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Trump And MAGA Movement Will Honor Charlie Kirk At Arizona Memorial; U.K. Formally Recognizes Palestinian State; Trump, Zelenskyy Set To Meet At UN General Assembly; U.N. Security Council To Hold Emergency Meeting On Russian Jet Incursions Over Estonia; U.N. General Assembly to Hold 80th Session This Week; UNAIDS Calls for Global Collaboration in HIV/AIDS Fight; Competition to Name Fattest Bear in Alaska National Park; Historic Paris Waiters' Race Aims for Thrills, No Spills. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 22, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Polo Sandoval joining you live from Atlanta. And here's what's ahead here on CNN Newsroom. The U.S. presidents, Republican leaders and tens of thousands of people, they all gather to celebrate and memorialize the life of Charlie Klerk.
The United Kingdom and several other Western nations officially recognizing a Palestinian state for the first time.
And Russia's aggression in Eastern Europe will be top of mind for world leaders this week as they gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.
SANDOVAL: We begin with top conservative leaders in the United States, including the president Donald Trump. They are all vowing to keep Charlie Kirk's movement alive. On Sunday, tens of thousands of supporters, they attended the activist memorial service in Glendale, Arizona.
The president, his vice president and several members of his cabinet each spoke to the massive crowd. They praised Kirk's Christian values and described him as a martyr whose message would live on after he was assassinated at a Utah university nearly two weeks ago.
One of the most emotional and powerful moments came from Kirk's widow, Erika, as she offered forgiveness to her husband's alleged assassin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIKA KIRK, CHARLIE KIRK'S WIDOW: The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love, love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: But will that message resonate given President Trump's comments that followed right after in which he struck a very different tone? While he did honor Kirk's life and his influence on the conservative movement, the president made little effort to offer a unifying message. At times, he veered into the type of political rhetoric that you'd normally hear at a MAGA rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, US. PRESIDENT: He was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose. He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry. I am sorry, Erika. But now Erica can talk to me and the whole group and maybe they can convince me that's not right. But I can't stand my opponent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDVOAL: More now from CNN's Arlette Saenz reporting from the stadium where the memorial happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump and top Republican leaders in the U.S. joined tens of thousands of attendees here at State Farm Stadium to memorialize Charlie Kirk just 11 days after his assassination.
These attendees sat for nearly five hours hearing personal testimonies from people who knew Charlie Kirk the best, talking about his influence on the conservative movement and also his role as a man of faith. Perhaps the most powerful moment came in the speech from his widow, Erika Kirk, who talked about not just her relationship, but with her husband, but also his commitment to his Christian faith and to God. And there was a very poignant moment where she said that she is ready to forgive the man who shot and killed her husband. Take a listen.
KIRK: He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life on the cross. Our Savior said, father, forgive them, for they not know what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him.
SAENZ: That moment sparked a standing ovation, and I could see many in the crowd shedding tears as she talked about forgiving her husband's assassin. Now there were moments that turned more political. President Donald Trump did use his speech to try to talk about his own personal relationship with Charlie Kirk and the work that he had done to help him get reelected back in 2024.
[01:05:00]
But were points where the president veered into more political tones as he talked about the radical left and said that he hates his opponents, something that he believes Charlie Kirk would have disagreed with him on. But overall, the moments that really caught and captivated the attention of the audience here was when people spoke about Charlie Kirk in very personal terms, speaking about him as a man of faith, a man committed to his family, and a man who really helped the conservative movement grow, especially among young people.
Erika Kirk, as she closed her speech, said that is now her mission to take on Charlie Kirk's mission, as there are many questions around where this movement will head going forward in the loss of Charlie Kirk. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Glendale, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: And on Sunday, Arlette also reported that while Erika Kirk was delivering her remarks to so many people in the audience, they essentially put their phones down and kept their attention on the grieving widow. And in that crowd were two women. They told CNN that Kirk's message of forgiveness, that it touched them deeply.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIMBERLY KEHL, ATTEND CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL SERVICE: It was powerful. And you could feel. You could feel so much love and so much want for this country to just get better and grow and this love for the Lord and just a change, like we just need a change. And it was impactful.
