The Dictatorship

TRUMP RUSHED OFF STAGE AS ‘SHOTS FIRED’

Published

2 months ago

April 28, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is one of Washington’s enduring, if somewhat awkward, rituals.

There is inherent tension in the room, with journalists dressed in finery sharing drinks and food with many of the subjects they cover. That friction was starkly evident this year given President Donald Trump’s often contentious relationship with the media.

That ritual was wildly upended Saturday night when a gunman charged the premisestrying to penetrate the hotel ballroom where Trump and Cabinet secretaries were assembled. They were spirited out unharmed and the crowd of 2,300 hunkered down in gasps, confusion, broken plates and spilled wine.

Wait, was that the sound of a gunshot? Trump wondered. Or did some waiter just drop a tray? “I was hoping it was a tray,” Trump said. “But it wasn’t.”

Guests take cover under tables after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Oz Pearlman, the mentalist enlisted as the evening’s entertainer, was performing a magic trick for Trump on stage as shots rang out outside the ballroom, he told The Associated Press, which had two dozen journalists there.

Trump had boycotted previous dinners as president. It was apparent, going into the dinner, that he had things he wanted to say about the media coverage he seems to revile even as it supplies him with oxygen. “I was really ready to rip it,” he said later at the White House.

In cocktail receptions before the dinner, attendees speculated about who would face Trump’s ire and whether he would stick around for the presentation of journalism awards, including a prize for Wall Street Journal reporters who spotlighted Trump’s relationship with disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

All of that was on plenty of minds as the audience started on spring pea and burrata salad and waiters prepared to serve a main course starring prime chateaubriand and Maine lobster.

President Donald Trump arrives at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) — President Donald Trump arrives at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

A shout of ‘shots fired’

The atmosphere then took a dramatic, fearful turn.

Those seated closest to the doors were the first to respond as security officials shouted “Shots fired.” People ducked under tables and chairs, knocking over table settings.

“I heard a pop, but we didn’t know what the hell it was,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. “And then you heard all sorts of things clatter. Then the Secret Service and every detail came flooding in and everybody went down. I took a knee. … I didn’t go under the table.”

The commotion spread almost as a wave toward the stage. For a few moments it appeared as though Trump was a spectator to the disarray, before he, too, was whisked away by his security detail.

As Trump told it, his wife “knew immediately what happened,” while he did not. Melania Trump told him “that’s a bad noise,” he said later.

Up front, the gunshots were not immediately distinguishable in the cacophony. Heavily armed Secret Service agents flooded the stage and a broad collection of law enforcement and National Guard descended on the hotel.

Vice President JD Vance was the first to be pulled off stage. Trump and the first lady were initially shielded by his detail behind armored plating placed on the stage. After a few moments the Trumps were also removed from the room. The president briefly stumbled before being assisted to a secure suite reserved for him behind the stage.

In response to shouts for everyone to get down, one administration official at a media table crawled under it, with just her high heels poking out.

Security agents fished VIPs from the crowd, among them Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and senior White House advisers Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino. Someone tried to start a “U.S.A” chant as Trump was taken out, before being shushed by others in the room.

Erika Kirk, widow of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was seen in tears as she was escorted from the ballroom. Others in the crowd traded hugs as they were leaving the event site. It was quickly clear that there were no serious injuries in the room.

U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Suspect ran past barricades before being tackled

Police said the suspect had a shotgun, a handgun and knives, and stormed the lobby, running past security barricades as Secret Service agents raced toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was tackled and taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital.

The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

Some guests had fled the ballroom immediately through the warren of hallways surrounding it. Staff directed people to emergency exits. Outside, guests had to walk for blocks to get outside of streets blocked by police vehicles. Helicopters hovered.

Trump remained at the hotel for some time. It was a secure site that was set up at the Washington Hilton after the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan occurred as he was leaving the same hotel.

Trump was itching for the dinner to proceed once security had been reestablished. Hotel staff was refolding napkins, refilling water glasses and aides adjusted the teleprompter for his remarks. But he deferred to security protocols and insisted the event would be rescheduled for sometime in the coming 30 days.

Back at the White House late in the evening, he said his piece.

“When you’re impactful they go after you,” said Trump, the subject of two assassination attempts. “I’m not a basket case.”

