Coming up next on NewsDepth, President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address.

The northeast is digging themselves out after a massive snowstorm.

Farmers face billions in losses due to cold weather and the future of an iconic Marietta landmark is up in the air.

NewsDepth is now.

In his first State of the Union address of his second term, President Donald Trump declared that "the state of our union is strong" to a divided nation.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

Trump deliver the address on Capitol Hill last week.

The State of the Union is the annual speech given by the president of the United States to Congress to express their administration's view on how the country is doing and future plans for legislation.

The president declared a "Golden Age" for the country with several new policy announcements while also touting accomplishments.

He praised economic progress and cost saving initiatives, though several of his claims contrasted with available economic data and consumer opinion.

Trump defended major parts of his agenda, including his global tariff strategy and his immigration policies.

In response, Virginia's governor delivered a firm rebuttal and maybe argument for Democrats as her party seeks to gain control of Capitol Hill in this year's midterm elections.

Ivan Rodriguez is in Washington with the latest.

Mr.

speaker, the president of the United States.

In the first state of the Union address of his second term, an energetic and defiant President Donald Trump... The state of our Union is strong.

returned to Capitol Hill to declare what he calls a new age of American prosperity.

After just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before.

In the wide ranging speech, Trump boasted his administration's economic achievements and cost savings initiatives like reducing inflation, lowering some prescription drug prices, and cutting taxes.

Trump also defended key pillars of his agenda that have been subject to controversy, including his global tariff initiative struck down by the Supreme Court last week.

I used these tariffs.

Took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country.

and immigration.

In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.

In a deviation from a traditional state of the Union address, Trump also handed out awards to some invited guests and recognized the gold medal winning men's hockey team, including star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

I will soon be presenting Connor with the highest civilian honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In the Democratic response, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger struck a different tone.

Is the president working for you?

Laying out her party's argument against the administration and for Democratic policies.

Know you can demand more.

Thanks for the report, Ivan.

If you'd like to learn more about the government process of the State of the Union, you can check out our Politics on Point all about it on our website and YouTube channel.

But now we turn the podium over to you.

We'd like you to write a state of your school speech.

Tell us about your school's strengths and achievements this year and what you're doing to help improve it.

Students, you can use our inbox form online to send us your "State of the School" address.

On our last episode, we met Aiden Hamilton, a high school student in Washington state running for office, and we wanted to know your thoughts on the power young people have in our country.

Let's open our inbox to learn why you think it's important to be politically active.

A fifth grader from Strongsville School in Strongsville said: I think it's very important for young people to be politically active because the future depends on them.

If they stay politically active, then maybe one day they can become the president.

Good point.

A fourth grader from Lincolnview School in Van Wert said: It is important to be politically active when I'm young because the decisions that are made will someday affect me when I'm older.

If I start participating now, I can be a voice for my future self.

That is true.

Well said.

A fourth grader from Olmsted Falls Schools in Olmsted Falls said: I think that it is important to be able to tell the government what they're doing well and why they can improve upon it.

I think it is a good idea that kids are speaking up to the government.

Amazing.

A fifth grader from Rocky River City Schools in Rocky River said: Young people are most affected by long term policies regarding the environment, economy and education, making their input vital when making decisions.

That is very important.

A fourth grader from Perrysburg City Schools in Perrysburg said: I think it is important for kids to be politically active because they should be able to vote and protest because kids have opinions too.

Your opinion matters just as much as everyone else's.

Well said.

Thank you all for writing.

I loved reading this week's answers and learning that you are all really invested in the country.

While we're on the topic of cool kids from Ohio, let's give out the A-plus Award for the week.

In my free time, one of my favorite things to do is read a book.

As a matter of fact, when I was your age, I loved going to the library.

This week's A-plus award winner, Andy, a senior at North Royalton High School in North Royalton, is doing his part to make sure children all over the Cleveland area have access to books.

After volunteering at the Cleveland Kids' Book Bank, he was inspired and motivated to organize a book drive to help collect books for the organization.

The Cleveland Kids' Book Bank is an organization that provides free books to children in need.

