A man is charged with trying to assassinate Trump. What to know.

Summary

Apple News Today – Episode Summary

Episode Title: A man is charged with trying to assassinate Trump. What to know.
Date: April 28, 2026
Host: Cecilia Lay
Key Contributors: Gary Finow (Politico), Will Weisert (AP), Joshua Chaffin (Wall Street Journal)

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a detailed look into the formal charging of a man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump during the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. The episode explores security implications for the President’s busy upcoming calendar, political maneuvering over congressional maps ahead of the midterms, the controversial reopening of Camp Mystic after a devastating flood, and brief updates on Iran’s diplomatic moves, the UK’s historic smoking ban, and a remarkable medical discovery stemming from a football game mishap.

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Main Segment: Attempted Assassination of President Trump

The Attack and Charges

• A suspect, Cole Allen (31), has been formally charged following an attack during the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

• Todd Blanche (Acting Attorney General): Outlined three major federal charges:

  • Attempted assassination of the President (life in prison possible)
  • Interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony (up to 10 years)
  • Discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence (10-year minimum, up to life, consecutive to other sentences)
  • Quote [01:01]: “The first count is attempted assassination of the President of the United States...”

• Allen was heavily armed, sprinted through security one floor above the event, and fired a shot that struck a Secret Service officer’s ballistic vest.

• The officer, uninjured due to the vest, returned fire, and Allen was subdued and arrested.

  • Quote [01:41] (Blanche): "He ran through the magnumometer holding a long gun...one Secret Service officer was shot in the chest but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked."

• FBI affidavit revealed Allen emailed family in advance, listing administration officials as targets and noting agents were to be “incapacitated non-lethally if possible.”

• Allen has no prior criminal record and holds a master’s degree in computer science.

Security and Political Implications

• The incident has prompted urgent re-evaluation of presidential security, especially with President Trump’s packed public schedule: America 250th anniversary, White House UFC event, IndyCar race, Olympic and World Cup appearances.
• Will Weisert (AP):
  • Noted Trump’s “relish” for public sporting events and upcoming high-profile appearances ([02:50]).
  • Discussed possible increased security measures, such as more visible bulletproof glass, even indoors.
    • Quote [03:49]: “It's easy to imagine...they might use bulletproof glass more conspicuously.”
  • Emphasized the president’s need for public engagement versus the risks involved.
    • Quote [04:41]: “It's a balance because we live in a free society, right? People are allowed to attend public events...”
• Historical context: Presidents often chafe at tight security; Teddy Roosevelt snuck away from his protection. Presidents’ visibility is crucial, but so is their safety.

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Segment 2: Political Map Wars Ahead of the Midterms

[05:08]

• As the midterms approach, both parties intensify efforts to secure House seats through redistricting:
  • Supreme Court allowed Texas’ new map favoring Republicans.
  • Virginia’s high court debates adding seats for Democrats.
• Florida becomes the final opportunity for Republicans to gain seats.
  • Gary Finow (Politico): Reports Governor DeSantis’s proposed map may yield up to four extra GOP seats.
    • Quote [06:31]: “Here in Florida, unlike many other states, there actually is a ban on drawing seats...based on partisan gain...How does Governor DeSantis...enact a plan that meets that goal...but...what's the legal justification?”
  • Potential legal challenges loom, and time is short before primaries.
    • Quote [07:14]: “Is there a legal challenge that could stop this ahead of the midterms? ...You could probably argue that you should keep in place the 2022 map.”
• Some Republican consultants warn of a “dummy-mander”—a strategy that could inadvertently make more seats competitive.
  • Quote [07:55] (Finow): “You think you're going to gain seats, but you actually may not...and you actually may make more seats competitive.”

