Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Charlie Kirk's Memorial Set at Kennedy Center; Charlie Kirk's Shooter Living with Transgender Partner, Under Special Watch; Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu to Discuss Annexation of Parts of West Bank; Rana Foroohar Reports on U.S. Economy; Analysts Compare Today's Tensions to Unrest in 1968; CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister Reports on Emmys 2025. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 14, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

FERDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: -- he was laid to rest last week in Minneapolis.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. And just into the "CNN Newsroom," new video showing a man who looks like the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk in a Utah neighborhood the day the conservative activist and father of two was gunned down. The AP obtaining this clip from a home security camera, and it shows a man believed to be that 22-year-old suspect right there walking the area. The suspect right now in a special unit in the Utah County jail that is from a sheriff official who says there is an extra security watch on him as he awaits a mental health evaluation.

Tyler Robinson's first court appearance is in two days. It's expected he will officially be charged with multiple crimes then, including murder. Today, Utah's governor confirmed the suspect was living with a transgender partner. It's not clear if the relationship was a factor in Kirk's assassination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER COX, GOVERNOR OF UTAH: 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 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)

DEAN: In the next hour, a tribute to Kirk will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington. We're going to keep our eye on that. In the meantime, let's turn now to CNN's Danny Freeman, who is live in St. George, Utah, where that shooting suspect did live. Danny, you've been there now for a couple of days. We're getting some new details that we just outlined very broadly there, but take us into the details of this new information. DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You bet, Jessica. I mean, make no

mistake, there's still a lot of questions that we have about 22-year- old Tyler Robinson, the main suspect here in Charlie Kirk's killing. But we did actually get a lot of new information today. I'll start with one of the highlights that you noted right off the top, that we now know he's being held in that specialty housing unit in the Utah County Jail. It's about 250 miles northeast of where we are right here in the community where he lived and grew up.

The purpose of that new accommodation, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, is so quote, "staff can keep a close eye on him," but they noted that this is a precautionary measure that is standard in high profile cases. Then the other two things, Jessica, that really, we learned from the governor today earlier on CNN first concerns a potential note left behind by Robinson and then also Robinson's roommate, which you also detail a little bit.

Just to go into this, Cox, the governor here, he noted that Robinson was roommates with a quote, "romantic partner" and that romantic partner was a male transitioning to a female. But as you also heard the governor say right there, this roommate has been incredibly cooperative with authorities, and as far as law enforcement understands, had no prior knowledge and was truly shocked that Robinson was the suspect in this killing.

And I'll note that when CNN pressed the governor if this was directly part of any motive, potentially the governor said, it's easy to draw conclusions, but he declined to speculate any further than that at this point. Listen, the governor also talked about the upbringing of Tyler Robinson, noting that he was from a conservative family here in Southwest Utah. But he also said that in interviews with family members, there had been a shift over the past couple of years. I want you to take a listen to how the governor characterized that shift in this interview with Dana Bash earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT & HOST: You told the "Wall Street Journal" that it is quote, "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?

COX: 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's so much more that we're learning and so much more that we will learn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, the one other thing, Jessica, that I'll note is the governor also seemed to confirm the existence of a potential note left behind by Robinson, but we still don't really have any more information on that. As you noted, we're all looking forward to this coming Tuesday, where we're hoping to hear more information when formal charges are announced and Robinson makes his first court appearance. Jessica? DEAN: Danny Freeman there in Utah for us. Thank you so much for that

update. Also new tonight, CNN learning Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss the possibilities of Israel annexing parts of the West Bank in his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio set for tomorrow.

(VICEO PLAYING)

[17:05:00]

That meeting coming as two Israeli officials tell CNN an Israeli military ground action will start in Gaza City in the coming days, potentially tomorrow. As you see in this video, Israel has already started hitting high-rise buildings there. Earlier today, Rubio making a stop at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City with Netanyahu and the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. The Secretary of State is visiting Jerusalem just days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders with a deadly strike inside Qatar.

