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Alleged Kirk Shooter Placed Under Enhanced Supervision; Employment, Inflation Data Sparks Stagflation Concerns; Netanyahu to Raise Potential West Bank Annexation Plans with Rubio. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 14, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

SEBASTIAN MUNIZ MORALES, GRAPHIC ARTIST: How you see the different problems we fight for.

(SEBASTIAN MUNIZ MORALES speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: There are many things, and you don't have to spend too much time in the island to figure out there's something's wrong here.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A legacy of U.S. colonialism and gentrification confronted head on in his song what happened to Hawaii?

The island facing a crushing debt crisis, crumbling infrastructure and frequent power outages spotlighted in his song, "The Blackout."

The reality has driven young Puerto Ricans to leave the island in search of a better opportunity, something Muniz Morales once considered.

MORALES: Some people like don't see their future here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES (on camera): And there just is so much joy out on the streets. You can see so many people laughing, hugging, smiling. The booming sounds of Bad Bunny music playing all over the place, even in the Ubers that we were driving around town, Bad Bunny is undeniable. As one of the youngest fans told me, Bad Bunny is Puerto Rico.

Now that CEO of the coliseum, who manages the coliseum, he says that this is just the start. He hopes that this will ripple effect into larger artists coming and knowing that they can host a concert here in Puerto Rico, and also that for all these tourists that are going back home, he is calling them ambassadors of the culture, of the food and the spirit of the people of Puerto Rico -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Wow. I mean, that was a good deal all the way around. Maybe he'll extend his stay, or maybe there will be a part two, and if that's the case, I am on board, I am with you. I am there.

Yes, Isabel Rosales, good to see you. Thank you so much.

[15:01:44] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone! Thank you so much for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, this hour, we are getting brand new details on the man accused of shooting conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. Moments ago, the Utah County Sheriff's Office told CNN that 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson is under enhanced supervision pending the completion of a mental health evaluation. Authorities have placed Robinson in a special housing unit so that they can keep a close eye on him.

The Utah County Sheriff's Department says this is standard protocol for cases involving serious charges or potential behavioral concerns.

Meantime, we are also learning about the suspect's frame of mind in the hours after the attack. "The New York Times" is reporting, Robinson joked with friends in an online group chat that his doppelganger was responsible for the killing just hours after authorities released photos of the suspect.

While a motive for Kirk's killing remains unclear, Utah's Republican Governor Spencer Cox, spoke to CNN earlier today about the suspect's alleged ideology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You told "The Wall Street Journal" that it is "very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology."

Can you elaborate on that and be more specific.

GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): Well, sure. So that information comes from the people around him, from his family members and friends. That's how we got that information.

Again, there is so much more that were learning and so much more that we will learn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Danny Freeman is in St. George, Utah, where the suspect was living. What else are you learning -- Danny?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, let's start with that new information that you mentioned at the top of the hour about this new special housing unit that we learned just in the past 20 minutes Tyler Robinson is now being held in.

So this is in the Utah County Jail. It is about 250 miles northeast of where we are here in the area where Tyler Robinson lived and grew up. Like you said, the purpose of this is so staff can, "keep a close eye on him." But the Utah County Sheriff's Office really emphasized that this is standard procedure and a precautionary measure in such a high profile case. But we also are getting a lot new information, Fred, this morning. New revelations let's say, about Tyler Robinson not only his state of mind, but in what may have been happening in his life leading up to this shooting this past week.

Two revelations from Governor Cox mentioned on CNN, one concerning a potential note left behind by Robinson and the other one detailing new information about Robinson's roommate that he lived with here in St. George, Utah.

I will start with the roommate. According to Governor Cox, Robinson was roommates with a "romantic partner" who was a male transitioning to a female, and I want you to listen to part of the conversation that the Governor had with CNN's Dana Bash earlier this morning about this issue. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Some outlets are reporting that the suspect lived with a transgender partner. Is that accurate? And are investigators looking at this part of his life as a possible motivation?

