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CNN International: Now: Suspect In Apparent Trump Assassination Attempt In Court; Suspect In Apparent Trump Assassination Attempt Charged With Two Federal Gun Charges; Biden: Secret Service Needs More Help From Congress. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 16, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Welcome to CNN. I'm Rahel Solomon in New York.

We begin with fast-moving developments, as we get a clearer picture of the man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf course on Sunday. These are live pictures outside federal court in West Palm Beach, where Ryan Routh is going before a judge for the first time. This is a photo of the moment police took Routh into custody. He is 58-years-old, and the owner of a small construction company in Hawaii.

The Secret Service says that an agent spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence and fired at Routh. Routh was apparently in the bushes along the perimeter of the golf course, meaning that he was just a few hundred feet from the former President. Investigators say that the suspect never fired a shot. He then took off in what we now know was his daughter's car. Routh was quickly tracked down and detained. The former President was not hurt. Still, a lot of questions this morning.

Much more now on all of this from CNN's Steve Contorno and CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell.

Josh, let me start with you. What more have we learned about this suspect?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're learning a lot about his background. Now, if you think about it, the first attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, the motive in that case is still unresolved. Authorities don't quite know why that individual opened fire on the former President.

But, in this case, much different, and that's due to what law enforcement sources are pointing to his robust online presence. This is someone who had multiple accounts, authorities believe, on Twitter and Facebook and other outlets, where he essentially had ridiculed, criticized former President Donald Trump. He was also fixated on Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, at one point, allegedly traveling to Ukraine, trying to get people to travel over to that region in order to fight Russian forces.

So, again, there is still a lot that we're digging into. Authorities are doing so as well, but at least according to that online footprint, this appears to be someone who was aggrieved by the situation with Russia and Ukraine and his animosity towards former President Trump.

SOLOMON: We are also just learning from within the courthouse that the suspect has now been charged with two counts. These include possession of a firearm while a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Josh, stand by.

Let me bring in Steve now. Steve, talk to a little bit about Trump's reaction after this happened. It happened early Sunday afternoon, I want to say around 01:00 p.m. What was his reaction after that?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, he initially put out a fundraising email where he told his supporters that he was OK and was resolved to continue fighting on. He also put out a post on Truth Social overnight, thanking the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcements for their quick response. And just now, we are just getting into CNN his remarks that he made in his first interview after the apparent assassination attempt. He told Fox News Digital that the rhetoric of the Vice President and Biden and Democrats, is blank, is quote, "causing me to be shot at?" He believed the rhetoric. He being the shooter. He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it.

Trump went on to say, the rhetoric is causing me to be shot at when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country. Obviously, the former President there being quite forceful in assigning the blame for yesterday's attack. We still don't know, though, so much information.

And I will also point out that the former President continues to also push inflamed rhetoric on the campaign trail. He recently continued to make fun of Nancy Pelosi after the aftermath of the attack on her husband at her home in San Francisco. We obviously have seen the bomb threats in in Springfield, Ohio, there, as well as a result of some of the conversations by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance about the Haitian immigrant community there. So -- but, those are the former President's first public remarks in an interview in the aftermath of another attempted attack on him.

SOLOMON: I see. Josh, let me bring you back into the conversation. Obviously, this court appearance, this is still ongoing as far as we know. The suspect is still inside. Talk to us a little bit about these charges. I mean, does that seem to be exhaustive to you, or would you expect perhaps more charges to be filed? And just to remind our viewers again, those are two charges, two counts, possession of a firearm while a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Josh, your thoughts.

CAMPBELL: Yeah, I would expect that we will likely see what's called a superseding indictment.

[11:05:00] That is authorities to continue their investigation, if they find evidence of additional criminal activity. They can always go back to the court, to the judge, and try to file additional charges. In this case, authorities have a certain amount of time before they either have to release or charge someone. And so, it's not surprising, in this case, that this is specifically gun-related charges. The first, as you mentioned, being a felon in possession of a firearm. We know that it's an individual who had a past criminal history, including in 2002 in the U.S. state of North Carolina. He was arrested after barricading himself in a building with a weapon. So, someone who was certainly known to law enforcement.

And the second charge there, as you mentioned, having a firearm with an obliterated serial number. That's a crime in the U.S. Firearms have that unique serial number, which allows authorities to track a weapon if necessary, if it's involved in some kind of crime. We've seen criminals try to get rid of that serial number on these weapons, which makes that a federal crime.

These charges not quite severe right now. Certainly, what we're waiting for is the big charge, which, in the U.S., if you threaten a protectee of the United States Secret Service, that is a federal crime. We haven't seen that charge yet. But, I think, again, that we could expect additional charges as this investigation plays out.

And then finally, I'm told from law enforcement source that this investigation has now, quote, "gone global". Authorities trying to track his movements, his alleged travel to Ukraine, any associates. Right now, no indication that this was any type of conspiracy, but a lot of work for investigators to do.

