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President Trump And Vice President J.D. Vance To Attend Charlie Kirk Memorial In Glendale, Arizona; Social Media Sprouting Conspiracy Theories Around Killing Of Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk; ICE Protest Outside Of Chicago Leads To Several Arrests; Black Unemployment In U.S. Hits Highest Level Since COVID Pandemic As Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates; Anti-Defamation League Files Lawsuit against Hamas And Other Groups For October 7th Attacks; U.S. Federal Government Sues Ticketmaster Over Ticket Pricing; Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Asking Judge To Bar Prosecutors From Seeking Death Penalty In UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Case; Thousands Gather In Minneapolis For 40th Annual Farm Aid Concert; Service Dog Saves Owner's Life; Bad Bunny To Play Final Concert In Months Long Puerto Rico Tour. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 20, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is something that President Trump has talked about before. So again, essentially, an expedited visa process for those who are willing to, quote, invest in America $1 million.

And some of the thinking behind this from administration officials is this idea that if you're willing to put that much into the United States, you're going to grow roots here, you might build a company here, you might then hire and create new jobs here if you are putting that kind of investment into the United States. Of course, though, as we hear from these administration officials saying that it's only going to bring the top of the top into the country, it's also clearly only going to bring those who can afford it, so the wealthiest foreign workers into the country.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.

Hello, and thank you for joining me. I'm Isabel Rosales in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with an arrest outside of the site of tomorrow's Charlie Kirk memorial that's happening in Glendale, Arizona. The Secret Service say that they have detained an armed man who was posing as a law enforcement officer and, quote, "exhibiting suspicious behavior." The arrest comes as thousands of people are expected to turn out to honor the assassinated conservative activist. Security, of course, being ramped up for tomorrow's event, which will be attended by a who's who of political leaders. Take a look at your screen right there, including President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House. Betsy, several members of the administration are attending Charlie Kirk memorial. What can you tell us? What can we expect?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Many members, indeed. We are going to see officials from the highest level of the Trump administration, as well as the Republican Party and top political influencers, all converging in Arizona tomorrow to honor Charlie Kirk, the late conservative activist assassinated just days ago.

And Kirk was a trusted adviser to this White House. His Turning Point USA group also really credited with helping President Trump return to the Oval Office back in 2024 during the presidential election. But he was also a very close friend and personal, like a member of the Trump family, to the first family. He was close with many members of the White House staff and other administration officials. And he also was instrumental during the presidential transition in helping to staff up this administration, helping to pick some members of the cabinet.

So the people who work in this building and around Washington really expected to be honoring a very close friend. They are grieving a major loss. And just to take a look at some of the expected speakers, President Trump himself, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Stephen Miller, the president's top aide there.

And just to underscore the impact that Charlie Kirk had on this administration, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling FOX News earlier today that they are going to send two planes full of White House staff from Washington to Arizona tomorrow, Isabel.

ROSALES: You have the president, the vice president, cabinet members. How are officials preparing for what is becoming a major security test?

KLEIN: It is. This is posing a major test for law enforcement, particularly the U.S. Secret Service. That agency already under so much pressure and strain. And so to help with that, this event has been designated as a special event assessment rating level one event. That really unlocks federal resources to help bolster the security there.

According to a senior Department of Homeland Security official, quote, "This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event."

Now, other events that have received this type of designation have included the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, and the kinds of resources were talking about here include canine bomb detection teams, as well as cyber security risk assessments. There's going to be air support, things like drones and helicopters, as well as venue screening. Attendees expected to -- told to expect TSA like screening. There's also a no bag policy, Isabel.

ROSALES: Security, of course, top of mind. Betsy Klein, thank you.

And we'll have special coverage of the Charlie Kirk memorial service beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow.

After Kirk's assassination, baseless conspiracy theories about his death have skyrocketed online, despite investigators saying that they believe the suspect acted alone. Trump allies like Steve Bannon pushed the narrative that the shooter was part of a larger conspiracy.

[14:05:01]

CNN's Marshall Cohen has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: It is getting really ugly on social media. In the week after Charlie Kirk was killed, there were more than 2 million distinct posts on X, formerly Twitter, referencing conspiracy theories. That's according to the data analytics firm Peak Metrics. They found that this was actually twice as many conspiratorial posts as there were last year after the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Think about that for a second. One expert who tracks disinformation told me that this is the worst he's ever seen.

