(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on "News Depth", the House of Representatives has elected a new speaker.

The Philippines has vowed to defend its territory on the South China Sea.

Space junk, that can't be good for the atmosphere, and we hear about the vibrant traditions of dia de los muertos.

"News Depth" is now.

(upbeat music) After three long weeks, the House of Representatives finally has a speaker.

Hello, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you all for joining us.

Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana won the speaker's position Wednesday with unanimous Republican support.

There were 220 votes for Johnson and 209 votes for minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Speaker Johnson is an attorney with a focus on constitutional law.

He was first elected to the House in 2016, serving on the House judiciary and Armed Services committees.

- We want our allies around the world to know that this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations.

The People's House is back in business.

- [Gabriel] Members of both parties say they're eager to get back to work.

- All Mike Johnson will need to do is to meet us in a bipartisan way in that fashion and we'll be able to work together whenever and wherever possible.

- Speaker Johnson has his work cut out for him.

One of his first big tests will come in the days leading up to the November 17th government shutdown deadline.

What is the role of the House of Representatives?

To make laws.

In this politics on point, let's talk about how two of the three branches of government work together to create new laws.

Nick Castele shows us how a bill becomes a law.

- Did you know that it is a federal crime to damage a lamp owned by the government?

So who or what determines what's illegal and what isn't?

Laws.

(trumpet music) Today we're going to talk about how two of the three branches of government work together to create new laws, the legislative branch and the executive branch.

Laws start at the legislative branch.

As a reminder, the legislative branch is made up of two chambers in the federal government, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

All 100 senators and 435 representatives make up Congress.

A law starts as a bill.

A bill is just a fancy word for an idea for a new law.

Depending on what kind of law this would be, the bill can come from either chamber of congress, but let's use an example that follows a bill from the House of Representatives.

A representative with an idea for a new law proposes the bill to the House so they can vote on it.

Before they vote on the bill, this house assigns a committee for due diligence.

Due diligence means that enough research and analysis has been made to cover all possible scenarios that could be affected by this new law.

If the bill passes by a simple majority of the House of Representatives voting in favor of it, then it gets sent over to the Senate.

The Senate debates and votes on the proposed bill one more time.

If at least 51 Senators out of the 100 vote to approve the bill, this means the bill is one step closer to becoming a law.

The bill is now off to the executive branch or the president.

It has to be a little more official than just sending the president an email.

The final version of the law has to be printed on parchment paper and hand delivered to the president to becoming an enrolled bill.

The president now has to carefully review the entire document.

It only has 10 days to sign the bill into law.

If the president does not sign the bill within those 10 days however, it becomes a law by default if Congress is still in session.

But if he has some concerns and vetoes the bill instead, it goes back to Congress.

In our case, it goes back to the House of Representatives where the original idea came from.

They can now vote to override the President's veto.

If the bill makes it all the way to the finish line and becomes a law, it must then be taken to the office of the Federal Register at the National Archives to be assigned an official public law number.

There are laws on the federal level all the way down to a state, county, or even city level, and there are all different types of laws that are meant to protect our rights.

For example, there's laws that protect individuals from other individuals, laws that protect businesses, laws that protect properties, and laws that protect individuals from the government itself.

- Thank you, Nick.

Now let's switch over to international policies.

There's been a dispute between the Philippines and China concerning underwater shoals in the South China Sea.

A shoal is an underwater sand bank or rocky formation that can often pose navigation hazards for ships and boats.

The dispute between the Philippines and China over shoals, particularly in the South China Sea, is rooted in conflicting territorial claims and interests in the region.

Before we get further into the story, let's take a spin around the globe to visit the Philippines, the home of my ancestors.

The Philippines is one of the most populous countries in Southeast Asia.

As of 2021, the estimated population was more than 113 million people.

The Philippines is an archipelago, which means it is primarily composed of a large group of islands.

It consists of 7,641 islands.

The capital city of the Philippines is Manila where my mom is from.

The most commonly spoken language in the country is Tagalog.

The Philippines was colonized first by the Spanish in the 16th century, then the United States until 1946 when they gained their independence.

The Philippines is now a republic with a democratic system of government.

In 2016, the China Philippines dispute over the South China Sea came to a head when legal action was taken and ruled in favor of the Philippines.

But China did not comply with the decision and maintained a presence near the shoals.

The Philippines is vowing to defend its territory amid escalating tensions with Beijing.

The Philippine president visited an island in the region and said his country is, quote, "Not looking for trouble, but will stand up for the rights of its people."

His remarks follow weeks of confrontations between China and the Philippines.

Ivan Watson has more from Manila.

- [Ivan] An act of defiance at sea, a coast guard officer from the Philippines armed with a knife and an order from his president slices through a rope laid by China, part of a barrier placed by the Chinese Coast Guard.

