(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," Joe Biden wants to ban the social media app TikTok, Mary tells us about some wacky Ohio laws, Ohio representatives propose legislation to make our railways safer, and Margaret tells why finding a bug in our water is a good thing.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) The White House and Congress are taking aim at TikTok.

Hello, everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

TikTok is a social media app dedicated to short videos created by users.

It was developed by a Chinese company called ByteDance.

TikTok has more than 150 million users around the United States.

The biggest demographic, making up about 25% of its users, people 19 years old or younger.

The Biden administration wants to ban the app in the US because of concerns over personal data privacy and national security.

Since last month, TikTok has been banned from all US government issued devices.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has voted to advance a bill that would make it easier to ban the app across the nation.

A bill is a legislative proposal for a law.

Cole Higgins tells us more.

- [Cole] The powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee holding a hearing on the threat from China to national security.

- We are living through one of the most dangerous periods in American foreign policy in a generation.

- [Cole] Sanctions would be required if the Biden administration determines the companies helped the Chinese government engage in surveillance, hacking, and censorship, or intelligence gathering, among other things, if the White House determines TikTok and its parent company ByteDance knowingly transferred talk's user data to any foreign person working for or under the influence of the Chinese government.

- I don't have TikTok on my phone.

I think there is strong evidence that TikTok is working with the CCP and sharing that data.

- [Cole] TikTok says, quote, "It would be unfortunate to censor millions of Americans and do so based not on actual intelligence, but on a basic misunderstanding of our corporate structure."

Already though the White House telling federal agencies they have 30 days to remove TikTok from all government issued devices.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson saying, quote, "I can't believe that the United States, as the world's number one superpower, is so afraid of a mobile phone application popular among young people.

This shows a lack of confidence."

- Thank you, Cole.

This bill would still have to be passed by the House of Representatives, the US Senate, and then be approved by the president in order for it to become a law.

If you're curious about this process, you can check out our Politics on Point segment, Who Makes Laws?

Now among the millions of monthly active users on TikTok are small business owners and influencers who rely on the app for a major portion of their profits.

So where will all these users go if the app disappears?

Shelly Molaschi takes a look at the platforms that could benefit and how TikTok creators are responding.

- [Shelly] Creators, businesses, and influencers are finding themselves in limbo as Congress considers a ban on TikTok.

- I have to continue to grow the business, and right now TikTok is the platform that's been amazing, and I love, love, love TikTok.

- [Shelly] Ella Livingston is one of more than 150 million monthly US users on TikTok using the platform to grow her chocolate business called Cocoa Asante.

- We always know that a platform can be gone just like that, and so we are always prepared to pivot.

And if it's not TikTok, it's gonna be another platform.

- [Shelly] And she's not the only one ready to move.

Influencers who use TikTok as a primary way of generating revenue are already speculating about where they'll go next.

- Here's a few right here.

Clapper, Huddles, and Likee, to name a few.

- [Shelly] So who stands to benefit from a possible ban?

Experts say American tech companies with features similar to TikTok.

Meta's Facebook and Instagram allow users to create 15-second video clips called Reels.

YouTube has a feature called Shorts.

Snapchat's Spotlight highlights entertaining videos.

And even Spotify has a TikTok-like video feed with recommended music and other content.

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing, and the push to ban the app is driven by concerns about national security.

- There's an immediate threat via TikTok from the Chinese Communist Party.

- [Shelly] Earlier this month, the CEO of TikTok said the Chinese government had never asked for US user data.

And even if they did, the company wouldn't provide it.

- Thank you, Shelly.

Okay, so now we've heard from both sides of the argument.

We learned how TikTok users have created a community that supports creators and entrepreneurs, and we learned that the US government has security concerns about the app.

For this week's poll, we wanna know where do you stand?

Do you think TikTok should be banned in the US?

Head to our poll page to vote between, yes, TikTok should be banned or no, TikTok is a useful platform.

Now last week, we asked you how you thought students should be graded at school.

46% of you think that students should be given percentage grades.

42% of the votes went to letter grades.

And just 12% of you think that students should be graded based on topic mastery.

Now laws are meant to protect and keep people safe and laws have to evolve as the world evolves.

For instance, there was no TikTok when I was in school, so, of course, there was no law against it.

And sometimes laws become outdated and they go unchanged, because lawmakers don't find it worth the effort or the time to update them.

