(lively music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth": Gaza was a main focus in the UN General Assembly.

We take a look back at the Dayton Peace Accords.

NASA is heading back to the Moon.

And we check out some career training programs.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(lively music) Almost 200 world leaders or national representatives gathered in New York City last week for the 80th United Nations General Assembly.

Hello everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer, thank you for joining us.

Many UN representatives say part of their focus this year is on what's happening far away in Gaza.

Before we get into the news, let's get some background on Israel and Palestine.

"On October 7th, 2023, a Palestinian organization called Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Strip is a small piece of land located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The majority of its population is Palestinian, and the area is often at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a conflict that's been around for decades.

The Israel-Palestine conflict started because both countries were claiming rights to the same piece of land.

Many people from diverse backgrounds lived there in the past.

Over time, Jewish people and Arabic people strongly connected with the land.

This led to ongoing conflicts and disagreements about land control."

It's been almost two years since the Israel-Hamas War started.

Since then, many negotiations have taken place to try to reach a peace agreement.

Some United Nation members acknowledge Palestine's call for statehood.

While others, including President Donald Trump, are proposing a different plan.

Statehood means they are recognized as an independent nation.

Amy Kiley reports on the UN General Assembly.

- [Amy] President Donald Trump is in New York to address the UN General Assembly.

The White House says he'll tout U.S.

strength, and what he considers his personal accomplishments.

- He will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world.

- [Amy] Roughly 80% of UN members now back Palestinian statehood after several recognized it this week.

- We need to give the Palestinians hope for the future, and also make sure that the Israelis can live in peace.

- What we saw here at the UN, it's actually supporting Hamas, it doesn't support ending of the war.

- [Amy] Recognizing a Palestinian state is largely symbolic without the U.S., and the Trump administration is not pushing for that statehood.

In fact, it's barring Palestinian leaders from the General Assembly by denying them thesis.

- I call upon Israel to immediately sit on the negotiating table.

- [Amy] The Trump administration is pushing for a ceasefire with a new 21-point plan.

It's not backing a two-state solution.

- Instead of giving in to Hamas' ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message.

- Thank you, Amy.

While the UN Assembly highlights today's urgent need for peace, it's worth remembering how diplomacy was a big success here in Dayton, Ohio during the Bosnian War.

Diplomacy is the practice of conducting negotiations between nations.

In the early 1990s, some countries in Southeast Europe were dealing with a major conflict called the Bosnian War.

Other countries around the world, including the United States, called for peace to end the violence, but they needed a safe and secure location to do it.

They ended up choosing a location now known as the City of Peace.

That's the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Hernz Laguerre, Jr.

has the details.

(upbeat music) - All of us believe war is not coming and does not happen to us, we are peaceful.

- [Hernz] Azra Kaurin was one of the nearly 2 million refugees displaced from the country called Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia, a diverse area that had previously hosted the Olympics had turned into a battleground.

In the early '90s, along with the fall of the Soviet Union, the Communist Federation of Yugoslavia broke up into several smaller countries due to social, cultural, and religious divisions between the ethnic groups making up the nation.

Serbia, which was leading the central government at the time, was seen as the aggressor, trying to hold on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina who had voted for independence.

American diplomats then stepped into the conflict, negotiating a ceasefire, and an International Peace Conference.

Chief U.S.

Peace Negotiator, Richard Holbrooke, who led the peace talk, had the idea of bringing the waring parties to a secure and neutral location, away from distractions and interferences.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, checked all the boxes.

- We got to Dayton, and I must say Dayton was a pretty brilliant choice before the whole conference, it was in the Middle America.

Let me start by expressing our sincere thanks not only to the government of the United States, but perhaps even more to the people of Dayton, and to all of the people that we have met here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

- [Hernz] The Air Base in Dayton isolated the negotiations, making it easier for everyone involved to just focus on a peace deal.

Negotiators had to thread the needle to ensure that all the countries' leaders got what they wanted from the agreement.

(audience applauding) In about 21 days, after very detailed process, a deal was made, and Dayton was the common ground that supported this peace deal.

