POLITICS & POLICY

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump publicly praised White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang for her composure and quick thinking during the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, calling her response "outstanding" and "very professional" in the chaotic moments after gunfire erupted outside the ballroom.

LOS ANGELES — A 2017 ABC7 Eyewitness News interview featuring Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old Torrance man accused of charging a security checkpoint and firing shots outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner, has resurfaced, showing the suspect as a promising Caltech engineering student presenting an innovative wheelchair safety device.

WASHINGTON — Erika Kirk, widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and CEO of Turning Point USA, was captured in raw video footage sobbing and repeatedly saying "I just want to go home" as she was escorted from the White House Correspondents' Dinner following a chaotic shooting incident at the Washington Hilton on April 25.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump revealed in a candid "60 Minutes" interview that he partially slowed his own Secret Service protection during the chaotic moments after gunshots erupted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, saying he hesitated because "I wanted to see what was going on" as agents tried to rush him and other top officials to safety.

WASHINGTON — Among the three documented assassination attempts on President Donald Trump since 2024, the July 13, 2024, shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, stands as by far the most dangerous, with a gunman firing multiple shots that grazed the president's ear, killed one spectator and injured two others in a stark security failure that came within inches of changing American history.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has now survived three documented assassination attempts since entering the political arena as a candidate in 2024, each underscoring deep national divisions and raising persistent questions about political violence, Secret Service protocols and the safety of America's leaders.

WASHINGTON — Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old California teacher identified as the suspect in Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, has emerged as a central figure in the latest apparent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Authorities describe him as a lone actor who allegedly bypassed security at the Washington Hilton and opened fire near the main ballroom.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was rushed to safety Saturday night after gunshots rang out during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, in what authorities are investigating as the latest apparent assassination attempt on the sitting president. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were unharmed, but the incident has reignited national debates over presidential security and political violence.

WASHINGTON — The Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical energy chokepoint, stayed effectively closed to normal commercial traffic Sunday as U.S. naval forces hunted Iranian mines and Iran continued seizing vessels, even as a fragile ceasefire entered its third week and indirect talks resumed in Pakistan.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department announced Friday it is expanding federal execution methods to include firing squads, reinstating lethal injection protocols from the first Trump administration and streamlining processes to expedite capital punishment cases as part of a broader push to strengthen the federal death penalty.

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed Friday that he was diagnosed with and successfully treated for early-stage prostate cancer several months ago, a revelation he deliberately withheld to avoid giving Iran ammunition for propaganda amid ongoing regional conflicts.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport will partially reopen on Sunday, April 26, 2026, with Terminals 4 and 5 resuming limited operations after a nearly two-month closure caused by regional tensions, while the long-awaited new Terminal 2 remains on track for completion in late 2026.

LOS ANGELES — Meghan Markle has returned to California after a whirlwind four-day visit to Australia with Prince Harry, sharing never-before-seen footage of their trip and drawing both praise for community engagement and sharp criticism over the quasi-royal nature of the tour.

SYDNEY — Anzac Day will be observed as a public holiday across every Australian state and territory on Saturday, April 25, 2026, but only residents in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia will enjoy an additional day off on Monday, April 27, creating uneven long weekends as the nation commemorates its fallen service members.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will extend its fragile ceasefire with Iran indefinitely while maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports, even as Tehran responded by seizing two vessels and firing on others in the Strait of Hormuz, keeping global energy markets on edge and raising fears of renewed escalation.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport remains closed to all commercial passenger flights as of April 23, with no official reopening date announced despite high-level government inspections and growing frustration among travelers and airlines.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Wednesday there is "no time frame" for ending the U.S. conflict with Iran, signaling an open-ended military and diplomatic posture even as a fragile ceasefire extension hangs in the balance and fresh clashes disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground nearly to a halt Wednesday as Iran fired on commercial vessels and seized others, escalating tensions with the United States and sending world oil prices sharply higher amid fears of a prolonged disruption to one-fifth of global crude supplies.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump delivered a pre-recorded reading of 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 from his desk in the Oval Office on Tuesday, joining hundreds of participants in the weeklong "America Reads the Bible" event that organizers describe as a spiritual celebration tied to the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump asserted Tuesday night that Iran is on the brink of financial collapse and urgently seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, posting on Truth Social that the country is "starving for cash" and losing $500 million a day amid ongoing tensions.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Strait of Hormuz remained in a state of high tension on Wednesday as the United States seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship attempting to breach its naval blockade, prompting Iran to fire warning shots at passing vessels and reassert control over the critical waterway, driving oil prices sharply higher and leaving global energy markets on edge.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a near standstill Tuesday as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire teetered on the edge of collapse, with only a handful of vessels risking passage through the world's most critical oil chokepoint amid fresh seizures, gunfire and dueling blockades.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs, has resumed operations following a period of disruption caused by regional tensions, with flights now processing across all three terminals as of April 2026.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport did not reopen to commercial passenger flights on Monday, April 20, 2026, as officials continued safety assessments and infrastructure repairs following damage from drone strikes linked to regional conflict, with no confirmed resumption date announced despite a high-level government inspection the previous day.

CANBERRA, Australia — Millions of Australian workers will soon have the option to claim a flat $1000 deduction for work-related expenses without keeping receipts or detailed records, under a landmark tax simplification measure set to take effect from the 2026-27 financial year, the Albanese government has confirmed.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully closed again Saturday and its Revolutionary Guard forces opened fire on commercial vessels attempting to transit the vital waterway, dramatically escalating tensions just hours after both Tehran and Washington had proclaimed it open during a fragile ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

PHOENIX — President Donald Trump said Friday that a Pentagon review of government files on UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena has uncovered "many very interesting documents," with the first batch of records set for public release "very, very soon."

NEW YORK — World oil prices tumbled sharply on Friday, with benchmark U.S. crude dropping more than 10 percent to settle below $84 per barrel after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open to commercial shipping during an ongoing ceasefire, easing fears of prolonged supply disruptions from the Middle East conflict.

PALM BEACH, Florida — President Donald Trump fired off a characteristically boastful message on Truth Social late Friday night, asking supporters "ANYONE SICK OF WINNING YET?" in a 17-second video post that quickly drew thousands of reactions amid signs of de-escalation in the recent U.S.-Iran confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz.