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Manhunt Underway to Find Charlie Kirk's Killer; Vice President J.D Vance Carries Charlie Kirk's Casket to Air Force Two; U.S Senators Discussing Added Security After Charlie Kirk's Assassination; Manhunt Underway For Killer Of Activist Charlie Kirk; South Koreans Detained In ICE Raid Return To Seoul; Brazil's Former President Sentenced To 27 Years In Prison; U.K.'s Ambassador To U.S. Fired Over Ties To Disgraced Financier. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 12, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Top of the hour here. Hello and thank you for joining us for our viewers here in the United States and all around the world and streaming in the U.S. on CNN Max. I'm Erica Hill. We do begin this hour with the breaking news on the investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, more than a day after Kirk was shot dead at a university event in Utah.
Authorities have yet to publicly identify the gunman. They have, however, said that they do have a suspect, and they are now releasing more images of that suspect and asking for the public's help in naming him and helping to find him. Surveillance footage shows the suspect in a baseball cap, jeans, and a dark t-shirt with an American flag on it. On his feet, converse shoes with white sole.
The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the shooter's identification and arrest. Officials say he used a high- powered rifle to fire from the rooftop of a nearby building. They also released this video on Thursday night. They say this is the suspect making his way off the roof, as you see there, dropping to the ground, then making his way across the grass through a parking lot, ultimately into a wooded area nearby. Utah's governor says the killer, when caught, could be subject to capital punishment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPENCER COX, GOVERNOR OF UTAH: We've been working with our attorneys getting everything that we need, affidavits ready so that we can pursue the death penalty in this case, and that will happen here in the state of Utah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Ed Lavandera is closely following the investigation and has these new developments for us from Orem, Utah. ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are now into
day two of the massive manhunt to find the killer of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk here on the campus of Utah Valley University. The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon and there is still no clear indication that authorities are any closer to finding out who this suspect is or where he might be.
We were told earlier in the day that there were rapidly changing developments and gave us the impression that perhaps there might be some breakthrough in finding out who this person is and whether or not he had been taken into custody, but this press conference that was delayed some eight hours did not give us that kind of clarity and information. So, we are left with new information and new details and evidence that authorities are releasing in hopes that people will see these pictures and it will force them and inspire them to call the FBI tip line and the state police tip line here in Utah.
So I'll walk you through some of this new video evidence. Authorities here releasing video of this suspect walking across the rooftop. They believe that the gunman used to get the vantage point on Charlie Kirk as he was speaking with students in this courtyard area of the campus. You can see the suspect running across the building and then getting to the edge and hoisting himself down and falling, dropping to the ground from the top of the rooftop there.
And then confidently and casually walking away toward the street and that's where the video cuts off. And there are also a number of enhanced still pictures showing the gunman with jeans, a black shirt, a hat, and they're hoping that people will recognize this and call it in, in hopes that this will lead to identifying who this suspect is. But what is interesting is that the video does cut off as the suspect heads off onto the eastern edge of the campus into this neighborhood where authorities found in a wooded area on the edge of this neighborhood the rifle that was used to kill Charlie Kirk.
That is being processed and analyzed and there's also a great deal of focus on that neighborhood because in that area it appears that that allowed -- gave the suspect the cover and the ability to escape from the shooting location as thousands of other students started to run away from the shooting scene as well. But the major headline here in Utah tonight is that they have released these new video images and they're hoping that someone in the public will see this and that it will trigger some sort of identification of this suspect as the manhunt for this killer continues. Ed Lavandera, CNN in Utah.
HILL: In Washington, President Trump is closely following developments, saying earlier that authorities are making, in his words, big progress in the murder investigation. The president also offering some insight into the plans for Kirk's funeral. Here's more now from Kristin Holmes.
[02:05:04]
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House still reeling after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, all eyes on the investigation, trying to get answers. We talked to a number of people within the White House who said they're monitoring every move that the FBI makes, every piece of this investigation, incredibly closely, but part of them is still in disbelief.
