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475 Arrested In Massive Immigration Raid At Georgia Hyundai Plant; South Korean President Orders "All-Out Necessary Measure" To Support Korean Nationals After ICE Arrests; Trump Administration Plans To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia To Eswatini; RFK Jr.'s Family Call For His Resignation As HHS Secy After Fiery Hearing; Trump's Former Surgeon General Calls On RFK Jr. To Resign; Florida Will Move To End All Vaccine Mandates In The State; Sources: Trump Weighs Strikes Targeting Cartels Inside Venezuela; Maduro Urges U.S. To Abandon "Violent Regime Change" Plans In Venezuela. Israeli Air Strike Destroys Gaza City High-Rise; Tonight: Drawing For Massive $1.8B Powerball Jackpot. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 06, 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: -- a more fortunate cohort, more than 1 billion around the world, are able to enjoy that basic right and privilege.
That's all we have time for. Don't forget, you can find all 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: Hello everyone, thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
New details on the immigration raid at the sprawling Hyundai plant in southeast Georgia. The months-long federal operation led to 475 arrests, most were Korean nationals. Workers at the plant describe a chaotic scene as officers spread across the property.
The Georgia raid is being characterized by authorities as the largest sweep of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. President Trump reacted to news of the raid yesterday in the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you concerned at all about, you know, your immigration agenda potentially clashing with these economic goals?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we want to get along with other countries, and we want to have a great stable workforce. And we had, as I understand it, a lot of illegal aliens. Some not the best of people, but we had a lot of illegal aliens working there. So, you know, look, they're doing their job, that's what they have to do.
These are people that came through with Biden. They came through illegally. They came into our country, so we have to do our job.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Rafael Romo is here and joins me with more on this investigation. It involved intelligence from several agencies, right?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It was huge, and also it's not only about the raid itself, but the message it sends. Part of what you were talking at the beginning, this was one of the largest immigration raids in U.S. history at a sprawling manufacturing plant touted as great investment by state officials in a Republican-led state that immigration authorities say was part of a months-long investigation.
What we know is that state troopers, Fred, blocked roads leading to the plant and set up a security perimeter, setting the stage for nearly 500 federal, state, and local officers to conduct the raid at the Hyundai plant located in a quiet southeast Georgia community.
By the time they were done at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, agents had arrested 475 people, most of them Korean nationals, making it the largest sweep yet in the current Trump administration's immigration crackdown at American job sites. A Homeland Security investigation special agent in charge said this was not a random operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
STEVEN SCHRANK, SPECIAL AGENT, HOMELAND SECURITY: This was not a immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks, and put them on buses. This has been a multi-month criminal investigation where we have developed evidence, conducted interviews, gathered documents, and presented that evidence to the court in order to obtain a judicial search warrant.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ROMO: And a statement sent to CNN on Friday, Hyundai said the company was aware of what they described as an incident, adding that they were closely monitoring the situation. "As of today," the statement goes on to say, "it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company. We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate."
In an interview with CNN, former Deputy Homeland Security Secretary under President Trump said that this type of immigration enforcement operation sends a clear message to employers across America.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
KEN CUCCINELLI, SENIOR FELLOW/CENTER FOR RENEWING AMERICA: This is becoming much more common in this administration, and so employers who have never had to worry about this before now know their own butt is on the line if they're going to break these laws.
(END VIDEOCLIP) ROMO: ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents were supported by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, as well as the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General. The FBI, DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the ATF, the IRS, Fred, and the Georgia State Patrol also participated in the raid, which tells you a lot about the size of the operation and what the agents wanted to show, that show of force that they wanted to get all these people detained.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Pretty significant. Do we know after the arrest where people are?
ROMO: They are not disclosing yet. What we know from an immigration attorney is that two of his clients were detained. They had come to the United States on a 90-day visa, so technically they didn't have a permit to work, but the details are barely surfacing. But those two cases by themselves gives us an idea of who these people were and how they came into the country.
[12:05:04]
WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thanks so much. Let us know when you know more.
ROMO: Of course.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.
