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Shooting At New Hampshire Country Club Leaves One Dead, Two Injured; President Trump Expected To Speak At Charlie Kirk's Memorial; Up To 100,000 Expected At Memorial Honoring Charlie Kirk; Charlie Kirk's Memorial Given Highest DHS Rating; Trump Blames Kimmel's "Talent" For Suspension, Not Pressure From The White House; Trump To Award Ben Carson A Second Presidential Medal Of Freedom; Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Want Death Penalty Dismissed In CEO Murder Case; New Threat Of Floods In Southwest U.S.; Ukrainian Air Defense Combats Russian Aerial Assault; U.K. Fighter Jets Fly Over Poland As Part Of NATO's "Eastern Sentry" Operation; NATO Countries On Edge As Russian Air Incursions Increase; Russia Launched Hundreds Of Drones And Missiles Across Ukraine; Behind-The-Scenes Look At High-Level Security of UNGA. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 21, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:38]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, September 21st. I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell.

Up first, more than 100,000 people are expected at today's memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona. President Trump and top members of his administration will be there. We're going to take a closer look at the heightened security concerns.

Plus, gunfire erupts at a New Hampshire country club, leaving one dead and several injured as a wedding party descended into panic. And it's the final day of summer and millions still, of course, have the AC blasting. But with cooler temperatures around the corner, you can expect power bills to spike. We'll explain why, and the simple ways to cut costs -- Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And as showers and thunderstorms ramp up across the Central U.S., we have the potential for some flooding here, but also some additional flooding in Southern California. We'll talk about that coming up.

FREEMAN: We begin with that breaking news. One man is in custody and charged with murder after a shooting left one person dead and two others injured at a country club in Nashua, New Hampshire. Authorities said some people suffered injuries unrelated to gunshots, but didn't specify how many. One witness who was attending a wedding said the wedding party was on the dance floor when they heard gunshots coming from the club's restaurant in the next room, causing people to run and hide.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is live in Nashua with the latest. Leigh, tell us what have you learned?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danny, good morning. So, we're here outside of the Sky Meadow Country Club. It's dark. The sign for the club is just behind us. But you pointed out there a wedding was happening. The reception -- the wedding party was on the dance floor. Bride and groom had just gotten married when all of this happened.

We're hearing now from authorities that a 23-year-old man, Hunter Nadeau, was arrested. He is now facing charges of second-degree murder. We know the victim, 56-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare, was killed. Two others were hurt in the process of this shooting.

But the witnesses who were at this wedding, as this whole scene unfolded, they described chaos. They were ready for a loud dance, breaking of glass, like a tradition at a Greek wedding like what's happening here. And they heard a popping sound. Take a listen to what one witness had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOPHIE FLABOURIS, WITNESS: I heard, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And then gun, run. And people started screaming and running. I was talking with the gentleman in there who took a chair, hit him, hit him over the head. He dropped the gun. The man fled. He went through the reception area, into the kitchen. He had blood on him. He made -- he made some comments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say?

FLABOURIS: He said, at least the children are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: And another witness alleges that the gunman also said, free Palestine. Authorities were asked about this last night. They said they couldn't comment because they're still working on this investigation.

Something that stood out to me is so many witnesses, people who are celebrating, this couple who had just gotten married this -- that evening, yesterday evening. They said that they thought it was balloons popping, but then they looked around and realized there was no balloons. That's when they realized they needed to run. They needed to hide. They needed to get out of the way of any kind of potential danger.

Another witness, also the DJ at the wedding, he talked about this other instance of gun violence in America, describing it as a lottery that you don't want to win. Now, we know Nadeau is likely going to face other charges in addition to that second-degree murder charge related to the other people who were hurt in this shooting. He is going to be arraigned on Monday, September 22nd.

Authorities at this point, Danny, have not released or indicated any kind of motive. They've simply said that it's not clear if Nadeau knew the person that he killed last night. FREEMAN: Wow. Just an incredibly scary story. Leigh Waldman, thank you so much for getting up early to report on it. Appreciate you.

This afternoon, tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. A memorial for the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk begins at 2 p.m. Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University during a campus event just 11 days ago now.

His memorial will feature a lineup of speakers from the highest levels of the U.S. government, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. President Trump announced Thursday, while in the U.K., he'll say a few words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Will be going out to a service on Sunday.

