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Thousands to Honor Charlie Kirk at Arizona Memorial Tomorrow; Congress in Shutdown Standoff as Funding Bills Fail; Protesters Clash with Agents Outside Illinois ICE Facility; ABC Facing Growing Backlash Over Jimmy Kimmel Suspension; Kratom, Miracle Drug or a Danger to Health; White Shark Nursery Spotted Off New York Coast; Poland Scrambles Jets After Massive Russian Attack on Ukraine; 40 Years of Farm Aid Music Festival. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 20, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: -- about ICE raiding the concert venues outside and targeting hi fans. I want to leave with this. He added this final concert on the landfall of the anniversary of Hurricane Maria.

Real quickly, Jorge, how has the island recovered in these eight years later? How are things for the everyday person?

JORGE PEREZ, CEO, DISCOVER PUERTO RICO: Yes. Well, we recovered for the most part. We are a very resilient island and that we are over Maria and we are ready for the future, and all the positive things that are going to come to Puerto Rico. But definitely, Hurricane Maria is something that is in our minds. It's in our hearts, and we're past that and we're ready to move forward.

And tonight is going to be a very significant moment and a special moment for everyone in Puerto Rico. All the watch parties around the island. It's going to be a very special night.

ROSALES: Yes. And I suspect after Bad Bunny is gone on his world tour, a lot of tourists have seen everything that Puerto Rico has to offer, and they're saying, sign me up, and they're heading up Puerto Rico next.

Jorge, thank you so much.

PEREZ: Yes. That's what we -- will welcome everyone after the residency, and we're ready to greet all the visitors from around the world.

ROSALES: Of course. Jorge, really appreciate it.

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

Happening now, preparations are underway for tomorrow's memorial service for assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Now, a police spokesperson tells CNN the crowd at the memorial in Glendale, Arizona, could exceed 100,000 people. The Secret Service says an armed man posing as a law enforcement officer was taken into custody at the event site on Friday.

Obviously, security top of mind here. The arrest comes amid a ramped- up security effort surrounding the service. According to DHS, the Kirk memorial is being given the highest event assessment, which allows federal resources to coordinate security between TSA level screenings for attendees.

Now, complicating security efforts is ensuring the safety of really, a who's who of political leaders that are set to speak at the memorial, including, take a look here, President Trump and Vice President Vance.

Let's get some perspective on this daunting task of securing a major event like this. Joining me is former Department of Homeland Security adviser Charles Marino.

Charles, really appreciate your time. Take us behind the scenes. What does it take to prepare for a memorial of this nature, of this scale? Obviously, such a sensitive time in light of what came to pass.

CHARLES MARINO, FORMER DHS ADVISER: Well, it takes a lot of expertise and a lot of support, especially from state and local law enforcement for the U.S. Secret Service, which will be the lead agency for this event based on the fact that you're going to have the president, vice president, and many of their other protectees in attendance. That doesn't even include the rest of dignitaries that will be in attendance.

So the Secret Service is working very closely with state and local law enforcement, other federal partners. As you alluded to, this has been designated a special event by the Department of Homeland Security, receiving a special event rating of one, which is similar to the Super Bowl, which has been hosted in Glendale at State Farm Stadium previously. So that's a good thing. Should make the job easier for the Secret Service.

But Secret Service has been very busy this month. You had the September 11th attendance of the president at Yankee Stadium. You had his trip to London. You've got the United Nations General Assembly underway in New York. And now the memorial out in Arizona. So a busy time for the Secret Service. But I have no doubt that they're up for the challenge.

ROSALES: Do you think they've had enough time to plan for this and provide this level of security for an event of this nature?

MARINO: I do, because this is not a one-off. They work with state and local partners each and every day around the country, and internationally. So this is in their wheelhouse. This is the expertise that I was talking about. And so they're going to hit the ground. They're going to use the resources the relationships established by the local office in Arizona. And the president's detail, vice president's detail will go on the ground, conduct the advance work with all those other partners to establish and implement a robust security plan. ROSALES: And given yesterday's arrest of an armed man, how has the

threat level for this event evolved? What intelligence are officials working with right now?

