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CNN This Morning

Rubio Arrives In Tel Aviv For Meetings With Israeli Leaders; Zelenskyy: U.S.-Russia Summit Was "Successful" For Putin; Suspect Tyler Robinson Makes First Court Appearance Tuesday; Temperatures Heating Up Across The United States; New Evidence In Fed Governor Lisa Cook's Efforts To Keep Her Job; Facebook Users To Receive Payments From Lawsuit Over Data Scandal; Vatican Celebration Looks To The Future; Rising Fears Over Political Violence After Charlie Kirk Killing. Rising Fears Over Political Violence; Trump Targeting Memphis in Crime Crackdown; Publishers Clearing House No Longer Getting Payments. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired September 14, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:59]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: It's Sunday and welcome to CNN This Morning. It's September 14th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Here's what's happening this morning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Tel Aviv this morning. He's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after Israel struck the U.S. ally of Qatar. We'll talk about what to expect from that visit.

Also, there are new details about what Charlie Kirk's alleged killer was doing in the moments after the shooting. We're also learning more about plans for Kirk's upcoming funeral.

New this morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria about the ongoing war in Ukraine. You'll hear his thoughts on President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That's coming up for you.

Also, does Facebook owe you some money? How you can soon get a piece of a multi-million dollar settlement. Also, it's TV's biggest night. The Emmys are just hours away. Everything you need to know about the show and the nominees, we have that coming up in our roundup.

All right, new this morning, any moment, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Three sources say Netanyahu will bring up plans to annex the West Bank with Rubio.

Earlier this morning, Rubio arrived in Tel Aviv. He says he wants to gain clarity on Israel's military strategy. This is as the country's ramping up its planned takeover of Gaza City. These talks are happening also a few days after the IDF struck Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Qatar is mediating the Gaza war and talks and is considerate -- considered a U.S. ally. Israel said its strikes on Qatar targeted Hamas. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary Rubio, they've met with Qatar's Prime Minister on Friday in Washington.

CNN Correspondent Nada Bashir, she's with us now. So we are expecting in just a few moments for the Prime Minister and the Secretary to be together at the Wall. What are we expecting to come out of the talks?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've heard from the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressing his plans for his visit to Israel, of course, outlining that not only does the U.S. remain a staunch ally of Israel, but also that they are seeking to gain clarity on what exactly Israel's strategy is when it comes to the war in Gaza and what the next steps will look like. That's according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This, of course, comes, as you mentioned, Victor, after Israel's unilateral strike on Doha and Qatar seemingly targeting Hamas' Chief Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, although that strike failed to kill al- Hayya. But clearly there is some questions around what exactly the strategy is here, given the fact that Qatar has been a crucial part of the mediation process, alongside the United States.

It is a key ally in the region to the United States, and it is home to America's largest military base in the region. And we know there have been some indications from the Trump administration of potentially frustration with the Israeli government with regards to this decision to strike Qatar. This is something that the administration will be looking to seek more clarity on.

And of course, when we're talking about what those next steps are, as addressed by the Secretary of State, there are questions and concerns as to what this means for ceasefire talks and negotiations. We've heard from Qatari officials, including the Qatari prime minister, speaking to CNN, saying that that decision to unilaterally strike Hamas leaders in Doha undermined the peace process, that it has jeopardized those talks.

And, of course, it's raised questions as to what the intentions are of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly given the fact that sources and officials tell us that Hamas officials were in Qatar discussing that U.S. proposal on the table, and that Qatari officials were indeed putting pressure on Hamas officials to respond positively.

So that will certainly be a key focus. But of course, what we're also learning now, according to officials, as you mentioned, is that the Israeli Prime Minister is expected to bring up the potential plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

[07:05:12]

Now, this comes as we are expecting to see several nations formally recognizing the state of Palestine during the U.N. General Assembly. That is something, of course, that the Israeli Prime Minister, as well as many far-right members of his Cabinet do not want to see.

Sources tell us that Netanyahu will seek to clarify where exactly the Trump administration's red lines are when it comes to the annexation of the West Bank. This could, of course, jeopardize relations in the wider region. This could jeopardize the Abraham Accords, which Trump's achieved with the United Arab Emirates.

And important to remember, of course, that the annexation of the occupied West Bank is a plan that is criticized by many in the international community. Many in the international community recognizing those illegal settlements as illegal under international law. So many questions as to what will come out of these talks. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on that. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Nada Bashir reporting for us this morning. Thank you.

