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Trump Safe as FBI Investigates Apparent Assassination Attempt, Suspect Arrested; At Least 8 Dead as Heavy Rain Hits Central and Eastern Europe. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 16, 2024 - 01:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching around the world. I'm Anna Coren. We are continuing our breaking news coverage this hour as the FBI investigates an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

The former president was not harmed in Sunday's incident at his golf club in West Palm Beach, which comes just two months after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. A 58-year-old man identified as Ryan Wesley Routh has been detained.

A source says the FBI investigation has now gone global as officials look into his background. We have learned Routh weighed in on politics and social media in the past and at times, criticized Trump. At the time of Sunday's incident, Trump had been playing golf.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff says the Secret Service fired shots at a man who had a rifle in the bushes along the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club and described what else they found at the scene.

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SHERIFF RIC BRADSHAW, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: In the bushes where this guy was is a AK-47 style rifle with a scope, two backpacks which were hung on the fence that had ceramic tile in them, and a GoPro, which he was going to take pictures of. So, those are being processed right now.

The Secret Service agent that was on the course did a fantastic job. What they do is they have an agent that jumps one hole ahead of time to where the President was at, and he was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual, at which time the individual took off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Just a short time ago, Trump posted on Truth Social thanking the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement officials for their actions on Sunday, he said, quote, the job done was absolutely outstanding. CNN's Kristen Holmes is following all the developments and has more now from Washington.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I've spoken to a number of campaign advisers who say there are still a lot of questions as to what exactly happened, the details there, and how exactly this happened, particular how the suspect knew where Donald Trump was going to be and win today.

Just a reminder, he is a former president. He is not a current, sitting president, which means he doesn't have to put out a schedule. There is no pool of press pool following him around. And so instead, this was a private event with a close friend. He was with ally and donor Steve Wyckoff golfing at his property there. So there so there are a lot of questions as to how exactly this unfolded.

Now, one thing that I've spoken to a number of campaign advisers about is that they are pleased with the Secret Service response. One thing that I will note is that after that assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, there were a lot of questions as to why exactly the U.S. Secret Service did not respond or engage in the shooter quickly. That is not, or at least does not seem to be the case here.

As we know, Donald Trump seemed to be traveling with at least two sets of Secret Service agents, ones that were behind him and then another set that was in front of him. He himself was traveling between the fifth and sixth hole. We are told there was an entire other Secret Service group ahead of him, advancing him.

That is the group that saw the rifle and engaged with the suspect on the golf course shots were fired. And then a second group of Secret Service agents took Donald Trump away. They went back to the club, which was on lockdown for several hours. Then we were told Donald Trump was brought back to Mar-a-Lago again several hours later, which is not completely unreasonable, something we saw in Butler, Pennsylvania as well.

Secret Service taking their time to secure the location as well as make sure there's no secondary location or secondary potential gunmen waiting. So that is unsurprising.

Now we also are told that the campaign managers have now reached out to the entire staff, to the campaign to discuss what happened today with them in an email, this is what they wrote, and this came from co- managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles. Partly, they say today for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump. Thankfully, no one was injured at the golf course. This is not a matter that we take lightly. Your safety is always top priority. We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings, be observant, maintain a constant level of situational awareness.

We are also told that for at least some time period after this assassination attempt, they did close down the West Palm Beach, or at least locked down the West Palm Beach campaign offices.

[01:05:05]

They had done the same thing after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. They're clearly trying to make sure that everyone around Donald Trump is safe. But also, you hear them, they're encouraging and urging people to remain vigilant, to keep their eyes open. They believe there is potentially an ongoing security threat, but again, big -- a huge, notable event.

Here we are now talking about the second assassination attempt in roughly two months. But on top of that, lots of questions still as to how exactly and why exactly this happened again. Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: U.S. President Joe Biden says he is relieved that Donald Trump was unharmed in Sunday's apparent assassination attempt. In a statement, he says, I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former president and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former president is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened.

As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president's continued safety well.

Well, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris also released a statement saying, I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear. I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe.

