We begin this morning with our breaking news. Former President Donald Trump is safe and a 20 -year -old shooter is dead after shocking assassination attempt on the former president in Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon. Former President Trump described the attack in his own words, revealing that a bullet had ripped through the upper right part of his ear, sayin, quote, I n immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Then much bleeding took place, unquote. This morning, former President Trump added, 'It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.' He added, 'it is more important than ever that we stand united.' This was the closest call on a president or former president's safety since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. Authorities say they have identified the gunman as Thomas Michael Crooks, a 20-year-old man who lived in nearby Bethel Park north of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Crooks was killed by U.S. Secret Service agents, and the FBI says they are working to learn his motive. Public records suggest Crooks was a registered Republican. He made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group in 2021. One person attending the Butler, Pennsylvania rally was killed in the attack, and two others are in critical condition. President Biden is set to be briefed again this morning at the White House. He spoke with President Trump last night and joined the condemnation of political violence as law enforcement confronts a deeply unsettling security failure. Kristen, you've been speaking with Trump's team. What are they saying this morning, and what might we actually hear from the former president and see him again? Well, unclear when we're going to see him again, but we did just hear from Untruth Social, which I'll get to. But when I'm talking to his advisors and aides, what I'm hearing from them is two things. One, they are shaken, but two, they are defiant. So just to address how they are feeling, there are a lot of people I've spoken to who are very rattled. Remember, these are people who are with him; they're with him all the time. They believe that if any of the circumstances had been different, he could have been killed. They don't understand how this happened; how this could have happened. And we know the campaign is addressing this. In a memo last night from Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, those are the two campaign heads, they sent this out to these campaign aides, essentially telling them that if they were in Washington, D.C., or West Palm Beach, to stay away from the offices. They know this is an ongoing threat, reaching out to these campaign aides to offer assurances that every day is a day that everybody is going to be protected. Now, when it comes to that defiance, that's something we've heard from Donald Trump's team before, whenever he has faced any kind of obstacle. But this is the first time I'm really seeing that kind of resolve from the people around him, doubling down, saying that he's stronger than ever, talking about how brave he is, and really talking about how they believe this is going to impact the election, that this is going to be, at the end of the day, positive for him to show that he is a quote-unquote fighter. Now, I do. I'm going to say we've seen some of that defiance from the foreign president himself, posting on True Social, and this is what he said: 'Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will fear not, but instead remain resilient in our faith and defiant in the face of wickedness.' Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our troops we stand united and show character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win. I truly love our country and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin. Obviously, they're referring to the Republican National Convention. Now, he's going to travel in tonight or tomorrow morning. No word yet on whether or not that has changed, but we do know that he is at his Bedminster home nearby where we are right now. Alright, Kristen Holmes, we're going to be assessing the fallout later in the show as well. Thank you for that report from New York. And the investigation into this shooting is just getting started. To talk more about what we know and what comes next, I'm joined by Jonathan Ratgrove, who's a CNN law enforcement analyst. He's also a former Secret Service agent. And Juliette Kayyem, CNN senior national security analyst and former assistant secretary for Homeland Security. Good morning to you both. Thank you so much for joining me. Jonathan, let's start with you because we know who the suspect is. So how are the investigators now going to try to piece together what his motive was? Well, listen, you know, the investigative phase that we're in right now is actually going to be conducted by the FBI because it is a criminal matter. The Secret Service is going to have a parallel investigation, really around mission assurance and trying to figure out what vulnerability was potentially missed. Was there a potential lapse in security in their planning to ensure that moving forward that their protective methodology remains intact? But from an investigative standpoint, the FBI right now is looking at everything in this suspect's life. They're looking at all of their known connections. They're looking at all of their digital information to see: is this individual aligned to a particular ideology? Are they politically aligned somewhere or politically motivated? And they were trying to, you know, further some sort of aspect of that. There's a lot of unknowns that, you know, have just not come out with this suspect right now. But what we do know is that they had access to a high-powered rifle. They had knowledge of this site where they were able to get out into an elevated position without drawing the attention of law enforcement. So there are a lot of questions from the investigative side that need to be answered. And that hopefully we'll get some of those answers quickly from both the FBI and the Secret Service. And, Juliet, how do you see the investigation playing out? And what is the likelihood? What is the likelihood that this shooter was acting alone? So we don't know the answer to that question yet, at least from the bio that we know so far. He didn't seem to be exceptionally politically engaged. There's talk about his registration into the Republican Party. We don't know, honestly, if that was because he wanted to vote against Donald Trump in the Republican primary. So there's a lot of questions about his political affiliations. Well, we'll wait