Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump in South Florida last year, is representing himself in court. As the trial opened, Routh forfeited his chance to deliver an opening statement, setting the stage for proceedings.

Fort Pierce

Opening statements began in the trial of Ryan Ruth, who is accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump near his West Palm Beach golf course. Ruth, who is representing himself, pleaded not guilty to five federal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, and faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

During his opening statement, Ruth delivered a poetic and philosophical speech that was cut short by Judge Eileen Cannon for straying off topic. Ruth also cross-examined a Secret Service agent who testified that Ruth pointed a rifle at him during the incident. The trial is in its early stages, with the prosecution and defense presenting their initial arguments.

Trump assassination attempt suspect defends himself in trial

OPENING STATEMENTS IN THE TRIAL OF THE MAN ACCUSED OF TRYING TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT TRUMP LAST YEAR BEGAN TODAY IN SOUTH FLORIDA. RYAN RUTH IS REPRESENTING HIMSELF IN COURT. PROSECUTORS CLAIMED THE 59-YEAR-OLD HIT WITH A RIFLE NEAR TRUMP'S GOLF COURSE IN WEST PALM BEACH LAST SEPTEMBER. RUTH HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO FIVE FEDERAL CHARGES, INCLUDING ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF A MAJOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. IF CONVICTED, HE FACES A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF LIFE IN PRISON. CBS NEWS LEGAL REPORTER KATRINA KAUFMAN HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS CASE. FOR US INSIDE THE COURTROOM, SHE JOINS US NOW LIVE. KATRINA, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS HERE, ESPECIALLY FROM RYAN RUTH'S OPENING STATEMENTS TODAY? I MEAN, I THINK THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM TODAY IS HOW LITTLE OF A DEFENSE RYAN RUTH IS PUTTING ON FOR HIMSELF. AND HE'S ALSO ALREADY TRYING THE PATIENCE OF JUDGE EILEEN CANNON HERE AT THIS COURTHOUSE. SHE HAD TO CUT HIM OFF DURING HIS OPENING STATEMENT. IT WAS VERY POETIC, EXISTENTIAL. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF HUMANITY. HE BROUGHT UP PUTIN, HITLER, NETANYAHU. HE WAS MEDITATING ON WHAT INTENT IS. AT ONE POINT, HE ALMOST BEGAN CRYING WHILE TALKING ABOUT A TRACTOR. HE WAS VERY POETICALLY TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS. BUT IT WAS WHEN HE SAID, SO, NO, THIS CASE MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, THAT THE PROSECUTION OBJECTED AND SHE FINALLY JUST ENDED HIS OPENING STATEMENT. PARTWAY THROUGH, SHE HAD STOPPED HIM, TRIED TO PUT HIM BACK ON TRACK AND TOLD HIM HE COULDN'T MAKE A MOCKERY OF THIS COURTHOUSE. BUT THEN HE CONTINUED ALONG THOSE LINES, SO HE DIDN'T GET TO ACTUALLY FINISH THOSE. SOUNDS LIKE QUITE THE WILD DAY OUT THERE, KATRINA. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, I UNDERSTAND QUITE AN INTERESTING EXCHANGE ALSO BETWEEN RUTH AND A SECRET SERVICE AGENT WHO WAS THERE ON DUTY THE DAY THAT THIS ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION HAPPENED. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT? Yeah, this was striking to see. First of all, when Ruth got up to cross-examine him, he started by saying, good to see you, sir. Is it good to be alive? The man, Robert Furcano, said, yes. And Ruth said, right on. And just for context, Furcano had found Ruth with a gun along the perimeter of Trump's golf course and says that Ruth pointed it at him. And he said this multiple times while Ruth was examining him, which was striking because he was saying you to be attorney, asking him questions essentially. Ruth would ask him a question about what he saw. And he said, I saw you pointing a weapon at my face. Ruth also said to him, you know, if the defendant wanted to cause you harm, he could have. And Furcano said he didn't know his mindset, but he still knew that that weapon was pointed in his face. And he seemed to be a bit scarred by it in court today. He got rather agitated while Ruth was questioning him. And he had been very composed while the prosecution was. And these are only the opening statements. Katrina Kaufman, thank you very much.

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the Israeli attack on the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday and called for de-escalation in a statement agreed by all 15 members, including Israel’s chief ally, the United States.

Doha

Middle East Conflict

UNSC members condemn Israel over deadly strike on Qatar

Photos of a "person of interest" in the assassination of Charlie Kirk were released by the Salt Lake City FBI. Authorities are searching for the person who shot and killed the conservative activist at an event at Utah Valley University.

Orem

Photos released of "person of interest" in Charlie Kirk assassination

Authorities shared new details about the suspect's movements leading up to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The search for the suspect continued on Thursday.

FBI says it has good video of Charlie Kirk shooting suspect

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will award conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during a campus event in Utah, the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.

Washington

Trump says he'll award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Authorities say the weapon used in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been recovered and law enforcement tracked the movements of the suspect.

