Today's CNN 10 Transcript

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COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What's up, sunshine? I'm Coy Wire. This is CNN 10. On a tongue twister Tuesday, October 20th, today's challenge is from our friends at Jamestown High School in North Dakota who say this simple phrase is one of the most difficult. Irish wristwatch. Three times fast. Irish wristwatch. Irish wristwatch.

Yeah, tongue officially twisted. Good luck with that.

Now, we have had some concerns by some of you reached out and said that I haven't done the ten hands lately, had a little hand surgery on a tendon apparently I did not need. Well, medical clearance granted. Rise up, your ten minutes of news starts now. I have missed these guys.

We begin with an unprecedented space mission that could help unravel some of the biggest mysteries of our lunar neighbor, Mars. Japan's Martian Moons Exploration, or MMX, launched yesterday on a nearly five-year round trip to survey the red planet's two moons, Phobos and Deimos. The journey to Mars will take about ten months. Once there, MMX will collect soil samples from Phobos that scientists hope will explain the origin of the moons, something that has baffled scientists for decades.

And here's where it gets really wild. If everything works out, those samples will come home in 2031. That would make MMX the first mission ever to bring samples back to Earth from the Martian system.

NASA's Perseverance rover has spent half a decade on the surface of Mars, collecting vital clues about Mars' past, but concerns over the return mission's price tag led to its cancellation about two years ago. So for now, Japan is trying to beat everyone home with a little piece of Phobos in the passenger seat.

Here's a question for you. When you picture life after graduating school, what do you see? Well, for a growing number of young Americans, the answer is the military. After years when several branches struggled to recruit enough people, every U.S. military branch met or exceeded its 2026 recruiting goal. Biggest rebound in 15 years. And it appears to be driven by Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012.

So, why is military service suddenly looking different to some members of Gen Z? Our Julia Vargas Jones takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

No college debt in the military.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's all-over military corners of TikTok and Instagram. Video after video making the case for the armed forces as the ultimate financial life hack. The pitch seems to be working. At an air show in Huntington Beach, California, Army recruiters make their case to Gen Z.

SERGEANT MATTHEW PAYNE, U.S. ARMY RECRUITER: They're eager to join. They want to know the opportunities and the benefits that the Army has to offer. I speak from personal experience and how I've benefited through education benefits, financial benefits and stuff like bonuses and all that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready? Go!

ASPIRING MARINES: Aye, sir! Good morning, sir!

VARGAS JONES: These are aspiring Marines. They are very young, squarely Gen Z, 18 to 27 years old. And this is the last time they're able to do a fitness test before they're shipped out to boot camp.

LUCY CAZARES, JOINED THE MARINES: I'm 19. I'm in the debt program, delayed entry program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.

VARGAS JONES: Lucy Cazares was about to ship off to basic training. She says she still wants an education. What she doesn't want is to end up in debt.

CAZARES: I didn't want to waste my time just waiting around or just doing school, ending up in debt or anything. So, with everything that's going on globally, economic, like gas is expensive and I love driving my car. So, it does have a big role to play because I do not like the idea of being hungry for money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time!

VARGAS JONES: Salvador Vargas grew up in Oxnard, California and graduated high school in the spring.

SALVADOR VARGAS, JOINED THE MARINES: My first option was definitely college. There was talks about veterinary, maybe law enforcement that I just saw that a lot of people are going to be taking up debt from a lot of their careers and whether that's college. And I saw that the military pays for that.

VARGAS JONES: Vargas and Cazares are part of a larger trend. With college tuition on the rise and U.S. job growth slowing sharply over the last year, it's much harder for recent graduates to land a job. Across all branches, Gen Z is helping boost military recruitment numbers to levels not seen in 15 years. According to the Department of Defense.

ASPIRING MARINES: We're still fighting!

VARGAS JONES: But money is only part of the appeal. For some recruits, the draw is harder to put a price on. For Gen Z, to have real-life interactions with others, purpose and meaning offline.

RICKY SCHOEFFLER, ARMY RECRUIT: It's not really the benefits of why I'm joining, it's just to be with like a brotherhood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Now to an update on an incredible story we first told you about last month, the discovery of the new cat species in Bolivia, the tilcayo. Well, somehow this tiny feline just got an even bigger story. Scientists determined the kitten originally discovered in the country's Yunga cloud forest was actually its very own species. And here's where science meets serendipity.

The Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary that's home to the celebrity feline has been seriously struggling in recent months. Anti-government protests severely limited the flow of fuel and food to the remote rescue, which needs more than 500 pounds of meat to feed its residents.

After news of this new discovery went viral, the sanctuary's co-founder learned that an online crypto-donation campaign had raised more than $150,000 to help the facility keep its doors open for animals in need.

One of the biologists behind the study says he's overwhelmed that such a small cat was able to break the internet, and hopes its newfound fame will bolster conservation efforts for its habitat, which has long been threatened by things like illegal gold mining operations. Three pounds of cat, more than $150,000 raised, that's what I call a meow-nu-mental impact.

Pop quiz hot shot.

Which is the only island in the world that contains three different countries?

Australia, Borneo, Sri Lanka, or Sumatra?

If you said Borneo, you are the sultan of smart. The island is shared by Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and it's known for its water villages where groups of homes are built on stilts in the South China Sea.

Brunei is home to one of the oldest and best-preserved rainforests on the planet. Ulu Temburong National Park, known as the Green Jewel of Brunei, has largely stayed untouched by the outside world, and the only way to access it is by small boat. Our Kristie Lu Stout takes us deep inside the forest and introduces us to the people working to make sure this jewel keeps shining.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIRA SHAHZRINA, AZ BACK TO NATURE, GUIDE: Every time I'm up here, it feels so healing.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one of the oldest rainforests in the world, and the only way to explore it is by longboat. Brunei's Ulu Temburong National Park is mostly untouched by the outside world, just how the locals like it.

SHAHZRINA: This is the one that we call as the Green Jewel of Brunei, and it is well-protected.

LU STOUT: Mira Shahzrina, from the indigenous Iban people, grew up visiting the national park. Now she leads tours here.

SHAHZRINA: All of my lifetime, I grew up in the nature. So, even Brunei, known as a small country, but we are very, very rich with the natures.

LU STOUT: For the best views, Mira is heading up. Way up.

SHAHZRINA: There's 1,200 steps.

LU STOUT: Under an ancient canopy, a rich, unspoiled ecosystem, home to towering trees and rare plants.

SHAHZRINA: These two trees here, it's over 100 years old already, even before my grandparents are born.

LU STOUT: At the top, one final climb to reach one of Borneo's highest canopy walks. Suspended more than 40 meters above the forest floor, you're rewarded with views across the island.

SHAHZRINA: We're on the top of the world. Yeah, we're very high on the top of the trees right now. It feels like it was my first time here. Every time I'm up here, it feels so healing.

LU STOUT: The national park stretches over 50,000 hectares, yet only this small section is open to the public.

SHAHZRINA: It is very important to conserve this national park for our next, next generation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10, a doggone adorable one. And if you're still searching for a Halloween costume, these pups may have you barking up the right tree. The 36th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade took over New York's East Village this weekend, turning one avenue into a four-legged fashion show.

We had Empire State Building climbers. We had Rapunzel, even the Pope, putting the paws in posh. The event is more than just a canine costume party.

October is Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month, and organizers are teaming up with local rescue groups to spotlight dogs still looking for family. So, maybe one of these furry fashionistas doesn't just walk the runway, but walks right into a forever home for one epic, positive ending.

All right, superstars, I have time for two shoutouts today. This first one goes to Mr. Hastings at Westwood Village High School in Austin, Texas. Rebecca, thank you for this lovely note. We appreciate you, and everyone there at Westwood, rise up.

Next up, a big aloha to Mr. Mangum at Moanalua High School in Salt Lake, Hawaii. Thank you for subscribing, commenting on our YouTube channel, and showing us some love. We see you.

Tomorrow is Your Word Wednesday, so hit us up on the Instagram, @CNN10, or @CoyWire, and submit a vocabulary word you want us to work into tomorrow's show. Remember to put the definition in there, and remember to put your school, city, and state so we can show you some love.

Let's make it a terrific Tuesday. Remember that sometimes the biggest impact can come from something surprisingly small. A sample of dirt. A tiny cat. One good decision. You are more powerful than you know. I'm Coy Wire, and we are CNN10.

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