March 23, 2023 | NewsDepth 2022-2023 | Episode 22

(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth."

Bank failures bring uncertainty to the US economy, Texas is taking over Houston's public schools, and art display focuses on student voices, and Gabe tells us about the Wright brothers' first flight.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) Congress has taken extraordinary steps to secure the US financial system.

Hello, everybody.

I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, we also call it the FDIC, shut down a bank in California following the second largest bank failure in American history earlier this month.

The Silicon Valley Bank crashed because it was facing insolvency.

Insolvency is when someone can't pay their debts.

A viral video posted by Jeff Jackson, the US representative from North Carolina explains why Congress got involved.

- Earlier tonight, there was an emergency Zoom call with several hundred members of Congress.

The purpose of the meeting was to announce extraordinary steps that will now be taken to secure our financial system.

Basically, people with money at smaller banks were getting scared and transferring their money into bigger banks, and we were in the early stages of a domino effect.

Right now, every step being taken has one purpose, to make sure this domino effect ends now.

We caught it early enough so that taxpayers won't have to pay.

We can pass the bill on to the banks.

There's gonna be a huge political debate now about bank regulation and how much risk we're willing to let them take going forward.

Good.

Clearly, we have to make some changes, but today is about not sinking the boat that we are all in.

- Some good news brings a sigh of relief for Wall Street.

Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is showing a continued decline in inflation for the eighth straight month, but there could still be some trouble ahead in finance if the US Federal Reserve isn't careful.

Gloria Pazmino is in New York with the latest on what's going on with America's banks, and what it could mean for you.

- [Gloria] One bank collapsed, another shut down.

But some economists say there isn't a looming financial crisis.

- I do not see any pervasive problems in our banking system.

- [Gloria] They say the volatility in finance isn't linked to insolvency or assets that are difficult to value, like it was in 2008.

Instead, the concern is, in part, over uninsured deposits and long-term treasury bonds that have crumbled in value.

- I do think fear is is the big problem now.

- [Gloria] Quick action from the federal government is momentarily relieving those worries.

But many banks, especially smaller lenders, are facing pressure from continued interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve.

- The question is how persistent and how much more serious, if it all, will that instability be?

- [Gloria] Still, the economy remains hot, and the consumer price index for February out Tuesday reveals inflation is cooling, but still, triple the Fed's target.

Now, the Fed is at a crossroads.

- Thanks, Gloria.

A near record low unemployment rate, a strong job market, and consumer spending off the top, these sound like great things, right?

The unemployment rate is the percentage of people without jobs in the labor force.

So why does it make economists and the Federal Reserve nervous, causing them to raise interest rates to slow down the economy?

At what point will the Fed be happy and let their foot off the brakes?

Natalia Garcia speaks with an expert for all the answers.

- [Natalia] As the US unemployment level has covered around record lows, taking up to 3.6% for February, it's been causing inflation to skyrocket.

- The tighter the job market, the stronger the pressure on employers to boost wages and lift their own production costs.

- [Natalia] And causing the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to try and tamp it down.

Gary Burtless, a senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution says, over the past few months, there has only been around one unemployed worker for every two jobs available, intensifying inflation more rapidly than we are used to.

- That is why the good news about unemployment and new increases in the number of people who are employed will result in pressure on the Fed to slow down the economy and reduce price pressures, wage pressures that tend to be contributing to inflation in the economy.

- [Natalia] So when will the Fed be happy and take their foot off the break?

Burtless says the sweet spot is around 5% unemployment and 2% inflation.

- Thank you, Natalia.

Some of the most essential employees in any community, the teachers.

But teachers across the country are facing challenges.

The Republican-led state of Texas has announced one of the largest school takeovers in United States history.

State education officials there say the school district and Houston has been failing for years.

So now, they're appointing a new nine-member board of managers to oversee it.

But critics of the moves say there have been improvements recently, as Adrienne brought us reports.

- [Adrienne] It is the largest school district in Texas.

And now, it's facing one of the largest school takeovers in the country's history.

