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Search Intensifies For Motive In Killing Of Charlie Kirk; Trump Tells NATO Countries To Stop Buying Russian Oil; Interview with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Man Beheaded with Machete at Dallas Motel, Millions of Followers Join Charlie Kirk's Social Media Accounts After His Assassination. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 13, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: The memorial will be held next Sunday, September 21st at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. That is an NFL stadium that seats over 63,000 people.

I want to bring in CNN's Danny Freeman who is on the ground there in Utah, where, Danny, this investigation, as we just said, is absolutely continuing and is underway. What are they looking for now?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, I think that one of the biggest things that investigators are looking for at this moment is a motive here, that what made 22-year-old Tyler Robinson allegedly go up to that college event and opened fire on Charlie Kirk, killing him earlier this week. And the reason that we're, of course, so interested in this, and we're digging into his background, is because officials, law enforcement officials have not publicly said any motive just yet.

We're hoping to get more information over the course of the next few days, certainly as we look ahead to Robinson's first court appearance, which is coming up. But I want to tell you a little bit about what we do know right now. Basically, what we've been able to figure out through talking with people who knew Robinson and people in this southwestern Utah community where he was from and grew up is that he led a fairly normal life here, down here in Washington, Utah.

He was a good student. He came from a close knit family, to parents who were registered Republicans, though he himself was not affiliated with any particular party. He had a merit scholarship to Utah State University. He actually left after just one semester, but then he enrolled in a technical college, and he was studying to become a working electrician. He was very into video games.

That's something that people who knew him also emphasized to us, and that he was pretty quiet and not overtly political, although I will note that Governor Cox yesterday in that press conference did note that family members had told investigators that Robinson had grown increasingly political in recent years leading up to this week's events. But again, despite bullet markings that gave some clues, though, they were limited to memes and other video game references primarily, investigators are still looking for that clear cut motive. I want you to take a listen to what Governor Cox actually told CNN's

Anderson Cooper about this question just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R), UTAH: There's so much we still don't know. But certainly there was a radicalization that happened in a -- in a fairly short amount of time. And again, that's not to -- sometimes when we talk about people getting radicalized, that's to blame others instead of the person. And I don't want to take away that agency. This person made a terrible decision and will pay the price for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, again, Jessica, investigators are leaving no stone unturned. They've gone to the apartment complex where Robinson himself lived. They've been here in his neighborhood where his family lived, as well.

Remember, as I noted at the top of this hit, Jessica, the key date that we're now all looking towards is on Tuesday of this week. That's when we're expecting formal charges to be announced, and that's when we're expecting to see Robinson's first court appearance here in Utah. Hopefully we'll get some more answers by that point -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Danny Freeman for us there in Washington, Utah, thank you so much.

And joining us now former federal prosecutor Alyse Adamson.

Alyse, thank you so much for being here with us as well. We do know that this suspect was ultimately arrested several days ago. Why did it -- why is it going to take until Tuesday for these formal charges to be filed?

ALYSE ADAMSON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Jessica, that's a good question. These charges are going to be state level charges and filed in Utah state court. Under Utah's laws they actually have until Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. to file these charges. Now, what I can say, as a former prosecutor is that you want to make sure that all of your evidence is as tight as possible, because he is going to be entitled to a hearing where the state is going to have to prove probable cause for all of the offenses charged.

So I don't think this is a delay as much as it is prosecutors making sure that everything is in order to charge this case, because then after he's charged, he's probably going to be denied bail. And he has speedy trial rights. So it's just about being thorough.

DEAN: Right, right. And thorough. Yes. And he -- the accused shooter is already facing initial charges, including felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, aggravated murder, obstruction of justice. It would seem that they're just -- that's to hold him, right?

ADAMSON: That's right, Jessica. So those were just initial charges to detain him. And then under Utah state law, there's going to be a formal charging document and information. And I think what is significant, Jessica, is that aggravated murder charge -- we're going to see all three of those charges formalized on Tuesday. But that aggravated murder charge that actually is death penalty eligible if special factors are present.

And I want to say that I reviewed the probable cause affidavit that was used to detain Robinson up to this point.

