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Isa Soares Tonight
Photos from FBI Shows "Person of Interest" in Kirk Murder; Bipartisan Calls to End Political Violence; U.K. Appoints Interim Ambassador to U.S. FBI Releases Photos Asking for Help Identifying "Person of Interest" in Connection with Charlie Kirk's Shooting; Trump Cites Charlie Kirk will Be Honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom; Qatari Prime Minister Says Netanyahu has Undermined Any Chance to Peace After Deadly Strike on Qatar. Aired 2-2:30p ET
Aired September 11, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
RICHARD QUEST, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello and warm welcome, I'm Richard Quest in for Isa Soares. Tonight, we begin with our breaking news.
The FBI has released photos of someone they're describing as a person of interest in the murder of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
These images were posted by the FBI's Salt Lake City office. Authorities are asking for the public's help to identify this person who they believe
may have a connection to the shooting. Investigators say they have also recovered a high-powered bolt action rifle, telling us that phrases were
scrawled on the weapons and the ammunition.
In addition, the FBI collected a footprint, a palm print and a forearm print that are now being analyzed. The 31-year-old Mr. Charles Kirk was
married, father of two young children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEAU MASON, COMMISSIONER, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Last night, I communicated with Erica. The family is devastated. As a Commissioner of
Public Safety, as a father, as a husband, I can only imagine what that family is going through. The heinous event that happened yesterday is not
Utah. This is not what we're known for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, Mr. Kirk was a very close ally of President Trump. At a Pentagon ceremony today marking the anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. President
said he plans to honor Kirk's memory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have no doubt that Charlie's voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people,
especially young people, will live on. I'm pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, our senior Justice Department is Evan Perez. He joins me. Now, bring me up to date, please, sir.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, at this hour, the manhunt is on. The FBI is still essentially asking the public for
help because they clearly have not been able to identify this person. They've had these images for some time now. This morning at a press
conference, they announced that they would not be releasing the video or images of it because they -- investigators were still working on it.
And clearly, in the -- in the intervening hours, they decided it was better off for the public to start at least trying to provide some updates, some
tips that they could work off of. And you see those images are taken from what appeared to be surveillance camera or video camera of perhaps a
hallway or a stairwell.
What we know is that the shooter was on this rooftop about 200 yards away, about 180 meters away from where Charlie Kirk was sitting. We know that he
made a getaway, appeared to have thrown away that rifle when he -- when he was making his getaway, was wrapped in a towel.
He also recovered a screwdriver, which they think might indicate that he may have disassembled the firearm at some point to -- in order to conceal
it. You can do that, putting it in your clothing or perhaps in a bag to make it less noticeable. Again, these are things that investigators are
really just surmising, Richard, at this point because they don't have a person in custody, they don't have more information.
And as to those writings, you know, we're told that there's a variety of things that were written that investigators are really trying to determine
and trying to interpret, really trying to use the internet, trying to see whether it leads to any other clues. Again, because time is of the
essence, they need the public to provide any video, any other information that could help them narrow the focus of this investigation, because
really, time is of the essence.
QUEST: Evan, I'm grateful, come back when there's more.
PEREZ: Thanks.
QUEST: Now, our senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem is with me. I'm remembering, of course, when I see that -- those photographs being
put out, I remember the murder of the United Healthcare CEO, the speed with which once we had those photos out, somebody in a fast-food restaurant was
able to recognize.
[14:05:00]
I'm assuming this is how the authorities are hoping the process will work. This picture, of course, unlike the other one, isn't quite as clear. But it
does, it's a strong starting point in a sense.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's exactly right. It's telling that they released this because, as Evan was saying, it
does suggest that they cannot put a name to this picture. And this happened also with the United Healthcare assassin as well as, remember the Boston
Marathon bombers. And so, you're sort of crowdsourcing at this stage. That's not great.
Because obviously, you know, it becomes -- it just becomes less manageable for the FBI. I'll admit, I had thought this morning that they clearly knew
who it was, and they were just on a manhunt. Now, they just don't have a name to it. I will say with the picture, obviously, his eyes are covered
with these glasses and the hat, but that physique is unique.
