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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Wednesday, October 9th, 2024.
And we begin with what looks like devastating deja vu in the Sunshine State.
Hot on the heels of Helene, Milton is now just hours from making landfall, potentially as one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the Tampa Bay area of Florida in more than 100 years.
It ramped up from a Cat 1 to a Cat 5 in just 10 hours on Monday, renewing calls by some climate change activists for a new category 6.
At one point over the Gulf of Mexico, Milton's winds hit 180 miles an hour with gusts topping 200.
According to Florida meteorologist Noah Bergen, the system was nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth's atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.
Milton's since dropped back a bit and is expected to come ashore weaker than its peak, but still with the ability to create catastrophic damage.
As the National Weather Service warned as it encouraged evacuations, no one in the area has ever experienced a hurricane this strong.
The significance of a smile cannot be overstated.
Apparently, even dolphins know that.
A new study has found that when one dolphin wants to play with another, they tend to open their mouths and smile, so their finned friend understands the invite.
And sometimes that bottlenose buddy even smiles back.
Researchers focused on dolphins in captivity to put their theory to the test.
They recorded dolphins in pairs by themselves and with human trainers, and found that the dolphins rarely smiled when they were alone or with humans, but often did when they interacted with each other.
The findings were published in the journal Eye Science.
The heat is on in a very tight presidential race.
Election Day is now less than four weeks away.
The two candidates are hitting the campaign trail hard this week, and more than 2 million mail -in and early in -person ballots have already been cast.
Our roving reporter Briggs is still too young to vote, but a recent trip got him thinking about the importance and privilege of having a say in who leads our country.
The term democracy comes from two Greek words that mean rule by the people.
It's the idea that citizens of a country decide how it should be governed, and how they make those decisions by voting.
In a democracy, all people have voice and can shape the direction of their country.
Key to that concept is that elections are always free and fair, and the transfer of power following elections is always peaceful.
This way of thinking started in Greece back in 508 BCE, and was a huge inspiration for our founding fathers when they established a new government for the United States in 1776.
Since then, starting with George Washington, there have been 59 presidential elections.
On November 5, 2024, the 60th presidential election will take place, continuing our history of democracy.
Remember that our voice and vote are our superpowers.
Please remind all your family members and friends that are 18 or older to register to vote now so they are ready to have their voices heard this fall.
Great report. Thanks, Briggs.
There's more trouble for TikTok.
Yesterday, 13 states in the District of Columbia accused the company of making an intentionally addictive app that harms the mental health of kids.
The states claim that TikTok plays videos in a way that causes users to lose track of time and sends round -the -clock notifications to keep them engaged.
As California Attorney General Rob Bonta told The New York Times, they chose addiction, more use, more eyeballs, and more mental and physical harm for our young people in order to get profits.
It's really that simple.
TikTok says it strongly disagrees with those claims and insists it provides robust safeguards for kids and teens.
A federal law passed in April will ban the app in the U .S.
as of January unless it is sold, but TikTok is challenging that as unconstitutional.
A panel of judges will decide by December 6th, after which it could end up at the Supreme Court.
Like father, like son, last Sunday, LeBron James and his son, Bronnie played their first game together for the L .A.
Lakers, making them the first -ever NBA father -son duo to share the court at the same time.
Adding to the occasion, it happened on Bronnie's 20th birthday.
He's not yet a starter like his famous dad.
He subbed in in the second quarter and played with his dad for a little more than four minutes.
Of the history -making moment, LeBron told reporters, I kind of looked at him and it was just like, is this The Matrix or something?
It just didn't feel real.
Still to come, firefighters often find cats stuck up in trees, but dogs?
But first, today's Kid News Quiz.
As of this recording, where in Florida is Milton expected to make landfall tonight or early tomorrow?
Near Tampa Bay, according to researchers, which marine creature smiles when it wants to play?
Dolphins. How many states sued TikTok yesterday for allegedly making an intentionally addictive app?
13 plus the District of Columbia, which father -son duo made NBA history over the weekend?
LeBron James and his son, Bronnie, for playing in the same game at the same time.
In today's Kid News Kicker, firefighters out looking for people needing post -halene help in Tennessee recently made a rescue, but not the kind they had expected.
20 feet up in a tree sat Athena the dog.
It wasn't humans that spotted the pooch, it was a fellow canine.
Captain Zach Helvy says his bloodhound was sniffing around when it suddenly stopped and started barking like crazy.
After the initial shock wore off, Zach's team scaled a ladder found in nearby debris, then used food to lure Athena off a branch and into a firefighter's arms.
Social posts from the Kingsport Fire Department led to a happy reunion with Athena's humans.
Despite watching their home float away like an ark, they told W -C -Y -B getting their pooch back was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Before we go, shout -outs to our Kid News classrooms, starting with Ms.
Smith and her junior Panthers at Pinckneyville in Pinckneyville, Illinois, Mrs.
Alvarado's avocados at Serene Hills in Austin, Texas, Mrs.
Woodruff and her Cougars at Cross County in Stromsberg, Nebraska, and courtesy of Levy, Ms.
Arnett and her Monarch Butterflies at Tuckahoe in Arlington, Virginia.
Thanks for listening.
Our hearts are with the people in Milton's path today.
Stay safe and we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
