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Trump Heads To Asia For High-Stakes, Five-Day Diplomatic Visit; Sports Wagering Under Scrutiny After NBA Arrests; Mafia Families At The Center Of NBA Cheating Schemes; Government Shutdown Drags On; Health Care Compromise Remains Out Of Reach Amid Shutdown Standoff; Trump Backs Argentina's Javier Milei In Country's Midterm Elections; Researchers Want People To Be Part Of New Wellness Study; 23andMe Solves Medical Mystery, United Half-Siblings. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 25, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:01]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin with this breaking news.

Just moments ago, President Trump speaking on board Air Force One as he embarks on a high stakes five-day diplomatic visit to Asia.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is at the -- is in Washington for us right now.

And so, Julia, you know, President Trump, he made several comments about his goal, hopes, expectations for this trip. Bring us up to speed.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Donald Trump is traveling all day for this diplomatic visit to Asia. And we have heard from him periodically as he speaks with reporters on Air Force One. And in this most recent gaggle, he was asked what he expects to see or what he hopes to see out of the highly anticipated meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, taking place later in the week, and he said that he hopes to see a comprehensive deal come out of that.

Now, there are several stops, several different visits leading up to that meeting. We are going to see Trump in Malaysia as well as Japan, and then in South Korea. That's where the sit-down with his Chinese counterpart will take place. And this is the first time that the two have met during Trump's second term. It comes at a precarious time for relations between the two countries as both recently slapped new sweeping measures on each other.

Now, as I mentioned, Trump says that he hopes to see a comprehensive deal. He has a very optimistic approach going into this. He has described it as a good meeting, potentially even a great meeting. Take a listen to what else he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think a complete deal. I want our farmers to be taken care of and he wants things also. We're going to be talking about fentanyl of course. Fentanyl is killing a lot of people, a lot of people. It comes from China. And we'll be talking about that. We'll be talking about a lot of things. I think we have -- I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, earlier Trump did say that he believes that China will have to make concessions to come to some sort of an agreement. He also, though, suggested that he was willing to make some -- concessions, excuse me. The exact quote there was, "I guess we would too have to make some of those concessions."

So we do know that officials on both sides are expected to meet prior to this meeting in hopes of kind of fleshing out some of those trade negotiations and easing some of the tensions ahead of time. No doubt a lot to work through here, though, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

All right. Turning now to some new scrutiny on sports gambling after an explosive investigation rocked the NBA this week. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among nearly three dozen arrested for their alleged roles in two separate gambling operations. Prosecutors say the illegal schemes included X-ray poker tables, rigged card shufflers and insider information to steal tens of millions of dollars from victims. One of the alleged operations even involved the mafia.

Rozier has been placed on leave by the NBA. And here's what the Miami Heat coach had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIK SPOELSTRA, HEAD COACH, MIAMI HEAT: Yes, I mean, obviously we can't comment on the situation, but Terry is somebody very dear to all of us. He's had a real positive impact on our locker room and staff and players alike. And that includes last year when he wasn't in the rotation. So we send our thoughts and our care for him and as he goes through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now for more insight is ESPN's sports betting reporter David Purdum.

Great to see you, David. So what is this investigation reveal to you about how widespread this is alleged to be? You know, is this kind of the tip of the iceberg, so to speak? Sorry for the pun.

DAVID PURDUM, ESPN SPORTS BETTING REPORTER: Yes, evidently we got over 30 people arrested. It ranges from alleged mafia members to a current NBA head coach and to a veteran NBA player who has made over $100 million in his career. And for them to face these type of allegations and get indicted on illegal gambling charges, it's very shocking.

WHITFIELD: So Terry Rozier, sorry for the mispronunciation earlier, you know, his attorney is accusing the FBI as seeking misplaced glory and that his client is not a gambler. I mean, obviously, trial is upcoming if it comes to that. But in the meantime, can either Rozier or Billups even salvage their careers before then? Because this is a -- this is a big fall even with these accusations.

