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One World with Zain Asher
Police Search for Killer of Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk; Kirk Was Close Ally of Donald Trump, Pushed him to Pick J.D. Vance; Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Killed; UK Fires Ambassador to U.S. Peter Mandelson Over Epstein Ties; Uneasy Calm Settles Over Nepal After Deadly Protests; Eyewitnesses Describe Charlie Kirk's Shooting. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 11, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". We
are tracking the fast-moving developments surrounding the assassination of prominent Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk.
Just a short time ago, we heard from law enforcement officials in Utah who say they are gathering more and more information about the person who shot
Kirk as he was addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University. Investigators say they have a good video of the shooter, but they are not going to
release it to the public at this time.
And they say they have recovered what they believe is the high-powered rifle that was used in the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT BOHLS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and
find out why they did it. This morning, I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon to be, that was used in yesterday's
shooting.
There's a high-powered bolt-action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled.
BEAU MASON, COMMISSIONER OF UTAH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: This has been blended in well with a college institution. We're not releasing any details
right now, and we will soon, but right now we're not, but that individual appears to be of college age.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The manhunt for Kirk's killer comes as the nation tries to come to grips with yet another incident of political violence. There have been
vigils across the country for Kirk, who was the leading voice of young conservatives in this country. He's also been a longtime ally of President
Trump.
And is credited with Trump's surge among young voters in the 2024 election, one of the key reasons Trump won the White House again. CNN's Brian Todd
has more on Kirk's views and his rise in MAGA political circles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in a MAGA ecosystem of fast moving, sharp talking media stars, Charlie Kirk stood out.
CHARLIE KIRK, U.S. CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: We need more people in jail. We do not have enough people in prison in America.
TODD (voice-over): The 31-year-old father of two rose to fame at a young age, just 18 when he co-founded the group Turning Point USA, which builds
support for conservative politics at high schools and colleges.
KIRK: As I travel the country, and I'm doing this on college campuses, I can feel a surge.
TODD (voice-over): Turning Point USA now has chapters on more than 800 campuses, and on the eve of his second inauguration, President Trump
credited Kirk with mobilizing the youth vote.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And a man who's got an army of young people, Charlie Kirk is here, and I want to thank
Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy, don't believe this stuff. When you hear the kids are liberal, they're not liberal. Maybe they used to
be, but they're not anymore.
TODD (voice-over): A college dropout born in the suburbs of Chicago, Kirk became a millionaire from the books he wrote, speaking engagements and his
popular podcast, the Charlie Kirk show. On all media platforms, he was a strong voice for conservative causes, including the Second Amendment.
KIRK: You don't need all these gun laws if you know you don't, it's OK if everybody owns guns, if you don't have a bunch of third world that's coming
into your nation that don't abide them, and then committed lot of crimes.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: He is one of the most prominent, I would say, the most successful, MAGA media personality of his generation.
He's a little bit like a new era Rush Limbaugh, you know, of the digital age. But unlike someone like Rush, who hosted a radio show at his home.
Kirk is out and about. He's known for doing these public events.
TODD (voice-over): Analysts say Kirk's propensity for being able to take on anyone in a political argument at the drop of a hat propelled him in MAGA
circles.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF AND POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Charlie Kirk could debate endlessly. He mastered his brief again, obviously not
everyone agreed with him, a conservative media star here, but he would debate for hours on end with people in the belief of his argument.
TODD (voice-over): As a result, Kirk had the ear of almost everyone in the White House, from President Trump on down. When he broke with the
administration twice this year over the bombing of Iran and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the stir in MAGA world was palpable. He later
backed down from his call for more transparency in the Epstein case.
KIRK: I'm going to trust my friends the administration. I'm going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done solve it balls in
their hands.
[11:05:00]
TODD (voice-over): In October of last year, Kirk reflected on Trump's defiant gestures right after Trump was shot in an assassination attempt
that summer in Pennsylvania.