Tall, lanky, the chin is chiseled. If you're a parent or a friend or roommate, you would certainly be able to identify them, and I think that
that's their hope at this stage. They need to find him quickly. The oxygen that someone on the run gets from the crazies and those incitable and those
who either want to do it again or seek revenge, feeds off of this hunt --
QUEST: Right --
KAYYEM: In other words, the more -- the longer it takes, so, the FBI really needs to focus on this one. And there were some missteps yesterday.
QUEST: The FBI said it was meant to hold a news conference in about 40 minutes. But now they're saying due to the rapid developments in our
investigation, we're going to suspend the news conference. That could mean everything and it could mean nothing.
KAYYEM: That's right. So, I had heard about that press conference, and I was going to be with you for the hour for it. But clearly, it could mean
one of only two things. One is there's just nothing new to report or two, this person is in custody, they'll make an announcement in a couple -- soon
after, we just simply don't know.
You know, the FBI in the last 24 hours has -- the FBI headquarters has been getting ahead of FBI Utah. I'm glad that it's sort of back in FBI Utah,
because you really need that local feel. You need that local community outreach. You need to engage all local law enforcement. But of course, at
this stage now, the community --
QUEST: Yes --
KAYYEM: He looks young, he looks like a college student. He looks like someone knows him. And the goal is that, that someone, that person comes
forward and does what they need to do, which is alert authorities.
QUEST: Because of the appalling nature of this political violence, it's understandable that politicians at all levels, city, state, local, federal,
presidential, are understandably involved. But how much more difficult does it make it when you do have Washington, in all its glory, interfering?
KAYYEM: Yes, it does make it more difficult. And also, it's worse than making it difficult, it can be misleading. So, yesterday, the second arrest
or the second person of interest was an Arab-American, he was conservative, he was a supporter of Charlie Kirk. So, if you're thinking, OK, well, my
assassin is from this pool of people, you are going to miss who it may be.
We see now with the picture that this looks like a caucasian male in his -- in his 20s. So, you can divert it. The other is sort of more essential to
the larger issue of political assassination. We now know, right, whether it is Democrats that are targeted or Republicans that are targeted, that this
thing, this thing is now not containable. And the more that politicians, as Donald Trump did last night --
QUEST: Now, how does it --
KAYYEM: Try to create a narrative --
QUEST: Juliette, can I just --
KAYYEM: Yes --
QUEST: Interrupt you? Just to clarify --
KAYYEM: Yes --
QUEST: Because that's -- when you say it's not containable. What do you mean?
KAYYEM: Yes, I mean that what makes America unique, other democracies have it, too, is that you can engage even disgustingly into the political arena,
as some people found Charlie Kirk's ideas into the political arena without fear of violence or in this case, death, that, that engagement is what
makes a democracy and America special.
That -- we've had periods like this in the past, and we -- it required in some ways, an exhaustion about what politics had become for there to be a
collective shaming of this. This is why politicians who are trying to create both policy and other narratives out this, as the President did last
night, right?
[14:10:00]
In terms of, it's a certain person, it's liberals, I know who it is. We don't know who it is. And even if it were, it doesn't matter. We now know
that it's going to take a collective focus on the violence and not the motivation or the ideology to be able to, you know, sort of retain --
QUEST: Yes --
KAYYEM: This American ability of having a rough and tumble politics. We've had this for a long time.
QUEST: Fascinating. I mean, it's where we go from here is something you and I will talk about a great deal more in the days. I'm grateful, thank
you --
KAYYEM: I have -- I have one theory.
QUEST: Go on --
KAYYEM: I have one theory which is, it's going to take us. It's going to take citizens. We may not get it from our government, but you know, there's
no -- a -- the sentence -- political assassination is bad, ends with a period.
QUEST: Yes.
KAYYEM: You don't have to say but or -- it's a period. So, that's what I urge all, everyone who is watching, it's a simple sentence.
QUEST: You know, that's beautifully put, elegantly put and very difficult to follow through in the febrile atmosphere of today. Juliette, we'll talk
more and certainly explore that angle more. Politicians from U.S. and around the world are reacting to the murder of Charlie Kirk in the United
States. President Trump expressed his grief and anger, and that was -- as it's been echoed by many in the administration.