[15:05:01]

PURDUM: Yes, the NBA has put them on leave for right now, and they'll let the legal system play out. It's going to be a lengthy, lengthy process. But when you get under a federal indictment, the feds come with a lot of evidence. And they had a very lengthy indictment over 30 or 40 pages, I believe. In both cases there are two indictments. One is about an illegal poker game that was backed by the mafia and used high tech technology, including X-ray poker tables, as you mentioned, that allowed them to see the other players' cards.

And then there were signs of insider trading type information in betting. So there's a lot to play out here. And the allegations are serious. And the charges do come with lots of penalties.

WHITFIELD: I mean, serious and really mind-blowing because, you know, we're talking about dual operations, right? You know, one centered on, as you mentioned, the underground poker ring. The other on fixed sports betting on NBA games. And, you know, with family crime names like Bonnano, Gambino, Genovese, I mean, these are alleged to be involved in, you know, these poker games schemes. I mean, this is -- this is like a script from a movie.

PURDUM: It really is. It's really amazing. I mean, they had contact lenses that would allow them to spot marked cards in these poker games, and they use these NBA celebrities to kind of draw the people in to play them. They've got these games. They've got the technology to rig them. Now they had to figure out, OK, well, how are we going to get people to come play in these games? And so they invited an NBA head coach, a former player, to bring these people in there saying, hey, come play with these guys. Come play with these celebrities. And little did they know that they were getting (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: So in this sports betting investigation, kind of help break down how players information about injury or performance was at the center.

PURDUM: Yes, there's two elements of the sports betting. One involving Terry Rozier. And it was a game back in March of 2023. Before this game all these bets started coming in unexpectedly on the under on Rozier statistics. So people were betting him to score less points than they thought, get less rebounds, fewer rebounds, fewer assists. And the books got so much action on that. And it was so surprising they actually stopped the wagering on Terry Rozier at that time.

Rozier played just about nine minutes in that game before taking himself out, citing a foot injury. All his statistics were under the betting lines. All those bets that came in eventually won. So that's one side of it when you have a player allegedly removing himself manipulating performance. The other aspect of the sports betting one was insider information, and you had an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers allegedly sending out information about LeBron James and other star athletes to bettors, saying, these guys are going to be out of the game.

And that wasn't public knowledge. When he was telling these people this allegedly and that's what the people turned around and bet in. And now this assistant coach was actually charging them money for this. Hey, I will tell you something not on the record and you guys pay me some money for it, and you place your bets.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, overall, I wonder if you could, you know, help people understand. I mean, because there was the MLB Shohei Ohtani, you know, betting investigation ultimately, you know, his translator kind of took the fall on that one. But now you've got the NBA on this kind of scale. I mean, what does this mean for the fan trust of the NBA or any other, you know, professional team sport these days?

PURDUM: It's being tested for sure. You mentioned some of the scandals we've had. It's reached into almost all levels of sport. There's an ongoing federal investigation right now on alleged point shaving in college basketball. That should be coming out pretty soon. That's going to have make some waves as well. Over the summer, we had two Cleveland Guardians pitchers be suspended because of unusual betting activity came in on them.

So there have been scandals over and over. Now for terms of fans trust, you got to think back to 2007. NBA referee Tim Donaghy was convicted and admitted to betting on games he officiated. OK. So that doesn't get much worse than that when you talk about a gambling scandal, when you have a referee betting on the games that he was officiating. Yet here we are, two decades later, NBA is still very, very popular. Franchise values are at all-time highs. So, yes, there will be some shaken trust here, but fans will move on, basketball will remain popular in the U.S.

WHITFIELD: OK. David Purdum, what a pleasure. Thank you so much.

