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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Thousands Attend Charlie Kirk's Memorial Service in Arizona; More Countries Recognize Palestine As a State; Man Arrested, Charged with Murder in New Hampshire Country Club Shooting. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 22, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

ERICA HILL, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. Good to have you with us on this Monday morning. I'm Erica Hill in for Rahel Solomon, it is Monday, September 22nd, 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk.

ERIKA KIRK, WIDOW OF CHARLIE KIRK: I forgive him.

(APPLAUSSE)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIA: The Commonwealth of Australia recognizes the state of Palestine.

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Today, we join over a 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say a man opened fire at the club restaurant, killing one person and injuring two others.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The shots were fired in the restaurant, that's when the gunman allegedly made his way into the reception area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: We begin this hour with a massive memorial for Charlie Kirk, which included a high profile guest list. The U.S. President, Vice President, several top administration officials in attendance, all vowing to keep Kirk's movement alive. The conservative activist who was assassinated earlier this month was described repeatedly as a martyr whose message would live on.

Tens of thousands of supporters attending that memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday. His widow Erika, delivering an emotional and powerful speech offering forgiveness to her husband's alleged killer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E. KIRK: The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: President Trump striking, however, a very different tone while he did honor Kirk's life and his influence on the conservative movement, Trump made little effort to offer a unifying message, veering at times into well-worn political rhetoric typically heard at his rallies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: As he was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great purpose. He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry. I am sorry, Erika. But now Erika can talk to me and the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that's not right. But I can't stand my opponent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Marybel Gonzalez has more now from Arizona, including a look at the heightened security measures for the event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Tens of thousands of people packing State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Sunday, to say their final goodbyes to assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk. Lines of mourners wrapping around the block to get in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to mourn Charlie, and I wanted to be with a fellow patriots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to honor a great man that was a man of God.

GONZALEZ: Several high profile Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, speaking at Kirk's memorial.

TRUMP: America is a nation in grief, a nation in shock and a nation in mourning.

GONZALEZ: The conservative political activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed earlier this month while speaking at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. His widow speaking out Sunday.

E. KIRK: I saw the wound that ended his life. I felt everything you would expect to feel. I felt shock, I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed.

GONZALEZ: In a powerful moment, she forgave her husband's alleged killer.

E. KIRK: I forgive him because it was what Christ did.

GONZALEZ: Federal and local law enforcement beefing up security ahead of Sunday's service, the Department of Homeland Security designating the service as a special event assessment level one, which is reserved for major events like the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby.

JONATHAN WACKROW, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: 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.

[05:05:00]

GONZALEZ: Kirk's memorial comes as political figures are increasingly worried about threats and attempted attacks. The White House recently asked for $58 million in more security funding for executive and judicial branch employees. In Glendale, Arizona, I'm Marybel Gonzalez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Some of the highest ranking members of the Trump administration spoke about their personal connection to Charlie Kirk on Sunday, as well as how his death has galvanized the conservative movement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES DAVID VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Charlie knew that we were all children of God. He knew deep down the truth of scripture. And from that confidence, everything else flowed, that unshakable belief in the gospel led him to see differences in opinion, not as battlefields to conquer, but as way-stations in the pursuit of truth.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: The irony in all this is that what our nation needs -- one of the many things it needs is the ability to discuss our differences openly, honestly, peacefully, respectfully, and Charlie Kirk did that more than anyone alive in America today is doing.

STEPHEN MILLER, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, WHITE HOUSE: You cannot defeat us. You cannot slow us. You cannot stop us. You cannot deter us. We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day and fight that much harder because of what you did to us. You have no idea, the dragon you have awakened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Some fiery words there from Stephen Miller, one of the President's top advisors. Many mourners in attendance, however, said it was Erika Kirk's message of forgiveness that resonated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMBERLY KEHL, ATTENDED CHARLIE KIRK'S MEMORIAL SERVICE: It was powerful, and you could feel -- you could feel so much love and so much -- want for this country to just get better and grow, and this love for the Lord and just a change. Like we just need a change. And it was -- it was -- it was impactful.

MARJIE FAVIA, ATTENDED CHARLIE KIRK'S MEMORIAL SERVICE: It really is a point where I really cried because she had so much reason to be angry, and really want to get even with them. But her heart knew and her Christian way that she should do what God wanted her to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The Palestinian mission to the U.K. will hold a flag-raising ceremony today after the United Kingdom, along with Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday. That announcement by British Prime Minister -- the British Prime Minister, making good on his pledge to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel met certain conditions, including a ceasefire and also committing to a two-state solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STARMER: We recognize the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people. Today, we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also, a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: France and a number of other nations are due to make similar announcements at the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week. Israel, for its part remains defiant in response to the push for a Palestinian state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing it will never happen.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Abu Dhabi now with the very latest. Paula, what more do we know about where things stand? And also that Israeli response.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, I think what we've seen over the last two days is the deepening of Israel's isolation when it comes to this coming week in the United Nations. We have heard many countries in the past saying that they recognize the state of Palestine.