COX: Yes, definitely. And yes, I can confirm that. I know that has been reported and that the FBI has confirmed that as well, that the roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female. I can say that that he has been very cooperative, this partner has been incredibly cooperative, had no idea that this was happening and is working with investigators right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:27]

FREEMAN: Now, one thing I will point out, Fred, is that when Dana pressed the Governor on if this is a direct connection to any potential motive of that killing, the Governor said, "Well, it is easy to draw conclusions at this point." He is not speculating further on the apparent motive, though, as you noted at the top, Fred, the Governor did mention that while he came from a conservative family here in Southwest Utah, he had been moving to the left in recent years, according to family members.

The last thing I will note, Fred, is the Governor appeared to confirm the existence of a note that may shed light on maybe planning or maybe motive ahead of that shooting and killing earlier this week, but we still don't have more information on that, just the confirmation that that note potentially exists.

A lot more to look forward to coming this Tuesday when we are expecting those formal charges to be announced here in Utah, and also looking to see if Robinson makes his first court appearance.

Again, all of that expected to come on Tuesday -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Danny Freeman, thank you so much. All right not only has Utah's Governor signaled that the internet's dark culture contributed to the alleged shooter's radicalization, the Governor's words, but he also repeatedly described social media as toxic, described it as a cancer, and urged Americans to disconnect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COX: This is not good for us. It is not good to consume. Social media is a cancer on our society right now, and I would encourage -- again, I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I am joined now by Sarah Kreps, a political scientist. She is also the director of Cornell's tech policy lab and author of the forthcoming book, "Harnessing Disruption: Building the Tech Future Without Breaking Society."

So great to see you. So glad you're with us.

SARAH KREPS, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So let me start by getting your reaction to what Governor Cox is calling and how he is describing social media, calling it a cancer on society, even urging Americans to log off.

Do you think that is a fair depiction of social media and the potential consequences from it?

KREPS: I do think that that is unfortunately the right starting point for a lot of this conversation, because social media changes the timeline for everything that happens, everything is immediate, everything is urgent. And I think it is what we are seeing with schools around the country right now.

In New York, for example, we have a new bell to bell ban on cell phones because kids were disengaging. They were retrenching into kind of these more -- these silos that can lead people down some dark roads. So I really appreciate the point of the Utah Governor.

And I think it speaks to something that's happening more generally, which is a little bit of a boomerang of the sense that social media has some upside, but it also has a darker side.

WHITFIELD: And of course, you know, we are still at least what we are learning about the investigation, that it is still in the early stages. And you know, some is being gleaned and extrapolated and then there is still a lot of mystery about, you know, what transpired here on the use of social media, et cetera.

The Governor suggested that the alleged shooter was radicalized by the internet's dark culture. What does that mean to you? How do you define that?

KREPS: Well, I think it means going down rabbit holes and spending long periods of time by one's self in a room and not coming out and engaging with the real world, and I don't mean to say that online culture is not a real world, but it doesn't -- it can be very confirmatory and reinforcing and not allow you to kind of have your emerging views put in check with the broader society.

So I think that's what a dark world means and I think again, that's what -- it is interesting to me, for example, that a lot of individuals in Big Tech like Mark Zuckerberg doesn't give his kids cell phones. I think that's no accident. It is because people realize that there is a dark side.

WHITFIELD: You had just described, you know, social media you know, as a place where there is urgency. People are communicating right away and we know, especially as a result or following the assassination, I mean, people were on social media. They are dialoging. They are you know, assessing, they were viewing and then we are also learning in a matter of days, there have been a lot of people who have lost their jobs and their livelihoods as a result of things that have been said, how they have characterized things, whether it be on social media or on a public square.

[15:10:06]

We understand a Middle Tennessee State University employee was fired after writing that they had zero sympathy for Kirk's death, and a variety of things have been said. These are just some of the examples.

DC Comics apparently also cancelled the just released "Red Hood" comic book series after its author allegedly wrote on social media after news of Kirk's death, and I am quoting now, "Hope the bullet is okay." So, I mean, these are just some of the examples, but what are people to do with -- is it -- you know, these venues or trying to understand all that is taking place and people feeling that they've got to say something.

