Acting AG Todd Blanche, Rep. Jamie Raskin and more — Face the Nation Full Broadcast - April 26, 2026

[0:15] Good morning and welcome to Face the Nation. I'm Margaret Brennan. [0:18] Washington is waking up to what still feels to those of us who were in attendance, [0:23] or even those watching on live television, to be an unreal experience. [0:29] But it's an experience that's becoming more and more common in these times of political turmoil. [0:35] Last night at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner, [0:39] shots rang out as President Trump and his Cabinet, members of Congress, [0:43] and hundreds of journalists attended the annual event honoring the First Amendment, [0:48] freedom of the press. Secret Service agents quickly tackled the alleged shooter outside the ballroom [0:53] following a brief exchange of gunfire. A Secret Service agent was hit during the attack, [0:58] but protected from serious injury by his bulletproof vest. [1:02] The president praised the quick actions of law enforcement that prevented the assailant [1:07] from entering the ballroom, a breach which could have led to a more tragic outcome. [1:12] We've got a lot to get to, including an interview with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. [1:17] But we begin with a report from senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe. [1:22] Attending the dinner for the first time as Commander-in-Chief, [1:29] President Trump took his place at the front of the room. [1:33] And we're going to get started now, so enjoy your dinner, and we'll be back. Thank you. [1:37] Eleven minutes later, as guests settle into their meals, [1:42] mentalist Oz Perlman, the scheduled entertainer, was showing the president and First Lady a trick. [1:48] Then, in the back of the room, plates crashed as attendees dove to the floor and under tables. [2:03] Some could smell gunpowder. In 10 seconds, the Secret Service surrounded and whisked out the first [2:10] couple. They nearly lifted the vice president out of the room. Surveillance footage shows the suspect, [2:16] 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, raced by magnetometers just a [2:22] staircase above the ballroom. He was quickly tackled and apprehended. [2:27] With the suspect detained, guests climbed up from under the tables and picked themselves off the [2:32] floor. Secret Service began to secure the room and the kitchen. It started sweeping out other senior [2:39] officials. The Treasury Secretary, the House Speaker, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. [2:47] Kennedy Jr., whose father and uncle were assassinated. Also in attendance, Erica Kirk, [2:56] whose husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was assassinated last year. [3:01] The White House Correspondents' Dinner is one of the biggest events of Washington's social calendar, [3:07] held at the Washington Hilton, one of the Capitol's largest public spaces. It's also where President [3:14] Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981, after speaking in the very same ballroom. The president, [3:21] who'd wanted to continue with the dinner, was held backstage by Secret Service for more than an hour. [3:26] When he returned to the White House, he and Cabinet Secretaries headed to the briefing room. [3:31] REP. RONALD REAGAN, President, President of the White House Secretary, [3:32] In that moment when you realize there was a threat and service agents were telling us to get down, [3:38] can you describe what was going through your mind, how you were feeling in that moment? [3:44] It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me a little bit. And that never [3:51] changes. The fact, we were sitting right next to each other, the first lady on my right, and I heard a noise [4:00] and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down. I've heard that many times, [4:06] and it was pretty loud noise. And it was from quite far away. He hadn't breached the area at all. [4:12] They really got him. But, so it was quite far away. But it was a gun. And some people [4:20] really understood that pretty quickly. Other people didn't. [4:22] When asked about the uptick in political violence last night, President Trump said he [4:27] tries not to dwell on it, but called his line of work, quote, a dangerous profession. [4:32] It was the third instance of a gunman in his vicinity in less than two years. [4:36] Margaret. Ed O'Keefe, still in last night's [4:39] tuxedo because you, like so many people on this program and at this network, [4:43] worked through the night. Thank you. [4:45] That's what we do. [4:45] Nicole Skanga, our Homeland Security and Justice [4:49] correspondent, is here with more on the investigation. Nicole, what do we know? [4:54] Yeah, Margaret, multiple sources tell CBS News that the gunman told law enforcement he was [5:00] targeting Trump administration officials. Sources now say that Allen's brother had also alerted [5:07] local police of alleged alarming writings that he shared with the family prior to the incident. [5:15] CCTV video reveals the moment the 31-year-old suspect sprinted past a security checkpoint, [5:22] charging toward the ballroom where President Trump, [5:24] Cabinet officials and roughly 2,500 guests were assembled. [5:29] It is clear, based upon what we know so far, [5:32] that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could. [5:37] Cole Allen, a teacher from Southern California, [5:40] opened fire at a uniformed division officer of the U.S. Secret Service [5:45] before agents tackled him to the ground, handcuffing him. [5:48] He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. [5:53] As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States [5:56] Secret Service intercepted that individual. Shouts of watch for crossfire as Secret Service [6:03] personnel and D.C. police rushed to the scene, agents from inside the ballroom and medics from [6:09] outside the hotel. Investigators are now combing through a hotel room at the Washington Hilton. [6:15] Authorities have also begun searching his California residents. [6:19] The public should also rest assured that there will be no stone unturned during this investigation. [6:26] According to his LinkedIn profile, the suspect worked for a tutoring and test prep company [6:31] and was awarded Teacher of the Month back in 2024. [6:35] He'd finished a master's in computer science last year. [6:39] He's now facing two felony charges, including assault on a federal officer. [6:44] White House officials tell our CBS News' Jennifer Jacobs that authorities have found [6:50] anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect's social media accounts. [6:55] We're also told by law enforcement sources both of his firearms were purchased legally in California. [7:01] As for the defendant, Margaret, he'll appear in federal court tomorrow. [7:07] We go now to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Welcome. Good morning. And I'm glad you are safe, sir. [7:16] It was a harrowing night. Good morning. You as well. [7:19] It was a harrowing night. I want to get straight to what we know now in the light of day. [7:25] The FBI, as I understand it, has gone to a home in Torrance, California, believed to belong to the [7:32] alleged shooter, most likely into his D.C. hotel room as well. What have they discovered there? What do we know? [7:38] Yes, that's right. So the FBI worked all night working with local law enforcement, [7:43] working with the Secret Service. They've executed various search warrants on locations, also on [7:48] devices that were recovered from the suspect. This investigation is just over 12 hours old, [7:55] so we still are actively looking at everything that happened. But as of now, we have collected [8:03] a fair amount of evidence, which we're now going through. [8:05] Any indication at this point that he was part of a group? Was there any foreign nexus to the [8:12] inspiration for the violence he attempted last night? [8:15] We're still looking into motivation, and that's something that hopefully we'll learn over the next [8:20] couple of days. We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, [8:26] that he was targeting members of the administration. We don't have specifics beyond that kind of general [8:33] statement from what we've learned so far. But we're actively talking to witnesses that knew him, [8:38] and talking to other individuals, and going through the material that we've collected. So I expect that [8:43] you will hear more about that in the coming days. [8:47] You mentioned a statement. Is the alleged shooter sharing details on what he was attempting to do? [8:55] What makes you say it was a threat to administration officials writ large? [9:00] Just based on the evidence we've collected, not a statement from the suspect, just from [9:06] what we've learned in our preliminary investigation. He's not actively cooperating. I expect that he [9:12] will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington, D.C., and we'll go from there. [9:18] So the Secret Service has said that the suspected gunman was staying in the hotel. He walked up to [9:23] a security checkpoint with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives. How long had he been [9:29] inside that hotel? And was there a security protocol for guests? [9:35] We're still understanding the security protocols that led to him being able to have firearms in [9:41] that hotel. We do believe he was staying in the hotel in the days leading up to last night. We [9:47] believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington, D.C. [9:54] As far as what happened with him coming down and breaching the perimeter, as you've seen from some [10:02] videos that have already been released, he was apprehended and subdued feet away from breaking the [10:08] perimeter. So we were all safe inside, and that's a testament to the Secret Service doing their job and [10:15] the law enforcement doing exactly what we hope and expect them to do in a time. They trained for this [10:22] their entire careers, and many of them never actually see it happen in real time, and it happened last [10:28] night, and they reacted exactly as they should have. [10:31] So the alleged shooter, as we just said, had multiple weapons in his possession. Here in the [10:36] District of Columbia, open carry is not permitted. You just said he traveled from California across the country by train. [10:43] At this point, are you thinking at the federal level of changing security protocols in any way to, [10:51] for example, match on trains what you are expected to go through when you fly, where you do have to [10:58] declare a weapon when you cross state lines? How did he travel by train without any challenge and arrive [11:04] here in the nation's capital? Look, this isn't about, in my mind, changing the law or making the laws more [11:10] restrictive around possession of firearms. It appears he purchased these firearms the past couple years. [11:16] We don't know how those firearms ended up in his possession in D.C. We can, we can make some [11:21] assumptions based upon what I just said about how he got to D.C., but I don't, I don't think the [11:27] narrative here is about changing laws or changing, making, making our laws more restrictive. This is [11:33] about law enforcement who are doing their jobs and, and, and a suspect who, who tried to do something [11:39] and, and failed miserably. Well, I'm not talking about changing the law in terms of possession of [11:43] a firearm. I'm asking about crossing state lines with that firearm and arriving the Capitol. If you [11:47] try to fly, you do have to have your firearms declared in some way. You don't when you get on a [11:53] train. Well, look, you are talking about, I mean, if we're asking the question, that's talking about [11:58] changing the laws. And, and I don't think that's something that we