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CNN International: Trump Blames Democrats for Assassination Attempt; Trump's Security Under Scrutiny After Florida Incident; Sean 'Diddy' Combs Arrested on Monday by Homeland Security Agents in New York; Many Feared Buried Under Rubble in Gaza After Israeli Air Strikes; At Least 19 People Killed in Flooding Across Central Europe; Threats Force Closure of Springfield, Ohio Schools and Hospitals; Daredevil Walks 1,074-Meter Slackline From Asia to Europe; Zoo Animals in China Celebrate With Custom Mooncakes. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired September 17, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:10]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, Donald Trump speaks out for the first time since that second apparent assassination attempt. We'll tell you what he had to say and bring you the latest on the investigation. Plus, under arrest music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs is in custody in New York and set to appear in court in the coming hours. We're live in Manhattan with all the details. Also, Central and Eastern Europe swamped by intense flooding, while firefighters in Portugal tackled deadly wildfires.

Donald Trump is speaking out for the first time since Sunday's apparent assassination attempt that occurred while he was playing golf. Trump held a chat on a social media platform Monday evening, where he described the moment he heard the Secret Service engage with the gunman hiding in the bushes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I was playing golf with some of my friends. It was on a Sunday morning and very peaceful, very beautiful weather, everything was beautiful. Nice place to be and all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air. And I guess, probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets, but what do I know about that? But Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets and they grabbed me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Trump later, joked that he was upset the Secret Service removed him from the course before he could attempt a birdie putt, but then it took a darker turn when he also said Democrats should be blamed for the incident because they have been -- they've been accusing him of undermining democracy and his vice presidential pick echoed that line of attack in a speech on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Well, there's a lot of rhetoric, a lot of people think that the Democrats, when they talk about threat to democracy and all of this, and it seems that both of these people were radical lefts.

SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months. I'd say that's pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: It's still early in the investigation into how a man with a rifle was able to get so close to Donald Trump. But authorities have already charged Ryan Routh with two gun-related crimes and more charges are likely to follow. We'll get the latest now from CNN's Paula Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Driver, drive straight back.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New dramatic footage of the moment Ryan Wesley Routh was taken into custody. Martin County Police apprehending the suspect as he fled after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump while he was golfing Sunday afternoon.

SHERIFF RIC BRADSHAW, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: The security level at Mar-a-Lago is the highest it can possibly be now.

REID (voice-over): Routh appeared before a federal judge in West Palm Beach wearing dark prison scrubs, his hands and feet shackled. Routh was charged with two counts, possession of a firearm while a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Investigators believe Routh had been lying in wait nearly 12 hours along the tree line near the golf course. Newly unsealed court records show Routh's mobile phone was in the vicinity from approximately 1:59 a.m. until 1:31 p.m. Authorities say Secret Service officers clearing the golf course ahead of the former president first noticed the suspect.

RAFAEL BARROS, SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MIAMI FIELD OFFICE: We noticed that the rifle was pointing out. Our agents engaged.

REID (voice-over): Palm Beach Police released photos of the scene showing the gun, along with a backpack and GoPro camera mounted on the fence.

BRADSHAW: Fortunately, we are able to locate a witness that came to us and said, hey, I saw the guy running out in the bushes. He jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag, which was great.

REID (voice-over): Police were able to quickly get that information out to surrounding areas and track the suspect's SUV in nearby Martin County.

SHERIFF WILLIAM SNYDER, MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA: He is smart. He was just driving with the flow of traffic. Yeah, I think that he may have thought he got away with it. I was able to get to the scene shortly after the stop and I saw him in the car.

[08:05:00]

His facial effect was very bland. He was not emoting any emotions at all.

REID (voice-over): More details are emerging about Routh's background.

RYAN ROUTH, SUSPECT IN TRUMP'S SECOND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: Putin is a terrorist and he needs to be ended.

REID (voice-over): He was outspoken on his strong support for Ukraine, encouraging foreigners to fight in the war. He also criticized Trump in his self-published book on geopolitics, and has contributed more than $100 to ActBlue, which processes donations to Democrats.

REID: It is expected that additional charges will likely be filed in this case as the investigation continues. Ralph will be back in federal court next week for a detention hearing, where prosecutors are expected to argue he should remain detained ahead of a possible trial because he not only presents a flight risk, but also a danger to the community. He will be formally arraigned on September 30th.

Paula Reid, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: For the latest now from Florida, let's bring in CNN's Carlos Suarez. Carlos, what will you be watching for today in the investigation? Still so many questions.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara, that's right. Good morning. So of course, we still need to figure out exactly how this 58-year-old knew that the former president was going to be at his golf course on Sunday. Yesterday, the acting director of the Secret Service has said that the former president's trip to -- his visit to this golf course was what they consider an off-the-record movement. So it is something that wasn't pre-planned, though there was an advance team that accompanied the president on his outing here on Sunday.

