podcast
CNN 5 Good Things
How about a break — for your ears? At CNN, we know the news can be a lot to take in. So each week, 5 Good Things offers you a respite from the heavy headlines and intense news cycle. Treat yourself to something fun and uplifting every Saturday as we share the bright side of life from all over the globe.
Updates to Our Favorite Stories From 2025: Pt. 1
CNN 5 Good Things
Dec 27, 2025
The free travel program that helps American students discover unfamiliar parts of the US is expanding in a big way. This nature reserve in Tennessee is seeing new growth, thanks to goats. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta recaps the hopeful progress made this year on the procedure that could save countless lives. This year’s CNN Hero of the Year is proving flowers can be powerful in more ways than one. This state has a drunk driving problem – this nonprofit took steps to try to change that, and other states are taking notice.
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Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:00
Hey there, welcome. I hope you had a lovely holiday celebration. And as 2025 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite stories this year and sharing some sweet updates that'll make you smile. I'm Krista Bo Polanco, and this is CNN Five Good Things. We'll check in on an island's custodians who never take a lunch break. Then CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks down real progress in a procedure that could one day save countless lives.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:00:25
It's exciting to follow this along and see what may be a real new option for people in the near future.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:33
Plus, the CNN Hero of the Year is beaming with pride about the plans that aim to make inner cities bloom in all kinds of ways. And from bar parking lots to the state's Capitol building and beyond, this story shows how one family turned grief into a grassroots movement, starting with a simple gift.
Carli Seymour
00:00:50
And hopefully we can connect with people before the unthinkable happens.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:54
We got to take a quick break, but when we come back...
David McCullough III
00:00:56
The data that came out of the summer was extraordinary.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:59
'Hundreds of students visited dozens of states in a program its co-founder says should be as common as the prom.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:11
This summer, hundreds of high school seniors packed their bags and discovered parts of the US they've never seen before. And the heart behind this study abroad type program is why it's one of our favorite stories from this year. But instead of sending students to another country, it brings them to another American hometown for free.
David McCullough III
00:01:29
'The American Exchange Project is a first-of-its-kind, coming-of age adventure for American high school students where seniors, in the summer after they graduate, travel for a week to an American town that is vastly different from the one that they grew up in. And then they tag along for a second week when kids from across the country arrive in their own hometown.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:53
'David McCullough III is the co-founder and CEO of the program, which was partly inspired by a cross-country road trip he took in college.
David McCullough III
00:02:00
I spent two months living in three towns that were a world away from the town I grew up in in the Boston suburbs. I was in Cotulla, Texas, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and Cleveland, Ohio. To my surprise and my delight, I was welcomed, even kind of adopted everywhere I went. And at the same time, it gave me a whole new view of the country we live in. And it made me want generation after generation of American kids to have and benefit from the experience that I had.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:29
In 2025, the American Exchange Project had its biggest year yet, with plans to expand next year to 250 schools for the nation's 250th birthday. So here's the program's version of a Spotify wrapped, if you will.
David McCullough III
00:02:41
So we had nearly 600 students in just about 40 states across the country participate in the program this year. We had over 50 schools run 70 exchanges. The data that came out of the summer was extraordinary. 99, over 99% of our students said they had positive conversations about their differences on these exchanges.
Amran
00:03:03
Everyone I met was very unique. Putting that all together, it feels like a mixing pot of wonder.
David McCullough III
00:03:10
When we asked our students if they would be willing to recommend the program to a friend, 100% said that they would. And to me, that speaks volumes about how we should be approaching division in our society today.
Ivy
00:03:23
I know it sounds cheesy, but it's like we're all a part of something together. It just made me realize how little I actually know about the people who I share America with.
David McCullough III
00:03:33
We are missing right now in our society a civic coming of age ritual that we can all take part in together. And my hope is that this experience could be that ritual for the future. And that this moment of division can merely be a kind of unfortunate checkpoint on our way to a period of greater unity, greater connection.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:02
'We got an update on our favorite cleanup crew, the goats of McClellan Island in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 20-acre nature reserve in the middle of the Tennessee River is run by the Chattanooga Audubon Society. Jim Stewart is its executive director.
