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We're 2 years old, POLITI-Kids — can you believe it?
It feels like just yesterday we were nervously pressing the send button on our first issue, hoping it would inspire and bring joy to at least a few young ones. At the time, we had no idea how many people we would reach, how many issues we would send, or how many topics we would cover. What we did know was that POLITI-Kids was special to us, and the fact that we've been able to continue to do what we love for two years now means the world to us. So, thank you. We wouldn't be able to do it without you.
Off to eat cake,
The POLITI-Kids Team
Aloïse Phelps and Alexa Velickovich
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SCOUT'S HONOR
In order to receive the Girl Scout’s Silver Award — one of the highest awards in the program — a scout must design and complete a project about an important issue in their community. For Sarah Roelke, a 13-year-old Girl Scout of Troop 4425 in northern Virginia, that issue was trust in journalism. So, she created the Report It! patch program.
Report It! uses readings and activities to help explain the journalism profession to Girl Scouts and to teach troops about the importance of good journalism and the dangers of fake news.
Additionally, the Report It! program highlights the work of women in journalism and their accomplishments. Some of these women include former Girl Scouts like Nikole Hannah-Jones and Gloria Steinem, as well as other notable women, including Ida B. Wells and Nelly Bly.
As Roelke noted in an interview, journalism really does affect people of all ages.
"It’s really important because obviously with school and stuff, you have to research a lot of things," said Roelke. "And then just with the world around us, we’re at the age where we start paying more attention to the news and the outside world. So it’s important to verify where our information comes from and make sure we’re getting information from good sources for both school and for just ourselves.”
Regardless if you are a Girl Scout or not, we encourage you to check out Report It! to learn more about the field of journalism and some of the women who directly influenced the profession.
(Source: RJI Online)
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POEM OF THE WEEK:
April is National Poetry Month — a time to celebrate the expressiveness, delight and pure charm of poetry. Billy Collins was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001-2003. His poem "Today" is about a perfect spring day after a long winter. Enjoy!
TODAY
by Billy Collins
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house
and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies
seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking
a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,
releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage
so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting
into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.
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JOKE OF THE WEEK:
Q: How does the Easter Bunny stay in shape?
A: He eggs-ercises!
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Below is an excerpt from a POLITICO article, along with some questions to help guide your reading.
To read the full article, click here. |
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Bidenworld projects calm about Covid but bite their nails in private
By Adam Cancryn
April 14, 2022
The White House is publicly arguing that the country has finally arrived at a promising new stage in the pandemic fight — one that a recent spike in Covid cases won’t spoil.
Infections may be rising across the Northeast, but top Biden officials note that vaccines and tests are widely available and new therapeutics are capable of staving off severe illness. After a year consumed by the public health crisis, the administration says this time it actually is okay to stay calm and carry on.
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Underneath the displays of confidence, however, is simmering anxiety. Biden officials and others close to the federal response privately acknowledged that the next few weeks will determine whether the White House has truly entered a new era — or managed to misread the moment once again.
Despite increasing Covid caseloads in 31 states, the administration believes there’s little evidence that the uptick, driven by the more contagious BA.2 subvariant, will reach the heights of the Omicron and Delta waves that preceded it. More encouragingly, Covid hospitalizations have remained largely flat — a sign that vaccines and treatments are ensuring far fewer people suffer serious symptoms, and a boon to the theory that the U.S. can more safely live with the virus.
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Still, the climbing case count has put some health officials on edge. They’ve spent recent days searching for hints that a bigger resurgence is on the way, unnerved by the steep increases that have already hit Europe and concerned that poor data collection is obscuring signs of a similar boom already underway here.
That’s because a significant proportion of new cases are going unreported due to the prevalence of at-home tests (individuals may test positive but not report it). It’s a reality that Ashish Jha, the White House’s new Covid-19 response coordinator, has cited to bolster the administration’s case for refocusing attention on the still-low hospitalizations as a key metric, rather than infections.
But some experts working on the response believe the undercounting is more severe than has been publicly acknowledged, with one administration official estimating that the government is only recording one out of every six new cases. The data gap has fed internal concerns over how exactly the government should publicly message the seriousness of the situation.
“They’re like, ‘We don’t know if this is something to be worried about or not,’” said one person close to the White House. “But you can’t tell the public that.”