Consequently, old laws seem pretty funny in today's society.

For example, in a village in Ohio, you can't parade your duck out on the street.

In another place, you can't take your cow out for a walk.

Mary tells us about some of our state's wackiest laws in this week's Know Ohio.

(upbeat music) - You have the right to remain silent, because I'm talking law today.

For the most part, Ohio laws are meant to protect us.

For instance, we're required to wear a seatbelt in the car for our safety in case of an accident.

And then, there are other laws, laws that are outdated, oddly specific, or just plain wacky.

For instance, here's a law that might ruffle a few feathers, in the village of McDonald, Ohio, you may not parade your duck down Ohio Avenue.

So take your duck parade to Indiana Avenue, okay?

Likewise, in Bay Village, Ohio, they've got a beef.

If they see you walking your cow down Lake Road, doing so is punishable with a fine, no matter how bad your cow needed to stretch her legs.

These are examples of outdated laws that were written up at a time when Ohio was more rural.

Needless to say, these laws are not frequently broken, so legislators feel no need to spend their time repealing them.

Another example is Ordinance Number 223 in Bexley, Ohio, which prohibits the installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses.

Luckily, the Bexley Police don't usually have a problem enforcing that one.

And then, there are some laws that are so specific and strange you know there must be a really great story behind them.

Like in Toledo, where it is illegal to throw a snake at anyone.

Man, if anyone threw a snake at me, I would throw a hissy fit.

A law in North Canton requires that you notify police before roller skating.

What do I think about that law?

I plead the fifth.

Now I know what you're thinking, "What if I unintentionally break a law the next time I take my cow for a walk or play a slot machine in my outhouse?"

Well, don't worry, just go with the flow, make sure your ducks are in a row, unless you're on Ohio Avenue in McDonald.

In which case, get your ducks out of there, that's not cool.

(air whooshing) - Thanks, Mary.

I'll probably just avoid Bay Village whenever I'm out walking my cow just to be safe.

Well, as Mary mentioned, some laws come with a backstory.

Lawmakers are trying to prevent something from happening again.

A bipartisan group of Ohio representatives is proposing legislation that aims to prevent environmental disasters caused by freight train incidents.

They're asking for hazardous materials training for first responders and for increased penalties after rail safety violations.

There's been a growing concern over the safety of the nation's railroads after that train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and another that happened in Minnesota last month that called for residents of a nearby town to evacuate.

Chris Nguyen is in Washington with more on the government's response.

- [Chris] A BNSF Railway train hauling ethanol and mixed freight, including corn syrup, derailed in Raymond, Minnesota, forcing nearby residents to evacuate for several hours.

- We take full accountability for it, and we'll continue to be here until this is cleaned up.

- [Chris] Ethanol is a highly flammable chemical.

The effects of exposure can include coughing, dizziness, and unconsciousness.

But so far officials say there have been no injuries or reports of toxic exposure.

This comes nearly two months after the February derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, that sparked a days-long inferno, and is just the latest in a string of recent incidents calling the safety of the nation's railways into question.

- The reason that we are pushing so hard on railroad safety is to make sure there are fewer of these incidents.

This happens more often than I think most Americans realize.

- [Chris] As the federal government launches investigations into the causes of the derailments, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are taking action.

- The Rail Act makes important and pragmatic changes to the way our nation's rail industry operates, ensuring that our families, friends, and neighbors are kept safe.

- [Chris] A bipartisan group of Ohio representatives recently proposed legislation that includes provisions to enhance federal oversight of freight trains, increases funding for hazardous materials training for first responders, and increases penalties for rail safety violations.

- Thank you, Chris.

Now city council members in Baltimore, Maryland, have passed a resolution asking the Environmental Protection Agency to stop contaminated wastewater from coming to the city's water treatment facility.

Wastewater simply means that the water's been used in a home or a business, or maybe an industrial process.

The wastewater this time is coming from East Palestine, Ohio, and it could be carrying toxic material.

Jessica Albert reports.

- [Jessica] The Baltimore City Council is trying to stop contaminated wastewater from being sent to the city.

City Council President Nick Mosby spoke on it in Monday's council meeting.

- This is simply unacceptable and yet another example of environmental injustice that has negatively impacted our cities for generations.

- [Jessica] Last Friday, Baltimore city leaders learned Norfolk Southern, the company at the center of a massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, would be sending 675 gallons of pretreated wastewater to the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.