to determine where that leads. But no known evidence now that he was part of a larger network, although, of course, that's going to be reviewed. You know, I don't really believe in the lone wolf theory of terrorism or assassination anymore. These men, generally, young men, are getting incited online through a variety of mechanisms. So they'll want to determine, you know, was he in the rabbit hole, so to speak, of the kind of violence that led him to this. I think the second thing I would say is that there's a lot of evidence that says that he was part of a larger network. I think the second thing I would say is that there's a lot of evidence that says that he was part of a larger network. The second piece, of course, is access to the gun. This was an AR-type rifle. We know the controversies around that right now. If there is going to be any criminal liability since he is dead, I have no doubt the investigation will head towards his access to the gun, how he purchased it, how he acquired it, and whether that was lawful. So, that's where this investigation is going to go. Evan, the FBI has been warning for years of the rise of domestic terrorism. What are you learning? What are you learning about this investigation? Well, Jake, it is being considered a domestic terrorism attack. Obviously, the fact that someone targeted the former president, the person who is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party in the presidential election, all of that is part of this investigation now. Now, at this point, you know, the FBI, obviously, the fact that the shooter, the suspected shooter is dead, the FBI is going to have to put together. You know, the FBI is going to have to put together the motive and other things that led to this. They're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Last night, we know that they went to the home where he has been living. There were family members have moved out of there now, but they're being talked to. There's also search warrants being issued to be able to gather some of the evidence. Again, one of the things that the FBI is trying to do is put together a picture of this shooter in the last few weeks, in the last few days. How long has he been thinking about it? How long has he been plotting this? Did he go to this site to do some kind of reconnaissance before he did it? Where was his training from? Where did he get the gun? All of these things now are part of this investigation. Of course, the fact that, as Elena pointed out, this person got to about a football field and a half distance from this podium, that's another part of this investigation. We anticipate that there's going to be some very, very important questions that the Secret Service is going to have to answer, Jake. Because, obviously. There was some heroic actions by the snipers, the counter-snipers, that took him out seconds after this incident began. But the question is, why wasn't that roof, which was within, obviously, within a shot of the former president, why wasn't that swept, why wasn't that cleared beforehand? Those are big, important questions that have to be answered in the coming days. Jake? All right. Evan Pettis, thank you so much. Joining us now, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. He's a Democrat from western Pennsylvania. Senator, thank you so much for joining us on this horrible, horrible day. What is your reaction to what we saw in Pennsylvania last night, the attempted assassination of former President Trump? It's shocking, and it's a dark day for our nation. Absolutely. I mean, I was in stun. I was actually close by that at the time. And, sadly, I was actually in that region to attend. And there was a vigil for a trans teen who was murdered there. And it was just a very sad night. Then, of course, I immediately thought, 'I'm just so glad that Donald Trump is going to be okay.' My heart goes out to people who have lost their lives and all of that. It isn't about politics or anything other than just condemning the strongest kinds of terms about this kind of violence and where we are at. Yeah, you know this part of Pennsylvania very well. The shooting happened about an hour north of where you live. What are you hearing from federal, state, and local law enforcement? If anything, nothing specific or anything like that. But I just would like to remind that, for me, this isn't about an opportunity for politics or strategy or how this might play out or the visuals or anything like that. You know, this was a — It was an incredibly dark day for Pennsylvania, but for our nation as well, too. I can't believe that we're actually in that place. And it's that same kind of a shock. I mean, I was in a campaign back in 2018 when the Tree of Life, where there's kind of shock and this kind of violence. And my instinct was seriously like, 'Hey, this isn't about politics,' and suspending that kind of traditional politics, and just condemn the kind of tragedy that happened. I mean, I was in a campaign back in 2018 when the Tree of Life synagogue, where there's kind of shock and this kind of violence occurred. And my instinct was seriously like, 'Hey, this isn't about politics,' and suspending that kind of tragedy, and just condemn the kind of tragedy that happened here today. And just so sad that this is the kind of place where we could be at in our nation. Obviously, the fault of what happened is the shooters' and the shooters alone; an assassination attempt on a former president, one innocent person killed, two people wounded. But beyond that, this was obviously a security failure, whether it was the police or the U.S. Secret Service. Obviously, that roof should not have—That roof should not have been a place where somebody with a rifle should have been able to go, only 500 yards away from where the president, the former president was. Do you think Congress needs to investigate what went so wrong here? Well, of course, that might be necessary to find out if there were any kinds of security failures or anything. But that's going to—that answer, we have to wait for the investigation. But what we can't forget is that we can't assume that these kinds of things can't happen again. And we just have to turn down the kind - the temperature on this. And this election is going to be the biggest kind of election in our lifetime. And we have months ahead of us, so much more can happen. But I just want to remind us for this week, I'm not now more focusing on the tragedy that would happen here. And I'm not going to make it about politics where it is. And I'm just grateful that the former president now is making a full recovery, and so sad for