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Turning Point USA Announces Memorial for Charlie Kirk; Investigators Learning More About Tyler Robinson; Rubio Arrives in Israel; Qatar to Hold Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit; Trump Calls on NATO Allies to Stop Buying Russian Oil; U.S. Consumer Sentiment Falling; Rising Political Violence. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 14, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's our look at eight remarkable individuals who have found their own unique way to empower people in all walks of life. Their creativity and their commitment are impressive. But ultimately, they show that anyone can be a champion for change by taking action on a cause that is close to your heart.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Memorial plans are now set for Charlie Kirk as we learn more about the man suspected of killing the conservative activist. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Israel as another round of Israeli strikes kills dozens in Gaza. We'll bring you a live report. And President Trump again threatens sanctions against Russia but wants something from NATO allies first. We'll explain his ultimatum.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: As law enforcement authorities from Utah to Washington, D.C. investigate the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, more information is now emerging about the suspect. The New York Times is reporting that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson joked in an online chat on Discord that his, quote, "doppelganger" carried out the crime. They say the chat took place just hours before Robinson was arrested.

Meanwhile, Kirk's supporters are holding vigils to remember him. And the group Kirk founded, Turning Point USA, says it will hold a memorial one week from today in Glendale, Arizona. Let's go now to CNN's Danny Freeman for more on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Still so many outstanding questions when it comes to the main suspect here in Charlie Kirk's murder. The main suspect being 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of southwest Utah. Remember, law enforcement officials have not explicitly said a motive just yet. So, that's part of the reason why we have so many questions.

Here's what we know at the moment. Tyler Robinson is being held about 250 miles northeast of where we are right here in southwest Utah. He, as far as we understand at this point, is not speaking with authorities anymore. And investigators have been all over this area in Washington and St. George trying to piece together as much information to understand what might have driven Robinson to go up to that university and open fire on Kirk.

So, let me illustrate, though, some of the things that we've been learning about who Robinson was. As far as we understand from people who knew Robinson, he lived a fairly normal life here in southwest Utah. He was a good student. He came from a close-knit family. Both of his parents were registered Republicans, though he himself was not registered to any particular party. He got a merit scholarship to Utah State University, though he only attended for about a semester. Then he ended up enrolling in a technical college where he was training on becoming an electrician.

People we spoke with who knew Robinson said he was very into video games, though he was pretty quiet and not overtly political unless he was asked specifically about politics. Though I'll note the governor of the state did mention that in recent years family members had observed that he had become, Robinson that, is more political. We also know that he had bullet markings allegedly inscribed on the bullets that were discovered at the scene up north of here that had writings related to memes and some video games on there. Investigators, though, still working around the clock to try and pinpoint a clear motive that would have brought Robinson to actually pull the trigger.

I want you to take a listen to what the governor told CNN's Anderson Cooper about the question of motive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): Well, I think maybe what stands out is that nothing stands out the way you would normally expect. You know, this is a good family, normal childhood, all of those things that you would hope would never lead to something like this, and sadly it did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, the crucial date that we're all looking towards is next Tuesday here in Utah. That's when we're expecting the formal charges to be announced in addition to potentially the first court appearance of Robinson here in the state.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Washington, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There's been discussion about the possibility of federal charges against Robinson, but a former federal prosecutor tells CNN it's not clear how the Department of Justice might charge him. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSE ADAMSON, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: So, as the case stands right now, I am not seeing an obvious federal hook. So, take Luigi Mangione as an example, as a case we can distinguish. That is the individual who is accused of murdering healthcare 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.

[04:05:00]

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 could actually be concurrent prosecutions, meaning he can be charged both state level and federally at the same time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, before Robinson was arrested, Utah's governor said the state would pursue the death penalty in the case. But Utah's attorney general told CNN on Friday, he can't say if that will happen. He did say, quote, "everything is on the table."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel a short time ago. He's there to meet with the Israeli officials, and he says to gain clarity on Israel's strategy in its military campaign against Hamas. The Israeli prime minister's office says Secretary Rubio will meet with Benjamin Netanyahu at the Western Wall later today.

Now, at this hour, Netanyahu is due to meet with his cabinet. And it comes amid Israel's intensifying operation in Gaza City. Hospital officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes killed at least 74 people on Saturday. Meanwhile, Qatar says it will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday in the wake of Israel's airstrikes on Doha. Foreign ministers and officials from Arab and Islamic countries are due to meet in the coming hours to prepare for the upcoming summit.

