(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on News depth, economic reports show the impact of tariffs on Americans.

People are turning to backyard chicken farmers to buy eggs.

Are you getting enough sleep?

It could affect your health.

And we celebrate our state's birthday.

News Depth is now.

(upbeat rock music) The latest economic reports show how tariffs and deficit reduction efforts are affecting Americans.

Hello everybody.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

The new reports provide data about the state of the US economy and how it impacts Americans.

President Donald Trump plans to keep imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, in addition to existing tariffs on China.

These tariffs aim to support US manufacturers, but have raised concerns about inflation among consumers.

Meanwhile, new efforts to reduce the national deficit include spending cuts and tax breaks, as well as layoffs of federal workers.

Think of the national deficit as a shortage of money.

It happens when the government's expenses are greater than its income from taxes and other sources.

Amy Kiley reports on how tariffs and the deficit are making waves, for better or worse.

- [Amy] Americans are starting to see a new economic reality under President Donald Trump.

Take tariffs, for instance.

With Trump confirming he still plans to impose 25% duties on Mexican and Canadian imports.

Tariffs on Chinese goods are in place now, and Trump says reciprocal ones are in the works.

- It is a drive to bring back manufacturing, to protect our great jobs here.

- [Amy] Economists say tariffs support domestic producers by making us businesses pay extra for imports.

In light of new ones, Apple and Eli Lilly say they're investing billions of dollars in US manufacturing.

On the other hand, recent surveys show tariffs are causing concern about inflation.

- Consumers are telling us that they're getting a bit more worried about the future.

- [Amy] Republican efforts to lower the deficit are making waves too.

- The new reality is less government, more efficiency, better return for the taxpayers.

- [Amy] Part of that is a new house resolution that calls from massive and controversial spending cuts.

It also contains sweeping tax breaks that aren't sitting well with some fiscal hawks.

- The deficit's gonna go up.

- [Amy] Large scale layoffs of federal workers are another part of the plan to reduce spending.

Some analysts worry they could backfire.

- Are literally some of the firings just in the federal government, which has 10 million workers.

Is that gonna be enough to cause a recession?

- The rising cost of groceries, especially with soaring prices like those for eggs, is becoming a serious concern for many Americans.

For those living in and around New York City, the cost of a dozen eggs is reaching nearly $12 and many are finding it difficult to afford basic groceries.

To help, a local deli owner has come up with a creative solution, selling eggs individually, allowing people to buy just what they need, without breaking the bank.

- [Harry] In the Bronx, the borough where I grew up, we headed to Pamela's Green Deli.

- Good to see you.

- [Harry] Where the price of eggs is a red hot topic.

- Now it's eight, nine, 10, 11, 12.

It's horrible.

- [Harry] What are you thinking about egg prices these days?

- They're too expensive.

I haven't eaten eggs in about a month.

- [Harry] Okay, that's incredible.

Did you used to eat a lot of eggs?

- Every day.

Every day.

My children too, not anymore.

- You know, it's crazy that we can't afford eggs.

It's a good thing that the owner's doing though.

He's selling eggs loose, so that the community have access to them.

- [Harry] Selling eggs loose, three at a time, instead of a dozen.

So I heard you're doing something special here.

Something a little bit different, so that people can actually get the eggs that they need to.

- Instead of selling the dozen for $12, $11, we decided to sell loose eggs, you know, like this package.

$2.99, for these three eggs.

Sometimes the people only have probably $20, $25, they're spending $12 just in eggs, so it's gonna be difficult for them to buy the rest of the stuff.

You know, like a bread, butter, oil, all the thing that they need to cook.

- [Harry] Are people telling you that they really like.

- [Speaker] They buying, they buying, they buying.

A lot of people coming and they buying and they happy because we did that.

It remind me from where I'm coming from.

I'm coming for Dominican Republic and this is what I used to do over there, working in the grocery store - Throughout the year, we featured a lot of stories dealing with economics.

Economics is a science that explores a production, consumption, and transfer of wealth, often through labor and providing goods and services.

This week's a plus award winners took their growing knowledge of economics and put it to work.

