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Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, Allows Them To Remain In Place Until October To Give Trump Admin Time To Appeal; Millions Expected To Travel For Labor Day Weekend; FL May Lose $218M As Judge Order's Shutdown Of Detention Center; Senior Lawmaker Shot Dead In Western Ukrainian City; 3 Dead, Dozens Injured As Russia Launches Massive Strikes On Ukraine; Police Release New 911 Audio Of Gunfire During CDC Shooting; DHS Recently Ended Grant Program To Prevent Mass Shootings In MN. Missouri Gov. Calls Special Redistricting Session Amid Trump Pressure; Controversies And Upsets Bring Added Attention To Open Championship. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired August 30, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

IAN SHAW, ACTOR & CO-WRITER, "THE SHARK IS BROKEN": -- on that level, you know, I knew that he wasn't really eaten. But even so, the movie had instilled in me a terror of sharks.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:00:09]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: You and me both, Ian Shaw.

That's all we have time for. 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 time.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with a stinging defeat for President Trump's trade agenda. A federal appeals court ruling Friday that Trump's sweeping tariffs are illegal, saying the President went too far when he used emergency powers to impose import taxes on nearly every country.

CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us now live from the White House. Betsy, good to see you. How is the White House reacting to all this?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER AND WRITER: Right. Well, Fredricka, we saw the President take steps to transform the global economic order and rethink major U.S. alliances as he imposed his tariff policy. And all that led to so much uncertainty for the economy. The short answer here is that there is more uncertainty ahead as a federal appeals court was really taking issue with whether the President unlawfully used his emergency powers when he imposed those tariffs.

This court late last night ruled that the tariffs did indeed overstep that power. They say that this power belongs with Congress and it is a core congressional responsibility, something that lies with the legislative branch of government. And it's very important to note that these tariffs for now are still in place until October.

The court said that they were going to give the Trump administration a little time and space to potentially raise this and file an appeal with the Supreme Court. But this was a cornerstone of the President's economic agenda. This clearly marks a major setback for the Trump administration and top Trump officials warning of the consequences of this ruling and the consequences if those tariffs aren't allowed to proceed, including the president himself, who turned to a familiar playbook as he attacked the court as being highly partisan.

He said that his administration is going to win in the end and that getting rid of tariffs would be a total disaster. We also heard from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said that suspending tariffs would, quote, "lead to dangerous diplomatic embarrassment."

But we also heard from Attorney General Pamela Bondi on the next steps here. She said in a post to social media, quote, "The judges of the federal circuit are interfering with the President's vital and constitutionally central role in foreign policy. This decision is wrong and undermines the United States on the world stage. The Justice Department," she says, "will appeal this decision and continue to fight to restore the President's lawful authority."

So certainly a blow to the President's tariff policies for now, with major questions about how this is going to impact some of those ongoing negotiations. But the Trump administration appears to indicate they are going to take this fight to the Supreme Court, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, we'll check back with you. Thanks so much.

All right, and now to the potentially record breaking travel on this Labor Day weekend. Millions of Americans are hitting the roads and airports. TSA says they are expecting to screen more than 70 million passengers through Wednesday, and that would be an all-time high for the holiday period.

Despite highway traffic, there is good news for drivers. Gas prices have not been this low on Labor Day since 2020. Plus, hotels, flights and rental cars are cheaper now compared to last year's holiday. And the weather? Well, Meteorologist Chris Warren is here with the forecast. What can we expect? I like the map.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The map's looking pretty good.

WHITFIELD: Not too bad. WARREN: Yes. This is a time of year we could be expecting, you know, sometimes all-time high temperatures. It's the hot time of year, but not this weekend.

WHITFIELD: Or tropical storms.

WARREN: Or tropical storms could be a lot worse. So we've got here. Now, it's not perfect, it's difficult for the big country to have perfect weather everywhere. So the trouble spots will be where there's a flood threat because of too heavy -- too much heavy rain from some of the thunderstorms, scattered storms in the southern plains around the Gulf Coast.

But this, this time of year, a cold front usually means a break from the humidity and temperatures that remind us a little bit of fall. Look at this. In the northeast, temperatures in the 60s and lower 70s. That's what we're seeing right now.