He added about the night and the interrupted gala: “I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses. It was a little different evening than we thought. But we’re going to do it again.”

___

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley, Roberta Rampton, Anna Johnson, Aamer Madhani, Mary Clare Jalonick, Tia Goldenberg, Courtney Bonnell, Darlene Superville and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

The Dictatorship

Trump wants a Supreme Court do-over on birthright citizenship, but he won’t get one

Published

10 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Trump wants a Supreme Court do-over on birthright citizenship, but he won’t get one

For months, Donald Trump made clear that he expected the Supreme Court to rule against him on birthright citizenship, and his expectations were correct: Last week, a narrow majority of the high court ruled that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment means what it says.

Hours after the decision came down, the president downplayed the importance of his defeat, saying that he would pursue a legislative solution through Congress, but eight days later, the Republican published a very different kind of message to his social media platform that approached the issue in a more hysterical way. The missive read, in its entirety:

Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with “Deliveries starting at $4000.” Likewise, similar signs going up all over our Country. Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay. It will be, by far, the number one way of becoming a citizen, and then the entire family will be allowed to follow. Not sustainable.

NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!! AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE! In fact, that is a crime, and therefore, the Supreme Court’s ruling is wrong. I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY. This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Even by Trump standards, this one’s a doozy.

The New York Times reported“The president appeared to be referring to a Fox News report that identified a hospital in Texas that had advertised paying for ‘Birth Packages in South Texas’ on billboards in Mexico. The outlet reported that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican, had ordered an investigation into the hospital, which told Fox News that “marketing materials regarding maternity services are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding.”

Trump apparently took this report and ran with it, inventing various other details, including the amusing idea that cross-border birth tourism will somehow become “the number one way of becoming a citizen” (“by far,” the president added), as opposed to simply being born on U.S. soil to American parents.

But even if such an advertising campaign existed, it wouldn’t generate a rehearing from the Supreme Court. There is no scenario in which justices would say, “Sure, we ruled last week that the unambiguous language of the 14th Amendment means what it says, but if there are billboards going up, that changes everything.”

For good measure, let’s not forget that, according to Trump, his administration has effectively ended illegal border crossings, so as a practical matter, he really shouldn’t be that concerned.

The president’s online rant said he intends to ask for an immediate rehearing. If he orders administration lawyers to go through with such a pointless exercise and they bother to do the paperwork, they should keep their collective expectations low.

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

The Dictatorship

Democrats’ scramble to replace Graham Platner ramps up in Maine

Published

10 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Democrats’ scramble to replace Graham Platner ramps up in Maine

Christmas. 9, 2026, 9:46 AM EDT

Maine Democrats are scrambling to replace Graham Platner a day after their nominee for U.S. Senate ended his bid following an allegation of sexual assault.

There’s a July 27 deadline set by state law for the party faithful to pick a new standard bearer in a race that is expected to be instrumental when it comes to whether Republicans can keep control of the Senate in this fall’s midterms.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins may be vulnerable, but she has won five straight races for the seat dating back to 1996, and trying to defeat her was likely to carry challenges for Democrats even in the best case scenario.

Their new candidate will have to essentially start from nothing in the race, mend the divisions sown by Platner, introduce (or reintroduce) themselves to the broader electorate and corral support from the ex-candidate’s outsider-minded current and former followers, all in less than four months.

That amounts to a daunting task with massive implications not only for Maine Democrats, but potentially for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s time in the White House. Democrats need to flip at least four GOP-held Senate seats, and maintain all their current ones from several competitive states, to vault themselves into the majority in the midterms. A loss in Maine would be a significant setback.

Maine Democratic Party leaders announced plans “to hold a nominating convention to choose a new nominee,” while stating that “transparency is of the utmost importance.”

Already, several major voices are in the race, including unsuccessful candidate for governor and past Platner supporter Troy Jackson. The former state senate president made his bid clear less than an hour after Platner left the race. One major Bernie Sanders-aligned group, Our Revolution, has quickly rallied around Jackson.

Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company,”https://x.com/mainebeerbrewer/status/2075028234962677872?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet”>is also in the fray, along with former governor candidate Nirav Shah, who worked as Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows who also ran for governor this summer is among other potential contenders.

