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New Details Emerge About Charlie Kirk's Suspected Killer; Trump Says, Political Violence Only a Problem on the Left, Not the Right; New York Governor Endorses Zohran Mamdani in New York's Race for Mayor. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 15, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New details in the killing of Charlie Kirk. Utah's governor now saying the suspect is not cooperating while his family, friends, and acquaintances are. The search for a motive continues.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A high-stakes meeting in Israel. In the midst of a new round of attacks in Gaza, reports the Trump administration is drawing frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. secretary of state is speaking right now.

And then a stunning abduction caught on camera, an attempt caught on camera. A man grabs a barista at a coffee stand.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. Sara is out today. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, there are new details and growing questions in the investigation of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Overnight, it was a full house at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as you see here, so many people gathered to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk, the crowd including lawmakers and top administration officials.

It comes as investigators are still working to determine a clear motive in the murder. The 22-year-old suspect is currently being held in the Utah County Jail under a special watch, pending a mental health evaluation. Authorities say that as of now, he's not cooperating with the investigation. We are told they're examining now a note that he allegedly left behind.

We're also getting a look at some new security camera video from the day of the killing. It appears to show a man matching the suspect's description near the university hours before the shooting. Utah's governor says that the suspect has, quote, leftist ideology, but not giving further details, saying that more is to come in especially documents around his first court appearance, which is set for tomorrow.

The governor also says that authorities are examining the suspect's romantic relationship with his roommate. Here's what he told CNN. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): I know that has been reported and that the FBI has confirmed that as well that the roommate was a romantic partner a male transitioning to female.

I can say that that he has been very cooperative. This partner has been incredibly cooperative, had no idea that this was happening, and is working with investigators right now.

CNN's Danny Freeman is standing by for us, starting us off in Utah this morning. Danny, what is the latest in the investigation that you're picking up right now?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, make no mistake, there are still a number of questions that we have about 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the main suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, but we actually did get a lot of new information over the weekend, really detailing a little bit more about what Robinson's life was like leading up to this shooting last week.

You mentioned two of those big points. First, the concept of a potential note that may have been left behind, and then the second to Robinson's roommate. I'm going to start with the roommate, Kate.

Like you just heard there from the governor, Robinson was roommates with a, quote, romantic partner who was a male transitioning to a female.

Now, the governor said that that roommate has been incredibly cooperative with authorities. And as you noted right there, the roommate was actually shocked to hear, according to the governor that Robinson was the main suspect here in this killing of Charlie Kirk.

And I'll note though, Kate, when CNN pressed the governor yesterday morning if this was clearly part of any motive that may have led Robinson to pull the trigger last week, the governor said it is easy to draw conclusions but declined to really speculate further.

Now, Kate, we've been talking about Robinson's family life here in Southwest Utah over the past couple of days. He came from a conservative family here, lived a fairly normal life, but the governor did make a point of saying that he had been drifting left in recent years. That's according to family members.

I want you to take a listen to how the governor described this move with Dana Bash yesterday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You told The Wall Street Journal that it is, quote, very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology. Can you elaborate on that and be more specific?

COX: Well, sure. So, that information comes from the people around him from his family members and friends. That's how we got that information. Again, there's so much more that we're learning and so much more that we will learn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:01]

FREEMAN: And now Kate, I also want to talk about the existence of a potential note. So, late last week, the social gaming platform, Discord, said that Robinson's roommate and a friend had mentioned, quote, contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere. Well, yesterday, the governor appeared to confirm the existence of such a note but did not go into further detail, saying that is all part of this ongoing investigation.

The last few things I'll note, Kate, as you noted, according to the governor, the suspect here, Tyler Robinson, is no longer speaking with authorities, so all eyes are going to be to tomorrow on Tuesday. That's when we're going to hear from prosecutors, really, for the first time publicly. That's when those formal charges are going to be announced, and we're expecting to see Robinson himself make his first court appearance here in Utah. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Danny, thank you so much for starting us off this morning. I appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: All right. Later today, Vice President J.D. Vance will host the Charlie Kirk Show and a tribute to his close friend despite calls from the likes of Republican Governor Spencer Cox of Utah, whom you just heard that everyone needs to look inwards for the cause of political violence, President Trump continues to blame one side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The problem is on the left, if you look at the problem is on the left. It's not on the right, like some people like to say on the right. The problem we have is on the left. And when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place. That's the left, that's not the right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. What are you hearing from officials this morning, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, I mean, clearly, what you heard from the president there wasn't exactly unifying rhetoric, and we've now heard this from him as well ever since the shooting of Charlie Kirk, essentially saying that he wants to take action against what he's calling far left political organizations.

