The Pentagon on Monday updated its religious affiliation codes after members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints criticized the list because it did not describe LDS as a “Christian” faith. 

On Friday, the Pentagon cut the number of religious affiliation codes from over 200 to 31 to help military chaplains streamline religious support services. The 31 codes included the Church of Latter-day Saints – but not as one of the 21 religions described as “Christian,” which angered members of the LDS community, including Republican Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee of Utah. 

 “It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion’s own foundational tenets,” Curtis wrote on X on Saturday. 

The Pentagon released a new list Monday afternoon that removed the “Christian” descriptor from other religions and provided just the code and the name of the religious faiths.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the list from Friday, which was posted by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, included “redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.”

“In order to clarify the work of chaplains, and simplify the work of commanders, the Pentagon has consolidated and simplified the list to roughly thirty codes – using the previously used labels for faiths,” the Monday statement said. “The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks.” 

In response to the statement, “I agree with this statement, and am grateful to [Secretary] Hegseth for correcting the error.” 

Hegseth, who often invokes his Christian faith, began monthly voluntary prayer services early in his tenure and has welcomed the Christian evangelical pastor Doug Wilson to speak. Wilson, whose beliefs include that to give women the right to vote, has argued Mormons are not Christian. 

In a video post from December, Wilson said, “Mormonism is not Christian. Not to put too fine a point on it – the Christian faith is monotheistic and Mormonism is polytheistic.” The nonprofit civil rights organization FAIR, which supports the LDS Church, that is not true – that the church believes in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, not multiple gods.  

On Sunday, before the Pentagon updated the list, Lee said the government should not weigh in “on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations.” 

Some of the other religions represented on the list include Presbyterian, Quaker, Church of Christ, Christian (Non-Denominational), Catholic, Episcopal, Islam, Hindu, Sikh, and Judaism. 

The list is part of Hegseth’s effort to overhaul the Military Chaplain Corps that he announced in December. His goal is to create “a top down cultural shift, putting spiritual wellbeing on the same footing as mental and physical health.” Amid this effort, the U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains Major Gen. William Green Jr. was fired from his position in April. 

Hegseth initially announced the list of codes would be trimmed from over 200 to just 31 back in March after he said an internal review committee determined the roughly 30 codes were the most used by service members, but the Pentagon didn’t release the list publicly until Friday. 

The codes are shown below:

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President Trump walked out of an in Wisconsin after he was challenged on his claims of election fraud and struggled to provide evidence for those claims. 

In an interview with NBC Ì«×Ó̽»¨’ Kristen Welker that was taped Friday and aired Sunday, Welker pressed the president for evidence on his claims of election fraud in the 2020 election and claims that election fraud is currently happening in the . California, which allows for last-minute mail-in ballots, is taking days to finish counting ballots in close primary contests. California’s gubernatorial primary and Los Angeles mayoral race are still undecided nearly a week later. to take days and even weeks to count the millions of mail-in ballots due to California laws and processes. 

The president, however, claimed it’s taking California days to count the ballots “because they’re cheating on the election,” and Welker asked, “Do you have evidence to support that?” The president retorted, “All I have to do is look,” without citing support for his claims, aside from the length of time. “But that’s not evidence,” Welker responded. 

After the president accused Welker of being “crooked or stupid,” he insisted that there’s “more evidence than ever presented” that the 2020 election was rigged. When Welker pointed out that the president and his allies went to court to litigate those election claims — and only prevailed in one minor case — the president again called Welker and NBC “crooked,” adding that he thinks the same thing about ABC, CBS and CNN. 

“You’re a one-sided crooked network,” Mr. Trump said. “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”

After another moment of exchanges in which Welker urged him to stay, the president walked off camera. 

The California election system is famously slow, and experts have warned it could take days or weeks to finish counting votes. Experts and California Gov. Gavin Ì«×Ó̽»¨om knew the vote counting would be slow even before it began. Last month, Ì«×Ó̽»¨om to county election officials, urging them to speed up the counting process to fight off unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about election security.

“California really cares about counting its ballots,” , USC professor of political science, told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ before the primary election. “And so as a result, we have a lot of different ways to vote.”