I commend the U.S., Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource capability and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.

Well, the Palm Beach County Sheriff offered an explanation as to why Donald Trump's Secret Service protection was, quote, limited. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRADSHAW: The golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they're pretty much out of sight, all right, and at this level that he is at right now, he's not the sitting president. If he was, we would have this entire golf course around it. But because he's not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.

So I would imagine that the next time he comes at a golf course, there'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Joining me now is Daniel Brunner, a retired Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI and the President of the Brunner Sierra Group. Great to have you with us. Please share with us the latest information you are learning.

DANIEL BRUNNER, FBI SPECIAL AGENT (RET.): Well, it's remarkable that the amount of information that is being developed here. So this individual clearly had a lot of electronic evidence, and the FBI their main purpose right now, this evening, overnight, the FBI Miami command post will be collecting all this digital evidence.

This individual had a tremendous amount of data, a tremendous amount of social footprint, as they were discussing that the investigation has gone global, because he's been -- he was traveled over to Ukraine right at the outset of the war. So they're going to FBI is going to want to find out why he was over there, what his motivations were, and they're going to want to see the pathway to violence.

How did he get to where he did? What happened today? Where did it start? And they're going to look at everything as digital footprint all the way back before Ukraine, and going back and further to find out at what point the individual decided to go this route.

This clearly was not an incident. It was a individual that was attempting something out of circumstances, just an opportunity. This was a clearly planned targeted attack on the former vice -- the former president. He had ballistic plates set up on the fence. He had a GoPro which was theoretically going to live stream the event. He was prepared in a sniper position with a rifle, which is a very high powered rifle, which clearly, with up some training, he could have reached the president, who was apparently three to 500 yards away.

This individual is clearly was premeditated. He planned this. And these are the things the FBI is going to be start collecting all the physical evidence, digital evidence, and through interviews of all the individuals that were surrounding him.

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COREN: But Daniel, the fact that the rifle was poking through the bushes, and that would suggest that that he's not that experienced?

BRUNNER: No, clearly he was not that it clearly you're giving your position up. Any sniper who is trained will be doing his best attempt to hide. As the sheriff just noted, the bushes surrounding these fences provide a lot of cover and concealment to anybody, and there have been reports that individuals are seeking photographs of the former president have clearly been seen inside this fence and amongst these bushes. So it's something that the Secret Service agent who was able to return

fire was looking for, he was attempting to look at the fence line for individuals. He clearly was in a position with especially with those two plates up in that photograph, providing additional cover and concealment. But the fact that the rifle was sticking out of the fence clearly gave up his position, and he was not as prepared as he was if he was giving up his position like that.

COREN: Daniel, how was Ryan Routh able to get so close to Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, as we heard from the county sheriff then he said, Well, he's not the sitting president, but still this is a presidential candidate who, two months ago had an attempt on his life. So how did this alleged government get so close to Donald Trump?

BRUNNER: Well, the President of the United States and the vice president united states have different type of Secret Service coverage around them, as the sheriff stated, most likely those roads surrounding the golf course if the President or Vice President had been there, it would have been a secure.

A candidate has historically received Secret Service protection, but at a much smaller bubble around the candidate. I think that needs to be readdressed. I think we that has to be discussed now between the U.S. Secret Service and Congress to discuss that and to increase the bubble.

Former President Trump clearly is now the victim of a second assassination attempt, which is unprecedented in presidential history. Only President Ford was there were two attempts against his life during his presidency, but nobody at a candidate level has had two attempts upon their life.

I think this needs to be addressed now, especially with the threats that are coming from international individuals, international governments, against former President Trump. I think the conversation needs to be had that if he's a candidate, and it's decided that he needs to have increased coverage, that the candidate needs to have coverage, much like the president of the United States or the Vice President of the United States, but it's something that needs to be addressed, because this rhetoric is not going away.

It's not going to change. And this -- we still have 50 some days until the election. I think we're going to see a lot more, unfortunately, a lot more problems. So the Secret Service really needs to reevaluate their position.

