Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Candidates Make Final Campaign Push Ahead Of Pivotal Elections; Michigan Community On Edge After FBI Said It Foiled Terror Plot; Food Stamp Benefits For 42 Million In Jeopardy As Shutdown Drags On; Los Angeles Streets Turn Chaotic After Dodgers Win. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 02, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:35]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour with the countdown to election day. In just two days several key races across the U.S. will be decided. On Tuesday voters will head to the polls to elect a new governor in Virginia and New Jersey, and a new mayor in New York City.

Today, the candidates and their surrogates are busy stumping in the final push for support. And yesterday, former president Barack Obama returned to the trail as he rallied voters for Democratic candidates in both New Jersey and Virginia.

And the outcome of Tuesday's vote could be the first big referendum on President Trump's second term and provide insight into whether Democrats have improved their standing with the midterm elections just one year away.

We've got a team of correspondents out on the campaign trail for all of these critical races. Let's begin our coverage with Jeff Zeleny in Virginia, where the Democratic candidate is about to hold a rally.

Jeff, set the scene for us with just two days now left until Virginia picks a new governor.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, these off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey are always something of an indicator of what voters are thinking about how things are going in the country, and certainly about how the Trump administration is doing as well.

But this election is so much different. And here is why. The government shutdown is entering its second month. Of course, Virginia is home to so many federal workers, members of the military, government contractors as well, many of whom are entering that second month without receiving a paycheck. So that, on top of all of the other policies of the Trump administration, really are infusing and driving this race.

And when we talk to voters, they say Trump is motivating them to vote for Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: How much do you think President Trump hangs over this race as a motivating factor?

MARIBEL RAMOS, VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC VOTER: I think everything he's doing in attacking our democracy is definitely motivating people to get out to vote, especially the Latino community. And women. I think we have a lot to lose. And I think folks are seeing that a governor is really important right now to fight back on everything that this administration is doing to harm our democracy and communities across the states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So that is one of the reasons that this race does not seem as competitive in the closing days here as the governor's race in New Jersey does. However, Republicans are still focusing considerable efforts on get-out-the-vote efforts throughout the weekend.

And the Republican candidate for governor here is the lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears. She's been campaigning all across the Commonwealth of Virginia as well. But one thing she does not have is the full endorsement of the president. He has issued a lukewarm endorsement, if you will. He's weighed in more heavily on the competitive attorney general's race here.

Now, of course, Virginia is one of the states where President Trump fell short by about six points just last year. He did not improve his performance as much as he did in New Jersey, where he improved it by 10 points, even though he still fell somewhat short.

So, Fred, the bottom line here is going into this campaign, even though 1.3 million Virginians have already cast ballots, which could be almost half of the number of total voters, there is still an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort from Democrats and Republicans. And Abigail Spanberger, of course, a former member of Congress, is trying to become the first female governor of Virginia -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much.

All right. Let's go to New Jersey now, where we find Arlette Saenz.

Arlette. I mean, what are the closing messages for the two candidates in the race to become New Jersey's next governor?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, both candidates are hitting the campaign trail throughout the day of this final day of early voting here in New Jersey. In the next hour Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill will campaign in Camden, New Jersey, with Senator Cory Booker. And she has really made a lot of this race about staking out opposition to President Donald Trump, who she believes has not served the people of New Jersey well in his first 10 months in office.

Meanwhile, you have Republican Jack Ciattarelli who will be here where I am in Toms River, New Jersey, in just the next hour.

[16:05:03]

And he is really arguing that this is an election where voters need to vote for change. Democrats have been controlling the governorship for eight years here in New Jersey, and he is hoping to change that, and now his third run for governor.

Now he will be here in Ocean County. This is an area that back when he ran in 2021, he carried this county by 36 points. So did President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. So he is really hoping to motivate more Republican voters to the polls in this early voting period. And on election day on Tuesday.

