First up, the connections between the financial bailout, a vote in Greece and global stock markets. The bailpout is part of the deal that European leaders came up with last week. It's designed to help Greece with its massive debt. But the bailout comes with rules. Greece would have to raise taxes and cut government spending, and that's something the Greece citizens have been protested against for months. Yesterday Greek Prime Minister called for a naitonal referandum. He wants Greece citizens to vote on whether they want the bailout and the rules that come with it. And this is what the global stock markets come in. If Greece can't turn its debt problem around, this could infect the entire world economy. The news of this referandum made some investors worried. Many of them started selling off stocks, and that's why a lot of international stock markets dropped yesterday.

 

Well from Greece we are moving to Japan, and a long-range plan for the Fukushima Diichi nuclear power plant. You've heard of this before. suffered a melt down after a deadly earthqauke and tsunami back in March. The temperatures in the plant have come down inside the reactors. But according to a new report, it could take decades for the plant to become fully decommissioned. That's because this is a long and complicated process. First officials have to do a cold shutdown. The plant's owners say that should happen by the end of this year, probably take 10 years to get all of the nuclear fuel out, and probably more than 30 years to completely finish the clean-up.

 

Today Shout-out goes out to Mr. Shea's social studies classes at Berkshire Junior and senior high school and Canaan New York. In the US political system, what is the function of primaries and caucuses? It is to help determint Cabinet postions, Supreme Court Justices, Presidencial Nominees or Eelectoral College members. You've got 3 senconds, go!

 

Primaries and caucuses help to detemine Presidencial nominees. That's your answer and that's your shout-out.