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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Faces Growing Scrutiny Over Boat Strikes; Manhunt For Escaped Louisiana Inmate Accused Of Violent Crime; FIFA Releases 2026 World Cup Schedule; Supreme Court Allows Texas GOP To Redraw Congressional Map; Growing Fears In Venezuela; 88- Year-Old Grocery Cashier Overwhelmed By $1.7 Million Gift. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 06, 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)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: In their own element, and letting down all the walls, sitting down with each other. We have everyone from Arianna Grande sitting down with Adam Sandler, to Leonardo DiCaprio sitting down with Jennifer Lawrence. And today, the new episode that drops is Sean Penn and Julia Roberts. Now they talk about their films that are going to be talked about in the Oscar race. They talked about their craft and their careers.

But here in this preview, you'll see they also talk about the first time that they met each other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: How many years do you think we've known each other? I think I know the answer.

SEAN PENN, ACTOR: It's easily -- well, oh, no. It's going to -- yes, no, I'm thinking now back New York, Mayflower Hotel, during the shooting of the Pope, the Greenwich Village.

ROBERTS: Oh, OK.

PENN: Yes.

ROBERTS: OK.

PENN: Yes.

ROBERTS: So this is over 40 years.

PENN: This is over 40 years ago, yes. Yes.

ROBERTS: Wow. Yes. That's crazy.

PENN: Yes, you were Eric's little sister.

ROBERTS: Yes, I still am. PENN: I remember exactly because I'd heard about you.

ROBERTS: Oh, God. OK.

PENN: And yes, but you must have been about, I don't know, like a teenager.

ROBERTS: Sixteen I think.

PENN: Yes, something like that. Yes, so it's been a while.

ROBERTS: Here we are.

PENN: Yes, here we are.

ROBERTS: Buds.

PENN: Neighbors, buds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Now, Sean Penn is in the Oscars conversation for the film "One Battle After Another." Julia Roberts for "After the Hunt." But again, as you see here, these conversations go well beyond talking about their films. The actors also get really personal. And I was on set for all of the interviews and the actors were truly having so much fun -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Look forward to that. That sounds fun. OK. You can watch Variety's "Actors on Actors" exclusively on CNN ALL ACCESS.

Alright, hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

At any moment now, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will speak at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California as new details emerge on the double tap strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug boat. Exclusive CNN reporting reveals that boat, according to the admiral who oversaw the operation, was not bound for the U.S., contradicting the Trump administration's justification for the attack.

CNN's Oren Lieberman is at the Reagan presidential library in California, where Hegseth will be speaking.

So what are we hearing about what he might likely say and overall, what we're hearing about the attack?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived here at the Reagan National Defense Forum. He is set to speaking in just a couple of minutes. We can see the video inside the room where he will speak. He's mingling a bit with the crowd there, not only some of the military officials who are here, but the civilians, as well.

So he will speak in just a few minutes here, and of course, it'll be interesting to see whether he chooses to address the controversy around the double tap strike on alleged drug boat from September 2nd that has very much been the focus of the last few days here, especially with what we've learned that Admiral Frank Bradley, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, told lawmakers on Thursday.

This, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the information he provided. He said the boat that was struck in that double tap strike was not in fact headed to the U.S. It was headed to rendezvous with a second boat that was headed to Suriname. Now that's important because Suriname, a small country that is in South America, east of Venezuela, is, not according to U.S. Drug Enforcement officials, traditionally on the drug route to the U.S. It's more known as the drug route to Europe where drugs that are trying to be smuggled into the U.S. will come up the Pacific Coast here.

The U.S. administration's justification until now had revolved around this posing an imminent threat to the United States. That's why the strike was carried out. And it was Bradley, who told lawmakers, according to those two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, that the boat could have been headed to the U.S. and that the two survivors of the first strike who were killed in the second strike 41 minutes later could have attempted to continue to traffic drugs to the United States.

So that's the rationale the U.S. is trying to put forward. In terms of the other information that Bradley presented to lawmakers, take a look at this summary here. He said video of the strike showed survivors clinging to wreckage of the alleged drug boat after the first set of two strikes on the boat. So the survivors did not appear to have any means of communication, radio or comms to try to call in help or backup.