All right, the massive ICE raid prompted a sharp response from the South Korean president, telling Korean officials here in the U.S. to take all-out necessary measures to support Korean nationals. CNN's Mike Valerio is in Seoul with more on the reaction there.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the headline from here is certainly that South Korea's President, Lee Jae Myung, is getting involved in this matter, telling his officials that, quote, "All-out necessary measures" should be done to support Korean nationals in this matter and to resolve it as fast as possible.
Now, the split screen from where he was just about 10 days ago is certainly dramatic, considering that he was at the Oval Office meeting with President Trump, talking about new investments that South Korea would make into a reality, making American ship building again, improving investments in manufacturing in the United States.
This battery factory run by Hyundai as a joint venture with the other South Korean giant LG is certainly part of that narrative. And now to see this operation, the biggest of its kind, taken in the second Trump administration, it is so striking and has hit such an emotional chord with a multitude of people here in South Korea.
Quite astounded that not just one or two or a few dozen South Koreans have been detained as part of this operation, but more than 300, a number confirmed by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Along those lines, the minister of foreign affairs has said that if this situation isn't resolved, he could conceivably go to Washington, D.C., saying in part, quote, "As we discuss this issue further today, we are also considering dispatching a high-level official to the U.S. to address the situation. If necessary, I," meaning the foreign minister, "am prepared to travel to Washington, D.C. personally to engage directly with U.S. officials to resolve this matter."
Unclear at the moment what, if any, charges could be filed, will be filed, and how long will it take to release all 300 plus of the South Korean nationals, again, hitting such a chord with people halfway around the world.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
WHITFIELD: And a new move by the Trump administration to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador in March. ICE informed Abrego Garcia on Friday that he will be deported to the tiny African nation of Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. That revelation came in an email from an ICE official to Abrego Garcia and obtained by CNN.
Garcia is currently in ICE custody after being brought back to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges. The Trump administration is trying to quickly deport him. But a judge overseeing the case has ruled that Abrego Garcia cannot be deported until at least early October.
All right, coming up, a scathing rebuke of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from President Trump's former surgeon general. Why he says the Health Secretary should be fired.
Plus, new questions about the remaining hostages in Gaza after President Trump cast doubt on how many are still alive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:13:10]
WHITFIELD: All right, the fallout continues from RFK Jr.'s contentious testimony before Congress this week. Today, at least two members of the Kennedy family are publicly calling for the Health and Human Services Secretary's resignation. Kerry Kennedy is blasting her brother's leadership of HHS as, I'm quoting now, "incompetent and misguided," end quote.
And RFK Jr.'s nephew, former Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy, says his uncle is, I'm quoting now, "a threat to the health and well-being of every American," end quote. A growing number of public health officials are also calling for Kennedy to step down.
Here's what President Trump's former Surgeon General told CNN earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DURING 1ST TRUMP TERM: Well, the CDC isn't just a federal agency, it's a lifeline for millions of people and he is quite frankly undermining it objectively. Objectively, we've seen organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, under Kennedy's leadership in the last six months say that we can no longer trust the CDC, that we can no longer trust their recommendations.
All of those groups have put out their own vaccine recommendations and that shows you that he's not actually lifting up the CDC, he's pulling it down. He's destroying it and he's putting lives at risk by doing so.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Should the President fire the Secretary?
ADAMS: I absolutely believe that he should for the sake of the nation and the sake of his legacy.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: RFK Jr.'s combative testimony on Capitol Hill this week is just the latest controversy surrounding the Health and Human Services director, secretary that is. Last week, he fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control after she clashed with Kennedy on vaccine policy.
And in response to that move, the governors of California, Washington State, Oregon and Hawaii announced that they are forming a West Coast Health Alliance to begin coordinating public health guidelines separate from the CDC.
[12:15:10]
I'm joined now by Dr. Erica Pan. She is the director and state public health officer of the California Department of Public Health. Doctor, great to see you.
DR. ERICA PAN, DIR. & STATE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Great. Thanks for having me this morning.