I mean, they knew and worked with and had voted with and planned with Charlie Kirk. And so, this is more than just a bystander as such. The
administration and many of those involved with it are very intimately familiar with Charlie Kirk, and as friend, mentor, and the Democrats such
as California Governor Gavin Newsom, to Juliette's point, immediately came out with a statement calling his death sick and reprehensible.
Giorgia Meloni of Italy has said it is a profound wound for democracy, whilst Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, described Kirk's murder as
hatred from the left. Now, arguably, of course, that statement is doing exactly what Juliette says is where the road down which one should not go.
But that's for discussions later.
Joining us from Washington, Kristen Holmes. You know, look, you heard Juliette, I hope, in just a moment or two ago, the phrase, political
violence should not, must not happen ends with a period, and there is no follow on. The White House is negotiating that sentence in a sense, in how
they are reacting to this.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think, Richard, there's a lot of anger right now. Yesterday was a lot of devastation. There
was a lot of confusion. There was a lot of disbelief. And now, you are seeing some anger. It's really -- if you're talking about where we go from
here, you know, that is yet to be seen.
But I do think we're still so early in what happened that the grief is still overwhelming for so many of these people. I mean, just to let you
know, it's not as though this is just a person that they tangentially knew. I was told by sources that President Trump considered Charlie Kirk part of
the family. We saw Don Junior talking about how Charlie Kirk was like a little brother to him.
They believed that he was incredibly smart and influential, and that he had his finger on the pulse of their movement, the movement that was started by
President Trump, even more so than some of the people who serve on the cabinet positions here in Washington. So, it's still very raw. They're
watching very closely to see what comes from this investigation.
I think the whole country is really watching to see what comes from this investigation. And I think that's where their minds are --
QUEST: Right --
HOLMES: At this moment.
QUEST: So, just -- let's do some event, so, J.D. Vance; the Vice President was meant to be at 9/11 in New York, but of course, he's flown out. And I
believe -- you correct me if I've got the details slightly wrong. He will be accompanying Kirk's remains on Air Force 2 back. Is that correct? Put me
right.
HOLMES: Yes, so, Kirk, Charlie Kirk starting point is based in Arizona. He was in Utah doing this event. J.D. Vance, the Vice President was incredibly
close to Kirk, not just close as friends, but also credited his entire career with -- on Kirk. He posted that yesterday saying that Kirk believed
in him when no one else would.
When he was polling at 5 percent, and that it was Kirk who introduced him to Don Junior, who then, as we know and have reported extensively, was the
push to Donald Trump to make J.D. Vance the Vice President. So, in addition to being very good friends, you also know they had this --
[14:15:00]
QUEST: Right --
HOLMES: Incredibly deep professional relationship in which J.D. Vance credits him with his success. So, Vance was going to go as often these
leaders do to New York for the anniversary of 9/11, instead he is flying to Utah. He's going to meet with Charlie Kirk's family in person, a family
that he knows very well. This, again, is not meeting strangers, and then he is going to take the remains, Charlie Kirk's remains back to Arizona on Air
Force 2.
Again, it just shows you how seriously this administration is taking it. I want to -- I mean, break down the facts here, there's still an assassin on
the loose who killed Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and the Vice President of the United States is flying to that location under --
QUEST: Right --
HOLMES: Different circumstances that would be considered incredibly dangerous. And there are security concerns, but you can see the
determination of this administration to take care of this event and to treat Charlie Kirk like a member of their own family.
