The Dictatorship
Terror overtakes Trump’s first White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president
WASHINGTON — As hundreds of journalists exchanged hugs, handshakes and laughter, while they and other attendees took their seats, White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang welcomed everyone to this year’s dinner — Donald Trump’s first as president.
A military color guard played the national anthem. Like most events involving a U.S. president, every action was carefully choreographed. The atmosphere felt both routine and yet still historic. The sound of forks hitting plates clattered as Jiang gave her brief remarks, and people returned to conversation.
Suddenly, multiple loud bangs rang out from behind the closed doors of the oval underground ballroom in the Hilton Hotel. Journalists, friends, lawmakers, congressional staffers, and members of Trump’s Cabinet and other administration officials — dropped to the ground. Plates shattered, and chairs toppled over as people took cover under tablecloth-covered tables.
MS NOW reporter Julia Jester, who had reported on air from the red carpet leading up to the event, had briefly gone to an upper level of the hotel and returned to see her fellow journalists crouched on the floor.
“Just as someone said there was a shooter, an officer shouted to ‘get down and stay down,’” Jester recalled. “Not long after, a Secret Service agent ran into the area shouting, ‘Everyone out, this is now an active crime scene.’ Anyone who tried to run back to grab belongings was warned to leave or face arrest. They were not playing around.”
The evening is an annual celebration of the freedom of the press, one that typically includes a comedian’s performance and a joke-filled speech from the president along with the presentation of awards to journalists. Trump broke with tradition in his first term by not attending; his presence Saturday was a lightning rod for debate in the wake of his lawsuits against and threats to sue several media outlets over the past year.
Tension was expected to center on First Amendment speech protections. Instead, the night was derailed by gun violence, another growing threat to America’s democracy.
Outside the ballroom, a man — later identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California — had attempted to run through a security checkpoint with two guns, along with multiple knives, according to Jeffery Carroll, D.C. interim police chief. Several MS NOW reporters, producers and executives were seated in the ballroom, a below-ground space with notoriously poor cellphone service.
“It wasn’t until we were all outside that I remembered how odd, and mildly concerning, I thought it was when no one screened me — or my bags — when I arrived on the terrace-level hours before [most attendees] to cover the red carpet,” Jester said. “The reality sunk in: as jarring as tonight was, it could have been far worse.”
Inside the room, Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana was seated near the center aisle. He estimated he was 50 to 75 feet from the back doors, when “all of a sudden,” he said, “we hear these large gunshots.”
MS NOW “Way Too Early” anchor and senior congressional reporter Ali Vitali heard shouts of “shots fired.”
“Someone behind me shouted ‘get down’ and I hit the floor, grabbing Symone Sanders next to me and telling her to get under the table,” she said. “I worried we couldn’t find cover because of how tightly packed the chairs and tables were. One of the servers also dropped down near us.”
“After a minute, I put my phone in the air and starting filming the dais, trying to understand where the president was,” Vitali said. Then she realized the server on the ground next to her was sobbing. “So, I used one hand in the air with my phone and the other to hold hers, and tell her it was going to be OK.”
Multiple Secret Service agents sprinted to the stage, where Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt were seated along with the board members of the White House Correspondents’ Association. As the guests on the dais crouched down and then were evacuated from their table, heavily-armed officers stood guard on the stage.
Quiet fell across the room, as uncertainty and fear spread among the guests. “I don’t recall any screaming. How much of the silence in that room was learned behavior?” Jonathan Capehart, co-anchor of “The Weekend,” reflected about the experience after years of mass shootings in America.
“It felt like a long moment,” said Stutzman.
In an interview with MS NOW’s Mychael Schnell shortly after the incident, Stutzman and Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., recounted following Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and other officials down the center aisle as they were ushered out of the ballroom.
Hamadeh spotted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. among those being rushed to safety. “When everybody was down there [on the floor]I’m just hearing people praying,” the Arizona congressman said. “People were obviously scared.”
White House reporter Jake Traylor, who covered the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 campaign, also began filming on his cellphone. “We were a few feet away from FBI Director Kash Patel. I saw agents covering and protecting him moments after the commotion began,” he said.
“We actually left the exit where Ronald Reagan was shot just over 40 years ago,” MS NOW’s senior White House reporter Vaughn Hillyard told viewers on air as law enforcement officials asked him to move further back from the scene.
Hillyard recalled seeing House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth being escorted out by their security details.
Kari Lake, who has overseen a gutting of the government-funding international news agency Voice of America into a pro-Trump media organization, expressed disdain for journalists in the room as she exited in an interview with Newsmax, a conservative streaming service, moments after the shooting.