We know there's well over 145 countries that have already agreed to this. And then, the fact that you have these key countries from the G7, the first time countries like this have signed up to this formal recognition. Now, we did hear from the Prime Ministers of Canada, of Australia, of the United Kingdom on Sunday, all saying that this was in their hopes, a way to pressure Israel to end the campaign in Gaza.

In a way, we heard from Mark Carney, for example, the Canadian Prime Minister, to be able to push Hamas to the side, and they can engage and empower the Palestinian Authority, who recognizes Israel's right to exist, and who has denounced violence. We are seeing, though, on the Israeli side, a digging in of opinion, certainly from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying very clearly what we have really heard in more hushed tones over recent years.

[05:10:00]

Let's listen to Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): You are giving a huge reward to terrorism. And I have another message for you, it will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan river. For years, I have prevented the establishment of this terrorist state despite tremendous pressure both domestically and internationally. We did this with determination and we did it with diplomatic wisdom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, we are seeing on the ground as well that Israel is expanding settlements, that they are approving the controversial E-1 plan, for example, which effectively cuts the West Bank in half, so they won't be a continuous Palestinian state, even if there were to be the two-state solution coming into being.

But it's something that Israel, and certainly this far-right coalition that Netanyahu sits on top of at this point is very much against. Now, we also heard pushback from the Australian Prime Minister specifically on those settlements. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBANESE: We are seeing the Israeli government continue to provide support for illegal settlements and an expansion in the West Bank. We're seeing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfold in Gaza. The idea that Israel is just sitting back, waiting to negotiate is not what is happening here. This is about the world saying enough is enough. We want peace and security in the Middle East. This is Australia playing a role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, it's important to say that this is largely symbolic. What we have heard from these G7 nations on Sunday, because nothing will actually change on the ground. This doesn't mean that we are going to see a Palestinian state being created because more countries are publicly supporting the idea of a state.

It will not change the reality on the ground. There is still the war raging in Gaza, but these Prime Ministers said it was important for them to put their support behind it. Back to you.

HILL: Paula, appreciate it. Thank you. We are also closely monitoring developments in Italy. We have live pictures to bring you as we're following what is a 24-hour general strike now underway across the country. Public transport expected to be heavily impacted here with some major disruptions to trains and ports as well as schools and other public services. Air travel, however, is not expected to be affected. The strike itself

is billed as a nationwide expression of solidarity with Gaza. The Italian trade unions who coordinated this walkout say they are, quote, "against the genocide in Palestine and also the supply of weapons to Israel." We'll continue to monitor those developments for you throughout the day.

Meantime, the most powerful storm on earth this year, now slamming the northern Philippines with destructive winds and torrential rain. This as Super Typhoon Ragasa, rapidly intensifying into the equivalent of a Category Five hurricane. That means it's packing sustained winds of 165 miles per hour.

More than 10,000 people have been evacuated in the Philippines. Authorities are warning of a life-threatening flooding with storm surges of up to 10 feet. And forecasters say, ultimately tens of millions -- look at the size of that storm, could be impacted as Ragasa, as you see there, tracks toward Hong Kong and southern China by midweek.

Still ahead here, President Trump asking the U.S. Attorney General to prosecute his political foes. Why he's now praising her, that's next. And we're also following more storms Hurricane Gabriel now, a Category One storm and growing in the Atlantic. We'll show you its path and what is expected in the coming days.

And ready, set, serve. Service from across Paris hitting the streets there, trays in hand as they vie for the city's greatest food service honor, and a chance to make history. That's ahead on CNN.

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[05:15:00]

HILL: Officials say a deadly shooting at a New Hampshire country club could have been much worse, if not for the selfless actions of patrons who tried to stop the gunman. The man opened fire on Saturday at the club's restaurant, killing one person and injuring two others. Four people in all were injured, but not by gunfire and the chaos following the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOPHIE FIABOURIS, WITNESS: I heard pop-pop, and then gun, run and people started screaming and running. So, I was talking with a 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 a -- he made some comments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say?

