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Trump Makes Unprecedented Second State Visit to U.K.; Utah Valley University Students Return to Class After Kirk Killing; Ousted CDC Chief Susan Monarez About to Testify on Capitol Hill. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired September 17, 2025 - 10:00   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 ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, pomp and pageantry. Right now, President Trump is in England for a rare second term state visit. We're going to bring you the very latest from Windsor.

And speaking out, the CDC director who was also just weeks into the job is on Capitol Hill to testify. Why she says, holding the line on scientific integrity got her fired.

Plus, disturbing new details about text messages the suspect and the Charlie Kirk murder allegedly sent and why he's being charged with aggravated murder.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Quote, a targeted attack, the FBI now investigating a car that rammed into a gate at its Pittsburgh field office. What we are now learning about the suspect.

Plus, escalation, Israel ramps up its ground assault of Gaza City, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced people to potentially flee. We'll speak to an aid worker in Gaza. That's ahead.

And later, with an outspoken Putin critic poison, Alexei Nalany's widow now says, lab results prove it, that Kremlin is responding.

Welcome to our viewers of the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

We begin this hour with breaking news, history unfolding right now over at Windsor Castle. The British royal family is hosting President Trump and the first lady. He becomes the first U.S. president to be honored with a second state visit to the U.K. This one has the pomp and pageantry that surely delights this president. Trump and King Charles rode in the first carriage of a stunning procession through the castle's estate, accompanied by riders on horseback, and not one, not two, but three military bands.

The president's arrival coming after this protest last night with images of him and Jeffrey Epstein projected onto Windsor Castle. Four people were arrested for the stunt.

Let's go to CNN's Max Foster who's joining us in Windsor right now. The president will be meeting with the prime minister, Max, tomorrow, but I take it today is largely ceremonial. Is that right?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but ceremonial like you've never seen before. This is a thousand-year-old castle. This is the biggest ceremonial procession they put on for anyone ever. If we look at the images of the guard of honor in the quadrangle, for example, they crammed in three companies of soldiers and a band. They look virtually squeezed in there. It's never been done before. It's normally just one company, and this is all in honor of the president giving him the biggest show possible.

Slightly strange atmosphere too, I have to say, Wolf, because the public isn't involved in this at all. The president flew into Windsor. There was a carriage procession, but it didn't go through the town. He didn't come in touch with the public at all. It went through the park and went along aligned route by the military, but, not protecting him from anyone.

So, that was slightly strange part of today. But they want to keep the president away from the public as a big security operation. As you say, there have been protests. I was out in the front of the castle last night when this projection at Epstein and Trump was projected on the front of the palace, very, very embarrassing for the palace authorities. And interesting the police clamped down on it very quickly. Even though it wasn't strictly a breach in security, it was very embarrassing for people arrested and the hotel rooms where this projection was carried out were cleared very quickly.

So that's -- it's been interesting the way he's been so protected from the public. But it's really important for the British government, for the royal family that it has the best visit ever. He feels utterly flattered. That's what all of this is about. And I think right now is actually a moment that speaks to the president's fascination really with British monarchy. He's having a private moment in the chapel with the first lady at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II laying a wreath there. Cameras aren't actually going to be allowed in to capture that moment. It just shows how solemn it is, I think, for the president, frankly. His connection really starts with royalty with his mother's fondness of the Queen Elizabeth II and has continued to this day, and we're seeing that on display today. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Max Foster in Windsor, England for us, we'll stay in very close touch with you. Pamela?

BROWN: Wolf, happening now, students at Utah Valley University are returning to class for the first time since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed a week ago on their campus.

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Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against the suspect, Tyler Robinson. And we're also learning more details about the shooting after his first court appearance. CNN's Danny Freeman is in Spanish Fork, Utah. Danny, what new information did we get from the charging documents in this case?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, we got a tremendous amount of new information from the charging documents from the Utah County attorney here. But I just want to note, the other thing that we got yesterday was that first court appearance by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. And it was remarkable because during the course of the entire hearing, which a lot of us watched live here on CNN, he was stone-faced throughout, including when the judge was informing Robinson that this likely would become a death penalty case.

