(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on "NewsDepth," Iowa held the first major event in the presidential race.

A bill prevented a government shutdown for now.

Back-to-back winter storms bring together football fans.

And Mars also got some snow-- cube-shaped snow.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music continues) The Republican Party held a caucus in Iowa last week, and we have the results of the vote.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

The Iowa Caucus is the first major event in the United States presidential election year and can be seen as an early indicator of how well candidates might do in the overall race.

So, what is a caucus?

Caucuses are meetings run by political parties to select candidates for political offices.

The caucuses often include a secret ballot, similar to voting in an election day, but not always.

Abby Marshall has this week's "Politics on Point" explaining what is a caucus.

- Hey there, future leaders.

Today, let's dive into the world of politics and explore a unique aspect of the democratic process: caucuses.

(triumphant music) Before we can all go out to vote to elect the next president of the United States, we must determine just who is added to the ballot as a candidate.

One way to determine is the primary election, where registered voters cast a secret ballot that later gets counted to determine the candidate with the highest support.

But not all states have primary elections.

Some, like Iowa, Nevada, North Dakota, and Wyoming have caucuses.

Caucuses are meetings run by political parties where people can have their voices heard and openly express their points of views on the candidates.

Picture this.

You walk into a room filled with fellow party members.

Instead of just voting, you get to join groups supporting your favorite candidate.

It's like a political team-building exercise!

Now, here's the interesting part.

Caucuses happen at the state level and each state has its own unique way of doing things.

Some states host caucuses early in the election season, setting the stage for the entire race.

One such example is the Iowa caucus.

Now let's talk about what happens during the caucuses.

Voters go to one of the hundreds of caucus sites throughout their state.

This could be schools, churches, or other community centers.

Each candidate can take the stage to say why they think they would make great presidents.

The goal of the caucus is to decide which candidate gets how many delegates, but different parties have different methods of determining this.

Republican caucuses typically consist of people voting for their preferred candidate in a secret ballot.

These votes get counted and each candidate gets assigned a number of delegates based on the number of votes they received.

During a Democratic caucus, after hearing the candidate speak, voters will physically gathered form groups based on their preferred candidates.

These groups can try to convince undecided voters to join in supporting their candidates.

Each group is then counted and assigned a number of delegates depending on the size of the group.

In both cases, the final tally of delegates is reported and the results are made public.

The purpose of the caucus is to allow candidates to hear the concerns of the people they represent, while also building a community of support within their political parties.

Caucuses can be very influential in determining which candidates get on the ballot to be president of the United States.

(globe bouncing) - Thank you, Abbey.

Although the Democratic Party won't hold its first event until March, the Republican Party had its first caucus in Iowa last week.

Donald Trump reached the top spot after caucus-goers faced sub-zero temperatures to select its candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.

GOP stands for the Grand Old Party.

It's a common-used term for the Republican Party, something you might've seen on the news and wondered what it meant.

As the GOP field tightens, Julia Benbrook is in Des Moines, Iowa with the latest.

- So we're gonna put America first.

We're gonna make America great again.

Again, Iowa, we love you.

- [Julia] The results from the Iowa caucuses weren't surprising as former President Donald Trump held a commanding lead in the polls coming into Monday night.

Trump made it clear to his supporters that he didn't just want to win, he wanted to win big.

Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley battled it out in the race for second place.

DeSantis went all in on Iowa, visiting all 99 counties and receiving a rare endorsement from the state's governor.

DeSantis, who grabbed the second-place finish, is promising his voters he will continue to fight.

- In spite of all of that that they threw at us, everyone against us, we've got our ticket punched out of Iowa.

- [Julia] Haley, finishing in third in the Hawkeye State, has been on an upward trajectory in New Hampshire, where voters head to the polls next week.

- I love you, Iowa, but we're on to New Hampshire.

(crowd cheering) - Thank you, Julia.

Since then, Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the race, leaving Donald Trump and Nikki Haley as the only two people vying for the Republican Party candidacy.

Now, back in Washington, DC, President Joe Biden signed a funding bill that prevented a partial government shutdown just before the deadline last Friday.

A government shutdown occurs when officials can't decide how to split the budget for government functions.

Despite their differences, lawmakers are increasingly focused on something they have in common.

To get anything done, they need to work together, as Amy Kiley reports, - [Amy] The continuing resolution to fund the government is through Congress just in time.

Now, a stroke of the President's pen creates new funding deadlines of March 1st and 8th.

- Is it enough time?