[06:05:02]

I'll be leaving with some of the people in this room just to celebrate Charlie and all that he's done. So incredible. Never seen anything like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Of course, the security will be on high alert. The stadium can seat more than 63,000 people. And Glendale police said, ultimately, the crowd could exceed 100,000 people.

The Department of Homeland Security gave the memorial its highest assessment rating for special events, and this comes after an armed man was arrested on Friday for impersonating law enforcement.

CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow joins me now. Jonathan, thank you for helping us understand what we might be able to see this afternoon. Let's start here. This event got this highest event security designation possible from DHS. What does that mean and what might that look like?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Danny, good morning. You know, the reality is, you know, with 1.7 million square feet and as you had mentioned, almost 63,000 attendees inside this stadium, I mean, the challenge is, you know, persistent on just a normal day on how to secure this site.

But when you really look at it against the backdrop of multiple overlapping global and domestic threats, all having a very distinct security implication to today's event, the task actually gets significantly harder for both the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners on how to actually secure this site.

And it's really important to understand that the overall risk profile for this event presents these very unique challenges, because these threats that we're talking about, both domestic and foreign, are ongoing. And when you take that -- those threats and you couple it with the attendee profile to include the president, vice president, and many, you know, high-profile attendees, you know, this is a very high-risk event.

Thus, the designation of the SEAR 1 category by DHS, you know, in their rating category. And the reason being is because law enforcement knows both the FBI and DHS have long warned that high profile events such as this, actually, when they're coupled with significant media attention and attendee profile, really present a very attractive target for somebody with malicious intent. And that can be a domestic violent extremist. It can be a foreign terror organization or their -- or their proxies or what we have seen recently is this rise of the lone offender who seek to capitalize and disrupt this specific event.

So, it is a significant challenge facing law enforcement today. However, the reason why they have this DHS SEAR 1 designation is to actually build the framework for protection, to really take a whole of government approach on how to secure the site.

FREEMAN: I mean, you know, you got to imagine that this will be one of the safest places on the planet, just with how much security there is going to be. Jonathan, can you speak a little bit more specifically, though, about what are some of the logistical challenges on the ground of actually securing or locking down this kind of event, though?

WACKROW: Absolutely, Danny. Now think of it. You know, just the event site itself, the Secret Service, their law enforcement partners have to secure that 1.7 million square feet of real estate. And securing means that every inch of that building needs to be swept for explosives.

They have to identify any types of weapons that could be preplaced inside the event. They have to establish concentric rings of protection that radiate out from that site, so they can start their screening protocols for attendees. They have to have secure perimeters to ensure that events such as vehicle ramming are mitigated.

They need to look at the whole spectrum of potential threats and hazards that could impact, you know, the president, the Secret Service protectees, but all of the attendees that are coming and that could be, you know, threats from, you know, drones, emerging technology, you know, the lone attackers, the long-range threats.

There is just a multitude of issues that they need to mitigate very quickly. But, Danny, to me, when I assess like this type of event, the concern that I have is actually beyond the venue itself. I have high confidence that the Secret Service, their law enforcement partners, will be able to go in and secure this site even though it is the size and scale of it is just, you know, enormous.

But beyond the site, what I'm worried about and we have seen this before, are attacks on soft targets. Those locations that are associated or tangential to the main event, such as hotels, restaurants, transportation centers, et cetera, where the security profile may be lower. And to me, that is where law enforcement and local law enforcement really needs to focus their attention. Because managing these low-profile attacks that have a significant consequence on the totality of today's event is significant.

[06:10:05]

FREEMAN: Jonathan, I want to ask you one more thing. You know, I was out in Utah in the aftermath of the Kirk shooting. I was in Saint George in the area where the alleged shooter was from, and also up at Utah Valley University. And I was at a vigil as well.

Does it make -- the way I would describe it is that a lot of people were on edge, right? You know, if a motorcycle revved too hard, you know, people would jump and kind of look, of course, right, which is natural I'd imagine. Does that kind of tension make it harder to secure a larger venue like this? Does that make sense?

WACKROW: Well, listen, the feeling of safety is very subjective to the individual, but when you take a group of people in the aftermath of such a significant horrific event, everyone is going to be on edge, and law enforcement knows that. But it's just that level of anxiety and worry that people have that is what hostile actors want to capitalize on.

