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California Man Accused Of Sending Money To ISIS; Grieving Residents Call For Improved Flood Alert Warnings; Trump Fires Labor Statistics Chair For Weak Jobs Data; Families Rush To Beat Tariffs In Back-To-School Shopping; Trump, Allies Mount Pressure Campaign Ahead Of Midterms; Half-Million Young Catholics Flock To Rome For Youth Jubilee; Atlanta Pastor Documents A Week Spent Living On The Streets. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 02, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: For almost every day of Joe Hunt's two trials for the killings of Ron Levin and Hedayat Eslaminia, so what was it like, you know, to see Joe representing himself in the Eslaminia trial?

RANDALL SULLIVAN, AUTHOR, "THE PRICE OF EXPERIENCE: POWER, MONEY, IMAGE AND MURDER IN LOS ANGELES": Well, I wasn't present when Joe was doing that case. I did go down. I was working for the "New Yorker" then to -- and I interviewed all the jurors and the prosecutors and the defense attorneys, and some I did have a pretty full grasp of it but I'd already sat through two trials with Joe as a defendant already.

So I was pretty familiar with everything about the case. But how Joe felt about it and as it happened, there was a movie producer who was trying to get me involved with him in business, and he had befriended Joe, and Joe was writing him regularly from jail. And the producer was sharing the letters with me. So I was pretty well-versed in what it was Joe was telling himself and telling others.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Did it surprise you? I mean, some of the details that you were learning? Were you thinking to yourself like, wow, how is it that this is actually happening? I mean, it certainly writes like a movie.

SULLIVAN: Yes. I mean, when I when the details first came out and I would say that, you know, when I was really startled and shocked was there was a -- there was a preliminary hearing in the Eslaminia case and I was there for that. And when Dean Carney testified and described what had happened, I think we were all in shock because these were, you know, privileged little preppy boys who looked like they, you know, they maybe would do something naughty. But not, you know, this kind of heinous crime.

And you know, I think everybody was trying to put it into some sort of frame that they could understand and -- but Joe's presence loomed over it all so overwhelmingly that he, you know, he became the story.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, it's been a really fascinating series thanks to your enlightenment of it in the very early stages.

Randall Sullivan, thank you so much. We look forward to seeing now the final episode of the CNN Original Series, "Billionaire Boys Club," premiering Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. Thank you so much.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour in California, where federal agents have arrested a man for allegedly sending money to ISIS. They identified 28-year-old Mark Lorenzo Villanueva as the suspect and recovered what appears to be a homemade bomb. They recovered it from his home. Court documents also allege he sent a dozen payments totaling more than $1600 to two individuals who accessed those funds overseas.

Officials say Villanueva is a permanent U.S. resident originally from the Philippines and faces up to now 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

For more insight into the investigation, I'm joined now by CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore, who is also a retired FBI supervisory special agent.

Great to see you, Steve. So in a case like this, what would have led investigators to this suspect?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it's kind of something that they probably don't want to talk about, excuse me, as to how they got on to him. It's very possible that if you're making transactions with certain people overseas who are bad actors, maybe those -- maybe those funds, maybe those contacts are being monitored. And if you're -- if you're giving money to people that the U.S. government knows are terrorists, they're going to want to know more about it.

WHITFIELD: And then what about this apparent homemade bomb that investigators say they found in his bedroom? I mean, how will they evaluate it to try to figure out who made it? Where did it come from, I mean, if it, you know, his fingerprints were on it, so to speak, or if this is part of some other elaborate scheme?

MOORE: Well, they're going to obviously first render the device safe. Then they're going to dissect it basically for exactly what you just said. Who made this? How did they learn to do this? What kind of technology is this?

This, you know, looking at this in my experience on the terrorism task force, this doesn't look like a high powered device that would have been something you would be taught to make, say, at a training camp for ISIS.

[15:05:10]

But it is -- it is, you know, it appears to be aerosol cans and ball bearings, which is lethal. It's just a matter of its effective range. So, yes, this is a lethal weapon here. But they'll want to know, you know, how he made it, and each bomb gives different information on the maker.

WHITFIELD: Do you believe this -- you know, this is -- I mean, that authorities really did thwart a potential attack?

MOORE: Whether or not they thwarted an attack in the long term, I don't know, but certainly in the short term, what he's guilty of is material support for terrorists, which is a very serious crime, which the terrorism task forces, especially the L.A. Joint Terrorism Task Force, are looking at and looking for constantly because you don't want these people exchanging ideas, thoughts and plans.

