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What We Know with Max Foster
Kirk Shooting Suspect Charged With Aggravated Murder; Soon: Trump To Arrive In U.K. For Second State Visit; Israel Begins Ground Offensive To Occupy Gaza City; FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Intense Senate Questioning; Hollywood Legend Robert Redford Dies At 89. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 16, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TIM WENINGER, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PROFESSOR WHO RESEARCHES SOCIAL MEDIA & VIOLENCE: -- was their political persuasion.
[15:00:05]
The other political persuasion is going to be rallying around, circling the wagons and saying that now, they got us. I'm worried, and I desperately
hope that it doesn't come to that. Theres some retribution happening in response. But that's the conversation that's happening right now online
unfortunately.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Dramatic new details, then in the Kirk murder.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The man suspected of killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is now charged with his murder, could face the death penalty as well. Minutes ago,
the county attorney also announced 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was being charged with obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He called Kirk's
death an American tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF GRAY, UTAH COUNTY ATTORNEY: I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a
decision I have made independently as county attorney, based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The suspect, scheduled to make his first court appearance in just a couple of hours, senior law enforcement analysts, chief analyst --
Charles Ramsey -- Chief Charles Ramsey is with us.
Thank you so much for joining us, Charles.
What information could they share? Because obviously they're trying not to jeopardize this trial as well.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, they shared an awful lot of information and immense amount of evidence in this particular
case. I thought the prosecutor was very methodical in the way he went through the timeline, if you will, of events and the, all -- you know, I
mean, when you think about the DNA, that they recovered from the weapon, now, it was his rifle. So obviously, you know, one could argue his DNA
would be on it, but there's no reason for his DNA to be on the fired cartridge.
They've got it on the towel. They have the text messages that he had with his roommate where he pretty much confesses to the crime and lays it all
out. He's been planning for a week. He talked about where he left the gun. I mean, it's -- this is a very, very strong case. They are going to move
forward no matter what.
And of course, they're seeking the death penalty. So I really do think that this is one of the strongest cases that I have personally seen.
FOSTER: Largely based on what he said to his family, if I'm right and some of the messaging that they saw, it's not clear if he's actually cooperating
with the prosecutors. But Robinson said he killed Kirk because there's too much evil in this guy, according to the prosecutor. So that's the motive
they're looking at presumably.
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, that's the motive. But the most important thing is not the motive. It's the intent. And it's putting him at the scene, being
the shooter. And they have strong evidence to show that.
There are many cases that I've been a part of where we never did determine the motive. However, we were able to be successful in proving that the
individual was the one that committed the homicide. But they have it all, including a motive, in this particular case.
So, again, this is one of the strongest cases that I've seen. They are definitely going to move forward with this with the death penalty. They
have to pay very close attention to him though, because right now I think he's probably if he's not, he should be on suicide watch and he'd have to
keep him away from the general population, because I'm quite sure that he could be harmed while incarcerated, from some inmate, perhaps.
So, they got a long way to go. They're still processing evidence. They're still interviewing, witnesses, friends and so forth. So, this is what they
have right now. And this is strong enough, in my opinion, to make it very difficult for any defense attorney to, argue against this person being the
shooter.
FOSTER: Yeah. We're getting a stronger picture of what happened there.
Charles Ramsey, thank you so much. Well keep you updated on any new developments on that of course.
But we are here in Windsor tonight. Air Force One about to land just outside London. Thats why we're here, kicking off a state visit unlike any
other. In fact, Donald Trump is coming for his second state visit, a rare honor for an American president.
He'll come here to Windsor on Wednesday. He'll meet with King Charles and the rest of the family, and he's due to visit the British prime minister,
his country house, on Thursday as well.
So, politics and pomp all rolled together. All this comes as the U.K. is riven with political infighting. Mr. Trump also leaves controversies behind
at home, with continued fallout from the killing of Charlie Kirk and debates over how, to police hate speech.
The president bickered with reporters on that topic as he left the White House earlier.
(BEGIIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: And what do you make of Pam Bondi saying she's going to go after hate speech?
[15:05:00]
Is that -- I mean, a lot of people, a lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He should probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It's hate. You have a lot
of hate in your heart.
KARL: Would that be appropriate?
TRUMP: Maybe they'll come after ABC. Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million
for a form of hate speech. So maybe they'll have to go after you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: White House reporter Alayna Treene has come over to the U.K. with the president.
