Hello this is bbc news. The headlines. Grease star Olivia Newton john is made a dame in the new year honours list shes one of 1100 people recognised for their work. A woman whose husband and 2 children drowned on Christmas Eve, in a Swimming Pool, at a resort in spain, says all 3 could swim. She blames a fault with the pool. Concerns for australias wildlife as an extreme heatwave hits the country putting increasing pressure on authorities battling the bushfires. Now on bbc news, Megan Rapinoe was one of the stand out stars of the United States world cup Winning Campaign in 2019. Shes also been an outspoken voice on equal pay, lgbt rights and politics. In this special bbc interview, she talks tojo currie about the issues facing the women s game on and off the pitch, and her role in that stunning world cup win. It is our responsibility to make this world a better place. This team does an incredible job of taking that on our shoulders, understanding the position that we have on the platform that we have. The usa have won the womens world cup for the time. The usa have won the womens world cup for the fourth time. They secured back to back titles after overpowering the netherlands. The usa have been champions in every sense with Megan Rapinoe winning the golden boot and the golden ball award for the tournaments best player. If we want to have meaningful change, what i think is most inspiring would be if everybody other than Raheem Sterling and koulibaly, if they were as outraged as racism as they were. It is a few months on from the craziness of the world cup, what has it been like for you post france . Can you go to the supermarket to buy milk . Milk and four selfies that is the accompaniment. I can go places. But it is so much more. There is not a place i am going that for the most part people do not recognise me, even if they dont say anything. There are glances around. I am very observant, just in general, so i feel like i could feel everything around all the time. It is interesting. It has been totally insane. In the best way, in the most exhausting way. Hard in ways. I have been home a little bit, mostly to unpack and do laundry and repack and leave again. It is kind of amazing to have the career that i have where we started at this point. It just seems that every year it is getting blown out of the water and the sport is growing so much so i have this real perspective of where things have come from, a fiscal perspective of it, so feeling that and figuring out, you just cant help it. It feels surreal and i am awestruck by everything that has happened. I went through ten years of my career in a particular way, growing every year and whatever. But i got put on a rocket ship. I am enjoying the ride but i am like, this is insane, this is crazy but in a good way. Winning back to back world cups is an incredible achievement but you also won the golden ball and the golden boot. Was there a point at the final or afterwards when they shut down the walk for you when the novelty of what you had achieved really hit home . Ithink, coming back to new york and being in. Certainly with a permanence in our country, and starting to understand how other people were feeling about it, people were not like, you guys did so amazing at the world cup it was not, great job for the soccer. And having the reference of 2015, going through that, it felt like 2015 we were being celebrated winning the world cup. And this parade in particular was like, we are all celebrating. We were the vehicle for it, but it felt like everybody won the world cup, everybody had this piece of it and they were invested but they also helped, and itjust was something that transcended so far beyond what the sport was, and we are at the epicentre of that, getting to celebrate with everyone along the Parade Ground and the city hall, wherever it may be. And that sentiment has carried on into the rest of everybodys lives. It felt like we all won. Your goal celebration in france was one of the iconic images, talk to me about the inspiration behind that. A lot of people are calling it the poz. I will go without. A lot of people are calling it the pose. I will go with the pose. I did it for the first time against australia in a friendly. They were one of the more talked about teams heading into the world cup. They have what i consider the best player in the world in sam kerr. They had a lot of hype around it. But it was more than that. It was time to stamp our dominance and gain that confidence heading into the world cup. I scored the go ahead goal in the game or something. In the beginning, it was kind of like. Almost like a touch of arrogance. I know you are entertained at this moment, i am entertaining you, are you not entertained . Gladiator feel, without the death of the gladiators. But certainly in the world cup, it was more of a defiance, but a joy as well, you will not take any of ourjoy. This is what you get, this is what you asked for, this is what you really want. Rapinoe. Its in the french are left completely befuddled everyone is light, she talks too much or whatever. Everyone is like, she talks too much or whatever. But this is what you really want. And i will give it to you, and i am giving it to you, this team is giving it to you, and you kind of like it. So it is a defiance but playful. If i could have thrown a sneaky middle finger in there, i might have. It was sort of like a way to connect with the fans too in some sort of sense. Then they can do it and it means the same thing. If someone did the ronaldo, there is nothing behind it other than him. This feels like theres more behind it there is more to everyone. It came right after president trumps tweets at me. Semifinal. It was a huge game, the biggest game outside of the finals, the biggest game we have ever played, most important game, the fans were insane. It was a nice moment. You touched on the word arrogance there. Alex morgans cup of tea celebration, i dont think a cuppa has ever caused so much controversy we take our tea very seriously in england. What is the difference between confidence and arrogance . I dont know. I feel like we will have fun. We work so hard, as every team does. We take a tremendous amount on and off the field very serious. We have had a lawsuit before. We were fighting for equal rights, all kinds of things. We have a very serious role to play. So it is kind of like the balance of that. When we get to be in the field, the whole point of the game is to score the goal, to win the game, so we have always done this, we have done cartwheels and when we played in the snow we did