So, what I am worried about, and law enforcement as well, is copycat attacks. Someone utilizing this moment of, you know, the memorial service to actually launch an attack, you know, to disrupt. And it's going to, you know, potentially cause, you know, fear and terror of those people who are already on -- you know, already have an elevated sense of fear just because of this ongoing, you know, domestic threat profile that we're experiencing.

So, yes, it is a challenge for law enforcement. That's why you're going to see this over indexing of uniform presence. They're going to show this, you know, level of deterrence that, you know, they're going to show this level of strength so that any would be attacker is deterred. So, they will not launch an attack today.

FREEMAN: And certainly, we're hoping that this memorial goes off safely and smoothly because it's just -- it has been too much, too much violence, too many threats. And we don't want anything like that today. Jonathan Wackrow, thank you, as always, for your expertise. Really appreciate it this morning.

WACKROW: Thanks, Danny.

FREEMAN: All right. Here are some other headlines we're following this morning. President Trump is praising the suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. It is a decision that has set off a political firestorm over free speech. Talking to reporters, President Trump said the suspension was not a direct result of pressure on ABC from his White House. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you or anybody from your administration pressure ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel?

TRUMP: No, not at all. I think Jimmy Kimmel is terrible. You know what suspended him? His talent. You know what else is -- really what -- take a look at this guy, his ratings. That's what got Jimmy Kimmel out. He was terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Under pressure from the FCC, Walt Disney company pulled the show indefinitely just hours after Kimmel's comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's suspected killer.

And to this now, Ben Carson is set to receive his second Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Trump surprised his former secretary of Housing and Urban Development with the news yesterday.

Now, Carson, you might remember, is a former neurosurgeon who made history performing the first successful surgery to separate conjoined twins. He first received the Medal of Freedom, which is the nation's highest civilian honor, back in 2008 from President George W. Bush.

And lawyers for the man charged with killing a UnitedHealthcare CEO last year are asking a judge to block the death penalty. They want the federal case thrown out, arguing that public officials turned Luigi Mangione's arrest into a, quote, "Marvel movie spectacle," making it impossible for him to have a fair trial.

His defense claims Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to seek the death penalty was based on politics and not merit. Back in December, a masked gunman shot and killed CEO Brian Thompson hours before he was to speak at UnitedHealth Group's investor conference. Police arrested Mangione after a day's long manhunt. He has pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges in connection to the killing.

This morning, parts of the southwest United States are facing new threats of flooding. This comes as cleanup from recent flooding and mudslides still underway there. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with me now with the latest. Yes, we saw those videos yesterday of how intense those mudslides were. A little relief, hopefully in this cleanup?

CHINCHAR: They got some yesterday because it really did not rain in much of California yesterday, especially Southern California. But that is expected to change today. We're already starting to see that surge of moisture coming back into the area. We hope that we don't have scenes like this. This is what happened Thursday into Friday after that very heavy rain kind of moved into the area.

This is what we are looking at for today. Again, you can take a look at here. Notice once we get into the afternoon hours this late morning into the early afternoon, we really start to see that surge of moisture into portions of Southern California all over again. Many of these same exact areas that ended up getting the heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. Then it begins to spread into portions of Arizona and eventually into New Mexico and Utah as well.

You're going to have some of these areas because it's a very tight funnel some of these areas are going to get an intense amount of rain, maybe up to two inches in just 15 to 20 minutes, and other areas will get absolutely nothing.

[06:15:07]

So, this is really going to be one of those tricky spots where some areas get hit very hard. In other areas, just simply do not have very much at all. Because of this, there is still the potential for that flooding across portions of the southwest. But also, we have a flood threat here that stretches from the Ohio valley back into portions of the central United States.

All of these areas have the potential for multiple days' worth of rain. So, this is going to be a little bit of a different scenario than we had in the southwest, where it's a lot of rain in a very short period of time. This is just going to be several days in a row of very heavy rainfall.

And you can see here you've got a lot of different waves of rain coming in. Each one will have clusters of some stronger thunderstorms even at times. But again, the key is that it's going to be the overall cumulative effect of a lot of the rain that's going to come in for some of these areas.

Here's a look again. You can see those waves that kind of come in not just today but then again on Monday. And in some areas, it's yet again on Tuesday. So, it's multiple days' worth of rain for the other system compared to that of the southwest.

