CNN 2010-11-22

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It's Friday -- which is always awesome¹ -- and you're tuned² in to CNN Student News! Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Joyce Joseph. Today, we're going to start with START.

We're talking about the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, also known as START. This involves the U.S. and Russia. These 2 countries have more nuclear weapons than any other nation. A new treaty would limit how many weapons they can have. That's if it gets signed. President Obama wants that to happen; he had a meeting about it yesterday. But it's not his call. The U.S. Senate has to approve a new treaty. The president is pushing the Senate to do that. Other experts think it should happen, too. But some Republicans argue that national security is a serious issue, and they don't think this should be rushed. They want more time to consider a new START. Jill Dougherty has more on this debate.

Here at the Senate, the START Treaty has become the perfect storm for policy and politics. On track for passage just a couple of months ago, then blown off course by the midterm elections. Key Senate Republican Jon Kyl is hanging tough. Kyl says he wants more money to keep the nuclear stockpile well maintained. I catch up with him as he barrels through a capital hallway with Senator Kerry.

What's going to happen?

We're talking.

Still?

In good faith.

The administration met Kyl's demand for an additional $4 billion, but now he wants the treaty postponed³ until next year. That's when the Democratic majority in the Senate shrinks, meaning it will take even more Republican support to pass. From the Kremlin, all eyes are on the tug⁴ of war on Capitol Hill. Russia's deputy foreign minister telling CNN "we are very hopeful that domestic U.S. policy considerations won't prevail." The White House believes it can work through all the questions in time. Spokesman Robert Gibbs predicting they will win passage this year.

I'm extremely concerned...

But the military's top officer doesn't sound so sure.

The military leadership across the board in the United States military supports moving forward with this treaty. And I hope we can do it as rapidly as possible.

It looks like President Obama has the American people, Democrats⁵ and Republicans, on his side on this one. A new CNN/Opinion Research Cooperation poll shows nearly three-quarters of Americans think the Senate should vote for the treaty; only a quarter say no. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.