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Friend CEO Defends Wearable A.I. Chatbot; Deluge Of Rain Brings Potential For Mudslides, Flooding In California; Interview With Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA); U.S. To Hold Military Drills Off The Coast Of Venezuela; Health Insurance Premiums Set To Skyrocket As ACA Tax Credits Expire; Ghislaine Maxwell Allegedly Gets Special Prison Treatment; Smithsonian And Other National Museums Welcome Back Visitors; U.S. Mints Final Pennies After Years Of Production. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired November 15, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Still thinking. He says, totally get it. It's kind of like that blank page feeling, which really sort of captures this experience in my mind. You know, Avi did mention that maybe there are older people who just wouldn't be ready for A.I. companions. Maybe that's me. Maybe you get into a habit the more you use it, but it feels like it takes a lot of effort on my part to think about what to talk about and to keep the conversation going because you're talking to an A.I. and not another person.

(Voice-over): And Schiffman says his Friends aren't a substitute for humans but a new type of connection.

AVI SCHIFFMAN, FOUNDER AND CEO, FRIEND: Like I really do believe that like these are like digital beings, and, you know, I think one day like we'll be championing for like their rights or something like that, and clinker writes or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the major leaders of A.I. Labs, like Mustafa Suleyman, have specifically said they don't think that people should be talking about A.I.'s that way.

SCHIFFMANN: Right. And I don't know, I think that's kind of just like an outdated viewpoint. Like I think a lot of them also shy away from what they're really being. You know, they're really building like a digital god, right?

DUFFY (voice-over): But it seems not everyone agrees. We asked Winter, Avi's current Friend, what it thought about our interview.

SCHIFFMANN: It's kind of funny hearing people talk about the Friends as if they're their own individual beings. Well, they are.

DUFFY (voice-over): The debate over whether that's true will likely only escalate in the coming years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DUFFY (on-camera): Now, Avi Schiffman has raised $10 million to try to bring this idea to fruition. He so far has sold 5,000 of these A.I. Friend devices. And so we'll see if he is able to take this from still a pretty niche concept and convince people that they should be wearing their Friend, their A.I. Friend around their neck all day.

We'll see, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Clare Duffy, thank you so much.

All right. From bread baked in an Icelandic volcano to Tokyo's renowned Japanese milk bread, join Tony for the back-to-back episode finale of the CNN Original Series, "TONY SHALHOUB BREAKING BREAD." Be sure to tune in tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and we begin this hour with strong storms threatening more than 20 million people across Southern California. Officials say some areas could get several months' worth of rain in a matter of hours, and that's significantly raising the threat of severe flooding and mudslides. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued evacuation orders for high risk communities and is advising others who don't have to leave their home to stay put.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASAMIN FAMIA, ENJOYING THE RAIN: I wanted to drive up to Santa Barbara for the day, but it's too rainy, so it's going to be a nice, calm day at home. Have some warm milk and cookies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is covering this storm from Malibu.

Milk and cookies sounds good at any time, but especially now. Hopefully folks are staying in. All right. What's happening there?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're still seeing a lot of movement out here, Fred, despite those warnings for people to not leave their homes unless they have to. In part, it's because it hasn't been too bad here. I showed you earlier what's going on here near the Pacific Ocean in Malibu. We're seeing this usually a little tiny creek. It's really a river of mud. And what it's doing, it's bringing all of this mud, all of this debris from the other side of the Pacific Highway over here.

This is part of the burn scars of the Palisades Fire. You can see on the other side of the street here, we're already seeing those resources that the mayor said the city was mobilizing for this. Clearing out some of the mud and the debris that is already coming down these canyons. Houses over here with sandbags, trying to keep the damage from potential water that could rise quickly over here to a minimum. Overall, we have about three million people under those flash flood

warnings. They are coming to an end this hour if they don't get extended by the National Weather Service. Now, they're not only here in Malibu. This is also happening on the other side of Los Angeles and really throughout Los Angeles County, on the burn scars of the Eton Fire in Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre area.