You go outside in Raleigh, it's 75 degrees. Jackson, Mississippi, same story, temperatures running in the 70s. So this is actually temperatures that are cooler than average.

[12:05:01]

It is the warm time of year. So average is pretty hot. So it's still going to be warm outside across the southeast with upper 80s, even some areas around 90 degrees. But the next few days will be a little bit cooler or around normal, around average.

Here's the northeast, Boston, 75, 74 tomorrow, and then again on Monday, 75. Now, as far as any possible trouble spots over the next couple of days from today and tomorrow, the rain, if we do see it could at times be heavy. The yellow and the green is where there could be some flooding.

Here where the storms are right now. But you notice when you focus on this, most of the country, no rain. It is very, Fredricka, very hit and miss with the showers and storms. But where there are some storms, it could be pretty heavy rain.

WHITFIELD: OK, let us know.

Chris Warren, thanks so much.

All right, we're learning more, more details now about the Border Patrol arrests of two crew workers who were helping firefighters battle Washington State's biggest wildfire. The Bear Gulch fire has been burning since July 6 and was only 13 percent contained as of Thursday.

The workers were near the scene of the fire when Customs and Border Protection showed up to verify the IDs of all personnel present. DHS says the men arrested were in the U.S. illegally, a claim disputed by the attorneys for one of the men.

This morning, State Representative Shaun Scott spoke with CNN's Victor Blackwell.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SHAUN SCOTT (D), WASHINGTON STATE HOUSE: Firstly, it's illegal to detain people who have applied for victim based immigration benefits as one of the individuals who was disappeared was. Secondly, it's also illegal, according to the federal government's own policies, to conduct immigration enforcement at locations where emergency responses are happening.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: Democratic Senator Patty Murray slammed the arrest, saying in a statement, quoting now "Trump has wrongfully detained everyone from lawful green card holders to American citizens -- no one should assume this was necessary or appropriate."

Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for the $218 million spent to build the detention center that's being dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. The facility may soon be completely empty as a judge this week upheld her decision, ordering operations to wind down indefinitely.

The remote detention facility built on an abandoned airstrip in the Everglades has been plagued by reports of unsanitary conditions and detainees being cut off from communications or contact with their attorneys.

CNN Correspondent Rafael Romo is here with more details. So, Rafael, what are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's taxpayer money in the end. And there's been a lot of issues, and apparently now it may close, Fred. And when the migrant detention center was built two months ago, Florida state officials said it would have capacity for 3,000 detainees. At one point, it held almost 1,000.

But now the Associated Press is reporting that last week it held only 300 to 350 detainees, citing U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost from Florida, who said he was still the figure while touring the tent facility. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction nine days ago, halting further expansion due to environmental reasons.

And then, in a message to a Florida rabbi a day later, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said, quote, "We are probably going to be down to zero individuals within a few days." The correspondence was about chaplaincy services, but the official's message sent us an email appears to confirm the migrant detention center is about to be emptied out.

An immigrants' rights advocate welcomed the news, saying a tent facility at the Florida Everglades in the middle of the summer during hurricane season should never have been built in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

THOMAS KENNEDY, POLICY ANALYST, FLORIDA IMMIGRATION COALITION: It's come to sort of symbolize the excesses and cruelty of Trump-era immigration policy. Remember, this was a state-run extrajudicial site that was operating under no legal authority or contract from the federal government, where people were denied due process and even an appearance before an immigration judge or court.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, as we have reported previously, the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil and immigrants' rights groups sued Trump administration officials and state officials as well, claiming a lack of access to legal counsel and violations of due process.

But Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Fox Business on Thursday that the effort used his state to help the Trump administration to deport migrants is still ongoing.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JAMES UTHMEIER, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The facility is still operating. Obviously, there's a lot of deportations that are ongoing, taking people out of the facility. The judge has said no more new people can go in, but we disagree with that order. We believe we're right on the law and we've appealed it to the 11th Circuit.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:10:09]

ROMO: And here's the thing, Fred, Florida taxpayers may lose hundreds of millions of dollars in the end. Shutting down the facility endorsed by President Trump last month will cost the state anywhere between $15 million and $20 million, according to an analysis of court filings by the AP and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, may lose most of the value of the $218 million it has spent making the airport suitable for a detention center.

And we've talked about it in the past --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ROMO: -- issues with water, issues with sanitation, and now you have this.