Of course, we also still need to figure out exactly just how many days perhaps the 58-year-old might have been in South Florida leading up to Sunday. We know that according to some court documents and information that was confirmed yesterday, that cell phone data shows that Ryan Routh was in the area for nearly 12 hours on Sunday before he was spotted by a Secret Service agent. We are told that he was within 500 yards of the former president, though, and this detail coming up is pretty important here. According to authorities out here, he never had a line of sight on the former president. Yesterday, we also got a look at some pretty dramatic body camera video showing the moments that Routh was arrested by deputies up in Martin County, which is about an hour north where we are here in West Palm Beach. It shows officers lined up behind the car there and then eventually taking him into custody. Amara, we also learned that the woman or a person that we believe to be a woman, the one that spotted Routh leaving the golf course here, the one that was able to take a photo of the car that was in -- that he was in and the information that she provided authorities were being told that the sheriff's office here in Palm Beach put her in a helicopter and they took her up to Martin County, so that she could positively identify the man that she had seen at the golf course here as being the man that had been taken into custody. Amara?

WALKER: Yeah. Those details, Carlos, are so troubling, just knowing that this suspected gunman had been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours at the perimeter of the golf course where Trump was on Sunday. When it comes to security for the former president, especially around the golf course and especially when it comes to his movements as he is a presidential candidate, do we know how that will change?

SUAREZ: So right now, that's the big question. It seems that there might be an additional enhancement of his security detail. We know according to the acting director of the agency that, again, this -- what happened on Sunday was something that was off the record. It is something that he had decided to do just that day. And so, there was an advance team that was out here and we know that this agent, the one that spotted the 58-year-old, was ahead of the former president who was playing golf. And so, there was folks well ahead of where the president or the former president was on Sunday.

And then, we also know that the security measures at Mar-a-Lago were enhanced were enhanced before Sunday. There were actually -- some new measures were put in place there after the first attempted assassination of the former president in Pennsylvania. We know that parts of a street that run along the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago was closed after that incident. We are told that that closure is in effect through at least Election Day. And of course, because of everything that happened here on Sunday, we can expect even more visible security, not only around the former president, but also Mar-a-Lago as well, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Carlos Suarez in Florida for us. Thank you, Carlos.

Now, both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will be out campaigning today. Trump will be in Michigan where he is due to hold a town hall and we will be watching to see what else he has to say about the apparent assassination attempt.

[08:10:00]

Harris is in Pennsylvania where she will be interviewed by several members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. She's tracking how Trump and his campaign are reacting to the incident on Sunday. And Alayna, we are seeing Trump is back on the campaign trail today in Flint, Michigan. Obviously, there's got to be concerns about security. What is his campaign saying?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: There are definitely concerns, of course, especially after -- and you just heard this. Before ,that they have ramped up their security measures ever since that first attempted assassination in July. And so, there has been a lot of anxiety in my conversations with people close to Trump, his advisers. They argue that there's questions of how could this still happen. I will say however, though, that they were very happy with how Secret Service responded.

First of all, you did see Donald Trump as well as many of his team members go to social media and say that the Secret Service did a great job. Donald Trump reiterated that during a X Spaces conversation last night. But still, there are concerns about what could be happening moving forward. Despite that though, Amara, I want to be very clear that Donald Trump's campaign schedule is moving forward as planned. They have not made any changes that we know of so far, in light of what happened on Sunday today.

As you mentioned, he is going to be at a town hall in Flint, Michigan. I know that many people I've been talking with, Republicans, Democrats alike, are very eager to see him in-person for the first time since what had unfolded on Sunday. So keep an eye out for that. But then tomorrow, he's going to be in Uniondale, New York for a rally. Thursday, he'll be in Washington, D.C., and over the weekend, he is planning to go to North Carolina. And from my conversations with the campaign, none of that is changing.

But of course, questions of security behind the scenes is very much taking a priority. We know that the acting Secret Service director was in Florida yesterday. He met with several members of Donald Trump's team, as well as with the former president directly himself at his golf club in Florida. And he's staying there to really get a sense of what is happening. And so, that is something that they're very happy that the Secret Service is engaging in. I know from my conversations with them, they're looking forward to having more conversations around this, but I don't think there's any question that everyone is going to be a little bit more on high alert after that second apparent attempted assassination.