He was actually pressed on this, John, by reporters this weekend who asked essentially, are you going to investigate any of these groups specifically? The president replied, you know, we'll see, we'll be announcing something, but it's still very much unclear what that could look like.

Susie Wiles, the president's chief of staff, gave a little bit more clarity last week when she was pressed on this by Scott Jennings, of course, a CNN analyst. She essentially told him that it could be, you know, some action could be wrapped into some of their, you know, crime crackdown, this idea of trying to lower political violence as it relates to their crime efforts.

But we're still waiting to see really what this looks like. But I think, overall, I mean, looking at this response from the Trump administration, there have been few other incidents that we've seen in administration respond so personally, and that is because Charlie Kirk, of course, was such a close, personal friend of so many people in this administration and also someone we know that the president really credits with helping him win the election, particularly when it came to, you know, the youth vote.

Now, I think J.D. Vance, in particular, is someone who is kind of, emblematic of this very personal reaction we are seeing from this administration. You mentioned it, but he is going to be sitting in and hosting Charlie Kirk's podcast today at some point today, taking kind of an unprecedented step there. We also saw him last week cancel his plans on September 11th to attend a 9/11 memorial in New York City. He scrapped those plans and instead flew to Utah so he could carry the body of Charlie Kirk and his casket onboard Air Force Two and fly it back to Arizona, where Kirk's home was.

So, again, a very personal reaction from many people here. Last night was another example at the Kennedy Center. They had a prayer vigil at the Kennedy Center, was at full capacity. We saw many Trump administration officials, from Tulsi Gabbard to Karoline Leavitt, to RFK Jr., all of them speaking out at that event, we saw many lawmakers as well, all to say, I can tell you from my conversations with people in this building behind me that what had been shock and grief and disbelief has turned to anger and they do want action. It's just still very much unclear exactly what that could look like.

BERMAN: All right. Alayna Treene reporting from the White House this morning, Alayna, thank you very much.

All right, breaking overnight major internet outages with huge political consequences, Starlink satellite internet service stopped working for tens of thousands of users, including the entire frontline of Ukraine's military forces.

And hirings at a standstill, inflation still on the rise. So, why is Wall Street hitting new records?

And an epic battle between a delivery truck and a huge sinkhole. You'll never guess who wins.

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has now endorsed Democratic Mayor Nominee Zohran Mamdani. Hochul's endorsement in the New York City mayor's race, it was published Sunday, the New York Times, making her the latest high-profile Democrat to back his campaign, but it comes after more than two months of refusing to endorse any candidate. Hochul initially cited some concerns over Mamdani's proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy, even further worried it would push more people to leave the state.

Here now, CNN's Gloria Pazmino, who's following this race with all of the twists and turns that it does still continue to take. What's driving this endorsement? What are you hearing about this?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kathy Hochul, the most powerful Democrat in New York State, had frankly been under a lot of pressure in the last few weeks, constantly being asked whether or not she was going to back the Democratic nominee, and she finally did so via an op-ed published in The New York Times last night.

[07:15:06]

Now, this is significant because not only is she the top Democrat in the state, but she is certainly sending a signal at least to other party leaders in the Democratic Party that she is getting behind this candidate.

Now, Kate, I want to describe this op-ed as a sort of a full embrace, full political bear hug from the governor. In fact, she made it very clear that while she's endorsing Mamdani, there are areas of disagreement. Here's what she wrote in part. Quote, in the past few months, I've had frank conversations with him. We've had our disagreements. But in our conversations I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods. She goes on to say, and where opportunity is within reach for every family. I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable.

Affordability was the message that Zohran Mamdani put out there that voters resonated, heard and related to so much in this campaign.

BOLDUAN: AND how to get there is where they differ.

PAZMINO: Exactly. And so she did say in this op-ed, now I am endorsing him, but there are areas of concern. And she said, and I made it clear to him. Specifically she mentioned the NYPD, the need for the department to keep up its resources and its leadership. She also mentioned the need to combat anti-Semitism, keeping and attracting businesses to New York. That's the concern around the taxes. And she of course, made no specific mention of taxing the rich. That proposal would have to go through the state legislature in Albany and would have to be ultimately signed by the governor.

