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Police Search Apartment Of Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect; Utah Gov. Dismisses Some In GOP Calling For "War" After Kirk Killing; Trump Claims Left-Wing Radicals "Are The Problem" And Implies Radicals On The Right Are Not; Utah Governor Encourages Political Restraint After Kirk Killing; Trump Tells NATO: Stop Buying Russian Oil; Rubio: Russian Drone Incident "Unacceptable And Unfortunate And Dangerous"; Man Fatally Shot by ICE; Trump Targets Memphis For Crime Crackdown; Vigils Held Across U.S. To Pay Tribute To Charlie Kirk; Charlie Kirk's Close Friend Speaks To CNN. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 13, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:01:47]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, today, the investigation into the accused killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is intensifying. Right now, state and federal authorities are digging into the past of 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, who they believe acted alone. Officials conducted a search at Robinson's apartment yesterday in southern Utah, trying to find any clues to determine a possible motive.

And Kirk's widow is publicly mourning her loss. In a series of emotional photos posted to social media, Erika Kirk is seen grieving beside her husband's casket and kissing his hand as she says her goodbyes.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez joins us now from Utah. Marybel, what more are you learning about the investigation?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, we can tell you that Robinson is being held here at the Utah County Jail without bail and facing preliminary charges, including aggravated murder. He will be in court on Tuesday, and that is when he will be facing formal charges.

Now, following his arrest on Thursday night, we know that he was initially cooperating with law enforcement, but then quickly went silent after hiring a lawyer. We are also now starting to learn more details about who Robinson is from those who knew him. Social media posts show that he came from a close-knit family, a tight-knit family. He was very good in school, so much so that he earned a scholarship, but we know that he took a leave of absence after one semester and then never went back.

Now, people close to him, including an electrician who worked with him just a couple weeks ago, describe him as someone who was reserved, someone who was shy, someone who didn't talk a lot about politics unless someone else brought the topic up. But they said they were aware that he had -- who's in disagreement with President Trump and also with the views of Charlie Kirk.

That is something that law enforcement pointed out this week during the course of their investigation. They said they spoke to Robinson's family members who said that during a family meal, he brought up that disagreement on Kirk's views during that time. Now, some high school classmates, though, they said that during high school, Robinson was actually supportive of President Trump, that him and his family were politically conservative and that they actually supported his election back in 2020.

Voter registration records, though, show him as unaffiliated. Now, former classmates also say that Robinson was very big on gaming. This is significant because on bullet casings and on a rifle found nearby the campus where the shooting happened, investigators say they found engravings.

These alluded to anti-fascist messages, also alluding to video games as well. But we're still not clear, or at least we haven't heard from authorities about a motive. Regardless, though, lawmakers say they're worried about the aftermath of this shooting. They fear for their own safety and about further political violence.

Here is what Utah's governor had to say about this political tension.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R), UTAH: I don't think most people actually mean it because war is -- my kids and my grandkids getting shot in the street. That's -- no one wants that. The problem is that there are people out there who -- when they hear that, they actually believe it, and it leads to things like we're seeing today.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[13:05:21]

GONZALEZ: Now, we still have a lot of questions about the arrests and about this investigation. Those details likely to come up in the charging documents that are expected to be filed early next week. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Marybel Gonzalez in Utah. Thanks so much.

So in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting death, President Trump has been quick to point the finger of blame, even when a suspect had not yet been arrested and a motive for the killing still unknown.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do we fix this country? How do we come back together? DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem and they're vicious and they're horrible.

For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with me right now to talk more about this, Ron Brownstein, he is a CNN senior political analyst and an opinion columnist for Bloomberg. And Ron just wrote a piece for Bloomberg headline, "Charlie Kirk's Killing Requires Trump to Soothe, Not Inflame."

Ron, great to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So in your op ed, you say, you know, presidents are supposed to heal divisions after tragedy and not stoke them. We are reminded about how Clinton responded after the Oklahoma City bombing or Obama after the Charleston church shooting. You know, can Trump follow the path of his predecessors by, if not now, but eventually dialing back rhetoric?

BROWNSTEIN: No, I think it's highly unlikely. I mean, it's hard to overstate how profoundly President Trump is not only departing from, but essentially inverting the first instinct of other presidents at a moment of national tragedy, which this is. I mean, this is a tragedy. What happened was terrible.

