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CNN This Morning

FBI Searches Childhood Home Of Charlie Kirk Killing Suspect; Charlie Kirk's Death Puts Spotlight On Rise In Political Violence; Dozens Of Palestines Killed As Israel Intensifies Gaza Strikes; Trump Doubles Down On Blaming Radical Left. University of Michigan Reports Americans Feeling a Lot Worse About the Economy; Rapper Bad Bunny Excludes U.S. from Concert Tour. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 13, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:29]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Saturday, September 13th. I'm Victor Blackwell. Here's what we're working on for you.

For the first time, we're hearing from Charlie Kirk's wife since he was shot and killed in Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIKA KIRK, CHARLIE KIRK'S WIFE: The movement my husband built will not die. It won't. I refuse to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: We'll have the reactions coming in from his supporters, plus the new details we're learning about the alleged shooter.

Hospital officials in Gaza say dozens of Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks Friday ahead of an expected ground invasion. Our Nada Bashir is standing by with the latest on that.

Also, new data giving us a look at how all of us are feeling about the state of the economy. The Cliff Notes here, not great. We'll share the key takeaways from the report and what it means for all of us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has Puerto Rico ever seen something of this scale?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never. In the 20 year history of Coliseo itself or in the entertainment history of Puerto Rico. Nothing of this magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: Plus, Bad Bunny's record breaking residency comes to an end this weekend. What the concerts have meant for Puerto Rico and why the rapper says he will not tour in the US.

All right, so the assassination of Charlie Kirk led to a 33-hour manhunt that ended in the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. He's being held without bail. A heavy police presence was seen at the suspect's home Friday as authorities continue their investigation.

Robinson is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday and is expected to face several charges, including aggravated murder. We also have heard from Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk. For the first time she spoke from her late husband's studio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRK: If you thought that my husband's mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea. You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The FBI said that after receiving more than 7,000 tips, it was a father's recognition of his son that led to the arrest. Now during an interview with CNN, Utah's governor gave an update on the investigation into Robinson's motive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R) UTAH: I think maybe what stands out is that nothing stands out the way you would normally expect. You know, this is a good family, normal childhood, all of those things that you would hope would never lead to something like this. But certainly there was a radicalization that happened in a fairly short amount of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Marybel Gonzalez is live in Orem, Utah. What have you learned about this suspect?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. Well, we know there are certainly more questions than answers at this point, but we're starting to gain a little bit of an understanding of who Tyler Robinson is from those closest to him.

According to social media post, he had a very close-knit family. He scored well on standardized tests and he even got a scholarship to a university, to a state school here. But he left after a semester and never returned.

Now those who worked with him, including one person, an electrician who wanted to remain anonymous, he said that he was a very -- Robinson is very shy, very soft spoken person. He didn't really talk about politics until you brought it up, but he did meant this person did mention that Robinson did have a dislike for Trump.

But we're also now learning that according to voter registration records that Robinson is currently registered to vote unaffiliated and he had never cast a ballot. That is according to the Washington County clerk. In high school, though classmates did say that just like his family, Robinson was a -- is a -- was a political conservative and that he supported Donald Trump during ahead of the 2020 election.

[06:05:01]

Now, investigators are also pointing to some evidence to shed light on a possible motive, although that is still not clear. We know that there were bullets and a rifle that were found nearby campus here. And there was engraving on the rifle and also on some of these bullets, one of those inscribed with the phrase hate fascist catch, a message that the Utah governor says spike speaks for itself. And the messages also included a mix of memes and also allusions to video games.

Now, taking with all of this and with so many people trying to speculate on a motive, the Utah governor as well as officials all across the country, they're asking people to remain calm because we're already seeing so much divisiveness on social media, including the Utah governor says the word war when described describing tensions between the left and the right. Let's take a listen to what he said on this topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COX: I don't think most people actually mean it because war is my kids and my grandkids getting shot in the street. No one wants that. The problem is that there are people out there who, when they hear that, they actually believe it. And it leads to things like we're seeing today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now, the governor also said that here in Utah, it takes about three days for prosecutors to file these charging documents. And in those charging documents, we will likely be able to learn more details about what led to this case and what happened during the shooting and, of course, in the aftermath leading to Robinson's arrest. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Marybel Gonzalez with the reporting from Orem. Thank you so much.