KIRK: They say, well, is this someone that you want your kids to grow up and to look up to? I say, yes. I'm going to tell my son that in the line of
fire, that if you ever think as if things could ever get dark and you rise and you say, fight, fight, fight. I want my son to be like that one day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): And true to form Charlie Kirk was engaging with an audience in that last appearance in Utah, answering questions from the
audience about mass shooters in the U.S. just moments before he was shot. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Marybel Gonzalez is on the scene for us in Utah. And Marybel, we heard from officials there briefing reporters and the public
the suspect still at large all of these hours later, but they did lay out a number of very significant clues that they have in following and trying to
find this suspect. Walk us through what they said.
MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, these are just significant details and gives us an insight into how this investigation is going. First
and foremost, they say, they were able to track the movement of the suspect from before he arrived on campus. And I say he because they point that out
that we're talking about a male, a male suspect.
From the time that he arrives here at around 11:42 a.m. they also were able to track him to the rooftop of a nearby building. That building was about
200 yards from the spot where Kirk was shot. They also say that they were able to track some imprints, a shoe imprint, an elbow imprint, a palm
imprint.
They're studying those. And most importantly, perhaps, that they were able to recover a firearm from a wooded area. Now, they say the suspect left the
campus and ran and fled towards a neighborhood. They said the firearm was recovered in a wooded area, and we're talking about a high-powered bolt-
action rifle.
They say also that they've been able to get a clear image of this suspect. Now this is significant because just yesterday, we were hearing that they
had a very blurry image. In fact, there was a video circulating on social media and in outlets, reportedly taken by someone who attended the speaking
event yesterday, and it appears to show someone ducking on a rooftop.
It's very hard to tell who that person is from that image. But now investigators are saying they have a very clear image of who this could be.
They are not yet releasing those images to the public. They said they're using their technology first to try to identify the suspect.
They said they're very confident that they can do that, but if they're not able to, that is when they will release it to the public and the media and
seek the public's help, to help them, to help them identify who this could potentially be.
GOLODRYGA: Right, Marybel Gonzalez in Utah for us. Thank you so much. Let's bring in CNN's Senior National Security Analyst, Juliette Kayyem. Juliette,
you've been covering the story for us since it began with that tragic assassination yesterday of Charlie Kirk. Just going back to what we heard
from FBI officials, there a lot of details that they laid out.
One they seem quite confident that they will indeed find this shooter. They said they have pinpointed the time of arrival on the campus to 11:52 a.m.
and he appeared to be a college age man who moved across from roof to roof, then jumped and fled, jumped off the roof, fled the location to a nearby
neighborhood.
And they said they have very good video of the individual, that coupled with the fact that they've identified footwear impression and palm
imprints. Does that suggest to you that they have a good sense of this person being apprehended relatively soon?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, I think, there's no question, just based on my experience of why law enforcement and
the FBI would be behaving this way. Generally, they would show the pictures, crowd source them, as we say, when they cannot identify the name
of the person.
So, remember the Boston Marathon bombings. They had images, but they couldn't trace them to names. In this instance, there is no threat to the
larger community. This was clearly a targeted assassination. So, it's not a manhunt where they're worried there might be more violence.
And they have the rifle that's going to give them some identification, and it's clear they have footprints and others. And so, I would -- based on my
experience, I would suspect that we that they know who it is, and now they're just trying to find out where he is, and that's going to be both a
traditional manhunt, but also visits with friends, family and others.
[11:10:00]
GOLODRYGA: CNN is reporting more details now that investigators found that there were writing scrawled onto the rifle and ammunition, and they also
show that there was a screwdriver near the rifle that was found, an indication that the shooter may have used it to disassemble and reassemble
the firearm before it was used. Talk about those clues and that additional evidence.
KAYYEM: Yes. I mean, we've been talking a lot about security of the crowd, right? And it's like we have like this was not about security of the crowd.