Some are doubtful about what is coming.

- If I were parents, I'd be terrified.

TEA does not have a history of fixing any schools.

- [Adrienne] The state intervening under a state law that allows it to remove the locally elected school board, claiming the district is failing to meet certain state standards.

- There has been a long time failure by HISD, and the victims of that failure are the students.

- [Adrienne] The state will now take responsibility for the district's 180,000 students and 25,000 employees.

- You cannot run school districts and cities and counties from Austin, Texas.

The state deserves an F on how they have handled this process up to this point.

- [Adrienne] It will also replace the district superintendent who sounded optimistic about the future days ago.

- I stand here as the superintendent of HISD to say, we are not just overcoming those challenges, but together, we are building a school district that is delivering on its promises again.

- [Adrienne] Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner, said the takeover is troubling but not unexpected.

It comes after a lengthy court battle between the district and the education commissioner, which ended in January, with the judge ruling in the commissioner's favor.

As local leaders promised to continue the fight against the takeover, they believe is unnecessary.

- I have not conceded.

- Right.

- [Woman] That's right.

- [Man] Thank you.

- I do not believe that this is the end.

And I still believe that the people in Houston, Texas with their children can prevail and maintain control of their schools.

I still believe it.

- Thank you, Adrienne.

For this week's poll, we wanna hear your opinion as students.

Should states have the authority to take over a local school even if that school's underperforming?

Head online to vote between, "Yes, states have the responsibility."

Or, "No, states can't dictate what a school should do."

For our poll last week, we ask you if you thought a robot dog would be a good idea for police departments.

The results might be the closest vote of the season.

50.4% of you think that a Robocop dog is a great idea.

49.6% said you don't think it comes with all that many benefits.

Wow, very divisive topic.

Okay, back to the news now.

Thousands of essential school workers in Los Angeles are demanding the district-approved new labor agreements that would boost their pay and hire more workers.

Los Angeles School Workers Union announced a three-day strike that could shut down the nation's second largest district.

Laurie Perez has that story.

- [Protesters] If we don't get it, shut it down.

If we don't get it, shut it down.

- [Laurie] And so they will.

- Get ready 'cause we gonna be on the line, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

- [Laurie] At a massive rally in downtown LA, the district's two largest unions, UTLA representing teachers, and SEIU's non-teaching workers, including bus drivers, custodians, and special ed aids, announced they will together walk out unless the district responds to SEIU's demands after months of negotiations, including.

- We're demanding fully staffed schools so that students have the support they need from school nurses, (protesters cheering) teacher librarians, (protesters cheering) counselors, (protesters cheering) psychiatric social workers.

- [Laurie] Pay is also one of the biggest issues.

SEIU wants a 30% raise saying the average salary for its LAUSD members is $20,000 a year.

- And one in four SEIU 99 members report that they don't even have enough to eat yet they're preparing the food for the students at the school.

- [Laurie] The district says it's offered a 15% raise over time and 10% up front.

The superintendent says the union has not countered.

And earlier today, before the strike announcement said.

- Let's go to the table.

Let's stay at the table, whatever time, whatever place until such time as a solution is reached.

- [Laurie] But tens of thousands of workers in Grand Park said, "The district's time is up."

- Thank you, Laurie.

Students having a voice is very important for education.

It empowers students, opens the dialogue, and encourages change.

That is one of the basis for ART-C. Christa Boske founded the nonprofit, Art for Resistance Through Change or ART-C.

They partner with K through 12 schools, small businesses, and surrounding communities to help them understand the complexities associated with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

For this week's sketchbook, we check out an art display that focuses on students' voices.

(pencil scratching) (upbeat music) - My name is Christa Boske.

I'm currently a professor at Kent State University.

ART-C means Art for Resistance Through Change.

I started this nonprofit to promote this work specifically for K to 12 schools, surrounding communities to try to help them understand the complexities associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion and belonging.

For this particular exhibition, we are focused on the connection between community and schools, and community and justice, equity, inclusion and belonging issues.