Military officials kept an eye on the wreckage of the boat for 41 minutes as they decided what to do before the decision was finally made to carry out that second strike. And then the second strike, the justification for that was that the boat appeared to still have cocaine on it.

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Now the White House and the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have shifted the responsibility for the decision to carry out that strike more on to Bradley now saying it was he who made that decision to carry out a follow-on strike, and this is part of the shifting explanation we have seen, especially from Hegseth himself. He said initially that he had watched the strike take place, emphasizing the planning that went into it.

He then acknowledged that he watched the first strike and then had to attend other meetings he had, at first said that the U.S. knew everybody on that boat, the 11 people that were killed in that strike, only later acknowledging that lawmakers say the Trump administration said they didn't have the identity of everyone there.

So this is all, Fredricka, of what we'll look to see if Hegseth addresses as he is set to speak here in just a moment.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bring us up to date as you learn more. Thanks so much, Oren Lieberman, at the Reagan Library there in California.

All right, let's discuss now with CNN military analysts and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel Leighton, great to see you. So are you more convinced now that this double tap strike was necessary and that the survivors were legitimate threats that should have been taken out?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Not at all, Fredricka. Indeed, you know, the more I look at this the more skeptical I become actually. And I was very skeptical from the beginning of what we're seeing here is, you know, it clearly, this boat may very well have been involved in drug trafficking. That is certainly a possibility, but we need more proof. And one of the key things here is to really look at, you know, did that boat contain cocaine as is alleged?

If it did, you know, it's certainly a legitimate target, but the most appropriate way to deal with this is an interdiction mission, you know, like the Coast Guard performs or the Drug Enforcement Administration. This is using a lot of firepower against a vessel that really doesn't have armaments as best as we can tell, and as Oren pointed out in his reporting, was headed, according to the admiral, headed to Suriname.

So that, you know, that really puts a lot of what the administration has told us into question. And we really need to think about this strategy and look at what is really the most effective way to keep drugs out of the United States and also deal with the demand that we have here for those substances.

WHITFIELD: At the top of your answer, you said you would want to see more proof. Do you see more proof perhaps coming from drone video? And do you think it should be released to the public?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I think in this case yes. I mean, the administration has already released substantial drone footage usually of first strikes. And that, you know, clearly shows that we're actively engaged in this fight, and that's fine. Sources and methods are probably not going to be compromised beyond what they've already been compromised. And so it does make sense for the administration to release these kinds of -- this kind of footage and especially in this case where there are so many questions about the second strike, the so-called double tap.

I think it's really important for us to see what happened. It might be very hard to watch, but it's clearly something that we should be looking at.

WHITFIELD: And what kind of concerns do you have about whether this war on drug trafficking is a conflict war where the law of war applies.

LEIGHTON: Yes, so this gets into a very interesting area because when I was involved in counter-drug missions in the early '90s, we did work with host nation militaries, especially the Colombian military, and there were a few other nations that we worked with as well. But there was a real synergy of effort, and in that particular case, you could make the argument that the laws of armed conflict did in fact apply.

There were presidential findings associated with that activity. And there was legal justification for what was going on there and was primarily at least from my standpoint, in intelligence mission where we provided intelligence not only to U.S. elements but also to host nation elements in this case Colombia and other nations in Latin America.

Now, when we fast forward to the present day, it is really questionable that this isn't a law enforcement mission. So the law of armed conflict only applies when the militaries are engaged with each other or the military is going after certain set of targets, like a terrorism target or, you know, in this case, potentially a drug target.

And that, you know, there has to be some more legal, I think, understanding or legal findings made in this particular situation because it is questionable whether or not this really is one that the armed forces should be involved in. And from a legal standpoint, you know, should this more be of the regular laws, maritime law as well as international law when it comes to vessels that that should apply in this particular case.

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But either way, knocking, you know, killing people who are basically shipwrecked is illegal, and that is something that definitely has to be sorted out at this point.

WHITFIELD: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much.

All right. Happening right now, a manhunt is on for an inmate accused of a violent crime who escaped a Louisiana jail. Officials say he was one of three who broke through a jail wall and then used bedsheets to make a getaway.

CNN's Rafael Romo is here with more on this search.

