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Trump Defends "War" Post Aimed At Chicago; Trump Administration Launches ICE Operation In Boston; Trump Says He's Ready To Enact More Sanctions Against Russia; RFK Jr. Defends Health Firings; WSJ: HHS To Link Autism To Tylenol Use In Pregnancy; Trump Primed To Cash In On Crypto Gold Rush He's Helping Create; Sinner And Alcaraz Face Off In Blockbuster Men's Final. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 07, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:38]

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

All right. President Trump is defending his plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago as he escalates his rhetoric about the nation's third largest city.

Yesterday, he posted a meme that said, in part, "Chicago is about to find out why it's called the Department of War," referring to the rebranding of the Defense Department. Democrats, including the Illinois governor, blasted the president for talking about going to war with an American city.

Moments ago, as he departed for -- departed the White House for the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Trump defended his post and his plans to deploy troops to Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend.

That's not war. That's common sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Alayna Treene is joining us right now from the White House. Alayna, the president's border czar is also defending Trump's war post and his plans to send troops to Chicago. What more can you tell us?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, we did hear from Tom Homan this morning, the president's border czar. He was speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper.

And he essentially said that he believed that that "Truth" post that the president issued yesterday saying that Chicago is about to find out why it's called the Department of War. He said he thinks it's being a bit taken out of context.

I can tell you, Fred, I was talking with some. White House officials about this yesterday. They said that really this operation, this immigration operation in Chicago is really in line with some of the other immigration operations we've seen them carry out this year, particularly that one in Los Angeles in June.

And one thing I think we have to be very clear about, because the president actually, when you played that sound of him, he kind of is conflating the immigration operation that is currently underway in Chicago, but also with his, you know, rhetoric and his plans to potentially go into Chicago to try and clean up public safety -- public safety officials on the ground, but also clean up domestic crime there.

That is what I'm told is not part of the operation that we are seeing in Chicago right now, but it could come down the line. All to say, though, I mean, this has become such a flashpoint in not only Chicago, but we're seeing things playing out in D.C. We saw them in Los Angeles. We're starting to see them begin similar operations in Boston starting this week.

All to say, we can hear from all of these different governors and leaders of these different states arguing that he is pushing the bounds of his executive authority.

And one of the key questions as well is this question over the National Guard and whether or not the president is going to try to send them.

I know, and this is when we had reported on the Chicago operations over a week ago, now that they had been preparing the National Guard and the president has been reserving the right to use the National Guard for peacekeeping presence.

We heard Homan address this during that interview with CNN. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR: The National Guard are always on the table. We used them in, in Los Angeles, and we used them in Washington, D.C. They're a force multiplier.

Now, do they arrest illegal aliens? No. The ICE officers, border patrol agents who have Title 8 authority to arret illegal criminal aliens.

But the National Guard does provide protection for us. It does provide us infrastructure, provides us transportation, provides us additional processing capability that allows the ones who immigration authority the badges and guns on the street continue arresting the bad guy.

So yes, they're a force multiplier. And they're on the table. (END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So you heard Homan there essentially saying that National Guard is on the table. They are force multipliers. I do think getting into why this is such an issue for so many people, though, is because it's very unusual to have the National Guard sent first of all, if the governor, which we are hearing from J.B. Pritzker saying he is not calling upon them or asking for them. For the president to do that when a governor of a state is not asking for it creates a lot of issues. And we did see some legal challenges with a judge over the L.A. operation where the president sent in the National Guard, saying that he did not have the authority that it was illegal to do that.

[14:04:45]

TREENE: So we have to see. This could potentially be setting up another legal battle for the administration. Again, we are not seeing National Guard yet.

I know who -- the people who are on the ground right now in Chicago are ICE personnel and Customs and Border Protection personnel. They've been trickling in over the last week or so.

But this could be really setting up a much bigger conflict, especially as I'm told that this is really the beginning of a much broader and aggressive, aggressive target of other sanctuary cities.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

All right. We're also learning that a new ICE operation is underway in Boston. The Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of what we're being told is called Operation Patriot 2.0.