Now, in Israel, thousands of protesters descended upon Tel Aviv's hostage square on Saturday, demanding an end to the war and the release of hostages. One banner read, Netanyahu, stop deceiving President Trump. A major group of relatives of the remaining hostages is accusing the Israeli prime minister of sabotage and being an obstacle to ending the war. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ITZIK HORN, FATHER OF EITAN HORN (through translator): Whoever truly wants to bring the hostages home does not bomb the Hamas negotiation team while they're discussing the release of my son and the other hostages. Prime Minister, I'm calling on you. Let's sit down face to face, father to father, no media, no spin, no leaks, and answer me just one question, if your children were among the hostages, would they also be rotting in tunnels for over 700 days? So, why are our children?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: For more, I want to bring in CNN's Nada Bashir in London. So, Nada, I do want to talk about those protests, but first, the U.S. Secretary of State arrives in Tel Aviv. So, what's on the agenda and what is the Trump administration hoping to achieve with this visit?

NASA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, loOK. Kim, there are certainly mounting questions around what the relationship between the Trump administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at right now, given the recent strikes on Doha in Qatar, targeting Hamas' chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, although he was not killed in that attack.

But, of course, in the wake of those attacks, we did hear some notes of frustration from the Trump administration, from President Trump himself. Qatar is, of course, a key ally of the United States. It has played a key role in mediating peace talks between Israel and Hamas on behalf and in cooperation with the United States, and it is, of course, home to the U.S.'s largest military base in the region. So, certainly, a strategic partner for the Trump administration and that will be a key focus, it is expected, for the secretary of state as he meets with Israeli officials today after arriving in Tel Aviv.

And, of course, we did hear some notes of frustration, and, in fact, Rubio touched on that, speaking to reporters, acknowledging that the Trump administration was not necessarily happy about how those strikes went down, but he also said that this would not change the relationship between the U.S. and Israel. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: 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 and those relationships perhaps are not 100 percent aligned with, or what have you, but it's not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it.

Primarily, what impact does this have, what happened, what impact does that have moving forward and what comes next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, of course, in terms of what comes next, there is a lot of concern around what this will mean for the future of negotiations and peace talks between Israel and Hamas. We've heard from Qatari officials saying that Israel's attack on Doha, targeting Hamas' chief negotiator, have undermined those peace efforts that have, of course, been led by the likes of Qatar, the United States, and Egypt.

[04:10:00]

And this has really put into jeopardy, not only the situation in Gaza and questions of a ceasefire, but also the safety and security of the hostages currently held captive in Gaza.

And as you mentioned, Kim, we have, once again, seen a large-scale rally taking place in Israel. Family members and representatives of the hostages calling for a ceasefire, calling on the Israeli government to do more to secure their release. We've seen banners being unfurled, calling on the Israeli prime minister, in their words, to stop deceiving the U.S. president. And many have described Netanyahu now as being an obstacle to peace talks, given the attack on Doha and given the impact this has had on those negotiations.

There are fears, of course, around retaliatory attacks against those hostages held captive, though still alive, in the Gaza Strip. And, of course, for many family members, this is a moment of deep anguish as they continue to push for the government to do more.

And, of course, in Gaza, the situation is also growing increasingly desperate, as it has been for months now. We've seen the Israeli military doubling down its attacks as it deepens its offensive in Gaza City. At least 70 people killed on Saturday. Dozens more were also killed on Friday. This is a daily occurrence. And as this is happening, as those fatalities are rising, we are seeing the Israeli military once again calling on civilians in Gaza City to evacuate, to move southwards.

For many of these families, in fact, for pretty much everyone in Gaza now, this is not the first time they have been told to evacuate. And they are being told to move southwards, an area that is still facing airstrikes. And many humanitarian organizations say there is simply nowhere safe left to go. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Nada Bashir, we'll get the latest from you next hour. Appreciate that. Thank you so much.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring NATO allies with an ultimatum that he says will quickly end Russia's war in Ukraine. In a post to social media, he quoted a letter that he sent to his NATO counterparts. The president said he's willing to slap major sanctions on Moscow, but only if NATO countries agree to do the same and stop buying oil from Russia. He also called on NATO to significantly ramp up tariffs on China, the largest purchaser of Russian oil.