The topics the children were able to determine whatever justice issue or equity issue they wanted to focus on.

So those particular issues ranged from police brutality to colorism to slavery to segregation of schools, personal experiences that children had, being ostracized from white students or white families in a predominantly white community, or being followed by the police.

They also have to choose if they sell their piece.

All the proceeds go to an organization that's aligned with their concern.

So it's full circle, empowering not only the artist but empowering, hopefully, the people that they're focused on or the group of people they're focused on, and getting everybody actively involved.

This piece was created by a student at Lakeshore Intergenerational School.

Her name is Octavia.

She's 12 years old, and she had never learned about slavery in school.

- I learned that just because slavery was over, that didn't mean Black people were really free.

We have racism against us today.

I made a slave ship.

I learned how the slaves were treated like property.

We can't forget what happened to the Black people and what continues to happen to us.

- [áChrista] This was about George Floyd.

And this particular student had not heard of George Floyd before, and so he wrote his first poem.

- My art is about George Floyd.

I painted the background white and black.

It represents darkness and light.

These are my words.

This what I think about.

I put George Floyd on this because he was killed by the police.

He was innocent.

He was a Black man who was a victim of police brutality.

So I made a broken heart out of stones because more people need to know about this.

They need to care about this and it needs to stop.

- Children want to not only be heard but they wanna be valued.

They want to be seen as real people with passions and ideas, and that they can contribute to something larger than themselves.

- I used to get bullied and made fun of.

They used to be racist and they used to laugh at my voice.

I really don't care 'cause you're not hurting me, you're not hurting me.

- So it doesn't matter if you're five, it doesn't matter if you're 18 or 55.

You have the power to make a difference.

And art goes beyond words.

And by the time they're finished with the piece, they feel so connected with their art, they are now actually starting to live that work.

And to me, that's the most powerful piece, is to watch that transformation.

- Special thanks from us to arts producer, Jean-Marie Papoi, for sharing that video with us.

Now, many of you participate in sports, right?

Here at "NewsDepth," we think that's great because you can learn so much about dedication, work ethic, and teamwork through sports.

Recently, we met Alayna and Riley, two members of the Massillon Washington High School track and field team who embody dedication, work ethic, and teamwork.

They are this week's A+ Award winners.

Now, we caught up with Alayna and Riley at track practice as they were getting ready for the start of their outdoor track season.

Both student athletes are seated athletes.

A seated athlete is a competitor who competes in a wheelchair because of a disability.

Alayna focuses on the shot put.

Riley competes in both the shot put and the 100 meter dash.

Alayna, who's a sophomore this year, told us she's been participating in track and field since she was in the seventh grade, and she used to play basketball.

She explained to us that one of her school's coaches, Coach Moore, contacted her family and encouraged her to give basketball a try.

That was the first time she'd ever competed in athletics.

Alayna told us that she loves being on a team, and the competition really motivates her to do her best.

Coach Corsale, who is one of Alayna's teachers, told us that she's also a fabulous student, and she's working to become an elementary school teacher.

Riley, who's a junior this year, also got her start in basketball.

She told us that the things she loves most about being on the track team is working hard with her coaches and teammates to see how much she can improve.

Coach Corsale shared that Riley is a leader not only in athletics, but also in the classroom.

Riley is studying healthcare and wants to be a nurse because she's passionate about helping others.

Before we left, Alayna told us that you should never give up, and that if you keep working your hardest, you can reach any goal you set for yourself.

Riley told us teamwork is important when you work together.

Alayna and Riley also told us that it's always important to set goals for yourself.

And to set a good example for all of you, they told us that their goal this year is to make state.

Hey, we're all rooting for you, Alayna and Riley.

Best of luck this track season.

Now, check out this one student from New Mexico.

At age 17, he's become the youngest pilot and the youngest African American in the state to earn his wings.

Faith Egbuonu has told us just how this teen got interested in flying and about his future plans to soar to new heights.