CNN correspondent Leigh Waldman is following these developments. Leigh, what are you learning?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, this federal immigration enforcement happening in Massachusetts comes just weeks after the Trump administration indicated that they were going to discuss major operations to begin in Boston.

A DHS spokesperson telling CNN, quote, "ICE launched Patriot 2.0 to target the worst of the worst criminal, illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts following the success of Operation Patriot in May."

And we'll remind everyone Operation Patriot resulted in the arrest of nearly 1,500 people in Massachusetts. That's according to DHS.

Now, Boston's -- or Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is pushing back on this and saying it's not criminals at all who are being arrested. She spoke about this this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MAURA HEALY (D-MA): We've seen construction workers, nannies, landscapers, you know, health care aides. These are the people who are being taken in these huge numbers, taken away from their families.

And it is not the kind of effort that Donald Trump said it was about. But again, this is about show. It's about a show of force. It's about political theater.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: And this increased immigration effort that were starting to see happening in Massachusetts and Boston just comes days after the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the city of Boston, against its police department, and also against its Mayor Michelle Wu, saying -- Pam Bondi saying that it interferes with the federal immigration efforts that are underway. Saying that Wu and the city that she oversees have been amongst the worst sanctuary city offenders in the country.

Now, Michelle Wu put out her own statement just a few days ago and she said, quote, "This is our city and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country. We will not yield."

And all of this coming, Fred, as Boston is currently under a mayoral race right now, voters are heading to the primaries on Tuesday. We're sure this is going to be a topic that many voters have top of mind as they head there.

WHITFIELD: Right, incredible timing.

All right. Leigh Waldman, thanks so much.

All right. Right now we're also following new developments after that massive ICE raid in Georgia, where 475 workers were arrested in the Trump administrations largest immigration crackdown to date.

Hundreds of South Korean workers detained just three days ago are now set to return home on a South Korean chartered flight. And this comes after the South Korean government says it reached a deal for the return of its citizens.

CNN's Rafael Romo is here with me now. I mean, every day is a new development. What's happening now?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we were talking about 475 people all together.

WHITFIELD: Right.

ROMO: The South Korean government says that now it's a little over 300 that are actually their citizens. And in Thursdays' massive immigration raid here in Georgia, Fred, at Hyundai manufacturing plant has repercussions that go well beyond a law enforcement operation.

It mainly targeted citizens from South Korea, a country that is one of the top trade partners with the United States. They were working at a plant touted by Georgia's governor as the largest economic development project in the state's history. South Korean officials say they have moved swiftly to protect their

citizens while trying to avoid damaging their country's crucial relationship with the White House.

Officials from the Korean embassy in Washington and the consulate general in Atlanta negotiated with U.S. officials to secure the release of about 300 detained workers who will be returning home to South Korea on a chartered flight they were among 475 people detained in the raid as I mentioned before.

A top South Korean official also said that some administrative procedures remain before the flight can leave. The South Korean presidential chief of staff said earlier in Seoul that his government will implement measures. So this kind of incident doesn't happen again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANG HUN SIK, SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF: To prevent a similar incident in the future, we will work with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and related companies to review and improve the residency status and visa system for travelers on U.S.- related projects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, you may remember South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited the White House less than two weeks ago. And President Donald Trump is planning a South Korea trip next month, according to three administration officials.

[14:09:52]

ROMO: South Korea is the U.S.'s sixth largest trading partner. Bilateral trade last year totaled $242 billion. That's why, according to CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, the South Korean government has been trying to manage this crisis without angering President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think South Korea like, you know, many of our allies in Europe are more looking for ways to Manage conflict with Trump than to engage in confrontation with him. So I'm not sure how hard they push back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The two companies affected by the raid reacted over the weekend, LG Energy Solutions said that "The prompt release of the detained individuals is our top priority right now, as the South Korean government is also making every possible effort. We will do our best to ensure their speedy and safe return."

Meanwhile, Hyundai said Friday, "The company is committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market where we operate. This includes employment verification requirements and immigration laws.