SOLOMON: Yeah. It sounds that way. And Steve, let me bring you back into the conversation. What have we heard from Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance? How is he reacting, and how also are we hearing sort of those in the Republican universe responding to this?

CONTORNO: Yeah. Vance said he spoke with the former President even before his campaign alerted the public that this incident took place, and he said Trump was in, quote, "good spirits". We've heard similar remarks from the House Speaker, who was actually meeting with Trump in South Florida that day as well.

Meanwhile, his campaign is sort of bracing the staff there for the reality of working on a presidential campaign going forward, one that has now faced two credible attacks in recent months. They are telling staff there in a statement, quote, "This is not a matter that we take lightly. Your safety is always our top priority", telling the staff there additionally to remain vigilant and to be observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness, Rahel, just the reality of working for a presidential campaign in this day and age. We are seeing sort of what they have to brace themselves for.

SOLOMON: Yeah. A lot more to discuss on that end, which we will with our panel a little bit later. My thanks to you, Steve Contorno and Josh Campbell, you as well. Thank you.

And both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris quickly responded to the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak has the details on that. So, Kevin, talk to us a little bit about what we've heard from Biden and Harris, including Biden just this morning, a few hours ago.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. First and foremost, both of them are saying that they're relieved that the former President is OK, that he is unharmed, and both of them also saying that there is no place for political violence in the United States. And you saw that pretty clearly in the written statements that each of them released last night. But, when we did see the President earlier today, he was leaving the White House for a trip to Delaware and to Pennsylvania, he had also a more specific message about resources for the United States Secret Service. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank God the President is OK. I think we got a full report so far. The one thing I want to make more

clear is service needs more help and I think Congress should respond to their needs.

LIPTAK: What kind of help do they need?

BIDEN: I think we need some more -- I think they may need -- they're deciding whether they need more personnel of not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, you heard I asked the President. When he says they need more help, does it mean more money, more personnel? And he said, specifically, he thought that the Secret Service might need more personnel. And it is true that the Secret Service has had a staffing issue for the last several years. They have faced things like overwork, agents and officers talking about having to work overtime shifts because there aren't enough people to fill their roles.

And when we did hear from the Secret Service Director, she was then the Secret Service Director, Kim Cheatle, over the summer, she said that the agency currently employs 8,000 people, which is below their goal of 9,500 people. So, certainly facing some issues there. And President Biden saying that it could be the case that Congress needs to approve more money, although Congress has consistently raised the budget of the Secret Service over the last several years, and it hasn't necessarily done enough to address some of the staffing issues. I think it seems to be more of a culture and more of an issue of workplace burnout, really.

[11:10:00]

And I think it remains an open question of whether there were more personnel at the agency, whether that would have prevented what happened yesterday. And you heard from the Palm Beach County Sheriff saying that if Trump had still been President, there would have been more of a perimeter around the golf course. Now that he was no longer the President, there wasn't necessarily the same type of perimeter that seems to have allowed this would-be assassin to drive his car to the roadside and crawl through the bushes, essentially getting close to the green where President Trump was heading.

So, certainly President Biden wanting to make very clear that in his view, and if his administration has anything to say about it, every resource would be directed towards the agency that it needs. But, of course, there are other issues at hand as well, and Vice President Harris as well saying in her statement that the Biden-Harris administration will resource this agency as much as it possibly can. But, of course, this is an agency that is layered underneath the Department of Homeland Security. There are a lot of other issues at play, and I think you will hear more about that certainly from Congress as it looks to investigate what exactly happened.

SOLOMON: Yeah, certainly a spotlight on those staffing issues, as you said. I mean, the then- Acting Director, or then-Director said they had 8,000 employees with a goal of 9,500. There is quite the difference there.

Kevin Liptak live for us at the White House. Kevin, thank you.

And the Sheriff of Palm Beach County is defending the actions of the Secret Service, but says that he believes security may be tightened around the former President going forward. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RIC BRADSHAW, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: You got to understand, 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 is not the sitting President. If he was, we would have this higher golf course surrounded. But, because he is 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)

SOLOMON: All right. Let's discuss this further and bring in CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow. He is a former Secret Service Agent. Jonathan, good to have you. I want to pick up sort of where the sheriff left off there, and the difference in terms of protection that a former President receives versus a current President or Vice President, as is Trump's challenger. Can you help contextualize that for us? Having been a Secret Service agent yourself, what are some of those differences?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the differences are actually significant. When you look at the President of the United States, there are -- the threat environment around the sitting President is extremely vast. You have domestic issues. You have foreign issues. There is national security issues constantly pressuring in creating additional security challenges around the sitting President. Now, once you leave office, that threat environment starts to diminish. If you look at the threat environment to former President Clinton, Bush or even Obama, that threat has been significantly reduced. Why? Because you're out of power. You no longer control the military. So, some of those threats naturally reduced over time.