WHITFIELD: Where are they going to relocate people, whether it's the 200, 300 or upwards of who were at Alligator Alcatraz?

ROMO: They are already talking about a facility in northern Florida called -- they're calling it, it's not called that, but they're calling it Detention Depot -- deportation depot, I should say, that supposedly has enough capacity for those migrants.

But, again, the idea here is that it was touted as this great idea, major effort, and now you see the problems not only in terms of money, capacity, the way the money was spent, sanitation, and other issues.

WHITFIELD: Right. And now largely because of environmental concerns -- ROMO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- the judges said, you know, shut it down.

ROMO: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, a new CNN investigation funding for mass shooting prevention programs in Minnesota was cut by the Trump administration just weeks before the tragic and deadly shooting in Minneapolis.

Plus, breaking news out of Ukraine, a prominent politician shot dead. What President Zelenskyy is saying about the killing amid massive news strikes from Russia.

And controversies, stunning upsets, and a lot of Taylor Townsend. Right now, the stars are back in action at the U.S. Open.

And nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles joins me to talk about the state of today's game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:16:47]

WHITFIELD: All right, some breaking news for you and a word of caution. Some viewers may find this distressing. New video into CNN shows the scene after a senior Ukrainian lawmaker was shot and killed in the western city of Lviv.

Andriy Parubiy was previously the chair of the Ukrainian Parliament. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a horrendous murder. No arrests have been made in this attack. The killing comes as Russia unleashed another round of devastating attacks on Ukraine.

CNN's Melissa Bell has the story.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it was another night of violence across Ukraine, aerial bombardments that left at least three dead, killing several dozen as well. These aerial bombardments, most of them by drone, most of them intercepted by Ukrainian air defense.

Still, President Zelenskyy speaking to the fact that these latest attacks show the fact that Moscow, he says, is simply not interested in peace. Bear in mind also that this comes just a couple of days after that second largest air assault on Kyiv since the full-scale invasion began, where more than 20 people died.

This, an important reminder, says President Zelenskyy, that what is needed is further pressure on Moscow. We're just a couple of days away, of course, from what had been the deadline fixed by President Trump for President Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to come together to begin talks. No sign of that happening any time soon. Quite the contrary, there's been an escalation these last few days in the violence. We've also seen overnight Ukrainian forces target oil refineries across the Russian border. Vladimir Putin himself, Fredricka, is actually on his way to China, where he'll be meeting with Xi Jinping for a summit, but also a military parade. And no suggestion that he is interested in turning up at any negotiating table anytime soon, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Bell, thanks so much.

All right, new today, a source tells CNN, Israel is set to stop all airdrops over Gaza City ahead of its major military offensive there. It's also reducing the entry of relief trucks. Israel's government has vowed to take complete control of Gaza City ahead of the anniversary of the October 7th attacks.

The Red Cross has warned that Israel's plan for mass evacuations is impossible. Earlier today, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed at least 11 Palestinians, including six children. That's according to local health officials.

All right, coming up, your COVID vaccine could be harder to get this year. The new changes for who can and cannot get the vaccine and how much it could cost you.

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[12:23:54]

WHITFIELD: All right, today, new audio of a dramatic 911 call as a gunman opened fire on the CDC's headquarters in Atlanta earlier this month. During the nearly eight-minute recording, gunfire and calls of a downed officer can be heard as an unidentified caller relays what he sees to a 911 dispatcher. And we do want to warn you, this audio may be disturbing for some viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's probably taking fire at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's shooting at the officer. He's behind his car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's shooting at the officer? Give me one second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give me one moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officers trying to get to safety. Shit, I can't see if he's hit or not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the officer hit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officer's hit. The officer's down. (END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we know that that attack did take the life of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose.

And one month before a gunman targeted a Minnesota school in a rampage that left two children dead and 18 others injured this week, the Trump administration cut funding in the state for grant programs aimed at preventing mass shootings just like this one.

[12:25:06]

The Department of Homeland Security is now defending the move, despite some experts saying such programs could help identify and stop the next shooting from happening.

CNN Investigations Producer Audrey Ash is joining us right now. Audrey, what more are you learning?