Trump-nominated first assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said over the weekend that his office has opened “multiple election fraud investigations,” alleging the system in California has “serious structural vulnerabilities.” His office is attempting to audit the state’s voter rolls. 

Mr. Trump defended the idea of using money from the “anti-weaponization fund” created by his administration to pay Jan. 6 rioters, saying the 2020 election was “rigged.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Trump administration is “not moving forward” with the fund, but he refused to commit to that in writing. 

When Mr. Trump was asked if he thought people convicted of assaulting police officers deserved a payout from the fund, “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.”

During the interview, which aired on “Meet the Press,” Mr. Trump also claimed he never promised not to get the U.S. into new wars. 

“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war,” the president told Welker. “Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?”

But on the campaign trail, Mr. Trump repeatedly pledged to “expel the warmongers from our government” and strongly hinted there would be no new wars, like was the case in his first term. 

“I’m going to keep you out of wars, I kept you out of wars,” the president said in a July 24, 2024, campaign rally. 

And in his November 2024 victory speech, he said, “We had no wars. Four years, we had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS. We defeated ISIS in record time. But we had no wars. They said, ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop wars.” 

The NBC Interview was not the first time the president has ended an interview abruptly over the questions. 

In October 2020, he walked out of a with CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨’ Lesley Stahl, voicing complaints about “tough questions.” In January 2022, he ended an interview with NPR when he was challenged about his 2020 election claims. 

NBC Ì«×Ó̽»¨ published a full of the interview. 

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Lawyers for what is currently called the Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are instructing staff to immediately begin switching the name of the facility back to its original title.

The instructions, laid out in a memo sent Thursday by the center’s general counsel and obtained by CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨, are the first official signal the national arts hub is complying with a federal court order to drop President Trump’s name and reconsider plans to close for two years of renovations. 

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper last week ruled in favor of Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a member of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees, who filed a lawsuit challenging the   for extensive repairs beginning this summer.

Cooper found the board had overstepped its authority and ordered the president’s name to be removed from “the institution’s title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials.”

The memo to staff Thursday said staff “must immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,’ or ‘Kennedy Center.'”

Changes to interior and exterior signage and any furniture carrying the current name must be switched back by next Friday, according to the memo.

“We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, said in a statement.

The memo also says center officials still are “considering their options and will provide further guidance shortly” on whether the center will remain open after July 5, when extensive renovations costing $257 million are set to begin.

In his order, Cooper agreed renovations to the arts center are “sorely needed,” but he wrote his preliminary injunction does not “categorically” bar the board from closing the Kennedy Center, “should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion.”

“By way of this opinion, the Court does not purport to dictate how the Center should be run, nor does it prescribe any particular plan for the institution — construction, closure, or otherwise — moving forward,” he wrote. “It simply holds the Kennedy Center Board to certain minimum requirements imposed by law. Beyond that, the Court will let the parties play on.”

In the early weeks of his second term, Mr. Trump  of the center’s Board of Trustees with senior members of his administration and close allies, who then elected him as chair.

In December, the Kennedy Center’s board the performing arts institution’s name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Within hours, the Kennedy Center’s website was updated to read “The Trump Kennedy Center” and crews went to work adding Mr. Trump’s name to the building’s facade. But lawmakers and legal scholars said such a change required congressional action.

Several artists who were set to perform at the institution  and the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the Kennedy Center, left for a new job.

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Update: The USDA has in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas. Read earlier developments below.

A possible case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm is being investigated in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday. 

This comes after screwworm was detected last week in Mexico, just 25 miles from the United States border, . That encounter was the closest to U.S. soil since at least last September, federal data shows. 

Wednesday’s potential case was found in southern Texas, the USDA in a social media post, and a sample was sent to the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa, for confirmation. 

“We have already activated personnel on the ground and are working with local partners,” the USDA said.

Rep. Don McLaughlin of Texas told Reuters that samples were taken from calves on a cattle ranch in La Pryor, a small southwest Texas community located about 50 miles from the Mexican border. 

“If this case is confirmed I will stand lock step with every local, state and federal agency to work together and fight this horror,” McLaughlin . 

