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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.
This Latest Parenting Trend is a Throwback
CNN 5 Good Things
Feb 28, 2026
A goldendoodle left at an airport gets lifted up by local heroes. A Texas swim team makes major waves for a beloved custodian. Giant tortoises return to the Galápagos after nearly 200 years. Parents are dialing back screen time with retro tech. Plus, Team USA’s women’s hockey Olympic champs are hearing from their biggest fans – thanks to a hotline.
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Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Vanessa Yurkevich, Lacey Russell
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:00
Hey, hey, welcome to CNN 5 Good Things. I'm Krista Bo Polanco, and let's jump right into the good stuff.
Caller 1
00:00:06
Hi, it's me, one of the biggest fans.
Caller 2
00:00:11
You guys are role models for me and a bunch of other girls in this country.
Caller 3
00:00:15
You guys are trailblazers.
Caller 4
00:00:17
As an American, I couldn't be more proud.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:20
A certain phone call got a lot of attention this week, and now there's hundreds more for the U.S. Women's hockey team since their historic gold medal win. And the latest parenting trend is such a throwback.
Chet Kittleson
00:00:32
What a kid is asking for is almost never a cell phone. What they're asking for is a way to connect with people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:39
In Texas, a high school swim team dove right into doing something good for a beloved custodian going through a tough time.
Student
00:00:45
Oh, he's just so sweet. The more we found out about him, the more we're like, this is the guy to do it for.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:51
Later on, Charles Darwin's observations of this species helped formulate his theory of evolution. Now, hundreds of years later, they can call an island home again. And you know the saying, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Hear why that ended up being the best possible outcome for an adorable dog after a quick break. Stick around, we're having some fun here.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:15
Some precious cargo got left behind at a Las Vegas airport, but this pup's final destination ended up not being very far.
Officer
00:01:22
No, what we're going to do is we're going to walk you back to where your dog's at, and then we're gonna an issue of citation.
Former owner
00:01:27
Why?
Officer
00:01:27
Because you left your dog at the take counter.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:29
'The Las Vegas Metro Police Department says it arrested and charged a woman for animal abandonment and resisting arrest after she left her two-year-old goldendoodle behind at the Harry Reid International Airport.
Former owner
00:01:40
Well, I was trying to rebook my flight.
Officer
00:01:42
So you walked out here, threw a book, your flight.
Former owner
00:01:45
Yes.
Officer
00:01:45
And let your dog there.
Former owner
00:01:47
That's what they were telling me at the counter.
Officer
00:01:47
To walk out here without your dog.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:49
They found the dog tied to the JetBlue ticket counter by himself. So that affectionately became his new name. Officers eventually placed JetBlue in the care of Daniel Roth, the founder of Retriever Rescue Las Vegas. After the police body cam footage you heard went viral, Danielle told CNN affiliate KVVU that she wasn't ready for what happened next.
Danielle Roth
00:02:08
We've gotten over 10,000 emails. We've got over 2,700 applications. We want to say thank you.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:16
In the end, JetBlue didn't have to travel very far because less than three weeks after he was abandoned, he found his forever family with one of the very officers who helped rescue him from the airport, Officer Skeeter Black.
Officer Skeeter Black
00:02:27
We're just very excited to introduce the new dog to our family.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:30
It turns out that their family had been looking to adopt a golden doodle since last fall.
Officer Skeeter Black
00:02:34
We're gonna enjoy him. He's gonna be very much loved.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:40
What's also happening in Vegas this July is a big celebration for the US women's hockey team, hosted by the Olympic hype man himself, Flava Flav. Later on, we'll tell you how hundreds of fans are celebrating the players' gold medal win in the meantime.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:54
A Texas swim team had a stroke of genius to help raise money for their school's beloved custodian, Mr. Le.