Uniquely, though, with former President Trump, that threat environment really did not diminish. It actually has been amplified. If you think about, the former President has basically been running for reelection since the moment that he left office, that threat environment has remained very high for him, both with domestic issues as well as this ongoing very credible threat from Iran. Now, all of that threat landscape around the former President necessitates a different type of model. You can't just say anymore that he is the former President, so he gets X resources. That can't be the case anymore.

We've had two assassination attempts against the former President. He is at the highest threat level right now, and he needs to have all of the appropriate resources that the Secret Service and the federal government at large has available to, again, defend against domestic and foreign threat actors.

SOLOMON: And Jonathan, how would that work? Is that a fluid assessment, or is it -- I mean, how would that process even happen? Because, as you pointed out, Trump is unique in the sense that he is still facing these credible threats. There have now been these two attempts in the last two months. How does that process work moving forward?

WACKROW: Yeah. Again, it has to do with you. You can't do a moment in time threat assessment. You can't say the former President Trump left office on this day, and this is the level of protection he gets, because this is the anticipated threat environment. You actually have to sort of recalibrate your threat assessment almost on a weekly basis, because the threat environment is so dynamic.

[11:15:00]

I mean, every week we have domestic issues from homegrown violent extremists. You have the continuous pressure of Iran, its proxies and other foreign hostile actors wanting to cause harm, not only to Donald Trump, but other protectees of the Secret Service. So, you need to develop and ensure that your threat assessment model is very dynamic, and as you said, fluid, right? You have to be able to account for all of these changing dynamics rapidly. And it's not just the assessment side of it. It then goes into the control measure site, ensuring that you put the appropriate level of personnel, your staffing levels, as well as technology. You're blending all of that people, process and technology towards that protectee based upon the threat environment.

I think what we've -- what has happened over time is we've put labels on people, oh, this is a low level foreign head of state, or this is a medium level former President, and this is the resources that you get. We have to change that and alter that model, because the threat environment that the Secret Service and other law enforcement are facing is very dynamic. So, you have to actually lean into that threat environment to ensure that you're being able to address a multitude of inbound threats at once.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Jonathan, speaking of addressing, I mean, do you think -- the fact that this has now -- this attempt has now happened twice in two months, does that indicate to you some sort of failure on the part of Secret Service? I mean, how do you view this, the fact that this person was even close enough, within a few hundred yards of the former President?

Well, I mean, let me take the second part of your question first, I mean, yesterday, the protective model actually did work. The protective operations for a golf course are very complex. Yes, they are reduced right now because he is not the sitting President, but it's actually really robust. The Secret Service recently has increased the level of staffing for the former Trump detail, and we saw some elements of that come together yesterday, one of which is we had agents pushing out in advance of the former President and the close working detail. They were working on the fringes. They were working the wood line. They were working to the left and to the right of the fairway, specifically to identify, locate and potentially neutralize this exact type of threat.

So, the protective model that has been put into place for these golfing operations was successful yesterday, but there is more work to be done. Again, we shouldn't be able to have somebody come that close to a perimeter that had a direct line of sight to the protectee, again, going back to the threat environment. The Secret Service needs to reassess constantly how they're deploying resources, both around the former President, again in thinking about those concentric rings of protection out, and what may need to be bolstered even further, now knowing that there are two assassination attempts.

SOLOMON: And then lastly, before I let you go, I just wanted to ask, since there is so much conversation now and a spotlight on the staffing issues within the Secret Service, what reaction you may have to that? I mean, we spoke with our reporter Kevin Liptak about the sort of balance or the difference between how many Secret Services agents they currently have versus how many they hope to have. There have been reports of agents feeling burned out by overtime shifts and long assignments leading to high turnover. Just your reaction to what you might be able to add, having been within the agency.

WACKROW: Yeah. Staffing has always been a challenge. Since I left, it has become even more of a challenge for the Secret Service. I've heard the number thrown around that it's -- they're looking at a staffing level of approximately 9,500 personnel. That's a little bit arbitrary, right? Like, how are you coming up with that number? Again, the numbers should be predicated upon fully executing the dual mission of the Secret Service. And most people think about the Secret Service from the protective standpoint. There is also a significant investigative mission that the Secret Service has that is focused on crimes against the Treasury and protecting our financial infrastructure.

And we have to make sure that both sides of the mission are appropriately resourced, again, matching the threat environment on the protective side, putting every available resource we can there, but also not diminishing the investigative responsibilities, and that can be done, but it takes a strategy moving forward to raise that level to the -- raise the staffing level of the Secret Service to the appropriate level, ensuring that both the protective investigative mission can be successful.

SOLOMON: Jonathan Wackrow, so good to have your insights and perspective today. Thank you.