WHITFIELD: Does this, in your view, kind of exemplify any increased sympathy in the U.S. for groups like this?

MOORE: It could. It could it, Fred. We just are not going to know until we -- until we know how many people he was speaking to. Look, if he was speaking to these people and giving money to them, it is very likely that he had a wide net of people who he was interested in and the -- and the task force right now is probably dissecting everything he's got on his computers and social media to find out everyone he was talking to.

So sometimes an arrest like this can be much more important in the grand scheme of things than just getting this one person off the streets because it could give you an idea of people all through L.A. and the United States who he has been communicating with.

WHITFIELD: OK. Steve Moore, thanks so much.

MOORE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. FEMA is now planning to release nearly $1 billion in much needed funding following a CNN report last week on plans to cut the funding. CNN obtained a notice to states sent out on Friday, noting that FEMA is now taking applications for more than a dozen disaster and security grant programs. States are allowed to use the grant money to manage disaster preps, as well as incidents like terror attacks.

FEMA issued internal memos last week making it clear it planned to eliminate the programs, which would have required White House and congressional sign off. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed plans to release the funds, but calls the notion that it reversed course, I'm quoting now, "a load of hogwash."

All right. State lawmakers in Texas heard some emotional testimony from residents this week, as Monday marks one month since that deadly flash flooding that claimed 136 lives in Texas Hill Country on Independence Day. Thursday's hearing revealed key officials from Kerr County were absent from an emergency briefing call held before the tragic flash flooding. Officials faced strong criticism at the hearing, and residents and grieving family members pressed for accountability and concrete steps to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY ZDUNKEWICZ, FLOOD SURVIVOR: Had there been early detection of the rising waters and sirens, we may have been able to leave in time to get to higher ground safely. I heard someone else say that they didn't think that that was necessary or would save lives and hunt, and they are dead wrong. And frankly, that's offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us now is Tony Plohetski, an investigative reporter for the "Austin American-Statesman."

Great to see you. So, you know, what stood out to you about the hearing this week? I mean, people were really pouring out their hearts.

TONY PLOHETSKI, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN: They absolutely were. I think one of the things that really came through was certainly the amount of suffering and the amount of loss among people who live in Kerr County. They brought that to the hearing to tell lawmakers in this venue about the loss and about their efforts now to not only recover, but, Fredricka, to also prevent something like this or to mitigate this type of natural disaster in the future.

And that was the point of this hearing. Number one, it was held in Kerr County. This extraordinary hearing for people to tell lawmakers in their own community, in their own town, about that. But of course, what has generated perhaps the most attention are those revelations about the whereabouts of three key county officials at the time that this was all unfolding.

[15:10:11]

WHITFIELD: Yes, that was extraordinary. I mean, because that was unexpected, that was a surprise that perhaps that that some very important people were not on the call. It's not necessarily the issue anymore that they weren't invited to call or didn't know about it, but that they weren't in attendance. So is there a uniform explanation about that?

PLOHETSKI: And it's important to note, not only were they not on the call leading into the disaster, but as this disaster was unfolding in those early morning hours of July 4th, we now know that the county judge was at a lake house, not on the job. We know that the Office of Emergency Management director was apparently ill and had told supervisors that he was sick and was not available as this disaster was unfolding.

And then we now know through his own testimony, through his own words, that the sheriff, the leading law enforcement officer of that county, did not wake up until sometime around 4:30 after floodwaters had already swept through much of the county, including summer camps. As we know, Camp Mystic, sort of one of the epicenters of this tragedy. So that really brought a lot of intense and emotional questioning from lawmakers, not only trying to get to the bottom of a timeline, but at the same time saying in the future, what can counties do to better prepare their local officials so that they are on the job, they are on the clock when something like this is happening in their communities?

WHITFIELD: So all of that was hugely revealing. But I wonder among the Texas lawmakers, did it appear as though there's any real promise about, you know, what has to take place, preventative measures that have to be, you know, put in place that uniformly seem to be welcome among lawmakers.

PLOHETSKI: And that is the work and the conversation that is unfolding.

