(upbeat music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth, president Trump addresses Congress for the first time since 2020.

Strawberries are in peak season and that's really good news for farmers.

We meet up with a local group out taking an icy dip, and we meet an airplane artist trying to keep history alive.

NewsDepth is now.

(upbeat music) Last week, president Donald Trump addressed Congress for the first time in his second term.

Hello everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

On day 44 of his presidency, Trump made an effort to explain his fast-paced actions to the American public.

He defended the tariffs placed on goods coming in from China, Mexico, and Canada.

By stating that this will ultimately support American manufacturing, Trump also highlighted Elon Musk's role with the Department of Government efficiency, often called DOGE behind the layoffs of thousands of federal employees.

Karen Kafa is on Capitol Hill with reaction from both the president's supporters and his opponents - [Karen] President Donald Trump back in the house chamber for the first time since 2020.

- I returned to this chamber tonight to report that America's momentum is back.

- [Karen] Trump sought to rally a thin GOP majority around his agenda and convinced the American public that his tariff policy, which prompted swift retaliation from Canada and China with Mexico promising measures coming Sunday and faces skepticism from some fellow Republicans will benefit them in the long run.

- Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again and it's happening and it will happen rather quickly, there'll be a little disturbance.

- [Karen] Trump also defended the work of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has slashed thousands of jobs from the federal government in just weeks.

He singled out billionaire Elon Musk in the chamber who has been leading the charge.

- Everybody here, even this side appreciates it, I believe - [Karen] The official democratic response to Trump's speech was delivered by freshman Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

A state she says will feel a direct hit from the Canadian tariffs.

- He's on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America.

- Thank you, Karen.

The Trump tariffs are now in effect against China, Mexico, and Canada.

With China and Canada issuing their own tariffs against the United States.

Tariffs impact supply chains by raising the cost of raw materials that are needed for production.

A supply chain refers to the network of businesses, people, and resources involved in creating and delivering a product or service from raw materials to the final consumer.

The added costs will likely be passed onto the consumer.

And experts say the auto industry could see the biggest shock to prices as an industry as a whole.

Reporter, Gino Vicci has more.

- There's no doubt that this is just the beginning.

- [Gino] Jen Griffith's automotive industry expert and founder of gravitas Detroit says Trump era tariffs will undoubtedly impact the automotive industry, especially the supply chain.

- Of course, we've been planning for it ever since we knew that this was coming, but that's the amount of time that we've had since February till now is not enough time.

- [Gino] Griffith is talking about enough time to bring manufacturing back to the US.

The Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% on China.

It's no secret many automotive parts, suppliers and even manufacturing plant are located in these countries.

- The supply base is not that strong financially, but it will get to a point where they will say, look, unless you pay these tariffs, then we're not gonna ship you pots.

And then things are gonna get really interesting.

- [Gino] Griffin says, the automotive supply chain is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and simply cannot afford to pay the tariffs and would likely rely on the automakers to flip the bill and the automakers will likely pass that added cost to you, the consumer.

- So when you start adding all of that up, the estimates are anywhere.

The impact to the vehicle is anywhere from eight to even $12,000 per vehicle.

- [Gino] It's yet to be seen how these tariffs will affect the industry in the long term.

However, Griffith, as she believes the industry will find a way to survive.

- The one thing I know for sure as an industry, we are strong, we are resilient, and we will find a way through it.

We might not be able to see exactly what that path looks like right now, but we will find a way forward.

- Thank you, Gino.

Washington state exports about 50 million in dairy products to Mexico annually, but President Trump's tariffs are expected to significantly reduce that flow.

Additionally, dairy farmers are facing retaliatory tariffs from Canada impacting both their exports and input costs.

One example of a Canadian import used in agriculture industry is fertilizer.

While President Trump believes the long-term benefits of the tariffs will outweigh short-term losses, agriculture officials worry that many farmers may not survive the immediate challenges.

Eric Wilkinson is on the field with the story.

- [Eric] Life on a farm is always unpredictable.

Usually it's the weather that's the biggest unknown.

This year, it's the political climate.

- It's uncertainty, I guess is the word.