MARINO: Well, as we know, unfortunately, the threat level has never been higher here in the United States for a number of reasons. Whether it's the international impact on our threat level or the political divisiveness that we see here in the continuing rhetoric.

[15:05:06]

You know, right before I went on air, it's not helpful when the governor of California puts a post on X saying that Secretary Noem is going to have a very bad day today and that the American people are welcome. That's not helpful. It's not helpful when Representative Omar comes on TV and says that the world is better off because somebody was assassinated. This is not the maturity and the civility that helps lower the threat level here.

And not only does it put certain people in dangerous situations, it also endangers the men and women that are trying to carry out the operation of keeping events and venues like this safe. So there needs to be a cooling down here. There is responsibility on the part of politicians and they need to own that and act accordingly.

ROSALES: Yes, certainly --

MARINO: What we're seeing right now continuing --

ROSALES: Certainly a cooling down on both --

MARINO: -- to come from the left is unacceptable.

ROSALES: And certainly a cooling down on both sides. We've seen this rhetoric on the left and the right all over social media. So many people asking for the temperature to be turned down.

Can you talk to me a little bit more about what specific capabilities? We mentioned more resources, locals working with the state and federal government, TSA-like screenings. What the specific federal designation would mean an opening up resources that otherwise wouldn't be available.

MARINO: Well, you're going to have the FBI, for example. That's going to be a huge help on the intelligence side. Obviously, the protective intelligence is a proactive tool to make sure you're staying ahead of the potential threats. And obviously, the physical security plan, the use of technology, these are all things that are going to be put into place to stop a potential adversary from gaining access to this event.

We saw a very real example of this with the individual that showed up to the stadium prior to this memorial. These are the threats that we're dealing with. And back to my point, this is why the rhetoric needs to stop. You don't know where your words are falling and whose ears they're falling on, and what type of mental state they are in, or how deep their hatred runs to carry out a plan of attack. The Secret Service has to -- has to plan for this. They've got to be

that last line of defense. Make sure that event is very secure to anticipate and mitigate these risks. But at the end of the day, the actions of politicians in this country need to be a lot more civil, and they need to be a lot more thoughtful.

ROSALES: Yes, certainly political violence never allowable, never excusable. And as you mentioned, rhetoric on all sides need to be turned down.

Charles Marino, thank you so much for your time.

MARINO: Thanks, Isabel.

ROSALES: Thanks.

A security package for members of Congress could be on the table next month. Speaker Mike Johnson updated reporters on that effort as calls for heightened security grow in lawmakers' home districts after Kirk's assassination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We have continually ramped up the amounts that are allowed for that because we live in a dangerous time, but we are going to make sure that members are safe to do their job and represent their constituents. And so we've taken in a lot of ideas, Republicans and Democrats, and we're all working together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Now Johnson went on to say that they are considering supplemental funds for members beyond what is included in the stopgap funding resolution.

Congress remains deadlocked on government funding as the country moves closer to a potential shutdown. The House passed its Republican backed short-term funding bill yesterday, but in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to pass any measure, senators blocked it and one backed by Senate Democrats.

Now, with just 10 days to reach a deal, Democratic leaders have sent a letter to President Trump requesting a meeting aimed at avoiding a shutdown.

CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us now.

Camila, bring us up to speed on where things stand.

CAMILE DECHALUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, Congress is once again barreling toward a government shutdown. Lawmakers have left for the weekend and have not officially confirmed when they will return to resume votes. But as you mentioned just earlier today, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Trump really urging him to meet with them and hoping to strike up some sort of compromise before it's too late. Take a listen to what Schumer had to say about Trump just the other

day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Donald Trump says he doesn't want to talk. He's still in the go to hell mode. His marching orders to Republicans are don't even bother with Democrats. That is not governing. That's a recipe for a shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now both sides are already pointing fingers. Republicans say that their proposed plan would keep the government operating but Democrats argue that it's not sufficient if it stripes away health care coverage for millions.

[15:10:05]

But bottom line here is that the clock is ticking, making a shutdown more likely by the day.