Now, it comes as Russian drones potentially breached NATO airspace for a second time this week. Romania's defense ministry said it intercepted a drone that entered its airspace Saturday while Russia attacked Ukraine. F-16 fighter jets tracked the drone until it dropped off the radar. Romania says the drone didn't fly over populated areas or pose an imminent threat. CNN's Betsy Klein has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump issuing an ultimatum to NATO countries in a letter issued Saturday. The president says that he will enact major sanctions on Russia if and when NATO countries do the same and also stop purchasing Russian oil and gas. Now, in that same letter, the president is also calling on NATO countries to significantly ramp up tariffs on China up to 50 to 100 percent in a show of force.

But meeting the president's demands is really going to mark a significant policy change for many of these NATO member countries, and it remains to be seen whether there is enough collective interest to take those steps. But the president laying out his rationale in his letter, he writes, 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 negotiation position and bargaining power over Russia."

Now, many of these countries still import Russian fossil fuels as well as liquefied natural gas, and Turkey, which is a NATO member country, is a major purchaser of Russian oil. This is generally also not how European countries conduct their tariff policies. So, it remains to be seen whether President Trump can influence his counterparts on this issue. And all of this comes, of course, as momentum toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine has largely stalled in recent weeks.

Russia has shown very little sign of de-escalation, particularly as we've seen that incursion into Polish airspace with Russian drones in the past days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about that on Saturday, and he weighed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: I don't think anybody's happy about it seeing happen. You saw NATO respond to it appropriately. We don't want to see it happen again. We think it's an unacceptable and unfortunate and dangerous development in this regard. I think it'll take a few more days for everybody to fully -- the drones were intentionally launched. There's no doubt about the drones were intentionally launched. The question is whether the drones were targeted to go into Poland specifically. If that's the case, if the evidence leads us there, then obviously that would be a highly escalatory move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: President Trump, meanwhile, says that his patience with Russian President Putin is running out and running out fast, but his latest demands risk prolonging this conflict.

Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the president in New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:15:00] BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking out about Wednesday's Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace. He sat down with CNN's Fareed Zakaria in Kyiv. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I don't think that NATO has failed. Everywhere where NATO is present, there is no war. So, we understand that there's a strong alliance and strong allies. It's simply that I believe that now, when there are such signals coming to NATO countries, and let's be honest, during this war, there were no such massive attacks on the territory of NATO countries, but there were cases with Romania and Poland that -- so, it's not the first time. I simply believe that there must be a response to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And you can watch Fareed's full interview with President Zelenskyy at 10:00 a.m. Eastern here in the U.S. That's 3:00 p.m. in London.

All right. Still to come, shaken by recent acts of political violence, U.S. lawmakers are considering new ways to speak to voters and stay safe. Plus, U.S. consumers are concerned about the economy, the numbers behind the worry over jobs and inflation. We'll have those after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Guatemalan minors in U.S. custody. The late-night ruling followed urgent concerns that children as young as 10 were being awakened in the middle of the night and prepared for removal. Attorneys representing the minors argued the government's violating U.S. law, which gives them special protections. The Trump administration had planned to begin deportations Sunday in cooperation with Guatemala's government. The judge's order halts those efforts for 14 days and covers hundreds of unaccompanied minors.

American consumers are increasingly worried about the economy. Consumer sentiment fell almost 5 percent from last month, and it's down more than 20 percent for the past year. Confidence took a hit as inflation remained stubborn, up almost 0.5 percent for a month, nearly 3 percent annually. That combines with a weakened jobs outlook.

The economy added 911,000 fewer jobs over the year from April 2024 to March 2025, and unemployment claims reached their highest level since 2021. Now, put together, there's at least an initial worry about the possibility of stagflation, the dreaded combination of rising prices while overall economic activity shrinks.

For more on all this, I'm joined now by Ryan Patel, who's a senior fellow of Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School of Management. Great to see you again. Thanks so much for coming on with us.

So, I want to start with those jobs numbers, a huge downward revision. If the labor market's slowing down, does that mean the economy's slowing down? Is it that simple? How worrying are these job numbers, and what do they tell you about the health of the overall economy?

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Well, I mean, let's take one thing at a time. The job numbers are slowing down. People are feeling that. I think when you mentioned stagflation, you know, where it combines and provides a little bit of a concern is when you still have the high inflation, which is still pretty sticky, and then you add the low growth. That's where we start to worry a little bit. Obviously, the Fed is seeing the high unemployment, which is kind of why we're starting to see that set. Hopefully, that cut will happen, but that mix of the low growth and the high inflation is something that is worrisome.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. OK. So, let's be very clear about this inflation, because this week, President Trump claimed he solved inflation, but you're saying the actual data is telling you a different story, right?