In partnership with North Royalton City Schools, the Broadview Heights Recreation Center, Saint Adalbert the Great Parish, and his neighborhood, Andy placed collection bins all over the community where people could donate books.

He told us that so many books were donated that his entire basement and a few rooms on the first floor of his house were filled to the brim.

He told us that he could never have done it without the help of his friend Mason and his mom, who is an avid reader herself, and as a teacher, hopes to instill a love of reading into her students.

Andy added that he is very proud of his community for its enthusiasm.

He knows that the books that were donated will find their way to children all over the area.

One of his goals is to help children find a love of reading.

He told us that the project taught him a lot about leadership, collaboration, communication and organizational skills.

Andy has a message for all of you, he wants you to know that you should follow your passions.

Don't worry about what others think, and you have the power to make a great difference in your community.

Now you're probably all wondering how many books Andy was able to collect.

He collected an astonishing 4500 books.

Great job, Andy, and congratulations on winning this week's A-plus award!

We are so proud of you!

Okay, let's get back to the news.

Here's some weather updates.

A high impact bomb cyclone slammed the northeastern part of the country with near hurricane force wind gusts and extreme snowfall.

A bomb cyclone is a rapidly intensifying storm that forms when the air pressure at the center of a storm drops very quickly.

The storm knocked out power and made travel impossible.

At least seven states received a foot of snow or more, and at least four states were buried under at least two feet.

This is the worst storm in over a decade for us.

More than 10,000 flights were canceled last week, stranding travelers across the region.

New York City received the most snow from a single storm in over five years.

New York City has been in near blizzard conditions.

Conditions have begun to moderate.

And as the storm moved north, blizzard conditions brought winds over 40mph, wreaking havoc on much of New England.

The system also dumped record breaking snow in Rhode Island.

The Blizzard of 26 has now officially surpassed the Blizzard of 78 for the most snow ever recorded in a single snowstorm in our Rhode Island state history.

After the historic blizzard dumped several feet of snow, residents of New England had to dig themselves out.

One of the hardest hit areas was Fall River, Massachusetts.

Nicole Moeder has more.

The southern coast of Massachusetts, waking up to tons of snow.

I think you all hit the jackpot in terms of the Commonwealth.

The most amount of snow, the highest amount of winds, the most difficult visibility.

Leaving the biggest mess for residents and city workers to clean up.

It's a natural disaster and we're right in the middle of it.

Conditions were so treacherous the plow operations were paused.

And at one time, vehicles were being pulled off.

Plow operators were getting stuck.

Our own vehicles were having some difficulty, and it just wasn't safe to be out.

It's really hard to keep up with the storm the way you like to, if in fact, you have those conditions.

So many fall River residents spent the day shoveling.

What are you going to tell people who are frustrated?

I'm going to tell them that we did the best we could with what we had.

Sympathetic to their frustrations, I'd be frustrated, too.

But at the same time, this was a massive, massive storm.

It's going to take some time just to get the roads passable.

But even after that, there's going to be continuous work to remove the snow, especially from those sidewalk areas.

You can expect to see equipment out to try to get rid of this snow for some time, at least over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you.

Nicole.

Now let's fly over to Hawaii, where heavy rain on the island of O'ahu is causing flooding concerns.

Emergency officials are closely monitoring reservoirs, especially at the Wahiawa Reservoir, as runoff from the Kolau Mountains continue to rise.

Authorities urge preparedness.

Ask residents to stay home and advise visitors to avoid the North Shore while conditions are still uncertain.

Angela Ciphone reports on what happened when those strong showers struck.

Weather has been keeping people on their toes lately, just weeks after strong winds swept across the state, heavy rain is now the main concern.

Few weeks ago it was the wind that was very concerning.

So now it's the rain.

That's heavy downpour.

The rain is quickly filling up parts of O'ahu.

Some parts of Halewa that are flooding.

We've got a few homes already in the Haliwa/Wailua area.

That are, you know, pretty high water.

Emergency officials say the ground is already saturated.

A lot of heavy rain came down real quick.