KREPS: And I think that -- so there is the kind of sender and the receiver. I think what stands out to me is the speed of amplification. So something that might have been an obscure letter to the editor in Albany now becomes quickly amplified to all corners of the globe. Ninety-six percent of Americans are online, and so technology can take a single remark into a reputational crisis for companies, and so I think that creates a real sense of liability for these companies.

And it is a really difficult needle to thread because the political currents are changing so quickly and they are facing this public pressure to do something and they are facing this pressure to do something quickly. And so it really creates, I think, a real predicament. And it comes back, I think, to the Utah Governor, which is trying to urge people to take a step back and try to lower the political temperature.

WHITFIELD: Sarah Kreps, thank you so much.

KREPS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, we checked the latest report card on the economy. Consumers are now starting to worry a lot more. How could it impact you?

Plus, a party fit for a Pope. A star-filled celebration to mark Pope Leo's milestone birthday.

And later, a personal discussion about how parents can strengthen the relationships with their sons. Our own Don Riddell opens up later on this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:55]

WHITFIELD: All right, a recent survey found that Americans are not feeling any better about the overall economy, despite President Trump's declaration that he solved inflation.

New data from the University of Michigan shows consumer sentiment dropped nearly five percent compared to last month. And on top of that, the latest inflation figures show consumer prices rose 0.4 percent last month, bringing the annual inflation rate to 2.9 percent.

Plus, for the first time in four years, there are more people looking for work than there are jobs available for them.

I am joined now by Laura Davison, the Deputy Bureau Chief with Bloomberg News.

Laura, great to see you. So, you know, what can we learn from these indicators about how consumers are feeling?

LAURA DAVISON, DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF, BLOOMBERG NEWS: So it is clear that consumers are not happy. And, you know, particularly in the job market is where we've seen a lot of signs that the market is just not strong. There are increasing unemployment claims, you know, the unemployment levels are as high as they've been, sort of in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, so that's a worrying sign.

And this is likely going to lead the Fed this week to lower interest rates for the first time in several months. That means rates on things like credit card payments and mortgages could come down, but it may not be enough for people to really feel that in their day-to-day activities.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, people will be anticipating that. They're hopeful about that, but at the same time, you go to the grocery stores and it is pretty costly and it is getting costlier by the second.

We know, you know, coffee, for example, has gone up considerably in the last year. Prices up nearly 21 percent. That's causing, prices -- what is particularly causing these prices to go up?

DAVISON: So there are a couple of different factors at play. You know, grocery prices is one of the areas where we've seen some of the biggest gains, you know, really stretching peoples pocketbooks. But there is broadly, there is a lot of concern about the tariffs. The tariffs went into effect in the spring. But, you know, they wouldn't -- companies have been really trying to not pass on these price increases to their consumers. But they're getting to the point as we head into this Christmas shopping season, towards the end of the year, that they have to start passing on those cost increases, they are no longer able to eat those import taxes.

So this is a big area of concern, you know, as the tariffs have really start to hit and that this could further fuel inflation, which had, you know, was a big problem several years ago, it came down a little bit. But it is now at about three percent up from where the Federal Reserve wants to see it at about two percent.

WHITFIELD: Paychecks aren't stretching as far as they need to, or as far as people want them to. I mean, what do you tell consumers who just feel like they're getting hit in so many different directions?

DAVISON: Yes, this is what you really see, people start to, you pull back on a lot of that discretionary spending. You know, we are seeing signs that people are choosing to eat out less or choosing to eat at lower cost restaurants versus, you know, higher fine dining or white tablecloth kind of situations.

You know, it will be really telling as we head into the shopping season ahead of the holidays here, you know, are people opting to do sort of bigger, grander, more lavish things or are they kind of sticking to some of the basics here?

[15:20:03]

We have seen a lot of really worrying signs you know, both on the unemployment side, people feeling like they, you know, they have a job, they may not last or they're unemployed and therefore really cutting back on spending.

WHITFIELD: You already mentioned that the Federal Reserve Board is going to be meeting this week. There is a lot of hope among some circles that interest rates will drop maybe a half percent or so, but what if it doesn't do that? Then what?

