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Risk Of Life-Threatening Floods, Mudslides As Storm Slams CA; Trump Orders DOJ To Investigate High-Profile Dems' Ties To Epstein; House Expected To Vote Next Week On Releasing Epstein Files; U.S. To Hold Military Drills Off The Coast Of Venezuela; Maduro Calls On Americans To Unite With Venezuela "For Peace". Trump Cuts Ties With Marjorie Taylor Greene Amid Looming Epstein Vote; Trump Lowers Some Tariffs Amid Affordability Concerns; TV Asst. Director Starts Nonprofit That Donates Food From Film Sets. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired November 15, 2025 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: -- premieres tomorrow, Sunday, November 16th, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN, and the next day, on the CNN app.

That is all we have time for now, though. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/audio and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you again next week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This hour in the newsroom, new questions today as President Trump orders the Justice Department to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to other high-profile figures.

Plus, from ally to adversary. Trump's messy political breakup with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been weeks in the making. How the Georgia Republican is now hitting back.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is on her. He is not trying to get on her. He is on our boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So cute. And a close call dramatic moment when a SEAL narrowly escapes a pod of killer whales by hitching a ride on a photographer's boat off the Washington coast. We'll show you what happened next.

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with a dangerous storm system posing a threat to millions of people across Southern California. Officials say some areas could get several months' worth of rain in a matter of hours, and that's raising the risk for dangerous mudslides in vulnerable areas already marred by wildfires earlier this year. And now Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued evacuation orders for those high-risk communities.

Let's bring in now CNN's Julia Vargas Jones in a very rainy Malibu. Julia, tell me more about the conditions there and the threats that it poses.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the rain is intensifying here in Malibu, which is now under a flash flood warning. Authorities are telling residents here that basically seek higher ground and stay away from those burn scar areas. I'm just going to take you a little bit for -- a little show of what we see here.

This, you know, you remember all of this damage from the Palisades fire. There's also, by the way, a marine warning, high waves, high winds coming from the ocean as well. Basically, this community is being hit from both sides here. We saw some very tall waves hitting some of the debris that has been here.

Some of these properties, by the way, still have the Army Corps of Engineers signs for the debris removal. And that is the main concern for authorities here. These hills have the potential to bring down so much debris in the coming hours. And they're telling people to just stay away from these dangerous areas, saying, you know, if you don't have to go out, do not go out.

Three million people under flash flood warnings, not just here in Malibu, it's across Los Angeles County. 20 million under flood warnings across Southern California. This is an atmospheric river. Basically, it means it's this column of moisture just dumping water on this part of the world that is just not used to receiving that much.

And so, of course, the city of Los Angeles, as well as other municipalities around Los Angeles County, have mobilized resources. And we did hear from the Mayor Karen Bass. Just take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES: I encourage all Angelenos to stay safe and prepare for this weekend. Slow down if you're driving and plan ahead for the potential for longer travel times. And please, if you don't have to leave your home, please don't.

I do want Angelenos to know that the city is prepared and we are ready. Our emergency operations center has been activated and city crews are on standby to respond to any fallen trees or impacts to roadways.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VARGAS JONES: And, of course, that is the main concern here. As we drove out here, Fred, we saw so many houses with sandbags and people just getting ready. There's definitely this PTSD response from the fire.

In the mudslides that we saw earlier today, Los Angeles definitely mobilized to try and minimize whatever is the impact as we remain under a flood watch until Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right. Still a long way to go.

Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much, in a very rainy, soggy Malibu.

CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren is here right now tracking these storms. So at least through Sunday?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The worst of it is really kind of now, right? Kind of next hour or two will be winding down. But the threat doesn't end, right, until the end of the weekend. They got another system to talk about.

But the action here in terms of where the dangerous weather is across the U.S. is in Southern California. And this is where the possibility, the potential is there foreseeing some of the more dangerous weather. And that will come with too much rain.