What's the latest?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me tell you, they're still looking for that third fugitive but what we know is that out of three inmates who authorities say he escaped this week from a jail in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, located about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge, only one remains at large. The fugitive has been identified as 24- year-old Keith Eli who's facing a second-degree attempted murder charge.

A second escapee identified as 24-year-old Jonathan Giovan Joseph, and who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape, has been captured according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office. The third escapee, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington, who faced several felony charges, including home inflation, killed himself after he was found.

Port Barre Police Chief Dion Boudreaux told the Associated Press over the phone regarding how the inmates were able to escape. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidros said in a statement that the inmates discovered a degrading part of an opera wall area and over time removed the mortar, allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provided their exit. The sheriff added that the inmates used sheets and other items to scale the outer wall, drop onto the first-floor roof, and lower themselves to the ground.

But St. Landry Parish president Jesse Bellard disputed that statement saying at a news conference that the comment about crumbling walls is not true.

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JESSIE M. BELLARD, PRESIDENT. ST. LANDRY PARISH, LOUISIANA: As you can see, the walls are not crumbling. Our jail is in good shape. We had structure engineers coming in last year, look at our jail for the possibility of expanding our jail, and the structure engineers came back with a clean bill of health.

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ROMO: This latest jailbreak adds to several brazen escapes from Louisiana prison so far in 2025. An inmate escaped from the same St. Landry Parish jail on October 23rd and was recaptured by the Opelousas Police Department only a day later as KADN reported then, and then, and you may remember this, Fred, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail in May in a stunning overnight escape using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, according to a source.

The last of those 10 prisoners was at large for nearly five months before being recaptured in Atlanta. So we're talking about just this year alone, the massive escape in May, there was another one in October, and then the current one where they're still looking for that fugitive.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's a lot of activity in one year.

ROMO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead, football fans, the round ball ones, are getting hyped for next year's World Cup and just moments ago, FIFA announced the highly anticipated match schedule. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM WEIDENHOFER, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: This is one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history. And, yes, if you want, you will be able to retire.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: A former veteran gets an incredible gift when his story of financial struggles goes viral.

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WHITFIELD: Basketball legend Michael Jordan was in court Friday, taking on NASCAR in a landmark antitrust case against the racing organization. Jordan, who co-owns a racing team, is suing over allegations that NASCAR is a monopolistic bully. The retired NBA great testified in a packed courtroom for about an hour, saying that he -- that while he has been a huge fan of stockcar, the stockcar series, since he was a kid, he felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes.

He claims NASCAR's business model short-changes teams and drivers who risk their lives to keep the sport going.

All right. FIFA has just released the 2026 World Cup match schedule and bracket, and we now know the dates, locations, opponents for the U.S. team as they play their matches on the West Coast. This is the first time in more than 30 years the U.S. is a major host for the 48 team men's tournament, along with Mexico and Canada. Lots of excitement. 11 U.S. cities will serve as host venues.

CNN's Patrick Snell is joining us right now.

Oh, my gosh. People are over-the-top excited, and a lot of places, but especially in Atlanta. So tell us more about the schedule --

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: All right. First question, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SNELL: We need to decide now. Are we going to say soccer or football?

WHITFIELD: Oh, I know. It's got to be football.

SNELL: Let's get on the same -- let's get on the same page here.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right.

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SNELL: I grew up in England, so I kind of default to football, I will say. But anyway, but now we know the excitement mounts when and where. If you're a footie fan, you will have been checking out developments early today with much keen interest. You better start planning, and I will say you better get saving as well, because some venues, some matches, some tickets are expensive.

WHITFIELD: Mucho dinero.

SNELL: Let's start with -- mucho dineros. Let's start with tournament co-hosts, the U.S. We already knew, as Fred was saying, they were starting off in L.A., June the 12th in Group D. The Americans face Paraguay. A week later, they play Australia's Socceroos in Seattle before returning to the Golden State of California on 25th of June to face a team that is yet to qualify. We don't know who that fourth team is.

Shortly after yesterday's draw in Washington, D.C., I caught up with one young American player, Diego Luna, who told me just what it's going to mean to him and his family if he gets to play in next year's tournament.