ROSALES: Camila DeChalus, thank you so much.

Well, an ICE protest outside of Chicago ended with several people being arrested Friday. Federal agents fired tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd as they rallied against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in their state. A former journalist, here we've got video of it, running for Congress, she was seen thrown to the ground by a masked officer.

The facility in Broadview has drawn small protests ever since leaders got word of a, quote, "large scale enforcement campaign," part of Operation Midway Blitz.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more.

Julia, what is ICE saying about all of this?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a statement, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, they called those protesters, quote, "violent rioters that threaten the safety of ICE officers." And then on a post on X, the department also said that, quote, "Individuals and groups impeding ICE operations are siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers and violent criminals. You will not stop ICE and DHS law enforcement from enforcing our immigration laws."

And along with that post, Isabel, they also posted that video that we just saw of the former journalist being pushed and shoved onto the ground by federal agents. Her name is Kat Abughazaleh. She spoke to CNN and she said that she had been there for three weeks, more or less, to protest those conditions inside the detention facility, and that on Friday, officers also threw pepper balls at her. She then said on a post on X that what ICE said to her was, quote, "violent abuse of power," but still nothing compared to what they're doing to immigrant communities. Now, the lieutenant governor of Illinois was also at that protest. And

this is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. JULIANA STRATTON (D), ILLINOIS: People are here to peacefully protest. Look what we've been seeing over the last several weeks right here in Chicago. People being snatched off the streets, stuffed into unmarked vans and with no due process. We are seeing the Constitution being stomped upon. And just this week, again, attacks on First Amendment Rights. And all of us need to be speaking with moral clarity and saying this is not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: At least 10 people were arrested in the protest. For days now, ICE officers have been in the Chicago metro area picking up suspected undocumented immigrants. As part of this Operation Midway Blitz. Last week, a man was fatally shot after resisting arrest and injuring an ICE officer during a traffic stop.

Overall, those sweeping immigration enforcement operations in Chicago have resulted in the arrest of nearly 550 people, according to DHS -- Isabel.

ROSALES: Julia, thank you so much.

Well, still to come, new CNN reporting on Disney's move to pull Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air. Plus, what will happen to his team. And later, a new drink that has gone viral but causing many people to become ill. The warnings about kratom.

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ROSALES: New today, Luigi Mangione's lawyers have urged a judge to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case. His legal team argues that authorities, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, have prejudiced his case and have violated his constitutional rights. The defense says that Bondi's call for the death penalty is, quote, "based on politics, not merit."

This new move by Mangione's lawyers comes just days after they scored a legal victory by getting the terrorism charges against their client dismissed.

There are growing concerns about First Amendment protections after Jimmy Kimmel's late show was pulled from the air over his comments about Charlie Kirk and President Trump. Reactions from lawmakers are mostly split among party lines. But now Republican Senator Ted Cruz is criticizing the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, for his threats against ABC. Cruz likening Carr's rhetoric to that of a mob boss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Look, look, I like Brendan Carr. He's a good guy. He's the chairman of the FCC. I work closely with him. But what he said there is dangerous as hell. He says we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CRUZ: And I got to say, that's right out of "Goodfellas," that's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: We're also learning new details about that suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Sources tell CNN that the show's crew will be paid through next week, but the future of the show remains in limbo.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more from Los Angeles.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Jimmy Kimmel I hear from a source familiar with ongoing conversations, had a meeting on Thursday with top Disney executives at his lawyer's office in Century City, California. Jimmy was present, his attorney was present, and his manager was present, along with top Disney executives. But I hear that there was no resolution to the meeting, which means we have no indication of any path forward for Jimmy or his show at ABC.

[15:20:07]

Now, I have also been talking to sources who say that Disney is very hopeful that "Jimmy Kimmel Live" could come back. Everybody at ABC loves Jimmy Kimmel, and they love the show. But after threats from the FCC and after the show was pulled by different station groups that were refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel's show, I hear that Disney executives said that Jimmy Kimmel needs to take the temperature down.

But he did not want to do that. He wanted to return with a monologue that I was told was coming in very hot, taking aim at MAGA, taking aim at FOX News, and that was when ultimately Bob Iger and Dana Walden made the decision to say, let's put the show on hiatus.

