(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," early voting sees record voter turnout.

Nack explains the Electoral College in this week's Politics on Point.

Can we live on a moon?

NASA is trying to find out!

And some students are learning English as a second language.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(exciting music) Early voting has officially kicked off in many states, giving voters the opportunity to cast their ballots ahead of the election.

Hello everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

It's full steam ahead for Georgia voting, and in its first day of early voting, Georgia is shattering its record with more than a quarter-million ballots cast.

That's according to state election officials.

Some voters say Georgia is a very important player during the elections as it is considered a swing state.

(highlighter squeaking) A swing state is any state that could reasonably be won by either Democratic or Republican candidates.

Sherrell Hubbard brings us the latest on this story.

- [Sherrell] In some parts of Georgia, the long lines formed before daybreak.

In Canton, Georgia, this line of cars seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

Beginning Tuesday, voters were able to head to the ballot box in the state and show up they did, en masse.

- This election affects the whole country and also the world.

So get up and go get out there and vote.

- [Sherrell] Georgia, a swing state, plays a crucial role in who will take the White House in November's tightly contested presidential election between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to Georgia state election officials, votes cast exceeded 250,000 by late afternoon.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger laid out his goal for this election cycle.

- It's gonna be free, it's gonna be fair, and it's gonna be fast, and we think that's really important.

- [Sherrell] In the razor-thin 2020 presidential race, a statewide audit had to be performed to debunk claims of widespread election fraud or irregularities.

This year, some constituents say they're doing their parts to ensure that they are counted.

- Last time I waited, line going around the block, around the corner.

Now I'm getting my vote in today.

- Thank you, Sherrell.

As we approach another election cycle, understanding this unique system is crucial for grasping how our votes translate into presidential outcomes.

So, did you know that the Electoral College, not directly the public, is responsible for choosing the President of the United States?

Nack has this week's Politics on Point to explain how and why this was determined by the Founding Fathers.

(celebratory music) - Every four years, millions of Americans flock to the polls to select their next Commander in Chief.

Each citizen gets one vote, the votes are tallied, and a winner is declared.

Actually, no.

(record scratching) In our democracy, it's not that simple.

There's one more step between the votes cast by citizens and a new president, and that's the Electoral College.

The Electoral College is (highlighter squeaking) a group of people representing the states of the US who cast the votes that officially elect the president.

The individual people in the Electoral College are called electors.

There are 538 total electors in the United States, one for every senator and representative, plus three for Washington DC.

In Ohio, we have two senators and 16 representatives.

We have 18 electors.

Anyone who can vote can be an elector, but usually the political parties in each state use the position of elector to recognize citizens with strong ties to their party.

When voters cast their ballots, they think they're voting for a candidate, but they're actually voting for electors in their state who support that candidate.

The electors then cast their vote for president based on the voters.

In most states, including Ohio, there is a winner take all policy.

That means whichever candidate gets the most votes in that state is whom all the electors will vote for, even if the margin of victory is very slim, like when President Barack Obama carried the state of Florida with a margin of 0.88%.

In that case, Obama still won all 29 electoral votes.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

That's the majority of the 538 total electors.

Every presidential election comes down to the Electoral College's votes.

Most of the time, this aligns with the votes of individual citizens called the popular vote, but presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote.

This process seems sort of anti-democratic, right?

So who's to blame for this system?

Actually, it was our Founding Fathers, you know, the guys that basically invented the United States.

When they were writing up the Constitution, they had to figure out for the first time how the president would be chosen.

They didn't think it was fair for Congress to decide who would be the next leader of the country, but they also weren't sure that the general public should have that job either.

The Electoral College was their compromise.

It may seem like a weird way of doing something as important as electing the next president.

The United States is the only democracy where the leader is chosen indirectly like this.

Most other countries have direct elections, where the people decide who they want as president, or semi-direct elections where a governing body elects the president.

Some people think that we should do away with the Electoral College, but it's what the Founding Fathers chose, and for now that's how it's going to stay.

(globe ball bouncing) - Thanks for breaking that down for us, Nick.