But let's get to that new information released in these documents because there was so much specific detail that really shed light on Robinson's mindset really before and after the shooting. One of the highlights was a text change or text conversation, I should say, with Robinson and his roommate, who was a romantic partner, also a male transitioning to a female. There came a point where the roommate learned that Robinson was the one who likely committed this shooting. And the roommate texted Robinson, quote, you weren't the one who did it, right? Robinson replied back, I am, I'm sorry. And then eventually the roommate asked the question of Robinson, why. Robinson wrote back, why did I do it? The roommate said, yes. And Robinson said, I had had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.

Now, Pamela, the other thing that was fascinating from these documents actually concerned Robinson's parents. His mom, it turns out, was the one who -- when law enforcement officials released photos of the person they were looking for, his mom was the one who believed she recognized her son there. The mom and the dad ended up convincing Robinson to come home, ultimately convinced Robinson to turn himself in and get arrested and face these charges. And that's how basically he ended up here in the Utah County Jail behind me.

So, Pamela, as to what is coming up next, what we can expect to come up next, the judge said that Robinson must have an appointed attorney in time for the next hearing. That's scheduled for September 29th. And as you noted, Pamela, hopefully a little bit of normalcy, we'll try to get back to at the Utah Valley University where classes are going to resume again today.

BROWN: Yes, those students are grappling with a lot.

Danny Freeman, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Pamela. Also new this morning, the FBI is now searching for a man who rammed a car outside its field office in Pittsburgh. The white sedan you see there struck the entrance gate overnight. The FBI calls it a targeted attack on the Bureau. No one was hurt.

BROWN: And officials say the driver got out of the car, threw an American flag on the twisted gate, and then took off. They've identified the suspect and are still looking for him this morning.

BLITZER: Also happening now, Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City big time, as Israel moves forward with its long anticipated ground incursion into Gaza's largest urban area. The ground assault has drawn international condemnation and pushback from hostages' families in Israel.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, countries like China and Qatar are trying to isolate Israel. Listen.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We also know there is now an attempt to prestige Israel by various groups and by various states. At the head of it is Qatar, first and foremost, an information media siege funded with huge sums of money from Qatar and also from other countries like China. They operate in the west and no less so in the United States.

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BLITZER: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us now from Tel Aviv. Jeremy, a number of nations clearly have criticized this ground incursion by Israel. What is the Israeli government also saying?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military is progressing with its invasion of Gaza City progressively, but decisively. And that may be why so far we have yet to actually see evidence of tanks and troops moving into the central part of Gaza City. Although we do know that those ground forces, some 20,000 of whom have been mobilized for this offensive, have already taken up key strategic positions on the northern and the southern parts of Gaza City. And indeed, overnight, we have witnessed the continued aerial bombardment of Gaza City. Over the course of the last 48 hours, the Israeli military says that it has struck some 150 targets. Palestinian health officials say that 37 people were killed in Gaza City alone since midnight as of today.

The Israeli military also opening a temporary evacuation route out of Gaza City. This is to supplement the route that already exists along the coastline, that is Al-Rashid Street, Salah al-Din Street, which comes from the kind of central part of Gaza and goes south, that is now being opened temporarily for the next 48 hours for Palestinians to be able to leave the city.

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So far, we know that some 350,000 Palestinians have already fled Gaza City, but hundreds of thousands more still remain there. And many of them are simply too afraid to leave. We know that these evacuation routes can sometimes be the targets of Israeli military strikes and Israeli military gunfire. And in addition to that, there are also many who simply do not have the means to be able to leave Gaza City or not healthy enough for the hours-long journey that it would take by foot.

But, indeed, Israel is facing growing condemnation over all of this as the European Union is now considering new trade sanctions on Israel, and that would have quite an impact. The European Union is Israel's biggest trading partner. And if these sanctions actually do move forward, that could have an impact on the Israeli economy. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, it would have a huge impact. All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening now former CDC Director Susan Monarez is on Capitol Hill. She was fired just 29 days after she became head of the agency, and now she's telling her side of the story.