snow angels, danced and sung into microphones, everything, we want to have fun and we will enjoy it. And next level trolling of tea is so funny especially because she is english. Especially because i love the english but you all are uptight sometimes. It was so perfect. I think that, as long as we continue to do things the right way for the right reasons, i said this after the thailand game, if anybody wants to come at us for not playing the game the right way author not being good investors in sport or doing the right thing, im happy to have that conversation, happy to listen to them break that one down, but i really do feel like we want to enjoy the game, this is entertainment, sport is for the love of it, but this is entertainment, and in order to become the biggest, baddest sport on the planet and the biggest, baddest team in place, lets have fun with it, why not . When that whole spat blew up, in the middle of the world cup, you were in the tournament of your life, what was that like for you . Honestly, it felt much less serious than it actually was. Logically, i understand the gravity of having a president quarrel with you. But president s do not quarrel with people over twitter, president s do not go after members of their own team and put undue pressure of them before the biggest game of the tournament. President s do not bash every single powerful woman he could possibly bash and come across. It is like he is not president ial to me. It carries so much less weight. I knew it was a big deal but i did not have that, oh feeling. It was pretty chill. I had amazing support within the group. All of our media income staff, our president was supportive of me, all of the executives and coaches, everybody. Everybody had my back and it did not become a thing within the group. I was already scheduled to do a press conference. So me and the media team decided i would address head on, say exactly what i wanted to say, the media would have asked 1000 questions if they could have. So hold my beer you have stood up for womens rights, lgbt rights, you have made a point of racial inequality, you said you have found your voice going into your 30s. What was the trigger for you to think, i will use my platform for something more than soccer and football . Honestly, very early on in this team, you realise it is not just a national team, we have always fought for so much more. That is under threat of the team. Very early on, we were going through bargaining negotiations for our contract, understanding that we were a unique travelling team that represents america all over the country, we were charged with inspiring and motivating young girls and boys and people everywhere. So from the first bit, you realise it is much bigger. Ahead of the olympics, i decided to come out, it was starting to feel weird i was not out. I did that. So much positive impact and feedback from that. Hoping to move that conversation forward. In that, asking people to be my ally and support me does not mean you are gay or you have to fully understand it in the way that i do but i need you to be my ally, so fast forward to 2016, watching and hearing everything that is happening, immediately, im like, i can help, i have got your back, i dont know exactly what it is like to be you, but i believe you in what you are saying and i understand that, in order for it to change, it will have to be more than a press person taking on the responsibility, it has to be other people, people like me who had the privilege that i do. That was an easy decision for me. Going through all of the backlash and craziness and hatred, from that only solidified my understanding of myself and the power in my voice. And ijust think everyone has a responsibility to do whatever it is they can in the most impactful way that they can to make the world a better place. I am semi famous person on a very famous team that has media access every single day with a growing platform all the time. It is like, this is the most impactful way i can say. To me, everything is connected, whether it is fighting for equal pay, equal access to sport, racial inequality, police brutality, lgbt 0 rights, its all the same thing, it is one grouping in power, overloading over everybody else, trying to keep everybody else at the power and not really sharing in the wealth and money, but the wealth of water is to live a really full life where you actually feel free and have the liberty to do whatever you want. I think it is still evolving, but i started to realise at a pretty young age, its actually all the exact same thing, it is just on a different way with different people and people dealing with different things, but we all need to be in it together in order for it to change. You sit here now. You are confident, you looked comfortable within your own skin, have you always been like this, what would you like at school . Middle school and high school was weird, i did not know i was gay, and as soon as i figured that out, that was obvious, thanks, nobody for telling me that would have been a nice little shout but growing up, middle school and high school is awkward anyway, every single kid is so awkward i see them now and i think, this is the cutest thing ever. They are breaking out, they dont know who they are, they are shy, even the confident once shy. You have had a twin as well . She was really confident during that time. So i was like, thank god, i will follow you around. I also had sport to gain my confidence from that, that was the place where i rested my identity for those years. But growing up, i was exactly the way i am now, i went through that word stage, we have always bounced each other perfectly, and then getting into college, after that, i feel like that became myself. And being on a team like this, this team in particular, any sports team especially with girls can give them confidence, but this team in particular, whenever you are elite as a woman, you are pretty much alone or with only a couple of other people. Usually you are alone. And so to be able to grow up and mature on a team that has 23 other women who were just as elite as you, just as confident, we give each other that space and build each other up, we challenge each other, but to us it is normal to be big and bold and wild like this. So i guess when you take one of us out, people say, you dont see women act like this for us it is normal because this is how we are all the time, this is how we grew up, empowering each other, and naturally i am a confident person. I am very thankful for that. Whos your number one sporting hero growing up . I feel