Now, one thing that I hear over and over when I talk to voters here in New Jersey, they are really driven by economic concerns, high property taxes, high cost of living overall, and specifically high energy costs as well. That is something that we heard from a voter we spoke to a bit earlier today, Joanne Schiffres, and at a Ciattarelli event in Hazlet. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOANNE SCHIFFRES, JACK CIATTARELLI VOTER: We need a fair playing -- to be fair across the board. Murphy is killing us. We have the highest property taxes in the nation. I just don't know how ordinary folks that you see here are making ends meet, you know? And again, the industry is just, the property taxes are just beyond. And the interest rates also in my industry, real estate, with COVID causing all of the increase in the cost of the housing prices and then coupled with high interest rates, it just totally killed the industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Joanne also told me that she did not initially vote for Donald Trump when he first ran for president. She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and then shifted Republican in 2024 to vote for President Donald Trump. And those are the types of voters that Ciattarelli is really hoping to target in this race.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris did win New Jersey, but President Trump made significant inroads in the state, slicing his margin of loss by 10 points. He only lost here by six points in 2024. So that is something that Ciattarelli is hoping to build on in this election while Democrat Mikie Sherrill really hopes that voters will be turned off by President Trump's approach and his policies in his second term -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thanks so much.

All right. Now let's go to Gloria Pazmino in New York, where voters will pick a new mayor on Tuesday.

So bring us up to speed on what this race is looking like in its final stretch before election day. GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, you know, so much of

what Arlette was talking about in terms of what voters are worried about in New Jersey, affordability, the cost of energy, that is very similar to the conversation that's happening in New York City. Voters here also concerned with the high cost of living.

I've spoken to people throughout this entire campaign who over and over have told me that their top concern is affordability. Also of top concern public safety and how to respond to the Trump administration. That's been a huge factor in this race.

Now, as you can see behind me, New Yorkers taking to the polls. Already more than half a million of them have cast their ballots during the early voting period. Those numbers are record-breaking compared to the last time we had a mayoral election. Three candidates running in this race, the Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, the Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent, former governor Andrew Cuomo.

All three of them out in force today, campaigning in the last hours of this mayoral race. Take a listen to what voters here told me today -- what they're thinking about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY DUONG, CUOMO VOTER: I'm less concerned about getting the right leaders in place. So in particular, the mayor, I already have made up my mind. I'm very excited to cast my vote.

PAZMINO: Can you tell me who you're voting for?

DUONG: I'm voting for Cuomo.

PAZMINO: Why?

DUONG: I think he's just a proven like juggernaut in terms of he's a political animal. He gets things done. He's not the perfect candidate. But, you know, my goal isn't to find Jesus or anything to run for office. It's to find someone who gets the job done. He does it for me.

JOHN ORIORDAN, MAMDANI VOTER: The rhetoric towards Mamdani and just being like, just like a lot of racism and all that. It's just really disgusting and especially from the other two candidates like the big candidates, Cuomo. And yes, it's just like really makes it even like makes me want to root for Mamdani even more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: We caught up with Zohran Mamdani earlier today. It is also marathon Sunday here in New York City today. He stopped by the marathon to campaign and to cheer on the runners. I asked how he was feeling. He told me he is confident, yet not complacent. He has been asking his supporters, his campaign, his canvassers to continue to go out there and encourage people to vote. And the polls show him with a solid lead, double-digit lead. But he has said over and over in the last few days that they're taking nothing for granted. We've also seen Cuomo out on the campaign trail, continuing to try and

shore up his support.

[16:10:03]

Mamdani also campaigning in areas where he did not perform as well in the primary specifically some of the black districts across the city. So we'll see how this race turns out on Tuesday. For now, we do know that without question a lot of enthusiasm about who the next mayor of the city of New York will be, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino, a lot on the line. Thank you so much.

All right. Today in Michigan, a community is on edge after the FBI announced that it discovered a plan about an alleged ISIS inspired terror attack. Law enforcement officials said two people were arrested and three others were questioned. But it's not clear what charges, if any, have been filed. The alleged plot unfolded in an online chatroom that was uncovered and monitored for months by investigators.

CNN correspondent Leigh Waldman is on the ground in Dearborn, Michigan.