Welcome.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Thank you. I'm pumped to be here.
FOSTER: We'll talk about politics in a moment, but it's not really about politics, is it, tomorrow?
TREENE: It's not. I mean, and I know from my conversations with people at the White House, Max, that they are all bought in to the pomp and
circumstance. And that's really what this is.
And for the president, it really is a stamp of approval from some of the few people that he genuinely admires. And it's kind of that respect for
them has been unwavering, both from his first administration all the way until now.
I know, for example, that Melania Trump, the first lady, one, she doesn't engage in a lot of these events. But I was told by one White House official
she's been planning her outfits for the state banquet tomorrow night for months now. But for the president, it really is kind of this solidifying,
you know, move that he's accepted at a level where the royals are going to do this yet again.
And I think having the prime minister, Keir Starmer, back in his oval office visit earlier this year kind of show him this invitation and say
this is never been done before. No other president has had two state visits means so much to Donald Trump.
FOSTER: I think he'll be fascinated with what he sees. There'll be a lot for him to pick out, because I've never seen them roll out the red carpet
like this ever before. I mean, to the untrained eye, it won't look that different, but the guard of honor, for example, will be three times as
large. They'll be twice as many guns firing off a gun salute.
There's going to be lots for the king to point to showing this is a really special visit. And will the president really respond to that? Do you think?
TREENE: Absolutely. I mean, he's so enamored by the royals. I think some of this goes back to his mother being from Scotland, having watched the
queen on television, the president doing that as well, always admiring that. And this really is a form for him of kind of, you know, the highest
honor that he could have being welcomed by the royals for a second state dinner.
And I do think, too, of course, I mean, and this isn't lost on a lot of people at the White House. What the strategy here is, is to kind of sweeten
things up for the president, as you know, just a day before he's going to be meeting directly and holding a press conference with the prime minister
on technology deals and whatnot.
This is a way to ensure that the president has a strong relationship with the United Kingdom and the royals coming out and doing all this, pulling
out all the stops is a unique card that I think the royals have, that really no other country does when it comes to this. And I think that's part
of why you've seen the president kind of act very warmly toward the United Kingdom, specifically toward Keir Starmer, where he hasn't, with a lot of
other foreign leaders, particularly in his second term.
FOSTER: They really are trying to protect him. There's going to be demonstrations, but they're going to fly with a helicopter between
locations, so he won't even see them. They really doing all they can for him.
Alayna, thank you so much. Speak lots over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Israel's ground incursion in Gaza now underway despite international condemnation. The Israeli operation began
with a huge wave of airstrikes lighting up the sky.
Local officials say Israeli strikes have killed more than 100 Palestinians across Gaza in less than 24 hours. Israel says it's targeting some 3,000
Hamas militants in Gaza City. Here you can see Palestinians carrying what remains of their belongings as they are forced to leave the enclaves
largest city, 1 million people used to call it home. That was half the population of the strip.
For the first time, a U.N. inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. The report released today found Israel has committed four
genocidal acts since October the 7th. Israel categorically denies the report.
Navi Pillay, the chair of the commission that conducted the assessment, says it's clear there's no intent to destroy Palestinian group in Gaza.
Isa Soares spoke with Pillay just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAVI PILLAY, CHAIR, U.N. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON ISRAEL & PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: What we did is where there was an episode, an incident like
the killing of a journalist, the smashing of cultural and religious buildings, the infrastructure, the smashing of hospitals, the killing of
medical personnel of women and children. Then we examined that and we produced a report or a conference room paper.
So that's -- so what we've now done is we gathered all the investigations that we had done in the past on the factual situation, and almost 90
percent of what we have here is what we had investigated, reported on already.
[15:10:02]
We did some new investigations of current occurrences, such as the issue of starvation and then we -- so that we looked for the pattern of actions, and
then we look at statements made by Israeli authorities indicating genocidal intent. Now, you asked me to refer to some of the incidents. The Israeli
security forces fired on a single standalone building in Gaza, which is the only fertility clinic in Gaza. And they had about 1,000 embryos in storage.
Israeli security police fired, targeted and fired the nitrogen tanks that kept the embryos alive.
So, when we look at evidence like that, then we examine what would be the military object in such an attack? Yeah. And so we couldn't find that. We
found no military object. And so we look at the statements made by the leaders once again, and we construed that incident as also a genocidal act,
killing of embryos means they destroyed the future of Palestinians.
ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: And you, then, Commissioner, would have heard what the Israeli government had to say as a response. They categorically deny
your findings. And I just want to read out to our viewers because I'm sure you have seen this, Commissioner, what the foreign minister of Israel has
said. And he said, I'm going to quote here, "Three individuals serving as Hamas proxies, notorious for their openly antisemitic positions and whose
horrific statements about Jews have been condemned worldwide, released today, another fake report about Gaza. The report relies entirely --
entirely on Hamas falsehoods laundered and repeated by others."
How do you respond to that, Commissioner?
PILLAY: You know, we've responded to that many times because that's been the sole response from Israel so far. I expect that any state would respond
to the factual allegations we are making and inform us where the dispute something or where they think this is false testimony. It's exactly like
when the ambulance incident happened and they tried to cover it up, and then it's because of video footage that it was discovered that the there
was a deliberate act there.
So, I expect them to challenge our factual findings in that way. Instead of that, they make personal attacks. They are now repeating what has been said
about us from the time we issued the first report. I've only been labeled antisemitic by these lobby groups when I became chair of this commission, I
was never called antisemitic for the six years that I was high commissioner for human rights, in which six years' time I was invited by the government
of Israel to conduct a mission in Israel because they said that I exercised balance in the way I reported.
On that visit, I went to Sderot, my -- myself with my team and show how the rocket fire from Gaza was harming the victims in Israel. Yes. So --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: Commissioner, just picking up on that -- I mean, we -- go, finish your thought. Finish your thought.
PILLAY: About Hamas, we were the first and only ones who condemned Hamas right up front on the 10th of October, the Hamas attack of 7th October, we
said, must be investigated because they have committed a criminal acts, crimes against humanity and war crimes. And we would readily provide
evidence in support if there was a judicial process against Hamas for those crimes.
The point is, we can't -- this particular one is specific to the genocide issue. There shouldn't be an expectation that we should artificially, for
the sake of some kind of balance, keep bringing in Hamas every time we speak about the Israeli security forces. You see, I don't see these as two
equal parties. They are occupier and occupied.
SOARES: I wonder then, Commissioner, what difference, if any, you think this report will have? Will it move the needle at all in bringing an end to
the war in Gaza? I ask this because our viewers will know this.
Earlier this month, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, I should say, said Israels committing genocide in Gaza. In July, a pair of
Israeli leading, I should say Israeli human rights group became the first Israeli organization to make the claim that the country, their country, was
committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
And then in December of 2023, South Africa, of course, has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice. Yet the Israeli
government firmly denies his accusations. What are you hoping commissioner will come out of this report?
PILLAY: There is much despondency right now, just all around the public, is extremely disillusioned about the value of the U.N. system, the value of
international justice -- international law for justice and accountability. You know? So everybody's concerned. So am I.
We don't have any better mechanisms than the institutions we have now. So, when the United Nations human rights council passed resolutions giving us a
mandate to these -- to do these investigations, we do it and we do a thorough job so that one day there will be justice. There will be people
who will have to answer for these crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Navi Pillay, speaking to Isa earlier on.
Coming up right now, we are waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump to land in the U.K. and the first lady for his highly anticipated, very rare second
state visit. We'll have lots more detail about what's in store for the president this time around, in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: President Trump about to arrive at London Stansted Airport just outside London. In fact, his second U.K. visit, a very historic one by a
U.S. president. Mr. Trump is about to arrive, as we say, into a world full of political turmoil. Frankly, the two main parties under huge amounts of
pressure, including the prime minister's.
Nic Robertson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Days before Donald Trump's unprecedented second state visit, one of the U.K.'s
biggest anti-immigrant rallies ever, right wing and populist, an estimated 150,000 people attended, according to police.
[15:20:15]
They listened to Elon Musk, among others, rail against the British government.
ELON MUSK, TESLA CEO: You either fight back or you die.
ROBERTSON: Not the messaging the U.K.'s beleaguered prime minister, Keir Starmer, would hope for. At his meet with the U.S. president. seven weeks
ago, Trump spiky about immigration.
TRUMP: This is a magnificent part of the world and you cannot ruin it. You cannot let people come in here illegally.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much for.
ROBERTSON: That meet went relatively well, but a lot has changed for Starmer since.
His deputy, Angela Rayner, quits over tax irregularities nearly two weeks ago.