should be focused on right now in any way, [12:02] shape or form. Okay, not a loophole. There are lots of ways that, yeah. So, I mean, look, the, [12:07] we don't, and we also don't know, we don't have all the answers this morning. We're still looking [12:11] into, into what happened, how he got the guns, if he got them legally. But what we do know is, is that, [12:17] is that he tried to use them. He did have two firearms and some knives on his person when he tried to use [12:22] them. And, and he was stopped before he got anywhere near the president, before he got near any of us that [12:28] were in the room at the time of that, that this occurred. And, and that's, that's, again, we [12:33] can't, we can't overlook, and I'm not suggesting you are, but we can't overlook the great work of the [12:38] Secret Service last night. No, absolutely. We're all thankful for that. But we do see these kind of [12:43] threats at the local and state level as well for those who aren't as heavily protected as all of us in [12:48] that room were last night, which is why I ask you if you're reviewing that. U.S. Attorney for the District of [12:55] Columbia, Janine Pirro, said the suspect will be charged with two counts, using a firearm during [13:00] a violent crime and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Do you at this point [13:05] anticipate further charges? Yes, I, I, we'll see about further charges. So that's one of the things [13:12] that, that we need to go through the evidence. So there's a lot of federal charges that could be in [13:16] play beyond those two charges. But it depends on what, it depends on, on us understanding his motive, [13:21] his intent, his premeditation, that what led into him, him deciding that he was going to do what he [13:27] did last night. But just to be clear, those are very serious charges. He will have a, he will face a [13:34] judge as early as tomorrow morning for those two charges. But, but the investigation is, is, is brand [13:39] new. And so we will continue to investigate. And if there's more charges, they'll, they'll be brought. [13:44] He'll be charged via complaint and that'll be tomorrow morning. And then an indictment will come, [13:49] will come thereafter. And there could be additional charges in that indictment. But, [13:53] but we have to see as the evidence develops. So you must have attended past correspondence dinner. [14:00] I mean, for, for over 50 years, they've been held at this hotel. Last night, it was extraordinary [14:07] because we had the president, the vice president, the speaker of the house, the secretary of state, [14:13] the secretary of defense, the secretary of the treasury, all in the same room. [14:17] Those are five out of the top six leaders in that, that line of succession for this country, [14:23] should something have actually happened to the president himself. [14:27] Was there planning for that? I mean, when we have the state of the union, [14:30] there's a designated survivor. Was there an increased concern [14:33] about gathering all of our leadership in that room last night? [14:37] We will not stop doing things like we did last night in this administration. And this man, [14:43] if his, one of his goals was to get us to be scared, he failed. And, and let me just, [14:48] let me make clear that you're right. All those folks were in the room and more. And yet we were all safe. [14:54] Law enforcement did their jobs. And so president Trump said last night, and he means it, [14:58] and I very much agree with him that this type of conduct will not deter him. It will not stop him [15:03] from living. It will not stop him from doing his job. And, and that is not, not, not only him, [15:08] but the vice president, the cabinet, the law enforcement, you all journalists, [15:13] you're not going to stop doing your jobs either because of this, of this lone man that, that did what [15:17] he did. And so this is a, this is something that, that we all are still reacting to because it's, [15:24] it's fresh. But I assure you that the types of things that you saw last night and the president [15:29] being out there and available to the American public that will not change because of what this guy [15:34] tried to do last night. Well, there has been reporting over the past few months that due to this [15:39] increased threat environment, both on the domestic front, but also because of the war in Gaza, [15:43] because of the war in Iran, that there is an intensity to this moment and that there had [15:50] been an effort to not allow the vice president and president to be together because of the risk. [15:56] Why was that different? Vice president and president are together almost every day. [16:00] I mean, they're, they're together constantly. So that's false reporting? [16:03] Security. That's well, I see them together all the time. They were certainly together last night. And so, [16:08] look, I'm not, I'm not minimizing the, the threats that, that president Trump and the vice [16:13] president and that all the cabinet face every day for the reasons that you just described, [16:17] domestically, Iran, internationally. And that is why we have a robust law enforcement keeping us [16:23] safe and doing their jobs. It allows the vice president and president to do the work they need [16:28] to do. It allows the secretary of state to do the work that he needs to do. And so, [16:31] on the one hand, we take those threats very seriously, always have, and we always will. On the other hand, [16:38] we do not, the, the way we respond to those threats is not to go into a bunker and hide. [16:43] It's to trust the law enforcement that are, that are keeping us safe. And, and that's what happened [16:47] last night. And that's what I think we'll, we will continue to see going forward. [16:51] So, um, as I understand it, there was one injured secret service agent, [16:56] but as the president said, he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Um, can