And all eyes are on the reservoirs.

Dam safety, folks.

What kind of thresholds you look at for evacuations?

The reservoirs are failing.

The biggest concern?

The Wahiawa Reservoir, with runoff pouring down from the Ko'olau.

A lot of rain.

A lot of water coming down from the Ko'olau.

And of course, the concern is the Wahiawa Reservoir.

It's a reminder of the devastating flood in 2021 that forced nearly 4000 Halewa residents to evacuate.

The last incident was really scary because it happened a lot faster.

This seems to be much more of a slow burn.

And I'm hoping that it peters out soon.

For now, officials say the reservoir and spillway are holding steady, but the community remains on alert.

They've assured us that for now, the reservoir is okay.

The spillway is okay, and they're just monitoring the situation.

I just think that we have to be ready to leave if it comes to that eventuality.

Emergency management officials stressed preparedness is key.

Preparedness is vital.

The better prepared we are, we become, survivors in, not victims.

Leaders are also urging people to stay home and asking visitors to avoid the North Shore, while conditions remain uncertain.

We don't need any more people in our community that we might have to take care of if things get worse.

Thank you.

Angela.

This winter season is causing more than back pain for all of us who had to shovel.

It's also hurting crops.

In Florida, frigid temperatures are ruining crops, resulting in billions in losses for farmers.

Edward Franco spoke to some of those impacted.

I'm been here for 18 years, and, that's the hardest winter.

Felix Hernandez is the field manager at Blueberry Bunch Farm.

He is bracing for another cold blast.

The temperature drop.

I had to be here running.

I'm undoing everything.

Everything is ready to run.

2000, 2000 gallons per minute.

Hernandez showed me their water pump that is used to irrigate and spray water on the plants when it gets too cold.

That water freezes over the plants to help most berries alive.

You can see the last time they were frozen just a few weeks ago, but not all the plants survive as the cold wind does the most damage.

We do is, but more than 4000 plants was killed by the, the weather.

Hernandez also tells me they lost around 30,000 pounds of blueberries.

Florida's recent cold snaps have caused over $3 billion in estimated losses to Florida agriculture.

It's not going to be good.

It's not good.

This is twice that's happened.

It's hard for us to even get supplies here quickly, because this is something we don't expect.

At southwest Florida produce in Punta Gorda, the effects from the last frost are also still taking a toll.. Due to our last frost, a lot of them blew like far.

We had to go far to pick up all of the all the sheets and the plastic and then they all got destroyed from the wind.

So we can't even get any more plastic in for for tonight.

Thank you.

Edward.

Many Kansas farms are facing a financial crisis.

New data shows farm bankruptcies jumped 46% last year, with the Midwest seeing the sharpest increase.

Spencer Ray, you spoke to a local farmer about the mental health struggles that come with the financial stress.

315 families filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy last year.

A 46% jump nationwide and the Midwest seeing a 70% increase.

Stephen McCloud is a farmer who also sits on the Kansas Farm Bureau Board for the fourth district.

He says the financial stress he's seeing in his community is heartbreaking.

What goes along with that is the mental health and the mental stress aspect of it.

McCloud says much of the stress comes from things that farmers can't even control, like commodity prices, fuel costs and even the weather.

He says, while finding a solution to decrease bankruptcy rates is difficult, what we can do is to support mental health.

The KFB launched a Farm Family Resiliency task Force.

The group develops mental health programs and resources specifically for farmers.

What we are hoping to do and trying to do is raise awareness to tell folks that it's okay to not be okay.

That what we are going through is very, very difficult.

But, rural lives, your life matters.

McCloud says with farm debt hitting a record $624 billion this year, the community needs to look out for each other.

There are folks that probably are not okay right now.

Pay attention if they stop showing up to things.

Just be aware that, that the mental side of it is very, very real.

Thank you.

Spencer.

Our next story is about a school textbook that took one Tennessee man back in time.

John Baker's journey began in seventh grade, when he discovered an 1891 photograph of his enslaved ancestors from the Wessyngton Plantation, A plantation was the word used to describe a farm focused on a single crop, and cultivated by enslaved laborers.