There have been only five presidents in United States history who have lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote.

(highlighter squeaking) The popular vote is when a candidate received the largest total number of votes from the American citizens.

One of the presidents that lost the popular vote was Ohio native, President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Anna Huntsman tells us about his journey from lawyer to major general to becoming the 19th president of the United States.

- Ah, I'm feeling presidential today, probably because of all the reading I just wrapped up about one of our state's many presidents.

Ohio has been the birthplace of many US presidents and one of them is Rutherford B. Hayes.

(exciting music) There aren't a lot of people named Rutherford these days, but back in 1822 when he was born, the name was much more common.

Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the United States, and the third US president from our state.

He was born on October fourth, 1822 in Delaware, Ohio.

Rutherford worked really hard and graduated at the top of his class from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

He then went to Harvard Law School to become a lawyer and came back to Ohio to practice law in Cincinnati.

That's where he married his wife Lucy.

Lucy was a very intelligent woman.

In fact, she was the first wife of a president to graduate from college, and she was a strong opponent of slavery.

Lucy influenced her husband to strengthen his anti-slavery beliefs.

When the Civil War broke out, even though he had no military experience and was nearly 40 years old, Rutherford B. Hayes decided to join the fight because he said he would rather die in conflict than live having done nothing for the Union.

He fought hard in the war and rose to the rank of major general.

After the Civil War, Hayes turned from being a lawyer to a politician.

He was elected to the US House of Representatives and then served three terms as the governor of Ohio.

He ran for president in 1876 and the race was so close that on election night he went to bed thinking he had lost.

It turned out that even though he had just barely lost the popular vote, he did get enough electoral votes to win the election.

Rutherford B. Hayes said that he only wanted to serve one term as president, which is what he did.

He is known for his effort to restore a good relationship between the North and the South after the Civil War.

Unfortunately, not all of his ideas worked out as well as he had hoped, and it would take many years for the North and South to heal the divisions created by the Civil War.

Nevertheless, Rutherford B. Hayes is also known for being honest and fair.

After his presidency, he retired to his beloved home in Fremont, Ohio, but he kept working for causes that he cared about, such as helping veterans, improving conditions in prisons, and promoting education.

(globe ball bouncing) - Thank you, Anna.

Okay, I hope you're ready for this next story, because we are about to launch.

A mission to explore the Jupiter moon Europa has blasted off.

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft launched aboard a Space-X Falcon heavy rocket from Florida's Kennedy Space Center last week.

It's expected to arrive at its destination in 2030.

It will serve as NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying an ice-covered ocean world in our solar system.

It aims to determine whether Europa could be habitable for life as we know it.

(highlighter squeaking) Habitable means that it can sustain life.

Reporter Michael Yoshida joins us with more on what this mission means for space travel and potentially finding life beyond our world.

- [Michael] Lift off.

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is heading towards its namesake, Jupiter's moon Europa.

Launched aboard a Space-X Falcon heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the spacecraft is NASA's first to be dedicated to studying an ice-covered ocean world in our solar system.

- Given everything that we've really learned about necessary conditions for life, Clipper is going to tell us if Europa has all of these ingredients for life.

- [Michael] Clipper will look at the ocean beneath Europa's thick ice shell.

The moon's ocean is estimated to have two times as much liquid water as the earth's oceans.

- We have 10 science investigations that are designed to examine Europa, this incredible icy ocean moon, from every different perspective and to give us great insights into whether this could be a habitable world.

- [Michael] The mission has several big challenges.

One, just getting to Jupiter, with the spacecraft traveling some 1.8 billion miles.

Once there, the planet's complex gravity fields and powerful radiation have to be dealt with as the Clipper does fly-bys of the moon.

- Another challenge is having a solar-powered mission at Jupiter.

We had to build these giant solar panels to capture the small amount of sunlight at Jupiter to power the spacecraft.

- [Michael] The $5.2 billion mission began in 2013.

- What we learn with Clipper and the habitability of Europa, this is going to pave the way for the future for future missions to Europa and elsewhere in our solar system where we can search more directly for life.