WHITFIELD: So I'll ask you about that West Coast Alliance in a moment. But first, you know, let me start by getting your reaction to these calls, growing calls for President Trump to either fire HHS Secretary RFK Jr. or for his resignation. What do you think should happen?
PAN: Well, I can't speak to what I think should happen, but I can definitely speak to the impact that all of the changes at the federal health and human services level have caused a lot of uncertainty. We really want to show that we stand behind our colleagues that are respected scientific and public health leaders.
And all of the confusion and chaos is causing problems for the people we serve, for people who want to get vaccines and people want to know who should they trust to get good health information, to make good decisions about their health.
WHITFIELD: What are you saying to patients then who have those very questions? Who do they trust? CDC, HHS guidelines, their personal physicians? What do you say to them? PAN: I think right now, and the why I'm here today is to talk about we have demonstrated our alliance as four states on the West Coast with California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii to show that we will be united on showing which national professional organizations we actually do endorse and trust.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has been doing vaccine guidelines since before the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and they continue to work on, you know, evidence-based transparent guidelines to provide good information about which vaccines people should have when.
So that is what we want to show our unity and that we can have trust and science and safety and efficacy of vaccines. And we know that there is going to be more issues that we need to align on to show people and try to decrease the confusion and show our communities how much we care and want to protect them.
WHITFIELD: So that's the stated goal of the alliance, but I'm wondering how will it work? How will these separate states entities get together, conference, agree upon guidelines, and then disseminate information through this West Coast alliance?
PAN: Sure. We're actually building on a lot of formal and informal collaboration we've done over many years. During the pandemic, we had a very formalized, what we call the scientific safety review work group, and we brought in a lot of the experts that were already on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the FDA, what they call the VRBPAC committee, and other experts within our states and re- reviewed the evidence that was being presented.
In this situation, we have lost confidence in the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices after all of the changes, but we do align that we, you know, know that a lot of these national organizations have always made clinical recommendations and we follow them as clinicians as well as a pediatrician.
I look to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has also come out with their '25, '26 vaccine recommendations. So that is the main thing. We're really looking to align on which national organizations we align with so that we can reduce confusion again for people, for health insurers, for healthcare providers.
And we meet regularly and when we have subgroups that meet that talk about different kinds of either infectious diseases or modeling and analytics. Our laboratories actually talk quite frequently. So we're really building on some collaboration we have on an ongoing basis.
WHITFIELD: So as it pertains to COVID, the West Coast Alliance comes together just as the latest COVID-19 variant seems to be surging in so many parts of the country, including there in California. So how do you believe this alliance might be able to help facilitate the availability of what's become the limited or restrictive availability of the COVID vaccine to so many people across the country? PAN: That's the other part of the principles that we are sharing, is that we all want to promote not only good information and evidence- based information, but vaccine access and coverage. As we do that, those are our aligned principles and our commitment to our communities. And each of our states have different statutes and ways that we can promote those principles.
So we are approaching them in different ways just based on the way our state laws work, but we are absolutely aligned in promoting as much access and coverage as possible for our communities.
WHITFIELD: I know you're in California, but you have to be paying attention to what's happening in Florida as well with the vaccine policy there about to change. Florida Surgeon General is saying that vaccine mandates in that state aren't necessary. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
[12:20:05]
DR. JOSEPH LADAPO, FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL: The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law. All of them. All of them.
Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery, OK? Who am I as a government, or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body?
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: What's your reaction to all of that?
PAN: Well, I will say as a parent, as a pediatrician, as a public health official, and as a specialist in infectious diseases, I know and I feel more comfortable if my kids can go to school when other kids are immunized. Routine school immunizations are core to so much progress we've made in childhood illness and death and disease, and we want to promote those.
And we've really seen in low-vaccinated populations huge numbers of measles because it is so infectious. So we really are very proud of our strong routine school immunizations and high coverage rates here in California, and that's what we need to protect our communities.
We also need to remember that there are some people that can't get vaccinated, whether it's young infants because they're too young, people's immune systems are compromised, so we really need to have community immunity to protect each other.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Erica Pan, thank you so much.