CNN's senior White House reporter Betsy Klein joining us now. Betsy, so now we look ahead to this formal meeting between Rubio and Netanyahu. Tell us more about that.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, Jessica. Today's appearance at that very holy site, the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem, was a notable show of solidarity between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the two are going to get down to business tomorrow. All eyes on these very high stakes meeting between Netanyahu and Rubio.

And according to three Israeli sources, Netanyahu is expected to press Rubio for specifics on where the Trump administration draws the line on this idea of annexation of the West Bank. This is something that Netanyahu has been weighing and considering the scale and scope of such an effort. And Rubio here is going to be representing the Trump administration's views and he's going to have to navigate a very challenging political tightrope here.

The UAE, which is a top U.S. ally of the Trump administration, has warned that such annexation would jeopardize the Abraham Accords. Of course, the Abraham Accords is that signature 2020 foreign policy accomplishment of the president's first term. And all of this comes as there has been some significant strain and tension between the U.S. and Israel, only exacerbated this week, as you mentioned, when Israel struck a number of Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar.

U.S. officials had been angry and frustrated behind closed doors about this attack. President Trump said that it was -- he was, quote, "not thrilled about it." They are frustrated that they didn't have the opportunity to weigh in on the attack or warn the Qataris ahead of time. But Secretary Rubio was asked whether this would have an impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: He didn't like the way it went down. But that said, it's not going to shake our relationship with Israel. It's going to remain strong. And sometimes, you know, things happen or come up in those relationships that perhaps you're not 100 percent aligned with or what have you, but it's not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Rubio and Netanyahu also expected to discuss Israel's plans to expand their military operations in Gaza. Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Betsy Klein there in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Thank you so much for that update. Let's bring in CNN Global Affairs analyst Brett McGurk. He was a senior advisor to the last four presidents and the White House coordinator for the Middle East under President Biden. He has two decades of experience there. Brett, good to see you on this Sunday. Thanks for being with us this afternoon.

I do want to ask you about this plan, potential plan to annex part of the West Bank that they're going to discuss and the potential of that happening, at the same time we are set to see a number of U.S. allies at the meeting, the U.S. General Assembly meeting here in New York shortly, recognize a Palestinian state. Help people kind of put together all of those pieces that could be kind of tied to each other in a way.

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yeah, Jessica, thanks. I think you just laid it out pretty well, as did Betsy just before. Look, I think it's very good the Secretary of Rubio is in Israel. It's where he should be. I've done a number of trips like that. I've met with Prime Minister Netanyahu at critical moments. I don't envy that job he has tomorrow. That's going be an important meeting. But yeah, let's be very clear that it was when Prime Minister Netanyahu in the first Trump administration threatened to annex the West Bank, meaning basically declaring it Israeli territory and foreclosing any possibility of a two-state outcome.

That actually led the UAE to say, hey, if you put that on hold, if you don't do that, we might be willing to actually recognize Israel, and that led to the Abraham Accords. So the UAE has now made very clear that if Prime Minister Netanyahu here five years later thinks he's going to annex the West Bank, that could actually jeopardize that agreement with UAE. And that would just be a catastrophic strategic setback. So I really hope the prime minister can put this on hold.

Look, Israel is threatening this. They are reacting to, as you just mentioned, next week a number of countries are going to recognize a Palestinian state, again with borders, sovereignty, everything, future to be determined. But this is kind of Israeli reaction to that, but it's really self-defeating and I really hope the Israelis put this on the back burner for good.

DEAN: How much influence do you think the United States will have in that potential decision?

[17:10:01] MCGURK: Oh, massive. Massive. No question. If President Trump says -- I don't think he'll say it publicly. You heard Secretary Rubio there at Andrews Air Force Base just before you got on the plane making clear ironclad relationship partnership, but look, it's my understanding the administration's not happy at all about this strike into Doha last week and that strike, Jessica, it seems now that we have more about six days out from it, tactical failure.

It seems that they failed to hit the Hamas leader they're looking for, Khalil al-Hayya, but also a strategic blunder. If you step back this summer, Jessica, I wrote a piece for CNN.com, an analyst piece, saying, you know, after that 12-day war with Iran, it's really time now for diplomacy and to bridge from war to peace, consolidate these gains, really work towards that hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, and get back to that agenda of Israel's integration in the region.