MARJIE FAVIA, ATTENDED CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL SERVICE: It really is a point where I really cry. Because she had so much reason to be angry and really want to get it even with him, but her heart knew in her Christian way that she should do what God wanted her to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And really the number of people that turned out, it is really quite telling in terms of the figure that Charlie Kirk grew into. And then you also consider the roster of speakers. It was a really long list of Republican Party leaders who also spoke at the memorial, some giving speeches, memorializing Kirk, while others expressed how his death has galvanized the conservative movement. Here's what some of the speakers had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Charlie knew that were all children of God. He knew deep down the truth of scripture. And from that confidence, everything else flowed. That unshakable belief in the gospel led him to see differences in opinion not as battlefields to conquer, but as way stations in the pursuit of truth.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The irony in all this is that what our nation needs, one of the many things it needs, is the ability to discuss our differences openly, honestly, peacefully, respectfully. And Charlie Kirk did that more than anyone alive in America today is doing.
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: You cannot defeat us. You cannot slow us. You cannot stand, stop us. You cannot deter us. We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day and fight that much harder because of what you did to us. You have no idea. The dragon you have awakened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Joining us now is Michael Genovese, political analyst. He's also the author of the book "The Modern Presidency: Six Debates That Define the Institution." Michael, welcome to the program.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Great to be here.
SANDOVAL: So let's begin with your overall analysis, your general assessment of Sunday's memorial from your perspective. How much of it was a remembrance of husband and father Charlie Kirk, and how much of it was a political rally, you think?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, it was long. It was over five hours. Most of the speakers focused on Charlie Kirk, celebration of his life, of his values. The crowd was clearly grieving for the tragic loss of a young man, 31, whose wife he leaves behind, a wife and two children. And so there was a lot of mourning, a lot of prayer and a lot of pain.
But later on in the event, things degenerated a bit. That singular tone changed very quickly. And so they got off track and started going from the personal to the political. And some of the speakers were very political, inappropriately so, but it was an incredible event. 200,000 people filled a football stadium, and they had to go to an overflow stadium to meet the demands.
SANDOVAL: Listen to what some of the memorial attendees shared with our correspondents there on the ground before Sunday's memorial as they discussed really what drew them to the event. One of the voices you'll hear from Texas, somebody else from California. Listen to what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe we can all come together because that's what we need to do.
DAVID GONZALEZ, ATTENDED CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL: I think as a nation, I think we should do better for our kids because at the end of the day, when we're gone, all they get is what we left behind as a legacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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SANDOVAL: So considering the unique blend of speeches, what you just said right now, what we've. We've discussed, what message do you think that some of these folks walked away with? Do you think they may have been disappointed?
GENOVESE: Well, I think there was a long event and people. Everybody got something that they would have wanted. Charlie Kirk was a singular force within the conservative movement. He spoke to young voters, which Republicans have trouble with. He spoke to males, young males. And we all know that there's this crisis of masculinity in the United States. And he spoke of religion, faith, family. He touched many of the people there.
And so I think a lot of them took that away. The traditional values that he represented. He was a political evangelist for the conservative cause. He was very effective. I don't think anyone can replace him. His wife offered herself to do that. But it's really hard to replace a star like Charlie Kirk.
SANDOVAL: Some very powerful remarks, certainly from Erika Kirk. She seemed to be -- this is almost a pillar of strength, especially when she was very emotionally speaking about her husband. Is it too soon, you think, to be talking about Erika Kirk's potential in the conservative movement? Political potential?
GENOVESE: She is taking over Talking Point USA, which was her husband's, basically her husband's group. She'll take them over. She has promised to be his voice, his messenger and his presence, and she will continue with the cause. It's really hard for anyone to step into those shoes because he was such a unique figure. She will bring a very different approach, a very different perspective, very different talents.
And the question is, does that gel with conservative voters? It might be asking a lot for a woman because the conservatives tend to be a little bit -- have a difficult time sometimes with women candidates and women leaders. But that might be her biggest handicap. She's certainly talented, smart, and has a lot of the tools, so we'll have to see.
