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Champions for Change; Interest Rate Cut Coming?; U.K. Ambassador to U.S. Fired Over Epstein Ties; Could Charlie Kirk's Murder Lead to More Political Violence?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired September 11, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: As the urgent manhunt defined the killer who shot Charlie Kirk continues, there is increasing concern the conservative activist's death could spark even more political violence here in this country.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I want to bring back right now Brian Levin. He's the founding director of the Cal State San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

Brian, thanks very much for coming back.

There's some new polling out, and I want to ask you about that. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, more than a third of college students right now say using violence to stop someone from speaking on their campus is acceptable. That's 14 points higher than three years ago.

What do you say to those who believe that violence is the answer to stopping hateful rhetoric, from their perspective, or even people that they disagree with?

BRIAN LEVIN, THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF HATE AND EXTREMISM: Great point.

And let me just tell you that poll is not too far out from some of the other things that we're seeing. I have been asked, where do we get our information from? There are other polls too. So you're talking about anywhere from the high single digits to about 10 percent all the way up to about one-third.

Also, it varies by the depth of the ideology and the direction. So, on the hard right, we are seeing more people who embrace violence, but we are now starting to see that on the left as well, if you look at polls. And the number of homicides, if we look just from the ideological perspective -- and there's many more analytics -- but that's diversifying.

And starting in 2020, for the first time, we have seen an increase in fatalities coming from the hard left, when they were absent for years and years before. So what does that tell us? Among young people, young people in particular, you're talking about college campuses, look at college campuses not as a place for discourse, but as a place to plant an ideological flag.

And many of these young people believe that with the increasing authoritarian actions of the government, that they can appeal to others to come under their rubric because they say being in the system doesn't work. So what do we have to do? We have to model civility. Have people think that they're included, particularly at times -- and you made a great point.

I think this is happening similar to what we have seen, for instance, in the late '60s, early '70s, when, for instance, conservatives were in power, there was a war going on in Vietnam that people felt strongly about, and there was a splintering off from the mainstream, peaceable Martin Luther King-type trajectory (AUDIO GAP) confrontational.

And, today, we're seeing this much more among loners. Unlike before, when you had to join the Weather Underground or the Ku Klux Klan, now you can be in an orbit, a sociopolitical orbit online, but you can carve out how you're going to respond.

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So the direction of the prejudice, the depth of the prejudice, how angry someone is and how adept they are at acting out on their behaviors, and with a freewheeling Internet, people can be amplified and directed to targets that are going to be regarded as increasingly acceptable within whatever subculture they're in.

And we're seeing that with young people across the ideological spectrum, unfortunately, as your survey just illustrated.

BROWN: That is really scary. So where do we go from here?

LEVIN: Well, we go from here to doing the commonsense things, one, accessibility to weaponry.

Now, this person may very well have had accessibility to weaponry anyway. But President Trump has rolled back restrictions on mentally ill people having access to weapons, adjudicated ones. Additionally, the freewheeling nature of the online discourse and imagery is one that's increasingly aggressive, fear-based and tribalistic.

What we need is something that we did here in California with the Commission on the State of Hate. Just last -- just the other week, we looked at how conflict resolution and approaching difference need not default to aggression. So we have at UCLA, at Cal State, at other universities getting into civic discourse, but also making sure that you have people who come from different perspectives.

But the bottom line is, we have a combination of issues here, mental illness. One of the things that we're seeing with regard to, for instance, this year, for the previous six years, it was far right, white supremacists and aligned ideologies connected to the most fatal incidents.

Since 2020, we're now seeing the hard left bubble up, but not in nearly the same numbers. But the bottom line is, pan-ideological, we are seeing violence being regarded as acceptable ways to resolve political disputes as people become less aligned with institutions and more distrustful of them.

That being said, a good polling number that we have, about 78 percent of Americans believe that this is a problem. And just about three- quarters reject this type of violence root and branch. So we do have a minority, and they appear louder and more omnipresent due to a freewheeling Internet, which it tilts towards emotional responses, fear, and then the aggression that rises from that fear, whether justified or not.

When that whole thing about immigrants eating pets, hate crimes in Springfield, Ohio, against black people were more than all the hate crimes in the previous year just in September of 2024. So what I'm saying is, there is a role for leaders to model this. And the leaders are the highest at the presidency, but also the soccer coaches and the school officials as well.