Monarez was shown the door last month after she clashed with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines, and she is now warning that her former boss is putting politics before public health.

BLITZER: CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us. By the way, Sanjay is also the author of a very important brand new book, entitled, It Doesn't Have to Hurt, Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life, very important book, indeed.

Sanjay, first of all, this is a pretty extraordinary hearing today. Set the scene for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the objective of the hearing ostensibly is to restore radical transparency to the CDC. That's what this committee says that they're trying to get at here. But I think, no question about it, there's going to be a lot of questions about what exactly happened with Dr. Monarez, not even a month at the CDC. You know, it was not a contentious hearing when she was confirmed. And Secretary Kennedy said her credentials were unimpeachable at that point.

But it seems to really have come down to two major things. What Dr. Monarez has talked about was that she was essentially asked to rubber stamp or pre-approve recommendations from this vaccine advisory committee. Keep in mind, the committee had not yet met. There were no specific recommendations, and the committee wasn't even full. They hadn't appointed all the members yet. And she says she was still asked to sort of pre-approve their recommendations. And the second thing is that she was asked to basically fire personnel who are responsible for vaccine policy at the CDC who without cause. So, I think these are two things that are going to come up.

When Secretary Kennedy was asked about this, he responded to it. I want you to listen to this, how he responded to Senator Warren.

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ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HHS SECRETARY: I told her that she had to resign, because I asked her, are you a trustworthy person? And she said no. If you had an employee who told you they weren't trustworthy, would you ask them to resign, Senator?

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GUPTA: I am really curious. That was just such a strange exchange. I'm curious how Dr. Monarez is going to sort of characterize this. This is what she has said, just to sort of set the table a little bit. She said, regarding trustworthiness, I cannot define that word for Secretary Kennedy. I made commitments to this committee that I would lead with integrity, transparency, and purpose, and work with Congress to maximize health outcomes and protect the American people, and that he and Kennedy said he could not trust me. And that's what she wrote in an op-ed not that long ago. So, we will see how much radical transparency we get today.

BROWN: We will see. It'll be really interesting to hear more about her side of the story on this.

And as you just mentioned, Sanjay, the new CDC vaccine advisory committee will be meeting tomorrow. What exactly will they be deciding?

GUPTA: I think they're going to make some recommendations regarding vaccines. And specifically the first couple of days, or first day, I should say, Thursday, childhood vaccines, MMRV, which is measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, chickenpox vaccine. We'll see if they make recommendations regarding that. And then I think also tomorrow, a Hepatitis B vaccine will be discussed. Right now, that is a vaccine that is recommended for newborns. We'll see what happens on Friday. They're likely to talk about COVID, COVID vaccines.

It's confusing for people right now. I mean, there's people who can't get their COVID shots. Some people need prescriptions, other people don't. They're not sure if it's going to be covered. So, hopefully, again, we'll get some clarity on this over the next couple of days.

BLITZER: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as usual, thank you very, very much for your expertise.

Pamela, I got my COVID vaccine the other day and I'm really happy I did.

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Because over the weekend I was in some groups, a lot of people were there, some of them coughing, and I just felt much better knowing I got the new COVID vaccine.

BROWN: That's good. This is the time. It's the season, right?

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: The fall, a lot of people are getting flu vaccine too right now.

So, I want to turn to some other news, Wolf. Happening now, the widow of Russian opposition figure and vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny says that there is proof that he was poisoned in prison.

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YULIA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEI NAVALNY'S WIDOW: In February, 2024, we were able to obtain samples of Alexei's biological material and securely smuggled them abroad. Labs in at least two countries examined these samples independently of each other. And these labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion. Alexei was killed. More specifically, he was poisoned.

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BROWN: Navalny died last year at age 47 in a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle. Moscow has denied involvement in his death, but his widow has long held Putin responsible.