This announcement immediately drew concerns from the community, clean water advocates, and elected leaders who do not want the water to be sent here.

That's why the city council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday to ask the EPA to reverse the decision to bring the water here.

Councilman Zeke Cohen drafted the resolution.

- To me, it is unfair and frankly disrespectful to the mayor, to the city council, to our communities here, that this decision was made without our input.

- [Jessica] He's concerned the city's Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant is not equipped to handle all of the water.

The plant is a city-run facility that has been under temporary state control due to compliance and permit issues.

- Thanks, Jessica.

Residents in Philadelphia are concerned, meanwhile, about their drinking water after a chemical spill in the Delaware River.

Last week, a pipe burst at a latex manufacturing facility in Bristol, Pennsylvania, just 23 miles from Philadelphia.

It released hazardous liquids into a storm sewer.

We get the latest from John Paul.

- [John] The leak from from this plant in Bristol Bucks County has been repaired, but the damage is done.

At least 8,100 gallons of a toxic chemical spilled into a creek on Friday, sparking panic and concern.

Those concerns reached the White House.

We're told President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation and was in contact with Mayor Jim Kenney over the weekend.

The mayor spoke late this afternoon.

- [Mayor Kenney] Let's be clear, the city has been monitoring this spill when it first occurred late Friday night.

- [John] But today, officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are trying to ensure people that they are safe.

- If there was anything in the water, it would be at such minute levels there's no equipment that could even tell it's there.

- [John] The DEP, along with the Coast Guard, sampled water throughout the weekend and again today looking for the chemical.

They've also collected about 60,000 gallons of contaminated water.

Officials are concerned that chemicals could get into the water supply through treatment plants along the Delaware as it travels south.

- [Mayor Kenney] They're constantly monitoring and testing the water to ensure the health of the public.

- [John] I talked to the Delaware River keeper today who says she was not told about this situation until well after it happened.

She's concerned about the lack of information.

- We don't have good quality information coming out regularly so that people actually know what is happening in this system.

- Thank you, John.

Now officials said they will continue to track this spill closely, and vowed to notify the public immediately if water quality sampling indicates a potential problem.

So who actually tests the water when a spill like this happens?

The EPA sets the standards to test for 90 contaminants in the public drinking water, including E. coli, salmonella, and some metals, such as lead.

But it takes chemists and biochemists at a certified laboratory to take the samples and test the water.

Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes in a living organism.

This career path can lead to a job in health, food, agriculture, or maybe even the environment.

Let's learn a little more about it together.

For our write-in this week, we want you to send in your questions for a biochemist, and next episode, we'll get the answers from a professional on our Career Callout segment.

Last week, we asked you to name and describe a spider or an insect that you would like to discover.

Let's check out your creepy crawlers by opening up our inbox.

(mouse clicking) Evan from Evening Street Elementary in Columbus starts us off with a microscopic bug.

"Dear, 'NewsDepth,' I found a new bug type.

The bug is a micro centicrawler.

The bug is microscopic and is very fast.

It lives in a cave and it eats plants.

The micro centicrawler has a red skeleton showing through its skin."

Ella from Mulberry Elementary in Cincinnati sent us a drawing of an arachnoid.

"The bug I found is a spider-like bug with wings.

It's not just a spider, though, this spider has wings.

The bug also has horns on its head similar to the Hercules beetle.

It has a mostly white body with red accents and stripes, and a few purple dots here and there.

Its name is the archdemiver.

That's the bug that I found."

Tommy from Olmsted Falls Intermediate School, in Olmsted Falls, has a great description of this bug.

"Dear, 'NewsDepth,' if I discovered a new bug, it would be called the blue-banded caterpillar, taking credit from its partner, the woolly bear.

It would be a blue, fuzzy caterpillar, nonpoisonous, and so fuzzy that it uses itself as a hairbrush.

And when it becomes a butterfly, it's a very cool one.

It's outer wing parts would be green, and the main body red.

The main wings would be purple.

It is only found in the depths of this inbox and my imagination, and, of course, the home of all bugs, the Amazon Rainforest."

Emma from Frank Elementary in Perrysburg, wrote about this very strong bug.

"Dear, 'NewsDepth,' the new bug I would create or discover is a kickbug.

The kickbug lives in the African Savannah.

