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The Situation Room

Treasury Secretary Bessent in Madrid for Trade Talks Between the U.S. and China; Israel Strikes Tallest Building in Gaza; "The Charlie Kirk Show" Will Go On. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 15, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, let's make a deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Madrid for trade talks between the U.S. and China, says the framework for an agreement to avoid a TikTok ban is ready to be signed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: We have a framework for a TikTok deal. The two leaders, President Trump and Party Chair Xi, will speak on Friday to complete the deal, but we do have a framework for a deal with TikTok.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And President Trump also took to social media saying, quote, "A deal was also reached on a certain company that young people in our country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy. I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday."

Now, a deal would conclude a years-long effort that began during President Trump's first term. So, for the latest on this, let's go to CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy in New York. Clare, what more can you share with us?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes. Pamela, it has technically been nine months since this law went into effect that requires TikTok to be sold off from its China-based parent company ByteDance or face a U.S. ban. Of course, President Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement of that law. Most recently, the deadline was set for later this week, September 17th. And now it appears we may be near the finish line on this deal.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying that this deal is fair for the Chinese and respects U.S. national security concerns. And as President Trump alluded to in that post there, you have to imagine that TikTok 170 million American users will be happy to hear this.

However, I do want to caution that this is not necessarily a done deal yet. President Trump set to meet with President Xi on Friday to finalize the terms of this deal. And I think that it's going to really hinge on a larger trade agreement here. You'll remember that back in April, the White House was nearly crossed the finish line with a TikTok deal, but that fell apart when President Trump announced new tariffs on China.

So, I do think these announcements, these agreements are a promising sign towards a deal. But I think that TikTok's American users won't be celebrating until this thing is really signed and sealed, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Clare Duffy, thanks so much. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Also new this morning, we have new video of Israel striking the tallest building in Gaza as it ramps up its military campaign in Gaza City. Watch this.

All this comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Rubio's visit is just days after Israel launched an unprecedented military strike in Qatar, a very close U.S. strategic ally in the region. Israel was targeting Hamas leadership in a move that ignited international outrage.

Joining us now, the New York Times White House and national security correspondent David Sanger. He's also a CNN political and national security analyst and the author of the book, "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion and America's Struggle to Defend the West." In a news conference, David, a short time ago, Secretary Rubio was asked if Israel's strikes had damaged U.S. relations in the region. This is what he said. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have strong relationships with our Gulf allies. We work very closely with them on a number of things. We've been engaged with them. We've been engaged with them consistently before what happened and after what happened. And ultimately, the point we'll make to everybody is that some fundamentals still remain that have to be addressed, irrespective of what has occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, David, is that indicative of how careful and precise Rubio has to choose his words right now? And how delicate relations are in the region after Israel's strike in Qatar?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AND AUTHOR, "NEW COLD WARS": Well, Wolf, the secretary clearly never answered the question there. The question was, had these damaged relations between Israel and the Gulf allies? And the answer is clearly yes. You know, Qatar had always been the place where mediation took place between Hamas and Israel, the United States. So, it was off-limits for attacks because that's where the mediators met. That's where the Hamas representatives met. They decided unilaterally to go ahead and attack a site there.

It's not clear whether they killed any senior Hamas leaders. Apparently, they did kill six people who were in that meeting room that they targeted. But they never gave the United States any warning because they knew the United States would tell them not to go do it.

And so, the president has sort of underreacted to this, as you have heard Secretary Rubio try to underreact. Obviously, it's a huge violation of Qatar's sovereignty. And then there's the question of whether it was worth the damage done to relations in the region.

[10:35:00]

BLITZER: As you know, David, the United Nations Security Council condemned Israel's military strike in Qatar, even though the statement that the U.N. Security Council passed did not specifically name Israel. It was obvious that they were referring to Israel. The U.S. traditionally blocks actions in the Security Council, but the U.N. Security Council against Israel, but didn't do it this time, even though the Trump administration strongly supports Israel. They allowed this resolution to go forward. What does that tell you?

SANGER: Well, it tells you that they wanted to send a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu. But I'm not sure that it's a message that the prime minister didn't expect or wasn't prepared for. You know, earlier this year, he told one group, you know, I don't go and seek permission from the United States because you know where that always ends.

And in fact, the U.S. had opposed and Secretary Rubio issued a statement opposing the attacks on Iran at the beginning of the 12 days of military action there. And then, of course, President Trump flip sides on that and joined the attacks with the destruction of Fordow and Natanz and Isfahan.

So, I think that the message that Prime Minister Netanyahu has gotten is, don't worry about the Trump administration. They may make some noises about it, but in the end, they will forgive all.

BLITZER: All right. I want to quickly turn while I have you, David, to the issue of Russia and Ukraine this morning. The Kremlin says there's no progress toward what's being described as a potential trilateral summit with the U.S. and Ukraine. The Kremlin calls it a pause in the negotiation process. Do you see it as more than that?