CNN Correspondent Clare Sebastian joined us now. So, Clare, how did she get these results? And tell us more about the Kremlin's response to this.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela. So, the Kremlin has said it's unaware of these latest allegations, and as you noted, they have consistently denied any involvement in his death. The official version, of course, is that he died from a combination of various illnesses.

But there's a couple of striking elements to these revelations coming from his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, today. Number one, of course, the revelation that he was poisoned, because, as we know, if that was true, it would be the second time Alexei Navalny having survived poisoning by what turned out to be the chemical nerve agent, Novichok, in 2020, only then to return to Russia and be rearrested.

Now, she says, as you noted, that she obtained his biological material. They were able to smuggle it securely, she says, out of Russia, and it then went to two different laboratories in two separate countries. She says, both independently came to the same conclusion that he was poisoned.

But the second striking thing about these revelations today is Yulia Navalnaya is suggesting that she wants the results of those laboratory findings to be made public in full, suggests that the western states, she said, are standing in the way of this for political considerations.

Now, there's a lot of unknown still about this. We've reached out to the Navalny. They tell us that they don't have the full result from the laboratories yet. And part of the reason for releasing this video today was to put pressure on these facilities to come out in full and release them. And we still, of course, don't know which laboratories we're talking about in which countries.

But I think, look, the point here is that, clearly, the Navalny team want to sort of renew their cause here. There's a sense that perhaps in the year and a half since Navalny's death, they've lost some momentum here, and, of course, the cause being to shed light on what they see as the brutality of the Putin regime. They're accusing essentially countries of pandering to Putin in not releasing these results. So, a lot of unknowns still about this, but very stark allegations.

BROWN: Certainly, Clare Sebastian, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, Pamela.

I want to go to the hearing that's unfolding right now up on Capitol Hill before the Senate HELP Committee. HELP stands for health, education, labor and pensions. We're going to be hearing the opening statement from Dr. Susan Monarez, the fired former CDC director, also Dr. Houry also who was fired. I want to listen to their opening statements. The chairman of the committee, Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, is introducing them right now.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Oh, the opening statements, one-on-one again. Please, Dr. Monarez.

CASSSIDY: Is your microphone on?

DR. SUSAN MONAREZ, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: I believe it's on. Can you hear me?

CASSIDY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close to the mic.

MONAREZ: Thank you.

Chairman Cassidy, Ranking Member Sanders and distinguished members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you again. My name is Susan Monarez and I am a microbiologist and immunologist.

Exactly 12 weeks ago in this same room, I testified that if confirmed, I would lead the CDC to restore public trust, modernize public health infrastructure, and strengthen the agency's core mission of protecting Americans from infectious diseases and emerging threats. I was honored to be nominated by President Trump and confirmed with the Senate support.

Secretary Kennedy himself swore me in on July 31st, calling me a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials.

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My tenure as CDC Director lasted 29 days. Since my removal, several explanations have been offered, that I told the secretary I would resign, that I was not aligned with the administration priorities or that I was untrustworthy. None of those reflect what actually happened.

I will share the details, but I want to be clear. Today should not be about me. Today should be about the future of trust in public health.

The events leading to my dismissal began weeks before August 25th. On August 2nd, I learned from media reports that experts serving as liaison representatives to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the ACIP, including those from major medical societies, had been removed from its working groups. The following week, I heard concerns that the ACIP might alter childhood vaccine schedule at its September meeting potentially without credible supporting data. On August 8th, a gunman, driven by vaccine distrust, fired 180 rounds into CDC headquarters in Atlanta, killing Officer David Rose.

In the days after the attack, I focused on security, staff and ensuring the CDC could continue its mission. On August 19th, I received a directive from the secretary's office that I now required prior approval from my political staff for CDC policy and personnel decisions.

On August 21st, I was told to return to Washington from Atlanta immediately, which would have meant missing Officer Rose's memorial, something I was not willing to do.

When I did return, I was concerned about my ability to continue to lead the CDC while preserving evidence-based decision making, commitments I had made to this committee during my confirmation hearing.