And there are a few reasons for that. First, there was the extremely graphic closeup footage of Kirks death that instantly went viral, creating a visceral reaction. Also, this tragedy came at a time when 71 percent of Americans think that our society itself is broken, according to a Reuters poll. This creates the opening for crazy conspiracy theories to flourish.

So some leftwing figures promoted the unhinged idea that Donald Trump himself orchestrated the murder to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the Jeffrey Epstein files. Other liberal activists tried to connect the suspect to far right white supremacist groups that had previously clashed with Kirk, even though there is mounting evidence that the suspect disliked Kirk's conservative views.

And then on the right, Trump allies like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have claimed that the suspect was part of a terror cell and that he was just a bit player in a national conspiracy that is being covered up. They're peddling this even as the authorities say that the suspect acted alone.

Other rightwing influencers are leaning heavily into antisemitic tropes to blame Israel. They've claimed that Israeli spies took out Kirk because he was starting to waver from his longstanding support for the Jewish state.

These ideas are uncorroborated, totally debunked, and some of them are just flat out crazy. But as one disinformation expert told me, they don't actually need to make any sense because the incentives on the Internet are totally backwards. The influencers and podcasters and grifters promoting these theories need to churn out inflammatory hot takes just like these to gain more followers, build their subscriber lists, and keep the money flowing.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROSALES: Jarring stuff there. Marshall Cohen, thank you.

An ICE protest outside of Chicago ended in several arrests Friday. Federal agents fired teargas and pepper balls into the crowd as they rallied against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in their state. A former journalist running for Congress was seen being thrown right there to the ground by a masked officer. The facility in Broadview has drawn small protests since leaders got word of a, quote, large scale enforcement campaign, part of Operation Midway Blitz.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more. Julia, how is ICE responding to this?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, they are calling these protesters violent rioters. The assistant secretary of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, called the protests despicable. And she said that the local authority is on the ground were, quote, "desperate politicians who wanted their 15 minutes of fame and they're willing to do it off of the backs of our law enforcement." She also said on FOX News that ICE will continue the immigration raids in Chicago, as well as other Democratic cities like Los Angeles and New York. She mentioned Memphis, as well.

The mayor of Evanston, though, Daniel Biss said on X that during that very protest, ICE agents drove a van into protesters and teargassed them. He said that he was, quote, impossible to breathe and really, really scary. At least ten people were arrested in that protest.

And that former journalist that we're seeing now who is running for office, she did speak to CNN that. Her name is Kat Abughazaleh, and she said on a post on X that what ICE did to her, what we're seeing, that was a "violent abuse of power," that's a quote, but still nothing compared to what they were doing to immigrant communities inside, she said. She said officers threw pepper balls at her while she was protesting the conditions inside that very detention facility.

And earlier today, Isabel, CNN spoke to a Chicago area mayor who was there also, and he spoke more about the impact that these operations are having in his community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BYRON SIGCHO-LOPEZ, CHICAGO ALDERMAN: We have kids right now that are walking alone to school in some of our districts, and we have schools that right now don't have enough staff. So these children are vulnerable to not having even any kind of support for the trauma that's being inflicted on them. So we have been seeing terror, violence, escalation that is really terrorizing many of our neighbors. We condemn and we reject these gestapo tactics. (END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Some strong words there from the alderman.

[14:10:00]

But for days now, ICE officers have been in the Chicago metro area picking up suspected undocumented immigrants in what they're calling Operation Midway Blitz. Last week, remember, a man was fatally shot after resisting arrest and injuring an ICE officer during one of those traffic stops. Overall, those sweeping immigration enforcement operations in Chicago have resulted in the arrest of nearly 550 people, according to DHS. Isabel.

ROSALES: Julia Vargas Jones, thank you.

Still to come, Luigi Mangione's lawyers moving to take the death penalty off the table in his federal murder case. Why they say the decision was driven by politics.

And also coming up, the U.S. is facing the highest level of black unemployment since the pandemic. We look at what's happened and speak to highly skilled veterans struggling to land a job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How long have you been looking for a job?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since September of last year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:37]

ROSALES: Well, this week, the Fed cut interest rates for the first time this year by a quarter percentage point. The move comes after several months of disappointing jobs reports and rising unemployment. Last month, the unemployment rate for black workers reached its highest level in almost four years. CNN's Ryan Young spoke to some job seekers who are struggling to find positions.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BRITTANI TONDEREAU, JOB SEEKER: It's a hard time right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very frustrating.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Black unemployment hit its highest level since the COVID pandemic last month.