DAVISON: Yes, so this is -- you know, the Fed is widely expected to cut these interest rates, it will be a relatively small rate, just 25 basis points as they call it in financial circles or essentially just a quarter of a percentage point. This could be the first in what is expected to be a series of cuts. That means that people aren't going to feel you know, that they are going out to try to buy a house or get a car loan. You're not going to see those interest rates really decrease rapidly. Its over time you'll see that, which means that if people are, you know, have been waiting to buy a house, they may want to continue to wait a little bit longer to see those interest rates drop.

WHITFIELD: All right, Laura Davison, great to see you. Thanks so much.

U.S. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is warning fellow Democrats they risk staying in the minority if they don't learn from the 2024 losses. Fetterman telling CNN that doubling down on extreme progressive positions is a mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): My party is acting in a way they have forgotten. They have forgotten one of the reasons why we lost in 2024. Some of the most extreme things were weaponized against that and now some people think, now we have to double down on those things, or we must become more progressive or more extreme. That's absolutely just not -- that's absolutely not true.

The seven or eight states that are going to determine who is going to be our next president, you know, we have to win in those states. And I understand what that takes. And a lot of these ideas that are putting back and being reintroduced are not going to carry, you know, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Fetterman's comments come as the Democratic Party rethinks how to talk to voters in key swing states about crime, immigration and culture wars ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

All right, still ahead, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu as Israel escalates strikes on Gaza City. Details on what they are expected to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:51]

WHITFIELD: Happening right now, CNN is learning Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss his potential plans to annex parts of the West Bank when he meets with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. T hat's according to Israeli sources.

CNN's Nada Bashir has more on Rubio's visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, as tensions remain high following Israel's deadly strike on Doha last week, targeting Hamas' negotiating team in Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has traveled to Israel, where he joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit to the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem on Sunday. The two are expected to hold official talks on Monday, with the Doha attack likely to be key on the agenda.

Ahead of his trip, Rubio told reporters that while U.S.-Israel relations remain unshaken, President Donald Trump, "didn't like the way it went down," adding that the purpose of his visit to Israel is to get more clarity on what Israel's strategy will be going forward.

Qatar has long been a key regional ally to the U.S., hosting the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, and officials there working closely alongside both the Biden and Trump administrations to try to mediate a peace deal between Israel and Hamas. Qatar's Prime Minister has accused his Israeli counterpart of undermining those peace efforts, and has said he hopes for a collective regional response to Israel's attack on Doha, adding that this response is under consultation and discussion with other regional partners, with a decision expected to be announced following the conclusion of the Arab Islamic Summit on Monday.

But beyond diplomacy, pressure is mounting on the Israeli government, both at home and internationally. On Saturday, thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv once again calling on Netanyahu's government to secure a hostage and ceasefire deal with some family members of hostages held captive in Gaza, accusing the government of sabotaging those peace efforts.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel's deadly assault continues. More than 70 people are reported to have been killed on Saturday alone with the death toll still rising as civilians in Gaza City are once again forced to evacuate with no guarantees of safety.

Nada Bashir, CNN in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ukraine carried out a drone attack on a significant oil refinery deep inside Russia, that's according to Ukraine's military and it comes just days after the Kremlin said that negotiations for a peace agreement are going nowhere.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a security conference in Kyiv and asked him about the summit in Alaska between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here is part of that conversation.

(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?

[15:30:07]

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I don't know all the topics of their conversation, bilaterally, first of all, Fareed, so 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 in the territory of the United States, so of course, 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 is understandable, their relations with Xi Jinping, it is understandable.

But there have been not only Xi Jinping.

ZAKARIA: Yes.

ZELENSKYY: 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)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, does it seem like young people face a more difficult road every year? Up next, our own Don Riddell joins me to talk about how he handled getting his own sons ready to face life on their own.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:47]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

If you have young boys at home or you know someone who does, this is something that's probably on your mind. How do i connect with them? What's on their mind?

Overall, when should parents have tough conversations with their boys? And as young men face a world shaped by social media, shifting gender norms and growing feelings of isolation, these young guys are dealing with a lot.

CNN's Don Riddell is joining me right now.