AUDREY ASH, CNN PRODUCER, INVESTIGATIONS: Fred, the grants were aimed for -- the grants were for a program aimed at spotting early warning signs of mass shooters, people just like the shooter Robin Westman. We know that according to the journals left behind, Westman said they had left warning signs.

The grants funded local programs at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office to assess and manage mass violence threats. DHS pooled about $800,000 in funding in July, just last month, part of more than $18 million in cuts nationwide.

The Trump administration claimed the money was going to openly partisan and political organizations. DHS telling us in a statement, "The grant program previously administered by CP3 was nothing more than a slush fund for left-wing ideologies, and did next to nothing to combat actual threats in our communities."

WHITFIELD: And Audrey, I mean, there is some evidence, isn't there, that these programs actually worked according to people you've talked to, right?

ASH: Right, though there's been some back and forth about the effectiveness. In a report last year under the Biden administration, DHS lists similar cases in similar programs where officials were able to intervene and stop troubled individuals who may have been heading towards violent action.

Of course, there's no way to know if the program could have prevented the tragedy in Minnesota, but we do know that the shooter wrote in journals that there were warning signs, including that Westman recently broke up with a long-term partner, bought three firearms in one month, started going to gun ranges and had recently quit their job.

The grant for Minnesota's Department of Public Safety even specifically referenced school shooters, saying funds would create a statewide threat assessment and management team to focus on persons of concerns and interests.

Ironically, after yesterday's shooting, First Lady Melania Trump posted on X that the shooting illuminates the need for preemptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters. And to prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threats -- threat assessments across all levels of society. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Audrey Ash.

Still ahead, the state of Missouri joining the redistricting fight after pressure from President Trump, the new effort by Republicans to redraw congressional maps in their favor.

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[12:32:15]

WHITFIELD: The New York City apartment building of "New York Times" executive editor, Joseph Kahn, has been vandalized. The building was splashed with red paint and graffiti reading, Joe Kahn lies. Gaza dies. This follows a similar incident at the paper's headquarters last month as criticism of "The Times" and Gaza coverage intensifies. No arrests have been made so far. "The Times" condemned the act, saying people are free to disagree with their reporting, but targeting individuals crosses a line.

Missouri is the latest state to join the national redistricting fight ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Friday, Missouri's governor, Mike Kehoe, announced that he is calling a special session to redraw the state's House districts. The goal is to add a Republican seat from only two blue seats in the state. That announcement came just hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a controversial new voting map, which is aimed at giving Republicans five additional seats in Congress.

In a counterpunch to Texas's action, the California legislature recently advanced a plan to set aside maps drawn by a nonpartisan commission to create five more Democratic-friendly seats. I'm joined now by Marina Jenkins. She is the executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Marina, great to see you. So let me start by getting your reaction to Missouri's Republican governor calling a special election to redraw maps in that state in hopes of adding a Republican seat.

MARINA JENKINS, EXEC. DIR., NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE: Yes, it's really astonishing what's happening. You know, the fact that you have the president of the United States going around and, you know, putting his thumb on governors across the country to ensure that his party gets to continue to hold power no matter what the American people want.

It -- it just really shows how afraid the president is of the American people and of the 2026 midterms and of, you know, folks saying we don't actually like the direction that this country is going in and we want something different. WHITFIELD: Do you see that Democratic lawmakers in that state will follow Texas Democrats who, you know, tried to block quorum, ultimately delaying the vote but not thwarting it?

JENKINS: You know, we'll see what exactly happens in Missouri. I think what we've seen so far is a clear indication that Missourians of all stripes from, you know, both sides of the aisle and everywhere in between are opposed to what's happening. It's pretty clear that, you know, these Republican governors are simply afraid to say no to Donald Trump. But that's not what the Republicans in the state want, and that's not what the voters want. And so, you know, I think it's a real risk for these folks to just simply be doing the President's bidding.

[12:35:11]

WHITFIELD: Texas Governor Abbott made the new congressional maps in the Lone Star State official yesterday with his signature. You've said that there are several groups prepared to file lawsuits to kind of block these changes. Are you confident that those challenges will hold up in court?

JENKINS: Yes, absolutely. In Texas, the -- the new complaints have already been filed against the -- the new map. And the court held a hearing on Wednesday and then set a date for a trial against the new map that's going to start on October 1st. So that litigation is going to move incredibly quickly. You know, there's an incredibly strong case against the new map as a racial gerrymander that intentionally discriminates against black and brown voters in Texas. And I think the court is going to have very little patience for the games that Texas is playing.