COREN: Daniel, you were making a reference to those foreign threats against Trump by Iran. But I now want to mention that Donald Trump has praised the Secret Service and law enforcement, but clearly this raises questions about their ability to protect not just Donald Trump, but all candidates.

BRUNNER: I think it does, and that's where I'm saying the discussion needs to be had as to increasing the bubble of protection around former President Trump and other candidates. The President of the United States, and it needs to be discussed now with the threat of drone warfare that's clearly developing in the Ukraine, I think that is creating a new world, a new environment that the threats to persons of very important positions need to be looked at as to different types of coverage.

And when the U.S. Secret Service were not able to get their anti-drone capabilities up over Butler, the individual in Pennsylvania was able to get his drone up. Clearly, this is a new world 21st century, advancements in AI have moved the threat level to a new level, and the Secret Service really needs to address it in possibilities. And you know, whether it be locking down an entire area around the golf course or other ways and other that will need to be determined with technology and advancements.

COREN: Daniel Brunner, we certainly appreciate your insights. Thanks so much for joining us.

BRUNNER: My pleasure.

COREN: Well, Sources tell CNN that U.S. intelligence officials recently briefed Donald Trump's campaign of a potential threat from Iran. They said the country was planning to step up attacks on the former president and people around him, and also engage in cyber security attacks.

Authorities had also obtained intelligence about a potential plot by Iran before the attempt on the former president's life back in July.

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Well, there's no indication that either incident involved Iran.

Well, still ahead, congressional Republicans react to the apparent assassination attempt, with some calling for investigations into what happened. Stay with us.

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COREN: The latest now on our breaking news, authorities in Florida have detained a 58-year-old man, Ryan Wesley Routh, in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. According to a state attorney, Routh knew enough to stay silent and did not speak to officers when he was detained.

The incident happened as the Republican presidential nominee was playing golf at his course in West Palm Beach on Sunday. Secret Service agents opened fire after they spotted a man pointing a rifle through the fence along the perimeter of the golf course.

One official says the man was about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump. The former president was not injured and is safe.

Well, some Republicans on Capitol Hill are calling for investigations into this apparent assassination attempt, as well as the security surrounding Trump. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, posted on X, very grateful President Trump is safe after another attempted assassination attempt.

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And that there is no place for political violence in our country, and those responsible for it must be held to account. I hope and expect that the USSS and the FBI will conduct a thorough, swift and transparent investigation.

And this from Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida, as I've said before, the July 13 assassination attempt was not an isolated incident that we can take our time investigating, as domestic and foreign threats are ongoing. As a member of the assassination Task Force, I expect the Secret Service to brief us this week.

Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, said he spoke with the former president before news of the apparent assassination attempt went public, he posted this, I'm glad President Trump is safe. He was amazingly in good spirits, still much we don't know, but I'll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.

Well, joining me now, from Los Angeles, is CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He's also the senior editor for The Atlantic. Ron, as always, good to see you. Political violence, it would seem, is becoming the new norm. How will this impact the presidential election campaign?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITCAL ANALYST: Yes, I don't think it's going to have a big impact on the outcome of the election. I think we saw the first assassination attempt kind of fade as a political, you know, kind of motivator or wedge.

But really, what we're seeing is a transformation, I think, of American life. I mean, just think about how routine threats and actual attempts at political violence have become, not only here at the apex of American politics, with the former president, but with local education officials, public health officials, local governments, a kidnap attempt against the governor of Michigan. We have moved into a different era in which the kind of backbeat of political threats and threats of violence have become much more common. And it does not seem we are in any way turning a corner away from this. In fact, it does seem to be more likely that this will continue to intensify.

COREN: Ron, Donald Trump's team sent out a fundraising email shortly after the alleged attempted assassination. I want to get your thoughts on that.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, you know, they are going to obviously -- they trump throughout whenever any kind of misfortune or setback befalls him, he basically argues that he is being targeted because he is standing up for his voters, and that was the way he reacted to, obviously, all of the indictments and criminal trials he faced. So I'm not surprised that they would do that here.