Fredricka, as you know, Texas is in a special legislative session right now. And there are efforts to push across the finish line during this special session some of the proposed legislation, but lawmakers were also clear that some of the efforts to better prepare the state and counties within Texas for this type of disaster are efforts that are going to take much longer than that, and really trying to get to some sort of a unisys about -- unifying answer about what they can do in the future, whether or not that sirens, better cell phone coverage in rural areas of the state, better training for first responders. Those are all issues that are part of the conversation now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tony Plohetski, thank you so much. All the best in your continued great journalism with the "Austin American- Statesman." Appreciate it.

All right. Still ahead, President Trump fires a top official after revised job numbers showed minimal growth over the past three months. We'll dive into this decision to remove this official and the president's reasoning.

And a new round of tariffs after they were postponed for months. The prices parents could see as they go back to school shopping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:12]

WHITFIELD: All right. After a new stunning report showed hiring has slowed significantly across the country, President Trump has unleashed his fury firing the official in charge of releasing the data.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had some difficulties with her and there have been a lot of questions, and we fired her because we didn't believe the numbers today.

I was saying to myself, I wonder who does this? And when I checked, I said, this person is very suspect to me. So we thought --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So the accusation is this person was essentially cooking the books and the numbers are not accurate? The jobs numbers are not accurate? TRUMP: Well, I think there's some strange things going on because just

before -- same person, just before the election, you know, they came out with these great numbers. And I said, I don't believe those numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Julia Benbrook is in New Jersey, where the president is spending the weekend at his Bedminster estate.

So what kind of reaction -- what more reaction is the president giving?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this story continues to draw attention today as more questions swirl about what this could mean for the data going forward, what type of precedent this sets. After a weaker-than-expected jobs report was announced, President Donald Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, and he has accused her without evidence of working with the numbers essentially, and has repeatedly said that he just doesn't believe that the numbers are correct.

Now, let's take a closer look at the numbers that seem to have caused this frustration. This report came out and it showed that just 73,000 jobs were added in July. That was less than was initially expected. And some administration officials did express disappointment with that. But on top of that, the numbers in May and June were significantly revised downward compared to what was originally announced.

[15:20:06]

And although those numbers are worse than initially reported, it is normal to see revisions throughout this process. And Trump has said, even in a social media post, that this is his opinion, writing that in his opinion, he believes that the numbers were rigged in order to make Republicans, and then in all capital letters, me, look bad for extra emphasis there.

This is something that Democrats are slamming Trump for, for letting go of the commissioner over this report. Here's more of what Democratic leader -- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had to say on the floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): What is a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger. That's just what happened with the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He ought to start governing like a leader, not like someone who imitates authoritarian leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, McEntarfer was appointed by President Joe Biden. That's something that Trump has pointed out. But she was overwhelmingly confirmed in the Senate. The vote was actually 86 to eight. Two of those important votes at the time were from two big members of Trump's team, then Ohio Senator JD Vance and then Florida Senator Marco Rubio, both supported her.

For now, the deputy commissioner is stepping into an acting role while Trump looks for someone to replace her on a more long-term basis. He says there is a lot of interest in this position and suggested that there were three names that come to mind. He did not deliver more details, though, on who he might be looking at -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, let us know when you learn.

Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

OK, so it's back to school shopping season and a top item on the list this year, avoiding tariffs. As families get their kids ready for another year of learning, they're also looking for the best deals on supplies with President Trump's tariffs concerning a lot of parents about prices going up.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more from Los Angeles.

So, Julia, what are parents saying as they're shopping?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, more than ever, Fred, they are taking advantage of this last little bit of summer to get their back to school shopping done. They're saying that they want to take advantage of all these retailers who are holding the line and not passing along any hikes to consumers while they still have this pre- tariff inventory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): The steepest tariff hikes in modern history, taking place just weeks before millions of children across the country go back to school, pushing families to move fast before prices go up.

KRISTIN SILBERMAN, MOM AND TEACHER: The tariffs are definitely a little scary. We're trying to get ahead of time because we don't know what's going to happen.

JONES: This year, two-thirds of American families started shopping for the school year in July, the highest number on record. Fearing prices will soon rise due to tariffs, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation.

KATHERINE CULLEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: As consumers start to feel that the tariffs might be a little more real, might be coming into effect a little more quickly. They decided to kind of shift their attitude towards buying now, with the idea that things may be cheaper at this moment than they will be down the road.

JONES: An economist at the Yale Budget Lab estimates that in the short term, prices on electronics, including computers, could rise by 18 percent and clothing, one of the U.S.'s top imports by 37 percent. Goods from China, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are all affected.