- On behalf of the United States and the other delegations here, Wright Patterson Air Base here in Dayton turned out to be better than we could possibly have expected, and we are grateful to all of you.

- [Hernz] The deal wasn't perfect, but it held for three decades.

Still, many Bosnians hope for future revisions to further reunify their country.

At a special event highlighting the 30 years since the Dayton Peace Accords, I met with an advisor for the Bosnian Parliament who was a child during the war.

Sejfudin has a message for the youth.

- It's important for young people to get to know other cultures, other races, other religions so that they become closer, so that they understand each other, because understanding means loving, loving means peace, and not war.

(air whooshing) (upbeat music) - Special thanks to our friend Hernz Laguerre, Jr.

from CET in Cincinnati for sharing that special segment with us.

Students and teachers, if you liked that, "Know Ohio," please let us know by filling out this survey.

You can also find the link at the bottom of this episode page.

Now, let's blast off to the next story: NASA announced the 10 people selected from a pool of 8,000 applicants who will join the agency's Astronaut Corps.

This is another step in NASA's race to return to the Moon before attempting an unprecedented crude mission to Mars.

Ivan Rodriguez has the latest on the astronauts and the upcoming mission.

- [Ivan] NASA is aiming to make another giant leap for mankind by sending a crude mission to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

- Some of you may take humanity's first steps on the red planet of Mars.

All of you will carry forward missions that today exist only in our dreams.

But together, we're going to make these dreams a reality.

- [Ivan] "Artemis II," a test mission that will fly around the Moon is planned to launch no later than April, 2026, according to NASA, and is intended to help confirm the systems and hardware needed for deep space exploration by humans.

- We are going back to the Moon to establish a sustained presence.

The crew there on the surface of the Moon will be trying to figure out how to live off the land.

- [Ivan] Even though the four astronauts for that mission have already been chosen, some of the crew members headed to Mars in the future could include any of NASA's 10 newest astronauts introduced on Monday.

Among the candidates are former military, a geologist, and mechanical aerospace and biomedical engineers.

- With upcoming exploration missions, we are pushing the boundaries of human performance, and the lessons that we learn are going to help us to excel not just in space, but in areas of human health here on Earth.

- [Ivan] During their two-year training, the astronauts learn about NASA's history and vision for the future, and will take classes in geology and in-water survival and space health.

Upon completion, the new class will join the 48 other members of the Space agency's Astronaut Corps, and become eligible for flight assignments.

- Thank you, Ivan.

Ohioan, Neil Armstrong, famously said, "It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," as he took his first steps off the Apollo 11 and onto the Moon for the first time in human history back in 1969.

Now, imagine that you were the first person to walk on Mars.

What's the first thing you would say as you first step out?

That's our write-to-us question for the week.

Students can share their space speeches using our inbox form online, or by sending us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Last episode, Jeff took us on a hike to see some waterfalls to learn about their geological history as well as their human history, and that got us thinking, how can we enjoy nature without harming it?

Let's see what you had to say by opening our inbox.

(air whooshes) (mouse clicks) Juliana from Berea-Midpark Middle School in Middleburg Heights wrote, "I think we can enjoy nature without harming it by not throwing away liquids like chemicals, not cutting down trees, and stopping wildfires."

Well said, Juliana.

Declan from Hudson Middle School in Hudson thinks we can all do our part.

"Dear 'NewsDepth', we can enjoy the environment by trying to reduce carbon in the air.

We can also make sure we pick up our trash."

Avalon from Bellevue City Schools in Bellevue thinks nature is just meant to be appreciated.

"We can enjoy nature without harming it by enjoying its delicious fruits.

You can enjoy the beautiful views.

Also, you can enjoy the animals."

I think Stella from Holland Intermediate in Holland agrees, and shared an activity they love to do.

"A way to enjoy nature without harming it is just by going on a walk and admiring everything around you.

You can do this by drawing a picture of nature.

Some ideas for drawing a picture of nature are to draw a bird, trees, and animals."

(message tone chimes) And Joey from Botkins Elementary in Botkins added that people can actually help nature.