You know, that isn't really the issue, I think, for me in terms of this. I mean, it's more about his role in creating a climate in which threats of political violence are becoming much more normalized. As a society we don't want anyone taking a shot at Donald Trump. We also don't want Donald Trump spreading baseless racist accusations against Haitian immigrants in Ohio, they could end up with someone taking a shot at one of them.

I mean, there was some thought after the first assassination attempt that everybody would look in the mirror and step back from the use of divisive and dehumanizing and violent rhetoric, and that is far from what we have seen.

So you know, you do worry, as I said, about where this is going, not only for those who are at the kind of apex of politics and have, you know, a law enforcement protection, even if there are reasons to question the adequacy of it, but all across the country now, with election officials being concerned about threats that are becoming more common.

We are heading into a different period, and we're already in a different period, and really, everyone in society needs to look at it and kind of say, Is this the way we want to live?

COREN: Ron, you bring up Donald Trump's language on the campaign trail, and I guess I want to know where you stand on this. I mean, does it play into what we are seeing right now in the United States?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean anybody who would do -- almost anyone who would attempt an assassination, I think, almost by definition, and certainly in these two cases, are not someone who follow the straight lines of political discourse as we understand them. They are not people whose views kind of easily map onto the partisan debate.

And so I think that's the case in both the Pennsylvania attempt and this attempt by someone apparent attempt by someone who seemed to be ricocheting all over the political map.

But look, look at the way Donald Trump talked about the January 6 insurrection at the debate and the way he said that the perpetrator, the rioters, were being badly treated.

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He basically framed one of the rioter who was killed as a martyr. He has played an outsized role in normalizing the idea of political. J.D. Vance today would not even really condemn the Proud Boys who are gathering in his own state, and compare his remarks on television with those of the Republican governor of the state.

Again, we have to decide as a society, are we willing to live this way? Are we willing to reward political behavior that raises the temperature and increases the risk of violence? Donald Trump does not deserve to have someone targeted him, or equally, you know, a Haitian immigrant who was here legally under a program that was signed into law by a Republican president that Mitch McConnell voted to create among others, does not need -- does not deserve to have threats, you know, applied to them that could result in someone threatening their safety as well. COREN: Trump supporters have obviously gone into conspiracy theory mode. I mean, we heard from the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, saying that his state will launch its own investigation, separate to the federal investigation that is underway, stating on social media that the people deserve the truth. Do you expect this to go into overdrive?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, yes. I mean, you know, you see, look, there are legitimate questions about security, right? I mean, two attempts in this shorter period of time with people who have gotten relatively close to the president, especially the first time, it is totally legitimate for Congress to ask questions.

But what DeSantis is talking about is something very different. I mean, it's kind of, you know, implying that somehow the federal government, you know, is not, you know, in more than implying, he's strongly suggesting the federal government is not going to give you the truth.

You had Elon Musk put out. And this is not unique for this occasion, truly reprehensible comments tonight on his former -- the website formerly known as a Twitter.

Yes, you know, so much of the met. Look, if there was a Democratic candidate who had two assassination attempts, I am sure Democrats would be very exercised. But again, we need to kind of think about, is this the way we want to live? Because every sign Anna is that this is going to get better, not worse, and where it's really troublesome and worrisome, and I think most insidious is not even in this kind of attempt at the leader of a political party.

It's what we have seen at the grassroots, for people who are on school boards or public health officials and certainly election officials, and the way in which this is becoming much more common. A Trump -- a former Trump Department of Homeland Security officials, said to me immediately after January 6 that she worried we were moving into our own version of the troubles in Northern Ireland, where threats and realities of political violence just becomes a much more common back be to our life.

That is clearly the path that we are on, and we need a broad kind of society, wide effort to marginalize and to condemn the use of dehumanizing language and the toleration of political violence, and because otherwise, we're going to see more of this, not less.

COREN: It's a terrifying prospect. Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure. Thank you for joining us.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you. Yes.

COREN: We'll have more on our breaking news ahead, including the latest on the investigation and the man detained in connection to Sunday's incident. Stay with us.

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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: We're back to our breaking news coverage.

