good to be with you. i'm katy turk. continuing our special coverage on the attempted assassination of donald trump. we just learned the former president will leave for milwaukee as planned in this hour. he considered delaying his trip by two delays, but he's not going to allow, in his words, a shooter to change his plans.

in the last hour we heard remarks from president biden who said he was briefed by national security officials in the situation room. he ordered an independent review of yesterday's shooting to assess on exactly what happened and he's called on americans to come together and not to rush to judgment. we're also learning more about the shooter himself, identified by law enforcement officials as 20-year-old thomas matthew crooks, who lived near the site of the rally. today, one of his form consider classmates told nbc news, crooks had a difficult time in high school. >> yeah. he was bullied almost every day. >> in what way? can you explain? >> he would sit alone at lunch. he was just an outcast. and you know how kids are nowadays. they're going to see someone like that and they're going to target him because they think it's funny, over whatever. it's honestly kind of sad.

i don't want to say when is what provoked it, but you never know. >> you say he was a l loner. >> yeah, he was bullied so much. >> joining us now by phone, cnbc's joe curran who just spoke with former president trump. joe, it's good to see you. what did the former president tell you? >> he was on amend. he was in very good spirits. he said, i know, except for this -- you know how he talks, this little problem in my ear. his right ear, other than that, you probably heard about it. other than that, everything is great. he was glad he turned his head, he told me, at the last minute. >> was he introspective at all about the moment? >> i've known him a long time,

it wasn't an interview that i was doing. it was more of a personal call, so introspective in the sense that i said nobody really knows how you're going to react with something like that. i said that i thought it was, you know, pretty courageous, and i wanted to know what he was feeling at the moment before he stood up and why he thought it was important for him to raise his fist and say fight fight, and what was he actually talking about? he said to just carry on with what he was trying to do, and for lack of a better term, to make america great. >> did you ask him about whether there were any changes in plans for the rnc, changes in what he might say at the rnc? >> when i do speak to him, and it's not that often, but i

don't know how many people he talks to, but it's usually about a two or three minute call. so he was more -- he was in great spirits. one of the things that he mentioned was he was gratified by all the wishes of support and encouragement he was getting. he emphasized from both sides of the aisle. he said i've heard from some people that i wasn't expecting to hear from. i don't know, he was very gracious about it, and he was very, you know, he wanted to stress that he was hearing from democrats and people he wasn't expecting to hear from. >> he heard from president biden. president biden described their conversation as cordial. did he tell you anything about

speaking to president biden? >> nope. didn't talk about that. i'd say it was, like i said, it ran about three minutes, which is actually pretty long. three or four minutes. and you know, the other stuff was personal, about my family. he knows my kids, knows my wife, and my wife, we were watching live yesterday when it happened, and he was shook. we were shook. my wife was literally hysterical, and we're still trying to process all of it. a couple of millimeters or centermeters and i don't know what that would have been like. sometimes we see too much in real life now. >> yeah, including the bullet in realtime going right past his head. >> if i knew it was going to be

an interview, i would have written down some questions. but i didn't talk about it. it was more of a personal call. >> no, i understand. >> for my own -- i wanted to know, i don't know how i would react, i'd like to think i'd cover my kids cover my wife, try to get in the way, but i wanted to know what i was thinking, and how the first thing he thought was to stand up and -- because at that point, i think i mentioned that to him. at that point, you don't know if there's a second shooter. you don't know if the first shooter's done, in the fog of whatever you want to call it. he was kind of totally exposed, and i thought that maybe it was in his mind, the last thing i'm going to be known for is i was saying keep fighting. so i wanted to hear what his

mental attitude was, right at that time. mine might have been still on the floor. i don't know. >> you got to imagine that adrenalin rushed through him in that moment, but coming down from it, oh, my gosh, but for the turn of my head, i could not be here any longer. joe kernan, thank you for talking with me. give our best to your wife as well, i hope she's feeling a bit better. >> thank you. >> joining us now from donald trump's estate, raheem alice, also with us, nbc news justice and intelligence correspondent, ken delainian. >> reporter: within the next hour, we expect that former president trump will be leaving his summer resort here in bedminster, new jersey, and heading to that republican convention in milwaukee. and we should mention to you that this is an official

