[music] Rise up sunshine.
If you clean a vacuum cleaner, does that make you the vacuum cleaner?
If you're waiting for a waiter, aren't you the waiter?
And if money doesn't grow on trees, why do banks have branches?
I'm Ky Wire.
This is CNN 10, where we tell you the what, letting you decide what to think.
Let's get those brains firing today.
Quick question as we start.
How did you get to school or work this morning?
Did you walk, bike, bus, maybe a car?
Well, those roads you traveled may be safer than you actually would have realized.
A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows us US Traffic Fatalities here in the US have fallen to their lowest rate for the first half of a year in more than a decade.
An estimated 16,750 people died in crashes during the first half of 2026.
That's down 2.5% from last year, even though Americans drove more miles.
It's actually the lowest number recorded since 2014 and the fifth straight year the number has decreased after a spike during the CO 19 pandemic when traffic deaths rose more than 10%.
Now listen to this.
Bicyclist deaths actually rose 4% in 2025 following a more than 40-year high in 2023 and recent tragedies are reminders that cyclists remain especially vulnerable.
In August, two Milligan University cyclists were killed and seven others were seriously injured during a team training ride.
And last week in North Carolina, an SUV crossed the center line and struck a group of cyclists, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen.
So, what do you think?
What's helping make our roads safer?
And what more could we do to protect everybody who shares them?
Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, all of us.
Hit pause and have a think.
Pop quiz hot shot.
What country invented modern golf?
France, Scotland, Ireland, or Netherlands?
If you said Scotland, Terrific.
Modern golf was invented in the 15th century in Scotland.
But here's the wild part.
King James II in 1457 banned it because people were playing instead of practicing archery.
King wanted fewer birdies, more bullse eyes for the sake of national defense.
Next story is about someone named Blades Brown who at 19 years old just became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years.
Blades started Sunday in Los Cabos, Mexico, seven shots back.
Then he shot a 9 under 63, sent the final round to a playoff, and sank a birdie putt for the title.
The last time someone this young won a PGA Tour event, 1931.
Blades was still in high school when he turned pro.
Now he is etching his name in the history books.
And with the win, he qualified for next year's PGA Championship.
Our Patrick Snow got to chat with the Blades Brown.
>> Where do you get your joy from?
Cuz you're always so upbeat, so positive, so just full of the Deviva.
Where does it come from?
What's fueling you?
>> One of the things that I love about golf is I I enjoy the the love of the game.
I love the feeling of a wellcompressed iron shot.
You know, a mid-range to long putt made.
I mean, there's no better feeling than making a puff for birdie or striping an iron shot just where you want to.
>> Let me ask you about your parents cuz they're both huge sources of of inspiration.
Your mom, Rhonda, who was the first player in the WNBA to score a three-point shot.
That is a pretty cool piece of history.
What has she said to you about that really special moment?
>> Well, she she I mean, she's my mom.
She does a phenomenal job.
I mean, every single time I I finish a golf tournament, she's always the first one to text me.
And uh she she's helped me with my professional life so far.
Um and, you know, having somebody else in the family that's been a professional athlete that kind of knows the the world that it is is is such a blessing and and we're enjoying every second of it.
>> Tell us what your dad means to you because he has been so courageous, hasn't he?
battling those health issues.
>> Yeah.
So, unfortunately with leukemia, it never really goes away.
Luckily, he has a leukemia that is extremely treatable.
But one thing that he has taught me is to be a warrior.
I remember I I went and visited him a couple times in the hospital and you know, he looked at me and said, "Blades, you know, I love my family." And, you know, it's it it puts a whole new perspective on life whenever, you know, a loved one is is kind of uh has has death looking them right back in the face.
And you know, he's told me he he's taught me to be a warrior out there.
And you know, I've I've learned so much from my dad.
I've still got a lot to learn.
And uh especially with with the next chapter of my life being here on the PGA tour.
Yesterday for Veterans Day, we honored all of those who've served in the US Armed Forces.
But for some veterans, the physical and emotional challenges of service don't end when they come home.
And sometimes support can come from the most unexpected places, like in a 6 milliongal aquarium filled with some of the biggest fish on the planet.