Since finding the photo, he has spent countless hours researching his family history and connecting historical records with the descendants of formerly enslaved people.

Aaron Cantrell spoke to Baker about how his work and partnership with the Tennessee State Museum is helping preserve Black history.

This is my family tree and I did this in 2012 and it spans 11 generations.

John Baker has dedicated his life to uncovering his family's history.

I know all these relationships, all these people in my head, so I know how many kids everybody's got, so I know how to space it out.

That includes confronting the painful legacy of slavery.

A journey that began in the seventh grade when he came across a photograph in a textbook.

Back then, not many things were taught about Black history, so it stood out.

The same image appeared in a newspaper at home.

And when his grandmother saw it, she told him the people seated in the 1891 portrait were part of their family.

She said they were enslaved on the Washington Plantation, Wessyngton.

And that's how we got the Washington surname.

According to Baker, the Wessyngton Plantation was the largest tobacco plantation in America.

And at its peak, Wessyngton encompassed 13,000 acres and enslaved 274 individuals, which was the largest slave population in the state of Tennessee.

As a teenager, Baker met with a descendent of the Washington family, who granted him access to records at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

I had to go through microfilm.

I had to go through date books, will books, all kinds of correspondence.

He later interviewed more than 20 children and grandchildren of formerly enslaved Wessyngton workers to document their stories, tracing not only his family's lineage but the histories of their families too, discovering some well known names.

You know, Method Man, the rapper?

He's on here.

This is his ancestors.

Baker went to partner with the Tennessee State Museum to produce a temporary exhibit, now housed at the Robertson County History Museum.

The number five of this, like, the smokehouse thing.

You had a blacksmith shop.

You had slave cabins.

At 63, Baker says his work continues because for him, preserving Black history is not optional.

It shouldn't be suppressed.

It should be told just like it happened.

Thank you Aaron.

Now on to a fight to preserve history in our own state.

The future of an iconic Marietta landmark is up in the air over how to preserve a piece of the city's history.

For this week's Know Ohio, let's toss it to Newswatch reporter Noah Cavin in the studio.

At the very center of Muskingum Park in Marietta, sits this statue.

Most people pass it by without another thought.

I have found that there are so many people in Marietta that got no idea what it is.

It's a statue in the park.

But it has quite the story to tell.

So many people don't know its significance.

They know, Oh, that's the picture they have on the city vehicles.

They don't know what the importance of it is, what it really represented.

It is part of the Start Western Memorial, dedicated on July 8th, 1937, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to commemorate what he called 150 years of Americanism.

And sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore.

The sandstone statue depicts the settlement of Marietta, the first American settlement in the Northwest Territory.

Start Western Monument is the single most important piece of art in town.

For many, this space is a staple of their hometown that holds countless memories.

18 years of meeting at the park with my friends is... This was one of the places we always met.

Marietta Bicentennial in 1988, of course, it was a highlight then.

There's a time capsule buried down there.

I remember climbing on it.

The memorial is so ingrained into the city that in 2020, Mayor Joshua Schlicher decided to make it the city's logo.

I thought it was more important to put the emphasis on the, monument or the memorial in the park, depicting the, you know, the original pioneers that settled Marietta.

While the statue has a rich past.

Today it faces an uncertain future.

The city council of Marietta is trying to preserve it.

Unfortunately, it's made of local sandstone, and this statue is turning back to a pile of sand.

In order to preserve this piece of history, the city, working with the state of Ohio and the Ohio History Connection, are making a bronze replica to replace the original.

But some, including Borglum granddaughter, oppose the plan and are trying to raise enough awareness to stop it.

Joe Grimm is the president of the Start Westward Memorial Society.

He says the city and state are rushing to restore the memorial in time for the country's 250th birthday and he's worried about what happens to Borglum's original sandstone statue.

They don't have enough information about the conservation in place.

They just don't have that information.

They haven't taken time.

They want to get it done.

But the city says it has plans to move the original statue to a climate controlled building.

But specific details haven't been worked out.