We talked to advisors who talked about how difficult the last two days have been. Some of them moving from sadness to anger during an interview with Scott Jennings, the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, said this about Charlie's death.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SUSIE WILES, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Charlie was very much a part of this family and maybe the highest profile MAGA person outside of those that are working here. So I think it shook everybody to their core. I called everybody in before they went home last night and said, go home, hug your children, hug your spouse. Be careful, take precautions, and don't let your voice get softer.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: And on Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance canceled his plans to go to New York for a commemoration of 9/11, instead going to Utah to meet with Charlie Kirk's family. He was a close personal friend of Kirk's, of his family, and then take Kirk's remains back to Arizona. Charlie Kirk is based in Arizona. A very powerful video scene of J.D. Vance carrying the casket, loading it onto Air Force Two before that plane took off and headed to Arizona for Charlie Kirk's final resting place. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
HILL: Well, one of the people who asked Charlie Kirk a question at that event on Wednesday joined my colleague Erin Burnett, sharing with her what happened in those moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Can I just ask you first of all, Henry, what it was like for you, what it meant to you to have that interaction with him, to be picked to ask a question?
HENRY DELLS, QUESTIONED CHARLIE KIRK BEFORE HE WAS SHOT: I mean, it was something that was unbelievable to me. I actually found out just like a couple days earlier that Charlie was actually coming to town and, you know, a couple of friends messaged me from UVU. They said, hey, we should all collectively try to go and ask him a question. I mean, he was a big monumental figure for us. And me and a bunch of friends do apologetics and debate all the time and we love his debate tactics, and we study it, and we do it often. And he was a big inspiration to us and he meant a lot.
BURNETT: So you asked your question and obviously his talking about Mormons there and wanting them to have a lot of children. And then you were done, right? And you passed the mic to the next person, right? And the next person after you, Henry, and this is something I don't know if has sunk into you and really in so many ways, but that's the person who asked the question about transgender shooters, right? The question that was right before Kirk was shot. Now, I understand, Henry, that you did have a chance to speak with the
person who asked that question. It was a man before the event started. What can you tell us about that conversation when you were talking about your questions, the chance that you both had to ask one?
DELLS: Yeah, after we each kind of got selected, they picked about four or five of us to be at the front of the line. We each kind of had about five, five to six minutes where we just kind of discussed like, hey, like, what are we going to talk about? What are your questions and what are your questions? You know, there was a lady that was going to talk about some abortion issues, which was understandable. Charlie talks about them all the time.
Other was some racial issues and his was transgenderism and, you know, the -- why people feel like they are something that they aren't. And I never got anything out of that or even heard anything where if he was going to refer to anything about shooting. I think it's -- I don't -- I mean, I don't know if it was purposeful or not or what the whole thing was, but it was shocking to me just looking back after the events, the sequencing of everything and I think it kind of just leaves me guessing a little bit.
BURNETT: Right because you're saying he -- you knew it was a question about transgenderism, but it sounds like from your conversation with him, could you tell that he disagreed with Charlie on that issue or could you not even tell that?
DELLS: Yes ma'am. As a matter of fact, think I was, which was kind of ironic, the first person asking the question. I actually really didn't disagree with Charlie on a lot of things in regards to politics. I agreed. The only -- I had to find the religious aspect so I could find something to disagree with (inaudible). But the three people behind me all had things that they disagreed with Charlie on.
Like I said, was either transgenderism, it was either a race aspect or if it was the other thing.
BURNETT: Yeah.
DELLS: Something I forget, I'm sorry.
BURNETT: That's all right. No, that's all right. That's all right. I certainly didn't mean to put you on the spot in that way, Henry. But I actually, just as you and I are speaking, we got a new video from the person, from the guy after you, right?
[02:10:02]
The one who asked the question about transgender shootings that you're explaining had told you he was going to ask about transgenderism but did not mention shooting at all.
That person just shared a video statement. with us. Just got it. I haven't heard it myself. Let me play it. You and I can hear it together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTER KOZAK, QUESTIONED CHARLIE KIRK BEFORE HE WAS SHOT: And people have obviously pointed to the irony that I was -- the point that I was trying to make is how peaceful the left was, right before he got shot. And that -- that only makes sense if we stay peaceful. And as much as I disagree with Charlie Kirk, I'm on the record for how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but like, man, dude, he is still a human being. Have we forgotten that? Are we crazy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Obviously, you know, he's emotional and upset there as well, Henry. What's your reaction hearing that? Of course, that's the young man who asked the question right after you.