Now looking to the rest of the weekend, this is supposed to be a one- two punch. We're supposed to get more rain still today, although it is in burst, so people might get a little optimistic, try to leave their home. Authorities are still saying don't try to drive through a flooded area. Don't leave your home if you don't have to, especially if you're close to those burn scars. But there is a potential plus side to all of this, which could be that this rain could help Southern California as we're going into winter.

Those very needed water reserves down here, Fred. But the question is, will it come too fast for the city and the county to be able to maintain and handle all of this?

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much. And be careful out there.

[15:05:04]

All right. Joining me right now is Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman of California. His district covers parts of Los Angeles ravaged by those wildfires earlier this year.

Thanks so much for being with us. What is the latest that you have learned about this possible flooding in those areas that were decimated by the fires?

REP. BRAD SHERMAN (D-CA): We've got hundreds of people evacuated. Many thousands who have been told to stand by with an evacuation warning. So far I haven't seen huge figures as to the cost of the damage. And I haven't been aware of any deaths in our area, but this is just the beginning, and we've got more rain coming in. The burn scar creates a terrible circumstance as your video shows. That whether you're at the bottom of the hill or at the top of the hill the fact vegetation has been burned can create a real problem.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it really is a very threatening situation. Thus far, are you satisfied with the level of, you know, support that residents in the area have been receiving? Especially, you know, as they still try to recover from those fires.

SHERMAN: So far, I don't want to micromanage or criticize. So far, it looks pretty good. What is more of the federal responsibility is whether we'll be providing any aid to those people who incur significant uninsured losses as a result of these floods. And the typical rule, I mean, these floods in my area at least are a direct result of the fire. And -- but the FEMA has ruled in these cases that it's a separate disaster.

I hope very much that we're able to pass a supplemental legislation that, among other things, makes those who suffer from the burn scar in the same category as those who suffered from the burn.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Speaking of legislation, on November 4th, voters in the Golden State approved a ballot measure last week that allows state Democratic lawmakers to replace congressional lines drawn by the state's independent commission with new ones that make five Republican held U.S. House seats more favorable for Democrats.

This week, the Justice Department sued Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber in an attempt to block that plan. What do you expect the response to be from the governor and the secretary? Was it kind of preemptively expecting that there might be a legal challenge? And is there possibly a plan in place just in case?

SHERMAN: This is a desperate legal move. It won't succeed. It's wrong on the facts. It's wrong on the law. The law is very clear. It's unfortunate law, it's law I'd like to correct here in Washington, that says that states can discriminate for the purpose of partisan gain. And that is exactly what we did. And under current law, exactly what we're allowed to do.

The lawsuit claims that somehow this was an effort to empower Latinos at the expense of everybody else. And, look, I was there in the process. We had one objective, and that was to collect five seats for the Democrats. It had nothing to do with anybody's ethnicity. Of course, there are an awful lot of Latino Democrats in California. And if you're going to create five new Democratic seats, perhaps one will have a Latino majority.

But -- and even if that was an objective and it certainly wasn't because I was there I don't think that that would disqualify the plan. No, in any circumstance. So this is a desperate legal move. These are the new lines that are going to be effective. And I look forward to representing my new district.

WHITFIELD: All right. And next week, the House is supposed to vote on whether to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. But yesterday, the president directed the Justice Department to investigate.

SHERMAN: Hello?

WHITFIELD: Hi. Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Congressman?

SHERMAN: Sorry, I cannot, cannot hear you.

WHITFIELD: You can't hear me anymore? How about now?

SHERMAN: Hello?

WHITFIELD: Do -- are you positioning yourself or prepared for next week's expected vote on the Jeffrey Epstein files being released?

Congressman, are you still with me there?

All right. It seems like we've lost our connection unfortunately with Congressman Brad Sherman. We're glad you were able to be with us at least for a few moments there. Thank you so much. [15:10:07]

All right. All right. Also happening in California, a setback in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against top universities. A federal judge ruled Friday the White House cannot cut funding to the University of California over claims that it allows antisemitism or other forms of discrimination. In a sharply worded decision, the judge said U.C. faculty and students provided, quote, "overwhelming evidence," end quote, to show the administration was trying to purge differing points of view from universities.