On the morning of August 25th, Secretary Kennedy demanded two things of me that were inconsistent with my oath of office and the ethics required of a public official. He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation regardless of the scientific evidence. He also directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.

He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign. I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence, and I had no basis to fire scientific experts. He told me he had already spoken with the White House several times about having me removed.

For three decades, I have worked at the intersection of public health, science and technology innovation, always challenging the status quo, and welcoming the changes that come from research and discovery. Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity.

CASSIDY: Dr. Monarez, you're almost out of time. I'll be generous, but if you could speed up just a little.

MONAREZ: Vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes. As I wrote in my September 4th Wall Street Journal op-ed, I agree with President Trump. We should not hesitate to ask for proof about our vaccines. And I also agree with his most recent comments that vaccines are not controversial because they work. Demanding evidence is exactly what I was doing when I insisted CDC recommendations be based on credible science.

I was never misaligned with the administration priorities, the goals Secretary Kennedy recently cited publicly, protecting the public from threats, building infrastructure, modernizing systems, investing in the workforce, and enhancing scientific rigor were the same priorities I articulated at my confirmation hearing and began advancing during my short tenure. I remain supportive of those priorities.

[10:25:00] The question is whether they can be achieved without the expertise required at CDC.

Regarding trustworthiness, I cannot define that word for Secretary Kennedy. I made commitments to this committee that I would lead with integrity, transparency, purpose, and work with Congress to maximize health outcomes and protect the American people.

Secretary Kennedy told me he could not trust me. I had refused to commit to approving vaccine recommendations without evidence, fire career officials without cause or resign, and I had shared my concerns with this committee. I told secretary -- I told the secretary that if he believed he could not trust me, he could fire.

The next day, I was told I still had my job, but the secretary's expectations remained approval of ACIP recommendations and dismissal of career scientists. I would not commit to that, and I believe it is the true reason I was fired.

Tomorrow, the reconstituted ACIP will meet. Its composition has already raised concerns from the medical community. Based on what I observed during my tenure, there is a real risk that recommendations could be made restricting access to vaccines for children and others in need without rigorous scientific review. With no permanent CDC director in place, those recommendations could be adopted.

The stakes are not theoretical. We already have seen large -- the largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, which claimed the lives of two children. If vaccine protections are weakened, preventable diseases will return.

I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity, but that line does not disappear with me. It now runs through every parent deciding whether to vaccinate a child, every physician counseling a patient, and every American who demands accountability.

I want to end where I began with my confirmation hearing. I spoke then about the value of hard work, paying my own way through college and my lifelong dedication to science and public health. On August 25th, I could have stayed silent, agreed to the demands and no one would have known. What the public would have seen were scientists dismissed without cause and vaccine protections quietly eroded all under the authority of a Senate-confirmed director with unimpeachable credentials.

I could have kept the office, the title, but I would have lost the one thing that cannot be replaced, my integrity. Some may question my motives or mischaracterize my words. That is part of public life, but I am not here as a politician. I'm here as a scientist, a public servant, and a parent committed to protecting the health of future generations.

The question before us is whether we will keep faith with our children and grandchildren, ensuring they remain safe from the diseases we fought so hard to defeat, polio, measles, diptheria, whooping cough, and many others. Undoing that progress would not only be reckless, it would betray every family that trusts us to protect their health.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

CASSIDY: Thank you. Dr. Houry?

DR. DEBRA HOURY, FORMER CDC CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Chairman Cassidy, Ranking Member Sanders and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today.

BROWN: All right. We were just hearing from the ousted CDC director, Susan Monarez, saying that she was fired by HHS secretary -- by the HHS secretary for holding the line on scientific integrity. She said he made two demands to commit in advance to approve recommendations on vaccines by a vaccine committee and also to dismiss career officials who crafted vaccine policy without cause. She said she wouldn't do that without seeing the evidence to back it up. And she said she wouldn't approve anything with vaccines in advance without seeing what was behind that.

So, she's giving her side of the story here before this committee. We will continue to monitor it and we'll be right back.

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