This was someone who planned who was a good shot. So, our John Miller, CNN's own John Miller, I just, you know, agree with him that this is
someone who had sophisticated training in terms of one fatal shot.
Someone who clearly looked at the roofs, looked at entrance plans and exit plans, and then, as you note, used a screwdriver to be able to move the
rifle around without anyone knowing, and then assemble it there. So, all of those things are suggesting not only a very well-planned assassination, but
also that this person likely planned as sophisticated of an exit.
So that is why the FBI, really, I think, wants to keep their hunt sort of private and not be tweeting anymore, as we saw yesterday with the FBI
Director, and really focus on finding who this is. Look, I mean, the larger discussion about political assassination, they have to find him for I mean,
you cannot have political assassinations and political violence beget each other right in another way.
And so, if this -- if he's successful and hiding, he becomes, again, a martyr, someone that others then look to. And so, it is, this capture and
arrest is important, not only for Charlie Kirk's family and the damage that has been done to them personally, but also for political violence and
trying to get a control of what's going on in this country.
GOLODRYGA: And we've only seen political violence continue to rise and increase in this country, and the additional threat there being that there
are so many guns in the United States.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: And we talk about the unique tragedy of America's mass shooting history, and the number of times we cover mass shootings, this seems to be
almost a numbing situation at this point. There was a school shooting just yesterday as well, in addition to this assassination of Charlie Kirk, and
this was a highly publicized event as well.
KAYYEM: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Charlie wasn't a politically elected figure, but he was a very popular cultural name. Had like a rock star type status among his
supporters and followers.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: And he was just kicking off his autumn America comeback speaking tour at this university, at Utah Valley University. From a security lens,
the fact that this was highly publicized and anticipated. We've heard from a number of people that they were there and were quite surprised at the
lack of security.
He travels with his own security. That is true, but the fact that there continue to be these blind spots, the President of the United States in his
failed assassination attempt, also from an outdoor facility from a rooftop, you know, 200 yards away. What does that expose in your view?
KAYYEM: So, it's, you know, we're at a sort of horrible point in the United States. So, I want to sort of be sympathetic to, I think, what would have
likely been Charlie Kirk's decisions about his own security, which is his accessibility, is what made him such a figure, not just in MAGA world, but
in how we think about reaching out.
Look, I mean, he was so successful that his critics want to mimic him and how he's able to get out and engage and debate, that accessibility is going
to mean that the crowd is important for his message. And so, the decisions he was making about his accessibility, as compared to, say a podcaster who
just sits in their house was his value add, and he knew that.
And so, I understand why his accessibility was important to him. The other though, is, I think, as American security specialists, we now have to view
political assassinations, or those in the political space as more likely than not, right? Like, we're used to president -- it's weird to say we're
used to presidential assassinations.
[11:15:00]
In other words, like Trump's, we've had that in our couple 100-year history. They're tragic and they're horrible and they're violent, but we're
not used to, at least not for the last 40 years, since the 1960s people in the political arena also being targeted. So, people in it are going to have
to assess their accessibility, and colleges and universities or other hosts are going to have to assess it as well at this stage, because it's gone
from the oh, that doesn't happen here to this is now a large.
It is now a potential for these people. And as I said, this is not just an attack on Charlie Kirk and his family and his kids. It is also silencing --
it impacts the one thing that makes America unique, which is that you can engage in politics, love it or hate it, love them or hate them, and not be
fearful of violence or death.
And we have to figure out a way together to get that. You know that American treasure back because it's gone.
GOLODRYGA: And it is a view and approach that Charlie Kirk espoused and embraced. He reveled in having these types of conversations and debates
with the public. And so, you're absolutely right to say that the number one victim, obviously, is Charlie and his family, but if we can't have these
types of conversations in this country, it is also a great loss for us as Americans as well.