PAN: Great. Thank you so much for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, mounting tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela as President Trump considers military action against drug cartels there. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:26:13]
WHITFIELD: President Donald Trump is weighing options for military strikes against Venezuelan drug cartels, potentially hitting targets inside the country, according to multiple sources briefed on the administration's plans. This, as questions remain over the legal basis for a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat leaving Venezuela earlier this week that was in international waters.
CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon has the latest from Caracas.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the escalation between Washington and Caracas in the Southern Caribbean is showing no sign of slowing down this weekend. On Friday, CNN reported that President Donald Trump was briefed on options to conduct a military strikes against the drug traffickers directly on Venezuelan territory.
And while we don't know the outcome of those conversation, it's a sign that the U.S. President is willing to take this escalation one step further, perhaps with unintended consequences to come in the near future. Meanwhile, Trump's Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, has taken a more constructive approach on this confrontation.
On Friday, he advised the U.S. President to check his intelligence and say that Venezuela is not involved in drug trafficking.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
PRES. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELA (through translation): The government of the United States should abandon its plan of violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and respect sovereignty, the right to peace, to independence.
What they are saying about Venezuela is not true. It's not true. It is a dead end they are getting themselves into. Venezuela has always been willing to talk. But just as we are willing to talk, we demand respect for our country, for our people.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
POZZEBON: Our data from both the United Nations and the Drug Enforcement Administration confirm that the vast majority of drugs coming into the United States are not being trafficked through Venezuela. They actually come from nearby Colombia and through the Pacific. However, there are multiple allegations that the government of Nicolas Maduro has been involved with cocaine trafficking for some time.
And the fact that we're seeing these escalations in the Caribbean, where we see at least seven warships and one nuclear-powered submarine being stationed, allegedly to stem off the flows of drug trafficking, but actually putting a lot of geopolitical pressure on the Maduro government itself. It's a sign that the United States are trying to take this matter into their own hands, and they're sending a message to Maduro that one way or another, he has to go.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas, Venezuela.
WHITFIELD: All right, up next, Israel striking a residential building in Gaza City as it, once again, calls on Palestinians to evacuate the enclave's largest city.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. New details and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, take a look at Gaza City, this high-rise right there, it's a residential building, taken down obliterated by an Israeli airstrike earlier today. The IDF urged residents to evacuate about an hour before the strike. This is Israel intensifies its planned takeover of the city. It comes one day after the IDF destroyed another high-rise west of Gaza City close to encampments where displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
Israel claims Hamas was using those buildings, an allegation Hamas denies. The escalation comes after President Trump said some of the hostages may have recently died in Gaza. He did not reveal the source for this information. CNN's Paula Hancock's joins us now from Abu Dhabi. Paula, what more can you tell us?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been seeing heavy strikes in and around Gaza City this Saturday as the Israeli military tries to control the whole of Gaza City. They've said at this point they believe they control some 40 percent of it. Now we have been seeing as well the IDF targeting high-rise buildings in the city. There was one in particular on Saturday the Al-Susi Tower a 15-story residential building that we know families were living in and we believe there would have been displaced families there as well.
[12:35:13]
Now the Israeli military issued an evacuation order and then just over an hour later struck the building bringing it to the ground. The IDF says that it was being used by Hamas. They say that there was intelligence gathering equipment within the building. This has been rejected by Hamas saying that they weren't present. Now what we know of this tower is that before 2021 there was a Ministry of Foreign Affairs presence there.
We know that journalists had to go to -- to one of those offices to try and secure permits from Hamas to enter Gaza. It's not clear though if Hamas has had a presence there since then. Now what this does is it increases the fear of the people in Gaza City, not knowing where is the least dangerous place for them to go to. There have been leaflets dropped by the Israeli military on Saturday morning telling residents and -- and those displaced in a city to move south specifically to go to Al-Mawasi, which the Israeli military calls a humanitarian zone.
It is not in the strictest sense of that term there. We know it is an area that is Very overcrowded that does not have humanitarian aid sufficient for the people there. And it is an area that has also been targeted by the Israeli military a number of times over recent months. It's worth pointing out that this is an operation the operation to take over Gaza that has widespread global condemnation. The United Nations countries around the world are calling on Israel not to carry out this -- these strikes and -- and this effort to -- to try and occupy the city.