WALKER: Yeah. Absolutely. It's also notable, Alayna, just how quickly Trump and his running mate are shifting so quickly to political attacks and blaming the rhetoric coming from Biden and Harris for this apparent assassination attempt. Tell us more about what Trump has been saying and also, do you expect that this is a message that that will resonate with their voters, their supporters?

TREENE: Right. Well, there's a few interesting things about this, Amara, because it's not entirely new. We did hear Donald Trump previously, as well as his running mate J.D. Vance, argue that that first attempted assassination or -- that first assassination attempt in July after Butler, several weeks later, they both made the point that perhaps it was caused by rhetoric from the left. The difference though is that the way in which they are doing this and the immediacy with which they're going on offense with this argument is very different from what we saw in the aftermath of Butler.

Remember, Donald Trump's senior advisers, Donald Trump himself had been calling for unity during that first assassination attempt. We even saw them carry that message into the Republican National Convention the week after that first assassination attempt. And Donald Trump himself said that he was a changed man. It wasn't until weeks later that he started to make this political argument about trying to blame Joe Biden as well as Kamala Harris for some of the rhetoric. That is very different from now. We saw them immediately make that argument, jump on offense and argue that perhaps the rhetoric from Democrats is what's causing this.

I think it's a very controversial statement to be made. We've seen many Democrats pushed back on this, but I also think there's no question that we are seeing political violence to a level that we really haven't seen in years past. And so, I do think to answer the second part of your question that this is going to be a core part of their messaging moving forward. I think I would look for that type of language from Donald Trump this evening when he is in Flint, Michigan. As for whether it's resonating with his base and his supporters, when it comes to Donald Trump's team, they do look for an outlet to blame and I do think this messaging does work with them.

I think the question is whether or not it resonates with some of the core voters that they are targeting, more of the independent, moderate-leaning voters. I think there's no question that having a second assassination attempt in just weeks after the first one is definitely concerning to all Americans. There's no question as well that President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Democratic leaders have been condemning what had happened. And so, it's going to be -- I think we have to wait and see how this ends up unfolding, if the temperature is able to be turned down. But right now, a lot of people are very angry.

[08:15:00]

They're very concerned and I think we need to wait great to get more answers until we kind of see at all calm down a bit. Amara?

WALKER: These are dangerous times like the Secret Service agent said during that news conference on Sunday --

TREENE: Right.

WALKER: -- which means that it would behoove all of us to keep that rhetoric down. Alayna Treene, tracking the Trump campaign for us. Thanks so much, Alayna.

Well, we will soon find out why music icon Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been indicted. This, after Combs was arrested on Monday night at a hotel in New York. A U.S. attorney says, the indictment will be unsealed in the coming hours. He is expected to arrive at court soon. Diddy's attorney he tells CNN his client is innocent and has nothing to hide.

Now, back in March, federal investigators searched the musician's homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking probe. A law enforcement source says that that probe stemmed from several civil lawsuits against Combs. Kara Scannell, joining us now live from outside the Manhattan Federal Courthouse with more. Hi, Kara. What are we expecting to learn more about these charges that Sean Combs is facing?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Amara. So, we will learn more information about these charges when this indictment is unsealed today. What we are initially expecting here is for Diddy, who was arrested last night around 8:15 at the Park Hyatt Hotel in New York. He was taken into federal custody and has remained in custody overnight. We are expecting him to be transported to court behind me sometime this morning, expecting that to be soon, and then he will be processed. At some point then, he will appear before the judge. We will learn what these charges are.

And as you said, this investigation has stemmed from the lawsuit that was brought by Diddy's former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, a recording artist with Bad Boy Records. She said that Diddy had raped her, had that -- he had caused her to have sex with other men, and other lawsuits followed from some other women, and at least one man who said that they were drug fueled parties and that they were also forced to have sex. The exact scope of these charges still remains unclear, but it does stem from that investigation.

There was -- the Homeland Security agents searched Diddy's homes in LA and Miami. They seized his electronic devices. This has all been taking place in the -- over the past year, relatively short time for an investigation leading up to this arrest. So, once Diddy does appear in court today, we will learn what these charges are. The indictment will be unsealed, and we'll get the specific information here. Another big question, is Diddy going to be detained? That is a question, will prosecutors ask the judge to keep him behind bars as he awaits trial, or will they work out some kind of deal where Diddy will be released on his own. That is one unknown at this point as well.

But we are expecting Diddy to be brought into court. We probably won't see him walk in because he will be transported in federal custody. But we do expect him to arrive soon and then this process will begin. We will begin to learn new information about this. Now, a number of the accusers have reacted to these charges saying that they are looking for justice to be served. Cassie Ventura's lawyer, however, has declined to comment on these charges. She is certainly one person at the center of this as well. Amara?