- [Eric] 40% of Jason Vander Kooy's milk export go to Mexico, a market that will likely soon go sour.

On top of that, 90% of the fertilizer used of the American west comes from Canada.

Retaliatory tariffs threatening the very soil Jason's farm is built on.

- So now that will cost more for our inputs, but then we rely on the the market, Mexico to get rid of some of our product.

So then on the the sales side, we're getting hit, so we're getting hit on both ends.

- [Eric] During the last Trump trade war, Washington farmers lost a total of $140 million, 12 million of it from the dairy industry.

The president insists early losses will be worth long-term gains, but agriculture officials are skeptical.

- You know, the farm economy right now is quite fragile and so we're concerned that a lot of those farmers wouldn't be able to withstand the short-term consequences in order to realize those benefits of the tariffs.

- It really weighs on you.

- [Eric] Jason believes this trade war will be worse for Washington farmers because of inflation, rising interest rates and the rising cost of production.

He fears some of Washington's family farms will die if the trade war stretches on, but Jason says his glass of milk is half full, for now.

- Right now I have some confidence, yes, but if you come back to me a month, I might have a different answer.

Hopefully things will get figured out.

- Thank you Eric.

Sticking with agricultural news, strawberries are back in season.

Santa Maria, California is home to the world's largest strawberry production area with more than 6,000 acres dedicated to growing just that fruit.

This crop is a key driver of their local economy and it helps support many families.

A crop is a cultivated plant that has grown as food, especially a grain, fruit or vegetable.

As Dave Allie reports, the strawberry season is just beginning and farmers are optimistic.

- [Dave] Rows and rows of strawberries soak up the Santa Maria sun Wednesday morning.

- It's the number one crop in the area and the SantaMaria area is now the largest production area in the world.

- [Dave] More than 6,000 acres of Santa Maria Valley land are used to grow strawberries.

It's by far the top crop in Santa Barbara County and an essential driver of the local economy.

- A lot of families depends on the strawberry industry.

It's a lot.

It involves a lot, you know, so we all excited.

You know when this, at this time of the year - [Dave] When the peak of strawberry season here begins to kick in.

- Now it's kind of like Christmas morning to where we're all ready to open the packages and that's packages of the red gems here behind me.

- While the weather has been mostly dry over the last several months, including this current winter growing conditions for these berries out here in these fields have not been adversely affected.

- We need good sunshine because as nothing makes the world grow more than sunlight does.

- [Dave] As temperatures rise followed by production, ramping up traffic is also increasing at local strawberry stands.

- We are doing really good.

It seems like the weather's helping now we need more sun and it seems like it's gonna be a good year.

- [Dave] It's a year where farmers are not just keeping their eye on the weather, but also new national immigration policies and how those may potentially impact the workforce.

- We're all aware of it, we're all conscious of it, and again, we all do everything we can.

We do our best efforts in staying within the parameters of the law.

- [Dave] As growers look ahead, they're hopeful and optimistic as they produce Santa Maria's most famous fruit.

- Right now.

They're big, they're pretty, they last lot longer.

They have good flavor and I love my customers because they're always happy.

- [Dave] Go out and buy California strawberries and that's something that everyone will agree upon.

Enjoy because we're making more.

- Thanks Dave.

These strawberries are delicious, but one of my favorite fruits, definitely the apple.

There are more than 7,000 different types of apples, and about 50 of those can be found right here in Ohio.

In part thanks to the legendary Johnny Appleseed.

In the 1770s, he traveled from Massachusetts to the Midwest, planting apple and peach trees in exchange for 100 acre tracks of land in the American frontier.

Historic markers around Ohio tell the tale of his travels and adventures.

Mary has his story for this week's Know Ohio.

(upbeat music) - Did you know that plenty of the apple trees we have here are thanks to the planting efforts of Johnny Appleseed way back in the day?

Maybe you've heard of the guy, his real name was Johnny Chapman and he was born in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts.

So how did he wind up all the way over here in Ohio?

Well, he was quite the wanderer.

In his early 20s, he traveled to the Midwest, which was known as America's Frontier.