ANGELA RAYNER, FORMER DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: So help me God.
ROBERTSON: And last week, Starmer was dragged into the Epstein scandal, firing his ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his praise for
the convicted sex offender. Starmer's judgment, questioned on both counts.
His biggest political rival, Trump friend, right wing populist Nigel Farage -- joyous.
NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM UK PARTY LEADER: I think there is every chance now of a general election happening in 2027 and we must be ready for that moment.
ROBERTSON: Small solaces for Starmer. Farage's Reform UK Party is nowhere near ready and Trump unlikely to want Epstein mentioned.
But the guild is coming off Starmer less the winner type. Trump likes appearing more like a leader on borrowed time. His labor party reportedly
plotting a replacement, although not until next year.
Meantime, Farage building Republican support at a congressional hearing two weeks ago, trash talking the perceived lack of freedom of speech in the
U.K.
FARAGE: And you would be doing us and yourselves and all freedom loving people a favor. If your politicians and your businesses said to the British
government, you've simply got this wrong.
ROBERTSON: Starmer knows while Trump is starstruck by the U.K. monarchy, his White House is ill disposed to the government.
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat. If you're running in fear of
your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you.
ROBERTSON: Starmer counting on splashy trade talk announcements to jolly Trump and critics along, Monday announcing a so-called golden age of
nuclear cooperation with major new power plant deals to turbocharge the special relationship.
STARMER: Yes. So, this is a letter from his majesty, the king.
ROBERTSON: Yet despite his many domestic failings, Starmer seems to play Trump meets just right. Praise at home for surviving the encounters, even
bringing home the bacon.
STARMER: This is truly historic.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: It will be historic. So, what we want to know is how will Prime Minister Starmer's political rivals try to capitalize on this visit from
President Trump?
Yesterday, I spoke to Andrea Jenkyns, one of the Reform Party's board members. She told me that freedom of speech will be high on the agenda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA JENKYNS, MAYOR OF GREATER LINCOLNSHIRE, REFORM UK PARTY: What do I want to hear? Well, I think the prime minister needs to grow a backbone.
Stand up for freedom of speech. Stop this two-tiered justice system, which I've certainly been part of myself over the years, and we want this strong
relationship with, the U.S.
So, you know, we've seen what happened. Only what, last week, the week before in China with Putin as well, and Kim Jong Un. So we've got to
strengthen that relationship even more now with the U.S.
FOSTER: He's been talking a lot about freedom of speech. It was a huge part as well of your recent conference. What is the debate there? Just
explain that for people who probably -- who are looking from the outside. Is it the same sort of debate we're having here that he's having in
America?
JENKYNS: It's very similar. I think it's actually trying to not only push back at the government, but on mainstream media. There's quite often a
vantage point with the mainstream media. And to me, you can't always get the facts out there.
So, I mean, the argument here in the U.K., I mean, look at the party conference, Reform Party conference, we had Lucy Connolly there who was
locked up imprisoned for her tweet. We had her on stage and is actually trying to push out and say, we won't accept this two-tiered justice system.
[15:25:02]
People should not be locked up for a tweet. And -- I mean myself, I've experienced this two-tiered justice system. I've had people rip my gates
down. I've had people telling my me and my son that we deserve to be blown up by Hamas and my son being raped. And it goes on and on.
But nobody was arrested on these occasions yet. You know, people like Lucy Connolly, we've also got somebody in Lincoln Prison in, obviously,
Lincolnshire, who's been locked up over social media and lots more. So, it's about a fair system. Everybody should be treated equally under the
rule of law. And that's what this is about.
FSOTER: Another high profile figure speaking here recently at the weekend at a demo, which wasn't anything to do with Reform, of course. But he -- it
was Elon Musk and the government is calling him out, saying that he was effectively inciting violence in some of the words that he spoke to. What
was your view on that? Was that going too far?
JENKYNS: No, I don't feel he's inciting violence. And look --
FOSTER: Well, he was calling for, you know, you've got to fight back people.
JENKYNS: Majority of people there -- the majority of people there was just at their wits end protesting in a calm manner. But you will always get some
people who want to cause trouble in, whether it's left or right, won't you? But predominantly, it was peaceful and, you know, good on Elon speaking.
You know, he was speaking to people --
FOSTER: Well, calling for violence, is that okay?
JENKYNS: -- who wanted to hear him speak.
