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Political Violence In Peru; Never-Ending Noise In Appalachia. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired January 20, 2023 - 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, lovely people. We made it. The weekend is upon us, and you already know Friday`s rock. I`m Coy. This is CNN, and we
are pumped to be right here to finish this week`s strong with you.
Let`s start today by heading to Peru, the third largest country in south America after Brazil and Argentina is made up of a variety of landscapes
from mountains to beaches.
The multicultural nation considered the archaeological capital of South America has a population of million people. But recently, Peru is seeing
some of its worst political violence in decades. It started last month with the removal of its former president and the protests have been so intense
that people have lost their lives amid the violent clashes.
The citizens aren`t just protesting the most recent change in government. They`re also upset about the political system that`s governed the -- for
the last 20 years. The people at the center of the protests are from the Andean regions, which are more rural and remote, away from big cities. Many
experts say the protests illustrate deep divisions within this diverse country.
More now from Stefano Pozzebon reporting on this story for CNN International.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Peru is seeing some of its worst violence in recent decades after the ousting of former President Pedro
Castillo has led to protesters throughout the country to call for political change, particularly in the south where dozens of people have been killed
in clashes with the police.
But these protests are about so much more than former President Castillo. Peru has been experiencing a deep political crisis for years. The current
president, Dina Boluarte, is the sixth head of state in less than five years and even if she were to go like some of the protesters are now
demanding a solution to the crisis is hard to see.
Both the presidency and Congress are widely discredited and are perceived as corrupted institutions. Only 21 percent of Peruvians said that they are
satisfied with Democratic rule in the 2021 poll by LAPOP, a survey research laboratory at Vanderbilt University. And on one in two Peruvians, I think
that the military takeover is justified when corruption is high.
Even though the country has experienced an economic boom in recent years, the expectations of better living conditions have not been fulfilled.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peru has recorded the highest per capita death toll in the world and according to the United Nations, over half of
the population lack access to enough food. Many people simply think that the system is not working for them.
Boluarte has so far resisted calls for early general elections and has declared a state of emergency in the areas of the country that have been
most affected by the protest. The attorney general has opened an inquiry into Boluarte`s handling of the unrest, and it`s hard to predict how the
situation will be in the near future. However, even if khan were to be restored in Peru, the root causes of this crisis still need to be
addressed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia of the three major mountain ranges in the United States, which is considered the oldest?
Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains or the Sierra Nevada?
Appalachian Mountains is your answer here, home to America`s longest hiking-only trail they`re thought to have been formed around 480 million
years ago.
Let`s go to the Appalachia Region now, home to more than 25 million Americans. The area extending from Mississippi to New York, known for its
mountain terrain, relies heavily on the mining, forestry and agricultural industries. Recently though, a new industry has become a concern for some
residents, the crypto mining industry, and mostly the noise pollution it creates.
We`ll hear now from CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir who recently traveled to Murphy, North Carolina, to speak with residents who pushed back
when the sound of silence was replaced with the sound of cryptocurrency.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of Green Mountain Farm. Certified by Quiet Parks International as one of
the most peaceful spots in North Carolina. Thanks to their rare local enforcement of laws against noise pollution.
Meanwhile, about 90 minutes away, beautiful Cherokee County sounds like this. It is stack upon stack of computer servers, and the fans needed to
cool them. This is what`s known as a crypto mine. And it makes the sound of people in San Francisco trying to make virtual money.
WEIR: How do you describe that noise?
MIKE LUGIEWICZ, MURPHY RESIDENT: We`re probably sitting at probably 65 decibels right now. When it`s at about 75, 80 decibels, I`d say a jet
engine. A jet engine that never leaves.
WEIR: Sixteen months after the mine fired up without warning, Mike Lugiewicz put his house up for sale in frustration.
TOM LASH (ph), MURPHY RESIDENT: There would be turkeys out in the field and deer by the hundreds.
WEIR: Yes.
LASH: You don`t have that anymore.
WEIR: While Tom Lash (ph) misses the wildlife --
PHYLLIS CANTRELL, MURPHY RESIDENT: You don`t sleep at night.
WEIR: -- Phyllis Cantrell says she feels trapped.
CANTRELL: You can actually lay your head on the pillow and hear it hum up through the walls.
WEIR: No way.
Have you thought about moving?
CANTRELL: We`re 73 years old. Where are we going to go?
WEIR: Imagine a game where the dice have a billion sides and the first person to roll a ten wins. That is essentially crypto mining. And to play
that games these days, you need computers, thousands of computers running 24/7, 365.
And after China outlawed crypto currency and crypto mining, more and more mines like this began popping up in Appalachia, places where the power is
cheap, and the regulations are either nonexistent or unenforced.
The mine has upended local politics.
JUDY STINES, MURPHY RESIDENT: I like to be behind the scenes, and I - I like to stir the pot. And I knew that we -- we needed to win an election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forget the noise --
WEIR: Outrage over the mine helped flip the balance of power in November`s county election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Homegrown U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
WEIR: With the new board of commissioners now asking for federal help in ending American crypto mining.
When asked over LinkedIn for reaction, Chandler Song, one of the mine`s co- owners wrote, oh, boy, they wanted us so bad a year ago.
As for the proposed ban, it is unconstitutional to say the least.
Song and his crypto mining co-founder made Forbes 30 under 30 list a few years ago and recently claimed quarterly revenues of more than $20 million.
But when asked follow-up questions, Song went silent.
His mine in Murphy has not, so far. But the county attorney is looking for a legal way to shut it down. A cautionary reminder that the next time you
hear a place as peaceful as Green Mountain Farm --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re playing roulette with their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s torture.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on.
WEIR: -- chances are someone got loud and fought for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEIR: And for today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, an artist that can recreate almost exact replicas of iconic marble sculptures. Here`s the
thing, the artist is a robot, Italian tech company Robotor created a 13- foot-tall stone chisel in Michelangelo Bernini wannabe that`s recreating a famous 19th century Italian sculpture here. The 3D scans are used to
analyze, assess and then carve away. The company says recreations are 99 percent faithful to the original. One thing`s for sure though, they`ll
never completely be able to replicate the human touch.
This brings to mind a thought I`d like to leave you with this week the type of person you`ll become isn`t determined by what you do, but how you do it.
Carry love, peace and happiness with you into this weekend.
And shout-out to Roland-Story Middle School in Roland, Iowa. Go Norseman! Remember, you are all more powerful than you know. I`m Coy. This is CNN 10.
It`s been a blessing to spend this week with you.
END