WALKER: There seems -- there were so many lawsuits and revelations that have led up to this moment, although we don't know exactly what the charges are yet, as you say, Kara. What about Sean 'Diddy' Comb's camp? What have they been saying? What are they now saying?

SCANNELL: So Sean 'Diddy' Comb's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement last night in which she said that Diddy is an imperfect person, but is not a criminal. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide and he looks forward to clearing his name.

As you said, Diddy has been in town since last week, anticipating this moment. He is going to come in and face these charges. He has issued an apology after that video surfaced of him -- of this hotel surveillance video in Century City, California from 2016, which showed Diddy dragging Cassie Ventura on the floor and kicking her. Diddy issued an apology at that time. He has been fighting these other civil lawsuits in court, but this is much more serious. These are the criminal charges. His lawyer is saying he's innocent and we'll wait to see what they say, perhaps after court, once we know exactly what these charges are. Amara?

WALKER: All right. I'm sure you'll stay on top of this., Kara Scannell. Thank you very much. And still to come, a desperate search for loved ones buried under the rubble in Central Gaza. It's happening now amid fresh concerns about the prospect of a ceasefire deal. Plus, the death toll continues to rise as Central Europe grapples with massive flooding. We'll have a live report after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:45]

WALKER: New developments out of the Middle East. Palestinian officials say many people are feared to be trapped under the rubble in Central Gaza after Israeli airstrikes. The Palestinian Civil Defense says the bombardment is ongoing. I want to bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks is live from Abu Dhabi now. Paula, what do we know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, this happened in the early hours of this morning. The Al-Bureij Refugee Camp in Central Gaza, we understand from those on the ground, from local journalists, that the first airstrike hit around 5:00 a.m. local time., There were more than about an hour later. Now, what we understand from the Gaza Civil Defense at this point is that they received calls from people who were trapped in the rubble asking for help.

They had teams that went to the area but were unable to help them. They said that their teams came under fire by three airstrikes and artillery shelling when they approached that area. Now, we've heard from the spokesperson speaking to CNN that they have tried to coordinate with the Red Cross to try and be able to access that area and get to those who may still be trapped. But as of now, that hasn't happened. We are mid-afternoon in Gaza, so it has been many hours since that happened. But according to the Civil Defense, their teams say that they did hear screams of children from within some of those buildings.

Now, there have been dead and injured that have come to the local hospital, that have been able to be retrieved from the buildings. We've asked the IDF, the Israeli military, for comment, details whether they have been targeting this particular area. But as of yet, we have not received a response. We have though heard from one of the residents of that area. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUMEN AWAD, EYEWITNESS (through translator): They were asleep safely. They hit them with two rockets. We have nothing to do with anyone, not resistance or anyone. Those are peaceful people. The house is full of people, more than 20 people. They are all under the rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And there are some disturbing images of bodies that are trapped beneath the pancaked slabs of concrete in these particular areas. It is a densely populated area as much of these refugee camps are. We also do see some other residents nearby, in areas that have not been hit but close by, gathering up their belongings and taking all that they can carry to another area. It's not clear where they would be moving too though.

So as of now, we are waiting to hear details from the Israeli military. We've heard from the Civil Defense that they are hoping that the Red Crescent will be able to coordinate with the Israeli military and allow their teams to get close. They say at this point, they don't have a precise figure of how many casualties there may be and how many are still awaiting rescue. Amara?

WALKER: Just so much horror. Paula Hancocks, thank you.

[08:25:00]

Apocalyptic and unimaginable are how some residents are describing what it looks like in Central Europe after the region was deluged with heavy rain. At least 19 people have been killed in some of the worst rain and flooding in that area, the area has seen in decades. Poland declaring a state of emergency, announcing $260 million in aid. Thousands of people are being urged to get out of their homes as many rivers continue to swell. The heaviest rain has ended, but water levels are expected to remain high.

CNN's Melissa Bell joining us now from Paris with the latest. Gosh, these pictures, Melissa, what more can you tell us about the city in Poland that had to be evacuated?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Some of the worst places, the hardest hit places have been there in Poland and the Czech Republic along the border. Those images you were just showing a moment ago, the town of Nysa that you referred to Amara, some 44,000 people urged by their mayor to leave the town entirely to head to higher ground because of fears that an embankment might burst and that the water from a neighboring lake could entirely flood the city.

And that's just one example that we've seen over the course of the last couple of days. Some parts of Eastern and Central Europe receiving a month's worth of water, rainfall, in just a matter of days and we've seen bridges collapsed, tens of thousands of people have to leave their homes already, and many struggling already with basic supplies like the water that they need to survive. For now, in those places near the border between the Polish and -- the Poland and Czech Republic, there does appear to be some indications that water is beginning to recede in those hardest hit towns, Amara.