The Charlie Kirk's case killing has put a renewed focus on political violence in the United States. You remember, it was just in June that two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses were shot. One of the couples died. In April, an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home. And there were two assassination attempts on President Trump.

I'm joined now by Nathan Stock. He's the former associate director of the Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program. Thank you for being with me. Let me start with this. I've heard other experts tell my colleagues

here that this is a new era of political violence. I just went through the recent history, but is this dramatically different than the landscape when Paul Pelosi was attacked four years ago, or Steve Scalise was shot eight years ago, or Gabby Giffords 14 years ago? Is this a different moment or is this just who we've been?

NATHAN STOCK, Former Associate Director OF THE CARTER CENTER'S CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROGRAM: Well, the United States has gone through periods of increased political violence throughout our history. We are, I think, again in another cycle of that nature. I think the attack on Speaker Pelosi, the attacks on President Trump over the summer are a manifestation of the cycle we're in now.

I think the good news for us as a country is that we also have a history together and getting through these spasms of violence.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I read, you know, your piece in 2020 about how to reduce political violence in America. You highlight the first half of the 20th century, actually probably up to the 1960s, maybe early 70s, and the resilience of conflict in America. What lessons can we take from that era?

STOCK: Well, it is important for the American people to have some broad consensus on where our country is going, some shared sense of national goals, and also confidence that the democracy itself, that our system of government, our republic, can be the system through which we resolve disputes, set national goals. Obviously, we are quite polarized.

But I think with the right leadership, it's possible to get back to that. I think in this moment, what we need to see from across the political spectrum, Republicans, Democrats, elected officials, but also media personalities calling us all toward the better angels of our nature.

BLACKWELL: I want you to listen to two young conservatives who spoke with one of my colleagues, Elle Reeves, and listen to this, and then we'll talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN MCCROSSEN, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I think people are going to become a lot more radical. I think that goes without saying. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, you could determine. But people are -- people are upset.

MADISON CAMPBELL, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: The next person who starts to take his place is going to be much more far right,.

[06:10:0]

Because in order to do that, you have to almost be willing to die for your opinions. I think that is, in a way, beautiful. It's very, you know, it's a martyrdom. Right. Which is beautiful to die for your beliefs. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The person who takes his place will be more extreme, as she says. Does history suggest that's true?

STOCK: There are certainly cases from conflicts around the world where as identities harden and violence escalates, you see more and more violent or radical leadership come to the fore. So, yes, that is a path we could go down. We don't have to. The future is unwritten.

As a society, we can still come together to demand more. I think it's important to remember the vast majority of Americans reject political violence. Most of us want to go to work, take our kids to soccer games, and live in a happy, peaceful, democratic republic.

The challenge before us then is to lift up those voices and to change the incentives that at the moment have been promoting vitriolic rhetoric, dehumanization, et cetera. But we can do better. And the American people want better.

BLACKWELL: Yes. No one should die because of their opinion. Nathan Stock, thank you so much for being with me.

This morning, the FBI is investigating the death of a man shot by an ICE officer yesterday during a traffic stop in a suburb just outside of Chicago. Officials say that the 38-year-old undocumented immigrant drove at officers, hit one of them, dragged him. The officer was seriously hurt, but is now in stable condition.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says the public deserves a full accounting of what happened to ensure transparency and accountability.

An investigation into the murder of a South Florida woman has led to six more deputies being fired and 11 others disciplined. Mary Gingles had warned her -- warned for months rather, that her estranged husband might kill her. Investigators say that Nathan Gingles followed through on those threats in February. He came, killed Mary and her father and a neighbor, they say.

The sheriff says that deputies missed multiple chances to protect Mary and enforce restraining orders. Two officers were fired earlier in the investigation. Nathan Gingles pleaded not guilty. He could face the death penalty.

