Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Tori.
Today is Thursday, September 11th, 2025.
And we begin with a message from Time Magazine's Kid of the Year.
Don't mess with my grandpa, or anyone else's grandpa for that matter.
17-year-old Tahasvi Minaj of Frisco Texas, says her wake-up call was the near-scamming of her dad's dad by cybercriminals posing as a relative.
That's when she realized the older generation needs to be taught warning signs and basic digital literacy to help them fight back.
Less than a year after her grandpa nearly got fooled, Tahasvi launched Shield Seniors, a website and soon-to-be mobile app that helps loved ones spot scam tactics, analyze suspicious messages and, if fraud is confirmed, talk to the right people.
We've put a link to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Seniors on our website.
Tahasvi's story will be featured on Timecom and on Newsstand September 19th and in a special Time for Kids Service Stars issue available September 25th in classrooms and online.
Never forget.
Those are two words your parents know well, and someday you will too.
They're in reference to this date, 24 years ago, when people who don't like the United States attacked us on American soil.
Their targets that September 11th 2001, the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC and our sense of safety.
Communities, police departments and firefighters.
Coast to coast, will hold tributes today, but the biggest will be in Lower Manhattan, where all construction noise goes silent.
So the names of the trade center's nearly 3000 victims can be read by family members.
Then, starting at dusk tonight and lasting until dawn tomorrow, Two twin beams of blue light mimicking the footprint of the towers will shoot skyward and be visible from 60 miles away.
9-11 memorials will also be held in the nation's capital and at a third site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
According to Bloomberg, Tesla's Elon Musk is no longer the wealthiest person on the planet.
Oracle stocks surged 35 yesterday, earning co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a college dropout, more than anyone has ever made in a single day.
His new net worth?
$393 billion.
It was Oracle's best day since 1999 and followed projections that the software giant will make half a trillion dollars in the future from its AI business.
If not the clearest, it's certainly the most colorful sign of possible life on Mars.
According to the Washington Post, Perseverance.
The little robotic rover that's been traversing that red and rusty terrain for years recently stumbled upon some rocks that are speckled with blue green, black and white dots.
Scientists have confirmed that the spots are minerals and if they form the same way they do on Earth when mud mixes with organic matter, it just might be evidence of Martian microbial life.
Joel Horowitz, lead author of the study, called the rocks probably the most astrobiologically exciting samples identified by the rover since it landed on Mars in 2021.
The only way to be sure however, is to get those rocks back to Earth, and for now that's easier said than done.
NASA hopes to figure out a way by the second half of 2026.
The swoosh stays, but the slogan is getting an upgrade.
This time it's Nike testing the waters of public opinion, adding to its legendary Just Do It phrase with why do it?
The reasoning, the company says, is to connect with a younger generation that questions everything and recognizes greatness as a choice.
A new ad with the new language is already out and features tennis champ Carlos Alcaraz, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, plus basketball stars Kaitlyn Clark and LeBron James.
Critics are split.
Some say Nike shouldn't mess with 40 years of success, while others say it hits just the right note to help Nike regain sales loss to Hoka Ahn and an old challenger, Adidas.
Still to come, you've heard of popsicles.
Now there's a nationwide 5-0 for lights, sirens, and copsicles.
But first we want to shout out and say happy 10th birthday a day early to Mana Amiri of Los Angeles, California.
Her family tells us she loves playing tennis, diving and skiing, along with playing piano and creative cooking.
Mana's also a great friend and classmate.
Happy double-digit birthday, Mana!
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
Time's Kid of the Year received this year's honor for creating what?
Shield Seniors, a website to protect grandparents from scammers.
Today is the 24th anniversary of what important day in our nation's history?
September 11, 2001.
Perseverance may have found evidence of ancient life on what planet?
Mars What is Nike's new slogan?
Why do it?
In today's Kid News Kicker.
Summer may be almost in the rearview mirror, but a warm weather idea may be here to stay.
According to ABC News, police departments coast to coast are buying ice cream trucks and using them to roll into their communities to hand out free cones and make a better, more positive connection.
While Boston is largely credited with having the first, it's certainly not the last, and they're all getting quite creative with their handles.
Copsicle Patrol is written on the one in Danbury, Connecticut.
Freeze.
You have the right to remain frozen, says another in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
In Cleveland, it's let's chill together.
In Palm Bay, Florida, 5-0.
Get the inside scoop.
And in Toledo, Ohio, to protect and soft serve.
Thanks again to the Amiris of Los Angeles for sponsoring today's quiz.
Happy early 10th birthday to Mana and a shout out to Mr. Tyner and Ms.
Patrikian of the Meerman Mustangs in LA for a great start of the school year full of experiments and learning and practicing Ubuntu, which means I am because we are as their North Star every day.
Now it's shout-out time for our other terrific teachers, Ms.
Fraser and her Eagles at Golden in Placentia, California.
Mrs. Lee and her students at Northtown in Columbus, Ohio.
And Mrs. Johnson and her bucks at Belvedere South Middle School in Belvedere, Illinois.
Thanks for listening.
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We'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