WHITFIELD: The Missouri legislature, you know, does have a Republican supermajority with the party controlling two-thirds of the seats in both the House and the Senate. So with this special session, you've already said you don't believe the voters want it there. But this instead, in your view, is strictly driven by the party. And -- and in -- in what way do you think it could potentially backfire?

JENKINS: Yes, I think just like in Texas, I think we're going to see swift legal action in Missouri. You know, the Republicans in Missouri thought about a more extreme gerrymander in 2021 and didn't move forward with it because it was not good for Republicans in Missouri. So, you know, I think the idea that actually they're creating more competitive seats in some places could be an interesting sort of unexpected outcome here for 2026. And I think, you know, in addition to the litigation, you're going to see a lot of popular backlash to what they're doing.

WHITFIELD: So in response to the changes now in Texas, California Democrats also taking steps to change the state's congressional maps to favor Democrats, you know, fighting fire with fires. What, you know, the governor -- Governor Newsom had to say about that. So how can Democrats justify these map changes when at the same time they're criticizing Texas and other states, you know, for gerrymandering, you know, maps to -- to favor Republicans? Is it as simple as, you know, if you can't beat them, join them? JENKINS: You know, I think there's an important difference between what's happening in California and what happened in Texas and what's going to happen in Missouri, and that's that the voters will get to decide. Governor Newsom has set up a process where this question will go to the voters of California. And right now, the reality is at a national level, we have the fairest congressional map in a generation, possibly ever.

And when you think about what that means and the progress that we've been able to make to get to a congressional map that actually is reflective of the will of the voters across the country. Now, now that we've achieved that, we're seeing the President of the United States in an unprecedented way going around and asking, telling, demanding that his party redraw their maps to cheat so that he can ensure his rubber stamp in Congress.

I think that for the voters of California and voters across the country, it's entirely fair to say, hey, that's not right. And we got to do what we can to fight back, to ensure ultimately, at the end of the day, the American people get to decide what happens in Congress and not the Republican Party.

WHITFIELD: And that while the former President Obama is calling GOP redistricting an existential threat to democracy. Explain your concerns and fears about how this surge in gerrymandering may impact a democracy in the U.S. as we know it.

JENKINS: Yes, I think what we're seeing from President Trump right now with respect to this effort to -- to mid-decade gerrymander across the country is very similar to what he tried to do in Georgia and in Michigan after the 2020 election, which is to say, hey, you know, you got to go fix this. You know, going to these governors, going to these state lawmakers and saying, you know, I -- I want to win. And so you have to cheat.

And, you know, I think that -- that is a pretty remarkable moment. You know, I think we're in a really remarkable moment. And it's true that what we're seeing are real threats to the ability of our democracy to work as it should, which is to create vehicles in our electoral systems that allow the American public to have their say. And even if that say, as it was last year, is that there should be a majority of Republicans in Congress, that was the -- the closest we've ever been from the popular vote to the result in Congress. So we are there. And now they're trying to push us backwards simply because they don't want to have to lose.

[12:40:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Marina Jenkins, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much for being with us.

JENKINS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, controversies, stunning upsets and a lot of Taylor Townsend these days. Right now, the stars are back in action at the U.S. Open in New York. Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles joins me to talk about the state of the game and her latest passion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:07]

WHITFIELD: American Taylor Townsend, get used to the name, continues to keep up some excitement at the U.S. Open. The 29-year-old upset the fifth-seeded player on Friday. Her biggest win of her career comes after the most talked-about incident of her career as well earlier in the week.

Instead of a, you know, good sportsman kind of handshake at the net, Jelena Ostapenko appeared to scold Townsend after losing their second- round match, telling her American opponent that she has no class, no education. Those are the words. Critics have all kinds of assessments about that behavior and word choice.

Another American woman continues to blaze a path at the Open. 45-year- old Venus Williams winning her doubles match, advancing a step closer to another potential Grand Slam title. Her partner is 23 years younger. She says she is the best doubles player partner she's ever had outside of her sister, Serena, of course. I'm joined now by nine- time Grand Slam winner Monica Seles. Great to see you. She won the U.S. Open women's title back-to-back years in '91 and '92. This is some exciting tennis we're seeing, isn't it?