The Treasury Department says it will turn over bank reports to the House Oversight Committee for its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. There's a specific process for sharing those reports. It's called suspicious activity reports. They flag unusual transactions, but they do not necessarily show wrongdoing.

The department says that it will work with other agencies to provide the records while protecting sensitive information. The House Oversight Committee chair says they'll follow Epstein's money trail to ensure accountability for survivors and for the public.

This morning, at least 70 people are dead after heavy Israeli strikes in Gaza. Most of the deaths were in the north where families were pulled from the rubble. Israel says it hit more than 500 targets in Gaza City and is vowing to use what it calls extreme force. CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking the latest. Nada, good morning to you. What do you know?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. We are certainly seeing that extreme force as mentioned by the Israeli military in Gaza City and in fact, across the Gaza Strip as the military deepens its offensive. Some 70 people killed on Friday across the strip, as you mentioned, the majority of them in the north. But we certainly have seen that intensification in Gaza City where the Israeli military is deepening its assault.

One hospital official saying that 13 members of the same family were killed recovered from beneath the rubble of a destroyed building. We've seen that destruction across parts of central Gaza increasing over the last few days as the Israeli military continues to call on civilians to evacuate.

And of course, it's important to remember that we've heard these evacuation orders several times now over the last almost two years of this war. Civilians are being told by the Israeli military to move southwards that they will continue their offensive in central Gaza, they say targeting Hamas militants and infrastructure.

But this remains a densely populated area filled with civilians, many of them sheltering in temporary camps. Now, we have heard from some of those civilians on the ground who are receiving those evacuation orders. Take a listen to this one interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DINA MHANNA, RESIDENT OF THE TARGETED BUILDING (through translator): My home, my safety, my life, my whole life has been spent in this house. It's the safety of my children. Now I can no longer feel safe for myself or my home. I don't know where to go. I'm standing here with nowhere to go. I have no place in the south, no place in Gaza. I have found nowhere.

[06:15:02]

Where do we go? Someone please tell us where to go. There is no safe place. Everywhere they say is safe, but the bombing continues and death is everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Victor, this is a crisis we have reported on repeatedly now. Humanitarian organizations warning that there is simply no safe places left in the Gaza Strip for civilians to evacuate to. They are being told to move southwards. But we are still just in the last few days seeing those airstrikes taking place in parts of the south. Many humanitarian organizations warning that it is simply too dangerous for many civilians to make that move, that journey southwards.

And of course it's important to underscore that this is still an enclave that is facing a disastrous and catastrophic limitation on the amount of food aid being allowed. And we know, of course, according to a U.N. backed initiative, that famine has now been confirmed in parts of the strip. And according to officials and mediators, hopes for a ceasefire appear to have stalled significantly. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Nada Bashir, thank you. All right, so we had a little taste of fall. I got to say I loved it. Summer is not done yet. More than 90 million people across the country will see highs in the 90s this weekend. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with the tales. I mean listen, after the last week, I'll take the 90s, it's been beautiful.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's the thing. It makes you appreciate it more.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

CHINCHAR: Because you had it now you're probably going to lose it but then you'll excite -- be excited when it comes right back again. Maybe that's Mother Nature's plan.

BLACKWELL: This is short lived?

CHINCHAR: Shortish.

BLACKWLEL: OK.

CHINCHAR: Yes, we'll still shortish. Yes, eventually we will start to see a cool down. But yes, it really for not just this weekend but for much of early next week we're going to start to see that heat set in. It's really focused across the central U.S. but it is going to spread into areas of the Midwest, the Southeast and portions of the mid Atlantic as well.

But that heat is also fueling some thunderstorms. We know that's what happens. You get that clash of cold and warm air. So you've got a strong line of thunderstorms moving through southern Wisconsin right now headed right for Chicago here in about the next hour or two.

So do keep that in mind. Lots of lightning with that and some gusty winds. But heat is going to be the more widespread story that we talk about again.