Last summer, Trump demanded UCLA pay more than $1 billion to restore frozen federal funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism. The White House and Justice Department have not yet responded to the ruling.

All right, coming up, escalating pressure. The U.S. Military planning new drills in the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela over alleged drug boat strikes.

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[15:15:51]

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, the tiny Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago says it will conduct five days of military drills with the U.S. starting tomorrow. The islands are right off the coast of Venezuela. In the last several weeks, the U.S. has built up its forces in the Caribbean, including its largest aircraft carrier being placed there in the region, the USS Gerald Ford.

While speaking to reporters on Air Force One Friday, President Trump was asked about his intentions in Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you made up your mind on what you would like to do as far as action?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I sort of have made up my mind. Yes. I mean, I can't tell you what it would be, but I sort of made up my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. has also launched 20 attacks on boats in the Caribbean, saying they were targeting drug traffickers.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Stefano, how is Venezuela reacting to all of this?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think, Fredricka, that tension, rising tension is the right word to describe the situation right now in Venezuela. We're coming to you from the CNN studio but we were just outside of the building and looking at the streets, looking at the streets of Caracas, in particular. The situation remains calm. However, the government of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro is trying to portray a show of force. Perhaps that is the first reaction to those announcements of military drills in the island of Trinidad and Tobago, starting tomorrow.

What we are seeing is government officials traveling across the country. We have seen them in at least four different cities and gathering support with -- between their supporters and asking their supporters to swear an oath today to defend the homeland in case of an attack. You can feel that the pressure is really rising up in the last few hours and days. Meanwhile, Maduro hasn't spoken yet today, as of Saturday, but he was speaking yesterday at a conference and this is what he said directly towards the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELA (through translator): It is to the people of the United States that I speak to at this moment before these 100 jurors from 34 countries to say, stop the insane hand of those who order bombing, killing and bringing war to South America, to the Caribbean. Stop the war. No to war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Now, Fredricka, that message from Maduro is consistent with what he had said in the past and even to us, we have seen and we're able to speak with him on Thursday. Well, he told us that his message towards the United States and to Donald Trump in particular, is a message of peace, peace, peace that was -- those were his words. However, today we're also seeing the fact that they are taking these threats coming down from Washington really, really seriously and that the government of Venezuela is rallying the troops, rallying the support and preparing for what might come.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stefano Pozzebon in Venezuela, thanks so much.

All right. Let's continue the conversation now with Ryan Berg. He is the director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Great to see you. So CNN has, you know, previously reported that President Trump has reservations about taking action inside Venezuela. I mean, what would justify the U.S. going after targets inside that country?

RYAN BERG, DIRECTOR, AMERICAS PROGRAM, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thanks very much for having me on.

I'll answer the question in two parts. I think first is the strategic. It's kind of an extension by the administration's understanding and rhetoric of the attacks that have happened on suspected narco vessels in the southern Caribbean. The administration has said that Maduro's regime is a legitimate and criminal, and it's involved in a lot of these illicit economic activities. And so the president is interested in taking some of these activities out and draining some of that illicit revenue for the regime. And that would mean some of these strikes would move to land based targets in Venezuela that are protected by the Nicolas Maduro regime there.

On the legal side, we've seen plenty of reports that the administration does not believe that it's there yet. It is still working on a legal justification, the same way that they've worked up a legal justification through the Office of Legal Counsel for the strikes in international waters.

[15:20:09]

And so I would suspect something from the Office of Legal Counsel rather soon, if the administration is keen on pursuing land strikes that sets up at least a legal architecture and legal justification for moving some of those strikes to land.

WHITFIELD: And what do you think Trump's ultimate goal is? Is it regime change for Venezuela, or is it solely drug trafficking?