And where we are now, and actually after that 12-day war, the Arab League for the first time since October 7th, of 2023 said it is time for Hamas to give up and lay down its arms. A very significant moment. Here we are today, the Arab League is in Doha together with Iran condemning Israel. So that is strategic setback for Israel. I really hope this meeting with the secretary tomorrow with the prime minister and the Israelis is a strategic meeting in where are we going, where do we want to be in a month and how are going to get there.

DEAN: Yeah, and it will be interesting to see, you know, what comes out of that. Because I am curious if you do agree with what you were talking about with Marco Rubio saying this hasn't changed their relationship. And how much of what's being said in public correlates with what's being said behind closed doors.

MCGURK: Yeah, it is baffling to me that the Israelis would do an overt military strike without coordination with the United States of America into an Arab capital not far from the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. But that appears to have been what happened. That is just -- it is inconceivable to me. Look, I was involved in this for a long time, Jessica, and there are times that the Israelis do covert clandestine operations, Mossad operations. Sometimes they will not tell us or they tell us just that it's happening. Sometimes they give us a weak note. Who knows? It depends on the situation.

But an overt military strike, a named military operation with over 10 jets firing over 12 munitions into an Arab capital with no coordination with the United States, that is a huge blunder on Israel's part and I think that will be a very serious head-to-head meeting tomorrow with Secretary Rubio, but then you're going to need follow-up. Look, let me also step back. Nobody would shed a tear for these Hamas leaders. You know, their days are coming. They've been dead men walking since October 7th. Forty-six Americans died on October 7th, but the time manner, you have to measure a tactical operation against your strategic aims.

The strategic aims here are to get the hostages out of Gaza and ultimately have a new future of Gaza without Hamas. The only way to get the hostages out, Jessica, and I've done these negotiations, is through a deal. If there's no rescue operation available, you need a deal. That's the hard reality and I think that strike last week made a deal harder. Some good news, the Prime Minister of Qatar was here. He saw the president over the weekend and he has since said Qatar is still determined to play this mediator role.

And frankly, to get that deal done, you're going to have to have Qatar playing that role. So I would really -- right now we got to try to get back to that process, try to get the hostages out and a ceasefire in place so this could wind down.

DEAN: All right, Brett McGurk, we look to see what comes out of this meeting. Thank you so much. We really -- always good to have you for some context around these things.

MCGURK: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still ahead, a divided nation in mourning, a memorial taking place in Washington to honor the life of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as some lawmakers in Congress call for unity.

Plus, Elon Musk taking another shot at politics this time across the pond. How the billionaire is ruffling feathers in the United Kingdom.

And while the stock market is nearing record highs, Americans are getting more concerned about the economy and why experts say don't expect prices to come down anytime soon. We'll break that down for you. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

DEAN: Minutes from now, supporters of Charlie Kirk will be hosting a memorial service and prayer vigil at the Kennedy Center and attendees will include congressional leaders, members of the Trump administration, national conservative leaders and grassroots activists. Let's bring in CNN's Camila DeChalus who is joining us now. What more can you tell us about this vigil tonight? It seems like it will be quite a crowd.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Jessica, we're told that there is going to be a very big attendance at this event. Organizers of the visual told CNN that they're expecting around 3,500 people to attend it. We're told that it's going to be around 90 minutes. And there's going to be a number of people that are going to speak, including friends of Charlie Kirk, as well as other notable figures, like lawmakers such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

[17:19:58]

Now, the death of Charlie Kirk has really sparked a national conversation about just how heightened the political environment has become. And lawmakers themselves are really saying that his death is making it clear that they need to take threats made against them and other political figures more seriously. But we're really told by organizers of the visual that they want to make it clear that the main focus of this event is to really honor Charlie Kirk and his memory and what he really meant to the people there.

DEAN: All right, Camila, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Joining me now, the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato. He's also the author of "Campaign of Chaos: Trump, Biden, Harris, and the 2024 American Election." Larry, good to see you. Thanks for being here.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Great to see you too.