Jim Stewart
00:04:15
Before we started our work, you could not walk five feet into the woods because the invasive plants have taken over the island. So our project is essentially to rewild the island back to the nature sanctuary that would be good for humans and birds and mammals. So we first tried to do what's called a prescribed burn, and it just wouldn't burn. So we found the best solution is send the goats in first because they can navigate everything. They'll basically eat all day.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:51
The goats were first deployed to the island by boat back in June of 2024. They spent weeks at a time chowing down under the watchful eye of their guard dog, Beo, and with help from volunteers to keep them safe and healthy.
Jim Stewart
00:05:03
We estimate they've chewed through about five acres on the island. If I have my way, they'll be part of a permanent forest management program.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:14
And that space is already being put to good use. Jim told me they've started planting some 250 trees in a section of the newly opened area last week. That'll restore habitats for wildlife and beautify the nature reserve for visitors.
Jim Stewart
00:05:26
I have a personal mission to protect as much open space as we can in our rapidly growing area and that's what really drives our organization. Protect this open space and make it available to as many people as possible to see beautiful nature the way God intended it, if you will.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:45
The goats are now taking a winter break and staying at another Audubon property doing what they do best. But come spring, the goat boat heads back to McClellan Island for the next phase of the cleanup.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:59
'Hearts, livers, kidneys, we've covered a lot of positive stories of life-saving organ transplants. People donating to strangers or loved ones, robotic surgeries, incredible recoveries, but there's still a much bigger problem. There just aren't enough organs to go around. Federal data shows more than 100,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list for new organs, with kidney patients making up almost 90% of them. That's what's driving this push to use genetically modified pig organs in people. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been following xenotransplantation very closely, and he's here to share some progress in the space that can ultimately save countless lives. Hey, Sanjay!
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:06:38
Hey, Krista! Thanks so much for having me.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:40
So doctors say that they're getting much, much closer to making pig kidneys work for humans, and you've actually met two people who've had transplants like this. How are they doing, and what are we learning from them?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:06:52
Yeah, we're learning a lot. I met Towana Looney and Tim Andrews, true medical pioneers, Krista. And I just wanna say we probably use that term a lot, but think about people who try something that has never been tried before in history. People who are doing the first things that have ever been done on the planet. I mean, that's, it's brave. And Towana and Tim and many others, they're just a handful of the people in the United States who've had pig organ transplants. Tim and Towana are among the most successful.
Towana Looney
00:07:25
If you have a family member that's on dialysis or has a kidney disease, tell them to step out on faith. Don't be afraid to take a chance.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:07:37
Towana had her transplant in November of 2024. It allowed her to live without dialysis for about four months. Now keep in mind, when they first did this, the very first pig organ transplant, they thought it might not even last a day, maybe not even an hour. Ultimately, she had to have it removed because of an infection. She had to go back on dialysis. I also met Tim Andrews this year.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the field
00:08:00
Did you have any doubts along the way?
Tim Andrews
00:08:03
You know, there's always doubt with it, but I'm like, this is my chance to do it.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:08:09
He had a pig kidney transplant at Mass General in February, and his kidney lasted just over eight months. Doctors didn't specify exactly what happened, but he did go back on dialysis as well and went back on the wait list for a kidney transplant. And since Tim, there's been another pig kidney transplant at mass general, a gentleman by the name of Bill Stewart. Now, one thing I want to point out Krista is that if you look overall at the trajectory of these transplants, They are increasingly happening in healthier and healthier people. People who are more representative of the general population.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:44
Wow, that's incredible. And speaking of the general population, that's what's so exciting about these FDA approved clinical trials. Tell us about that.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:08:53
'Yes, that's the turning point, Krista. Until now, these transplants were done under emergency use authorization, or EUA. EUA is an option for patients who have no other choice, and that's why patients were the sickest of the sick. In the case of Tim and Towana, they qualified because they were extremely difficult to match organ-wise and had extremely long waits on the organ wait list. So the FDA did approve them. Hospitals like Mass General and companies like eGenesis. They are moving into structured trials. More specifically, eGenesis plans to transplant pig kidneys into 33 patients over the next couple of years.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:09:30
There's another company, United Therapeutics, they plan to study up to 50 patients with the first trial underway at NYU Langone Health. The key will be to see how these pig organs perform in a more robust group of people and a larger group of of people, not just a few of the sickest people. But people who are earlier in their kidney disease and otherwise healthy. Again, that's how you can really test the durability and the effectiveness of these organs.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
00:09:59
Now, you may be wondering the timeline on all this. I spoke with Dr. Robert Montgomery, who by the way himself is a transplant surgeon and a transplant recipient, a remarkable guy. He thinks that these pig kidney transplants from genetically modified pigs could be available as an option for patients in the general population in the next five to ten years. That's fast. It's exciting to be a journalist and sort of follow this along and see what may be a real new option for people in the near future.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:33
We couldn't have a favorite stories episode without highlighting who the CNN hero of the year is.
