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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim.
Today is Thursday, December 4th, 2025.
And we begin with temperature records falling as bone-chilling cold sweeps into the U.S.
According to the Washington Post, about 80 million people in parts of 35 states are predicted to experience single digit or below zero temps starting today.
The cause?
A weather event that disturbed the polar vortex above the North Pole.
Normally that vortex acts like a wall, keeping the coldest of cold air from reaching the US, But the dent means Canada is in for some unusually warm December weather, while the US enters a deep freeze.
The New York Times reports records are likely to be broken in the Midwest today, with Chicago expecting a high of 18 degrees, which is about 22 degrees below normal.
The cold moves into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast tomorrow.
Waymos are getting downright wacky.
The self-driving cars, long known for being overly cautious, are adopting human-like qualities, according to the Wall Street Journal, and are maneuvering more aggressively.
It's driving more like a taxi driver.
An aggressive New York taxi driver said Sophia Yen, a San Francisco startup founder, who witnessed two Waymos zigzagging from one lane to another in a two-lane tunnel.
But that's not always a turnoff.
One rider said he used to avoid Waymos as they weren't agile enough.
Now he finds they navigate the streets as well or maybe even better than an Uber driver.
While that can get them into trouble, as in the case of a Waymo that was pulled over this fall in San Bruno California, for making an illegal U-turn.
The company says it's been trying to make its cars confidently assertive, while still following the rules of the road.
Waymo says compared to human drivers, its autonomous vehicles have a much better safety record.
The UK is ramping up its sweet drink crackdown.
The health secretary announced last week that bottled milkshakes and lattes will be hit with an extra tax starting in 2028, as part of the region's ongoing effort to reduce obesity in kids.
Milk-based beverages had previously been exempt because they contain calcium, but their high sugar content led the government to reconsider.
Sodas and other fizzy drinks have been taxed in that country since 2016.
A move largely hailed as a public health success, with many manufacturers cutting their sugar content by up to 46 to avoid the fee.
Urban raccoons are in the midst of a makeover.
According to IFL Science, the so-called urban trash pandas have evolved to become more pet-like than their rural counterparts in response to human presence.
Biologists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock studied images of raccoons captured in the US between 2000 and 2024 and found the urban dwelling ones had a 356 reduction in snout length, suggesting they are undergoing a phenomenon known as domestication syndrome, the same that can be seen in the difference between domestic dogs and their wild canine counterparts like wolves and foxes.
Domestication syndrome also causes animals to be less aggressive, have smaller teeth, ploppier ears and shorter muzzles.
No matter how cute or pet-like your neighborhood raccoon is though, animal experts urge you to keep your distance.
Lego is getting in on the World Cup action.
The toy company teamed up with FIFA yesterday to launch a life-size version of the soccer trophy that will be presented to the winner of next year's 48-team World Cup.
According to the Associated Press, the Lego look-alike will be made of 2842 Lego bricks and will be the exact same height as the real deal, at 145 inches.
It also includes a hidden scene under the globe section of the trophy.
The LEGO trophy goes on sale in March, but the real one will stay put in Zurich Switzerland, until the soccer teams compete for it next summer.
Still ahead, a proud moment for a bus driver and her precocious young passenger.
But first we want to give a shout out to the Hayes family of Bloomfield Hills Michigan, for their generous support of Kid News this giving season.
Hunter and Harper, we love that you listen to us every morning on the way to Detroit Country Day School, and your parents want you to know that they're so very proud of you.
Now, today's Kid News quiz.
What self-driving cars are, according to the Wall Street Journal, acting more like aggressive New York City cabbies.
Waymo's.
How many U.S. states are about to be hit with bitter cold temperatures?
35.
What is the phenomenon urban raccoons are undergoing that makes them seem more pet-like?
Domestication syndrome.
How many bricks will make up the Lego World Cup soccer trophy?
2,842.
In today's Kid News Kicker, a friendship forged a decade ago between a fifth grader and his bus driver came full circle this fall.
Ten-year-old Sam Mensimer rode at the front of Joy Kenley's Washington, D.C.
Metro bus almost every day for nearly two years, all the while peppering her with questions like how does the bus work, where does it park at night and how do you get assigned a route?
Joy loved his curiosity and, according to CNN, one day invited him and his family on a tour of the bus garage.
That visit made a lasting impact and Sam, now a college graduate, got a job with the transit agency as a signal engineer.
He and Joy hadn't seen each other in more than 10 years when he knocked on the door of the office where she now works as a station manager.
"'Wait a minute, he looks familiar,' Joy said."
And he's like, it's Sam, Sam.
Joy said she was so proud as Sam thanked her for indulging his childlike curiosity and told her he plans to pay it forward.
I know that's how I got here, Sam said.
I want to make sure that if somebody else can have that opportunity, I can be the one to make it happen.
We'll be right back.
Mrs. Mosley's Rockets at Oakdale Public School in Edmond, Oklahoma.
And Mr. Horace Prairie Hawks at Prairie Heights in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Thanks for listening.
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