[music]
Hello and welcome to the show. I'm Koi
Wire. This is CNN 10 and I hope you're
having an awesome Friday Eve. Mine got
off to a rough start. My daughter asked,
"Can I have a bookmark?" 5 years old and
she still doesn't know my name is Koi.
Let's get to your news for Thursday,
August 20th. Starting with some
unsettling news. We've already seen more
foodborne illness outbreaks in the
United States this summer than in any of
the previous five summers. We are on
pace for a record. Experts say there are
several reasons why. Extreme summer heat
can create conditions where some
bacteria multiply faster, especially
when food isn't kept at safe
temperatures. And some pathogens are
particularly tough to track down.
Pathogens are things like bacteria,
viruses, and parasites. And they're
capable of causing disease. Funding cuts
at the state, federal, and local levels
have also made it harder to determine
where these outbreaks start. Speaking of
outbreaks, a CNN investigation into one
of the biggest companies tied to this
summer's cycllospora outbreak, Taylor
Farms, is shedding light on how they've
handled similar situations in the past
and what it could mean for food safety
going forward. Our Kyouong Law has more.
This is the headquarters for Taylor
Farms
>> cuz this is private property. Okay.
>> Taylor Farms won't talk to us on camera
today. We'd already asked for an
interview and had not heard back. This
is the company. The FDA linked to the
historic cycllospora outbreak. [music]
6,000 sick, hundreds hospitalized, and
two dead. Here's what we want to ask the
company. The government traced at least
five different outbreaks directly to
Taylor Farms in the past 13 [music]
years. And a CNN review finds time after
time the company turned to a similar
playbook, deflecting blame. How? By
relying on negative test [music] results
to imply that Taylor Farm's products are
not responsible. Even though
investigators [music]
mainly find the source of outbreaks by
figuring out what and where people who
got sick [music] ate,
>> it's deja vu all over again. I sort of
feel like we're on a a repeat record.
This month, Taylor Farm said, "According
to the FDA, there are no confirmed
positive sample results for product
testing for cycllopppora as of August
5th, 2026. We are confident in our food
and food safety systems." Let's rewind
through the known outbreaks linked to
Taylor Farms. [music] 2013, eerily
similar cycllospor cases connected to
Taylor Farm salad. CEO Bruce Taylor said
at the time, "All our tests have been
negative and we have no evidence of
cycllospora in our product." 2015, a
multi-state E.coli outbreak. Taylor's
public response, the tests were
preliminary findings and it looks like a
false alarm. The [music] FDA later said
a product with Taylor Farms produce was
the likely source. 2024, another E.coli
outbreak [music] traced to onions
distributed by Taylor Farms. The company
said it found no traces of the bacteria.
All Taylor Farms products in the market
today are safe to consume.
>> I think they have played a little bit
fast and loose with the facts.
>> Food safety attorney Bill Marlor has
sued Taylor Farms a dozen times in
multiple outbreaks representing more
than 100 clients. He says the company
implies its food may not be to blame by
telling the public their testing found
no trace of the microbes. But Marlor
says that doesn't prove anything.
>> Taylor Farms is using those negative
results to muddy the water. The
scientists at Taylor Farms know better,
that the products that get tested are
not the products that people consumed.
Um, and I and I always say this and it
sounds like I'm making a joke, but
people eat the evidence.
>> About half of America's domestic lettuce
is grown here in the Selenus Valley in
central California. It's also where
Taylor Farms is headquartered. But the
focus of this cycllosphor outbreak is in
central Mexico at the Taylor Farms
facility there. The same plant linked to
another cycllospora outbreak in 2013.
>> It's the same facility. They're drawing
uh iceberg lettuce in from the same area
and expecting a different result.
>> Taylor Farms tells CNN it invests more
than 200 million a year in food safety.
The problem is that nothing can kill
cycllospora on fresh vegetables without
cooking.
>> Now to Colombia, where communities are
still reeling after last week's
devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake as
the nation begins the process of
rebuilding one of Colombia's most famous
daughters, is coming home to help.
Shakira, the global superstar, returned
this week to visit one of the hardest
hit areas, the Choco Earthquake Zone.
