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Millions Of Americans Lose Access To SNAP Benefits; Obama Rallies Voters For New Jersey And Virginia Gubernatorial Race; Parts Of Jamaica Cut Off Days After Powerful Storm; King Charles Strips Andrew Of Royal Titles And Mansion; Mexico's Dia De Los Muertos Festivities Underway. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 01, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was last month when President Zelensky had visited Washington and gone home empty-handed, that there had been a lot of surprise at the fact that President Trump should announce that, contrary to what he'd been saying before, he would not be providing Ukraine with Tomahawks because of that fear of U.S. stockpiles being damaged. Now, still, even with this Pentagon green light, of course, the decision remains with President Trump. And there is some indication that his wariness with Russia is growing more intense.

We saw for the first time last month him slap sanctions on Russian oil firms, given his frustration with the lack of progress the Russians have been making towards starting peace talks. The question now, whether he will move that step further and authorize those Tomahawks, Tomahawks that the Ukrainians have been asking for for some time. They believe that this could play a significant part in furthering their strategy of taking on oil and energy installations in Russia.

There's been a spike. Record-high gas prices as a result of some of those strikes. They believe that this not only helps prevent Russia from funding, from feeding its war effort, but also bring some more pain of the war to Russians as well. The point of the Tomahawk says President Zelenskyy would be to level the playing field to get a fairer deal ahead of the end of the war.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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

And starting today, millions of Americans no longer have access to critical SNAP benefits. The federal food assistance program serves as a lifeline for the nation's most vulnerable people. And now it is out of funding because of the U.S. government shutdown, which is in its 32nd day now.

On Friday, two federal judges in two separate states ruled that the Trump administration must partially fund SNAP with emergency funding. But it's not clear how soon that could happen. Recipients are worried how they're going to make ends meet. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASMINE HINER, OKLAHOMA FARMER: We're a family that utilizes SNAP ourselves, and I'm sure that there's lots of other farmers that do as well. So in addition to those funds being lost for us, it's our customers.

STACY UNDERWOOD, KANSAS MOM: Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I'm failing as a mom because that's hard. You know, your kids are hungry and you can't just hand them an apple when they're hungry or give them a peanut butter sandwich.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now live from Florida, where the president is spending the weekend.

Julia, bring us up to speed on the status of SNAP funding after these rulings by these two federal judges.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The impact here is big. As you hear there, millions of Americans will be feeling the hardship of this. This is one of the key dates that we've been watching out for in the ongoing government shutdown. This is when funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will lapse.

But as you mentioned, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to at least partially fund this program in November. Those rulings reject an argument made by the Department of Agriculture that it couldn't use a contingency fund in order to help pay for these food stamp benefits.

Here's what the head of that department, Secretary Brooke Rollins, said prior to the rulings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE ROLLINS, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: So there is a contingency fund at USDA, but that contingency fund, by the way, doesn't even cover, I think, half of the $9.2 billion that would be required for November SNAP. But it is only allowed to flow if the underlying program is funded. It's called a contingency fund, and by law, contingency fund can only flow when the underlying fund is flowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And as she pointed out there, it is clear that this contingency fund alone would not cover everything. The agency says that there's about $5.3 billion in that fund, and that each month it costs somewhere between $8 billion and $9 billion to cover SNAP.

Now, President Donald Trump did react to the rulings in a social media post. He said that government lawyers do not believe that they have the legal authority to use that money in that way, and he asked for clarity. He said this, quote, "Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible."

Still a lot of questions here. And even with these rulings, millions of Americans who depend on SNAP will likely experience a delay because it will take time to get that funding going again.

QUEST: And then, Julia, where do things stand on the U.S. government shutdown?

BENBROOK: Well, things stand pretty much in the same place they have for over a month now.

[15:05:02]

The arguments remain the same. Republicans are pushing for essentially an extension of current funding levels on a short term basis, and Democrats, they're focusing in on health care. They want to address an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Now, those are set to expire at the end of the year.

