WEBVTT

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We're at the scripts national spelling

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be in Washington DC where kids politely

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destroy each other with vocab. They

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don't get here with talent. They get

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here with hard work, dedication, and

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sacrifice. And if they're fortunate

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enough, they become the champion.

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>> Trey, you are the two

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What was going through your mind when

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you were lifting that trophy above your

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head? You know, I was just so relieved

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and excited to be honest. It was It's It

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It was just such an amazing moment for

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me. I I was just so happy.

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>> How you going to celebrate?

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>> Uh not sleep tonight.

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>> Yes, let's go.

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>> And here is our youngster.

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>> Hello again. They spelled their way

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through some of the toughest words in

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the English language with focus,

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confidence, and composure far beyond

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their years.

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>> Next up, we got

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>> It all started with 247 competitors on

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Tuesday. The youngest just 9 years old.

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The age limit to compete 15. Spellellars

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representing all 50 states plus 13

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international competitors, all chasing

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the same dream.

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>> Hi.

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>> But by Thursday night, the field had

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been whittleled down to just nine

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finalists. Smart. Of course, these kids

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can spell words that most adults think

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are prescription medications.

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>> Numo Ultra Microscopic volcanoes.

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>> Can you spell that?

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>> P N U M O L U L T R E M I C R O S E O P

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I C S I L I C O B O L C A N C O N I O S

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I S.

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>> That's right.

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>> Revy. A M A R E V O L E. Amari.

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>> That is correct.

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>> Thank you. After spending some time with

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contestants during the semifinals, one

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thing became crystal clear. This is not

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some magical gift. Every spell I spoke

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with pointed to the same formula, hard

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work, discipline, and sacrifice.

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>> It's not natural talent that can get you

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somewhere like um scripts. It's it's

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more about the hard work you put in

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because at the end of the day, talent

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can only take you so far, but to get to

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such a big stage, you also need to put

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in lots of work. You have to prepare so

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much and put in hours and hours on end

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per day and like you have to make a lot

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of sacrifices, but it's all worth it in

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the end because your hard work will pay

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off.

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>> Some study up to 10 hours a day on

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weekends. And honestly, preparing for

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this feels a lot like training for a

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championship in sports. Film study

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becomes dictionary study. Muscle memory

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becomes word roots and language

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patterns. But this is the only

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competition in sports where one

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misplaced vow can end your season.

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>> I'm sorry. Your adenium is u e d i n i

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m.

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>> Love your enthusiasm. We're going to

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hope to see you back.

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>> Congratulations.

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>> For three days, these kids politely

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dismantled one another with vocabulary,

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all chasing the $50,000 grand prize. But

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what stood out most, the motivation was

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about far more than cash. It's a really

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great place to be, especially since like

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a lot of people I'm surrounded by a lot

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of people who enjoy the same things that

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I do.

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>> Mostly I just wanted to get to finals

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and I also wanted to be on live TV.

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>> Yeah, let's go up. Now, even the

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contestants eliminated in the earlier

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rounds, heartbroken their journey was

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over, many stayed to watch the finals

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anyway, not bitter, not jealous,

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cheering for the very competitors who

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had just outspelled them because they

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understood just how hard everyone worked

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to get here.

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>> It's It's really fun. It's been just

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been such a fun experience. And I've met

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so many great people. Like I still have

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another kid from Minnesota who's like

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I'm really close with in the beach. So,

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I'll be sitting around. I'll be cheering

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for him. I prepared so much and so did

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they. So, we might as well like cheer

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them on for still going.

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>> For many of these spellers, they can

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finally catch their breath. For now, at

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least, 78 contestants in this year's

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field had already competed at the

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national level before. And for those who

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fell short, their comeback story may

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already be underway.

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>> Well, I'm going to start practicing now

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so that I'll have a whole year. Long

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after the final bell rings and the

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confetti falls, what lingers most isn't

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the winning word. It's the perseverance,

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the humility, and a room full of kids

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proving that excellence and kindness can

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still exist side by side.

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Pop quiz hot shot. Which is the only

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landlocked country in Southeast Asia?

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Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, or

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Philippines?

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If you said Laosai Mikong congratulate

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you. Despite being the only country in

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the region to be completely surrounded

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by land, the Meong River during its

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monsoon season can grow to be about 9

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miles wide, creating an archipelago

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known as the 4,000 Islands.

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There's a new plan now in place for how

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to rescue the men who have been trapped

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for a week and have been found alive

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deep in a cave in Southeast Asia. Video

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shows rescue divers reaching the group

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in Laos for a second time, bringing them

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supplies like headlamps and food, and

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the villagers then sent back messages to

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their families that they're okay. The

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journey to get to them is super tough

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and super dangerous in and of itself.

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Teams are using cables to pull

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themselves through the narrow tunnels,

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some of them less than 2 ft wide. And

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the men, they're about 850 ft deep into

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the cave. Now, part of the plan is to

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pump water out of the cave. And if

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successful, they're hoping the men can

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finally exit without needing to dive

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themselves. Crews are still searching

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for two more of their group who are

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missing.

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As an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic

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Republic of Congo continues to grow, the

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US government is saying that it's

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focused on keeping the disease out of

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the US. The administration is making

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plans to send Americans who may have

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been exposed to the Ebola virus but do

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not have symptoms to health facilities

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in Kenya. Officials say the

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state-of-the-art facility is designed

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for Americans who would need to quickly

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get out of the DRC and quarantine

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without the risks of a lengthy transport

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back to the US. The US has its own

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specialized network of hospitals that

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are highly equipped to treat Ebola

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patients that some experts say would be

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much better suited to handle the

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situation. Critics warn the plan could

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be unethical and illegal.

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Today's story getting a 10 out of 10. A

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nearly 30 year-long friendship that

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spans continents founded on one common

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belief. In 1999, world history teacher

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Ronald Sakulski saw a news story about a

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woman and her husband planting trees in

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the Chinese Mauusu Desert in an effort

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to fight its desertification, which

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severely threatens an area's

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agriculture. At the time, the couple was

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making $250 US a year, but putting it

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all towards planting trees.

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>> I was crying as I watched the news. I

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saw her on the TV and I said, "I want to

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help her."

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>> Moved by their dedication to save their

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home, Ronald worked with an organization

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in the US and donated $5,000, equivalent

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to 20 years of income, to the Chinese

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couple's tremendous work. And since the

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initial donation, the forest has grown

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to over 50,000 trees. Ronald says that

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if two regular people from America and

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China can create something beautiful,

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the whole world can work together.

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>> All right, sunshine. We have a couple

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shoutouts today and they're coming to

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you from some of our arodite

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orthographers here at the scripts

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national spelling bee.

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>> A shout out to John El Golden uh

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elementary and day creek intermediate

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school. Shout out to Discovery Middle

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School in Alexandria, Minnesota.

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>> I want to give a shout out to Carnage

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Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, North

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Carolina. So, I want to shout out my um

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two schools which were Peach Free Middle

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and Austin Elementary.

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>> I want to give a shout out to Loren

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Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas.

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PS32.

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>> Let's go.

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>> In Queens, New York.

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>> Yeah, let's go.

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>> Rise up, baby.

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>> Rise up.

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>> Rise up. Play that pri music. Not air.

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Go out. Make someone smile this weekend.

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You never know how or when, but you may

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be the light someone needs. You are more

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powerful than you know. Rise up. I'm COY

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and we are CNN 10.

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Heat.