QUEST: I'm grateful, thank you. We'll talk more --
HOLMES: Yes --
QUEST: QUEST MEANS BUSINESS ahead live. Still to come on this program, Israel's top security officials will meet on Friday, and they're going to
discuss the planned takeover of Gaza city. We'll talk about that. And also, Poland restricts air traffic in the eastern part of the country. It
follows, of course, the multiple Russian drones that violated Polish airspace.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Israel's Prime Minister will meet with his top security officials on Friday to discuss what they're calling the conquest of Gaza city. It's
the first time the group has met since Israel's unprecedented airstrike in Doha earlier this week, one that Hamas says killed five members as well as
a Qatari security official. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Qatar's Prime Minister has accused Benjamin Netanyahu; the Prime Minister of
Israel, of carrying out state terrorism and says he believes the Israel's actions have jeopardized the lives of hostages still being held in Gaza, or
any chance of a regional peace and stability.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN BIN JASSIM AL-THANI, PRIME MINISTER, QATAR: They are counting on this mediation. They have no other hope for that. And I
think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those -- for those hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Nic Robertson is in Doha. I think, you know, the outrage of the Qataris is understandable. It's their response that becomes much more
difficult because, I mean, they haven't quite -- they've said that they don't see much mediation possibilities, but they haven't quite given up.
[14:20:00]
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, but they're also faced with what Prime Minister Netanyahu has been saying, and his other
officials have been saying that if the Qatari government doesn't hand over or throw out of the country, Hamas, these terrorists, as they describe
them, then Israeli government will essentially go after them.
So, it's a sort of an implicit repeat possibility of striking Khalil al- Hayya, the chief negotiator of Hamas, who was the principal target, who isn't as yet confirmed dead. In fact, Hamas is -- not the names Hamas has
put out as being dead -- and not his, they put out five names and five coffins were carried into a Mosque as part of a funeral service along with
an additional coffin of a Qatari official who was killed in that strike.
So, I think, you know, when you are in the position of the Qatari Prime Minister dealing with this, you're very cognizant of you want to move
forward. But this threat continues to exist. And in fact, he described it as reckless, this threat by the Israeli government. So, in terms of the
negotiations, they're going to look to their regional partners and broader Muslim partners around the world to figure out how to get a message to
Israel, that things have to change, and I think they'll find the message.
They'll send the message, and how Israel responds to that might determine on Qatar's sensitivities about re-engaging in this peace process. A lot
hinges on that. And of course, it will hinge on what they feel President Trump has been able to hear back from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
this as well.
QUEST: If Benjamin Netanyahu's aim was to destroy the peace process, then he's done a really good job at it. In a sense, I'm not being flippant when
I say that, because, you know, you remember that famous Kissinger quote, Nic, you don't make peace with your friends, you make peace with your
enemies.
And to the extent that Israel has to make peace with Hamas or doesn't -- you know, is trying to, then it by definition, they're going to be dealing
with the people negotiating who are their enemies. Therefore, they have essentially destroyed their own process.
ROBERTSON: Yes, I remember Kissinger saying that, the point that he made there, as you say, you don't make peace with your -- with your friends, you
make it with your enemies. But there's probably another important flip -- other side of that coin that Kissinger would have also had in mind, which
is in the process of -- in the process of making peace with your enemies, you also don't want to make enemies out of your allies.
And in a way, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who sort of poised on that point as well, but I think to the more specific point of -- when you said
he's effectively killed off any path of peace. I think there's a more immediate sense here, and that is that, there's a massive military
operation underway in Gaza city.
When you -- when you -- when an action like this in Doha two days ago, less -- just about now, that strike on Hamas' residential building, that
torpedoes the immediacy of any talks in the immediate moment. Well, it's the immediate moment that counts for Gaza city --
QUEST: Right --
ROBERTSON: And counts for the residents there. And I think the reality is that the Israeli operation in Gaza city continues to go ahead against a lot
of international opposition, growing international opposition about the numbers of Palestinian deaths that are associated with that ongoing
military operation. Israel says it's after terrorists, not the civilian population.
But the world sees the other side of that coin, which is the collateral damage as well. I think at the moment, it certainly scotches an idea of
talks at a time when Israel is pressing a high point on their military offensive inside of Gaza.
QUEST: Nic, I'm grateful. Thank you. So, as we continue the way the state of the world tonight, if you will, Poland has restricted air traffic in the
eastern part of Poland, follows the day after multiple Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine. The
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's drone incursion into Poland was not a coincidence, and he compared the incident to Russia's
annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The U.S. envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv. Nick Paton Walsh has more on Poland's response to the violation of its airspace.
[14:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): A sight common in Ukraine. A Russian drone flying in the night's darkness
intercepted. But this was across the border inside NATO in Poland, the largest military alliance in history, scrambling Dutch and Polish jets and
police around the border areas overnight, and waking up to a new reality that Russian drones had made 19 incursions into their territory.