Announcer
00:10:40
Quilen Blackwell [cheers]
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:43
'Earlier this month, Quilen Blackwell was awarded over $150,000 to continue the amazing work Southside Blooms does in Chicago's neighborhood of Englewood. They've turned six vacant lots into eco-friendly flower farms, employing 25 local young people to grow, harvest, arrange, and sell the flowers at the group's nonprofit flower shop.
Quilen Blackwell
00:11:02
And it's like a big win for the hood. You know, I love the hood, I loved it so much. We get a bad rap, but we're gonna shine, shine the path forward for the country.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:13
Englewood used to be a thriving commercial district in the city, but now 40% of residents in that neighborhood live in poverty. So in 2015, Quilen launched his nonprofit focused on finding environmentally sustainable ways to create jobs.
Quilen Blackwell
00:11:26
When you look at the floral industry, it's about $35 billion a year industry, but 80% of the flowers that you see in the United States actually come from overseas. So for us, this is really about trying to establish a new anchor industry in the inner city.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:39
Now, Southside Blooms is opening another flower shop location on the city's west side next spring and hopes to expand nationally. Quilen's one of the top five CNN heroes celebrated this year. And if you want to support his work and theirs, head to cnn.com/heroes and consider donating. The Elevate Prize Foundation will match donations up to $50,000 per hero through January 4th, 2026. You can find more info at the link in our show notes.
Carli Seymour
00:12:06
Hopefully we can connect with people before the unthinkable happens.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:11
Up next, a quiet weekend ritual grew into a movement born out of loss that's spreading across multiple states. So much so, they had to change their name. Stick around.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:21
'Earlier this year, we told you about a nonprofit called the Montana Bar Fairies. But its co-founder, Carly Seymour, tells me they're no longer just in Montana. So now they're just simply the Bar Fairies with chapters spreading across the country.
Carli Seymour
00:12:34
So we have expanded and we have six chapters in the state of Montana, but now we also have chapters in Missouri, Ohio, Washington, Wyoming, and North Carolina. It's been such a lovely surprise that it's connected so well with people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:49
And it all started with a simple idea.
Carli Seymour recording
00:12:52
It is 540 a.m. On a Sunday and my grandma and I are about to drive around bar parking lots and see who left their car instead of driving home drunk.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:13:00
They leave behind a small envelope with a gift card to a local coffee shop and the photo and story of a drunk driving victim.
Carli Seymour
00:13:06
It's meant to be a positive way to reinforce good behavior rather than chastising people for making mistakes and hopefully, you know, we can connect with people before the unthinkable happens.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:13:19
'Carli co-founded the group with her mom after losing her younger brother, Bobby Dewbre. He was killed by a drunk driver in March of 2023 after celebrating his 21st birthday. Montana is ranked worst in the country for drunk driving. So Carli and her mom not only want to change the culture in the state, they also helped change the law. The governor put Bobby's Law on the books in April with broad bipartisan support.
Carli Seymour
00:13:40
Bobby's Law makes it so that if you are driving at .16 or above and you hit and kill someone with your car, it's a minimum three year sentence.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:13:51
As the nonprofit looks to grow even more in the year ahead, Carli says the work has changed her too.
Carli Seymour
00:13:56
Obviously I would trade it all to have him back. But being able to do something involved with advocacy regarding Bobby and being able to talk to other families who are in the same position and like create community with these other families who have been where we have been, it's been unbelievably healing and has given me a sense of purpose going forward.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:14:23
All right, that's all for now. Thank you so, so much for listening. And whether you're an OG listener or new to the party, we really appreciate your time and we hope you have a lovely rest of the year. We'll be back next Saturday with another episode looking back at more positive stories from 2025. Have a good day, take care. See you next year.