Mrs. Igarashi's second grade class at Edison Elementary School in Willoughby planned a market day.

Each one of these seven teams of students brainstormed, designed and produced a product.

They considered a wide range of factors in their production, including the ideas of wants and needs.

An example of wants and needs are that I want the guardians to win the World Series, but I need to make sure I eat a healthy breakfast each day.

Or as Savannah explained, I needed something that helps you survive, but a want is a luxury.

They also thought about supply and demand, which helped them to determine the prices of their products.

Cooper told us that if there is a high demand for a product, you can charge more, but if there's a lower demand, you should reduce your price.

Cooper and his partners, Ava P, Oliver, and Savannah, are hoping that they charge a high price for their pillows.

That's not all.

Each team also created a marketing campaign to help advertise their products.

Selena told us that this is an important step when you're trying to sell something like the iSpy bottles she created with her partner Ava H. James explained to us that they're using eagle bucks to buy the items.

Eagle bucks are a reward that students at Edison can earn through being good citizens and good students.

James and his partners, John and Rosie, are charging three eagle bucks for the stress balls they made.

This group of entrepreneurs from Edison told us that they considered things that they knew their classmates would like, when they decided what to make.

Nico and Tyson decided to be art dealers and are selling original works of art.

Amelia and Emily are selling girl power bracelets, but they assured us that boys can buy them as well.

And finally, Kane, Christopher Srithik and Cade, are selling some ooey gooey slime.

This week's a plus award goes to Mrs. Igarashi's Edison entrepreneurs, for putting their knowledge of economics to work.

Congratulations.

Okay, back to the news.

As egg prices continue to rise, some major farms are suffering the brunt of the bird flu outbreak and some people are now considering raising their own chickens.

But as Dion Lim explains, it can be costly to own a backyard chicken farm.

- [Dion] Leslie Citroen's backyard is home to some of the most popular girls in town.

Leslie has been running Mill Valley chickens for 15 years and only second to pandemic demand.

- Oh, that was crazy.

- These past few weeks, inquiries and sales for chicks, hens, coops, and enclosures, also called runs, have skyrocketed.

- Our business has gone up 50%.

I do get people from all over California driving up as far as from San Diego, Oregon, Nevada.

- One of the reasons Leslie is receiving so many inquiries about her chickens and coops, is because of the high cost of eggs.

But she says, raising chickens isn't what it's all cracked up to be.

You do need to put a huge investment.

- [Dion] Upfront costs can vary from a few hundred dollars to much more depending on size, quality of a coop and the breed of chicken.

- Some of our runs are, you know, upwards of $15,000.

- Maurice Pitesky of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine says in addition to the upfront and longer term cost, there can be other challenges.

- One of the things that consumers and backyard bird enthusiasts need to be aware of is just the potential for them to be exposed to various diseases.

And we have had cases of avian influenza from wild birds getting into backyard chickens and from backyard chickens getting into humans.

- [Dion] The CDC reports the public health risk of bird flu is low and Maurice is still a proponent of backyard chicken ownership done responsibly.

- That basically means we need to kind of optimize husbandry and biosecurity.

We need to have good things like fencing, for example, to make sure that wild birds and rodents are not as accessible into these coops.

Making sure that we don't have spilled feed.

- All of these precautions Leslie practices with Mill Valley chickens and works hard to educate others about.

- Thanks Dion.

It's still the peak of respiratory virus season and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, says, the number of people seeking healthcare for these illnesses is high, especially when it comes to the flu, which is causing a substantial number of emergency department visits nationwide.

But experts say prioritizing something you do every night can actually help boost your immune system.

In today's Health Minute, Mandy Gaither explains how sleep can help protect you from getting sick.

- [Mandy] It's been an intense flu season so far, nationwide, about 27% of tests are coming back positive for the virus.

And there's also RSV and COVID-19 to contend with.

But getting some good Zs may offer some protection.

- Sleep does play a crucial role in supporting and regulating the immune system.

- [Mandy] Michelle Drerup with Cleveland Clinic says adequate sleep can actually help the body defend against infection and inflammation.