statement that we've gotten earlier. we were told that there was nothing going to come from the campaign. there was pretty much a lockdown on communations, but now we are hearing more. others are also talking about this. in addition, we're heard from senator lindsey graham, who was asked how he thinks that this assassination attempt will affect the campaign going forward. take a listen. >> you know, it's very hard to say. i think president trump, i'll talk to him later in the day, is determined to stay on schedule. he needs to pick a vice president, you know, today underscores why that's an important pick. you want somebody that's ready on day one, that can help him one. that can grow the map. >> reporter: we should also mention we heard from the former first lady, melania trump, saying on social media, she watched in horror as the

violent bullet struck her husband, donald, and she realized my life and baron's life were on the brink of extreme change. she also expressed condolences and concerns and prayers for families of victims. and lastly, one of the things she mentioned was she called for unity, not red, not blue, i should say, and that the country would unify. a statement from the rnc also, we should mention, it says president trump looks forward to joining you all in milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th president of the united states, as our party's nominee, president trump will continue to share his vision to make america great again. >> katie. >> i did read the melania trump statement, and it was certainly very heart-felt and meaningful. i suggest anyone out there go read it. the rnc will also have a secret service briefing at 4:30 today,

to discuss what they're doing in light of the events yesterday. and the butler, or the pennsylvania state police have identified the other victims who are in critical condition that were shot yesterday. the deceased victim as we've been talking about has already been identified as corey comperatorey. he was a father, known as a girl dad. the second victim is david dutch of new kensington, pennsylvania, who is now in stable condition. the third victim was identified as james copenhager of moon township, pennsylvania. he is now listed in stable condition. an upgrade from critical. the investigation is ongoing, obviously. have law enforcement officials been able to identify anything in regards to motive? we just heard from a former classmate of the shooter who

said he was incessantly bullied in school. have we learned anything else about him? >> if the fbi knows about motive, they have not said. we've gotten some guidance that they really don't understand what the motive is at this moment. there has been very little social media, public social media at least available, that this shooter has produced. we've learned a lot though, in the last 12 hours, although some of the biggest questions, including motive remain unanswered. just to reset, the fbi has identified the deceased shooter as thomas matthew crooks. a 20-year-old from bethel park, pennsylvania, that's a suburb of pittsburgh. public records show he was a registered republican. but they also show he gave $15 to a progressive political group. again, we're not seeing much in the way of social media postings, so we don't know the motive or where he stood

politically. president biden cautioned people from speculating about that. a local newspaper lists him as receiving a $500 star award from the national math and science initialtive. his patients work as professional counselors. attorney general merrick canceled his week to stay and monitor it. looking for digital trail to see if he acted alone, and again, there's no sign if he didn't act alone. looking into whether the semi automatic rifle he used was purchased legally by his father, and of course, katie, as we talked about in the last hour, there's a separate inquiry into what some are calling a fro found security detail by the secret service here, how a man with a rifle was able to take up an elevated

sniper position. experts are questioning why the secret service didn't have control of that rooftop. >> which is just about 450 feet. thank you. very much. we should also note, president biden said the parents of the shooter are cooperating with police as well. coming up next, what we're learning about the rifle that the gunman used. plus, what's happening in milwaukee, where donald trump is heading in the next few minutes ahead of the republican national convention. we're back in 90 seconds. ahh, yellow! didn't pass the tissue test? buckle up! whoa! there's toothpaste white, and there's crest 3dwhitestrips white. whitens like a 400 dollar professional treatment. pilot: prepare for non-stop smiles. crest.