But there are fears about what's happening further to the south with residents in Hungary seeing roads closed off along the Danube and in Bratislava, the Slovak capital. We are seeing higher -- high water levels in the old city, and that is threatening to get worse. So in some parts, it's getting better. But there are fears that Storm Boris hasn't finished to cause its damage across the region, Amara.

WALKER: Also been tremendously damaging and deadly are the wildfires in Portugal. What's happening there?

BELL: That's right. And the link here really, Amara, is that Europe is right now the fastest warming continent on the earth. And it's having that impact that you saw in terms of the huge rainfall in some parts of the European continent. But it's also having that impact with the wildfires that you're seeing sweeping across parts of northern and central Portugal. Now, Portugal and Spain, Southern Europe tend to be -- have been these last years, increasingly prone to wildfires.

This year, we had a lot of rainfall. We didn't see as many as we had. But right now, the temperatures have been soaring and you can see there the results on those very dramatic pictures already, the loss of several lives and fears that many of these fires are for now uncontrollable, as many thousands of firemen working day and night to try and bring them under control. But authorities already saying that they fear they will spread further, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Melissa Bell, thank you.

Still to come, raising the political temperature in the U.S. days after a second apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The accusations, the finger-pointing, it's flying -- we'll explain. Then it all comes as Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, continue to amplify a baseless conspiracy theory involving Haitian migrants, now one Ohio town is dealing with threats.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:50]

WALKER: With just 49 days until the U.S. presidential election, the political climate in the U.S. is growing increasingly polarized following a second apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump. A suspect is now under arrest, facing federal gun charges. Authorities say Ryan Wesley Routh pointed a high-powered rifle from the bushes at Trump's Florida Golf Club on Sunday as the former president was on the course. Now, Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent and fled after the agent opened fire. Cell phone data shows Routh may have spent nearly 12 hours hiding in the bushes. A motive remains unclear, but both Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, who each have a history of inflammatory rhetoric, are now blaming the Democrats directly.

Ryan Routh has had quite a few run-ins with law enforcement over the years and those who know him say he's long exhibited odd behavior. Our Senior Investigative Correspondent, Kyung Lah, has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Too many who have encountered Ryan Routh, it's not shocking that he is suspected of attempting to kill a former president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your name?

ROUTH: Ryan.

LAH (voice-over): Former Greensboro, North Carolina Police Sergeant Tracy Fulk, who once charged Routh, says he was well known to her department.

TRACY FULK, FORMER SERGEANT, GREENSBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT: We used to get what we call barometer reports, which are kind of like dangerous persons who had made threats either against elected officials, police officers or community members, and we had gotten several alerts, barometer report on Ryan Routh. So I knew who he was.

LAH (voice-over): Routh had a long list of charges against him in the early 2000s, including a serious incident that started as a traffic stop, but ended with Routh barricaded in a business.

FULK: He reached over into the center seat and opened a black duffel bag, and there was a gun laying in there, and he kind of held his hand over the bag for a second as I'm backing up and issuing commands, and then he just put the car in gear and drove two businesses down and pulled in his business and ran inside.

LAH (voice-over): Routh would plead guilty to possession of a weapon of mass destruction. A source tells CNN, it was for having an automatic weapon. A father of three, Routh moved from that troubled past in North Carolina to Hawaii, where he started something called Camp Box, working on tiny homes for homeless people and demonstrated how we built them on his website. In 2018, a local station interviewed him during a flood.

ROUTH: I have building materials under the house, so all the lumber under the house started floating out on to the yard.

LAH (voice-over): Routh claimed to have local political ambitions. He launched a website to run for mayor in his town, but never officially filed. Instead, he wrote on the website and across various social media platforms about another passion, the war in Ukraine. Tweeting the same message more than a dozen times in one day. But the keyboard wasn't enough. Routh went to the region, arriving wearing a Hawaiian lei. Once in Kyiv, he spent weeks talking to reporters.

ROUTH: My initial goal was to go and fight. I'm 56, so initially they were like, well -- I have no military experience, so they were like you're not an ideal candidate.

LAH (voice-over): Instead, Routh set up camp in a main square.

ROUTH: Putin is a terrorist and he needs to be ended. So, we need everybody from around the globe to stop what they're doing and come here now.

I think more emotional for me is, also is just talking to the guys that have come here. You know, when you talk to 20-year-old guy that stole everything to come here and fight, that is heroism.

LAH (voice-over): This singularly driven man is who journalist, Michael Wasiura, met.