New this morning, CNN's Fareed Zakaria interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about Russia's war in Ukraine. They were at the Yalta European Strategy Conference in Kyiv. Here's what Zelenskyy said about President Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: President Zelenskyy, you're saying that President Trump wanted some kind of a deal and he didn't get it. What Putin wanted was to delay sanctions, to delay any further measures that were taken that would pressure Russia, and to pretend that he was willing to negotiate. So wouldn't you say that Putin, in a sense, got everything he wanted from this meeting and Trump did not?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: I don't know all the topics of their conversation, but literally, first of all, I don't know who from them got something or everything. I don't know, really. But I think that for Putin, it was a successful meeting. First, with the President of the United States.

Second, on the territory of the United States. Third, he got images with the President of the United States. And he didn't promise for a ceasefire, but again, maybe he promised something to President Trump, I don't know but he didn't -- so and he postponed sanctions and postponed any strong pressure on what Putin really understands that Trump can do.

And he showed it, not on Russia or on other countries. He showed what he can. So that's why I said that I think that it was mostly more successful for Putin. And then, China. And in China, it's understandable, their relations with Xi Jinping. It's understandable.

But there have been not only Xi Jinping. Yes, I think more than 20 leaders. And I think this is also, again, the step of the isolation of Russia, of Putin. Yes, and that's why my question is, what next?

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: You can watch Fareed's full interview with President Zelenskyy at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

We have more details this morning about the suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk. The New York Times reports that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson joked in an online chat on Discord that his, quote, "doppelganger" carried out the killing. President Trump said that he feels he has an obligation to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral and ramped up his attacks on what he called the radical left.

This is from an interview with NBC Saturday. The President said, "I'd like to see the nation heal, but we're dealing with a radical left group of lunatics, and they don't play fair, and they never did."

Kirk's supporters around the country are holding vigils to remember him. Turning Point USA, the group that Kirk founded, is holding a memorial for Kirk next Sunday in Arizona's State Farm Stadium. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on the investigation.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Utah Valley University campus remains closed, and will do so into next week, although university officials are now saying that classes will resume here next Wednesday. And that will be the day after the suspect and the man accused of shooting and killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, is scheduled to make his first court appearance.

That is supposed to happen next Tuesday afternoon here in Utah. Prosecutors tell us that they are planning to formally file the criminal charges against him. And there are already a number of charges preliminarily filed against him, holding him in jail without bond, and that will continue to hold him there for the foreseeable future.

[07:10:19]

Very unlikely that he will be able to get any kind of bond and be out of jail while he awaits the trial. But clearly, murder charges and other charges coming against him, also perhaps federal charges as well. So we are looking toward that. This, as investigators continue to try to figure out the motive behind this deadly attack here on this campus that happened last Wednesday afternoon.

So far, investigators say that this 22-year-old suspect had expressed to family members that he had a dislike for Charlie Kirk, but there's a lot of context still missing that has not really been hammered out in specific details, exactly what it was about Charlie Kirk that the suspect did not like that much.

And so, you know, here on the campus, we're still seeing an outpouring of support and people coming here, a makeshift memorial that has popped up just on the edge of the campus, family members or families from across Utah coming here to pay their respects. And we've seen a steady stream of people coming to visit this small vigil just here on the side of the road on the edge of this campus.

And we've seen this, as I mentioned, for several days now. And now being the weekend, we're seeing, you know, more of it as the impact of all of this continues to really hurt and inflict a great deal of sadness among Charlie Kirk supporters across the country.

Charlie Kirk's wife spoke out Friday evening for the first time, saying that she vows to continue on her husband's legacy, making Turning Point USA the political group that Kirk founded in -- as a teenager. And he still vow -- the family vows to continue to make that bigger and bigger. And she described Charlie Kirk as a martyr for his beliefs.

So, this is something that we will continue to see in the months and years ahead as Charlie Kirk's wife getting involved in that Turning Point USA political program. And -- but right now, the focus and the attention here in Utah is the criminal investigation that continues and the court appearance slated for Tuesday of next week.

Ed Lavandera, CNN in Orem, Utah.

BLACKWELL: All right, Ed, thank you.

Where does America go from here? The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, "Political Violence: America's Bloody History" airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN.