DEAN: You too. We were just talking to Camila about this memorial tonight. Earlier today, House Speaker Mike Johnson said this is going to be a moment for people to come together across the aisle. This is what the speaker said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JOHNSON, HOUSE SPEAKER: I participated in a large vigil here in Baton Rouge at LSU, my alma mater, on Friday night. Tonight we'll have a big, I hope bipartisan prayer and reflection vigil in Capitol Hill at the Kennedy Center. There'll be a members' reflection and prayer moment that'll lead on Monday night. This will continue. I think that the country needs to see leaders in Congress and leaders with platforms all around the country speaking truth and bringing calm to situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Larry, I think a lot of people, Americans on both sides of the aisle, are trying to kind of reconcile what they witnessed and have seen happen in this last week. Do you think we're at a turning point?

SABATO: Well, I'd like to think so. When I was younger, I used to be more of an optimist, but I think it comes with age to have a little bit more pessimism. We're going to be fine until the next incident. Who knows when that will be, and we hope it's a long time off? But given our entire history, not just our recent history, it's difficult to believe there won't be other circumstances like this.

But we really need to remember the vast majority of people who do the terrible things that this fellow in Utah did this past week. They're not part of big conspiracies. They're individuals who are deeply disturbed and they often have delusions of grandeur, not all of them, but basically, they see themselves as playing a major role in history and the moment has arrived and Jessica, they take their cue often from leaders. I'm glad the speaker said what he did and I hope he puts it into practice and makes sure that everybody in the House and the Senate and elsewhere does the same thing.

They can trigger these sorts of reactions and it's happened before in American history. These disturbed individuals think they're carrying out a mission that has been hinted at by somebody they respect in a leadership position and we know what happens. It backfires, but much more importantly, people are hurt, badly hurt by it.

DEAN: And we have heard from the Speaker, he has encouraged unity and calm, he has, since this happened. So has Utah's Republican governor, Spencer Cox. We have heard from the president a handful of times. He most recently, yesterday, saying this to NBC News, quote, "I'd like to see the nation heal, but then he went on to say, hut we're dealing with a radical left group of lunatics and they don't play fair and they never did.

To your point about people taking cues from leadership, from elected officials, what do you think about how this moves forward? We are seeing, you know, some -- like I said, some people calling for calm and the president does say that he wants the nation to heal, but he also then went back to what we heard from the Oval Office, which is going back to this, to the radical left.

SABATO: Well, just taking two of the people you mentioned, I would give Governor Spencer Cox of Utah, a Republican conservative. He gets an A. And he didn't just start saying this after the terrible assassination this past week. He was here at my university a few months ago and had the same message about joining together and listening to one another.

And as far as President Trump goes, nobody is surprised. He can't help himself. And he gets an F, because instead of contributing to some sense of unity and trying to smooth things over and being what other presidents of both parties have been, a comforter-in-chief, a consoler-in-chief, smoothing over the waters here, which are very royal (ph), he did exactly the opposite and repeatedly.

[17:24:51]

Now, apparently in private, he's saying something different. Governor Cox, who I can actually believe, said that when President Trump talked to him, he was much more conciliatory and said good things about bringing the country together, but he just can't seem to carry that forward for whatever reason and I'll let people speculate as to what that is. I certainly don't know.

DEAN: It is interesting to hear that once, you know, that a lot of people have said and to your point, if you listen to Spencer Cox before any of this, this has been his message for a long time, that he has met this moment, this moment has found him, and he was a person that has been talking about these sorts of things, coming together and being able to disagree in a civil way for a long time.

SABATO: Absolutely. And people need to remember this is Utah. They don't elect liberals in Utah. He is a conservative Republican. He may not be as conservative as some of the conservatives wanting to be in Utah, but he is a conservative Republican. But he has set the right standard. He has been a great role model through this. And I was delighted to see him on so many of the Sunday shows today.

That's the right message to send to everybody, but I also think having studied assassins and assassinations, I think about that handful of deeply disturbed people who can take what they think are hints and signals the wrong way and then take it much too far. Let's hope they're listening to Spencer Cox and not Donald Trump.

