Hello and rise up.
I am here on the campus of Stanford University at Stanford Stadium.
This is my alma mater.
Now, why am I here?
I am in the Bay Area of Northern California covering the history making moments from the World Cup this week, including the USA winning its first World Cup knockout game since 2002.
They beat Bosnia and Herzgavina 2-nil and it was a roller coaster of emotions.
Their breakout star Falen Ballagan was given a red card in this game.
So that means he will now be suspended for their round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
He's the USA's leading goal scorer.
So, will this adversity make this team crumble, or will it galvanize them?
The strongest steel is burned in the hottest coals, and the best of the best can be forged in moments just like this.
All right, tomorrow marks the United States 250th anniversary, and cities across the country are gearing up to go big for the semiquentennial birthday bash.
National landmarks from Mount Rushmore to Niagara Falls will host epic fireworks shows.
Some cities opting for synchronized drone light shows as a more ecological option.
In New York, the US Coast Guard will host the International Parade of Sale.
The largest ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world.
And from LA to Boston, some of the country's biggest cities will transform into patriotic block parties.
It's all part of a massive plan celebration organized by the nonpartisan Congressional America 250 Commission.
And if you're headed to our nation's capital, be sure to look up.
Washington DC is going all out with a planned record-breaking fireworks display featuring more than 860,000 pyrochnics among the city's historical landmarks and reflecting pool.
Did you know one of America's most famous monuments here in Washington DC is packed with hidden secrets?
One of the most visited landmarks in the United States, this memorial honors President Abraham Lincoln, who led the nation through the Civil War and helped end slavery in America.
Construction began on February 12th, 1914 on what would have been Lincoln's 105th birthday.
It took about 8 years to build.
The Lincoln Memorial has 36 massive columns.
Why?
one for every state in the Union when Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, was assassinated in 1865.
Now, the names of all 48 states existing when the memorial opened in 1922 were added around the top.
Then, a plaque for Alaska and Hawaii were added later.
The giant Lincoln statue weighs 350,000 lbs, about 35 fully grown African elephants.
And if honest Abe were to stand up, he'd be nearly three stories tall.
And get this, there's a typo inside to the right first panel.
Workers accidentally carved an E instead of an F in the word future.
Later corrected it, but if you know where to look, you can still see it today.
Even national monuments need spellch check.
And these steps, they became the stage when Martin Luther King Jr.
gave his legendary I have a dream speech in 1963.
A monument built for one president became a symbol for an entire nation.
As we celebrate America's independence, it gives us an opportunity to salute and to honor the heroes that have made it so.
The CNN 10 honor roll, where your submissions help us put the spotlight on some special service members and their impact on your lives.
Our first salute today goes to Lieutenant Colonel Justin Kirk in the United States Marine Corps, who has served nearly 20 years in total, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
His daughter Charlotte nominated him and sent us this special moment from his Naval War College graduation earlier this month.
Congratulations.
Now, First Lieutenant Sarah Rule is currently serving in the Middle East as part of the 82nd Airborne Division in the US Army.
Her aunt Judy says she's a courageous young woman who followed her convictions to protect her country.
Way to go, Lieutenant.
Your aunt wants you to know she is incredibly proud of you and loves you very much.
And this salute goes to private first class Braden Hackne O'Brien in the US Army who is currently stationed in Hawaii.
His mother Leslie writes, "His family is so proud of him and misses him every day." A big thank you to everyone who sent us nominations this month and keep them coming.
Send us a photo and a few lines about the hero in your life to CNN10 at CNN.com.
Pop quiz hot shot.
In this 1893 ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously voted that a tomato is classified as hot fruit, legume, gourd, or vegetable.
If you didn't say vegetable, you better catch up.
Nicknamed the tomato case, the Supreme Court officially classified tomatoes as veggies after a farmer sued the collector of the port of New York for taxing them on vegetable imports, arguing the tomatoes were fruits.
The US Supreme Court wrapped up a landmark term this week.
The court issued several major decisions that will affect the laws of this country for decades, if not permanently.
The justices rejected an effort to limit birthright citizenship, which is also enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
This ruling reaffirmed that children born on US soil are citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status.
The vote was 6 to3 and analysts say the ruling means about 250,000 babies per year will retain their birthright citizenship.
Millions of student loan borrowers are now facing new changes that took effect Wednesday.
This is a result of last year's tax and spending law.
The federal changes mostly affect students or parents who plan to take out a loan in the near future.
But some current borrowers will also need to take action.
And CNN senior business writer Tammy Lubie has everything we need to know.
>> Some borrowers, particularly lower income folks, will be hit with higher monthly payments.
And new professional and graduate students won't be able to borrow as much.
And neither will parents who are looking to help their kids pay for college.
People searching may be wondering what the changes entail.
The law created two new repayment plans.
The standard tiered repayment plan and the repayment assistance plan known as RAP.
But these options only apply to students taking out new loans.
Most existing repayment plans will be around until July 2028, but at that time, borrowers will have to switch.
Also, professional and graduate students will no longer be able to borrow up to the cost of attendance.
