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Investigators Are Scouring Life of Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect; Two People Arrested After Incendiary Device Found Under Local Fox TV News Van in Utah; Trump Threatens to Declare Emergency Again in Washington if City Does Not Cooperate With ICE; Memphis Braces for Expected Arrival of National Guard Troops; Bad Bunny's Residency Brings $200 Million Boost to Puerto Rico. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 15, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:51]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We're learning new details as investigators continue to dig for information on the suspect accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk. FBI Director Kash Patel saying that before the shooting, the suspect wrote that he had "The opportunity to take out Kirk and I'm going to take it." With us now is the Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, Beau Mason.

Commissioner, thank you so much for being with us. Can you give us any update on what evidence you've collected that indicates why the suspect specifically targeted Kirk?

BEAU MASON, COMMISSIONER, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Well, one thing I think it's important to remember in this case is that as the state investigative agency, this is a state case, state charges will be filed shortly. And so, there's not much that I can speak to of evidentiary without compromising the integrity of the case. And so, we're kind of limited on those types of pieces that we can speak to today.

SANCHEZ: Understood. Investigators, I understand, are looking into the suspect's romantic relationship with a transgender roommate. How confident are you, not getting into the evidence, but just overall in what you've seen, that there is a connection between that romantic relationship and the murder of Charlie Kirk?

MASON: What I can speak to is the fact that we are still conducting follow-up interviews and a lot of investigative leads to determine any relationship that may have played into this, whether that be political or personal, or any of those. So at this time, we can't disclose what we have learned as far as that goes. We can confirm that he had a relationship with this other individual but where that played into is still yet to be seen and more of this will come out as charges are filed and we can start to release more of the evidentiary process.

SANCHEZ: Understood. So just to be clear, we should anticipate that charges, when they are filed by tomorrow, I believe, there will be more of an answer to that question? MASON: I believe so. So the county attorney will choose what they release, what they don't as they file charges. But I do believe a lot more information tomorrow after those charges are filed, we'll be able to speak to, to more of the intricacies of this investigation.

SANCHEZ: Understood. On the reporting regarding his possible online radicalization, is there anything you can share about what you've learned regarding sites that he would frequent or communities that he was involved in?

MASON: No, I really can't. As the state agency, we are really limited what we speak to in that, that's evidentiary value. So I can tell you our investigators are working hard and we're leaving no stone unturned, whether that be in social media, websites, personal contacts. Our investigators are working hard to make sure that if there is any contributors to this or if there's anybody that we feel is tied to it, that we find them and that we hold them accountable if we determine that that's part of the case.

[13:35:00]

SANCHEZ: And as part of that process, has there been any sign thus far that anyone was aware that this suspect was planning something?

MASON: What I can tell you is we believe that Mr. Robinson acted alone as the shooter. We don't believe he had any assistance at the scene. We have no evidence to lead us that way right now. But all of the timeframe leading up to the shooting and the timeframe after the shooting, up to the time he was arrested, is still being investigated. And we will look for any of those possible connections.

SANCHEZ: Our understanding is that right now, the suspect is not cooperating with the investigation. I wonder if that is still the case and if you've had any hesitation or apprehension from other persons of interest that you were trying to interview to speak with law enforcement?

MASON: So what I can tell you is that Mr. Robinson has the right to counsel. We're not going to speak to whether he's cooperating or not. One thing I will speak to is that a lot of other individuals that have had contact with him are being very cooperative. And so, we are able to make good headway in the investigation due to their cooperation.

SANCHEZ: I also wanted to ask you about another aspect to the broader investigation because several current and former law enforcement officials have been critical of the FBI, the leadership and Director Kash Patel, arguing that efforts to find Kirk's shooter may have been hampered by the firing of dozens of senior-level FBI officials, including the of former Head of the Salt Lake City field office. Do you believe that those firings or any other movements by the agency on a federal level may have slowed the official response?