anyone who was killed. And I hope that the two people who have been critically injured are able to be okay. For those who haven't been following your career as closely as Pennsylvanians like myself have, you have nine dates tattooed on your arm. Those dates commemorate the violent deaths that occurred in Braddock, Pennsylvania, when you were the mayor. So, the idea of violence and gun violence - are part of you and who you are and your career, trying to rid this nation of this epidemic. And I just wonder, what goes through your mind when you see yet another horrific incident of violence like this in Pennsylvania? It's just heartbreaking again. And what you're referencing, yes, they're there. No, it isn't. And violence, whether it happens because of a gun or because a child was beaten - was beaten to death. Death because of how she identified and all that. And it's just heartbreaking. I mean, my drive back home last night from northwestern Pennsylvania was just - I was just incredibly sad. And I wasn't in - I just can't believe that this is the place where our nation is there. And because we have this election coming up, I just - it's hard to really understand. And here we were, I guess. You know, the Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and that could have been - how this could have been a couple inches more with how that could have happened in there. I'm just so grateful that former President Trump is okay. And again, being right there and seeing what's happened, it's something that we have to process on this. And I don't think politics or blame - blame or the kinds of who or this or that - this is just needing for all of us to turn down any kind of the temperature and just be grateful that fewer kinds of people have lost their lives. And now we have - can't remember that all the kinds of countless events that are going to be part of this gigantic election, that we have to make sure that this can never happen again. Joining us now to talk more about everything is the former chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin. And let's just start with the horrible news, your reaction to what happened yesterday. Well, here's a little bipartisanship. I think what Senator Fenneman said, he said well. It was shocking. It's sad. You know, my tweet was: 'Pray for President Trump, pray for America, pray for the family of the deceased rally-goer and two individuals who were grievously injured.' And we, if this moment can turn into a moment of healing and unity, if people can understand what's at stake, and the road we're going down, as President Lincoln said, 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' I've been saying for quite some time, as much as we're not addressing our debt and deficit issue, I think the greatest threat to America right now is the fact that we're horribly divided. But the good news, Jake, is there's no reason for us to be divided. Honestly, if you consider the main goals in life, most Americans, most people globally are in agreement. We want safety, we want security, we want enough opportunity so we can provide for ourselves and our family. Let's focus on those areas of agreement. Let's turn this moment into a moment that helps us down that path of healing and unity. That's certainly what President Trump tweeted today on True Social. Absolutely, there needs to be more unity. In terms of what went wrong, and again, obviously, the fault lies entirely with the shooter, full stop. But that said, there is an entire agency, the U.S. Secret Service, who is charged with keeping people like President Trump safe. Obviously, law enforcement as well in Butler County. There are questions about what was done. As the former chair of the Committee on Homeland Security in the Senate, do you think there need to be hearings? Do you think there needs to be questions raised about what went wrong? Because if it is true that the shooter was at an elevation in a farm area, so there really weren't that many buildings, and only about 500 yards away from the president, that does seem like a failure. It was a failure. There will absolutely have to be congressional oversight hearings. I mean, I think first you let the investigation proceed, conclude. And then the Department of Justice, Secret Service, FBI need to be completely transparent. I mean, completely transparent. It's not been so in the past. So, that we can take a look at that and so the American people can have comfort that this has been fully investigated and we know exactly what happened here. We've learned that the shooter was 20 years old. He's from western Pennsylvania. His name was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was a registered Republican. He gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned group. Other than that, we don't know much more about him, of those of us in the public. Do you know anything more? No. But one thing I do know, and this was one of my first reactions. It happened so fast. It was on TV. The incident was over. You could see that President Trump was okay. We didn't know about the deceased person at the time. But my first thought was: President Trump knew exactly the risks he was taking running for reelection. He knew he'd be vilified. He probably didn't understand the full extent of lawfare. He realized his life would be at risk. But he did it anyway. And you know why, Jake? Because President Trump loves this country. And that's the other thing I would say about his supporters, those rally-goers. If there's one attribute that Trump supporters have in common, they fervently love this country. And so if the rest of America can understand that about Donald Trump, about the people who support Donald Trump, I think they love this country as well. There's a good place to start the healing and unification of this country. We need to understand that about each other. You were already concerned about the security situation at the convention this week in your home state here of Wisconsin. What additional precautions are you urging the Secret Service to take? And are you confident Milwaukee will be safe this week? Well, they already did respond to the concern we had with the gathering area. They've moved that away. They've listed out parade routes. I know there's a lot of manpower here, and that's the first step to security. You have to have people, law enforcement, present to deter any kind of violence. So again, Wisconsinites, I told you before the show, Minnesota nice, Wisconsin even nicer. We're nice people. I'm not concerned about Wisconsin citizens. I'd be concerned about outside agitators. But obviously, I think this is just