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DIEGO LUNA, MIDFIELDER, UNITED STATES: Emotional is the number one word and feeling that, like, gets played into my mind when you kind of say that type of sentence, you know, imagine playing in the World Cup on home soil in front of your family. It's just a dream. It's the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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SNELL: Emotional what the young man indeed wishing him all the best. He was very generous with his time, too.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's going to be so exciting. I know. That's wonderful. So then, you know, big stars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, what's up with them, where they going?

SNELL: Yes. The big two.

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes.

SNELL: They're not 21 anymore, I will say. Messi, by the way, he's yet to confirm officially that he will play in the World Cup.

WHITFIELD: Oh, really?

SNELL: I believe he will, but let's wait and see.

WHITFIELD: Anticipation.

SNELL: Yes, excitement mount in so many ways.

WHITFIELD: Kind of build it.

SNELL: Defending champs Argentina, Albiceleste opening up against Algeria in Kansas City. Mark that one down for June the 16th, while Cristiano and Portugal, look at this, they're playing their first two matches in Houston. I'll have to move to Houston, Texas, before traveling to Miami to face Colombia. CR7 will be 41 once the tournament starts. Messi will turn 39 years of age during it.

And when will we get to see that star-studied showdown between France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland, two absolute gold machines of the modern game.

WHITFIELD: That's going to be great. SNELL: At June the 26 in Boston, and Fred, for us fans right here in

Atlanta, Atlanta has the ATL has eight matches in total including your semifinals.

WHITFIELD: Bring it, bring it, bring it. OK.

SNELL: That's a real coup for the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to get a semifinal. Really exciting times. You can see there, Spain, the reigning champions of Europe, they're going to be playing their first two matches here against Cape Verde on June the 15th and Saudi Arabia on June the 21st.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Mark the calendar.

SNELL: I know. We're still more than half a year out, but the excitement is --

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

SNELL: Can you tell I'm a little bit excited already?

WHITFIELD: I know. And I love your excitement. But a whole lot of other people are excited, too, and they're letting it -- letting the world know.

SNELL: It's going to be great. The growth of the game here in North America.

WHITFIELD: Indeed.

SNELL: Remember when the Men's World Cup was here in 1994, the game has just taken off. So much more since back then. Wonderful times if you're a football fan here in America.

WHITFIELD: Football. Yes. All right. Very good. I like it.

SNELL: You know, by the end of the tournament, I'm sure I'll be saying soccer like everyone else. Or maybe not.

WHITFIELD: Or like everyone else, they'll be saying football.

SNELL: Maybe.

WHITFIELD: Right? OK. Patrick Snell, very good.

SNELL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right. Straight ahead, a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling will allow Texas to use its redrawn congressional map. So we'll take a closer look at the state-by-state battle for the balance of power in Washington, D.C.

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WHITFIELD: All right, the U.S. Supreme Court this week gave Texas the green light to use a congressional map that will boost President Trump's effort to keep Republicans in control of Congress. Their decision, the Supreme Court that is, comes despite a lower court ruling that the map likely discriminates on the basis of race.

While this is seen as a win for the GOP, it also gives hope to California Democrats as they prepare to defend their map in court this month.

Joining me right now to discuss is NPR political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

Dominico, great to see you. So, you know, what are you hearing is the feeling after the Supreme Court overturns that lower court ruling that said the new maps were likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander?

DOMENICO MONTANARO, SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT, NPR: Well, you know, the Supreme Court has allowed that political gerrymanders are allowed to go forward in a, you know, ruled that some years ago and is essentially affirming that here, saying that this was not a racial gerrymander, it was a political gerrymander as the state argues. Of course it's hard to distinguish between racial and political gerrymanders when, you know, for example, black voters vote 85 percent to 90 percent for the Democratic Party, then it's a lot -- then it's easy to be able to draw maps where you can have, you know, essentially racial gerrymander that is, you know, done through a partisan lens.

Now it's going to be going forward. And I think the key thing here, obviously, is what does it mean for control of the House in 2026. And President Trump has asked Texas to try to get five more seats out of Texas that would lean conservative. And it looks like that that map is going to go forward. But it may not be the case that Republicans get as many seats as they want, especially in a wave year.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. And the Supreme Court decision does come just days before that December 8th deadline, you know, for candidates to file their run for office in Texas. What about the timing of all this? Does it kind of, I guess, inspire some who weren't thinking about running to now run?