you tell us if he's been [17:01] released from the hospital? And to be clear, there were, there was gunfire happening. We believe [17:09] from our reporting that the shooter did get off some rounds. Was it the alleged shooter or alleged [17:16] assailant here who shot the secret service agent? That, that's what we, that's what we understand as [17:23] of now. And, and the president spoke with him last night. He was in great spirits. He apparently didn't [17:28] really even want to go to the hospital, although he was, he was certainly injured and it was the [17:32] right thing as far as whether he's been released. I, I don't want to get into his, you know, his [17:36] medical situation. That's not fair to him, but enough to say that, that we all heard his voice [17:41] last night. The president gave him words of encouragement and appreciation and thanking him [17:46] for the work that he's doing for, for all of us. And, and I will tell you, he was in very good spirits. [17:52] And so that's a, a tragedy avoided. And it is because he was wearing a, a bulletproof vest. [17:58] Um, I have to let you go, but writ large, is there thought of increasing the country's security [18:04] posture after last night? We have every single day we're focused on our security. And so I promise [18:10] you that, that the work that we were doing yesterday will continue today. And if there's [18:15] things that we need to adjust, we will. But last night was of all the bad things that happened last [18:19] night. And there were a lot, it was a tragic evening. It was also a success story when it [18:24] comes to the secret service and FBI and law enforcement of which we're, we're very grateful. [18:29] All right, Todd Blanche, thank you for your insights. And we'll be tracking the investigation [18:34] as it develops. Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us. [18:41] We're joined now by our senior White House correspondent, Weijia Zhang, who's currently [18:44] serving as the president of the White House Correspondents Association. Weijia, [18:49] thank you. It's been a very intense last few hours. You had just welcomed everyone. You had just [18:56] started off the evening when this event unfolded. I've seen video now of you, you crawling off of [19:03] the stage as the president was being whisked to safety. What was going on back there? Why didn't [19:09] the president leave? Margaret, it all happened so fast. And when we were still on stage, [19:16] we were in the middle of a very light moment with the entertainer who was doing a trick. And when [19:24] I heard something in the audience, I thought it was a protester or something we're very used to. But [19:30] then when I saw SWAT team members come to the head table and rush us to the ground and say, [19:37] down, down, down, we were crawling off the stage. And in the back, that is a holding area where people [19:45] wait, including President Trump and distinguished guests to go onto the stage. And we were sitting [19:52] there and I saw more than a dozen SWAT officers. There were members of the Secret Service milling [19:59] about. There were members of the president's team. And as you can imagine, a lot of conflicting [20:05] information because it had just unfolded. I will say it was remarkable to see that in action and to [20:11] understand it was their quick work that protected all of us that night, not just the president, [20:17] not just the cabinet, everybody in that hotel. And, you know, that is heartening. But obviously, [20:26] it was a tough situation for everybody that was there, including you. [20:31] You were very stoic, though. You had great grace under pressure. You had to go out. You had to talk to [20:37] everyone. And I know you shared that because you were in this role of the presidency, this was a [20:43] proud moment for you. Your seven-year-old daughter was there. Your parents were there. Your husband was [20:49] there. This was a lot. And I wonder what you think about this and why it was so important for all of [20:59] us to be gathered. How are you making sense? Have you? I think we're processing this still. [21:04] I think we're all processing it. I have covered countless shootings and murders and terrible things [21:12] in my career. And this is the first time that I've been on the other side of a potentially violent and [21:21] deadly situation. And no amount of reporting can prepare you for that. You're right that my family [21:28] was in the audience. And it was incredibly meaningful to have them there. And so that added an additional [21:36] complicated layer because I'm thinking about the safety of my members, the safety of all of our [21:42] dinner guests, and obviously at the forefront, the safety of the people who I can see who matter the [21:48] most to me. And we didn't have information. So when I was in the back, I didn't know if there was an [21:55] active threat. I was watching the monitors and keeping my eyes right on their table. But at the same [22:02] time, trying to find more information so I could share it with everyone in that room. And President [22:10] Trump called me to his holding room and briefed me before he sent out a post about the dinner being, [22:18] in his words, postponed and that he was going to have a press conference. And he really wanted to [22:24] talk it through and to explain that he himself realized how important that night was. [22:32] It's something we do every night. And when I did address the room, I reminded everyone that, [22:38] you know, the freedoms that we are celebrating tonight in the First Amendment are still incredibly [22:44] fragile. And I appreciate that the president acknowledged that. And he told me that we were not [22:52] going to be deterred. He refused to stand down. And that's why he was there, despite what had [22:59] unfolded. And I don't know what his team was telling him. They were relaying to me, [23:03] the president keeps saying he's not