"We can enjoy the outside by planting seeds and taking care of plants.

We can also make sure not to purposely rip up grass and still have fun."

Thank you all for writing.

Those are great things to keep in mind when you're out in nature.

Now, this next story is going to take us all the way out to space again.

Scientists believe the Earth has gained a moon, a quasi-moon now labeled "2025 PN7".

A quasi-moon is a natural satellite that is not truly orbiting Earth.

It just looks like it because it has its own orbit near us.

"The Pan-STARRS Observatory in Haleakala in Hawaii first spotted the quasi-moon on August 29th, 2025.

But data revealed that '2025 PN7' has been in this particular orbit for at least 60 years, and astronomers predict that it might stick around for another 60 years until the Sun's gravitational pull eventually pulls it away."

But now let's learn a little bit about our main Moon, the one we look up and see all the time.

The Moon formed from a collision about 4 1/2 billion years ago.

And Earth is not the only planet in our solar system that has moons.

Jeff St.

Clair has the scoop in this week's "Spot on Science."

(upbeat music) (air whooshes) - In 1969, humans took their first steps on Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon.

It was a monumental achievement in the history of space exploration.

We know what it took for humans to get there, but what did it take for the Moon to get there?

To find out, we must go back in time some 4 1/2 billion years.

(air whooshing) (upbeat music) The leading scientific theory of the origin of the Moon is the giant-impact hypothesis.

According to this theory, around 4 1/2 billion years ago, during the early formation of the solar system, a Mars-sized protoplanet referred to as Theia, collided with a young Earth.

The impact was so powerful it ejected a significant amount of material from both Theia and Earth into space.

This ejected material eventually combined and formed a disc of debris around Earth known as the lunar disc.

Over time, the particles in this disc began to clump together due to gravitational forces, forming the Moon.

Our Moon is the fifth-largest moon in the solar system, about 1/6 the size of Earth.

It has a diameter of around 2,159 miles.

Scientists say our Moon circumference has shrunk by about 150 feet in the last million years.

That doesn't sound like much, and it won't affect Earth, but it indicates a geologically active satellite.

In fact, the Moon is still hot inside.

It's cooling off though, and that causes the surface to shrink like a grape shriveling into a raisin.

The Moon's surface is rocky and heavily cratered with planes, mountains, and valleys.

Its appearance in the sky changes due to phases caused by the interaction between sunlight and its orbit around Earth.

These phases range from the new moon when the Moon is not visible from Earth to the full moon when the entire face of the Moon is illuminated.

While Earth's Moon is remarkable, it's not alone and having companions in the cosmos.

Many planets in our solar system have moons, each with unique characteristics.

Mars has two small moons named Phobos and Deimos.

These moons are irregularly shaped and thought to be captured asteroids.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has a whopping 79 known moons.

Some of the largest moons known as the Galilean moons include Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Saturn has over 80 confirmed moons with its largest being Titan.

Titan is notable for its dense atmosphere and hydrocarbon lakes.

Some dwarf planets and large asteroids in the outer solar system also have moons.

For example, Pluto has five known moons, the largest of which is Charon.

In recent years, there's been renewed interest in lunar exploration with plans for future missions to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence there.

Overall, the Moon continues to be a source of wonder, inspiration, and scientific discovery for humanity.

(air whooshes) (upbeat music) - Thank you, Jeff.

In that last video, we learned that the Earth's Moon is the number five biggest moon in our entire solar system.

So for our poll this week, we want to know what's your favorite moon?

Jump over to our poll page to let us know which moon do you gravitate towards.

In order of size, largest to two smallest, your options are: Ganymede, orbiting around Jupiter, Titan, around Saturn.

Jupiter has some other moons, Callisto and Io, or Earth very own, the Moon.

Last week, our poll was about career fields.

We asked you which fields you would like to learn more about and your answers will help us produce career call out segments for this season.

Let's check out the results of the poll.

No surprise here in first place with 28% of the votes, we have tech.

About 20% of you said you'd like to learn more about jobs and media.

17% of you said you are interested in business.

In fourth and fifth place, with 15% of the votes each, we have healthcare and engineering.

