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CNN This Morning

Israel Launches Ground Offensive to Occupy Gaza City; Kirk Shooting Suspect to Appear in Court; Are Conservatives Embracing Cancel Culture? Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 16, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isabel Rosales, CNN, San Juan.

[06:00:05]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Love that story-telling. Isabel, thank you.

Finally, it's not too early to be thinking about Christmas. The U.S. Postal Service says children can start mailing their letters to Santa Claus in what's known as Operation Santa.

Those letters will be posted on their website and can be answered by anyone wanting to spread some holiday cheer.

As for where to send those letters? Well, here's Santa's official address: 123 Elf Road, North Pole. 88888.

Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: We're about to see Charlie Kirk's alleged killer in court, but has he already confessed? CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It looks like he was radicalized over the Internet, and it's radicalized on the left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, what else did the suspect say that could point to a possible motive?

The White House on a mission to eradicate what it calls radical left terrorists in the wake of Kirk's death.

And decoding an assassination. What we know about the messages found on the bullets at the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The FBI director defends his handling of the Kirk investigation. Today, Patel will have to do it in front of lawmakers.

And Israel launches a new ground offensive into Gaza City. Does the mission have the backing of the U.S.?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's never going to change, ma'am, until we have a real revival in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: A nation torn apart, with leaders who divide. Is this the new American reality?

It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Right now you are looking live at the Israel-Gaza border. That's where Israeli troops launched an offensive into Gaza City.

OK. Welcome, everybody. It is Tuesday, September 16. I want to thank you for waking up with me. I'm Audie Cornish. And here's where we start.

Breaking news. There's been a dramatic escalation in Israel's war with Hamas. Overnight, the Israeli military launched a ground offensive to seize Gaza City and root out Hamas.

And this follows days of attacks, including the bombing of residential buildings, killing hundreds and displacing thousands.

Now, sources tell CNN Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Israel it has the full support of the U.S. for the assault, but that the operation needs to move quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, as you saw, the Israelis have begun to take operations there. So, we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal could happen. We don't have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks. So, it's a key moment, an important moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump warning Hamas that all bets are off if they use hostages as human shields. But Hamas says the fate of the hostages is in the hands of Israelis.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Abu Dhabi with the latest.

And Paula, we're starting with those images of the blast. Can you tell us more about this operation?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope so.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Audie, we have had a confirmation from the prime minister. He has called it, Benjamin Netanyahu, called it an intense operation.

We've also heard from the defense minister in Israel, Israel Katz, who has said in a social media post, quote, "Gaza is burning."

So, what we are hearing from the Israeli side is that the ground offensive has begun. We have heard from an Israeli military official that the main phase has begun, that they believe there are between 2 and 3,000 Hamas operatives in Gaza City. They say that they have to destroy tunnel infrastructure, as well. And this is what they are doing at this point.

There are those serious concerns about civilians in Gaza City. The Israeli military official saying that they believe 40 percent of the population that was there has left and gone further South to what Israel calls a humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi, something which NGOs and the U.N. poured out on, saying that there's not enough humanitarian aid there.

But there are concerns about those that are left at this point. We have a quote from social media, a statement from UNICEF, and they have said this: "Any further intensification of the military offensive in Gaza City would multiply children's suffering exponentially, ripping away the last vestiges of protection they need protection. They need protection. The world must act now."

Now, what we have heard from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, consistently is that this is the only way to beat Hamas and the fastest way of winning the war.

[06:05:09]

It has come under huge condemnation, though, across the world at this point. Really, the only other country in the world that is supporting this is the United States, as you heard from the U.S. secretary of state there.

But we are hearing concerns about what this will do to people on the ground.

Now, we do have some footage. I must warn our viewers. It is graphic in nature, and it shows the human impact of what is happening right now. It shows the bodies of some bloodied children being brought into hospitals.

We know that there are many Palestinian civilians who have been brought into hospitals across Northern Gaza, and those hospitals are urgently calling for more supplies, saying they have a catastrophic depletion in stocks.