WACKROW: Thank you.

[11:20:00]

SOLOMON: OK. Well, coming up for us, we are learning more about the suspect in this assassination attempt. Coming up, what Ryan Routh's social media and even his self-published book say about his possible motivations. Plus, we'll catch up with both U.S. presidential campaigns to see what changes, if any, the attempt on Donald Trump's life has prompted. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. The second apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump has shaken the presidential race once again. However, both Kamala Harris and Trump are expected to press ahead with scheduled events today. Harris was quick to condemn the incident, saying that all Americans must do their part to ensure that it does not lead to more political violence. We are waiting to see if she makes further remarks on the assassination attempt when she attends a union meeting in Washington in a few hours. For his part, Trump is expected to unveil a new cryptocurrency business on social media this evening from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

A top Republican lawmaker told CNN's Kate Bolduan that all Americans, regardless of party, must help curb political violence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. TOM EMMER (R-MN): I'm hearing that actually a very healthy discussion coming from both sides of the aisle. I think your introduction, the report, is correct. Both Republicans and Democrats, frankly Americans, are very concerned that this is happening. Very proud of President Trump. He -- the sad part is, Kate, we're not going to be talking about the assassination attempt. We're going to be talking about which one. I mean, that's -- that should not happen. This guy, in my mind, is the patriot of the 21st century. He is not going to quit. He is going to continue to fight for what he believes in. And we've got to do something. All Americans have to do something to curb this type of violence.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Do you, from what you've seen and heard so far about how it played out, do you see this as a Secret Service failure, because we know that there are new questions being raised?

EMMER: That's jumping way too far ahead, in my mind. It's a fair question, but we just don't have enough facts yet. We don't know how he got there. We know he drove there, but where from and how was this plan? There is a whole bunch of facts that have to come out. I know that the Committee that has been assembled by our Speaker to investigate the Pennsylvania assassination attempt back in July, they are getting prepared to get a briefing as to what happened. I think you will get more facts, and so will I over the next couple of days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: All right. Let's discuss this further. With me now is Democratic Strategist Chuck Rocha. He is President of Solidarity Strategies, and was also a Senior Advisor to Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns. We are also joined by CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings. He served as Special Assistant to former President George W. Bush. Good to see you both men.

Scott, let me start with you. We are expected to hear from Trump a little later today, as we said, when he is expected to announce a new crypto venture. What would you expect to hear from Trump after this now second attempt on his life?

[11:25:00]

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & FMR. SPECIAL ASST. TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Gosh, I don't even know, because the idea that we live in an environment where a presidential candidate, the nominee of one of the two major parties, has now survived not one but two assassination attempts, I mean, it's unprecedented. It's crazy. We're living in a crazy environment. And I know everybody is talking today about all the rhetoric in this country, and what are we going to do to fix it going forward.

Folks, it's too late. It's too late, in my opinion, because all the rhetoric about Donald Trump over the last several years that he is a threat to democracy that the country will come to an end if he gets elected president again. Even over the weekend, we had people blaming him and J.D. Vance for a bomb threat in Springfield. Well, if you have believed that over the weekend, then how can you not believe that the rhetoric leading up to today is not somehow responsible for the fact that this man has now survived two assassination attempts?

So, I am extremely concerned for his safety. I mean, every time he goes outside, he is in danger. I'm glad the Secret Service caught this person. But, if I were in his shoes today, I don't even know what I would do. I would call for the nation to calm down, which everybody needs to do. I just have no level of confidence and anybody is prepared to do it.

SOLOMON: Scott, but the rhetoric is on both sides. It's coming from the right.

JENNINGS: The rhetoric --

SOLOMON: It's coming from the left.

JENNINGS: -- the rhetoric, Donald Trump has been -- they have tried to kill this man twice. OK? He got shot in the ear, and this guy was sitting up sharp outside of a golf course to try to kill him this weekend. And I know, after something like this happens, it's very fashionable to talk about rhetoric on both sides. Donald Trump is the target. OK? He is the current target. And it's happening and it's happened again.

And I just, honestly, we have to have a conversation about elections. If you lose an election, the country is not going to come to an end. OK? What I want Democrats to do, honestly, is to say, it's OK. Like, if Donald Trump wins, democracy will not end. The Constitution will not end. We're not going to live in a dictatorship. There will not be a bloodbath. All the things they say that are totally fabricated, to me, it would be a good day to stop doing that.

SOLOMON: I think -- look, I want to bring Chuck into this conversation, but I think some would say the conversation should also be had that if Donald Trump loses, the country will not end. I mean, it works both ways, Scott.