“I saw so many people from all of these news outlets,” Lake said, accusing journalists of spreading falsehoods. “They’re part to blame of this,” she claimed moments after the shooting occurred and only as an investigation was just underway.
Back inside the ballroom, MS NOW’s Traylor reported that the president was safe and that he still intended to deliver a speech from the dinner, citing a White House official.
The president posted on social media that he wanted to “LET THE SHOW GO ON.” He praised law enforcement’s swift response and announced a press conference at the White House after it was determined that, following security guidance, he would leave the premises. Attendees were soon asked to leave the hotel as law enforcement investigated what had become a crime scene.
Trump posted a photo of a man handcuffed on the carpeted floor of the hotel and then shared video of a person charging through a security checkpoint. Shortly after, he addressed journalists — many still dressed in gowns and tuxedos — from the White House briefing room, saying the posts were part of an effort to create transparency as law enforcement worked to learn more about the suspect and possible motives.
“It’s always shocking when something like this happens,” Trump told reporters. “Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise,’ and we were whisked away.”
MS NOW “The Weeknight” anchor Symone Sanders recalled on air riding a scooter up to the driveway of the Hilton, describing her ability to arrive that close to the entrance as “unusual” compared to previous dinners. She questioned the hotel’s overall security after attending numerous events where presidents and vice presidents were present.
“I have been with a protectee, then the vice president of the United States of America, when they have had to be evacuated. What happened tonight, in terms of protocol, from what I know, having experienced it myself, was not protocol,” Sanders said late Saturday, referring to her time as a senior adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Before the dinner began, MS NOW White House associate producer Emily Hung witnessed a handful of protestors enter the hotel, holding their signs against a WHCD-branded backdrop, before they were escorted out.
It is unclear whether Trump was the intended target, but, if so, this would be the third time a gunman has targeted Trump since 2024. In the Washington Hilton Saturday night were two officials in the presidential line of succession: the vice president and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Unlike Lake, Trump praised the reaction of journalists in the room and what he saw of the event before it was derailed. “I told the representatives of the evening, and they did such a beautiful job with such a beautiful evening,” the president said. “They’re talking about free speech in our Constitution. That’s what it’s all about.”
As he addressed the reporters in the briefing room who sprang into action to tell the world what had happened, he also took questions and shared that he has “studied assassinations.”
“The people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after,” Trump said. “I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot. We’ve done a lot.”
Contributed Jake Traylor, Ali Vitali, Symone Sanders, Mychael Schnell, Ken Dilianian, Carol Leonnig.
Akayla Gardner is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.
DETROIT (AP) — The opening of a Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River, which President Donald Trump had previously threatened to block, was delayed Thursday due to unresolved issues.
In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn’t elaborate on what those issues are or how long the delay would last.
The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.
But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president’s many salvos over cross-border trade issues.
Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump’s post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.
New bridge a “long-term play”
Internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday evening, “At the request of the United States we agreed to delay the opening and take the necessary time to resolve outstanding issues.”
He added, “There are some things that have been raised, a series of technical aspects, which we will work through with the United States.”
Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.
“We need to keep this very much in perspective,” said Sandy Baruah, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber and former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce. “Our organization, the state of Michigan and others have been working on this bridge for 20 years. If it opens July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1, I’m not going to get overly agitated about it. This is a long-term play.”
Named after the late Canadian Hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.
The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she’s taking people at their word that the holdup is “a minor hiccup.”
“This is probably the most bipartisan issue in the state of Michigan, so it’s ridiculous that we can’t just seal the deal,” Slotkin said.
Commerce and border crossings
Detroit and Windsor have been neighborly for generations, with residents in both countries frequently crossing the shared river border for entertainment and shopping. Windsor’s population in 2021 was about 230,000. Like Detroit, the Canadian city’s economy has a strong focus on manufacturing and the auto industry.
Commercial trade between the two cities primarily has been across the nearly century-old and privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, which is closer to downtown Detroit than the Gordie Howe Bridge.
The Ambassador Bridge had been the busiest commercial border crossing between the United States and Canada until last year, when truck traffic along the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, surpassed the Ambassador Bridge’s numbers, according to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association.
In 2025, about 2.1 million trucks crossed the Blue Water Bridge compared to just over 1.8 million that used the Ambassador Bridge. About 3.5 million passenger vehicles used the Ambassador Bridge last year, while 1.6 million crossed via the Blue Water Bridge.
Combined, more than 9.2 million vehicles crossed the border on those two bridges in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
More than 3.7 million cars and SUVs also traveled between the United States and Canada last year via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
Both bridges and the tunnel are working at full capacity, and the new bridge will help improve the efficiency of commercial and personal traffic between the two countries, Baruah said.