Bracing for even higher prices, Americans are also pulling back on spending, budgeting for about $858 per family on clothes, school supplies and electronics this year down 2 percent from last year.

With shoppers spending less big box stores are fighting for every dollar. Target is advertising 30 percent off of school supplies and promising to not raise prices on 20 of their most popular items.

(Voice-over): Another retail giant, Walmart, says 14 of their most popular school supplies cost less than last year. And online, Amazon saw a 175 percent spike in back-to-school sales during July's Prime Day event. But once their pre-tariff inventory runs out, higher prices will inevitably catch up to the consumer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on-camera): And Fred, experts say that it will take about two to four weeks for Americans to start feeling the impact of those tariffs. But the full effect won't be really felt until about eight months from now. And of course, it's not just back-to-school items.

[15:25:02]

We're talking about everything from toys to furniture, shoes and even alcohol. So I would say people could take advantage of that and get their Christmas shopping done early, too.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Get it all done before back to school and before the holidays. All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much.

All right. The presidential election was less than a year ago, but the pressure is already ramping up towards midterm elections in 2026. The influence President Trump is having, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. Next year's midterms are critical for both President Trump and Democrats. But with months to go until the first ballots are cast, efforts to intimidate and undermine those results are already underway.

CNN's Fredreka Schouten is following this for us.

Fredreka, good to see you. Always love saying our name, and seeing you. Good to see you. OK. So walk us through exactly what is happening.

FREDREKA SCHOUTEN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL WRITER: There is really growing fear among election officials around the country of federal intrusions into elections. And there are several reasons why. There have been a bunch of actions that have happened since President Trump has returned to the White House. Back in March, for instance, he signed an executive order that tries to force states to require people to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote, like your birth certificate or a passport or something of the like, which is not required right now.

You sign a document saying -- attesting that you are a citizen when you register to vote, and it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. His executive order also tries to get states to not accept any ballots that arrive after election day. 18 states rely on mail, take except mail ballots, and as long as they're postmarked by election day, they accept them. But there are other actions underway.

For instance, the Department of Justice has been sending out these pretty broad requests to states asking for information about their voter rolls, their procedures for removing ineligible voters from those rolls, and whether they would enter into information sharing agreements with the federal government on finding election fraud. And then finally and significantly, the Texas legislature right now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is undertaking a rare mid-decade redistricting to try and squeeze some more Republican seats out of the state.

And what they've done is they've shifted about five seats that are Democrats right now into seats that Donald Trump could win. And as you said, the midterms are absolutely crucial. There is a very narrow majority in the House. And this is one tactic to try to shore up Republicans' chances.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, how concerned are election officials about attempts to interfere with their jobs?

SCHOUTEN: Actually, they're very concerned. I've been talking to a number of election officials in the states and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University recently had a very interesting poll of election officials. And they found that 59 percent are concerned about some sort of political leaders and political leaders interfering with their jobs. And 46 percent said that they were concerned about politically motivated investigations into them.

When you total up the very worried and somewhat worried, you're seeing that there's a lot of -- a lot of concern out there. And they're not quite sure what to do because they are worried that basically the Trump administration will use the authority of the federal government to interfere in some way.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fredreka Schouten, great to see you. Thank you so much for that report.

All right. Up to one million Catholic youth from around the world have gathered this weekend in Rome. Take a look at the crowds. We'll take you there to this event that some are calling the "Catholic Woodstock."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:20] WHITFIELD: All right. A half million young Catholics flocking to Rome from more than 140 countries for what's being dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock." It's happening right now. Concerts, tents, water cannons, all part of the Vatican's Youth Jubilee. Pope Leo celebrating with an open air prayer vigil this evening and then morning mass on Sunday.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is joining us now from Rome.

You're in the thick of it all. What's happening there right now?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as I think you saw earlier, Pope Leo had a rock star welcome when he arrived earlier this evening for this prayer vigil. The crowds were cheering and rushing over to the Popemobile as he toured the stadium here.

There are hundreds of thousands of young people from across the globe. Now, although it's been a party atmosphere, a celebratory atmosphere for much of this week of youth celebrations, this evening has also been marked by some moments of quite profound stillness and contemplation. We've just witnessed that a few moments ago when the whole of this park here in Rome was silent. You could hear a pin drop as they prayed together with Pope Leo.

Leo also responding to questions from young people speaking in English, Spanish and Italian. He took a question from a young American man who asked him about the importance of silence and contemplation. Leo addressing all sorts of different topics in those -- in that question and answer session. And now, as I said, there's been this time of prayer. There's been music, as you can hear behind me.