You are facing off against literally the largest navy in the world.

- We don't want to face off with them, we just want them out of our territory.

- [Ivan] China and the Philippines are locked in an angry maritime territorial dispute.

The standoff taking place at a shoal here in the South China Sea, some 124 miles from the Philippines and around 528 miles from mainland China.

China claims virtually all of this busy body of water as its own, ignoring competing claims from the Philippines and several other countries.

Officials in the Philippines have released images of a Chinese Coast Guard ship blasting at a much smaller Philippines vessel with a water cannon.

Just some of China's bullying tactics says the Philippines defense chief.

- Shadowing, harassment, dangerous maneuvers, water caning, and the military grade lasers being used on the vessels.

- Is that how you feel as if China is bullying you?

- Oh, you bet.

I cannot think of any clearer case of bullying than this.

- [Ivan] In 2016, an international tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, concluding China has no historic rights to these disputed shoals.

But Beijing refuses to accept the court's decision and claims the US is behind the current tensions.

- [Interpreter] South China Sea was in peace until the US came to disrupt it.

- Is the Philippines acting upon the behest of its treaty ally, the US?

- No, no.

- That's what that's China says.

- Yeah, and we're gonna stand up more because it's an insult to our integrity, an insult to our intellect, and an insult to our common sense.

- To suggest that you're American puppets?

- Yes.

- [Ivan] The Biden administration reminding that any attack on a Philippines ship or plane in the South China Sea would demand a US response under a mutual defense pact.

That raises the stakes in this high sea confrontation.

After cutting the Chinese barrier, the Philippines Coast Guard brought home a Chinese anchor, a trophy, and a symbol officials here say that they won't surrender a single inch of their territory.

- On more China news, three astronauts launched into space as part of the country's new ambitious space program.

Mark Stewart got rare access to the Jiuquan Space Center in China.

- From our spot here at the Jiuquan Space Center in the Gobi Desert, we just watched China's latest entry into space, a rocket carrying three astronauts to China's space station.

Take a look at the launch.

- [Interpreter 2] 3, 2, 1.

Ignition.

(rocket blasting off) - [Mark] It's a mission that comes at a time when there's no cooperation between the American and Chinese space programs.

Since 2011, the US has effectively banned NASA from working with China and space leading to a 21st century space race.

Chinese officials stress they've never sought hegemony in space, but once the International Space Station is retired, China's Tiangong Space Station may take on new prominence.

China's space program is ambitious, having landed a rover on Mars and a future goal of a man flight to the moon.

- Thank you, Mark.

We're now jumping over to Japan where activists are trying to save 100 year old ginkgo trees from a city approved plan to cut them down to make way for two new skyscrapers.

These trees are part of a park, which are green spaces that are hard to come by in a city with no shortage of skyscrapers.

Will Ripley reports.

- [Will] A fight for the future of a much loved Tokyo park.

Protestors urging officials respect history.

Stop the Jingu Gayan District urban redevelopment project.

- [Interpreter 3] The Jingu Gayan is ours and our kids' cultural inheritance.

It's not fair to push through a redevelopment plan without properly consulting citizens.

- [Will] Protestors fear.

Heritage ginkgo trees will be endangered by a new stadium, hundreds of others axed, making way for tall buildings of concrete and steel.

This they say is not just a fight over one park.

It's a fight for the future of Japan's green spaces, the right to have a say.

Built with public donations in 1926, the Jingu Gayan is seen as a people's park, home to a famous rugby venue, a historic baseball stadium where Babe Ruth once played, its centerpiece, an avenue of 100 year old ginkgo trees.

- It's like a sanctuary to those living here.

- [Will] That piece already broken.

Small scale construction underway on a billion dollar redevelopment plan approved by the Tokyo Government.

Developers say they will update aging sports facilities, promote more open green space, protect the avenue of ginkgo trees.

Many campaigners don't trust the developers promise to keep the Ginkgo avenue safe.

- [Interpreter 4] Imagine if developers said they'd build three skyscrapers in New York Central Park and a stadium next to the American Elms at East 97th Street.

No New Yorker would accept that.

- [Will] More than 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for a review of the plan.

Just this month, the International Council on Monuments and Sites issued a Heritage Alert, warning of irreversible destruction of cultural heritage, about 3000 trees at risk it says.

Responding to the anger, the Tokyo government, again requested developers submit a concrete plan before cutting down any trees.

The plan, to ensure the survival of as many trees as possible.

Many fear the older ginkgos may not make it.

- Thank you Will.

And that brings us to this week's poll.

Should residents get a say in city development?

You can vote between yes, people's voices matter or no, officials know best, and check back next week to see the final results for the survey.

