The climb to Mount Everest's summit, once viewed as a near-impossible feat achieved only by the most daring, has shifted from a symbol of ultimate adventure into something mere mortals can accomplish. cbsn.ws/4p7x9Zc

Some 40,000 people trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal every year. This past spring, a crew from 60 Minutes joined them – hiking for 10 days, sometimes on all fours, in all kinds of weather. cbsn.ws/4jbhMgT

The Kanneh-Mason parents packed their children's after-school schedule with activities — cricket, soccer, tennis, gymnastics and karate — but it was music that stuck. The seven siblings went on to become a classical music sensation. cbsn.ws/49n3u9D

The upcoming celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is a time to take stock and see if the U.S. is living up to the revolutionary ideals the country was founded upon.

From “Britain’s Got Talent” to the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Kanneh-Masons made their way to classical music stardom. Their mother, Kadie, says her children always call the shots on their careers. cbsn.ws/4p8vnHh

Mother Kadie Kanneh-Mason says that more than once, they nearly defaulted on their mortgage. Every extra dollar went to musical instruments and lessons so the children could pursue classical music. cbsn.ws/3MG5qkX

Seven musicians. Seven instruments. Plenty of sibling rivalry? cbsn.ws/4jcMrum

How do seven siblings reach the highest levels in classical music? The Kanneh-Masons share their theories. cbsn.ws/4j4K5gU

It’s statistically improbable: seven siblings, a family of virtuosos. Meet the Kanneh-Masons, whose world tours and chart-topping albums have brought classical music to new audiences. cbsn.ws/3YFMd5q

“We are a little bit better in suffering, maybe,” says mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa, explaining the resilience of Nepalese compared with Western climbers. cbsn.ws/4qdAA1e

In Everest's death zone, where every minute counts, one stalled climber can trap dozens behind them for hours, turning the mountain into the world’s highest traffic jam. cbsn.ws/49nB9jx

For the first time, expedition companies are using drones to carry equipment loads up Everest. cbsn.ws/3NaOYcm

Everest Base Camp tests every ounce of your resilience, says 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega. Breathing, eating, and sleeping are struggles. The bathroom is a bed of rocks in a flapping tent. The wind is brutal, the cold piercing, and the terrain offers no shelter from the elements.

Commercial expeditions have transformed Everest into high-altitude luxury. Some climbers pay up to $180,000 for premium packages that include private chefs, a movie theater, and even espresso machines.

Mount Everest has never been more commercialized. Almost 500 climbing permits have been issued this season. cbsn.ws/3MGFR3f

“I have seen many people pass away,” says mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa. Death is “always there.” In 2023 alone, 18 people died on Mount Everest. cbsn.ws/4p7AO9l

Inside a 600-year-old Buddhist monastery, 60 Minutes’ Cecilia Vega and her guide, mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa, receive a blessing for safety. cbsn.ws/48PMust

Conrad Anker, one of America’s top mountaineers, discusses the inequity between Western climbers and Nepalese climbers. cbsn.ws/496P3oQ

It took five days of climbing to reach Phortse, a remote village on the way to Everest Base Camp. It is a battle between lungs and gravity. cbsn.ws/4se0hko

Imagine carrying 100-pound loads up Everest. That’s the job of porters. cbsn.ws/4pPnJ5H

Though both Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest together, history has largely spotlighted Hillary. cbsn.ws/3NbW40d

Porters, often carrying nearly twice their body weight, rule the fast lane on the trek to Everest Base Camp. It is a 50-mile journey with an 8,261-foot climb. cbsn.ws/4sampMq

Our 60 Minutes crew starts the journey to Everest Base Camp by dodging animals at 9,337 feet. Prayer wheels mark the way. cbsn.ws/44DfoJT

An Editor’s Note from 60 Minutes

Every year, thousands of people trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. This past spring, we joined them to see what it takes. 60 Minutes’ Cecilia Vega reports, tonight. 60Minutes.com

Often cast as “superhuman,” Sherpas are the porters and guides who risk their lives to help others reach the summit of Everest, often with little recognition. Now, a new generation is hoping to change that. Cecilia Vega reports, Sunday. 60Minutes.com

Cecilia Vega journeys to the Himalayas, trekking to Everest Base Camp. Guiding her is 19-year-old Nima Rinji Sherpa, the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. He’s part of a new generation of Nepali climbers demanding global recognition. Sunday.