Now, Hollywood has been rallying around Jimmy Kimmel. Everyone from comedians like Conan O'Brien, who hosts the Oscars on ABC. Here's what Conan had to say, quote, "The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and the promise to silence other late-night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the right, left and center. It's wrong, and anyone with a conscience knows it's wrong."

The late-night comedians on other networks, which are competing with Jimmy Kimmel, they also all took to the stage to support Kimmel. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, LATE-NIGHT HOST: A lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say, or that we'll be censored, but I'm going to cover the president's trip to the U.K. just like I normally would.

Well, guys, President Trump just wrapped up his three day trip to the U.K. and he --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looked incredibly handsome.

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE-NIGHT HOST: If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive. And clearly they've never read the children's book, "If you give a mouse a Kimmel."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Comedy Central, it's the all-new, government- approved "Daily Show," with your patriotically obedient host, Jon Stewart.

JON STEWART, LATE-NIGHT HOST: Are the naysayers and the critics right? Is Donald Trump stifling free speech?

GROUP: Of course not, Jon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: There have also been protests outside of Disney's offices, both in Los Angeles and in New York, with Hollywood unions like the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA backing Kimmel.

Back to you.

ROSALES: Elizabeth Wagmeister reporting. Thank you.

Joining me now to talk more about this controversy surrounding the "Jimmy Kimmel Show" and the escalating debate over free speech is Jim Rutenberg. He's a writer-at-large for "The New York Times," who has written extensively about media and politics.

Jim, thank you so much for joining us.

JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER AT LARGE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Sure. Thanks for having me.

ROSALES: And Jim, you pointed out in your article for "The Times" this week that President Trump vowed to, quote, "immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America" at his second inauguration. What should people make of Trump's claims now that critical media coverage of him is illegal?

RUTENBERG: Well, he clearly had -- when he was giving his inaugural address, he clearly had a mind moderation on social media, things that led to his own suspension from platforms like Facebook and Twitter. And so it does not apply, apparently, to, analog media, broadcast media, newspapers, anything that does anything that he sees as cutting against his interests, agenda or anything that's positive about him.

That's already -- that already had been clear through his lawsuits against newspapers, including my own. But this move with Jimmy Kimmel and ABC, that was very different because it brought in to bear government power. ROSALES: Now, earlier we heard Republican Senator Ted Cruz denouncing

the FCC chairman for his threats to ABC. Do you think that that will open the door for more conservatives or Trump allies to take a stand for free speech, even for those who they don't agree with, which is the point of free speech?

RUTENBERG: Well, it could. I thought that was very interesting. Senator Cruz was making his own political calculation, and I think it will see why maybe as his Senate race picks up or, you know, we'll see some polling. I thought that was very interesting, whether it was a finger to the wind mood that he's picking up on something.

But I want to say something else. It could -- it's also been conservative Republican principle for our entire lifetimes or certainly since Ronald Reagan years, that the FCC should not get involved in government in content and media content. Even the rights that the FCC has to poke its nose into content. It's always been the conservative position that it shouldn't even have that.

So what Senator Cruz was saying would have never been surprising, coming from a Republican again since Ronald Reagan.

[15:25:02]

This is all very new for a Republican administration to talk about the FCC monitoring content on television in this way.

ROSALES: Do you see any sort of political fallout with Republican constituents also being outraged by this sort of in the same way we saw with the Epstein files? Do you see this traversing along that line?

RUTENBERG: I mean, quite possibly. I'm not seeing it yet. We're seeing some voices that are saying, again, what had been traditional Republican orthodoxy. We're seeing some voices that are not saying that, or we're seeing people who are very upset about content moderation on social media now pointing to factors maybe it was Jimmy Kimmel's ratings that really led ABC to suspend his show. Whether it's a cancellation, we'll see.

But none of the reporting that anyone has produced so far has said anything about rating factor in this. So again, there seems to be a split right now. It doesn't feel like Epstein. I'm not saying that won't happen. This story really got the public's attention in a way that the previous lawsuits against media hadn't. So this really is a breakthrough moment. It remains to be seen where it's going to go.