going to heighten security. And it needs to be heightened. You said something about how we all love our country. And I think it's generally true. Most Americans do love their country. One thing that I have found upsetting, if I can editorialize for one second, is the degree to which so many Americans claim to love their country but hate their fellow Americans. And I'm not talking about Republicans or Democrats. I see it everywhere, everywhere. And I'm wondering if that's something that concerns you too. It does. That's what I said. The greatest threat to our nation right now is we're horribly divided. In general, we share the same goals. So, you know, why are we so divided? Well, there are political figures. There are political groups. I would argue that's what identity politics is about. That's what critical race theory is about. So, there are people who are purposely trying to divide us for political advantage. Resist it. Don't let them get away with it. And again, start talking to each other. That's part of the problem with social media today - we've lost that sense of community. You know, these civic organizations; they're not as robust as they used to be. And everybody, you know, it's awful easy. You get pretty nasty on social media. And that ends up being kind of how we socialize. We need to get out in our community and, again, find the areas of agreement. You know, acknowledge the fact that we do love this country, that America is something precious. It needs to be preserved. But the only way to preserve it is if we can unify and heal it. Tim, let me ask you: when you first saw this, given all the history that you know, what was your thought? Shock. Sadness. Anger. A sense that we were at an inflection point. And I didn't know which direction we'd go in, whether we would see more violence or a ratcheting down of the tensions. This summer has been a not just a summer, the entire this entire presidential campaign has been filled with apocalyptic language. Adversity. The adversaries were enemies. People who didn't share your views were vermin. The outcome of the election would be the end of democracy. These are apocalyptic terms. And in a social media drenched environment, there are so many tortured souls who are willing and prepared to act on this kind of language. So my concern immediately was for the president, former president. But secondly, it was for the country. Where are we going next? Will it get worse? And I don't know the answer. Ian, what were your thoughts? I wasn't surprised. I wish I could say I was. There are so many things that are unprecedented in this political environment for the United States that we're normalizing and we shouldn't be. They don't happen in other democracies around the world right now. Certainly not in their election cycles. You and I have talked about many elections this year. This one is unusual. It's set against everything that Tim just said. All of the political polarization, all of the violence in imagery and language that has created more extremism. When you feel like your enemy is a domestic enemy who's trying to destroy your system and the values you have. We also have by far more guns in this country than in any other advanced industrial democracy. We have an enormous mental illness problem. So, you put those things together. I mean, if anything, you're surprised that you've had so little political violence actually in the United States thus far. But this is a really big deal. It would have been vastly worse. I mean, we were this close to the president being assassinated. And I shudder to think about the violence that we'd be seeing in the country if that would have occurred. But this is not just a warning shot, Fareed. This is our country, our democracy in crisis. And we need to see what we're going to do about it. Evan Osnos, let me bring you in here. What are your thoughts to begin with? You know, I see this as a part of a very long and worrisome pattern in American life. There has always been this contest between reason and force. It's this seesawing battle that goes back through our history between the instinct to say 'I will persuade my adversary and his followers' or to say 'I will force them to take my point of view'. Or, mean, Lincoln talked about unimpassioned reason as the core of his idea. And, of course, as we know, that did not prevent either the assassination in his life or the Civil War. And there has been ever since this seesawing fight. And it's been at times we talk about the paranoid style, what Richard Hofstadter talked about in American history. But there has always been a violent style. And our struggle, our urgent demand at this point in time has always been non-violence. And what we have to do at this point is to make sure that that does not prevail in this moment. But this is a massively uncertain time for any of us who think about politics and the history in this country. Tim, when you think about, you know, historical parallels, one is struck by - one is struck by is 1968. Ironically, you know, it's happening. '68 was in Chicago that you had a Democratic convention, as you have one here. And you had Martin Luther King assassinated. You had Robert Kennedy assassinated in '72, which I think of as the holdover of that '68 spirit. You had George Wallace, the attempted assassination. What was it about that period that makes you resemble or is different from this one? And in addition, the whole question about whether a president who is on track to run again will step aside. Also, a meme from 1968. As Evan mentioned, and as Ian alluded to, we've had cycles of political violence in our country. Political violence is bred in the bone. I'll leave it to sociologists to explain why. Because we identify our hopes and dreams with individuals, because of the importance of the presidency, those who would want to dash our hopes, those who would want to change history, focus on a man. And they point that anger and hatred towards that man. And then they use guns to do the most undemocratic of things, which is to deny a choice to the people. And we've seen this over and over again in our history. And it happens in those moments of political ferment when our world, whatever that world was, seems to be coming to an end. In the 60s, it was because of Vietnam. It was because, thankfully, we had this civil rights revolution that was going to break apart the apartheid system in the South. But for some, that produced an apocalyptic vision. It's these moments of great, huge social change, which Richard Hofstadter wrote, that we see some searching for a way out, and they opt for violence to take that way out.