- [Gabriel] Double Eagle grounds cat hacks seven three niner.

- [Faith] Gabriel Carothers is no stranger to flying high.

Aviation sparked his interest early on.

(airplane engine revving) - My father had a family friend who had an airplane that he used to fly with.

So he thought to be interesting to take me and my brother up for a flight when we were five and six years old.

- [Faith] At age 14, he designed and built his first flight simulator.

- A home-built computer, so I had to do research and what went into a computer, and then what all parts and components I needed to make sure it worked.

And then learning all the intricate pieces of it, the programming of it, and the simulator itself was another thing.

- [Faith] And boy, did it pay off.

Gabriel is now the youngest pilot in New Mexico history after completing his private pilot checkride just 10 days after his 17th birthday.

- I wasn't really thinking about making history.

I was just thinking about flying and doing what I like to do every day.

But then it's days like this that really makes me feel it and reflect back on it.

- [Faith] Since then, he's been soaring to heights far and beyond.

- [Gabriel] It's a feeling of freedom and joy.

- [Faith] Paving the way for those behind him as a member of the General Lloyd Fig Newton Local Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, a national nonprofit organization named after the first African American pilots for the US Air Force Thunderbirds.

- [Gabriel] Leaving a trail behind, leaving a path for other kids to follow, really lightens up my heart and to make sure that they have a future no matter what they do.

- [Faith] So what's next?

Gabe says he wants to learn to fly vintage aircraft and participate in air shows.

Then head to the Air Force Academy.

- [Gabriel] And a whole lot to do here.

- [Faith] Where he plans to fly high as he serves our country.

- Wow.

Thank you, Faith.

Now, we received an email last week from Lily from North Canton Schools asking about NewsCat.

Well, why don't we just fly on over to the petting zoo department and check in with NewsCat?

(upbeat music) (cat meowing) Hey, NewsCat.

Why am I not surprised you've been napping this whole time?

You better have a story ready for us if you're just gonna lounge around like that.

Stop being so sedentary.

Okay, there you go.

Oh, story about a bald eagle finally taking flight again after recovering from an injury.

- [NewsCat] The eagle ended up breaking his humerus causing him to lose his ability to fly.

After extensive surgery and rehab, this eagle can take flight once again, and he was released to answer the call of the wild.

- To check out this bird soaring through the sky, click the petting zoo button on our website.

And thank you, NewsCat.

Well, Ohio has proudly called the birthplace of aviation because two Ohioans, Orville and Wilbur Wright, invented the first airplane, change the world of flight forever.

Gabriel Kramer takes flight now in this week's Know Ohio.

(upbeat bright music) - I bet you don't think twice when you see an airplane flying overhead.

But back in the early 1900s, most people didn't believe such a thing was possible.

In those days, the science of flight involved things like kites and gliders, definitely not airplanes.

But in 1903, some brilliant Ohioans invented the first airplane, and that changed the world of human flight forever.

Yep, I'm talking about the Wright brothers, who were both from Dayton, Ohio.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were inspired by a German man who built gliders.

These gliders allowed people to experience a sensation of flying, but they were not easy to control and didn't have any engines to give them power.

Gliding was quite a novelty at the time, and demonstrations of it drew captive audiences.

While most people considered engine powered flight to be the stuff of science fiction, the Wright brothers believed it could be done.

Several years before building their first airplane, Wilbur Wright wrote to the Smithsonian Institute asking for any research on human flight that had been done already.

He wrote, "My observations have only convinced me more firmly that human flight is possible and practical.

It is only a question of knowledge and skill.

I have some pet theories as to the proper construction of a flying machine.

I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then if possible, add my mite to help on the future worker who will attain final success."

The Wright brothers were willing to do the research but also relied on lots of trial and error to get off the ground.

Their early gliders at the beginning of the 20th century went through plenty of practice runs.

The more they flew or rather the more they crashed, the more they learned.

The glider they made in 1900 was the first to be able to carry human.

The next one in 1901, they made with a larger wing.