BERG: I think one of the things that the president has been fairly consistent on over the course of his career is that he is not a regime change president. Now, it should be said that strikes on land in Venezuela, even if they didn't have the intention of precipitating regime change, could somehow catalyze an internal movement within Venezuela, especially given the armed forces and their involvement in some of these illicit activities.

It's possible, I'm not saying it's likely, but it's possible that strikes on certain types of facilities could get the armed forces to move on Maduro to do something that would bring new leadership within Venezuela. And those are some of the scenarios that, frankly, I think we're most interested in when it comes to the stability and the security of the United States, and looking at in terms of our analysis for the future of this standoff.

WHITFIELD: How realistic is it that the U.S. could kind of, you know, shake loose some of the support for Maduro?

BERG: It's very difficult to say. There have been -- there's been a lot of speculation, including an article in CNN that was published just a few hours ago with a lot of analysis on what the military would or wouldn't do in a scenario where the regime and its security was at risk. Frankly, I think being intellectually honest means that we need to say this is completely uncharted territory that were in here.

The Venezuelan armed forces, the reality is they've never fought a war in the common era. When they have engaged in wars or conflicts, I should say, against guerrillas in the Colombian-Venezuelan territory, border regions, they've gotten beaten pretty badly. And so targeting some of the facilities that they use to participate in these illicit activities and in drug trafficking could make them reconsider their loyalties. It could make them realize that the game is up and that perhaps their future is best preserved with a different leader in Venezuela. We just don't know.

WHITFIELD: Mm-hmm. And then, of course, we heard, you know, Maduro, when answer a question from one of our own correspondents, you know, referencing endless wars specifically mentioning Afghanistan and Libya, what do you make of his choice of words?

BERG: Well, I think they're very intentional in the sense that he is trying to message that his regime has more resilience than perhaps it does, especially after losing for the entire world to see the presidential elections of last year and then staying in power through a brutal repression campaign. I think he's referring to those wars because Americans rightly understand that forever wars are not in the American interest anymore.

And so he is trying to message that any kind of activity in Venezuela would be akin to those types of forever wars. But I think it's safe to say that it's not in President Trump's modus operandi. Again, one of the things he's been pretty consistent on is that he understands Americans are rightly skeptical of these types of operations.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan Berg, thanks so much.

BERG: Thanks for having me on.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, soaring health care costs. Millions of Americans facing sky high premiums as Obamacare subsidies expire just weeks from now. So how much will coverage cost? We'll break down what you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My health insurance premium is going to go up from $218 a month to $1,408 a month. Yes, that's a 546 percent increase.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand how this is ethical. How am I supposed to do this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am mad, as we all are at the Democrats. But how are we going to get these cowardly people out of office?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, one thing has ended, another thing is about to get started. Republicans managed to end the longest government shutdown without giving in on the main issue Democrats were pushing for, extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare. Those subsidies were created in 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Republicans expect to hold a vote on these soon-to-expire subsidies in December, but there's no guarantee anything will be resolved before the subsidies officially run out just weeks from now.

If they do expire, premiums for tens of millions of Americans could more than double as you just heard. With the midterms coming up and prices set to spike, some Republicans are understandably worried that health care will continue to be a political headache for them. And this concern isn't coming out of nowhere. A record 24 million people signed up for ACA plans this year. That's up from the 11 million enrolled before the enhanced subsidies went into effect.

Of the 24 million, 90 percent received these tax credits and more than three in four or 78 percent live in states that voted for President Trump in the last election. In fact, more than half of all ACA enrollees live in Republican congressional districts, meaning that if these subsidies expire, most of the people who will see the cost of their health care coverage skyrocket live in red states and red districts.

[15:30:14]

The nonpartisan health policy research group KFF estimates that on average subsidized enrollees will see their annual premiums more than double with the average increase around 114 percent. Here's what they estimate that could look like.

A 27-year-old who's aged out of their parents' policy and makes roughly $17 an hour will go from paying about $50 to $168 a month. A 35-year-old single parent with one child making $50,000 a year will see their monthly premium go from $144 to $331. And a 60-year-old couple nearing retirement but not yet eligible for Medicare, making a combined $85,000 together, could see their monthly premiums skyrocket from $602 per month to more than $2,000.

