[Music]
is CNN 10. Happy Friday. Friday fry.
Yay. We've got your news for this
Friday, May 30th. And if you're already
celebrating summer break, hope you're
having some fun. If you're not there
yet, you will be soon. This is the first
of 10 special summer shows we're going
to be putting out every Friday for the
next 10 weeks. So, let's lock in and
learn. We begin today with a new policy
for international students who want to
further their education in the United
States. According to official messages
seen by CNN journalists, the State
Department is pausing all new
appointments to apply for a student
visa. A student visa is a legal document
that allows people to enter a foreign
country temporarily so they can pursue
education, language immersion, or
vocational training. Receiving the visa
typically requires verification of the
program of study and a background check.
But the state department now says it
wants international students to go
through an extensive social media
screening as well. Embassies have asked
applicants to submit profile links in
the past, alleging they were checking
for hate speech against certain
religious groups, but it's unclear what
this latest expanded search would be
looking for. If we are deterring uh
foreign students from coming to study
here, then we are depriving ourselves of
the benefits that those foreign
nationals would bring to the United
States after they graduate. There were
more than 1.1 million foreign students
in the US during the 2023 2024 school
year. Former embassy officials tell CNN
that appointments for student visas are
typically prioritized this time of year
in preparation for the upcoming fall
semester. Those same officials fear this
new policy will slow down the
application process. All spring, we've
been covering how the White House is
trying to reduce how much money it
spends internally on federal programs.
And today we're seeing a real life
impact that some of those spending cuts
are having. This time with the Arts,
History, and Cultural Centers. Our
Sunland Surf visited the Museum of
African-American History in Boston,
which depends on a $500,000 check from
the federal government each year to keep
its doors open. Here's what's happening
now that the funding has been cut. Good
morning. Good morning. Good morning. For
more than six decades, Boston's Museum
of African-American History has been a
connection to the past, inspiring
students like seventh grader Excel
Alabi. I realized that like so many
people have fought for us, fought for
our freedom. The museum is a
200-year-old African meeting house where
former slaves and abolitionists like
Frederick Douglas once spoke. I feel it.
Seeing it like in person better than
seeing it on screen or on a paper. You
get to touch history and engage with
history. But school programs like this
one may themselves soon be history after
the Trump administration sent the museum
CEO a letter saying its grant quote no
longer serves the interest of the United
States. I will forever remember that
line. How is the fight against
slavery, a conflict that literally
affected everything from the writing of
the Declaration to the Constitution
through the Civil War that literally
divided the country and us not offering
a perspective on that story, not in the
interest of the United States. In April,
the museum's $500,000 grant from the
federal government was abruptly
cancelled. money which was supposed to
be used for school field trips and
educational programs. This museum is not
alone. The administration has proposed
eliminating the agencies that dole out
the grants, the National Endowments of
the Arts and Humanities. And in the last
two months, the White House has pulled
tens of millions of dollars in funding
from cultural groups across the
country, affecting a music program for
young children in Nebraska, a young
readers program in South Dakota, and the
National History Day competition.
Valuable programs for kids now wrestling
with cutbacks or even closure. Many
conservatives have long advocated such
cuts, arguing arts and humanities
programs are a waste of taxpayer money.
Why should taxpayers still be on the
hook for this? It's a joint investment
in our community. It would be a
tremendous loss for our students. Um
because a lot of our students wouldn't
experience this in any other way,
including Excel Alibabi, who says she
learned something about the Civil War
she never learned in school. Teenagers
were going to war just to fight for
rights because their families were
slaves. Like that really stuck to me. So
you made a direct connection. Teenagers
of your age. Yes, I think that was like
really amazing. Like high schoolers
going to war just to fight for rights.
SpaceX's most powerful rocket launched
on its ninth uncrrewed test flight this
week, but the mission did not go as well
as they would have hoped.