Our friends at the Georgia Aquarium's Veterans Immersions Program gives veterans and active duty service members the chance to focus on mindfulness and rehabilitation while diving amongst giants.
Our Ivan Rodriguez takes a dive into how the program is making waves and a big difference.
For Carl Hill, this experience means more than just a chance to get in the water.
After an injury led to his medical retirement, he says the transition out of military life wasn't easy.
It brings a lot of emotion to my heart.
You know, when you get hurt in the military, uh or like I got medically retired.
I was I was injured and they said, "Hey, you're out." Uh you feel very uh neglected.
You feel like no one cares about you.
>> Just have a great time.
Today he's taking part in the Georgia Aquarium's military salute program, which brings veterans groups into its 6 milliongal ocean Voyager exhibit.
>> I like to say that we don't just change somebody's afternoon when they come here with their families.
When they're here and in this exhibit, it often changes their complete outlook.
>> You ready to go swim?
>> All right, cool.
Cool.
>> The goal is more than a close encounter with marine life.
>> I'm a little nervous.
I'm not going to lie about it.
I never jump in a shark tank >> because the moment veterans get in the water, they're encouraged to focus on mindfulness.
>> We have one whale shark, Esan, who's roughly 27 feet long, and we have three mana rays that are that are just magnificent.
And then tons of other fish, uh, schooling fish, other sharks, rays, lots of different animals.
>> Nowhere in the world can you experience an environment containing three oceans in one place.
The look on their faces is just uh it sends chills through your body because you're like, "Yep, yep.
They experienced it.
They get it now." >> That's what overcoming injuries from PTSD is all about is getting out of your head.
And this is 100% out of your head.
Like you're in a in a strange new place.
This is like magical.
For the rest of my life, I'm going to sit with this cuz this is amazing experience.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10.
A Louisiana teenager whose future just got a whole lot brighter thanks to groundbreaking medical treatments.
15-year-old Philip Mullen has lived with cickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells become hard, sticky, and shaped like a sea, causing pain and a higher risk of infections.
And after years of unsuccessful treatments, surgeries, Philip's mom decided to try one more option, a one-time gene therapy infusion at Manning Family Children's Hospital.
>> We're actually able to take a stem cell that's responsible for making all of our blood, and insert a new gene that makes a hemoglobin that doesn't collapse under pressure, doesn't sickle.
>> Philip has endured 100 hospitalizations, 14 surgeries, and was told there was nothing doctors could do.
Although he still has a long way to go before he is functionally cured or showing no symptoms of cickle cell disease, doctors are saying so far so good.
>> Felt the weight kind of come off my shoulders dealing with this disease.
Now we can go do things that we've never been able to do.
>> Here's the incredible science.
Doctors use Philip's own blood forming stem cells modified to help his body produce healthier red blood cells.
No matching donor required.
Philip is Louisiana's first child to receive this particular gene therapy.
In 2024, 12-year-old Kendrick Cromer became the first US patient to receive a newly approved gene editing treatment for cickle cell disease outside a clinical trial.
Today marks day four of CNN 10's 10 days of giving, highlighting the ways that you are showing kindness in your community.
Let's go to Huntington Park, California, where Miss Hernandez and our students at Lucille Royal Allard Elementary are giving their campus a glowup.
Miss Hernandez manages the community garden.
And for the past five years, students have been volunteering their time, maintaining and caring for a place where people can connect with nature, grow cacti, taste fresh fruit, even watch the insects do their thing.
Miss Bowmont says the garden is quote, "More than just a garden.
It is a space where our community can grow, explore, contribute, and appreciate the beauty of nature together." Way to use that green thumb and give Huntington Park community something to look forward to.
Now, shout out time.
And this first shout out goes to Chef Brown at Independence Culinary High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Thank you for my new chef's jacket.
Might need to make some pasta tonight cuz this thing is dripping with swag.
You all right, this next shout out goes to Mr.
Divine at Sax Middle School in Newan, Connecticut.
I would like to thank you for this wooden wonder from your wood shop.
This is going to go on our wall of friends.
Thank you all for making us a part of your day each and every day.
Go out, make someone smile today.
You are more powerful than you know.