So, we know that there are some areas of disagreement. Also notably in the endorsement, Kate, she mentioned the need to fight against President Trump. And she said that she believed that anyone who might accept his help in this race would be essentially tainted and compromised by that help. So, that's clearly a reference to both the current mayor and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who we know has also been seeking the help of the president in this race.

BOLDUAN: And who Mamdani is up against now in this mayoral race.

It's great to see you. Thanks so much.

Coming up for us, a blind man can see once again thanks to an incredible surgery that starts with using his own tooth, yes.

And Stephen Colbert at the Emmy's, what he's thinking about his next move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE NIGHT T.V. HOST: While I have your attention, is anyone hiring? Because I got 200 --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. Super Bowl rematch, same teams, same outcome.

Let's get right to CNN's Coy Wire. Coy, I got to say, you hear people talking out loud know that maybe the Kansas City Chiefs, the era of dominance coming to an end.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It's a good point, John. But think about this, all the injuries they have right now, especially with all the Patrick Mahomes receiving threats out, it's scary to think that K.C. was still able to go toe to toe with Philly.

A couple of rare mishaps for the Chiefs, Mahomes to Kelce has been nearly automatic, but Trav has some butter fingers on this one and it is intercepted. It leads to Eagles points. They would've taken the lead right there, John, and as screaming Travis Kelce knows it.

Instead, the Eagles, they tush-pushed their way into the end zone to go up 20 to 10 in the fourth. They pushed the tush seven times this game, John, in a couple sides. You can clearly see the offensive lineman getting a head start. It should have been a false start penalty, was not called One led to a touchdown, another to a crucial first down in the fourth. Eagles win 20-17. Travs wondering where his girl is. Tush-push drama ensues. I think we'll see these two again later on.

Now, overtime thriller, Cowboys and Giants, six lead changes in the fourth quarter in overtime, tying the NFL record. Russell Wilson heave in a prayer on Malik Nabers, who answers, putting the Giants ahead with 30 seconds to go. Incredible catch, two touchdown grabs for Nabers.

But as the clock ran out, last gasp, 64-yard field goal attempt from Brandon Aubrey, the Cowboys is good, sends its overtime. Now, Wilson had three passing T.D.s in this game, but then he went and did this. Game on the line, an interception, essentially serving the game to Dallas on a silver platter because Aubrey will not miss this time from 46, becomes the first player ever to convert a game-tying field goal with no time left in the fourth and a game-winning field goal with no time in overtime in the same game. Dallas wins 40-3.

World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, American Sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden taking gold in the Women's 100 on Saturday, setting a championship record with a time of 10.61 seconds, fourth fastest time ever. Olympic Champ Julian Alfred took Bronze. Jamaica's Tina Clayton took Silver, 0.15 seconds behind Jefferson-Wooden. That's the second biggest winning margin in championship history.

Before we go, we got to show you the celebration of the day. The Colts' Cam Bynum continues to entertain, John, this time with the team mascot after getting an interception in the Colts 29-28 win over Denver. This looks like, John, after his Patriots beat the Dolphins 33-27. I know you were doing some hooting and hollering yesterday from your couch, buddy.

BERMAN: I had the quad box up. I was watching with my son, Coy. I have to tell you, there was like a 20-minute stretch there between the Patriots finish, then the Bengals, then you had the Cowboys-Giants, you know, and then the Colts too. I mean, there was good football yesterday, good, some surprising results, very satisfying.

WIRE: Yes.

BERMAN: Deeply satisfied.

WIRE: Yes. Congrats to your boys, man. First win for Vrabel there, your head coach in New England.

BERMAN: And your Bills managed to squeak it out over the Jets.

All right, Coy Wire, thank you very much for that.

So, what started as a job interview ended in an arrest just like law enforcement intended.

In the frightening moment, a customer reaches through a drive through window to grab a barista. We'll show you what happens next.

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[07:25:00]

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, new details and more questions are coming about the investigation into the killing of conservative activists Charlie Kirk. Authorities say the 22-year-old suspect is now obviously in custody and in jail, but not cooperating with police. Investigators though are examining a trove of evidence, including a note he supposedly left behind. He is expected to be formally charged and make a first court appearance tomorrow in Utah.

Joining me now is Sarah Krissoff, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. It's good to see you, Sarah.

So, he heads to court for the first time tomorrow, the beginning of what is likely to be a very long legal road in this very high-profile case. If this eventually gets to a jury, gets to trial, how much of a challenge do you think it will be to seat a jury given how much attention.