And about 5% of you said you're interested in manufacturing.

Thank you all for voting.

It seems like you're all very interested in learning about different jobs and the training required for those jobs.

If aerospace is one of the fields you are interested in, I think you'll like this next story.

An airport in Nebraska held a career day called "Aviation STEM Day".

With a growing demand for new talent in the aerospace industry, this event is inspiring future pilots, engineers, and air traffic controllers to explore careers in the sky.

Philip Catalfamo reports from the Millard Airport - [Philip] At the Millard Airport, neighbors are learning about a career in the sky.

- We are seeing a rising interest in aviation, which is good, because the retirements are accelerating, and we need young people to consider aviation as a career.

- [Philip] The "Aviation STEM Day" is a way to help fix that deficit.

Hague Howey says the aerospace industry casts a wide net when it comes to careers, everything from aerospace engineering, airline pilot, transportation, and more.

- What I'm recommending is they take a look at airport management, flight planning, air traffic control, all those would be really fundamental to strengthening a pilot's value to advancing to the cockpit.

- [Philip] Many educational institutions like UNO, Morningside, and Iowa Western offer aviation programs.

Several Nebraska high schools like Omaha Burke are helping produce more into the industry too.

- We need leaders in our industry.

We need the next generation to come up, and that's one of the great things about teaching at the aerospace industry, is we see those leaders already, and we teach leadership classes.

We get them prepared to make that next step.

So if somebody wants to jump into the industry compared to one of our students, our students have that leg up already.

- [Philip] Attendees of all ages at "STEM Day" got hands-on aviation experience by building paper rockets, flying drones, meeting experts in the field, and more.

Omaha Westview senior, Lucy Fierro, came to "STEM Day" to better shape her future.

- I became interested in aviation a couple years ago, so I'm just doing all the exploring I can to just figure out what I wanna do, where I wanna go to school, or if I wanna go to school, whether I wanna go to the military or college, and just exploring my options.

- [Philip] While she still has a lot of time to decide her future, Lucy has a plan for now.

- I think I wanna be a pilot, that's what I'm thinking right now, but I guess as I learn more, my goals might change.

But as of right now, I think I wanna be a pilot.

- Thanks, Philip.

A youth program in Nevada is helping students earn their high school diploma and learn job skills.

Reporter, Victoria Saha, spoke to recent graduate, Sheena, about their experience in the program and their goals for the future.

- [Victoria] For most graduates, crossing the stage is a finish line.

- Whoo-hoo!

- Thank you!

- [Victoria] For Sheena Harper, it's proof they had finally outrun their self-doubt.

- Because I always used to think that, you know, a person like me will never get nowhere.

- [Victoria] Harper is one of several students completing "YouthBuild" a six-month program where young adults earn their high school equivalency while training in construction and preparing for careers.

- I came there, done what I had to do, get my high school diploma, get my OSHA 10, get everything that I need to get, and I am on my way.

- [Victoria] YouthBuild blends academics with job training.

Students study math, science, and social studies, all while earning construction certifications, and even getting paid to attend class.

- So they do get paid $15 an hour for two days a week while they attend the construction classroom.

And once they complete their HiSET, they're able to attend construction class for longer.

- [Victoria] In six months, Harper picked up construction certifications and skills they say will carry them into a brighter future.

- I came out here broke, with nothing, nothing at all.

You know, mom, she was trying to help me as much as she could.

- [Victoria] Harper tells us they're ready to jumpstart their career in construction to be able to provide for their family.

- I never thought that I would be able to get that second chance, and look at me now.

- Thank you, Victoria.

Now, let's check out a student breaking records in a different field, the football field.

Most football teams have several players for each position, and they usually play just that position.

But at one Wisconsin High School, there was one player who plays multiple positions, including wide receiver, kicker, even quarterback.

Kelly Hallinan speaks to Maddux Hermus about the highlights of his football career so far.

- [Commentator] And a touchdown, Maddux.

- He's clearly a a top-flight athlete on our team, and you can't have kids like that stand on the sideline.

So he's just an all around exceptional athlete that we're just trying to get on the field.