Now, on his way, traveling out here for the weekend, Trump was asked if he would take time to sit down with Democrats and discuss health care. He said, yes, but only when they vote to reopen the government. That is likely a nonstarter here. Democrats are determined to discuss these health care subsidies right now, while their votes are needed -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

All right. Let's continue this conversation now. Derrick Chubbs is the president and CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Thank you so much for being with us. So, you know, earlier today I was speaking with the head of an Atlanta food bank and how they are trying to help out TSA workers and other federal workers who have not received a paycheck because of the government shutdown. You held a similar event, right, in Orlando. And tell us what the turnout was like, what the stories are that have been conveyed to you and your colleagues.

DERRICK CHUBBS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: Well, thanks for having me, Fred. It's always good to be able to join you again. You know, several years later. The challenge we're having here is, you know, families were already stretching and being overly concerned, stretching every single dollar that they had based on the economic conditions. You know, higher housing costs, higher food costs. And what this is going to do is it's literally going to be on top of that.

Here in Central Florida, we have well over a half million individuals and families that depend on SNAP benefits. And that money didn't flow today. We held an event not too long ago for our neighbors who were part of, who were part of the airport and TSA but we expect those numbers to simply continue to climb. And just to give a bit of an idea of how this, you know, how this is, for every meal, every one meal that the food bank produces, SNAP benefits produce nine. So that is a really daunting hill for the food bank here. And certainly the food bank network across feeding America for the 42 million that are going to be without SNAP benefits today.

WHITFIELD: Right. So you can't possibly meet the demand or fill, you know, the gaps without SNAP. So then, you know, you heard a few the people on our air moments ago about, you know, their worries and, you know, feeling like a failure by not being able to feed their kids. And I'm wondering, you know, are people conveying to you, you know, their plans of how they're going to try to make ends meet in the coming days or even weeks, especially, especially since you just conveyed, you know, you can't do what SNAP is able to do. You're able to give one day versus, you know, SNAP over eight or nine days.

CHUBBS: Yes, several things. You know, first and sometimes the saddest, they're going to miss meals and, you know, they will determine what they can -- what they can do. And just remember, you know, this is the first of the month. You know, rents due, other responsibilities are due. And what they had all hoped for was that at least the SNAP benefits would be able to supplement what they would need. And now those aren't -- those aren't there.

I could not imagine some of the conversations that we're having are they are very, very fearful about being able to provide food for their families. They're also, in certain cases, very discouraged because, you know, the stigma that sometimes comes along with this is a little bit challenging, and no one wants to be able to -- wants to be in a position where they can't feed their children.

And here in Central Florida, one in six of our children already are food insecure or don't know where their next meal is coming from, so they are saddened. And what we're trying to do from a -- from a feeding perspective or from a food bank perspective is to try and not only bridge the gap, but to also bridge the gap with a level of dignity and stand shoulder to shoulder with them so that they know that they're not alone in this.

WHITFIELD: A lot of food banks are having to reach into their emergency reserves. When I was talking to the Atlanta, you know, community food bank CEO, they've had to do that. How about you all?

CHUBBS: Well, the time may come, but we're very fortunate here in Central Florida in that when we've, you know, placed a call, the community has stepped up.

[15:10:06]

We distribute food through a partnership with about 800 other non- profits. They range from soup kitchens to church pantries to schools. And together we are hoping that we will be able to continue to bridge as much of this gap as possible.

We're not going anywhere, Fred. So we are going to distribute as much food as we have. And I am certain that our community is going to step up just like Kyle's in Atlanta. I'm sure that, I'm sure that our community is going to step up and support us as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Derrick Chubbs of Second Harvest, thank you so much. Always great to see you. Appreciate it. So sorry that the need continues to grow, which has helped precipitate this latest conversation. All the best to you.

CHUBBS: Always good. Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. It is all hands on deck for Democrats across the country who are hoping to help candidates in their party win key races. That includes former President Barack Obama and others who are hitting the campaign trail just days ahead of election day. Their messages coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:58]

WHITFIELD: All right. With just three days to go until voters in New Jersey elect a new governor, Democrats are hoping that former President Barack Obama can put their candidate over the top. Later this afternoon, Obama is set to help Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill as she makes a final campaign push before Tuesday.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Newark, New Jersey, where Obama is set to speak in just a few hours from now. But that's after he's going to make an appearance in Virginia.

