[music] >> What's up, sunshine?
This is CNN 10, and today we are going exploring into a cloud forest, all the way to the moon, even to a galaxy far, far away.
>> Welcome, you my way.
>> Along the way, though, we've got a newly discovered species of cat, a 6-year-old breaking world records, and roughly 43 quintillion ways to scramble a cube.
Curiosity caps on.
Let's rise up.
On this day, September 23rd, in the year 1806, Lewis and Clark, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and crew, returned to St.
Louis after one of the most famous ambulatory expeditions in American history.
Gone for 2 years, 4 months, 10 days, they traveled thousands of miles from the St.
Louis area, up the Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean.
Then, they decided to run it back, all the way back.
No GPS, no Google Maps, no Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, no pit stops at Mickey D's back then.
Their maps were essentially maps they were making, and they took some serious notes documenting hundreds of plants and animals, gathering geographic info, and Sacagawea, a young Native American traveling with her infant son, served as an interpreter, helping the expedition communicate with indigenous peoples along the route.
When they made it back to St.
Lou, people were cheering along the riverbank.
Finally home after more than 2 years exploring.
Life lesson, it's not always about knowing exactly where we're going.
Sometimes it's just about having the courage to explore.
In Los Angeles, the city of stars, Hollywood's bright lights aren't shining as often as they used to.
2026 is on track to be one of the slowest years for movie and TV productions on record there.
Behind those numbers, real life people, not just actors.
Think about set designers, lighting crews, sound techs, wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, small business catering companies, equipment suppliers, drivers, on and on.
When production in Hollywood disappears, so do a lot of paychecks.
Our Natasha Chen has more.
>> Movies and TV shows are not being done nearly as much in Hollywood anymore.
A decline so dramatic, 2026 [music] is on track to become one of the slowest years on record for production.
>> I've worked 3 days this year in the industry.
[music] >> Including this week?
>> Including this week.
>> What?
Jeremy Wayland drives production materials to sets, but like many other Hollywood crew members and small businesses, he's struggling to get work.
>> It's a dignity thing.
You you want to you want to contribute.
You want to wake up early in the morning.
You want to work hard.
>> On top of looking for work, he's also trying to rebuild his house.
It went up in flames during [music] the LA fires in January 2025, and it's been a big expense without a consistent income.
Will you consider a different career path?
>> I I don't want to.
I really want to continue this career path, but I think like everybody else, you have to be honest.
>> And the truth is, according to FilmLA, the office responsible for permitting shoots in Los Angeles and parts of LA County, [music] the number of days feature films and TV shows have shot on location in LA this spring is about 40 to 50% [music] below average compared to the same period across the last 5 years.
>> A lot of us have dissolved our retirements, [music] everything to try to keep it going.
So.
>> Have you done that?
>> [music] >> Yeah.
>> I first met Corey Lavelle when her floral prop warehouse was suffering [music] during the writers and actors strikes.
When I was with you here 3 years ago, you really thought that things might [music] bounce back after the strikes.
Did that happen?
>> It did not happen.
>> What are you going to do?
>> I have been losing a lot of sleep about that.
I am looking for >> possibly someone to come in and share space.
I still have a good revenue stream.
It's just half of what it used [music] to be.
>> It's a lot quieter than it used to be if we're being honest.
>> I spoke with economist Adam Fowler about the huge drop in production when the streaming bubble burst and how it's cheaper to film in other countries with free health care and more affordable housing.
>> We're not going to stand here and pretend like the United States suddenly will have nationalized free health care, but what can be done about [music] other cost of living problems?
>> We've just got to have leadership to say, "In order to save Hollywood, we've got to have housing that's affordable." >> This is the first time whether it's the mayor's election or the governor's race where this was a topic in the debates.
Um and I think it's finally gotten people's attention.
>> President Trump recently met with actor Jon Voight about this issue and is now pushing for a first-ever federal tax incentive for film and TV production.
>> We want to let everybody know about this because it affects the bottom line of the economy of the United States.
>> Waylon has gone to Sacramento to fight for better benefits in California that have so far helped bring dozens of productions back according to Film [music] LA.
But if the big picture continues to shift to overseas alternatives like Australia or the UK, >> would you move to London?
>> Moving to London is is really quite difficult.
