes. >> and that's where i think rugby wants to position itself as a participation sport. and if it could do what soccer did after the '94 world cup and the growth in soccer, i think, i don't what the percentage is, but there are a lot of kids playing soccer at an early age. and that's what we'd like to try and replicate with rugby. >> to find out more about play rugby usa and how you can get involved in the program. follow the links at our website, teenkidsnews.com. jessica? >> next -- a convention filled with super heroes, dark tales and more.

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visit... german biologists have discovered the oldest species of ant on the planet. they live in the amazon rainforest. their "ant-cesters" date back 120 million years. >> nicole joins us now with a report on a really passionate group of people. nicole? >> jessica, these folks are obsessed with comics. you might say they're "drawn" to a gathering to celebrate their beloved craft. it's early morning in san diego and already eager fans are flocking to the convention center. when the signal is finally given, the doors swing out and the fans pour in. over the next four days, 130,000 people, almost twice the number that attend the super bowl will come to the comic con.

>> we're here at the san diego comic book convention, the biggest convention of all comic book conventions in the world. >> i just love how much variety there is. there's so many comics, like dc, marvel. you've got anime. you got your random little comics from the web, just stuff like that. it's cool. >> it grew out of a fan group 30 years ago in san diego to kind of celebrate comics. and slowly over the years, you know, hollywood has picked up on it, video games has picked up on it. >> if i say "star wars," you say? >> "bottle rocket!" >> and now it's a gathering place of all things pop culture, whether it be comic books, movies, video games. every sort of thing you might have a cult following, science fiction, it's all here at the san diego comic con. >> and it's all packed into a gigantic exhibit hall that's longer than six football fields. >> it's huge. this is the second time that

i've been here and i'm just amazed by the sheer number of people who show up at this thing. it's just incredible. >> it's pretty cool. there's a lot of different stuff here to see, like sculptures you can see and a lot of new stuff you can see before it's in stores. so, it's pretty cool. >> okay, 1-2-3 -- >> one of the big attractions is taking pictures. >> you get to meet people. you just go up to them, you take a bunch of pictures with them and stuff. like chewbacca and -- and, yeah, it's really exciting. >> artists are on hand to show their work and to sign autographs. the comic con has it all. posters and t-shirts and wares. oh my! >> comic con is the best day of my life.

>> they are created all over the world by people from very different cultures, but the language of comics is universal. >> here's a heartwarming story about a dog named max. he's an airedale terrier who got separated from his owner while they were 45 miles from their home in rhode island. unable to find max, the man was broken hearted. then three weeks later, the owner returned home from work to find max waiting in the backyard. no one has any idea how max found his way back. but he did.

announcer: every child needs good nutrition and physical activity. atta boy, pinocch. visit mypyramid.gov to learn more. as a musician, she's worked with today's hottest artists. jay-z, john legend and kanye west. yet, it's what she plays that makes her so hip. sam has a front row seat for this artist's concert at the world famous apollo theater in new york city.

>> ladies and gentleman, you are in for something else. please welcome miri ben-ari! ♪ >> the beautiful sound of a classical instrument combined with the infectious beat of hip-hop. that's the sound of violinist miri ben-ari. >> sure, she's headlining concerts now, but miri has come a long way to get to this point. she was born in israel where she was introduced to music at a very young age. >> you know, my mother actually gave me the violin, when i was 5 years old and i liked it. as a young student, playing the violin just seemed to click. >> people called her a child prodigy. she was that good.

>> i was in a classical bubble. my parents didn't even introduce any other type of music to me. >> so how does a classically trained artist become the hip hop violinist? >> i knew i liked violin, i liked music and i didn't want to play classical music. i wanted to play music that i liked. the music that i wanted to play. and then i discovered jazz music, and then i discovered soul music, then i discovered hip hop music, r&b music, soul music. and i fell in love. >> after serving in the israeli army, something all israelis have to do, miri moved to new york to pursue her dream. that's where her career really began to harmonize. >> i actually started my hip hop journey right here at the apollo. ♪ i fell in love with the apollo

audience and with the hip hop artists and with the community and the vibe and the realness that was in it. and i decided, right here, actually a few years ago, that i wanted to do something different with my music. and wyclef jean titled me as the hip hop violinist. ♪ >> she certainly made an impact. her single, "symphony of brotherhood," reached number two on the billboard r&b/hip hop charts. making history as the only instrumental song ever to do this! part of what makes this song so unique is the famous speech miri weaves in between the violin solos. ♪ >> i am featuring the greatest, martin luther king jr., and "i have a dream" words.

it's just so big and legendary and it inspires so many people including myself. >> she is as much an activist as she is a musician. >> i think that being an artist gives you the stage and the opportunity to promote a message. >> miri started the gedenk movement to promote awareness and education about the holocaust. >> the holocaust happened to people like us. please visit gedenkmovement.org. i am a third generation holocaust survivor. so, it's very personal message and fight to me. besides the fight against racism is a very universal fight and it makes the world really, really small. >> whether she's speaking up for what she believes in or making it in the hip hop world, it seems miri has never been afraid to be different. >> anything that we do in life, there's always more than one approach to things. and i like being creative and using my imagination, when i do my own thing.

>> to learn more about miri ben-ari, check out teenkidsnews.com. i'm sam. >> that's a wrap for this edition of "teen kids news." >> thanks for watching and have edition of "teen kids news." >> thanks for watching and have a great week! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com