We're months beyond the timeline.

- [Amy] Republicans are quick to reiterate their to-do list.

- We should be getting closer to a final budget agreement.

- We need to make certain that we stem the flow at the border.

- And make sure that we don't bankrupt the greatest country in the history of humanity.

- [Amy] Lawmakers are showing signs that they could cooperate on those issues.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson have some agreement on the budget.

Leaders from both parties say they want to address the migrant crisis, and some Democrats argue controlling the national debt could help protect programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.

- Social Security is on life support today.

- [Amy] But passing bills aimed at those issues requires bipartisanship.

- Thank you, Amy.

To anyone watching, if you want to learn more about government shutdowns, we have a "Politics on Point" segment all about that you can find on our website.

Now, the US government isn't the only one budgeting this season.

Due to back-to-back snowstorms and extreme cold, Americans are also feeling the winter in their wallets.

Karin Caifa breaks down the numbers.

- [Karin] The extreme winter weather and frigid temperatures felt coast to coast this week (truck rumbling) can come with hefty costs according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA estimated overall damages and costs of a northeast winter storm in cold wave last February that produced some of the coldest wind chills in US history at about $1.8 billion.

A cold snap that knocked out power to customers from Texas to Maine in December, 2022 cost about $8.7 billion.

Tamma Carleton is an environmental and resource economist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

She says there can be individual household costs for the extreme cold.

- If you work in a sector that requires you to be outside like construction or mining or agriculture, it's probably a lot harder to do your job in these events and so that affects household incomes as well as labor supply and productivity in those sectors.

- [Karin] Higher heating costs, even for just a week or two, can pose a challenge and risks.

- We should be thinking about the households who are forced to trade off increased health risk from this cold event against paying more money to keep the home warmer.

- [Karin] Extreme cold can also take a toll on crops and put stress on livestock, which could eventually push up grocery prices.

The current stretch has also been tough for airlines and passengers.

Last weekend saw more than 6,000 cancellations around the US, Saturday through Monday, according to Flight Aware, and when a flight is canceled, airlines are required to provide refunds.

- Thank you, Karin.

A rising cost for many Americans is rent.

And with sky-high rent prices in Boston, some people are resorting to living on boats all year long.

They're part of what's called a liveaboard community.

There are a few in the city, including several in Charlestown.

The way of life means braving the winters to save a buck.

Mike Sullivan takes us aboard - [Mike] Two by two, row by row, the rain falling pitter-patter on the plastic.

There's something visually poetic about life on a wintry vessel.

- [Larry] This is living the life, really.

You just have to not have 30 pairs of shoes.

- [Mike] You will often find Larry Anderson buried in cables, his eyes fixed to a screen.

- I rent year-round here.

It's been my eighth year here.

- [Mike] He's a video editor by trade, a liveaboard by lifestyle.

- I changed my Instagram too "Larry lives on a boat," (Mike laughing) and I think it's more popular just for that.

- [Mike] His boat is docked at Constitution Marina in Charlestown, along with roughly 50 others.

This has to be a really close-knit like, quirky community.

I have to assume.

- Yes, you can assume that.

- [Mike] They are tied together socially as much as they are physically.

In the winter, the marina strings the boats together for safety.

- [Larry] I'm plugged into shore power.

There's a great big orange-yellowy cable there.

- [Mike] A unit in the corner provides his high-speed wifi.

- [Larry] Everyone assumes that I'm freezing, and it really is, it's just a couple space heaters.

- [Mike] Outside, the snow continues to pile up.

(shovel scraping) As he clears his dock, you may notice a sea of plastic bubbles surrounding him.

- One of the most satisfying things with the shrink wrap is when it gets covered in snow or ice.

(snow sliding) (hand banging on shrink wrap) - [Mike] The bubbles create a greenhouse effect.

In the sun, it can stay 70 degrees on the deck.

- It's really fun putting this up.

- [Mike] He does it all himself to save a buck.

Financial freedom is a key reason for this lifestyle, amongst others.

Renters here pay by the foot.

At 37 feet, a spot costs, on average, a thousand dollars a month.

Even comes with a parking space.

- This is actually a friend of mine, Isaac, who lives here at the marina also, and that's his souped-up dinghy that he has and he actually commutes to East Boston.

- [Mike] It's a cheap way to live, as long as you can minimize life itself.

- When I first moved on here, I got a ukulele and that's as big an instrument as I can have on a boat.

- [Mike] He has since graduated to a guitar.