DEAN: And listen, even as you and I are talking about this, it has always been clear, but it is abundantly clear this week, that Americans are living in very different realities, that some people are listening and hearing, to your point, from only one group of people with one set of -- with one narrative, and vice versa, listening to another group of people with one narrative, and aren't trying to hear the other side or even understand maybe where the real facts are from either side. What does that mean for a democracy like ours?

SABATO: Democracy can't survive unless people are listening to one another to the extent that when the other side wins, they can support them. They don't have to support them on every issue. They don't have to abandon their philosophy, but they can go forward together on the things they agree with. We have lost that and, you know, I've seen a lot of people criticize social media, and I hate it. I wish I could go back in time and un-invent it. It's not possible.

But I'll tell you one thing social media does well. Whether you like it or not, if you're on it, it exposes you to not just both sides, but all sides. Now there are some outrageous things on social media, but over time you can get a better idea of what to pay attention to and what to disallow. So even if you're isolated in some sense and you don't have the opportunity to mix with people who believe different things, you actually can pick that up on social media as bad as it can be and often is, and was last week.

And shame on the people who celebrated an assassination. Disgraceful. And I happen to be on social media at that time. I couldn't believe the things popping up. Shame on you. And everybody who did that needs to sit down and think about what they did. And I don't want to use the word repent, but there I said it.

DEAN: All right. There you said it. Larry Sabato, thank you. Really good to see you. We appreciate your thoughts.

SABATO: Thank you.

DEAN: Still to come, a big week ahead for the Federal Reserve as it decides whether to cut interest rates where some economists say the latest inflation and unemployment report gives the Fed no chance as Americans continue to sour on this economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Federal Reserve meets this week and it has signaled it's considering an interest rate cut that can help make mortgages and car loans cheaper. But the Fed usually only cuts rates if the economy is not doing well. New data out this week showed the job market losing -- looking markedly weaker and consumer prices raising in August.

Let's bring in CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar. Rana, thank you so much for being here with us. One economist said that the double red flags that we just outlined there mean, in -- in their words, the whiff of stagflation is getting stronger. What do you think? RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Well, you know, it's a tough call to make right now. We've -- we've been hearing anecdotally that tariffs are starting to bite. That kind of depends on where you are in the country, what sector you're in. But at the same time, you've got a job market weakening, which seems to go along with a slower economy rather than a hotter economy. It's a really tough moment for the Fed.

I will say that the data we saw a couple days ago show that inflation was about where the consensus thought it was going to be. It wasn't out of control. Um, so that probably argues for the Fed to go ahead and make that rate cut in the coming few days. Um, but it's a tough call, Jessica. We're right on the knife's edge.

DEAN: Yeah. And -- and listen, there are concerns from a lot of people and a lot of just Americans about where the economy is, if it's healthy, if it's working for them. At the same time, the stock market just marching right toward new highs this week. So, how do you -- I know we talk about this a lot, but I think it is so central. How do you kind of, you know, make all of that fit together?

FOROOHAR: Yeah, you know, it's a great question because, you know, a lot of people just scratch their head. They -- they feel what they feel in the grocery store. They look at housing prices. They sense that the job market isn't what it used to be. And they think, hey, you know, the economy is slowing down, stocks should be coming down. But the truth is that Wall Street and Main Street are not the same thing.

[17:35:00]

Wall Street likes low interest rates. The fact that stocks are still high and, in fact, have gotten a little higher in the last few days, that shows that they're anticipating rate cuts. There's also a broader context, which is that A.I. is something that America dominates. So American stocks reflect that people still have a lot of optimism about where A.I. is going to take companies in terms of productivity. And there's a lot of trouble in the rest of the world.

So, America, as always, benefits from being the sort of the cleanest dirty shirt or --

(LAUGHTER)

-- the prettiest house on the ugly block, whatever metaphor you want to use.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: Yeah. And listen, President Trump has gone after the Fed chief, Jerome Powell, multiple times. Many people in his administration have gone after him, saying that he is simply too late on cutting these rates. What is the consensus from economists on this? What do you think in terms of the timeliness of cutting these rates?

FOROOHAR: You know, honestly, Jessica, I wouldn't say that there is a consensus amongst economists. This is the most difficult, trickiest moment to make monetary policy in the 33 years that I've been doing this job. There's just so much in play right now.