We also know that the top military general in the country that the -- the head of the chief of staff is also saying he doesn't believe that this should go ahead according to two Israeli sources. He's concerned that the hostages would be at risk. He's concerned that Soldiers will be at risk and also that the humanitarian situation could get worse. Now when it comes to the hostage situation, we also heard from the U.S. President Donald Trump and he really questioned whether or not the number of hostages still alive or believed to be alive that the Israeli military has put out is in fact accurate.
There are 47 hostages that are still being held by Hamas and other groups that were taken on October 7th. The Israeli official figure is that some 20 are believed to be alive. Let's listen to the U.S. President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But you have many dead people that are coming out as part of the deal. It's 20 people, but I think of the 20 there could be some that have recently died is what I'm hearing. I hope that's wrong. But you have over 30 bodies in this negotiation, can you believe it? I mean we negotiate for people that are living. Here we -- we know that at least 30 people are dead and we're negotiating to get them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: President Trump also said that he believed there shouldn't be these incremental releases of hostages not to here, to there. He believes that all hostages should be released at once which goes against the proposal on the table at this point which was drafted by his own Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff alongside Israel. We know that the Israeli prime minister has also changed his strategy saying, he wants a full release of all hostages and a comprehensive deal. This shift in strategy one of the main reasons really that the -- the negotiations in the hostage ceasefire proposal deal have stalled.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Paula Hancocks.
All right. Straight ahead, just days after Labor Day, millions of people are feeling like it's already fall. We're tracking the cooler temperatures.
[12:38:53]
And are you having a billion dollar dreams lately, perhaps this weekend? I will take you to a popular spot for picking your Powerball numbers and we're the biggest lottery ticket in the U.S. was sold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A live picture is right now out of the nation's capital, where a large crowds of people are marching to protest the Trump administration's ascending of thousands of National Guard troops into the city. President Trump rolled out the deployment of troops on August 11th as part of his anti-crime agenda in the nation's capital. It also led to a surge in federal officers from other agencies and an attempted takeover of the city's Police Department. Thursday, city officials filed a lawsuit over the deployment accusing the President of violating the Constitution.
And then, guess what? It's feeling kind of like fall this weekend in so many parts of the country as a cold front is making its way especially along the East Coast bringing scattered rain showers and a few strong to severe thunderstorms. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar takes us through the upcoming forecast Allison. What are we experiencing?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this cold front is really set to impact a lot of people from the Northeast all the way down into the Gulf Coast. Now in the short term, the biggest concern is actually going to be the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms. They will continue through the evening in overnight hours. And the main concerns are going to be damaging winds and the potential for some hail. But we can't rule out the potential also for an isolated tornado.
[12:45:07]
Now outside of the rain showers, the other big thing this front is going to bring is ushering in very cold temperatures in some spots. You can see that line right through here, the delineation of the warm into the cold as we go into the next couple of days. Those colder temperatures are going to start into the Midwest, the Great Lakes, and then gradually spread down to the South over the coming days.
But they do rebound pretty quickly, which is at least some good news. Here's a look at the temperature change, though. Take, for example, Boston, going from a high today of 85 degrees, dropping nearly 20 degrees for their high tomorrow, only in the mid-60s. New York, Philadelphia, and even Washington, D.C., also going to see similar drops of about 10 to 15 degrees, possibly even higher.
Now, the difference is going to be in the southern part of the country. They are also going to see a drop, but it's going to be a little bit more delayed. So, for example, the drop in Norfolk still going to be on Sunday, so between today into Sunday. But places like Charlotte, Charleston, Atlanta, even Tallahassee, you're going to have to wait until Monday before you start to see those temperatures dropping back off by about at least 10 degrees.
Looking at Atlanta, not too bad for Saturday, but then you start to see the temperatures dip again, getting at their lowest point on Monday. But we really don't see them getting back closer to average until we get to the middle part of the upcoming week.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Allison Chinchar.