Well, I mean, I didn't personally watch his speech. I was helping my disabled sister moved house this weekend, so I didn't sit and watch. I
haven't seen any of the news coverage or anything online.
FOSTER: Well, he said, you've either got to fight back or die. I mean, they were strong words, and they were a small part of the speech, to be
fair.
JENKYNS: Ain't that a figure of speech? I mean, look, we've been -- look, I myself during Brexit years, we've got to fight for democracy. You know,
people democratically voted for Brexit.
It seems okay -- it's okay if the left used that kind of language, but not the center right. You know, this is just about its passion. It's actually
believing in what you're saying. The word fight doesn't mean to physically go out there and thump somebody, does it?
FOSTER: Just one final question. Outside the U.K., because of the way global politics has moved to the right and the dominance of MAGA in
America, some of the far right groups in mainstream Europe, how -- how does Reform fit into that? Because I know you don't like the label of far right.
How do you feel about being part of the MAGA movement? I mean, where do you fit for people that don't fully understand where you are?
JENKYNS: No, I think -- I blame the mainstream media for calling us far right. I mean, my political views haven't changed since I was first elected
as a Tory MP in 2015, or when I was first a tory councilor in in 2009. I still believe in strong, you know, strong policing, strong law and order,
controlling our borders, being low tax. So, nothing's changed.
It just seems the rhetoric around it from the mainstream media and the left has changed, actually. So, I haven't changed. It's the rhetoric.
Am I proud to be the MAGA movement? What's been wrong being proud of our country, you know, make Britain great again? Who would not want to do that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Andrea Jenkyns of Nigel Farage's Reform Party.
Still to come, it's not just the royal family preparing for this arrival. Earlier, I spoke to members of the royal horse guards about how they're
getting the horses ready for Trump's visit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. THOMAS STEWART, BRITISH ARMY: We'll be receiving his majesty the king and president of the United States in the Windsor Castle grounds. This is
the third state visit I've done in the last year, and all three have been different. In terms of scale, though, this is the biggest one that I've
been on.
W.O. DUNCAN CHALKLIN, BRITISH ARMY: A lot of these horses just come back from their mini holiday. We brought them back in. They would have had like
long coats, very dirty and just a lot of grooming to get them up to scratch. Their manes were like our hair long. The kit will take probably
about seven hours to do overall, so seven hours on the kit and then probably about three or four hours roughly on per horse to get them up to
the nice shiny state they are in now.
STEWART: We try and match the rider with the horse as well to get the best combination, to minimize the chance of anything going wrong.
CHALKLIN: Some of them have got a very good character, like got scratching points. They like some of them proper play for the cameras.
STEWART: We try and put certain horses in certain positions, so if they are a bit independently-minded, they cause as little disruption to it as
possible.
CHALKLIN: When you can see them like proper brace themselves up and like look a lot more smarter than they normally do. They know the music inside
and out, so all their ears pop up when they hear the music. That kind of stuff. So there's some real good characters.
The horses would be on a normal like normal mash, normal feed, probably a couple of apples and carrots thrown in for us, and then we get a bacon
sandwich. So, it's quite good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:33:14]
FOSTER: Breaking news tonight, prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against the man accused of gunning down conservative activist
Charlie Kirk last hour. Tyler Robinson was formally charged with aggravated murder and multiple counts of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
The county attorney says the suspect directed his roommate to delete texts and stay silent about the shooting. Robinson is expected to make his
initial court appearance in about 90 minutes from now. Well bring you everything we can on that.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the FBI Director Kash Patel faced intense questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The director was challenged
about his handling of the Charlie Kirk investigation. He was also scrutinized about his leadership of the FBI. That led to one very heated
exchange between Director Patel and Democratic Senator Cory Booker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: If you want to work on bringing this country -- it's my time, not yours.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): My God, my God.
PATEL: If you want to talk about --
BOOKER: Dividing this country.
PATEL: It is my time --
BOOKER: I follow you on your social media posts that tear the country apart.
PATEL: -- to address your falsehoods.
(CROSSTALK)
BOOKER: You can try all you want --
PATEL: -- division in this country.
BOOKER: -- to not take responsibility for what you have said.
(CROSSTALK)
PATEL: You had your time. Your time is over.
BOOKER: -- mockery of this committee. Sir, you don't tell me my time is over. The people of New Jersey tell me what my time is. You can't lecture
me.