[12:05:11]

So when you look at this, the different colors here, you can think of it as this. One, two, three, moderate to high. So a three out of four. So you're getting up there on getting just too much rain for the earth to handle, especially the burn scar areas.

This is the rain right here. Not seeing as much yellow, orange, and red as we were just over the past couple of hours. But now with so much water already in the ground, on the ground, running off the ground, it's not going to take a lot more for more problems.

More flash flooding, more landslides, rockslides, debris flows. The whole deal. Rocks in the road. Boulders in the road. A lot going on here. The red outlined areas, this is where the flash flood warnings are in effect. Either flash flooding happening or expected to happen shortly.

This right here, within these areas, the warnings are some burn scar areas. Three notable ones here. And with the intense heat of these fires, the lack of vegetation, the soil kind of changes a bit with that heat from the fire. So the water is even more likely to run off because of that and also because there's not as much vegetation.

A couple inches might not sound like a lot, but this time of year, Southern California, a whole month, on average, 2 inches of rain. In the heart of the wet season, maybe 3 inches of rain on the month. So a couple inches is a big deal here, Southern California.

And these potential thunderstorms that could, even this afternoon, still be going, a little bit more hit and miss, but still could drop a lot of water in a short period of time much lighter, at least in coverage, rainfall, but could see intense spots.

And then, Fredricka, here we go again. Another chance for some showers. Not that slug of moisture for the next one tomorrow and tomorrow night, but still could be enough to produce some more flash flooding.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, then that means a lot more anxiety for a lot of people.

WARREN: For sure (ph).

WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Warren, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

All right, meantime, it is stormy, particularly in the nation's capital, because President Trump has publicly now ordered the U.S. Justice Department to investigate high profile Democrats, companies and institutions he claims had dealings with Jeffrey Epstein.

In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi has appointed the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan to handle the probe, even though the DOJ determined four months ago that nothing in the Epstein files warranted further investigation. The latest twist in this saga comes after the President's name turned up repeatedly in just released e-mails from the Epstein estate.

In one of the e-mails, Epstein said Trump, I'm quoting now, "knew about the girls," end quote. He was asked about that reference last night on board Air Force One.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his e-mails when he said you knew about the girls?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know nothing about them. They would have announced that a long time ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Betsy Klein is in Florida where President Trump is spending the weekend. Betsy, the President is making his first comments on this new investigation. What more can you tell us?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, it's becoming increasingly clear that the President is frustrated that he has been unable to shake persistent questions and headlines about Jeffrey Epstein. And we've seen since the Department of Justice released that memo concluding that there was no so-called client list and that Epstein died by suicide earlier this year, that there are growing calls for transparency and information about what the federal government knows from the President's own MAGA base, essentially setting up a loyalty test between the President and this political movement that he created. But we are also expecting another key political test next week when the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote on whether to release the Justice Department's Epstein files. And we are expecting a growing number of members of the President's own party to support that. But the President announced on Friday that he was directing his attorney general, Pamela Bondi, and the Department of Justice to launch a new investigation into some of his political opponents and their potential ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

That includes former President Bill Clinton, the LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, as well as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, JPMorgan Chase, as well as other people and institutions, according to a post to social media from the President. But this really marks the President's most significant effort to discredit what is happening over on Capitol Hill and also divert the attention away from himself.

Now, CNN has been reporting that the White House has been encouraging some of those Republicans who might vote in favor of releasing those documents against doing so. The President asked about that on Air Force One last night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We think it's bad to talk about it because it gets away from the subject of how well the Republicans are doing. We have the greatest economy. We have the largest investment ever made in our country's history. We have all of these great things happen.

We have very little inflation, whereas he had record setting, the biggest inflation in history. All of these things are good. And when you talk about the Epstein hoax, what happens is you're not talking about how well we've done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --

TRUMP: That's the whole purpose behind them. They want to waste people's time. And some of the dumber Republicans like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:10:29]

KLEIN: Now, one of the Republicans who has said she will be voting in favor of releasing those documents is Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally, close friend of the President. But she said in a screenshot of a text that she posted to social media to a White House aide that the White House needs to stop ignoring the women.