Donald Trump is thinking Secret Service agents and law enforcement after another apparent attempt on his life. He said, quote, "The job done was absolutely outstanding."

The Palm Beach County sheriff says the Secret Service has spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence while Trump was on the course. Agents then fired at a man who was in the bushes along the perimeter. No one apparently was hit by the gunfire.

The man fled, but the sheriff says a witness provided a photo of his car. Police later detained a man on Interstate 95.

Three law enforcement sources have identified him as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. It comes as e congressional task force investigating the first attempt on Trump's life two months ago is requesting a briefing with the Secret Service following Sunday's incident.

CNN's Kyung Lah is following the story from Los Angeles and has more details on the person being detained.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The investigation now is a global one, as investigators try to figure out who exactly is Ryan Wesley Routh.

What CNN has been able to compile per our investigative team is that he is a 58-year-old man and he has an extensive social media history. According to various posts and pictures that we have been able to gather across the web, we found a GoFundMe page that he was asking people to help donate to help fund his stay in Ukraine.

He traveled to Kyiv and you can see these pictures posted here. He was there, he was asking friends to help fund his visit and encouraging others to join him in Ukraine.

And it appears that this travel was extremely unofficial. He claims in this GoFundMe post that he was traveling there to support the people of Ukraine, that he planned to say at a hostel with a military unit, and that he was donating tactical gear to soldiers fighting on the front lines.

None of this though does appear to be something that we can prove at this point. This is what he had been posting on that GoFundMe page.

We have been able to determine according to public records, that he was splitting his time between Hawaii and North Carolina.

In Hawaii, he was a self-employed, affordable housing builder. He started in 2018, a company called Camp Box Honolulu. It's accompany that builds storage units and tiny houses. He, according to a local paper there that had interviewed him, that he had been donating one of these to a homeless people in Hawaii. In North Carolina, he has an extensive history there dating back many years. And according to federal campaign finance records, he had registered as an unaffiliated voter without a party in 2012.

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LAH: He did vote this year in the state's Democratic primary in March, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, and he had contributed more than $100 to ActBlue (ph) it is a site that -- funds Democratic campaigns.

And North Carolina public records does show that he had various brushes with the law. He had barricaded himself with a weapon in 2002 after being pulled over by police. And he had barricaded himself for a number of hours in that standoff, public records also show that he has a number of court cases dating back to the 1990s were state and federal authorities repeatedly accused him of failing to pay his taxes and that he was ordered by various judges to pay thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in various civil suits.

And one thing that the FBI, according to my colleague Josh Campbell, would be focusing on is trying to cull that social media profile on as far as his recent mindset.

In a separate post on X, the former Twitter, he had been tagging President Joe Biden as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, encouraging them to visit people who were injured at the rally at the first assassination attempt of the former President Trump. He wrote in a post directed to Harris to please come and visit the people who are injured.

And then in an April post, he tagged President Biden's presidential account and he was making suggestions about what the tagline for the campaign should be.

We were also -- the investigative unit was also able to reach the eldest son of the man who has been detained. And that son via text told CNN that he saw his father despite all the records that we've been able to pull on him. He described him as a loving and caring father, and this doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent.

Kyung Lah, CNN -- Los Angeles.

COREN: Well, golf courses have long been a source of concern among Secret Service officials trying to keep the former president safe. They're often the largest outdoor area a person prison can visit. A would-be assassins could easily hide among the landscape features.

Secret Service agents typically follow the president in golf carts, while others secure the holes ahead.

The Palm Beach County sheriff said the course would have been surrounded if Trump were the sitting president.

Well, Glenn Schoen is a security management consultant and he joins us now from (INAUDIBLE). Thank you for joining us.

Tell me, how was this suspect able to get so close to Donald Trump? And I guess how did he know that the former president was there?

GLENN SCHOEN, SECURITY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT: Well, that's the big question here. I mean, this incident stands out because it was not set at an event or not at the resident of the victim?

So normally speaking, all of the incidents we've had in past history, the targeting of presidents, presidential candidates, vice presidents, 99 percent of that has been set at a preannounced location or at their residence.