So, leigh, how soon could we learn about potential charges, or at least a little bit more about the investigation?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred. We spoke to an attorney today, Amir Makled, who is representing one of the men who is in custody after this FBI activity on Friday. And he says those charges would have to come tomorrow if they are in fact going to be filed here. But he also points out there's still no criminal complaint that's been filed. And it's more than 48 hours after this FBI activity was reported here in Dearborn, Michigan, and also in nearby Inkster, Michigan.

Now, we spoke to him and he said there's been a lot of misinformation about all of this, even correcting the statement put out by FBI director Kash Patel, saying it's actually three people who are in custody, two others who are being questioned. His client still in custody right now. He said his client maintains that he did absolutely nothing wrong. He's a 20-year-old man, a U.S. born citizen, who was just an online gamer, according to his attorney.

He says this entire situation here is odd because we haven't heard much ever since that initial statement was put out by the FBI director, Kash Patel. Other than that, we've heard almost nothing else. He thinks all of this is being blown out of proportion and that we won't ultimately see any charges filed. I asked him what he would say to the FBI director if that were in fact the case. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR MAKLED, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING ONE OF THE ADULTS IN CUSTODY: I would demand an apology from the national director. They would have to come to this community and speak to these residents and say that they made a mistake. And that's OK. But that's how you create unity and that's how you cure any, you know, error that was caused or harm that was caused by a mistake. This community is very forgiving, and we would accept that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: And, Fred, it's important to have some context about the Dearborn community as well. We were speaking with that attorney, he said this is one of the largest concentrations of Arab and Muslim Americans in the United States. So allegations of a plotted terror attack happening here have real ramifications. He said that they spawn Islamophobia, so he wants to hear from the FBI director himself about this whole situation here.

Any charges that would be coming if they do come tomorrow would come from the U.S. attorney's office here in Michigan -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Leigh Waldman, thanks so much, in Dearborn, Michigan.

All right. Still to come, in a push to end the government shutdown, President Trump issues a new directive to Senate Republicans on how to respond to the Democrats spending bill demands. Plus, a World Series for the ages. But some fan celebrations turn into chaos on the streets of Los Angeles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:30]

WHITFIELD: As the ongoing government shutdown cuts off millions of Americans access to food stamps, the Trump administration said today the standoff with Democrats highlights the need to make reforms to the vital anti-hunger program known as SNAP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE ROLLINS, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: What this conversation has allowed is a national spotlight on a broken and corrupt program. We found one guy in six different states getting a benefit. We found about 5,000 people that are dead who are still getting benefits. Like it is time to drastically reform this program so that we can make sure that those who are truly needy, truly vulnerable are getting what they need, and the rest of the corruption goes away, and we can serve the American taxpayer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook is in Florida, where the president is spending the weekend.

So, Julia, you know, what else is the administration saying today about its plan ahead?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, President Donald Trump spent his weekend here in Florida, but he will soon be back at the White House. And when he gets back to Washington, there are still a lot of problems that need to be fixed. We are on day 33 of this shutdown, and there do not seem to be any real negotiations taking place to end this, but the impact is reaching everyday Americans and the lapse in funding in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has a huge impact.

It hits about 42 million Americans. To put that into perspective, that's about 12 percent of the population, or one in eight people.

[16:20:05]

On Friday, though, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration needs to tap into some emergency funds in order to at least partially fund the program in November. Those orders reject an argument made by the Department of Agriculture that it could not use a contingency fund in order to keep that program going at this time. The secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, she was asked about all of this today, and while she did acknowledge the ruling, she did not provide a lot of clarity about what the administration's next steps would look like.

And when Trump responded to all of this, he said that the government lawyers do not believe that they have the legal authority to use that money available for this specifically, and they are seeking more clarity from the courts. The administration has acknowledged, though, that no matter what, there's likely going to be a delay here, no matter how fast they act, because it will take time to get the money flowing again.

And then also, this is just a temporary fix. This specific contingency fund, although those rulings did say there may be even another bucket they can tap into, but this specific fund has about $5.3 billion. And on average, it's closer to $9 billion each month to fund this program.