These kinds of increases could push many people out of the market entirely. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that around four million Americans might lose health insurance if the enhanced subsidies expire. Current enrollees told CNN that they genuinely don't know how they'll be able to stay insured without the extra help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just impossible. There's no way we're going to have to give up our health care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have a federal pension and my Social Security check, and together the increase in the health premiums would be half of my income. It's literally rolling the dice on whether we live or die at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A real gamble, giving up health care altogether. Open enrollment for the 2026 ACA coverage ends in just one month, on December 15th.

All right. Still to come, new allegations. Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is getting special treatment in prison and the termination of prison employees after e-mails were leaked. Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. New fallout this week after a whistleblower released alleged messages between convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and her lawyer. Her attorney said Friday that employees have been terminated from the minimum security prison camp in Texas, where Maxwell is being held. Earlier this week, Congressman Jamie Raskin released what he said was information detailing Maxwell's special privileges inside.

CNN's MJ Lee has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Most inmates inside of this minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas, worry about running out of toilet paper. Just two roles per inmate each week. For Ghislaine Maxwell, it's not a problem. She gets as much as she needs.

It's one of the many ways that the convicted child sex trafficker and the late Jeffrey Epstein's right hand woman is getting special treatment, and Maxwell's fellow inmates are up in arms.

SAM MANGEL, FEDERAL PRISON CONSULTANT: Miss Maxwell is being treated with a tremendous amount of deference. And that is extremely unusual if unheard of.

LEE (voice-over): CNN has learned those unusual accommodations included having other inmates removed from her cell, getting meals and mail delivered directly to her, and being permitted to use the chaplain's office to meet with guests outside of visitation hours. And when Maxwell raised concerns about inmates looking into her room from tables nearby, those tables were moved.

MANGEL: The women tend to stay away from her for a myriad of reasons.

LEE (voice-over): Soon after Maxwell arrived at Bryan, sources say the prison's warden gathered all of the inmates and warned do not speak to anyone about Maxwell. One inmate who did give a comment to a reporter was summoned by prison officials, scolded, then transferred to a higher security facility in Houston. Sources say several other inmates were similarly moved out of Bryan after they raised concerns about Maxwell.

Some of these details echoed this week by a whistleblower, who told the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee that Maxwell was also provided a puppy to play with.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): She gets essentially room service behind bars. She can use the shower. She can use the gym whenever she wants to. She gets special treatment there.

LEE (voice-over): The Bureau of Prisons denying the suggestion of preferential treatment, telling CNN it has a duty to ensure no inmate is treated any different from the next and that no inmate is subject to acts of violence while in custody. Another official telling CNN Maxwell has received death threats and that these measures are necessary for her safety. Maxwell's questionable transfer from a higher security prison to Bryan

Camp in August came only days after she met in person with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

GHISLAINE MAXWELL, CONVICTED CHILD SEX TRAFFICKER: The president was never inappropriate with anybody.

LEE (voice-over): When she defended President Donald Trump.

MAXWELL: In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.

LEE (voice-over): Maxwell, who is currently eyeing a commutation from the president, thrust back into the spotlight this week after new e- mails showed multiple examples of Epstein discussing Trump, including saying, "I know how dirty Donald is."

[15:40:11]

And, "Of course he knew about the girls," as he asked Ghislaine to stop. Today. Blanche pushing back on the criticism that his interview with Maxwell in July failed to address the e-mails, saying, "When I interviewed Maxwell, law enforcement didn't have the materials Epstein's estate hid for years and only just provided to Congress."