All right, summer is not done yet. After a little taste of fall, temperatures are going back up. More than 120 million people will see temperatures above 90 degrees in the next week.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has your forecast. Summer said, not so fast, pumpkin spice. Hold off.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. I mean, in reality, pumpkin spice was creeping into August, and that technically doesn't belong to summer. So, I get it.

BLACKWELL: So the Christmas decorations on sale in some places right now, OK?

CHINCHAR: This is true. This is true.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

CHINCHAR: Yes. But it's certainly going to feel a lot more like summer already is in some spots, and then that heat is going to continue to spread eastward in the coming days. So, let's take a look. Again, you've got most of the heat really kind of focused across the central U.S. right now. That is expected to spread into places like the Mid- Atlantic, the Southeast, the Midwest as we go through the rest of the week.

It's also fueling the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms in the center of the country as we go through the afternoon and the evening hours. Here's a look at those temperatures. Again, Chicago yesterday topped out only in the 70s. We're going to start to get into the 80s, and then those temperatures are just going to continue to warm all the way through the middle portion of the upcoming week. And a lot of 90s on the map, too. Again, 10, 15 degrees above where a lot of these places would normally be for mid-September. Take a look at Kansas City. Again, 90s for the next few days, despite the fact that their average is only 80. St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, all of these areas going to be looking at these temperatures well above where they normally would be.

Now, for some spots, it's short-lived. Take St. Louis, for example. Yes, very hot the next three days, but we do see the temperatures dip back off by the time we get to the end of the week and into the weekend. But for other places, it's expected to stay at or above normal for the entire next week. Places like Atlanta, it doesn't really even continue to peak until we get towards the end of the upcoming week.

BLACKWELL: All right, we've got one more week of summer?

CHINCHAR: That's technically speaking, yes.

BLACKWELL: Technically speaking on the calendar. All right, we'll take it.

Thanks, Allison.

Still to come, Charlie Kirk's assassination is forcing politicians to make difficult choices about their safety. We take a look at some of their concerns.

And check your email. Millions of Facebook users are being notified that they will soon receive payouts from a $700 million lawsuit. What we know about that settlement.

[07:15:00]

Also, Pope Leo celebrating a birthday with a concert, a light show. We'll tell you who showed up to help him celebrate it after the break.

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BLACKWELL: There is evidence that White House claims of mortgage fraud against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook may be unfounded. The administration has accused Cook of reporting two different homes as her primary residence.

[07:20:04]

President Trump is trying to use that to fire Cook for cause and replace her with his pick. She's suing to keep her seat. Well, new documents obtained by Reuters show that Cook declared the second property as a vacation home when she applied for the loan. According to real estate experts, that document appears to help her case.

The FAA has proposed fining Boeing more than $3 million over widespread safety violations. The agency says it identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing's factories. They also say last year's door plug failure on an Alaska Airlines flight was the result of some of those violations. Boeing has 30 days to respond to the proposed fines.

And if you use Facebook, you might start to receive a payment or two tied to the company's $725 million settlement. This is related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Meta was accused of allowing that now closed data analytics firm and other third parties to obtain Facebook user information to target voters during the 2016 presidential election.

Anyone who used Facebook between May 2007 and December 2022 was eligible to file a claim. And how much they receive will be based on how long they were a user. And anyone who has been approved to receive a payout will be notified by email a few days before the money is issued.

And just days or a day, I should say, after the Vatican brought together famous musicians and tech influencers in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo is celebrating his 70th birthday. And it wasn't just the Vatican's first pop concert, but also a chance to talk about shaping technology for the good for the future.

CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb was there.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this has been the first concert of its kind in St. Peter's. There's been a huge crowd here to see an all-star lineup directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli. There have been performances from John Legend, Karol G, Jennifer Hudson. It's all part of the Vatican's attempt to build a more humane and peaceful world.

And it's the culmination of a summit on human fraternity, which has brought together thinkers and Nobel laureates to discuss a whole range of topics, including artificial intelligence. Now, among those who've come to the Vatican to talk about that topic was will.i.am, the frontman of Black Eyed Peas. And he spoke to me earlier about why he had come to the Vatican for these discussions.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

WILL.I.AM, FOUNDING MEMBER, BLACK EYED PEAS: It demands that people center themselves around what's good for humanity. It demands that folks are stakeholders and not only care about their shareholders. It demands that they build systems that are for community and the improvement of society, right? That's the thesis of why they come to the Vatican. And it's beautiful.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

LAMB: Now, the celebratory atmosphere in Rome was appropriate, given that on Sunday, Pope Leo is due to celebrate his 70th birthday. Now, that's quite young for a pope. And it's not clear how Leo will celebrate. But he did receive a cake on Saturday from the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch.