PURDUM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. This betting scandal is rocking the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver calling the scandal deeply disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SILVER, NBC COMMISSIONER: My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed. There's nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:10:04]

WHITFIELD: And the connection to organized crime is one of the many jaw-dropping allegations in this illicit betting scandal. Here now is CNN's Brynn Gingras.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a cheating scandal that's rocked the NBA and at the core, members of New York City's most notorious crime families.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese crime families.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Spook, Flappy, Juice, the Wrestler, some of the nicknames of men allegedly tied to the scheme, all reminiscent of a scene straight out of Hollywood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better check.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't rush me, sunshine. And rushing me all (EXPLETIVE DELETED) night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he didn't study this hard in school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cry me a river. It's really beautiful kings.

GINGRAS (voice-over): La Cosa Nostra is the nickname given to the Italian-American mob, their lore dates back decades to when the families ran criminal enterprises in New York City, often in competition with each other. This court paperwork alleges, though, the mob families are not a thing of the past. And for one gambling scheme, they teamed up, adopting new technology to rig poker games, allegedly taking nearly $2 million from a single victim.

TISCH: And when people refused to pay, these defendants did what organized crime has always done. They used threats, they used intimidation, and they used violence.

GINGRAS (voice-over): As part of the investigation, authorities scanned thousands of hours of surveillance video. At one point, spotting these men, including one dubbed Big Bruce. Court documents show this group already ran illegal gambling operations backed by the Bonanno crime family when they got involved in the poker scheme.

Same goes for a defendant who went by the name Flappy, who, in text messages confirmed his illegal ring was backed by the Gambino crime family.

CHRISTOPHER RALA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI'S NEW YORK FIELD OFFICE: This alleged illegal gambling operation hustled unwitting victims out of tens of millions of dollars, and created a financial pipeline for La Cosa Nostra to help fund and facilitate their organized criminal activity.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Defendant Robert Stroud, referred to as Black Rob, allegedly supplied along with other defendants, rigged shuffling machines to the operations. SAL PLACENTE, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSAL GAME PROTECTION DEVELOPMENT INC.:

That shuffle machine is altered to transmit to an earpiece to tell the people who are going to win.

GINGRAS (voice-over): And in one case, allegedly helped carry out a robbery to steal one. "S getting real in NYC," a text read after the alleged heist.

Federal prosecutors have asked that some of the dozens of defendants be detained on the new charges, citing their mob ties, like Angela Ruggiero, Jr., a member of the Gambino family who allegedly once boasted in prison about being tight with former boss John Gotti Sr., and that he had shot a man in the chest. Some defendants have entered not guilty pleas, and in some cases have even posted bail.

Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Brynn.

All right. Still to come, today marks the 25th day of the government shutdown. We'll take a look at how furloughed federal workers are preparing to make ends meet without getting paid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:46]

WHITFIELD: All right. Day 25 now of the U.S. government shutdown and senators left town for the weekend without even a hint of a deal. Furloughed federal workers are struggling to receive unemployment aid and food stamp recipients face uncertainty over their benefits next month.

CNN's Camila DeChalus is joining me right now with more.

So people are having to make some very hard choices, Camila.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. There are hundreds and thousands of federal workers that are being impacted by the government shutdown. It's just not just furloughed employees, but also employees are considered exempt. These are federal workers that are required to go into the office every day, and they're still not getting paid. It's also government contractors.

I've heard time and time again just about their stories about how this government shutdown has created such a mental health toll on them, and also a financial strain on their families because they are not receiving their paychecks.

Now, as you mentioned, the House is out of session next week and the Senate is supposed to come back on Monday. But just this past week, senators tried advancing a bill that would pay some federal workers and ultimately that effort failed. Now, the House, for their end, they're not in session, but next -- but just yesterday, I spoke to one Republican lawmaker and I asked him what his message is to all of the federal workers that are going without pay. And this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADRIAN SMITH (R-NE): Well, I appreciate their service. I appreciate the challenges that they face. And this -- this is an avoidable situation, avoidable, especially by Chuck Schumer, Leader Schumer himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, I know I mentioned that the Senate failed to advance this bill, but we're told that bipartisan talks are happening behind the scenes by both some Democratic senators and Republican senators that want to ultimately see a bill being voted on on the Senate floor that would include paying all federal workers.