We have to institutionalize conflict resolution and de-escalation. And we're not doing it. We're rewarding demonization. And, unfortunately, that's well -- look, we're hearing a lot of nice things today. But look at the demonization that's taking place, the aggressive conflictual imagery, war on Chicago, talking about immigrants in the most vile terms, when 70 percent of those who've been rounded up have no criminal convictions or records.

So we have to tone down things, but it's not going to happen until that political currency which then overflows into angry or unstable people to act on those stereotypes which legitimize certain targets for aggression.

Last point, this aggression is now associative. What do I mean? It's not just one group. It's any group that's considered friends. So it's not just, for instance, trans people that are under attack, but all gay people and their supporters. And we saw this online and in the streets in 2020 from a data-driven perspective.

BLITZER: All right, Brian Levin, thanks very much for joining us. Thanks for all the important work that you do. We really appreciate it -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, and coming up: The U.K. is firing its ambassador to the United States after brand-new e-mails revealed close ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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BLITZER: Breaking news: The Dow has now crossed 46,000 points for the first time. This comes as investors embrace rate cut hopes after August inflation data mostly matched expectations. Let's go live right now to CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich, who is in New York.

Vanessa, the latest inflation data showed prices are continuing to rise, so explain why stocks are now up.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, prices did rise in the month of August. We got that inflation report earlier this morning that showed prices rose by 0.4 percent in the month of August, but held steady on an annual basis at 2.9 percent.

And, for investors, that was good enough. It is not worse. It is not their worst fears coming true that inflation was going to heat up dramatically. And that is why you see the Dow trading above 46,000 points for the first time ever, and we are on pace for another record close.

Essentially, investors are pricing in now the fact that the Federal Reserve will certainly cut rates when they meet next week. This would be the first rate cut since December. And investors believe that inflation has been tamed enough or has not heated up more than it has, and so they believe that that rate cut is coming. And that is why you see that being priced into the market.

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Remember, Wolf, the markets are forward-looking. It is what investors and traders believe businesses are going to do, how they are going to perform. And what we have seen is that inflation has not heated up as much as economists have expected. And traders believe that businesses are more well-positioned to absorb the costs of tariffs than initially expected.

Of course, you see markets there across the board are up this morning, but the Dow is really the one that we're paying attention to. Right now, investors believe, for the Federal Reserve, that there is a percentage chance of 88 percent that the Fed will cut rates next week, an 11 percent chance that they will actually cut beyond the 25 basis points to a half-a-point cut.

That would be significant, Wolf, but really investors looking forward right now, believing that a rate cut is on the horizon, putting tariffs and inflation in the rearview mirror.

BLITZER: Yes, the Dow is up almost 550 points right now.

Vanessa, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, we have more breaking news this morning.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired his country's ambassador to the United States. Peter Mandelson has faced intense criticism for his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, especially since his letter surfaced from Epstein's now infamous birthday book. The handwritten note called Epstein "my best pal." CNN's Clare Sebastian has the latest.

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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we had seen days of mounting criticism of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein leading up to this decision after a series of revelations this week.

First, the documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday contained a 2003 letter from Mandelson as part of a birthday book describing Epstein as -- quote -- "my best pal."

But the clinching factor was the e-mails obtained in a Bloomberg investigation released on Wednesday revealing that Mandelson showed support for Epstein after he pleaded guilty for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

"I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened," Mandelson wrote in one of those e-mails. The British Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday: "The e-mails show the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment."

Now, the strong sense is that Mandelson had hoped to keep his job despite this. He did not heed calls to resign. And in a long interview on a British podcast on Wednesday, Mandelson clearly tried to get ahead of this, saying he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein.

PETER MANDELSON, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: I regret very much that I fell for his lies. I fell and accepted assurances that he had given me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida. Like very many people, I took at face value what he said.

SEBASTIAN: But it wasn't enough. Just seven months in, he's now leaving arguably the most consequential posting in the British diplomatic service.

It's the third time in his long and turbulent political career that he's had to leave a post over a scandal, and it comes at a delicate moment for the U.S.-U.K. relationship. President Trump, himself under scrutiny for his past relationship with Epstein, something he calls a dead issue, is expected here in the U.K. in just six days' time on a state visit.

It's part of a major effort by the British prime minister to cement ties with the Trump administration and one that he won't want overshadowed.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

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BROWN: Clare Sebastian, thank you so much. BLITZER: And coming up, as CNN honors our Champions for Change, we're

introducing you to the entrepreneur brewing success for Cuban Americans by blending coffee and community.

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BROWN: Well, this week, CNN is recognizing Champions for Change, people who are quietly working behind the scenes to make life better for others. They don't seek the spotlight, but they deserve it.