[19:05:04]

And the investigators laid out exactly the facts that are necessary for that special factor requirement that a grave risk to a victim other than the decedent was created by the defendant's actions, and that is laid out in the affidavit by stating that there were thousands of people that were -- that were present at this rally at the time of this assassination.

DEAN: Yes. As of now, this case is not yet a federal -- there aren't federal charges, but we've seen in other cases that there have been both state and federal charges. That happens sometimes. Do you think that's a possibility and what might that look like?

ADAMSON: Yes. So as the case stands right now, I am not seeing an obvious federal hook. So take Luigi Mangione as an example, ss a case, we can distinguish that is the individual who is accused of murdering health care CEO Brian Thompson. And he is facing state and federal charges. That is because he is alleged to have stalked his victim across state lines with a firearm to murder him.

So that interstate component is what gave DOJ that federal hook. We don't have that interstate component here yet. We have a Utah state resident who committed this crime on private property, not on federal property. And so that is putting it in state court. We are also -- there's no domestic terrorism statute on the books currently. And then with respect to a potential hate crime, which is federal, the motivation in this case, although still unclear as we just heard from the reporting, it appears to be political, which is not a protected class under the federal hate crime statute, which is something like sexual orientation, race or religion.

So no obvious federal hook at this time. But what we do know is that the FBI is actively investigating, and there could be additional evidence developed that does give us that federal hook. And at that point, there can actually be concurrent prosecutions, meaning he can be charged both state, level and federally at the same time.

DEAN: And President Trump has been quite outspoken about this case, even before the suspect was arrested, including calling for the death penalty. What impact might that have on this case? What role might that play in this case?

ADAMSON: Well, it's interesting, Jessica, because Governor Cox of Utah reminded the public before President Trump even made that comment, that Utah still has the death penalty available. So to me, that signaled that prosecutors or the state were already thinking about potential death penalty in this case before a suspect was even apprehended.

Now, practically speaking, when the president calls for the death penalty, that's obviously going to put more scrutiny on the prosecution team. But I think, as I already mentioned within the affidavit, it seems like the prosecution team is already laying the foundation to seek the death penalty now.

Now, legally speaking, as I mentioned, because there's no federal hook, the president, DOJ, they're not in a position for them to federally seek the death penalty. But I think it is highly likely, Jessica, that we are going to see after these formal charges are filed on Tuesday that Utah is seeking the death penalty in this case.

DEAN: And what does that do at least practically for that case? Are there extra hearings? Are there extra layers? What does that mean as we're watching this case move forward?

ADAMSON: That's a great question, Jessica. So the death penalty is a separate phase of the trial. It's a sentencing phase. So what it will do practically is in capital cases that are so complex and somebody's life is literally at stake, it usually slows down the case. The defense wants to try everything they possibly can to take the death penalty off the table. So I think what we will see is that this case is not going to make it into trial any time soon.

What it will look like is the case goes to trial, is that Robinson will go -- he will put on his evidence. If he is ultimately convicted, then the case will start the next phase where a hearing will happen in front of the jury for the government to make their case for why they should impose the death penalty. That's what it will look like. So it's a multi-phased approach, and it will take a little time to get there.

DEAN: Yes. Alyse, thank you so much. We really appreciate your time.

ADAMSON: Thanks so much for having me, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes. Still ahead, just weeks after his summit with Vladimir Putin, President Trump now says he's ready to put major sanctions on Russia. But how serious is he? He's saying only if NATO agrees to a very significant ultimatum. More on this when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:14:22]

DEAN: President Trump is hitting NATO with a stern ultimatum tonight that could mark a shift in America's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump saying he is willing to put sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO countries agree to do the same and stop buying oil from Russia. Earlier this week, Moscow said peace talks had stalled and Trump's demands are coming just days after Poland and NATO scrambled jets to shoot down Russian drones that had crossed into Poland's airspace.

CNN's senior White House reporter Betsy Klein joins us now. Betsy, what is driving the president's push here for such a drastic

pivot?

[19:15:00]

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND WRITER: Well, certainly a desire to break some of that logjam, Jessica. But President Trump issuing an ultimatum earlier today calling on NATO countries to stop buying Russian oil and gas and saying that the U.S. will place major new sanctions on Russia if and only when NATO countries follow suit and do the same.