But those are the moments when presidents historically have tried hardest to speak to and for the entire country. I mean, you mentioned Clinton after Oklahoma City, George W. Bush going to the Islamic Center a few days after 9/11 and talking about respecting all Americans, or Obama singing Amazing Grace at the mother -- after the horrible Mother Emanuel shooting.

Trump is not, you know, Trump is not only not doing those things, he is doing the opposite. He is not only blaming one side, but ignoring the violence that has been directed against Democrats. You know, in his remarks Wednesday night, he essentially acted as if only Republicans have been victims of political violence.

And then yesterday he went further in the clip that you played by essentially saying that radicals on the right are not a problem because fundamentally they are patriots worried about crime and undocumented migrants. And all the problem is radicalization on the left. He is behaving as the leader of a faction, not a nation, and hat is fundamentally, I think, his vision of the presidency. WHITFIELD: So he sees this or -- and I'm asking for evaluation. He, by what you just said, he sees this as more beneficial to him and his popularity as opposed to beneficial to the healing of a nation?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, no, I think he does not see himself. I mean, there's -- he has never governed as if he views his job to be president of the entire country. I mean, he is basically -- he views himself, as I've often said, he views himself as a wartime president with blue America rather than any foreign enemy as the adversary.

I mean, he -- his mindset is very much of an us against them. How can I advance my factions goal? You know, we've seen all sorts of pressure on blue states and cities, even the use of the National Guard, cutting off funds, arresting local officials, threatening to arrest other officials.

You know, look, the country has gotten more polarized at the end of each presidency, no matter what goals a president came in. Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, they all came in expressing the goal to heal our divides in the country was more divided at the end than at the beginning. I think what makes Trump different, though, is that he leans into that polarization.

He views it as a -- as an asset for him politically. And at these moments when you ordinarily would expect a president to tamp down division, he kind of fans those flames in a very conscious and deliberate way.

WHITFIELD: Even contrast President Trump's sentiments to Utah's Governor Cox. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R), UTAH: We can return violence with violence. We can return hate with hate. And that's the problem with political violence is it metastasizes because we can always point the finger at the other side. And at some point we have to find an off ramp or it's going to get much, much worse.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[13:10:21]

WHITFIELD: So does this exemplify to, you know, calm the country, to tone down the rhetoric? It may have to come from other leadership, states leadership or even private citizens to do that?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, look, I think, first of all, you know, what his tone and his remarks are, what historically we have seen more from presidents at moments of intense national division. But he is also absolutely right. I mean, whatever the motive of this one killer and we may never -- you know, it may not map fully onto our pre-existing political divides.

Whatever his motive, we know that there have been people on the right who have attacked Democratic and progressive, you know, figures. And there have been people on the left who have attacked conservative figures. It -- that is the reality. And he is correct that ultimately, you know, if you don't get off of this trajectory, this is what you get. You will get more of this.

I remember the day after January 6th, a former senior official in the Trump Department of Homeland Security said that she feared we were transitioning into our version of the troubles from Northern Ireland, where you have an endless cycle of retaliatory violence in which political, you know, violence is much more common than it had been in our past. That is clearly the future we are looking toward if we don't find a way to get off of the cycle.

We did get off of it after the 60s and early 70s. It can be done, but it does require a broad consensus basically saying this is unacceptable wherever it comes from. And that really is not a message you are hearing enough from the President.

WHITFIELD: All right, very powerful.

Ron Brownstein, great to hear from you. Thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still many questions about the suspect, in this case, Tyler Robinson and the role his family played in the identification which -- of him which led to his arrest.

Joining me right now is criminologist Casey Jordan. Good to see you, Casey. So, first, what stands out to you on, you know, this 33-hour manhunt, then -- the apprehension of Robinson's largely because his own father and others recognized him in the picture?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Correct. And, you know, it was 33 hours and there was a lot of, you know, bravado when there was finally a press conference. But the truth is they had no idea who he was, what kind of car he was driving, what his name was, how old he was, whether he was a student there.

If this young man had not contacted his roommate with these messages and been captured on university security footage, which was put out by the media, I don't know that we would know right now who he was. But once his father saw him on that very well-publicized footage of all of the security footage from the shooting, he recognized his own son.

And be very clear, there were no warning signs. This is not anybody who has a criminal history or any history that we know of mental illness. This is a family that is Conservative, Republican, Mormon. His father is a sheriff, a law enforcement officer from a really good family, by all accounts, with two younger brothers.