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there's no place in america for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. an assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation, everything. it's not who we are as a nation. it's not america. and we cannot allow this to happen. unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important than that right now, unity. >> president biden just in the last hour, warning against political violence in this country, and instead calling for unity. joining us now, nbc news white house correspondent, alli rafah, and julie cirken. what might he say, both in the brief statement today, along with the one last night?

>> reporter: this was the second time we've seen the president address the american people since this assassination attempt against his predecessor. he said in this speech he's going to be delivering a third address tonight from the oval office. notably, his third address ever from the oval office since taking office. we heard him during these remarks really try to quiet the rumors or the accusations from some republicans who are saying that the rhetoric of the president and democrats are to blame for this assassination attempt against the former president yesterday. he assured americans that he will continue to be briefed on the latest developments by the fbi as it continues to lead this investigation. he says it's only in its early stages. he says the secret service will provide donald trump with every resource he needs to continue

being safe. he vowed to share the results of that review with the public. we also heard him, of course, echo that forceful condemn nation of political violence that we heard him first express last night shortly after this shooting. the president echoing that, and saying how important unity is during a time like this, with the politics as divisive as they are right now. and he also talked about the briefing he received today. he, along with vice president harris from law enforcement officials, homeland security officials, and lee, he also said he will continue to be briefed throughout the day, and those updates, those developments that he's expected to receive throughout the day are what we can expect to hear him brief the american people on at 8:30 tonight. >> julie, what's happening on capitol hill? >> reporter: there's a lot of information swirling about, certainly lawmakers are trying to speak to officials, katie, i'm told, for example, the gang of eight, which is basically

the leadership structure of the capitol have not yet received a briefing collectively. this is in part because lawmakers are scattered around the country, they are on recess during this next week, of course, with the republican national convention as well, but also and more critically, perhaps, is that there is a lack of information. there's not enough information i'm told by two sources familiar with the situation to really sit down and thoughtfully brief lawmakers. that is not stopping many from demanding that information. we just saw in a chair close to gary peters that members, that staff will be seeking a briefing with the homeland security committee. they confirmed they had launched an investigation into this, and that next steps could potentially include a hearing in the panel. peters himself is supposed to talk to mayorkas later today. that is a conversation that speaker mike johnson of the house had had last night as well. certainly, we've seen already in the house under the

direction of johnson, who said that multiple committees will investigate what had happened, what had transpired in this alleged assassination attempt of former president trump. he already directed the oversite chair james comber to inquire with the secret service. comber said a hearing could happen as soon as july 24th. you also saw the homeland security chairman in the house, mark green write a letter to mayorkas asking them very pointed questions as well. on the flip side of this, more importantly as lawmakers try to figure out what happened here is the reaction of the rhetoric, the political rhetoric, the escalated violence that we've seen on both sides in the last couple of years, and obviously, with this extraordinary situation yesterday has got to come to an end. has got to tamp down. i want you to take a listen to what both sides said today. >> we've got to turn the rhetoric down. we've got to turn the temperature down in this country. we need leaders on all parties,

both sides to make sure that happens to make sure we can go forward and maintain our free society. >> what we need as a nation, what a democracy is about, is not radical rhetoric. what it is about is a serious discussion of where we are as a nation and how we go forward. you know, in a certain way, kristin, politics should be kind of boring. >> well, they're anything about boring, obviously, katie. i'll add quickly, the conspiracy theories are floating everywhere. on the right, that democrats are responsible. obviously, zero evidence of that. on the other side, you had a staffer for democratic lawmaker betty thompson who was fired by the office after they had posted, expresses disappoint expresses disappointment last night that the shooter missed their target. >> yeah, you can't do that. as we were talking, donald trump is expected to leave