Now, he also in that letter called on those NATO countries to significantly escalate tariffs on China, calling on a 50 percent to 100 percent tariff on China in a show of force. But meeting the president's demands would mark a really significant policy change for some of these countries. And it's unclear if there's going to be the buy-in to do so. The president laying out some of his rationale in that letter.

He wrote, 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 buy liquefied natural gas and other products from Russia, and Turkey, of course, a NATO member country is a major purchaser of Russian oil. But this is also generally not how European countries conduct their tariff policies. So it remains to be seen whether the president can influence his counterparts on all of this.

It also comes as momentum toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine has largely stalled in recent weeks, following the president's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and nobody, perhaps more than Trump, is more frustrated than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who weighed in in a new conversation with our colleague Fareed Zakaria. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": President Zelenskyy, you're saying that President Trump wanted some kind of a deal. And he didn't get it. What Putin wanted was to delay sanctions, to delay any further measures that were taken that would pressure Russia, and to pretend that he was willing to negotiate. So wouldn't you say that Putin, in a sense, got everything he wanted from this meeting and Trump did not?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I don't know all the topics of their conversation, but literally, first of all, I can't -- I don't know who from them got something or everything. I don't know really, but I think that for Putin, it was successful meeting. First with president of the United States. Second on the territory of the United States. He got images with the president of the United States and he didn't promise for a ceasefire. But again, maybe he promised something to President Trump. I don't

know, but he didn't -- so and he postponed sanctions and postponed any strong pressure. What really Putin understands that Trump can do and he showed it not on Russia, on other countries. He showed what he can. So that's why I said that I think that it was mostly more successful for Putin. And then China, and in China, it's understandable their relations with Xi Jinping. It's understandable.

But there have been not only Xi Jinping. Yes, I think more than 20 leaders. And I think this is also, again, the step of the isolation of Russia, of Putin. Yes. And that's why my question is what next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, for his part, President Trump says that his patience with Putin is running out and running out fast. But these latest demands of NATO countries risk prolonging that conflict -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Betsy Klein, for us from New Jersey, thank you so much for that. And just a note, you can watch that full interview with President Zelenskyy on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." It airs tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and also at 1:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

The Trump administration is scrapping plans for a crime surge in Chicago, and is instead sending the National Guard to Memphis. That's according to the president. It is, according to the FBI statistics, the most dangerous city in the country despite falling crime rates.

Next we're going to get reaction from Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen, whose district includes the city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:24:02]

DEAN: President Trump announcing yesterday his administration now targeting Memphis as part of his efforts to crack down on crime across the nation's major cities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to Memphis. Memphis is --

LAWRENCE JONES, FOX NEWS HOST: That's the next city.

TRUMP: -- deeply troubled. I'm just announcing that now, and we'll straighten that out.

AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS HOST: National Guard?

TRUMP: National Guard and anybody else we need. And by the way, we'll bring in the military, too, if we need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Congressman Steve Cohen from Tennessee is joining us now.

Congressman, thank you for being here on a Saturday night. I know, I see your hat. Your team is playing as we speak. So we really appreciate the time. But I first just want to ask you, I want to get your reaction to what President Trump announced yesterday with "FOX and Friends." And as he -- and him calling your city deeply troubled, what did you think about that?

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): Our city is not deeply troubled. It's a great city. It's a fun city that people come to, to visit, eat, hear music, see history, learn about civil rights and Elvis and B.B. King and you name it. We do have some crime.

[19:25:01]

Crime has gone down. Our mayor and our police director have done a great job in conjunction with grants that some of which I've gotten through amendments to the budget, some of which have come through grants that come through the Justice Department during the Biden administration to give a better means of technologically fighting crime with real crime -- real time crime centers.

So crime has gone down in the last two years, significantly. It's down to a much lower level. And it's ironic, the person Trump said told him that he needs to come to Memphis was a guy that was -- sat on the FedEx board. He claimed that he was told he shouldn't go one block away from his hotel without a car, and they sent him a car that had bulletproof glass and iron doors. I don't think FedEx has such a car, number one, and number two, the guy left the FedEx board in 2023 when crime was at its tops.