The kickbug is a herbivore and only eats grass.

This bug has a mouth, but doesn't eat the blade of grass or pick it, the kickbug kicks the grass.

This bright orange, teeny-tiny bug has the strength of 10 adults.

Its predators include frogs, snakes, and birds.

The bug is poisonous to all other creatures besides humans.

The kickbug's poison doesn't affect frogs, snakes, or birds.

This is very unfortunate for the kickbug."

Erick from Midview West Elementary in Grafton sent us a picture of this flying ant.

"A big bug that is green, and has wings to fly, and has claws to tear into its prey.

It is long and has six legs, and a stinger.

Don't run into it, it's called Infection Ant."

Ew, thanks so much for sending in your descriptions and your drawings.

I feel like I can kind of feel some of those crawling on me right now.

It must be small, I can't see it, but you can hear it, right?

There must be something flying around here.

Did you know though that finding a bug in your water may be a good sign?

No, not in your cup of water.

Don't drink that.

But on lakes and rivers, it's a sign of good water quality.

In this Spot on Science, Margaret heads to a stream to learn about how citizen scientists are able to count water bugs as a way of monitoring water quality.

(upbeat music) - Ah, there's nothing better than finding a bug in your water, right?

Okay, so maybe not your glass of water, but in the streams and rivers around us bugs can be a sign that the water is clean enough to call home.

To find out a little more, I met up with Matthew Smith.

He works for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and helps teach community volunteers how to look for signs that the water is not polluted by counting the bugs they find in their neighborhood streams.

Take a look.

- Most people think of bugs and they go, "Ooh, yuck," you know, "bugs."

But actually we wanna see a lot of bugs, especially a huge diversity of different types of bugs.

Right now we're in the Village of Mantua, and we're at Buchert Memorial Park.

We're setting up to have a workshop for people to come out and learn about stream quality and about the the Upper Cuyahoga State Scenic River.

We sample the macroinvertebrates that live in the stream.

Those are the small, little bugs that spend most of their life cycle in the stream.

- [Margaret] Matthew Smith and his coworker from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources taught about 15 folks how to tell if the Upper Cuyahoga River is looking clean by catching bugs, identifying them.

- Stonefly, nymph.

- And that's a nymph.

- Yep.

- Okay.

- [Margaret] And counting them.

It's almost like a game.

Different bugs are assigned different scores based on how sensitive they are to pollution.

- And we look for some of these macroinvertebrates because some of them are very sensitive to pollution.

Some bugs can tolerate a lot of pollution, and other bugs can't handle hardly any at all.

So when we sample the water quality by looking at the bugs, if we find certain organisms, we know that the water quality is fairly good.

- [Margaret] So what are some of these important bugs?

- What I have right here, this is actually a damselfly nymph, and it's basically just like a little kid damselfly.

And it'll live in this stage in the water, and it'll feed on little bugs and little, tiny fish until it becomes an adult.

And it has three tails.

And these three tails that it has right here are actually its gills, and that's how it breathes.

It gets dissolved oxygen out of the water.

This is a crawdad, a crayfish.

These are totally aquatic.

They live in the water all times.

There are terrestrial crayfish, or crayfish that live in the land, but we're only looking at the ones that live in the water.

And these guys eat just about everything that they can get ahold of.

They'll eat some of the dead things that are in the water.

They'll catch a live fish and eat them.

They'll also eat other bugs.

So crayfish are not, they're kind of like mid-level tolerance to pollution.

They're not extremely sensitive to pollution.

They don't have to have the cleanest of clean waters.

This is a dobsonfly larva.

The nickname for it is called hellgrammite.

And hellgrammites live in this stage in the stream for three years.

And hellgrammites are very sensitive to pollution.

They need very clean water.

And this one is probably about a year to two-year-old hellgrammite.

They probably get almost about three-inches long.

And if you get a three-year-old hellgrammite that's been living in the stream, you know that that stream has had good water quality for three years, because they're very sensitive to pollution.

- [Margaret] Keeping the Cuyahoga River clean isn't just helpful for keeping the little water bugs healthy.

The water here is actually used by the City of Akron.

Residents there use it for everything from drinking to washing clothes.

That's why volunteers turn in their Water Bug Scorecards to the department who will investigate if problems are found.

Matthew says it's a team sport.

- We have people who live around here that sample the water quality.