ROSALES: Fair. Now at the White House yesterday, Trump once again lashed out at the press and critical media coverage of him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I just want to settle this free speech question because you've said that you restored free speech in America. Is that free speech, including for people who are harshly critical of you, for your political opponents, for people who say things you don't like?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've become immune to it.

KARL: Who treat you unfairly?

TRUMP: I've become immune to it. There has never been a person that's had more unfair publicity than me, and that's why your network paid me $15 million or $16 million, I believe, to be exact. George Sloppyydapoulos. And that's why CBS paid me a lot of money, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Now, those comments came on the same day a federal judge rejected Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against your employer, "The New York Times." That's just one of several lawsuits the president has filed or threatened to file against media companies.

What do you see as the big picture impact of these lawsuits and threats when it comes to free speech, or perhaps a chilling effect that could occur as well?

RUTENBERG: Well, first of all, in terms of those lawsuits, of course, neither CBS or ABC said in settling them, yes, we were overly negative toward the president. I didn't see anything in any documentation that said that. So just to sort of address what he said. But of course, there could be a chilling effect. I mean, the fact is that when ABC and CBS did settle those suits, suits that had to varying degrees been given long odds in court by legal experts, it did not appease President Trump.

It's clearly, as he's saying, outright emboldened him to see what more he (INAUDIBLE) to rein in media that he doesn't like. The question that we all have I think right now at institutions like mine that thankfully are economically secure and can fight a suit is what's happening at smaller news organizations that are more economically vulnerable. What stories aren't they covering, we'll perhaps never know.

ROSALES: Jim Rutenberg, thank you.

RUTENBERG: Thank you so much.

ROSALES: Up next, a so-called miracle drug being served up in gas stations is causing some serious health concerns. What you need to know about this kratom craze.

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[15:32:53]

ROSALES: A CDC vaccine advisory panel has voted to move away from a broad recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine. Instead, it decided to recommend that anyone who wants a shot must talk to their doctor first. But no prescription, excuse me, is required.

Now, following that vote, President Donald Trump defended the vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Operation Warp Speed was, just according to just about everybody, was one of the greatest things that any president has ever done in this country. So we're very proud of it. I'm very proud of it. But I had the vaccine. I was very happy with it. Here I am, right? Here I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: The committee also recommended a change to how young children receive the measles, mumps and rubella and chicken pox vaccines. Originally offered as a combination injection, the new recommendation says children should get the chickenpox vaccine separately. The recommendations are not final and could still change. Next, they go to the acting CDC director for sign off.

Now to what some call a miracle drug. Kratom is used in products that are being advertised as wellness supplements. But some consumers and U.S. regulators say a derivative of the tropical plant known as 7-OH could be dangerous, even addictive.

CNN's Danny Freeman takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sean Zamorano does not want to go back to his old life.

SEAN ZAMORANO, OWNER, PHILLY KRATOM: I found myself in this place where I was feeling very hopeless. And, you know, for me, my first thing that I wanted to do was reach for the drugs.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Through the 2000s, Sean was in and out of homeless shelters, having run-ins with police, hooked on opioids and other drugs until he discovered kratom.

ZAMORANO: For me, you know, when I tried kratom and I found that the compulsion went away, it was just this unbelievable weight lifted off my shoulders.

FREEMAN: So really, for you, kratom was a godsend.

ZAMORANO: Yes, kratom changed my life.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are often dried and crushed and consumed in drinks like tea or taken as tablets.

[15:35:02]

The FDA says these products are usually used to self-treat conditions such as pain, anxiety, opioid withdrawal, and more. Sean and his wife now sell kratom online in Philadelphia, but he and others are concerned that spin-offs of kratom that look like this are ruining the market and may be harmful.

ZAMORANO: It's more than polluting the kratom industry. It's really about keeping consumers safe.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Kratom regulation is a mixed bag. Some states have banned it. The FDA has not signed off on any medical uses for it, and even warns consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events. And this summer, public health officials began sounding the alarm about exactly what Sean was worried about, a derivative of kratom known as 7-OH.