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donald trump says he's going to milwaukee today. saying he's not going to let a shooter change his schedule. joining us now, von hilliard from milwaukee. chief correspondent, how are things there now? >> reporter: you can tell you,

you're just looking at inside the arena. the thousands of delegates who are already here in milwaukee have been taking part in meetings the last several days, they will enter, and tomorrow night is when the prime time speeches will begin. donald trump indicating that at any minute from now, at 3:30 p.m. eastern time, he was set to leave his bedminster club to head to milwaukee, wisconsin. that would mean that he would get in about sunset here in wisconsin time, for donald trump in this convention. he was talking to a campaign official on background, and they said do not expect any changes to the schedule or the lineup. that exactly what they announced before the shooting is exactly what is going to play out now over the course of the next four nights. i want to let you listen to the wisconsin gop chairman discuss more about the planning that has been in the works for the last two years now, in what ultimately the security changes are here as a result.

take a listen. >> we have dozens and dozens of speakers that will be speaking, not only to the folks here in milwaukee, but to people across the nation, across the world about what donald trump's going to bring to this country. and we want to make america great again. and the way to do it is to have a unified convention here in milwaukee and the plans have not changed, we are all praying and thinking about the victims, and we'll have a convention very, very focused moving towards the future of this country with donald trump. >> reporter: the department of homeland security, katie, has designated this as a national security event, meaning it is the u.s. secret service who is the leading organization overseeing the security of this greater perimeter. they are going to be having a press conference in just about one hour from now in milwaukee. notably, the secret service has not had a press conference yet

following yesterday's attempted assassination. they were not there at the first law enforcement press briefing at about midnight last night. we will do our best to get questions to the secret service here, because the stakes of this are all the more higher. there is what is a soft perimeter, which is a greater part of the downtown milwaukee area, katie, that is where folks can come and go with a higher security presence, and there is the hardened perimeter area, which is where we're standing now, where folks are going to have to go can through magna tomorrow magnetometers. of course, this is a higher degree of understanding, and concern coming off the events yesterday. >> yeah, no doubt about that. can i ask you about the trump campaign? there was a note or message sent out to staffers regarding how to react to this? what were they told? >> reporter: the campaign has been given a very clear message to not talk with reporters or

to not go off the messages that are not coming from donald trump specifically. so you know, oftentimes you can sometimes hear from campaign staff talking off the record. in the campaign, in the immediate aftermath of yesterday's attempted assassination made it clear there was supposed to be one communicator and that would be donald trump himself. of course, we have now had multiple social media posts from him, of course, this morning, which he declared he had been hit by that bullet. another saying it's time to unify america. and then just that few moments ago, him announcing that he would be leaving new jersey here. so donald trump clearly intending to come to wisconsin and be the main conduit of his own message, and what is to come in these final 114 days before the general election in november. >> what did you make of -- jd vance has been posting a lot in the aftermath of this, saying more critical components about opponents, to put it

delicately. what does that tell you about where he may be on the veep stakes. >> reporter: right, i think if you just take two people, jd vance who layed blame around the messaging around the idea that donald trump is a threat to democracy and a fascist, in contrast to that with the message that doug burgum, the north dakota governor has put out, in which he was wishing his best and sending prayers to donald trump and his family. two clearly different types of messaging. the question is, what type of messenger does donald trump want? not only in these next few months but also over the court of the next four years. don jr. has echoed that of jd vance. those two individuals, very close. at the same time, donald trump and his team, as well as you saw in melania trump's post, which you read a few minutes ago, there is a different tenor that is attempting to be struck. that is one that this is an

opportunity to unify america against violence and i guess the message that we'll be watching for in the next few days, is does donald trump attempt to unify that message, and will the vice president be a reflection of how donald trump reviews this race and potentially his presidency. >> do we get a sense that the decision hasn't been made? >> reporter: yesterday, he indicated there were still four or five people he was still looking at, and that is the best indication that we have here. the vice president, i want to make a note of this, we expect that roll call to take place tomorrow afternoon. but under the convention rules here, the vp roll call could happen later in the week, separate. so donald trump's running mate is slated to take the stage here in prime time on wednesday night, and he could make the announcement all the way up until that point here. so whether donald trump has