But I don't believe the story. Trump makes up stories. He made up a story to say Washington is now the safest city in the world because of what he did two months ago. Now, the problems with crime are indigenous problems that come from years and years and years of lack of funding of education, lack of mental health facilities, lack of economic opportunities and poverty. And those are the things that create crime.

And they don't stop from two months of having the National Guard on the mall and at the Union Station railroad station. So it's not going to change here in Memphis. It's going to change. It's going to be our local police are allowed to do their job, and they're getting crime down. And if the administration wants to help us, help us with funding for those projects that are important, not the ones that were cut out by the Musk-Trump chainsaw budget that took out so many programs that helped cities with crime and with minority populations that need an opportunity.

They cut out the minority business center in Memphis that have been here 13 years. We got that during the Obama administration. They -- no funding. It's gone. That gave people opportunities to get loans and to do better. Having an opportunity to have a business. So they're doing -- they've done everything in the world they can to increase crime. Bringing the National Guard is not going to decrease crime. Now the FBI, fine. The DEA, fine. They've worked here and they've been

successful. And the governor sent the state troopers in to help with problems on the highways. That's been good, too. But the National Guard we don't need. When we made the statement and we'll send the military in if we need to, go to the Army-Navy game. The Department of War doesn't belong in Memphis. I know he thinks the head of the Department of War. He's making war in Memphis. We don't need him, and we don't need war.

DEAN: Yes, and it sounds like you're drawing your line really at the National Guard. And I hear you. Crime, it has been down in Memphis over the last year. Still, the FBI's data shows that it is the most dangerous city in America for its size. And hearing you talk about it, what is the intervention? If this isn't the answer, what do you do think is the -- is the proper intervention to make it not the most dangerous city?

COHEN: Well, it is to give the police department monies to buy technological equipment. They need to improve the real time crime center. More policemen on the street. Because that was the start of my career as a police legal adviser. The main defense against crime is patrol. Officers are seen on the street on patrol and know what's going on. More officers, and we need more officers. We're down about 400 or 500 right now, but the federal government could help us with that.

That's the thing that's permanent. That helps hire policemen. They can be on the beat for years, not months. Mental health centers are important. If you have mental health centers, a lot of crime is related to mental health problems. And if you have mental health programs in the community, that's important. And giving people a chance to get a good education and get out of poverty, which is the minority business center, which Memphis was -- Tennessee was the last state in the south, I think, to finally get a minority business center. And it happened. We got it located in Memphis. That was a big deal. And we've had it for 13 years, and he took it away.

So we need to work at the root causes of crime and not just throw something looks good on television. This is a Trump television show. It's Trump 2.0. You know, and what he says, you can't -- the sad thing is, you can't believe what the president says. He lies so often that when he says something, it's not even probable cause that got FedEx didn't say -- FedEx board member didn't say that. I don't believe, but because there's no such car like that.

They don't have like the car that Trump drives. I forget what they call it now, Brutus or something, but FedEx doesn't have such a car and nobody -- have that fear of downtown Memphis. And that was two years ago.

DEAN: Yes, yes. I do want to ask you, while we have you, obviously, there was the assassination of Charlie Kirk this week. There's been a lot of discussion about the world of politics right now, the climate in this country, everyone blaming one another. I am curious if you are fearful for your safety in this climate, if you're doing anything differently, if this is something that enters your mind. COHEN: It does enter my mind. I'm a little bit more cautious. I do not

leave my doors ever not locked and my alarm on. I keep my shades down in the rooms where I am. I'm concerned about not just myself, but anybody in the Congress. Gabby Giffords was a friend. I still remember that day when she was shot and it was an awful day and she was a beautiful woman and still is. But now, there's lots of threats.

[19:30:25]

The threats have gone up from 1,000 about five years ago to 9,000 now. I had a threat against me that Emanuel Cleaver had a similar one, that man's in jail. This was some years ago. But the threats are out there, and I believe and I don't want -- it's just a fact, Donald Trump caused this to go up. He doesn't mind calling people names all the time. And he calls Democrats all the time -- when he talks about Democrats in the Leavitt woman who's his press secretary too liberal lunatics and communists, there are --

DEAN: Yes, and he would say, you know, a lot of people on the right feel that Democrats do that.