National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem, thank you. Well, Charlie Kirk was a trusted supporter and frequent visitor to the White House, but he was
far more than just a loyal fan and admirer of the president. His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who was particularly close to Kirk, tweeted last
night, Charlie wasn't just a friend.
He was like a little brother to me. Donald Trump himself was a fan. Not many people in his orbit dared to challenge him the way Kirk did. And he
credits Kirk with galvanizing the youth vote that propelled him to victory in 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America.
He fought for liberty, democracy, justice and the American people. He's a martyr for truth and freedom, and there's never been anyone who was so
respected by youth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's bring in CNN Political Commentator SE Cupp. She's also the host of the off the cuff -- "Off the Cupp" podcast for iHeartRadio and a
Columnist for the "New York Daily News". SE it is good to see you. Charlie Kirk, just if you can explain to our viewers who may not be as familiar
with his legacy and the impact that he played in politics here, with the conservative movement, with the youth movement here in this country.
He wasn't just a commentator. He turned Turning Point into a political empire, and it is rare to see President Trump share his success with
someone else the way he has so publicly and openly with Charlie Kirk. But he is right to point out that Charlie played a huge role, not only in his
political campaign, but also in galvanizing the turnout that we saw, especially in this past election.
SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I came up in conservative politics several years before Charlie did. But we, you know, converged in
about 2012 during the tea party and subsequently went our separate ways, but he was inarguably more influential than I ever was in the party, even
though I had years start on him, because he really tapped into something.
That, especially with young voters, that no one really was and he was going into these spaces, I think, very courageously, even though I don't, like
what he was saying, very courageously to say, debate me, prove me wrong. Let's have this conversation. You're going to bring your information and
knowledge, I'll bring mine, and we'll talk it out.
And that, again, that was a really brave thing to do, but it galvanized so many young voters. And I can lament that the MAGA project has been much
more successful than a, you know, conservative project that I wanted to see come to fruition. I can lament that, but you cannot, not argue the size of
his influence.
It was massive, not just on social media and at these college campuses, but inside the Trump Administration and the MAGA movement. He was incredibly
important to MAGA, as you mentioned to Don Jr., not just personally, but I believe that the Trump family knows his value.
[11:20:00]
They know how well he was able to connect with young people. And young people, traditionally and historically, were going left. They weren't going
to the right. And folks like me weren't getting young people to come to the right. Traditional, you know, Republicans and conservatives weren't.
Charlie was. Charlie was and again, you can, you can lament the reasons why and the things he was saying to get them to come over. That's fair. That's
politics. Charlie would want you to do that. He'd want you to disagree with him. But you can't argue how successful that project was at a time when
Republicans could not get young people to save their lives. Charlie got him, and he got a ton of them.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Turning Point USA. I mean, this youth organization, outreach now was active on more than 3500 college campuses. Charlie
himself, so charismatic a college dropout, came to epitomize, really, the Republicans party in pivot to populism, and that really gravitated to a
number of Americans, especially in the youth movement here.
There was a profile in "The New York Times" of him from earlier this year. And Don Jr. was interviewed and participated in this profile, and said that
when he first heard about Charlie Kirk and was introduced to him, he was very dismissive. He's like, who is this 24-year-old at the time?
You know, I don't have time for him. And within an hour of meeting him, he said they were inseparable ever since, and it was Charlie Kirk and Donald
Trump, Jr. that actually pushed President Trump to nominate J.D. Vance as his running mate, and they saw the future of the party through that lens of
the two of them together. How does his death reshape the conservative movement and its ecosystem?
CUPP: We'll have to see, I'm not seeing a lot of interest on the left or the right to heal the country. The interest now in American politics is to
tell you who to be mad at. Charlie did that, I participate in that as well, because that's just how this environment is set up, and that's lamentable
as well.
But I'm not sure there's an interest in, you know, not following our basest instincts in the wake of this. And I worry both parties will take awful
lessons from this and continue to point at people and say, this is who you should be mad at. It's what I lamented about the Republican Party, that
they were increasingly devolving into personality and anger and hostility and divisiveness as opposed to being, you know, hopeful messengers and
presenting solutions to problems.
