
A Sports Bar Where Barriers (and Brackets) Are Broken - CNN 5 Good Things - Podcast on CNN Audio
Krista Bo
00:00:00
Hey there. I know the world can feel a little cruel sometimes, but kindness is actually more common than you might think. Don't believe me? Well, I have the data to back it up. This year's World Happiness Report from the U.N. says 7 in 10 people worldwide did at least one nice thing for a stranger in the last month. Hundreds of high schoolers in Pennsylvania are learning just how far a small gesture can go.
Kristina Ulmer
00:00:26
I think it's important to know that not only are people out there doing kind things, but that kids are doing fine things, and that these kids are going to grow up and be the adults that are running our world.
Krista Bo
00:00:36
Plus, how justice and dessert was served to a four year old with a sweet tooth. From CNN I'm Krista Bo and this is Five Good Things.
Krista Bo
00:00:50
Having a heart of gold is ideal. But an Australian man is living proof that having a titanium heart could be a real lifesaver.
Prof. Chris Hayward
00:00:59
This isn't the first time that someone with a total artificial heart of this sort has gone home in the world, and so really, it is world leading.
Krista Bo
00:01:08
St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney says an Aussie in his 40s, is now the first person to live 100 days with an artificial titanium heart. Facing severe heart failure, the man got the surgery back in November and left the hospital in February. Doctors say he was living at home until a donor heart became available earlier this month. Professor Chris Hayward is one of his cardiac specialists.
Prof. Chris Hayward
00:01:30
This kind of technology is a real game changer. Our patient is up and about. He's walking around. He is doing things that he has been able to do for many years.
Krista Bo
00:01:39
'The U.S. has also had some success with the new technology. Five patients in an FDA trial received titanium hearts, including a 58-year-old man in Texas who was sustained for eight days last July until he received a transplant.
Krista Bo
00:01:53
The World Health Organization reports cardiovascular diseases claim 18 million lives globally each year. And in the U.S., federal data shows only a fraction, about 3500 people received donor hearts last year. Professor Hayward predicts that within a decade, these artificial hearts could become a vital alternative for those waiting for a lifeline.
Krista Bo
00:02:17
'If someone gave you $20 to make someone else's day, what would you do with it? Well, students at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Pennsylvania certainly understood the assignment.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:02:29
So for the $20 challenge, we decided to combine all of our money.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:02:33
And we're here to target getting toys for little kids in the hospital.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:02:37
Yup. Let's go.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:02:38
Our $20 challenge. We made goodie bags for hygiene items for the homeless. We made truffles and distribute them to all the teachers, and we planned to do it until we graduate.
Krista Bo
00:02:47
That's just a taste of how hundreds of teams over the last seven years have turned $20 bills into ripples of kindness. Their English teacher, Kristina Ulmer, started the $20 Kindness Challenge in memory of her sister Katie, who tragically died in a car crash in 2014 after finishing her shift as a waitress. When Christina arrived at the scene, she asked the police officer if she could go home with her sister's purse because she didn't want to leave without something of Katie's to hold on to.
Kristina Ulmer
00:03:15
And she had a wallet and it was stuffed full of cash, you know, dollar bills and fives and tens. I just sat there with the money and I thought, what do I do with this money? I don't know what to do with this. But I knew I had to go to something good because my sister, from the time we were little, always wanted to help people in like, their worst moments.
Krista Bo
00:03:35
Kristina stashed the purse and its contents in the back of a closet. Fast forward to 2018, she assigned her students Ray Bradbury's 1953 classic, "Fahrenheit 451." The novel is set in a world where everyone is glued to their screens and lacked empathy.
Kristina Ulmer
00:03:50
And so we were talking a lot about dystopian novels are their warnings to us. And so what can we do to prevent our world from becoming that world to this very eerily similar.
Krista Bo
00:04:01
That was her light bulb moment. Use her sister's money to create the $20 Kindness Challenge.
Kristina Ulmer
00:04:07
And my only requirement was that they record a little reflection. And then I compiled it in a big video just for me to share with them, so that we could all watch it and see what everybody did.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:04:15
We combined our $20 to make cookies for people at a retirement home.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:04:19
We helped to buy presents for one of the kids in our school district.
'Hatboro-Horsham High School Students
00:04:22
We went to the animal shelter, bought them a bunch of toys and gifts for them.
Krista Bo
00:04:27
And thanks to donations. She's been doing it twice a year ever since with her classes.
Kristina Ulmer
00:04:32
They start to realize I can do things that show that I'm thoughtful, and I'm thinking about someone without really spending a dollar.