And the key to getting good shuteye is focusing on sleep hygiene.

- So things like making sure you're limiting or avoiding napping during the days and not having caffeine too late or exercising too late.

All those things may be important and helpful.

- [Mandy] Other ways to promote good sleep, make a habit of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.

Keep your bedroom relaxing, quiet and at a cool temperature.

Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed.

Drerup says to also only use the bed for sleep and allow time to wind down.

- The crux of it for a lot of people is that sleep is a natural process and we don't wanna force it or put a lot of effort into it.

that actually makes it harder to fall asleep.

- [Mandy] And if you're having persistent sleep problems, Drerup says to see a doctor.

There are treatments that can help.

- Thank you, Mandy.

The CDC says there are other health benefits of sleep as well, including lowering risk of chronic conditions and a reduction of stress.

Making sleep a priority is not just making a responsible decision, but it also helps us do well in school and in life.

So is eight hours enough downtime?

What if I am a night owl?

For this week's spot on science, Margaret interviews a sleep specialist to get some answers and learn the importance of getting a good night's rest.

- I am not a morning person.

I will hit that snooze button over and over again until I absolutely have to get out of bed.

Staying up late and waking up late are two of my bad habits that I want to break.

So I thought maybe knowing the science behind sleep is important, could help motivate me to catch some more Zs.

I called up Dr. Sally Ibrahim, she's a sleep specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.

I started by asking her to tell me a little bit about her work.

Take a look.

(upbeat music) - I'm a sleep doctor, I'm a medical doctor.

So I see patients in clinic and I also read sleep studies.

When people go to spend the night in the lab, we get some data and we understand what their sleep disturbances are.

And so I see patients with sleep disorders of all kinds, from insomnia, meaning you can't sleep, to hypersomnia, too much sleep, and everything in between that relates to sleep.

- And so why is sleep so important?

- Sleep is important for all the body functions.

Namely in students learning, we do a lot of active learning when we're sleeping and the more sufficient sleep we get, the better and more likely we're gonna retain our knowledge the next day.

And so that's why a lot of teachers will say get a good night's sleep because we know that memory consolidation happens in sleep.

There's also a bunch of other things that they, that happen in sleep.

For example, we can regulate our sugar control, regulate our heart health and so many other things that are healthy for us to thrive.

- So if I stay up really late cramming for a test, I might not remember what I've been studying If I don't get enough sleep.

- That's a great question.

You will retain some, you will retain more probably if you get a good night's sleep.

'Cause that memory consolidation occurs during sleep.

Now some people will still do just fine, but we know that you're probably studying more than just on that night.

And so every single night counts leading up to that, so you can retain that knowledge.

- Ah, okay.

And so how much sleep should someone who is eight to 12 years old get?

- [Sally] Great question.

So pre-adolescence you need about anything from nine to 12 hours.

And in teenagers, you need eight to 10 hours.

And so those are minimal numbers.

The minimum number for teenagers, eight hours, and the minimum number for a pre-adolescent is nine hours.

- What are some, you know, tips that you have for when I'm getting ready to go to bed to make sure that I get a good night's rest?

- The tips are making a regular bedtime, making a regular wake time that's between one or two hours of your typical weekday wake time.

Some students, my daughter included, who's in sixth grade, you know, thinks that it's okay just to get all your sleep on the weekend, but the weekend's only a couple of days and we have that full five days to really work with.

We want to avoid caffeine and that could look like a lot of things, chocolate being one, close to bedtime and with dinner.

And we want to reduce our stress levels and make some progress towards bedtime when it's time for bedtime.

- And you said that your daughter had some tips about electronics at night.

- It may be hard to get away from electronics.

And so, and that's what she mentioned to me.

She said, "You know, kids are gonna be on their electronics.

You have to tell them what to do and what not to do."

And she's actually right scientifically, interestingly.

So the sciences that some electronics may not be so bad, it depends on what we're doing on it and if those, so things that are very engaging when our mind is really active will be bad for us.