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Segment 3: Camp Mystic’s Controversial Reopening

[08:28]

• Camp Mystic, a historic Texas girls’ summer camp, seeks to reopen a year after 27 girls died in a flash flood.
• The planned reopening divides the community, as families file lawsuits and state investigations proceed.
• Joshua Chaffin (WSJ): Explores the deep rift—some families are eager to send daughters back, others refuse.
  • Quote [09:15]: “It's an incredible, almost social experiment the way...you can have very thoughtful people on either side of this."
• The Eastland family (camp operators) is criticized for alleged negligence and for aiming to move on too quickly.
  • Quote [10:24]: “A lot of the victims' families felt that the Eastlands hadn't really taken responsibility for the deaths of their daughters.”
• Camp director Edward Eastland testified this month, admitting he missed weather alerts and lamenting acting too slowly. His own father also died in the rescue effort.
  • Quote [11:04]:
    • “Did you get a text from the National Weather Service? No, sir.”
    • “Did you get an email from the National Weather Service? No, sir.”
• Texas Rangers and state lawmakers are investigating; over 850 girls are registered to attend.
• One family, having lost a daughter, is advocating for improved camp safety legislation.
  • Quote [11:25] (Chaffin): “Jenny Getten...her older daughter Gwyn survived. Her younger daughter Ellen, tragically did not."

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Brief Updates from the News Desk

Iran Makes New Offer to the White House

[12:59]

• Iran, via Pakistani mediators, proposes reopening the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade and ends the war; nuclear talks to follow.
• The White House is reviewing the offer; Trump insists on no Iranian nuclear weapon.
• Russian President Putin voices support for Iran’s “resistance against the US.”

UK to Implement Lifetime Smoking Ban

[13:44]

• Bold new law: anyone born after Jan 1, 2009, will never legally buy cigarettes.
• Each year, the purchasing age increases by one—a “lifetime ban” intended to phase out smoking.
• Critics debate its “illiberal” nature, but it enjoys broad support.

Miracle Diagnosis from a Football Fumble

[14:57]

• Football fan Mark Toothaker suffers seizure from laughter during a mishap in a Giants-Patriots game.
• Medical attention reveals a tennis ball–sized brain tumor—caught in time and safely removed; the laughter-induced seizure ultimately saved his life.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Todd Blanche on the gravity of the charges:
  • "The first count is attempted assassination of the President...punishable by up to life in prison." [01:01]
• Will Weisert on the predicament of presidential security:
  • "It's a balance because we live in a free society, right? ...It's really just a trade off of what can you do to keep him safe, but also make sure that he's not just in a bubble in the White House all the time." [04:41]
• Gary Finow on possible redistricting backfires:
  • "...there have been some consultants who have warned that they think, well, you think you're going to gain seats, but you actually may not gain seats and you actually may make more seats competitive." [07:55]
• Joshua Chaffin on the Camp Mystic division:
  • "It's an incredible, almost a social experiment the way that you can have very thoughtful people on either side of this." [09:15]
• Edward Eastland, camp director, under questioning:
  • “Did you get a text from the National Weather Service? No, sir.” [11:04]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Attempted assassination and charges explained: [00:05]–[02:18]
• Allen’s background, security conversation: [02:18]–[04:41]
• History and challenge of presidential security: [04:16]–[05:08]
• Redistricting and Florida focus: [05:08]–[08:28]
• Camp Mystic flash flood controversy: [08:28]–[12:01]
• Camp investigation and family advocacy: [11:25]–[12:28]
• Iran–US Strait of Hormuz standoff: [12:59]–[13:44]
• UK smoking law: [13:44]–[14:57]
• Football fan’s seizure & miraculous tumor diagnosis: [14:57]–[15:20]

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a thorough, balanced analysis of a critical incident overshadowing President Trump’s public schedule, the fraught politics of redistricting, and a community’s struggle with tragedy and accountability. It closes with updates on international diplomacy, public health milestones, and a human story of chance and survival—reflecting Apple News Today's eclectic, informative blend.

Transcript

[Cecilia Lay]

Good morning. A suspect is formally charged over Saturday's attack at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Make no mistake, this was an attempted

[Gary Finow]

assassination of the President of the United States.