Ambassador Burch is making his first visit to meet with Pope Leo. And he bought him a chocolate cake from Portillo's, a restaurant chain headquartered in Chicago, of course, the hometown of Pope Leo. Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

BLACKWELL: Making a good impression with that chocolate cake.

All right, still ahead in the morning roundup, President Trump says Memphis, not Chicago, will be the target of his next crime crackdown. We're going to dig into that decision.

Also, they were promised money for life. But past winners of the publisher's clearinghouse sweepstakes are finding out all that money is gone. Find out why in the morning roundup.

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[07:28:27]

BLACKWELL: The killing of Charlie Kirk, an influential but polarizing voice in American politics, has sent shockwaves across the country. Political temperatures are rising. There are fears of further violence. Where does America go from here?

Joining me now, Former Political Reporter Bill Nigut, Producer, Writer, and Talent Booker Mara Davis, and Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Julie Grant. Welcome to you all.

And Bill, let me start with you. More than 40 years as a political reporter.

BILL NIGUT, FORMER AJC AND WABE POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, yes.

BLACKWELL: In the wake of this assassination, is this a unique era of political vitriol and political violence?

NIGUT: I'm a child of the 60s.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

NIGUT: I was on campuses as a college student when the war in Vietnam was tearing the country apart, much the way that our partisan -- the toxicity of our partisanship is today. Those days led to those incredibly horrifying, high-profile assassinations -- Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X.

What's really troubling about this era is that it's more widespread. I mean, you have a legislator in Minnesota who's shot down. There's more violence out there. Charlie Kirk is another, of course, example. So I worry that there's more widespread violence now.

But one of the things that I thought a lot about that troubles me in this, I was so disheartened to see President Trump's immediate reaction in the video that the White House posted after the assassination, before they had any idea who it was who had committed this heinous crime. And he blamed it on the radical left.

This is a moment when a president needs to be uniting us, bringing us together. And instead, three times in that video he talked about the radical left attacking, you know, conservatives. That, to me, is only going to proliferate the kind of violence that started now.

MARA DAVIS, PUBLICIST, PRODUCER, WRITER, RADIO AND TV HOST: I think a huge problem, Victor, is social media.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

DAVIS: That is the difference between what Bill is talking about and where we are today. This happens, the video is online, people are discussing it, they're talking about it, they're rushing to conclusions. People want to be first instead of right. People get in their echo chambers. We live in a rage-bait culture. So, the algorithm is going to serve you, what side you're on. This presents a problem.

We also have a problem of you say something and expressing an opinion, and it can be taken wildly out of context, and then suddenly, you're everywhere. Here I am today, very mindful of what I'm saying, because I don't want to be a pull clip of someone saying, look at what this person said.

So, I think people are on guard, and also people are making a business out of this, and it is not productive when you have lawmakers who may want to get donations of clicks. They may want to get more social media followers, and that is the biggest difference. And the social media companies are profiting off it.

BLACKWELL: Extremism pays in many ways, because if you can get the clicks, you can get the eyes, and you can be a reliable place for some of the fiery rhetoric, then you'll get a base of people who are coming to you for that, and that can be a stream of income.

Let me talk to you about some of the other issues that happened during the week. Of course, this was the biggest one. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was on The View, and the president has not ruled out running for a third term. The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution says that a person cannot be elected for more than two terms as president. But here's what she said about the settled law of the 22nd Amendment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prohibit somebody from seeking a third term in office. Do you believe the 22nd Amendment is settled law?

JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT: The Constitution is settled law.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: No one has tried to challenge that. Until somebody tries, you don't know. So, it's not settled because we don't have a court case about that issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: What do you hear there?

JULIA GRANT, ANCHOR, COURT TV, ATTORNEY AND FORMER ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Victor, I hear a justice being very careful not to make an opinion one way or the other, which was very smart by the brilliant justice, to not weigh in either way as to what the correct decision should be. So, she's saying that on its face, the 22nd Amendment, if you read it, is very clear, saying a president cannot serve more than three -- two terms, excuse me, could not serve a third term.