SANGER: It is. I mean, think about it, Wolf. It was four -- more than four weeks ago that we were all in Anchorage for this much anticipated meeting between President Trump and President Putin. At that time, President Trump said he was dropping the effort to get a ceasefire because it was more important to get a peace agreement, that that was on the table, and it was on the table because there would be meetings first between Putin and President Zelenskyy, and then there would be this trilateral meeting that you referred to. None of that has happened.

The violence has accelerated. The attacks, if you believe it wasn't an accident, into NATO territory, have happened for the first time with these drones that went into Poland. And now, what has happened is that President Putin has basically declared there is no negotiating process, which tells you that everything that they did in Anchorage was pretty much for naught. BLITZER: Yes. that's an important point indeed. David Sanger, thanks very, very much. Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, just ahead, Charlie Kirk's movement. I'll speak one-on-one with the producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show" about his legacy and his message to both supporters and opponents.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

BROWN: Well, now to a Situation Room one-on-one. As vigils honoring Charlie Kirk's legacy take place across the country, Kirk's family and team are making clear that the conservative activist show will go on. Vice President Vance announced last night that he plans to host today's episode at noon. Vance helped carry Kirk's casket after returning his body to Arizona on Air Force Two last week.

Joining us now to discuss is the executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show," Andrew Kolvet. Andrew, you're there at the White House because you were helping put the show on today with the vice president. We're going to be talking about that in just a minute. But first, I just want to ask, how are you doing? How is your staff doing? How is Erika Kirk doing?

ANDREW KOLVET, SPOKESMAN, TURNING POINT USA AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW": Yes. I mean, about as good as you might guess. And I've talked to a lot of ex-military guys have called me during this time. They -- you know, they sort of told me it comes in waves, and it does. But we're strong and we're resilient. And I can't tell you what it has meant to all of us, to me personally, to Erika, just this incredible outpouring of support and love from across the country and really across the world.

And every vigil that we see, every tribute to Charlie, whether that's a pilot, you know, flying in the shape of a C with a cross and a K, or, you know, the sports teams that are all honoring him, it's been overwhelming and truly remarkable to see.

BROWN: And obviously, you're feeling that from the White House too, that showing of support that it is really unique, right, to have a White House be so involved personally. And now, there's this decision for the vice president to host "The Charlie Kirk Show" today. How did that come about and what can we expect today?

KOLVET: It came about because he asked if he could do it. And I said, of course, sir, you know. And so, we went about working on putting this together with his amazing team. And you know, Charlie and J. D. were friends. They were actual friends. And Charlie, you know, endorsed him when he was running for Senate and I think he polling at like 3 percent. And yes.

And you see that around the White House a lot. I mean, a lot of the people that are running the federal government are personal friends of Charlie's, and they were in the trenches together, in the campaign, and they've known each other for years. [10:45:00]

And so, you know, I'm walking around this ground. I'm honored to be here. But I also know that I'm hugging people that are mourning as well alongside of me.

BROWN: Yes. Tell us a little bit more about that personal relationship Charlie had with White House staffers and with President Trump himself.

KOLVET: Yes. you're going to see that on the show. I mean, you asked what you're going to see. You're going to see people that -- some of the most powerful people in the country and in the world coming on to the show, joining the vice president to pay tribute to their friend, their colleague, somebody that they strategized with, that they worked on various parts of the campaign and the transition and then the early days of the Trump White House.

And so, Charlie was a champion of the grassroots. Nobody knew the grassroots better. Everybody that e-mailed the show, Charlie would read that e-mail. And people don't believe me when I say that, but in the radio breaks, he would read every single e-mail, and there would be thousands a day. And then he would go out to college campuses and he would interact.

And he told me again and again, he's like, you don't understand what they tell me is invaluable. Like he was listening to what they had to say to him, and he was absorbing it all. And he knew that his role was to be their champion. People with no name ID, no influence, no friends in high places. They have needs, wants, and concerns that are sometimes hard to hear in Washington, D.C. or New York City. But he knew it. He knew them well because he touched them. He interacted with them. He debated them. And he took that message and he brought it back to the people that could do something about it.

BROWN: How has his death then galvanized supporters to get involved with Turning Point USA?

KOLVET: Yes. I mean, it's been amazing to see. I mean, at this point, we're over 37,000 inquiries just through our website, tpusa.com, saying I want to get involved and start a chapter. And to put that in perspective, right now we have 900 college chapters, official college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters and about 3,500 total. So, 37,000 is enormous. And so, it has galvanized the country because I think people are sending these clips around.