[Cecilia Lay]

AP looks at how Trump's team is reconsidering security in the busy months ahead. Camp mystic could soon reopen, a year after dozens died there in the Texas floods. The Wall Street Journal explains how the camp's future has fract a community. And Iran makes a new offer to the White house. It's Tuesday, April 28th. I'm Cecilia Lay and this is Apple News. Today, The suspect charged with attempting to kill President Trump appeared in court yesterday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche detailed The charges against 31 year old Cole Allen.

[Todd Blanche]

The first count is attempted assassination of the President of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum of life, and the 10 years is consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

[Cecilia Lay]

Prosecutors say Allen was armed with a pump action shotgun and a handgun as he sprinted through a security checkpoint one floor above where the White House Correspondent's dinner was taking place.

[Todd Blanche]

He ran through the magnumometer holding a long gun. As he did so, U.S. secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked. This heroic officer who was hit, fired five times at Allen, who was not shot but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.

[Cecilia Lay]

In the brief hearing, Allen didn't respond to allegations made against him, though he confirmed he had a master's degree in computer science and his lawyer said he had no prior arrests or convictions. An affidavit submitted by the FBI confirmed that Allen sent an email to members of his family warning them about what he was planning. He listed administration officials as targets, but said Secret Service agen were, quote, targets only if necessary and to be incapacitated non lethally if possible. The affidavit didn't specify exactly how the agent was shot. Allen had checked himself into the hotel, giving him better access to the building on the day of the gala. That's led to some questions about how tight Trump's security needs to be in public settings.

[Will Weisert]

This is a president who sort of relishes going to sporting events.

[Cecilia Lay]

Will Weisert is a White House reporter for the Associated Press. And was one of many journalists at Saturday's event.

[Will Weisert]

And he's also president now for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America 250. And he's also got the Olympics on the World Cup. So it's easy to imagine the president going to World Cup Games, going to potentially Olympic events.

[Cecilia Lay]

Trump has a busy agenda in the months ahead. Thousands are expected to attend a UFC event on the White House lawn in June, and through an executive order, Trump announced an Indy car race around the nation's capital in August. In addition to those events, Weisert says a number of Republican candidates in competitive districts might want the president at rallies and other campaign stops to help them out before the midterms. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is convening a meeting with the Secret Service and Homeland Security this week to discuss security measures at events the president will attend.

[Will Weisert]

It's easy to imagine, for example, that if the president were going to speak outside, they might use bulletproof glass more conspicuously.

[Cecilia Lay]

Right.

[Will Weisert]

We might see that indoors, too. I mean, that's less common these days because everybody is screened. You all go through medical detectors before you get anywhere near the president, even in big giant ballroom, like on Saturday. But if it's something that the service sort of determines could keep him safe, or it could basically be a conspicuous way to show that there's more security presence, that's something else that we could see. Those decisions have not been made and finalized.

[Cecilia Lay]

Presidents are natural campaigners, and Weisert notes that throughout history, they've often pushed back against heavy security details. Teddy Roosevelt was the first president protected by the Secret Service after his predecessor, President William McKinley, was assassinated. He famously sneaked away to hike or ride his horse in Rock Creek park in D.C. weisert says that presidents today are keen to be public figures, and that carries risk.

[Will Weisert]

It's a balance because we live in a free society, right? People are allowed to attend public events, and the president wants to go to places where there are lots of people because that's part of the job. He wants to sort of be seen and be visible, and it's really just a trade off of what can you do to keep him safe, but also make sure that he's not just in a bubble in the White House all the time.

[Cecilia Lay]

Politicians and lawyers have been arguing over congressional maps again as both parties rushed to secure extra seats in time for November's midterms. The US Supreme Court ruled that Texas could stick with their redrawn map that was designed to benefit Republicans. And in Virginia, the state's highest court considered a recent referendum that would deliver up to four more seats for Democrats. Last summer, President Trump pushed Republicans to launch a nationwide gerrymandering blitz to secure their narrow House majority. But it hasn't gone as planned, as many Democratic states have hurried to redraw their own maps in retaliation, potentially wiping out any Republican advantages. A lot depends on one last state, which today takes its own stab at making changes.