So, you know, I don't know that we're going to see any sort of transcendence of that in the wake of this awful tragedy. I would hope so.
But all the messages I'm hearing from folks on the right who are blaming the left. Folks on the left, who are blaming the right. I'm not sure we're
capable as a nation right now of transcending. I'm very, very worried for us.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and as you note, there are extreme voices on both sides of the aisle here, only amplified in the era of social media. I'd be remiss
not to note that we're also marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a day that changed the country, that changed the world.
And I think back to that day, I was here in New York, two blocks away from the World Trade Center there the Twin Towers, and covering it as a young
journalist. And by the end of that evening, you saw members of Congress, you saw the president, you saw everyone coming together.
And it was a really galvanizing, heartbreaking, but also quite patriotic message shown and delivered around the world, the fact that we have every
living president issuing a statement overnight, SE, following this assassination. Does that at least give you hope, in the sense that
leadership is picking up on some of the concerns that you've just pointed out. And perhaps this is a turning point.
CUPP: You know, it was nice to see a message from Barack Obama and George W. Bush. I know these two men are not with, you know, the MAGA project,
neither of them. It was nice to see them come out and say that, unfortunately, they're not the leaders of our political system today, and
that kind of sentiment is not rewarded today on the left or the right.
If you are not mad at someone, you're not in it enough. The stakes are not high enough. And in fact, cooperation is punished. All of this anger is
justified and righteous.
[11:25:00]
If you look at the shooting death of a United Healthcare CEO, people can justify that which is ghoulish, but they can. They can justify January 6th.
People can justify wish casting that the president would die. You can justify awful, awful beliefs because politics. Because politics rewards
that, and the media rewards that too.
So, I'm hesitant, Bianna, to find any sort of silver lining in this. I've just been around it too long, and we're seeing very, very quickly. I mean,
hours after Charlie was murdered, we saw some of the worst takes that a person could have and say publicly, and yet they were magnified, and they
were not alone.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, I tend to agree with you. And I'm so worried about the impression this will leave, especially on our children, younger
generations. You and I have children too. You can't shield them from all of this. They get phones in their hands, and they see some of the messages,
even if you try to protect them and keep them off social media, they see these images.
They see this type of rhetoric, and it really is frightening in terms of the direction that we are headed as a country. And again, raising the
question, why would any stand-up individual want to go into public service right now or become a prominent figure when --
CUPP: Yeah, you know my son was saying something to me, this is two days ago, so before this shooting, saying, you know, mom, there's an upside and
a downside to what you do, right? And I said, yeah, and of course, that's anything. And he said, the upside is everyone knows who you are, not an
upside for me, but OK, I see how he sees it that way.
And he said, the downside is you could get shot. And I -- you know, even in the moment, thought, my God, is that what he's carrying around with him?
Because it's not like what we talk about on a regular basis, but he's just aware that we are targets in this business, and that is so awful.
And I am heartbroken for him, but he's also -- I mean, he's not blind. We've been threatened at our home. We've been threatened, you know,
everywhere I go, I worry about this, and that shouldn't be, but it is, and of course, it worries our kids, and that has an immediate impact on them
psychologically.
But as you mentioned, the bigger impact is who's going to want to do this job? And it's an important job to go out and do what Charlie was doing,
what I'm doing, what you do. These are important jobs. Someone has to do them, and it's getting harder and harder and scarier and scarier.
GOLODRYGA: Well, SE, I, for 1, I'm, very grateful that you continue to do the job that you do, both professionally and, most importantly, as a
wonderful mom. So, thank you. Thank you for sharing that with us, and thank you for spending today with us. Appreciate it.
CUPP: Sure.