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The complexities of the moment have presented an immediate test for Jha, the new Covid czar renowned for his ability to translate pandemic uncertainties into easy-to-understand public messaging. The 51-year-old used his first days on the job to attempt to do just that, in a bid to assure Americans that the administration has the pandemic under control – and to shift the focus away from rising case counts.
“This is why it’s really essential to look at hospitalizations because, at the end of the day, that’s what we care about most,” Jha said on CNN on Monday, during one of nearly a half-dozen television and radio appearances that day.
Inside the administration, Jha has won initial praise for his geniality and measured optimism. But officials also acknowledged that it’s still early, and he’s yet to personally face much tough criticism.
That’s likely to change soon, especially as Covid cases continue to mount. The White House’s insistence the crisis has entered a manageable phase puts it at odds with a faction of the public health community that contends Biden is increasingly prioritizing political calculations over efforts to more fully stamp out the virus.
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Perhaps more important, administration officials and health experts said that despite the White House’s emphasis on keeping calm, its pandemic fate will hinge on creating enough urgency to convince Congress to fund its response efforts — and persuade Americans to keep getting vaccinated.
The administration has yet to secure tens of billions of dollars needed to stockpile the vaccines and treatments key to blunting the virus’ impact. And after spending the first year of Biden’s presidency on an all-out mission to vaccinate the country, the campaign has lost some traction. More than half of all adults still haven’t gotten even their first booster, CDC data show — and at least for now, the administration appears all out of new ideas.
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GUIDED ARTICLE QUESTIONS:
1. What message is the White House trying to convey to the public on the current state of the pandemic?
2. How is the Biden administration handling the new BA.2 subvariant of Covid?
3. Why do you think Covid cases are increasing?
4. What are experts saying about the current number of cases?
5. What is Jha focusing on in his messaging about the current state of the pandemic?
6. What does the "pandemic fate" hinge on?
7. How many adults still haven't gotten their booster shot?
8. Do you have any new ideas on how the White House can encourage more people to get vaccinated?
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NOTABLE NEWS THIS WEEK
Use the guided reading questions in blue italics to help gain a deeper comprehension of this week's notable news.
The suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting was arrested on Wednesday after a 30-hour manhunt. Frank James is facing a federal terrorism charge and possible life imprisonment after wounding 10 people and injuring 13 others in the attack Tuesday morning. Law enforcement captured James after receiving a Crime Stoppers tip that directed officers to James' location, and while the tip was anonymous, police sources told NBC News they believe James called the tip line himself. James was denied bail after appearing in court Thursday and remains in custody. Parents — here is a link to the POLITI-Kids Master Doc, which includes resources on talking to kids about traumatic events, disasters and violence in the news.
The Biden administration extended the mask mandate for travelers on airplanes, trains and other public transit systems, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Wednesday. The current travel guidelines on masks were set to expire next Monday, but travelers will need to continue wearing masks through May 3. The announcement comes as case numbers increase throughout the country, driven by the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which experts have said is highly contagious. However, despite the rising case numbers, hospitalizations are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. What do you think about this announcement? How does it impact your life?
The Brooklyn Public Library launched a new campaign this week to combat state book bans that are being enacted around the country. Books UnBanned is a “limited time" initiative that allows 13- to 21-year-olds nationwide to apply for a free one-year BPL e-card, which provides access to 350,000 e-books, 200,000 audiobooks and over 100 databases. The card also provides teens access to the library’s Intellectual Freedom Teen Council, which provides resources to fight back against censorship and book challenges. Frequently challenged books, such as "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison and "The 1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones, are available with no wait times for all BPL cardholders. Teens can apply for the card by either emailing BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org or messaging their teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture. Why are states instituting book bans? Have you heard of any other initiatives to combat book bans?
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PAW-LITICO OF THE WEEK: BEE
Submitted by POLITI-Kid Avery Collier
Hi, I’m Bee! I was born three years ago in a tiny town outside Nashville, Tennessee. My mom loved me so much that she drove all the way from Richmond, Virginia, to bring me home. I had a PAW-some life in Richmond. For some weird reason, around March 2020, my mommy and my aunties were home all the time. We had so much fun taking long walks, going to the park and learning new dances. Then things started changing and the world got so much bigger for me — I LOVE meeting new people. We also moved, and now I have my very own yard to explore and protect. At the end of the day, I love to snuggle up in bed, get pets and have a treat or two. It’s not so ‘ruff’ being Bee!