[Gary Finow]

Florida represents the last opportunity, probably for Republicans to pick up seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.

[Cecilia Lay]

Gary Finow is a reporter with Politico based in Tallahassee. He told us all Republican eyes are on the Sunshine State as the party tries to gain the upper hand and keep control of the House. To that end, yesterday, the state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, released a proposed map that could give Republicans an additional four seats. The plan is for the state Legislature to quickly pass it and conceivably give Republicans back the lead in this tit for tat redistricting battle. But Finat said there is one challenge.

[Gary Finow]

Here in Florida, unlike many other states, there actually is a ban on drawing seats for both Congress and the Legislature that are based on partisan gain or hurting or harming incumbents. So what a lot of people are wondering is, well, how does Governor DeSantis and the Republican Legislature enact a map, enact a plan that meets that goal of adding more Republican seats, but at the same time, what's the legal justification?

[Cecilia Lay]

DeSantis office told Fox News that the new maps are needed because the state got shortchanged in the 2020 census. Finod said there are real questions about whether this could get resolved before the state holds its primaries in a few months.

[Gary Finow]

But here's the rub. We're doing this in late April, and so is there a legal challenge that could stop this ahead of the midterms? So that's one of the things that's going to happen here is, okay, so the legislature passes this week, so how soon can you get it into court? And how can you get a judge to put a stay? There's been some suggestions that people have said, well, you could probably argue that you should keep in place the 2022 map.

[Cecilia Lay]

Fine out said that if DeSantis is successful, he could try to use this move as a jumping off point for future presidential ambitions. Still others in the state have looked at recent electoral trends and wondered if these attempts might not work as planned.

[Gary Finow]

There are fears among some, including consultants who work with Republicans. They have been concerned that you could have what's called a quote unquote dummy mander, meaning that a gerrymandering that backfires because in order to create these other Republican seats, you're gonna have to move Democrats into other districts. And so there have been some consultants who have warned that they think, well, you think you're going to gain seats, but you actually may not gain seats and you actually may make more seats competitive.

[Cecilia Lay]

The first step of the process begins in the legislature today. For generations, visiting camp mystic has been a summer ritual for many families in Texas. In a month, the owners of the historic Christian girls camp is hoping to bring kids back for its 100th summer. But the anniversary has a tragic backdrop, arriving one year after 27 girls were killed during a flash flood on the Guadalupe river. And now its reopening has been marred by legal battles that has divided a community. Today, hearings will continue into possible failings by the family who run the camp. Some parents blame them for their daughters deaths, while others are eager to see them return.

[Joshua Chaffin]

It's an incredible, almost a social experiment the way that you can have very thoughtful people on either side of this.

[Cecilia Lay]

Joshua Chaffin is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who spoke to families and officials for a deeply reported piece on the camp.

[Joshua Chaffin]

One group, their children will have been at the camp last year in the middle of the flood, nearly died in the flood, and they are eager to send their kids back. And then you have other people who absolutely would not. And it's very difficult to sort of discern who sits kind of in which. Camp.

[Cecilia Lay]

Chaffrin reports that the Christian summer retreat is an elite institution. Some families place their daughters on the camp's waiting list as soon as they're born. It's not only known as a place to make friends, but to also build connections that might turn into a future job or access to a chosen sorority. Yet the family that operates the camp, the Eastlands, face a number of lawsuits filed by some of the parents of the girls who died last year. They accuse them of gross negligence and for prioritizing money over safety. They say that reopening the camp borders on disrespectful.

[Joshua Chaffin]

A lot of the victims families felt that the eastlands hadn't really taken responsibility for the deaths of their daughters. They also believed that the eastlands were just trying to sort of move on and basically write this off as a kind of almost a biblical disaster that nobody could have prevented.