SANDOVAL: What do you see as the role of Turning Point USA in the future of conservative politics?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, it could take a different turn because if. If people are angry, if they want to get revenge, then it could take an ugly turn. If what they want to do is say, let's take the best of Charlie Kirk and build on that could be a very positive force within the Republican Party as well as within the conservative movement.
And if it does so, if it broadens itself, if it makes itself its best version of itself, it could go beyond the conservative movement.
SANDOVAL: Thank you so much Michael Genovese, as always, political analyst joining us at this hour. Appreciate you.
GENOVESE: Thank you.
SANDOVAL: And just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, Israel's reaction to some allies formally recognizing a Palestinian state and why this symbolic milestone may not change the reality on the ground in Gaza or the West Bank.
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SANDOVAL: And welcome back to CNN Newsroom. The U.K., Canada, Australia and Portugal, they've formally recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday and several more countries are expected to follow suit in the coming days. The announcement by the British prime minister makes good on his pledge to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel met certain conditions that included a cease fire deal and committing to a two state solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We recognized the State of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people. Today we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also, a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And in response to that pledge and that push for an independent Palestinian state, a defense defiant Israeli prime minister insisted that will never happen.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7, you are giving a huge reward to terrorism. And I have another message for you. It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.
For years I have prevented the establishment of this terrorist state despite tremendous pressure from both domestically and internationally. We did this with determination and we did it with diplomatic wisdom. Moreover, we doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria and we will continue on this path.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And then there's also Israel's foreign minister who's issuing a condemnation of his own. He's calling the move to recognize a Palestinian state, quote, a reward to Hamas and an encouragement of terrorism. CNN's Nic Robertson is more on this latest push for a two state solution and why this is happening now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: With this very carefully choreographed untimed announcement by the U.K., Canada and Australia to recognize a Palestinian state has drawn a very swift rebuke from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that it provides a big prize for terrorists. He said there will be no Palestinian state and he said he will further responses coming in the coming days. Members of his right wing cabinet have gone even further. They've said
that this now means it's time to recognize the whole of the West Bank as part of Israel, the occupied West Bank as part of Israel.
[01:20:05]
That would be a very significant annexation if that were to happen. What the British are saying here is, what the British prime minister has said is that he is recognizing the Palestinian state in order to keep alive the idea that there can be a Palestinian state. He said there's no place for Hamas in the future of the politics of the Palestinian people.
The Canadian prime Minister, Mark Carney, also saying that this recognition is to try to create a political space for Palestinians to have a voice, those that want to live in a state side by side with Israel in peace.
This announcement doesn't mean in any way that there is something that's going to change on the ground that there will be no sort of forming of a Palestinian state. It does, however, create divisions within the G7. Both Japan, Italy and Germany, members of the G7 say that this is not the right time to recognize a Palestinian state.
Obviously, these formerly staunch allies of Israel are now in a big rift with Israel and also they're diverging from the United States. President Trump, just a few days ago while he was here in the U.K. standing next to the British prime minister, when the British prime minister said that they'd had a discussion about forming a Palestinian state, his recognition of it, that they had explained that he thought that it should be part of a process towards peace.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, said, OK, this is where we have a difference. We have very few differences, but this is a difference. So United States does not appear to be moved by this at all. There are further expectations of more countries to recognize the Palestinian state. France, Belgium's expected as well, reportedly expected Luxembourg likely to join that list.
Last year, it was Norway, Spain, Ireland that recognized a Palestinian state. And of course back then, as of now, it won't affect anything on the ground, but it is certainly creating rifts, potentially putting pressure on Israel. But the prime minister saying there that he will respond in the coming days. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDAOVAL: And still to come here on CNN Newsroom, the Estonia now asking the U.N. to act after what it calls a brazen Russian incursion into its airspace. That's straight ahead.
