Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Chris Coons and Sen. James Lankford

0:00I'm Major Garrett in Washington and this week on Face the Nation what will America do after the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk Kirk Kirk Is the assassination of a high visibility and effective conservative thought leader and vote mobilizer a moment when national divisions begin to close or will attitudes harden? To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. The criminal investigation continues, as does the quest to deduce a motive. Charges will be filed later this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson joins us on the path ahead and a range of issues facing Congress.

0:37from avoiding a government shutdown to Russian sanctions. And a conversation with Democratic Senator Chris Coons and Republican Senator James Lankford, longtime advocates both of finding common ground and minimizing political strife. Also, University of Chicago professor Robert Pate, one of the country's foremost researchers on political violence, with a warning about where things stand. Then, as consumers turn gloomy and the job market freezes up, high expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger will break it all down. It is all just ahead on Face the Nation.

1:29Good morning and welcome to Face the Nation. Margaret is on assignment for 60 Minutes. I'm Major Garrett. We have a lot to get to today, and I want to begin with Justice Correspondent Scott McFarlane with the latest on the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk and the ongoing investigation. Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox has been the most authoritative voice in this matter since it happened. Scott, we have some new comments from him this morning. Sounds like they have a lot to work with to start. First of all, as the weekend began, they executed a search warrant on the family home in Washington County, Utah.

2:01It's about three or four hours from the site of the shooting. The governor, though, says multiple people are talking here, including the roommate of the suspect, who he describes as incredibly cooperative. The roommate, he says, had no idea this was happening. And he also says the roommate may have been in a romantic relationship with Tyler Robinson, may have been gender transitioning. But the governor says there's no indication or no idea yet if that's at all relevant to this case. As for Robinson, he's in the Utah County Jail, the one where Utah Valley University is. He's in a special watch area.

2:33He's inmate 460-956. A special watch means they're ensuring he's not harmed or can do any self-harm. Doesn't mean there's a mental health issue, Major, but the severity of the crime, commonly in correctional facilities across the country, puts you in a special watch. State charges due to be filed later this week, and because of Utah's approach to state charges, this will be a high-visibility prosecution when it comes. Yeah, the district attorney is Jeff Gray. We expect him to speak Tuesday. The probable cause statement already submitted for this arrest indicates the possible charges. Aggravated murder, felonious discharge of a firearm.

3:08Those are possible come Tuesday in Utah County Court. Whether the feds get involved, whole different issue. There may not be a foothold for federal charges here for the U.S. Department of Justice unless they see something in the firearms or in the motives here that makes it federal. Though we saw in Charlotte last week, they brought federal charges in the alleged murder of a Ukrainian refugee. In that case, they found mass transit system foothold to bring the federal case. Scott, as you well know, in instances like this, authorities struggle to stay with the facts as they are known and as they evolve.

3:39But there is rampant online speculation, rumor mongering about motive. Authorities still very early in the stages of trying to identify what if it exists. And can be properly characterized. And it's happening at a moment of change inside the U.S. Department of Justice. The FBI has new leadership, and this really is a first big test. for the new FBI leadership. And the grades are incomplete right now. It was the father who seems to have turned in his son in this case. And the FBI director was caught with some social media posts that were conflicting with other information, saying a subject was in custody, then a subject was released.

4:14And the FBI director also posted this weekend, against all law enforcement recommendations, we released that video of the suspect, the governor of Utah today said, we certainly never recommended against releasing video. So So there's some questions to answer for the FBI as this week begins. A little bit of tension there. Scott McFarland, thank you very much. We turn now to the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who joins us this morning from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, it's good to see you. I appreciate your time. The burdens of speakership are always manifold. You know that. Previous speakers I've covered know that.

4:46But they feel particularly heavy after the events of this week. I just want to ask you, Mr. Speaker, how are you doing? I'm doing okay, Major. Thanks for asking. No question it was a difficult week for the country. Certainly it was felt on Capitol Hill. There's a mixture of anger and sadness and fear, frankly, on the part of a lot of people. It cast a large shadow across the country and the nation's capital. But what I do know, Major, is that my good friend Charlie would not want any of us to be consumed by despair. He would want us to go forward boldly. That was his message. And to do it in love.

5:22And I think that, I hope, is the message that continues in the days ahead. It's not common for this show to pick up on something said by Connecticut's young Democrats and Connecticut's young Republicans, but they put out a statement that has gotten quite a bit of attention on the Internet, saying as follows, there is no place in our country for such acts, regardless of political disagreements. Do you believe on Capitol Hill there will be a method to forge any sort of bipartisan remembrance of Charlie Kirk? There will be. You know, we had a moment of prayer and silent reflection on the floor on Wednesday within an hour of his passing.

