A medical marvel in Peru - January 14, 2026

 

What's up, sunshine? I'm Coy Wire here with your news for this January 14th. It is Your Word Wednesday. One of you helped us write today's show with a vocabulary word you submitted on the social, so let's see if you're the one who's expanding our vocab today.

 

We begin with an updateon the situation in Venezuela and a key meeting that could impact who leads the nation in the future. A senior White House official tells CNN that President Donald Trump will host Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Karina Machado at the White House later this week. The meeting comes after the U.S. president declined to endorse Machado to lead Venezuela following the ousting of President Nicolas Maduro.

 

Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as acting president. Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her opposition party efforts. She has suggested she would offer the award to President Trump in recent days, but the Nobel Institute responded by saying the awards cannot be transferred.

 

The Oval Office visit will also mark Machado's second high-profile meeting in a span of just days. She met with Pope Leo at the Vatican earlier this week, where the two discussed the ongoing situation in Venezuela, and she asked the pontiff to help secure the release of political prisoners in Venezuela.

 

pontiff [ˋpɑntɪf] n.（亦作P-）罗马教宗

secure [sɪˋkjʊr] v. 弄到，获得；替……弄到

 

Pope Leo has previously said he is monitoring developments in the country with, quote, deep concern.

 

Now to news of a major labor disputein New York City. Nurses going on strike.

 

It is so important for us to strike as nurses because we do not have enough support.

 

We do not have enough nurses. There's too many patients. There's not enough nurses. We are spread so, so thin.

 

Nearly 15,000 nurses, represented by the New York State Nurses Association, or NYSNA, remain on strike at several major hospital systems. The union says the walkout is the largest nurse strike in New York City history.

 

We're fighting for a fair contract, safe patient staffing ratio so that our patients can get the best care possible, and also for our health benefits.

 

NYSNA says the strike began when contract negotiations stalled over issues like staffing levels, workplace safety, and health care benefits. Many nurses say frequent understaffing has left them stretched thin, limiting the time they can spend with patients.

 

understaffing [ˌʌndɚˋstæfɪŋ] n. 人员不足

stretched thin 分身乏术、消耗殆尽 (或 "spread too thin" )

 

When we negotiate, they don't want to meet us or hear our demands. So they think we're greedy, but we're not. We all just want safe staffing. That's all. Fair contract. That is all.

 

Despite the strike, nurses say patients should not delay care and should still go to the hospital if they need medical attention. Hospital systems say they are operating with contingency staffing plans while negotiations continue.

 

New York City Mayor Zoran Mondani joined nurses on Monday and called for negotiations to resume.

 

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games is 23 days away. I better get my beanie and my gloves ready. You all are coming with me.

 

beanie [ˋbinɪ] n. 室内无边便帽（通常颜色鲜艳，尤指妇女与小孩戴者）

 

Well, one of Team USA's most anticipated rosters has finally been revealed. After a slew of electrifying performances at the national championships, 16 figure skaters will now represent Team USA at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

 

roster [ˋrɑstɚ] n. 列入名册的人

electrifying [ɪˋlɛktrəfaɪɪŋ] adj. 非常激动人心的；令人振奋的

 

The men's team features world-class names like the Quad God Ilya Malinin, dubbed the Simone Biles of skating.

 

quad [kwɑd] n. 指的是「Quadruple jump」（四周跳），即在空中旋转四圈的高难度跳跃。

 

He is the only person on the planet who has landed a quadruple axel.

 

axel [ˋæks!] n.（花式溜冰的）前外一周半跳

 

And after a dramatic finish that landed him on the podium at this year's championships, Maxim Naumov will now make his Olympic debut. It comes just about a year after his parents, also his biggest supporters and lifelong coaches, tragically died in a plane crash.

 

He will now have the chance to compete on the world's biggest stage and make his family's dream a reality.

 

I just keep repeating the same sentences. We did it. You know, we did it together. I wouldn't be where I am or who I am without them.

 

On the women's side, Amber Glenn, fresh off of her third consecutive U.S. title, will become the oldest U.S. lady single skater to compete in nearly a century.

 

fresh off 刚从某个地方回来，或是刚结束某个活动/成就

 

She's 26 years old. I spoke with Amber just a bit ago about how she overcame adversity to reach new heights on the ice.

 

For me, I had a mental health crisis. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and eventually ADHD, and it was just a lot to try and process while being on a national stage as a child.

 

So, it took many, many years to try and find a good balance for me.

 

Pop quiz hotshot.

 

Although identical twins share nearly 100% of the same DNA, which physical trait is always different?

 

Hair color, eye color, fingerprints, or blood type?

 

If you said fingerprints, put your hands up. Pressure and position in the womb can affect how ridges and patterns are formed on a baby's fingers. Identical twins often have mirror-image fingerprints, but the details still never match exactly.

 

womb [wum] n. 子宮

ridge [rɪdʒ] n. 指的是手指末端皮肤表面细微的凸起部分

pattern [ˋpætɚn] n. 图案; 指的是这些脊线集体排列后所形成的整体几何形状

 

Did you hear about the medical marvel in Peru? Doctors successfully separated a pair of conjoined twins connected at the spine.

