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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim.
Today is Friday, May 1st, 2026.
And we begin with big hats, fast horses, and a race that's over in a flash.
Tomorrow's 152nd Kentucky Derby, which is known as the most exciting two minutes in sports, will feature 23-year-old horses kicking up dirt for one and a quarter miles at the historic Churchill Downs racetrack.
Right now, the odds-on favorite is Renegade, followed by Further Ado and Commandment.
Watching from the stands thousands of fans in colorful outfits and oversized hats, while millions more tune in from home.
Tomorrow's Derby is also the first race in the annual Triple Crown, with the Preakness in two weeks, followed by the Belmont Stakes.
Only 13 horses have won all three in the same year, the most recent being Justify in 2018.
A group of middle schoolers in southern Mississippi has gone viral for all the right reasons.
There's video showing them springing into action when their school bus driver passed out on the highway.
46-year-old Leah Taylor, who was having an asthma attack, managed to slow the bus a bit before completely blacking out, which is when a student named Jackson, seated close to the front of the bus, is seen grabbing the wheel while his busmate Darius worked the brakes.
It truly was teamwork.
Another young passenger found her medication, while others called 911 and alerted the school district.
Ms.
Taylor is now back on her route and thanking her students every day.
A major news study has confirmed what many already suspect.
The majority of teens are getting their news from social media and influencers.
The Media Insight Project, which conducted the national poll, found that about 57 percent of 13 to 17 year olds check news on social platforms every day, compared to far fewer adults.
However, only 12 of teens say they have a great deal of confidence in these non-traditional media sources.
Many teens also seek out news through AI chatbots, although only about 1 in 10 say they fully believe what they find there.
And about one-third say they can identify AI-generated versus human-generated content.
Nature just split the difference right down the middle.
Fishermen off Cape Cod Massachusetts, pulled up the catch of a lifetime a remarkable-looking lobster that's half orange-red and half dark brown, divided in a nearly perfect line from head to tail.
Scientists say this 1 in 50 million rare look happens when two fertilized eggs fuse together.
Creating one animal with two sets of genetic information.
Even more surprising, it has survived in the wild despite its two colors, making it easier for predators to spot.
Instead of becoming someone's next meal, the lobster has been donated to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, where researchers will give it a name before it goes on display sometime next year.
Speaking of splitting.
Africa may be one giant continent now, but scientists say it won't stay that way forever.
Deep underground.
A massive crack in eastern Africa is slowly pulling the land apart along a region called the Turkana Rift.
Over millions of years, the Earth's crust has been stretching and thinning, and researchers now say it's getting closer to actually breaking.
When that happens, likely millions of years from now, a new ocean could form in the gap, dividing the continent in two.
Scientists say this process, called continental rifting, is what once broke apart a supercontinent called Pangea and created today's oceans.
The report appears in the journal Nature Communications.
Still to come, Uber is rolling out new features that go way beyond food and rides.
But first, we want to shout out some of our amazing supporters.
Aaron and Jacob Schlossberg from Houston, Texas.
Chris Hardy in Richmond, Indiana.
And to California for the Wasserstein family of Menlo Park and Chun Chun Fang of Milpitas.
Thank you for helping us do what we do five days a week.
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
What is the Kentucky Derby known as?
The most exciting two minutes in sports.
According to a new study, what percent of teens get news on social media?
57.
What caused a bus driver to lose consciousness?
An asthma attack.
What could form if Africa were split in two?
A new ocean.
In today's Kid News.
Kicker Uber, the app that popularized rideshares, wants to do more for passengers than just get them where they're going.
The company just announced new features that include letting users book hotel stays and shop for items at stores not associated with the app.
Uber is even adding an AI-powered voice assistant to help with all the planning.
Another new feature for those big spenders who book premium rides they can request that their drivers stop and shop for their favorite snacks or drinks before the car even picks them up.
Before we go, we want to say hello to some of our Kid News classrooms.
Mrs. Wangeland's Blue and Maze Wildcats at Galva in Galva, Illinois.
Mrs. Shagnon's students at Helen Morgan in Sparta, New Jersey.
Mrs. Alice's Mustangs at Mantachi in Mantachi, Mississippi.
A happy belated birthday to Ms.
Berenick at Bala Kinwood Middle School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
And sending heartfelt healing wishes to teacher Mary Gee from all her students at St.
Gabriel School in San Francisco, California.
Thanks for listening.
And a reminder that, although the school year is winding down, there's still time to squeeze in a congratulatory shout out for grads.
Just visit our website and look for sponsorships.
Have a great weekend and we'll see you back here for more kid news tomorrow morning.