FREEMAN: Just so we think we're out. When it rains, it pours. Thanks, Allison. Appreciate you.

All right. Coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, Russia launches more drones and missiles into Ukraine. We'll break down the damage and the response in a live report.

Plus, we're looking ahead to a high stakes meeting between presidents Trump and Zelenskyy planned for this week's United Nations general assembly. And life or death? We're going to take you inside the decision for prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man charged with killing Charlie kirk. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:20]

FREEMAN: NATO members are ramping up defenses after Russia violated airspace of NATO countries while Putin steps up attacks on Ukraine. Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles across Ukraine this weekend. And Ukraine's air force released this video right here of its defense system shooting down some of the drones. Now, this all comes after peace talks have stalled.

In the meantime, the U.K. said it flew fighter jets over Poland on Friday. France also deployed jets late last week. It's all part of NATO's Eastern Sentry Operation in the wake of Russia's recent breaches of Polish and Estonian airspace. Russia denies the incursions were intentional. Let's get right over to CNN correspondent Clare Sebastian. Clare, how has NATO been adapting to this modern, drone focused war?

CLARE SEBATIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Danny, you talk about the Eastern Sentry Operation, which is this new sort of beefing up of NATO's jets and sort of firepower on the eastern flank that we've seen in the wake of that September 9th incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace. A notable feature, by the way, of the massive combined drone and missile attack we saw in Ukraine Friday into Saturday, was that Polish and NATO jets were scrambled once again. Part of that attack was targeting Ukraine's western regions. So, that was sort of a just in case move and part of this deterrent that NATO is trying to put up.

But I think in terms of adaptation, the sort of messaging that we're getting from experts and members of the defense industry is that actually, if they're going to have to scramble jets every time, be it for Russian fighter jets, or especially be it for drones, then economically that is going to be unsustainable. In that instance, in Poland on September 9th, these were sort of the cheapest possible Russian drones that entered polish airspace. They're usually used as decoys. They're made of plywood and Styrofoam.

And these NATO jets cost tens of thousands of dollars, even to get off the ground. So, what we're seeing now is this week, the European Union defense minister will be holding talks on creating what's called a drone wall, essentially a layered system of more high tech, more economically sustainable defenses along its eastern flank with Russia and with Ukraine, in order to have a more sustainable approach, should these threats continue to escalate.

So, all of that will be the backdrop as President Zelenskyy heads to the United States this coming week to take part in the United Nation's General Assembly. And he's expected to meet with Trump on the sidelines of that as well. He'll be making very likely the argument, as he has done for the last three and a half years, that the threat from this war in Ukraine goes way beyond Ukraine and that it could spread. And frankly, this is an argument that President Trump will also be hearing domestically from including figures in his inner circle.

These are comments from his Russia Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, to the daily "Telegraph" this weekend. He said, you have to look at Putin and Russia as an expansionist power. He wants to reestablish the Russian empire. Just look at history, he said, give him an inch. He'll take a mile.

So, the pressure, I think, over the next week will continue to ramp up on president Trump to get tough on Russia, to increase sanctions and to flesh out Zelenskyy hopes as well. U.S. commitment to future postwar security guarantees, Danny.

FREEMAN: Well, absolutely fascinating and very, very important and consequential reporting. Clare Sebastian from London, thank you so much. And just as Clare mentioned, the U.N. General Assembly meets this week. The world leaders will be front and center, including President Trump. But behind the scenes, the NYPD and Secret Service have prepared for the tall task of securing the scene at these high profile and high stakes events.

CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, gives us a preview of the high level of planning and protective services involved.

[06:25:09]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, we got off the X. Have you tried that in Manhattan traffic yet?

MATT MCCOOL, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, SECRET SERVICE NEW YORK FIELD OFFICE: You want to do it again?

MILLER: Yes, let's do it again.

(voice-over): On a remote former airfield in the far reaches of Brooklyn, Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service in New York, is training for a busy week.

(on camera): And we end up facing the opposite direction. Take off and escape the threat.

MCCOOL: Yes.

MILLER (voice-over): When protecting any world leader, the most vulnerable point is the move, going from point A to point B.

(on camera): Well, that was exhilarating or accelerating or something rating.

(voice-over): So as the NYPD and the Secret Service plan the motorcades for the United Nations General Assembly, it's a security challenge like no other.

(on camera): So, what are we looking at in terms of numbers?