It's it's, you know, getting visas, seeing it it it it's completely changing your life upside down.
And look, I'm an American.
I want the US to succeed.
>> They say there are dog people in this world and there are cat people.
Well, feline lovers, do we have some catnip for you?
Scientists identified a brand new living species of wild cat for the first time in more than 100 years.
Meet the Tiyuka.
It lives in Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest and it's part of a group called tiger cats living across much of South America.
Think of it as a meow-nyu-mental case of mistaken identity because in 2017, the kitten was found by a local man on a road near the forest which is often covered by clouds.
He tried keeping the wild cat as a pet, but then said, "Yeah, I'm going to give this thing to Bolivia's Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary.
Researchers always suspected something was a bit askew.
Only weighing about 3 lb, smaller than most house cats, but it wasn't until this month that with advanced genomic analysis, they discovered it's a brand new species.
Researchers say its large spots make it nearly impossible to spot in the wild, and its small scrunched up face, short round ears, and long whiskers set it apart.
The moon has a relatively new battle scar.
Scientists found evidence of a tussle with a space rock that happened about 2 years ago.
Actually, more like a violent collision.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted this enormous new crater created by an asteroid or comet fragment that slammed into the lunar surface.
They estimate it was about the size of a five-story building, leaving a crater 43 m deep, 222 m wide.
That's more than two football fields across.
Researchers say it's the largest newly formed crater they've ever found in our solar system.
And impacts this size are estimated to happen only about once every 130 years.
No atmosphere on the moon to slow these space rocks down, so bam, a big old moon dent is left behind.
Pop quiz, hot shot.
How many colors are featured on a standard Rubik's Cube?
4, 6, 8, or 12?
If you said six, you so smart, it's puzzling.
A standard 3 by 3 by 3 Rubik's Cube features 54 squares, six different colors, meaning there are only roughly 43 quintillion possible combos.
Now to a kid with moves so fast, they just might give you whiplash.
6-year-old Li-En Yon Jo of China has broken a Rubik's Cube world record.
She actually did it twice in a span of just 3 days.
Zhi Zhi averaged just 4.27 seconds to solve a standard 3 by 3 by 3 cube across five tries, breaking her own record of 4.52 seconds set two days earlier.
I can't tie my shoes that fast.
I can't unlock my phone that fast, and I use facial recognition.
She's the only female speed cuber in history to record an official average time under 4.5 seconds.
Talent?
Yes, but this prodigious puzzler pops out records like Pez dispensers cuz she puts in the work, everybody.
She started at just 4 years old.
Mom tells CNN Zhi Zhi practices two to three hours every day, and now she knows more than 1,300 solving algorithms.
And cubing has given her a new found sense of confidence.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10 is for all of us who've ever used a broomstick or wrapping paper tube to pretend it was a lightsaber.
Now, thanks to Ludosport, an international academy dedicated to sporting lightsaber combat, our training to be a Jedi can be a little more efficient.
Yes, a real sport started in Italy in 2006.
Basically, fencing gone to a galaxy far, far away.
You choose your battle name, too.
>> Every uh Ludosport athlete is entitled to gain themselves a battle name.
Sometimes you pick your battle name.
Sometimes your battle name picks you.
My battle name is Wizard.
Also, in our school, we've got Warlock, Ranger, Sparrowhawk, Diva.
There's a little bit of wish fulfillment happening, you know, because people get to be like, uh yeah, I like to saber fight on one of my nights during the week.
>> So, if you ever dreamed about becoming a fencer, maybe earning a scholarship, making the Olympics, or becoming a Jedi, you are one step closer.
May the force be with you.
And that is our 10.
But first, congratulations to our Your Word Wednesday winners, Mr.
Ryder Ives and friends at Camden Rockport Middle School in Maine for submitting ambulate.
Love this word, a verb meaning to walk or move from one place to another on foot.
Thank you for making us a little bit smarter today.
And we have a shout-out going to Ms.
Becky Sanderson at Rising Stars Academy in Center Line, Michigan, who sent us this incredible, exceedingly impressive presentation um about your inspiring school.
The art, the swag.
You guys You guys are so talented.
Look at this.
Rising Stars Academy and you know your boy loves hats.
I will be rocking that with pride.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us, everyone.
Whatever game of life you are playing today, do it with joy.