In 1792, the Ohio Company of Associates, which owned land in the just barely settled Ohio, offered 100 acre tracts of land to anyone willing to plant 50 apple trees and 20 peach trees.

Seems like a bargain?

While they were looking for devoted settlers and it takes quite a while before the fruit trees can be harvested.

Johnny took advantage of this.

He would travel and plant apple trees as he went.

Before leaving the seeds, he protected them with a brush fence to keep hungry animals away.

Then in a few years when the trees were still saplings, he was able to sell or lease the land to new settlers.

When he died, he owned about 1,200 acres of land.

You think he would've wound up a rich man, but Johnny was kindhearted and often gave the sapling trees away to settlers who could not afford them or spent his money caring for horses that made the trek out to the new lands.

Johnny didn't care to spend money on his outfits either.

He tended to rock a vagabond style barefoot with rags as clothes, and some say he even wore a tin pot on his head.

He planted over 100,000 square miles of orchards in the Midwestern wilderness and prairie.

On average, apple trees lived to be around 100 years old, but one tree in particular is still known to be standing in Nova Ohio, and while the exact trees he planted may be gone, there are still historic markers around Ohio telling his tail.

Like this one in Vernon, it shows the place of Johnny's first recorded land purchase.

He bought two parcels of land here in 1809.

It also mentions a story told on a marker in Mansfield.

On a night in 1813, a local shopkeeper was killed and the towns people thought that it might mean Native Americans were going to attack their village.

Johnny went running for help from Mansfield to Mount Vernon and back all in one day.

That's 50 miles round trip.

He was certainly willing to help and it's a lesson we can think back on with every apple bites.

- Thank you, Mary, for our poll this week.

We'd like to know what is your favorite fruit?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between apples, strawberries, bananas, mangoes, citrus, or all of them.

On our previous episode, we learned that sleep is necessary to support a healthy body and we asked you to examine your own sleeping habits and tell us how much sleep are you getting?

Top answer this week was more than eight hours a night with 37% of the votes.

That is great.

31% of you said you sleep about eight hours every day.

17% reported sleeping six hours or less on average, and about 15% of you said you sleep about seven hours every night.

I think I sleep about six hours a night on average, but I promise I'm learning to incorporate the tips we learned in that spot on science to make sure I get my needed daily rest.

Okay, Ohioans like us have been not so patiently waiting for the warm weather to come back so we can enjoy the outdoors and the radiant sunlight, but these people from northeast Ohio could not wait any longer.

In freezing temperatures, this community regularly visits the Chagrin River for a nice cold polar plunge.

Ideastream's, Amy Eddings has the story.

- In the Indian yoga tradition, they talk about holy dips going into the dips and repeating a mantra in the river.

So I started that in the summer and it was never really about the cold for me.

I just, as you know, you're going in the summer and it eventually gets chillier, chillier, chillier.

There became a point where I had to decide am I gonna stop or am I gonna keep going?

- [Amy] Josh Sherman is the founder of the Polar Bear Plunge Group.

They meet Sunday afternoons for a dip in the Chagrin River in Bentleyville, Ohio.

- One of our members organized a sauna for us to be here.

That's the first time we've done that.

So we're a little spoiled today, but we're all gonna get in there and get a plunge in and then head back up and probably warm up and cycle back and forth a few times today.

That's the plan.

The water's gonna usually be around 32 or a little under because there are minerals in the river that lower the freezing point.

- [Amy] Sherman started ice dips as a spiritual practice 17 years ago, but people have many reasons for getting into the near freezing water.

- Comradery is huge, you know, we're all out here looking out for each other's safety and getting out into nature is one of the biggest things in the winter.

You know, it's easy to coop yourself up and miss all these park experiences and not only that, but this intense cold experience.

It kind of takes away the effective cold that you have just like standing around out here, it makes you more likely to go out to the park more comfortable when you're just going from your house to your car and those kind of things.

Like the car warming up at first isn't that big of a deal once you do this a couple times.

- [Amy] Claire Hilbers of Chagrin Falls is a competitive ice swimmer.