WHITFIELD: And Trump has recently called for eliminating the filibuster to end the shutdown, putting him at odds with some in his own party. Tell us more.

BENBROOK: This does seem to be a nonstarter, but Trump is calling on congressional Republicans to unilaterally end the government shutdown by voting to end the Senate filibuster. That 60-vote threshold, though, it serves as a protection for members of both parties depending on who's in power and some top GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns. If they get rid of it now, what happens when Democrats hold the majority? Proponents of the filibuster also argue that it promotes compromise and cooperation within the chamber.

Trump is making an argument that he believes that Democrats are going to get rid of this anyway in the future, so Republicans should just do it now. In fact, he wrote in a social media pos in part, "Republicans, you will rue the day that you didn't terminate the filibuster. Be tough, be smart, and win."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed those statements in an interview earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These are radical left lunatics in charge of the Democrat Party today, and they will nuke the filibuster. They want to make Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico states. They want to pack the Supreme Court. They don't care about our sacred institutions in our country. And so Republicans need to play tough, and they need to play smart. And that's what President Trump thinks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Earlier in the shutdown, the top Republican in the Senate, John Thune, ruled out the idea of changing Senate rules to bring this lapse in funding to an end. We see this pressure mounting, though, publicly in those comments you heard from the White House press secretary, as well as in that post from Trump.

A spokesperson for Thune, though, in recent days said that his thoughts on the importance of the filibuster are unchanged. Several other lawmakers are supporting that as well.

Now, in order to kill the filibuster, it would take a majority vote in the Senate, assuming that all Democrats are going to vote against this. Republicans could only lose a few votes -- Fred.

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

All right. Straight ahead, the Dodgers are the World Series champs and huge crowds of people took to the streets to celebrate. We'll take you there live as the city now prepares for a championship parade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:14]

WHITFIELD: All right. The defending World Series champs, the L.A. Dodgers, are champions again.

And the fans are going wild, pouring into the bars, into the streets there, celebrating the Dodgers' win in game seven last night. But some of the celebrations got a little out of hand.

While a lot of folks enjoy that, police say officers were actually hit with fireworks and bottles at other venues. At least one person was hit by that, or a spinning car doing donuts as fans crowded the streets.

Julia Vargas Jones joins us now from Los Angeles.

Julia, tell us what happened.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, overall, seven arrests overnight. After all of that celebration it's not as high as we could have expected. But still, police, the chief speaking just moments ago saying there were a small number of individuals that participated in vandalism and destruction of property. He said that kind of behavior will not be tolerated. That included a woman who rode her bike into a police horse. Thankfully, that horse was not hurt.

Now, we also heard from the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, who said that -- asking people to continue to celebrate safely and calling the city now the city of champions, saying that also this was the shot in the arm that L.A. needed after a very difficult year. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES: Our win last night making history, the first time in 25 years, back-to-back World Series.

[14:30:06]

So, go Dodgers.

I will tell you, this has been a tough year for Los Angeles. But what happened last night in Toronto shows the grit and the spirit of our city. We stand together. We fight together. And we never give up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Tough year, of course, Fred, because of those wildfires at the beginning of the year. Then, we had mudslides that followed that. Then protests all through the summer here in Los Angeles.

It has been difficult. And now, the city is getting just a moment to exhale. We heard also from NBA former star and part owner of the Dodgers, Magic Johnson. He said, you know, even if it's just for a few hours or just for these few days, Los Angeles gets to come together and celebrate together in this moment their beloved Dodgers.

Of course, now, we're just catching our breath here in Los Angeles, ahead of tomorrow's celebration in downtown Los Angeles at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time. All the confetti and all the party happen tomorrow. Again, the mayor and the city officials asking for Angelenos to just bring their best foot forward tomorrow and celebrate responsibly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much.

And you can now stream CNN whenever you want in the U.S. on the CNN app. There's also exclusive reporting, award winning original series and films, and so much more. Visit CNN.com/Watch for details.