GOLODRYGA: And we turn now to the anniversary of 9/11 as we just mentioned, 24 years ago today, the deadliest attack on U.S. soil took place, changing
the world forever. Victims' families attended the World Trade Center Memorial earlier, where the names of the nearly 3000 people killed on that
day were read.
Six moments of silence have been observed throughout the morning, commemorating the tragedies of September 11, 2001 and paying tribute to the
lives lost in New York and Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. President Trump and the First Lady attended that somber ceremony earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: That terrible morning, 24 years ago, time itself stood still. The laughter of school children fell silent the rush of our traffic came to an
absolute halt, and for 2977 innocent souls and their families, the entire world came crashing down so suddenly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: May all of their memories be a blessing. We'll right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Frank Anthony Palumbo, Ladder 105.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alan N. Palumbo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christopher Matthew Panatier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
GOLODRYGA: The Jeffrey Epstein scandal that has consumed Washington for weeks now is creating a political headache for the British Prime Minister.
Today, Keir Starmer fired his ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson over his links to the late pedophile. Calls for Mandelson's removal had been
mounting since Monday, when U.S. lawmakers released a birthday book compiled for Epstein in 2003.
It included a note in which the Labor Party veteran had referred to Epstein as his quote, best pal. But the controversy snowballed after Bloomberg
published emails showing that Mandelson sent messages of support to Epstein, even after he was convicted of a sex crime in 2008. Here's how
Mandelson's dismissal was announced in parliament.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN DOUGHTY, UK FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER: The emails show Mr. Speaker that the depth and extent of Lord Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey
Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment. In particular, Mr. Speaker, Lord Mandelson suggestion that
Jeffrey Epstein's first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information.
And in light of that, Mr. Speaker, and mindful as we all are, of the victims of Epstein's appalling crimes, he has been withdrawn as ambassador
with immediate effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Mandelson has now been forced out of three senior government roles over separate scandals. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more on the
politician, widely known as the prince of darkness.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 emails 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 emails.
The British Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday, the email shows 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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.-UK relationship.
[11:35:00]
President Trump himself under scrutiny for his past relationship with Epstein, something he calls a dead issue, is expected here in the UK 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.
GOLODRYGA: And still ahead for us, the U.S. President mourns the death of the young conservative and announces a special honor. We'll have a live
report from the White House, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here's some headlines we're watching today. The U.S. is mourning the loss
of Charlie Kirk, one of the most prominent conservative voices in the country. He was shot Wednesday at a rally at Utah Valley University.
Investigators have not yet identified the killer, but say they have good video of him and that they have recovered the rifle that they believe was
used to shoot Kirk. In an exclusive interview with CNN, the Qatari Prime Minister says Benjamin Netanyahu has killed any hope for hostages remaining
in Gaza.
He called Israel's attack in Doha that killed six people, including five members of Hamas state terrorism. He also accused the Israeli Prime
Minister of wasting Qatar's time and undermining any chance of peace or stability. Poland is restricting air traffic along its eastern border for
the next three months.
This comes one day after NATO fighter jets shot down 16 Russian drones that had violated Polish airspace. And it marks the first time that shots were
fired by the Western military alliance since the start of the war in Ukraine. Well, six moments of silence observed throughout this morning, as
America remembers those killed in the attacks on 9/11, 24 years ago.
Commemorations were held in New York at the Pentagon and Pennsylvania and sites where nearly 3000 people were killed on that day. President Trump
attended the ceremony in Arlington, Virginia.
[11:40:00]
The U.S. President is expressing his grief, horror and anger over the killing of Charlie Kirk, calling it a dark moment for America in an Oval
Office address last night. At a pentagon ceremony earlier today, marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Donald Trump made this
announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: 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. The date of the ceremony will be
announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing, that we will have a very big crowd, very, very big.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House, and Alayna the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor that a
president can bestow. We talked earlier with SE Cupp about the relationship between Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk and the Trump family as well.