- I have two closets, basically, that are both about this wide and one holds all the shirts that I ever wear for a season.

Everybody feels sorry for me, which is ridiculous, 'cause you know, I'm living in Charlestown, I got my winter hot tub, I got my summer pool, I've got my Boston parking.

- [Mike] What more could a Bostonian ask for?

- Thank you, Mike.

Last week, parts of the US were hit with another Arctic blast, breaking temperature records in some areas.

But football fans are not letting the snow slow them down.

In New York state, there was a big NFL matchup at Highmark Stadium last weekend, home of the Buffalo Bills, but with several inches of snow accumulated, a few extra hands were needed to clear the stadium before the game.

So the team put an online call for help.

Last Friday, hundreds of fans, who call themselves The Bills Mafia, turned up to help dig out a stadium buried in snow.

Michael Schwartz reports.

- [Michael] Hundreds of Bills fans flocked to Highmark Stadium Friday for dig out round two.

- Just flowing in, man.

Look.

- They're coming from everywhere.

- They're running.

- [Tonya] It's amazing.

I love it.

It's so fun.

We love our team.

I have season tickets too, so I wanna make sure my seats are clean.

- [Michael] Tonya Ham made the drive from Casa Daygo.

- I'm a unicorn, so I have my Bill stuff underneath, but it's my... Is my hood up?

- [Michael] Your hood's up.

- Okay.

- Nice.

So you're bringing magic into Highmark Stadium before the Chiefs even come.

- That's right.

We gotta win this.

- Gotta do our part.

- [Man] Josh is playing at a high level.

Always has.

You gotta sacrifice.

- So you're telling me when the Bills play well, you look at it as "I have to do my part in any way I can."

- Yeah, absolutely.

- [Michael] David Smith and his daughter Caitlin made the drive from Syracuse.

- I just thought it'd be fun.

Come out here in the snow and shovel with a bunch of strangers.

(laughs) - [Michael] As the snow continued to come down, hundreds lined up to get in to clear the feet of snow still inside the stadium.

- Shocked?

No.

I mean, Bills Mafia, they come out.

You know, we know that we need to help.

I think they know that we need to help.

I mean, there's no sugar-coating this.

There's five plus, maybe six feet of snow in our stands right now.

- [Michael] Bill's Vice President of Operations and Game Day Experience Andy Major tells me there's been tremendous progress with some working more than 12-hour shifts.

Their crew has been working since Sunday, 24/7.

- Well, it's just a great opportunity to come out, get to the stadium, have some fun, and help out.

- [Michael] Shovelers get fed and earn $20 per hour.

- I didn't even know it was paid.

- I'd probably do it free, but I'll get paid for it.

- I just saw it on the website.

- I just wanna see the Bills beat the Chiefs at home.

- You gotta hand it to them.

Those are some really passionate fans.

The final score for that game was 27 to 24 with the Kansas City Chiefs bringing home the win.

While some see snow as a nuisance, others see it as an opportunity to create art.

The World Snow Sculpting Championship was held in Minnesota last week.

There were 12 teams up for the challenge of carving their greatest masterpiece in the snow in just 64 hours.

Kirsten Mitchell spoke to some of the competitors.

- We're making two horses, two chubby horses.

- [Kirsten] It may not look like much yet, but Team Mexican Snow is working hard.

- We train all year long just to be in shape to do this kind of work.

- [Karin] Carving their vision to life.

- Inside is Mexico right now, but outside, this is Minnesota.

- So you're sweating.

- Yes.

(laughs) - [Karin] They came all the way from Mexico to compete in the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater.

- It's not possible to practice in Mexico because we don't have snow in the city we live in, so every year is like practice for us.

- [Karin] The 12 teams have 64 hours to carve their masterpieces before a winner is named.

This sparsely snowy winter created challenges, but they were solved thanks to snow-making crews from Afton Alps.

- This is like the only place you can find snow in Minnesota.

- [Kirsten] The cold delivered too.

- He's been sitting here just like a little gem.

- Besides the feet, he's good.

- Last year, we had to plow the park there was so much snow.

This year, we didn't have that problem.

- [Kirsten] The Chamber of Commerce says last year's event threw 50,000 people to Stillwater.

- It's wonderful for the businesses to have such an event in first quarter when it's generally a little quieter.

You know, Christmas is done, the holidays are done.

- [Kirsten] A chance to share cultures and a love for snow.

- I like Stillwater because people are so kind and the nature is beautiful.