going anywhere. So that's why he stayed. [23:09] No, we kept hearing that with the, he wants to come back and can we leave? [23:12] We, I want, I want you to go home to your family. Thank you. Thank you very much for sharing with [23:20] us. We'll be right back. We turn now to Samantha Vinograt. She was a top homeland security official [23:32] in the Biden administration, is now a national security contributor here at CBS. And AT Smith [23:37] is a former deputy director of the Secret Service and now a CBS law enforcement analyst and joins us from [23:43] Greenville, South Carolina. Good to have you both here. Sam, you were in the room with us, [23:50] sheltering with some of our colleagues. As I understand it, you were close to the perimeter [23:56] and able to detect some of what was happening. I was struck. National Guard was there. Secret [24:02] Service was there. Private security was there. National Guard was there. The perimeter of the [24:07] security went out pretty darn far. There were protests surrounding the building. There weren't [24:12] just protests about Trump. There were protests around Jeffrey Epstein. There were protests about the [24:16] corporation that owns this news network. There were protests about the Iran war. How did you assess the [24:25] security situation last night? Well, Margaret, I think a lot of us are waking up this morning and asking [24:30] the basic question of, is anywhere safe? And the reality is that in this country, we are facing the most [24:36] complex threat environment in our nation's history, in particular from lone actors, individuals who [24:41] radicalize to violence, often online. In this scenario, two things can be true. It can be true [24:48] that law enforcement and intelligence professionals prepared exhaustively for last night. Weeks of [24:54] planning, intelligence gathering, physical security barriers, officers on site. But it can also be true [25:01] that in this moment, in this security environment, the paradigms of the past may not be sufficient to [25:07] meet the moment. And with that in mind, security professionals, as well as private citizens, need to [25:12] rethink what it is going to take to actually secure these mass gatherings where there are so many [25:18] protectees and what it's going to take to secure communities. It's frightening. I mean, AT, we're in a room [25:25] with the most heavily guarded man in the world. And yet this happened. The acting attorney general said [25:35] the system worked. In your view, did the system work? The system did work in terms of what the Secret [25:42] Service trains to do every day when it comes to covering and evacuating a protectee. And as you saw, [25:47] the security plan there had the scenario where the president and the vice president exited different [25:54] ways. They exited in different ways than the normal folks had come into the gathering. Having said that, [26:03] the Secret Service, as I've said many times, no one is more critical of themselves than the Secret [26:09] Service. So they're going to have to look at this very diligently in terms of this individual, how he was [26:16] able to run that magnetometer as he did and get as close as he did with two firearms. That is not acceptable, [26:23] and they will have to try to figure that part out and see what the intelligence and the investigation [26:31] is going to bring in terms of what this individual's history was. And then, as you said earlier, Margaret, [26:37] try to figure out exactly how he got those guns into the hotel. Did he avoid, as you said, taking [26:45] an airplane to get there and by using a train and so forth, was able to secrete them in some way and get [26:51] them there. So it's a tough thing. The Secret Service was very successful in how they did that. [26:57] And as Sam said, the perimeter around the hotel was exhaustive. But again, anytime you have [27:06] a breach like this, you've just got to address it and be your worst, you know, critic. [27:10] You know, A.T., I was speaking with some of our producers before the program. Many of us have traveled [27:16] with the president in the past and past presidents and other high-level officials. When the president [27:21] goes overseas or the vice president, they typically take over an entire hotel. Secret Service really [27:26] locks the place down. That didn't happen last night here on U.S. soil. Is that the kind of thing [27:31] we're going to start seeing that it'll be more sort of like an Israeli model? [27:34] You may have to. Particularly, you know, it's difficult because you have obviously a hotel [27:42] that's open to the public. They have other guests that are unassociated with the event last night. [27:47] And they are going to have to take a hard look at how you maybe screen those guests coming in. It's [27:53] very hard to necessarily know everything about everybody that's there. But probably one safety [27:59] scenario would be what you just said, to more or less lock down the hotel. [28:03] Mm-hmm. We don't normally do that in the United States. And usually, the Secret Service is very [28:09] successful at coordinating and sort of corralling that area, like the ballroom that's, you know, [28:16] going to be used for the event and making it secure. But again, they'll have to take a look at that. [28:20] And I said also that, you know, this was not a national special security event, but the planning, [28:27] preparation, the weeks of work really align it to that kind of a security plan. So I'm sure [28:34] in terms of parameters, that was all done. Sam, I think you make such a great point, [28:40] which is essentially you can't protect against the unexpected, right? You can't protect against [28:46] everything. We've talked about this, though. I mean, as parents, as human beings and being in that room, [28:54] so many of those lawmakers, so many of those journalists are dehumanized. They are attacked [29:00] online. They are attacking each