MCCOOL: So, for this year, we're looking at over 150 heads of state. And then approximately 75 spouses.

MILLER (voice-over): But in the congested streets of Manhattan, spinning a car around may not be an option.

MCCOOL: The best way to survive an ambush is don't get ambushed. But if it does occur, we have a coordinated plan. And what I can tell you is if that were to happen in New York city, it's going to be met with a violent counterattack.

MILLER (voice-over): At the Secret Service training center in Maryland, an attack can come at any moment.

(on camera): What's the mindset going into each day?

MCCOOL: The bad guys here, he's ready to go and it's our job to stop them and stay ahead of them.

MILLER (voice-over): In New York City traffic, the motorcycles are more than just ceremonial. Secret Service agent Anthony Lacorazza explains how they're critical

to the operation.

(on camera): If something suddenly occurs, there are a set of synapses that fire, reactions that happen, and it can happen very quickly, and it can come out of nowhere.

ANTHONY LACORAZZA, SECRET SERVICE AGENT: There's always a plan. There's always multiple plans to get from one point to the other. And we run those consistently. We brief them consistently. And before we even leave that site, everybody knows what each contingency plan is.

MILLER (voice-over): But for the Secret Service, the secret weapon for New York City traffic is NYPD's highway patrol motorcycles.

(on camera): You want to be fluid all the time. How do the motorcycles and the outriders play into all that?

LACORAZZA: So, if you notice on the left-hand lane, they keep going ahead. What they're doing is shutting down as many streets as possible so we can keep going. So, to your point, we never want to be still. We never want to stop.

MILLER (voice-over): The outriders are led by Lieutenant Joseph Bell.

LT. JOSEPH BELL, NYPD HIGHWAY PATROL: The individuals that are picked are picked because not only can they operate a motorcycle very efficiently, but they have a lot of experience doing high profile escorts. With them, we can address anything, any compromise on that route.

MILLER: And who will you be escorting?

BELL: I will be on the POTUS escort.

MILLER (voice-over): And protecting the president is no detail for rookies.

(on camera): How many presidents have you escorted in motorcades?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight.

MILLER: Eight. And how many U.N. general assemblies have you been a part of?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE Thirty-eight. Nobody does it like we do it. Nobody prepares for it like we do it. And I can say with all certainty that we are the best in the business of what we do.

MILLER (voice-over): John Miller, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FREEMAN: Thanks to John for that great reporting. All right. Coming up ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, the decision to seek the death penalty in the Tyler Robinson case. We're going to take a look into the history of the death penalty in the state of Utah. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:33:15]

FREEMAN: Eleven days after his murder up to a hundred thousand people are expected to remember the life of Charlie Kirk.

A memorial will be held today at State Farm Stadium in Kirk's home state of Arizona. You can see live picture right now on your screen of that site. Now Kirk was incredibly close with many in the White House some of whom will be in attendance, including President Donald Trump who is expected to speak at the event. Vice President JD Vance, secretaries Marco Rubio, RFK Jr. and Pete Hegseth will attend as well. The Department of Homeland Security gave the event the highest possible security rating.

Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter Tyler Robinson is currently being held without bail in Utah County Jail. Robinson faces seven charges including aggravated murder and prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. But even with mounting evidence from police and an apparent confession to his parents one Utah criminal defense attorney told me Robinson's case is not cut and dry.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN (voice-over): As countless questions continue to surround the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk perhaps one looms largest, life or death. From day one, the death penalty has been front and center in this case.

GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.

JEFFREY GRAY, UTAH COUNTY ATTORNEY: I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. I do not take this decision lightly and it is a decision I have made independently.

FREEMAN (voice-over): That intention to seek the death penalty for 22- year-old Tyler Robinson made official with this filing.

GRAY: I am charged with bringing justice for Charlie Kirk.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Utah is one of 27 states that currently allows the death penalty, the most recent execution here took place last year. It was the first since 2010. And while lethal injection is the primary method of execution in Utah, it's one of only five states that allows a firing squad also as an option, but typically only if the drug used for lethal injection is unavailable, making it possible but unlikely. [06:35:13]

The last time it was used in Utah was 15 years ago. Since 1976, there have been just five executions by firing squad in the U.S., three in Utah, and two this year in South Carolina.

In his Provo office, criminal defense attorney Randall Spencer says he wasn't surprised prosecutors intended to try this as a capital murder case.