like it is two. For the 1919. That blew open all of our worlds at the time, girls who played soccer with 100,000 people watching a final, it transcended sport in such a big way, they are our blueprint on and off the field for what it means to be on our team but how to shake things up on how to continue to grow the sport. And michaeljordan was always myjam. Hejust had such a swagger about him. Just the way that he played, the swagger and in the style and creativity, everything was top. Tell me about one breakthrough moment 01 crossroads moment in your career that has impacted you. Probably the most impactful was 2015. I made it back to the olympics but was terrible. I feel like i should not have been on that roster. I do not think i deserved that very much. The team did not do well so i was very disappointed. And i was not myself at all. I was a shell of the player. What i had to do to get back to my old self. And in the process of committing myself to coming back, i blew past where i ever was before so i feel like that was a really pivotal moment, meeting shoe, my girlfriend at that time, she is like benjamin button, i dont know what she is doing but whatever it is, i wanted to do that i changed up my training and eating habits, my level of professionalism. I am definitely not in this position without all of that, maybe i would still be on the team but not like this. What is the one thing you are still desperate to achieve in your life . In a footballing sense, no one has ever done world cup and 0lympics back to back. It is very difficult for a reason. Once you win a world cup, there are a million things you have to do, celebrating, you dont have that moment after the world cup where you commit to win the olympics and nothing else matters. We are doing all these other things. That would be incredible. We have a Good Opportunity and the right mix of things, we have a new coach, so that puts a little extra anxiety, but in a good way. He has not won anything at International Level so he is super motivating and all of us feel. Some people who may be did not play as much of a fresh opportunity, if you play a lot, you have got to keep on top of your game to make sure you are there. So in a footballing sense, that is super motivating for all of us. In life, oh, god i mean, everything equal pay would be a really nice one. That would be a nice Little Cherry on the top of this year, whenever that happens. In general, continuing to push the game forward, continuing to grow the game and challenge. We have done everything to prove, everything. I do not think any female professional football has anything left to prove. It is just everyone else figuring it out. The young women, it is hard on them, there is pressure from social media and everywhere, what is your message to young girls growing up in Todays Society about finding their identity and voice . Ijust learned very early on, after a game, you want to have a big pat on the back, you want to have someone ciush you , go on your comments. It is a made up world. It is not real feedback. So lean on the people that are actually real, tangible and your friends. Social media is one thing. It is good in a lot of ways but it is horrible for kids. They are already dealing with so much. And never let anyone else define you or your dreams or what you want to be. Especially now, there are so many more opportunities and lanes for people to be in that there is an opportunity. There is space for you to be exactly who you are and whoever you want to be, so dont let anyone ever tell you what that is. Hello once again, no great rush about things this afternoon, perhaps that matches your mood. I dont know. A fairly gloomy affair across much of england and wales. Some Early Morning hill mist and ford around in the shropshire area. Not all doom and gloom by any means at all, because some areas, and it is only some areas, are beginning to see more in the way of sunshine but that chance is made more remote by the fact that if you move too far north into scotland or indeed into northern ireland, youre pretty close to a weather front here with more isobars on the chart but the wind will continue to be a feature through the rest of the afternoon on into the evening where the rain will come and go. More perhaps coming across the western side of scotland until the whole front moves further north. Stepping out across england and wales, a mild night for most. Developing some breaks into the south eastern quarters and you could be down to 3 4dc. That is all relative, relatively speaking, we are bathed in this mild air at the moment and i think there will not be a great deal of change on sunday but there is just the chance of the wind flow changing sufficiently for us to check out on the main continent, effect will be dropping levels of moisture across the cloud of the south eastern quarter. There is the chance of seeing some sunshine there and a tendency for the front to be that little bit further north in scotla nd that little bit further north in scotland so central and southern parts of scotland could be in for a drier day. 13 14dc. 15 celsius on the moray coast is possible. On the southern affair, much like weve had for the past few days. The change will drive the front further towards the south, scotland and northern ireland, rain associated with that. Further south again, there is a signal at the moment that monday could be a pretty decent sort of day and there could be some decent spells of sunshine across the greater part of england and wales. 0nce greater part of england and wales. Once the front is right down during the course of the day, i think you will notice it a bit fresher but if you have a plan for new years eve, most of us will be dry with a little bit of mist and fog on the move. If youre closer to home, the noticeable thing will be that it will be dry and on the chilly side. This is bbc news. Im lukwesa burak. The headlines at 2 grease star 0livia newton john becomes a dame in the new year honours list, alongside tv presenter floella benjamin. Both are recognised for their charity work. They say there is nothing like a dame and ifeel that this morning. Absolutely incredible. There are among more than 1,000 people recognised, including a d day veteran who raised thousands of pounds for a national memorial. More than 70 people are believed to have been killed in a car bomb attack in somalia. Many of the dead were students. A woman whose husband and two children drowned on Christmas Eve in a Swimming Pool in spain says all three could swim
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