All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has spent decades treating people's pain as a trauma neurosurgeon. However, it wasn't until pain touched his own family that he truly understood the life-changing toll that it can take. Here's an excerpt from his new documentary that looks at innovative and unexpected ways to treat and manage pain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMYANTI GUPTA, DR. SANJAY GUPTA'S MOTHER: I never experienced that kind of pain in my life.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet my mom, Damyanti Gupta.
S. GUPTA: If you had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, where'd it fall?
D. GUPTA: Out of 10, it was like 80.
S. GUPTA: Eighty?
D. GUPTA: Eighty.
S. GUPTA: Do you remember what you said to me? You talked about the fact that if this pain didn't go away, you didn't think you wanted to live anymore.
D. GUPTA: I could not even stand on my two feet. I could not brush my teeth. I could not change my clothes. I could not comb my hair.
S. GUPTA: I remember like kind of that your stomach sort of dropping a bit because you're like, well, she doesn't complain about anything. If she's complaining about this, this has got to be bad, whatever it is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: We'll be sure to tune in. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, "It Doesn't Have to Hurt." It airs Sunday night, 9 o'clock Eastern, right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you get to eat it sometimes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join us for Champions for Change.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: When was the first time you went to Afroband?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As CNN journalists spotlight eight trailblazers creating a better tomorrow.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: My champion gives hope.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Love it, man. Thank you so much. COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I think I'm crazy enough to think that change can happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Create a community where young people could be their best self.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel that energy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Experience the very best of humanity as these champions challenge today's uncertainties, making breakthroughs across communities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're literally changing the way that drug development research is done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cue what motivates them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe in doing work that's greater than me. Everyone should have access to equitable maternal health care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a workout.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And making the school buses safer, reliable and efficient.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how their actions are making a positive impact.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am fighting every day for people with mental health disorders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN journalists introduce you to their champions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It means a lot to all of us.
[12:48:38]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Champions for Change, next Saturday at 10 on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, tonight is the big drawing, $1.8 billion up for grabs in the second largest jackpot in Powerball history as a nuts number. And there have been 42 drawings since a winning of the Powerball. That too is equally nuts. That was all the way back at the end of May.
CNN national correspondent Natasha Chen is live at what's considered to be a very lucky gas station in California because it has won big before. Very big there, right?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is the winning ticket, the largest jackpot for Powerball ever sold right here, 2.04 billion. And the owner of the store got $1 million bonus for selling this very ticket. Now, you just mentioned tonight's jackpot is 1.8 billion, so not quite the 2 billion from three years ago, but almost there.
And people are really flocking to this location. They keep streaming by us. There's a line snaking inside the store right now. They tell me that they feel like this is a lucky store, not just because it sold the largest jackpot ever, but also because this store truly survived the Eaton fire in Altadena here in January. We're just a few blocks away.
Those flames were burning down houses. I personally remember this intersection because we were coming through here to cover that fire and this still stands. And so for multiple reasons, people believe this is a lucky spot. They've been coming out with their tickets, telling me that they came from far and wide. But we did talk to one guy who's really local. He's just in the neighborhood.
[12:55:01]
He's always bought his tickets here even before the $2 billion jackpot. Here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TITO LOPEZ, LOTTERY PLAYER: I feel like it doesn't matter where you are, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be, a little bit of prayer help. So I just pray just to stay busy and working, you know, but you always win if you work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: And that's what we're doing, Fred. You and I are working. Hopefully we also have a little luck today.
WHITFIELD: We're winners because we're working.
CHEN: I don't know if you've gotten your ticket, but I am going to try and see if I can get in line at some point and get a ticket as well. So --
WHITFIELD: I don't blame you.
CHEN: -- I'll check back in with you later on.
WHITFIELD: Yes, because we want to be winners times two. Winners because we're working and winners because we got that Powerball ticket. I'll be buying one this afternoon as well.
All right, Natasha Chen, let's hope that we're lucky and everybody else is lucky too. I mean, it's $1.8 billion we can share, right?
CHEN: All right.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you, Natasha.