[16:31:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can pretend this election is about housing and taxes, but we all know it's about me, right? Because I'm going to be very involved, very hands on. This guy knows about hands on, right, Cuomo?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, yo, you got me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, that was "Saturday Night Live" poking a little fun last night at the closely watched mayoral race in New York City.

But New York isn't the only place that will be getting attention this Tuesday. Voters in California will decide whether to fight back against Republican efforts to redraw red districts ahead of next year's midterms.

Proposition 50 would temporarily scrap the states independently drawn Congressional districts in favor of new maps to benefit Democrats. Let's discuss with "San Francisco Chronicles" senior political writer, Joe Garofoli. Joe, always great to see you. I love the shirt.

JOE GAROFOLI, SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER, "SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLES" (via Webex): Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: That's your voting vote, vote, vote --

GAROFOLI: It's my --

WHITFIELD: -- oh, vest.

GAROFOLI: It's my vote vest.

WHITFIELD: I like it. OK.

GAROFOLI: My vote vest, yes.

WHITFIELD: OK, very good. Your vote vest.

GAROFOLI: It screams vote.

WHITFIELD: It really does scream that. OK. So, there seems to be, you know, pretty strong support for this effort among California residents. Not just your vest but, you know, this effort. So, what do you expect might happen?

GAROFOLI: The one thing that seems to be -- I don't want to go too far out there. But the one thing that seems to be in doubt is what time they're going to call the race, 8:01 or 8:30 shortly after the polls close at 8:00 here in California.

And the supporters, if indeed Prop 50 wins, should take a moment to thank the person most responsible for their victory, President Trump. And it's because, number one, President Trump is very unpopular in California. Two out of every three voters here -- two out of every three citizens here do not like him and disapprove of the way he's running the country, according to all sorts of polls.

And the other thing is, like, during the campaign over the last several months, his targeting of California over several different things he did certainly didn't endear him to the people who were going to be voting on this.

Start with the immigration rates in Los Angeles. The threatened immigration rates in the bay area a couple weeks ago. The on again, off again tariffs against Mexico and Canada and China, which are California's three biggest trading partners. 40 percent of the imports -- of our imports here in California come from those countries.

And then, you have his attempted shakedown of UCLA, trying to get them to pay $1 billion to avoid a lawsuit. So, he's done nothing to endear himself to California voters who dislike him anyways.

WHITFIELD: And all that with Governor Gavin Newsom, you know, out defending Prop 50, arguing that it is necessary to fight back against President Trump. Listen to what he had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: He is not screwing around. He's changing the rules. He's rigging the game, because he knows he'll lose. And we're maintaining our current independent redistricting for statewide races. But in response to what happened in Texas.

Temporarily changing the maps for three cycles for the Congressional races. It reverts, then, back to its original form number.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, what are residents, that you all have spoken to, saying about this new measure?

GAROFOLI: They -- much -- many of the people who like this and are going to vote for it, certainly Democrats, are not comfortable with the concept of taking the -- this is an independent commission that drew the lines and the political boundaries here in California.

[16:40:00]

GAROFOLI: And that's the way it should be. It shouldn't be the way it used to be done here and still is done in many other states. Done in back rooms by, essentially, officeholders drawing -- picking the voters they want.

But California is -- somehow Democrats have convinced voters, according to the polls, that say, hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. This is a way to check Trump's power.

In fact, one of the ads here, in favor of Prop 50, doesn't even mention what the thing will do. It just says, here's a way to stick it to Trump.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh.

GAROFOLI: There is such a visceral desire to do something, at this moment, from people who oppose Trump, which the vast majority of people in California do. We saw 7 million people across the country, protesting in the no-kings' rallies a couple of weeks ago.

Many of them -- that's a -- that's an expression. We want to -- what can we do? You know, we can march but this is -- it gives people a chance to do something to check Trump's power. And it's working.

WHITFIELD: All right.

GAROFOLI: We'll see Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, -- we will see Tuesday. You know, meantime, Republicans, you know, are vowing to fight back against Prop 50. Former House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, said he would raise $100 million to actually defeat it, but we haven't seen the fight that was promised.

GAROFOLI: He sold way short.

WHITFIELD: Yes, with Democrats vastly outraising them. So, what do we think about this premise?

