May 19th, 2014
02:00 PM ET

After 50 Years in the U.S., Vietnam Veteran Discovers He's Not a Citizen

Mario Hernandez has lived in the United States for almost 50 years.

He has raised his children here, served during the Vietnam War, and worked as a federal employee in a federal prison.

But Hernandez just found out that he is not a U.S. citizen - and his fate living in the U.S. is now unknown.

Hernandez left Cuba when he was nine years old, but his parents never filled out the required paperwork for him to become a citizen.

"I feel like I've been punched in the stomach, but I've also felt like the carpet's been pulled from underneath my feet," he said.

Hernandez is due back for another immigration interview on Wednesday.

HEAR HIS FULL STORY ABOVE 

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May 19th, 2014
01:19 PM ET

Judge Rules Woman Can Use Embryos Despite Her Ex-Boyfriend's Wishes

An Illinois state judge has ruled a woman can use the embryos created with her ex-boyfriend, even though the ex says he was told they both would have to consent before further action could be taken.

Here are the details:

Four years ago, Karla Dunston was diagnosed with lymphoma, which would render her infertile due to the chemotherapy.

In the three weeks between her diagnosis and the beginning of her treatment, her boyfriend, Jacob Szafranski, agreed to provide sperm to freeze embryos.

A co-parent agreement giving Dunston control of the embryos was never signed and the couple broke up a year later.

Since that point, Szafranski changed his mind about the embryos.

On "New Day" Monday, Szafranski told CNN's Chris Cuomo it was his understanding that the documents he previously signed required his consent before any action could be taken with the embryos in the future.

Judge Sophia H. Hall ruled in Dunston's favor saying:

"Karla's desire to have a biological child in the face of the impossibility of having one without using the embryos outweighs Jacob's privacy concerns, which are now moot, and his speculative concern that he might not find love with a woman because he unhesitatingly agreed to help give Karla her last opportunity to fulfill her wish to have a biological child."

Ms. Dunston's lawyer recently released a statement that said:

"We want to be very clear that my client is not asking for anything from Mr. Szafranski – no support, no money, nothing. She simply does not want him to stand in the way of her very last chance to have her own biological children."

However, Szafranski said money wasn't the point.

"To say that just because somebody doesn't want money from me ... they should be able to force my hand and bring children into this world against my will ... I don't want to be forced into having a child, especially when I'm not ready for that in my life," he said.

Dunston's lawyer also added that her "client is a very private person. She has no interest in any interviews or other exposure at this time. She requests that her family's privacy be respected."

Watch the full interview above with Szafranski and let us know, do you think the judge made the right decision?


Filed under: Interview • News • Social
May 19th, 2014
12:57 PM ET
May 19th, 2014
12:42 PM ET

She's Won More Jeopardy Games Than Any Other Female Contestant. Who is Julia Collins?

UPDATE: According to Jeopardy's Facebook page, Julia Collins had her 12th victory on the show this week and continues to compete for more.

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How do you become Jeopardy’s first female 10-time champion?

For Julia Collins, the strategy is simple: "Be the first one to ring in and answer the question correctly ... I try to just keep control of the game board."

julia tweet

But it takes more than buzzer speed to keep winning match after match.

On "New Day" Monday, this former art history major credited her love of reading – everything from US Weekly to CNN – and a well-trained memory, for her success.

"I think I'm lucky to have a good memory, and I think I've trained that part of my brain to work as well as possible," she said.

Collins, who has her masters in supply chain management but is currently between jobs, has won $220,610 on the show.

She is the longest-running female champion in the show’s history, and is a couple of thousand dollars away from cracking its list of top five money winners.

If she succeeds, she'll become the highest grossing female contestant in Jeopardy history.

Here's a look at the current top five highest grossing Jeopardy contestants.

Here's a look at the current top five highest grossing Jeopardy contestants.

Source: List of Jeopardy Winners/Totals

At $2,520,700 in winnings, Ken Jennings is the highest grossing Jeopardy contestant of all time.

He's also the record holder for concurrent wins with an unprecedented 74-game streak in 2004.

While Collins said her playing has shown "I fall in the ranks of people who are really great at this no matter what their gender," she's proud to set a new bar for women.

"I'm a big proponent of women being the best that they can be," she said. "It's exciting to have my own little, tiny, tiny place in that."

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CNN quiz: How well do you know 'Jeopardy?'

READ:  Meet Jeopardy's top female champion

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