They've become more interested in trying to protect that stream, and trying to keep it healthy, and maintain the healthiness of the stream.

That's really important, especially if people can bring their kids out and teach them about the bugs that live in the stream, about how healthy the water is.

And when they grow up, hopefully, one day they can help keep this stream, this river, beautiful and healthy.

(air whooshing) - Thanks, Margaret.

So bugs in the environment are a good thing, even if they do bug me sometimes.

Okay, why don't we do some bugging of our own?

Let's wake up News Cat and see what she has for us in this week's Petting Zoo.

(gentle upbeat music) (cat meows) Hey there, News Cat, dreaming about spring break?

Come on, we still have one more episode to finish.

Get to work.

Looks like she knows what she's doing.

Oh, I see, she's found a story about bald eagles hatching on a webcam.

To watch the nesting mother take care of her eaglet, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

And thank you, News Cat.

(air whooshing) Well, it's important for all of us to take care of our environment for the health of our planet and for wildlife.

In Kansas, some young volunteers decided to take matters into their own hands when they didn't like seeing trash in their community in Wichita.

Stephanie Maniche shows us what they're doing to make a difference.

- [Stephanie] When Xamora Blackmon and Carlito Hill are not solving math problems or completing reading assignments, they're picking up trash.

- I wanna take pride in my community and make sure we have a clean neighborhood, so when we're driving home, we don't have to look at all the dirtiness.

- [Stephanie] Instead of complaining, they took action.

- Every time we drive by, we see dirtiness.

So we would go inside, get a bag, and come outside.

And then, we would pick up all the trash around the block.

- [Stephanie] These two credit their grandmother for their desire to clean up, and have since influenced others.

- We actually inspired our neighbor to help us clean up, and now he cleans up his own garage.

- [Stephanie] Within 10 minutes, they almost filled both bags, which at times includes empty liquor bottles.

Frustrated Xamora has a quick tip for everyone in her neighborhood.

- I just really wanna let them know it's always okay to clean up your community.

- [Stephanie] And just as her grandmother influenced her, she's already enlisted her little brothers in her cleanup training camp.

- And thank you, Stephanie.

Carlito and Xamora showed some great teamwork there.

People can learn so much about themselves, about teamwork, and about others, by giving back to their communities.

Not only that, but when you give back, you make the world a better place.

We're always very proud of students that we meet who do their part to make the world a better place.

And this week, we're gonna tell you about the PAWS Club at Chagrin Falls Intermediate School, in Chagrin Falls, and we'll give them an A+ Award.

PAWS stands for people always willing to serve.

It's a club at the school open to students in fourth through sixth grades.

Anna told us that the group gets involved in all kinds of service projects that help other people, like food drives and holiday gift giving for people in need.

One of the group's major winter projects was sponsoring two local families in need, raising funds, and then purchasing everything on their holiday wishlist as a surprise.

Declan shared with us that they also served food and handed out winter items like gloves, socks, and hats to the less fortunate.

What really impressed us though, when we met with the PAWS Club, is the amount of time they dedicate to helping others.

Addy told us that much of the work they do is often done after school hours.

Connor explained that sometimes they even have to go shopping for some of the items they distribute to people in need.

On one recent Saturday morning, they were able to distribute food to nearly 250 people in Downtown Cleveland.

Claire explained to us that an upcoming project will be to help an organization called Wigs for Kids who sort donated hair that will be made into wigs for children affected by cancer.

Mrs. Brosnan, the teacher who oversees PAWS, told us that she's really proud of the work these young Tigers are doing.

She told us that the group spends a lot of time researching local organizations to assess which have the most impact.

Max S. and Max B. both told us how important it is to give back if you can.

They explained that giving back helps to put everything into perspective and will give you a real sense of accomplishment.

So this week's A+ Award goes to the PAWS Club at Chagrin Falls Intermediate School for truly making a difference in the lives of others.

Now we're out of time for this week.

The "NewsDepth" team will be on spring break next week, so the episode won't post online until April 20th.

Until then, though, we wanna hear from you, and there are still plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, our zip code here, 44115.

You can email us at: NewsDepth@ideastream.org.

Or you can tweet us, our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here in two weeks.

(upbeat music) - [Child Announcer 1] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

- [Child Announcer 2] Career Callouts featured in "NewsDepth" are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

(upbeat music) (gentle music)