- [Kelly] When people ask you what position you are, what do you say?

- I'm a football player, I don't really know my position that much, I kinda just bounce around, so I just tell 'em I'm a football player.

- [Kelly] That means playing quarterback, shifting to receiver, and handling hunting, kicking, and extra points.

Even though Hermus rarely gets a breather, Head Coach Chad Michalkiewicz says he handles the workload like a champion.

- He'll do anything that he's asked, first of all, 'cause he wants to, and secondly, 'cause he'll do whatever the team needs.

- Michalkiewicz is like, "Yeah, I'm gonna use you everywhere this year," and I kind of thought he was joking a little bit, so I gave him a little laugh.

Once he actually was like, I knew he was serious about it, I was excited, I was... Yeah, I was ready, I want to do this.

- [Kelly] Michalkiewicz says Hermus changes games with his leg, even breaking a state record with a 91-yard punt the longest in Wisconsin history.

- I mean, it felt really good off my foot.

It was a little rugby punt.

I don't know if you saw that, it was like one, two steps, and then kick and I saw the spiral, and I was like, "Oh yeah, that's carrying."

- [Kelly] And beyond the numbers, Michalkiewicz says Hermus is building a legacy.

- He's one of those kids that'll kind of transcend time.

How he conducts himself and what he does and what he means to this team is an example that'll be set for, you know, like I said, for generations to come.

- A very impressive team player.

Thank you, Kelly.

Usually here at "NewsDepth" headquarters, we get really inspired by all the hard work the A+ Award winners are doing, and this one is no different, but it has a fun twist.

This week's winners are the scholars at St.

Benedict Catholic School in Garfield Heights.

(air whooshes) A group of seventh and third graders came to one of our meetings recently as surprise presenters.

But it wasn't just a meeting with the "NewsDepth" team, it was a meeting with all of the journalists and reporters here at Ideastream.

The students gave a presentation on how they use "PBS KIDS" resources and "NewsDepth" in their own classes to help them learn.

The third grade students were amazing young science students who showed us how they use "Lyla in the Loop" to work on engineering.

They demonstrated how they could identify problems, use a design cycle to come up with a solution, then test the solution to make sure it worked.

As impressive as they were, what I liked the most was this really nifty pin they made for me.

The second group that we heard from were seventh graders.

They came to the station equipped with tablets.

They demonstrated how they used "PBS KIDS" apps to teach younger students all kinds of STEM concepts and problem solving strategies.

STEM, of course, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Anyway, the seventh graders showed us how they use apps to teach younger students, and we were really impressed with how prepared they were to speak with us, and how well they knew their science.

The third group, also seventh graders, really made me feel like a star.

They taught us how they use "NewsDepth" in the classroom to learn all about the world around them.

We were so impressed with how enthusiastic they were about things like "Spot on Science," "Know Ohio", and "Sketchbook."

They even gave us some tips on how to improve the show.

"More NewsHound," I get it, thanks for the pointers.

This week's A+ Award goes to the students at St.

Benedict's for coming to visit us and showing us how much they use "PBS KIDS" and "NewsDepth" to learn about the world.

Keep up the great work.

Well, it seems like all of you tune into "NewsDepth" to see what NewsHound is up to.

I'm okay with being your second favorite host, but I just hope it doesn't get to NewsHound's head.

Let's see what he found for this week's "Petting Zoo."

(drums beating) (gourd rattles rattling) (upbeat music) (dog barking) Hey there, NewsHound, are you drinking milk from a fancy glass?

You really have reached celebrity status.

Well, I hope you at least got your work done this week, you know, everyone loves their animal stories.

What did you find?

Oh, a story about a group of people working as a team to save a moose that fell into a well.

To see more about this community that loves their wildlife, click the "Petting Zoo" thumbnail at the bottom of this episode page.

(air whooshes) (upbeat music) Thank you as always, NewsHound.

That is all the time we have for today's show, but we'll be back next week with more news and more stories.

Until then, you could keep the conversation going because we always love to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

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.

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.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer, see you next week.

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

(bright music) (upbeat music)