Students: This is Mr. Conklin’s sixth-grade LEAD class from Royal Oak Middle School in Royal Oak, Michigan, and Channel One News starts right now!
Tom: I saw that dab. Thanks to Royal Oak Middle School in Michigan for getting us started. Now, speaking of Michigan, it is one of the most important states in this election — one of 11 where candidates are spending time, money and energy — getting the most visits from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
These states are not necessarily the biggest or the most populated, but they are where the prize lies on election night. So what makes them get all the attention? Well, Demetrius Pipkin has the answer for us in today's pop quiz.
Demetrius: Tom, most states historically go either Republican or Democrat. Take, for example, Texas: It is usually a solid-red Republican state, and New York is a solid-blue Democrat state. But there is a handful of states that are up in the air, and they are the ones that will decide this election. Let's see if you know what they are called.
What do you call states that are unpredictable in the election? Is it
a. undecided
b. neutral
c. swing or
d. flip-flop?
You have got 10 seconds.
The answer is c, swing states. Swing states are states where the vote is usually too close to predict before an election, meaning the state could "swing" in either candidate's direction. They are also called battleground states orpurple states because they can go either red for Republican or blue for Democrat.
In this election these 11 states are considered swing states and could determine the outcome of the election. Their 146 electoral votes are enough to help push a candidate over the 270 votes needed to win the White House. The candidates spend a lot of time and money in these battleground states, hoping to sway voters to support them. And the people who live there are swamped with TV ads, signs and nonstop phone calls.
In the battleground state of Ohio, an ad for either Trump or Clinton runs on the TV on average every three minutes. And in Florida, the biggest prize of the swing states with
29 electoral votes, the candidates spent nearly $100 million. That is where our Team OneVote member Alicia Huggins lives.
Alicia Huggins: The TVs are always crazy because they are always running ads about each other, how they’re bad or how they’re good so that they can get their poll ranks going up so that they can get Florida to either pick them for president.
Demetrius: And it was Florida that was the deciding state in the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and then–Vice President Al Gore.The vote in Florida was so close that recounts were ordered and then disputed, so the decision was made by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Bush won Florida — and that meant he won the election.
Right now, most polls have Clinton leading in a majority of the swing states, but, come Election Day, anything is possible.
Tom: Thanks, Demetrius.
Wow, that is a lot of TV ads in those swing states.No wonder people are ready for the election to be over! Now it is time to hear what you had to say. Yesterday, we told you that more than half of Americans said the election was stressing them out. So we asked you, is this election stressing you out? Seventy-three percent of you said, “Yes — I'm stressed!” Twenty-seven percent of you said, “No.”
Emely C. wrote, “It's stressful because everyone talks about it. I can't believe Hillary and Trump are the options because they don't talk about important things and fight all the time.”
But Colton wrote, “Although this election has seemed to take forever, I am not stressed about it. I am just ready for it to be over!”
Thanks for weighing in, guys. We always love hearing from you.
All right, after the break, new findings that affect one out of every seven children in the world.
Tom: Okay, let’s check out what else is making news today. Gas prices may be going up after a massive explosion at an oil pipeline in Alabama. The fatal explosion shut down the pipeline this week, which supplies gasoline to millions of people across the Southeast.
Massive flames and clouds of thick, black smoke rose over central Alabama following this deadly explosion at the Colonial gasoline pipeline. One person died at the scene; five others were rushed to the hospital. The flames sparked wildfires that have already burned more than 30 acres and forced people nearby to evacuate.
Colonial Pipeline provides gasoline for more than 50 million people in areas stretching from the Gulf Coast to New England. It supplies the East Coast with 40 percent of its fuel.
Patrick deHaan: This could very quickly become a major outage that could be lasting several weeks instead of several days, and it could be much worse than what we saw in September.
Tom: In September 250,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from the same pipeline and led to a shortage and a spike in gas prices across the South.
Moving on, a new report out this week finds that more than half a million young children die each year from diseases related to air pollution. Now child advocacy groups are calling on world leaders to take action.
The report by UNICEF says that around 600,000 children under age 5 die every year from diseases either caused by dirty air or made worse by it. The problem is much worse in poorer countries. The red on this map shows the most polluted regions.About 2 billion children live in areas where the levels of air pollution are higher than international limits.
Now UNICEF is asking world leaders to take four steps: Cut back on fossil fuels and invest in energy efficiency; increase children's access to healthcare; minimize children's exposure to air pollution by keeping schools away from factories and other pollution sources; and improve monitoring of air pollution.
All right, after the break, superheroes brought to life in the ultimate act of good.
Tom: Okay, now, Halloween may be over, but don't be so quick to throw away those superhero costumes. They could be put to a new use that is not about candy but about community. I can’t say I am surprised here, but Keith Kocinski couldn't resist getting into the superhero action to introduce us to a group that shows us courage doesn't need a cape, but instead a helping hand.
Keith: I wasn't always like this. I was just an ordinary TV news reporter. On my pursuit of the next big headline, I ran into something that changed my life forever.
Life: Welcome to Superheroes Anonymous. My name is Life, and I am a real-life superhero and the cofounder of Superheroes Anonymous. Superheroes Anonymous is a collective of real-life superheroes.
Keith: This was the 10th year of the Superheroes Anonymous Superhero Workshop and Charity Drive in Brooklyn, New York, with the goal of helping the community and making it a better place. There were real-life superheroes all around me: the New York City firefighters, bone-marrow donors, blood-drive volunteers and, of course, those who dressed the part.
What does it mean to be a real-life superhero?
Michael Cheung: Really, what matters is helping people from the heart. It's just a matter of being true to yourself, know what you’re good at and use that to help as many people as you can.
Lieutenant Jeff Scherer: Someone that puts their safety on the back burner to help another human being. You don't know what is going to happen when you walk out that door. Maybe someone taught you a little first aid; you took a first-aid course. Now you go out there, and now, next thing you know, you are doing CPR on someone.
Keith: Superheroes Anonymous cofounder Life reminded me, with all of the uncertainty in our country and around the world, it is more important than ever to have real-life superheroes.
Life: Don't wait for your leaders, your elected officials, to come down and save you; don't wait for the government. This is just people in the community getting together, trying to make a difference.
Keith: Do I have what it takes to be a real-life superhero?
Life: I think you definitely have what it takes. If you have the heart and the mind, and, you know, if some of these kids can do it, then you can definitely do it.
Ronnie: From this day forward, the future of this great Super-Anchor was forged at Superheroes Anonymous. It is Super-Anchor and his sidekick, Captain Camera! But there is more to being a Channel One Super-Anchor than just a tight costume and great hair. Being a superhero means speaking up for what is right, helping those in need and leading by example.
Tom: Great costumes, got to love it. All right, and you can be a superhero, too. Just head on over to ChannelOne.com for ideas on how you can make an impact in your community.
Okay, that is pretty much all we have time for, but before we say good-bye, here is one more thing.
Arielle: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, wraps up today. It is a Mexican holiday that honors departed loved ones and celebrates the time that they were alive. While celebrations vary around the world, it is traditionally a quiet holiday consisting of family gatherings and paying respects at the graves of dead relatives.
But this year, Mexico City went big for the festivities, starting over the weekend with its first Day of the Dead parade. Thousands attended the event, which included colorful floats, giant skeletons, elaborate costumes and dance routines.Why the big celebration this year? City officials were inspired by this opening scene in the most recent James Bond movie — set in Mexico City.
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