DELLS: Yeah, yes ma'am. Yeah, I think I kind of feel for him a little bit because I can definitely understand that how some people might be giving him some backlash just because the sequence of how he articulated his question and then what came immediately after. And, you know, I've had even, you know, thoughts of scenarios of like, oh, maybe this is something that's, you know, was involved in the sequence and stuff. But I also never left out the fact that, hey, it could have just been a coincidence.
And you know, when I was speaking with the individual prior to, I never felt like he had any hatred for Charlie, and I can testify. He seemed like an ordinary kid who just had a difference of opinion. And we actually shared a little bit because my family, we definitely aren't all conservative. We are different. I got some that are left, I got some that are right. My dad's kind of in the middle. And so I have to live that, I have to deal with that every day. And so I understand what he's saying. We're all human and we should love each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Well, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, what is next for his conservative organization Turning Point USA? It's now looking to its donors and supporters and weighing next steps and its future. Those details after the break.
Plus, young conservatives say Charlie Kirk's shocking assassination has them worried about the future. More of that conversation ahead on "CNN Newsroom."
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[02:15:00]
HILL: Well, Charlie Kirk's casket is now in Phoenix, Arizona, where the activists lived. Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife escorting Kirk's body back to Arizona. Kirk's wife and their two young children were also on board Air Force Two. In a somber moment, as you see here, Vance placing his hand on the coffin as it was then carried toward the plane.
Plans for Kirk's funeral are now underway. The president actually weighing in on that earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Are you going to go to Charlie Kirk's funeral, sir?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I will be.
UNKNOWN: Do you know when that bill be?
TRUMP: I believe it's in Arizona and they've asked me to go and I think I have an obligation to do that.
UNKNOWN: DO you know when that will be?
TRUMP: I'm hearing the -- I hear next weekend. Whenever it is, I'll be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Kirk's conservative organization, Turning Point USA, is now considering its next steps in the wake of the leader's assassination. Donors recommitting their support for the organization. Allies, meantime, have vowed to channel their grief and anger into growing a new, younger generation of conservative activists and politicians. Kirk's appearance on Wednesday at Utah Valley University was meant to be the kickoff for a new round of speaking engagements on college campuses around the country.
An official with Turning Point tells that CNN the tour will continue in some fashion to celebrate Kirk's life. Friends and colleagues, though, are understandably still processing his death, saying it's simply too soon to determine exactly what comes next. Conservative leaders, however, say they have no doubt the movement Kirk built will continue.
American lawmakers, meantime, are increasingly concerned about their personal safety in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing. That's also sped up conversations in Washington about boosting security for lawmakers, discussions which include the possibility of a security detail for every senator when they're back in their home districts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I like being accessible, but being accessible is starting to look like being vulnerable. So I think there's a lot of us that are concerned about that.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): Different people have different threat levels. Those different threat levels may require a different stance, meaning a different look for their details. So, it's not one size fits all. We're going to have to be fluid to build a flex when we need a flex and to be able to dial it down when we need a dial it down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Amid all those concerns about security in a bitterly divided Washington, there is frankly little unity among lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle. And there's little being done, it seems, to turn down the temperature of the political discourse, even as some party leaders are urging for that. The blame game and those heightened security fears from both parties underscoring a particularly tense and bitter moment in American politics. Benjamin Radd is a political scientist and senior fellow with the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. Good to have you here. I mean, how would you describe this moment in American politics?
BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST & SENIOR FELLOW, ECLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Well, it's coming on the heels of several years, several presidential cycles of heated rhetoric across both sides. And you know, we see the blame game, each side saying the other one instigated and started it.
[02:19:54]
And then we see interesting efforts by whether it's journalists, columnists or politicians like Gavin Newsom here in California, who in fact, interviewed Charlie Kirk earlier this year on his podcast, you know, attempt to show some empathy, some compassion, I would say even solidarity with the way in which Charlie Kirk conducted his political style, the way in which he approached politics and tried to communicate with the other side.