The river and the bridge and the buildings.

- It's impressive that everybody's from all over the world.

- [Robin] It really is putting Minnesota on the map and we're really, really happy that we are able to do this.

- Thank you, Kirsten.

Crazy how they can manage to put so much detail in a sculpture made out of snow.

Quite a talent.

This last story inspired our poll for the week.

We want you to pick your favorite snow sculpture from the world championship.

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between the sculptures made by Team Canada, Team Turkey, Team North Dakota, or Team Mexico.

We'll share the results of your voting next week and compare them to the final winners of the World Championship.

Last week for our poll, we asked you if you thought schools should teach cursive writing.

This was a really close poll.

About 52% of you thought schools should teach cursive, and 48% disagreed, saying cursive is too hard.

Thank you, all, for voting.

Well, what do you say we check in on NewsHound?

I wonder how he's been coping with the winter weather.

Let's see what he's found for this week's petting zoo.

(lively music) (dog barking) Hey there, NewsHound!

Are you out for a walk?

I hope you're staying warm.

Ooh!

I like the winter coat.

You even have some snow boots!

You're definitely prepared and having fun out there.

Anyway, what story did you wanna share with us today?

Oh, that's a story about a dog in Canada that was lost for a few days, but thanks to some neighbors, they helped bring the little guy home.

- [Reporter] After a 12-hour search came up empty, Theresa turned to social media for help.

Tesa Maniza lives five doors down and answered the call, communicating with neighbors after she spotted Gus on the loose.

- And we just put a big plea out.

It got onto all the appropriate pages and we just had an army of people show up.

- [Reporter] There were other sightings, but it took a week before Gus was spotted by another neighbor in a rural area nearby.

Theresa rushed to the scene in hopes she could get her hands on the hound.

- Pooh Bear, it's Mama.

Gus Gus, it's Pooh Bears, it's Mama.

Then he looked at me with much confusion at first, but then I saw the look in his eyes where he's kinda...

He felt home.

- [Theresa] We love you.

(dog whining happily) Yeah, you're home.

You're home, baby.

You're home.

- [Gabriel] To check out this pup's adventure, click the petting zoo icon on our homepage.

(cheerful music) (globe bouncing) Thanks as always, NewsHound.

Stay warm out there.

Earth is not the only planet that experiences winter.

NASA is sharing what winter is like on Mars, which includes cube-shaped snow and sub-zero temperatures.

Jeff St. Clair has all the details in this week's "Spot on Science."

(lively electronic music) - Brr!

You think it gets cold here in the winter?

That's nothing compared to the -190 degrees Fahrenheit on the Red Planet.

Earth is not the only planet in our solar system that experiences winter.

Mars also gets snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, but because of its elliptical orbit, it can take almost two Earth years for winter to come back around on Mars.

Thanks to NASA's robotic Mars Rovers, scientists can now tell that Mars can get ice and snow from two different elements, H2O, or water, like we do here on Earth, and dry ice from CO2, or carbon dioxide.

Snow occurs only at the coldest extremes of Mars at the poles under clouds and at night.

Cameras orbiting can't see through those clouds and surface missions can't survive in the extreme cold, so that means there's no pictures of the falling snow on Mars.

The closest we ever got was in 2008, when NASA sent the Phoenix Lander within 1000 miles of Mars' north pole.

They used a laser instrument to detect water-ice snow falling.

The air there is so thin that water-ice snow never actually reaches the ground.

It sublimates or becomes a gas as it falls, but dry-ice snow, on the other hand, actually does reach the ground.

The molecules that form carbon dioxide follow a four-sided symmetry and many scientists think dry-ice snow would be cube-shaped, but smaller than the width of your hair.

Water and carbon dioxide both form frost on Mars and both types of frost appear far more widely across the planet than snow does.

The CO2 ice that covers the landscape does not melt, but instead, changes between solid and gas in the atmosphere.

Sublimation again.

Once winter is over and Mars begins to thaw, some pretty unique surface features start forming like spider-shaped formations, dalmatian dots, and fried eggs.

Within an entire winter season, Mars can collect up to seven feet of snow.

Hey, I wonder if I can ski on a Martian crater.

(globe bouncing) - Thanks, Jeff.

That story was pretty cool.

For our write-in question this week, we wanna know: "What do you think winter looks like on your favorite planet?"

For this question, you have to consider the planet's atmosphere, average temperature, and if it has water.

This is a special write-to-us question because we have a special giveaway to go along with it.