JIM O'NEILL, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We've seen a disturbing rise in reports of overdoses, poisonings and emergency room visits linked to products containing 7- OH.

FREEMAN (voice-over): The FDA says 7-OH is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that can be more potent than morphine.

O'NEILL: These substances are often sold online or in convenience stores with no quality control, no dosage control, and no warnings. This is a recipe for public health disaster.

FREEMAN (voice-over): In Pennsylvania, poison centers are seeing increased call volume around both kratom and 7-OH consumption, something the rehab center 70 miles northwest of Philly, has seen firsthand.

DR. ADAM SCIOLI, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, CARON TREATMENT CENTERS: As we get further away from the leaf, we know less and less about what's in it.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Dr. Adam Scioli is the chief medical officer at Caron's Addiction Treatment and Rehab Center in Pennsylvania. And he says in recent years, he's seen an increase in patients coming in, addicted to 7-OH.

SCIOLI: It's remarkably similar to what you would expect to see with an opioid use disorder. So classic signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal. You're talking about sweats, runny nose, irritability.

FREEMAN (voice-over): And sometimes, packaging makes 7-OH seem just like an opioid.

SCIOLI: Part of the dangers involved with this substance are the marketing strategies that are being used, the accessibility and the lack of regulation right now.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Kirsten Smith is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins who studies all forms of kratom.

DR. KIRSTEN SMITH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: At this point, it's fair to say that anything under this umbrella that we call kratom has some abuse liability or addiction potential.

FREEMAN (voice-over): But Smith hopes more research can be done with all types of kratom consumers to make sure lawmakers and public health officials make informed decisions.

SMITH: Like with anything, there's potential benefits and there's potential harm and risk. And those are still being figured out in all different forms of kratom right now.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Danny, thank you.

Well, just ahead, in the very waters that inspired the movie "Jaws," scientists just found the Atlantic Ocean's only known nursery for white sharks.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:41]

ROSALES: Welcome back. Researchers have discovered the only known shark nursery located in the shallow waters off the New York coast.

CNN's Leigh Waldman explains how the first tagged baby sharks are providing new insights into shark movements.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Researchers on board this boat only have a matter of minutes after catching a juvenile great white shark to tag it with a satellite tracker and gather data from it.

FRANK QUEVEDO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUTH FORK NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Everybody that's on this boat have been trained to do the duties that they need to do to get this shark, get the data and get it back swimming in the water.

WALDMAN: The practice of tagging juvenile sharks is relatively new. Frank Quevedo's team with South Fork Shark Research and Education Program is the first to do it in the Atlantic.

QUEVEDO: We saw that that shark was able to swim from the south shore of long island, all the way off the coast of Maryland, and it popped off, and then we kind of opened up the doors to all this, this research that we're doing.

WALDMAN: Research borne from a very rare 2016 discovery, a great white shark nursery, the only one to be scientifically verified in the North Atlantic, and only the third like it in the world.

QUEVEDO: Extremely special. We are so fortunate that there's a nursery like this here right in our backyard.

WALDMAN: Scientists still have many unanswered questions about one of the ocean's apex predators, including where they mate and where they give birth. But discoveries like this nursery in New York waters provide important clues.

In May, Joanna Steidle, a marine wildlife drone photographer in Southampton, captured video of what appeared to be a large, pregnant great white shark swimming in the waters off Montauk.

JOANNA STEIDLE, OWNER, HAMPTONS DRONE ART LLC: Usually just before Fourth of July is when I start seeing them. So this was in May. I was totally shocked.

WALDMAN: It was the start of what Steidle describes as an abundance of sharks in northeast waters this summer. Data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources backs that up. Since 2020, trackers have spotted 93 great white sharks off the coast of Maine, 19 unique white sharks were recorded in 2024 alone.

STEIDLE: And a very small school of menhaden and I say like this, but that's what it looks like on my screen, small school, would draw in maybe eight to 10 sharks.

WALDMAN: Quevedo says the appearance of more sharks in the water is twofold.