So, Arlette, how is Sherrill's Republican opponent reacting to the idea of a former president stumping?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli is really downplaying former President Barack Obama's appearance here in New Jersey. But Democrats are hoping that he will really help to mobilize voters in this closing stretch. The former president will join the Democratic nominee, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, here in Newark, New Jersey, after he is on the trail in Virginia with another closely watched governor's race with Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

Now, President Obama still remains one of the most popular and sought after Democratic surrogates in the party. It is believed that he can still really speak to and mobilize and invigorate many of those reliable Democratic voters that turned out for him in the past that they will need to vote Democrat in this governor's election. But he is also essentially the closer in this race. You have seen Sherrill campaign with a multitude of high profile Democrats who have descended on the state in recent weeks.

That includes governors like Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer. Former Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg was actually in the state just on Thursday, campaigning with Sherrill. And Ciattarelli, Sherrill's opponent, was asked about that Democratic high profile turnout here in this race, and here's what he had to tell reporters yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK CIATTARELLI (R), NEW JERSEY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: This is what I referred to as the choreography of campaigns. But at the end of the day, I really believe this, particularly in New Jersey, the candidate has to win the race. And that's why I get up and down the state every day and engage with people every day, shake hands every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now Ciattarelli has run and embraced the current president, President Donald Trump, who has done a little bit of work for Ciattarelli. Just over a week ago, he held a tele-rally where he encouraged Republican voters to turn out in support of Ciattarelli. But we have not seen President Trump here on the ground in New Jersey campaigning in the same way that we are seeing with some of those high profile Democratic surrogates like President Obama.

But both sides are watching this race incredibly closely as they are heading into Tuesday's election. Really, the economy has been a top concern for voters here, and Sherrill has tried to tie her opponent to President Donald Trump in this final stretch -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz in Newark, New Jersey. Thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, a heart-wrenching pictures and photos out of Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa destroys communities across the island.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What do you need most at this time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A roof over your head, sir. Me and my mother and my grandmother, we don't know what we're going to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We'll be joined by musician and Jamaican superstar Sean Paul and see how he is already giving back to those in need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:48]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Happening right now there are desperate rescue and recovery operations going on right now across Jamaica. Drone video shows miles and miles of devastation. Hurricane Melissa slammed into the western part of the island as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in more than 150 years. The Sean Paul Foundation is on the ground in Jamaica right now, helping to provide needed food and supplies.

Jamaican music superstar Sean Paul is joining us right now from the capital of Kingston.

This is your hometown. And, you know, glad you could be with us. We have a connection here that looks pretty good. So I'm wondering, you know, how did Melissa transform the town, the community, as you have known it all these years? SEAN PAUL, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING REGGAE MUSICIAN: Well, Kingston wasn't

a place that was heavily hit. We were shaken up. We definitely got a lot of water in every building. We got, you know, a lot of strong breeze. However, the bulk of the damage was done in St. Elizabeth, Montego Bay, you know, places like Trelawny and on the north coast, you know, 90 percent of the houses in Trelawny are gone.

[15:25:03]

The other 10 percent that are remaining are roofless. People are homeless. They have no running water. It can't be mortars coming to their house being blown through wood, through rain and water getting in there. And they have nowhere to bathe. The sanitary conditions are crazy. The smell, I am being told, is awful. I know people have gone on there. People are going down there as we speak to clear the way to get there. The roads are impossible to get there.

And you know how people are surviving is almost impossible. So I've teamed up with Food for the Poor JA, which is organization that has always supported people in dire need. We get food to them and cleaning items and sustenance, things like that, that will help them for now. However, people can go to these two trusted organizations. One is FoodforthePoorja.org and one is SupportJamaica.gov.jm.

Those two, if you guys could display that for me, would be a very great help. Those two are getting food to the people who are directly in need and cleaning supplies to the people who are directly in need of that right now.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PAUL: I mean, when you talk about destruction and devastation, you know, it looks like a bomb hit over there. And you know, it's just to me, you know, another instance where we can look at how the weather is behaving and we can see our shoreline in Jamaica. We know that it's eroding. We know that, you know, the climate is being affected. We feel it as a smaller island. So with that being said, you know, everyone who has ever tried to, you know, has ever had, you know, a great time in Jamaica, even if you enjoy just a beer coming off of a cruise ship for a few hours, give $10, give $1, anything that you can to those two organizations.