Finally, Fred, when the construction of the plant was announced in 2022, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp touted it as a $5.54 billion investment, a number that later grew by $2 billion. His office said last year, the project was bringing about 8,500 jobs to Georgia's coastal region.

The question is now what's going to happen to the investment? And are they going to be able to go on with the plans?

WHITFIELD: Right.

All right. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, Russia launches its largest aerial assault of the war, striking numerous city centers across Ukraine and for the first time, a government building in Kyiv.

Plus, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., defending his firing of the CDC director, saying the agency needs, quote, "new blood".

What does this mean for public health? One of the senior CDC officials who resigned after the ouster joins me.

And the Trump family could rake in billions of dollars by cashing in on the crypto gold rush that they're helping to create. The conflict- of-interest concerns that are raising and rising.

[14:12:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. This breaking news into CNN.

For the first time ever, a government building in Kyiv was hit by a Russian aerial attack overnight. This, as President Trump said moments ago, that he's ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia.

The Ukrainian military says more than 800 Russian drones were deployed against cities across the country. At least four people, including an infant, were killed.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling the attacks "vile". And President Trump's Ukraine envoy says Russia appears to be now escalating the war.

I want to bring in CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier. Kim, great to see you.

I mean, the building that houses the Ukrainian prime minister's office was also struck in this assault. What do you read in this kind of targeting?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It is hard to know whether Russia has tried to hit these buildings before, but was not able to make it through the anti-missile and anti-aircraft protection around it. Or if this was intentional.

Previously, they've hit other parts of the city, but this attack was 800 drones and missiles. Some of the drones were what's called dummy drones. They don't have a warhead. But they're launched to confuse the anti-aircraft systems on the ground so that many of them can then get through.

Whether it was intentional or not, they did hit one of the buildings in the governing complex over Kyiv. And they also once again hit residential buildings, killing civilians. And these were residential buildings, at least one of them, according to reporters on the ground, it was hit by a drone.

Drones are guided. Drones have, some sort of capability to see where they're going. So it's hard to see this as anything but Vladimir Putin saying, I will do what I want for as long as I want, no matter what the White House says because I am not ready to stop making war yet.

WHITFIELD: And this, as President Trump is, you know, giving Putin now two weeks to make a peace deal with Ukraine. The deadline was last Thursday. No deal happened.

DOZIER: No.

WHITFIELD: But Trump said moments ago that he is ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia. And I mean, they haven't worked so far. Is this what it's going to take to get Russia to the negotiating table.

DOZIER: Well, the last set of sanctions that Trump struck was against India, giving India an extra 25 percent tariffs for a total of 50 percent tariffs against their goods, so that India would stop buying Russian crude.

The thing is, a lot of that Russian crude that India buys, it sells on to Europe as finished products. And these tariffs didn't in any way affect China, which buys far more Russian crude than India does.

[14:19:52]

DOZIER: Plus also India was so incensed over the tariffs that they have raised their orders for the Fall by 10 to 20 percent for more crude. So that really hasn't done much to damage the Russian war machine.

It is hard to know if Trump is ready to actually hit some of the areas, like the oligarchs. Some -- something that would hit closer to the Russian centers of power like he did in his first term. He's been advised to do that. He's been given those tools by his advisers, like General Keith Kellogg, who does, fully understand what Moscow is about.

The question is that we're all waiting and watching to see. Will he finally lose patience with Putin and pull the trigger on something that will actually be painful to Putin himself?

WHITFIELD: Yes, it was only a couple of weeks ago, there was the Alaska summit. The president left that very hopeful. But now Zelenskyy is actually criticizing, that event. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I think that President Trump gave Putin what he wanted. He wanted, you know, he wanted very much to meet with President Trump, with the president of the United States. And I think that -- and I think that Putin got it. And it's a pity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And how do you suppose those comments are going to be interpreted? Because Zelenskyy has tried to be really complimentary of this White House, especially after the debacle of that, you know, Oval Office meeting earlier in the year.

