Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Thursday, December 5, 2024.
We begin with a sneak peek at the White House's glow -up for the holidays.
First Lady Jill Biden unveiled her Christmas decorations on Monday, the theme, a season of peace and light.
According to Yahoo!
News, the decorations feature a gingerbread white house, paper doves, and a gold star tree that pays tribute to fallen soldiers.
A horse -drawn sleigh greets visitors in the East Garden Room and vintage ceramic Christmas trees adorn the White House library.
In all, the display holds 83 Christmas trees, 9 ,810 feet of ribbon, 28 ,125 ornaments, and 165 ,075 holiday lights.
Next year, former First Lady Melania Trump is expected to once again oversee the White House holiday decor during her husband's second term.
Nearly a month after the U .S.
general election, we finally have a complete picture of the makeup of the House of Representatives.
Yesterday, counting wrapped up in the final unresolved race in the country, handing California's 13th congressional district to the Democrat.
That puts the House total at 220 for Republicans and 215 for Democrats, which is one more seat than Democrats held in the last Congress.
The margin may be even slimmer at the start of the term in January, as Republican Matt Gaetz has resigned and two others have been tapped to work in the Trump administration.
That means Republicans can't afford to lose a single member on a vote, at least until those seats are filled.
It was a spending spree like no other.
Cyber Monday, 2024 turned out to be the biggest U .S.
online shopping day ever, according to CNN.
In just two hours Monday night, consumers spent $15 .8 million every minute.
And according to Adobe Analytics, spent a total of $13 .3 billion, up 7 .3 % from last year.
Analysts say toys top Cyber Monday sales with Legos and Harry Potter figurines among the most popular.
Overall, holiday spending is projected to surpass last year once the season ends on New Year's Eve, in part due to more people buying gifts directly from their phones.
Another crown for Queen Bee, and it's a big one.
Billboard has named Beyonce the greatest pop star of the 21st century.
The publication said Bae's commitment to innovation, evolution and all around excellence has made her the bar against which all other pop stars this century have long been measured.
Beyonce is the most decorated Grammy winning artist, earning a record 32 wins with another 11 nominations for her 2024 Cowboy Carter album.
Billboard's second and third spots went to Taylor Swift and Rihanna.
We're just days away from selection Sunday when we know who gets in and who is left out of the 12 team college football playoff bracket.
According to the Athletics analysis of rankings released Tuesday, Oregon, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana, Boise State, SMU, Clemson and Arizona State are most likely in.
But five other teams still have a shot, depending on the results this weekend of the ACC Big 12 and Mountain West Conference Championships.
The five bubble teams in the athletics model are Alabama, Iowa State, UNLV, Army and Miami.
The selection show this Sunday at noon Eastern on ESPN.
Still ahead, a Harry Potter sword fight causing issues in Japan.
But first today's kid news quiz.
Who did Billboard name as greatest pop star of the 21st century?
Beyonce, how many dollars per minute did consumers spend in just two hours on Cyber Monday this year?
15 .8 million. What is the significance of the gold star tree in this year's White House holiday display?
It pays tribute to fallen soldiers.
What is the final 220 to 215?
In today's kid news kicker, a Harry Potter hang up over souvenir swords in Japan.
The decorative Gryffindor swords sold by Warner Brothers Studios Tour Tokyo reportedly violate the country's weapons laws, which according to the Washington Post are among the strictest in the world.
The company is now recalling the 34 inch replicas, which are fixed to a wood display plaque because they too closely resemble real swords.
The company apologized to customers for the inconvenience and is offering refunds.
In the Harry Potter series, the sword belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witch and Wizardry and could only be used by those exhibiting true courage and bravery.
Before we go, shout outs for our teachers, Mrs.
DePaz Tigers at Lake Prairie in Lowell, Indiana, Mrs.
White's Eagles at Stevens Brook in Bridgestone, Maine and Mrs.
Smith's Vikings at Lakewood in Lake Odessa, Michigan.
Thanks for listening.
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