- And on its way to Jupiter, the spacecraft will do fly-bys of both Earth and Mars using the gravity of each to help it use less fuel and also gain speed on its way to Jupiter, where it's expected to arrive in 2030.

- Thank you, Michael, and that brings us to our write to us question for this week.

(text message dinging) We want to know, which planet would you rather live on, and why?

Students can use our inbox form online or send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org to share your answers, and if you send us a drawing of what you think life on your planet would look like, we might be able to share it on next week's episode.

Okay, last week, we talked about how TikTok is being sued by 14 state attorneys general for its potential harm on young minds, and we wanted to hear some of your tips for limiting your social media use.

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

(rainbow whooshing) (phone clicking) Gunesh from Valley Forge Elementary in Huber Heights knows what it feels like to look at a screen for too long.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' what i would do to reduce screen time "is do something fun like make cookies "or go outside and touch grass.

"Another good thing you can do is set the screen time limit "on your phone or Ipad.

"This would be really good if you are "on your phone too much.

"That way, your eyes won't start hurting."

(text message dinging) Marley from Locust Corner Elementary School in Cincinnati has a suggestion for limiting your time on TikTok.

"I think we should put a timer on TikTok like for an hour, "and so when the timer is up, you get kicked out.

"By the next day at 6:00 a.m., it lets you back in."

(text message dinging) Alexia from Greenback Middle School in Parma likes to spend time with their dogs and their family.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' to make sure I don't spend too much time "on my screen, I always play with my dogs or I draw.

"I also play with my family.

"I either play card games or board games."

(text message dinging) Madeline from Franklin Elementary in Wadsworth knows you could do a lot when you are not tied to a screen.

"You could limit your time on screen by setting timers.

"You could play outside or go out with your friends.

"You could also help do chores or offer to help a neighbor "water their flowers or help make dinner," (text message dinging) and Eli from Sydney Middle School in Sydney has changed their screen habits after learning new information.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' coming from a gamer, I may have "a few decent tips on how to stay off the devices.

"One way to limit yourself is to set a timer.

"When I feel like I've been on too long lately, "I set a two hour timer for the day.

"Another way I limit myself, and you could too, "is to stop myself from getting on YouTube shorts or TikTok "after I heard that is addicting."

Oh, sorry.

Those are some very useful tips, and I appreciate everyone writing in.

I should just put my phone away and focus on the show.

The ethnic landscape of one community in North Dakota is shifting, and it is particularly evident in local schools like Dorothy Moses Elementary in Bismarck.

Located in an area with significant low income housing, the school serves a diverse student body that includes indigenous children and students from various countries.

17% of students at this school speak a language other than English, and as Alan Miller reports, the school district is accommodating students across all grades to learn English as their second language.

- [Alan] The student body of Dorothy Moses Elementary is reminiscent of the United Nations.

It includes indigenous children and those from about a dozen countries, and 17% of them came speaking a language other than English.

- It's a challenge, but it's a welcome challenge because our staff is so extraordinary.

- Apples, you're going to write book.

- [Alan] 67 students are in the English learners program where they get one-on-one or group attention for short intervals during the school day.

They come from places like South America, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.

- Chukchi is really hard.

Thankfully we have a Chukchi-speaking aide now, but we just do our best.

It's truly like, lots of visuals, lots of repetition, going very slow, very simple.

- Well, they gave me like, showed me videos, helped me read books, and told me a little bit of words.

- They taught us alphabets and letters, numbers.

(student speaking foreign language) - [Alan] The more time they can spend with each student, the more confident teachers are in making sure they are proficient in English and are at or above grade level before they move on to middle school.

- It's especially when we see them coming as, in as a newcomer and we've been teaching them for four or five years and finally seeing them exit.

It is so rewarding.

- They taught me to be a good sport.

They taught me to never give up.

They taught me to not be shy.

They taught me to be a good handwriter.

(students clapping) - [Alan] And what brings it all together are twice yearly cultural nights, where students and families provide entertainment and food from their homeland to the rest of the school.