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MONTANARO: Well, we're a year out from the 2026 election. I think you're going to start to see a lot of candidates start to declare. And you're going to see a lot of people who are in Congress who may be feeling one way or another about how things are going, start to retire. And we've started to see that with a high number of Republicans who've decided to retire and hang it up, not run for reelection, which is pretty unusual, but it's not unusual when you look at that as an indicator of what's potentially to come.

Right now, as things stand, Democrats have a significant advantage. You know, our NPR-PBS News-Marist poll, for example, found Democrats with a 14-point advantage last month on the congressional ballot, on who you most want to control Congress, who would you vote for in your district, the Democrat or Republican? That's a big deal because of the cost of living right now. But Republicans have to hope that that starts to turn around, that they -- that people have a better view of the economy.

But we just saw Gallup, for example, out with a poll that showed that the economic index, their economic index of economic confidence is at a 17-month low, so that is not inspiring a lot of Republican candidates. And there are some questions like in south Texas, for example, that have a lot of seats that are dependent on Latino voters, Republicans thinking that they'll stick with President Trump or stick with Republicans, but we haven't seen a lot of evidence of that this year.

We've seen evidence of them slipping away. So there could be some hurdles there that could be something that Republicans thinking twice.

WHITFIELD: So as it pertains to the redistricting fight, you know, in Texas, and it being considered a real victory for, you know, the Republicans after that Supreme Court ruling, how might that impact other efforts in other states of redistricting?

MONTANARO: Well, we've seen what Texas is doing is really setting off an arms race around the country. Not just for Republicans to try and, you know, gerrymander districts, redraw districts and what's really rare mid-decade redistricting, we've seen Indiana starting to move forward with Republicans trying to do that. We may see that in Florida. We saw it in North Carolina. But Democrats got a big win in November with that ballot initiative in California that said that Democrats in California can now redraw those districts.

So a lot of people think that California is likely to offset what we see in Texas, and that might mean fewer Republican seats as an advantage. I mean, remember, this is a three-seat majority that Republicans have. President Trump doesn't want to look like a lame- duck immediately after election day next year. He's already at historic lows for his presidency, and he's desperately trying to hold on to the House.

WHITFIELD: All right. Domenico Montanaro, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

MONTANARO: Great to see you, too. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, as President Trump continues to talk about the U.S. s military action inside the borders of Venezuela, what is life like for people there in that country?

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[15:37:33]

WHITFIELD: All right. As U.S. politicians grapple with strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, people in Venezuela are on edge as they wait to see what could come next. The largest U.S. carrier strike group is sitting off Venezuela's coast and President Trump has warned that the U.S. could target inside the country.

With me now is CNN contributor and global affairs columnist Frida Ghitis. She's also the author of "Insight" on Substack.

So great to see you. All right. So lots of anxiety in country in Venezuela, especially, you know, with the boat strikes and of course, talk, you know, from the president and beyond about whether there would be any kind of military activity in country in Venezuela.

What are you hearing that people are saying or feeling worried or concerned about?

FRIDA GHITIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, President Trump has not been very clear about what it is that he's doing. We have seen a lot of action. You have, on the one hand, you have these boat strikes, killing people in the Caribbean. On the other hand, you have this gigantic military deployment, the biggest military naval deployment of the United States in the Caribbean since 1962.

And in the middle of all that, we're waiting to see if the president says what exactly it is that he has in mind. And, you know, for the people of Venezuela, it's a very complicated time. There's nervousness about what exactly Trump has in mind, whether there's going to be a military assault from the United States and at the same time, people don't like this president. Maduro is a dictator, Venezuelans have voted overwhelmingly to get rid of him, and he has refused to go. But, you know, this whole operation, this whole series of maneuvers are confusing, and they are, in my view, to a larger degree, very reckless.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, you know, in the confusion, are people in Venezuela saying anything about or reacting at all to, you know, the September 2nd, you know, deadly strike on the boat, which entailed killing two of the survivors. We've, you know, heard about the discussions this week involving the admiral, versus whether they have an opinion about there were two other survivors of another boat strike that were repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador.