- I think that's what gets most people in trouble because your body can handle a lot of cold water, but it's the panic, yeah, so just knowing you're okay with it, you kind of have to override that panic response and just tell yourself you're okay in the cold water.

Yeah, I think where I feel it the most is arms and legs.

Like my hands and feet go immediately numb and then the longer you're in the arms and legs go numb, so you're just kind of swimming but not feeling your stroke.

So that's really different than the pool swimming.

But even here, like if we're in a calmer spot in the water and you sit perfectly still, you do kind of create like a warm feeling around you.

But if you go anywhere where there's movement in the water, that's where it feels definitely colder.

You can feel the difference with the water movement.

So yeah, there's something to that.

- [Amy] Hilbers competed in four races at the International Ice Swimming Association, Sixth World Championships in Molveno, Italy in January.

- I like the cold plunging and then finding out there was ice swimming competitions that really spoke to me because kind of put together my passion of swimming for fitness, the cold plunging and then yeah, I'm a competitive person, I like competing, so it all kind of came together.

Yeah, definitely.

Something I want to continue spoke to me.

- [Amy] Tim Stecker is a newly naturalized US citizen from Germany.

- I've done this for five years and it's really, I know I have it and I know when I come out I'll feel different and that's like what I'm actually looking forward to, you know, like to, it's really like a reset for your nervous system and your how are your mental clarity and everything.

- Special thanks to Amy Eddings and Ygal Kaufman for sharing that story with us.

Now from dipping your toes in some icy waters, let's turn to dipping brushes into some paint.

A man in Virginia has been painting nose art for military planes for decades, but due to some health complications he's had put down his paintbrush.

Now he's focusing on his craft history to keep the legacy alive.

Jacob Phillips has the story.

- [Gary] It's another way of preserving history.

- [Jacob] Gary Velasco lives in Ruckersville.

He's been doing nose art for military aircraft for nearly three decades.

- Nose art derived from World War I, it is the Art of war.

It became very glorified I suppose during World War II and then after World War II in Korea.

- [Jacob] Velasco journey as an nose artist began in the late '90s when he was commissioned to restore the paint on a plane.

- And one thing led to another and you know, I became quite the person in the aviation community as the to go guy to paint nose art.

- [Jacob] From then, that work became Velasco's life designing custom hand painted nose art for pilots all around the world.

- I thought to myself that was what a great idea, to be able to paint on real warbirds that are flying ambassadors with my name on it.

So, and it could be seen by millions of air shows around the country.

I've done since then, a couple of dozen warbirds, a lot of 'em rare.

- [Jacob] His life as an artist changed when Velasco was diagnosed with ALS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

- So my arms are currently about 90% paralyzed.

My painting days were done and that really quite hasn't set in yet.

I mean I'm sort of in denial in that aspect.

- [Jacob] Once Velasco realized his career as a nose artist would soon be coming to an end, he transitioned to be an air art historian.

- A lot of this history in especially in World War II, is not taught in schools anymore.

So I wanna preserve that aspect of artwork, folk art, Americana folk art.

- [Jacob] Now Velasco sells merchandise with some of his most famous nose art paintings, hoping to keep this piece of American history alive while also spreading awareness on ALS.

- [Gary] This is what I love to do and I just can't stop and rust away.

- That is pretty cool, thank you Jacob.

Now we wanna know what you think.

For our "Write To Us" this week, tell us how can art be used to tell history?

Students can use our inbox form online or send us an email to NewsDepth@ideastream.org to share your thoughts.

Last episode, we celebrated Ohio's Statehood Day, March the first was the day Ohio became a state and we asked you to write a birthday card for our state.

Let's see how you celebrated Ohio by opening up our inbox.

Parker from St. Benedict School in Garfield Heights starts us off with, "Dear NewsDepth.

Ohio, you are a great state.

I have met amazing people here like my friends and teachers.

Thank you Ohio.

All of my experiences have been great."

You know, Parker, it sounds like you moved here from a different state, but now it seems like you love it.

Welcome.

Aniyah from Franklin Elementary in Wadsworth wants everyone to take care of our state.

"My birthday card to Ohio would look something like this: Dear Ohio, I love you and want to wish you a happy birthday.