Krista Bo
00:04:39
She finds comfort in the fact that these acts of kindness keep her sister's memory alive while planting seeds for a better future.
Kristina Ulmer
00:04:46
These kids are going to grow up and be the adults that are running our world. And so the fact that they're doing it as teenagers, my hope is that they continue doing it into adulthood.
Krista Bo
00:04:57
March Madness fans, your time has finally come. The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament has officially kicked off, and for the next few weeks, dozens of teams will battle it out to get to the championship game in Tampa, Florida on April 6th. And if you're looking for a place to watch the games, Jenny Nguyen suggests finding a spot that champions women's sports. Like The Sports Bra.
Jenny Nguyen
00:05:21
So The Sports Bra is the world's first sports bar, 100% dedicated to women's sports. We support women. That's that's our tagline now. It's like a double entendre. It's funny, but it's also true.
Krista Bo
00:05:33
Jenny is the founder and CEO of the Sports Bra, or just "the bra," as it's affectionately called, located in downtown Portland, Oregon. It's got four screens, a bar top custom made from NCAA tournament hardwood floors and walls covered with sports jerseys and memorabilia.
Jenny Nguyen
00:05:50
We were seeing record numbers like hours and hours of waits. People like lining up around the block, and that's when it was just like, oh, you know, I feel like we've tapped into something really important and really special.
Krista Bo
00:06:02
Opened in 2022, Jenny says her secret sauce was just being inclusive and community centered.
Jenny Nguyen
00:06:09
I opened a place for a lot of people, whether they were women's sports fans, sports fans in general, or not.
Krista Bo
00:06:16
I'm sure you remember last year's Women's March Madness tournament was so popular it broke TV viewership records, which meant Jenny's Sports Bra had to keep a waitlist.
Jenny Nguyen
00:06:25
I feel like people were calling in sick to work to come watch their teams play in March Madness, like brackets were legit.
Krista Bo
00:06:32
'This year, Jenny says she's expecting the same energy and attendance, especially during the evening games. When the big dance is over, jenny expects business to keep booming, along with the popularity of women's sports and the number of bars where you can watch them. And with some help from Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams husband and Reddit co-founder, Jenny plans to franchise for The Sports Bra. She hopes to open three new locations by the end of the year.
Krista Bo
00:07:01
'When Mary Cooper was sorting through her late mother's belongings, the 81-year-old stumbled upon an unexpected treasure - a library book that was way overdue.
Sherri Taliercio
00:07:12
Mary had said, you know, you're going to want to take a look at this. You know, it's 99 years late.
Mary Cooper
00:07:17
And I find the dates and I'm thinking this had to have been taken out by my grandfather.
Krista Bo
00:07:23
Mary's grandfather's name was Charles Tilton, a boat builder and craftsman who checked out the book from the Ocean County Library in New Jersey back when Calvin Coolidge was president in 1926.
Krista Bo
00:07:34
The book was called, "Home Made Toys for Girls and Boys" by A. Neely Hall. Published in 1911, it taught readers how to make toys from wood, metal, and household items. Mary says her grandfather used to build toys for her mom when she was a kid. The toy boat in the book looked just like the one her mom used to have.
Mary Cooper
00:07:53
I said, I have to return this book to the library. I was sure they would like to have it back.
Krista Bo
00:07:59
And Sherri Talierico from the library said the timing of the book's return couldn't have been more perfect.
Sherri Taliercio
00:08:05
What a serendipitous thing to happen that during our 100th year is when this book got returned. Such a throwback to a different time, a simpler time.
Krista Bo
00:08:15
Mary was worried about getting charged a late fee, which the library said would have been $18,000 if they still charged fines. FYI, you won't be able to borrow this book. The library is going to keep it in a special case to preserve it.
Sherri Taliercio
00:08:28
It's finally in its home for years to come.
Krista Bo
00:08:36
'A four-year-old called for backup after his mom did the unthinkable and stole his ice cream. Up next, hear how he got some sweet justice for a sweet tooth.
Krista Bo
00:08:52
'A four-year-old in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, accused his mom of committing the ultimate crime - eating his ice cream. Unwilling to let this injustice slide, CNN affiliate WTMJ reports the little boy called 911 for backup.
Emergency Operator
00:09:07
What's the address of the emergency?
Four Year Old
00:09:10
My mommy's being bad.
Emergency Operator
00:09:12
Okay, what's going on?
Mom
00:09:15
I ate his ice cream, so that's probably why he's calling 911.
Emergency Operator
00:09:19
Okay.
Krista Bo
00:09:20
Officers showed up at the family's house just to make sure everything was okay. And they were met with the pint sized prosecutor who doubled down on his case for his mom's arrest.