actually made his decision, of course we know there are individuals around him that are trying to still make their play, none of these vice presidential candidates, if you will, have indicated that they have been told that they have been ruled out of the equation. doug burgum is already here on the ground, arriving about two hours ago here in milwaukee. each of them has a time slot to speak here at the convention. i think the question here and we will find this out, likely over the course of this week is whether donald trump's choice was actually made coming into this convention, and whether it changed in the aftermath of the attempted assassination. >> von hilliard, thank you very much. joining us now, former member of president obama's task force on 24 hour policing. what do you expect the secret service to say to reporters a little bit later today? >> well, i think one thing that's going to be important to them to give as much information as they can. we're still expecting reporters

and americans across the country are going to want to know. i think they will be very selective in what they share, because this is an ongoing investigation. however i do expect for them to give some overall briefing of what it is they know at this point and what it is still yet to be determined. but i think they're going to be very thoughtful, and be very cautious in how they share information. because again, katie, this is an ongoing investigation. >> do you except there to be any admissions from secret service of mistakes made? >> no. i don't think they'll put themselves in that kind of position to do that. i think they will stay very focused in terms of what it is that they know at this point, and i think any determinants around what it is that they did well and what it is that they

can do better, we will see that probably later on. but i don't expect for them to be so critical of themselves at this point, because that would be premature, considering the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, and there's still a lot to be determined as to how security was developed, leading up to this event and really who is on first, and who should have been on second, and maybe not have been. but those things, i think will come out a little bit later, katie. >> do you expect there to be any changes in donald trump's secret service team? maybe the leader of the team, or potentially even higher up in the service? >> well i don't think anyone can -- knows that. and for me to even speculate that would be way outside the realm of any knowledge or any -- you know of anything that any of us would know.

however, what i do expect, that going into this convention within about 24 hours, what you're going to see, both with the former president and the president is a heightened alertness. a heightened awareness, and you're probably going do see more law enforcement and public safety personnel in those locations, merely because of what happened yesterday. because there is going to be heightened alert because of what's going on out in the environment right now, politically. >> cedrick, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you for having me, katie. coming up next, what leaders of foreign governments are doing in the wake of the attempt on former president trump's life. cashback on flapjacks, baby backs, or tacos at the taco shack. nah, i'm working on my six pack. switch to a king suite- or book a silent retreat.

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there's a new photo today, you can see it right here, this is president biden and vice president harris being briefed in the situation room by homeland security and law enforcement officials. foreign leaders are also reacting to the attempted assassination of former president trump. they're condemning the shooting, and they are calling for an end to political violence. joining me now is president emeritus on foreign relations, jordan haas. we mentioned that kearse had spoken to former president trump. what are international leaders

doing now with this attempted assassination to prepare for what's next in their relationship with the united states? >> reporter: in terms of what's next in their relationship, i don't think this in and of itself changes the basics. i think their immediate reaction, perhaps with the exception of russia is a sense of shock and horror. it reinforces their view that there's something amiss here in terms of polarization and violence, that was already a take they had on the united states. they're obviously most focused on who is going to be the next president. so this week, the republican convention, whether president biden is going to stay in the race, if not who's the nominee, and most important, who's going to win in november and whether you're going to have, if you will, more continuity, or more change, and that focus. >> the political instability here, the political violence, the anger, the division, the

feeling of retribution, how does that affect the reliance of our allies on the united states as a stable working partner? >> reporter: it's a good question, katy. in two ways. one, a lot of western governments in europe and western asia look at us and shake their heads a little bit. the prevalence of guns in this country is something that is truly foreign to their understanding of how a modern society operates. i think what worries them even more is the political polarization, because it means that there isn't the kind of consensus in the united states that there used to be. so they can no longer have a presumption of continuity in how the united states acts, vis- a-vis particular country or the world. much more uncertain, unpredictable, or up for grabs, and that is what i think is disquieting, because alliances rest on a relationship of reliability.