COHEN: We don't call the Republicans liberal lunatics and communists, we don't call them, you know, we might question their defense of democracy and their being craven and not having a backbone to stand up for the Article I powers of Congress, where we're supposed to be the ones to set the tariffs. And the courts have said that we'll see what the Supreme Court says or the fact that they've had these decisions that have come after bills have been passed by both the senate and the house and he's taken this new thing called pocket rescissions and taken billions of dollars out of the budget. No, we don't call them names. We do say they lack a backbone.

A lot of the Republicans are my good friends, and I get along with them great. When I was in the Tennessee Senate, which I was for 24 years, there were pretty much bipartisan there and the Republicans in Nashville were like the Republicans in Washington, and I get along with them, they're friends.

DEAN: Yes. Well, all right, I know a scary moment in time for so many people. Congressman Steve Cohen, thank you very much for your time. We really appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you for having me on. We're in overtime.

DEAN: All right, well, I'm glad we can get you back to it. Thank you again.

COHEN: Thank you.

DEAN: We are following also an absolutely horrific case out of Dallas where a man is accused of beheading another man with a machete at a motel. Authorities say the suspect is a Cuban National who is in the U.S. illegally. They're calling for his removal as several other killings fuel a nationwide debate over immigration and border security.

Let's bring in Rafael Romo. What more are you learning about this really horrific crime, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, officials say the suspect, the Cuban national, is being held without bond on a charge of capital murder by terror threat and has a lengthy criminal history that includes serious crimes.

According to immigration and customs enforcement. Those crimes include child sex abuse, grand theft of a motor vehicle, false imprisonment, and carjacking. CNN requested more detail about those allegations, including when and where they allegedly took place, but ICE did not provide any. CNN cannot independently verify the accusations.

We need to warn our viewers that some of the details in this case are gruesome. According to a court affidavit filed in the case, the suspect, identified by Dallas Police Department as 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, has admitted to using a machete to kill a man. The affidavit also says that Cobos-Martinez was working in a motel room when the victim, identified as Chandra Nagamallaiah, asked an unidentified witness working with the suspect to translate a request not to use a broken washing machine.

According to the affidavit, the request made the suspect so upset that he pulled out a machete and started cutting and stabbing the victim multiple times, even after he ran to the hotel office, at one point pushing away Nagamallaiah's wife and son as they attempted to make him stop.

The 911 call indicates Cobos-Martinez did not stop at stabbing the victim multiple times.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, DALLAS POLICE: Now to that stabbing. The suspect has a machete and Fire is noticing that he is actually cutting someone's head off.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROMO: Dallas Police say this violent crime will not go unpunished.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRENCE RHODES, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF, DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: The preliminary investigation determined that the suspect cut the victim with an edged weapon several times. Dallas Fire Rescue responded to the scene where the victim died. The suspect is in custody and charges are pending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: As you can imagine, Jessica, people in Dallas struggled to put into words their reaction when asked by CNN affiliate KTVT the day after the gruesome murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find it sick, disgusting. It just -- I'm speechless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of out of the norm and it's mind blowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Now, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement Thursday announcing it had lodged a detainer for the arrest and removal of Cobos-Martinez, whom ICE called a depraved criminal illegal alien from Cuba. In a statement, a top DHS official said that, "This is exactly why we are removing criminal illegal aliens to third countries. President Trump and Secretary Noem are no longer allowing barbaric criminals to indefinitely remain in America. If you come to our country illegally, you could end up in Eswatini, Uganda, South Sudan, or CECOT." Referring to the notorious prison for alleged gang members in El Salvador, where U.S. officials have sent undocumented migrants during the current Trump administration.

President Trump and several officials in his administration have used serious crimes committed by people accused of being in the country illegally as the reason why a tough immigration crackdown is needed across the United States -- Jessica.

[19:35:50]

DEAN: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much. We're going to have more news when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:32]

DEAN: In the three days since Charlie Kirk's assassination, an outpouring of grief vigils across the country and a sign that despite his killing, his voice will likely have staying power. Millions of new followers have joined Kirk's social media accounts. His Instagram added 3.5 million followers, his podcasts, TikTok more than a million- and-a-half and his Facebook page more than two million.

I want to bring in CNN media analyst Sarah Fischer to join us now to discuss this. And Sarah, this is obviously delicate in the sense that he was assassinated just a few days ago. But clearly people are drawn to his message. What are you seeing?

SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST: We're seeing the same thing. A huge surge in views, likes, comments and followers across all of his accounts. Turning Point USA' accounts, which was his organization, and Jessica, that is to be expected for a few reasons.

One, in the breaking aftermath of. An assassination where there's a lot of uncertainty, people will turn to those types of accounts to see if his organization, if loved ones, can provide updates in real time. Have they caught the suspect? What's coming next? When is the funeral? So, there's a logistics reason why people are going to tune in.

But then also, a lot of these algorithms on social media, in the wake of breaking new, when they know that there's more people going to these various channels will actually surface old posts. I was seeing many of Charlie Kirk's old posts in the wake of his assassination, which can in turn garner more attention and then thus garner more attention in the algorithm.

And then finally, I think you have people who are following just as a solidarity, quite frankly, they want to show support for Charlie Kirk. They want to show support for the organization and so, all of those things combined have really amplified his voice in the wake of his death.

DEAN: Yes, there is the question I think that is to so interesting about the algorithms and how they've behaved in the midst of all of this.

FISHER: Absolutely, I mean, one of the big questions is what role do the platforms play in censoring very violent and gruesome content? Many of them have different policies that allow for content that's a little bit gruesome or violent for historical purposes, such that of an assassination, while others say if something is too gruesome, excessive blood, for example, something that's too close up of a murder that's not allowed.

But of course, during breaking news, Jessica, it's very hard for platforms and their algorithms to be able to make in real time decisions about what should or should not be censored. And so, I think a lot of people saw a lot of very, very difficult video on the day of his assassination. In the days following, however, we saw more screens from social companies that went up in front of videos that said -- warning, this is graphic content.

I think the other thing we're just going to be watching is how much do they continue to surface Charlie Kirk's old posts. You know, for some people it's very helpful and informative; for others who are mourning his loss, it actually could be very painful to see those things come up in the timeline.

DEAN: Yes, we're also seeing that some people are posting about Kirk's murder in ways that are seen as inappropriate, and some of them are losing jobs, they're being fired. What can you tell us about this online campaign?

FISHER: There is an online campaign. There's a new website called I think the Charlie's Murderer Site, and it's essentially aggregating posts from anyone online. So, not just famous people, but people who are everyday users with relatively small followings, and its adding them to a list of anyone who has spoken disparagingly about his assassination.

Now, the question becomes, what happens to that list? The anonymous owners of that site have vowed to make that list searchable so anybody can understand who made those comments. Of course, it begs the question, what do you do to those people once you are outing them? The site says that it's not a doxxing site meant, meaning that it's not meant to put out its personal, the personal information of the people on the site. But there is a question of whether or not those people, once exposed are going to be inviting, you know, lots of hate, rhetoric, et cetera., harassment. And then the question becomes sort of, what does that mean for everyday people who are not expecting to be surfaced?

I think the lesson learned from this, Jessica, is that it does not matter if you're a celebrity or a journalist or a famous person, even if you're an everyday social media user who thinks they're relatively anonymous. In the era of social media algorithms and A.I., everything you post has a long shelf life and could be discovered, and you need to post accordingly with that in mind.

DEAN: That is some good advice. All right, Sarah Fischer, thank you so much, good to see you.

FISHER: Thank you.

DEAN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:49:38]

DEAN: All week we've been sharing stories from CNN journalists about men and women who are pioneering innovative solutions to some of the world's toughest problems. Like Anderson Cooper's champion, Mark Moore, who is fighting to end a global crisis. Hunger through his company MANA Nutrition. Mark has provided life-saving aid to millions of children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360" (voice over): Mark Moore's company, MANA Nutrition, helps save the lives of malnourished and starving children around the world.

[19:50:11]

MANA Nutrition makes what's called Ready to Use Therapeutic Food or RUTF for short. It's made with peanut butter, powdered milk, sugar, and vitamins. A simple recipe that's revolutionary in the fight against hunger. It can bring severely malnourished kids back from the brink of death.

Mark's factory is in rural Georgia, but he began working in Africa decades ago.

COOPER (on camera): When was the first time you went to Africa?

MARK MOORE, CEO OF MANA NUTRITION: I went in the late 80s and I was a college kid.