So, we're really seeing this spectrum of responses here and there's no consistency. There's nothing that's emerging that is helping, I think, Americans rise from this moment and find a consensus.
HILL: Why do you think it's so hard to find that consensus? Is it because we are, as we know, so fractured? Is it because people get their information and connect with people in so many different ways? Right now I'm thinking of social media and frankly the algorithms of what people are served. All of those I would imagine are really contributing to this moment.
RADD: Consensus doesn't go viral. Consensus doesn't give you hits or likes on the internet or social media. And most importantly, consensus does not get you elected. I mean, we've seen that, unfortunately. And we've seen as, you know, both parties fail to come up with solutions, legislative solutions, solutions from the executive branch or from the Supreme Court that really address the core issues facing the country.
It seems like instead what we get are very sort of partisan responses to the issues that are affecting most Americans. And again, consensus plays into that. It's what -- it is red meat for both sides and its what triggers people's attention. It's what gets traction on social media. And it's what translates to votes in the real world. So unfortunately, that's the consequence of the time that we're in.
HILL: So much has changed. So Patti Davis was on earlier with my colleague Anderson Cooper, talking about the reaction in the wake of the attempt on her father, former President Ronald Reagan's life in 1981. And what she sees from that time versus what things are like in 2025. Here's how she laid it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATTI DAVIS, DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: One of the things that I find not helpful is when elected officials go on air and say, well, this is not who we are. This is not what America is about. Really? Because from where I sit, this is exactly who we are right now. And I don't know how we change that or how we fix that unless you look at it straight on and take ownership of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: How much appetite do you think there is to actually face straight on where this country is, especially if you are an elected official?
RADD: It takes elected officials who has a and sort of degree of political safety and capital to expand to be able to do that and get away with it. I mean, I mentioned Governor Newsom, but we also see the governor of Utah, Governor Cox, making a statement, you know, indicating that there are foreign agents who are attempting to spread further division, further conflict within the American electorate, within the public when it comes to this issue and many others.
And so not only are we fighting this battle between ourselves, between left and right and middle. But we're also fighting it with other bad actors, malign actors, both state and non-state, who see a benefit in stoking this type of conflict culturally and politically. That makes it very, very difficult, much more different than President Reagan's time about 40 years ago.
HILL: And when we look at, you know, there's talk about really trying to continue to grow this movement of young conservatives that Charlie Kirk started to continue to add to that base. And yet there are questions about, as we see lawmakers so concerned for their personal safety, canceling public events because they're concerned. There's been a lot of talk, and I was actually having this conversation with (inaudible) today in the kitchen here at work, about fewer and fewer people wanting to run for office.
Are you seeing evidence of that, that the rhetoric, the violence, the concerns are actually adding to a generation perhaps of people who don't want to be involved?
RADD: So I think we're hearing echoes of that. I definitely hear that on campus from, let's say, students and even graduate students and others who would have considered public career, whether it's for elected office or whether it's serving as a public official in the executive branch, for example, in the civil service or foreign service doing work of that nature, hesitating now to expose themselves to the vitriol, to the dangers, the threats, the risks that come with it. And I think that has an unfortunate chilling effect for a next generation of leaders who I think would be fit to serve and would do very well, but for all of these legitimate concerns they have. So indeed, this has become a problem.
HILL: Benjamin Radd, great to have you. Thank you.
RADD: Thank you.
HILL: Well, in this area -- era, rather dominated, of course, by social media, extreme views really can feel like they dominate the conversation, sparking fears of increasingly radicalized and divisive politics. Some young conservatives say Kirk's killing may be now an inflection point. Here's CNN's Ellie Reeve.
[02:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN MCCROSSEN, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I didn't want to see that video. It just kind of popped up on my timeline on X. I mean, it was horrific. It was the worst thing you can imagine. And seeing that was really devastating.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Young conservatives are in shock at the apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk.
MCCROSSEN: I take no pleasure in thinking this way, but things might be about to get a lot worse.
REEVE (voice-over): They were drawn in by the way Kirk mixed it up with ideological opponents on college campuses.
CHARLIE KIRK, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: Your life began not at birth, but at conception, about nine months before your birth.