Just like we have the results of last week's poll, when we asked you what you thought should be done with Cleveland's only suspension bridge that has fallen to disrepair?

76% of you said you would rebuild it.

18% said you wouldn't do anything with it at all, and about 6% of you said it would be best just to tear it down.

As if worrying about Earth's environment wasn't hard enough, a new study shows the stratosphere is becoming polluted.

The stratosphere is a layer of the Earth's atmosphere extending to about 32 miles above the Earth's surface.

The report points to the burnup of satellites and rocket stages and says that metal is about 10% of the stratospheres aerosol particles.

The researchers from Purdue University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that's unlikely to impact Earth for now, but they estimate the number could hit 50% in the coming decades.

They say the ramifications of such an increase are unclear.

You know what really ruins a hike for me?

When I come across a pile of trash that someone dumped illegally.

Well, people in Nevada are fed up with illegal dumping off East Lake Mead Boulevard outside of Las Vegas.

Joe Vigil spoke with a concern citizen.

- [Joe] Talk about a scenic drive in and out of North Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, this stretch of road doesn't all look like this.

One person's trash is definitely not someone else's treasure off East Lake Mead Boulevard.

Scenic is not quite the right word for this part of the road that isn't far from North Hollywood Boulevard.

- [Doug] Somebody's gotta do something, that's absolutely terrible the way that looks.

- [Joe] Doug Brown called a rant line to complain.

We talked to him and then went to check things out.

From the Fox 5 drone, you can see people have simply been stopping off East Lake Mead and using ditches and pullouts as their own personal landfill, and it's not just off the highway.

Doug Brown and a friend drove deep into the Sunrise Mountain wreck area and saw this tires, car parts, a mattress, all kinds of junk people tossed.

- [Doug] There's more trash and garbage along that road.

Fences tore down, signs painted over.

Get out there, get it cleaned up, and start putting some really strict restrictions on that place.

- [Joe] He says the area just isn't like it was and should be and hope someone listens.

- The Nevada Department of Transportation stated that illegal dumping poses a significant challenge in southern Nevada, and the department and its teams diligently clean up substantial volumes of large and small trash numerous times every month.

For our wright-in question this week, we wanna know what you think, why is littering bad?

You can send us your answers using our inbox form online, or you can also send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Now, although spooky season just ended, I always like hearing scary stories.

Let's see if you can scare me.

It's time to open up our inbox.

Henry from Olmsted Falls Intermediate School in Olmsted Falls knows how to fight ghosts.

"A ghost was flying and surrounding people and wouldn't stop, but then somebody had a vacuum and sucked up the ghost."

Okay, Henry pretty good.

Addy from Summit Elementary in Anderson Township wrote about a creepy experience.

"I was in a place and it was haunted.

And my family were the only people in there, and I heard a little girl laugh and they said a little girl used to play there!"

Sebastian from Bellevue Elementary School in Bellevue shared a true story.

"One time it was my bedtime and I was going to sleep and there was no one there at 3:33.

When I heard a bang on the door, I checked it out and it was a clown!

Then they broke in, but then they took off their mask and it was my mom."

Good one mom.

Ellie from Hickory Ridge Elementary in Brunswick knows how to write some suspense.

"There once was three little girls under the age of 5.

They were playing outside when they heard a laugh in the distance.

They didn't think much of it until.

And Carson from Franklin Elementary in Wadsworth wrote this story, "On a dark and stormy night, a World War II pilot was going for a flight when he saw a bat, but this bat was about the size of a pterodactyl.

The bat started attacking the pilot.

The pilot tried to shoot at the bat, but his plane's guns wouldn't work.

The pilot started nose diving toward a pine tree, but he couldn't stop.

Faster and faster, towards the tree.

Then everything went black, black as midnight.

Whew.

Those are some pretty spooky stories and thank you for sharing that and you're such good writers.

There were too many good ones that we couldn't fit them all in this episode, so to check out a few more of those stories, you can go to the your answers page on our website.

Now, November 2nd is a time when families in Mexico come together to honor their departed loved ones with reverence and festivity.

I'm talking about dia de los muertos or the Day of the Dead.

On the special edition of Sketchbook, our producer, Natalia Garcia, who was actually from Mexico, takes us into the heart of dia de los muertos, exploring the rich tradition and vibrant altars.

- [Natalia] dia de los muertos is celebrated in the first two days of November.

It's a time to celebrate loved ones who have passed away.

This tradition dates back to the Aztecs and toll techs, ancient civilizations in what is now Mexico.

Here's Dalia de la Torre, an artistic makeup artist to talk about the iconic, La Catrina.

- To understand what a Catrina is, we need to talk about a character called Calavera Garvancera, which is a character created by Jose Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century.