There were no signs. But when that father recognized his own son, confronted him, received a confession of sorts from him, an implication that he was indeed the shooter, and then very carefully reached out to a family friend, a minister in their church, who coordinated the surrender of Tyler to the authorities.

But without the family's cooperation, Tyler had intended to kill himself. He told his father he would rather be dead than arrested.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it's a fascinating sequence of events. And like you just described, that kind of intervention with a parent who said, wait a minute, let's talk about this, and being confronted by the parent. So Tyler Robinson is also described, you know, as someone who is very quiet, you know, by a former co-worker who said, you know, he didn't really want to talk about politics.

However, during some family dinner, it was discussed that, you know, Tyler Robinson was critical of Trump and even of Charlie Kirk. So what will you be looking for to try to understand why Robinson would have resorted, allegedly, to this?

JORDAN: Well, I look very -- as a professor, I look at the fact that he was a presidential scholar coming out of high school, and incredibly bright. 34 out of 36 on the ACT, which means he got basically a full ride at Utah State, but he only lasted one semester.

[13:15:03]

And I have to ask why, because he had so much potential, academic potential. Very often, I see this in college freshmen, the change to college is very abrupt, and they find themselves in a pit of depression.

What happened to him over the last four years? He has been apprenticing as an electrician, but I wonder if he's always felt out of sync that the profession that he's studying for and practicing is really not in sync with his academic ability. I'm going to say something a little courageous here.

I think that if you want to think of Charlie Kirk and Tyler Robinson as more alike than unalike, just kind of two opposite sides of the same coin, incredibly intelligent young men. But at some point, there was a void or a hole in the heart of this alleged shooter, and he filled it with political vitriol.

But according to his friends, he wasn't right or left. He had criticisms for both sides. He simply felt that both sides were destroying America.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JORDAN: And eventually --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JORDAN: -- found it in himself to do this horrific act of violence, perhaps to feel like he was making a difference.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. But, you know, just as you speak of -- or what it seemed to be this kind of pattern of being very elusive, right, I mean, we see the video tape, the surveillance tape, the person who carried this out wants to get away, however, leaves markers, leaves evidence, like messages on bullet casings. I mean, as a profiler, what do you see there about trying to get away, being elusive, yet at the same time wanting to be known or sending a very strong message?

JORDAN: Correct. But, I mean, let's focus on the fact that everyone described him as quiet, where Charlie Kirk knew how to use his words, was incredibly articulate. It would seem that this alleged shooter did not know how to use his words and to express his anxiety about the state of America.

So the writings -- we know he played a lot of video games. This is a matter of record. And the writings on the guns and the bullets not only kind of emulates things that other shooters have done by writing on their guns and their ammo, but also it was these kind of immature insults that you get from video games.

You know, these trolling things that really don't make any sense to outsiders. They're in jokes and they're sarcastic and basically really immature. And that kind of shows that he was somebody who felt like he had a lot to say, but didn't know how to --

WHITFIELD: Don't know how to say it.

JORDAN: -- get words out of his mouth --

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JORDAN: -- wrote them down and then horrifically chose violence as a means of expression instead of his words. So, you know, what Charlie Kirk stood for, which was civil debate, is really the takeaway. If we can have civil discussions about these things, perhaps people who feel like they can't talk will find a voice.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so fascinating. That's what I wanted to hear from you.

Casey Jordan, thanks so much.

JORDAN: Always great to be here.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, NATO is sending a message to the Kremlin after Russian drones cross over into Poland's airspace. Plus, a traffic stop during the immigration crackdown turns deadly outside Chicago.

And Pharrell, John Legend and Andrea Bocelli performing for the Pope. Details on the historic concert at the Vatican.

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[13:23:04]

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, President Trump issuing a blunt ultimatum to NATO countries, saying he's ready to impose major sanctions on Russia, but only if they stop buying Russian oil. Moscow said this week that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are going nowhere. It all comes just days after Russian drones were shot down inside Polish airspace.

We've got full coverage of these developments. With us now, CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein. Betsy, is this another shift in the relationship between the President and NATO allies?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER AND WRITER: I think it's going to be something that we'll have to watch closely in the coming days. But President Trump issuing that major ultimatum to NATO countries, saying that the U.S. is prepared to issue new major sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO allies also do the same and if they stop buying oil from Russia.

The President saying this in a letter issued today. He also said that those countries should significantly ramp up tariffs on China to 50 to 100 percent in a show of force. But meeting the President's demands would require major policy changes from the NATO alliance. It was really unclear at this point whether there is going to be collective interest in taking these kinds of steps.