She went on to say many of them literally voted for President Trump and say so publicly. Them being raped as teenagers is not a hoax, according to Greene. Now, Greene has also found herself in the President's crosshairs. Trump announcing yesterday that he was going to rescind his endorsement of her, marking what is really a major political breakup, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, keep us posted there as you report from Florida.

All right, despite this latest chain of events involving the Epstein file, some Republicans and many Democrats are pledging to push forward with the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D), ARIZONA: I think that this is all part of the Trump White House's cover up of a massive and unprecedented child sex trafficking operation and another crime underway right now, which is the cover up. Look at what Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, has been doing for months now. He's done everything in his power to postpone discussion of the Epstein files. Allegedly next week we have a vote. I think he's going to lose complete control of his caucus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to talk more about these developments is Nima Rahmani, he is a former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. Nima, always great to see you. So, in your view, has the Trump White House now succeeded at all at putting up a more concrete obstacle in the release of any more Epstein files?

NIMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Fred, I don't think so. Really, one has nothing to do with the other. You have Congress, Article 1, doing their oversight duties. And now the Department of Justice, Article 2, investigating these other individuals. Like Betsy said, I don't think that investigation will go anywhere because the Department of Justice itself said there is no Epstein list. There is no legal basis to charge third parties.

Now, of course, this could be a good political distraction, but I fully expect the House to move forward past that resolution. And then it's just a question of, will the Senate pass it and what will happen? Will President Trump veto it and will Congress be able to override that veto?

WHITFIELD: So these are separate investigations. However, they are going to cross paths, right? Because, I mean, think of the timing now for, you know, Trump's new request for this DOJ investigation. Next week, the House is supposed to vote on whether to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

But, you know, you have to wonder if this new investigation being led by the, you know, DOJ directive, if that stands in the way of the release of any files or documents, many of which the House was going to be voting on and hoping to reveal publicly.

RAHMANI: Well, there's no question there's going to be overlap. And I think from the President's perspective, the best defense is a good offense and that's why he wants to go after some of his political adversaries. But in terms of transparency and releasing the files, that's a much easier question than actually going to the grand jury and potentially charging someone. The problem with the Epstein case is all of the evidence that we're seeing, Epstein's e-mails, Virginia Giuffre's memoir, none of that is admissible in court. It's all hearsay. And a criminal prosecution requires a living, willing and able victim to move forward. Because of the confrontation clause of the Constitution, you can't charge someone unless there's a witness that's going to testify. And the accused has the right to cross-examine that victim.

So to the extent that this is all political fodder, I think that's a separate question than what will actually happen in a courtroom. This is more for the court of public opinion than anything.

WHITFIELD: Do you see that as the DOJ is leading its investigation now, if there are willing alleged victims who want to speak out, whether it's to testify before Congress or speak at all publicly, does this investigation preclude them from doing so?

RAHMANI: Not at all. There's no statute of limitations for federal sex trafficking. So if there is a victim who's willing to come forward to talk to the Department of Justice, to testify before Congress, Fred, that would be a complete game changer because that could be the basis for a criminal prosecution, a civil lawsuit.

[12:15:06]

Obviously, we talked about Virginia Giuffre. She passed -- because of suicide, she probably would have been the most likely and most vocal victim. So we really need someone like that that's willing to come forward, talk about the sexual abuse that they suffered, name names and identify individuals. And of course, the prosecution would be very appropriate under those circumstances.

WHITFIELD: So what has this revealed to you that there was a White House Situation Room discussion in response to released, you know, Epstein e-mail information? You know, and now that you've got this Manhattan, you know, U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton, who is more generally accustomed to corporate law, and now he is helping to lead this investigation at the urging of the White House. Is it your view that, you know, the White House can really do anything to stop this train from moving forward?

