Cole Allen charged in alleged attempt on Trump

April 28, 2026

Summary

Prosecutors charged Cole Allen with attempting to assassinate President Trump after the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting.

Why this matters

The case involves a rare federal charge tied to an alleged attempt on a sitting president and could result in a life sentence. It also raises scrutiny of security at a high-profile Washington event attended by political leaders and journalists.

Federal prosecutors on Monday charged 31-year-old Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, a rarely used charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The seven-page criminal complaint also charged Allen with transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to prosecutors, Allen had a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol when he was arrested. The complaint said he bought the shotgun in 2025 and the pistol in 2023.

Allen’s lawyer, public defender Tezira Abe, did not return a request for comment. In court Monday, Abe said Allen has no prior arrests or convictions and “is presumed innocent at this time.”

The annual dinner, attended by journalists, politicians, and celebrities, was disrupted on Saturday after shots were fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, where the event was held. The president and senior administration officials typically attend, though this was Trump’s first time attending as president.

The complaint said Allen sent an email shortly before 8:40 p.m. Saturday, when he approached the security checkpoint at the hotel. Prosecutors said the email, likely pre-scheduled, included a .txt file titled “Apology and Explanation” and offered his “sincerest apologies for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

According to the complaint, he signed the email “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”

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The share of Hawaiʻi residents 65 and older rose from 16% in 2016 to more than 21% in 2024. A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Economic Research Organization study projected that 25% of the state’s population will be 65 or older by 2035.

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Virginia

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“The language voters will see when they walk into the voting booth in November is engineered to obscure what this amendment actually does,” Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb said Thursday.

The plaintiffs argued the amendment would eliminate parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions or surgical birth control procedures, and remove the current three-physician approval requirement for certain later-pregnancy abortions. They said voters may not understand the amendment’s effects based on the ballot wording.

Existing Virginia law requires parental or guardian consent for surgeries on minors unless a minor successfully petitions a judge for approval.

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South Carolina

2 injured in Columbia apartment complex shooting

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Two people were injured in a shooting Thursday at the Colony Apartments in Columbia, where multiple violent incidents have been reported in recent years, according to the Columbia Police Department.

Officers were called to the complex in the 6400 block of Bailey Street around noon after a report of shots fired. While officers were en route, the call was updated to say people had been struck by gunfire, police said.

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A Beaufort County jury is expected to begin hearing a wrongful death lawsuit Monday over the 2023 disappearance and death of a 79-year-old resident of The Palmettos of Bluffton.

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Okatie man charged in Coligny Beach shooting

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An Okatie man was arrested Tuesday in connection with gunfire at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island earlier this month, according to Beaufort County inmate records.

The 20-year-old was charged with aggravated breach of peace and violating Hilton Head’s ordinance banning gunfire within town limits.

An arrest warrant said he was at Coligny Beach about 10:40 p.m. April 4 when he brandished a gun and fired three shots in the direction of “innocent people” nearby. Multiple beachgoers “fled the area in panic,” the warrant said.

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N.C. House Democrats propose food security bill

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“Wages have just not kept up with the cost of basic necessities,” said Ager. “The same basket of groceries – cost goes up, same paycheck stretches less.”

The bill, titled the Affordable Food Act, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorizing a nutrition incentive program to help families buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Ager said the measure also aimed to address food deserts. U.S. Department of Agriculture data identified 11 food deserts in Buncombe County, which Ager said affected about 23,000 residents in his district.

House Bill 1057 would support mobile markets, food banks, nonprofits, local governments, and food co-ops serving underserved areas.

“The grant program in this bill would help us bring food to the communities that need it most,” Ager said.

Rep. Ray Jeffers, a Person County farmer, said the legislation would create a farmer stabilization program within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to buy food grown or processed in North Carolina for distribution to public and nonprofit food assistance programs.

Jeffers said small, mid-sized, and historically underserved producers are more likely to remain in agriculture if they have reliable buyers. The bill also set aside $47 million in recurring funds for farmland preservation. North Carolina is losing 100,000 acres of farmland and forest land a year.

Rep. Garland Pierce, D-Scotland, said he signed onto the bill because a significant portion of his district includes Fort Bragg. The bill’s proposed Targeted Military and Veteran Food Assistance Program would provide $140 million in recurring funds to address food insecurity among military members, veterans, and military families.

According to a 2023 study conducted for the Military Family Advisory Network, 1 in 5 military and veteran families reported some level of food insecurity.