FIABOURIS: He said at least the children are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: A wedding was taking place in the next room, the DJ at that

event says he believes he saw the gunman walking across the dance floor in the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HOMEWOOD, WITNESS & WEDDING DJ: A gentleman who was in the restaurant apparently used a chair to hit him over the head. Everyone else said that they saw he came in bleeding, I did not see the blood. I just -- I just saw this guy who I knew must have been the guy.

It was kind of surreal. Just, you know, one of those things where it's the lottery, you don't want to win in America. You win -- you know, you're there when something like that happens, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:20:00]

HILL: Authorities say they have arrested a 23-year-old former employee of the club, Hunter Nadeau is charged with one count of second degree murder. There's no known connection between the gunman and the victim who's been identified as Robert Stephen DeCesare. His wife says that he lunged at the suspect, then got caught in the gunfire while trying to protect his family.

President Trump is calling on the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, to prosecute his political enemies. All of this coming in a frustrated social media post, but now he's also praising her. Here's CNN's Julia Benbrook with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Donald Trump had several late-night posts related to this, starting with one in all caps that said justice must be served now. He followed that with a stunning post where he directly addressed Attorney General Pam Bondi. We know this because he even started the post with her name.

In it, he called out several of his frequent targets of frustration, including former FBI Director James Comey, Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. He claimed without evidence that they are, quote, "all guilty as hell". He went on to say this, making it clear that he has at least some expectations here.

Writing quote, "we can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice and indicted me five times." And then again in all caps, "OVER NOTHING. Justice must be served now." As the President left the White House on Sunday, he did take questions from reporters, and he was asked if he would fire Bondi if she refused his demand to aggressively pursue some of his political foes, and his answer, he praised her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President, are you concerned about Bondi if Letitia James has not indicted?

TRUMP: No, she's doing a great job. Pam Bondi is doing a great job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you ever --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I think Pam Bondi is going to go down as one of the best Attorney Generals of the ages.

BENBROOK: And this all came not long after the news broke that Eric Siebert; the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was stepping down. Siebert was under intense pressure from the President to make certain moves, and while Siebert told his staff he was resigning, Trump said that he did not quit, and instead that he had pulled his nomination after he received strong support from Democrats.

Now, according to a source briefed with internal conversations, Siebert and his team were bracing for this possibility as the Trump administration was ramping up political pressure in recent weeks. Trump has said that he has selected one of his former personal lawyers and a senior White House aide, Lindsey Halligan to replace Siebert in that role.

He has described Halligan as a tough, smart and loyal attorney, highlighting that he has worked with her for quite some time. Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Hurricane Gabrielle is now a Category One storm, gaining strength over open Atlantic waters, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is packing sustained winds of around 75 miles per hour, it's currently about 250 miles southeast of Bermuda. Rapid intensification though is expected over the next day or so, with Gabrielle forecast to pass east of Bermuda on Monday.

You see the track there swells -- rough surf and strong rip currents that are already reaching the island. They're also expected to impact the eastern United States from North Carolina on up the coast. Still to come here, Estonia asking the U.N. to act after what it is calling a brazen Russian incursion into Estonian airspace.

Plus, hundreds of bags of cocaine seized in a joint operation drug bust in the Caribbean, where officials say those drugs were headed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:00]

HILL: In the coming hours, the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting requested by Estonia after three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace on Friday, a move Estonia has described as brazen. The jets were ultimately intercepted by NATO. CNN's Ben Wedeman is following these developments now and joins us from Rome. So, Ben, what more do we know about these jets and what ultimately happened? BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well,

ultimately, of course, these jets return to Russian territory, and the Russians, of course, said they did absolutely nothing wrong. But clearly, Estonia is seeing this as a serious violation of its airspace. And it's worth noting, it's by far not the last one.

In fact, Sunday, German and Swedish aircraft took to the sky after a Russian reconnaissance airplane over international waters turned off its transponder, and did not or ignored attempts to make contact with it. Now, going back to the 9th of September, Erika, you'll recall that 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory, going well within it before several of them were shot down by Polish and Dutch aircraft there in just four days.

After that, Romanian F-16s took to the sky after a Russian drone entered Romania's territory as well. So, clearly, this is a series of incidents that has NATO countries very concerned. Now, we did hear President Trump yesterday say that the U.S. would be willing to come to the defense of Poland and the Baltic states in the event of Russian aggression against those countries.

But there is a deep concern among -- in the capitals of NATO that the United States, under the current, rather unpredictable administration in Washington, cannot be depended upon as the situation with Russia becomes ever more tenuous, Erica.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. And so, we'll be looking for that meeting, of course, the U.N. General Assembly this week as well, kicking --