The remains of Shahed-type Russian drones found at seven locations, several not containing explosives, said initial Polish reports. But that didn't
make them harmless. A roof torn away at, at least one home, and the scale all 19 breaches belied claims it may all have been a navigational error.
Russia's Defense Ministry said they didn't target any Polish sites for destruction, but that isn't a denial, the fragments collected here were
their drones.
Airspace closed for hours, even Warsaw's main airport. What lingered in the air after the drones, a sense of shock that Moscow had dared violate the
airspace of its biggest, wealthiest adversary, NATO. "In all likelihood, we're facing a large scale provocation", said the Polish Prime Minister.
This is the first time Russian drones were shot down on the territory of a NATO-member state.
MARK RUTTE, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NATO: Whether it was intentionally or not, it is absolutely reckless. It is absolutely dangerous. But as I said, the
full assessment is ongoing.
WALSH: Five European Defense Ministers gathered in London to discuss Ukraine and found their Polish colleague had urgently gone home.
JOHN HEALEY, DEFENSE MINISTER, BRITAIN: Last night, Putin hit a new level of hostility against Europe.
WALSH (on camera): But how do you stop it happening again? How do you stop it happening next week? What is the deterrent that you're able to present
here to change the Kremlin's thinking?
HEALEY: Ultimately, the big deterrent for President Putin is a NATO that is now more united, a NATO that is now bigger than when he launched his
full scale attack on Ukraine.
WALSH (voice-over): President Trump said he talked to his Polish counterpart and posted, "what's with Russia violating Poland's airspace
with drones? Here we go." Not exactly the cast iron guarantees of U.S. military protection that's been at the heart of the NATO alliance for
decades. Poland is closing its border with Belarus Thursday ahead of Russian military exercises there Friday.
Tensions have been growing for months. NATO more and more sucked into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine next door. But this is something new,
unanticipated and troubling, as Europe has no immediate response, and that may have been the answer Putin was waiting for. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN,
London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: As we continue tonight. In the age of social media, his voice stood out among young Republicans. The life of Charlie Kirk and his rise in
conservative activism.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
QUEST: Allow me please to recap the news put it all together for you so you know where we stand. And the FBI is now asking for help in the killing
of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The FBI's released these photos of a person of interest, as they describe it. And they've offered a reward
of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.
The assassination only 24 hours ago, in fact a colleague was just pointing out it was just about now that we were learning of the shooting of Kirk.
It's the latest example of the political violence that swept the U.S. in the past few years, not surprisingly now. Republican and Democratic
lawmakers are all calling for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Political violence has become all too common in American society and this not who we are.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): We saw it in Minnesota, we saw it in Butler, Pennsylvania. It's got to stop.
SEN. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D-PA): The country is divided. There's a lot of bitterness. Violence is no solution.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): The assassination of Charlie Kirk risks an uncorking of political chaos and violence that we cannot risk in
America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, the president who had a direct line in a sense to Mr. Kirk has said he will honor the 31-year-old posthumously awarding him the
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ed Lavandera is in Orem in Utah with the latest. Obviously, the -- the level of shock is still there in a great
detail. Tell me more about how things are moving today.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we get the sense that there is some movement that we want to tell you about. Law
enforcement authorities were supposed to hold a press briefing here within the next 15 minutes but that has now been suspended and put on hold because
of rapidly developing situation. So, we don't know the specifics of what that means at this point. But clearly, something significant enough to
force the law enforcement here to postpone the update and the briefing on the situation here.
But we are now 24 hours into the aftermath of this shooting of Charlie Kirk, and the manhunt continues. So, we don't know if these rapidly
developing situation has something to do with the manhunt. But over the last few hours authorities have released more information about the
progress they've made in trying to track down this shooter. They released two different images of -- caught like in a in a stairwell showing what
they believe is a person of interest, someone that they are trying to find dressed in all black, wearing dark sunglasses. And they've also released
information about the firearm believed to be used found in a wooded area behind the campus, which brings me, Richard, to where we are.
