Prosecutors revealed that Cole Tomas Allen photographed himself fully armed in a hotel mirror roughly 30 minutes before rushing the Washington Hilton security perimeter on April 25, carrying a shotgun, pistol, multiple knives, and ammunition. Allen, 31, of California, had also scheduled emails containing a manifesto explaining his intentions to send just before his apprehension. He faces three federal charges including attempting to assassinate the President.
The Justice Department has filed a second indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, charging him with making threats against the president tied to a May 2025 Instagram photo showing seashells arranged as "86 47" — interpreted as a coded threat against the 47th president. Comey faces two federal counts and an arrest warrant has been issued. Comey denies the charges and says he will contest them in court to vindicate the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 29 in Mullin v. Doe, weighing the administration's effort to end Temporary Protected Status for over 350,000 Haitian and roughly 7,000 Syrian migrants. Several justices signaled the courts may lack authority to review executive TPS determinations, though Justice Sotomayor raised Trump's past comments about Haiti as evidence of discriminatory purpose. A ruling could come as early as this summer.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to defend the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion budget, with the hearing dominated by the Iran conflict. Operation Epic Fury has now cost taxpayers $25 billion, and the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline expires Friday, requiring congressional authorization for hostilities to continue. Democrats pressed on war costs and transparency while the administration pushed to redirect spending toward domestic military manufacturing.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has effectively taken control of key state functions, blocking President Masoud Pezeshkian's appointments and cutting off his access to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Newly elevated IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi has rejected all intelligence minister candidates, insisting the military manage sensitive positions during wartime. Analysts warn a more powerful IRGC means a more confrontational Iran, less willing to negotiate with Washington and more inclined to escalate militarily.
A 45-year-old man stabbed two Jewish men — ages 76 and 34 — in London's Golders Green neighborhood in what counterterrorism police have classified as a terrorist incident. The suspect clashed with Shomrim, a Jewish community security group, before being arrested. The UK's chief rabbi described Jews as targets of a "sustained campaign of violence and intimidation," and Israel's Foreign Ministry demanded Britain "act decisively and urgently."
Maritime intelligence has uncovered an Iranian operation using tankers disguised as Iraqi vessels to smuggle an estimated $800 million in oil past the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The scheme highlights Tehran's desperation as American sanctions and the blockade squeeze Iran's primary revenue source. The revelation comes as Iran also fired on container ships in the Strait, further escalating tensions despite a recent U.S. ceasefire extension.
A massive data breach at Amtrak has exposed over 2.1 million unique accounts, with some estimates putting the total number of compromised records as high as 9.4 million. Exposed information includes email addresses, names, physical addresses, and customer support records. Security researchers warn the leaked data could fuel convincing phishing attacks targeting past and present Amtrak customers.
Researchers at University College London found that specific gut microbiome differences could predict Parkinson's disease risk years before symptoms appear. The study compared 271 Parkinson's patients, 43 high-risk gene carriers, and 150 healthy controls, finding that more than 25% of gut microbes differed significantly in Parkinson's patients. Asymptomatic gene carriers showed "intermediate" microbial changes, suggesting a detectable pre-disease state — and people eating diverse diets were less likely to have at-risk patterns.
Ann Arbor, Michigan unanimously voted to remove over 600 neighborhood watch signs citywide, with officials declaring the signs were "expressions of exclusion" that "reinforce biased surveillance" toward marginalized communities. The city spent $18,000 on the removal, arguing the signage didn't reduce crime and conflicted with the city's commitment to inclusivity. Critics called the move "just insane."