So he created this image of a smiling skull that had a very elegant hat, and he made it to criticize the people who had indigenous roots.

Later on in the late forties came a painter and a muralist known as Diego Rivera.

He took this image and he put it in his mural.

He added a body to it.

It was a very elegant skull with a very big hat, with a very elegant dress, jewelry, and he named it the Catrina.

The Catrina was gradually adopted by people as a way to be playful and to celebrating life in a very solemn time.

I know it's a contradiction to have the topic of death and the topic of a celebration even in the same sentence, but it was a way for us to remind everyone that life was worth celebrating because it was going to end.

- [Natalia] One of the most common dia de los muertos traditions is creating an ofrenda, which is Spanish for offering.

The ofrendas are decorated altars.

They include photos, candles, marigold flowers, and even favorite foods of the people we are celebrating, and we can't forget the pan de muerto and calaveritas .

- I always like the day of the dead tradition because my grandma and I always set up our altars and it was a very, very important time for our family, and when I moved to a new city called San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato which is where I live now.

I saw a lot of people had their faces painted and I didn't understand why or what was the meaning behind it, so I just loved it and wanted to start learning more.

I started taking classes and training to try to get better and better, and this led me here to be like my main specialization.

Catrina makeup means kind of being your own superhero because you get to, how could I put it?

You get to become a child again.

I've seen plenty 70 year old, 60 year old grown men and women who have never done this and who look at themselves in the mirror for the first time after getting their makeup done and it's like they become children again.

I think they're reminded of how important it is not to take life so seriously and the importance of play.

Day of the dead is not competing with Halloween in any way, shape, or form.

We know both, even though they are frequently confused with one another, each on have their own important place in our country's culture, and that's completely fine, and this is something, day of the dead is something that will keep on evolving, so make sure to be on the look for everything that Mexican artists and performers, photographers are doing in regards to that tradition because it's going to be interesting.

- Thank you, Natalia.

Okay, I think we've given News Hound enough time to find a story, right?

Let's see what he has for us in this week's petting zoo.

Hey, News Hound, are you working on your new tricks?

Let's put them to the test.

Can you sit?

Good job.

Can you lay down?

Nice.

How about, can you roll over?

Okay, that's still just sitting.

Anyway, can you tell us about your story this week?

Okay, cool, it's a story about two best friends that will do anything to stick together.

To check out their full story, click the petting zoo button at the bottom of this episode page.

Thanks as always, News Hound.

I'm always impressed by how good he is at his job, even if he needs some help with his doggy tricks, but have you ever heard of a dog that can type?

Got me thinking, how did he learn how to do this so well?

I asked and found out that he was trained by a 10th grader at Kirtland High School in Kirtland named Mary.

We caught up with Mary and the story she told us has earned her this week's A plus award.

You see, Mary didn't only train News Hound.

She's also a top ranked dog handler and competes in dog shows all over the nation.

Currently, she's a top ranked junior handler of Salukis in the nation and the ninth ranked junior handler of hounds.

Salukis are sight hounds who are fast runners.

Sight hounds are dogs that hunt using their eyesight rather than scent.

Mary told us that she's been showing dogs since she was two years old.

We definitely did not believe her, but then her mom showed us pictures.

She competes in about 100 dog shows a year and usually has a show every weekend.

We learned a lot from Mary.

She explained to us that there are a couple of different classifications in dog shows.

She generally competes in what's called junior showmanship at all-breed, group, and specialty shows.

In junior sportsmanship, the judges rate how the dog and handler interact.

The key to be successful is to have a good relationship with your dog.

In group shows, she competes against all dogs that are considered hounds like whippets, fox hounds, and her favorite, Salukis.

Specialty shows require all dogs to be the same breed.

She explained to us that in group shows and specialty shows, the dogs aren't exactly competing against each other.

They're graded against what's called a standard for what that type of dog should look like.

A standard is a predetermined level of quality.

Mary told us that Salukis are her favorite dog.

She likes them because they're pretty, they're easy to connect with, and she thinks they're very graceful when they run.

Competing in dog shows has taught her the importance of responsibility, patience, and how to win and lose with grace.

She especially loves to compete in specialty shows because she loves to challenge of competing against professionals.

If you were wondering, Mary has eight dogs at home and she's qualified to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show next year.

She's like the LeBron James of puppies, so congratulations, Mary on qualifying for the biggest event in dog sports and winning this week's A plus award.

Now that's a wrap on this week's episode.

Before I leave, let me tell you all the ways you can stay in touch with us because we always want to hear from you.

You can write to us.

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

Our zip code here is 44115.

You can email us at Newsdepth@ideastream.org or you can tweet us.

Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer and we'll see you right back here next week.

- [Narrator] News Depth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

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