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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom and I'm Polo Sandoval in Atlanta. The United Nations General Assembly is getting ready for its annual meeting this week. It's the organization's 80th anniversary and it comes at a time of heightened conflict in several spots around the world. Ukraine's president will be there pushing for an end to Russia's war in his country. CNN's Clare Sebastian with a preview.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump this week at the U.N. General assembly amid mounting evidence that Trump's peace efforts, seen most prominently of course in last month's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, have so far failed.
Russia's massive Friday night attack with nearly 580 drones and dozens of missiles was the sixth assault involving at least 500 drones since that summit. Polish and allied jets were also deployed Friday night as a protective measure as NATO's wheels from several incursions into its airspace over the past two weeks, first by drones and then on Friday by Russian jets into Estonia's airspace.
NATO allies are also expected to hold talks this coming week on those incursions amid mounting questions over the strength of the alliance's response. Ukraine is also not sitting back.
New video released Sunday morning by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence shows what it says is a targeted attack on three Russian helicopters and a radar station in Russian occupied Crimea. Ukraine's deep strike campaign, an essential part of its strategy, of course, against its much larger enemy.
But it's not enough to break the current impasse. Zelenskyy is expected to urge Trump to slap tougher sanctions on Moscow after months of letting ultimatums lapse and deadlines expire. And he's expected to push for clarity when it comes to U.S. involvement in Ukraine's post war security guarantees. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
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SANDOVAL: Ahead of the UNGA, the U.N. Security Council will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss Russian incursions into Estonian airspace. You may remember on Friday there were three Russian fighter jets. They entered Estonian airspace and they stayed there for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO.
[01:29:37]
Russia denies this, claiming that it conducted its flights in accordance with international law. Estonia called for the emergency U.N. meeting to address Russia's, quote, "growing aggressiveness and extensive testing of boundaries".
Joining us now is CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. You also know him as the author of the book "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion and America's struggle to Defend the West. Welcome back. DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, Polo.
SANDOVAL: Obviously, you're getting ready for what's going to be a very busy week in New York as there's going to be a lot on the agenda for the U.N. General Assembly this week.
No doubt, top of mind for many will be this recent move by the U.K. and several other western countries to recognize a Palestinian state to obviously join a growing list. But the timing here is crucial, especially as so many are hoping for peace.
Can you talk about the -- what could be the intention of these countries in making this recognition?
SANGER: Well, on the one hand, Polo, it is a huge break from the United States and the position of the West. The U.S. has never fully endorsed an independent Palestinian state although previous administrations, not the Trump administration, have said that a two- state solution is ultimately necessary. By declaring it, they're saying were going to recognize one now.
Now, on the other hand, they didn't say where it would be, who would run it, what its structure would be. So to many degrees, this is sort of a symbolic protest of how Israel has dealt with Gaza. It was immediately rejected by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said, that there would be no independent Palestinian state that could threaten Israel.
So, I'm not sure it moves the ball any -- in any particular direction other than to demonstrate the degree to which some of our major allies have moved away from the U.S. position here.
SANDOVAL: Obviously, the other conflict will also be discussed -- Russia's war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already said that he plans to meet with President Trump again on the sidelines of the UNGA. What should we be watching for?
SANGER: Well, you know, to some degree here, you feel a little bit like you're in "Groundhog Day", right? It was more than five weeks ago that President Trump met President Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. And he went into that meeting having told the Europeans he was going to insist on a ceasefire on the way to peace negotiations.
A few hours later, he emerged and said no, he's reconsidered that ceasefires weren't all that effective. They're easily broken, which they can be, and he's going to go for a big peace agreement. And the result is there would be a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, and then a three-way meeting that would then include President Trump.
Well, none of that has happened. The war has grown more intense on both sides. The Russians have been doing huge drone attacks on civilians. The Ukrainians have been wiping out key oil facilities and refineries and other energy targets inside Russia.
And the president, who had said well, we'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do, has now issued a somewhat weak statement saying he wouldn't do anything until all the Europeans stopped buying gas from Russia. They are buying modest amounts of it.
So it's not at all clear that President Trump is going to do very much. And I think Zelenskyy is sort of at the end of his rope on this.