What's not in the 22nd Amendment is anything pertaining to a vice presidential office holding. So, if a president has served two terms already, it doesn't preclude them from serving as vice. That may be one way to get around it. She's saying there's no case law on point. No one's ever challenged it. So, this would be unique if President Trump were to challenge it and say, I've done two terms, albeit not consecutive terms, but would like to do a third. Justice Sotomayor is saying, well, it's interesting. The Constitution says what it says on its face, but we've never had this go to the court.

BLACKWELL: And someone's got to bring a case to -- for them to consider it.

NIGUT: You know, I understand why there's this question about whether Donald Trump could actually run for a third term and that there are people who don't like Donald Trump who think it's horrifying. But I think the other thing we have to keep in mind here is he's created a MAGA party that whether it's him in the lead or not, it is likely that the next Republican candidate for president is going to be out of that same wing of the party. In other words, just because Donald Trump may decide not to run for another term doesn't mean we're suddenly going to see the Republican Party go back to being just a more conservative party than it has been under Trump.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but the president is also not just -- not ruling it out, but he's got 2028 merchandise in the White House. There's video of him showing it to the president of Azerbaijan at the White House as well.

We've got just a minute left before we go to break. Bill, talk to me about your thoughts on this shift from Chicago being the next goal of the crime crackdown to now Memphis, a city that has far greater violent crime issues than Chicago.

[07:35:00]

NIGUT: Well, I mean, as a Chicagoan, I'm glad that we're not going to see federal troops in my home city. It's hard to tell what the president and his people have in mind there. My guess is, among other things, that J.D. Pritzker, he doesn't want to give J.D. Pritzker a forum on which he could make himself a leading candidate for president of the United States in 2028. Pritzker is outspoken, very articulate. So, possibly part of it is simply political. Let's not give this guy any more media attention than he already has.

BLACKWELL: And you also have a governor in Tennessee who is welcoming the National Guard in. I spoke with the mayor yesterday of Memphis who says he does not want them there. All right.

We'll take a quick break. Still to come, the Girl Scouts are out with their new cookie flavor and one is inspired by a popular ice cream flavor. How do they taste? We have them here. Stay with us.

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[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Bill, Mara, and Julia are back with us. Publishers Clearing House. We all remember the commercials with the big checks, $5,000 a week for life. The company that purchased the Publishers Clearing House filed for bankruptcy this year. And now, this is the first month where we're seeing people not getting those checks that they were promised for life. KGW, our affiliate, says that 10 winners are owed $2 million. Now, people have to sell things off. They were relying on this income. Attorney Diaz, what can they do?

GRANT: So, Victor, this is an interesting question. So, they can petition the bankruptcy estate, right? So, the estate is going to be responsible for doling out what if any funds are there after the filing of Chapter 11? Question is how much do we have in funds? What are we talking about?

I was trying to see if I could find a number anywhere. I was researching this when I knew I was coming on your show this morning. Can't find any number anywhere. But I did see that the company that made the purchase, the casino company, that they made some kind of a sizable donation to that fund, to the estate, so that those people could be paid out.

Because after July, there was a July 15th date. You know, if it's after then, then they're responsible, before then --

BLACKWELL: But if it isn't $20 million, these people are going to be out some money.

GRANT: Exactly. This is really, really sad. It's quite a mess.

BLACKWELL: Yes. So, there's this other story I sent out to you guys that caught my eye. There's a company, Inception Point AI. It's expanding its podcast network. Already has more than 5,000 shows. Again, artificial intelligence shows. So, these are not real people. They make more than 3,000 A.I. podcasts a week. And these are -- they've got people that they've created, a food expert, Claire Delish, a sports host, Oly Bennett, gardener and nature expert, Nigel Thistledown. Mara, you're in the podcast space.

DAVIS: Yes, obviously, this is a quick money grab. And it is a disservice to the podcast industry, but it is a free market. People can do whatever they want to do. But let's not forget, we love podcasts because they have solved crimes. They have brought us celebrities. We are talking about our political landscape and how it's changed.

So, A.I. is a freight train that is coming for everything. So, I feel like this is a really quick fix. And if you see some of the creators out there, I mean, this is just a blow. This is just a gut punch to content, for sure.

BLACKWELL: So, exciting for some, scary for others.

NIGUT: Well, first of all, it's remarkable that I think her name is Jeanine Wright, the founder of this company, who said in the near future, half of the people will be A.I. I mean, that's really disturbing. That's science fiction.