Police officer
00:09:29
Did you call the police?
Four Year Old
00:09:31
Yeah.
Police officer
00:09:31
Why?
Four Year Old
00:09:32
Tell my mommy to go to jail.
Police officer
00:09:35
Why do you want mommy to go to jail?
Four Year Old
00:09:37
Because she's being bad to me.
Police officer
00:09:41
Should we take her to jail for eating your ice cream?
Four Year Old
00:09:43
Yes!
Police officer
00:09:44
I agree.
Mom
00:09:44
I would let you arrest me, I think.
Krista Bo
00:09:47
Instead of mom doing the time for the crime, officers struck a plea deal.
Police officer
00:09:51
Okay, you got to be good for mom, okay? And then you get some ice cream. Can you say yes ma'am.
Four Year Old
00:09:56
Yes ma'am.
Police officer
00:09:57
Okay.
Krista Bo
00:09:56
In the end, cooler heads and sweet treats prevailed. 48 hours later, the officers surprised the young whistleblower with two scoops of ice cream topped with blue sprinkles. Case closed.
Krista Bo
00:10:13
All right, that's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing. All about the problems Tesla is facing right now amid Elon Musk's DOGE efforts.
Krista Bo
00:10:23
Five Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director. And Steve Lichteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. We get support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Wendy Brundige. And thank you for listening. Take care. Till next time.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. made some promises on vaccines to get confirmed. Is he breaking them?
The Trump era is rife with Republicans who abandon their principles in the name of toeing Donald Trump's line. But few have gambled with those principles recently like Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy. The chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in February played the pivotal role in confirming a longtime purveyor of vaccine misinformation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as Health and Human Services secretary. Cassidy did so despite often citing how 30 years of practicing medicine taught him how crucial vaccines are – and despite his very public reservations about Kennedy's views and motivations on the subject. He also did so at a time when vaccine skepticism has risen sharply on the right, meaning Cassidy's strongly held beliefs were already losing ground. At Kennedy's confirmation hearing, Cassidy recalled loading an 18-year-old woman who had hepatitis B onto an ambulance so she could get an emergency liver transplant. 'And as she took off, it was the worst day of my medical career, because I thought $50 of vaccines could have prevented this all,' Cassidy said. 'That was an inflection point in my career.' Cassidy, who faces reelection and likely a primary challenge in 2026, ultimately gave Kennedy a decisive vote, after obtaining what the senator cast as a series of vaccine-related concessions. But pretty much ever since then, Kennedy has tested the spirit of that agreement, if he hasn't violated it outright. Most recently, that took the form of Kennedy on Monday removing all 17 members of an expert panel of advisers that guides the federal government's vaccine recommendations. Many immediately cast this as contrary to what Kennedy promised Cassidy. It's not quite so simple, for reasons we'll get to. But plenty of other actions could fit into that category. For his part, Cassidy on Monday would not tell CNN whether he regrets his vote for Kennedy. Last month, the senator said Kennedy had 'lived up to' the agreement. But at other times, he has taken issue with Kennedy's actions. It's worth a review of what Cassidy said back then – and since. Cassidy laid out the conditions during a speech on the Senate floor. In those February remarks, Cassidy cited the same vaccine advisory panel Kennedy just cleared out. 'If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendations without changes,' Cassidy said, according to video of his remarks. An old transcript of Cassidy's speech on his own website omitted the word 'recommendations,' leading Kennedy's critics on Monday to accuse him of breaking his word by changing the makeup of the committee itself. But Cassidy's comments pertained to the committee's recommendations. (CNN has reached out to Cassidy's office about the transcript.) Cassidy in an X post Monday expressed concern about what comes next. He cited a 'fear' that 'ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion.' 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case,' he added. He declined to go further when pressed by CNN's Manu Raju. Cassidy also said in his February speech that Kennedy had 'committed that he would work within current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not establish parallel systems.' But just in the past two weeks, Kennedy announced changes to the CDC's recommended vaccine schedules without ACIP's input. 'CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism,' Cassidy said in his speech. There is no evidence that the CDC has done this. But Kennedy has taken actions that seem geared toward his longstanding and debunked linking of vaccines to autism, which Cassidy took exception to at Kennedy's confirmation hearing. Most recently, this took the form of launching a 'massive testing and research effort' to find the causes of autism, which critics worry will be geared toward vaccines. And indeed, CNN previously reported HHS had asked the CDC to study vaccines and autism, despite strong evidence there's no link between the two. This is one area where Cassidy has expressed reservations. 'I'll point out that has been clearly laid to rest,' the senator said in April of the supposed link between vaccines and autism, according to The Advocate. 