But the President saying in that letter, quote, "NATO's commitment to win has been far less than 100 percent. And the purchase of Russian oil by some has been shocking. It greatly weakens your negotiating position and bargaining power over Russia."

Now, many of these NATO countries still import Russian fossil fuels as well as liquefied natural gas. Turkey, which is also a NATO member, is still a major purchaser of Russian oil. And this is generally not how European countries approach the tariff policies, setting up really a major test of how President Trump can influence U.S. allies. But it also comes as there has been that Russian incursion of drones into Poland.

[13:25:05]

And we heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio just moments ago asked about that. He said that they still are taking a number of days to determine whether that was intentional. But if it was, he said it is an acceptable, unfortunate and dangerous development.

All of this comes as progress, momentum toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine has largely stalled. And the President making his frustration known. He says that his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin is wearing thin. And he was asked yesterday how he could intensify that pressure.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is clamping down on Vladimir Putin?

TRUMP: Well, it would be hitting very hard on with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs also. But I've already done it. I've done a lot.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KLEIN: The President's latest demands on Russia risk further prolonging this conflict. Time is a valuable commodity here for President Putin, giving him the ability to shore up controlled areas as well as make more gains on the battlefield, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thanks so much.

All right, coming up, President Trump shifting the focus of his crime crackdown from Chicago to now Memphis, Tennessee. What the mayor just told CNN about when he found out about these plans.

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[13:30:49]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. There are questions over the fatal shooting of a man in Chicago by ICE agents. CNN's Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: There are still many questions as to how everything unfolded here Friday morning when ICE agents, officers opened fire on a man they say was trying to flee. It was a man they say they were trying to detain who was here illegally. They also say he has a history of reckless driving. A lot of questions as to how this man got on ICE's radar. What were they doing? We know that there has been a lot of concern here in the community and in the suburbs and the neighborhoods of Chicago over the action that ICE agents were going to undertake this week.

And now, this community is certainly asking questions, people wanting to know more about what happened here. The FBI is investigating. Other law enforcement officials were here Friday gathering evidence. The governor issued a statement calling for more transparency. And certainly, community advocates here want to know more about how this unfolded.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Franklin Park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Shimon, thank you so much. All right. The next city President Trump says he will crack down on crime is Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Mayor Paul Young said on CNN today he didn't have official confirmation of the National Guard coming to his city until President Donald Trump announced it Friday during an interview with Fox News. Earlier today, Young spoke to our colleague Victor Blackwell about the National Guard coming to Memphis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PAUL YOUNG (D-MEMPHIS): I learned earlier this week that it was under consideration. I think Monday afternoon I got a call from the governor's office and they informed me of the dialogue that was underway. Certainly, there were a couple of conversations that were happening all week trying to look at the form of how the support would come to the city, because the dialogue that I had been having was around how we can get more federal resources for FBI, DEA, ATF.

And while those things are still under consideration, I learned that the National Guard is a part of what they are exploring as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, no word yet on exactly when National Guard troops might arrive in Memphis. All right. Homeless people in the nation's capital are being told to "make yourself invisible," I was quoting there. Advice like that from a ministry worker comes as President Trump cracks down on crime in D.C. More than 50 homeless camps have been cleared since early August, according to the White House.

CNN's Brian Todd talked to homeless people in D.C., some of whom are taking extreme measures to stay out of sight, like hiding in the woods or crossing into Virginia at night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff Padgett is on the move.

JEFF PADGETT, HOMELESS RESIDENT OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: All right, girl, here we go.

TODD (voice-over): The 60-year-old, who says he's been homeless on the streets of D.C. for about eight years, steps at a fast pace with his two chihuahuas, Puppet and Luna, along for the ride.

Padgett made his daily stop at a drop-in center for the homeless in Washington to pick up a meal, and is hightailing it across the Potomac River into Virginia to find a safe place to sleep and hide from law enforcement.

PADGETT: Because I will harassed, or locked up or given an ultimatum, you either leave town, go to jail or going to psych ward. I'm not committing any crimes. I'm not cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

TODD (voice-over): Padgett has kept moving since President Trump's law enforcement surge began last month, and authorities have swept homeless encampments.

PADGETT: You don't know where -- what they've been through, where they came from, nothing. And then you're throwing what little they do, have, what little respect they have in the trash can.