It's a very unusual moment. It's hard to sort out what's Trump, what's tariffs, what's the sense of anxiety that we all have about, frankly, this political moment, um, the sense that, you know, not only are we in a very dark period just politically in this country, but that there has been a kind of, um, a politicization of institutions like the Fed, like the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So that makes people nervous.

At the same time, you got to look at corporate profits. They're still pretty high. You got to look at the effect that technology is having in the labor market. That's deflationary, arguably. So, there's just a lot in play. It's hard to make a call.

Um, if -- if I had to make a call, I would say, yeah, it's probably time for a rate cut. I think we're probably going to see one next week.

DEAN: And so, if you are -- for our friends watching this, uh, what's the takeaway this week?

FOROOHAR: The takeaway is we are -- I should say this week, on Wednesday, we're probably going to see a cut. Um, you know, don't -- don't look at that and assume too much. Um, I think the next few months are really going to be, you know, where the proof is in the pudding. I think that you could still see more inflation from tariffs. Um, and, you know, we'll have to see what the political atmosphere holds.

A lot of foreign investors are very nervous about the U.S. right now. If they start pulling money out, that could affect the situation. Um, it's a time to not do anything drastic. Just sit tight, wait for the next few months.

DEAN: Okay. Rana, I'm sure we will talk again soon, but thank you so much as we go into what could be a real big week. We appreciate it.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

DEAN: And coming up, America is no stranger to political violence. We're going look back at some of the most tumultuous moments in our nation's history and talk about how Americans can learn from the past during this latest tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: In the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing, fear and tension are gripping a nation already on edge as concerns for political violence grow. And the current climate is now being compared to 1968 when the shocking assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led to political unrest across the country. CNN's Brian Todd takes a look back at that perilous year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Panic and terror in the moments after a political assassination. The scene at Utah Valley University after the shooting of Charlie Kirk, the latest in a string of violence against political figures, disturbingly reminiscent of a moment 57 years earlier.

June 5th, 1968, the kitchen of L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel erupts in chaos after Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot. Kennedy died several hours later.

The political violence in America over the past several months with the Kirk assassination, the assassination attempt against President Trump, the murders of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in their home and other targeted political attacks have analysts reflecting on the perilous year that was 1968.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: This was a year when political protest was in the streets with violence, not just with words.

TODD (voice-over): 1968 began with the Tet Offensive, an attack which shook Americans' confidence in the way their leaders were waging war in Vietnam. Protests got violent. Large sections of American cities burned. On April 4th of that year, Martin Luther King, Jr., the most prominent civil rights leader in American history, was assassinated in Memphis. That evening, as he broke the news of King's death to a crowd in Indianapolis, Robert F. Kennedy made this appeal.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.

TODD (voice-over): A different tone in 2025. Here's what President Donald Trump said Friday on Fox.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The radicals on the left are the problem. And they're vicious and they're horrible and they're politically savvy.

TOOBIN: The contrast between RFK after Martin Luther King's assassination and Donald Trump after Charlie Kirk's assassination couldn't be greater.

[17:45:00]

One is an appeal for peace and understanding and the other is an appeal for vengeance.

TODD (voice-over): Kennedy was murdered just two months after King was gunned down. And later that summer, protests over Vietnam turned horribly violent. Police ruthlessly beating demonstrators on the streets of Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention. One important contrast between 1968 and now, analysts say, the constant bombardment of social media fomenting more political violence. JONATHAN LEWIS, RESEARCH FELLOW AT PROGRAM ON EXTREMISM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: When you have individuals who are disturbed, who are predisposed to violence, who are looking for that justification, all they have to do is wake up every day and look at their phone, and it's right there in their face.

TODD: Two of the analysts we spoke to say 1968 and this current period have to be put into one important context, that political violence has always been part of the American fabric. Jeffrey Toobin points out President Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts in 1975. Toobin says he doesn't see any sign that political violence in the U.S. will ever go away.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Brian, thank you. And political violence has threatened America's democracy in the past. That's just one example. But after this latest tragedy, can America take steps to do something about it? CNN explores that question tonight on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper," "Political Violence: America's Bloody History." It is tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only here on CNN.