UNKNOWN: That's your opinion.
KIRK: If I wear blackface and I don't become black, why does a man who wears a dress become a woman?
MADISON CAMPBELL, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: It was because of his quick wit, his debate style was much different than anyone really in the conservative movement had.
REEVE (voice-over): The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA inspired young conservatives to forcefully defend their beliefs even when outnumbered.
CHRISTOPHER BRAY, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I think seeing someone that was like willing to stand up to huge crowds at liberal schools was really powerful. Going to a liberal arts college in New York City and Manhattan, of all places, it can be very difficult to like navigate what you can and can't talk about.
RYAN LEONARD, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: It was just this place where I felt like I could be free and some of my closest friends in my life I met at these events.
REEVE (voice-over): It's hard to escape, especially in alternative media. The members of the MAGA movement who are now talking about war --
ALEX JONES, FAR-RIGHT RADIO SHOW HOST: We're in a war. REEVE (voice-over): Good versus evil and an American tipping point.
TRUMP: This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP AIDE: Charlie Kirk's a casualty of war. We're in this country.
CAMPBELL: There's political violence on both sides and political violence on both sides is equally reprehensible.
MCCROSSEN: I think people are going to become a lot more radical. I think that goes without saying. Whether that's a good thing or a thing, you could determine, but people are upset.
REEVE (voice-over): These young conservatives saw Kirk as a moderate and are unsettled that someone with his views would be killed.
LUCIAN WINTRICH, NEW YORK YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB: For somebody who I personally consider kind of a normie conservative to be murdered, to be assassinated for those views, yeah, we're all struggling to process it.
CAMPBELL: The next person who starts to take his place is going to be much more far right. Because in order to do that you have to almost be willing to die for your opinion. I think that is in a way beautiful. It's very, you know, it's a martyrdom, right, which is beautiful to die for your belief.
REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: President Trump says Charlie Kirk's widow is absolutely devastated. Ahead, we'll take a closer look at the relationship between Charlie and Erica Kirk. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:32:28]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Just past -- half past the hour now. Thanks for staying with us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill, joining you from New York.
As we continue to follow new developments out of Utah, where officials are hoping the public can help in tracking down Charlie Kirk killer. New video obtained by CNN shows a person who matches the description and the images of the suspect that have been shared by authorities.
So, you see the person here in the video walking on a residential street. This video is from before the shooting. CNN has geolocated it to a neighborhood near the campus of Utah Valley University. The person in that video appears to pause at a tree before turning and walking toward the university. Investigators also shared this new video on Thursday night. If you
look in the right hand corner of your screen, were going to zoom in there and highlight the person who authorities say is the suspect. You see him now turning around and ultimately jumping, making his way off the roof there. He then makes his way across that grassy area and officials tell us, ultimately ending up in that wooded area we've heard so much about.
The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the shooter's identification and arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPENCER COX, UTAH GOVERNOR: We cannot do our job without the public's help right now. We, the public, has answered our call for action. So far, we've received more than 7,000 leads and tips.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN has been piecing together through different types of video and information just how all of this unfolded.
Here's CNN's Kyung Lah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Using video and aerial image analysis, CNN pieced together the shooters possible movements in the moments before and after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The shooter arrived on campus at 11:52 local time say investigators, and went up to the roof of the Losee Center. Video taken shortly before Kirk was shot, shows something on top of the roof, possibly a person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's somebody on the roof right there? Just saying.
He just ran from, over -- where's my finger -- Whoa from over there -- ran in and was right there.
LAH: Based on aerial images and 3D analysis of CNN has reviewed, the shooter would have been about here. This photo shows orange evidence markers. You can see indentations in the loose gravel on the building's roof as if someone had been laying on it.
A CNN analysis shows that precise angle would have a clear line of sight to where Kirk was sitting about 150 yards away at his event down below.
[02:35:00]
Kirk had several security guards lining the fence near the stage as 3,000 people packed into a courtyard. Then, at 12:20 --
CHARLIE KIRK, AMERICAN POLITICAL ACTIVIST AND AUTHOR: Counting or not counting gang violence? (GUNSHOT)
(SCREAMING)
LAH: Just after the shooting in this video, you can see someone on the roof running away. This ledge and this ledge appear to be the same. So, if we watch the video again, we can assume the shooter ran in this general direction, northeast.