- It brings those community members into our school, people that would never step foot in our school, and then all of a sudden we get an influx of these people and it communicates to them that they're a part of us.

(students singing) - That is so cool, thank you, Alan.

This last story inspired our poll for this episode.

We want to know, would you like to learn another language?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between, yes, it would be cool to know another language or no, I wouldn't know which language to pick, and last week we asked you, what is your favorite fall activity?

That was a multiple choice question, so students got to pick all of their favorite things to do in the fall.

Let's check out the results.

Most of you, about 82% said that you love trick or treating.

I do love my candy.

About 43% of you voted for drinking hot cocoa.

I do love that too.

27% of you said you enjoy a crisp hike this time of year, and 20% of you said that it's not officially fall until you go apple picking, which I actually did last weekend.

Thanks for voting, everyone.

A teacher in Colorado was just recognized for his dedication to his students, and it didn't matter which language they speak.

Reporter Spencer Wilson speaks to welding teacher Oakley Van Oss, who's going above and beyond to provide different skills with everyday applications.

- [Spencer] You'll need protective gear if you want to be a part of Mr. Van Oss' class.

(Oakley speaking foreign language) Dual language welding and construction for anybody.

- You probably notice that we have a lot of ladies in here, and they are kicking some serious butt, doing a great job for us.

- [Spencer] Doesn't matter what you'd expect a welder would look like or what language you might expect them to speak.

(Oakley speaking foreign language) In this workshop, if you're willing to put in the work, you're a part of the team, - You come here, you work hard, you clean up, and you show up and that's how this class is and it gives a completely different feeling to the rest of the classes here.

(Oakley speaking foreign language) - [Spencer] It's that attitude, paired with the real world skills he's teaching kids that won Summit High School $35,000, thanks to the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize.

(students cheering) He's one of around 900 teachers that applied around the country, and his students know that it's well deserved.

- Nothing you do in this class will ever feel like a mistake.

You'll always be coached through it.

He'll always make you feel like there's a way to fix it.

He'll tell you exactly how to fix it.

(Oakley speaking foreign language) Mr. Van Oss is nothing short of exceptional.

- [Spencer] Fusing together real world skills to real life lessons.

This is the first time some of these kids have worked with tools like this, and sparks fly when students hear lessons in their own language.

(Oakley speaking foreign language) - It's a real honor to be able to teach these classes in Spanish.

It teaches them some really unique vocab that they can use out on job sites, but then also for kids that are newcomers, they understand what's going on in the class.

It's not like everything's in English going over their heads, but they're actually understanding.

They're learning along with everybody else.

- [Spencer] While the prize money is appreciated.

- Some people are born to teach.

- [Spencer] It's the everyday prize that really matters to Van Oss.

Building a better future for these kids, one weld at a time.

- It makes me feel like I'm doing something that's unique and that's valued that my larger community, the United States, is into what we're doing here in the small community of Summit County and just a lot of pride in what I do and who I teach.

(water sizzling) - That's a great story.

Thank you so much Spencer.

All right, moving on.

For the first time ever, some "Star Wars" fans are getting a chance to see the original classic movie in the Ojibwe language.

Ashley Weil speaks to moviegoers about the importance of language inclusivity in popular culture.

- We wanna be inclusive and to bring communities together.

That is what we do.

- [Ashley] Greg Marcus and Marcus Theaters say their mission is to bring people together and by showcasing a classic film in an indigenous language, he hopes to do just that.

- I hope that the statement it makes is that, you know, that the industry, the broader industry wants to celebrate indigenous people and really people, all different kinds of people.

- [Ashley] And for some, it was exciting to see representation on the big screen.

- I'm Ojibwe, Lac du Flambeau.

My mom was born and raised there.

When she was 18 she left and I moved back there and I'm now here in Madison and I was really surprised that this was one of the theaters.

- [Ashley] And also a chance to see a favorite film.

- I'm a big fan of "Star Wars."

Seen them all, you know?

And it'd be interesting to see it.

- And to see it in native language.