i think that the degree of polarization in this country and the lack of consensus calls all of that into question. >> it worries there's not going to be a mandate from one political party to another involving what we're involved in overseas. how do you see the future, and who might win the next election and its affects on both ukraine and the war in gaza? >> well i think the war in gaza has kind of reached a new normal in the sense of whether you have a cease-fire or not, we've reached a point where i think we're looking at open ended low level violence, simple low level ended war. i think the real danger is whether more conflict spreads to the gaza bank. there's still questions about hezbollah and the north. in terms of ukraine, that's where the election here matters much more. in the sense that the differences between mr. trump's

policy or joe biden's policy are really deep and wide. that, i think is the biggest single question mark. that's what russia's waiting to see. essentially whether u.s. support for ukraine continues, or whether there's going to be a major interruption like we saw for a few months earlier this year. that's where the election might have its biggest, and most immediate foreign policy consequence. >> we now want to go to msnbc news reporter, robin riley when got off the phone with the fbi. >> reporter: we're dealing with very preliminary information. all of this is subject to change as this investigation develops, as the fbi absorbed new information they're receiving, and as they hopefully get access to the cell phone, the device of the individual who has been identified as a suspect here. here's what the fbi says here preliminarily. they have not yet identified an underlying ideology at the

moment, but the investigation is in its early stages. there's no indication of mental health issues. that's only at the moment. the fbi has received 2,600 tips already. this is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism. the fbi is still working to get access to the subject's phone. the weapon is believed to have been purchased by his father. there's no indications right now of how he got the weapon. that's the latest of the preliminary information from the fbi. back to you, katy. >> it was also an ar style 556 rifle that they've identified it as before. now we know the style of it. still working on a motive. there are bomb specialists that have secured the suspicious device that was found in the suspect's car. that's being sent to quantico for further examination. again, as ryan pointed out, they also did find a phone on

him. no i.d.s on him, but they found a phone on him and they're working to get the information from that phone. ryan, in past scenarios when they've needed to get access to the phone, have the phone manufacturers, apple, verizon, et cetera, been able to help unlock these things? >> reporter: it's gotten more complicated. that's been their issue in previous years with issues of encryption. that's something the lab is going to be taking a look at. >> remember, this shooter, this alleged shooter is 20 years old, was 20 years old, just out of high school only a couple years and his former high school classmate said he was incessantly bullied, often ate alone. they're not pointing to any history of mental health, officials. and president biden said a little bit earlier as well,

that the family of the alleged shooter is cooperating with law enforcement. okay. it's been more than 40 years since an attack on a president like the one we saw yesterday in butler, pennsylvania, but it followed a rise in threats against elected officials of all stripes. nbc'sliz liz croitz has more. >> reporter: political violence strengths strikes yet again in america with an assassination attempt on former president donald trump. the presidential candidate, narrowly avoiding serious injury at that rally, saturday in pennsylvania. while it's not the first time a presidential candidate has been the target of political violence, it's been decades since such a high profile attempt. in 1963, president john f.

kennedy was shot and killed at a rally in dallas, texas. his brother, robert kennedy shot and killed five years later in 1968, while campaigning for president. then 13 years after that, in 1981, there was the attempted assassination of president ronald reagan. in recent years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have also been part of attacks. like gabby giffords who was shot in 2011, and steve scalise, shot in 2015. since then, the 2020 plot to kill michigan governor whitner. the attack on nancy pelosi's husband, paul pelosi. and the arresting of a man who was attempting to kill supreme court justice brett kavanaugh, that same year. both republicans and democrats are condemning the attack on

mr. trump, but the incident only punctuating concerns about a growing support for political violence. a recent poll found one in five americans thought violence might be necessary to get the country back on track. last summer, tucker carlson asked former president trump if he was worried about assassination. >> they're savage animals. there are people that are really sick. but i've seen the lengths they go to. >> reporter: following saturday's assassination attempt, ian bremmer expressing concern that what happened in pennsylvania could lead to even more violence. >> this is a very grave turn of events in a country that is very deeply polarized and i deeply worry that it presages much more political violence and social instability. >> reporter: a dangerous