PATEL: You can tell me my time is over?
BOOKER: You maybe the --
(CROSSTALK)
BOOKER: -- the FBI, I am not afraid of you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman --
BOOKER: Not afraid of you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Joining us now, Evan Perez, who watched all of that unfold.
I mean, it's hard to make out what's going on there, isn't it? Particularly for an international audience, but it just speaks to the tension and
divisiveness in U.S. politics right now.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, no, absolutely, Max. And by the way, the FBI director showed up to that hearing wearing a
Liverpool football club tie, which he apparently is his good luck tie.
[15:35:01]
And look, he faced a lot of very tough questions, including over his handling of this investigation. You remember that he went on Twitter. He
went on the platform now known as X and posted that there was a subject who was connected to the shooting that had been arrested, and that turned out
to not be true. He had to take that back.
And that was an embarrassment, certainly for the FBI and for an FBI director who has been very forward. He's been sharing details of this
investigation, something we don't normally see because federal prosecutors still are working to try to bring charges against this alleged shooter.
That's normally what you don't do is share investigative details while the investigation is still ongoing. And he pushed back on questions about that,
saying that he was aiming for transparency, which is something that he said he had long promised.
And that exchange with Senator Booker really came about because Booker was asking him about certainly moving FBI, FBI agents to go help conduct raids
with ICE agents, rounding up immigrants and taking -- taking the FBI's eye off the ball, which is to try to protect the country from terrorism and
other national security threats. And he pushed back against that, as you could see there.
It also -- he also defended his handling of the Epstein files, saying that the FBI and the Justice Department are going to release as many documents
as they are legally allowed to do. But he faces another day of similar questioning from a House committee. The House Oversight Judiciary
Committee, on Wednesday.
And so, we'll see probably another round of fireworks. We don't know if tie Liverpool tie is going to make it or if today's luck really is what he's
looking to change tomorrow. Max.
PEREZ: Okay. Evan, thank you so much. Extraordinary hearing there.
Still to come, U.S. President Donald Trump due to arrive here any moment or just outside London, as it were. I'm in Windsor. He's expected here
tomorrow.
I asked a British army officer running Mr. Trump's honor guard in the castle behind me tomorrow what the president should expect this time
around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. STORM GREEN, BRITISH ARMY: For the president, it's his second state visit. We wanted to make it a bit bigger and a bit better than his
first state visit. So we're turning out three state colors.
HONOR GUARD: Mr. President, the guard of honor, the grenadier guards, the coldstream guards and the Scots guards are present and awaiting your
inspection.
FOSTER: And you'll have a chance to speak to the president, presumably. You've got to take him through this process. Is that right? By the way,
part of your duty?
GREEN: That's right. That'll be part of my duty to state the parade to him. And then hopefully to have a couple of words with him as we move
through the ranks.
FOSTER: What do you expect him to say?
GREEN: Well, I haven't really thought about what questions he might ask me, but I might do that between now and the parade.
FOSTER: Well, he's fascinated by ceremonial, and, the pomp, isn't he? So, I think he'll have lots of questions.
GREEN: Yes, I'm sure he would have answered a few of those before in his first visit. But I'm stood by to ask any follow up questions. He may have.
FOSTER: The palace made a point that, you know, there was a bit of commentary, wasn't there, about the way he handled the last guard. But
actually, the palace are making the point that it was perfectly normal. What happened there, would you agree? I mean, how does it work, that
process?
GREEN : Absolutely. And I'm sure he'll be well briefed before he arrives on --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:41:30]
FOSTER: We are live here in Windsor tonight outside the castle, waiting for the arrival of President Trump for what will be his second state visit.
These are actually images from the airport. He's going to arrive at Stansted up in Essex. Air Force One will land there. It's just outside
London, kicking off this very busy schedule for the president over the next few days, they'll be heading to Windsor here on Wednesday to meet with the
royal family.
But before that, they'll be going to Winfield House, which is a stunning residence of the British -- the American ambassador to the U.K. Up in the
park in north London. He'll also be heading on Thursday over to for meetings with the prime minister at country residence and other part of the
country.
But they'll be flying around the U.K., in Marine One, the helicopter. So, they won't see many of the demos that are expected. Weve got a few here in
Windsor, but actually they're going to be a lot more in London. More than 1,000 police preparing for that. But the president won't see that. The U.K.
very keen on making sure he is protected from a lot of controversy because they want this to be the most phenomenal state visit. They are literally
rolling out the red carpet as much as they can.