But what we are consistently hearing from the Israeli side is since that evacuation order happened just a week ago, saying all civilians in Gaza City have to move South to Khan Younis, to al-Mawasi, that they are calling on more Palestinians still in the city to head South.

But there are concerns about the fact that the areas in the South that the Israeli military wants them to move to are already overwhelmed.

CORNISH: And we're going to be learning more about this offensive today and, in particular, U.S. reaction. As you mentioned, the secretary of state commenting.

Paula Hancocks, thank you.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, Charlie Kirk's alleged killer is about to make his first court appearance. The evidence against him and new reports that he may have already confessed.

Plus, Charlie Kirk's death fueling a fierce debate over free speech and hypocrisy.

And decoding the messages left behind by Kirk's assassin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SPENCER COX (R), UTAH: Inscriptions on the three unfired casings read "Hey, fascist" -- exclamation point -- "Catch" -- exclamation point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:11:26]

CORNISH: In just a few hours, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will make his first appearance in court, where we're expected to learn more about the evidence and a possible motive.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, is now cooperating with investigators. According to "The Washington Post," he may have already confessed online.

In messages obtained by "The Post," Robinson wrote to friends on Discord, quote, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all of this."

He turned himself in a few hours later.

FBI Director Kash Patel says law enforcement also has other messages belonging to Robinson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATEL: I will say what was found in terms of information: a text message exchange where he, the suspect, specifically stated that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do that.

And when he was asked why, he said, "Some hatred cannot be negotiated with."

The DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now to talk about this is Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI, and CNN senior law enforcement analyst.

Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning.

CORNISH: I want to start there, what we heard from the FBI director, because this -- there is some evidence publicly known in the case. But what stands out to you about the latest reporting?

MCCABE: Well, I guess preliminarily what stands out to me, Audie, is how much we know at this point. It's really remarkable. In the middle of an ongoing investigation of such momentous importance for the country. It's -- it's odd and unconventional that there have been this many releases of information, particularly from the FBI director.

But essentially, the basics of this case are very, very solid. You have an individual who was pretty clearly identified on fleeing the scene from those videos that we've all seen.

You've got the murder weapon has been recovered. The towel that the murder weapon was wrapped in and a screwdriver found with the murder weapon, both bear the DNA of the subject in custody.

And now, of course, we've learned of this message that he apparently delivered in this very short period of time after being confronted by his family and right before being brought to law enforcement. He apparently got on his computer and sent a message to his friends on the -- on the application Discord and -- and sent a message that that essentially confesses to the crime.

So, the case seems very, very strong at this point.

CORNISH: Can I ask you about something you just said about typically not knowing this much? Because when I think about mass shooters, we often learn about leakage after the fact, right? All of the social media messages and contacts that kind of come to the surface.

But I did notice that when you -- when we ask, let's say, a Pam Bondi about what's going on, she will say, we don't talk about a case, an ongoing case.

Patel is more public. Can you talk about the different roles there? Investigator versus prosecutor?

MCCABE: Sure. It's unfortunate. There shouldn't be a real difference between how Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are handling those questions. I think Pam Bondi is doing it the right way. The difference in what we're seeing here from what we normally

experience in mass shootings, is that this case has to go to a prosecution. We have a subject in custody. The state of Utah, and possibly later the federal government are preparing to bring cases to trial.

[06:15:06]

So, in that situation, you don't want to expose evidence outside of the context of the evidence you need to put forth in the indictment, to receive the indictment.

Now, we're going to see later today, when he is officially charged in court, what evidence the prosecutors decide to reveal in the course of that -- that legal filing.

But typically you never discuss the evidence. You don't want to put anything in jeopardy. You don't want to give the defense a preview of your evidence before the trial.

And you don't want to put this person on trial in the public. It's a violation of their due process rights and can really cause you problems down the road.

In a typical mass shooting case, where the mass shooter commits suicide or is killed by law enforcement in -- in or around the shooting, you don't have those same concerns, because obviously, there's no prosecution to follow.

CORNISH: Now, Director Patel is also facing a Senate Oversight hearing, which had been scheduled before the shooting took place. But now he's had to defend his handling of the investigation: about him visiting the crime scene, the length of the manhunt.

He's actually been defending himself. And I wanted to play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATEL: When you're talking about why did it take 33 hours? Well, we -- I -- made the operational decision to immediately release enhanced videos and photographs of the suspect, because the operational call that I made for the FBI said we are about to smoke this guy out. And his family and friends and his internal network is going to assist it.

And this is the operation I want to highlight in terms of transparency. The FBI is traditionally an organization that has not been transparent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Andy, I've heard a lot of things that maybe he's taking credit for the decision to release the photos.

People have criticized, obviously, his early comments on having a suspect. What do you want senators to ask him today about this case? MCCABE: Well, I think, just because the timing and the -- and the

focus that the public has had on this particular -- on the FBI's response to this particular crime, the shooting of Charlie Kirk, I think he has to answer questions about those complaints. And they are valid.

The director, Patel, has made some really serious unforced errors that made him and the FBI look not great in -- in the course of that investigation.

And then I think there are more substantive issues embedded there, like we were talking about just now: the fact that he's chosen to go out on FOX News and reveal evidence from the case when even his boss, the attorney general, wouldn't do such a thing. I mean, those are -- those are serious questions they should ask him.

But actually, Audie, I'm more interested in the substantive issues at the FBI that are really concerning right now. And we haven't been discussing that much.

The fact that they're about to lose, the prediction are -- the prediction is about 5,000 employees from the FBI by the end of this year, from the -- from the politically -- the political purges that have gone on with senior -- senior leadership, to the early retirements have been offered to other employees. Five thousand employees from a workforce of 37,000. It's about 14 percent.

Typically, the FBI loses only about 1.5 percent of its employees every year, and it's due to retirements and regular attrition.

I think he should definitely answer questions about the fact that he apparently has a plan to scrap the FBI's recruiting requirement of a college degree for all agents, and to reduce the amount of training that new agents receive from 18 weeks to eight weeks.

CORNISH: Right.

MCCABE: So, he's planning on hiring less capable people and training them less than half as much. That will have a devastating effect on the FBI, and he should be held accountable for that.

CORNISH: And I'm sure we're going to hear about this more. He's also facing a lawsuit over some of these same issues from former FBI officials.

So, Andy McCabe, I'm sure people will be hearing more from you this week. Thank you.

MCCABE: Thanks.

CORNISH: Ahead, on CNN THIS MORNING, after Kirk's assassination, conservatives call for firings over online mockery, sparking a cancel culture clash. Is the right playing by the left's old rules?

And rising tension inside the MAGA movement as President Trump stands by his embattled FBI director. And good morning to everybody in St. Louis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:49]

CORNISH: Conservatives once called out the left for cancel culture. Are they now embracing it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: So, when you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them out. And hell, call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility. And there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: A number of people have been fired or suspended from their jobs as a result of comments they made about Kirk after his death. College professors, American Airlines pilots, an NFL team employee.

The administration has promised to take similar action against military service members.

Joining me now in the group chat, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, "New York Times" White House correspondent; Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist; and Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of "The Daily Signal."

All right. So, I wanted to talk to you guys about this for two reasons. First, there's just the idea of cancel culture. Meaning you say something publicly. The consequence of that is perhaps some kind of doxing, finding you, and then trying to pressure your employer to fire you.

OK, that's -- I'm going to use that as the definition and not like, are you a comedian who's back on tour? OK. We're going to use that.

[06:25:01]

So, Rob, to your mind, when you see people justifying doing this now, what do you make of their arguments? Does it feel somehow right in this context, but not right in the past contexts that the left talked about it?

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Well, Audie, I agree with what Vice President J.D. Vance said there. I think there is a distinction between what you've seen in the past versus what you're seeing today.