We are in a neighborhood overlooking the Utah Valley University. Those rooftops you see there in the distance, those -- one of those rooftops is
the area where the shooter was looking down in the courtyard area where Charlie Kirk was speaking with students, and it's believed that that is the
vantage point that the shooter had and the suggestion is that somehow the shooter was able to get off the rooftop.
And we have seen, excuse me, law enforcement agents going through this neighborhood showing people pictures of what they believe might be the
suspect, trying to gather information on the movements in the chaos after that shooting. And this significant because authorities, Richard, are
saying that this person of interest is a young male, could have easily blended in with the crowd here.
[14:35:00]
And residents here do say that in the moments after the shooting, as people were scrambling to get away from the campus, many of them were walking
through these very streets. So, that's why the focus of the investigation has been so intense on this area.
And behind this ridge of homes where we're at, and this on a ridge overlooking down on the campus, there are some wooded areas that we believe
might be the area where law enforcement was able to find the weapon. So, all of that quickly developing. Law enforcement agents continue to come
through these neighborhoods and there's clearly some sort of rapidly developing situation that we're trying to get to the bottom of as well.
Richard.
QUEST: You know, you're a scholar of these events of some years. And so, the confusion, if you will, the fog of events of the clarity of what's
happening, where's happening, to explaining to our viewers, this entirely normal in these extremely complicated highly febrile charged events isn't
it?
LAVANDERA: Oh, you can imagine, especially the way the climate in the United States has been for many, many years now in mass shootings, in a
mass gathering like this where there are thousands of people there, in a confined kind of area and then all of a sudden, you hear this loud crack of
a gun of a gunshot and you see the person at this event collapse after being shot in the neck. You know, people do what would be a completely
normal reaction in that situation, where people start scrambling and making sense of that chaos is a very kind of normal situation. So, yes, like not
unheard of to see the reaction that we saw here.
QUEST: I'm grateful. Thank you, Ed. Now, a father a husband a conservative activist. President Trump remade the Republican Party, it was Charlie Kirk
who embodied the party's newfound populist conservatism. At 18 he co- founded Turning Point USA a right-wing political organization. In the last presidential election, he used his network of non-profits to turn out
voters on college campuses and churches for then-Candidate Donald Trump. The Illinois native and his wife Erika have two young children.
Levi Coovert is a student at Washington State University who spoke to Charlie Kirk last year. Joins me now. Tell me more about your interaction
with Mr. -- with the late Mr. Kirk.
LEVI COOVERT, STUDENT, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY AND DEBATED CHARLIE KIRK ON CAMPUS LAST YEAR: Yes. Well, he came to our University back in April
doing one of his kind of prove me wrong events. And so, I was one of the kind of 50-ish students who waited in line and I wanted to prove him wrong.
So, I went over and I had like a three, four-minute conversation with him tried to prove him wrong.
QUEST: Did you?
COOVERT: No. Well, I couldn't get him to admit it. He -- I don't think he admits it very often. But I asked him how he feels about the Associated
Press being kicked out of the White House newsroom and why I thought that that was not OK for the president to do.
QUEST: What is -- let's -- let me preface, you know, all of this of course that what happened is beyond anything that anybody could ever accept in any
democratic scenario. So, that's our -- that's the basis upon which you and I are speaking. But tell me what is it about his views, what is it about
his -- was it about his philosophy that attracted people, do you think?
COOVERT: I think people were looking for a voice, I think especially young men, that they were just feeling lost and they don't -- they didn't have a
voice and they saw him as this guy who represented them in this weird way you know he had a way of speaking to people that made them feel like they
were part of this big community, this big group.
I mean, I remember when I was there, most of the students were very supportive of him and they were they were really -- I mean, they loved him,
I think. And in a way, you know, they viewed him as like this leader for them, this voice for their movement.
QUEST: How did you view him? His -- on a political and philosophical basis?
COOVERT: Yes. I viewed him as somebody who -- I don't think his views came from the right place. I thought he was very provocative. I disagree with a
lot of what he had to say personally. So, I viewed him more as a sort of somebody who liked to instigate. But I did respect the fact that he had
these open conversations. I liked that he was giving students the chance to debate.