RAHMANI: I don't think so. I think politically it's well on its way. And you're right, Fred, Jay Clayton's background has been primarily securities. He did lead the SEC. There's really no one in that office now that has experience handling this type of case.

Obviously, Maurene Comey was the last individual. She was involved. The Ghislaine Maxwell prosecution, Sean Diddy Combs, she was terminated at the request of the attorney general. So they're really starting from scratch here. And again, if there is evidence that we're not aware of, maybe that could be the basis of a criminal prosecution. But right now, this is just a political crisis more than a legal one.

I mean, there's no question it may affect the President's legacy. And, of course, there are some people who think that he's involved in all this and other individuals as well. The Bill Clintons, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffmans of the world. I'm sure this is the last thing they want to deal with.

But as far as being dragged into a courtroom, Fred, I just don't see that happening based on the evidence we've seen so far.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nima Rahmani, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Fred. Talk soon.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, escalating pressure. The U.S. military planning new drills in the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela over alleged drug boat strikes.

Plus, a major reversal on some of President Trump's tariffs to help lower grocery prices. The items that could soon cost less.

And one lucky person is nearly $1 billion richer where the winning Mega Millions ticket was sold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:22:14]

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, the tiny Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago says it will conduct five days of military drills with the U.S. starting tomorrow. The islands are right off the coast of Venezuela. The last several weeks, the U.S. has built up its forces in the Caribbean, including its largest aircraft carrier. The USS Gerald Ford is in position there.

While on Air Force One Friday, President Trump was asked about his intentions in Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you made up your mind on what you would like to do as far as action?

TRUMP: I sort of made up my mind. I mean, can't tell you what it would be but I sort of made up my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. has launched 20 attacks on boats in the Caribbean, saying they were targeting drug traffickers. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Stefano, how is Venezuela reacting to all of this?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that Venezuela, Fredricka, is bracing for something to happen in the next few hours, weeks, days. We really don't know when that could happen, but the idea of Donald Trump saying that he has sort of made up his mind, and then subsequently we'll learn that there are military exercises, drills, off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, which, by the way, it's really just a 20-mile boat ride from Trinidad and Tobago to get into Venezuela, to get into an area that is notoriously for the drug trafficking.

It feels like that that is yet another step. We've been here, we've seen the tide coming, the tide coming. Every week that has passed, there has been a consequential step that is getting closer and closer to potentially the United States really taking direct action within Venezuela. That would be a strike on Venezuelan territory, which is, frankly, unheard of.

The Venezuelan President has been on television almost every day this past week, always trying to present himself as a peaceful negotiator, asking for peace, and asking not to open yet another endless war. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELA (through translation): It is to the people of the United States that I speak to at this moment. Before these 100 jurors from 34 countries to say, stop the insane hand of those who order bombing, killing, and bringing war to South America, to the Caribbean.

Stop the war. No to war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: More closer to home in the next few hours here in Caracas, where we will once again see reports, supporters of Nicolas Maduro taking to the streets, especially in the slums to the east of where I am. It's not really massive mobilizations. The government of Nicolas Maduro is not popular right now here in Venezuela after more than 10 years of deep authoritarian repressive rule.

[12:25:07]

However, it still can mobilize thousands, if not tens of thousands of people across the nation, and that is why I think that they're trying to move their base, try to ruffle up their bases, to prepare for what could well indeed happen very soon.

WHITFIELD: All right, lots of volatility.

Stefano Pozzebon in Venezuela, thanks so much.