'The more resources we put towards that, we are not putting towards actually finding out what is the cause of autism.' Finally, Cassidy's floor speech suggested Kennedy had provided assurances that he wouldn't use his position to 'wrongfully' create suspicion about vaccines. 'I will watch carefully for any effort to wrongfully sow public fear about vaccines [through] confusing references of coincidence and anecdote,' Cassidy said. 'But my support is built on assurances that this will not have to be a concern …' There is no question Kennedy as HHS secretary has said many things that could undermine confidence in vaccines – often using misinformation. Amid a measles outbreak in Texas, Kennedy wasn't quick to explicitly recommend the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, while floating unconventional treatments like vitamin A in ways that experts worried would discourage vaccinations. He also made a series of claims about the MMR vaccine that experts reject. These have included that it contains 'fetal debris' and that it 'was never safety tested.' He has also claimed that no childhood vaccine except the Covid-19 vaccine has been fully tested against placebos. But that's not true — something Cassidy pointed out in perhaps the most significant example of him calling out Kennedy. After Kennedy made the claim at a hearing last month, Cassidy returned to the hearing to correct him. 'The secretary made the statement that no vaccines except for Covid have been evaluated against placebo,' Cassidy said. 'For the record, that's not true. The rotavirus, measles and HPV vaccines have been, and some vaccines are tested against previous versions. So, just for the record to set that straight,' Cassidy said. It was the kind of claim that might lead one to wonder whether the guy you elevated to such a powerful position was actually living up to the agreement that got him there. Cassidy doesn't seem willing to go there yet. But all signs are Kennedy is going to continue making him second-guess his choices.


CNN
6 hours ago
- CNN
CDC vaccine adviser says panel's credibility ‘just disappeared overnight'
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed an expert panel of vaccine advisers, accusing them of being 'plagued with conflicts of interest.' CNN's Kate Bolduan speaks to one of those dismissed members about those claims and the effect this decision may have.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Doctor mistakenly implants wrong embryo in IVF patient mix-up
One of Australia's top IVF providers mistakenly implanted a patient with her own embryo instead of her partner's. Monash IVF said the incident occurred on June 5 at a clinic in Melbourne but did not provide further details, such as how it learned of the bungle or what the couple planned to do next. The company said it was supporting the couple, who it did not identify. It marks the second fertility clinic mix-up of its kind in the country, heightening concerns about an industry that did not have much active government oversight until recently. The clinic said the patient's embryo was mistakenly implanted under a treatment plan which called for an embryo from the patient's partner to be transferred. The incident builds on a reputational maelstrom for Monash IVF, which was already reeling from an April disclosure that an Australian woman had given birth to a stranger's baby after a fertility doctor accidentally implanted the wrong embryo in Brisbane in 2023. That mix-up sparked concerns about security protocols at IVF clinics and an industry which is only now in the process of being more regulated. Monash claimed the world's first IVF pregnancy five decades ago and is Australia's second-largest IVF provider, carrying out nearly a quarter of the country's 100,000 assisted reproductive cycles a year, according to industry data. "This mix-up, the second reported incident at Monash IVF, risks shaking confidence not just in one provider but across the entire fertility sector," said Hilary Bowman-Smart, a researcher and bioethicist at the University of South Australia. Shares of Monash IVF were down 25 per cent by mid-session on Tuesday, against a rising broader market. The stock is just over half its value before the April announcement. "We had thought the Brisbane clinic embryo transfer error was an isolated incident," Craig Wong-Pan, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a client note. "We believe there is now risk of a greater impact of reputational damage and market share losses to MVF's operations." Monash IVF had already hired a lawyer to run an independent investigation after the Brisbane incident, and said on Tuesday it has extended the scope of that investigation. It added that it was installing interim extra verification safeguards to ensure patient confidence. It said it had reported the Melbourne incident to the Victorian Department of Health and industry licensing body, the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC), part of industry group the Fertility Society of Australia. Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the department was investigating the company and the incident. "Families should have confidence that the treatment they are receiving is done to the highest standard," she said. "It is clear Monash IVF has failed to deliver that, which is completely unacceptable." Fertility Society president Petra Wale said the incident would have had an emotional toll on the family, but stressed mistakes in the sector were rare. The society reiterated a call to implement nationally consistent laws around IVF. Currently, the country's IVF industry is regulated by a combination of industry bodies and state and territory health departments, resulting in a governance and compliance system that some groups say is too complex. Reports of transferring the wrong embryo are rare, according to fertility experts, and Monash's Brisbane mix-up was widely reported as the first known case of its kind.