Still to come here on our show this evening, we're also live at the red carpet for to -- one of tonight's -- for television's biggest night. A look at how the show is dominating this year's Emmy nominations might fare. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Billionaire Elon Musk criticized the United Kingdom this weekend, saying the nation needs a -- quote -- "revolutionary government change." Musk was speaking virtually at a far-right anti- immigration rally in London. He called for people to -- he called for people to reform the government there and told the political activist known as Tommy Robinson, people need to be in charge -- quote -- "not some bureaucracy that doesn't care."

This as the anti-immigration protests turned violent yesterday with officials saying police officers were attacked with projectiles and assaulted, leading to 26 officers injured and 25 people arrested.

New tonight, a new anime film, "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," shattering the record for biggest opening weekend domestic gross for an anime movie, hauling in an estimated $70 million. Distributed in North America by Sony Pictures Entertainment, owned by Crunchyroll, the film brought in $33 million on Friday alone, and that beat the record set by the 1999 anime hit, "Pokemon: The First Movie." "Infinity Castle" topping the box office, placing ahead of the "The Conjuring: Last Rites" and "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale." Also tonight is television's biggest night, the 77th Emmy Awards, set to begin in just a few. And comedian Nate Bargatze is taking his first stab at hosting the star-studded event.

Let's bring in our Elizabeth Wagmeister on the red carpet in Los Angeles. Things seem to be really popping behind you there, Elizabeth. Tell us, set the stage for tonight.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, things are popping, the stars are arriving. I just interviewed Walton Goggins from "White Lotus" which, by the way, is one of the most nominated shows tonight. Some of the other most nominated shows, Jessica, are "Severance" with a whopping 27 nominations, "The Studio" from Apple TV, and also "The Penguin."

And I have to tell you, I think when we're looking at the potential winners, we're going to have some fresh blood. Sometimes, the Emmys, it feels like the same shows win year after year. But shows like "The Pitt" on HBO and again, "The Studio" on Apple TV, those are expected to be some of the big winners. So, I think that we'll get some new winners tonight.

DEAN: And Elizabeth, the host, Nate Bargatze, is a newbie to the Emmy stage, and he already has this unique plan to keep acceptance speeches short. So, what do know about that? How does he do that?

WAGMEISTER: Yes. So, I just sat down with Nate Bargatze, and he told me that his plan, so he is making a $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America, and he is going to have some of the children in the room, in the theater, and he is going to tell all of Hollywood that for every second they go over, they're allotted 45 seconds for their acceptance speech, he's taking $1,000 away from the kids. So --

(LAUGHTER)

WAGMEISTER: -- you can't hurt the kids. So, Hollywood better keep it under wraps. You know, he also told me, though, that if they keep it short, that he's going to add more money. So, in a way, he said, I'm kind of hoping that they don't because I may go broke. But he's the number one standup comedian in America. So, he can afford it and it's for a good cause.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: Yeah, he can afford it. And something tells me one of these honorees, maybe more of them will also potentially donate at some point this evening. Um, lastly, Elizabeth, the early honorees tonight include the recently-defunded Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What are the dynamics at play there?

WAGMEISTER: Yes. So, actually, last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which is the precursor to tonight's Primetime Emmy Awards, they were awarded with the highest honor from the Television Academy, which is the Governor's Award.

[17:55:00] So, obviously, the industry, Hollywood, really rallying around them after being defunded by Congress. But I have to tell you, when it comes to politics, don't expect too much tonight. Why? Because when I interviewed Nate Bargatze, he said he really wants to keep the focus on entertainment, on celebrating television. However, Stephen Colbert is nominated and after his show was canceled, I do believe he's going to win. So, watch out for that, Jessica.

DEAN: Okay. A lot of things to watch tonight. We'll check in with you a little bit later in our show. Elizabeth Wagmeister there on the red carpet, thank you so much.

Still ahead in our next hour, the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk is now housed in a special jail unit under mental health observation. We have some new details into that investigation, including what charges the 22-year-old could face. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)