[THEME MUSIC]
COY WIRE: Hello, lovely people.
We made it.
The weekend is upon us.
And you already know, Fridays rock.
I'm Coy.
This is "CNN 10."
And we are pumped to be right here to finish
this week strong with you.
Let's start today by heading to Peru.
The third largest country in South America after Brazil
and Argentina is made up of a variety of landscapes
from mountains to beaches.
The multicultural nation, considered
the archaeological capital of South America,
has a population of 34 million people.
But, recently, Peru is seeing some of its worst
political violence in decades.
It started last month with the removal
of its former President.
And the protests have been so intense
that people have lost their lives amid the violent clashes.
The citizens aren't just protesting the most
recent change in government, they're
also upset about the political system that's
governed for the last 20 years.
The people at the center of the protests
are from the Andean regions, which are more rural
and remote away from big cities.
Many experts say the protests illustrate deep divisions
within this diverse country.
More now from Stefano Pozzebon reporting on this story
for CNN International.
[SHOUTING]
STEFANO POZZEBON: Peru is seeing some of its worst violence
in recent decades after the ousting of former President
Pedro Castillo has led to protesters
throughout the country to call for political change,
particularly in the south, where dozens of people
have been killed in clashes with the police.
But these protests are about so much
more than former President Castillo.
Peru has been experiencing a deep political crisis
for years.
The current president, Dina Boluarte,
is the sixth head of state in less than five years.
And even if she were to go, like some of the protesters
are now demanding, a solution to the crisis is hard to see.
Both the presidency and congress are widely discredited
and are perceived as corrupted institutions.
Only 21% of Peruvians said that they
are satisfied with Democratic rule in a 2021 poll
by LAPOP, a survey research laboratory
at Vanderbilt University.
And only one in two Peruvians think
that a military takeover is justified
when corruption is high.
Even though the country has experienced an economic boom
in recent years, the expectations
of better living conditions have not been fulfilled.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peru
has recorded the highest per capita death toll in the world.
And according to the United Nations, over half
of the population lack access to enough food.
Many people simply think that the system
is not working for them.
Boluarte has so far resisted calls
for early general elections and has declared a state
of emergency in the areas of the country that have been
most affected by the protests.
The attorney general has opened an inquiry into Boluarte's
handling of the unrest.
And it's hard to predict how the situation
will be in the near future.
However, even if calm were to be restored in Peru,
the root causes of this crisis still need to be addressed.
COY WIRE: 10-second trivia.
Of the three major mountain ranges in the United States,
which is considered the oldest?
Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains,
or the Sierra Nevada?
[BEEPING]
Appalachian Mountains is your answer
here, home to America's longest hiking-only trail,
are thought to have been formed around 480 million years ago.
Let's go to the Appalachia region
now, home to more than 25 million Americans.
The area, extending from Mississippi to New York, known
for its mountain terrain, relies heavily
on the mining, forestry, and agricultural industries.
Recently though, a new industry has become a concern
for some residents, the crypto mining industry and, mostly,
the noise pollution it creates.
We'll hear now from CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill
Weir, who recently traveled to Murphy, North Carolina to speak
with residents who pushed back when the sound of silence
was replaced with the sound of cryptocurrency.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
BILL WEIR: This is the sound of Green Mountain Farm, certified
by Quiet Parks International as one of the most peaceful spots
in North Carolina thanks to their rare local enforcement of
laws against noise pollution.
Meanwhile, about 90 minutes away, beautiful Cherokee County
sounds like this.
[LOUD WHOOSHING]
It is stack upon stack of computer servers
and the fans needed to cool them.
This is what's known as a crypto mine.
And it makes the sound of people in San Francisco
trying to make virtual money.
How do you describe that noise?
MIKE LUGIEWICZ: So we're probably sitting at probably 65
decibels right now.
When it's at about 75 to 80 decibels, I'd say a jet engine.
A jet engine that never leaves.
BILL WEIR: 16 months after the mine fired up without warning,
Mike Lugiewicz put his house up for sale in frustration.
TOM LASH: There'd be turkeys out in the field and deer
by the hundreds.
BILL WEIR: Yeah.
TOM LASH: You don't have that anymore.
BILL WEIR: While Tom Lash misses the wildlife--
PHYLLIS CANTRELL: You don't sleep at night.
BILL WEIR: --Phyllis Cantrell says she feels trapped.
PHYLLIS CANTRELL: You can actually
lay your head on the pillow and hear
it hum up through the walls.
BILL WEIR: Have you thought about moving?
PHYLLIS CANTRELL: We're 73 years old.
Where are we going to go?
BILL WEIR: Imagine a game where the dice have a billion sides
and the first person to roll it then wins.
That is essentially crypto mining.
And to play that game these days,
you need computers, thousands of computers running 24/7, 365.
And after China outlawed cryptocurrency and crypto
mining, more and more mines like this began popping up
in Appalachia, places where the power is cheap
and the regulations are either nonexistent or unenforced.
The mine has upended local politics.
JUDY STINES: I like to be behind the scenes.
And I like to stir the pot.
And I knew that we--
we needed to win an election.
- Forget the noise.
BILL WEIR: Outrage over the mine helped
flip the balance of power in November's county election--
- Call upon US Senator Thom Tillis.
- I do.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you, sir.
BILL WEIR: --with the new board of Commissioners
now asking for federal help in ending American crypto mining.
When asked over LinkedIn for reaction, Chandler Song,
one of the mine's co-owners wrote, "Oh boy
they wanted us so bad a year ago."
"As for the proposed ban, it is unconstitutional to say
the least."
Song and his crypto mining co-founder
made Forbes' 30 under 30 list a few years ago
and recently claimed quarterly revenues
of more than $20 million.
But when asked follow-up questions, Song went silent.
His mine in Murphy has not so far.
But the county attorney is looking for a legal way
to shut it down, a cautionary reminder
that the next time you hear a place as peaceful as Green
Mountain Farm.
- You're playing roulette with their lives.
- It's torture.
BILL WEIR: --chances are, someone
got loud and fought for it.
COY WIRE: And for today's story getting a 10 out
of 10, an artist that can recreate almost exact replicas
of iconic marble sculptures.
Here's the thing.
The artist is a robot.
Italian tech company Robotor created a 13-foot-tall stone
chisel and Michelangelo Bernini wannabe
that's recreating a famous 19th century Italian sculpture here.
The 3D scans are used to analyze,
assess, and then carve away.
The company says recreations are 99% faithful to the original.
One thing's for sure though, they'll
never completely be able to replicate the human touch.
This brings to mind a thought I'd like
to leave you with this week.
The type of person you'll become isn't determined by what
you do, but how you do it.
Carry love, peace, and happiness with you into this weekend.
And shout out to Roland-Story Middle School in Roland, Iowa.
Go Norsemen!
Remember, you are all more powerful than you know.
I'm Coy.
This is "CNN 10."
It's been a blessing to spend this week with you.
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