YOUNG: How long have you been looking for a job?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since September last year.

YOUNG (voice-over): And inside an Atlanta veterans job fair.

DONALD HUDSON, VETERAN SEEKING A JOB: I'm Donald. Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald.

YOUNG (voice-over): We found hundreds of highly skilled veterans struggling to land a new gig in this current economy, including Donald Hudson. We followed him around as he searched for a new job.

HUDSON: I'm looking for something either in the tech field or back in engineering again. Previously, I worked for Boeing and the engineering section for NASA.

YOUNG (voice-over): The latest employment snapshot from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a bleak picture. Only 22,000 jobs were added in August, and black unemployment reached 7.5 percent, its highest level since October of 2021. The slowdown is due in part to President Donald Trump's economic policies, which include cuts to the federal workforce, of which black workers make up 18.7 percent.

ANTHONY WAGNER, RECRUITMILITARY: You know, if you want to talk political landscape, there's a lot of things that go and combine. And this year has just been a perfect storm, if you will.

YOUNG (voice-over): A drop in black Americans in the workforce can have a crippling effect on the U.S. economy. That's because black Americans are expected to have buying power of $2 trillion by 2026, according to a 2024 Nielsen report. And black Americans are slower to recover from job losses, which means it can be a long road to recovery.

HUDSON: And there's still some biases, I would say. Unless you have a special set of skills right now, it's kind of hard.

BRENDA OUTLAW, JOB SEEKER: Even when you have the degrees, you got the experience, you got the clearance, it's still not enough.

YOUNG: Yeah, the real reality here is the more people we talk to, the more people say they're dealing with A.I. in a way that they never anticipated. It's become a difficult hurdle that they can't seem to get past.

TONDEREAU: I have found the A.I. blocking, they're looking for specific descriptive words that you might not be thinking about.

WAGNER: So this year, I think everybody is aware that the employment landscape has definitely been rocked.

YOUNG (voice-over): Despite that, many still have hope for a new chance.

HUDSON: I got a company that wants me to go home and fill out the application and submit it online, and then they said they're going to contact me. So -- YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROSALES: That was Ryan Young reporting.

And joining me now to talk more about the state of the economy and this new interest rate cut by the Fed is Heather Long. She is the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. Heather, thank you so much for being on the show, really appreciate it. From your perspective --

HEATHER LONG, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION: I wish I came with better news.

ROSALES: Oh, my gosh. Yes, right. We would always want some more positive news. But hey, maybe we'll get to that with mortgages. From your perspective, how meaningful is this interest rate cut for the average American household right now? We were just hearing from Ryan Young about job seekers really struggling out there. Is this something that could help them?

LONG: I think it's fair to call this a jobs recession in that last package you just ran. So many people are in a long-term unemployed situation. Unless you work in healthcare or maybe A.I., it is really hard to find a job, if not impossible right now. What the Fed did this week and what they signaled, more cuts to come, is basically trying to prevent this recession from turning into an overall recession. So they did it to try to protect from the worst case scenario. You mentioned how it is helping people. We are seeing the lowest mortgage rates in about a year. I can tell you at Navy Federal Credit Union, our phone has been ringing off the hook with people trying to refinance. We haven't seen as much of a downturn in auto loans. Those are still pretty high. So it'll take a while for this to work through the economy.

ROSALES: Right. And for the average American, this means that the cost of loans, of borrowing money has gone down.

[14:20:00]

What advice do you have for consumers in light of this interest rate cut that's down a quarter of a percentage point?

LONG: Take a look at your finances. If you bought a home in the last three years, this could be a good opportunity to refinance. We just hit 6.26 percent on the mortgage rates for 30-year mortgage that I know we all wish it would go back to three or four percent like it was during the pandemic, but it would honestly take a recession to get back to those levels. So the closer we get to six, this could be a good opportunity to refinance.

On the other side, though, not all of the rates are moving down. I think it's important to remember that there's a lot of factors that go into these loan rates, and things like auto loans have not been moving down because there's still a lot of concern from investors, particularly in the bond market, about inflation, what's going to happen with tariffs, about the large government debt. So just because the Fed is cutting rates doesn't mean that everything is going to be way lower in a few months.