I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN 10.
If you clean a vacuum cleaner, does that make you the vacuum cleaner?
If you're waiting for a waiter, aren't you the waiter?
And if money doesn't grow on trees, why do banks have branches?
I'm Ky Wire.
This is CNN 10, where we tell you the what, letting you decide what to think.
Let's get those brains firing today.
Quick question as we start.
How did you get to school or work this morning?
Did you walk, bike, bus, maybe a car?
Well, those roads you traveled may be safer than you actually would have realized.
A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows us US Traffic Fatalities here in the US have fallen to their lowest rate for the first half of a year in more than a decade.
An estimated 16,750 people died in crashes during the first half of 2026.
That's down 2.5% from last year, even though Americans drove more miles.
It's actually the lowest number recorded since 2014 and the fifth straight year the number has decreased after a spike during the CO 19 pandemic when traffic deaths rose more than 10%.
Now listen to this.
Bicyclist deaths actually rose 4% in 2025 following a more than 40-year high in 2023 and recent tragedies are reminders that cyclists remain especially vulnerable.
In August, two Milligan University cyclists were killed and seven others were seriously injured during a team training ride.
And last week in North Carolina, an SUV crossed the center line and struck a group of cyclists, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen.
So, what do you think?
What's helping make our roads safer?
And what more could we do to protect everybody who shares them?
Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, all of us.
Hit pause and have a think.
Pop quiz hot shot.
What country invented modern golf?
France, Scotland, Ireland, or Netherlands?
If you said Scotland, Terrific.
Modern golf was invented in the 15th century in Scotland.
But here's the wild part.
King James II in 1457 banned it because people were playing instead of practicing archery.
King wanted fewer birdies, more bullse eyes for the sake of national defense.
Next story is about someone named Blades Brown who at 19 years old just became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years.
Blades started Sunday in Los Cabos, Mexico, seven shots back.
Then he shot a 9 under 63, sent the final round to a playoff, and sank a birdie putt for the title.
The last time someone this young won a PGA Tour event, 1931.
Blades was still in high school when he turned pro.
Now he is etching his name in the history books.
And with the win, he qualified for next year's PGA Championship.
Our Patrick Snow got to chat with the Blades Brown.
>> Where do you get your joy from?
Cuz you're always so upbeat, so positive, so just full of the Deviva.
Where does it come from?
What's fueling you?
>> One of the things that I love about golf is I I enjoy the the love of the game.
I love the feeling of a wellcompressed iron shot.
You know, a mid-range to long putt made.
I mean, there's no better feeling than making a puff for birdie or striping an iron shot just where you want to.
>> Let me ask you about your parents cuz they're both huge sources of of inspiration.
Your mom, Rhonda, who was the first player in the WNBA to score a three-point shot.
That is a pretty cool piece of history.
What has she said to you about that really special moment?
>> Well, she she I mean, she's my mom.
She does a phenomenal job.
I mean, every single time I I finish a golf tournament, she's always the first one to text me.
And uh she she's helped me with my professional life so far.
Um and, you know, having somebody else in the family that's been a professional athlete that kind of knows the the world that it is is is such a blessing and and we're enjoying every second of it.
>> Tell us what your dad means to you because he has been so courageous, hasn't he?
battling those health issues.
>> Yeah.
So, unfortunately with leukemia, it never really goes away.
Luckily, he has a leukemia that is extremely treatable.
But one thing that he has taught me is to be a warrior.
I remember I I went and visited him a couple times in the hospital and you know, he looked at me and said, "Blades, you know, I love my family." And, you know, it's it it puts a whole new perspective on life whenever, you know, a loved one is is kind of uh has has death looking them right back in the face.
And you know, he's told me he he's taught me to be a warrior out there.
And you know, I've I've learned so much from my dad.
I've still got a lot to learn.
And uh especially with with the next chapter of my life being here on the PGA tour.
Yesterday for Veterans Day, we honored all of those who've served in the US Armed Forces.
But for some veterans, the physical and emotional challenges of service don't end when they come home.
And sometimes support can come from the most unexpected places, like in a 6 milliongal aquarium filled with some of the biggest fish on the planet.