Professional students, such as those going to medical school or law school, will be limited to $50,000 a year or $200,000 over their lifetime.
Graduate students will be limited to $20,500 a year or $100,000 over their lifetime, and the grad plus loan will be eliminated.
Meanwhile, the parent plus loan will be limited to $20,000 a year or $65,000 total over the course of a student's study.
>> To Venezuela now, where more than a week has passed since those devastating earthquakes, but emergency crews are not giving up hope of pulling more people from the rubble alive.
Thursday morning, a 44 year old man was miraculously pulled from the wreckage of a ninestory building.
He worked as a mall security guard and was trapped in the debris of what used to be the mall's parking garage.
International rescue teams were able to get him food and fluids over the course of eight days, keeping him alive.
Okay.
Earlier this week, a search team from Jordan found a three-year-old boy trapped in the rubble for 6 days.
They were able to get him out and immediately started medical care.
The death toll in Venezuela is still rising now at almost 2,300 people have died.
There are thousands still missing and tens of thousands of people are living on the street and intense as so many people simply lost everything in an instant.
Okay, this next story is the one getting today's 10 out of 10.
A onewoman crew rowing her own boat and uh seizing the day.
There is a woman named Kelsey Fendler who's absolutely crushing it right now.
Racing to become the first American woman and youngest woman ever to row the Mid Pacific all alone.
Her goal 2400 miles from Monterey, California to Oahu, Hawaii.
She left on May 21st and if she keeps her current pace, she'll arrive between July 6th and 10th sometime next week.
And that would mean she'd be beating not only the the women's record for that trip, but also the men's.
Again, all done solo, no support staff, no food drops.
>> I won't say that this has zero risk involved because that that's just not true.
But I think the context of that is anything that is worth doing has some risk involved.
And I think that's the whole point.
>> Kelsey's been a whitewater rafting guide on the Colorado River for more than a decade.
She's now raising money for her journey for the Whale Foundation, which supports river guides in the Grand Canyon area.
That ordeal is a stroke of genius.
All right, sunshine.
We have time for two shoutouts today.
This first one goes to the PAVE program at Cedar Crest High School in Duval, Washington.
Thank you for spending your summer Fridays with us.
This next shout out goes to Miss Davis at Empowered Solutions Micro School in Oklahoma City.
Thank you for subscribing and commenting on our CNN 10 YouTube channel.
Go out, make it an awesome Fourth of July weekend.
Remember, be the spark of joy someone needs.
Make someone smile.
You never know when they might need you.
I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN 10.
I am here on the campus of Stanford University at Stanford Stadium.
This is my alma mater.
Now, why am I here?
I am in the Bay Area of Northern California covering the history making moments from the World Cup this week, including the USA winning its first World Cup knockout game since 2002.
They beat Bosnia and Herzgavina 2-nil and it was a roller coaster of emotions.
Their breakout star Falen Ballagan was given a red card in this game.
So that means he will now be suspended for their round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
He's the USA's leading goal scorer.
So, will this adversity make this team crumble, or will it galvanize them?
The strongest steel is burned in the hottest coals, and the best of the best can be forged in moments just like this.
All right, tomorrow marks the United States 250th anniversary, and cities across the country are gearing up to go big for the semiquentennial birthday bash.
National landmarks from Mount Rushmore to Niagara Falls will host epic fireworks shows.
Some cities opting for synchronized drone light shows as a more ecological option.
In New York, the US Coast Guard will host the International Parade of Sale.
The largest ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world.
And from LA to Boston, some of the country's biggest cities will transform into patriotic block parties.
It's all part of a massive plan celebration organized by the nonpartisan Congressional America 250 Commission.
And if you're headed to our nation's capital, be sure to look up.
Washington DC is going all out with a planned record-breaking fireworks display featuring more than 860,000 pyrochnics among the city's historical landmarks and reflecting pool.
Did you know one of America's most famous monuments here in Washington DC is packed with hidden secrets?
One of the most visited landmarks in the United States, this memorial honors President Abraham Lincoln, who led the nation through the Civil War and helped end slavery in America.
Construction began on February 12th, 1914 on what would have been Lincoln's 105th birthday.
It took about 8 years to build.
The Lincoln Memorial has 36 massive columns.
Why?
one for every state in the Union when Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, was assassinated in 1865.
Now, the names of all 48 states existing when the memorial opened in 1922 were added around the top.
Then, a plaque for Alaska and Hawaii were added later.
The giant Lincoln statue weighs 350,000 lbs, about 35 fully grown African elephants.
And if honest Abe were to stand up, he'd be nearly three stories tall.
And get this, there's a typo inside to the right first panel.
Workers accidentally carved an E instead of an F in the word future.
Later corrected it, but if you know where to look, you can still see it today.
Even national monuments need spellch check.
And these steps, they became the stage when Martin Luther King Jr.
gave his legendary I have a dream speech in 1963.
A monument built for one president became a symbol for an entire nation.
As we celebrate America's independence, it gives us an opportunity to salute and to honor the heroes that have made it so.