So this incident really stands out for the question you just posed, which is how did this person find out President Trump was on the golf course at that moment.

So that -- I'm sure that that's the main line of inquiry right now for both the Secret Service and the FBI.

COREN: Glenn, we just explained that the golf course is one of the most difficult places to protect a presidential candidate, you know, that being Donald Trump.

Tell us about the difficulties. We know that this was a last-minute decision to play golf, but considering that assassination attempt on the former president two months ago why would they just allow him to make that last minute decision.

SCHOEN: well, part of the security package is also varying the schedule.

So it's not simply putting in manpower and covering everything 100 percent and that's the challenge here.

Of course, for vice a presidential candidate or multiple candidates here in the running of course. And we still have the president and we still have former president.

So the resources of the U.S. Secret Service are finite. They try and they have upped it as far as we know since the incident on 13th of July for -- specifically for President Trump.

But there is a limit to what can be covered, especially if there is a short-term decision. Hey, let's go boating, let's go to the beach let's go to the golf course.

As you already mentioned, large area, natural camouflage, shrubbery around it, trees around it. Even when you use a lot of capacity and whether that's drones, whether that's heat laser or look at what's in the tree line, it's still a major effort, particularly when you have to pull it on late notice.

But I do expect now an extra step by the Secret Service to in a sense, have the package for Mr. Trump be very close to that for Mr. Biden.

[01:39:54]

COREN: Will the perimeters moving forward be redefined considering there was an AK-47 rifle and scope found in the bushes along with two backpacks containing ceramic plates.

SCHOEN: There may well be and part of the reason there is that it's a dirty little secret in our security profession that longer-range shots are certainly possible.

The acknowledged world record for a sniper kill in combat from October 2023 in the Ukraine by Ukrainian sniper was about 3.2 kilometers, so roughly two miles distance.

Now, that's too much to be looking at continuity or continuously when we look at a situation such as a vice-presidential candidate.

But certainly this incident, because it's the second one dealing with a gun along done over distance, it's certainly going to weigh in on the scale in favor of what can we do with these distances and how can we limit the exposure to this.

COREN: as we know, we've got 50 days until election day. Kamala Harris, Donald Trump -- they would both -- well, they had both been planning to hit the campaign trail and on overdrive. Will that now have to all be reevaluated considering what has happened here?

SCHOEN: I think there will be a re-evaluation and I think what we'll probably see is the line that was initially drawn in Pennsylvania of the consideration of more indoor events. I think that will be continued.

And it might mean also less exposure at airports, on the airport ramp, in the arrival, and likely indeed more indoor where simply the environment can be better controlled.

COREN: Glenn, we focus on the presidential candidates, but there's also their running mates and I guess the question now is, can the Secret Service -- can law enforcement protect all of these candidates?

SCHOEN: Well, they are to the extent that the law requires that. I think again, we saw a success here today. It was not necessarily a failure. This is what they're there for. They detected it on time, responded adequately and then there was very good cooperation apparently with the two sheriffs' departments. So the suspect could be rapidly detained.

But certainly from J.D. Vance to Mr. Walz that's part of the package, but also, I think there probably will be a reconsideration for former presidents to make sure that the totality of what they're responsible for at Secret Service is covered and that we're not going to see sort of an imbalance here with everybody covering Mr. Trump and it being neglected anywhere else.

And I wouldn't expect to see any of that kind of reaction.

COREN: Glenn Schoen, we certainly appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much for joining us.

SCHOEN: Thank you.

COREN: Well next, more on the security situation around Donald Trump's Palm Beach golf course.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[01:43:07]

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COREN: More on our breaking news this hour, Donald Trump is thanking the Secret Service and other law enforcement officials after what appears to be an apparent assassination attempt. Camped on the former president. In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump told the Secret Service, quote, "The job done was absolutely outstanding".

Trump's campaign says the former president is safe after the incident. Secret Service agents spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence, while the former president was golfing at his Florida club and fired shots. An investigation is underway.

Security is also being ramped up around the area, especially near Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.