And Charlie spoke from a place of such integrity and just of what he believed and what he stood for that it just hits so hard. And I've said that to other people. I said, you know, two people could say the same thing, Pamela. And for some reason, Charlie's would go further. And it's because there's something in it, the integrity of who he was and what he believed and what he stood for and his faith in Jesus was so powerful that it would just echo and spread. And that's what made his voice so powerful. And you're seeing that now with how people are so moved by it that they just can't do anything but try and get involved in some way. And we've been just inundated with people saying, hey, I run this kind of company, can I help? It's totally free. Hey, I do this. Can this be helpful to you?

And then the students, the students are devastated. We're getting so many of those testimonials. And they want to see Charlie's legacy live on through Turning Point USA.

BROWN: I think this has struck a chord all across the nation, as you heard from Governor Cox saying, because this was a political assassination. It goes to the heart of the great American experiment, right? Free speech is foundational for democracy. And Charlie Kirk was there speaking on a college campus when this happened. Did he talk to you about his concerns for his safety doing this? And I know you also had a conversation with him or was communicating with him just before his death.

KOLVET: Yes. I mean -- yes, we texted that morning just before, as he was driving up to campus. And we were just talking about debate points. He was so excited. And I want people to know that he was -- he loved it. He -- for weeks before getting back out on tour, because we had done the spring tour, and he was so excited about the fall tour. And by the way, he did 15 billion views in the fall leading up to the election. And we almost doubled that across all the different platforms and mediums in the spring. And so, he just couldn't wait to have another crack at it and go for it.

And yes, we were concerned about his security. I mean, we had a lot of security around him. Charlie got a lot of threats. We were constantly coordinating with the FBI to make sure he was safe. And ultimately, you know, we had even talked about different things that we could do to keep him safe. But ultimately, it would have kept him further away from the people that he loved interacting with and the students. And he didn't want that. He wanted to be as close to them as he could be and he wanted to be able to shake their hands and take selfies and throw them hats and high five them.

And yes, so what -- in Turning Point, if Charlie wanted something, that's what we did. And he got what he wanted. And he wanted to just be close to people.

[10:50:00]

BROWN: Yes. We saw that in the minutes leading up, right? He was throwing the hats and interacting with the crowd.

KOLVET: Yes.

BROWN: All right. Andrew, thank you so much for your time. You know, I know he was a very close friend of yours. It wasn't just a working relationship. He was a close friend. Very sorry for your loss. We'll be right back.

KOLVET: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right. As you probably know, I'm a happy man right now. Is it any wonder why, my Buffalo Bills took care of business yesterday against the New York Jets with a dominant 30-10 win. Plus --

BROWN: Plus, the Giants lose in overtime to the Cowboys and the Chiefs start the year 0-2 at the hands of the Eagles. For more, CNN's Coy Wire joins us from Atlanta. Coy, take us through the weekend.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. A whole lot of awesome only 90 seconds. So, let's just start with the Super Bowl rematch. We'll get to the Bills next, Wolf.

[10:55:00]

Those Chiefs dealing with loads of injuries, still able to go toe-to- toe with Philly. A couple of rare Chiefs' mishaps. Mahomes to Kelce has been automatic. The trap. Butterfingers on this one. Intercepted by Andrew Mukuba. Leading to the Eagles' points. Chiefs would have taken the lead right there. Instead, the Eagles' tush pushed their way into the end zone to go up 20-10. They pushed the tush seven times in this game, Wolf and Pam. And you can clearly see their offensive lineman getting a bit of a head start there. This happened multiple times, but no false start penalties called. Eagles win the Super Bowl rematch 20-17.

Overtime thriller. Cowboys and Giants. Six lead changes in the fourth and overtime, tying the NFL record. Russell Wilson hitting Malik Nabers to put the Giants ahead with 30 seconds to go. Nabers had two touchdown catches. But as the clock ran out, a 64-yard field goal from Dallas' Brandon Aubrey is good. And that sent it to overtime.

Now, Russell Wilson, he had 451 yards passing, three touchdowns. But then, a costly interception in overtime. Handing the game to Dallas on a silver platter because Aubrey steps to the plate again, this time from 46 yards out. First player ever to convert a game-tying field goal with no time in the fourth and a game-winning field goal with none left in OT in the same game. Dallas wins 40-37.

All right. Wolf, our Buffalo Bills are off and running. A 2-0 start now after stomping division rival Jets, 30-10. James Cook running for 132 yards, two touchdowns. We have the Dolphins next. Nothing slowing us down. Not even the nose-gushing blood could stop Josh Allen yesterday, Wolf. Got whacked. Only missed two plays. Came back in to lead him on a scoring drive. Some say you all have plans until you get hit in the nose, Josh Allen's plan is just shove some tissues up there and keep going.

BLITZER: Yes. I was worried when he got that bloody nose. But Thursday night, they're playing the Miami Dolphins. So, we'll see what happens then. Coy, thank you very, very much.

WIRE: You got it.

BLITZER: And we'll be right back.

BROWN: Thanks so much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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