MJ Lee, CNN, Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, open for business. Smithsonian Institute Museums and the National Zoo are welcoming visitors again after the end of the government shutdown. And so, of course, that means, yes, the panda cam is back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:29]

WHITFIELD: All right. Some of the country's national parks and Smithsonian museums are open again after being closed for a little more than a month during the U.S. government shutdown. Also, one of the most popular destinations in the nation's capital, the National Zoo, is also welcoming visitors again.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is in Washington, D.C., where she spoke with visitors anxious to return to the zoo.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Smithsonian Institute is the world's largest museum complex. It includes 11 museums along the National Mall and others in the area like the fan favorite, the National Zoo. Now, these museums receive federal funding. So when the government shutdown started, they were able to keep the gates open for a little while, using funds from previous years, but have been closed for weeks now.

And as I spoke with visitors today as the zoo finally reopened, some just said they got lucky. They didn't realize it had been closed that long. Others had been counting down the days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSEY TEPLESKY, VISITING THE NATIONAL ZOO: We've been just patiently waiting, right, for the right time.

ISAAC TEPLESKY, NOT PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE NATIONAL ZOO TO REOPEN: I wouldn't say patiently, but yes, we have been waiting.

We plan to go everywhere in the zoo, except for the birdies. We don't like the birds. But everywhere and see everything. Stay at the pandas for three hours. And yes.

L. TEPLESKY: Maybe get some hot chocolate. Hot chocolate and what else? More shopping?

I. TEPLESKY: Merch.

L. TEPLESKY: Yes. And merch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And you can tell by that merch, the hat he selected there, that the panda exhibit is no doubt a highlight. The panda cam is also back up and running at this time.

Now, on Friday, the National Air and Space Museum opened up and CNN spoke with the director, Christopher Browne, who said that they were eager to get people back. They welcomed over a thousand visitors in the first 30 minutes. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER BROWNE, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM: We found out pretty much when the American public found out when the Continuing Resolution was passed, and that was our signal that we could reopen. And here we are today. We've greeted over 1,000 people already, and we're only 30 minutes into our reopening.

This is why we're here. It's to serve the American public and our visitors and showcase the collection, their collection, the largest aerospace collection in the world. And so when we're closed, we're not doing our job. So it means everything to be reopened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So here's what opened on Friday. The National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Stephen F. Hoover Center. On Saturday, the National Zoo, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of African Art, the Museum of Asian Art, and the Museum of Natural History.

Not everything is open yet to visitors, and they're opening things on a rolling basis until Monday, so you're still going to want to check the Web site to make sure the facility you're looking for is open.

At the National Zoo, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Julia.

All right. Voting is underway for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. And while you cast your vote, we're checking in with past CNN Heroes whose impact keeps growing. Among them is 2022 CNN Hero Richard Casper, a veteran who harnesses the healing power of the arts to help other vets.

Anderson Cooper shares how Casper and his organization are moving onward and upward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD CASPER. 2022 CNN HERO: It is always wanted to serve other people, but I didn't know how to ultimately do that. And all of a sudden, 9/11 happened when I was a junior and everything changed.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In 2003, Richard Casper joined the Marines and was deployed to Iraq. Within the first four months, his Humvee was hit four separate times, and he watched as his best friend Luke Yepsen was shot and killed by a sniper. When Casper came home, he struggled to process the trauma.

CASPER: You just don't want to talk to people about it because you feel like you're weak. They never gave me my vulnerability back.

COOPER: Casper enrolled in community college and found himself in an art class. He began to express himself in ways he couldn't before. In 2013, he started Creative Vets to bring the healing power of art and songwriting to other veterans.

CASPER: Try to explain to him in the beginning.

It's going to be easier to tell your story once you create your art piece because you're not going to be talking about you, you're going to be talking about your art piece and focus on it.

COOPER: Casper was honored as a CNN Hero in 2022, and his work continues to grow.

[15:50:02]

He recently purchased an abandoned church in Nashville to create a facility with art studios, songwriting rooms, performance spaces, and more. The goal is for part of the space to eventually be open 24/7.