Some of the things that may be more helpful are things like listening to music that's soothing, relaxing, not so alerting things that just bomb us.

There could be a, you know, a nice, you know, easy podcast to listen to, for example.

Something to put our mind in a relaxed position.

- So you gotta be really smart about what you're doing at night, so that when you wake up, you'll be smarter.

- Choose wisely, that's right.

- Those are some great tips for getting a restful night.

Thank you, Margaret.

For our poll this week, we want you to examine your sleeping habits and tell us how long do you sleep on an average night?

Slide over to our poll page to cast your answer.

You can choose between six hours or less, seven hours, eight hours, or more than eight hours a night.

Last week we learned about the extreme winter sport of skijoring and we wanted to know if you'd ever try it out.

Wow, more than 82% of you said you would definitely give skijoring a run.

And about 18% of you said it looks a little too extreme.

I have to agree, I'm with that 18%.

Thank you all for voting.

Okay, I hope you all have your party hats because we are celebrating this week.

March 1st marked the anniversary of the day Ohio became a state.

Mary has a special Know Ohio, all about the origins of our state.

(upbeat guitar music) (upbeat dance music) - Oh, don't mind me, I'm just celebrating Statehood day.

It's only the most exciting time of year to be in Ohioan.

Oh, aside from like when the Cavs were in the finals or like the Indians were in the World Series.

Oh, or like when OSU beat Michigan.

Okay, it's probably like the fourth or fifth most exciting time of year to be an Ohioan.

Statehood day is the anniversary of the day Ohio became a state, which we observe every year on March 1st.

But Ohio didn't exactly have a smooth road to statehood.

Before Ohio became state, it was a territory, specifically a part of the Northwest Territory.

The northwest Territory was a big patch of land that also included what is now Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Instead of being a state controlled by the US president and the rest of the federal government, the territory was ruled by a governor.

In the early 1800s, that governor was Arthur St. Clair.

Arthur St. Clair belonged to a party called the Federalists, and he stood in the way of Ohio becoming a state in 1802.

See, Arthur wanted the boundary of Ohio to be smaller, ending at the Scioto River, so the population would be smaller.

This is because he was a bit power hungry.

According to the rules at the time, if the population was small enough, under 60,000 people, St. Clair could continue to reign over the territory without interference from the federal government, but a different political party in Ohio, the Democratic Republican party, led by men like Thomas Worthington, Nathaniel Massie and Edward Tiffin, wanted statehood and they asked the federal government for help.

Although Ohio's population was still a little small, the federal government agreed that it should be a state.

And on April 30th, 1802, president Thomas Jefferson signed The Enabling Act.

This act called for Ohio to be made a formal state as soon as possible.

But that didn't stop Arthur St. Clair, the federalist, from making a stink about it.

St. Clair wanted to delay statehood and told the framers of the Ohio Constitution that they should ignore President Jefferson's Enabling Act.

Instead of doing that, the Ohio delegates ratted him out.

They told President Jefferson all about the smack talking St. Clair was doing, and Jefferson promptly fired him.

After the drama, it took nearly a year for Ohio's rival political parties to come up with a constitution and for the federal government to approve it.

A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country or state works.

Democratic Republicans wanted a constitution that favored a small government with limited powers.

And because most of the people drafting the Constitution were of that party, they got their wish.

The United States Senate and the House of Representatives each approved the Constitution and Ohio officially became the 17th state on February 19th, 1803.

But wait, then why do we wait till March 1st to celebrate statehood day?

Well, that's because March 1st, 1803 is when Ohio's general Assembly met for the first time.

- Let's hear it for Ohio, happy 222nd birthday to our state and we want you to help us celebrate.

For our Write to Us this week, we'd like you to create a birthday card celebrating our state.

Students can share their birthday messages with us by using our inbox form online or sending us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Now check this out.

We received a lot of correspondence last week with answers to our previous inbox question about the fossilized vomit.

Let's see what you had to say.

Sarem from St. Catherine of Sienna in Cincinnati sent us this drawing of a dino and wrote, I think that dinosaur got sick by eating or not having enough to eat.