We'll be back at Stansted when he lands. What we don't know is what kind of reception president Trump will receive. Broadly, though.
Joining me, John Rentoul, chief political commentator for the British newspaper, "The Independent".
Thank you so much for joining us today, John.
It is interesting, isn't it, because he's not going to see the demos. There's a big ones planned for Westminster. Something like 20 or 30 groups
I think are already involved in that, according to the Met Police.
What are they expressing, would you say?
JOHN RENTOUL, CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, THE INDEPENDENT: Well, Donald Trump is not -- is not a popular politician in the U.K., which is one
reason why the timing of the visit has been arranged as it is so that parliament will not be sitting while he's, on his state visit. So, the
thorny question of whether he will be allowed to make a speech to the assembled, parliamentarians doesn't arise because they're all dispersed to
their constituencies.
But there will be demonstrations on the streets. What there won't be is apparently, the -- there was a balloon, a sort of orange blimp mock-up of
Donald Trump, which was flown on one of his -- on one of his previous visits. But that's not going to be happening this time.
FOSTER: We did see a huge image of the president with Epstein rolled out here in Windsor. It didn't last very long. The police got across it very
quickly. But there are lots of different angles to the opposition here, right?
RENTOUL: Yeah. No, I mean, Donald Trump has never been popular in Britain. He wasn't popular in his first term, and he's even less popular now. But
Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has to maintain a good relationship with him because that's in our national interest.
And actually, Keir Starmer has been quite successful at that. He managed to negotiate a better deal on tariffs for the U.K. than most other countries
managed to achieve. And he wants to improve on that, deal on this visit. Although we had some briefing, we journalists had had some briefing just in
the last few hours that the prime minister does not expect to get a breakthrough on steel and aluminum tariffs.
But I think that may be managing expectations ahead of the visit.
FOSTER: Yeah. I mean, Trump will be aware, presumably the, you know, the severe political trouble that Keir Starmer is in at the moment, he's had
some real scandals, most recent one involving Epstein, actually because the U.S. ambassador -- U.K. ambassador to Washington, had a much deeper
relationship with him than was expected. He had to go, you know, he's in a very weak position.
Do you think Donald Trump might capitalize on that to some extent to help his friend Nigel Farage?
RENTOUL: I don't know that Donald Trump wants to play British politics in that way. I mean, I think his main objective is, is to be seen, receiving
the full, pomp of a state visit with the with the queen -- with the king and queen. And I think he wants to try to be a reasonably helpful to Keir
Starmer. I mean, Nigel Farage is not a big figure in the states as far as I -- as far as I can make out.
And he's not -- he's not, you know, even if he is going to win the next election in Britain, which is, you know, a long way away, it's not going to
overlap with Donald Trump's term. I mean, assuming that that his term ends in 2028 or whatever it is.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. John Rentoul, it's going to be fascinating, isn't it? When it -- when it happens. Thanks for joining us. No secret that the
ceremony around all of this could be the most extravagant state visit in recent memory.
Ahead of President Trump's arrival, I asked an American serving in the British military what he makes of all the pomp and pageantry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So how are you feeling? This is pretty unprecedented visit, isn't it? A second visit? It's very large as well.
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM VALE, BRITISH ARMY: Yeah. I mean, it's the first time we've had three incremental companies together on a state visit. So, it's
huge. And I'm sure there's loads of component parts that have to go together and work together.
FOSTER: Yeah.
VALE: It's a massive privilege to be part of it, being part of the rehearsals, making sure that everything goes right before the day. So yeah,
pretty excited.
FOSTER: And you're -- you're American.
VALE: Yeah. I'm American, yeah.
FOSTER: So, what's that going to be like? I mean, I know you've sort of spent most of your life here, but your president arguably, and your --
VALE: I think it's a massive, massive privilege to be representing the British army, but also being there as an American citizen --
FOSTER: Yes.
VALE: -- seeing the president there is going to feel incredibly special to be involved in.
FOSTER: But you're excited because it's such an unusual event, right? Is that -- is that what's exciting about this particular one?
VALE: Yeah. Being part of state visits generally is incredible. But to be part of this state visit is, I think, partly because I'm an American
citizen, this feels like it hits home slightly more.
FOSTER: Yeah.