TODD (voice-over): Padgett is not alone. Other homeless people tell CNN as Trump pledges to, as he calls it, make the nation's capital beautiful again, the police sweeps have them staying out of sight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sleeping in wooded areas, underneath bridges and woods.

TODD (voice-over): Some homeless people, a stigmatized population, didn't want their names or faces revealed.

[13:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basically, I've been sleeping on the bus, and, you know, even sleeping on the bus isn't easy because there is transit police everywhere, and then I'll sleep in, like, playgrounds and certain areas where there's not really much police activity.

TODD (voice-over): Homeless advocates, like Claire Wilson of D.C.'s Georgetown Ministry Center, reluctantly offer this advice.

CLAIRE WILSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GEORGETOWN MINISTRY CENTER: Either leave this community or make yourself invisible. It's a terrible message to deliver to an individual.

TODD (voice-over): Stick together in pairs, advocates tell them. Don't engage with police, and don't linger in public places like the doorways of shops, restaurants, and apartments. Andy Wassenich from the homeless services provider Miriam's Kitchen says his group is struggling to maintain contact with clients.

ANDY WASSENICH, POLICY DIRECTOR, MIRIAM'S KITCHEN: So, we give people flip phones so they can stay in touch with us. We've lost, you know, touch with about 25 people, but could be more.

TODD (voice-over): Shortly before he announced a federal takeover of the D.C. Police Department, President Trump posted, "the homeless have to move out immediately. We will give you places to stay, but far from the Capitol." His press secretary followed up.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time.

TODD (voice-over): But about a month into the law enforcement surge, homeless advocates say this.

WILSON: To the best of my knowledge, there have been no new mental health services put online, and certainly none offered to our guests.

TODD (voice-over): And advocates say the Trump administration has not provided places to stay as promised. The D.C. government has scrambled to provide some additional shelter beds, but that's a short-term solution some unhoused residents don't consider safe.

Jeff Padgett reached his destination, a thatch of woods on the Virginia side of the river. Out of necessity, he's disappearing from view. But the issue of homelessness isn't going away. What Jeff hopes will disappear is the way the public views those who are unhoused.

PADGETT: Don't judge anyone by where they're at until you know where they came from, their circumstances, why they were there.

TODD: A critical challenge for the homeless people we spoke to is how long they can ride this out, how long they'll have to hide. Jeff Padgett says he's on a wait list for subsidized housing, but he says that could take months. So, Jeff and others like him might have to keep using those tactics of evasion until this law enforcement surge ends.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Quoting now, "asymmetric warfare." One of Charlie Kirk's closest friends speaking to CNN. His sobering warning after the death of his friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Do you think we're at war?

JACK POSOBIEC, CONTRIBUTOR, TURNING POINT USA: My friend's in a box right now. And it wasn't an accident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:00]

WHITFIELD: Supporters are continuing to mourn the loss of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Last night in Provo, Utah, one of the many places across the U.S. where vigils have been held, dozens paid tribute to a man who many, including some of his youngest supporters, say understood and spoke for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXIS BREUER, STUDENT: I think that Charlie came around at a point in time when a lot of us were afraid to voice our beliefs, were afraid of the backlash from our peers, and he was an example to the rest of us, someone else that was in our age range that understood the generation that we were in. And he was an example to us that we don't have to be afraid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: While many mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk, there are fears his death is widening the political divide. Some have called his killing an act of war. CNN's Meena Duerson travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to speak with a close friend of Kirk and learn more about the impact of his death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACK POSOBIEC, CONTRIBUTOR, TURNING POINT USA: I think the worst possible way to remember Charlie would be to turn these lights off, that this is his life's work.

DUERSON (voice-over): Charlie Kirk's podcast continued on Friday without him.

POSOBIEC: All right. Welcome back to "The Charlie Kirk Show". We're remembering our friend Charlie Kirk.

DUERSON (voice-over): His friend, and Turning Point contributor Jack Posobiec sat in his studio, leaving Kirk's chair open as a tribute. DUERSON: How do you fill this void?

POSOBIEC: Look, everybody's got to step up, and there's no replacement for Charlie Kirk.

UNIDENTIIFED MALE: Who's that?

DUERSON (voice-over): Posobiec is a leading voice in right wing media, where some of his peers were quick to call Kirk's assassination an act of war.

STEVE BANNON, PODCAST HOST: Charlie Kirk's a casualty of war.

DUERSON: Do you think we're at war?

POSOBIEC: My friend's in a box right now. And it wasn't an accident.

DUERSON: Or are we facing a civil war?