MICHAEL WASIURA, JOURNALIST, THE INSIDER: I don't find it difficult to believe he would take it upon himself to attempt to assassinate Donald Trump.

LAH (voice-over): Wasiura met Routh several times that year, describing him as eccentric and dedicated to big global causes.

ROUTH: This is about a center to help people when they come from other countries around the world.

WASIURA: This is someone who was very committed to causes that he believed in, demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice personal comfort and convenience in order to further those causes.

[08:35:00]

LAH: How does all of this now weave into the profile of someone who might take a semi-automatic rifle onto a golf course?

WASIURA: Ryan was not a normal guy. There's something about the combination of the times and the person that makes something like this not just possible, but not surprising.

LAH (voice-over): Because looking back, Wasiura says, there were so many clues.

ROUTH: I'm not sure that the world is as wonderful as I once thought it was. I thought that everyone would respond very generously and unselfishly. And it seems like that would be a no brainer, but I increasingly get more disappointed in humanity.

LAH: Many people CNN spoke with described Routh as erratic, manic, even delusional, especially when it came to the war in Ukraine. He had ideas like trying to bring in soldiers from Afghanistan to fight in Ukraine. CNN did reach out to Routh's son, who has a very different view of his father. He tells CNN in a statement, "It doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent."

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, Kyung. Thank you for that deep dive.

Now, this is a second apparent attempt on Trumps life. It's obviously raising new concerns about whether the Secret Service can adequately protect the former president. And also, a lot of concerns about the political climate right now and the threat environment we are living in. CNN's Senior Law Enforcement Analyst, Charles Ramsey, joining me now. Good to see you, Charles.

First off, I just wanted to get your take on what we are learning from this investigation. And it's really just unnerving to hear, number one, from the cell phone data that the suspect had been basically lying in wait for nearly 12 hours since two in the morning on Sunday. He got within 500 yards of the former president. Trump's movements. I mean, this was off-the-record, so it was not pre-planned. And although the suspect did not have any line of sight for the president, I mean, what are your thoughts on this? I mean, is this a major failure by the security -- Secret Service?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it is troubling. There's no question about that. I mean, he was lying in wait for 12 hours. That's a long time. My question is, where was his car during that period of time? Obviously, when he was discovered by Secret Service, according to witnesses, he ran to his car and it was suspicious enough for someone to take a photograph. That means that car had to be somewhere close by. Nobody noticed that car? I mean, at the very least, that should be a tow zone where any unintended car is immediately relocated or towed away. So, that's a security issue there.

As far as from the press conference yesterday, he obviously did not take any shot nor did he have a line of sight for the president at the time. It's going to make it very difficult to try to charge him with some attempted assassination. But as far as Secret Service goes, we know that they're stretched thin. They have a lot of protectees. The current political environment is very, very dangerous, heated rhetoric coming from candidates is causing a great deal of concern not only for Secret Service, but it should be a concern to all of us.

And do they need additional support? Yeah. But they're not going to get it between now and the election. So, they're going to have to rely very heavily on state and local police. That's a golf club that he frequents quite a bit. And so, they should have -- in fact, I believe they did have pre-planned security, but that's got to be beefed up. There's no way a car should be able to sit that close. I don't know exactly where the car was, but it'd be interesting to find out. It had to be relatively close. And if he's in the bushes 12 hours, that means that car was on there for 10 to 12 hours.

WALKER: Yeah. That's a really good point you bring up. I mean, where was that car and why wasn't it noticed? You spoke about the heated rhetoric. Let's focus on that for a moment because what's different about the Butler attempt and the Florida attempt is that you have Trump quickly and his running mate, pivoting to political attacks.

Trump said this in a Fox News digital interview regarding the gunman that he believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris and he acted on it, Trump says. The rhetoric is causing me to be shot at when I am the one who is going to save the country and they're the ones that are destroying the country, both from the inside and out. And then J.D. Vance said this at a dinner in Atlanta, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VANCE: You know, the big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months. I'd say that's pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric and needs to cut this crap out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:40:00]

WALKER: What concerns you about these words?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, when you listen to J.D. Vance for an example, and he's saying no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris. Is he inviting someone to try to kill her? I mean, you know, we have a lot of people that are mentally unstable out here and they take those words and interpret them entirely differently than someone else of a normal state of mind. I mean, nobody has used more heated rhetoric in my opinion than Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. Now, that's not saying that others don't do it too.