BEAU MASON, COMMISSIONER, UTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled. Off of the campus and into a neighborhood.
LAH: In that neighborhood right next to the school. Law enforcement has been combing through an area partially blocked off by police tape. CNN spotted a forensics team going in and out of this wooded area, taking laser scans of the site. People who live here sent us multiple videos of police activity, and residents tell us law enforcement was there all day long.
The police released this image asking for the public's help to identify a person of interest pictured wearing a long sleeve black T- shirt and jeans, the logo on the shirt appears to be from a disabled veterans group.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH (on camera): Audio analysis captures a signature crackle and pop pattern in the video and that says audio forensics expert Rob Maher suggests that it's a single supersonic gunshot. Now, supersonic rounds are fired from high powered rifles, ruling out the possibility of a small handgun because those rounds from handguns or similar weapons fire below the speed of sound. Maher's analysis does find that based on the time between that crack and pop sound and an bullet speed, the firearm would have been located about 150 meters from Kirk's podium.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
HILL: President Trump says Kirk's widow is absolutely devastated.
Erika Kirk, a former Miss Arizona, is also known for hosting a faith based podcast and for often being at her husband's side.
Here's CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
C. KIRK: The beautiful, legendary Erika.
ERIKA KIRK, WIFE OF CHARLIE KIRK: I love you so much.
C. KIRK: I love you.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 36-year-old Erika Kirk -- E. KIRK: I literally won the jackpot with my husband.
C. KIRK: Vice versa.
SERFATY: Her marriage to 31-year-old Charlie Kirk became the center of her life, with much of it playing out in public.
E. KIRK: I love you.
C. KIRK: I love you, too.
SERFATY: Second only, she says to her first priority, her faith.
E. KIRK: Now more than ever, your faith has to be so on fire.
SERFATY: The two have been married for four years, getting engaged two years after their first meeting.
E. KIRK: Do you think that I had an issue understanding where Charlie stood when he looked at me across Bill's Burgers table and said, "I'm not going to hire you. I'm going to date you"?
SERFATY: They went on to have two kids, a one-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.
E. KIRK: Motherhood, it's not a pause. It's a launch pad.
SERFATY: She's committed herself to homeschooling their kids while supporting him.
E. KIRK: I love submitting to Charlie because he's a phenomenal leader and the way that he loves me, like, melts me to want to be able to help -- how can I help you?
SERFATY: By his side, as he traveled the country, but also speaking out herself.
E. KIRK: I want you guys to be able to just live such an abundant, joy-filled life that you know how to battle in the trenches of this world and the foxholes of this culture.
SERFATY: Not just espousing his political beliefs.
E. KIRK: My husband, Charlie Kirk, is a force.
SERFATY: But complementing his with what she says are her more conservative values.
C. KIRK: I am a moderate compared to Erika. Erika is very conservative and -- yeah.
E. KIRK: I was raised well.
SERFATY: Raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, by her mother. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her grandfather was an immigrant from Sweden. She studied political science in college and is working on her
doctorate in Christian leadership in biblical studies. She was briefly an NCAA women's basketball player.
E. KIRK: Everyone thought I was a little boy because I wore Jordan and all these different types of athletic clothes.
SERFATY: Crowned Miss Arizona in 2012.
E. KIRK: I love to work out. I love to spend time with my family. I love to play with my dogs.
SERFATY: She has a nonprofit --
E. KIRK: Internationally, we support and sustain several orphanages throughout Europe.
SERFATY: -- a devotional podcast and a Christian clothing company.
E. KIRK: I guess you could say I'm a social entrepreneur where I find little pockets within a culture that I like to disrupt.
SERFATY: Her partnership in life and politics with Kirk often tinged with concern for their wellbeing, something she mentioned during her most recent podcast.
E. KIRK: You know, my husband is on college campuses getting screamed at by college kids as he's trying to share with them the truth. And he is so calm.