other. You have a high level of animosity in the public space. People [29:08] were united, and the president said, he wasn't wrong in using that word, because they were all scared [29:15] of what was going to happen next. I don't know how we solve for that as a society, because it seems to [29:23] have really seeped in to our politics and to our conversations. I mean, it is just the new normal. [29:33] Every time an incident like this happens, the optimist in me thinks perhaps this will be a [29:38] turning point. Perhaps this will be a turning point where each and every person in this country [29:43] thinks about what they say and how they act. Words do matter, certainly. At the same time, [29:48] whenever an incident like this happens, and I say this, Margaret, as a mother and as a security [29:53] professional, I hope that it is also a wake-up call to law enforcement professionals to rethink [29:58] whether additional steps are needed, like perhaps screening guests coming into a public venue at a [30:03] mass gathering with a lot of protectees, but that it is also a wake-up call to every person in this [30:09] country to understand that they have a role to play in our homeland security. While law enforcement [30:14] looks at whether additional protocols are needed at various sites, every viewer, every person in this [30:19] country needs to say something when they see something. An individual in their circle, at their [30:25] workplace, in their family, is demonstrating signs that they could be going down a pathway to violence. [30:30] They need to ask for help from a law enforcement professional or other trained official. And we [30:34] need to really devote all the resources that we can to ensuring that the integration between state [30:40] and local and federal officials is not just where it was before, but tighter than ever, so that we can [30:46] try to prevent these incidents from happening in the future. Sam, I'm glad you're safe. I'm glad you're [30:51] with us. AT, thank you very much for your insights. We'll be right back. And we're back now with Maryland [31:01] Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin. Congressman, you were there last night. Yes, indeed. One of the [31:07] guests in the ballroom. Unfortunately, this is not your first encounter with political violence [31:13] for many people in that room. The president, Steve Scalise, who survived a shooting himself, Charlie [31:19] Kirk's widow was there. Um, RFK Jr., as we mentioned, and you were at that Capitol on January the 6th, [31:27] sheltering in fear for your life at that period of time. How did that influence what happened last [31:33] night? What did you do? So, um, I just entered the room and I was talking to some reporters who [31:40] approached me from the Boston Globe. Their table was right near the perimeter as I was entering the [31:45] ballroom. Uh, Kerry Kennedy was their guest and we were in conversation when there were three loud booms, [31:53] uh, heard some screams, plates, glasses, silverware hitting the ground. And then everybody was yelling, [32:00] get down. Somebody kind of pushed me from the back and, uh, we all ended up on the floor. Uh, when it was [32:07] over, Kerry, who of course lost, uh, her father to, uh, uh, an assassin gunman and her uncle, uh, President Kennedy, [32:17] um, she said, I, I can't believe that school children are dealing with this all across America, [32:26] um, and don't have the resources to process their trauma. And, um, so that launched a conversation, [32:34] uh, about gun violence and how, you know, somewhere between 275 and 300 people are shot every day [32:42] in our country. And we lose more than a hundred of them every day. So even as this nightmare was [32:47] unfolding at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, dozens and dozens of people had been [32:53] shot and killed in our country. And so I hope this isn't just a inside the beltway story. I hope we talk [33:00] about the conditions for school children and people all over the country who are dealing with this. [33:06] No, it's a, it's a good point. We had, we benefited from all that security. [33:11] That's right. Those children across the country don't have a sliver of it. [33:14] Well, that's right. And, and, and, you know, I heard, uh, President Trump talk about this [33:19] demonstrating the importance of the new ballroom. And he sent out some messages about the ballroom, [33:24] and that might help people who are visiting the White House. But what about people who are in shopping [33:29] malls and movie theaters and high schools and elementary schools across the country? [33:33] So I hope we can have a serious bipartisan national conversation about what we can do [33:39] to improve public safety for everybody. Well, to that point, I mean, we're in the 10th [33:44] week of a partial shutdown of Homeland Security, um, which, by the way, Secret Service falls under [33:50] the umbrella of Homeland Security. So do many essential workers. This has been just tangled up [33:56] in this policy standoff in Congress. Do you think things change after last night? [34:00] Yes. I certainly hope so. I mean, we, you know, [34:04] of course, we, we had, um, a unanimous vote out of the Senate, all the Republicans, [34:08] all the Democrats, and then all the Democrats in the House vote to restore all of the funding, [34:13] except for ICE. And of course, it was about ICE killing innocent people in Minneapolis, [34:18] Alex Preddy and Renee Goode, that led to this standoff over this. So I hope we can improve [34:24] public safety for everybody. But it was in the House and Republican leadership wasn't willing [34:28] to do that. But do you think it, it changes now that Democrats and Republicans will say, [34:33] let's fund everything fully? Yeah. Again, we've got three quarters of [34:36] Congress all together, uh, on moving forward, resolving the remaining issues and getting [34:42] everything