Grammy winner John Mellencamp jokes he’s already written about Indiana University football’s epic turnaround; it’s a little tune called “Jack & Diane." cbsn.ws/3XUSMRp

“When I grew up, being a nerd was always a bad thing. However, I think now being a nerd is a little cooler,” says Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. cbsn.ws/4j0dQQ1

Lesley Stahl quoted Norman Lear when she profiled Rob Reiner earlier this year, "Rob's movies all have a human dearness to them."

After switching from acting to directing, Rob Reiner said in 1994 that he doesn't know how to function if he isn't in control. "You've got to let me do everything," he said. Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead Sunday in their Los Angeles home in what police called an apparent homicide.

"I like acting for a day or two because it's fun," Hollywood icon Rob Reiner said in 1994. "But if I had to do it over a long period of time, I think I would get very bored." Reiner said he always thought like a director, even while acting or talking with 60 Minutes.

60 Minutes first profiled filmmaker Rob Reiner in 1994. He spoke about playing "Meathead" in the sitcom "All in the Family." Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found deceased at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday. cbsn.ws/4s3mq4Q

The future of spy bugs may be an actual insect: the Madagascar hissing cockroach. cbsn.ws/4iWSumF

Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany is beefing up its security, increasing military enlistment, and investing in an innovative array of defense technology, including drones and reconnaissance cockroaches. cbsn.ws/4j00y6j

Next week, 60 Minutes' Cecilia Vega makes the perilous journey to Everest's Base Camp. Her guide was a 19-year-old Sherpa, who risks his life to assist climbers.

“You got to adapt, adjust, and improvise,” says Hoosier football Head Coach Curt Cignetti. cbsn.ws/48UA8OH

Indiana University spent more than $60 million on football alone in 2024. But IU Athletics Director Scott Dolson notes, “We earn that money. We make it through our revenue streams.” cbsn.ws/3My2jeN

The Hoosier football turnaround makes a compelling Cinderella story, but this is also a story about how new NCAA rules have changed college sports. cbsn.ws/4iXhhXz

“There's no magic here. It's fundamentals,” coach Curt Cignetti says of Indiana’s rise. The Hoosiers went from losingest program in major college football history to undefeated Big Ten champions. cbsn.ws/4rXNyC0

Football coach Curt Cignetti had a history of winning at his past school, so when he started at Indiana, he was dismayed to find a “can’t get it done here” attitude, and he set out to change that. “I wasn't going to lower my standards,” he says. cbsn.ws/4q6Vy1I

“I've been around through thick and thin,” says die-hard IU fan and Grammy winner John Mellencamp. He’s cheered for the Hoosiers since he was a kid and admits it’s often been “pretty thin.” cbsn.ws/4aaLYX8

This may have been the lowest point in the history of Indiana football. cbsn.ws/4qd1E0Q

“This is the greatest turnaround,” says Don Fischer, who has been the voice of Indiana Hoosier football since 1973. Fischer says the word “turnaround” doesn’t even capture the team’s meteoric rise. cbsn.ws/3XQTUWa

For the first time in Indiana University history, a Hoosier won the Heisman Trophy. Star quarterback Fernando Mendoza tells 60 Minutes that the team's success has given him “a little bit of an imposter syndrome.” cbsn.ws/3Yyw7KJ

Indiana University had always been a basketball school…. no longer. cbsn.ws/3KzALoJ

Ciji Green fought to save her daughter’s life after Medicaid would not pay for a $2 million gene therapy. Green demanded a meeting with their appeals board. She says she wanted them to look her daughter in the eye. The board reversed its decision and she got the drug. cbsn.ws/3KXKXr8

As new, expensive gene therapies are developed to help treat rare and even more common conditions, economist Jonathan Gruber thinks these costs must be absorbed jointly with government support and negotiated prices. cbsn.ws/4pIvgTS

Economist Jonathan Gruber warns a potential cost “tsunami” is coming for employer-sponsored insurance. As new, expensive gene therapies are developed for more common diseases, he says the cost could overwhelm the insurance system. cbsn.ws/3MBwMbW

History continues to weigh on military recruitment in Germany. A recent poll found an overwhelming majority of 15- to 25-year-olds would not take up arms. If volunteer numbers fall short, the government may reintroduce the draft. cbsn.ws/44oSNAO