CNN 10｜Florida hunt, Simone Biles

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COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome to another season of CNN 10, the best 10 minutes in news. I'm Coy Wire, and I`m so pumped to be back here with you. We've got an awesome season lined up with some new surprises that I can`t wait to share very soon. Now, if you`re new to the show, welcome. CNN 10 is a 10-minute show where we break down complicated stories with an easy-to- understand explanation representing all sides of the stories equally. No opinion, no slant. I tell you the what, letting you decide what to think. And we're going to have a little bit of fun along the way, too.

All right, let's start today with the latest news on politics. In the U.S., the Democratic National Convention kicks off today in Chicago, Illinois, and lasts through Thursday. Also known as the DNC, the convention is where the Democratic Party comes together to officially nominate their candidate for president of the United States.

This year, that candidate will be current Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris entered the race after current President Joe Biden decided not to seek reelection following pressure from within his own party over concerns about his age and health. President Biden is expected to pass the torch, so to speak, to Vice President Harris during his opening speech on Monday.

Now, for their part, the Republican Party held its national convention in Milwaukee back in July, where they officially nominated former President Donald Trump as their candidate. This year, security has been an increased focus for convention organizers. In Chicago, law enforcement will be in the air, on the ground, and in the water.

Protesters are expected during the DNC in response to war in the Middle East, and security is extra tight after an assassination attempt on former President Trump just earlier this summer. These conventions happen every four years, just a few months before the presidential election. At the convention, party leaders, delegates, and members gather to set the party's platform, their stances on major issues like health care, the economy, and climate change.

It's also a time for speeches from key party figures, rallying support and excitement for the campaign ahead. These events are key moments in the race for the White House, setting the stage for the final push to election day, November 5th of this year.

Ten-second trivia.

Which of these national parks is the largest wetland ecosystem in the U.S.? Badlands, Everglades, Joshua Tree, or Glacier Bay?

Sitting at 1.5 million acres at the southern tip of Florida, the Everglades is your answer here. We head now to the Florida Everglades, where this weekend, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hosted its annual competition to draw attention to the threats of invasive species to the local ecology, specifically focused on Burmese pythons, not native to Florida.

They`ve slithered their way into the Everglades ecosystem and are putting a serious strain on the local wildlife. To tackle this issue, people in Florida participate in the Python Challenge, where both amateurs and pros compete for the thrill of the hunt and a cash prize. Supporters of this event celebrate the conservation efforts aimed at protecting the natural habitat, though some animal rights organizations have raised concerns about the methods used by some participants.

This year marks the 11th edition of the event, and CNN correspondent Carlos Suarez has all of the details on these enormous snakes, how they got there, and the effort it takes to capture them.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Looking for snakes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, but no luck. Welcome to how it is. These snakes are very powerful.

SUAREZ (voice-over): In the humid, sweltering summer deep in the Florida, Everglades, the hunt is on for the Burmese Python.

SUAREZ: So we`re looking at about 30 pounds and about nine feet.

ZACHARY CHEJANOVSKI, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION: Sounds about right.

SUAREZ: One of the larger ones?

CHEJANOVSKI: Yes. I say this is on average of what you`re going to find out there.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Experts we spoke to have seen snakes as long as 19 feet, weighing 125 pounds. The invasive species of snakes have few natural predators and are known to consume prey as large as alligators.

For 10 days this month, hunters on trucks equipped with flood lights drive into the night. Their eyes trained on the flooded grassland for the slightest sign of a snake.

CODEY QUINTON, BURMESE PYTHON HUNTER: Typically you'll see like a little blue hue to it on it, but most of the time you`re just looking for that breakup in the pattern. A lot of the times you'll just get just a little piece of a tail sticking out from behind a tree or something and you stop.

These things are very, very camouflaged.

Just relax.

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