Student
00:03:01
He's like the nicest guy ever. Like if you see him in the hallway, he'll give you a high five or a hug and like, oh, he's just so sweet. The more we found out about him, the more we're like, this is the guy to do it for.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:03:13
Students and staff say Mr. Le would either walk or ride a bike to work every day, but he ended up in the hospital for months after battling some health issues. So CNN affiliate KTVT reports the swim team at J.J. Pierce High School in Richardson, Texas decided to host a swimathon to raise money to pay off his medical debt and to get him some new wheels.
Coach
00:03:32
We have, at this point, $17,000 for you.
Mr. Le
00:03:36
Thank you.
Coach
00:03:37
We're going to take care of all your medical bills.
Mr. Le
00:03:39
Yeah, thank you.
Coach
00:03:40
Miss Christine is going to negotiate for you with the hospital. We have you a brand new bike from Richardson Bike Mart. But just in case it's raining and you can't ride your bike, we got you a car.
Mr. Le
00:03:54
Thank you!
Coach
00:03:57
We got you a car.
Mr. Le
00:03:58
Thank you.
Mr. Le
00:03:59
A big thank you for everybody, for all the teachers and all the students.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:04
And that's what I'm talking about, making waves in the right ways.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:09
'After nearly 200 years, giant tortoises can finally call a Galapagos Island home again. Last week, Ecuador released 158 tortoises between eight and 13 years old on the Floriana Island. The species had been extinct since the mid-19th century because of hunting by whalers and pirates. The Galapago's conservancy says Charles Darwin had even recorded their decline during his 1835 visit.
Wilson Villama
00:04:35
For us as park rangers, it's a source of pride to release the turtles here on Floreana Island, an iconic event that is part of a restoration process, and we feel very proud to be able to release them on this island.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:46
Scientists made the comeback possible after discovering surviving relatives of the species on a nearby island. So in 2017, they launched a breeding program to restore the original lineage. The reintroduction is key because Lauren Augustine, the director of herpetology at the Philadelphia Zoo, says the giant tortoises are like ecosystem engineers, essentially, that can live over a century.
Lauren Augustine
00:05:07
So as herbivores, they're grazing constantly, and so they actually maintain habitat for other species, which is an incredibly important role for a Galapagos tortoise in the wild.
Charlotte
00:05:26
Hello? Hi, Nana.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:29
When's the last time you used a landline? Not to brag, but I still have my childhood home phone number memorized, just sayin! Well, parents are bringing them back as an alternative to cell phones for kids.
Charlotte
00:05:41
I didn't know that my friends had it and I could call them.
Brooks
00:05:45
Sometimes we'll actually fight like, I'll get it. And then every now and then I answer it and Harry called dibs first. And we actually kind of like fight with each other, but don't actually hurt each other. It's just tough love.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:58
'Remember those days? Well, the Eberle family is part of a growing wave of parents ordering TinCans. They're Wi-Fi-connected landline phones made just for kids that parents can manage through an app. They're so popular they're back-ordered through April. TinCan CEO Chet Kittleson says the idea came to him three years ago, when he was picking up his kids from school.
Chet Kittleson
00:06:18
I was with a group of parents talking about the challenge of managing a kid's schedule. I remember a mom making a comment, I feel like I'm an executive assistant for my kid. And I had this sort of flashback to when I was a child, my first social network was the landline. It was the way that I talked to my dad, it was the way that I planned play dates with friends, etc, etc. And I mentioned that to people and every single person around the table started reciting their best friend's phone numbers from when they were kids. And so the idea was sort of planted there.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:48
Research shows kids who get smartphones at younger ages are more likely to suffer from obesity, depression, and not get enough sleep. No bueno. So Sarah Eberle told CNN's Vanessa Yerkevich the no screens communication was a big selling point for her. She got her 11, nine, and six year old a tin can to share for Christmas last year.
Sara
00:07:08
The first thing that they did when we plugged it into the wall is they unplugged the cord to try to walk around with it like it was a charger. And then watching them pick it up and not know to say hello was so funny. We had to teach them the etiquette of answering a telephone. And I thought, well, hey, they're gonna have to learn how to communicate.