6:00There will be I participated in a large vigil here in Baton Rouge at LSU. I'm a moderate on Friday night. Tonight, we'll have a big, I hope, bipartisan prayer and reflection vigil in Capitol Hill at the Kennedy Center. There'll be a members reflection and prayer moment that I'll lead on Monday night. This will continue. I think that the country needs to see leaders in Congress and leaders with platforms all around the country speaking truth and bringing calm to the situation. We should appeal, as Lincoln reminded us so many years ago, to the better angels among us all. And I think this is a real moment for America.

6:39affirmatively and I think one of the ways to do that major is to adopt the the manner of Charlie Kirk because while he loved vigorous debate and he believed in the free marketplace of ideas and advancing truth boldly he also was motivated by love for his fellow man because he'd never hated the person on the other side of the table and I think everyone would do well to be reminded of that model. Mr. Speaker you mentioned the word fear a moment ago it is on the lips of members of Congress in ways I've never experienced before. They are talking openly. They already have canceled events. Other members are talking about whether or not it's proper in their family conversations to seek reelection.

7:20How do you feel this particular space of anxiety for your membership, Republican and Democrat? Yeah, well, I've been talking with a lot of them over the last few days about that and and trying to calm the nerves to assure them that we will make certain that everyone has a level of security that's necessary, that the resources will be there for their residential security and their personal security. We're evaluating all the options for that. But also to be reminded that it does take a certain measure of courage to step out and to lead. I mean, our first responders do it every day, our members of the military do it every day, and political figures as well.

8:01But I think if we all adopt these practices together and we turn down the rhetoric, we, you know, cease with this idea that, you know, policy disputes are somehow an existential threat to democracy or the republic. We stop calling one another names. I mean, calling people Nazis and fascists is not helpful. Look, there are some deranged people in society. And when they see leaders using that kind of language, so often now, increasingly, it spurs them on to action. We have to recognize that reality and address it appropriately. And I'm heartened to know, Major, and to see that many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are stepping up and saying that and addressing it.

8:41I think this could be a turning point, frankly, to use Charlie's term, for the country. And I hope that's true. Would that turning point from your vantage point, Mr. Speaker, because I know you had a long conversation with President Trump, extend to the White House itself?

8:58Well, of course, look, the president knew Charlie very well. He was like a family member to the Trumps. Many of us felt that close association with him. And he admired Charlie's approach to public debate. And you've heard him say that publicly. He was Charlie was a good man. And I think the best way we honor his memory is to continue to do that very thing and not shy away from debate to keep the free marketplace of ideas going. but to work on the tone of those debates, because I think that serves the best of our principles, our Judeo-Christian heritage as a nation, our civil discourse, and we've got to return to that.

9:33Mr. Speaker, several issues pending before Congress, not the least of which is keeping the government open. I know you prefer a seven-week clean CR, but there is a press for other issues, extending Obamacare tax subsidies. There's been a push this weekend for Russia sanctions backed by Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina in the Senate. Will either of those, from your vantage point, get into something to keep the government open? Well, listen, we've been working very hard in the House to restore regular order in the appropriations government funding process, and that's something that no one's really seen for a long time on Capitol Hill.

10:13But I'm encouraged that in a bipartisan fashion, Our House Appropriations Committee has passed all 12 of the annual appropriations bills through the committee. We've got three off the House floor. The Senate's passed a few. And then last week we voted to move into a conference.

10:37Okay. Mr. Speaker, I believe there's a technical glitch that has forced us to lose your audio. We're going to take a quick break and we'll come right back to House Speaker Mike Johnson in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in just a moment. Welcome back to Face the Nation because technical gremlins lurk everywhere. They got in between my conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to have you back. You were in the middle of answering about Obamacare's tax subsidies, possible sanctions against Russia and a government funding mechanism. Please continue. Yeah, sorry about the interruption there.

11:11Listen, we're very encouraged that we've been able to restore the regular appropriations. Right, but are we going to get this done? Are those two other things going to be added to the process, Mr. Speaker? We'll have to see. I've got to build consensus around all of it, but I think we'll need a short-term funding measure, a clean CR that will allow more time to figure all this out. We certainly hope that Democrats will go along on that, because if not, they really have no excuse. If they shut the government down, it would be their unilateral decision to do so. And when Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, says, as he did this weekend, now is the time for Russia sanctions.