I'm Coy and we are CNN 10.
This is CNN 10, and today we are going exploring into a cloud forest, all the way to the moon, even to a galaxy far, far away.
>> Welcome, you my way.
>> Along the way, though, we've got a newly discovered species of cat, a 6-year-old breaking world records, and roughly 43 quintillion ways to scramble a cube.
Curiosity caps on.
Let's rise up.
On this day, September 23rd, in the year 1806, Lewis and Clark, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and crew, returned to St.
Louis after one of the most famous ambulatory expeditions in American history.
Gone for 2 years, 4 months, 10 days, they traveled thousands of miles from the St.
Louis area, up the Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean.
Then, they decided to run it back, all the way back.
No GPS, no Google Maps, no Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, no pit stops at Mickey D's back then.
Their maps were essentially maps they were making, and they took some serious notes documenting hundreds of plants and animals, gathering geographic info, and Sacagawea, a young Native American traveling with her infant son, served as an interpreter, helping the expedition communicate with indigenous peoples along the route.
When they made it back to St.
Lou, people were cheering along the riverbank.
Finally home after more than 2 years exploring.
Life lesson, it's not always about knowing exactly where we're going.
Sometimes it's just about having the courage to explore.
In Los Angeles, the city of stars, Hollywood's bright lights aren't shining as often as they used to.
2026 is on track to be one of the slowest years for movie and TV productions on record there.
Behind those numbers, real life people, not just actors.
Think about set designers, lighting crews, sound techs, wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, small business catering companies, equipment suppliers, drivers, on and on.
When production in Hollywood disappears, so do a lot of paychecks.
Our Natasha Chen has more.
>> Movies and TV shows are not being done nearly as much in Hollywood anymore.
A decline so dramatic, 2026 [music] is on track to become one of the slowest years on record for production.
>> I've worked 3 days this year in the industry.
[music] >> Including this week?
>> Including this week.
>> What?
Jeremy Wayland drives production materials to sets, but like many other Hollywood crew members and small businesses, he's struggling to get work.
>> It's a dignity thing.
You you want to you want to contribute.
You want to wake up early in the morning.
You want to work hard.
>> On top of looking for work, he's also trying to rebuild his house.
It went up in flames during [music] the LA fires in January 2025, and it's been a big expense without a consistent income.
Will you consider a different career path?
>> I I don't want to.
I really want to continue this career path, but I think like everybody else, you have to be honest.
>> And the truth is, according to FilmLA, the office responsible for permitting shoots in Los Angeles and parts of LA County, [music] the number of days feature films and TV shows have shot on location in LA this spring is about 40 to 50% [music] below average compared to the same period across the last 5 years.
>> A lot of us have dissolved our retirements, [music] everything to try to keep it going.
So.
>> Have you done that?
>> [music] >> Yeah.
>> I first met Corey Lavelle when her floral prop warehouse was suffering [music] during the writers and actors strikes.
When I was with you here 3 years ago, you really thought that things might [music] bounce back after the strikes.
Did that happen?
>> It did not happen.
>> What are you going to do?
>> I have been losing a lot of sleep about that.
I am looking for >> possibly someone to come in and share space.
I still have a good revenue stream.
It's just half of what it used [music] to be.
>> It's a lot quieter than it used to be if we're being honest.
>> I spoke with economist Adam Fowler about the huge drop in production when the streaming bubble burst and how it's cheaper to film in other countries with free health care and more affordable housing.
>> We're not going to stand here and pretend like the United States suddenly will have nationalized free health care, but what can be done about [music] other cost of living problems?
>> We've just got to have leadership to say, "In order to save Hollywood, we've got to have housing that's affordable." >> This is the first time whether it's the mayor's election or the governor's race where this was a topic in the debates.
Um and I think it's finally gotten people's attention.
>> President Trump recently met with actor Jon Voight about this issue and is now pushing for a first-ever federal tax incentive for film and TV production.
>> We want to let everybody know about this because it affects the bottom line of the economy of the United States.
>> Waylon has gone to Sacramento to fight for better benefits in California that have so far helped bring dozens of productions back according to Film [music] LA.
But if the big picture continues to shift to overseas alternatives like Australia or the UK, >> would you move to London?
>> Moving to London is is really quite difficult.
It's it's, you know, getting visas, seeing it it it it's completely changing your life upside down.