[15:40:03]

It's been quite an extraordinary evening. And of course, an important moment for this Pope who has only been elected less than 100 days ago. This kind of first major gathering between him and young people. So Pope Leo receiving a rapturous welcome, but also tonight has been a moment of reflection and calm, really quite extraordinary. The silence that was across this huge stadium here just outside of Rome -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I can imagine the silence and the acoustics all quite extraordinary. All in one live shot with you.

Christopher Lamb, thank you so much.

All right. Still to come, an Atlanta pastor spent a week living on the streets to better connect with some of those most in need.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PASTOR MAYO SOWELL, CO-FOUNDER, LIIV ATLANTA CHURCH: I see a lot of kids, man. With moms, which is sad. See, one young lady, she got three -- she got three --

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The pastor will be joining us live in minutes to talk about what he learned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:50]

WHITFIELD: One Atlanta pastor stepped out from behind the pulpit to find a closer connection to the homeless community in his own city. Pastor Mayo Sowell spent a week living on the streets with only some basic necessities, and now he has turned that experience into a documentary. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband --

SOWELL: I'm praying by this cardboard in here. I got woke up by the security guard. But if I try to figure too much, I will talk myself out of going. I don't even know what day it is right now. It's like one kind of under a tree. Looked like somebody might stay here every once in a while because as you can see, somebody used a blanket to keep a blanket off the ground and there's some cans back there, stuff. And I really don't feel comfortable right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More than 770,000 people experience homelessness in 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And how American cities and towns deal with this crisis could be about to change. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order making it easier for local jurisdictions to remove homeless people from the streets.

Pastor Mayo Sowell is here to talk more about your experience, why you decided to do this. I mean, what inspired you to say, you know what, I'm going to -- for a week, I'm going to live on the streets, I want to see and feel, and I want to observe?

SOWELL: Yes. You know, my wife and I, we ran into one of our neighbors, and they was unhoused. And, you know, the first thing that happened inside of us was empathy. And then, you know, when someone empathized with someone in a situation like that, you want to engage. But we was like, you know, let's take a step back and educate ourselves because you can engage and assume you think you know what they need or you think --

WHITFIELD: How did people end up on the streets.

SOWELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Everyone doesn't have the same story.

SOWELL: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder what your expectations were. You know, when you first embarked on it did you think you, you know, would learn more about the people on the street, how they got there, what they're living like on a day to day? Or did you kind of -- did you also have your own preconceived notions about what it would be, who was there and why they got there?

SOWELL: I went in with assumptions, and I think day two, my assumptions changed, you know? And what I found was it's a lot of people one paycheck away from being in their situations. And of course, you know, we found out from what they need from the inside that can help them. So it's kind of around their needs instead of our assumptions. And we learned that and we want to help as a church.

WHITFIELD: And so -- and you documented it along the way.

SOWELL: Yes, ma'am. Yes.

WHITFIELD: And how are you hoping this documentary is going to open the eyes of people about, you know, the plight of being homeless? How perhaps everyone can help? And, you know, what's your response to, say, the president's directive on allowing localities to say, you know, let's remove people. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're giving them a place, you know, some other alternatives, but it's removing homelessness from the view of the masses.

SOWELL: Yes. So for us, we set out, we have two primary outcomes. The first outcome is we want to accelerate those financially that specialize in helping that community, which is our neighbors. So we want to help. So we're going to take up an offering for our church and the people within the city of Atlanta. And we're going to accelerate the mission and vision of those who help the unhoused.

So that's the first outcome that were going to do. 100 percent of the proceeds go to these organizations. The second thing is we want to bring awareness to it because I feel that everyone has a responsibility. And to your question about, you know, the president's order, I think and I really believe biblically it is our responsibility. The administrations will change. But our responsibility will stay the same and we can help them as a people.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps your empathy, you know, is ingrained in a lot of different ways. I mean, you have an incredible, you know, lifelong journey yourself. You know, as a college football star with Auburn University, becoming an NFL star, and then, you know, there was a turn.

[15:50:09]

Something happened and it led you to federal prison for a drug related charge. And then becoming a pastor. I mean, what do you credit to your motivation, you know, to really be in the driver's seat of your destiny, how you turn things around and how you're able to now help others?