POZZEBON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, bitter breakup. President Trump turning on Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, dropping support of her as the U.S. House prepares to vote on whether to release the Epstein files.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, a political earthquake within the MAGA movement as Republicans prepare for a vote that could force the Trump administration to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump says he's withdrawing support now for one of his former top allies, GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, accusing her in a series of social media posts of betraying Republicans as she breaks with the party on key issues, including backing the release of the Epstein files. Last night on Air Force One, Trump unleashed on Greene on his way to Mar-a-Lago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that her constituents aren't going to be happy. Already, I have people calling me. They want to challenge her to a race in her district in Georgia. And, you know, that's too bad. She's lost a wonderful conservative reputation. But when she says, don't go overseas, if I didn't go overseas, we might be in a war right now with China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's discuss more now with CNN senior political reporter, Aaron Blake. Aaron, great to see you. OK, well --

AARON BLAKE, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: -- you know, Marjorie Taylor Greene has been front and center for quite a bit now, right? Especially in recent days and weeks, she's been on a roll with television interviews and appearances, you know, seemingly putting some distance between herself and Trump's agenda and now with the Epstein files. So was this kind of reaction from Trump to be expected?

BLAKE: I think so. I think it's -- it's part of his effort to try and push his party away from this issue, away from playing ball with trying to get all these files released. I think it's tempting to look at this and think, oh, it's kind of a fun, dramatic sideshow here.

But I think this is actually, in a lot of ways, really significant. And that's because a lot of elements of the MAGA movement like Marjorie Taylor Greene were very interested in this issue for a very long time. Were very interested in the Epstein files.

And then when the Trump administration kind of went away from their promises of full disclosure on this issue, a lot of those people followed suit and said, oh, they kind of dropped the issue a little bit. They didn't focus on it nearly as much. But this is an issue that really animates some of the more conspiratorial elements, some of the very passionate elements of the MAGA movement like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

And so to the extent that she is not willing to go along with that effort to kind of set this aside and move beyond it, that's significant because this is an issue that has animated so many portions of that party. And it kind of gives them a counterpoint to what the President is doing right now and say, hey, maybe there is something here. Maybe we should actually look at what's in these files.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And so far she's not backing down just because this is upsetting to Trump. I mean, she's actually responding in a few different ways. And most recently saying, "astonishing how hard Trump is fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out." Are Trump's attacks on Greene kind of a warning shot to other Republicans who might be considering voting to release the files? I mean, are they nervous about supporting the release of the fire -- files at the risk of losing support of Trump?

BLAKE: Yes. I think there's no question that this is a warning shot to those Republicans. We've had in recent days House Republican leadership talking about the idea that they could see mass defections on this vote that is now going to be happening on the Epstein files. And that's a bad thing for the administration.

So we're seeing Trump apply this pressure on the front end, basically warning these members that there is a potential price to pay here. And this is a strategy that has served him really well over the course of his political career. He's really kept the Republican Party in line by essentially threatening to pull his support from people, to turn his supporters against them. What's really interesting here with Marjorie Taylor Greene, I think, is that unlike a lot of those Republicans who respond to this by kind of backing down and saying, oh, you know, the President and I just disagree on this and -- and kind of trying to tamp this down.

She's fighting back pretty hard. She's saying, look, the President, you know, doesn't want to see what's in the Epstein files for some reason. Maybe there's something in there that's not good for him. I think that's really interesting to see her kind of double down on this issue, even in the face of that pressure.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, her point of view on this in terms of her allegiance, what had been her allegiance to the President is certainly a big contrast. Now, what has been consistent is that she's always been very bold. You know, she has never seemed to -- to really back down or even be subtle about her point of view, and she's doing the same thing here.

So one of the top leaders in the evangelical movement, Tony Perkins, the president of the Conservative Family Research Council, says there's a perception of a cover-up coming from the White House that's eroding public trust. So are we seeing Trump's base feeling the same way that Tony Perkins is -- is expressing, which is very similar to what Margie Taylor Greene is now saying? I mean, is that kind of cacophony growing?

[12:35:26]

BLAKE: Yes, it's a really interesting question, because, like I said, a lot of the MAGA movement has kind of dropped this issue to some extent. They haven't necessarily aligned with Trump's nothing-to-see- here mentality, and they, in a lot of cases, actually disapprove of how this has been handled, both by the president and by his administration.