MASON: What I can say is at a local level, at a state level, meaning our local jurisdictions, our county jurisdictions, and the FBI here in Salt Lake, we have worked as a unified investigative command. Our relationships at this level are great. I'm in constant communication with the FBI, SAC, the Special Agent in-Charge. I'm in constant communication with the chiefs and the sheriff that are around that area. And I couldn't ask for a more cooperative group.

Everybody has come together and united to really work hand in hand to work through this investigation.

SANCHEZ: So declining to comment on the work of FBI Director Patel, I take it.

MASON: Yeah. I can only speak to the interactions I have at this level. And they're great. We have no complaints that -- we work through them. As a multi-jurisdictional investigation, there are hiccups in the road at any level, but we've been able to work through those fantastic. And we feel like we have great relationships with everybody that's investigating this case.

SANCHEZ: Commissioner, I also wanted to ask you on the recent arrest of two people connected to an explosive and incendiary device that was discovered near a local TV media truck, a KSTU van. Do you know why that van was targeted? Is it tied to the Kirk shooting?

MASON: No, I can't speak to that one. The FBI did handle that investigation solely. That was not part of this unified investigation. So those questions would have to be deferred to them.

SANCHEZ: Understood. Commissioner Beau Mason, thank you so much for the time.

MASON: Yeah, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Up next, Memphis officials reacting to a potential National Guard deployment in their city after President Trump said the idea was being welcomed by local officials. That's next.

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[13:43:10]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": President Trump is warning Washington, D.C. that it needs to work with the White House on its immigration crackdown. In a social media post overnight, the president said if D.C. Police do not work with ICE, he could again declare a national emergency in the nation's capitol. As the White House waits to see what Washington will do, it's already planning to tackle crime in another major city, Memphis, where the president could possibly deploy National Guard troops this week. Tennessee's Republican governor said he's been in constant communication with the administration over developing a crime fighting plan. Here's how the city's mayor is responding.

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MAYOR PAUL YOUNG, (D) MEMPHIS: I'm certainly not happy about the National Guard. I am looking forward to trying to find ways to invest in the things that we're already doing to address crime in our city. At the end of the day, my goal is to make sure that if they are coming here, which we now know they are, that we are able to drive how they engage in our city.

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KEILAR: The possible deployment would mark the first such effort in a state that is headed by a Republican governor. We're joined now by Janika White, who is a Memphis City Council Member.

Council Member, thank you so much for being with us. Can you tell us how the mayor and how the council are preparing for a potential deployment to Memphis?

JANIKA WHITE, MEMPHIS CITY COUNCIL: Yes. First, thank you so much for having me on this afternoon. One, we're trying to get a better understanding of exactly what it is that the president and the governor are proposing for the National Guard to do. In terms of locally, we already have about 120 additional Tennessee highway patrolmen on the road as a result of our crime fighting efforts. We already have task force and collaboration with the FBI, DEA, ATF for targeted policing towards gang violence.

[13:45:00]

In terms of our preparation, we're making sure that our citizens are aware -- that they know -- that they're educated on the jurisdiction of the National Guard, that they know their rights. We're also setting up a hotline and email for citizens to be able to call in and report any negative interactions with the National Guard. In terms of our law enforcement, our chief of police is seeking to have a memorandum of understanding with the National Guard to be able to determine who will be directing them, what areas they will be in, how they'll be dispersed, and what their responsibilities will be.

KEILAR: When you look at crime in Memphis, which had the highest violent crime rate last year among U.S. cities with a population over a quarter million, according to a CNN review of FBI data, what is the root of it as you see it and what would be the best way to address it?

WHITE: That's a very complex question. But of course, if you look at statistics and data, Memphis is also amongst one of the poorest cities in the nation and that's not by coincidence. Of course, all crime you can't say is directly related to poverty. But it is a fact that once you start looking at socioeconomic conditions, you see that we have a failing school structure. You see that about 18 percent of our youth are living, they're unhoused. More than 30 percent of our children in school are below the poverty line.