But, Chuck, let me ask you, Vice President Harris has said that she does not plan to address the apparent assassination attempt of Trump in a political manner. That it means nothing politically. Do you agree that this incident means nothing politically?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, & FMR. SR. ADVISOR, BERNIE SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS: If it comes out to the outcome of the election, it don't mean anything. But, if it's the way we're going to conduct ourselves as human beings, I think it has a lot to do with the way we are. Look, I've been doing this for a long time. I'm not some Johnny come lately to campaigns and this ain't -- we didn't just start being ugly to each other today. I've been doing this for almost 35 years, and I've been calling out every Republican I've ever known, including the one I'm looking at here on your screen, Scott Jennings. You don't mean I don't like, Scott. You don't mean that we can't be friends. It means that we can disagree on policy but still agree that we can debate on what we think is our vision for the best focus of what this country could be.

What's happened that's really changed since the day when I had hair and used to ride a horse back in East Texas to go with this hat, was that the internet has been created, and stuff flies around the internet where poor country folks, like I grew up within East Texas, or folks in the city see something on the internet that they think is in fact true or that somebody is really trying to steal babies at a pizzeria in Downtown Washington, D.C.

But, let me also say this, it happens at every level now. This is the biggest difference in what I see now than when I grew up doing campaigns back in Texas, is it has become so much more personal and so much more ugly. My wife ran for city council here in D.C. in a Democratic primary, and we had somebody show up at her house. Like, that's crazy talk that we have those kind of individuals out here doing this thing, because politics has got to this level, and it must, let me say it again, it must stop.

SOLOMON: Scott, I mean, look, we have, I don't know, weeks until the election. I mean, sort of, what are your concerns moving forward having had this now happen twice in the last two months? I mean, what are you watching moving forward?

JENNINGS: I'm worried that Donald Trump is not safe. I'm worried that we're living in a political environment where we cannot conduct a presidential election without these people that we've nominated from our parties feeling like they can't even go outside. I mean, Donald Trump can't play around at golf. Donald Trump can't have a rally in Pennsylvania. I mean, it's a culture of fear in our politics right now. Not only that, but think about the chilling effect that this has on Americans who might want to go see one of these presidential candidates. Like, if you wanted to go see Donald Trump, if you wanted to go see some -- one of your favorite political figures, do you feel like you can do that right now? Do you feel good about that?

I mean, we have a culture of fear in politics. The most important thing that could possibly happen, in my opinion, is for everybody to agree, especially Democrats that the country is not going to be irreparably damaged if Democrats lose that where Constitution is not going to go away, democracy is not going to come to an end.

[11:30:00]

There will be no bloodbath. There will be no dictatorship on day one, which they all say all day long on this network and others. If everyone could just agree that that kind of hyperbolic statement will not take place anymore and that it's not been true every time it's been said, that would be a step in the right direction. I'm very concerned about Trump's safety. I mean, he -- obviously, if he goes outside, he is in danger, and I don't know what to do about it.

SOLOMON: Chuck, the likelihood that we have that sort of kumbaya moment at this moment, right, the likelihood that that happens is, what, in your opinion? Because, to your earlier point, the internet is not going away. Social media is not going away. So then, what?

ROCHA: Look, I'm smiling and I shouldn't be and I'm shaking my head because I'm aggravated. But, look, I get to work on lots of different races around the country. I just don't go on TV with this cowboy hat on and sound like an old Mexican redneck from East Texas. Actually, people pay me to tell them what I think around congressional races. And what I say by saying this is that I'm working in 20 congressional races right now, in four Senate races, and in all of them, what Scott just described, from Republicans and Democrats some, is this viciousness on TV, on ads, saying that if you don't vote for this Democrat, or if you don't vote for this Republican, all hell is going to break loose, or things are going to be over.

Like, we all owe some responsibility here. Me as an ad maker, I'll hold up my hand and say, I make ugly ads every day, calling Republicans everything but the kitchen sink. We have to think about the way that we do this, especially online, because there is one thing about TV advertising. I can't say Scott Jennings is this, this, or this, that he is not, and put that on TV if it's just false. A lawyer will not allow me to do that because I could be sued, and so could the TV stations. But, you can put anything you want on the internet. SOLOMON: Well, we can certainly hope for a better day. That day, obviously, is not today. But, so appreciate your insights and perspectives of both. Chuck Rocha, Scott Jennings, thank you.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

ROCHA: Thank you.

SOLOMON: Well, much more still to come on the apparent second assassination attempt on Donald Trump. What do we know about the suspect? We're going to go live to West Palm Beach, Florida, where the investigation is fully underway. Plus, delusional ideas, a Ukrainian official is denying links to the suspect, who once said that he was willing to die in the fight. Those details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.

New details are coming in quickly, as investigators try to find answers following Sunday's apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, made his first appearance in federal court in Florida a short time ago.

[11:35:00]

He is being charged with two counts, possession of a firearm while a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He could face additional charges. A detention hearing was set for next Monday, with his arraignment scheduled for September 30th. Now, law enforcement sources say that Secret Service agents fired on Routh, who had a rifle with him in the bushes along the perimeter of Trump's Florida golf club. He was taken into custody a short time later.