But here's the other thing. Right now, the big story in the news has been Charlie Kirk, for good reason. When an A.I. host wants to express condolences, a sympathy, it's empty. This is a machine with no soul whatsoever. And to me, that's terribly troubling to think about something like that.

BLACKWELL: You can't program empathy.

NIGUT: That's right.

DAVIS: You can't. And also, deep knowledge, connection with listeners. And this is what podcasts can do so well and why we've seen the rise of podcasting and the rise of video. And in the podcast industry now, video is where it's at.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Also, what's interesting is that how easy it is to make these profitable. It costs them a dollar per episode. And according to Variety, if they have 20 listeners, because of the advertising, it's profitable. They don't need to be great or have huge audiences. They make so many, and it's so cheap to do.

All right. We teased Girl Scout cookies, right?

DAVIS: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I have them. So, I have a box.

DAVIS: You're so excited about this.

BLACKWELL: I am so excited. There you go. OK. So, this is the new -- open these up.

DAVIS: Wow. OK.

BLACKWELL: This is the new flavor, Exploremores. They're available in January, but we have them now. Our meteorologist, Allison Chinchar -- oh, already here. She even wanted to come and try these. So, this is a chocolate sandwich cookie, creamy filling with notes of chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond-flavored cream, reflecting the spirit of exploration at the heart of every Girl Scout.

[07:45:00]

All right. Everybody -- OK. Let's take care of this.

DAVIS: I feel like s'mores have totally jumped the shark. BLACKWELL: Really? Too much?

DAVIS: Yes. I think people are trying to add new flavors. If you watch the new Meghan Markle show, she's putting rosemary in the s'mores. I mean --

BLACKWELL: This is based on a rocky road. I smell rocky road, too. I got to eat the cream out first just to get the full flavor of it. But --

DAVIS: How does this taste stale already?

BLACKWELL: Oh, my God.

DAVIS: I'm sorry. It does. I'm not wrong.

GRANT: It's a little dry. It's a little dry.

BLACKWELL: Sorry, Girl Scouts.

GRANT: But I'm still going to eat it.

DAVIS: It's a little cocoa dusty. Like, give me a thin mint. Give me -- this ain't it. Sorry, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Damn, Mara. I thought you were going to like the cookie. The Girl Scouts sent them special. They're like, this is dusty.

GRANT: It's good, but maybe just have it with milk, right?

BLACKWELL: Yes, yes.

GRANT: Dunk it in milk.

NIGUT: It is a dry cookie. It's a very dry cookie.

DAVIS: Dusty. Party is zero.

BLACKWELL: I was really hoping that since the Girl Scouts were nice enough to send us a box, somebody would like it. Thank you, Julia.

GRANT: I'm going to buy it.

NIGUT: We need that A.I. --

GRANT: I never met a Girl Scout cookie I didn't like.

BLACKWELL: Oh, yes. We need Claire Delish.

NIGUT: Claire Delish.

BLACKWELL: Yes, to come along and tell us how great these cookies are.

GRANT: I'm still going to buy it.

BLACKWELL: Oh, she's going to finish the --

DAVIS: And even though they've had to raise their prices, which I totally understand. We want to support the Girl Scouts, and we love their mission, but no.

BLACKWELL: All right. Well, Mara's a no. Julie's a yes.

GRANT: I'm a yes.

BLACKWELL: Bill?

NIGUT: No, not so much.

BLACKWELL: Well, you see how much I finished mine.

NIGUT: Yes.

BLACKWELL: All right. Bill, Mara, Julia, thank you all.

GRANT: I'm eating the rest of it.

DAVIS: She said dusty too.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, competition in the Carter household. Beyonce and Jay-Z go head to head at tonight's Emmy Awards. A look at tonight's show next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: The 2025 Emmys are here. In just a few hours, this year's biggest TV stars will hit the red carpet. Fans and the industry celebrate the biggest shows and performances of the year. Nominees from Pedro Pascal to Beyonce versus Jay-Z in a twist to make sure the roughly three-hour show stays on time.

CNN's Lisa Respers France joins us now with what we can expect. Good to have you on a Sunday morning.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: So, let's talk about supporting actor and supporting actress. Stacked, but they're really from a few shows here.