CNN's Carlos Suarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Security around Trump's Mar-a-Lago property was visible in the hours after the incident at the golf course. It is important to note that some of these security measures were put in place after the first attempted assassination of the former president in Pennsylvania.

Southern Boulevard, which connects the mainland to Palm Beach, was open on Sunday with two security checkpoints. Now a small island that you have to cross to get onto Palm Beach, however, was closed to the public and unless you live near Mar-a-Lago or you're visiting someone who does you really cannot get onto that barrier island because a street that runs along the perimeter has been closed by the Secret Service anytime that the former president is at his property.

Now, we are about 10 to 15 minutes from the golf course where this incident happened on Sunday. But it really took us much longer to get from that location here in large part because several streets around the golf course were closed as a result of the investigation.

And we expect that those roads will remain closed and that some of these security measures will remain in place as the investigation continues to unfold.

Carlos Suarez, CNN -- West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also reacted to the apparent assassination attempt posting on X.

"Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and we're relieved to hear that it too failed.

But we should not rely on luck. We send our best wishes to Donald and Melania along with our hopes that all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the U.S. presidency will be foiled in advance."

And this from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who shares a close relationship with Trump, quote, "It is clear that President Trump's life is in danger until his victory. We are praying for you, Mr. President."

Well still ahead, a source tells CNN what could happen next to the man detained in the apparent assassination attempt? On Donald Trump.

Stay with CNN.

[01:49:01]

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COREN: The latest developments in our breaking news.

The man detained in the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump could soon have a mental health assessment. A law enforcement source tells CNN that federal agents expect the court will require it before any possible criminal charges.

Ryan Wesley Routh was detained after the incident at Trump's Palm Beach golf course.

CNN is attempting to determine if Ralph has legal representation.

Meanwhile, we are learning that Trump's campaign office in West Palm Beach went into lockdown for a time on Sunday. Well, that lockdown has since been lifted.

Well, now, for a quick check of some other stories making news this hour.

Later today, the U.S. Coast Guard will begin its two-week hearing into the cause of the Titan submersible implosion. The vessel operated by OceanGate Expeditions lost contact with its mothership during its dive to the Titanic wreckage in June of last year. All five people on board were killed.

The head of the inquiry says they'll make a recommendation to the Department of Justice if there's any evidence of a criminal act.

At least 8 people have died after some of the heaviest rain in decades hit parts of central and eastern Europe causing widespread flooding. A slow-moving low-pressure system named Storm Boris has dumped a month's worth of rain across the region from Austria to Romania.

CNN's Max Foster, I should say, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mud and misery everywhere. Shell- shocked residents in Romania say the floods came quickly, knocking down walls, upending furniture and drowning livestock that couldn't escape the rushing waters.

"Total damage. Dead chickens, all the geese everything, everything."

[01:54:50]

FOSTER: In parts of rain-soaked Romania, residents are assessing the damage from Storm Boris which unleashed a month's worth of rain in a span of a few days over central and eastern Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have food, water. Look over there, clothes. Look, the neighbor gave me a dress.

FOSTER: And while cleanup is underway in some areas, it's still impossible in others where the waters not only haven't receded but they're rising. Swift currents race through streets in one Polish town after a nearby river overflowed its banks making it too dangerous for some residents to leave their houses.

Firefighters tried to pump out water from a local hospital to keep it operational, but it may be a losing battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is flooded, mainly the cellars where the surgical clinic in warehouses are. Everyone is now trying to save what they can.

FOSTER: In Austria, the Wien River is gushing with excess rain. And there's more expected for portions of Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic in the next few days, which could mean more work for the Czech armed forces, which have been using helicopters to evacuate people from flood zones.

So far emergency services say thousands of stranded people have had to be evacuated and significant flooding is expected to continue.

Some Czech residents use the break in the weather to try to count their losses. But with many of their homes, shops, and neighborhoods still engulfed in water, it's feared the damage they can already see could be even worse when the water subsides.

Max Foster, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, thank you so much for joining us.

I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. I'll be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after this short break. Stay with us.

[01:56:45]

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