It will ensure that these people are -- the images that you're seeing right now -- will get help that they truly need, you know.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because the devastation it is unbelievable. You know, Western Jamaica being hit the hardest.

PAUL: It's devastating.

WHITFIELD: We're looking at these pictures, I mean, roofs off. I mean just unrecognizable. And for any of us who have enjoyed, you know, your beautiful country, I mean, this is just hard to believe. And I know you've been on social media and you've been encouraging people, you know, to offer assistance in any way, even describing that, you know, what Jamaica is going through is really, really tough right now. So I wonder, what are you hearing from people about, you know, the

ongoing searches, you know, for family members. You know, while were seeing a lot of folks who are lining up in some places who are able to get some kind of supplies, I mean, the ongoing search for people is extraordinary as well.

PAUL: Yes. The toll is not yet known. Yes. And, you know, there are animals out there that we're affected. You see, St. Elizabeth is our food basin. So basically a lot of farms out there, a lot of farmland. And so the smell that people are smelling, people are saying it's from a lot of animals that have, you know, dead animals. We are trying to get a toll on a tally of what its, you know, what is going to be. But this is a long term process. It's going to be months.

You know, I went through Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and, oh, we didn't have school or light for about three months almost. It happened in September and I didn't get back light at my house until near December, about -- or just about the first week in December. So this is going to be even worse. Right now, every generator on the island is working and it's, you know, you know, everybody is trying to find some way to find back some form of normalcy.

And the best thing or the quickest thing that we can do to help people's ease is to give to those two organizations, especially Food for the Poor. As I said, they do that on a regular basis every day without a natural disaster. And so they know the places to get the funds to -- the food to and all that.

WHITFIELD: All right. Message received.

Rapper Sean Paul and humanitarian, Sean Paul, thank you so much for being with us. Of course, we're hoping that a lot more assistance and aid is certainly coming your way there. And your home country of Jamaica. All the best and we continue to pray for everyone who is in such incredible, great need right now. Thank you so much.

[15:30:01]

PAUL: Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Appreciate everybody helping and sending out the word. And also to all Jamaicans abroad, you know, stay strong. You'll soon hear from your family. There's a lot of people who still can't hear from their families out there. I've been in contact with a few. What's really a problem is that they can't, you know, even if they get their phone charge, there's no service at times.

WHITFIELD: Right. Communication is very spotty. All right.

PAUL: Yes. So it's hard.

WHITFIELD: Well, you are doing a great job of communicating both ways and helping people stay informed. We thank you so much. All the best.

PAUL: Appreciate everybody helping out. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a royal reckoning. King Charles strips Prince Andrew of his titles and evicts him from his estate. The extraordinary move as the king's relationship with his brother is thrust into the spotlight now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:34]

WHITFIELD: President Obama right now, look at him live there in Norfolk, Virginia, at a rally for the Democratic nominee in Virginia's gubernatorial race, Abigail Spanberger, who is sitting on stage as the former president is speaking now. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We've got some poor labor economists who got fired for accurately reporting bad jobs numbers that the president didn't like. I mean, it's like every day is Halloween. Except it's all tricks and no treats. And here's the thing. It's not as if we didn't see some of this coming. I will admit, it's worse than even I expected, but I did warn y'all. I did. You can run the tape.

And by the way, he warned you, too, because he said what he was going to do. But the fact is, there were plenty of people who voted for Trump and the Republicans anyway. And it wasn't because they wanted to give up the right to free speech or see our public health systems torn down. But because they were understandably frustrated with inflation and gas prices and the difficulty of affording a home and worries about their children's future, and so they were willing to take a take a chance.

Now, nine months later, you got to ask yourself, has any of that gotten better?

CROWD: No.

OBAMA: Is the economy working better for you?

CROWD: No.

OBAMA: Because it sure has gotten better for Trump and his family. You know, since he's been in office the whole crypto business and other ventures have made hundreds of millions of dollars, including from foreign nationals and rich folks investing because they want to stay in the president's good graces.