 

conjoined twins 连体双胞胎

 

The baby girls were born prematurely in October and arrived at a Lima hospital just days later in delicate condition. Medical teams worked around the clock to stabilize the pair as a surgical team determined the best approach.

 

An MRI revealed the girls shared a spinal canal and nerve structures, a medical anomaly that significantly complicated any procedure.

 

anomaly [əˋnɑməlɪ] n. 反常的事物; 与众不同的人

spinal canal 椎管

 

But on December 18th, a team of more than 16 surgeons, nurses, and technicians were able to pull off a Christmas miracle. The siblings were successfully separated in a procedure lasting just over three hours.

 

Following the remarkable achievement, an immensely grateful mom and dad were able to hold their daughters separately for the first time.

 

grateful [ˋgretfəl] adj. 感谢的，感激的

 

Teachers, parents, all us old heads out there,we may want to sit down for this next one because it might make some of us feel really old. Students at one Western Pennsylvania middle school kicked off the new year with a blast from the past by opening a time capsule from all the way back in the year 2000.

 

Yes, Y2K was more than a quarter century ago. Here's what they found. They found floppy disks.

 

floppy disk【计算机】磁盘; 软式磁盘片；软磁盘

 

They found some spot-on predictions about the future. Our affiliate WTAE was there as the students experienced the surreal snapshot of life during the turn of the millennium.

 

spot-on【英】【口】完全正确的；准确的

 

It's the sound that feels like a time machine, tape ripping, and a class full of students at Wendover Middle School leaning in, opening a time capsule sealed back in the year 2000.

 

lean in 靠拢

 

Now most people are always at the mall, and then in 2025, the mall will come to you.

 

For kids who grew up with online shopping, cell phones, and life on demand, the items inside feel like artifacts.

 

Have you ever seen this before? Do you know, have any idea what it is?

 

Yeah, my parents have told me about it, and like, they ask me like trivia questions about it sometimes.

 

Okay, uh, have you ever seen one or held one before? No, this is my first time seeing it in real life.

 

And it's not just the objects, it's the feeling of a different era.

 

It makes it seem like everything was like, it was like more joyful back then, kind of.

 

Inside were many pop culture snapshots, the most recurring face, Britney Spears.

 

I'm seeing a lot of magazines, you know, especially Britney Spears, that's like what I'm most interested in.

 

But even across the generations, one superstar is still relevant with the kids today.

 

Beyonce my girl, okay, Beyonce my girl, I love Beyonce. Mrs. Springer, an 8th grade special ed teacher at Wendover, was there back in 2000 when the capsule was created.

 

And she says she remembers how excited the kids were to leave their mark, especially after they got to open one that was buried 25 years earlier in 1975.

 

And they got to see what people had put in 25 years prior. They were really excited to put some items in here. And for me today, it's nostalgic.

 

nostalgic [nɑsˋtældʒɪk] adj. 怀旧的

 

The capsule has been hidden behind a wall in the auditorium for all these years, surviving even school renovations.

 

auditorium [͵ɔdəˋtorɪəm] n. 会堂，礼堂

 

The construction workers found it, and we had to move it because the building was being renovated. So it's been in a couple different locations.

 

When the kids today got their hands on some of the old tech, their reactions said it all.

 

And when you would type this in, all that would come across here were the numbers. Could you text me? No.

 

No. You can't text me. Gosh, no. It's like so like bulky.

 

bulky [ˋbʌlkɪ] adj. 体积大的，庞大的；过大的；又大又笨的

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10, a kangaroo that clearly wanted to get a jump start on summer down under in Australia. The scene, Funfields Theme Park in Victoria.

 

The plot twist, a clever kangaroo cooling off in the Lava Lagoon Lazy River as employees were opening the park. No matter the motive, obviously even kangaroos just need to relax from time to time and check the technique. Look out, Katie Ledecky.

 

A park spokesperson says the kangaroo paddled around for a bit, leapt out, then made its escape. And no kangaroos or park employees were injured in the making of this moment.

 

Fun fact, kangaroos are very strong swimmers, did you know, and will often seek out water to avoid predators using their strong tails and legs to make their getaway.

 

Congrats to Coach Palmer and all my Tartugas at San Juan del Sur Day School in Nicaragua for submitting anomaly, a noun meaning something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

 

deviate [ˋdivɪ͵et] v. 脱离；越轨

 

Rise up and thank you for making us smarter today. And I've got a shout out here.

 

Bring it on in. Chelsea, thank you very much. Miss Leila Kansa and our friend at Everest Academy in Stafford, Texas.

 

They sent this mug. There's a lovely photo of all of them on there. And on the back, it says CNN 10 puts the wow in who, what, when.

 

Fun facts, big laughs, and let's all cheer. News is better when you are here. Think you just came up with our new motto.

 

Thank you so much. Hope you're having an awesome day. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

 

I'm Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.