COOPER (on camera): What was it about Africa that changed you?

MOORE: I grew up in Flint thinking I was a poor kid. But then you go to Nairobi and you realize, you know, I was born on third base. And that powerful experience just gets in your blood. COOPER (voice over): Nearly 20 years ago, Mark was an Africa

specialist in the U.S. Senate. When he saw a report I did on this miraculous treatment that was saving kids' lives.

Back then, it was made by just one French company. Their product was called Plumpy'Nut. They'd stopped eating and become listless and weak. So weak that when their mothers brought them to get Plumpy'Nut, the nurse put them in a van and sent them straight to the hospital. Three days later, however, they were smacking their lips on Plumpy'Nut almost ready to go home.

Sometimes parents wait too long before bringing their child to doctors. We found (ph) Rashida Mamadou in intensive care just two hours later, Rashida's little heart stopped beating.

Mark says that story changed his life.

MOORE: I just thought, how come I've never heard of this? This is kind of too good to be true.

COOPER (on camera): That's what I thought as well.

MOORE: And then I thought, well, somebody should do this in the U.S.

COOPER (voice over): From that, MANA Nutrition was born, a nonprofit, built next to a peanut field in Fitzgerald, Georgia, has been producing its own RUTF since 2010.

MOORE: So, this map logs the 57 countries that MANA has gone to since it started.

COOPER (on camera): How many kids have you saved, do you think?

MOORE: At least 10 million, if you look at the production numbers.

MICHAEL NYENHUIS, CEO, UNICEF USA: There are a number of RUTF suppliers around that we were able to tap into. MANA is one of the most crucial, especially as it comes to us being able to utilize U.S. government funding. So, they're essential to the whole system. And we just couldn't do much of our work without him.

MOORE: Nice to see you, brother. How are you?

COOPER: (on camera): There's got to be a lot of pride in the community.

MOORE: Very proud, yes.

COOPER (on camera): To do this work.

MOORE: Yes, great people. People are inspired and they like to make a difference.

COOPER (voice over): We first met Mark in February after the State Department canceled all of MANA's USAID contracts.

MOORE: This is too important for us to have a pity party that we got cut.

COOPER (voice over): Mark's determination paid off. Those orders for RUTF have been reinstated. And in late August, they got their first new order from the U.S. government in eight months.

COOPER: (on camera): This whole thing is called "Champions for Change." What's the change you've seen?

MOORE: Well, I'm not sure I'm a champion, but if I were to aspire to that, I would say any child deserves to meet their potential. I see children meeting their potential when before we were losing them to this useless death. These aren't our kids, but in the great human family they are our kids.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Be sure to tune in tonight at 10:00 Eastern for the "Champions for Change" one hour special, it is hosted this year by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:38]

DEAN: Here's a few top stories we're following tonight. The Trump administration is now proposing to end a program that makes polluters report how much they pollute. The greenhouse gas reporting program has been in place since 2010 and it compels more than 8,000 facilities and suppliers in the U.S. to report their climate pollution every year. It then uses that data to help shape rules and reduce the amount of pollution in the air.

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin framed the new steps as a move to end burdensome regulations.

Also, a new study finds a huge gap in diagnosing diabetes that could affect millions of people. Nearly half of people who have diabetes don't know they have it. That is research published from the journal "The Lancet: Diabetes and Endocrinology." Only 56 percent of people who have diabetes have been diagnosed. That leaves 44 percent of people living with that condition going untreated.

The widow of actor, Malcolm-Jamal Warner announced she and her daughter will start a foundation to honor him. "The Cosby Show" star drowned in July while on a family vacation in Costa Rica at the age of 54. His wife, Tanisha Warner, says the foundation will honor "the quiet power of connection between parent and child." She made that announcement Friday, that's one day before their wedding anniversary.

Coming up tonight at 9:00 P.M. Eastern here on CNN. "Have I got News for You." Comedian Mae Martin and "New York Times'" climate reporter David Gelles join the crew for their takes on this week's headlines.

Thanks so much for joining me tonight. I'm Jessica Dean. I'm going to see you again tomorrow night right back here at 5:00 Eastern. "Real Time with Bill Maher" is headed your way next. Have a wonderful night everyone.