funded. Fortunately, uh, you know, there's no interruption in any of ICE's funding because [34:49] it was so super hyperfunded originally. So that's why, uh, it's kind of a made up controversy because [34:56] they have the money that they need. Uh, but we still have to deal with the underlying issues [35:01] that led to this in the first place. Um, it was the Democrats position to, to hold that up. [35:06] Um, to hold up, uh, to make the argument over changes policy-wise to ICE and CBP. [35:12] Well, right. After the killings in Minneapolis. Yes, absolutely. [35:15] The vast majority of American people agree. Well, no, no, what's made up is the idea that [35:19] ICE somehow isn't getting its money. Got it. It's been getting, I mean, [35:22] it's got the money for a long time because of the original, you know, big, beautiful bill. [35:27] The president, um, I want to make sure that I recognize what he said because we don't hear [35:32] him speak this way very often. He said, [35:35] I asked all Americans to recommit with their hearts to resolve our difference peacefully. [35:41] And he talked about being unified with members of the press. Yes. Um, [35:48] Well, that certainly, that's a new message from him. That's great. He had called the press, [35:51] of course, the enemy of the people. And he's been engaged in a lot of lawsuits against your profession. [35:56] Well, well, yes. Um, we are going into this politically charged midterm season. [36:02] There's going to be campaigning around the country with lawmakers out there. I mean, [36:05] does something change? Yes. He said this. Does something change? [36:09] Does democratic language need to change as well? Well, we have said all along that we need every [36:16] politician in the country, every leader in the country, every citizen in the country, [36:20] denouncing political violence across the board, um, regardless of where it's coming from. [36:25] Yeah. Um, so, uh, you know, I find this a welcome change in rhetoric. But, you know, [36:32] what happened last week, they brought a lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center, [36:36] whose whole purpose is to work, is to investigate violent right-wing extremism in the country. [36:43] And now they're prosecuting them for having used undercover agents, which, of course, [36:47] the FBI uses and the government uses all the time. Well, understood. Um, and there, [36:52] there is across party lines, some, some political violence, way too much of it right now. And actually, [36:56] Speaker Emerita Pelosi on this program said to me recently that she thought the threat or the [37:02] concern about violence or threats to your family is what is hurting recruitment of people to run [37:08] for office, particularly mothers, particularly women. Are you seeing that, that people are afraid [37:13] to even join public life because of this? Sure. Anybody who's thinking about running for office [37:20] undoubtedly thinks about that. Anybody who's thinking about running for president undoubtedly [37:24] thinks about that. And those people have the most protection with the Secret Service and other [37:30] people don't have the same kind of protection. So, look, we've got to rediscover the great American [37:37] tradition of nonviolence and Dr. King and the civilizing movements that have always opposed violence [37:44] versus the violent groups that have used violence historically, beginning with the Ku Klux Klan, [37:50] in order to terrorize other people. Congressman Raskin, thank you for joining us. And we're glad [37:55] you were able to do so. We'll be right back. We turn now to the British ambassador to the United States, [38:04] His Excellency Sir Christian Turner. Good to have you here. Good to be here, Margaret. Thank you. [38:09] You too were in that ballroom last night. You've had a lot of security training for unstable countries [38:15] where you have been posted as a professional diplomat over the course of your career. Did you ever [38:20] imagine in one of the most heavily guarded rooms in D.C. you'd have to put that to use? Well, [38:24] at the training I've had in some of those places I've been actually kicks in last night. You basically [38:28] do what you're told and let the professional security folk do what they do. And I think it [38:32] was one of my big takeaways last night. I think it was, I'm with the people who say it was a success [38:38] story. The Secret Service absolutely did what they needed to. Not only that, but seeing actually all the [38:45] journalists in the room and their training kicking in, in a weekend that is all about the freedom of the [38:49] press, I'm full of admiration for the way people responded last night. Well, you, me too, but you [38:58] have a week ahead of you because King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to arrive tomorrow. [39:04] This is a going to be a big event regardless of what happened last night. But just to be clear, [39:09] you haven't changed your security assessment. You believe it is still safe for them to come and [39:14] speak to Congress and be at the White House. So we respond to that professional advice. [39:19] I'm currently planning to be welcoming their Majesties tomorrow. But of course, our team's [39:25] been in touch way through the night and we'll be through the day to see whether the events of last [39:28] night have any change in our operational planning. And I'm very confident that their Majesties will [39:34] have the very best security throughout the visit. All right, because there is another big [39:38] ballroom gathering planned, right? For the King. It's going to be an extraordinary three or four days for us, [39:44] Margaret. We've been planning this visit for years, really. It's the 250th between our two [39:50] countries. I mean, a somber background after last night for all of us. But I still hope we'll be able [39:56] to showcase this moment and make it the celebration that it deserves to