The economy has been really good for some of Trump's billionaire pals and for finance bros and well-connected corporations who've seen their tax bills go down and don't have to worry about all these pesky regulators anymore. But for ordinary families, costs haven't gone down. They've gone up. Partly thanks to this shambolic tariff policy. Young people trying to get a start in life are having a tougher time than ever finding a job. Entry-level hiring is down 16 percent from last year.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees, including a lot of people here in Virginia, have lost their jobs to pay for those billionaire tax cuts. We're talking about people who have dedicated their lives to public service, who make the country work. Health care premiums for millions of people are about to double or even triple next year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Former president Barack Obama there stumping in Norfolk, Virginia, hoping the Democratic nominee, Abigail Spanberger, wins the governor's race for that state. And from here, he'll be heading to Newark, New Jersey, where he will be stumping for the Democratic nominee, Mikie Sherrill, at her rally, as he continues to push for support for the Democrat on that governor's race ticket.

All right. Coming up, millions of people around the world are celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, day of the dead. We'll take you live to Mexico City with a look at this 3,000-year-old celebration of those who have passed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:29]

WHITFIELD: All right. In London, one of the deepest splits the royal family has seen in decades is unfolding. King Charles has begun the process of stripping his brother Andrew of his royal titles and evicting him from the royal estate in Windsor. He will now go by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor instead of Prince Andrew. All of this coming after the explosive posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager. He denies all the allegations against him.

[15:45:01]

Let's talk more with CNN royal commentator Sally Bedell Smith.

Sally, great to see you. Oh, my gosh, this is something else, right? Because, I mean --

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: This says a lot about the monarchy, the siblings. I mean, King Charles and Andrew, and this split, and what does this mean moving forward for their relationship and for the royal family?

SMITH: Well, it's been pretty frosty for quite a few years. First of all, you have to remember that they're 12 years apart. They were never terribly close when they were growing up. And during the 1980s, when he was married to Diana and Andrew was married to Fergie, he took a pretty dim view of them. He thought they were stirring up trouble and behaving badly. And then over the past 15 years Andrew's poor judgment, his unsavory associations, bad behavior, particularly with Jeffrey Epstein, you know, really were a source of frustration and anger to Charles.

He has long thought that Andrew acts entitled, and he treats people rudely. Then with all the recent revelations which have I think it's fair to say significantly damaged the monarchy, he finally found a way to not only strip Andrew of his duke and prince titles, but as you said earlier to actually evict him from his 30-room mansion royal lodge. It is really dramatic. I mean, there has not --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It is. I mean, that's an extra ouch. Yes.

SMITH: Yes, all of it. But it is unprecedented.

WHITFIELD: But then -- sorry to interrupt.

SMITH: (INAUDIBLE), again particularly against a senior, a senior member of the royal family. The last time that a monarch stripped to the title of prince from someone in the royal family who was actually a very distant cousin was in 1919 when he was fighting for the German army during World War I. And really until last week, it was assumed that the only way that Charles could remove the duke title that their mother gave him when he married and the prince title that he was born with was through an act of parliament.

But then he consulted with various scholars and legal experts, and he found out that he could do it really by issuing something called a royal warrant. And he could just sort of sweep away those titles.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

SMITH: For whatever reason. No one had ever thought of that before. And suddenly he became a commoner. And he became Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. It was one of the most extraordinary things I think I've seen since I've been covering the royal family.

WHITFIELD: And that is saying a lot because you have seen it all, you know it back, you know, back and forth, like the back of your hand. And so, and while we know this is a big change, you know, the king is still going to be financing Andrew's, you know, home, life to a degree.

SMITH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, I mean, he's not going to be living in poverty. But it's certainly a lot less high profile.

We'll have to leave it there for now. Sally Bedell Smith, thank you so much. Always great talking to you.

SMITH: Thank you. I enjoyed it.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:37]

WHITFIELD: All right. Voting is underway for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. In the meantime, we're catching up with a remarkable CNN Hero whose efforts keep growing and creating positive change.

Dr. Wendy Ross was honored as a CNN Hero in 2014 for her work to make everyday experiences more inclusive for children with autism and their families. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. WENDY ROSS, FOUNDER, AUTISM INCLUSION RESOURCES: Hi, how are you? Hi, Alex.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Pediatrician Dr. Wendy Ross has spent her career advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She was honored as a 2014 CNN Hero and later joined Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, leading efforts to provide autism friendly care.