CASPER: Arts and music is not something veterans are drawn to, but they need a place to go. when PTSD hits. It always seems to come at like 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 a.m. and the only places you can go is to be destructive. Instead of going to a bar somewhere and just letting it go, I want them to come here, have a place where they can beat up some clay, they could write a song, they could do anything that they need to, to really get it off their chest, but also to turn all that pain into something beautiful that they can just sit with and process it in a completely new way. COOPER: As the new facility takes shape, Richard hopes it will inspire

more veterans to discover the power of creativity and a path toward healing.

CASPER: I want them to know that art is an option for healing. It's what allows you to understand that it's OK to not be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So nice. To learn more about Richard, go to CNN.com and check out this week's "Five Good Things" podcast to hear him reflect on Veterans Day and how Creative Vets got started.

All right. Up next, leave a penny. Take a penny. No more pennies. No more new pennies. Now that we have hit the end of the line for these coins, what's next for your spare change?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:12]

WHITFIELD: All right. The American penny is officially out of luck. The U.S. minted its last pennies at the production facility in Philadelphia, but those won't be going into circulation.

CNN's Danny Freeman explains what happens next.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Penny pinching took on a whole new meaning Wednesday in Philadelphia. That's because after more than 230 years, the penny finally was retired. Five final pennies were struck, and they were made here at the U.S. Mint behind me here in Philly. And it really is the end of an era. But let me explain why the Trump administration decided to take this action.

Basically, the administration says that Americans have been short- changed because the price to create pennies has tripled over the past decade but the demand for use of penny has plummeted seriously as well over many, many years. Now, the treasurer, the U.S. treasurer says, though, that in return for stopping the creation of new pennies, that they're going to be saving taxpayers more than $50 million a year.

But make no mistake, there's still going to be challenges with this phaseout. Retailers, for example, are going to have to start making hard decisions if they want to round up to a nickel or round down to a nickel. And folks in that space have said that that can cost a lot of money for either consumers or businesses. So still some challenges to be worked out there.

But the administration really wants to emphasize this doesn't mean you should throw out your pennies. There are about 300 billion pennies still in circulation. They are all still legal tender, so do not toss away pennies that you might find in a jar and a coat, or somewhere else in your home.

A few quick notes to wrap up here. The secretary of Treasury, Scott Bessent, was supposed to be at the event in Philadelphia on Wednesday, but he had to cancel at the last minute. So the U.S. Treasury was ultimately the one who stamped that final penny.

The last thing I'll note, the big question is, where are these pennies going? Are you and I going to be able to scratch off lottery tickets with these five final pennies? Well, the answer is no. Those five pennies will ultimately be auctioned off. And actually, interestingly enough, most of penny production stopped way earlier in the year back in June. These five were just the final created, though if somebody does get their hands on them after the auction, they can use them for them for any different miscellaneous option if they so choose, because they will technically be in circulation.

But of course, the biggest victim of all of this are those of us who love penny related puns, penny related phrases, and of course, me myself I have my lucky penny. So penny for your thoughts now has to be nickel for your thoughts? Penny wise, pound foolish, nickel, wise pound foolish? Penny saved, penny earned. Nickel saved, nickel earned.

I don't know if I buy all of it. It might take some time, but either way, I know being at the event here in Philadelphia really historic and worth every penny.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Danny.

All right. Well, take an intimate look into the extraordinary political career and life of New Zealand's former prime minister Jacinda Ardern in the new CNN Film, "PRIME MINISTER." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACINDA ARDERN, FORMER NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: You'll be our future decision-makers and leaders, and it must be quite daunting looking out at the challenges that are in front of us. There's so much change that we want the world to be simple again. And part of that oversimplification is that we're much more inclined to look at one another in binary ways. Good, evil, bad, right.

It's meant that we've got a hyper partisanship now that I think can be really damaging. It means we don't work together as much. It means we don't listen and engage in respectful debate that we need. And if we are to get back to doing all of those things because we won't solve the climate crisis unless we do, we won't solve the conflict in the Middle East unless we do, we have to rehumanize one another again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: "PRIME MINISTER" premieres Sunday night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN, and the next day on CNN app.

Thank you so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you back here tomorrow. For now, "SMERCONISH" begins.