78 for Chicago today, again because you're going to have those showers and thunderstorms and cloud cover. But elsewhere across much of the Midwest and the central U.S. you're talking 90-degree temperatures really all the way up through portions of Minnesota.

You can see here it is going to start to spread. It's also going to expand. So more and more places are going to start to see those temperatures begin to rise. And we're talking areas of 10, 15 even in some places as much as 20 degrees above average.

Now here's a look at Chicago again today on the cooler side because of the cloud cover. But then those temperatures start to jump up at St. Louis, Little Rock, you're going to see your temperatures already well above average today and it stays that way through the next several days.

Place like Atlanta again, a few degrees. Atlanta really starts to peak by the mid to late portion of the upcoming week. So here's a look at Kansas City. Keep in mind, 80 is the normal high this time of year for Kansas City. We are going to be at least 10 to 15 degrees above that the next few days before we finally start to see things drop back at the end of the upcoming week.

Similar scenario here for St. Louis. Average is about 82 most of these days. For at least the next five, you're going to be above that before you finally start to see that dip back down. Nashville, however, is going to stay above average for every single one of the next seven days.

BLACKWELL: Short ish.

CHINCHAR: Short ish, exactly.

BLACKWELL: I'll take it. Thank you very much. All right. Next on CNN This Morning, we're seeing mixed messages from political leaders after the killing of Charlie Kirk. Utah's governor is urging people to bring the temperature down. President Trump continues to blame the left for political violence.

Plus, the cost of living continues to increase. August inflation report shows a sharper rise than expected. What's driving that spike? And Bad Bunny bypasses the mainland U.S. tour. Why immigration fears are shaking up fans, venues and the music industry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:40]

BLACKWELL: President Trump is doubling down on blaming the, as he calls it, radical left for the political violence that left conservative activist Charlie Kirk did. The Republican governor of Utah, though he's taken a different tone. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COX: I think we need more moral clarity right now. I hear all the time that words are violence. Words are not violence. Violence is violence. And there is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable.

(END VIDOE LCIP)

BLACKWELL: With me now to talk about this, Errol Louis, political anchor for Spectrum News and host of the Big Deal with Errol Lewis. Errol, good to have you back.

So let's listen to more from Utah Governor Spencer Cox. And then we're going to hear from President Trump and I, just to make the contrast clear, we're going to play them back to back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COX: We can always point the finger at the other side. And at some point, we have to find an off ramp or it's going to get much, much worse. History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem, and they're vicious and they're horrible and they're politically savvy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: How successful is a call for an off ramp if the head of the party is doing that?

ERROL LOUIS, POLITICAL ANCHOR, SPECTRUM NEWS: Yes, I mean, Victor, good morning. One of those people sounds like a wise and thoughtful compassionate leader, and the other sounds like somebody who's ready to continue the fight. And facts be damned.

In this case, as it turns out, the suspected perpetrator has nothing to do with the political left. Nothing whatsoever. Not culturally, not politically, not organizationally. And yet you have a president who wants to sort of take the fight to his enemies and seems determined to do so. That's not an off ramp. That's another round of political division.

And I hope that some people will find their own off ramp, but the president doesn't seem to want to guide us there.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the hope for finding an off ramp. I just had a conversation with the former leader of a Conflict Resolution Center, and, you know, it's a year Monday since the second attempt on President Trump's life. This was the one in Florida, and there was a call then for a cooling of everything. Let's find a way to bring down the temperature. The shelf life of this is getting exceedingly short.

LOUIS: Yes, I mean, look, there are other voices that have to be heard. You know, the president was center stage, as he should be, in an interview on Fox News, but the other people sitting on the couch don't have to just stand there and listen to it.

I mean, we all have a duty, I think, to sort of speak up and sort of create a tone. Everyone can talk to their neighbor, everyone can talk to their audience. Everyone can use their platform, however small it might be. Even if it's just talking to your neighbor to sort of put different kinds of energy into the world and into the conversation. And until we get that done, I think, you know, we're just going to continue to see algorithms that want to sort of profit off of division commercially, and you'll have bad actors who want to do the same.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the president was on that couch for an hour on Friday. He made some other news. So let's shift now to President Trump talking about ending the Putin's war on Ukraine. And here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your patience run out with Putin?