PATEL: Yes. So, inflation rose, as you mentioned, 2.9 percent year- over-year in August. Core inflation is still sticky at 3.1 percent. So, we're still not where the Fed wants to be at 2 percent, where it suggested. So, the drivers of that, Kim, has been energy, housing, and food costs, and that's where we've seen the pressure put on households. That's what you're seeing in the surveys, where consumers are -- they don't -- the real issue isn't if they're 3 percent or 10 percent inflation, consumers are running away from that perception until it changes behavior.

And, so that is a key thing here, and we haven't even talked about, which we may not have time to, the tariffs and supply chain bottlenecks that continue to persist that could accelerate inflation. So, no, we're not -- we're still feeling it. It's clear. The question becomes, what happens in the next 30 days to decrease that?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. OK. So, there's been a lot of talk about stagflation. So, I gave a basic definition of that. But break it down for our viewers in simple terms. I mean, what does it actually mean for people? Why should they care how it will affect their jobs, their grocery bills, their retirement accounts, things like that?

PATEL: Yes. So, we've got to put an equation, right? Stagflation equals high inflation plus high unemployment plus low growth. So, what that means is if U.S. growth is slowing, prices remain sticky, and job creation is weakening.

So, that -- why that becomes a little bit of an issue, it's for policymakers is they want to fear this because if there's rising costs without job growth, they can't catch up. And that's where the shifting and the real risk becomes. If you think about the last time we kind of saw this was the 1970s, and that playbook doesn't fit today because we are in a global supply chain, tech, services dominance. And so, we -- it's something new, and we are more interconnected. So, to the average person, it is a little bit new to all of us because the Fed does have some tools to do this, but the markets are super hypersensitive now. And so, small policy shifts can trigger kind of a -- you know, kind of a chain reaction to responses to this.

[04:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: OK. So, we won't go back to the '70s, I guess that's the good news, but we got new consumer confidence numbers and they're not looking great. What's your take on how Americans are feeling about the economy right now and whether that lack of confidence might actually make things worse, whether there's sort of a feedback loop there?

PATEL: Well, the surveys show, you know, a couple things, right, that pessimism is rising. So, that's clear. Really, what households are expecting, unemployment to continue to climb, which that's what they're feeling. And then, you know, on top of that, inflation tends to linger. Just to remind everybody, consumers drive 70 percent of the U.S. GDP. So, without the consumers, this is going to hurt the growth.

And at the end of the day, I always say, like, confidence is -- you know, the consumer confidence is the, you know, invisible fuel behind, you know, the economy here. So, when sentiment drops, people cut back. And it's clear not just what they're trying to do, cutting back, but, you know, I've said this to you before, the sentiment, will it rebound during holiday season, which is right around the corner, when we start seeing sales for Black Friday, you know, in November, and when Amazon starts to do their sales, are we going to see a cut back there too? That'd be real telling.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, all right. We'll keep an eye out. I'm sure we'll have you on back to analyze all this. Ryan Patel, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

PATEL: Appreciate you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Well, the shooting death of activist Charlie Kirk has many Americans worried about a rise in political violence. Ahead, historian Douglas Brinkley explains how the political atmosphere today compares to that during the U.S. Civil War.

Plus, we'll have a closer look at the impact Charlie Kirk and his message had on young voters. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, and this is CNN Newsroom.

Charlie Kirk's killing is just the latest act of deadly political violence in the U.S. Now, lawmakers from both parties are wondering how to safely engage with the public. Arlette Saenz explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The assassination of Charlie Kirk has reopened a conversation about how to protect lawmakers amid concerns about political violence. That is a common concern that we heard from some lawmakers up on Capitol Hill this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has held preliminary conversations with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the issue of security, as some members do want to see enhanced security measures for when they are back home in their home states or potentially traveling for events.

Now, these concerns about political violence really came to the forefront over the summer, after the assassination of that Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker back in June. After that shooting, the House and Senate worked through what additional security funding and resources might look like for these lawmakers.

There have actually been some pilot programs underway in the House and Senate to determine what security details could look like for members when they are back home. I spoke with Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, who leads a key subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who said that they are working through what it might cost to have security details and what the size and scope of that could entail. He said everyone, all lawmakers will have different needs, and they will need to assess that going forward.