be. [40:00] Well, a celebration, but to be clear, it's also a bit of repair work, right, to the special [40:06] relationship. The president had been quite upset with your prime minister, Keir Starmer, [40:12] who didn't initially support the offensive operations by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. [40:19] And the president was very clear he was not happy with him. He mocked him. He said, [40:24] he's no Winston Churchill. He said it was too late for the U.K. to even offer help. And then there was [40:29] other tension about the U.K. as a NATO ally. How much repair work is this visit actually about? [40:37] Well, the extraordinary thing in the British constitution, of course, is the king is above [40:42] politics. I have to remind people he's never given... He is a definite political asset. Let's be clear. [40:47] But he's never given an interview, which I have to remind people, because, of course, [40:50] he's the head of state, but he's not the head of government. So, actually, that's why we can make [40:55] this a moment to step up and step back. And I think, I mean, just to take it back to last night, [41:00] I mean, the other takeaway is that strong sentiment you were just discussing with your last guest, [41:03] the president calling for us to resolve our differences peacefully, that there is no place [41:08] for political violence in any of our democracies. You know, these are enduring messages. They're [41:13] baked into our political makeup, into your political makeup. That ability for us to look back, [41:20] we had a small difference of opinion in 1776. We've been through that. We've come a very long way. [41:26] And that, in a way, for me, is what is so enduring about this relationship. It's that we've had [41:30] differences. Thatcher to Reagan, Roosevelt, with Churchill, actually, over how to handle Stalin. [41:38] These are moments in the relationship, but actually it endures because it is so deep [41:42] on security. Yes, NATO, on our investment. We are the largest investor in 21 states, [41:50] 430 billion dollars of trade. I mean, the statistics come out, but it's actually about the people [41:56] that we want this to focus. So I am, I'm very confident that's where we will want to focus [42:01] our time this week. And I should add, the prime minister spoke to the president this morning [42:06] after the incident. The king sent a personal message to the president and first lady. So, [42:11] actually, in diplomacy, it's as much personal as it is political. [42:14] Well, on the diplomatic front, the UK has been convening European countries to try to figure [42:21] out what to do with the Strait of Hormuz after combat ends. You know the Iran file quite well. [42:27] You were previously a negotiator here. What's your assessment on who is running Iran right now and [42:34] whether we see an end to this conflict anytime soon? So, it's difficult in, in Tehran. There are [42:41] clearly some divisions. You pointed to that initial disagreement before the war. [42:47] But since then, Margaret, actually, the UK has been doing a lot. We were using our bases for [42:52] defensive strikes. We've flown something like 2,000 sorties with aircraft in the Middle East, [42:57] shooting down drones and missiles to protect our allies every night in very close coordination with [43:02] the US. And of course, our intelligence base, we don't talk about it much, but it's the absolute [43:07] foundation of so much that is going on. We share the same intent, the same policy as the US. We want [43:16] to constrain this regime and its threat. We want the straits open again. So, this coalition you refer [43:22] to that President Macron has worked with my Prime Minister Keir Starmer on, what we want that to do, [43:28] something like 50 countries coming together to work out... Secretary Hexer called it silly. [43:32] He said it was just a bunch of meetings. What are you going to plan to do? [43:37] It is planning, once the straits are open, to ensure that the navigation we need has got the [43:43] assurance of a whole package of boats, of drones, of intelligence, to be able to make sure that [43:50] shipping goes through. Because that's what American citizens need, that's what British citizens need, [43:54] the people of Asia need. The global economy is suffering, and we want to see that result. [43:58] It is indeed. Thank you, Ambassador. Good luck this week. We'll be right back. [44:06] A night to celebrate the First Amendment, abruptly ended by a gunman, [44:11] permitted by the Second Amendment to own those weapons. Gun violence is not new in America, [44:18] but the threat of violence is now a cost of public life. It permeates our politics. Last month, [44:25] Supreme Court Justice Roberts publicly appealed for personal attacks on judges to stop. [44:31] U.S. Marshals report there were 564 threats last year, and nearly 15,000 against lawmakers, staff, [44:40] and their families, according to U.S. Capitol Police. Multiple Trump cabinet members now live [44:46] on military bases for their own protection. No such fortress for the federal and state officials who face [44:53] growing number of threats in communities across the country. There's a marked increase in harassment and [44:59] threats of physical violence to journalists in the U.S. from the very public they are working to inform. [45:06] As the nation wonders how to keep the next gunman out, let's also reflect on how we let this hate in, [45:15] how we stop it from corroding our democracy and grasp onto our civility before we lose it. [45:22] That's it for us today. Stay tuned to CBS News 24-7 for all the latest on this story, [45:29] and be sure to tune in to the evening news tonight Tony DiCoppo will anchor from the White House. [45:34] Due to breaking news today, we will air our interview with Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth [45:39] next Sunday. Thank you to all my colleagues at CBS. I'm Margaret Brennan.