TRUMP: Yes, it's sort of running out and running out fast. But it does take two to tango. It's amazing. When Putin wants to do it, Zelenskyy didn't. When Zelinskyy wanted to do it, Putin did. Now Zelenskyy wants to and Putin is question mark.

But we're going to have to come down very, very strong, be hitting very hard on with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The president has cycled through several of those two-week time frames to determine what's next. It's been 20 weeks since he pondered on social media. If Putin was just tapping him along, where does this go now? Is this a turning point any different than the last several months of his administration on consequences for no progress?

LOUIS: Well, if you know, Victor, if you want to see anything hopeful in what you just played, the president was mentioning things other than military power. It might be starting to dawn on this White House that they're going to have to use things like diplomacy, things like trade, things like sanctions and that just throwing out words like strong and tough and standing up to Putin and looking him in the eye have not succeeded and will not succeed.

It's the things that during the campaign, frankly, the president derided the idea of so called soft power, the idea of using diplomats, back channels, side channels and endless discussion to try and steer Russia toward where he wants it to go. I mean, those are the only tools he's got left at this point.

BLACKWELL: The president also said that he will not be sending National Guard troops to Chicago. Instead they'll be going to Memphis. Now, the administration has been zeroing in on Chicago since the very start of the year when what do you think explains the reversal here?

LOUIS: Well, look, we saw tens of thousands of people in the streets. They were not going to get a great reception if they were to try and introduce National Guards or military troops into the streets of Chicago. The mayor, the governor, the entire leadership out there seemed pretty aligned that they were going to resist by any means necessary, including the courts.

[06:30:00]

By contrast, Memphis, which is the most dangerous city, a large city, over 250,000 in the country, they actually do and did have a problem. They had a governor, first of all, a Republican governor who was in favor of this, has sort of talked with the White House about making this happen.

And secondly, they have a city where I think it was something like 2,000 open warrants, they had already created a local taskforce to try and deal with some of the criminal issues that were there, and they actually, on some level, are welcoming some form of federal help. So, I think that kind of opened the door a little bit.

And then of course, there was a meeting that the President alluded to with the head of a large corporation that's seeking a merger, and he sort of put in the President's ear the idea that Memphis might be the best next place.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: All right, Errol Louis, thanks so much. Be sure to tune in to, first of all, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, I'll be joined by the mayor of Memphis to respond to President Trump saying that he's planning to send the National Guard to Memphis. It's his first interview since the announcement. That's at 8:00 a.m. Eastern on "FIRST OF ALL". We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

BLACKWELL: Americans are feeling a little more pessimistic about the economy this month compared to last month. According to the University of Michigan, consumer sentiment dropped nearly 5 percent compared to last month, and over the last year, it's a 21 percent decrease. Now, here's why that may be.

The latest inflation numbers show that consumer prices are rising up nearly half a point last month, and 2.9 percent for the year. Joining me now, Michelle Singletary; she's a personal finance columnist for the "Washington Post", she's the author of "What to do with Your Money When Crisis Hits".

Michelle, welcome back. I don't know if we've hit crisis yet, maybe some discomfort, but your latest column is about how to ride out the increasing inflation. Help people do it.

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST: Well, you know, right now, if I were not saving enough, I would try to do whatever I can to put more money in my emergency fund, reduce the amount of debt that you have, as you go about shopping, you know, be even more smarter about how you shop.

You know, it just -- you've got to cut folks. I mean, we are not sure where inflation is going to go. It's probably going to go higher. Things are going to cost more in the grocery store. You know, your BLT is going to be like bacon and lettuce, because tomatoes are up. So, you're going to have to just do a lot of things to tighten your belt.

And I've been telling people this for several months to really just watch what you're spending, less eating out because you need to build in a cushion to your budget.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I thought you would have cut the bacon first, but I hear you on the tomatoes, they're up too.