You look at infrastructure and if you look at overall federal funding that the city has -- city of Memphis has received in comparison to other cities, we're woefully underfunded. And no number of troops or people in camouflage will be able to correct years of disinvestment. If you look now, we're trending downward. And that's because we started to focus on some of those long-term solutions. And everyone -- of course, we want to feel safe and we know that crime is an issue, but it was made very clear when we started these efforts about two years ago, that it's going to take time. And in these past 24 months, we have seen a decline in our numbers. KEILAR: So, Mayor Paul Young told CNN on Saturday that he was not happy about the National Guard potentially coming to his city, but he was looking for ways to invest in the addressing of crime in the city. Is there any room to work with federal law enforcement and National Guard? He highlighted, for instance, tackling blight, some security issues of major events. Are there some ways to work with law enforcement and the Guard, and use this situation to the city's benefit?

WHITE: I mean, being that it's being forced on us, of course, we need to try to make the best of a situation that we're not happy with. But at the end of the day, there are more productive and meaningful solutions that could be provided in this instance. One would simply be to send us more assistance with FBI, ATF, DEA, because if you look at the actual data, most of our crime is not random. It's targeted. So we need targeted efforts. Sending the National Guard here, if they have to come, I believe that's the mayor's way of making the best out of a not so good situation by using them for blight remediation and crowd control.

But if we want to really figure out what's going to give us something we can feel, that's going to be more resources from the federal government in terms of analytics and investigations for these targeted operations. And for long-term, we need more funding for housing, we need more funding for education and our schools, we need more funding for infrastructure, food programs, those are the things that will actually address the long-term solutions to make Memphis safer, if that's the real concern.

KEILAR: Memphis Council Member, Janika White, thank you so much for speaking with us today.

WHITE: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: And next, we are taking you to Puerto Rico where Bad Bunny just ended his historic residency, his sold out shows brought hundreds of millions of dollars to the island. His impact right after this.

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[13:54:00]

SANCHEZ: This weekend, Rapper Bad Bunny wrapped a phenomenal two- month residency in Puerto Rico and the island's economy is reaping the benefits to the tune of $200 million. CNN Correspondent Isabel Rosales is live from Old San Juan.

Isabel, first of all, how did you get this assignment? How did you manage this? Teach me your ways.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a dream assignment and you won't hear me complaining, Boris. Actually, I got a little bit of b breaking news for you. Bad Bunny Breaking News. Today is not the last day of the residency. He has just announced an encore concert happening this Saturday only for (inaudible), only for Puerto Rican residents. So he started this tour, opening it up for his people, and he's ending the tour the same way for the Islanders here, but it will be streaming on Amazon.

Now, typically, Boris, this would be low season here on the island with people really avoiding hurricanes, not coming here as much for tourism, but that is not the case with Bad Bunny in town.

[13:55:00]

We've seen visitors all day taking pictures. Bad Bunny music pumping all over the place. 600,000 people visiting here in the past two months, specifically for Bad Bunny. Listen to this.

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ROSALES: Jorge. Has Puerto Rico ever seen something of this scale?

JORGE PEREZ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DISCOVER PUERTO RICO: Never. In the 20-year history of (inaudible) itself or in the entertainment history of Puerto Rico, nothing of this magnitude, not even close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Visitors are willing to pay any amount for any detail or souvenir.

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ROSALES: And Boris, I know that you love Reggaeton. You love Bad Bunny. This is a hot commodity. This Labubu (ph) El Concho Labubu, I'm bringing this back for you. Look at this. You got (inaudible). That's for you. So no FOMO needed.

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: I am going to demand that you bring that back and I'm going to put it in my office if you're serious with this offer. Isabel Rosales, live for us in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Thank you so much, Isabel.

Still to come this afternoon on "News Central," the head of the FBI says that DNA evidence ties the suspect in Charlie Kirk's shooting to the crime. Stay with us.

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