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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Thursday, June 12th, 2025.
And we begin with the band Almost Back Together Again.
K -pop group BTS members Jimin and Jungkook were discharged from South Korea's military yesterday.
The 5th and 6th of the band's 7 members complete their service.
RM and V finished up Tuesday and according to Reuters, Suga expects to be discharged next week.
All put their music career on hold in 2022 to join the military, each serving for varying lengths of time up to 18 months.
Fans from around the world flew to South Korea to welcome their return and took photos as they saluted in their uniforms and thanked fellow soldiers.
When asked what's next RM said the band wants to make music and return to the stage quickly.
Meta is upping the AI game with a new research lab dedicated to what's called superintelligence.
According to CBS news, tech titans are still trying to perfect artificial general intelligence, which is intelligence that matches what the human brain can do.
Superintelligence, on the other hand, exceeds the capability of humans, and Meta is reportedly spending billions to get there first by wooing top talent from other companies, including the founder of AI startup Scale .ai, Alexander Wang.
A former Lockheed Martin software designer is doing anything but rest during retirement.
62 -year -old Baltimore resident, John Merriman, has made his goal to clean up trash in every one of the more than 3 ,000 counties in America, all while carrying his trusty orange bucket, it, trash tongs and one of his treasured finds, a plastic, great white shark he turned into a trash mascot.
Merriman and his Sharky to Shark are specially fixated on discarded car and truck tires that can weigh between 25 and 100 pounds or more.
They don't decompose, are harmful to the environment and, for some reason, they tick me off more than anything, Merriman told the Washington Post. he said he averages about 900 to a thousand tires a year and has made a hobby and a workout out of tire and trash collecting.
Scott Zilmer, a map editor for National Geographic who has joined Marrymen on dozens of cleanups, says he's proof that one man can make a heck of a difference.
The dirty dozen just got a little muddier with blackberries and potatoes now added to the list, Compiled by the U .S. government's Environmental Working Group, the 2025 Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce found that more than 90 percent of samples of a dozen non -organic fruits and vegetables tested positive for potentially harmful pesticide residue.
Spinach topped the list, followed by strawberries, kale, grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, pears, apples, blueberries and newcomers, blackberries and potatoes.
According to CNN, the report is not meant to discourage people from eating fruits and vegetables but to buy organic, especially for those most prone to pesticide exposure.
Also in the report, the Clean 15, a list of conventional produce with the least amount of pesticide residue.
Pineapple topped that list followed by sweet corn, avocados, papaya, onions, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, watermelon, cauliflower, bananas, mangoes, carrots, mushroom and kiwi.
One of the best running backs in the NFL may be taking his talents to the big screen if he has a record -setting season.
It's all part of a bet between Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry and actor Adam Sandler.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, the sportscaster and friend of Sandler said But he'd see if the happy Gilmore star would agree to cast Henry in one of his movies if he reaches 2 ,000 rushing yards this season.
Henry is a self -professed Sandler superfan and was thrilled when the actor sent him a video at practice saying 2 ,000 -plus yards this year not only gets you in a movie, but will also have a nice dinner together, I love ya and keep it up!
Last season, Henry finished 79 yards shy of 2 ,000 but was just one of nine running backs to surpass the milestone when he reached 2027 while playing for the Tennessee Titans in 2020.
If he does it again in 2025, according to CNN, he'd be the first player ever to do it twice.
And certainly the only one to be rewarded with a movie role alongside Adam Sandler.
Still ahead, where you hang out at home may say something about your family.
But first, we want to say congratulations to Charlie of Washington, D .C.
on another amazing school year.
Charlie, your family is so proud of the hard work you put in the classroom and in soccer, basketball, kickball, musical theatre, and especially swimming.
Happy summer, Charlie!
Now, today's Kid News Quiz!
Which remaining BTS member is expected to be discharged from the South Korean military next week?
Shuga. Roughly how many car and truck tires a year does a Maryland man clean up?
About nine hundred to a thousand.
Which Baltimore raven made a deal with Adam Sandler that could land him in one of the actor's movies?
Running back, Derek Henry, which new fruit and veggie made the 2025 Dirty Dozen?
Blackberries and Potatoes.
In today's Kid News kicker, are you a living room kid or a bedroom kid?
That's the question all over Tik Tok, as kids, parents, and parenting influencers debate what it says about the family dynamic.
In short, there's nothing wrong with either.
Whitney Raglin Bignall, director of the Kids' Mental Health Foundation, says parents of living room kids should feel proud that their children feel comfortable hanging out with the fam.
But they can also feel good about bedroom kids who know when they need a little quiet time to recharge and some kids are just more introverted or independent than others.
One child psychologist told USA Today rather than viewing it as a living room versus bedroom kids, the best way to view it is as a house, and making sure that kids feel safe no matter where they are.
Thanks again to Charlie's Family of Washington, D .C.
for sponsoring today's quiz.
A shout -out to Charlie for another great year of academics, sports and theatre.
And hello and happy summer to all his fellow Dragons!
And hello to our Kid News classrooms!
Ms. Murphy's Kennedy Tigers at John F.
Kennedy School in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Ms. Hills Nighthawks at Asana Nacent Jefferson Room 10A in Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Morgan's First Period I -Lab at Lander in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and Mrs. Villalinos -Bears at Hutchinson in Pelham, New York.
Thanks for listening.
A reminder that we're taking a short summer break and tomorrow is our last day of daily kid news until August 11th.
We'll still drop some long format convos, though, and we'll send an email when we do.
In the meantime, please rate, review, subscribe and share kid news with all your friends and family and we'll see you back here for more kid news tomorrow morning.