ROSALES: Yes, that's a that's a great point, that it moves on sector to sector. It's all different.

And heather, new data is showing that credit scores, they're falling at the fastest rate since the great recession, and wage growth that once favored lower income workers has now shifted toward higher earners. What does this combination mean for the financial stability of everyday Americans?

LONG: It's a really tough time. I've been writing for the last couple months about the K-shaped economy, where the top 20 percent households earning about $175,000 or more, they're thriving. The stock market is at record highs. You know, things are looking pretty good for them. They continue to spend at really large levels.

But for the middle class and certainly for working class Americans, we're in the midst of a squeeze, a middle class squeeze. And the wages, as you referenced, are not going up like they were a year or two ago. The workers have really lost a lot of bargaining power. And at the same time, prices are rising. Inflation is not where it was in 2022, but it's coming back a little bit. And I've been stressing the price of a lot of basic necessities, from food to gas to housing to clothing to car maintenance has all gone up, and it just eats away at the middle class budgets.

ROSALES: Yes, and to the point that you were making, the data, this really opened my eyes. The 20 percent of top earners, those who make over $265,000 a year, now account for over 63 percent of all consumer spending. That certainly woke me up seeing those numbers.

Heather, we could keep talking on and on about this and such an important topic. And certainly so many Americans out there feeling the squeeze. Thank you for coming on and talking about this.

LONG: Thank you.

ROSALES: Thank you.

Still to come, the federal government is taking Ticketmaster to court over ticket resale prices. We will explain that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:27:22]

ROSALES: Welcome back. Happening now, you can see Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where protesters are demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages that are still being held there, around 20 that are believed to still be alive. This week, the Anti- Defamation League filed a lawsuit against Hamas and other groups, as well as Iran, Syria, and North Korea over the October 7th attacks on Israel. They are seeking at least $7 billion in damages for the attacks.

With me here is Michael Moore. He's a former U.S. attorney and is now partner at Moore Hall. Michael, thank you so much for your time --

MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA: Glad to be with you.

ROSALES: -- always to help us make sense of a complicated legal stories that are happening. Now with this lawsuit, $7 billion in damages against Hamas and these other foreign states. I mean this has to be largely symbolic, no?

MOORE: I'm glad to be with you. I really do think this is a symbolic case. I think the likelihood that there's any kind of collection or a payment out of this lawsuit to victims' families and all is probably not very great. You know, there are a lot of obstacles when you sue somebody like this. You've got to actually get jurisdiction over them. You've got to make sure they get served with a lawsuit. You've got -- I mean, there are a lot --

ROSALES: How do you serve Hamas?

MOORE: That's the thing. There are a lot of things. It's a great soundbite and it helps kind of consolidate interest and, I guess, keeps interest in certain areas. So, you know, people talk about the hostages, and that's a great thing that they talk about.

The other side, really, is that, you know, this can also end up in another type of lawsuit. So you may have somebody who has either lost a family member in Gaza or their child was, you know, died from starvation. You might see them try to bring some action as a group as well. There are some limitations there, too.

And again, while I think that would be symbolic, I think you're seeing this really to keep focus on each side of the issue as they go forward without necessarily a lot of hope that the case is successful.

ROSALES: Yes, the hostages and a sense of accountability in the court systems.

Let me pivot a little bit here to this other lawsuit. The federal government and seven states that are suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation over what they call predatory pricing and ticket reselling. From a legal standpoint, how strong is this case? Does it have any teeth?

MOORE: Yes. I mean, this has really been a bipartisan issue. I mean, because you saw the Biden administration take some action, too, as it dealt with junk fees and things. And so now you're seeing the Trump administration through the FTC come in and say, look, you know, you're violating some laws. You can't do these things. And it's really attacking, if you will. The lawsuit is attacking sort of the collaboration between ticket brokers and Ticketmaster and scalpers.

[14:30:02]

ROSALES: Which is a big problem. People are really frustrated by that. They're paying an arm and a leg for --

MOORE: The allegations are they're using a mechanism to sort of get around purchase limits and that type of thing to allow them to buy more tickets, then they sell them. And obviously that costs money to people who are losing out, not to mention just the money that it costs the end user and the consumer, the person who just is a fan and wants to go.