11:46President Trump opened the door on tariffs against India and China as a way to create economic leverage to end the war in Ukraine. Where do you stand on all that? Well, listen, I do believe that desperate times call for desperate measures. And I think appropriate sanctions on Russia are far overdue. I mean, I think there's a big appetite for that in Congress. So we're willing to work with the White House and our Senate colleagues in the House to get that done. And I'm anxious to do it personally. Are you waiting for the president to give you the green light or might Congress act on this on its own volition?

12:22Well, Congress really can't do this on its own volition because, of course, the president would need to sign whatever we do into law. So it has to be a partnership. But we've deferred to the commander in chief. I mean, the president is a strong and bold leader on the world stage. He has brokered peace around the world and other conflicts in a way that no one before him has been able to do. And so we're trusting that he can use that same force and that same approach to bring about finally an end to this war in Ukraine. Everyone in America wants that bloodshed to end. And President Trump is forcing that.

12:52And I certainly.

12:58OK, Mr. Speaker, I'm told that the technical difficulties keep arising. So a bit prematurely, we're going to end our conversation here to spare you and spare our audience from continued mayhem by technical gremlins. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time. Thank you for joining us on Face the Nation very much. Jill Schlesinger joins us now. She's CBS News business analyst. She's on Long Island, as she often is when we talk. Jill, I'm pleased to see you. Look, everyone expects the Federal Reserve to cut rates this coming week. That's not a mystery. I guess the only mystery is, is it 25 basis points or 50 basis points?

13:37And if it's 50, how much more of a difference might that make? Well, I think it's more likely to be a quarter of a percentage point, at least for this meeting. And remember, what is the Fed's job? They've got to keep into balance two big priorities, and these are big. One is to make sure the economy grows enough to create jobs for anyone who wants a job. And the other priority is to kind of keep a lid on prices to control inflation or deflation. Right now, if you look at the Fed's job, it's a real tough one because the job market is weakening at the same time that inflation is re-accelerating.

14:14Now, remember, we are not going back to scary post-pandemic inflationary surge, but inflation is starting to move in the wrong direction. But I think the Fed's outlook is, hey, it's the job market that is getting slower, faster. We've got to concentrate on that. I think they go a quarter of a percentage point rather than a half of a percentage point, at least to get things restarted. You know, Major, it was exactly a year ago when they began their rate cuts. Back in September of last year, they cut by a half a percentage point because they felt like inflation was moving down very quickly. I don't think that's the case this time.

14:50Jill, the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, frequently says the Fed and he are data dependent. That's probably a virtue, except when the data is messy and cloudy and full of conflicting signals. That seems to be prevalent right now. Well, I think there is a real problem in that if you look at the last five years. Our data is all over the place. The pandemic really did create a doozy of a problem on the economy, but also the way we track the economy. And, you know, I know people got really freaked out about those preliminary estimates to the revisions, to all that data for the 12 months through March of this year.

15:34That preliminary revision showed 911 ,000 fewer jobs than we originally thought. Now, this is always part of an annual process. We'll get the final number in February. But what I guess is important is there are so many different aspects to what's going on in the economy right now. The cross currents are really difficult. So, yes, we know the labor market is weakening, but we're not seeing widespread job losses. Thank goodness. There is no evidence that we are in a recession currently. The economy is growing. But we do have that niggling problem of prices starting to rise again. And I think that that price increase because of those tariffs, because of certain aspects, even the service economy, I think that's a real cross-current.

16:19And to be clear, the Fed, the amazing people who work there, the amazing economists that are out there doing the research, so many of them say to me, you know what, this is the most difficult time to judge the next steps of the economy in the last 40 years. Jill, as you know, there's a phrase going around describing the job market and it goes as follows. No fire, no hire. What does that mean practically for somebody in the job market or just graduating from college trying to break in? Yeah, this is a very difficult labor market. I mean, granted, we are again, we are not like we are in a recession.

16:58We are not seeing widespread layoffs. Thank goodness. There are pockets of layoffs that are happening in different sectors. We are seeing contractions. We're seeing people who are retiring and those jobs not being refilled. But I think that anyone who has a job right now, when I talk to HR people, they basically say to me, hey, you know what? Tell people to stay where they are. Don't fly off the handle. The job hugging, staying engaged with your boss, engaged with the company, very important right now. If you are seeking a job, you know where the jobs are right now, we see the most activity in healthcare, health services.