SINGLETARY: No, you've got to keep the bacon though -- BLACKWELL: You can't cut the bacon. You can't cut the bacon. All

right, so let me ask you, this is some good news. Thirty-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.35 percent. That's down from 6.5 percent last week, sharpest weekly drop this year. You know, people have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the decrease. How do they make the determination if now is the time to get in?

SINGLETARY: You know, trying to time-mortgage rates is sort of the same thing as trying to time the stock market. You can't, and I always tell people when they ask me, is this the right time to buy? I say, well, look at your budget. It's going to buy in the how -- if buying a house going to deplete all your savings, what is your job situation?

Are you in an industry where there's more -- you know, there's been cuts. You've got to look at the totality of your financial situation, not just the mortgage rates, because once you get in that house, you're locked in that mortgage. And I just -- I don't look at it that way. Look at how can I afford this house if something happens to my job?

How long can I stay in this house on my savings. You know, and particularly look at how much you're going to be spending on your net income when you go into the house. I have two daughters who just bought a house last year, and mom and daddy qualify them on a different rate than the bank did.

You know, because we're saying you should only be spending about 30 percent of your net pay for this house. And the bank looked at their gross income, well, they don't bring their gross income home. And so, those are the kind of decisions that you have to make to make sure that you -- when you get that house, you can stay in it.

BLACKWELL: All right, Michelle Singletary, thank you so much. And I'll remind people, check out your financial fast, they can find that at the "Washington Post". All right, next on CNN THIS MORNING, global superstar Bad Bunny makes a bold decision about his latest tour. Why he skipped scheduling mainland U.S. dates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: In a new interview, Bad Bunny says that he did not include the mainland United States in his latest tour because of fear that ICE would rave the concert venues. Now, he kicked off this tour with a two-month residency in Puerto Rico. CNN's Isabel Rosales has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here at Puerto Rico!

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Bad Bunny-mania has taken over the island of enchantment. The rapper, who has previously been critical of ICE operations, said in an interview with "i-D Magazine", he didn't include the U.S. in his concert tour because of fear that ICE would raid the concert venues. In a normally slow time for tourism on the island, the Puerto Rican

superstar's 30-concert Residency is sold out.

(on camera): Has Puerto Rico ever seen something of this scale?

JORGE PEREZ, COLISEO DE PUERTO RICO JOSE MIGUEL AGRELOT: Never in the 20-year history of Coliseo itself, or in the entertainment history of Puerto Rico, nothing of this magnitude, not even close.

ROSALES (voice-over): Tourism agency discovered Puerto Rico estimates the island will earn at least $196 million from the residency.

(on camera): Do you think that this stimulus will last beyond his Residency at all, or is this a temporary?

[06:45:00]

PEREZ: I think it's one of the most valuable lessons that will come out of the Residency --

ROSALES (voice-over): Even the merch around this historic Residency has gone viral. The rapper's version of Labubu, featuring the album's toad mascot and sapo concho sold out. Working from a corner of his grandparent's living room in Ponce, the graphic designer Sebastian Muniz Morales is stunned by the hype.

(on camera): Do you ever go, hey, that shirt you're wearing, I designed that?

SEBASTIAN MUNIZ MORALES, GRAPHIC ARTIST: When I feel like very confident to do it, I do it. But I get a little shy telling people that I was the one who created it.

ROSALES (voice-over): Bad Bunny's music has long reflected the struggles of life on the island.

MUNIZ: You see de La residencia, but once you go out, you see the different problems we fight for. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) -- something is wrong here.

ROSALES: A legacy of U.S. colonialism and gentrification confronted head-on in his song what happened to Hawaii.

(MUSIC)

The island facing a crushing debt crisis, crumbling infrastructure and frequent power outages spotlighted in his song, "The Blackout". The reality has driven young Puerto Ricans to leave the island in search of a better opportunity, something Muniz Morales once considered.