People who are celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk I would put in a different category than others in the past who have been canceled for expressing their political views, which are far different from what you're seeing play out on social media platforms. The employers are ultimately going to make the decision if they want

people to work for their companies that express those particular views.

And Audie, I just --

CORNISH: But does that argument sound familiar? It's up to the companies to fire the people? Like, it sounds familiar.

BLUEY: Sounds familiar?

CORNISH: From what we heard in the left in the 2010s, which is like it's not cancel culture, it's consequent culture. And if you say something that in the public square is not valid or supported --

BLUEY: I think the distinction is --

CORNISH: Yes.

BLUEY: -- that you had -- I mean, I had colleagues. You had social media companies suspending and removing these individuals, taking away their ability to even communicate.

I mean, that's what conservatives were concerned about when it came to the social media censorship. I think that there's -- again, I'm making a distinction here between what people are saying about Charlie Kirk, than what people have done in the past who were canceled.

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's been hard sitting back and watching this and watching how the Internet just stokes all of this almost for algorithmic -- that's my word of the morning. You know, to make people --

CORNISH: Not almost. Final -- financial incentives.

ROCHA: Absolutely. That's what I'm getting at. That was the long road you wind up to say that part of it, was like, folks are getting paid to do this.

But I also think about, like, I've tried to check myself. I think people trying to kill our president's horrible; killing Charlie Kirk is horrible. Nancy Pelosi's husband, all the things are horrible.

But there's folks that say the craziest things. When I sit back and know that they have the right. This is why soldiers died. They have the right. If they say crazy stuff, long as they're not harming somebody to say whatever they want. That's why we have the First Amendment.

But also what they're saying is horrible about somebody who just died. And I really find myself internally, as a political consultant who gets paid to beat Republicans. It puts me in a place of like, how am I supposed to feel? I'm trying to feel as a human feels, but I'm also getting paid to beat Republicans.

CORNISH: OK, let me play for you a piece of tape. This is the U.S. attorney general, who was asked a question about hate speech versus free speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's free speech, and then there's hate speech. And there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And then I want to show you a tweet from conservative activist Erick Erickson. I won't repeat the first line, because there's no need to insult the attorney general. But he says, "No, ma'am, that is not the law."

And I want to talk to you, because it's one thing to say employer, you're a private; take an action. There may be levers of the state that are brought to bear --

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.

CORNISH: -- in going, defining and going after hate speech. What do you see in how the administration is talking about this?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Right. Those comments by the attorney general, ss well as the vice president's guest hosting of Charlie Kirk's podcast yesterday, specifically when he invited Stephen Miller onto that podcast, that foreshadows, actually, something that goes beyond what we've seen in terms of cancel culture here.

Stephen Miller said directly that they are intent on mobilizing the federal government to launch a crackdown here. Both him and the vice president described going after NGOs and a network that they are describing and alleging funds or supports this kind of agitation or violence.

Now, they did not provide extensive evidence to actually back up those claims.

But we have gotten indications from officials of what that actual crackdown could look like could it be. They've hinted that it could be targeting the tax-exempt status of some NGOs that they claim are funding these efforts.

They've also talked about targeting those who have targeted Tesla stores and --

CORNISH: Like investigating them.

KANNO-YOUNGS: -- and different ICE -- like investigation.

We're talking about not just moving to pressure people on social media and even pressure employers to oust employees. We're talking about actually mobilizing the federal government to investigate those that the administration is saying are -- are supporting violence.

CORNISH: Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Which again, they -- they haven't outlined evidence on and which have talked --

CORNISH: Yes. Well, you're saying evidence, but also what is the definition? Who will define it? How will that be executed?

BLUEY: It wasn't too long ago where the Biden administration went after parents who were showing up at school board meetings, devout Catholics who attended Latin mass, pro-life grandmothers who were protesting outside of abortion clinics. And so, I don't think we should forget.

CORNISH: Well, it's the idea that those things were deemed wrong and the administration shouldn't do it? Or that now a new administration should do something similar, but to people who it also feels has violated.