I know you cannot read, but I love you and hope you have a great birthday and people take good care of you."

Emily from Minster Elementary School in Minster thinks Ohio is the best.

"Dear Ohio, you are the best state in the United States of America.

In my opinion, you have a ton of resources for us to grow food.

The animals in Ohio are also awesome.

The best animal in Ohio as of right now is a dog also, in my opinion.

I hope you have a great birthday and I'll always love you more and more each day."

Ethan from Shaw Elementary in Beaver Creek thinks our home is very special.

"Dear Ohio, first I just want to say thank you for being so amazing and being our home.

Happy Birthday, Ohio.

You're the most amazing thing and the most amazing state in the USA and I hope you know that you are very loved.

So have fun celebrating."

And Samantha from Avon Elementary School in Avon sent us this email.

"Happy Birthday Ohio.

Ohio is a great and beautiful state.

I love how there aren't many landslides, mudslides, or tornadoes.

I love our community and I think we shouldn't litter or trash it.

It is really good to be nice and treat our community with respect, kindness, and love.

Now, to shout outs, NewsDepth, you guys are so generous and your videos are amazing.

I want to give shout outs to Mrs. Conroy and Mr. Nolan.

They are great teachers.

Go Ohio, you deserve this."

Well said everyone.

I love how much you all love your communities and our great state.

You know, people often ask me, what's the best thing about being the host of NewsDepth?

And I always tell them the exact same thing.

It's getting to meet students from all over Ohio who are doing remarkable things in their community.

This week's A+ Award winner is one that I was particularly proud of.

You see, Zoe, who is a fifth grader at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School in Fairview Park, is choosing kindness.

Zoe told us that when she was in the third grade, she remembered seeing an A+ Award that featured a few students from Central Intermediate School in Wadsworth, who were posting inspirational quotes around their school to cheer up and motivate their classmates.

Zoe decided that she wanted to do something that would cheer up her classmates and help people in need.

That's why just recently she started her very own Kindness club.

Zoe makes bracelets out of pony beads and she gives them to her classmates who might be having a bad day or having a hard time with something.

Zoe doesn't only focus her kindness on her classmates, she also goes to car shows with her grandfather and gives her bracelets to people at the car show.

Many of the people are generous enough to make a donation to the Kindness Club.

Zoe then donates the money to charities that help people in need.

Not only that, she's been able to even work with a local business who also collects donations in exchange for the bracelets Zoe makes to help raise even more money.

Zoe's teacher, Ms. Rushnuck told us she's not only a great friend, but Zoe is also a great student and a wonderful role model for all the students at Gilles-Sweet.

And by the way, shout out to Ms. Rushknock for being one of NewsDepths biggest fans.

Thank you so much.

We also want to thank Zoe for making the entire NewsDepth team special bracelets.

I'm wearing mine right now and I love it so much.

Thank you so much.

This week's A+ Award goes to Zoe for spreading kindness one bracelet at a time.

Please keep up the great work.

Zoe even made a special one for Newshound.

And while we have him, let's check in on Newshound to see what he's found for this week's petting zoo.

Hey there, Newshound, you like that bracelet Zoe made for you?

Okay, there he is, with our producer Natalia.

She's helping him put on the bracelet.

It looks great on you, even matches your collar.

Anyway, Newshound, what animal story did you find this week?

Oh, it's a story about some emus seen roaming around South Carolina.

To see all of these emus shenanigans, click the Petting Zoo button at the bottom of this episode page.

Thanks as always, Newshound.

Well, that is a wrap for this episode of NewsDepth, but before we leave, I wanted to give a shout out to Mr. Hilts class from Perrysburg for sending us this letter.

They wrote to us, "We wanted to write a letter to tell you how much we love NewsDepth and NewsHound.

We also love NewsDepth because you put it in a fun way and we learn a lot.

I love that so much.

They even sent us some fan art, a drawing of the NewsDepth logo.

It always means so much to the NewsDepth team when we hear how much you all enjoy watching our episodes and we always like to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can send us a letter, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio zip code here, 44115.

And 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.

- NewsDepth is made possible by Grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

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