BLITZER: They certainly do.

And, this morning, we meet CNN anchor Boris Sanchez's champion, fellow Cuban American Adam San Miguel. Adam is using his cafe to help migrants support students and promote Cuban culture.

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ADAM SAN MIGUEL, CEO, CORTADITOS: I would equate the Cuban culture to the coffee, which has elements of joy.

The strength and perseverance and resilience, just like the coffee, is very strong. And they're very passionate people about what they care about. I'm very proud of Cortaditos, a five-store, going to be six- soon, Cuban coffee shop chain. We're building careers and pathways to resettling and growing in this country, and to support specifically Cuban-American students.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: I am a Cuban-American immigrant, and my family came to the United States the day that I turned 3. I feel very connected to Adam in part because of our shared background and the idea that our families fled our homeland in order to create a new life.

Coming to Cortaditos feels like a slice of home. It feels like I'm back in Miami sharing cafecito and talking about the events of the day.

You hire a lot of Cuban migrants.

SAN MIGUEL: We are very purposeful about it. So we work with refugee resettlement agencies, and we go specifically to their job fairs, and we recruit. And so I always tell them, I want you to have a career with us or a career without us, and we're going to help you get there.

IVONNE BENITEZ, CORTADITOS MANAGER (through translator): As a young girl, I always wanted to leave Cuba. I came to achieve a dream, to be a professional.

SANCHEZ (through translator): What would be your goal now for yourself?

BENITEZ (through translator): My first goal is to learn English and improve myself a little more, because I really would like to know a little more about business.

SANCHEZ: It can be extremely intimidating as a new arrival in the United States to try to carve a path for yourself and your family, especially if you don't speak English. What Adam is doing at Cortaditos is giving an express lane to these folks to assimilate and to pursue their dreams.

LIZ FIS, CORTADITOS BARISTA: I was born in Havana, Cuba, and I immigrated to the United States when I was 8 years old. I absolutely love working at Cortaditos. I get to work with other Cubans whom I can identify with. And the chemistry is just there because we get each other.

SANCHEZ: Something that Adam and I share, and certainly other Cuban Americans and immigrants across this country, is that, from a very early age, our parents instilled us with the idea that you have to work hard, you have to study.

Adam has not only made good on the American dream for himself and for his family. He's now turned around and offered a helping hand to the next generation.

SAN MIGUEL: When I say welcome, you say, CAALE. Welcome.

GROUP: CAALE!

SAN MIGUEL: I founded CAALE in 2013, the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership and Education.

Our mission is to build leadership capacity in the next generation of Cuban-American leaders. We give out three $10,000 scholarships a year, and the goal of the program is to build a professional, one that is successful in their career, has a spirit of service, and they know and care about their cultural identity, which is Cuba.

FIS: I am proud to be a scholarship recipient and to work at Cortaditos. CAALE has been such a resource. It's helped me find out what career I want to continue in so that I know what options I can have for my future.

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SAN MIGUEL: My grandfather always marveled at how big and how great this country was, and he always knew the opportunity was there. If he would have saw, you know...

SANCHEZ: Of course.

SAN MIGUEL: ... not just what I have accomplished, because I don't think owning a coffee shop is so special, but I know he would be very, very proud of how I did it. He would be proud because I did it helping people.

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BROWN: Really touching there at the end to see him get emotional. SANCHEZ: Yes.

BROWN: Because he did put so much hard work and studying, as was instilled in him from his parents, to build this. And his community service extends beyond the nonprofit, right?

SANCHEZ: Yes, we actually had a very limited time to shoot this with Adam, because he had to ship off to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he graduated. He's now an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.

And it's coincidental that we're airing this piece today. He told me that, as a young man, watching the attacks on Manhattan on September 11 inspired him to serve the country in that way to give back to a nation that offered so much to not only his, but so many other families, including mine.

BLITZER: And it was so powerful personally for me, as a child of immigrants myself.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

BLITZER: I can appreciate what you're going through, what you have gone through, and I really admired this Champion for Change.

BROWN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much. Yes, I appreciate that.

It's especially notable that Adam has contributed in this way to help students reconnect with their roots, but also to assimilate to a new country and to embrace it and the ideals in which it's founded on.

BLITZER: Good work.

BROWN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Boris, for that.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us.

We will see you back here, Boris, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern for your show.

To all of our viewers out there, thanks very much for joining us. We will see you back here in THE SITUATION ROOM tomorrow morning, every weekday morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash is next right after a short break.