SANDOVAL: And then there's also the other tensions between the U.S. and the U.N. Perhaps another reason to closely be watching the gathering here. That relationship between the U.S. and the U.N. certainly being tested right now. The U.S. withdrawing funding. You also have differing opinions on climate change, et cetera.
I'm wondering, given that complicated relationship, shall we call it, do you think or exactly how effective do you think the U.N. can be going forward given these tensions?
SANGER: You know, what's really fascinating is that in the first term, the battle was between Trump and NATO. And, you know, his declaration that NATO was irrelevant, obsolete, and that he might pull out.
In the second term, he's somewhat made up with NATO because the NATO nations are contributing more to their own defense and have made long term commitments in that regard.
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SANGER: And his relationship with the U.N. has, if anything, worsened.
Now, his former national security advisor has just been confirmed as -- just days ago as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. And it'll be interesting to see if that marks something of a turnaround. There's been no real Trump administration representation there.
But in general, I think the U.N. fears that one of its largest funders, the United States, is basically pulling back. And I think that's a legitimate fear based on everything we're hearing.
SANDOVAL: David Sanger joining us for a look ahead at what will no doubt be a very eventful and crucial week at the U.N. We know you'll be there as well, so we'll check back.
Thank you so much, David. David Sanger.
SANGER: Thanks so much, Polo.
SANDOVAL: Some of Africa's top leaders, investors and innovators, they are meeting at the "Unstoppable Africa" summit. It's held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
CNN's Larry Madowo spoke with Winnie Byanyima. She's the executive director of U.N.'s -- UNAIDS, I should say about that ongoing fight to end the AIDS pandemic. Here's what she said.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How did the U.S. aid cuts affect your work at UNAIDS? WINNIE BYANYIMA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNAIDS: The most impacted
countries are the low-income countries of Africa that have a high burden of HIV. Since we last spoke, I'm still hearing of clinics closing, hearing of fewer people coming on to get treatment, be tested.
But good things have happened since as well. Last week we had the United States government announce its America First Global Health Strategy, which is highlighting the importance of achieving the targets which we set as UNAIDS of prevention and of treatment.
MADOWO: So you commended the U.S. announcing this America First Health Strategy?
BYANYIMA: Absolutely. Because there is a strong focus on continuing to support the fight to end AIDS. That's positive.
Secondly, we are also seeing these emerging new treatments that are starting to be rolled out, not treatments -- medicines for prevention.
MADOWO: Someone might be surprised that your job is to end the AIDS pandemic. So why do you talk about income inequality or the climate crisis or all these other issues?
BYANYIMA: Because they are connected. Look, we are seeing new infections and people losing connection to treatment in many countries in southern Africa because of the climate catastrophe.
Every time there's a flood, every time there is a drought, and people are displaced, people lose connection to services because wars are really the biggest disrupter of our progress on ending this disease.
So climate, wars, the inability of countries to come together and solve problems like taxation. Countries can't raise the domestic resources they need to put in health.
Right now with the American government pulling away some of its money from global health, we have low-income countries of Africa faced with a huge financial gap that they can't fill with domestic resources because of tax avoidance and tax evasion.
And at the same time, they are highly indebted. And the debt crisis isn't being resolved fast enough to free their fiscal space. So you see how the global issues are affecting the possibility of poor countries to rise.
And the diseases continue -- infectious diseases continue to remain in those countries, threatening the security of everybody. So we need global collaboration.
MADOWO: The argument from the U.S., from President Donald Trump is that they can't keep funding the health response around the world forever.
BYANYIMA: Yes.
MADOWO: These countries have to do it themselves.
BYANYIMA: And they are right. They are right about that. And there is no -- there is a huge appetite in the developing countries to pay their way to solve all their problems.
But this is why I'm saying we need global collaboration to solve the structural issues in the global economy that prevents developing countries from moving forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Larry Madowo for that report.
And still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, get ready. It's going to be another year of intense competition as an Alaska national park looks to name this year's fattest bear.
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SANDOVAL: We'll tell you how you can have a say in this important and critical matter after the break.