Now, still, the details of this bill is still being sorted out. So we don't really know that much at this point in time. But that is something that's to carefully monitor next week and a lot of people are anticipating because so many federal workers are still waiting on that paycheck that is really crucial to feeding their families and other loved ones in their family.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Right. Right. Feeding their families, paying the rent, mortgage, all of that.

Camila DeChalus, thank you so much.

[15:20:00]

So at the heart of the ongoing government shutdown, the fight over extending Obamacare subsidies, millions of Americans who get tax credits to help purchase health insurance through federal marketplaces are set to see their premiums balloon. That's especially true in Georgia, where a report says more than nine in 10 Obamacare enrollees receive subsidies.

Joining me right now to discuss, Natasha Taylor, she's the deputy director of Georgia watch, a nonprofit that advocates for consumers.

Natasha, great to see you. And so I understand Georgia might be hit the hardest, right? A lot of people who are on the Affordable Care Act are benefiting from it, might be looking at increases upwards of 30 percent. What does that mean for folks and how they make decisions about whether to get health care coverage?

NATASHA TAYLOR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, GEORGIA WATCH: What we're hearing from Georgians is that they're going to have to really start choosing between paying their mortgage, paying their rent, and covering the cost of health care. You're looking at a family of four that might see increases of up to 50 percent and 60 percent. So if they're paying 3,000 a month for insurance coverage right now, they could be paying $6,000 to $7,000.

WHITFIELD: Which means they're going to make some decisions. Probably not opting for any kind of health care coverage. And then if there's an accident or some, you know, something happens out of pocket costs are exorbitant, too, for health care.

TAYLOR: Exactly. And it's really going to be devastating here in Georgia because we had record enrollment through our marketplace last year. And now we're looking at upwards of 340,000 people losing coverage simply because of the cost.

WHITFIELD: So who -- can you describe? Who are some of these patients? Who are the people who have been taking advantage of the ACA along the way and are counting on it now?

TAYLOR: You really have low-income families and middle-income families that have benefited from these tax credits. So the brunt of that is really going to fall on, again, those middle income and even upper class families because now you're talking about people having to go to the hospital on an E.R. basis, not having health care coverage. And that cost is going to be passed on to others who have insurance and who can afford health care.

So across the board nationwide, we're going to feel the impact of these tax credits if they're not extended.

WHITFIELD: So what are people telling you? And then what are you consequently telling them? How do you advise folks?

TAYLOR: We are hearing from families every day that are saying, we are going to have to make the decision to not have health care coverage. One person told me that she was just going to go without. She'd rather take the risk of not having health care coverage because of the month- to-month cost. So what we're trying to do is really educate people and empower them to understand their rights when receiving health care, how to keep it affordable, but really trying to amplify this message, as we're doing today across the nation, to say it's really important to keep these tax credits in place for your everyday family.

WHITFIELD: You know, people -- every family tries to plan for emergencies, but this is not something that you can plan for. When you talk about the figures that you just doled out, if already on average, you're doling out $3,000 a month for coverage, which is already very high. And now you're looking at that figure, you know, skyrocketing, I mean, are -- have people been able to express to you how they are, how they've been able to plan for this kind of emergency, if at all?

TAYLOR: They really aren't able to plan because it's still up in the air whether or not the tax credits are going to be extended. So people are really shopping right now. We have open enrollment coming up. People are shopping, but already anticipating that what they're seeing right now in the marketplace is going to go up. And that's the scary part, because, again, people are going to have to start making some tough decisions.

WHITFIELD: Very tough decisions are being made now. All right, Natasha Taylor, great to see you. Thank you so much.