The four-time Grammy winner has inspired
crowds on the biggest stages, and now
she's trying to inspire something even
more powerful, hope. Shakira is helping
rebuild 11 local schools in partnership
with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
>> We are living through one of the worst
tragedies Colombia has ever experienced.
But we are united and we are going to
fight. And we are not going to stop
until every child returns to school,
until every child can regain a sense of
normality, return to their life, to
their friends.
>> This is about more than just bricks and
walls. It's about rebuilding routines,
community, and a sense that tomorrow
might be better than today. More than
280 people were killed and thousands
more were injured in last week's quake.
Now to Hong Kong, where artificial
intelligence is helping a blind man
navigate the world around him like never
before. Chongqi Ming has been blind
since birth. But now using a wearable AI
device, he's able to explore and even go
shopping in his city all by himself for
the very first time. Check it out. This
small device is transforming how
40-year-old Chongqi Ming navigates his
city. It uses generative AI to detect
his surroundings, translating it into an
audible format.
>> I'm completely blind. Totally blind
since birth.
>> Through the AI technology, I can
understand the world.
>> Yeah, correct.
>> Lamia Sura Ramen co-developed the device
called Seeker AI to be hyper local.
generative AI or these chat bots were
built for people like you and me,
[music] cited individuals. But what
visual impaired people need is another
added layer of information. We've built
our own database of information [music]
that uh any visually impaired person can
tap into and navigate.
>> That extra layer of detail on everyday
life is what sets Seeker AI apart. While
volunteering during CO, Lamia realized
the elderly and visually impaired people
she met weren't using other assisted
tech available on the market. By
pressing one button, Ming can get
details like expiry dates, nutritional
value or price in up to 12 different
languages.
If my friend, my my family are not
available, this technologies are very
good kind of things to help me to do
things independently.
Pop quiz shot. Which species is believed
to be the first domesticated by humans?
Horses, sheep, dogs, or birds?
If you said dogs, bow wow wow. Yippy yo
yippy yay. You've unleashed the right
answer. Scientific evidence suggests
domesticated canines were living
alongside humans at least 14,000 years
ago. Man's best friend for thousands of
years. According to new research from
the University of Vienna, dogs are
pretty good at reading the room. They
can detect when we're happy, when we're
sad, even scared. Researchers scanned
the brains of eight dogs while showing
them images of strangers, displaying
emotions from happiness to sadness,
anger, even fear. When the dogs saw
happy human faces, researchers detected
increased activity in brain regions
associated with higher level processing
and reward. They responded differently
to negative emotions, but their brain
still showed distinct patterns of
activity. So, they may not know why
we're having a rough day, but scientists
suggest they may know something is up.
>> [music]
>> Today's story getting a 10 out of 10.
Hollywood's most famous sidewalk just
added a groundbreaking new star hailing
from Benin. Music icon Angelique Kjo
made history this week, becoming the
first black African performer to receive
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
[cheering and applause]
KJO's career has spanned decades. She's
earned a whopping 17 Grammy nominations,
winning five of them. And she's
collaborated with stars ranging from
Alicia Keys to Bono to Quo. At her
ceremony, there were singing, dancing,
there were tears. Here's some of what
Kjo had to say.
>> The staff for me means that my vision of
the world as a small village is a
reality.
We have the same needs. Doesn't matter
where we come from, which language we
speak, which skin color we have. We are
human. It's one human family. I don't
believe in any other person telling me
otherwise.
>> KJO's impact extends far beyond music.
She's served as a UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador since 2002 and co-founded the
Batonga Foundation, which works to
empower girls and young women in Africa.
Now, from one superstar to some of you
superstars. Shout out to Coach Gillette
at St. Andrews Middle School in
Columbia, South Carolina. Thank you for
sharing some of your students
assignments with us and congrats on
being named coach of the year. That is
awesome. This next shout out goes to Mr.
Schaer at Green Hill High School in
Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Thank you for
making us a part of your day and uh be
sure to send us some pictures of that
pizza party. Happy Friday Eve. Go make
someone smile. It costs you nothing.
Only takes a moment and it just may be
the spark of joy someone needs. I'll see
you tomorrow. I'm Koi Wire and we are
CNN 10.