For the very latest, let's turn now to CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid, who is in West Palm Beach, Florida, for us. So, Paula, take us inside the courtroom. What's the very latest?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rahel. Ryan Wesley Routh, he just wrapped up his initial appearance before a federal judge in this courthouse behind me. This was just an initial appearance. So, he was not entering a plea or anything like that. But, our colleagues inside the court, remember, there are no cameras, report that he was shackled during this hearing, both his arms and his legs. He was wearing sort of dark prison scrubs, and he didn't say much. He did nod a few times and say, yes, judge, when he was asked a series of questions. He also learned the two counts that have been filed against him, as you mentioned, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

And I would expect, Rahel, that additional charges will be filed against him in the coming weeks and months. But, this investigation is still very new. So, they're going to need to figure out what specific charges fit this case, because some of the charges people may think of, either they may not exist in federal law or they're difficult to support. Now, the next hearing here will be his detention hearing. That will be on Monday. And Rahel, prosecutors say they want him to remain detained for the rest of this case, Rahel.

SOLOMON: And then, Paula, just help us understand legally. So, we have that detention hearing and then we have that arraignment. What will happen then? Walk us through next steps here.

REID: That's exactly right. We have the detention hearing, which is where prosecutors will argue why he needs to be detained. And we expect that they will argue, as it did today, that they believe he is not only a risk for the community, but he is also a flight risk. So, they want him to remain detained ahead of a possible trial. Then a week later, he will have his arraignment, where he will be read the charges that have been filed against him and have a chance to enter a plea. Those are the kinds of hearings that people are more used to seeing on TV and things like that. That's where he will enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, and that will also happen before the judge who will oversee this case through a possible trial.

SOLOMON: OK. Paula Reid, thank you, live for us there.

And as we wait for more developments from the Florida courtroom, let's take a closer look at the man detained in this second apparent assassination attempt. Ryan Wesley Routh, seen here, being apprehended on Sunday, has criticized the former U.S. President for years. That criticism can be seen on both his social media and in his self- published book on Russia's war in Ukraine. The 58-year-old has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine. In 2022, he said that he was willing to die in the fight.

Now, let's being in CNN's Clare Sebastian, who joins us live from London. Clare, as we are learning more, I mean, walk us through what we know about his apparent ties to Ukraine.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this was an intense interest, Rahel, even bordering on an obsession. We know that he was in Ukraine in the early months of the war, and that he had several ways that he wanted to help, all of which seemed to have failed. He originally wanted to volunteer himself. But, according to his self-published book, he was told that he was just too old and didn't have any military experience. He then turned his hand to trying to attract foreign volunteers. You see him there, this picture from June of 2022 on Maidan Square, where apparently he became a bit of a fixture in that first summer of the war. He sort of set up his makeshift volunteer center, which was then, again, according to his book, disassembled by the police. He tried to target Afghan soldiers, but that didn't seem to have gone anywhere.

In fact, one U.S. Army veteran working for the International Legion in recruitment in Ukraine told us that actually he was so unqualified to be involved in the recruitment that it was more unhelpful than it was helpful. So, his efforts were largely frustrated. The -- there are various units in the Ukrainian military that handle volunteers. One -- both of them, actually, have said to us that they -- he had nothing to do with them, one calling his ideas "delusional". So, look, clearly, his passion for Ukraine also fueled his disappointment with U.S. leadership, and we can see this clearly in a clip from an interview that he did, also in June of 2022, with Newsweek Romania. Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN WESLEY ROUTH, ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT: I've been dealing with Russia for my entire life. We had one period where it was OK, but now we've let it slip back into terrorism. So, it's just the world needs to respond. Why world leaders are not sending military is beyond me. We're going to have to elect new leaders the next go around that have a backbone and that have the fortitude to say, hey, we're not going to tolerate this type of behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:00]

SEBASTIAN: So, he also said in that interview that he really saw this conflict as black and white, good versus evil, and he really couldn't understand why Western countries were not doing more. And he felt everyone should be going to Ukraine to volunteer to fight there. But, there is also a lot that we don't know, even as we piece together this picture of his connections to Ukraine. We don't know how he funded himself to go and to do what he was trying to do there. We don't know what he meant by that comment in that clip when he said, I've been dealing with Russia all my life. But, it was clear that he was very passionate and very visible, very public in his efforts to try and help. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Just really interesting. The more we learn, the more questions it seems remain.

Clare Sebastian live for us from London. Clare, thank you.

In the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, more than 40 people have been injured and others are believed to be trapped under the rubble after a Russian strike on an apparent block -- on an apartment block, I should say. Ukrainian officials say that a guided aerial bomb hit the 12-storey apartment building. Fire broke out in parts of the building, while some apartments were completely destroyed. Humanitarian, international, and Ukrainian organizations responded to the scene. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling for increased military support from allies.