You're a father of boys. I have two boys. So all of this is very familiar territory, but we are in a very complicated world. And you actually spoke with a brilliant educator who is now an author, Christopher Pepper, about his new book, "Talk to Your Boys." Who knew that we all needed a guide like this? And so what was revealing to you?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: You know, it is interesting. Like, I remember when my kids were born, there were all this sort of self- help books for parents about, you know, discipline and nutrition and how to get them to sleep at night. But how many of us actually read books after that?

And, you know, this is a book that I only discovered once my kids had already left to go to university, but i thought it was really interesting. There are some really, really interesting points in there, and I think the first thing that you have to recognize is, I mean, teenage boys have always had a reputation for being grumpy and difficult to reach, but I think it has become a lot harder now, as you say, with the advent of social media and the digital revolution.

WHITFIELD: Right. There are so many influences.

RIDDELL: Well, you know --

WHITFIELD: They are being pulled in a lot of different directions.

RIDDELL: Yes, and there is less sort of in-person time. There is less real social time. Apparently dating has gone down, and the more time kids and in particular boys spend in these places, it doesn't take the algorithm very long to figure out that they're young men and then, there is just a tsunami of information and influence coming their way that we, as parents might not be aware of.

WHITFIELD: So the bottom line is, it is being encouraged that you have to connect with them. Youve got to talk with them. But then you were just sharing with me that you've learned through him, it is about timing, how you're going to talk to your kid, what's going on around you? What's less confrontational, yet at the same time comforting? Give me some of those ideas.

RIDDELL: There is the timing thing in two ways. There is the at what age? And depending on some of these subjects, it might be a lot earlier than we, as parents would be comfortable with. So, for example, a lot of kids by the age of 12 have seen adult content on their phone, their computer, a friend's phone in the schoolyard. That's really early. And I would think parents might not want to go there before that point, because you don't want to pique their curiosity, but they are not going to bring it up to you, so you do need to kind of address that this stuff is out there and use it as a teaching moment, like they're going to see it at some point.

The other thing is just when is it least awkward to have a conversation? You know, do you bring it up over dinner? Like, you know, you don't want to be awkward --

WHITFIELD: Is it in front of other family members? Is it alone with them?

RIDDELL: Yes. But something I found really interesting that Christopher Pepper said, and I think I was doing this without knowing that it was a good thing to do, side by side conversations are good because there is no eye contact or there is less eye contact. So the driving --

WHITFIELD: Car driving.

RIDDELL: Walking, playing sport, you know, playing ping-pong or kind of shooting hoops, that's a really sort of easy and comfortable space with which to have maybe some difficult conversations and you'd be surprised, perhaps in those environments, how much your kids might open up to you because the stress is down, it is more informal, it doesn't seem so serious.

[15:40:18]

But sometimes you have to go there. You have to say look, this is important. We have to have this conversation, and one of the things he said --

WHITFIELD: And you know we have -- oh, go ahead.

RIDDELL: Sorry, was, you know, 30 one-minute conversations are better than one 30-minute conversation. I thought that was worth remembering.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so it is the quality of time spent, not necessarily the amount of time. And then, you know, I guess a lot of young men, boys are feeling, kind of forgotten or ignored. I mean, there has been a lot of attention, understandably and deservedly on girls and growing up and the development of and in young women. And so I've heard some experts say recently that a consequence of that has also meant that some young men are feeling like, well, what about me?

Is this kind of folded into that on why this instruction is coming at this point where there is, I guess, a dearth of guidance on how to talk to our young men and boys?

RIDDELL: I mean, I think they're confused, you know, in general, the stereotype of that kind of teenage boys at the moment is that they are very confused. They're wrestling with the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, but there is also the kind of idea of the rigid masculinity which a lot of educators don't really like, toxic masculinity as a label, but that is how rigid masculinity is being labeled and is being described.

So I think boys are looking for answers. The reason they're going online and asking questions, which are perfectly innocent questions is maybe because they feel as though they can't get that information from the adults or their parents in their life.

And so, i mean, that was one of the tips because the authors, they canvased the opinions of a lot of young boys. I think they interviewed 85 boys between the age of ten and 22 and the feedback from those boys was, we want our dads to be more open, more real, less rigid, kind of more emotional. And I guess sometimes that's difficult.