Are people, you know, expressing any concerns about, you know, the differences of how these survivors were handled?

GHITIS: Well, you know, it's interesting that there was that shift from killing the survivors, which is really --

[15:40:08]

WHITFIELD: Because it was in October when people were repatriated.

GHITIS: Right. And, you know, what's going on here is that Trump is portraying this as an anti-narcotics campaign. But the reality of it is that this is really part of an effort to push Maduro out of power. And that's why some of this doesn't seem to -- doesn't seem to jive with the rhetoric because if this were truly an anti-drug campaign, they wouldn't be going in this part of the world. The Caribbean is not a major drug-trafficking area. It's more the Pacific. Venezuela is not an important source of drug trafficking towards the

United States. And as CNN confirmed this boat where the people were killed after being shot once, they were killed in the second strike, that boat was not headed to the United States. So, you know, the people --

WHITFIELD: Right. Maybe heading to another vessel, which was then going to Suriname.

GHITIS: Going to Suriname. Right. Right. So, you know, a lot of people have said these men who were in these boats were not drug traffickers. We don't know. You know, the administration has not offered any kind of evidence about what the case against him was that ended up in their execution. There was a -- there was one man from Colombia whose family is now suing the United States, saying that he was a humble fisherman and journalists who have gone there have found a very, very poor family.

Other journalists have gone to Venezuela, and they have found also impoverished people who say the men who were killed were fishermen. They were unemployed bus drivers looking for a way to make money. Perhaps they were transporting drugs but if they were, they were small-time traffickers. Instead of capturing them and trying to use information from them to get to the big fish, the United States is just killing them, and it's a disturbing way to launch this kind of an operation.

WHITFIELD: You mentioned while a lot of Venezuelans aren't necessarily gigantic fans of Maduro, are they expressing what their concerns are if Maduro is somehow removed from leadership? What happens after that? You know, who or what kind of regime would be waiting in the wings?

GHITIS: Well, that is a big question because Maduro is not the regime. Maduro is, you know, he's the president. He's the head of the regime, but there's no guarantee that if Maduro -- you know, this is an effort to intimidate him into resigning, into stepping out, stepping away. But even if Maduro leaves, that doesn't mean that the entire structure of a regime that has been in power for a quarter of a century is suddenly going to vanish. There are other people behind, you know, waiting in line.

There's, you know, there's this, you know, man called Diosdado Cabello, who is extremely powerful, and there's no reason to think he would be any less ruthless than Maduro. The Venezuelans have voted more than once. They have voted against Maduro in elections that were ultimately stolen by the regime. They would like to see him go. Few people want to see major new warfare on their soil.

But, you know, they want to see him gone. They want to see the entire regime gone. The regime existed before Maduro with Yugo Chavez. So there is no guarantee that without him, the regime would be gone.

WHITFIELD: Lots of concerns and worries. Frida Ghitis, thanks so much.

GHITIS: Always a pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, still ahead, CNN goes inside a prison in Kenya, where incarcerated people often wait years for their day in court with no access to an attorney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: In this cell, there's 170 men who sleep here. It's a cell built for about 70 people. There's one toilet for all 170. It is stifling hot. There's very little ventilation. The conditions are difficult to say the least. All the men here sleep on the floor, and they have to sleep on their sides because there's not enough room for somebody to sleep flat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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WHITFIELD: All right. An 88-year-old Army veteran, working as a cashier in Michigan became a millionaire this week. Thanks to one viral TikTok post and the kindness of complete strangers from around the world.

Brett Cass from CNN affiliate WXYZ reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEIDENHOFER: You can just focus on me. There's a lot of support for you here, man.

BRETT CASS, WXYZ REPORTER: It's been a week and a half since 88-year- old Ed Bambas and social media influencer Sam Weidenhofer first met in the checkout line at Meijer.

WEIDENHOFER: Just seeing if I could have help scanning this.

CASS: It was that simple question that got Ed's attention and it was Ed's story that got the attention of the entire world.

ED BAMBAS, 88-YEAR-OLD VETERAN: My wife died seven years ago. Since then, I've been trying to re-establish myself.

WEIDENHOFER: And you're working here how many days a week?