But now that he is, I guess, bold enough to say that, be critical. And that Putin has gained something from that summit. How will that be met at the White House?

DOZIER: You can almost see Zelenskyy thinking out loud like, should I say this? And then he finally says, the emperor has no clothes on type statement.

You know, everyone has since understood watching what Putin has done since the summit that he has squandered Trump's good wishes and goodwill and used that photo op to the maximum.

But the question is, is Trump also equally upset with what Putin has done in the aftermath? It hasn't looked like it, but Trump can get -- he can run out of patience and it happens suddenly.

So if he feels in any way humiliated by what Putin is doing, then we're going to see a change in policy.

What you have seen Putin also do is make a lot of different statements, like his most recent one at an economic summit was that if there are foreign troops inside Ukraine, this would be ostensibly after some sort of peace deal. And these are the reassurance forces promised by Europe to Ukraine. This is a deal still being worked out.

Putin has said that those would be valid targets. This is not the kind of message you send if you're going to allow Ukraine, as Putin has previously said, to continue to exist as an independent nation that needs its own protection.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kim Dozier, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

DOZIER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, RFK Jr. says he sees no successes in federal health agencies, defending his firings of health officials. So where does this leave the CDC?

One of the top CDC officials that just resigned from the agency joins me next.

[14:23:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right.

Fresh off his combative hearing on Capitol Hill and facing growing calls to be fired or step down, President Trump defending embattled HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He's a different kind of a guy. He's got a lot of good ideas, but he's got a lot of ideas. You know, normally they don't have any ideas and that's why we have problems with autism and so many other things because we're coming up with the answers for autism, you watch. We're coming up with the answers for other things that normal people, regular people, easy to get along with people wouldn't be able to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Secretary Kennedy also taking to the airwaves today, defending his leadership and his stance on vaccines. During a television appearance, Kennedy decried his intense grilling earlier this week by senators from both parties over a major shake-up at the top health agencies, and Kennedy calling it theater.

He also defended the recent firing of his CDC director over a dispute about vaccines, which led to several resignations of several other top health officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT KENNEDY, JR., U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I've been brought in as a new manager and, you know, my job is to shake up the organization, to fire the people who are responsible for masking our children with no science, for social distancing orders with no science or all the other thing you know, for all of the other things that they have for closing our schools at the behest of the teachers union and hurting workers all over America.

(CROSSTALKING)

KENNEDY, JR.: These were bad. We literally did worse than any country in the world. And it was because we forgot about science.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:29:48]

WHITFIELD: I'm joined now by Dr. Deb Houry. She is the former chief medical officer for the Centers for Disease Control. She is one of the top health officials who resigned following the firing of CDC director Susan Monarez.

[14:30:00]

Doctor, great to see you.

DR. DEB HOURY, FORMER CDC CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: You as well.

WHITFIELD: I mean, what is your response when you hear Kennedy even today repeat that there is no science behind a lot of the decisions that have been made as it pertains to public health?

HOURY: Yeah. So, I left because he wasn't following science or data. And for me, that's my true North Star. And I -- you know, he didn't meet with the experts. I have never briefed the secretary as the chief medical officer of the agency on measles, H5N1, even vaccines.

WHITFIELD: So when you hear the president today, as he was on his way to the U.S. Open Men's Finals, he sounds very hopeful about public health. Should he be?

HOURY: I was hopeful about public health, and actually under the prior Trump administration, a lot of great things happened. He declared drug overdose a public health emergency, started a lot of prevention and launched Operation Warp Speed on vaccines. Those are things he should be proud of and ensure that that isn't falling apart in this administration.

WHITFIELD: And so, you know, I wonder when Kennedy, you know, responds to "The Wall Street Journal" article report that says that an upcoming report from the Health and Human Services department is expected to link autism in children to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy, this is what he said, and I want to hear your response on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HHS SECRETARY: There are years and years of studies about that -- we are looking at today for the first time, and we're finding a number of different indicators, a number of different signals. But until those and as soon as we have enough information to give to the public with confidence, we are going to do that. But anything that happens, any speculation about what's in those reports at this point is speculative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, isn't that confusing? Because it sounds like what's being said is here's a conclusion. Women who are pregnant should not take Tylenol. Yet, we're looking at the indicators. What are the indicators that you need to back the study or back the kind of data that is being used here to reach this conclusion?