ROSALES: But does it have any teeth?

MOORE: It has teeth. I mean, it has teeth. And I think you'll see anytime you start to see sort of a collaboration between a number of states, and we've seen now seven states and maybe one more talking about it, but we've seen sort of this, these groups come in and joining the lawsuit and expressing, you know, interest and concern of what's being raised. And you see an action by the FTC, the fact that you see some bipartisan stuff that has gone on in the past, it tells you that it's not just one administration trying to move forward. And that starts to give it a real air of legitimacy as to the allegations and complaint.

ROSALES: Now, this was a data point that really stuck out to me, that Ticketmaster controls roughly 80 percent of major U.S. venues. Could their market dominance here play a role in the legal arguments against them?

MOORE: I mean, it can. I mean, you know, the if the question is, you know, are they too big to be attacked? Are they too, you know, they can be. But it also means that they have the resources to both fight the case and at the same time, they have the resources to suffer a pretty significant penalty.

ROSALES: Or maybe too big in taking advantage.

MOORE: Well, and that may be exactly it. So I don't think that their size is going to be a detriment or cause anybody to back away from this. And you're not talking about a class action group of people that are that are bringing the action, but rather now you've got the federal government involved in it, joined by some states. That in and of itself takes a different, gives a different gravitas, if you will, to the lawsuit. And I think that the fact that Ticketmaster is of its size is probably not something that's going to be intimidating to the people bringing the case.

ROSALES: And so many people talking about including Taylor Swift back in 2022, who put it up into the limelight. Michael, thank you so much. I appreciate this breakdown.

MOORE: It's always good to be here.

ROSALES: Thank you so much. Glad to have you.

MOORE: Thanks.

ROSALES: Well, still to come. One of the hottest tickets around has been to catch Bad Bunny at El Conejo Malo in Puerto Rico. Ahead of his final show for his residency tonight, we will take an up close look at the social, cultural, and definite economic significance the past two months have had on the island.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:54]

ROSALES: New today, Luigi Mangione's lawyers are urging a judge to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case. His legal team argues that authorities, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, have violated his constitutional rights. CNN's Leigh Waldman is following this story for us. Leigh, what have you learned?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isabel, it's good to be with you. We're seeing that the defense here, Luigi Mangione's lawyers are hoping to build on some positive momentum they got earlier this week after a big legal win. They're asking the judge to bar those federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in relation to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The 114-page filing states that authorities violated Mangione's constitutional rights by turning this whole case into, quote, a Marvel Movie spectacle, and by saying publicly that they wanted to see him executed.

If we look back to when he was actually arrested last December, we can all recall when he was brought from Pennsylvania to Manhattan via helicopter, led by a large group of law enforcement and also New York City's Mayor Eric Adams, to the courthouse to face those charges. And prior to him being indicted, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said capital punishment was warranted for, quote, "premeditated, coldblooded assassination that shocked America." She followed this with Instagram posts and TV appearances.

The defense is showing that this decision to seek the death penalty is based on politics and not merit. In their filing today they wrote, quote, "This was done solely to prejudice him and without the slightest legitimate law enforcement objective. Because of the blatant, intentional and damaging nature of this torrent of prejudice from multiple public officials, mainly the United States attorney general, from the inception of this case through the grand jury vote on April 17th, 2025, the death penalty indictment against Mr. Mangione must be dismissed."

Federal prosecutors have until the end of October to file their response to what the defense filed today. He's facing a slew of charges, state and federal charges. Those federal charges include two counts of stalking, firearms offenses, and murder through use of a firearm. That murder charge is the one this death penalty case is linked to. And we're -- we know that Mangione has pled not guilty to all of these charges, Isabel.

ROSALES: Yes, and his team certainly had a victory this past week with getting the terrorism charges dropped. Leigh Waldman, thank you so much.

Well, still ahead, the Trump administration's immigration crackdown turning violent in Illinois as protesters clashed with federal agents. How local officials are responding, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:44:21]

ROSALES: Thousands of people in Minneapolis for the food and music festival Farm Aid. This year marks the 40th annual Farm Aid that raises money for farmers and agricultural initiatives here in the U.S. Big names include Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, and John Mellencamp, all of them set to perform later today right there in Minneapolis.