You can't overstate his role in getting Donald Trump reelected to the White House. Just talk about the reaction there behind you in the moments after
the news of his shooting and his passing.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, look yesterday, I know that White House officials were glued to their phones as this was
unfolding, as soon as they learned that shots were fired, of course, images and videos of the event flooding social media.
I know many people were also running in and out of the -- this situation room yesterday, trying to get more information about the status of the
manhunt into the killer, who, of course, they still have yet to find. And I mean, look, I think a lot of people here are still in a bit of disbelief,
because it's not just political.
I think there is growing anger now about what had happened, and we are going to see this really become a political argument, in addition to, you
know the grief, I think a lot of people in this building behind me are feeling. For many of them, it was personal as well. They were they had very
close, deep relationships with Charlie Kirk.
For example, we saw the vice president post a 1000-word eulogy on social media. I know that he had spoken with the president, the Vice President JD
Vance had spoken with President Donald Trump in the oval office yesterday, discussing, you know, that relationship, and the president bringing up how
he was a family man, how they felt close to him.
So, all to say they were very, very close and had personal ties to him. And so that's where a lot of the reaction that I'm getting from my
conversations with sources here is about. I do want to point you though to what we had also heard from the president. In addition to him giving those
remarks, saying that he wants to award posthumously Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Some reporters had a chance to ask him afterward, one, if they had any more information on the status of this investigation into Kirk's assassin. The
president essentially said that he has been briefed by the FBI, and what he's learning is pretty much what people are seeing being reported.
So, I, you know, take note of that, I'm working on trying to get more information into what some of those briefings look like. But then also, he
said he's planning on speaking to Kirk's family later today. And look, I do think, like I mentioned earlier, you know, I do think this conversation is
going to turn to one of politics quickly.
We're already seeing a lot of that. A lot of people kind of starting to move from this grief to wanting retribution and the anger around this. And
so, you know, we'll stay tuned as we get more details on all of this, Bianna.
Yeah, the opposite reaction that we need. But sadly, not surprising. Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Coming up, protests in Nepal turned violent,
leading authorities to lay down curfews across the country. We'll bring you the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
GOLODRYGA: Officials have extended the curfew in Nepal, after the deadliest social unrest, the country has seen in years, killing 30 people, injuring
hundreds, and toppling a prime minister, leaving a parliament and Supreme Court in flames, utter chaos there.
It began as a Gen Z led movement against government corruption that was triggered by a social media ban. Then it blew up as tens of thousands
poured onto city streets Monday, furious about years of youth unemployment and lack of opportunity. An uneasy calm has settled on Kathmandu and other
cities today, but it remains unclear what the next steps will be. Our Kristie Lu Stout has been covering the uprising and has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nepal on Fire. Protesters in Kathmandu torched government buildings, including the
parliament, the Supreme Court and the home of the former prime minister who was forced to step down. Earlier, some ministers were evacuated, airlifted
to safety by helicopters as demonstrators closed in.
SURAJ RAJ PANDEY, EYEWITNESS: Yesterday night was super, super, super scary. We had -- I could actually see a lot of the high rises burning into
flames right from a balcony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is burning around Kathmandu.
PANDEY: So, we could not sleep all night, yesterday.
STOUT (voice-over): The protesters are young, defiant and demanding change. It's very good for our country, he says. Now I think like us, the youth
will stand. The protests were initially triggered by a social media ban, but after the government lifted it on Monday, they intensified.
Fueled by a wider set of grievances, including government corruption, lack of economic opportunities and the recent use of lethal force on protesters.
This video was filmed by Shree Gurung, another eyewitness.
SHREE GURUNG, EYEWITNESS: This young little girl was hit by a baton on her head, and was she was completely bloody, and I was trying to help her out.
And a lot of kids, they started falling down, and they started beating. They started fighting everywhere, and then everyone ran.
STOUT: In all the chaos, you were wounded as well.