FRANCE: Yes. So, in the supporting actress category, we have a bunch of women from "White Lotus." So, a bunch of the supporting actresses are from "White Lotus." And then in the supporting actor category, a bunch from "White Lotus" and from "Severance" are going against each other. So, these are two extremely buzzy shows. People were talking about them the whole season. So, I get it. And the performances that they all turned in are incredible. So, I wouldn't even bet on any of this. Everybody keeps asking me, who's your prediction? You're not going to get -- catch me out here. (INAUDIBLE). So, they can eat me alive on social media. BLACKWELL: This is another big year for the streaming platforms, but for network television, Kathy Bates and her performance as Matlock, a major moment for her.

FRANCE: Major moment. And it could be historic if she wins because at 77, she'll become the oldest actress to win in the outstanding drama category. So, people are looking forward to that. And she -- I mean, she's a major movie star and we're seeing like Harrison Ford is nominated as well.

So, it used to be many, many years ago that you didn't particularly want, if you were an actor who did movies to do the small screen, because it was legitimately that the small screen, but now there's so much good television that lots of movie actors and actresses are dying to get in the show. So, I see so many people on social media being like, I'd be great on "White Lotus."

BLACKWELL: Right, right. All right. So, you and I are both members of the Beehive.

FRANCE: Yes, we are.

BLACKWELL: And so, there's a little competition in the Carter household, Jay-Z versus Beyonce in the same category. Explain that.

FRANCE: Yes. So, they're both up for live variety -- her for her "Beyonce Bowl" on Netflix, which was incredible. Can we agree?

BLACKWELL: The Christmas day performance.

FRANCE: The Christmas day performance.

BLACKWELL: Fantastic, yes.

FRANCE: She toured up. And she's going against her husband for the halftime show with Kendrick Lamar, another amazing performance. So, again, I don't know who's going to take it between those two. Well, and it could be, you know, maybe not, you know.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's true.

FRANCE: That type of thing. But that's who people are looking at. But people specifically want to know, are they going to show up for the show? That's the thing. Like when you nominate a Beyonce, you kind of want Beyonce to be there.

BLACKWELL: Well, that's true, but I don't know that this category has ever been part of the broadcast program.

FRANCE: Right. Exactly.

BLACKWELL: So -- but if she shows up, they'll probably put it in there.

FRANCE: They would. Exactly. Right.

BLACKWELL: Yes. So, let's talk about the host. This is Nate Bargatze and he has a little scheme to keep everybody on time.

FRANCE: It's actually very clever. So, he is going to donate a hundred thousand dollars to the boys and girls club. But for anybody who goes over there a lot of time, he's going to take a thousand dollars away. So, I think this is the perfect setup. Not only is it kind of genius, but it lends itself to all types of humor. If you get up there and you end up going over, I can see some celebrity being like, hey, like I'll pitch in, you know, like make that joke or whatever. But he also said that if they go under, then, you know, he might add some money to it.

BLACKWELL: Oh, that's good. That's good. And so, one of the things I wanted to talk about with the roundup this morning, but we ran out of time because we went so long on Girl Scouts cookies, was binge worthy television. And if we had to create nominees or a winner for our own outstanding binge worthy series, what would it be? What's yours?

FRANCE: It would have to be "Adolescence."

BLACKWELL: "Adolescence"?

FRANCE: Which is up for awards. I mean, it's such -- it's so timely, unfortunately, with the gun culture and what's been happening with these mass shootings and things like that. But it is such an incredible series, right, from the writing to the acting, it's just amazing.

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BLACKWELL: Allison Chinchar is with us. What's yours?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: "Only Murders in the Building."

BLACKWELL: Yes.

CHINCHAR: I loved the cast. And so, for me, it was very easy to just kind of continue on through all of the seasons.

BLACKWELL: Mine is "Survival of the Thickest," because --

FRANCE: It's a great show.

BLACKWELL: It's a great show.

FRANCE: It's a great show.

BLACKWELL: Khalil on cameras apparently thought that was hilarious. But that to me, I watched that in a weekend. And the only reason I didn't finish the first two seasons was because I had to sleep. I did -- it took me -- I had to sleep and then finish it the next day. But we'll all be watching tonight.

FRANCE: I'm mad at both of you because you all came in with like the nice light stuff. I come in with the super heavy, you know, like teen shooter. So, thanks so much for leaving me hanging.

BLACKWELL: But it was a fantastic pick. All right. Thank you. And thank you for watching. Inside Politics with Manu Raju is up next.

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