TAYLOR: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead in a moment, the message struggling American ranchers are sending to President Donald J. Trump after his deal to import more beef from Argentina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:26]

WHITFIELD: All right. At this hour, President Trump is on his way to Asia for a high stakes five-day diplomatic visit. The marquee event of the trip is his first sit-down of his second term, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The meeting comes at a time of growing tensions between the U.S. and China over Trump's tariff policy.

During a refueling stop in Qatar a short time ago, the president also expressed optimism that he could reach a trade deal with China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think a complete deal. I want our farmers to be taken care of and he wants things also. We're going to be talking about fentanyl of course. You know, fentanyl is killing a lot of people. A lot of people. It comes from China. And we'll be talking about that. We'll be talking about a lot of things. I think we have -- I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. During the overseas flight, Trump also said that he's open to a possible meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but he also has no plans to meet with, he said rather that he has no plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin until he is sure, quote, "we're going to make a deal," unquote, on Ukraine.

All right. The president of Argentina has enjoyed praise and support from President Donald Trump, something rarely shown to South American leaders, even going as far as offering a $20 billion loan to that country during the U.S. government shutdown.

CNN's Rafael Romo is here to discuss what's behind this. Is it new loyalty or continued loyalty?

[15:30:01]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very interesting bromance that has surfaced between these two leaders. And yes, there's a lot of political affinity. There's a lot of very similar right-wing ideology, but it's something that we hadn't seen before with the South American leader. And this is all happening in the context of Argentina having legislative elections on Sunday. And this is the kind of news that would normally not generate headlines outside the South American country's borders were it not for the oversized role President Donald Trump is playing in this election.

Trump is a big fan of this man, Argentinian President Javier Milei, who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist economist and espouses many of the same right-wing policies the U.S. president does.

(VIDEO OF ARGENTINIAN PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI)

ROMO: Yes, that's him right there, seen here singing rock and roll earlier this month during his book launch.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

ROMO: An event also meant to revitalize his political coalition. Milei is known for his antics as much as his politics. The legislative elections in Argentina are seen as Milei's first political test since he took office nearly two years ago and a referendum on his right-wing policies meant to stabilize his country's historically fragile economy. His party suffered a crushing defeat in elections last month, and Milei is counting on a, listen to this, Fred, $20 billion lifeline from the United States, approved by the Trump administration despite the government shutdown.

But it appears Trump's bailout for Argentina is conditional on Milei staying in power, as the president himself said earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm with this man because his philosophy is correct and he may win and he may not win, but I think he's going to win. And if he wins, we're staying with him. And if he doesn't win, we're gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: If he doesn't win, we're gone, he said. The $20 billion lifeline framework U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced earlier this month is known as a currency swap. It gives Argentina's central bank the ability to exchange pesos for U.S. dollars, with the Treasury. Doing so can help stabilize its financial markets by injecting more liquidity. Experts call it essentially a loan from the U.S. government.

Ideology aside, that's probably another factor why Milei has been lavishing praise on the U.S. president as he did last month during a speech at the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. JAVIER MILEI, ARGENTINA (through translator): Both Donald Trump and I know what we are doing in the face of these challenges. All of these challenges have a common denominator that all countries, including supranational organizations, must address. They must find a way of creating dividends for the future and not succumb to the temptation of dealing with the present.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: Trump, who has met with Milei twice in as many months, said the bailout for Argentina is, quote, "really meant to help a good financial philosophy and so we can help our neighbors." Trump's support of Milei is expected to help his political base on Sunday's legislative elections, but may also galvanize the opposition. So it cuts both ways.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I see that. OK. Very interesting.

Rafael, thank you so much.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, a new study is turning the tables on health and wellness data. And CNN is along for the ride how you can take part in the research next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:10]

WHITFIELD: All right. I wonder if these are some of the questions you ask yourself. How do I build healthy eating habits? How should I exercise? How much sleep do I need?