But for now, the statue sits where it has for the last 87 years.

A quiet testament to Marietta's history.

Special thanks to Newswatch reporter Noah Cavin and his editor at Atish Baidya for sharing that story with us.

Teachers, if you like this, Know Ohio, let us know by filling out the survey at the bottom of this episode page.

And students, tell us where you stand on the statue debate.

Should the original statue be moved indoors or keep it where it is?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between: Yes, it should be moved to preserve it.

Or No, it should stay where it has always been.

On our last episode, we learn about the Lunar New Year celebrations going on around the world and how every year in the lunar calendar is assigned to a specific animal according to the Chinese zodiac.

We wanted you to join in the celebration by researching the Chinese zodiac and figuring out which animal is assigned to the year you were born.

Check out these results.

About 34% of you said you are a goat.

Our producer Natalia is also a goat in the Chinese zodiac.

26% of you said you were born the year of the horse.

2026 is the year of the horse.

18% of us are monkeys.

I'm a monkey too.

6% of you told us you were a snake.

4% said you were a pig.

3% of you said you were a tiger, and another 3% said dragon.

About 2% of you said you were a rooster.

Just like NewsDepth Intern Olivia.

And just 1% of the votes went to rabbit, ox, rat and dog.

Thank you all for voting.

Now let's learn about another holiday celebrated around the world this month - Ramadan.

In the religion of Islam, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and it's a holy month of fasting.

It's considered a holy month because it is believed to be the month in which the Quran, the Islamic holy text, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

During this month, Muslims observe Sawm, which involves abstaining from food, drink and physical needs from dawn until sunset.

They begin their day with a pre-dawn meal called Suhur, and at the end of the day, an evening meal called Iftar, which is shared with community and family.

During Ramadan, Muslims focus on prayer and dedication to Allah.

Allah is the Arabic word for God.

Ramadan will conclude on March 19th with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday celebrating the end of fasting by feasting with family and friends.

In Oklahoma, after a proposed mosque proposal was denied, the Islamic Society of Tulsa held an open house and brought people from all backgrounds together.

A mosque is the place of worship for people of the Muslim faith.

The group one of the community to learn more about their faith and experience the mosque for themselves.

Clifton Haskin reports.

Throughout the afternoon, on Sunday, families, neighbors and community members stopped by the mosque in Tulsa for art, conversations and cultural education.

Because we are part of the fabric of this community.

We have been here forever.

This open house comes after Broken Arrow City Council members denied rezoning and permit applications for a new mosque.

City leaders said there was a lack of sufficient infrastructure on all the avenue for the influx of weekly traffic to a mosque.

People here told me they wanted to show their good neighbors.

We are all forming Tulsa community together and we need to stand together against like any hate is out there.

Organizers say the open House wasn't about revisiting the proposal, but about creating understanding.

Guests are invited to walk throughout the prayer space, ask questions about Islamic traditions, and sit in for religious services.

Staff told me I'm not allowed to take videos of the service, but they did allow me to take these pictures showing the packed space full of people showing up for the open house.

Organizers tell me they spent weeks preparing the mosque for the event.

It's great, you know, great to see people who care enough to learn more and, you know, to educate themselves and open their minds and hearts.

Leaders say they wanted to provide a welcoming environment where people could see firsthand what happens inside the mosque and their services.

They tell me, anyone can stop by the mosque near 51st and Yale with questions or to participate.

Great story.

Thank you.

Clifton.

Did you know that cats can participate in Ramadan too?

Let's toss it over to NewsHound to learn more about these devoted cats.

Hey.

NewsHound!

Wow.

You must be hungry.

What did you find for us this week?

Okay, cool!

A story about the viral Ramadan cats taking over social media.

To see more of how these cats are adapting to the different waking hours during Ramadan, click the Petting Zoo thumbnail at the bottom of this episode page.

Thanks as always, NewsHound.

That's all the time we have for today's show.

But we'll be back next week with more news and more stories.

Until then, you can keep the conversation going because we always like to hear from you.

And there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us here at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here is 44115.

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.

See you next week.

NewsDepth was made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.