The CNN 10 honor roll, where your submissions help us put the spotlight on some special service members and their impact on your lives.
Our first salute today goes to Lieutenant Colonel Justin Kirk in the United States Marine Corps, who has served nearly 20 years in total, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
His daughter Charlotte nominated him and sent us this special moment from his Naval War College graduation earlier this month.
Congratulations.
Now, First Lieutenant Sarah Rule is currently serving in the Middle East as part of the 82nd Airborne Division in the US Army.
Her aunt Judy says she's a courageous young woman who followed her convictions to protect her country.
Way to go, Lieutenant.
Your aunt wants you to know she is incredibly proud of you and loves you very much.
And this salute goes to private first class Braden Hackne O'Brien in the US Army who is currently stationed in Hawaii.
His mother Leslie writes, "His family is so proud of him and misses him every day." A big thank you to everyone who sent us nominations this month and keep them coming.
Send us a photo and a few lines about the hero in your life to CNN10 at CNN.com.
Pop quiz hot shot.
In this 1893 ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously voted that a tomato is classified as hot fruit, legume, gourd, or vegetable.
If you didn't say vegetable, you better catch up.
Nicknamed the tomato case, the Supreme Court officially classified tomatoes as veggies after a farmer sued the collector of the port of New York for taxing them on vegetable imports, arguing the tomatoes were fruits.
The US Supreme Court wrapped up a landmark term this week.
The court issued several major decisions that will affect the laws of this country for decades, if not permanently.
The justices rejected an effort to limit birthright citizenship, which is also enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
This ruling reaffirmed that children born on US soil are citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status.
The vote was 6 to3 and analysts say the ruling means about 250,000 babies per year will retain their birthright citizenship.
Millions of student loan borrowers are now facing new changes that took effect Wednesday.
This is a result of last year's tax and spending law.
The federal changes mostly affect students or parents who plan to take out a loan in the near future.
But some current borrowers will also need to take action.
And CNN senior business writer Tammy Lubie has everything we need to know.
>> Some borrowers, particularly lower income folks, will be hit with higher monthly payments.
And new professional and graduate students won't be able to borrow as much.
And neither will parents who are looking to help their kids pay for college.
People searching may be wondering what the changes entail.
The law created two new repayment plans.
The standard tiered repayment plan and the repayment assistance plan known as RAP.
But these options only apply to students taking out new loans.
Most existing repayment plans will be around until July 2028, but at that time, borrowers will have to switch.
Also, professional and graduate students will no longer be able to borrow up to the cost of attendance.
Professional students, such as those going to medical school or law school, will be limited to $50,000 a year or $200,000 over their lifetime.
Graduate students will be limited to $20,500 a year or $100,000 over their lifetime, and the grad plus loan will be eliminated.
Meanwhile, the parent plus loan will be limited to $20,000 a year or $65,000 total over the course of a student's study.
>> To Venezuela now, where more than a week has passed since those devastating earthquakes, but emergency crews are not giving up hope of pulling more people from the rubble alive.
Thursday morning, a 44 year old man was miraculously pulled from the wreckage of a ninestory building.
He worked as a mall security guard and was trapped in the debris of what used to be the mall's parking garage.
International rescue teams were able to get him food and fluids over the course of eight days, keeping him alive.
Okay.
Earlier this week, a search team from Jordan found a three-year-old boy trapped in the rubble for 6 days.
They were able to get him out and immediately started medical care.
The death toll in Venezuela is still rising now at almost 2,300 people have died.
There are thousands still missing and tens of thousands of people are living on the street and intense as so many people simply lost everything in an instant.
Okay, this next story is the one getting today's 10 out of 10.
A onewoman crew rowing her own boat and uh seizing the day.
There is a woman named Kelsey Fendler who's absolutely crushing it right now.
Racing to become the first American woman and youngest woman ever to row the Mid Pacific all alone.
Her goal 2400 miles from Monterey, California to Oahu, Hawaii.
She left on May 21st and if she keeps her current pace, she'll arrive between July 6th and 10th sometime next week.
And that would mean she'd be beating not only the the women's record for that trip, but also the men's.
Again, all done solo, no support staff, no food drops.
>> I won't say that this has zero risk involved because that that's just not true.
But I think the context of that is anything that is worth doing has some risk involved.
And I think that's the whole point.
>> Kelsey's been a whitewater rafting guide on the Colorado River for more than a decade.
She's now raising money for her journey for the Whale Foundation, which supports river guides in the Grand Canyon area.
That ordeal is a stroke of genius.
All right, sunshine.
We have time for two shoutouts today.
This first one goes to the PAVE program at Cedar Crest High School in Duval, Washington.
Thank you for spending your summer Fridays with us.
This next shout out goes to Miss Davis at Empowered Solutions Micro School in Oklahoma City.
Thank you for subscribing and commenting on our CNN 10 YouTube channel.
Go out, make it an awesome Fourth of July weekend.
Remember, be the spark of joy someone needs.
Make someone smile.
You never know when they might need you.
I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN 10.