GURUNG: Yeah, I'm wounded. I've got a treatment on my hand and at my back and legs.
STOUT (voice-over): The U.N. condemns the violence.
VOLKER TURK, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF: I've received concerning reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by the security forces. I
call for an urgent, thorough, transparent and impartial investigation.
STOUT (voice-over): Protest anger has extended online to videos like this, mocking so called Nepo kids, the entitled children of officials. The
protests are being led by young people known as Gen Z. Authorities have urged them to talk and cooperate for a peaceful resolution, but the damage
has been done.
STOUT: Does your heart feel split at this moment?
GURUNG: Very much, to be very honest, very much, because we stayed back in this country to actually build this country. It actually sat in my heart
seeing whatever is going on, because I feel like we've moved back 10 years.
STOUT (voice-over): Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And moments ago, we saw a plane carrying more than 300 South Korean workers detained by U.S. immigration take off from the Atlanta
airport. Workers were detained during a massive ICE raid at a Hyundai plant in South Georgia last week.
[11:50:00]
Many of their countrymen view the images of shackled workers being marched onto busses as a betrayal of a bilateral friendship. Meantime, their
president says the raid has created confusion for Korean companies, and that quote, this issue could have considerable impact on foreign direct
investment in the United States. Continue to follow the story. We'll be right back after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: A manhunt is still underway after Conservative Political Activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event
Wednesday. Law enforcement officials in Utah say they have good video of the shooter, but they are not going to release it to the public at this
time.
And they say they have recovered what they believe is the high-powered rifle that was used in the attack. President Trump said that he would award
Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president. Well CNN, is getting firsthand accounts of what played
out just before and after the shooting.
One witness said it all started as a normal event day on campus, as thousands of students gathered to see and hear Charlie Kirk, then the fatal
shot rang out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAYDON DECHENE, SHOOTING WITNESS: All of a sudden, I heard just one pop that Charlie, all of a sudden, like fall, his head kind of fell back, and
blood was just gusting out of his neck. And then at that point, I kind of turned my head look up the hill, because it felt like it came from up
behind me.
And then I saw everybody dropping. So, I dropped down. And then the next day to know they said, run. So, we all took off running.
DALLIN SMITH, SHOOTING WITNESS: We heard two pops, and we ran. And some, a lot of people ran with us. When I was standing by the door, kind of
overseeing what was happening, if some people were standing there, still taking videos. So, I went back out to look over the railing to see, like
maybe someone just did some firecrackers, something like that.
But more and more people were screaming, crying, dispersing super quickly from the scene. More and more people were headed Charlie's way. And yeah,
just pure craziness that then after getting back in the building, just tons of people flooding to go outside get away from the scene.
EVA TERRY, REPORTER OF DESERET NEWS: Charlie hit the ground. We saw him fall, but it looks like the shot came and it hit, he was facing us, and it
looked like it hit the left side of his neck to be perfectly -- It seemed like it felt like so much blood came out of his neck immediately, and then
we all took to the ground. I can't tell you, almost what happened immediately after.
[11:55:00]
PHIL LYMAN, FORMER UTAH STATE HOUSE REPUBLICAN: There was a handicapped person there that wanted that and what trying to get Charlie's attention,
and he saw me, and he came right over and wanted to say hi. And it was really very kind. I'm just sitting there watching.
I think, wow, he's taller than I thought he was, and he's so energetic, and he's so happy. He's throwing these hats out, and the crowd is just going
nuts. And it was, you know, huge college crowd.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Multiple vigils were held across the U.S. on Wednesday in honor of Charlie Kirk. Crowds gathered at the Utah State capital building where
pictures of Kirk were displayed along with lit candles. One of the attendees says he was at the event where Kirk was killed, and came to the
vigil out of a sense of duty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charlie shared thoughts and ideas, and he was silenced for those thoughts and ideas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And we will continue to follow this developing story throughout the hours ahead. Stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World", after the
break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