RANDALL SPENCER, UTAH CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: But I did question the probability of a conviction of capital murder in this case.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Spencer explained if someone kills, say, a police officer or an elected official, Utah law is crystal clear that would be a capital case. But he argues Kirk's killing isn't as cut and dry.

SPENCER: You have to prove an aggravating factor, which is separate from proving that one killed another person. And the aggravating factor, which the county attorney's office chose in this case, is that the defendant acted in a way that would pose a great risk of death to someone other than the defendant himself or the victim, Charlie Kirk.

FREEMAN (voice-over): But Spencer thinks proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Robinson's alleged clear targeting of Kirk truly threatened other people's lives could be an uphill climb for prosecutors.

SPENCER: The decision that I believe a jury will have to make is under those very precise circumstances, with a precision shot, did that really create a great risk or a substantial and unjustifiable risk such that it was highly likely that someone else would have been killed, too? And obviously no one else was.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Now if Robinson is found guilty of shooting Kirk, likely the larger fight will end up being will a Utah jury sentence him to death? At this point, Robinson still does not have an attorney.

All right, coming up on "CNN This Morning," protesting ICE raids in Chicago. The message the Department of Homeland Security has for those protesters.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:03]

FREEMAN: The White House's immigration crackdown is escalating in Chicago. Protesters clashed with ICE officials who used tear gas on demonstrators back on Frida.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has the details. JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, Danny the Department of Homeland Security who oversees ICE is calling Chicago protesters violent rioters that threatened the safety of ICE officers.

On a post on X, the Department also said that quote, individuals and groups impeding ICE operations are siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers and violent criminals. You will not stop ICE and DGS (ph) law enforcement from enforcing our immigration laws. Along with that They also posted a video of that former journalist running for office being pushed and shoved onto the ground by federal agents. Her name is Kat Abughazaleh, she spoke to CNN and she said that officers also threw pepper balls at her during that protest. She said on X later that ICE did to her was quote, a violent abuse of power, but still nothing compared to what they're doing to immigrant communities, her words. She added that she was there to protest the conditions inside that detention facility.

Now this was a small protest, about a hundred people were there, some who have been going for weeks. But on Friday a handful of local leaders were there including the lieutenant governor of Illinois Juliana Stratton, this is why she said they were there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIANA STRATTON, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, ILLINOIS: People are here to peacefully protest. Look what we've been seeing over the last several weeks right here in Chicago, people being snatched off the streets, stuffed into unmarked vans and with no due process. We are seeing the Constitution being stomped upon and just this week again attacks on First Amendment rights and all of us need to be speaking with moral clarity and saying this is not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (on-camera): And any four days now ICE officers have been in the Chicago metro area picking up suspected undocumented immigrants as part of Operation Midway Blitz. It's worth reminding our viewers that last week a man was fatally shot after resisting arrest and injuring an ICE officer during a traffic stop. Overall, the sweeping immigration enforcement operations in Chicago have resulted in the arrest of nearly 8,550 people according to DHS.

Danny?

FREEMAN: Julia Vargas Jones, thank you very much.

All right coming up this morning, we're preparing for believe it or not the cold weather months and how it could affect your bank account.

We'll break down the numbers of heating costs this winter and what you might be able to do to save some money. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:49:04] FREEMAN: All right listen to this, the cost to heat your home is projected to rise this winter in some areas by about $1,000 according to a new estimate from the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, even more so, for those using electricity over natural gas.

More than a hundred gas and electric companies have already raised their rates or are proposing to do so for this year or next.

For more on this, we have Mark Wolfe with the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. He joins me now.

Good morning, Mark.

Let's start here please, what should we expect when it comes to our heating business winter?

MARK WOLFE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE DIRECTORS' ASSOCIATION: Well this year, prices are going up. And the thing to keep in mind is that, we've already gone through a period very expensive summer, cooling season. Prices at summer run a record level, the highest we've seen in more than 12 years. And those high prices are continuing into this winter.

So, for the winter -- I'm sorry, go ahead.

[06:50:02]

FREEMAN: No, I was going to say, can you can you tell me a little bit more about, like, what's causing these prices to go up?

WOLFE: There are a number of factors. The most important is electricity. Electric prices are possibly at record levels now and are likely to continue that way a couple of years.