ROSS: Individuals with autism can get easily overwhelmed in crowds, and they can have a lot of sensory issues. New experiences and new environments can be especially challenging.

COOPER: She trained fellow physicians and staff and best practices for interaction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to touch this a little bit. It's cold and wet. There you go.

COOPER: And today, Jefferson's new flagship medical center is designed with neurodivergent patients in mind.

ROSS: This experience, from the moment you walk in, we try to make it neurodivergent, affirming.

COOPER: Dr. Ross and her team consulted on many aspects of the sensory environment, drawing on ideas from the population she helps.

ROSS: We asked them what they wanted in their health care settings, and that we use that input to help design the building.

[15:55:05]

COOPER: From the seating to textured walls to the natural light and nature based artwork. The result aims to evoke a sense of calm and connection for a successful visit.

ROSS: And so we have nine pieces of immersive light based art that are animated and can also provide a refuge on multiple floors. We created semi-enclosed alcoves where people don't feel so vulnerable and exposed. As you enter exam rooms, they are designed to reduce transitions and to increase comfort and provide supportive strategies for the clinician that's seeing you.

COOPER: Dr. Ross hopes their model will set the standard.

ROSS: We think of our building and the care that's delivered here as the care that some people absolutely need, but it's also about what we all deserve as humans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And to learn more about all our CNN Heroes, past and present, or to vote for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year, go to CNN.com/Heroes.

All right. Today in Mexico, people are celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a tradition where families honor loved ones who have passed and pay tribute to the afterlife. It originates from rituals practiced thousands of years ago by indigenous people in the Americas, most notably the Aztecs. Over time, it was incorporated into the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

CNN correspondent Valeria Leon is live for us in Mexico City.

Valeria, today is one of many full of activities and traditions. So what is the focus today?

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct. Fred. Well, the main streets of Mexico City are bursting with joy and color today because today is the Day of the Dead Parade. This parade that's organized by Mexico's government since 2016, and it has grown so popular year by year. So right now, there are thousands of people gathered in this avenue, Reforma Avenue. You can see many of them are dressed like this is Catherine. He comes from Taiwan, and we've seen a lot of visitors, tourists from around the world. And of course, Mexicans.

This is the most important festivity we have in Mexico. And the most important thing, or the belief behind it is that the Aztecs believed that death was only the beginning of life. And this belief has lived on to across the country, with many celebrations. But this is definitely one of the huge ones.

And I'm here with Alysa. Alysa is dressed as a beautiful Catrina. She's 9 years old. She's from England, but her mother is Mexican.

So, Alisa, tell me about like this dress. Why did you decided to use this costume today?

ALYSA STAPLETON, ATTENDING DIA DE LOS MUERTOS PARADE: I decided to wear a Catrina because it represents how we celebrate and our loved ones that aren't with us anymore.

LEON: That's beautiful. And that's actually the idea behind this Dead of the Day celebration. Mexicans believe that by setting up an ofrenda, which is an altar, in their homes with the favorite drinks, food, fruits that, you know, their deceased ones used to enjoy when they were alive. And they come back for a visit just for one day. So on October 31st, the soul of the kids and children come and visit, while on the 1st of November are the adults.

So the Catrina is a very important figure in this celebration that Catrina was first created or designed by this Mexican cartoonist, Jose Guadalupe Posada. And after that, years later, the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera painted this image of this skeleton like very elegant woman, in one of his paintings. And that was the moment when the Catrina went like really, really famous.

And as you can see Alysa dressing up like one of that, like, we're having, you know, younger generations having this dress and celebrating Day of the Dead, one of the most important festivities in our country -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, she's a gorgeous Catrina. I love it.

Valeria Leon in Mexico City, thank you so much.

All right. The record homeless crisis in New York City has been a key issue in this year's contentious race for the next mayor, but little has been mentioned about whom this crisis arguably impacts the most. New York City's children last year a shocking one in seven public school students experienced homelessness in some form.

"THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER, THE HIDDEN HOMELESS" airs this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

And thank you so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "SMERCONISH" starts right now.