Well, still to come, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in more than 70 years made landfall early Monday. We are following its path, coming up next. Plus, parts of Europe have been hit by deadly flooding. We will show you what has happened and what's being done to now help the communities dealing with it.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. I want to take you back to Florida, where the sheriff there, the local sheriff there, is discussing yesterday's second attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump. Let's listen together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- stop sticks or the pit maneuver, right, sheriff?

SHERIFF WILLIAM SNYDER, MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA: Right. Yeah. The world's question is, well, did we use a pit maneuver or did we use stop sticks? The answer is, no. We've got these big heavy duty F250s with the bumpers, and we just surround the vehicle and then force it to a stop, push through -- kind of maneuvered it off the interstate. Remember, we have two concerns. Our primary concern, primary, no matter what happens, is the safety of the murdering public. We don't want to create a situation where we're in a high speed chase or shootout and there is innocent people. That's always our first -- our concern. And so, with that concern in mind, we follow our procedure, and that is, get the car to stop, don't give it a chance to run. And the onus is on the driver, and if he had not stopped, it would have been a mess out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess (inaudible). I believe I may be correct. I believe you mentioned license plate readers and that's kind of how they determined this guy was going north on 95. Did that play into your -- did you guys use this license plate rear technology as well to kind of get a leg up or --

SNYDER: Yeah. Our most question is, did we use license plate technology? My practice is never to mention methodologies or sources -- resources. But, we didn't have to, in this case, because Palm Beach County had already told us what to look for, and that's all we needed. They gave us the vehicle description. They gave us a tag. So, we were on it. And think about this. It's weekend traffic on I-95. I mean, I just thank God we found that car and we're able to give -- I think we were able to give former President Trump a peace of mind. He has really invited the men and women that were involved in the stop to go to Mar-a-Lago and be thankful what they did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he -- Trump extended that invitation.

SNYDER: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What -- do you roughly where the deputy sort of spotted the vehicle? Was it like Bridge Road, south of Bridge Road, north of Bridge Road or --

SNYDER: Yeah. We originally picked the vehicle up somewhere around the Palm City exit. So, that would be 714, and it took us about two miles to get all the resources in play so we could surround that vehicle and force it to a stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was he driving when you saw him?

SNYDER: How was he driving when we saw him? He was smart. He was just driving with the flow of traffic. Yeah. I think that he may have thought he got away with it. He -- of course, he couldn't have known that there was a witness who really did the right thing. Took a picture of him, took a picture of the tag. He was just going to drive himself back to wherever he came from.

[11:45:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he have any, to your knowledge, any ties to Martin County or the Treasure Coast?

SNYDER: Yeah. To my knowledge, does he have any ties to Martin County? I think the answer -- to my knowledge, the answer is, no. I have no knowledge. I think what we're finding out, he is not from this area, which, of course, raises the bigger question is, how does a guy from not here get all the way to Trump International, realize that the President -- former President of the United States is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity? I think that's the question the FBI and Secret Service are laser focused on today. Is this guy part of a conspiracy? Is he a lone gunner? If he is a lone gunman. President Trump is that much safer because we have him. But, if he is part of a conspiracy, then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff, you mentioned the witness a few seconds ago. When it comes to that witness, you guys always, when it comes to the case of saying, please let us know if you see this. Please let us know if you see this. That one witness made possible what you guys did.

SNYDER: Yeah. That's good, your comment and question. Did the one witness make it all possible? The answer is unequivocally yes. Just take a minute. Let's say he got down there, attempts assassination. Nobody sees him. He gets away. Actually, he would have gotten away but a civilian saw him, and they'd still be looking for him now. They'd first be doing fingerprints, all the things that we do, and then we would have had to find them. So, yeah, that witness deserves a lot of credit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff, what's going through your mind at the time? As you said, this is probably the most high-profile situation in Martin County. Maybe it's history with this suspect. Sheriff, what's going through your mind thing and saying, hey, this actually happening in our county right now?

SNYDER: Well, what's going through my mind as Sheriff as we made this stop is that this is a once-in-a career -- it's once-in-a-lifetime event. I mean, how many people get a shot off at the former President of the United States? I mean, the poor guy has already been shot once, and then for that suspect to come into this county, I already had somebody asking me, does it feel like the Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby situation where the Dallas Police and they catch the assassin in that case of John F. Kennedy. So, I feel like, yeah, without being hyperbolic, is this is touch of history, and -- but the credit, again, I just have to stress, that the credit goes to those road patrol officers who made the stop and took the chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know where exactly on 95 this -- just a better sense of where the actual -- where things ended, I suppose?