And look, I'm an American.
I want the US to succeed.
>> They say there are dog people in this world and there are cat people.
Well, feline lovers, do we have some catnip for you?
Scientists identified a brand new living species of wild cat for the first time in more than 100 years.
Meet the Tiyuka.
It lives in Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest and it's part of a group called tiger cats living across much of South America.
Think of it as a meow-nyu-mental case of mistaken identity because in 2017, the kitten was found by a local man on a road near the forest which is often covered by clouds.
He tried keeping the wild cat as a pet, but then said, "Yeah, I'm going to give this thing to Bolivia's Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary.
Researchers always suspected something was a bit askew.
Only weighing about 3 lb, smaller than most house cats, but it wasn't until this month that with advanced genomic analysis, they discovered it's a brand new species.
Researchers say its large spots make it nearly impossible to spot in the wild, and its small scrunched up face, short round ears, and long whiskers set it apart.
The moon has a relatively new battle scar.
Scientists found evidence of a tussle with a space rock that happened about 2 years ago.
Actually, more like a violent collision.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted this enormous new crater created by an asteroid or comet fragment that slammed into the lunar surface.
They estimate it was about the size of a five-story building, leaving a crater 43 m deep, 222 m wide.
That's more than two football fields across.
Researchers say it's the largest newly formed crater they've ever found in our solar system.
And impacts this size are estimated to happen only about once every 130 years.
No atmosphere on the moon to slow these space rocks down, so bam, a big old moon dent is left behind.
Pop quiz, hot shot.
How many colors are featured on a standard Rubik's Cube?
4, 6, 8, or 12?
If you said six, you so smart, it's puzzling.
A standard 3 by 3 by 3 Rubik's Cube features 54 squares, six different colors, meaning there are only roughly 43 quintillion possible combos.
Now to a kid with moves so fast, they just might give you whiplash.
6-year-old Li-En Yon Jo of China has broken a Rubik's Cube world record.
She actually did it twice in a span of just 3 days.
Zhi Zhi averaged just 4.27 seconds to solve a standard 3 by 3 by 3 cube across five tries, breaking her own record of 4.52 seconds set two days earlier.
I can't tie my shoes that fast.
I can't unlock my phone that fast, and I use facial recognition.
She's the only female speed cuber in history to record an official average time under 4.5 seconds.
Talent?
Yes, but this prodigious puzzler pops out records like Pez dispensers cuz she puts in the work, everybody.
She started at just 4 years old.
Mom tells CNN Zhi Zhi practices two to three hours every day, and now she knows more than 1,300 solving algorithms.
And cubing has given her a new found sense of confidence.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10 is for all of us who've ever used a broomstick or wrapping paper tube to pretend it was a lightsaber.
Now, thanks to Ludosport, an international academy dedicated to sporting lightsaber combat, our training to be a Jedi can be a little more efficient.
Yes, a real sport started in Italy in 2006.
Basically, fencing gone to a galaxy far, far away.
You choose your battle name, too.
>> Every uh Ludosport athlete is entitled to gain themselves a battle name.
Sometimes you pick your battle name.
Sometimes your battle name picks you.
My battle name is Wizard.
Also, in our school, we've got Warlock, Ranger, Sparrowhawk, Diva.
There's a little bit of wish fulfillment happening, you know, because people get to be like, uh yeah, I like to saber fight on one of my nights during the week.
>> So, if you ever dreamed about becoming a fencer, maybe earning a scholarship, making the Olympics, or becoming a Jedi, you are one step closer.
May the force be with you.
And that is our 10.
But first, congratulations to our Your Word Wednesday winners, Mr.
Ryder Ives and friends at Camden Rockport Middle School in Maine for submitting ambulate.
Love this word, a verb meaning to walk or move from one place to another on foot.
Thank you for making us a little bit smarter today.
And we have a shout-out going to Ms.
Becky Sanderson at Rising Stars Academy in Center Line, Michigan, who sent us this incredible, exceedingly impressive presentation um about your inspiring school.
The art, the swag.
You guys You guys are so talented.
Look at this.
Rising Stars Academy and you know your boy loves hats.
I will be rocking that with pride.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us, everyone.
Whatever game of life you are playing today, do it with joy.
I'm Coy and we are CNN 10.