[15:45:02]

Videos and pictures being shared on social media and successful conservation efforts of great whites and their food sources.

QUEVEDO: Because of these conservation efforts in these management plans to protect the species, we're seeing the populations either being sustained or are actually improving over the years, but they're not even close to being what they were 50 years ago.

WALDMAN: Leigh Waldman, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Tune in tomorrow for "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU," former congressman Adam Kinzinger and comedian and writer Negin Farsad join Roy, Amber and Michael at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN.

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[15:50:54]

(MISSING AUDIO)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: --- fighter jets released Saturday after a massive overnight Russian attack on Ukraine that included an assault with nearly 600 drones and 40 missiles. Some of the drones are pointed at targets near the border between Ukraine and Poland which prompted Poland to react.

This response was part of NATO's Operation Eastern Sentry, its reply to an increasing number of Russian incursions into European airspace in recent days. The day before, on Friday, Italian, Swedish and Finnish aircraft deployed after a suspected Russian air force incursion of Estonia's airspace, an accusation Russia has denied.

The latest fighting near Europe's borders has drawn sharp criticism from European leaders, who have long feared the Russia-Ukraine war would spill over, and from U.S. president Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Russian jets entered Estonia's airspace today for 12 minutes. Do you see that as a threat to NATO?

TRUMP: Well, I'm going to have to look at it. They're going to be briefing me in a short while. Well, I don't love it. I don't love it. I don't love it when that happens. It could be big trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: The intensity of Russia's attacks on Ukraine in recent days also spells trouble for any hope that a ceasefire is on the horizon.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

ROSALES: Barbie, thank you.

In a moment, a milestone day for the musical movement to support the backbone of America. We'll take you live to Farm Aid's 40th anniversary concert.

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[10:56:57]

ROSALES: Thousands of people in Minneapolis for the food and music festival, Farm Aid. This year marks the 40th annual event that raises money for farmers and agricultural initiatives in the U.S. Now, big names include Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp. All of them are set to perform.

CNN's John Berman is joining us from the excitement in Minneapolis.

John, what are you seeing? What are you doing?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm just in my seat right now waiting for Wynonna Judd, who actually I think is literally taking the stage right now. I've been here for some time watching the early bands come in. It's really starting to fill up in here. By tonight, there'll be tens of thousands of people waiting to see the acts you were talking about. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp.

Someone actually mistook me for John Mellencamp. I said, do I look like John Mellencamp? "Hurt So Good"? You think that's me? But you see, that's Wynona Judd right now. She's up there singing, and there are so many artists who are here at this music festival who want everyone here to not just enjoy the music, but also to think about all the farmers, the thousands and thousands of farmers who feed us every day and put in so much work.

And they're raising money. All these artists like Wynonna Judd, they're here performing. They're donating their time. They're doing this for free. So that tonight during the show, now during the show, people can log in. They can donate. There'll be a QR code up tonight during CNN coverage, where everyone watching can participate in this.

You know, the first Farm Aid concert, which was 40 years ago, that raised $7 million. And ever since, they've raised $80 million more, since $87 million and counting.

Isabel, it's something that's been really spectacular over the years.

ROSALES: I can see that big old smile on your face. You're having a good time. Folks are having a good time. But really such an important event. Talk to me about some of the struggles that farmers are facing.

BERMAN: It's a really tough time for American farmers right now. Farm Aid was founded 40 years ago during one of the worst times for farmers in the early '80s, where there were bankruptcies, a rise in farmer suicides. That's why Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young got together to form it. And the money that goes into it goes into helping farmers, not just direct aid, not handouts, but helping them with programs that can make them a sustainable, growing business.

Right now is another tough time for farmers. Bankruptcies were up 55 percent last year. It's been difficult. They're facing problems with the tariffs. China hasn't bought soybeans yet this year. So this is a time when farmers are asking all of us to help them. The way they help us and feed us each and every day, Isabel.

ROSALES: John Berman, thank you so much.

And don't forget that CNN is airing this year's farm and benefit concert live with John and Laura Coates hosting. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Isabel Rosales. CNN NEWSROOM with Boris Sanchez starts right now.