The bill would also prohibit retail grocery stores from using dynamic pricing, which allows electronic price tags to change based on demand, time of day, and other market conditions. Ager said the practice makes it harder for shoppers to plan and budget.

Earlier this month, Maryland became the first state to ban dynamic pricing, including the use of consumers’ personal data to set prices for goods or services.

Ager said the bill carries a significant fiscal note, but he hopes to win bipartisan support as the state budget is written.
North Carolina

Stein signs $319M Medicaid bill, averting shortfall

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Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill Thursday approving $319 million in Medicaid funding after state health officials warned the program could run out of money by the end of May without a state budget.

Before signing House Bill 696, Stein said lawmakers should provide recurring funding next year to keep the program stable.

“For months, the status of Medicaid in North Carolina has been in unnecessary jeopardy,” Stein said. “I’m relieved to say that the bill that I will be signing will provide certainty and care that the people and the providers of this state need and deserve.”

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Stein said he was concerned about that provision, but cited the urgency of funding the program.

“Depriving these vulnerable women and children healthcare converge is wrong,” Stein said. “Fortunately, based on conversations we’ve had, I believe that it is the General Assembly’s intention to fix this.”

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Brent crude rose 67 cents to $111.07 per barrel, and U.S. benchmark crude added 10 cents to $105.17.

U.S. futures rose 0.2% after Wall Street set more records Thursday. The S&P 500 climbed 1% to 7,209.01, topping its previous all-time high and capping its best month in more than five years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% to 49,652.14, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9% to a record 24,892.31.

Alphabet jumped 10% after reporting a quarterly profit that was nearly double analysts’ expectations. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said investments in artificial intelligence “are lighting up every part of the business.”

Meta Platforms fell 8.7% despite stronger-than-expected profit, as investors focused on higher projected spending on data centers and AI. Microsoft fell 3.9% after also raising its forecast for investment and capital spending. Amazon rose 0.8%.

In the oil market, the most actively traded Brent contract for July delivery rose as high as $114.70 a barrel, fell toward $107, and settled at $110.40 on Thursday, little changed from the day before. Its peak during the war was $119.50 last month. In thinner trading, Brent for June delivery briefly topped $126 overnight before falling back toward $114. Brent was about $70 before the war.
Finance & Markets

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Mortgage rates increased this week, according to Freddie Mac. The average 30-year fixed rate rose 7 basis points to 6.30%, while the 15-year fixed rate increased 6 basis points to 5.64%.

Freddie Mac’s archives show rates fell for four straight weeks until the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. Rates then rose for five weeks, before declining for three consecutive weeks in April.

Despite the latest increase, both benchmark rates remained below their levels a year earlier. The 30-year rate was 6.76% this week in 2025, or 46 basis points higher than the current level. The 15-year rate was 5.92% a year ago, 28 basis points above today’s rate.

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World

Gaza flotilla activists disembark in Crete after detention

Several European governments called on Israel to release the activists and said the action violated international law. The U.S. backed Israel.

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About 175 activists detained by Israel while trying to reach Gaza by sea disembarked in Crete on Friday, escorted by Greek coast guards.

The activists, most of them from European countries, were taken by four buses to the port of Atherinolakkos in southeastern Crete. As they approached the port, they chanted, “Free Palestine.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said about 175 activists were taken from more than 20 boats on Thursday. Organizers of the flotilla put the number at 211.

The flotilla involved more than 50 vessels that had set sail in recent weeks from Marseille, France, Barcelona, Spain, and Syracuse, Italy. Organizers said the mission aimed to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Friday, “All the flotilla activists are now in Greece except Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila.”

In a post on X, Israel’s ministry called the flotilla “another provocation designed to divert attention from Hamas’s refusal to disarm.” It also said the flotilla was serving “professional provocateurs.”

The ministry said Keshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation” and that he and Avila, who was suspected of “illegal activity,” would be taken to Israel for questioning.

Several European governments whose nationals were among those detained called on Israel to release the activists and said the action violated international law.

The United States backed Israel, calling the flotilla a “stunt” and saying it expected allies to deny port access, docking, departure, and refueling to vessels involved. A State Department spokesman said Washington was considering “consequences” for those who support the flotilla.

A previous voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla in summer and fall 2025 also drew international attention. Its boats were intercepted by Israel off Egypt and Gaza in early October, and crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and later expelled by Israel.