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SANDOVAL: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
A U.S. national park in Alaska, it is looking to crown the fattest bear of the year. And they need your help to decide who wins.
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SANDOVAL: The contenders will be announced on Monday and then starting on Tuesday, you can go online and choose among this year's fattest bears in Katmai National Park.
The annual competition, it seeks to find the bear who, quote, "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears" as they prepare for winter hibernation. Using a "March Madness" type of bracket and an online voting system, bears will then be eliminated one by one until the top teddy is named.
Joining me now is Naomi Boak -- forgive me. She's a media ranger with the Katmai Conservancy. Naomi, thank you so much for joining us.
NAOMI BOAK, MEDIA RANGER, KATMAI CONSERVANCY: Hi. Good to be here.
SANDOVAL: You'll be --
BOAK: Happy Fat Bear Week.
SANDOVAL: Yes. And to you as well.
You'll be very happy to hear that the bracket is already up in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are anxious to fill it in.
I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit about the importance of Fat Bear Week? Sure. It's wholesome, it's light-hearted but what does it bring attention to?
BOAK: Yes. Well, Fat Bear week is a celebration of the success of these bears and the success of the ecosystem that they live in. We need to protect and support these places that are thriving.
I mean, we had more salmon in that river this year than we've ever had before, and there aren't a lot of places on this earth that can say that. And these bears need their fat to survive and get through six months of famine. And why not celebrate that? And why not have fun in the process?
SANDOVAL: Oh, it's a great idea and one that I know has grown in popularity around the world now.
BOAK: Yes.
SANDOVAL: I believe you started this in 2014, if I'm not mistaken. How have you seen popularity really grow in terms of numbers.
BOAK: Well, in 2014 it really was just one day, Fat Bear Tuesday. And then Park Ranger Mike Fitts (ph) thought, gee,
it was so popular that 1,600 votes. Let's have Fat Bear Week.
So it's grown enormously like the bears. Last year there were around 1.4 million votes from over 100 countries around the world. So, you know, join in the fun.
SANDOVAL: So let's talk about selecting contenders here. I mean, how do rangers actually select them? And then when voting is finally open, what should people look for when selecting their favorite beefy bear?
BOAK: Well, it's a -- it's a tough process, especially this year because all the bears were fat. So we look for bears that have gotten fat over the season. All kinds of bears -- young bears, teenage bears. We just completed the Fat Bear Junior competition on Friday. And the current champion Grazer's Cub won that competition. So she will be in it.
The big boars, I think you should be looking at the current champion, 128 Grazer who was the first mother that we've ever had in the competition, and she's got some beefy behemoths to compete against so -- and we're celebrating resilience.
And the way to vote is go to FatBearWeek.org and you could -- it's up to you. Bears don't know who you voted for, so you can vote for the bear that gained the most weight.
We have pictures of them skinny and fat. You can vote for the bear that's fattest. You can vote for the bear whose story speaks to your heart. It's up to you. And you get to name your favorite, fattest bear.
The other qualification is that you have to get pictures of them skinny and fat, and that's sometimes hard to do because they're fishing all the time.
SANDOVAL: Can you tell us a little bit about the previous champs in previous years?
BOAK: Sure. Well, last year, 128 Grazer was our champion. That was her second time winning. The bear that has won the most is 480 Otis. And we haven't seen Otis in a couple of years now. He would be almost 30 years old right now, which is kind of the limit for a bear's successful lifetime.
And we all miss Otis. Otis is probably the most famous bear in the world, and he was our Zen master. He would sit in his office looking down at the fish. And he was recorded catching, I think, 42 fish in an hour. I mean, he deserved to be champion.
[01:49:51]
SANDOVAL: Look, in a time when issues like climate change, for example, could even be polarizing. It's so important to note that over one million people have gotten involved.
So do you think that speaks to a genuine interest in the general population around the world to get involved, not just during Fat Bear Week?
BOAK: Yes, I hope it means that we -- we did a study that showed that if you were able to recognize a specific bear, that you were 70 percent more likely to contribute to any conservation cause. And you can watch these bears, during the bear season from June through October on explore.org.