CNN's Bill Weir is joining us live right now. And I think some of the performances are getting started. Bill, tell us about the evolution of this event. How did it start and how did it ultimately become what it is today?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, it is a Bloody Mary morning in Minneapolis.

[14:45:00]

It all came to be thanks to Willie, the most, maybe the most beloved liberal in America, who was watching live aid on his tour bus in Texas in 1985 and heard Bob Dylan take the stage with a couple of Rolling Stones, and just an offhand comment said, I wonder if we could save a couple million dollars for the farmers who are losing their farms to big banks. In 1985, there was a massive farm crisis. You had to get big or go out of business. A lot of farms invested in equipment, crop prices crashed. There were suicides, setting records. And so a parade of hall of famers came to Illinois back then, 40 years ago, to raise money for farmers. They raised about the equivalent of $20 million that day.

And today the O.G.s of Willie Nelson and Neil Young and John Mellencamp are here, as well as Dave Matthews, who joined the board a little bit later on. Margo Price is a new member of that board. We just heard Jesse Wells, who has been compared to Bob Dylan, a young guy who went viral on Instagram for his protest songs. He just did a number. One of the lyrics was, "Who knew the deep state included national park rangers?" So some political, you know, pointed political commentary that's going to happen, certainly when Neil Young comes on later today.

But it's nice to see an outpouring of family farmers, not just in the heartland, on both coasts, and folks who also not have to worry about not just debt, but immigration raids and tariff wars and the ravages of climate change, which make it harder to predict your season there. But amazing to see these families and those who love them coming together, listen to a little great music, and spread some brotherhood and awareness.

ROSALES: You mentioned this farm crisis back in 1985. What has changed in this industry of farming? So many of them passed down through generations since the 80s. WEIR: And so much of it has to do with farm policy. You know, the

politics are just as tangled as in the farms as they are in the rest of American society these days. The way it's set up is big corporate monocrop, it's commodity crops like cotton or corn or soybeans do enjoy pretty generous subsidies and bailouts when there are trade wars. But it's the family farms who grow a diverse variety of vegetables that you find at the farm stand and on your table, they really are cut out from that process and don't have much of a voice there.

And the financial struggles are there as well. And then when you add on the immigration piece of it as well, there's so many worries these days, so many reasons to rally around. But this is one for them today.

ROSALES: All right, and what can we expect tonight? Very briefly, Bill.

WEIR: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, primetime, 7:00 right here on CNN.

ROSALES: Oh, bless you. Thank you, Bill Weir.

And don't forget, CNN is airing this year's farm and benefit concert live. CNN's John Berman and Laura Coates will host. That is tonight at 7:00 eastern, right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:52:35]

ROSALES: After a 20-year career, a Colorado military veteran began to go down a dark path after struggling with PTSD. That is when Tommy, a service dog, entered his life, helping him through things like anxiety. It was then he found his dog could do a lot more than that.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has the story on this months "Beyond the Call of Duty."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tommy is a talented dog. His owner, Hank Ford, is a retired 20-year military veteran who struggled for years with PTSD.

HANK FORD, DOG OWNER: I was kind of alienating myself from people. I didn't like crowds. I didn't want to go anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he was sleeping, he would have nightmares.

FORD: As the time went on, things really started to get dark.

ELAM (voice over): Enter Tommy, raised and trained by the nonprofit Dogs Inc.

AMY BERNARD, DOGS INC.: We train service dogs for veterans with PTSD to help mitigate that disability.

FORD: He's trained in what they call pressure therapy. If I'm starting to get anxious, the first thing he'll do is sit his chin on my knee. And he pushes down. And it's kind of, everything's OK. If that doesn't work, then he'll immediately go into what they call a hug.

BERNARD: They just kind of put their weight and pressure on your legs, like a weighted blanket.

ELAM (voice over): Hank credits Tommy with turning his life around.

FORD: A lot of people always talk about, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Tommy was a light.

ELAM (voice over): But in February, Tommy did something even more extraordinary. That morning, Hank was asleep when the pup started acting up.

FORD: He's pawing at me and jumping on me, like, you need to get up. And he wouldn't stop.

ELAM (voice over): Hank thought Tommy needed to go out.

FORD: Well, this time he stood right there, and then he started jumping up, and he was hitting me in the chest.

ELAM (voice over): Hank quickly realized he wasn't feeling well.