But I mean, come on? I mean, when you listen to what they have to say, there'll be a blood bath. If I'm not elected, all those kinds of things that's being said, it's causing an environment where it's dangerous not only to candidates, but look at election officials, look at poll workers, look at all these folks that are being threatened. I mean, that's not happening by accident. That's happening because of what's being said by political figures in this country. And it's got to stop. This isn't a game. I've spent 47 years of my life in policing. These streets can get very mean, very dangerous very quickly and we don't -- and it doesn't need any help from politicians to make it worse.

WALKER: Yeah, then if you're part of Kamala -- if you're part of Kamala Harris' campaign, what -- how do you take these words? I mean, are you stepping up security as well?

RAMSEY: Well, yeah. You have to. Now, she's vice president, so she's got a pretty good security package. But even with that, you got to beef it up best you can because, again, you know, is that just a statement or are you inviting someone to try to make an attempt on the vice president's life? I mean, there was no need even say that.

WALKER: Right.

RAMSEY: No need at all. I mean, listen, I'm glad he wasn't injured as a result of either assassination attempt. And we should all be grateful for that. But if that's not a lesson in calming things down, I mean, what's it going to take? And if you look at what's going on now with the attack on Haitians in Springfield, it's just a matter of time before some nut goes there and just shoes the first black person they see on the street there, because they won't know if they are Haitian or African American, or what the heck they are.

They're just going to take some action. We've got a lot of mentally deranged people in this country and you add on top of that a flood of guns that are in our country. I mean, that's a recipe for trouble. And again, we don't need politicians to dump fuel on the fire. Shut up and just do what you can to campaign on issues to try to get elected; leave all this other crap out of it.

WALKER: Yeah. Well, you speak common sense but I don't know that they will be listening to you. In fact, Trump will be holding his first rally Tuesday night, right, tonight, since the second assassination attempt on him. He's going to be in Flint, Michigan. Will see what more he has to say about this attempt on his life. But in terms of the security posture, I mean, how is that going to change for Trump? Do you think it's a good idea for him to be out there so soon?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, you're not going to stop him from being out there and you're not going to stop from playing golf, nor should you. I mean, he's got to do what he's got to do. I don't have a problem with that at all. And will they have to beef up security? Absolutely. You know, I was chief at D.C. before 9/11 and after 9/11, and I remember what the security package for a president, vice president looked like before 9/11. After, how it was beefed up, after 9/11, which made a lot of sense. But it also was beefed up for heads of state that came in, particularly people like the prime minister of Israel, Britain, and things like that because they were high-risk individuals. So you had to beef up the security package.

And I believe something similar now is going to happen. Not so much with the vice president. She has already got a package, they'll enhance that even more. But with the other candidates as well, they will get an enhanced security package and Secret Service has to rely on outside help because they are short staffed. They are.

WALKER: Charles Ramsey, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you very much.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

WALKER: Let's turn now to a story that our guest, Charles Ramsey, he mentioned just a moment ago. The governor of Ohio has announced additional law enforcement patrols at schools amid the fallout from those false claims, those conspiracy theories being made about Haitian immigrants. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two elementary schools in Springfield, Ohio evacuated on Monday. Two college campuses there, Clark State College and Wittenberg University shut down. Classes being held virtually because of bomb and shooting threats. Some of the threats targeting the Haitian communities at the schools and in town.

DAVE YOST, OHIO REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: A bomb threat, particularly one that disrupts something like a school, is a very serious crime. It's a felony. Whoever is responsible, knock it off. You could go to prison on this.

[08:45:00] TODD (voice-over): Government buildings in Springfield have also received threats in recent days. The threats come in the wake of a disturbing sequence of falsehoods about the Haitian community in Springfield. Republican Vice Presidential Candidate, J.D. Vance, who is from Ohio, picked up on internet rumors that Haitian immigrants in the town were eating people's pets. Then, former President Donald Trump amplified those rumors at last week's debate.

TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.

TODD (voice-over): In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Springfield's mayor again had to knock down the rumors.

MAYOR ROB RUE, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: And we just have no verifiable claim that this is actually happening.

TODD (voice-over): Still, J.D. Vance in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash doubled down on the false claim, but provided no evidence for it. Then Vance said this.

VANCE: If I have to create stories, so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana.

TODD (voice-over): But then, pressed by Bash on whether he created the whole story, Vance said this.

VANCE: I say that we are creating a story, meaning we are creating the American media focusing on it.

TODD (voice-over): Neither Vance nor Trump have moved away from the false claims of pets being eaten in Springfield, even when Trump was asked over the weekend if he would denounce the recent threats.

TRUMP: I don't know what happened with the bomb threats. I know that it's been taken over by illegal migrants and that's a terrible thing that happened.

