NPR News: 04-27-2026 5AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
What happened during the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner?
The man suspected of carrying out Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner is scheduled to be arraigned today in federal court on multiple charges. He's identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen, a teacher and engineer from Torrance, California. A White House official tells NPR Allen sent family members what's described as a manifesto minutes before the incident took place at the Washington Hilton Hotel. The White House says the document stated Allen wanted to target officials with the Trump administration.
Who is Cole Allen and what were his motives?
Reporter Steve Futterman has more.
NPR has confirmed that Allen visited gun ranges in Southern California. He attended at least one No Kings March. In a LinkedIn page that appears to belong to him, he describes himself as a mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, and teacher by birth. NPR did not find any criminal records when conducting a background check of Allen.
That's Steve Futterman reporting. Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives when he charged a security checkpoint outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place. He was tackled by law enforcement, but not before a Secret Service agent was shot. The bullet hit the agent's protective vest. He was not seriously injured. NPR's Franco Ordonez says President Trump is pointing to Saturday night's shooting as a reason to finish the White House ballroom.
President Trump says a shooting would never have happened if it were held in the new ballroom he's having built at the White House. He called the Washington Hilton not a particularly secure site, as he explained on Fox News.
Well, it's always tough when you have a thousand rooms. It's a large hotel right on top. And so people come down in elevators and they're right over the top of where you're speaking.
The White House ballroom is facing legal hurdles. Even if it is built, it's not clear if the dinner could be held there. The annual event is private. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders for an area of southern Lebanon not inside that occupied by Israel. As NPR's Kat Lansdorf reports, that's despite a temporary ceasefire that's been extended.
Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to, quote, vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Israel then carried out widespread strikes in the south. 35-year-old Abed Amar says the Israeli military dropped pamphlets on his village of Al-Mansouri three times Sunday, warning of danger. He and his family had returned to their home during the ceasefire.
But last night, there was a violent gunfire.
But they just left again, he tells NPR in a voice note. The Israeli military shelled the village overnight, he says. It's not safe. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Beirut.
This is NPR News from Washington. Virginia's Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today in a legal challenge to the effort to redraw the state's congressional map. The Republican challenge follows last week's approval by state voters of a proposal to rework the state's congressional districts. The change is supported by Virginia's Governor, Abigail Spanberger, and the state's Democratic lawmakers in Richmond. The redrawn map is expected to help Democrats flip several congressional seats currently held by Republicans. The lawsuit contends the General Assembly violated procedural requirements by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Supporters say the move was in response to President Trump urging Republican-led states to do the same.
Severe storms and tornadoes swept across areas of the central U.S. over the weekend. At least two deaths were reported in Texas. Severe storms also hit areas of southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri last night. No deaths were reported there, but there is damage and power outages, as Rachel Schnelle with member station KRPS explains.
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