Today in One Sentence. An armed California man was taken into custody after charging a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Trump said “I guess” and “I’m honored” when asked whether he was the target and Trump described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building,” adding: “We need the ballroom.”.

1/ An armed California man was taken into custody after charging a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, prompting agents to evacuate Trump and senior officials before the suspect reached the ballroom. Officials said Cole Tomas Allen had a shotgun, handgun, and knives, and had traveled by train from California before staying at the Washington Hilton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary evidence showed that Allen “set out to target folks” in the administration, “likely including the president,” while cautioning that investigators were still reviewing writings, devices, and interviews. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro added that Allen appeared “intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” and that prosecutors plan to arraign him Monday on federal firearm and assault charges. Although a Secret Service agent was hit in their bulletproof vest and released from the hospital, Blanche said “the system worked” because Allen “barely breached the perimeter.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC / NBC News / CBS News / ABC News)

2/ Trump said “I guess” when asked whether he was the target, saying “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most […] they’re the ones that they go after.” He continued: “And I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot.” Trump added that he wouldn’t change how he lives, saying “To be honest with you, I’m not a basket case.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Reuters)

3/ Trump described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building,” adding: “We need the ballroom.” About 10 hours later, he posted on Truth Social that the shooting “would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!” (Washington Post / The Hill / Axios)

The 2026 midterms are in 191 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 926 days.

✏️ Weekend Notables.

  1. Trump canceled U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s planned trip to Pakistan, stalling talks to end the Iran war. He said the trip meant “too much time wasted on traveling,” accused Iran of “infighting and confusion,” and said: “We have all the cards, they have none.” Trump said Iran later sent a “much better” proposal, but added that it “offered a lot, but not enough.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Reuters / CNBC / CBS News)

  2. Sen. Thom Tillis said he will stop blocking Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve after the Justice Department dropped its criminal probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Tillis said the DOJ assured him it wasn’t using the probe “as a weapon” against Fed independence and would shift the renovation-cost review to the Fed’s inspector general, clearing the way for Trump’s pick for likely confirmation. (Bloomberg / NBC News / Reuters / Washington Post / Semafor / CNBC)

  3. Federal prosecutors charged Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke with using classified information from the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro to make more than $400,000 on Polymarket. The indictment says Van Dyke helped plan and execute the Caracas raid, then placed about $34,000 in bets tied to Maduro’s removal and U.S. forces entering Venezuela. He faces commodities fraud, wire fraud, theft, and misuse of confidential government information for personal gain. Prosecutors said he later tried to hide the trades by deleting his Polymarket account, changing account emails, and moving proceeds through cryptocurrency accounts. (ABC News / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post)