HOURY: Yeah, great question. And I hope. That the secretary and the department are prepared to answer that. To me is, can you reproduce the data? And what's the protocol that has been done so that we know that it was valid. I'm concerned that this is like a quick study to just find some sort of association. Many researchers have looked, you know, for the link to autism for years. And I don't think it's one thing. You know, it's not going to be just Tylenol. And in fact, there's been good studies have shown it's not Tylenol.

And currently, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommend Tylenol during pregnancy.

WHITFIELD: So, what's the damage done in the meantime? Because if we have to hear that, respond to it, doctors have to respond to it. Patients who are going to go to see their, you know, obstetricians or have a load of questions, what potentially is happening in the interim before we hear some real finality here?

HOURY: Yeah. So, there might be a lot of, you know, worry, you know, moms, did I take pregnant during my pregnancy? Did I take Tylenol? Is that why my child, you know, has autism now?

We certainly don't want moms to feel that way. And I also think it's important not to lose track of the big picture around autism. Are we looking at environmental causes, genetic causes like neurodevelopmental outcomes? We need to have that whole spectrum that we're looking at, and not just one or two correlations.

WHITFIELD: These were the thing -- these are the things that are at the core of the agency, like the CDC. So, what are your concerns right now as you and a host of other top officials step down as a result of the ouster of the director? What is happening at the CDC right now? What are your concerns about how research projects aren't necessarily, you know, coming to their completion? Whether the CDC's website can be a viable source for the medical community or for the general populace who have questions?

I mean, what do you suppose is happening right now?

HOURY: It's concerning. I can tell you that for the first vaccine committee meeting this spring, we had a document on an additive called thimerosal, and we had the evidence all put together so that the public could review it. We were told to take it down by the department, and then they voted to remove that additive. So, to me, that's political interference.

And with the vaccine committee coming up in about two weeks, I know that some decisions have already been made and we haven't provided the data and the science. So to me, that's concerning. That ideology is driving decisions.

WHITFIELD: And that's on a national level. And we're seeing already --

HOURY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- at least in one state, the state of Florida ideology, perhaps, is what's driving --

HOURY: -- the surgeon general there to make a very radical change, becoming now the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates. He defended that decision on CNN earlier today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOSEPH LADAPO, FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL: Is it appropriate for -- for a government to -- or any other entity -- to dictate to you what you should -- what you should put in your body? No, it's absolutely not appropriate. You have sovereignty over your body. I mean, that's -- that is -- that's where it starts.

And you should be able to decide what you put in your body. And if you can't decide what you put in your body -- I mean, you know, what -- what do you -- what do you actually -- you know, what -- what can you decide?

[14:35:08]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: So --

LADAPO: So, it's really -- it's really -- it really is an issue that that is in that domain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, he's admitted that the state has not done data analysis on the impact of lifting, lifting vaccine mandates. And I'm wondering as you listen to that, does this sound like it comes from a place of public health interest, or is this back to what you just mentioned, being ideology kind of driven?

HOURY: A hundred percent, and that's my concern. If you make a decision, it should be based on data.

And so, knowing how many more measles cases you're going to have, long-term consequences, maybe polio cases, by doing this, that's going to be a strain on the health care system. And what we saw in Texas was, you know, nearly 100 kids hospitalized, two kids died of a vaccine preventable -- sorry -- measles.

Yeah, of a vaccine preventable death. And that is just to me. So, concerning that we might see this in Florida and then, you know --

WHITFIELD: -- borders people, trans --

HOURY: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: -- people that are in transit.

(CROSSTALK)

HOURY: A hundred percent.

WHITFIELD: Sure.