reckoning in america, now reaching a boiling point. >> in recent years, extremism experts have been warning that the country's increasing polarization will lead to more political violence. according to the combating terrorism network, a review of cases over the last year shows that the number of federal charges related to threatening public officials has jumped sharply and is on track to hit new record highs, savannah. >> that was liz kroitz reporting for today, we used it for the show as well. joining us now, douglas brinkley, a professor at rice university. doug, thank you for being here. you know, we've talked a little bit over the past few hours about this moment, but also how it compares to -- or at least i've mentioned the assassinations and the attempts from the '60s, '70s, and obviously, 1980 with president reagan. give me your insight into then versus now. >> well when i found out that the shooter of president trump was able to stand on a building

like that, the big lesson of jfk's assassination was secret service secure and survey any building near where a president is on any rally, or outdoor event. this was a protocol breakdown that we're seeing in butler, pennsylvania. cut to ronald reagan in 1981. that was a different kind of security problem. he was walking out of a building, ronald reagan, getting into a car, and it was sort of a random guy with a gun coming up. they're different. this goes back to kennedy with lee harvey oswald in the building. you're getting a gunman with that perch able to fire at a president. the good news is, i think we can fix that. we've got to make sure this doesn't happen again on the campaign trail, and probably now have to quadruple safety efforts for the gop in milwaukee and the democrats in 1968, history doesn't have to repeat itself. we've got to do some intense

security thinking right now as the campaign continues. >> certainly there are ways to improve security. you know, making sure that the secret service has battened down all roofs or areas of higher ground during these political events. what about the national moment we're in? the national mood. the moment that has led to people pulling out a gun and trying to assassinate a political leader. there's donald trump, and it was an attempted assassination of a number of lawmakers just a few years ago. steve scalise was very badly wounded. how does this moment compare to that of the time when jfk was shot, when rfk was shot, when martin luther king was shot, and i guess reagan is more of an outliar, because it was a guy trying to impress a love interest. what are the differences? what are the similarities between the national mood? >> reporter: well in 1960s,

america unraveled, malcolm x killed in 1965. martin luther king jr. in '68. many other political black panthers, fred hampton. we could make a long list. it was tragic. it was horrible the amount of deaths. and we felt like we've kind of evolved out of that, that maybe we had put our hate on the internet, that we were doing it in this new -- a less lethal way, even though words matter, but at least you can track what's going on online. it's hard to stop a crazy guy, 20 years old with a rifle. it just means you're going to have to have bigger perimeters and more security. we're becoming a security state nation right now. and then, i think january 6th is the turning point. when then president trump refused to accept the results. he was telling the party the

big lie, that biden had won and he was saying he didn't. now for years, we're trying people, what happened on the capitol, and now you're getting an event like this. i think history will condense january 6th with this moment. we're in a fiercely politically torn nation between republicans and democrats. i think in the 1960s, it was more vietnam war hawks having the doves. you could have a crossover of parties. so now it's these two parties that are in this horrific verbal, and political warfare and we've got to make sure it doesn't turn violent again. amp it up with security. >> you were talking about security, you're treating the symptoms, you're not trying to prevent the underlying disease. i just wonder if there is a way to come out of this, a way to prevent the underlying disease of political hatred and division for us to come back to a more unified state so that it

doesn't have to be such high security everywhere we go? how much harder is it going to be to go to any event in this country? you go through security now to go to a baseball game. you go through security now to go to event sites that are supposed to be for the community. it's really, it's getting much tighter. how much tighter can it get still where we live comfortably? doug, i have to leave there because i have a hard out. we're watching milwaukee, wisconsin, where in the next hour, a security briefing will take place ahead of the convention. in just a moment, our report on the attempted assassination of donald j. trump continues, after a short break.

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