Platner’s exit also brings difficulty for Collins and Republicans as well, however. Instead of facing a Democratic rival with a string of alarming controversies even before the sexual assault allegationan accustation Platner has denied, Collins instead will have to try to keep her seat in a blue state against someone far less defined, and potentially with far fewer vulnerabilities, in November.

Across the country this year, Democrats have navigated a political environment rife with divisions over how to sway voters in these strange times, with tension between more entrenched party leaders and an energetic and angered left wing often spilling out into the open.

What happens in Maine over the coming weeks may prove to be no different.

Hunter Woodall covers politics for MS NOW. He’s reported on politics and presidential campaigns for The Associated Press and CBS News and reported on Congress for The Minnesota Star Tribune.

The Dictatorship

Platner’s exit amplifies a key difference between Democrats and Republicans

Published

10 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Platner’s exit amplifies a key difference between Democrats and Republicans

It’s been almost three years since Kevin McCarthy became the first sitting House speaker to be ousted in the middle of a congressional sessionbut the California Republican has nevertheless tried to maintain a public profile and has routinely appeared on conservative media to push partisan talking points.

So it wasn’t too surprising to see McCarthy on Fox News on Monday night, responding to the latest sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner, still a candidate for Senate at the time.

As part of an apparent effort to contextualize the scandals surrounding the Maine Democrat, the former GOP leader said, “One thing I know about Republicans is when we had a very bad candidate and found out, we didn’t vote for that person. We walked away.”

Moments later, McCarthy added, “When Matt Gaetz came forward, we got rid of him.”

As is too often the case, the failed former House speaker not only had it backward, but his mistake also offered a timely reminder of details that made him and his party look worse, not better.

Indeed, Gaetz offers a rather extraordinary example. The Justice Department investigated the Florida Republican over allegations of alleged sex trafficking, and while Gaetz repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and the prosecutors’ probe ended without charges, his House GOP colleagues made no effort to “get rid of him” as the scandal intensified.

What’s more, the House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz “regularly” paid women for sex, had sex with a 17-year-old during his tenure on Capitol Hill and possessed illegal drugs. Nevertheless, as that evidence came together, he remained a GOP member in good standing; he won re-election in 2024 with the Republican Party’s backing; and President Donald Trump thought it would be a good idea to nominate Gaetz to serve as the U.S. attorney general — a nomination endorsed by Republican senators such as South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Alabama’s Tommy Tubervilleeven after they had seen the House Ethics Committee’s findings.

This is what McCarthy cited as an example of the GOP maintaining the highest standards and throwing “very bad candidates” to the curb. That’s ridiculous.

But there’s no reason to stop with Gaetz. Indeed, the list of scandal-plagued Republicans who continued to enjoy the party’s backing long after ugly allegations had reached the public is not short. Trump is obviously the most glaring example, but the list includes other contemporary figures, including Rep. Cory Mills of Florida and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

There’s no reason to limit the list to electoral candidates, either: Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth faced an avalanche of scandals during his confirmation fight early last year, but Senate Republicans decided to ignore the allegations and make him defense secretary anyway.

As the Hegseth fight unfolded, political scientist Jonathan Bernstein published a smart piece that remains relevant: “I do not believe that Republicans or conservatives are any more prone to [scandals] than Democrats. What has changed, however, is the incentive structure. Once upon a time both parties were equally likely to rid themselves of bad actors; now Republicans are far more likely to tolerate, and in some cases even celebrate, behavior they once would have shunned.”

When Democrats learned of serious allegations against then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the party abandoned him. When then-New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez faced serious criminal charges for which he was later convicted, the party abandoned him, too.

In Maine, the Platner example followed the same path, as evidenced by his decision to withdraw from the Maine race after Democratic officials left him with no other choice.

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, an MS NOW legal analyst, explained this week“The contrast here is hard to ignore. Democrats have shown that when credible allegations of sexual misconduct emerge against one of their own, the conversation turns quickly to accountability. Republicans have made a different choice. That’s not a partisan talking point, it’s a difference in how the two parties have approached questions of character and fitness for office over the last 10 years.”

That’s true, whether McCarthy wants to acknowledge it or not.