HOURY: Like you cross -- you know, people go to Disneyworld. I mean, if there's decreased vaccinations for measles and other things, I would be really concerned. WHITFIELD: Medical community is very concerned about public health.

What do -- those of us who are part of the public, what should we be doing, thinking, feeling right now, while there seems to be, this turmoil? I mean, it is turmoil when you have all these, you know, conflicting decisions, ideas mandates. So, what are we to think and feel? What should we do?

HOURY: So my hope is that, you know, everybody thinks about in their community, you know, Republican, Democrat, everybody, it's about taking care of one another and health. I was an E.R. doc, you know, and it was about taking care of the patient in front of me, so really drilling down to, you know, how can we keep ourselves healthy? How can we make sure the community around us is healthy?

And that does include things like vaccines, but also other preventable conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. We can't lose track of the overall health of our nation during this time.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Deb Houry, thank you so much. Glad you can be with us. Appreciate it.

HOURY: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, a massive showdown just getting underway at the U.S. Open Men's Final. We'll take you there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:58]

WHITFIELD: All right. A whopping $5 billion. And we're not talking about the latest Powerball jackpot. That's how much the Trump family has amassed in value after launching a new crypto token, according to "The Wall Street Journal". Donald Trump and his sons, along with a few others, founded the financial company World Liberty Financial in 2024. And new crypto legislation that was passed under the Trump administration has eased the way to cash in big bucks.

CNN's Nick Watt joins us now with more on Trump's attitude toward cryptocurrency. And if it presents a conflict of interest at all -- Nick.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is what we heard from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. She told CNN this, neither the president nor his kids have ever engaged or will ever engage in conflicts of interest.

You know, the issue here is conflict of interest, and also perhaps any leverage a foreign individual or government might have over the Trump family in this crypto space.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice-over): Trump family amasses $5 billion fortune after crypto launch, read "The Wall Street Journal" headline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crypto is likely now the Trump family's primary business interests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the crypto president.

WATT: A Fox Business host, usually a Donald Trump apologist, explained it like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's crypto-friendly legislation coming from the president of the United States --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- who is in turn cashing in on the crypto phase personally, his family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conflict of interest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say no, but that's how it appears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's true.

WATT: Back in 2021, Trump was not a crypto guy.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bitcoin, I -- just seems like a scam.

WATT: Then he changed his mind.

TRUMP: I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.

WATT: On the eve of his inauguration, the Trumps launched two meme coins, Trump and Melania. In May, the biggest Trump coin buyers were rewarded dinner with the president. In June, Trump declared $57 million in earnings from so-called token sales, digital assets. That's some of the cashing in the Fox Business guy was talking about.

Now, the legislation slash regulation. Week one in office, Trump signed a crypto focused executive order that, among other things, called for a reevaluation of regulations.

TRUMP: They're going to make a lot of money for the country.

WATT: The crypto weary chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission had already been eased out.

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We reject regulators, and we fired Gary Gensler, and we're going to fire everybody like him.

WATT: The SEC soon dropped cases against a handful of major crypto trading platforms. This summer, Trump signed the GENIUS Act, designed to make crypto trading safer, which increases public confidence, which makes it more valuable.

[14:45:00] Meanwhile, Trump Media, owner of the flagging Truth Social, is pivoting into more crypto trading.

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: Our family loves you.

WATT: This week, Eric Trump was in Asia promoting American bitcoin, a company he founded. He and his brother reportedly hold a stake worth north of a billion bucks.

Finally, the backstory to that "Journal" $5 billion headline. Last year, Trump and sons and others founded World Liberty Financial. This week, it launched a digital currency onto the market, landing the Trumps that $5 billion on paper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): You know, interestingly, among the other founders of that company, Steve Witkoff, who is now serving as Donald Trump's primary envoy in the Middle East and elsewhere, Witkoff and Trump have been friendly for decades. Witkoff, also a New York real estate guy.

You know, when you've got a businessman president, there is a big area when -- a big gray area when it comes to this kind of thing. You know, is it bad if the legislation benefits the country and the Trump family? It's a gray area -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Indeed.