The Starship spacecraft seemed to take
off as planned and ended up going
farther into its flight path in previous
tests this year, but eventually it
failed to deploy Mach satellites and
failed to reignite its engines upon
re-entry. So there it was, turning into
a whirling dervish, spinning
uncontrollably through space with SpaceX
losing contact with the Starship. It's
believed that the spacecraft likely
broke apart over the Indian Ocean after
losing control upon re-entry to
Earth. Pop quiz hot shot. When Jim
Henson first created the Muppets, what
animal was Kermit before he became
Kermit the Frog? Hog, koala, lizard, or
fish? Answer
is lizard. Henen made the original
Kermit puppet out of his mother's old
turquoise coat and used ping pong balls
for eyes. 70 years after his initial
creation, Kermit the Frog has gotten a
major glow up. A cap and gown. The fan
favorite frog was the official
commencement speaker at the graduation
ceremony for the University of Maryland,
the alma mater of Jim Henson. Hi,
everybody. Kermit and his puppeteer told
the graduates to take big leaps and to
have the confidence that your people
will catch you if you fall. If you're
with your people, then you won't have to
do it alone because life is not a solo
act. No, it's not. It's a big, messy,
delightful ensemble piece, especially
when you're with your people. As you
prepare to take this big leap into real
life, here's a little advice. If you're
willing to listen to a
frog, rather than jumping over someone
to get what you want, consider reaching
out your hand and taking the leap side
by side. Because life is better when we
leap
[Applause]
together. Today's story getting a 10 out
of 10. The competition that some call
the world's most dangerous race. The
annual cheese rolling competition in
England dating back about 200 years. No
matter how much cheddar they might pay
the winner, I wouldn't dare try this
because not much gouda can come from it.
Believe me, bara think twice before a
mozzarella in a round like this. I just
can't bear the thought of you getting
hurt. So, Raa promised not to try this
at home. CNN's Don Redell spoke with the
man who's won this race more times than
anybody on the planet.
It's one of the most dangerous races in
the world and certainly one of the most
ridiculous. A 200yard dash down a steep
English hillside in pursuit of a wheel
of double glester. The cheese is the
prize, but just finishing in one piece
should also be considered a
[Music]
triumph. There's potential for like some
serious injury. Basically, you enter at
your own risk. I think the worst
injuries we've sort of had have been
like legs and ankles um being broken.
Nobody has been more successful on
Cooper's Hill than Chris Anderson. He's
won a world record 23 cheeses, but even
he has felt some pain. He broke his
ankle celebrating his first win. And a
couple of years later, when he won
again, he crossed the finish line
unconscious. For anybody that's maybe
going to try it for the first time, can
you just tell them how to win the
world's craziest race? How do you do it?
You've just got to have a disregard for
your own safety. The initial first 10 m
are like near vertical. So, you've
literally just got to like almost dive
into it. Just try and run, stay on your
feet, and if you fall, get up as quick
as you can. They've been chasing cheese
here since the 1800s, if not earlier.
And with the advent of the internet age,
it has become world famous. Thousands of
people attend every year. And the
winners have come from as far a field as
New Zealand, Egypt, and the United
States. My face took a lot of hits down
the hill. So did my body. But at that's
the cost that it takes to win the cheese
rolling. American Abby Lampy is a
two-time champion. She's running again
and hoping for a third title this year.
At the age of 37, Anderson is recovering
from a hip injury and says he's retired,
although he could be tempted to run
again one day if his son decides to
follow in his footsteps down the hill.
I'd be happy for him to run it, but I'd
like to see him run down it at a good
sort of speed because the most danger is
going slow and getting hit by somebody
from behind. So, I'd like him to be
quick enough to get away from the
carnage. But if he does run again,
Anderson says it won't be for the
cheese. Believe it or not, he doesn't
like the taste. All right, before Aiago,
we've have shout out time. Now, this one
goes to New Story in New Cumberland, PA.
Rise up. I see you, Mr. Antoine and
team. And this shout out goes to Mr.
Rosson. You are awesome. All our friends
at McGavoc High School in Nashville. You
put the 10 in Tennessee. Finally, words
of wisdom from some of our CNN 10
viewers. Create the things you wished
existed. Mr. Marzella at is Pablo
Cassace Middle School in the Bronx. You
and your squad are squad goals. You are
blowing our mind with your creations and
imagination. Rise up. Now, we know
school might be over for the summer for
some of you. But if you're one of our
younger viewers or teachers out there
and you watch this episode from home, we
want to know. Comment on our YouTube
page. Send us an email and be sure to
tune in every Friday now through August,
at which point we will get back to our
Monday through Friday flow. Be kind and
shine bright this weekend. You are more
powerful than you know. I'm Koi Wire and
we are CNN 10.
[Music]