Chet Kittleson
00:07:26
What a kid is asking for is almost never a cell phone. They're not actually asking for the internet in their pocket. They're asking for social media. They're ask for push notifications and text messaging. What they're asking is a way to connect with people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:44
Speaking of phone calls, there was one in particular getting a lot of attention this week, but it sparked hundreds more.
Grace
00:07:51
My name is Grace, and I'm five years old. And I just want to say that we're so happy that you guys won, and we love you.
Caller 2
00:08:00
Makes me get emotional just leaving you this message, because I'm so proud of you and what you did for our country and how you came.
Caller 3
00:08:06
What a pleasure it was watching you every single game.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:09
Up next, the hotline meant for the U.S. Women's hockey team to let them know the country is cheering for them too.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:17
'You know, there are only so many where-were-you-when moments in history, and I would argue that the gold medal hockey games at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games are two of those. The U.S. Women's and men's team both won against their rivals in overtime 2-1, and that also means that the men's and women's hockey teams both now have three Olympic gold medals under their belts. Oh, it gives me goosebumps thinking about how cool that is. But the controversy that swirled since the president's phone call to the men team after their win drew a lot of backlash. President Donald Trump invited them to the State of the Union address and joked during the call about having to invite the women's team, too, and many players laughed along. The women got an invite for Tuesday's speech as well, but they declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Some players on the men's team have since reiterated their support for the women team, like Boston Bruins player Jeremy Swaymen.
Jeremy Swayman
00:09:06
Yeah, we should have reacted differently. We know that we are so excited for the women's team. We have so much respect for the woman's team and to share that gold medal with them is something that we're forever grateful for.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:17
Team USA women's hockey captain Hillary Knight, who plays on the Seattle Torrent, said the joke was distasteful.
Hillary Knight
00:09:23
It's a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats. And now I have to sort of sit and anybody has to sit in front of you and explain someone else's behavior. It's not my responsibility. But what is is shifting the focus and shifting the narrative of this amazing accomplishment that we all did together.
Melissa Conner
00:09:44
What if we did a hotline? They didn't get the call they deserved. We wanted to feel like this is a permanent part of their win as well.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:52
Melissa Conner is the partner and managing director of a media relations firm who partnered with Cosmopolitan to set up that hotline on Wednesday for people to call in and congratulate the women's team. In less than 24 hours, they said over 300 calls came in, and that's grown to about 1,000 and counting since.
Caller 3
00:10:10
You guys are all my heroes and when I grow up, I honestly want to be like you.
Caller 4
00:10:16
Thank you very much, women, for inspiring my daughter. Keep it up, we love you.
Caller 5
00:10:21
Hey, I'm from Canada, so I really shouldn't be that happy that you won, but here's the thing, I am. You've really shown the world what class acts you are, and we couldn't be happier to celebrate with you.
Caller 6
00:10:33
'I just want you to know I'm a 78-year-old male. I hope I can hold it together and not start crying. You all are the best.
Caller 7
00:10:43
Congratulations, I'm so happy you took home gold. Boys in my class always make fun of me for playing hockey and sometimes make me think I should quit, but you guys just rebuilt my confidence on and off the ice. You guys are so inspiring. Keep going.
Caller 8
00:10:56
Good job, winning the gold medal and setting lots of records.
Caller 9
00:11:00
I cannot thank you enough for inspiring three girls and myself, you know, to go out and do our best every day and we're all so proud of you. Thank you.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:11
'If you want to leave a voicemail yourself, you can call 1-833-SHE-WON1 and the number 1. That's 1- 833-743-9661.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:26
All right, that's all for now. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you're feeling the good vibes. And if you are, send it to a friend so they can too. There's more goodness where that came from if you sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter. The link to subscribe is in our show notes as always, and join us tomorrow as always for the next edition of CNN One Thing, wherever you get your podcasts. Have a good day. Take care. Till next time.