GAROFOLI: Well, former speaker, McCarthy, raised about $11 million which goes to show you, you don't really have the fundraising power when you're no longer speaker of the House or majority leader of the House. And so, that -- he fell short.

Another person who was the anti-side thought that was going to come up big for them was former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who advocated for this independent redistricting commission, you know, when he was governor here, which is one of the big wins of his -- of his time in office.

But he hasn't -- he appeared in one commercial, but that was he was filmed while speaking at UCLA. And he didn't actively campaign against it or raise money for it -- or against it. I'm sorry. And so, Arnold sat on the sidelines for a lot of this.

It was a uncharacteristically weak showing by the former bodybuilder all right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Joe Garofoli, something tells me you will not be getting a Christmas card from him this winter.

GAROFOLI: I (INAUDIBLE) to but that's OK.

WHITFIELD: Or any other seasons' greetings. OK. Then, more of the same, I guess.

GAROFOLI: That's OK.

WHITFIELD: All right. There you go.

GAROFOLI: My box -- (INAUDIBLE) anyways. OK.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you. Thank you so much.

GAROFOLI: All right. Good to see you, Fred. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come. We'll take a look at the overnight phenomenon that has taken over pop culture for children of all ages, "KPop Demon Hunters." [16:42:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Rumi, Mira and Zoey are absolutely everywhere. In case you don't know them, they are the trio of powerhouse singing, demon- slaying ladies who are the centerpiece of the Netflix hit movie, "KPop Demon Hunters."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome, up, up, up, it's our moment. You know together we're glowing. Gonna, gonna be golden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I know you've heard that song. That song, "Golden," is breaking records of its own, spending weeks atop the billboard, a hot 100. Even today, more than three months after its release, "Golden" sits at number two, right behind Taylor Swift's "Ophelia."

And the artist behind those iconic songs have become global phenomena themselves. Just in the last few weeks, making appearances on the tonight show and SNL.

All right, let me bring in Entertainment Journalist Laura Sirikul. Laura, good to see you. Sorry, I was waiting to, like, hear them. I wanted to hear more. I'm like, OK. But I'll hear from you now.

So, I mean, this film has really transcended generations. I mean, it's so catchy. What is it about this film that has made it such a hit?

LAURA SIRIKUL, FREELANCE ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: You know, it's crazy because, you know, if you were to ask people a few months ago, like, hey, are you excited for "KPop Demon Hunters?" They think, "KPop Demon Hunters"?

WHITFIELD: Huh?

SIRIKUL: Like KPop music? Yes. And, you know, they -- people thought, this is such a niche market. But it became the underdog film of the year. Like most watched on Netflix ever. And people really resonated with the story. The emotional story. The catchy music.

And it's about acceptance and loving yourself. And the characters are so lovable. There's a cute character, Derpy, and Sussie, like, the bird. And it introduces audiences to KPop music and the genre, and as well as KPop artists.

And now, it's up for so many awards. Like, possible awards.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and it's so cute because, I mean, I saw a little girl in my neighborhood, you know, with the, you know, purple very long ponytail, and I didn't I didn't even -- I didn't even know the correlation. I was just, like, what a cute costume. But, now, I get it. So, I mean, the film's directors, you know, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, I hope I pronounced their names right, you know, have said that the film took seven years to make. I mean, clearly worth the wait. What lessons can writers and producers, perhaps, learn about how a low-budget film can actually become a global hit?

SIRIKUL: I mean, it's all about authenticity. Like Maggie Kang, like -- you know, she told me the story of her -- in school back in Canada.

[16:50:02]

SIRIKUL: She's a Korean Canadian. And her teacher not knowing where Korea was. So, she --

WHITFIELD: Her teacher?

SIRIKUL: -- wanted to really highlight -- yes, her teacher didn't know where Korea was. And so, she was like, no, I'm going to make sure they all know. And look at her now. It's amazing. We know the Korean's culture.

And it's all about authenticity. Keeping the music, like, catchy and real. And telling the music to capture KPop -- actually capture KPop music, by getting artists and producers who actually create KPop music. And getting people, cultural advisors and people, to talk about the Korean culture instilled in it.