CHEN: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: All right, so we all love to dream about how it would be and how we would spend the money if it were to be that we got the winning ticket. But what would your next steps actually be if you held the winning ticket? My next guest knows a thing or two about having a prize winning strategy.
Joining us right now, tax attorney, Kurt Panouses, who has represented more than 50 big jackpot winners, including a billion dollar prize. Kurt, great to see you.
KURT PANOUSES, TAX ATTORNEY: Good to see you too, thank you.
WHITFIELD: So we all hope we're lucky. We all hope we have this problem of actually having the winning ticket. So what should the first thing be that we do if indeed one of us out there has a winning ticket?
PANOUSES: Well, I know it's going to be very difficult for whoever holds that ticket to get any rest or sleep, but what they have to remember is this is the biggest financial decision they're ever going to make in their life. It will affect not only them, but their children, grandchildren, and future generations.
So they need to take their time and they need to be patient. The first thing that I tell the person to do is secure the ticket. The ticket is the cornerstone. So make a copy of the front and the back of the ticket and put the ticket in a safe place. You will not need the ticket until the day of claiming and put a plan together.
Again, this is not a claim. This is the time for a plan. So you need about two to three weeks at this level of win to put together a plan that encompasses taxes as well as what's you're -- what's -- who you're trying to help.
WHITFIELD: So you say among those things that you do, before you even put it in that safe place, you're not even going to sign it, you say. Don't -- don't sign the winning ticket. Don't tell anyone, even though you've got this news and you're bursting at the seams, you want to share it, but don't. And when you say establish a team, who is part of that team?
PANOUSES: OK, so again, keeping the circle of people that know as small as possible is critical. So the reason for keeping the ticket blank for the time being is you want to secure your advisors. You want to secure that attorney that's going to be the leader of that group who will put the plan together. So they need a, like we're artists almost, and we want to paint the picture.
So based on what the client is trying to do, who they're trying to help, what their goals are in life, you want to paint that picture on the back of the ticket. So it may not be putting your name. It may be putting a trust. It may be putting a limited liability company. It may be a combination, a club.
So let the -- let the attorney have some time to put that plan together. You know, that's really our -- our responsibility is to help the client seek out their goals and then to help them with -- with the process.
WHITFIELD: And every state is different, right? Because I know you represented a jackpot winning group in Michigan, while some groups say you really do have to reveal yourself. You can't proceed with anonymity. Sometimes there's an advantage to winning as a group, and then maybe you can introduce an LLC in some cases or a group name. Explain all that.
PANOUSES: Yes. So it's all state specific. So wherever the ticket is purchased, that's the law that applies. And I always tell people, give me about 12 hours to do a deep dive into that state's lottery commission laws, their rules, their promulgations, whatever they have. Because several states have said we are, you know, not anonymous. We'll -- we'll disclose who the winner is.
And then after I've gotten involved, we found the little crack to be able to be compliant with their laws, but to keep them anonymous, like Michigan, they were on T.V. the very next day talking about how they were going to be able to identify who the winners were. And of course were able to work through that, through the Attorney General's office.
So you really want to take your time and plan this out. At this point in time, I have to say, I don't know of any state that would not be anonymous if given the opportunity to work our magic sometimes.
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WHITFIELD: And then real quick, what's the biggest mistake that you see people make?
PANOUSES: You know, just being in a hurry. You know, people -- people have to understand that this is, there's no do overs. So take your time, place the ticket in a secure place so that you don't lose the ticket. You know, someone doesn't steal the ticket. The ticket won't be needed until the day of claim. So just put that ticket away, copies all the attorney's going to need. And then they could put the professionals together, whether it's the finance people, the tax people, any other attorneys that would be necessary for any specific specialty type areas.
But they'll put that all together for the client. They'll give the client some choices and then the client will make those choices. There's a lot of questions you have to ask that client before you paint this picture. So again, it takes a while. It's going to take two to three weeks in this case. The winner may also decide to wait 180 days and claim the ticket in January, which will allow them to have use of the money and not have to worry about the taxes until next 2026.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right, packing the patience as well. Kurt Panouses, thank you so much.
PANOUSES: You're more than welcome.