You want to raise your young boys to be sort of strong and tough, but actually they want see vulnerableness.

RIDDELL: But actually, maybe that's not what they need. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

RIDDELL: Watch a weepy movie with them?

WHITFIELD: I love that. What's your weepy movie?

RIDDELL: I've got loads.

WHITFIELD: Okay.

RIDDELL: "Gladiator." "Interstellar." I am usually a puddle at the end of those, "Atonement," I will only watch it once with them.

WHITFIELD: Okay.

RIDDELL: I lost control of my shoulders.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I gotcha and for my husband, it is "Forrest Gump." And I know i just outed him because I just saw him last time, I am like, this is the movie where I saw you cry.

RIDDELL: But it is good --

WHITFIELD: But it is good!

RIDDELL: -- it is good to watch that with your sons.

WHITFIELD: I love that. Yes. All right, being vulnerable is good.

All right, Don Riddell, thank you so much. That was really lovely. I appreciate that.

All right, in a moment who will walk away with the top prizes tonight at the Emmys? We have expert analysis on how the awards may get it wrong. I wasn't expecting to say that Don.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:49]

WHITFIELD: All right, tonight is a big night. T.V.'s biggest stars are coming out to honor the best in the biz with the Emmy Awards and this will be a comedian, Nate Bargatze's first time hosting the ceremony, and among the nominees, "Severance," leading with 27 nominations, followed by "The Penguin" with 24.

Joining me right now to discuss is Eric Deggans, NPR's critic-at-large and the Knight professor of Journalism and Media Ethics at Washington & Lee University.

Eric, always great to see you.

ERIC DEGGANS, NPR'S CRITIC-AT-LARGE AND KNIGHT PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM AND MEDIA ETHICS AT WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So what are you most looking forward to tonight? Okay, and yes, and I love the shirt. Very apropos.

What are you looking forward to this evening?

DEGGANS: Well, what I am really looking forward to is, we have some contenders that seem to be pitted against each other, particularly in the Best Drama category, for example. So you mentioned, "Severance." It has gotten the most nominations of any show, but following quickly on its heels is also "The White Lotus." And, and also "The Pitt," which did the show -- which did really well in the Creative Arts Emmys, which were kind of the Emmys that they don't televise that came you know, just last week. And so, you know, those three shows I think are kind of in the running.

You know, I crafted my own Awards Show that i like to call the Deggys --

WHITFIELD: I love it!

DEGGANS: -- because I think sometimes the Emmys get a little distracted and sometimes, you know, the award shows -- sometimes they miss the opportunity to award shows that deserve it.

So in terms of Best Drama, I actually think it will be between "Severance" and "The White Lotus." I think "The White Lotus" might have an edge because "Severance," even though it got a lot of nominations, is on Apple T.V.+, I don't know how many people have seen it, but my Deggy is actually going to go to "Andor," which is the "Star Wars" spin off series, because it is a great depiction of how a rebellion rises up to resist a brutal authoritarian state.

[15:50:09]

And I think it speaks to a lot of the decisions and a lot of the issues that people are negotiating right now in real life.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I love it! We are talking the Emmys and the Deggys. Perfect!

So and, you know, I guess it speaks to also, I mean, look at all of these streaming movies, series. I mean, they're upstaging a lot of the other, you productions on main stream television.

DEGGANS: I think what we are seeing, in broadcast in particular broadcast shows have, you know, because people are cutting the cord and people are turning away from traditional broadcast television and cable, there is less profitability there. And so I think they are going with shows that are a little safer and a little less expensive.

You know, I mentioned "Andor," you know, that was a show that cost a tremendous amount of money, for every episode, because it was a "Star Wars" connected show. Also, when you look at comedy, for example, the top shows that we are talking about in comedy are also streaming shows. In particular, we are talking about "The Studio" on Apple T.V.+, which I think has gotten a lot of attention because of the celebrity cameos and the way it makes fun of Hollywood.