Emmy from Gilles-Sweet Elementary in Fairview Park thinks the dino might have been poisoned.

I think the dinosaur got sick because it could have had poison on the thing he or she ate.

And from Milford Junior High School, Trent thinks the dino ate some bad fish.

And Vaeda's theory is that the dinosaur ran for too long.

I got one more shout out to Payton and James from Evening Street Elementary in Worthington for discovering some really cool facts about the Dunkleosteus.

Did you know that Ohio has a state fossil?

It is called the Dunkleosteus.

It was one of the fiercest predators of the Devonian period.

It lived in the seas of Ohio.

A predator is an animal or person that hunts down animals.

It's been extinct for 300,082,000 years.

This creature was bigger than a great white shark.

I love all of your letters.

Now, on our last episode, we learned about publications that highlighted Black communities in Iowa, and we wanted to learn about your community or neighborhood or even your city.

Let's see what you uncovered about your home by opening our inbox.

Piper and Jackie from Hanby Elementary in Westerville partnered up on their article.

Dear News Depth, here in Westerville, Ohio, you can find a lot of good food and historic buildings like the Hanby House, First Responders Park, Hamby Elementary, which is where we go to school, which is also more than 100 years old, Emerson Elementary, which is also more than 120 years old, and more.

We also have a lot of kind people who work at local uptown stores.

Also, shout out to Mr. Miltko and Mrs. Bilderback for being awesome teachers.

Sam from Woodlands Elementary thinks it's very easy to make friends in Huron.

Dear News Depth, my community is very special.

They're thoughtful, kind, passionate, and empathetic people.

We can trust each other, which makes for a valuable community.

It is crucial to have a good community around you so you can feel good about yourself.

Maintaining fondness with your friends and everyone around you will make them feel the best possible.

I think my community is unique and we should embrace what we already have.

Estella from Edgewood Middle School in Worcester says their community is the perfect balance of modern and historic.

Dear News Depth, my community is special in many ways.

Around the city, there are both historic and modern sites.

There are many things to do from the arts to business.

Around the community, there are also many cultures and religions.

There are also many events that happen where I live.

That is why my community is special.

PS I love Newshound Hear that Newshound?

Jace from Dewitt Elementary in Cuyahoga Falls loves when neighbors say hi.

Dear News Depth, what makes my community special is how many nice people there are.

Like when I'm taking my dog on a walk and someone waves or says, have a good day, or when I am in ACME, the grocery store, or something, and they ask how I'm doing today and smile.

That's what makes my community special.

And Cassie from Grant Elementary School gave us an immersive experience of Lakewood.

Cue playful screams.

Do you hear that?

That is a sound of children playing in the pool.

These are reasons that Lakewood is the best.

We have many parks and many restaurants.

The people are so kind and helpful.

Wow.

PS tell Newshound, he needs a sibling.

Thank you all for writing.

And Cassie, something you might not have known about Newshound is that he actually does have an older brother, but you might be surprised by his size.

Let's meet him.

It's time for the petting zoo.

(soft music) Everyone meet Newshound's brother, Lalo, the News Depth Lizard.

Lalo is a bearded dragon and he is about 10 years old.

He occasionally works with Newshound behind the scenes for our petting zoo segments.

Well Lalo, can you give us the scoop on this week's story?

Oh, they found a story about an opossum with a tummy ache.

- That opossum is curled up on our sectional couch.

We had just gotten it and there's these chocolate possum footprints all over it.

- [Gabriel] Those chocolate footprints coming from this Costco tuxedo cake.

- And I look on the ground and he had knocked the Costco cake on the ground, had ate most of it, then we noticed it was kind of under distress.

- That's when a call to the Humane Society was made.

To see how that a opossum got their paw on an entire chocolate cake, you can check out the Petting Zoo video on our website and on YouTube.

Thanks as always, Newshound.

And big thanks to your big brother, Lalo.

Well, that's a wrap for this episode of News Depth, but you can keep the conversation going and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

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, and we'll see you right back here next week, (upbeat music) - [Narrator] News Depth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

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