MORALES: Some people like don't see their future here. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: And after (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) or Bad Bunny wraps up his tour right here in Puerto Rico, he kicks off a world tour starting in the Dominican Republic. But Victor, let me set the mood for you here. This is sort of like the Super Bowl for these massive global fans, and what we're witnessing here as the tailgate ahead of this big show.

Puerto Rican flags all over the place, people dancing, having so much fun, an event they've been waiting for, for so long. Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, CNN's Isabel Rosales, thank you so much. Next on CNN THIS MORNING, a mom who is not just driving change, she's steering it, and our CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE series will introduce a woman revolutionizing the school commute and leading the charge toward a cleaner future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Time now for CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE, a series that shines a light on innovators. CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir traveled to California to meet a mom bringing school transportation into the 21st century.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 100 years, the wheels on the bus have gone round and round, round and round with very little improvement. Yellow diesel dinosaurs belching fumes all through the town. And with no way to track America's most precious cargo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like you can track your pizza, you can track your packages, but you have no idea what your children love.

WEIR (on camera): My champion for change is a mom/engineer who set out to reinvent the school bus. It's a company called Zum. When Ritu Narayan moved to Silicon Valley and started a family, she found the same child transport challenges her mother faced back in India.

RITU NARAYAN, FOUNDER & CEO, ZUM: Nothing had changed. This problem is generational. It is very much societal. Why is the technology not applied and how I can revolutionize this whole thing?

WEIR: Even in the epicenter of door-to-door on time delivery, we didn't think in this way when it came to our kids.

NARAYAN: Yes, it is a problem hidden in plain sight, like nobody realizes it's the largest mass transit system in the country. Twenty seven million kids commute twice daily on this infrastructure.

WEIR: Hi, Mateo, I love your shirt, I love that dragon shirt. That's so cool.

(voice-over): And for special needs families like Mateo's, knowing exactly when a safe, quiet ride will arrive at both ends is an educational game-changer. LIZBETH ZAMORA, MATEO'S MOM: Sometimes they'll tell you like it's

coming a little early or it's running late, but right now, it's still on schedule.

WEIR (on camera): That's so great, and our driver is Diana.

ZAMORA: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

ZAMORA: So, it gives you the driver's information. Ready? All right, have a good day. Bye, Mateo.

WEIR: So, he rode a diesel bus, right?

ZAMORA: Right --

WEIR: His first year?

ZAMORA: Right.

WEIR: What was that like for him? He has autism.

ZAMORA: Right. So, it was a little uncomfortable because he -- the noise. So, he will just sometimes like cover his ears. You know, it bothered him. Now, with these buses, like you can barely hear him. So, that's not an issue anymore.

WEIR: Oakland became Zum's first big customer, thanks to Kimberly Raney, who came from package delivery at FedEx.

KIMBERLY RANEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION, OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL: We gave him a little bit of a shot. We also tried him on our most difficult students to see really how well the app and the technology held up.

WEIR: Wow --

RANEY: And it was great. Our parents loved it. We like to call it like Uber-Lyft meets FedEx-type Amazon, meets Tesla, and we've merged them all together into almost the exact perfect operation.

ZAMORA: Normally, school buses stop for three minutes every stop. And the reason for that is they want to make sure the kid is there and nobody has missed each other. In our case, we are able to reduce that boarding time to eight seconds --

WEIR: Wow --

ZAMORA: Per stop.

WEIR: By trying to solve one problem, she ended up solving all kinds of other problems.

[06:55:00] (voice-over): Since there is a national shortage of bus drivers,

smarter routes make the most of everybody, and the extra juice saved gets used after school, because these aren't just buses, they are giant portable batteries which get plugged into the grid after school and during Summers.

ZAMORA: Seventy four buses in Oakland are giving 2.1gigawatts hours of energy, which is equivalent to powering 400 homes annually. Zum is in 14 states, 4,000 schools across the country, and we are rapidly growing. So, our mission is to enable 10,000 buses in the next few years.

WEIR (on camera): School bus by day, power plant by night.

ZAMORA: That's right. That's right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Fantastic work. Be sure to tune in tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern for the "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE", one hour special, it's hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

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