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Good morning and welcome to KID News.
I'm Kim.
Today is Friday, April 3rd, 2026.
And we begin with the Artemis II astronauts out of the safety of Earth's orbit and officially, en route to the moon.
At 7.49 p.m.
Eastern.
Last night, NASA gave them the green light to ignite their main engine and shoot their Orion ride deeper into space.
The official name for that critical moment, the Translunar Injection Burn.
If all goes according to plan, the thrust and trajectory will get the crew as close as 4000 miles from the moon's surface on Monday night.
Inside their capsule, which is about the size of two minivans put together.
It's a little cramped, but still relatively comfortable.
There's a flywheel machine for exercise, and in place of beds they have sleeping bags attached to the walls.
The biggest plus in this spacecraft, a private toilet, which is a first for a deep space mission.
As for showers, that's a negative.
They'll have to wait for splashdown next week.
It was the April Fool's joke that had a whole lot of people fooled, including a news outlet.
The headline that TSA would soon require all carry-on bags to be transparent to help speed up airport security lines.
The article even included a mock product image showing a see-through rolling carry-on suitcase with pricing and ratings.
Upgraded Points, a website that provides information about travel and travel rewards programs, printed the prank, like it does every April 1st, and even included a disclaimer stating while the idea of requiring fully transparent bags at TSA might actually speed up the security process, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
This is just a joke as part of our annual April Fool's Day tradition here at Upgraded Points.
Trouble is, not everyone read the prank part before weighing in, and some websites like MSN reprinted it without the disclaimer.
It's just another example of why it's so important to check multiple sources before believing anything you see or hear, especially on April Fool's Day.
High gas prices have a new casualty rideshare drivers, who are getting more picky with their pickups or may quit altogether.
As we reported earlier this week, due to the conflict with Iran, the national average cost of a gallon of gas in the US has climbed above 4 and above 5 in California, causing millions of drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft to say it's getting too expensive to keep working.
CNN is reporting that for many, including a teacher who drives to earn extra money, higher fuel costs mean they're making less profit or even losing money.
Sergio Avedian, a former Wall Street trader who now drives for Uber and Lyft in Southern California, told Business Insider For fellow drivers who don't throw in the towel, the short-term solution is to focus on long freeway trips that tend to be more efficient and to say no to short cross-town trips that burn a lot of gas.
The decision is known as decline and recline.
A newly developed technology in China is tackling a global problem.
The fast sort textile machine uses artificial intelligence to sort piles of used clothing by what it's made of, identifying synthetic materials like polyester and nylon and sending them to sorting areas for recycling.
Named one of Time magazine's best inventions of 2025.
The AI scanner can go through 220 pounds of clothes in just a few minutes, compared to roughly the four hours it would take a human to do the same job.
In the end, the system helps more clothing get recycled instead of thrown away, cutting down on clothing waste worldwide.
And according to a spokesperson at the textile facility, the machine rarely makes mistakes.
Today is Good Friday.
Easter is Sunday, but for many Christians the tradition began yesterday.
Among those marking Holy Thursday were King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who participated in the Royal Maundy service.
According to the Royal's website, this ancient ceremony is part of the Church of England and dates back to the year 600 AD.
In his role as monarch, King Charles presented special leather purses containing commemorative coins to 77 men and 77 women recognized for helping their communities.
As tradition dictates, the number 77 matches his age.
For only the second time ever, the ceremony took place in Wales, which holds special meaning for Charles, who held the title Prince of Wales for 64 years before becoming king.
Still to come, after receiving some very personal blowback, a candy company reverses course.
But first, we want to shout out some of our awesome donors.
Irene Skoronek of Durham, North Carolina.
Anne-Marie Stevens from Painesville, Minnesota.
And Angelica Cunningham of Iwa Beach, Hawaii.
Thank you for supporting our mission to give kids quality, nonpartisan news.
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
How do astronauts sleep inside the Orion capsule?
In sleeping bags attached to the walls, what April Fool's Day prank did its job?
That TSA would soon require see-through carry-on bags.
Why are some rideshare drivers thinking about quitting?
High gas prices.
What major Christian celebration is this Sunday?
Easter.
In today's Kid News Kicker, proof that getting called out on social media sometimes works.
You may remember that on Valentine's Day, the grandson of Reese's original founder publicly shamed the Hershey Company, which has manufactured Reese's Peanut Butter Cups since 1963, for switching to a chocolate-style coating.
Instead of classic milk or dark chocolate on some of its seasonal candies, including its mini Easter eggs, Hershey apparently got the message loud and clear.
After blaming the changes on innovation, the company now says it will bring back the classic recipe for all its Hershey's and Reese's products starting in 2027.
Before we go, shout-out time for some of our Kid News classrooms.
Mr. Eshelman's Dukes at Marlington in Alliance, Ohio.
Mrs. Edwards' Star Cats at Texas Avenue School in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Ms.
D's Mustangs at Miller in Santa Maria, California.
Ms.
Wattel's Steamrollers at Steelton High Spire School in Steelton, Pennsylvania.
And Mrs. Moore and Mr. Felton's Yetis at Reunion in Commerce City, Colorado.
Thanks for listening.
We know many of our listeners are headed off on spring break, and so are we.
Our team will spend the next week with family and friends, and we'll see you back here, rested and ready for more kid news on Monday, April 13th.