SNYDER: Yeah. Where did things actually end? So, we picked the car up at about the 110 mile marker, two miles later northbound, by which time we've shut down all northbound traffic. We've got units lined I- 95, slow everybody down, and within two miles of the 110, so right about the 112, we're able to make the stop and neutralize the subject.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Video --

SNYDER: Yeah. We -- yeah, by the camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't tell when he has pulled it over.

SNYDER: I'm not sure that we do. I -- unless there was a traffic unit, we don't have dash mounts. Of course, we have body-worns (ph). Only the traffic units have the dash cameras for the DUIs. I don't know that we actually have the video of the stop, other than the body cameras were all activated, but you've seen it invariably. You get a picture of the steering wheel, the cop, you've all seen it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you guys have your helicopter that got sort of involved in this?

SNYDER: Our helicopter never had to go airborne. PBSO helicopter was right overhead, right away. Same thing, I let a shout out to St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, sent to bomb disposal dog. We were able to sweep that car, make sure it was safe. Everybody played a hand. Yes, we caught him, but everybody -- this was a team effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said bomb disposal dog was sent by the St. Lucie CSO?

SNYDER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not like their kind of big truck to the bomb disposal.

SNYDER: No, the dog, the bomb sniffing canine dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

SNYDER: Y'all, thank you very much. I've been --

SOLOMON: It's OK. It seems like we just lost the feed there at the very end. But, just to paraphrase, we've just been listening to the Martin County Sheriff there. His name is William Snyder, and he was really sort of describing the details surrounding how law enforcement were ultimately able to apprehend the suspect. They said that they had gotten a photo from a witness. Another law enforcement agency, in fact, had gotten this photo a witness near the golf course.

[11:50:00]

Witness took a photo of the suspect, of the tag, sent that to law enforcement. That law enforcement agency then sent it to the Sheriff's Office, and that's how, according to the sheriff, they were able to essentially track the suspect. They said that without that witness, the suspect may have gotten completely away. So, sort of describing the car chase there among police. They said that it took about two miles to ultimately bring the suspect to a stop. Doesn't sound like it was a high-speed chase, the sheriff there saying that he was sort of driving with the flow of traffic. Just to remind our viewers, the suspect has now been in court for a preliminary hearing, with more hearings to come.

We're going to take a quick break, and we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing. It was a big night for the period drama "Shogun". The acclaimed series is the first non-English program to win Best Drama and only the second to be nominated in the category. But, it wasn't just the award winners making news. The political topic of "childless cat ladies" also got a few mentions by well-known actresses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDICE BERGEN, ACTRESS: Today, a Republican candidate for Vice President would never attack a woman for having kids. So, as they say, my work here is done. Meow.

SELENA GOMEZ, ACTRESS: Let me say, what an honor it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being "childless cat ladies".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. Joining us now from Los Angeles is Elizabeth Wagmeister. So, Elizabeth, talk to us a little bit about the big winners from last night, stars getting on stage with some with political tones on stage. Talk to us about that.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, there were some political jabs, as we saw right there. But, Rahel, the big winners last night were "Shogun", "The Bear", "Baby Reindeer" and "Hack". So, let me break this down.

"Shogun" winning 18 Emmy Awards, becoming the single most series to have the most wins in one season. Now, "The Bear" winning 11 awards, beating its own record from the last Emmys and becoming the record- breaking comedy with the most wins for a single season. Now, "Baby Reindeer" winning all the awards in its category of limited and anthology series. And "Hacks" becoming the huge shocker of the night, Rahel. Everybody was predicting and expecting that "The Bear" would win for Best Comedy. So, when "Hacks" won at the end, there was an audible gasp in the room. Everybody was so excited. And also, Jean Smart winning for Best Comedic Actress for "Hacks" last night as well.

Now, some other big wins, Jon Stewart winning for The Daily Show. Of course, he returned to that series this year, and also Jodie Foster, believe it or not, but winning her first ever Emmy in her entire career for "True Detective".

SOLOMON: Oh, that is really surprising. We don't have a lot of time left, Elizabeth. But, before I let you go, one, you looked incredible out there. Two, what's it like? Does that ever get older? Is it still just so exciting being there on the red carpet? WAGMEISTER: First of all, thank you, and huge shout out to our hair

and makeup department. We all know how amazing they are here at CNN. It really doesn't, because when you are in the room, you realize that you are with the highest caliber of talent in this industry.

[11:55:00]

After the awards show, I was at the governor's ball, and I turned behind me, and there was Jon Stewart, and then the other way, there is Ricky Martin, and then Christine Baranski. So, it really always is a pinch me moment to be able to cover this industry, and on a night like last night, really celebrating the best that there is in the television industry. And what I loved about last night is you have the new and you have the old. So, it feels like you have these legendary icons in the room, but also a lot of fresh talent, and to see them passing the baton is always a really beautiful thing to witness.

SOLOMON: All right. Elizabeth, thank you very much. Good to see you.

All right. We know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me. I'm Rahel Solomon. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.

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