Our friends at the Georgia Aquarium's Veterans Immersions Program gives veterans and active duty service members the chance to focus on mindfulness and rehabilitation while diving amongst giants.
Our Ivan Rodriguez takes a dive into how the program is making waves and a big difference.
For Carl Hill, this experience means more than just a chance to get in the water.
After an injury led to his medical retirement, he says the transition out of military life wasn't easy.
It brings a lot of emotion to my heart.
You know, when you get hurt in the military, uh or like I got medically retired.
I was I was injured and they said, "Hey, you're out." Uh you feel very uh neglected.
You feel like no one cares about you.
>> Just have a great time.
Today he's taking part in the Georgia Aquarium's military salute program, which brings veterans groups into its 6 milliongal ocean Voyager exhibit.
>> I like to say that we don't just change somebody's afternoon when they come here with their families.
When they're here and in this exhibit, it often changes their complete outlook.
>> You ready to go swim?
>> All right, cool.
Cool.
>> The goal is more than a close encounter with marine life.
>> I'm a little nervous.
I'm not going to lie about it.
I never jump in a shark tank >> because the moment veterans get in the water, they're encouraged to focus on mindfulness.
>> We have one whale shark, Esan, who's roughly 27 feet long, and we have three mana rays that are that are just magnificent.
And then tons of other fish, uh, schooling fish, other sharks, rays, lots of different animals.
>> Nowhere in the world can you experience an environment containing three oceans in one place.
The look on their faces is just uh it sends chills through your body because you're like, "Yep, yep.
They experienced it.
They get it now." >> That's what overcoming injuries from PTSD is all about is getting out of your head.
And this is 100% out of your head.
Like you're in a in a strange new place.
This is like magical.
For the rest of my life, I'm going to sit with this cuz this is amazing experience.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10.
A Louisiana teenager whose future just got a whole lot brighter thanks to groundbreaking medical treatments.
15-year-old Philip Mullen has lived with cickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells become hard, sticky, and shaped like a sea, causing pain and a higher risk of infections.
And after years of unsuccessful treatments, surgeries, Philip's mom decided to try one more option, a one-time gene therapy infusion at Manning Family Children's Hospital.
>> We're actually able to take a stem cell that's responsible for making all of our blood, and insert a new gene that makes a hemoglobin that doesn't collapse under pressure, doesn't sickle.
>> Philip has endured 100 hospitalizations, 14 surgeries, and was told there was nothing doctors could do.
Although he still has a long way to go before he is functionally cured or showing no symptoms of cickle cell disease, doctors are saying so far so good.
>> Felt the weight kind of come off my shoulders dealing with this disease.
Now we can go do things that we've never been able to do.
>> Here's the incredible science.
Doctors use Philip's own blood forming stem cells modified to help his body produce healthier red blood cells.
No matching donor required.
Philip is Louisiana's first child to receive this particular gene therapy.
In 2024, 12-year-old Kendrick Cromer became the first US patient to receive a newly approved gene editing treatment for cickle cell disease outside a clinical trial.
Today marks day four of CNN 10's 10 days of giving, highlighting the ways that you are showing kindness in your community.
Let's go to Huntington Park, California, where Miss Hernandez and our students at Lucille Royal Allard Elementary are giving their campus a glowup.
Miss Hernandez manages the community garden.
And for the past five years, students have been volunteering their time, maintaining and caring for a place where people can connect with nature, grow cacti, taste fresh fruit, even watch the insects do their thing.
Miss Bowmont says the garden is quote, "More than just a garden.
It is a space where our community can grow, explore, contribute, and appreciate the beauty of nature together." Way to use that green thumb and give Huntington Park community something to look forward to.
Now, shout out time.
And this first shout out goes to Chef Brown at Independence Culinary High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Thank you for my new chef's jacket.
Might need to make some pasta tonight cuz this thing is dripping with swag.
You all right, this next shout out goes to Mr.
Divine at Sax Middle School in Newan, Connecticut.
I would like to thank you for this wooden wonder from your wood shop.
This is going to go on our wall of friends.
Thank you all for making us a part of your day each and every day.
Go out, make someone smile today.
You are more powerful than you know.
I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN 10.