But we have also spoken with some lawmakers who said that they are rethinking how they might approach their own security and their events going forward. Some lawmakers said that they may not hold outdoor large events going forward. There are others who have signaled that they might use private funds to try to hire security for various events going forward. These are all some of the dynamics that people are considering amid these concerns about political violence.

But I also spoke with some senators who were worried that these acts of political violence might turn people away from running for office going forward. Senator Tim Kaine said that he's very worried that this is going to lead to good public servants either deciding not to run or deciding to step down from their post.

So, these are all some of the concerns and dynamics that are playing out among lawmakers as they assess the path forward after this assassination against Charlie Kirk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The political division and violence have created a climate of fear here in the United States, and some people are comparing it to the years before the U.S. Civil War. Well CNN asked presidential historian Douglas Brinkley about it, and here's his sobering answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN AND PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, RICE UNIVERSITY: Well, you know, I used to always say the point of history is to remind us that our own times aren't uniquely oppressive. So, you go back and you look at the Civil War and what happened, and not just the, you know, dead bodies, 600,000 bodies south fighting north, but also what happened leading into it, beatings and canings and violence. John Brown in Kansas and what went down at Harper's Ferry, but that was the Civil War.

And I feel that we're in a neo-Civil War right now in our country. The hatred between the right and the left, while the center is being muted, except on a local television basis, is getting so extreme that people are frightened. And we're living now in a kingdom of fear in the United States.

We have a massive proliferation of guns, we have mental illness going on, and we are a country filled with conspiracy theories. Many Americans don't believe 9/11 happened or don't believe Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. We have an information misinformation crisis fueled by the technological revolution and mainly social media right now.

So, we can rattle off past politicians, four presidents have been murdered, 14 people in Congress in American history have been murdered. But this seems different. I agree with Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, you know, Charlie Kirk's assassination really has the nation on a tinderbox this weekend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, the U.S. president is ramping up his verbal attacks on Democrats and those he calls the quote, "radical left." On Saturday, Donald Trump told NBC News that he'd like to see the nation heal. And then he said, quote, "but we're dealing with a radical left group of lunatics and they don't play fair and they never did."

On the day Charlie Kirk was killed, President Trump released a video speaking out about political violence against Republicans. He didn't mention acts of violence against Democrats.

Well, Charlie Kirk was a passionate defender of free speech, but a growing online campaign has emerged targeting some people who comment on him or his public opinions. Conservative activists and some Republican elected officials have singled out posts and messages for extensive criticism.

[04:35:00]

One website is collecting tens of thousands of social media posts. The site's anonymous owners state their explicit aim is to get people fired for those posts. Most of the entries don't call for violence. Some people whose posts were highlighted say they're being harassed and are worried about violence. Meanwhile, Kirk's social media accounts have gained millions of followers since his death. His Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages have seen big increases along with his podcast TikTok account.

While Charlie Kirk's last public event took place on a large college campus, Utah Valley University was the first stop on his American comeback tour. Kirk was known for challenging people to debate his political and cultural views and his style drew in a lot of young people. CNN's Harry Enten examines the impact he may have had on young voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: One of his main missions was to engage with and bring younger folks over to the conservative side of the aisle. And based upon the results of the last presidential election, I think we can say he was quite successful in doing so.

What are we talking about? Well, let's take a look at 18 to 24-year- olds who voted for Donald Trump, that is voters under the age of 25. Look at this. In 2016, it was just 34 percent. Jump ahead to 2020, it was just 31 percent. But look at this past presidential election, in 2024, Donald Trump's percentage of voters under the age of 25 jumped all the way up to 43 percent of the vote.

Indeed, when you compare his percentage of the vote with that of Kamala Harris' and we look at the margin, we can say that Trump had the best performance for any Republican nominee for president this entire century among voters under the age of 25.

Now, when we dig into the numbers a little bit deeper, we can see even more of the influence of Charlie Kirk. What are we talking about? Well, let's take a look at males under the age of 25, that is age 18 to 24-year-old males presidential margin. You go back to 2016, Hillary Clinton easily won that vote by 11 points. You jump ahead to 2020, you can see Joe Biden nearly doubled Clinton's margin, won it by an even larger margin. Look at this, a 20-point win for Joe Biden.