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Ingredients:
– 5 pieces of matzah
– 1 cup unsalted butter
– 1 cup brown sugar
– 1 pinch sea salt
– 1 cup chocolate chips
– Walnuts, rainbow sprinkles, edible glitter (!!) (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Line two small or one large cookie sheet with foil. Cover the foil with parchment paper.
3. Line the sheets with matzah, adding extra pieces to fill the sheet.
4. In a saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil. Once it is boiling, simmer for three minutes stirring constantly.
5. Remove sauce from heat, stir in salt and pour evenly over the matzah spreading with a spatula.
6. Put the baking sheets in the oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Remove matzah and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let melt for a few minutes and spread the chocolate over the matzah.
8. Sprinkle any remaining toppings.
9. Chill in the freezer until set.
10. Once set, break into pieces (1-2 inches are nice) and serve!
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Supplies:
– 3 full graham crackers
– Hot glue or royal icing
– 1 Peep
– M&Ms, sprinkles or other desired candy for decorating
Instructions:
If helpful, there is a video of these instructions in the link above.
1. Start by breaking each of the 3 graham crackers in half. It might help to use a sharp knife to score the crackers before breaking them to make sure they break evenly.
2. Take one of the graham cracker halves and cut it in half again. Then cut it to create a triangle roof support. When cutting a graham cracker, slide the knife back and forth in a sawing motion. As long as you don’t push too hard you should get a nice clean cut.
3. Place some royal icing in a sandwich bag and clip off a corner. Pipe icing along the top edge of a graham cracker half, and then “glue” that graham cracker half to the bottom of the triangle you just cut. That makes the back wall of the house. Alternatively, you can use hot glue here.
4. Next, use two more graham cracker halves to form a roof.
5. Finally, use the last two graham cracker halves to form outside walls.
6. At this point, you want to let the icing harden for at least 15 minutes before moving on. Once everything is hardened, you can pick up the house and pipe icing along the bottom edges of the walls, then place it down on a paper plate.
7. Now it’s time to decorate! Glue a peep inside the house — it’s easiest if you slice the bottom of the peep off so it’s level. Then you can use M&Ms, sprinkles or any other candy to decorate the house.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following POLITICO's, POLITI-Kids and celebrities. Is your birthday coming up? Let us know by submitting your name and date of birth here!
April 15: Alex Samsel, Anna Gronewold
April 16: Dan Ashwood, Jessica Owusu-Danso, Chance the Rapper, Selena, Pope Benedict XVI, Charlie Chaplin
April 17: Angelica Botlo, Ev Crunden, Lauren Shafik, Michelle Pacifico Bocanegra, Jennifer Garner, Rooney Mara, J.P. Morgan, Victoria Beckham
April 18: Milo Evans-Snyder, Burgess Everett, Lara Seligman, Max Cherney, Michael Stratford, Kourtney Kardashian, America Ferrera, Conan O'Brien
April 19: Will Baute, Kareem Payne, James Franco, Kate Hudson, Maria Sharapova, Joanna Gaines, Suge Knight, Ali Wong
April 20: David Siders, Elizabeth Parsons, Jose Ramirez, Sarah Ferris, Jessica Lange, George Takei, Luther Vandross, Tan France, Steve Spurrier
April 21: Amanda Hayes, Gloria Gonzalez, Molly Childers, Queen Elizabeth II, Iggy Pop, Tony Romo, Charlotte Brontë, Patti LuPone
April 22: Elana Schor, Gaurav Agrawal, Robert Hotakainen, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Immanuel Kant
April 23: Blendi Qatipi, Julian Sharat, Gigi Hadid, John Oliver, Dev Patel, John Cena, Shirley Temple, Kal Penn, President James Buchanan
April 24: Kate Querbes, Griffin Taylor, Miranda Wilson, Kehlani, Kelly Clarkson, Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine
April 25: Margaret Morrison, Bridget Morrison, Alex Nieves, Charisse Cotton, Sam Benson, Maggie Rogers, Renée Zellweger, Al Pacino, Ella Fitzgerald
April 26: William Shakespeare, Channing Tatum, Carol Burnett, Melania Trump
April 27: Aubree Weaver, Lizzo, Coretta Scott King, Senator Cory Booker, President Ulysses S. Grant
April 28: Ben Weyl, Eric Geller, Erin Peck, Melanie Martinez, Jessica Alba, Penélope Cruz, Jay Leno, Harper Lee, President James Monroe, Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan
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