Cole Allen, 31, a computer scientist from Torrance, California, faces three federal counts — including attempted assassination of the president — after opening fire outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday while President Trump, Vice President Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump were inside the Washington Hilton. Investigators say Allen brought a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives, and that a manifesto recovered from his home reveals he specifically targeted Trump administration officials. Allen had posted anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on social media and reportedly attended a "No Kings" protest prior to the attack.
A federal grand jury indicted David M. Morens, 78, on charges of conspiracy against the United States, destruction of records in federal investigations, and concealment of government documents. Prosecutors allege the longtime NIAID advisor used private email to evade FOIA requests and hide discussions about a controversial coronavirus research grant linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In one recovered email, Morens wrote: "Don't worry, just send to any of my addresses and I will delete anything I don't want to see in the New York Times."
The national average for a gallon of regular gas set a new 2026 record — climbing to roughly $4.22 — just nine days after Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN prices had "likely peaked." Wright separately told the Senate that gas may not fall below $3 until 2027, a statement President Trump publicly rejected, calling him "totally wrong." Treasury Secretary Bessent has maintained that $3 gas is possible by midsummer, though he concedes the timeline depends on when the Iran conflict ends.
Speaker Mike Johnson overcame a weeks-long rebellion from GOP privacy hawks to advance a three-year extension of FISA Section 702 surveillance authority alongside the farm bill and partial DHS funding. The package includes a ban on a central bank digital currency — a concession to conservative holdouts — but stops short of requiring warrants for searches of Americans' data. Johnson flipped Rep. Lauren Boebert and other key holdouts, though Reps. Thomas Massie and others continue to push for Fourth Amendment protections.
King Charles III became only the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress, speaking Tuesday as part of a state visit marking America's 250th anniversary. Charles paid tribute to the U.S. Secret Service for thwarting the WHCD shooting days earlier. At a white-tie state dinner Monday evening, Trump and Melania hosted the King and Queen Camilla at the White House, with the visit extending to New York City and Virginia.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to St. Petersburg on April 27 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as direct U.S.-Iran nuclear talks have collapsed. The meeting comes as the U.S. naval blockade has pushed Iran's Kharg Island oil storage near capacity — the distribution point for 90% of Iran's exports — and Treasury Secretary Bessent warned Iranian wells may soon be forced to shut in. While Araghchi acknowledged Russia is assisting Iran "in many different directions," Putin has largely stayed on the sidelines of the conflict beyond hosting diplomatic visits.
The 10th edition of the Global Report on Food Crises warns that conflict, drought, and shrinking humanitarian aid will keep global hunger at critical levels throughout 2026, with food insecurity expected to worsen in the world's most fragile countries. The U.S.-Iran conflict has compounded pressure on global energy and food supply chains, with roughly one-fifth of global oil flowing through the contested Strait of Hormuz. The UN's World Food Programme has already been forced to reduce rations to the most hunger-stricken populations due to government funding cuts.
The FBI and House Oversight Committee have opened parallel investigations into the deaths or disappearances of at least 11 scientists connected to NASA, nuclear research, or UFO-related programs since 2023. Cases include a retired Air Force general who reportedly possessed UFO information, multiple NASA JPL researchers, a Los Alamos lab employee, and an MIT physicist who was shot to death. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the Trump administration considers the pattern "worth looking into," while Chairman James Comer warned "something sinister" may be at work.
Following the successful Artemis II lunar flyby mission — which sent the first woman, first Black astronaut, and first Canadian astronaut around the Moon earlier this month — NASA says planning for Artemis III, the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17, is accelerating. The Artemis II crew set a new distance record from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 mark, and completed the first-ever direct audio call between a lunar-bound spacecraft and the International Space Station. SpaceX is simultaneously preparing an unmanned Starship mission to Mars by year's end.
In a moment that drew laughs at the White House state dinner, King Charles III presented President Trump with the ship's bell from HMS Trump — a real Triton-class British submarine commissioned in 1944 that served in the Pacific theater sinking Japanese vessels. Charles called it a "personal gift" and a "testimony to our nations' shared history," quipping: "Should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring!" Trump praised the bell as "so beautiful." The submarine later served with the Royal Australian Navy after the war.