One reason is that natural gas prices are high. That's a primary feeder fuel. Other words, it's a fuel that's used to produce electricity. The other reason is that utilities across the country are saying they need to upgrade the grid, those are the wires, those are the poles. That's how electricity gets your house.

And the third reason, this one is getting more and more coverage is the growth of data centers. These are energy hogs use lots and lots of energy. They're putting more pressure on the grid. So, utilities have to expand their capacity, provide reliable service.

FREEMAN: Wait, so --

WOLFE: The other part is sort of general rising prices for everything.

FREEMAN: Wait, sorry, Mark, can I just -- just circle back on that? You're saying that these data centers that, you know, are cropping up in a lot of communities all over the country. You can draw a direct line from that to potentially prices going up for heating during the winter? WOLFE: Yes, because if you use electricity, electricity is used to run data centers. There's more pressure. My utilities provide especially during high uses period to call peak energy. Those costs -- those costs require more expensive energy because you're drawing on other plants.

And so data centers, even though they're important for running, say, chat (INAUDIBLE), the downside is that they're putting more pressure on the production of electricity in the country. And that's causing prices to rise.

FREEMAN: Wow, that's fascinating. Mark, a question for you. Do we have any sense that this winter in particular is going to be an intensely cold winter? I mean, are we going to be really reliant on heat this year?

WOLFE: No, we estimate something to be a couple of degrees colder this winter. The biggest problem is that prices are going up.

FREEMAN: Right.

WOLFE: So it's not just, you know, the price of electricity, it's the amount you use. So the combination of using a little bit more to heat your home. On top of the fact that prices in general are going up. That's why we think that electric -- electric costs are going up. I'm sorry. Electric costs about 10 percent over last year. And that's a real burden because prices for electricity have been going up twice the rate of inflation.

So, it's not just this winter. We're building on higher prices from last year. And then families paid much higher prices for summer cooling this last summer. So they're getting hit multiple ways, so it's not just a higher cost of winter cooling. It's your overall cost for the year.

FREEMAN: Last quick note, Mark, here, just give a little bit of time left. Is there anything that we as regular people can do ahead of time to try and keep costs low for us?

WOLFE: Oh, yes, there are a couple of things. First, tune up your furnace. You know, it's only still September. That's an important thing to do. Second, do very basic things like close the flue on your furnace. I'm sorry, close the flue on your fireplace during the winter, because that's a place that, you know, heat just goes straight out. And third, try to turn down the heat at night. Every one degree you turn it down saves close to 10 percent on your bill. Those are very basic things.

FREEMAN: All right, Mark Wolfe thank you so much --

WOLFE: Another important thing (INAUDIBLE) I can add is that --

FREEMAN: Yes.

WOLFE: -- the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is still being funded, even though the administration has proposed to kill the program. But that helps almost six million families pay their home energy bills.

So, if you think that --

FREEMAN: Right.

WOLFE: -- you might be struggling to pay the bill this year, go ahead and apply for that. Go to your local community action --

FREEMAN: Yes.

WOLFE: -- agency, because that's helping you get through this very tough time.

FREEMAN: No, that's very good advice.

Mark Wolfe, thank you for breaking that all down for us. Really appreciate your time this morning.

WOLFE: You're welcome.

FREEMAN: As the Trump administration dismantles DEI, there is an old Southern family in South Carolina that is doing the exact opposite. They're uncovering their history, sharing it and using it to come together as one giant multiracial family.

Now, that's part of the story CNN's Sara Sidner tells this week on "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER."

Here's a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My great-grandfather, he was a football star for the South Carolina Gamecocks. And you find in 1916, it's spelled with one L, and then it's spelled with two.

So we think that he did this because his fiancee, his wife, her last name was Curll with two L's. And this sort of aligns more, I guess, symmetrically. That was sort of the family story.

But then we also wondered if he did it to distance himself from the black Simrills.

[06:55:06]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reason there was a difference in the L's was because the white Simrils did not want anyone to know that they were related to the black Simrills. So, they added another L to their name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, we call each other the single L's and the double L's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER, THE SIMRILLS: A FAMILY IN BLACK AND WHITE," airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern only right here on CNN.

All right, much more ahead on the next hour of "CNN This Morning" weekend edition including the deal over controlling TikTok. The Trump administration says it's all but done. We have an expert who will weigh in on the negotiations.

Stay with us.

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