“This is what government is supposed to do, make it easier for business to conduct commerce,” he said.
___
Cappelletti reported from Washington.
President Donald Trump’s planned UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working onsite daily and at least $60 million, according to a legal filing that offers a glimpse into the preparations.
The event is part of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and is scheduled for the weekend with the main attraction — seven mixed martial arts matches — on Sunday.
That is, if a judge doesn’t halt the proceedings, which is sought by two Virginia residents in a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.
The agency filed a rebuff of the request Tuesday in court, and, in it, laid out the operations for the event.
“Well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended,” the document read, adding that the money came from the UFC and groups affiliated with it.
The Octagon
It’s the eight-sided cage that surrounds the sometimes bloodied combatants and sits at the center of the constructed arena on the South Lawn.
The arena is expected to hold 4,000 spectators, with another 120,000 visitors — who swung tickets from an online lottery — anticipated to watch from the nearby Ellipse.
The installation began May 20, and the Secret Service worked with the UFC to screen between 20 and 30 trucks of equipment — as well as between “700 and 900” staff — that came in daily for the installation.
The document did not specify the extent of government resources spent on the project, but said seven agencies, including Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”
The schedule
It’ll kick off Saturday with a ceremonial weigh-in at the Ellipse, followed by a concert by country musicians The Zac Brown Band.
A UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest will be ongoing through the weekend, with “interactive experiences,” live shows, celebrity appearances, “exclusive on-stage moments,” meet and greets, live music and interviews with the athletes.
Sunday night is when the seven bouts kick off. At the close, Trump is scheduled to fly to France for the G7 summit.
Disassembly of the installations will begin the next day, and they are expected to be entirely removed by June 23.
The athletes’ Epsom salt baths
There are 14 athletes competing, and their training is rigorous.
Preparations start months in advance, working toward more intense weight cutting and diet alteration in the final week that can include fasting, extreme sauna use and hot Epsom salt baths.
They could be shaving as many as 20 pounds before weigh-ins, which are designed to keep the competition fair between similarly weighted combatants.
Lawsuit calls it ‘corrupt’
It was filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of the two Virginia residents and argues that Trump’s authorization of the event violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands.
One of the attorneys, Brendan Ballou, characterized it as a “corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain.”
The National Park Service pushed back on that claim, but also detailed the event’s preparations to make a point.
“All these hopes could be dashed at the very last moment,” it read, “by the whim of two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else.”
FBI agents on Thursday raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a pro-democracy organization that helps register voters in that state, according to three people briefed on the search.
Agents also fanned out across the state, showing up at the homes of the group’s leaders and staff members, carrying some subpoenas and seeking information and electronic devices, according to the people, two of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive ongoing investigation. Members of the group had made contact with lawyers on Thursday to determine their legal options, the people said.
Prentiss Haney, a board member for Ohio Organizing Collaborative, told MS NOW Thursday night that agents approached people with connections to Ohio Organizing Collaborative, including some who had performed basic canvassing and volunteer work for the group, and began pressing them for information.
Agents were “basically trying to fish for information,” said Haney.
“They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” Haney said, adding that agents “asked them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school.”
Haney said some of the people said the agents approached without warrants.
“Just straight-up intimidation tactics,” he said.
Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday night.
Those sources familiar with the investigation said they are concerned this new effort in Ohio is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to sow doubt and distrust in voting integrity in key swing states ahead of the midterm elections.
Federal agents have in recent months launched inquiries and investigations into voting protocols in Georgia and Wisconsin, have subpoenaed voting records in Arizona and sought reviews of voting machines in Puerto Rico.
According to its website, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative facilitates statewide voter registration through grassroots, community-led programs, including its “Democracy Builders” initiative. This collaborative works in Ohio’s major metropolitan areas, such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, to help underrepresented communities register to vote and provides other support.
The group has also joined lawsuits challenging redistricting efforts that it argues reduce Black voters of representation. These lawsuits also “stand your ground” laws that allow a person to shoot someone if they feel threatened.
Haney said the Cleveland raid and harassment of staff are unjustified and that investigators lack any evidence of wrongdoing.
“How can they distract and intimidate civil rights leaders and voters and community leaders who are helping people get registered to vote and create a national spectacle about it?” he said.
“That is the only reason why they would choose to do that, do it now, in the middle of a contested political election in the state. There’s no other reason. They have no evidence of that.”
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
Will McDuffie is a reporter for MS NOW.
Alex Tabet is a reporter for MS NOW.
Laura Barrón-López covers the White House for MS NOW.
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