[Cecilia Lay]

Earlier this month, Edward Eastland, the director of the camp, provided the most detail account of what he believed went wrong as floodwaters around the camp rose to historic levels last summer. He said that more campers could have survived if he had acted faster and that he missed flood warnings from the National Weather Service did you get a

[Gary Finow]

text from the National Weather Service? No sir. Did you get an email from the National Weather Service? No sir. From anyone else warning you that a flood was imminent on July 3rd? No, sir.

[Cecilia Lay]

Eastland also tearfully recounted trying to save some of the girls. His own father died in the flood trying to help campers. One of the families involved in the litigation told Chaffin about the horror they have been through.

[Joshua Chaffin]

Jenny Getten is mother of Ellen Getten. She had two daughters who went to mystic last year, Gwyn and Ellen, and her older daughter Gwyn survived. Her younger daughter Ellen, tragically did not, and the Gettens had to wait eight days for their daughter's body to be recovered. So this is a family and a mother that have been through the worst agony and they have been really determined, I think, at trying to channel this into legislation for camp safety and speaking out for the victims.

[Cecilia Lay]

The original base for Camp mystic is now a crime scene. The Eastland family operates a sister site where the camp is looking to reopen. They've noted that the site is on higher ground with cabins that didn't flood last year. According to the journal, about 850 girls have signed up to attend so far. The family lawsuits are not the only obstacles to the camp's reopening. State lawmakers are conducting an investigation, the Texas Rangers have opened a criminal probe, and the lieutenant governor has said that Mystic's license should not be renewed today. Hearings in the state's legislature are set to continue. Before we let you go, here's a a few other stories we're following. Frustrations among many nations are intensifying as the standoff between the US And Iran over the Strait of Hormuz continues. On Monday, Iran offered a new proposal through Pakistani mediators to reopen the vital waterway if the US Lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war. The Iranian proposal would push negotiations over the country's nuclear program to a later date. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said yesterday that Trump's national security team is currently reviewing Iran's proposal. But Trump has said that the US Will only make a deal that doesn't allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Axios reports that the Iranian leadership is divided about how to address U.S. demands to end Iran's uranium enrichment program. The new proposal arrived as Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Arachi, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The Russian president praised the Iranian people for what he characterized as continued resistance against the US The UK is hoping to kick the smoking habit for good. A new law is set to take effect barring Anyone born after January 1, 2009, from buying a cigarette. The bill raises the age to buy tobacco by one year every year from 2009, creating an effective lifetime ban for that age group. It would mark a stunning turnaround. Fifty years ago, half of all British people smoked. Now, with greater awareness for the health risks, restrictions on indoor smoking and the introduction of vaping products, only 1 in 10 smoked, among the lowest in Europe. The nature of the law will lead to some strange cutoffs, though. The Washington Post notes that in 2055 it will be legal for 47 year olds to purchase a pack of cigarettes, but not 46 year olds. Critics have described the law as illiberal, but it does carry strong support within the country. And finally, they say laughter is the best medicine. And for one football fan, that certainly rang true. Mark Toothaker was watching the Giants take on the Patriots at home last December when New York kicker Yong Wei Wu whiffed a field goal so bad it looked straight out of a Charlie Brown comic strip

[Gary Finow]

and he stumbled.

[Will Weisert]

Gillen gets swallowed up Patriots ball I

[Gary Finow]

don't think I've ever seen that. Looked like he just stubbed his foot

[Will Weisert]

right into the turf.

[Cecilia Lay]

Toothaker laughed so hard that it caused him to have a seizure. That sounds scary, but the incident subsequently led him to get a brain scan where doctors discovered a tennis ball sized tumor tumor on his brain. Luckily for Toothaker, it was benign and left no lasting damage after being removed. Toothaker believes the sporting blunder ultimately saved his life and that it was a miracle that his wife, a nurse, was there when it happened. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New scientists explores a different side of stress and how finding its biological sweet spot may help us get stronger, not sicker. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.