But I do think what you're seeing here is, with the likes of Margie Taylor Greene, like this comment that you're seeing from Tony Perkins, the way the administration has handled this is giving them reason to believe that there is something beneath the surface, that there's something that the Trump administration doesn't want to be out there.

Why would President Trump care so much about this if there wasn't something in there that he was worried about reflecting poorly on him or some people that he knows? There -- he's really kind of feeding the beast in a lot of ways. And we haven't seen the MAGA movement more broadly embrace the idea that Trump is in on the cover-up or something like that, but I do think we're starting to see some voices become a little bit bolder in -- in warning about that. And I think Trump has really fed that in a lot of ways with how he's handled this whole issue.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very fascinating. And it's really just beginning all over again, isn't it? Aaron Blake, thank you so much.

All right. And this quick programming note, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will be speaking to CNN Live tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, on State of the Union. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:28]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. The Trump administration is scrambling to make good on a campaign promise that, by his own account, won him re-election to bring down prices. One solution, reversing Trump policy on tariffs on some agricultural imports.

The President yesterday signed an executive order to retroactively lower tariffs on beef, tomatoes, coffee, and bananas. This excludes the items from reciprocal tariff rates but does not remove the tax entirely. The move comes after Trump claimed falsely that prices have fallen during his administration.

CNN correspondent Rafael Romo is joining me live now from a food giveaway event in Atlanta. So, Rafael, what are you hearing from folks? What are their, you know, stories, expectations, and what are they walking away with?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot of people in very difficult situations right now, Fred. Here behind me you have the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. And then on the other side of the street, this is the National Historical Park, MLK's National Historical Park.

And as you can see here behind me, there's a whole line where people are coming over to collect their food. Right here on this table you have vegetables. The next table has chicken. There's also a table that has potatoes. We saw many, many trucks with lots of food.

And the reality is that some of the people here are telling us that the need is great because they're serving people who are either underemployed or people who are employed and have been affected by things like the government shutdown, the problem with some parts of the economy and inflation.

And so I had an opportunity to talk to Pastor Stokes from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church earlier that has joined forces with the King Center to serve 1,500 people today. And this is what she had to say. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CARLA STOKES, EXECUTIVE PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: We've seen an increased need. We've seen seniors coming that need assistance. We've seen families. Of course they had their SNAP benefits cut or changed or altered, and it's caused such a ripple effect. We've seen federal employees absolutely coming needing food because they were stretching their dollars to try to pay their bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Stretching their dollars. That's what we're hearing a lot here today, Fred. And the reality is that many people are not even looking forward for Thanksgiving. One of those beneficiaries told me that the problem that she's facing right now has to do with what she's going to have for dinner tonight. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MS. WILLIAMS, FOOD DRIVE RECIPIENT: It's every day. It's tonight. I need dinner for tonight. So that's how serious it is for me. I'm not trying to get holidays. This is going to make a huge, huge difference in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And yes, the good news here is that the government shutdown has come to an end. The good news is that the President has lowered tariffs on some basic items, basic groceries. But for many of these people, Fred, the people that are being served today, and there's another car coming in right now, all those measures may be too little too late. Now back to you.

WHITFIELD: Oh, and I love the cheering. At first I thought everybody was cheering for you. You're doing a great job out there. But I see that they are really cheering for, you know, the folks who are both volunteering, helping out, and the -- and the people who are in need to come in enthusiastically and --

[12:45:08]

ROMO: And if I may Fred?

WHITFIELD: -- yes, take away good stuff. Yes.

ROMO: The idea here and what the volunteers were being told is that they are not giving charity. They are helping people and their family. And so they are being greeted as if they're family and they're giving them all the dignity and -- and just great, great vibes from all of these volunteers.

WHITFIELD: That's so nice because it always, you know, for a lot of people, it doesn't really feel good to -- to have to be in need, but it's beautiful that they're making them feel good that, you know, everyone is here to help out in the best way that they can. All right, Rafael Romo there in Atlanta, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, a dramatic escape caught on camera. And this was the star of the show, that seal climbing out of the water onto a boat to escape a pod of orcas and that was a really cute moment. And it's a happy ending too.