Officials: Weapon in Charlie Kirk shooting recovered; suspect tracked

Trump vowed retribution in an Oval Office address after his close ally and conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on a campus in Utah. A massive search for the killer intensified following Kirk's death, with police going door-to-door looking for the shooter.

Trump pledges to find killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk

The UAE’s President Mohammed bin Zayed visited Doha a day after Israel’s strike, signalling Gulf solidarity. Qatar’s prime minister called the strike “state terror,” accusing Israel of killing hopes for a hostage deal and demanding Netanyahu face justice.

Qatar seeks ‘collective response’ to Israeli attack

Poland is rejecting the claim that Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace by accident and says the move is reckless and could lead to potential escalation.

Warsaw

Ukraine Invasion

Europe on edge after Russian drones invade Polish airspace

Prince Harry and King Charles had a private tea in London, Buckingham Palace. This marks their first meeting in nearly two years. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, last saw his father in early 2024, shortly after it was announced the King was undergoing cancer treatment.

London

King Charles, Prince Harry meet for the first time in nearly 2 years

U.S. President Donald Trump says rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk is dead after being shot in the neck at a university campus event in Utah. There is not a suspect in custody.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk killed in shooting, Trump says

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux voted on Wednesday (September 10) to acquit former President Jair Bolsonaro of forming a criminal organization and voted to annul his trial over jurisdiction, breaking with peers and raising the odds of an appeal after the final verdict this week.

Brasilia

Brazilian judge votes to annul Bolsonaro case, breaking with peers

U.S. President Donald Trump urged EU officials on Tuesday to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a U.S. official and an EU diplomat.

Global Tariffs

Trump urges EU to impose 100% tariffs on China and India, sources say

Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine, with the NATO member calling the incursion "an act of aggression." It marks the first time a member of the alliance has fired shots in the war.

Poland downs Russian drones in first shots fired by NATO member in war

Two Brazilian Supreme Court justices voted to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2022 election, as they cast the first votes in the final phase of the ex-president's trial.

Two Brazil Supreme Court justices vote to convict Bolsonaro

Nepal’s prime minister has stepped down with at least 22 people dead, the country’s parliament in flames and its main airport shut down during a violent revolt. The unrest started over a social media ban and grew into a broader anti-corruption protest.

Kathmandu

Nepal’s parliament set on fire, PM resigns as protests spiral

U.S. President Donald Trump can't escape questions about Jeffrey Epstein as a congressional committee released a suggestive personal note to Epstein allegedly from Trump, for the convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday.

White House denies alleged Trump letter to Epstein is authentic

Israel's military said it "conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization," amid reports of large explosions in Qatar's capital city, Doha.

Hamas says none of its leadership killed in Israeli strike on Doha

French President Emmanuel Macron has named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister. Analysts say France is in the midst of a complicated political crisis.

Paris

France's Macron names loyalist Lecornu as new PM

Videos circulating online reveal a luminous flying object hitting the vessel. No crew members were harmed. Activists part of the flotilla say they will not be deterred by the attack, and that their mission will continue as planned.

Flotilla for Gaza ship struck by drone off Tunisia, organizers say

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the U.S. labor market added 911,000 fewer jobs between April 2024 and March 2025. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady breaks it down.

U.S. jobs growth revised down by 911,000

A Michigan judge has dropped criminal charges against 15 people who were accused of trying to falsely certify Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest.

Michigan

Judge tosses case against 15 accused fake Trump electors in 2020

Israel says it carried out a strike targeting Hamas leaders. One Israeli official says it happened in Doha, Qatar. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio reports.

Israel targets Hamas leadership in Doha strike

The Trump administration launched a new immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, saying the latest federal crackdown in a US city would target the "worst of the worst criminals." But activists in the city remain defiant and say they will resist efforts by ICE to snatch people off the streets.

Chicago

Activists defiant as Trump launches ICE raids in Chicago

Norway's Labour Party has won four more years in government after seeing off a surge in support for the right. But exit polls predict it will only have a small majority, and its future may depend on how it navigates Norway's relationship with the rest of the world.

Oslo

Norway’s PM Stoere claims victory in general election

Officials in Nepal say at least 16 people are dead and dozens more injured after police opened fire on protesters. Tens of thousands, mostly young people, rallied in the capital Kathmandu against the government's ban on platforms including Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Multiple fatalities as Nepal police fire on protesters

France's Prime Minister François Bayrou overwhelmingly lost a confidence vote Monday after nine months in office. CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul has more.

French PM François Bayrou ousted after losing confidence vote

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to continue its sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after they were briefly halted. CBS News immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.

Supreme Court allows L.A. immigration stops to continue

Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday (September 8), killing six people in what police described as "a terrorist attack," one of the deadliest in the city in the past few years.

Jerusalem

Palestinian gunmen kill six at Jerusalem bus stop

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ready to hit Russia with a second phase of sanctions after its largest air attack on Ukraine in nearly four years of war. The assault on Saturday caused serious damage in Ukraine's capital, including to one of its most important government buildings.

Breakdown