Would I be calm? No, I wouldn't. I barely go to those only because I don't trust myself. Not climbing over the table and like attacking someone in the crowd because I'm very protective of my husband.
SERFATY: She acknowledged his appearances made them vulnerable, but in conversation with her husband, committed to stay their chosen course together.
[02:40:07]
E. KIRK: Do I get hate? Bring it on.
C. KIRK: Exactly.
E. KIRK: I'll have a -- I'll have a -- of velvet steel spine by the end of -- end of my life. So, bring it on. I have nothing to fear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY (on camera): Erika was with her kids at Wednesday's event, where her husband was killed. Her last post on social media just hours before he passed away, was a bible verse which said, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington. HILL: Still ahead here, Brazil's former president could spend the next several decades behind bars. The verdict in Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:45:26]
HILL: A chartered flight carrying more than 300 South Korean nationals detained in a U.S. immigration raid has now arrived in South Korea. That ICE raid last week targeting a Hyundai plant under construction in the state of Georgia. The plant was actually a joint effort between the South Korean carmaker and LG Energy Solution. The raid itself triggering an outcry from South Korea, a key U.S. ally, and also raising new questions about foreign investment in the United States.
CNN's Mike Valerio is live at South Korea's international airport.
It looks a little bit busier behind you than when we spoke a short time ago, Mike.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, there was some dramatic happenings just a couple minutes ago. We were talking all throughout the week, Erica, about the undercurrent of emotion throughout this country. About 316 people detained in ICE custody.
Control room, if we can, let's go to that video of a pretty provocative banner that shows a man with a face mask of President Donald Trump, all dressed in black, and he's supposed to be as the banner portrays him, somebody from ICE with a assault rifle type weapon. And then when the banner unfurls, it says something to the effect of, aren't we friends? Or we're friends, aren't we? Trying to convey the damage that has been done by two between two steadfast friends of the Korea, United States alliance?
So, what is happening a couple meters away from where were standing, these 316 South Korean citizens who were in ICE detention for more than a week are getting off this plane, going through immigration, and they're going to be reunited with their families.
But, Erica, as we've been talking about over the past couple hours, the question is, once this country breathes a sigh of relief, it's what happens next. How is the alliance repaired? What changes to the visa system are made?
President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea spoke to that dynamic and the hesitancy that companies may face when they thinking -- when they're thinking about investing in the near future.
Let's listen to what he said yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE JAE MYUNG, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT: From the perspective of companies, they will be concerned about disadvantageous treatment or facing difficulties when they're building factories in the United States. That could probably have a significant impact on direct investment in the U.S., in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: Back to the family and human dimension. Outside this building, there are dozens and dozens of family members who have not been able to talk to their relatives, loved ones, husbands, wives, brothers for days now. So they're going to be reunited.
But you have to think, once this crescendo has come to an end and once people begin to decompress, they're going to start to talk to news outlets like ourselves, members of the South Korean press, and begin to say how they were treated over the past week. That could add another test to the alliance as well and the damage that's been done here.
Meantime, Erica, this plant in Georgia, it could be delayed, officials say, by up to 2 to 3 months because the South Koreans who were working on it, they're now coming back here. That is a question. And certainly, I would say a template is not exactly the right word I'm looking for, but a situation that other companies could be in when they have these plants and projects throughout America where people may be coming home because of concerns about their visas and the visa systems and structures are not as secure as South Korea wants them to be. Will other projects be delayed as well, as President Trump wants all of this international investment in the United States to make American manufacturing and the tech sector great again?
It's going to be a fascinating human dynamic to unfurl in the next couple of days, especially here in South Korea -- Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Mike, appreciate it. Thank you.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted on Thursday for attempting to overturn his country's presidential election in 2022. That came with a sentence of more than 27 years in prison. Prosecutors arguing Bolsonaro supported actions that would have led to violence and the assassination of then President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Protests were seen in the days leading up to that verdict. Thousands turning out to support Bolsonaro in the streets.
Meantime, the verdict itself also very important to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long followed this trial and, of course, is an ally of Bolsonaro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I watched that trial. I know him pretty well and foreign leader.