And check your tickets. One lucky person is nearly $1 billion richer today. Where the winning Mega Millions ticket was sold, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:55]

WHITFIELD: OK, Georgia viewers or anyone who happened to be passing through the state in the last week or so, check your lottery tickets. One single ticket won the $980 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold just south of Atlanta in Noonan at a Publix grocery store. Take a look. Here are the winning numbers, 1, 8, 11, 12, 57, and the Mega Ball of 7.

This is the 8th largest prize in the game's history. And with a prize this big, the Georgian winner can remain anonymous. This is the largest Mega Millions prize since the game's overhaul in April, which raised ticket prices to $5 a piece.

All right, you've got to see this video of a seal's dramatic escape from a pod of killer whales. An amateur, yes, a poor thing, but it's a happy ending. An amateur wildlife photographer was enjoying a boat ride off the Seattle coast when she suddenly spotted this cute little guy in distress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you poor thing. I am shaking right now. He is on. He is not trying to get off. He is on our boat. You're good. Just stay buddy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He fell in?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He fell in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's back on. He's back on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, bye buddy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Can you believe that? OK, so it fell off, it got right back on, and then, you know, thanks to those great photographers there, they decided to take her for a ride a little bit, and then she dropped off into another area of safety.

[12:53:04] All right, and now to this woman. She led her country through some of its greatest crises, and now she's looking ahead to her next chapter. Take an intimate look into the extraordinary political career and life of New Zealand's former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, in the new CNN film, Prime Minister. That's tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN, and the next day on the CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Voting is underway for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. And we're reintroducing each of the top five heroes. Hollywood productions involve hundreds of people working behind the scenes, often fueled by gourmet meals provided on set. Well, assistant director Hilary Cohen was always disturbed that leftover food ended up in the trash. So she took action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY COHEN, CNN HERO: Working on a film set with this whole team of people, a prop department, a classroom department, an electric department, and a lot of people that need to be fed.

There's just so much food that's available, steak and salads. So much good food every day. When lunch was over, they would just throw it out. It doesn't make any sense. I really was always told we can't donate the food. It's too hard. If someone gets sick, it's liability.

As an assistant director, I was the logistical planner of a set. This is just the logistical problem. I think it's so easy to solve.

Every Day Action picks food up from film sets, corporate events, grocery stores to deliver the food to those in need.

UNKNOWN: It's nice to meet you.

COHEN: We're the GrubHub. We take it from point A to point B. At the beginning, it was just me and Sam, one of my co-assistant directors in the heart of COVID. We had this big cooler from Walmart, thermal bags, just picking the food up.

I would like to see what the fancy meal is of the day.

Someone in T.V. said that's like our bread and butter. All you have to do is give us the call sheet, sign liability over, and the food is ours.

STEPHEN FAUST, EXECUTIVE CHEF: For decades, it broke my heart to throw food away. So, we're happy to do it. It's just like clockwork. They show up.

COHEN: Hi, it's so good to see you.

[13:00:01]

FAUST: We pass off the food, and we're all set.

COHEN: We pay production assistance and background artists, and then they drive the food from place to place.

FAUST: Salads. Too many foods.

UNKNOWN: There you go.

UNKNOWN: Thank you.

COHEN: So, it started with encampments.

Would you like some free food?

Then it's food pantries, nonprofits. Anyone that's struggling with food insecurities.

Here's three meals, and I'm going to get you some sides, too.

Giving someone that's hungry-food is the best thing one can do.

UNKNOWN: Thank you so much. Oh, God bless you.

COHEN: And that's about 80,000 meals a year that we save from landfills. I feel like my skill set is like called to do this. Now, more than ever, we have to help each other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. So generous. So great. You can go to CNN.com/heroes right now to vote for Hillary for CNN Hero of the Year or any of your favorite top five heroes.