QUEST: Right. Now, let's go down this road if we may, because the issue now in America is how do people disagree without becoming disagreeable, and
that's at the very lowest level, but then how do you disagree and lower the temperature so that those who are inclined to violence just, you know,
realize this not acceptable?
[14:40:00]
I mean, I accept, Levi, that there's going to be those who are either with mental health issues that that's creates an entirely different specter but
here, we have an issue in the United States of political violence, which I think everybody, yourself I'm sure agrees, is simply not acceptable.
COOVERT: Yes, it's not acceptable. And I think the way we have to go about it is to just be able to have open discussions understanding that, yes,
people are going to disagree but we are all still -- at the end of the day, we're all trying to make the country a better place. And so, his vision for
America is a vision that I don't agree with but he does have that vision, and everybody has the vision for how they believe America should go. So, I
think we should all approach those conversations from that perspective instead of the perspective of like I hate this person, I just disagree.
QUEST: Right. But do you think your generation can go along with that? Can you're -- you know, you're familiar with Voltaire's famous quote, I
disagree with everything you say, but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it. Do you think that in modern-day Gen Z, Millennia, whatever
it is America, that is still a view that is held?
COOVERT: I think it is. And I'm actually very inspired by the reactions of a lot of my peers and friends here who are kind of holding that same
perspective, saying maybe we've gone too far, maybe we need to actually talk these issues out more and be more respectful of one another after this
kind of case happened and kind of woke a lot of people up, I think.
QUEST: So, let me ask you this then, finally, what do you now want to hear from political leaders on both the right and the left and all the way from
the top to the bottom? What do you want them to say?
COOVERT: I want them to say, look, let's come together and let's understand that we can build something better in the United States, but we
have to start now. And I would like to hear less blaming, I would like to hear less of the pointing fingers and more of the, let's understand that we
can be better, but we have to start now, it has to start with all of us.
QUEST: And I'm grateful, sir, joining us in Washington State. Thank you very much. Now, we've been talking to people on the streets of major
capitals, London and Paris, about the murder. Here's what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK, LONDON RESIDENT: I think it's terrible. I think the reality is that, you know, there should -- freedom of speech is everything I think we lose
who we are without it. I just think that the fact that there's someone who's decided to take action in that way is a real shame.
FLORENTINA HOFER, GERMAN STUDENT IN PARIS: I knew like immediately this was going to be like a big blow, big news because for some reason I really
felt like we gave Charlie Kirk like a really big stage and he had such a big media presence even in Munich and Germany, like probably all my friends
knew him even though he lived in America.
BRAD, AMERICAN IN LONDON: I guess there's a bit of schadenfreude on one hand but on the other hand like, you know, political violence is bad, like
it's not what we need right now.
KIERSTEN, AMERICAN IN LONDON: Yes.
BRAD: Yes.
KIERSTEN: Yes. I mean, we've lived abroad now we lived in Germany and here and like we don't deal with gun violence on a daily basis. So, I feel like
it's really highlighting that. Nobody deserves what happened to him and it's very sad. So, yes, it's just really unfortunate to be honest.
RANIM RAHMOUNI, STUDENT IN PARIS (through translator): I was shocked but not surprised and maybe a little I don't want to say happy because I'll
never be happy about anyone's death, but I do feel like the tables had turned and his words had backfired, so to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: This CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
QUEST: United Kingdom has appointed James Roscoe as its interim ambassador to the United States, this after Lord Peter Mandelson was fired from the
post because of his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bloomberg published a series of e-mails Mandelson sent to Epstein
offering his support even after Epstein had been convicted on Florida State prostitution charges in 2008.
The firing comes only days before the U.K. is set to welcome President Trump to a state visit. Observers say that visit could be tricky because
Mr. Trump himself, of course, is embroiled in his own controversy over links to Jeffrey Epstein. Clare Sebastian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well we've seen days of mounting criticism of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein leading up to this
decision after a series of revelations this week. First, the documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday contained a 2003 letter
from Mandelson as part of a birthday book, describing Epstein as, quote, "my best pal."