It's all about authenticity. And people want that because we're so tired of, you know, oh, we're manufacturing whatever we want. And this story is just authentic on Korean culture, Korean music. And people just -- and it's relatable, no matter what culture you're from, because it's -- people can learn from this, too.

WHITFIELD: Oh, absolutely. I mean, it really is important because it's not just, you know, Korean-looking characters. I mean, they went beyond that. They went to real touchstones. I mean, things that are, you know, iconic to the Korean culture.

And so, it is really broadening the horizons of a lot of people in its growing popularity. I mean, that has to be celebrated in so many ways, right?

SIRIKUL: Oh, my god, yes. It's just amazing. Because I've had more people inquire to me about KPop music. And because the music is so addicting and so popular and, you know, "Golden," it can't get out of -- you cannot get out of people's heads.

And so, a lot of the artists that wrote it, even including EJAE, who is the voice -- the singing voice of Rumi, you know, she's been active in the KPop community writing songs. And now, she's making her own.

And so, it's amazing to see how it's becoming a universal thing where people are wanting to know more about this. Wanting to know about KPop music, k-dramas, k-culture, the mythology. And -- you know, and just like -- just learning more about this, the music and the -- this -- everything about "KPop Demon Hunters." WHITFIELD: Yes. And broadening your horizons. Isn't that what it's all about? Or that's what it should be about.

So, you know, two, you know, questions from fans. When will Huntrix be performing live? And is there going to be a sequel?

SIRIKUL: Well, I can answer the first one, because I -- you know, Huntrix, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, are going to team up again for the Jingle Ball concerts. I know that they have that planned out for iHeart Radio's Jingle Ball.

As for -- you know, they're keeping mum about that, because I know it takes forever to do animation. So, I think, you know, there's talks but there's nothing confirmed yet.

And I know -- I'm waiting, too. I'm just, like, guys, tell me, please. I need to know because I need to -- I need to get my life together so I can plan this out.

WHITFIELD: Plan all around it. That's right. Well, it's so cute.

SIRIKUL: The whole world is going to revolve around it now.

WHITFIELD: I get it. It's so cute. I just got wind of it all this weekend. So, now, I can't wait to make time to watch it myself. I'm hooked. All right, Laura Sirikul, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

[16:53:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The list of the top five CNN Heroes is out, and you will help us choose which one of them will be named CNN Hero of the Year. This week, we meet Tim Woodward, a man who has made it his mission to save neglected and abused animals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM WOODWARD, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANIMAL RESCUE CORPS (voice-over): We see animals living in conditions that I would have never imagined before doing this.

(on camera): I see a little dog down here in this crate. Hi, mama.

WOODWARD: Their physical condition is incredibly debilitated. It can be very gruesome. Your average shelter is used to taking animals in one or two at a time. We pull in large numbers of animals from a crisis situation.

We'll work with law enforcement. They will designate us as an agent of law enforcement to go onto the scene to seize those animals.

(on camera): You're OK. See?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that smile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WOODWARD (voice-over): We bring a very tight-trained team, including a state-licensed forensic vet, vet techs, as well as an intake team and, of course, our trained handlers.

(on camera): They're in five different pop-ups. We'll split them up two, two and two.

(voice-over): We're kind of the midway point between where they came from and where they will find their forever home.

(on camera): Going to get you all fixed up.

(voice-over): So, for the time that they're in our care, we try to make sure that they are becoming healthier.

(on camera): What are you doing, huh?

(voice-over): And we try as best we can to prepare them for life in a home.

(on camera): Yes, you do.

(voice-over): The change in the animals is always remarkable. They come out of situations where they have no trust. And then, with time and attention, they begin to literally blossom.

(on camera): You're getting out of here.

(voice-over): We've rescued well over 10,000 animals.

(on camera): Where is that tail at?

(voice-over): My hope is that they have the best life possible. And forget all about where they came from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you can vote at CNN.com/Heroes to help decide who will be the next CNN Hero of the year.