Well, there is a lot of advice out there swirling around about how to live a healthier life. And now researchers are flipping the script and asking you to be part of the process. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Alberta are looking for a large pool of people, maybe it's you out there, for a new study to assess what you know about healthy habits.

And CNN is following along to report on the research process from the get-go. CNN wellness writer Madeline Holcombe is here with me.

And Madeline, you are -- are you an active participant, too, as well as --

MADELINE HOLCOMBE, CNN WELLNESS WRITER: I am active participant.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right.

HOLCOMBE: Recovering and I'm doing it myself.

WHITFIELD: I love it. So some reporter involvement in a very different way.

HOLCOMBE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So tell us about this study. What do we need to know? What do participants need to know if they, you know, want to sign up?

HOLCOMBE: So it could not be simpler. After you sign up, researchers start testing those who are participating. A two-question quiz every single day for 30 days. And I think it's, you know, really important to note that it's just like you said. It's about what you know because I've had some people who have, you know, talked with me about it and they're like, I don't want to have to tell a scientist that I don't exercise enough or that I eat too much sugar. That's not what it's about. It's really just, do you know the principles of healthy living?

WHITFIELD: Interesting. And are you already starting to get some feedback?

HOLCOMBE: Well, I don't know yet.

WHITFIELD: OK.

HOLCOMBE: I've done the quiz myself. I've done the full 30 days, so they're keeping it a little hush-hush about exactly what they're looking for.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, this is very unique. I wonder, you know, why conduct a study in this manner.

HOLCOMBE: Well, so, I mean, I think something that the researchers stressed to me is that they wanted to conduct this in a way that was easy and maybe even fun to engage with health and wellbeing on, you know, a daily basis.

[15:40:10]

The real like kind of funny thing about this is I don't know what they're studying. As someone who's doing this -- participating in the study and someone who's reporting on it, studies like this, it's sometimes really important that those participating don't know what the researchers are actually looking for because consciously or subconsciously, people might kind of change how they're behaving.

WHITFIELD: Right. They want honesty.

HOLCOMBE: They want honesty. And you might start to --

WHITFIELD: Yes. How are you living your life? What are you doing? What are the choices that you make, and what are the consequences that come with it perhaps?

HOLCOMBE: Perhaps. Yes. So, yes, we don't know exactly what it is they're studying, but they tried to make it really simple and really engaging. Just a couple of questions every day. You're not taking it full, like, college level exam about your own health.

WHITFIELD: So there has to be a willingness on your part, too, to reveal honestly what your life is like. And I guess knowing that potentially this could assist in some way, I mean, what will happen next with this research?

HOLCOMBE: Well, so we're still very early on and researchers need a pretty large pool of participants to make sure that they can be really confident in whatever conclusions they come to at the end. So, you know, after enough people participate and do this quiz, then after that, they're going to submit to a journal. I'm going to report back on what they find. WHITFIELD: So how committed for how long do you have to be?

HOLCOMBE: Thirty days, maybe a minute. It took me, I will say, don't get embarrassed if you get the questions wrong. I report on wellness every single day and they got me on a couple.

WHITFIELD: Right, right.

HOLCOMBE: But yes, I think -- I think that how this really helps us live a more healthy life, especially when we don't know yet exactly what they're looking for. We do know that we're always trying to get more healthy. Like, every new year, people have these grand plans about --

WHITFIELD: Yes. I'm going to the gym more.

HOLCOMBE: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: You know, I'm going to eat more fruit and vegetables, et cetera.

HOLCOMBE: Yes. And then by March, what happens?

WHITFIELD: Right. None of it happens.

HOLCOMBE: None of it happens.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLCOMBE: And so researchers are always kind of looking at how do we make better habits, more impactful habits, and how do we make them stick.

WHITFIELD: And it sounds like it's going to be fun.

HOLCOMBE: It's going to be fun.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's not a heavy lift. It's just a willingness to say, I'm ready to divulge some information and then, you know, find out how I've benefited from it.