MONICA SELES, TWO-TIME U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION: Oh, absolutely. I mean, both on and off the court, it's been an exciting U.S. Open. And, you know, I know you play tennis, too, so we can relate on that. The level of the game that's being played is truly inspiring and just love watching every moment I get a chance to.

WHITFIELD: It is fantastic.

SELES: And what can we say about it?

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, go ahead.

SELES: I mean, Venus is kind of my -- no, I just want to say Venus is kind of my --

WHITFIELD: I love that.

SELES: -- I played against Venus. I can still relate a little bit about, you know, her game and what an inspiration she is to really all of us.

WHITFIELD: It really is incredible. She's 45 years old, you know. She's advancing, you know, winning in the doubles first time in 10 years. But, hey, we're -- we're in the moment, and I -- I like her, you know, what she has to say about, you know, just she's a singles player. That's her passion. And she's approaching the doubles game as a singles player, and we're seeing the results here. You know, it's -- it's really a huge inspiration.

SELES: Yes, and really just how she's also mentoring the younger generation. I'm partnering up with Leylah Fernandez. I mean, I would have loved to have been able to play doubles with Venus and learn from her, but I think her little sister had the monopoly on that. But truly, I mean, Venus, not just on-court but off-court, she's so inspiring. I mean, in my own personal journey, you know, coming and talking about my Myasthenia Gravis, really Venus coming out, talking about her issue has really helped me to not be afraid and not feel so isolated and share this and -- and really use our platform in a good way because, you know, we were such good tennis players.

She's still playing, which I can't even imagine playing at 45 at the level that she is and with such joy. And, you know, for I think just giving back to sport that has given us so much.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and I do in a moment want to ask you more about this, MG, you know, and your personal journey and your now advocacy to educate people. And I'd love more on your thoughts on kind of the ups and downs, right, from this week's U.S. Open court action, Medvedev's, you know, racket rage, you know, following a photographer, walking on the court, you know, that handshake, you know, with Ostopenko and Taylor Townsend and, you know, Ostopenko calling her uneducated and lacking of class. I mean, what -- what -- what do you think is going on here? Is this -- does this speak to, I guess, intensified pressures of the game at this level? Or I mean, what I mean, what's at the root of it?

SELES: Well, I think the U.S. Open is definitely a pressure cooker. It's the last grand slam. I mean, you know, the -- the crowd, the excitement of the open, everybody wants to win. But I think we -- we lose sight. I think that we're all playing the sport because we love it. You know, it's that pure joy as any of us that hit a ball when you feel it. And it is a job. So, you know, you've got to look at both sides of it.

I think also we saw with another fan, I think, grab a hat yesterday. I mean, it just brings out some really unusual things. But essentially, for me, you know, I went through my own craziness in my own career. You bring it back to what you love to do, and that is to play the great game of tennis and for fans to really enjoy the game and the beautiful strokes. And this is why, to me, like when I watch current tennis, I try to kind of just focus on that. And, you know, and really we all share one common goal is that we all love to watch the tennis. And I think this past really week, we had so many outside things happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, it is an intense sport. You know, in addition to the public scrutiny, you know, the celebration, of course, you know, and in your case, violence and volatility, is that what you're referring to when you talk about the craziness? Because, I mean, yes, that was crazy. You know, you were stabbed by a German man during a match in Hamburg, you know, back in 1993. So, you know, how would you describe the -- the journey for players to deal with the adversity, to deal with the public scrutiny and to remain competitive, you know, and -- and stay in the game and.

[12:50:27] SELES: Yes, yes, absolutely. I mean, look, I'm very frank about the highs and lows I had in my career. And for me, you know, post- retirement, one of the things I decided I wanted to get back to the sport, and that was mentoring young players coming up because the challenges are immense. And I think even now, more so because of the financial side and the popularity of the tennis, it's a global sport, the sport has become bigger.

So, you know, I tried to share a little bit of my own insights as an older person, you know, and really let them know this is kind of why, you know, even for me, as I mentioned, someone like Venus has been so amazing in sharing her own story and making me feel comfortable sharing my story in the same way that I share my story now with the younger players coming up.