- In a native tongue, yeah.

- [Ashley] While others came to experience a new culture.

- Like, Native American cultures are kind of underrepresented in a lot of media and I wanted to support that expansion into another language and another culture.

So that's why I'm here, and I love "Star Wars," so it was kind of a natural fit.

It could have been any movie and I wanted to support it, but since it's a movie I already love and I don't really have to pay attention to what's going on 'cause I know what's gonna happen, that helps.

- Miigwetch, Ashley.

Miigwetch is the Ojibwe word for thank you.

You know, I think News Hound is also bilingual because his mom, our producer, Natalia Garcia, is actually from Mexico and Spanish is her first language.

(highlighter squeaking) Bilingual means that someone can speak two languages.

News Hound, estas listo?

That means, are you ready?

(upbeat music) (News Hound barking) Hola, News Hound.

So you can understand English as well as Spanish.

That's pretty cool.

Can you show us what sientate means?

Good job, that means sit down.

How about ladra?

(News Hound barking) Nice bark.

Okay, can you show us que historia encontraste?

Show us the story that you found.

(keyboard clicking) Oh wow, it's about two giant pandas that just arrived at the National Zoo in Washington, DC from China.

(well-wishers speaking foreign language) - [Correspondent] They're saying, "Bao Li, Qing Bao, have a safe trip."

A few hours earlier, a private farewell for the three-year-old panda pair and a ceremonial transfer of care from China to the US.

- The majestic mountains of Siwan province are the natural habitat for these beloved creatures.

Chances of us actually seeing one out here, we're told, are quite slim.

- Part of the reason for putting them in an area like this and keeping them away from people is so that they're not acclimated to people.

You wouldn't wanna release a panda and have them approach a village, for example.

- [Reporter] We're told we can meet some of the forest panda trackers, but first we need to suit up.

- I think that one should fit you.

- [Reporter] All right, let's try it.

A panda suit, just in case we stumble across a panda cub.

- To watch the chronicles of their journey to the US, click the petting zoo thumbnail at the bottom of this episode page.

(globe ball bouncing) Gracias, News Hound.

Okay, we're almost out of time for this week's episode, but we can't leave without talking about all of the great work that you all do.

All of you watching right now have a lot of opportunities to be leaders and to have an effect on your school community.

You can do that by setting a great example, having hard conversations, asking tough questions, and just being nice to each other.

This week's A+ award winners are perfect examples of that kind of leadership.

In early October, nearly 60 students representing Garrett Morgan School of Leadership and Innovation, Bolton School, and Mary McLeod Bethune School, all in Cleveland, gathered at the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library to speak about school climate.

(highlighter squeaking) School climate is how people perceive a school's physical and social environment.

The student leaders began the day by viewing a documentary called "You Are Welcome: Creating Safe and Supportive Schools," which tells a story of steps taken at Ellet Community Learning Center in Akron to create a better environment for students, teachers, and community members.

The film explorers all kinds of topics around safety and focuses on the work that the school is doing to make students feel welcome.

Following the film, the students got to speak with a wide range of community leaders, including former principals, members of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's cabinet, and even a Cleveland student from Early College High School at John Hay.

The students asked very tough questions on a lot of topics.

Some of the questions explored student discipline, how teachers and students treat each other, and how students feel when they're in school.

The students also shared their thoughts on how life outside of school sometimes affects how they feel in school.

Here at "NewsDepth," we were very impressed with the maturity and thoughtfulness of the students.

They demonstrated great leadership by being open with their peers and the community leaders about how they feel in schools, by identifying areas of strength and areas of needed growth and suggesting ways to improve their school climates.

This week's A+ award goes to the students of Garrett Morgan, Bolton, and Bethune schools for demonstrating leadership through their participation in discussions around school climate, held at the Cleveland Public Library.

Great job.

That's all for today's episode of "NewsDepth," but we always want to hear from you and there are plenty of ways for you to do that.

You can send a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio, zip code here 44115, and 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.

We'll see you right back here next week, and happy Filipino American History Month.

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

(upbeat music) (cheery music)