NPR News: 04-27-2026 6AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman, NPR has learned the suspected gunman at Saturday night's White House correspondent's dinner has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen. NPR's Lidia Khalitri reports he's a teacher and engineer from Torrance, California. Cole Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017 and worked as a part-time teacher at a tutoring service for high school students in Torrance, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The White House says Allen wanted to target administration officials. A White House official not authorized to speak publicly says the Secret Service spoke with Allen's sister. She told them her brother had a tendency to make radical statements and his rhetoric constantly referenced a plan to do, quote, something to fix the issues with today's world. NPR's Lidia Khalitri reporting the suspect is scheduled to be arraigned today in Washington on multiple federal charges. Trump is praising the response of the Secret Service and law enforcement to the attack on the event.

1:00But as NPR's Tamara Keith reports, he is also back to criticizing the press and Democrats. In the hours after the dinner, Trump hit a note of unity. Then Sunday, in an interview with 60 Minutes, he was asked about political violence in America and what he is president can do to change the trajectory in the country. It's always been there. People are assassinated. People are injured. People are hurt. And I'm not sure that there's any more now than there was. I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats, much more so, is very dangerous. I really think it's very dangerous for the country. Of the alleged attacker, Trump said he was radicalized and, quote, probably a pretty sick guy. NPR News. Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Washington today for a state visit. British officials say, despite the thwarted attack over the weekend, the royals visit will go ahead as planned. But the trip also comes at a time when relations between the U.S. and the U.K. are under increasing

2:05strain. NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab has more. President Trump has sharply criticized the U.K. and British Prime Minister Kea Stomer in recent months, over Starmer's decision not to join the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran. Many hope the visit from King Charles, whom the president still admires, will help mend the transatlantic relationship. But Royal Biographer Catherine Mayer says the British government's decision to send the king at this turbulent time puts the royal couple in an awkward position. There is also then a kind of series of tightrope that they're forcing Charles and Camilla to walk by doing this. Another delicate matter, she says, is the subject of the king's disgraced brother, Andrew, who had close ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Fatima Al-Kassab and Piany London. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Wildfires continue to burn in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Officials say a volunteer firefighter is dyed in Florida from a medical emergency while

3:09working on a brush fire. In Georgia, officials say they're battling several fires, too, including new ones that broke out over the weekend. From member station W-A-B-E in Atlanta, Alex Helmock reports, there are still two large Georgia fires burning out of control. The highway 82 fire began nearly a week ago, about 100 miles southwest of Savannah. Officials say when a foil balloon hit a power line. And over the dry, windy weekend, a Brantley County official said it has basically doubled in size to more than 21,000 acres and is just 7% contained as of late Sunday. Meanwhile about 70 miles south of the highway 82 fire, the Pineland fire has grown to more than 32,000 acres and is threatening more than 300 structures. Officials say a new round of evacuation orders could come soon as more dry, warm temperatures and wind gusts are expected Monday. Smoke from the fires is also causing air quality concerns for several parts of the state.

4:10There have been deadly tornadoes this weekend in the central part of the U.S. at least two people died when a tornado passed through towns near Dallas on Saturday. The remore tornadoes reported in Kansas and Oklahoma yesterday. One tornado confirmed by the National Weather Service hit the town of Columbus, Kansas close to the border with Oklahoma. There are no reports of injuries. You're listening to NPR. Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon Prime members can listen to NPR news now, sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get NPR Plus at plus dot NPR dot org. That's plus dot NPR dot org.