☕ What we know about Cole Tomas Allen

Good morning,

31-year old Cole Tomas Allen of California will face a Washington court today to be officially charged over Saturday night’s attempted attack on President Trump and other senior members of the administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In today’s newsletter, we’ll bring you up to speed on the latest developments.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• Iran has criticized the U.S. after President Donald Trump canceled plans for his special envoys to visit Pakistan for peace talks. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that "threatening rhetoric" from Washington had heightened doubts about US commitment to diplomacy. Trump posted on social media that he called off the trip by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, citing "tremendous infighting and confusion" within Iran's leadership. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi then traveled to Oman to continue discussions with regional officials.

• A Russian drone strike wounded 14 people, including 2 children, in Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa before dawn this morning, according to local authorities. The drones hit residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure, with 5 of the injured hospitalized, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had fired approximately 1,900 attack drones, nearly 1,400 guided aerial bombs, and about 60 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone. Ukraine says it is intercepting more than 90% of incoming drones but needs additional US-made Patriot missiles to counter Russia's ballistic weapons.

• King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in the U.S. today for a four-day state visit marking the 250th anniversary of American independence - the first visit by a British monarch in two decades. The trip has taken on added significance as US-British relations sit at their lowest point in decades over the US-Israeli war on Iran, which Trump has publicly criticized Britain for failing to support. A shooting at the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday, believed to have targeted the president, briefly threatened the visit before Buckingham Palace confirmed it would proceed as planned. Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, will address Congress on Tuesday.

• Israeli strikes killed 14 people, including 2 children, and injured 37 others in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Lebanon's Ministry of Health said. The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted Hezbollah operatives and sites used to plan attacks against Israeli soldiers, and also confirmed a 19-year-old IDF soldier was killed by a Hezbollah drone strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah's actions are "disintegrating the ceasefire," which took effect April 16 and was extended by 3 weeks last Thursday. Both sides have reported attacks since the ceasefire began, with each accusing the other of violations.

I’ve got 1 minute

The Trump administration is exploring a major government intervention to save Spirit Airlines from collapse - including using an emergency wartime power to lend the airline $500 million. Here's what you need to know.

Why is Spirit in trouble?

Spirit has declared bankruptcy twice in the past two years. The airline's problems deepened after the Department of Justice blocked a merger with JetBlue during the Biden administration. More recently, the U.S. war with Iran has pushed jet fuel costs higher for all carriers. Earlier this month, creditors said they had serious doubts Spirit could survive.

The crisis escalated when Spirit missed an interest payment on its debts - revealed during a bankruptcy hearing on Thursday. That missed payment triggered a potential default on Spirit's agreement with creditors, who now have a 7-day window to act. Spirit's attorney warned the airline may have only days left to operate. Spirit has roughly $250 million in cash, but creditors hold a lien on those funds, leaving the airline with limited access to its own money.

The proposal

The administration is considering invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) - an emergency law that gives the federal government authority to lend money to private companies for national defense purposes. Under the proposed deal, the government would lend Spirit $500 million at a reasonable interest rate, becoming the top creditor in the bankruptcy process.

In return, the U.S. would receive the right to own 90% of the airline upon its exit from bankruptcy. The Pentagon would use Spirit's excess capacity to transport troops and military cargo. The airline would then likely be sold to another carrier.

Reactions

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the White House support the intervention. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has pushed back, saying the move could create a political problem and would delay what he sees as an inevitable financial failure.

White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement Friday that "President Trump has openly expressed his interest in helping Spirit Airlines" but cautioned that any reporting on the deal's structure "should be regarded as speculation" until officially announced.

President Trump said Thursday: "They have some good aircraft, some good assets. They have some very good slots too, which are pretty valuable." Spirit directly employs about 7,500 people.

The proposed deal requires approval from Spirit's creditors. The government has already presented creditors with a term sheet and is in active negotiations. The clock is ticking - creditors' 7-day default window began this week.

I’ve got 2 minutes

More details have been revealed as to the actions taken by the alleged gunman, who was arrested at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend. Federal charges are expected to be filed today. Here’s what happened over the past 36 hours, and where things stand.

The incident

About 20 minutes after President Trump entered the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, an alleged gunman rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in the hotel lobby. Officials say the gunman allegedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent before being tackled and arrested. The agent was not injured - the bullet struck his protective vest.

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and cabinet officials were escorted out of the venue as the incident unfolded.

Cole Thomas Allen

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Cole Tomas Allen, 31, will be charged Monday in federal court with assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm, and attempting to kill a federal officer. Further federal indictments are expected to follow.

Allen is a tutor and amateur video game developer from California who travelled by train from Los Angeles to Washington, checking into the Washington Hilton on Friday. Trump said Allen's family had flagged him to law enforcement prior to the attack.

Minutes before the incident, Allen sent a message to family members describing himself as "Friendly Federal Assassin." The manifesto cited Christian theology as justification. "Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behaviour; it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes," the manifesto read, according to an official.

Allen's brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, though police said they were not notified until about two hours after the shooting.

Trump said Allen was a "pretty sick guy" and linked the attack to anti-Trump protests. "Part of the reason you have people like that is you have people doing No Kings," he told CBS.

What was his motive?

In the days before the attack, Allen told colleagues he had a personal emergency and told his parents he had "an interview." He then took a train from Los Angeles to Washington via Chicago, checking into the Hilton a day or two before the dinner.

Writings attributed to Allen by two senior law enforcement officials described outrage at White House policies and alluded to allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump, though Trump is not named directly. "I am no longer willing to allow a traitor to coat my hands with his crimes," the writing read, according to the New York Times.

Allen's manifesto listed administration officials as targets, ranked from highest to lowest, explicitly excluding FBI Director Kash Patel. Minutes before the attack, Allen sent his family a message describing himself as "Friendly Federal Assassin." His brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, though not until about two hours after the shooting.

Acting Attorney General Blanche said initial evidence indicates Allen acted alone.

TDU asks