SOWELL: And I'm so happy you asked that question, because everyone's life can take a turn. But here it is. Someone reached in to help me, and that's what we want to do. So my life, somebody reached in to help me even while I was in prison. They seen something greater inside of me. And hopefully that's what I think we can see about our unhoused neighbors. It is something greater in the inside of them. What should inspire action for us to jump in? So that was my story.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's wonderful. Let's see another clip of your documentary that will serve as inspiration.

SOWELL: Yes, ma'am.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOWELL: Literally a family was in the park. Mom, dad, four kids, one little girl, two twin boys, and another little boy. Yes. How sad. And they are scared to go get help because somebody is going to split them up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I mean, that was heartbreaking. I mean, an entire family.

SOWELL: That's right.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it moved you.

SOWELL: Yes, it did. You know, I woke up that morning, actually it rained around 4:00 in the morning, and I seen the bushes moving. And I'm coming out of -- I'm trying to find shelter, and I see heads popping up. And it was a whole family. And it was her mom. It was a mom. She had two twins, and she had an 8-year-old following her. And I said, why won't you go to a shelter? And what she told me was, if I go to a shelter, they will separate my kids. So I would rather take a chance with them, with me before they go to the system. And now I never get them back.

WHITFIELD: Where do you think they are now?

SOWELL: I went back to that place the next morning and they wasn't there, and I went to a church around the corner and I said, did you see that family? And they was like, yes, they came in and we gave them help and they went to a shelter. And that's still, I mean that -- I have three kids and that was a picture that will never leave my mind. It was -- it was bad.

WHITFIELD: There really is no -- there really is no singular way of addressing homelessness because like you just learned from a lot of people, there are a lot of reasons why people are on the street. There are a lot of circumstances, et cetera. But I guess what is your greatest hope, whether it be by way of your experience, the documentary, what are you hoping this might help advocate, you know, maybe at a minimum?

SOWELL: Yes. Well, I'm hoping, you know, we get engaged as humans. We get engaged as people, and we can do things. We can -- I mean, it's nonprofits in people's heart. They have goals and visions that they can do their own help to help this community. Also finances. There's a lot of great nonprofits in our city that does a great job. Also, we can pray. We can help. You can give, you can think.

You can just show empathy to that community because I do think it's our responsibility. I don't think it's an organization or an administration at large it's responsibility. I think it's our responsibility to help our neighbors.

WHITFIELD: Where can people watch your documentary?

SOWELL: LIIV Atlanta. You can come at LIIV Atlanta. Liivatl.com. You can watch it on that. We're doing week three. Or you can come see me at church. 9:00, 1030, 12:30 at Riverwood International Charter School. Live Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: Pastor Mayo Sowell.

SOWELL: Yes, ma'am.

WHITFIELD: So good to see you.

SOWELL: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. What a pleasure.

SOWELL: Yes, ma'am.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:15]

WHITFIELD: All right. Tonight Bristol Motor Speedway will host its first ever Major League Baseball game. The Cincinnati Reds versus the Atlanta Braves.

CNN Sports anchor Andy Scholes previews the Speedway Classic.

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Fredricka, this is going to be super cool. You know, we've seen a baseball game in a cornfield. We've seen it on a military base. Well, now, Major League Baseball is taking the game to a NASCAR track for the very first time. The Braves and Reds set to square off at Bristol Motor Speedway tonight. Check out the field that they've installed in the infield of the track. It's astroturf and they're going to be donating the playing surface to East Tennessee State University after the game.

This is going to be the first ever Major League Game in Tennessee. They've already sold more than 85,000 tickets, which is a Major League record. The Braves and Reds will also be wearing special NASCAR themed jerseys. The Braves have the flames on the hat, while the Reds have a checkered flag look.

Now this is a baseball game, so you got to have some cool ballpark food and Bristol Motor Speedway is serving up a special menu. Tennessee egg rolls. We've got smoked pulled pork and a mustard cabbage slaw served with moonshine and peach barbecue sauce. They're also going to have corn on the cob tires. A playful, racing inspired take on elote.

Now, before the game, fans are going to be treated to a concert. Jake Owens, Tim McGraw and Pitbull will perform. Chipper Jones and Johnny Bench are going to be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Fredricka, it's going to be a game like you've never seen before. First pitch is at 7:15 Eastern tonight.

WHITFIELD: I love it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

A lot of fun has had throughout the country. In fact, there are a lot of family reunions. Hey, Zach, how was that family reunion?