But you also have a show like "Hacks" that's on HBO Max that's kind of beloved. It stars Jean Smart, and it is also a showbiz satire. Now people love "Abbott Elementary" as well. Now, that's a broadcast show, and that's a show that's done well in the past. But I think you know, for Emmy, the sense is that that show's heyday was maybe a few years ago when it won a bunch of awards.

Right now, I think FX's "The Bear," which also has done well, is facing a bit of backlash and I think maybe people don't like the recent seasons of the show so much. So I think it will be between, "The Studio" and "Hacks." My sense is that "The Studio" will probably do well tonight, but my Deggy -- WHITFIELD: Yes, Deggy.

DEGGANS: -- goes to "The Residence."

WHITFIELD: Deggy Fresh.

DEGGANS: A show on Netflix, which I thought was brilliant.

WHITFIELD: I feel like that. It was brilliant or is --

DEGGANS: -- it is really a comedy, kind of a satire of a whodunit, you know, set in The White House where we got to see The White House staff and how they operate, and Uzo Aduba is nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress in a comedy for playing Cordelia Cupp, the investigator who unravels this whodunit.

But I thought the show itself was amazing, too, but Netflix canceled it, and i think you know, whenever a show gets cancelled, that makes it less likely that it will be honored by the Emmys, so I had to give it a Deggy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, dang! Oh, okay. We will give it a Deggy, a Deggy Fresh, you know, and I love her kind of skepticism. And just -- I mean, it is -- it is just it is a little slapstick, but at the same time, you know, it is a great whodunit. All right, well, we both like that one.

All right, Eric Deggans, great to see you. And yes, i love the shirt. That's working for Deggy Fresh.

DEGGANS: Thank you so much. I also want to point out I gave a Deggy to Stephen Colbert because I love it when satirists speak truth to power. I think the cancellation of his show was as much a political decision as anything, and it will be interesting to see who wins Best Talk Show tonight, whether it will be Colbert or whether it will be a show like "The Daily Show," which also has a really strong history of speaking truth to power.

WHITFIELD: Yes, either way, it will be bold. All right, thank you so much, Eric. Great to see you.

DEGGANS: You know it. Either way, he is going to have a Deggy.

WHITFIELD: He is going to get a Deggy, you know, and he is fresh as a result with a Deggy Fresh.

All right, thanks, Eric. We better stop that now.

All right, straight ahead, thousands filling St. Peter's Square to wish Pope Leo, a Happy Birthday. We will show you how this star studded affair went.

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WHITFIELD: All right, Happy Birthday to Pope Leo. He is 70 years old today. Thousands, in fact, gathered in St. Peter's Square as the pontiff marked the occasion with a special public address.

CNN Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb has more on how the Pope celebrated this special day.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pope Leo looked out at the crowd that had gathered in St. Pete's on Sunday and said, it seems that, you know it is my birthday. There were groups in the crowd holding up banners wishing Leo a happy birthday, including from Peru, the country, of course, that Leo served in for many years as a bishop and as a missionary.

Leo thanked everyone for their good wishes. A band played a Happy Birthday song for him. He thanked his parents and to everyone who was praying for him on his birthday.

Now, Leo is 70, which makes him young by papal standards. His two predecessors were several years older than him when they took up the post. It is not clear if Leo is celebrating on his birthday or having a party, but he did receive a cake on Saturday from the new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, who brought him a chocolate cake from Portillo's, the restaurant chain, which is headquartered in Chicago, of course, Leo's home city and where he grew up.

Now, Leo's birthday came just after a historic one of its kind Vatican concert, which was directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli. The concert took place in St. Peter's Square on Saturday night. There were performances from Jennifer Hudson, from John Legend, from Teddy Swims, a gathering that was very much a celebratory one.

There was a drone show, which was spectacular above St. Peter's Basilica. It was the culmination of a gathering in the Vatican for human fraternity, which is focusing on a more humane and peaceful world. There were discussions on a whole range of topics, including artificial intelligence.

Now, Leo's birthday fell on a Sunday. That meant he couldn't have a day off and in the evening, he was due to celebrate mass at the Roman Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, a mass to commemorate the witnesses and martyrs of the Christian faith in the 21st Century.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

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