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Students: This is Mr. Waller's airtime class at Riverwood Middle School in Clayton, North Carolina, and Channel One News starts right now.

Arielle: Now, that is an entrance — a sporty soccer kickoff from Riverwood Middle School in Clayton, North Carolina. Very cool video effects over there. I am Arielle Hixson, and let's get this Monday started. 

First up, we head to California. We are checking in on historic wildfires burning in the southern part of the state.

About 8,000 firefighters are battling what is being called the Thomas Fire, which has burned for nearly two weeks and still threatens 18,000 homes. It is the third largest wildfire in California's history. Thousands of residents had to evacuate over the weekend. So far, two people have been killed, and more than 1,000 buildings have been burned.

Next up, an amazing discovery from NASA: a new planet. Totally geeking out over this one, guys. Researchers used artificial intelligence, or AI, to find the planet thousands of light-years away. Called Kepler 90i, it is in a solar system similar to Earth's.

And AI is our Word in the News today. It is in the headlines a lot lately, so, simply put, it is machines that think — computer programs that can mimic human thinking.

In the never-ending search for life beyond planet Earth, NASA scientists have uncovered the only other eight-planet solar system they know of that circles a sun. With help from Google and its machine-learning computer software, scientists analyzed thousands of data points captured from this NASA planet-hunting space telescope, the Kepler. That data helped researchers discover this new planet, Kepler 90i.

Derrick Pitts: Having all this data coming from Kepler, for scientists, is like trying to drink from a fire hose.

Arielle: Astronomer Derrick Pitts says it is the way the new planet was discovered that has scientists buzzing and makes their jobs easier.

Pitts: The Google AI system has been able to search through that pile of information much faster than humans have been able to dig through it. If you think about the analogy of the number of stars in a galaxy being like the number of sand grains on a beach, it's as if we've been asked to search through all the sand grains on the beach to find just the red sand grains.

Arielle: Like Earth, Kepler 90i is the third planet from its sun in an eight-planet system.

But unlike Earth…

Pitts: The temperature on the surface of this planet is about 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which is far too hot for the possible development of life as we know it. It's about 2,500 light-years away. That means even traveling at the speed of light, it would take us 2,500 years just to get there.

Arielle: Okay, next, we are heading to Russia. The country has been in the news since President Trump won the election last year, and right now, there are several investigations looking into how much Russia was involved with the Trump campaign. So it was big news this month when President Putin of Russia announced he would run for reelection in 2018. 

And with approval ratings topping 80 percent, Putin is certain to win — or is he?

Putin has been in power since 2000. That is a 17-year tight grip on Russian politics and life, and not many people have tried to go up against him. But now a famous reality TV star and model, Ksenia Sobchak, is taking on the most powerful man in Russia — she is running for president. 

Ksenia Sobchak: In order to change the situation in Russia, because no one else stood up, so maybe that's the high time I should do that. 

Arielle: When Sobchak arrived to speak at a student rally recently, she was mobbed. Her campaign is getting a lot of attention, but does she really expect to win?

Sobchak: No way Putin will let anyone take away his power, even if all the people of Russia would vote.

Arielle: She was asked if she thinks Putin is a dictator.

Sobchak: Yes, of course.

Arielle: But here is the twist: Many voters think Sobchak is a fake brought in by Putin to spice up the race.

Man: I will never vote for Ksenia Sobchak because she is a daughter of Putin's friend, and I think she is a part of Putin's system.

Arielle: And get this — her political strategist used to work for Bernie Sanders and is now working to set up an American-style online campaign for Sobchak.

Vitali Shkliarov: We want to try to show that here is a lot of fake. Here is a lot of problems. Here's a lot of lies. Here is a lot of double standards. Here is a lot of corruption.

Arielle: Ksenia knows she won't win, but she says she is ready to blaze a trail for a new generation of challengers.  

Okay, after the break, a new push to get you to put down your phone. I know, seems impossible. Stay tuned.

Arielle: Now, we all know we can't live without our cellphones — you know I can’t. And in fact, a recent study found 95 percent of Americans use them.

Tom: Yeah, I am right there with you. The way cellphones work is they emit a small amount of radio frequency waves, so California recently put out groundbreaking guidelines to limit exposure to cellphone radiation because of concern it might be bad for you. Check it out.

California officials say the warning about keeping a cellphone pressed up against your ear was issued largely because of radio frequency emissions, or RFEs, that could be damaging, especially for kids.

Dr. Karen Smith: Now children on average are starting at the age of 10 and using cellphones for a lot of activities.

Tom: California's Department of Public Health recommends using the speakerphone or headphones, sleeping at least an arm's length away from your phone and avoiding keeping it in your pocket. The move comes after a three-year-long legal battle by Joel Moskowitz, who forced the state to release a long-secret study of cellphone risk.

Joel Moskowitz: People are not going to give up these devices. That's not what we are seeking. What we're seeking is that people take the appropriate cautions and reduce their risk substantially. 

Tom: California's warning says that while "the science is still evolving," some studies suggest a link between high cellphone use and brain cancer, headaches and other health issues.

Moskowitz: This is just like the history of tobacco.

Stanton Glantz: Now, unlike cigarettes, cellphones are actually useful for something.

Tom: Professor Stan Glantz uncovered long-secret tobacco company research that revealed the dangers of smoking. He is watching the science on cellphones too.

Glantz: The case is by no means closed yet, but there is certainly enough evidence to be concerned, to the point that I don't usually carry a cellphone.

Tom: California is not alone in this warning. The Food and Drug Administration says on its website the risk "is probably very small" but suggests using "speaker mode or a headset."

Tom Hanson, Channel One News.

Arielle: Okay now, next up, you know what time it is! It is time for the Next Big Thing.

Get ready to shop till you drop in this week's Next Big Thing — my kind of segment — but before we check out that idea, let's see what you all thought about last week's.

We told you about the optical illusion that could slow down traffic and prevent accidents — 3-D crosswalks. So is it the next big thing? Seventy-seven percent said, “Yes — green light!” But 23 percent said, “No — hit the brakes on this idea.”  

Class: This is Ms. North's seventh-grade study hall from Canterbury Middle School, and we think the 3-D crosswalks are the next big thing!

Class: We think 3-D crosswalks are the next big thing!

Arielle: But Zachary said, “No, it would not be safe for the drivers. They would think something is there and would stop and might get in a fender bender.”

Nice. Thanks for those responses, guys!

So it is safe to say holiday shopping is in full force, and Cassie joins me with an idea that could make checking out a whole lot easier.

Cassie: That is right, Arielle. The future is at your fingertips with this concept that will have you leaving your wallet at home. Check it out.

Pav Nahal hates waiting in line at the grocery store. So when she heard of a faster, easier way to pay using just her finger, she signed up.

Pav Nahal: You don't have to go through your bag and look for change or your card. I always leave my wallet at home. 

Cassie: The Fingopay device shines an infrared light through a user's finger to build a 3-D map of the customer's finger veins. A person's veins create a unique pattern, much like a fingerprint but even more distinct.

Nick Dryden: So every time you insert your finger into a reader, we can identify you within about 200 milliseconds. In the future you are the wallet. That's all you need.

Cassie: Customers tie their bank or credit card information to their finger pattern, and with the touch of their finger, their account gets charged.

Scott Pearson: If you went for a run, or you went out to exercise, you don't really want to carry around anything.

Cassie: For some people on the go, it is technology they can't wait to get their hands on. 

So what do you think? Is pay by finger the next big thing? Vote and leave us a comment at .

Arielle: Or send us a video response to NBT@.

All right, we are going to have to wrap this up, but we will catch you right back here tomorrow.

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