FORD: Literally touched myself in the carotid, and I mean, it was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

ELAM (voice over): He went to the hospital and learned his heart was in AFib, when the upper chambers beat irregularly and rapidly. Doctors shocked his heart and got him in stable condition. Tommy's wakeup call had saved Hank's life.

FORD: The doctor said that there was a good chance that I would have either had a massive stroke or I wouldn't have woken up.

ELAM (voice over): At the hospital, Tommy laid with Hank for hours.

FORD: He crawled in bed with me. I think that's when it hit.

BERNARD: Tommy was not trained to do this at all. Dogs definitely know things that we are not aware of.

FORD: Yeah, you're a good boy.

[14:55:01]

I love him to death. He's my hero. The connection that you make with these dogs, it's -- it's special. It really is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: A beautiful story. Stephanie Elam reporting, thank you. Well, tonight is the final show of superstar Bad Bunny's two month

residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was originally going to be last weekend, but then he added one more show, an encore show. The concerts have given the island an economic shot in the arm to the tune of some $200 million, something the Caribbean island desperately needed after the devastating effects of hurricane Maria and the COVID pandemic. And it is no coincidence that tonight's show marks eight years to the day that hurricane Maria made landfall. Tonight's concert is only open to residents of Puerto Rico, but the performance will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, among other places.

With us now is Jorge Perez. He is the brand new CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. Jorge, last time we were speaking, you were managing the Coliseo, the venue where this residency is taking place. You are the man optimally placed to talk about this. Congratulations, first of all, on your new role. And secondly, can you describe what Bad Bunny means to Puerto Rico, why his decision to keep this residency home, what that has meant for the island?

JORGE PEREZ, CEO, DISCOVER PUERTO RICO: Well, it's been very special. This series of concerts could have been anywhere. He chose his hometown. He chose to give back to his community, to the local economy. And tonight the 31st show, una mas, broadcasted live to a world audience. I mean, what better promotion can we -- can he give the island. And millions of people around the world will see Puerto Rico, will see our culture, and will see the energy of that crowd tonight.

ROSALES: And I certainly got to feel that energy you're talking about when I attended that concert on Friday. I was taken aback by that, the pride for Puerto Rican, all the flags. Nobody was sitting down. Everybody was dancing. They had the flags with them. I was even taken aback by the age gap of the fans who traveled near and far from him, like 101-year-old Lucia Coto. Let's listen to this real quick, Jorge.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LUCIA COTO, 101-YEAR-OLD BAD BUNNY FAN (through translator): I like Reggaeton. It gives you joy. And then suddenly your feet start moving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what you're going to do at the show? Show me again.

COTO: Everyone starts shouting and it's contagious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Jorge, what do you make of this multi-generational love for reggaeton, for Bad Bunny?

PEREZ: Thats what icons do, right? Legends, they have an appeal across multiple generations. And we've had very young boys and girls from five to six years old until over 100. So this is definitely a cultural moment for Puerto Rico, a very special moment.

And we're projecting ourselves from a perspective of Discover Puerto Rico and what our mission is as one of the best destinations in the world. We have global, the leading global artists at this moment. And we have natural beauty, we have gastronomy, we have culture. I mean, we are ready to start and continue to greet people from around the world. We have over 35 countries, visitors from over 35 countries in this residency. So, now tonight, millions of others around the world will see us and will see what Puerto Rico is all about.

ROSALES: Do you really think you can keep the stimulus going beyond this temporary moment and build on this?

PEREZ: Yes, well, it's a foundation obviously. That's one of the reasons why I chose to take the CEO job at Discover, because there's a lot to expand on. We have a great foundation. We have a promotion that we've never had before as a destination. So we have to build upon that. Obviously, we're going to re-strategize and look at tonight when we have the data of what countries were looking at us and will define other markets outside of the traditional markets.

But we're very excited. And obviously, this is -- we know this is something temporary, but we're going to expand on that. He goes on tour in December, so we want to be present in his world tour. And he'll continue to promote Puerto Rico from his perspective during his world tour.

So we know it's temporary, but we definitely, it's a firm foundation that we are going to build upon, and we're going to make sure that we optimize and capitalize on all the goodwill that has been created for Puerto Rico.

ROSALES: Yes, and that world tour notably leaves out the U.S. mainland, which he said he had concerns about ICE raiding the concert venues outside and targeting his fans.

I want to leave with this.