As many of you already know, in April, there will be a total solar eclipse and Ohio is in a great position to see it, but we all know you can't just look at a solar eclipse with your bare eyes.

What you need are some solar glasses, kind of like these special edition NewsDepth solar glasses.

What do you think?

Take a look.

Okay?

Okay.

We've got a bunch of these and we're randomly picking a few winners from the inbox submissions we receive this week.

But remember, to add your teacher's email address so we can reach out.

That means that one person in your class can get glasses for the entire classroom.

Okay, let's head back to the show.

Last week, we wanted to know who would you put on a US coin?

Let's see who you picked by opening our inbox.

(icon clicking) Mariyah from Edison Elementary School in Willoughby wrote, "The person I would put on a US coin is Martin Luther King, Jr. Because he was one of the most important and influential civil rights leaders there was.

No matter what type of problem there was in the world, he believed in peace."

Henry from Columbus Gifted Academy in Columbus picked an Ohioan to go on their coin.

"Dear NewsDepth, if there isn't already one, I would put Neil Armstrong on a coin because he is the first person to land on the Moon.

He probably inspired lots of people and allowed NASA to make a big achievement."

(cash register dings) Check this out, Henry, a special edition Ohio quarter with an astronaut on it.

Aubrey from Firelands Elementary and Oberlin is very passionate about their pick for a coin.

"Hello, NewsDepth.

My name is Aubrey and I go to Firelands Elementary.

It is a great school.

I would put Rosa Parks on a coin.

The reasons being she stood up for herself and did not give up her seat on the bus to a white person.

She stood up for herself even though she knew there would be consequences.

She was courageous and brave.

Rosa stood up for what she believed in and fought in the face of adversity.

We should all be as brave as Rosa and stand up for what we believe in."

Felix from McCormick Middle School in Wellington, Ohio picked a funny person to be on a coin.

"Dear NewsDepth, I would put Dick Van Dyke on a US coin because he is a very talented actor.

He's 98 years old and still healthy.

I did a project on him in fourth grade and think he is a very important American figure.

He was born in Prairie State, Illinois.

That's why I think Dick Van Dyke should be on a US coin."

And Autumn from Parkwood Elementary in Beaver Creek, Ohio picked someone very important to their family.

"Dear NewsDepth, if I picked someone to be on a coin, it would be my great-grandpa, Richard Anthony Carey.

He was famous in the military.

He died with a good heart.

Even though he had people who died in his family, he was still brave.

That's why I want him on a coin, and please say hi to NewsHound for me."

Thanks, as always, to everyone who wrote in.

And I think NewsHound wants to say hi back.

(NewsHound barks) Okay, okay, NewsHound.

Get back to work.

We still have to do the show.

Nothing impresses us more than when a group of students come up with a creative solution to a problem.

It's a bonus though, when the solution is also ecologically friendly and good for Mother Earth.

Well, the STEM students at Lakewood's Garfield Middle School and Harding Middle School did just that and earned this week's A+ award along the way.

You see, seventh graders study green architecture in their STEM courses at Harding and Garfield and the Capstone project for the unit requires them to design a sustainable house using shipping containers, something a Great Lakes Port City has plenty of.

Mrs. Hinesman, Garfield's STEM teacher, told us that the students study all kinds of green architecture methods.

Things like recycling rainwater, green roofs, and solar and wind power.

They use these methods to design a home that has minimal impact on the environment.

She shared that the students are really motivated by the project because they know how important it is to take care of the environment.

Mrs. Andrzejewski, Harding's STEM teacher, added that the students really learn about civil engineering concepts and how to use their understanding of measurement, architecture, and computer-aided design to create the homes.

Civil engineering is the branch of engineering that's focused on the design and maintenance of roads, bridges, dams, and similar structures.

What's really impressive is that these seventh graders even use a program called Revit.

Revit is a software that professional architects use to design homes and buildings.

The students in the STEM class really work hard and are great role models for what a growth mindset is.

Their teachers told us that the students find the challenge very motivating, and they're very proud of their accomplishments.

What really impressed me about these aspiring architects is that they were so motivated to solve such a complex problem.

This week's A+ award goes to the seventh grade STEM students at Harding and Garfield Middle Schools located in Lakewood for their tireless work in designing green homes using shipping containers.

Keep up the great work.

I think that's all the time we have for today, but you know we always want to hear from you and there are plenty of ways you can stay in touch with us.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here is 44115.

Or 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) - [Child] NewsDepth is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music continues)