OK. So what do you do? You're listening to this, you're thinking, OK, I'm intrigued. How do you sign up?

HOLCOMBE: Again really simple.

WHITFIELD: Go on the Web site.

HOLCOMBE: You can go on their Web site. It's healthdailyquiz.org, or you can go to our Web site. I wrote an article about this and there's a link right in there that will take you right to the sign-up page.

WHITFIELD: Very fun. OK, I think you're going to get some more, you know, volunteers. That's the idea.

HOLCOMBE: I hope so. WHITFIELD: OK. Madeline Holcombe, good to see you.

HOLCOMBE: Thank you. Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: We'll have to like have you back for the follow-up.

HOLCOMBE: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: What have you learned from it all.

HOLCOMBE: I can't wait.

WHITFIELD: What did you learn about yourself?

HOLCOMBE: I know, I know, and it's great because people hear these headlines every day and they're like, I don't know if that would apply to me. I don't know if I would feel that way. So now we get to actually find out if that's true.

WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to find out soon. Maybe you do want to be involved in the study. You can visit CNN.com/health. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. Each week we're catching up with remarkable CNN Heroes whose efforts have evolved in exciting ways since their recognition. In Colombia 2016 CNN Hero of the Year Jason Aristizabal has helped transform the lives of thousands of young people with disabilities.

Anderson Cooper shares how he and his foundation are moving onward and upward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY RIPA, CNN HEROES HOST: The 2016 CNN Hero of the Year is Jason Aristizabal.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HEROES HOST: Jason Aristizabal.

JASON ARISTIZABAL, 2016 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR (through text translation): Hello to Colombia. Hello to all the families that have a child with a disability.

COOPER (voice-over): In 2016, Jason Aristizabal became the first CNN Hero of the Year from Latin America, breaking yet another boundary as a young man with cerebral palsy. He's dedicated his life to bringing therapy and education to young people with disabilities in one of the poorest areas of Cali, Colombia.

Since being honored, Jason became a lawyer and his foundation built a brand new rehabilitation center. ARISTIZABAL (through text translation): My goal is to help change the

laws of this country. So that those with disabilities will have more opportunities. We also began to dream about a university. The kids were getting older and we started thinking that they should have a life project.

COOPER (voice-over): Today, his university offers classes and training in a wide range of areas, putting hundreds of students on a path to future success.

ARISTIZABAL (through text translation): It has all the equipment so that people with disabilities can study in an accessible way.

COOPER (voice-over): For Jason and his foundation, it's all about helping these young people realize their potential by showing them and the world that they can do anything they set their minds to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:07]

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Anderson Cooper, for that. And to learn more, go to CNN.com/Heroes.

All right. Still to come, a woman struggled with unexplained medical struggled with unexplained medical issues for years. A DNA test solved the mystery with shocking results.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:02]

WHITFIELD: A woman struggled with puzzling medical issues for years. Then a DNA test helped her solve more mysteries than one. She discovered multiple half siblings and a doctor's years-long deception.

CNN's Ryan Young has more on this shocking story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMMER MCKESSON, DISCOVERED HALF-SIBLING: So my oldest half sibling is 61 and the youngest is 39.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These half siblings.

JIM HARRIS, DISCOVERED HALF-SIBLING: Good to meet you. How are you?

MCKESSON: Good to meet you. Good. How are you doing?

HARRIS: I'm well.

YOUNG: Meeting for the first time face to face.

HARRIS: Overwhelming.

MCKESSON: A lot.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, it's a lot.

YOUNG: Summer McKesson and Jim Harris never understood why they towered over others in their family. Both standing above six feet.

MCKESSON: Growing up I would always joke that I was adopted because I was so much taller than my family and just looked different.

HARRIS: My father raised me was five eight. I grew up an only child.

YOUNG: Summer also had life-threatening health issues that no one else in her family had. Puzzled, they turned to 23andMe.