BAMBAS: I work five days a week, eight hours a day.

WEIDENHOFER: And you do that because you have to or?

BAMBAS: Yes, I don't have enough income.

CASS: In less than a week, that video was viewed more than 10 million times on TikTok. And a GoFundMe was created for Ed to help him retire. In a matter of days, donations poured in, and now it was finally time for that final total to be revealed. WEIDENHOFER: We have everyone's support in the room. I want to reveal

that this is one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

[15:50:04]

And, yes, if you want, you will be able to retire because we've raised you $1.77 million.

CASS: In a room full of supporters, Ed was all smiles and tears, especially knowing his biggest supporter was only there in spirit.

BAMBAS: I wish my wife were here. But it's something that dreams are made of. Yes, from my beginnings to here.

WEIDENHOFER: I actually had someone nominate you from this store and said you're very hardworking.

BAMBAS: Well, I try to be.

CASS: As for that person who nominated him, that was Lexi Wallace, a 26-year-old shopper at Meijer, who, like everyone else, is still in shock at what has all happened.

LEXI WALLACE, SHOPPER: He deserves it. He earned it. It's all him, for sure.

WEIDENHOFER: We all know an Ed. For me, it reminded me of my grandpa. Ed reminded me of the love my grandpa had shown me, you know, in his life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, that all warms the heart. Thanks so much to Brett Cass for sharing that story with us.

All right, tonight, we honor the best of humanity at the "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE, as well. But before we celebrate this year's top five heroes, we're checking in with some of the past heroes whose impact keeps growing, like Scott Strode. The 2012 CNN Hero has dedicated his life to helping others overcome addiction by turning to health and fitness.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT STRODE, 2012 CNN HERO: So I get on my bike and go ride up in the mountains. It really just brings peace and in my drug and alcohol use, it was the opposite.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Scott Strode started using drugs and alcohol when he was 15, but through sports, he found a way out and overcame his addiction. STRODE: When I got sober, I lost my group of friends because they were

still out drinking and using. I got into boxing, triathlon, climbing. I had this new group of friends. I had completely redefined myself. So I thought, how can we give this to other people?

Welcome to Friday night climbing. It's good to see all you here.

COOPER: Strode wanted to help others facing addiction so in 2006 he started a nonprofit, now known as the Phoenix.

STRODE: We have this common connection, so it's easy to make new friends. We do bike rides, hiking, triathlon training, strength training.

COOPER: In 2012, Strode was honored as a CNN Hero for his efforts to provide free fitness programs to people in recovery.

STRODE: It really is just a new community of folks to hang out with.

COOPER: Today, the organization has grown to serve one million members, and they're not stopping there. The Phoenix hopes to reach 10 million people by 2030 thanks to their new app, New Form. The app brings addiction recovery and mental health support together in one place, making it easy for people to connect with recovery and wellness communities wherever they are.

STRODE: We're having fun and we're proud of being sober. So come out and go climbing with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So much inspiration. Find out who will be named the Hero of the Year. Tune in to the "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIVIA" tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:16]

WHITFIELD: All right. In a new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY," Anderson Cooper ghost to Nairobi, Kenya with a rare look inside some of Africa's harshest prisons. These jails are often overcrowded with men and women who are waiting for years before they can even have a trial. But a remarkable program is in place that teaches these inmates about the laws and their rights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): It's grim, but orderly. The guards keep tight control, though overcrowding is a constant concern.

In this cell, there's 170 men who sleep here. It's a cell built for about 70 people. There's one toilet for all 170. It is stifling hot. There's very little ventilation. The conditions are difficult to say the least. All the men here sleep on the floor and they have to sleep on their sides because there's not enough room for somebody to sleep flat. They're in this room from around 5:30 in the afternoon until 6:00 a.m. All of them together here. There's been an outbreak of scabies because of the close conditions.

(Voice-over): Just outside the cell, hundreds more men sit in rows. Five times a day, they gather for head count.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 110.

COOPER (voice-over): The guards tally their numbers. By now, the men are used to this routine, they know what to expect from prison life on a daily basis. What many here and in prisons throughout Kenya don't know is how long they'll be locked up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And be sure to tune in to an all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER." One whole hour, one whole story airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.