TODD (voice-over): Trump has threatened to conduct large deportations from Springfield if he's elected. Thousands of Haitians, the vast majority of whom are in the United States legally, have settled in Springfield in recent years, many of them to take jobs in new factories. Officials there say the local economy has improved, but there has been a strain on the town's infrastructure. So far, there's been no actual reported violence toward the Haitian community in Springfield, but one hate speech monitor worries about what's ahead.

IMRAN AHMED, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: There are some people that still can't tell the difference between the lies they see on social media and reality, and the fear is that one of them will take real violent action against the Haitian community.

TODD: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, said in a recent interview that the rumors of Haitian immigrants eating pets was, "a piece of garbage that was simply not true." DeWine expressed support for the Haitian immigrants in Springfield and said the discussions of them eating dogs and cats have to stop.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps, especially among teenagers, but are they safe online? Next, we'll tell you about Instagram's new tool to help give parents some reassurance

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Parents of teenagers will soon have a bit more control over what their children do online. Instagram has just announced it is implementing a new teen account setting which lets parents have more control over their children's social media accounts.

[08:50:00]

This new feature allows 16 and 17-year-old to change their settings, but 13 to 15-year-olds must get their parent's approval first. Here is why this is important. Pew Research found that 59 percent of U.S. teens between 13 and 17 use Instagram. Lots of numbers there, but we've got Clare Duffy from CNN Business joining us now to explain how all this works. So, take us through these features, of this new Instagram for teens and how it's different.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, Amara. So starting next week, Instagram is going to start automatically applying these new teen account settings for all users under the age of 18. So, here's what that will look like. Users under the age of 18 will automatically have their accounts changed to private. So even if you're a teen influencer, your account will automatically be moved to private. Instagram is also going to be restricting who can message teens, who can tag them in photos and comments to only people that they follow. It will be limiting the kinds of sensitive content that teens can see in their feed.

So for example, fewer posts promoting cosmetic procedures and it is going to default teen accounts into sleep mode, which means that their notifications will be muted overnight and messages will receive an auto response. And it's going to be reminding teens to get off the app after they spent one hour each day on the platform. And you mentioned this in the intro, but I want to reiterate it, because I think this is the biggest part of this change. Teens who are 16 and 17 can get back in and manually change these settings that they want to, but teens who are 13 to 15 will have to receive parental approval through the app.

So that means if they don't already have their account not linked to a parent's account for supervision, they're going to have to set that up if they want less restrictive setting. So in theory, that should give parents a bit more control over what their teens are seeing on the app and how much time they're spending there, Amara.

WALKER: All right. So a bit more -- another layer, I guess, a small layer of protection then, but tell us the why behind this and why this new version is being rolled out now.

DUFFY: Yeah, Meta and Instagram have for about the past three years been facing really intense pressure to do more to protect teens on the app from things like addiction, spending too much time on the platform, seeing really problematic types of content on there, and potentially falling down these problematic content rabbit holes. The platform has rolled off sort of one-off policy changes, changing the way that teens see certain kinds of content, or nudging them to spend less time scrolling. But this is a much more comprehensive approach to teen safety here.

But I will say there are still potentially ways around this. Teens can simply lie about their age when they sign up for a new account on the platform, although Instagram says that it's rolling out new AI to try to catch them when they do this. And critics are also pointing out that this doesn't change the fundamental business model of Meta, where it's profiting from the attention and the time that teens are spending on this platform. But certainly, it is going to be a bit more reassurance turns for parents. I think.

WALKER: Probably need these kinds of new settings as well. Clare Duffy, good to see you. Thanks so much.

DUFFY: Thanks.

WALKER: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: An Estonian man completed a daredevil stunt on Sunday, a cross-continental caper, you might say. I took Jaan Roose 47 minutes to walk a slackline setup between the legs of Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge.

[08:55:00]

The walk lasted about 47 minutes and took him from Asia to Europe. Look at the vantage point. We are talking about more than 165 meters above sea level. Roose says traffic below and planes and helicopters is above were a distraction at times -- yes, I'd imagine so. And when his arms cramped, he says he rested and admired the old city beneath him. I guess, he doesn't have a fear of heights. Wow.

Finally, China's mid-autumn festival is being celebrated by everyone, including zoo animals. In honor of the annual holiday, animals in at least two zoos are enjoying special treats in the shape of mooncakes, a baked good eaten during the festival. Zoo workers say the mooncakes are made keeping in mind each of the animal's dietary needs, with ingredients ranging from fruits and vegetables to nuts -- it's beautiful -- and steamed cornbread. It may not be the real thing, but the animals seem to enjoy it.

Awesome. That's my time. Thanks for joining me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Eleni Giokos is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:00:00]