We have seven live streaming cameras on the Brooks River, this really remote place in Alaska where we don't even have cell service. And you get to know the bears over the years. It's like watching five soap operas a day. So who doesn't want the joy of cheering for your favorite soap opera star?
SANDOVAL: Remind us quickly before we let you go, Naomi, where can people go to get involved after those contenders get released?
BOAK: Yes. Well, you can vote at FatBearWeek.org and there will be two head-to-head match ups each day until we get to the semifinals. Voting starts Tuesday, noon, Eastern time and runs through the 30th, Fat Bear Tuesday.
And also get involved in conservation in your local area. Get out in nature. It's healing.
SANDOVAL: Look, it is another benefit in this experiment we call democracy, the freedom that -- no, the civic duty to select the chubbiest champ. So certainly encouraging everybody to get involved.
Thank you so much. It has been an absolute pleasure, Naomi. We're going to continue to check back with you as the race begins.
BOAK: Please do.
SANDOVAL: Well, still ahead. Ready, set, serve. Waiters and waitresses from cafes across Paris, they hit the streets, trays in hand, all of them vying for the city's greatest food-serving honor. We'll tell you what it is when we come back.
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SANDOVAL: Well, if you've worked in the restaurant industry, you know that serving food and drinks in a busy restaurant will keep anybody on their toes. But in parts of Paris on Sunday, dozens of waiters and waitresses, they donned their aprons and they carried their coffee and croissants. And it wasn't to serve any customers. No, this was a serious competition. It was a bid for wait staff glory.
Saskya Vandoorne goes inside the city's historic waiters' race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EWA FONTAINE, WAITRESS, LE MESTURET: This is really a challenge for me.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: This is Ewa Fontaine. And she's not training for a marathon or the Olympics, but for one of Paris' most iconic traditions -- the 100-year-old waiters' race.
Born in the 1920s, it was created to celebrate the heritage of French cafes and to showcase the skill and dexterity of those who keep them running.
[01:54:50]
FONTAINE: Don't run. Stay calm. Stay focused. And try to, yes, balance all your tray.
VANDOORNE: Fontaine came in fourth place last year. This summer, she's been training hard. Set on winning a place on the podium.
FONTAINE: I didn't watch my back enough. And so I was overtaken by another runner at the last moment.
VANDOORNE: It's race day. The waiters are picking up their bibs, and the goal is to cross the finish line as quickly as possible -- without spilling, running or carrying the tray in both hands.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.
VANDOORNE: Off to a great start. Her tray is steady. She hasn't spilled anything. She's got four kilometers of Parisian pavement ahead of her. How are you feeling?
FONTAINE: I feel worse. Not tired. Yes approaching to the banks of the seine, which is my favorite.
VANDOORNE: Slowly to the finish line. Eva is neck and neck with another waitress. This could cost her a place on the podium.
Now we're into the final stretch. You can feel the tension. The crowd is cheering. Competitors closing in.
Ewa Fontaine pushes forward, every step counts. And across the finish line. What a performance. Ewa Fontaine takes fourth place, just shy of the podium. But a fantastic effort.
FONTAINE: Of course I will be back next year too. Yes.
It's a pleasure.
VANDOORNE: Saskya Vandoorne, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: All right, so let's stay in France for this next story. A giant monkey on a skateboard taking to the skies in the French Alps this weekend. Some real characters, too and some real altitude as you see here.
It's the annual Icare's Cup. It's a French paragliding festival. It's attracted some real characters from the big monkey mascot that you just saw, maybe some frogs or some octopi somewhere that you'll see eventually.
Obviously it was extremely windy, as you see here. Dozens of those gliders and surprisingly non-aerodynamic costumes, they took flight in a unique gathering. The event, it's named after the Greek myth of a famously unsuccessful attempt at flight.
However, some good news -- all of the participants made it safely back on the ground.
And we do want to thank you for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval in Atlanta.
The news continues with my colleague Ben Hunte.
[01:57:23]
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