WHITFIELD: Yes, now let's talk about more of your story. Well, let's talk about this MG, you know, and -- and how you were advocating. You had to become very educated, you know, learn about what was behind this double vision you were experiencing, the weaknesses in your arms and your legs, and now you know it has a name. How are you promoting awareness? The short term is MG. I'll let you say the -- the big word because I know I'm going to mess it up.

SELES: Yes, that's trust me. Well, for me, kind of, it just goes back to, as I mentioned, I love to mentor young players, so I would be spending time with them, working with them on court, and I start -- and I started realizing extreme weakness in my legs, double vision, and you play tennis, and, you know, you can't play tennis, so these are very unusual symptoms. So I went to see a neurologist, and -- and they -- and he diagnosed me with myasthenia gravis.

So when I heard the diagnosis, I had no clue. I said, what? What is this? And then at this point, we still didn't have, you know, that chat box, whatever. So I -- it took me some time to process and really learn the new normal, both in my professional and personal life with myasthenia gravis, and this is kind of, again, why I decided to partner with argenx to raise awareness because if anybody else is having these symptoms, I don't want them to go through what I went through, like what's going on, you know, because it's a tremendous amount of the unknown, so that people out there know the symptoms of MG, know that there's, you know, help out there for them.

One of the things I want to raise awareness about is this fantastic website called mg-united.com, where you have tons of tips, or if you're having certain symptoms you're experiencing. I mean, and Fredricka, just to give you an example, like for me going to the U.S. Open, you know, it was a no-brainer, like, OK, I'll just pack, but with having MG, even simple tasks like packing are, you know, more complex. So I go on the website mg-united.com, get some packing tips.

So really day-to-day tips that help me get through the short-term and the long-term.

WHITFIELD: Yes, really holding your hand, so to speak. I mean, overall, this really is, you know, another reset for you, right? I mean, how are you feeling, and, you know, what is the road ahead? What are you planning for?

SELES: I definitely had a few resets in my life, but one of the great things that tennis has taught me is to adjust, and I think I'm learning to adjust here. It has taken me some time to adjust. I mean, I felt very isolated. Again, I -- I mentioned Venus, how much her coming out has helped me, and when I decided to come out and talk about my MG journey, I realized how important a community is, and the community is so big.

So I got much more involved in the MG community, trying to raise awareness, and really all the different things that are out there for patients, you know, like me who have MG, and to essentially know that you are not alone. Not alone is huge.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Monica Seles, always a big fan of yours, even bigger fan now, especially with your advocacy, you know, and assisting so many people and continuing to be a great inspiration. Thanks so much.

SELES: Thanks so much, and if you have a moment, do check out mg- united.com. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. Thank you.

All right, so here's a question for you and your travels. How did Spain become such a culinary powerhouse? Eva Longoria uncovers the secrets of its culinary scene on a special night of Searching for Spain, Tomorrow, 8:00 p.m., right here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA LONGORIA, SEARCHING FOR SPAIN HOST (voice-over): To make awful (ph) more appealing and contemporary, Javi uses El Bui-style visual trickery.

LONGORIA: See, I don't know if that's a mushroom or kidney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to offer this to young people, so we need to make it funny.

LONGORIA: Accessible, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have many people in -- in our restaurant that come and they don't want to know.

LONGORIA: Don't tell me what I'm eating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

[12:55:00]

LONGORIA: Yes, yes, yes. I might sometimes be one of those people. What herb is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's carrot because --

LONGORIA: Carrot. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- you know, the rabbit eat carrot.

LONGORIA: Pretty poetic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. No, but our grandfathers and grandmothers eat that food, but not like that.

LONGORIA: So this is a traditional dish with a modern twist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That's it.

LONGORIA: The mashed potato, carrot leaf, and rabbit kidney is the perfect combination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't know what is kidney or mushroom?

LONGORIA: I -- I don't know, yes. Because they have the same exact texture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Texture, yes.

LONGORIA: The texture of the mushroom. It's all mixed in my mouth. I don't know. That's lovely. Also, this meat sauce.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Interesante. All right, back-to-back episodes of Eva Longoria, Searching for Spain, airs tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m., and not only on CNN.

All right, and more breaking news into CNN. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announcing new plans to resist President Trump's planned immigration crackdown in his city. Details on the new executive order he's signing.

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