They made lots of flights on this one, sometimes attaching it to a string and using it like a kite to catch the wind.

The brothers tested out their gliders near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

They chose that spot because of the constant source of wind, and I'm sure landing in sand as opposed to the hard ground was also a plus.

The brothers forged on, even creating their own wind tunnel in Dayton where they could experiment with designs.

In 1902, their glider was improved with a rudder that would left and steer where they flew.

Look at Wilbur testing the glider out.

They were super dedicated to learning how to fly even though their flights were short, and the gliders didn't have much, if anything, for a landing gear.

In 1903, their famous first powered flyer took to the sky.

It was the first machine to have a controlled and sustained flight with a pilot aboard.

You can see how the flyer has many similarities to their past glider models, but they added an engine and propellers.

The Wright brothers made their first successful flight on the sandy beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

That flight only lasted 12 seconds, and the airplane traveled just 120 feet in a straight line.

We had to start somewhere, right?

They returned to Dayton, Ohio with their airplane, which is where they perfect the design of a fully functioning airplane.

After that, the Wright brothers became worldwide celebrities and the field of aviation literally took off.

- Thanks, Gabe.

And that brings us to this week's question.

If you could ask a pilot about their job, what would you like to know?

Submit your questions using our inbox form.

We'll get the answers from an actual pilot in the next episode.

Last week, we asked you to write an article about an influential woman for Women's History Month.

Let's learn about some of your role models by opening up our inbox.

(upbeat music) Sophia from Kensington Intermediate in Rocky River starts us off with one of my favorite singers.

Dear "NewsDepth," an inspiring woman to me is Aretha Franklin.

I chose her because she was an amazing singer and helped break the color barrier in music.

Also, she pushed through every hard thing that happened to her, and became one of the greatest singers of all time.

Overall, Aretha Franklin was a very inspirational woman to me.

Xin Yan from Shaw Elementary in Beavercreek takes us to outer space.

Dear "NewsDepth," an aspiring woman is Sally Ride.

She was one of the first women in space.

She was interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

NASA was looking for woman astronauts and Sally was a student at that time and saw the ad.

She applied for the job, and she was one of the six women picked.

Kyle from Riverview Elementary in Painesville got into soccer thanks to this woman.

Dear "NewsDepth," a woman who inspires me is Australian soccer star, Sam Kerr.

Sam Kerr inspired me to try to start playing soccer for the Riverview soccer team.

Another reason she inspires me is because she's very good in FIFA.

She was the first person to score a hat trick in the 2019 Women's FIFA World Cup.

Amber from Frank Elementary in Perrysburg is also inspired by an athlete.

An inspiring woman to me is Jennie Finch.

She's the best softball pitcher in the world, and I wanna go to the Olympics for softball just like her.

She even has written her own book on how to dream big and believe in yourself for any sport.

She inspires so many kids who are looking to play softball in college or the Olympics.

She sets up softball camps and clinics to help improve skills too.

She shows how differences make people better.

In her autobiography, she talks all about how you can use different strategies to get to where you want to be in your career.

That is why Jennie Finch is an inspiring woman to me.

And finally, Nanthini from Surrarrer Elementary in Strongsville wrote about an inspiring young woman.

The most inspiring woman, in my opinion, is Malala Yousafzai.

When she was 10, the Taliban invaded her home.

She spoke out against them, and used the pen name, Gul Makai, to be a writer for the BBC.

When she was 15, the Taliban returned, and Malala spoke out against them.

The Taliban shot her.

She was taken to a hospital in England, and she recovered.

She still spoke out.

At age 17, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the world's youngest recipient.

All in all, Malala is a truly inspiring woman.

We got a lot of amazing letters this week.

Remember, you can visit our Your Answers page on the website to read other letters from your fellow classmates.

But for now, that's it for today's show.

Remember, we always wanna hear from you, and you already know the deal.

There are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here is 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can tweet us.

Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Kid] "NewsDepth" is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

Career Callouts featured in "NewsDepth," they're funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

(upbeat music)