VALE: And also, the fact that it's unprecedented to have three incremental companies together. Doing their state colors.
FOSTER: You get nervous, presumably, because it's got to be perfect.
VALE: Yeah, yeah. You're in your head -- you're like, there are millions. Well, thousands. If not with this state visit, maybe millions watching.
FOSTER: Yes.
VALE: I know, they're like, if I mess up, everyone can see. So that's why the rehearsals are so good, because you sort of go on knowing exactly your
role, exactly what position you're meant to be in.
FOSTER: Yeah.
VALE: And that makes life a bit easier and makes you less nervous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:58]
FOSTER: A Hollywood legend has died. Robert Redford was the epitome of a Hollywood leading man and so much more. A passionate defender of the
environment, an award-winning director, a huge advocate for thought provoking independent film.
CNN's Sara Sidner has more on his remarkable life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hollywood legend and leading man Robert Redford had many roles in front of the camera as
well as behind it. He was a true filmmaker and will always be remembered for many iconic films.
ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: And she denies even knowing about the conversation taking --
SIDNER: "All the President's Men's" --
REDFORD: Look, I don't know when I'll be back.
SIDNER: -- and "The Way We Were". 1969's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was his first blockbuster film starring alongside Paul Newman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up.
SIDNER: They also co-starred in "The Sting", for which he was nominated for best actor in 1974.
Redford was cast as the romantic leading man in films like "The Great Gatsby" and "Out of Africa", a label that followed him throughout his life,
even as he became older.
REDFORD: Yes, I didn't see myself the way others saw me. So, I was kind of feeling trapped because I couldn't go outside the box of leading man or
good looking leading man. It was very flattering, but it was feeling restrictive. So, it took many years to break loose of that.
SIDNER: Redford won a best director Oscar in 1981 for "Ordinary People". He directed "A River Runs Through It", "Quiz Show", and many other films.
A native Californian, he was born in Santa Monica in 1936. As Los Angeles grew, so did Redford's love for protecting the environment.
REDFORD: I grew up respecting nature because what happened to Los Angeles.
It was a city as a child during the end of the Second World War that I loved, and it was a beautiful city and the air was clean.
And then what happened after the war was suddenly there were skyscrapers and there was pollution. It felt like the city that I loved as a child was
taken away from me. So, I moved away from that in sadness.
SIDNER: Redford moved to New York City to pursue an acting career on Broadway in the late 1950s. His big breakout role there was in Neil Simon's
"Barefoot in the Park", a role he would later reprise on the big screen with co-star Jane Fonda.
But after several years on Broadway, Redford left the glitz and glamour behind, and in 1961 moved to Utah where he bought two acres of land for
just $500 and built a cabin for his family.
REDFORD: I discovered how important nature was in my life, and I wanted to be where nature was extreme and where I thought it could be maybe
everlasting.
SIDNER: An avid environmentalist, he bought more land over the years in Park City, Utah, and turned it into the Sundance Institute in 1981, a
nonprofit dedicated to independent filmmakers. And four years later started the Sundance Film Festival to showcase their work.
REDFORD: Once the press came, then fashion came. And when fashion came, the paparazzi came. So, these are kind of like tears that formed outside of
what we were doing. And that's fine. That's their business, but it's not who we are.
SIDNER: And his love for the environment continued.
REDFORD: As years went on, I became more and more convinced that nature played a great role in our lives, but wasn't being treated fairly. And so I
got committed to preserving that.
SIDNER: But he didn't stop acting and directing and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2002 for his contributions to filmmaking.
REDFORD: But I want to make the most of what I've been given, and you keep pushing yourself forward. You try new things, and that's invigorating. I
guess I've found out that rather than retiring, that just feels better. Just keep moving as long as you can keep moving.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, U.S. President Donald Trump expected to arrive any moment in the U.K. We'll bring you the latest as he lands.
So, this is the image at Stansted. It's just outside London. He was due to arrive a while ago, but there was a bit of a delay as he left the U.S. but
as he arrives here, there is a red carpet waiting for him. He won't be met by any royals, only representatives. When he lands there, he's going to
head over to Winfield House, a glorious residence for the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. He'll spend the night there.
And then we'll see him come here to Windsor Castle tomorrow for an unprecedented visit, not just because it's the second one for a U.S.
president, but also in its scale. And you're going to get a real sense of that tomorrow. We'll bring it all to you minute by minute.
END
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