But the clinching factor was the e-mails obtained in a Bloomberg investigation released on Wednesday, revealing that Mandelson showed
support for Epstein after he pleaded guilty for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and
furious about what has happened, Mandelson wrote in one of those e-mails. And the British Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday, the e-mails
show the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his
appointment.
Now, the strong sense is that Mandelson had hoped to keep his job despite this. He did not heed calls to resign. And in a long interview on a British
podcast on Wednesday, Mandelson clearly tried to get ahead of this, saying he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein.
PETER MANDELSON, THEN-BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I regret very much that I fell for his lies I fell and accepted assurances that he had given
me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida, like very many people I took at face value what he said.
SEBASTIAN: But it wasn't enough. Just seven months in he's now leaving arguably the most consequential posting in the British Diplomatic Service.
It's the third time in his long and turbulent political career that he's had to leave a post over a scandal and it comes at a delicate moment for
the U.S.-U.K. relationship. President Trump himself under scrutiny for his past relationship with Epstein, something he calls a dead issue is expected
here in the U.K. in just six days' time on a state visit. It's part of a major effort by the British prime minister to cement ties with the Trump
administration and one that he won't want overshadowed.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Hundreds of South Korean workers who were detained by the U.S. government are now in the air heading home. These buses brought them to
Atlanta Hartsfield Airport for the flight. They were taken into custody in a massive immigration raid last week, you'll be familiar with it, we've
covered it extensively. It was at the Hyundai plant under construction in Georgia.
The Korean officials say President Trump offered to allow the workers to stay in the U.S. to train American workers. South Korean officials say only
one out of more than 300 workers opted to stay.
As we continue tonight, more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
QUEST: "Seasons," it's a series, a new series that exploring the global trends and how they are changing from fashion to travel, food, to design.
In the first episode, host Hikari Mori visits a workshop in Kyoto where kimono making has been passed down for generations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HIKARI MORI, HOST, SEASONS: In Japan's former capital, Kyoto, centuries- old crafts still thrive. Among them is kimono making, an art that in this workshop is refined and reimagined one stitch at a time.
YOSHIYUKI FUKUDA, CEO, FUKUDAKI (through translator): I believe the ability to express subtle differences through fine handwork is what makes
Japanese skill and artistry so highly valued.
MORI: This amazing how almost 90 percent of the process is still done by hand. This pattern represents the reflection of the light in the sky.
Nature shapes the patterns and the colors, which are individually mixed here in the workshop. Soft tones inspired by Kyoto's landscape.
Beautiful.
Their craftsmanship caught the eye of one of the world's leading fashion houses, Dior. The French maison featured Fuduka's textiles in a look for
their fall-winter collection.
FUKUDA (through translator): That was the first time we worked with overseas brand. The fact that we were able to create something, recognized
by people like them is something I believe our entire workshop can build on going forward.
MORI: So, you have to do it quick so that it doesn't dry. Each roll of silk just over 12 meters long becomes a kimono. One of the most enduring
symbols of our cultural heritage.
The fabric really comes to life when you wear a kimono. This one is one of a kind and it's designed to be wrapped around your body.
[14:55:00]
FUKUDA (through translator): It's not just about what's seen as traditionally Japanese, in many ways it comes to represent life itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: You can't fail to love this one. The winner of the International Pet Photographer of the Year has been announced. It's Katie Brockman. The
prestigious award, the pet must be super excited to win as well, from the close-up of a white dog peeking through a curtain, which is the one you
just saw, a bit behind myself here. Although, mom and kittens and paint bucket and the pictures of pure joy.
Established in 2019, the International Pet Photography Awards became the world's largest professional pet photography competition. You can't go
wrong with a pic -- oh, come on. Look at that. Says it all. Cats. Cats, you can have. I'm not wild about cats. I prefer a good dog. Now bunny rabbit,
bunny paint, cute as possible can be. Majestic. I could win an award any day and probably steal your lunch at the same time.
Let me show you the markets on how things are going to love you and leave you. A strong day on the Dow, S&P's up, NASDAQ's up. Dow's over 46,000,
which is the first time we've seen that. You get the idea. I'll have more of it on "Quest Means Business." Christina MacFarlane is with you, and
she'll tell you "What We Know."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