But look at this past presidential election. Donald Trump actually won males under the age of 25. He won him by three points. And in doing so became the first Republican nominee for president to win males under the age of 25 this entire century.

Now, one of the reasons that Donald Trump was so successful among younger voters was because of advice given to him by Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk said, bypass the traditional media, go straight on the podcast, talk to younger voters where they are. Indeed, that was one heck of a good piece of advice because, get this, where Generation Z prefers to get its news, only 8 percent prefer to get it on television. Look at digital though, we're talking social media, we're talking podcasts, et cetera, 86 percent of Generation Z prefers to get its news through digital media.

So, that advice that Charlie Kirk gave to Donald Trump to bypass the traditional media, to reach out to younger voters, it was a really smart piece of advice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump says he's now ready to apply sweeping sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, but that will only happen on one condition. We'll tell you what it is next. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00] BRUNHUBER: Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday as part of the so-called Unite the Kingdom rally organized by far-right political activist Tommy Robinson. Some of the protesters paid their respects to the murdered U.S. activist Charlie Kirk by chanting his name or carrying his photo. The huge crowd became unruly, with protesters throwing projectiles and clashing with police. Twenty- six officers were injured, and 25 people were arrested.

Now, this follows a wave of anti-immigrant protests that have turned violent in the U.K., as Britain deals with a record number of asylum seekers. Protesters who attended Saturday's event say they're frustrated with the Labour government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the current government is a disgrace. It's taking away our liberties and they're making up things as they go along. I've never seen a government so disorganized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Large crowds also turned out for a counter-protest, carrying signs that said fight against the far-right. One counter- protester said people are too quick to blame migrants for problems facing the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a fear that the far-right are trying to take over. So, there's a fear of the rise of that sort of thing. But also, the way immigrants and asylum seekers are blamed for what's wrong here, it's totally wrong. It's totally wrong. And I think it's racist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is urging NATO countries to stop buying oil from Russia. He says he sent a letter to his NATO counterparts vowing to impose major sanctions on Russia, but only if the alliance agrees to do the same. He also called on NATO to significantly ramp up tariffs on China, the largest purchaser of Russian oil. The president says Moscow's war in Ukraine would end quickly if those steps were taken.

All right. Joining me now is Steven Erlanger, the New York Times chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe. Thank you so much for joining us again. Really appreciate it. So, President Trump saying I'll only do something if you go first. I mean, what's the motive here, do you think?

STEVEN ERLANGER, NEW YORK TIMES CHIEF DIPLOMATIC SANCTIONS: Trump is kicking the can down the road as he often does. He just will not put pressure on Vladimir Putin. That's the problem. This is one more excuse for him not to do it. He keeps saying, oh, if we put pressure on Russia's customers, then Putin will come to terms. But he is refusing so far, though he sometimes warns about it, to put economic and other pressures on Putin himself.

The problem, of course, NATO isn't an economic organization. Most NATO countries do not buy Russian oil. There are a couple, especially Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia that do, and they're not going to stop, I'm afraid.

BRUNHUBER: OK. So, on that point, I mean, why do you think he targeted the NATO and not naming out or calling out the individual countries, as you say, Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey specifically? Is it because several of those are headed by his allies?

ERLANGER: Well, that's quite possible. It's also Turkey's outside the European Union. So, if he just limited to the European Union, which actually does impose pretty strong sanctions on Russia and is very much like the Czech Republic, weaning itself from Russian oil, it would be a more complicated ask.

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But calling it Turkey involves -- I mean, sorry, calling it NATO involves Turkey. Turkey has a direct pipeline, gas pipeline from Russia. There's something called the Druzhba or friendship pipeline that goes to Hungary and Slovakia gets stuff from there.

Russia actually does benefit from this sale of oil, but not hugely. The biggest customers for Russian oil are China and India. And though it's not -- you know, it's -- again, I think Trump is finding a reason not to do what the Europeans would like him to do and Ukraine would like him to do, which is put more pressure on Moscow himself.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And it should be said, President Trump has put, you know, announced large secondary sanctions against India for buying Russian oil. India still continues to buy Russian oil. So, let's just say, you know, these NATO countries do exceed to President Trump's demands, President Trump says this will quickly end the war. I mean, he's been wrong about that before. If it were to happen, I mean, it wouldn't end the war quickly, would it?

ERLANGER: Well, probably not. I mean, Russia is under economic pressure. There's no question that its economy benefits from the sale of energy abroad. There's no question about that. But as I say, quite a lot of the oil itself goes to China and India, which are not part of NATO.

