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A Total Solar Eclipse; Women`s History Month Profiles Two Women; Rugby Star Louis Rees-Zammit to Pursue NFL Career. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 22, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to CNN 10, where I tell you the what, letting you decide what to think. I`m Coy Wire. Happy Friyay.
And I say, what`s up, sunshine, because sunshine is the topic of our first story of the day. In just over two weeks, on Monday, April 8th, many of us
will witness a celestial phenomenon, a total solar eclipse. That`s when the moon`s shadow completely blocks out the sun.
Not everyone will be able to see it. It depends on where you live, but even if you don`t see the total eclipse, you will probably see a partial
eclipse. The last time a total solar eclipse happened in the U.S. was 2017, but back then only 12 million people lived in the direct path of the
eclipse. This time, you`ve got a much better chance to see it. More than 31 million Americans live in the so-called path of totality.
So it`s time to start planning. Check out this NASA map. Are you in the direct path? If you are, and you plan on peeking up at it, you`ll need to
get special eclipse glasses. You can`t view the eclipse without them, no normal sunglasses, or you can seriously damage your eyes, potentially
permanently.
Now, if you`re really hoping to see it, don`t miss it, because there won`t be another total solar eclipse in the U.S. for another 20 years. For more,
check out this report we prepped for you earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: A total solar eclipse, it happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking out the light. On April 8th, more
than 32 million people across Mexico, the United States, and Canada could see the sun completely darkened by the moon`s shadow.
And that moment of total darkness could last more than four minutes in some places. It`s also going to be the last one for quite some time. A total
solar eclipse won`t happen again in the United States for another 20 years.
Location is key. The total eclipse is only visible inside a very narrow track, known as the path of totality. It stretches more than 10 U.S. states
from Texas through Maine, and the timing changes depending on where you are within that path.
People outside that narrow band will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse. That`s when the moon only blocks part of the sun`s face. That
should be visible in all 48 contiguous U.S. states.
Now if you`re planning on peeking at a total or partial eclipse, remember to get you some certified eclipse glasses, regular sunglasses not strong
enough to protect your eyes, otherwise severe eye damage can occur. A solar retina burn can permanently injure your eyes, and you might not even feel
it until it`s too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: During the month of March, Women`s History Month, we`ve been highlighting some seminal women who`ve transformed the world in profound
ways, and sometimes making a difference can feel like trying to move a mountain.
But one climber from Japan let nothing get in her way. Not even the world`s tallest mountain, Junko Tabei, became the first woman ever to climb Mount
Everest in 1975. She reached the 29,000-foot summit at age 35, standing at 4 feet 9 inches tall.
This trek, located in the Himalayan mountain range on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is notoriously dangerous. Adventurestats.com finds that
fewer than 30% of Mount Everest climbers were successful between the years 1922 and 2006. Junko Tabei not only successfully scaled Everest, she even
conquered what`s known as the Seven Summits, becoming the first woman to ascend the highest mountains on all seven continents.
Even when she was diagnosed with cancer, the mountaineer continued to climb, taking a group of high school students up Mount Fuji when she was in
her 70s. Tabei passed away at the age of 77 at a hospital near Tokyo in 2016.
Next up, do you see her? She`s sitting right up there in the front. That`s Katharine Graham. As the leader of the "Washington Post" through most of
the 1960s and 70s, she was used to operating in a male-dominated world. Graham was one of the first female publishers of a U.S. newspaper and the
first ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
And she was a strong leader. She twice defied warnings from the U.S. government, first publishing the Pentagon Papers, which were leaked
documents that exposed the reality of the Vietnam War.
Later, she stood by her famed reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They broke the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President
Richard Nixon. Fearless, bold. Katharine Graham passed away back in 2001. She was 84 years old.
Pop quiz, hot shot. What sport are you playing if the fly-half just faked a pass to the dummy runner?
Soccer, lacrosse, rugby or cricket.
The fly-half in rugby is the most influential player on the pitch and usually wears the number 10, did you know.
Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, a superstar athlete leaving his sport in his prime to chase a dream and inspire others. Life is short. And 23-
year-old Louis Rees-Zammit knows it. He`s a rock star rugby player for Wales and his club Gloucester. But he`s always dreamed of playing in the
NFL. So he is going for it.
I caught up with Louis and he says he has no fear as he pursues his purpose.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: All right, Louis, a lifelong rugby star. You`re leaving your sport at the top of your game. What in the world are you thinking?
LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT, FORMER WELSH RUGBY STAR, NFL HOPEFUL: It`s a good question. It`s a good question to start. You know, I fancy a new challenge.
And what a better challenge to be in the NFL. I mean, you know, I`ve been training really hard for several weeks now. And, you know, I think I`m in -
- I`m in a good position. I feel smooth. I feel comfortable. And, you know, I`m ready to show everyone what I`m capable of.
WIRE: Tell me about dad. I understand he had a big influence over your decision to pursue this new passion.
REES-ZAMMIT: Yeah. So my dad as a teenager in the U.K., he always played American football. It was pretty tough for him back then to get over to the
States and go to college and try and go through that system.
So, you know, I kind of want to continue his legacy and go beyond and, you know, inspire a lot of people back home to be able to make this change and,
you know, have the confidence to do it as well.
WIRE: You get the tough part because I play defense. I got to hit people and tackle people. You`re the one that everyone`s trying to hit and tackle.
Are you ready for this?
REES-ZAMMIT: Yeah. I mean, you know, in rugby, you`ve got to do -- you`ve got to play both sides. So, you know, I`m used to having to tackle. I`m
used to getting hit. So, you know, I know special teams are going to be massive for me as well. So being able to have the ability to, you know, go
downfield on punt and hit someone, but also play an offense and be a receiver, you know, slash running back would be a dream come true.
WIRE: What type of advantages do you think you might have having played and trained for rugby?
REES-ZAMMIT: Being able to, you know, identify spaces in defense. You know, there`s obviously 14 players in a line and then one in behind in
rugby. So being able to, you know, maneuver myself in between defenders, you know, see holes, see gaps.
And then ultimately when I get the ball out wide, I have a one-on-one and be able to finish. And that was my -- I`d say that was the best, my best
attribute in rugby, being able to finish. And yeah, I`m excited to bring all my attributes into the NFL.
It`s not about a location. It`s not about the money. I think it`s about having a plan for me. You know, I want to be on a team that has a plan.
And, you know, I know, they know, we go through a good plan that knows where I`m going to go in the future. And, you know, I`m just excited to be
able to show people on the 20th what I can do. And, you know, hopefully I can get teams interested.
WIRE: I did read that you`re a fan of warm weather. So for you, I shall hope that you don`t go to Green Bay or Buffalo.
REES-ZAMMIT: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I`ll take a lot of places. So, yeah, I`m just excited for this journey to see what happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: We hope any of you out there who are looking up at that mountaintop wondering if you`ll ever get there or if you should even try that Louis`
journey might inspire you to go for it.
All right, time to shine our light on some of you superstars. First up, shout out to the talented Hawks at Hopkins Middle School in Fremont,
California. Thanks for flying high with us.
And last but certainly not least, the Bulldogs at Rossford High School in Rossford, Ohio. Let me hear your big dog bark. Go on out and make it an
awesome day today and keep shining everywhere you go. You never know who or how, but you might be exactly what someone needs someday. You are more
powerful than you know. See you Monday. It`s been a blessing to spend this week with you.
END
