Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Thursday, January 16th, 2020 and we begin with….

A somber political ceremony ushering in the start of only the third Presidential Impeachment trial in U.S. history. At 9am Eastern this morning, the seven House Representatives chosen to present the case against Mr. Trump will physically walk the two articles into the Senate… and read the charges out loud. All 100 lawmakers will then be sworn in to serve as the jury, and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will take the oath as judge. The trial itself will begin next Tuesday and last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. But when all is said and done, it is highly unlikely that President Trump will be removed from office. Doing so would require a two-thirds vote and many Senate Republicans have already said they do not believe the President’s actions on a phone call with the President of Ukraine rose to that level.

If you like snakes, really really big snakes, head to Florida. The state is in the middle of its annual 10-day python wrangling contest. Hundreds of people, some pros and some first-timers, have signed up to help rid the Everglades of a reptile that just doesn’t belong there. The problem started in the 1980’s when pet stores imported baby pythons from Southeast Asia. People bought them when they were little and cute – then dumped them when the snakes grew, in some cases, to 20 feet long and 200 pounds each. Now, there are hundreds of thousands of the massive reptiles slithering around south Florida. Conservationists say if nothing is done, the pythons will overrun the state’s native plant and animal life.

Smoke from the bushfires burning in Australia will circle the planet —at least once. According to meteorologists, fire-induced thunderstorms allowed the soot and ash to reach the Earth’s stratosphere 10 miles up. Once there, the smoke was able to move further and faster than normal. By the end of December, it was already halfway around the globe. Soon, it will travel the other half and return back to Australia. NASA is monitoring the crisis from the International Space Station. This week, Astronaut Christina Koch looked down at the fires and posted: “Australia, our hearts and thoughts are with you.”

A little bit of false advertising led to a long night for a gym rat in Utah. Dan Hill was swimming laps just after midnight at his local 24-Hour Fitness when, unbeknownst to him, the staff packed up, locked up, and left. Dan was unaware the gym, despite its name, closed between midnight and 4am, and the workers were apparently unaware that anyone was still inside. Unable to get out without triggering alarms, and baffled by his sudden aloneness, Dan did what everybody does now— and started posting on Facebook; two hours later, help finally arrived. Dan took it all in stride. “Everyone makes mistakes, he posted, “this was just funny enough to be interesting.

In health news, scientific proof that doing good is more than its own reward. According to a new study, the act of being kind to others actually translates to immediate pain relief for the giver. Researchers scanned the brain waves of 280 people and found that doing something nice for someone else instantly impacted the region that registers hurt. In one experiment, people who donated blood-for-a-cause experienced less pain from the stick than those who did it as part of a routine medical test… even though a larger needle was used for the do-gooders. Another experiment found that people given shocks to their hands felt less discomfort if they had first given money to the needy. The results of the study were so clear, the authors are calling for good deeds to be paired with other pain remedies.

And that’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz Quiz:

1. When will the Impeachment Trial in the Senate begin? Next Tuesday.


2. What are hunters hoping to catch in Florida? Pythons, some of which can reach 20 feet in length.. and weigh 200 pounds.


3. How far is smoke from the Australia brushfires expected to travel? All the way around the globe.


4. According to a new study, what can provide immediate pain relief? Doing something kind for others.

In one for the road: He could’ve followed his father onto the stage and made millions. Instead, the youngest son of rocker Bruce Springsteen is following the beat of his own drum. Earlier this week, 25-year-old Sam Springsteen signed on as a firefighter with the Jersey City, New Jersey Fire Department. The boss and his wife Patti had front row seats for the swearing in but didn’t want the spotlight. “This is my son’s day,” he said, “I’m just excited to be here.” Sam’s older brother Evan dabbles in music. Sister Jessica is an equestrian champion and may be headed to the Olympics.

Our birthday shout-outs today go to Emerson in Honolulu and Darren in Albuquerque. And a big hello to Mrs. Scharwath’s Special Education Class at Dutchtown High in Geismar, Louisiana. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning!

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