MCKESSON: 23andMe was kind of a last resort. Back in 2020, I found out that I had blood clots in my heart and lungs. A year later, I had to have open heart surgery.

YOUNG: Summer learned her life-altering medical issues are genetic and can be potentially linked to older parental age which didn't make sense with her family's medical history.

MCKESSON: So I did it to see if it would give me any health insights because there is a health component to it. And little did I know what I would find out.

YOUNG: Their parents sought help to conceive at the prestigious fertility clinic at Duke University, and received care from a respected doctor.

HARRIS: I went through Ancestry in 23andMe and matched with what turned out to be the doctor at Duke's biological raised daughter and talked to her.

MCKESSON: I didn't even know that they had IVF or sperm donation back then. And so it was a shock. It was almost paralyzing when I first found out to find out my dad wasn't my dad.

YOUNG: But that wasn't the only shocking news they received.

MCKESSON: Back then they couldn't freeze sperm so it had to be fresh. And it was supposed to be an anonymous medical student that looks like my dad.

HARRIS: It was going to be from a Duke medical student, but it was the sperm from the doctor that ended up being my genetic father.

YOUNG: Summer and Jim have now connected with more than a dozen half siblings, whose paternal side connects back to that Duke doctor who passed away years ago.

HARRIS: I went on the sites and I matched with, you know, five, six people at the time. And then there was a couple of people over the years, and I know there's more.

YOUNG: Despite North Carolina not classifying fertility fraud a crime, the sibling duo wants accountability.

HARRIS: I don't know how many patients over 30 years were treated. Duke needs to tell all the mothers.

YOUNG: Duke did respond with a statement. "We have been made aware of unacceptable actions. The unacceptable actions could not happen today at Duke Health and should have never have happened. Given our commitment and obligations to protecting the privacy and security of personal information, Duke Health is unable to comment on individual patients."

MCKESSON: I probably have a lot of other siblings in their 40s as well that need to know, and I know I wouldn't be here without him, but I also will forever be impacted by his actions.

YOUNG: You're not asking for money. You're asking for knowledge.

HARRIS: That's going to help people. I'm asking for transparency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG (on-camera): Like we mentioned in the story, the doctor died several years ago. So Summer and her brother will never have the chance to ask him all the questions they wanted to ask him, but they're really focused on the other brothers and sisters who might be out there, who might also be facing other health concerns that will never have the answers that so far they've been able to find.

Reporting in Atlanta, Ryan Young, CNN.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ryan, thanks so much.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and comedian Paula Poundstone are the guests tonight on "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JUNIOR, HOST: MSNBC confirmed the existence of a memo written by one of the career prosecutors who was fired by Lindsey Halligan. And the memo doesn't look great for the prosecution's case.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember that prosecutors alleged that the profit that James made on this -- on mortgage favorable interest rate they alleged that she got on the second home amounted to about $50 a month.

PAULA POUNDSTONE, COMEDIAN: In the picture there, it was with a sketch artist, right? Of all the things that we've done to our justice system, where it's just not right, they're still hanging on to that no cameras, no cameras in the court. Be, like, coming out naked except for band-aids over your nipples. You know what I mean? Like, at this point, who cares if there's cameras in the courtroom? It doesn't matter. There's a sketch guy now. OK. You can only see him in charcoal. That's so silly.

WOOD: OK. Paula Poundstone, not a fan of the Sketch Artist Union.

POUNDSTONE: That's not what I'm saying.

WOOD: That's what you said. I heard you taking jobs away from sketch artists. That's what I heard.

POUNDSTONE: No. I have a background in courtroom sketch artist.

WOOD: Now, on to Halligan's other --

POUNDSTONE: My whole family was in courtroom sketch. There was the criminal element of the Poundstone family and then there were the sketchers and --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Tune in to an all-new episode tonight at 9:00, right here on CNN. And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "SMERCONISH" starts right now.