17:36So if you're somebody who is trained to do one job, try to find a job in the sector, at least that is adding positions. I might be a programmer and I might not have an ability to get a job at a big tech company. Maybe I go to a big hospital chain. These are the kinds of things we have to kind of get outside of ourselves. The adaptable candidate is going to be the one that wins in this economy. Jill, let's talk about tariffs because it is a conversation and a way of trying to assess that this country has no recent experience with, at least 50 or 60 years of trying to assess what a tariff does when it is widespread throughout the global economy.

18:17So a lot of us are trying to get used to this. Economists are trying to get used to it. Policymakers are trying to get used to it. Our trading partners are trying to get used to it. What is the story of tariffs so far? And has it been fully written? I'm thinking fully written, so very important here, because when those tariffs were announced in April, and then they were moved higher, and then they were frozen for a while, the tariff story was an uncertain one. I think it's that cloud of uncertainty that was really hanging over the labor market over the past four months. But right now, what we do know is that the industries most directly impacted by tariffs are not hiring as much.

18:57We know that. We know that they are losing some jobs. We also know that tariffs are creeping into the economy and not in a huge way yet. But what we are clear about is that prices are set to rise over the next, say, six months or so. Not great for holiday shopping, I know. But what we also know is that we consumers, we are very canny. Once those prices go up, we'll switch and make different choices. So that is why economists believe that this kind of tariff regime is one where we'll see prices rise, but not keep rising. Now, that doesn't really help you if you're going out and shopping. I understand that.

19:38But maybe the best news that I can have is that you're not going to feel like you did from the year 2021 to 2022, where it just felt like prices were going up, up, up, up, up. It is likely to be that prices in the consumer price index, from the way that the Fed looks at this, the PCE index, these measures of inflation will start to rise over the next few months, then they'll kind of steady. But the problem major is that consumers are going to be stuck with price levels that are higher. And I think that is going to be very hard to swallow for anyone who's in the lower to middle earning category.

20:13Joe, one other part of the economic scenario I want to discuss with you, because when people talk about inflation, they say, just tell me what energy cost is and I'll tell you what inflation is going to be. But yet there's a dual reality there. Natural gas and prices at the pump are down, but electricity paid for by consumers, either businesses or at home, are up. Yeah, I mean, the great news is that prices at the pumps, OK, totally happy with that. Everyone's good. The price of crude oil sort of in the low 60s, no problem. That electricity story is a story of artificial intelligence, because to build artificial intelligence, it needs a lot of energy in terms of electricity or in the form of electricity.

20:59That's why you were seeing those prices go up. But again, what I have come back to over this process of the last few years, the last five years of all these different impacts on the economy, we've never been here before. And so what I want to try to emphasize is that we can't hang our hat on what has happened in the past. Right now, I can look at a lot of different companies and say, wow, these companies are making a ton of money, big technology companies. We are seeing the S &P 500, the NASDAQ, the Dow, all at all time highs. And you have to reckon with the problem, the other side of that, which is consumers feel burdened.

21:40burdened. And I think that's going to be the story of this year and next. How will consumers get out of this? If the labor market weakens from here, I think that's a problem. If we see a resumption of growth and the labor market starts to strengthen, the average worker will be able to afford what's going on in the economy. But it does come down to that labor market. Jill, deeply unfair. 40 seconds. What has AI's influence been on the labor market? You know, hard to say. In 40 seconds, what I can tell you is not yet. That's the major takeaway, because we know that there are some areas where there's a lot of hiring with this AI.

22:19There are companies that are using AI to increase their productivity, but there is no evidence yet that AI is taking everybody's job. So, whew, we got a few minutes to worry about that. A few minutes to worry about that, among many other things. Jill Schlesinger, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us. For a daily dose of political news, analysis, and so much more throughout the week, please join me for The Takeout. We're on every weeknight at 5 p.m. on our CBS News 24-7 streaming channel. Also available on our apps, CBS News and Paramount+.

22:56We will be right back with Senators Chris Coons and James Lankford for a bipartisan conversation on Uniting America. plus the leading researcher on political violence, University of Chicago professor Robert Pape. Please stay with us.

23:26Welcome back to Face the Nation. For a look at how Congress may, may help bridge political divisions in the country presently, We turn to a couple of lawmakers with a lot of experience in that space. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who joins us from Wilmington, Delaware. Republican Senator James Lankford, who joins us from Oklahoma City. Gentlemen, you have a well-earned reputation both for preaching bipartisanship, taking the rhetorical temperature in Washington and nationwide down a notch or two. Senator Coons, I want to start with you. After the events of this week, do you feel that's harder than ever to achieve?