POSOBIEC: Well, there's no question that were clearly facing asymmetric civil warfare. One of the key aspects of that is political assassinations. That being said, the idea that were going to a, you know, classic civil war scenario, I hope and I pray that that doesn't happen.

DUERSON (voice-over): Outside headquarters, for the past few days, a steady stream of fans have come to pay their respects.

JENNA GILL, FAN OF THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW: This was a really heartless act, and I feel so sad. And I feel like when we're trying to be silenced, we need to come together as a whole and be a family.

[13:45:00]

DUERSON: Do you feel any responsibility to help bring the temperature down in this political discourse?

POSOBIEC: I want people to be safe, but if you're someone who is a part of a group that is fanning the flames of violence, that is encouraging this or celebrating this, then that's absolutely something that we have to tamp down 100 percent.

DUERSON: The governor this morning was describing the suspect having this family dinner. This is what the governor said. The family member also stated, Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.

POSOBIEC: I mean, it's -- from that person's perspective, Charlie Kirk represented everything they hated. He loved debate. He loved just talking things out. It's what he lived for. It's what he died doing. And this idea that, you know, Charlie, is they're the one spreading this. No, it's -- he's got it completely backwards.

DUERSON (voice-over): Now, Turning Point and the conservative right have to figure out where their movement goes from here.

POSOBIEC: I think we're at an inflection point right now just because you see an influencer online, just because you get mad at something, they said in a ten second clip that doesn't mean that you have to go and pick up a rifle and shoot them. That instead, as a country, that should mean, you know, come up with a better argument.

Meena Duerson, CNN, Phoenix, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. A star-studded lineup for a first-ever pop concert in St. Peter's Square today. Big names including Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli, among others, will be performing at the free Grace for the World concert. Other celebrations in Rome this weekend include Pope Leo's birthday. The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican gave Pope Leo a cake to mark his 70th birthday. And his birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday to the Pope.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is joining us right now from the festivities. Well, so this is very rare, very fun, and bringing a whole lot of people together.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Fredericka, and the excitement's really building tonight. A lot of people are here for this free concert, the first of its kind, directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli. Other artists due to perform, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Teddy Swims.

It's all part of the Vatican's summit gathering on human fraternity. They've brought together thinkers from across the world and Nobel laureates to address basically how to bring about a more humane, a more peaceful world.

And among the discussions was the question of artificial intelligence. The Vatican has long been concerned about a more ethical framework for A.I. and regulation. And among those they got to address the gathering was will.i.am, the front man for Black Eyed Peas, who's been in the A.I. space since 2012. And I spoke to him about why he'd come to the Vatican for these discussions. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL.I.AM, AMERICAN RAPPER AND SINGER: It demands that people center themselves around what's good for humanity. It demands that folks are stakeholders and not only care about their shareholders. It demands that they build systems that are for community and the improvement of society, right? That's the thesis of why they come to the Vatican. And it's beautiful.

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LAMB: Well, as you mentioned, Fredericka, this concert takes place on the eve of Pope Leo's birthday. He's 70 tomorrow. That's actually relatively young for a pope. It's not clear how he's going to celebrate that. But he did meet with the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, the new ambassador. And Ambassador Burch bought him a chocolate cake from Portillo's, the restaurant chain which is headquartered in Chicago, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Well, at least we know for his birthday he'll have chocolate cake. All right. Christopher Lamb, thanks so much.

Coming up, are you worried about the state of the economy? New data reveals that a growing number of Americans are. We'll look at what's driving the drop in confidence.

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[13:55:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. A recent survey found that Americans are not feeling any better about the overall economy despite President Trump's declaration that he solved inflation. Vanessa Yurkevich takes a closer look at the latest numbers.

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VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Consumers are feeling worse about the economy this month than they did last month. Consumer sentiment fell by nearly 5 percent in September. And down 21 percent compared to last year according to the University of Michigan. This September's preliminary survey found that lower- and middle-income Americans are more worried about the economy as higher prices impact them more. And 60 percent of consumers said that they're worried about tariffs.

Other major concerns include business conditions, the labor market and inflation. But sentiment overall in September is better than in April and May when President Trump announced his sweeping reciprocal tariffs.

Now, a key worry is inflation which heated up for consumers in the month of August but held steady at 2.9 percent on an annual basis. It is still far from the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target rate. But it's not the runaway inflation that many economists were concerned about.

And worries about a slowing labor market are showing up in the data now.

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