[02:50:00]
He was a good -- I thought he was a good president of Brazil. And it's very surprising that that could happen. That's very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn't get away with it at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Meantime, the UK's ambassador to the United States fired over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Recently, a group of U.S. lawmakers released a birthday book, which had been compiled in 2003 for Epstein's 50th birthday. In that book, a note written by Peter Mandelson calling Epstein, quote, my best pal.
Here's CNN's Clare Sebastian with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've seen days of mounting criticism of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein leading up to this decision, after a series of revelations this week.
First, the documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday contained a 2003 letter from Mandelson s part of a birthday book describing Epstein as, quote, my best pal.
But the clinching factor was the emails obtained in a Bloomberg investigation released on Wednesday, revealing that Mandelson showed support for Epstein after he pleaded guilty for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened, Mandelson wrote in one of those emails.
The British Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday, the email shows the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.
Now the strong sense is that Mandelson had hoped to keep his job. Despite this, he did not heed calls to resign, and in a long interview on a British podcast on Wednesday, Mandelson clearly tried to get ahead of this, saying he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein.
PETER MANDELSON, THEN-BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I regret very much that I fell for his lies. I fell and accepted assurances that he had given me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida, like very many people, I took at face value what he said.
SEBASTIAN: But it wasn't enough. Just seven months in, he's now leaving arguably the most consequential posting in the British diplomatic service.
It's the third time in his long and turbulent political career that he's had to leave a post over a scandal, and it comes at a delicate moment for the U.S.-UK relationship.
President Trump himself under scrutiny for his past relationship with Epstein, something he calls a dead issue, is expected here in the UK in just six days' time on a state visit. It's part of a major effort by the British prime minister to cement ties with the Trump administration, and one that he won't want overshadowed.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: This news just coming into us here at CNN. Sources telling us Prince Harry has made a surprise trip to Kyiv. According to "The Guardian" newspaper, the duke of Sussex made that visit following an invitation from the Ukrainian government. Prince Harry is expected to unveil initiatives with his Invictus games foundation for rehabilitating wounded soldiers in Ukraine.
Qatar's prime minister is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, according to a person familiar with those plans. The meeting comes a day after the U.N. Security Council condemned an Israeli strike this week in Qatar's capital, which was targeting Hamas leaders. Qatar's prime minister telling the council his nation will not stop its diplomatic work toward peace in Gaza. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said the strike did not advance Israel's, nor the United States' goals.
Hamas says Israel went after its leaders just as they were discussing their response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal.
U.S. President Donald Trump and the first lady, marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks at the Pentagon on Thursday. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in those attacks. Lives being remembered on this anniversary at events in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, as well as at the Pentagon, a plane, of course, crashing into that building and also at ground zero in New York, where two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers.
One group has a special way of honoring America's fallen heroes while showing their respect for the final resting place is a nonprofit known as carry the load is leading a cleanup effort at national cemeteries across the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most effective way to do it is to just pour some water on there and scrub a dub dub.
COLONEL GERALD KRUEGER, COMMANDER, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS POST 609: Today is the 24th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and of course, Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
So in a very respectful way, the nation declares this to be a National Day of Service, to ask people to volunteer as their National Day of Service to scrub tombstones in somewhere between 50 and 60 cemeteries around the country today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The importance of this for these heroes and their families who aren't here to take care of them in this way. RYAN PRICE, VETERAN AND VOLUNTEER: Kind of cathartic being out here
in the quiet to just you and your thoughts and soldiers.
[02:55:05]
Coming on a day like today and remembering everything that happened 24 years ago. Feeling like I'm the lucky one, right? I'm the one who made it out. I'm the one that got a chance to come home to my family and my friends where everyone out here, unfortunately, did not. So it's my way of just saying thank you.
KEN GRAY, SENIOR ADVISOR, NATIONAL CENTER ADMINISTRATION: Great day to look back and reflect on, you know, our country, our patriotism, the sacrifices people have made, 3,000 or so people that were killed on 9/11. The first responders in our military, folks who all responded to that and who've been basically in the response ever since then.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Thanks so much for joining me this hour. I'm Erica Hill.
Stay tuned. Brian Abel's up next on CNN NEWSROOM after this quick break.