And, you know, oil, once it gets out of the market, it doesn't have a nationality. I mean, there's a great smuggling that goes on. This so- called shadow fleet Russia has under all kinds of flags is selling oil all kinds of places. So, you know, I think Putin is committed to this war. I think even with current economic pressure, he can keep going for at least a year or more if, in fact, Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia stop buying Russian oil. I don't think it would make much difference, to be honest.

BRUNHUBER: Switching gears slightly, I want to take advantage of your diplomatic expertise here. We saw yesterday a Russian drone entering Romanian airspace. Meanwhile, the reverberations of Russia's drone incursion in Poland are still being felt.

So, we saw at the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. said it would defend every inch of NATO territory. But that was after President Trump suggested, you know, it could have been a mistake by Russia. So, how worried are European allies about Trump's sort of shrug on this matter?

ERLANGER: Well, again, it goes to his relationship with Putin. I mean, if you agree, and I think most people do, that the flock of drones that went over Poland were intentional and they were designed to prompt some kind of NATO response, they were, to some degree, testing the American response. And if the American response is Mr. Trump saying, oh, NATO should put pressure on Russia, I won't until they do, that sends a message to NATO that Trump's really not all that interested.

Now, in terms of defending NATO territory, the chief military officer in Europe, the SACEUR, who also commands American troops, was very strong on Friday saying that America would defend every inch of NATO territory. And so, far, that's where we are. But in a crunch, this is not a guarantee. It's kind of an assurance. And it's up to the president. And the president is an unpredictable person.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We'll have to leave it there. I always appreciate your analysis, Steven Erlanger. Thank you so much.

ERLANGER: Thank you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Well, Pope Leo is now a septuagenarian and a wide mix of musicians and thinkers joined him to look at the future. We'll see who is there when we come back. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Pope Leo turned 70 today after the Vatican brought together some famous musicians and thinkers yesterday in St. Peter's Square. Now, they weren't just there to enjoy an unprecedented pop concert, but also to think about how to influence humanity's future in a positive way. CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb was there.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this has been the first concert of its kind in St. Peter's. There's been a huge crowd here to see an all-star lineup directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli. There have been performances from John Legend, Karol G, Jennifer Hudson. It's all part, though, of the Vatican's attempt for -- to build a more humane and peaceful world, and it's the culmination of a summit on human fraternity, which has brought together thinkers and Nobel laureates to discuss a whole range of topics, including artificial intelligence.

Now, among those who've come to the Vatican to talk about that topic was will.i.am, the front man of Black Eyed Peas, and he spoke to me earlier about why he had come to the Vatican for these discussions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Now, that's quite young for a pope, and it's not clear how Leo will celebrate. Now, the celebratory atmosphere in Rome was appropriate, given that on Sunday, Pope Leo is due to celebrate his 70th birthday. Now, that's quite young for a pope, and it's not clear how Leo will celebrate.

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But he did receive a cake on Saturday from the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy Sea, Brian Burch. Ambassador Burch was making his first visit to meet with Pope Leo, and he bought him a chocolate cake from Portillo's, a restaurant chain headquartered in Chicago, of course, the hometown of Pope Leo.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

In U.S. college football, number 6-ranked Georgia remains undefeated after a nail-biter against number 15 Tennessee. Have a look. The volunteers jumped to an early lead, but the Georgia Bulldogs kept clawing their way back, tying the game up for a third time with just 2.5 minutes left in the game.

Now, Tennessee had a chance to win before the final whistle, but kicker Max Gilbert missed a 43-yard field goal, pushing the game into overtime. He redeemed himself with a go-ahead field goal minutes later, but it wouldn't be enough. Georgia running back Josh McCray forced his way to a one-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 44-41 victory.

And in another top 20 showdown, number 16 Texas A&M upset number 8 Notre Dame. The Aggies scored on fourth down with just 13 seconds left in the game. The extra point sealed the win, 41-40. Now, despite making it to the national title game last year, the fighting Irish lost their first two games of the 2025 season.

And finally, American Terence Crawford has become the first male boxer to capture undisputed titles in three separate weight classes. He did it Saturday night in Las Vegas with a unanimous decision over super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. More than 70,000 spectators filled Allegiant Stadium for the highly anticipated fight. Crawford is undefeated in 42 fights with 31 knockouts.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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