All right. Nick Watt, thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:55]

WHITFIELD: All right. The Men's Final at the U.S. Open underway now. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have become rivals on the court, and this is their first time facing off in the finals at the U.S. Open.

CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes is live for us from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows.

What's happening right now?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Fredricka, the match just started. It was supposed to start at 2:00 today, but it was delayed quite a bit because of the security, extra security that's in place right now because President Trump is here at this men's final. He's sitting in a suite in the center court and he came out right before the match, and then during the "Star Spangled Banner", they showed him on the big screen.

He did receive mostly boos from this crowd. And I can tell you what? The crowd that is still outside in the security lines, they are not happy as well because many of them have been in those lines for a long time. I walked the line a couple of minutes ago, I asked him, how long is it taking you to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium today? One person told me they had been in line for more than an hour and 40 minutes.

Again, this match was supposed to start at 2:00. It was delayed to 2:30, and it actually just got underway minutes ago, as a lot of these fans are just dealing with a TSA style airport nightmare here at the U.S. Open, trying to get into this match.

And, you know, it's an amazing match we're having here today between the top ranked player in the world, Jannik Sinner taking on Carlos Alcaraz. This is like the rubber match of grand slam finals this season. Alcaraz beat Sinner at the French Open. Sinner won Wimbledon, so we'll see who can come away with the title here today.

Now all the fans had a much easier time getting into the women's final yesterday between Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova. And in the end, it was Sabalenka claiming her second straight U.S. Open title. Anisimova put up one good fight, taking the match to a second set tiebreak. But tiebreaks is where Sabalenka just thrives right now. She's won 19 in a row, and she was able to claim her second straight U.S. Open title.

And I asked her on the court afterwards, how cool is it that she's the first woman to be able to do that since Serena Williams?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARYNA SABALENKA, WORLD #1: That sounds crazy for me. I never thought that I'll be able to achieve something like that and win back-to-back. It means -- it means a lot and it just -- it's just crazy. I think I need another day to realize what just actually happened.

SCHOLES: After the French Open, you said -- after that tough loss, you were -- you were going to drink tequila and eat gummy bears. Do you drink more tequila? Eat more gummy bears after a loss like that or after a big win like here in New York?

SABALENKA: Well, I don't know. You know, I think it's just -- I think I'll definitely drink more after a win like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Fredricka, Sabalenka -- so much fun. She has such great energy. And now, she's a four-time grand slam champion.

Meanwhile, like I mentioned, the men's final just now getting underway between Alcaraz and Sinner. We'll see if Sinner like Sabalenka is able to go back-to-back here at the U.S. Open.

WHITFIELD: All right. We shall see. And hopefully, all the fans have now -- those who had tickets into center court got in there, because I know a lot of folks like to get there early because they want to enjoy all the accoutrements.

SCHOLES: That line is --

WHITFIELD: No.

SCHOLES: Still thousands of people in line right now to get in, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, so people are fuming. Okay, I get it.

All right. Andy Scholes at the U.S. Open -- we'll check back with you. Thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, right now, the Trump administration is expanding its immigration crackdown with a new operation in Massachusetts right now underway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:59:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. Lucky dogs. At least two people in two states will start their week as huge multimillion dollar winners, marking an end to the nearly $1.8 billion Powerball drawing. Two winning Powerball tickets were sold in Texas and Missouri.

The Texas ticket was sold at a convenience store near San Antonio. The location of the Missouri ticket? Well, it's not been announced just yet.

And here's a look at the winning numbers, just in case you just want to know. I know you may not be that person in Texas or Missouri, but you're just curious -- 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 with the Powerball number of 17.

All right. This week, CNN is shining a light on innovators who have found creative ways to solve problems in their communities. And we call them "Champions for Change".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Do you get to eat it sometimes?

NARRATOR: Join us for "Champions for Change".

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: When was the first time you went to Africa?

NARRATOR: At CNN, journalists spotlight eight trailblazers creating a better tomorrow.