The screwworm detected in Mexico was found in a 5-year-old goat on May 28 in Mexico’s Coahuila state, which shares a border with southwestern Texas. U.S. officials have tracked 32 cases of the parasitic fly throughout the Mexican state, including 19 active cases, according to the USDA.  

Overall, at least 26,216 screwworm cases have been identified across Mexico, and upward of 2,700 remain active, the USDA said. The department shares updates twice a week on any new cases found within 400 miles of the U.S. in Mexico, and it prominently notes on a dedicated to the New World screwworm that the pest “is not currently present” stateside and that “the current risk to livestock, other animals, and people in the United States remains very low.”

But in recent months and years, the parasite has shown up closer to the U.S. than ever before. In April, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced it had been found at a location in Mexico that was 60 miles from the U.S. border, CBS Texas  at the time. Texas officials have warned outdoor enthusiasts about the parasite , when the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department issued an advisory saying the screwworm had recently been detected in a cow in southern Mexico.

Last year, the first case of a New World screwworm infestation in a human , the Department of Health and Human Services announced at the time. The case was detected in a traveler who had returned to Maryland from El Salvador, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ in a statement. Maryland health officials the person had recovered, and investigators did not find evidence of transmission to other people or animals.

The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that feeds on warm-blooded animals and people. It lays its eggs in open wounds or orifices like the eyes, ears, nose or mouth, which can then eat living tissue or flesh once they hatch, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The screwworm is typically found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, but it has been detected farther and farther north in Central America and Mexico over the last three years, the CDC said. 

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Washington — The White House Correspondents’ Association announced Tuesday that it will reschedule its annual press dinner for July 24 after the initial event was disrupted when a attended by President Trump, senior administration officials and scores of journalists.

Weijia Jiang, who is the president of the association and a CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ senior White House correspondent, said in an email to members of the White House Correspondents’ Association that the rescheduled event would be a “more intimate gathering” and feature “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures.”

Mr. Trump said he has accepted an invitation to speak at the dinner next month, calling it a “‘HOT’ ticket!”

“In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th,” he . “This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.”

The president said the event will take place at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C, which used to be the Trump International Hotel. Jiang said earlier Tuesday that information about a venue would be forthcoming.

“This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence,” she wrote. “As you have all demonstrated, courage and community can and should rise above.”

She said the decision to hold a second dinner was made by the association’s board after receiving input from members.

“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” Jiang wrote.

The dinner initially took place April 25 but was upended when an armed man outside the event. Mr. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet officials in attendance were evacuated, while journalists and media executives took cover under tables. 

During a press conference soon after the shooting, the president would be rescheduled.

Police identified the suspect in the attack as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old who they said traveled from California to Washington, D.C., by train and was staying at the hotel where the press dinner was to take place. He was attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and two firearms offenses.

Allen to all charges. He will in the lead-up to a trial.

Prosecutors said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives when he attempted to run through the security checkpoint one story above the ballroom at the Washington Hilton. Law enforcement officials said Allen , who was hit in his bulletproof vest but was not seriously injured.

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After several artists of a Washington, D.C., concert series organized by Freedom 250, rapper Vanilla Ice said he will still be on the bill, telling CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ on Monday he would perform for anyone, including Russian President Vladimir Putin or Iran.

The rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨, “It’s simple as a pimple for me, there’s nothing to it. It’s the birthday of America.”

“Two hundred and fifty years. It’s not anything to do with politics. I don’t know why they’re turning it into politics,” Van Winkle said, adding he’s “never voted in my life.”

After the lineup was announced Wednesday, several artists — including Morris Day and the Time, Young MC and The Commadores — said they were backing out. Bret Michaels and Martina McBride also announced they would not be performing in the following days.

Several artists said they were misled about the organizers of the event, with Young MC writing: “Despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed.”

Freedom 250 — an organization launched last year following an executive order from President Trump to provide “a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence” — maintains that it and the events it is organizing are nonpartisan, saying in a previous statement it is “dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary.” According to the executive order, Mr. Trump serves as the chair of the task force created to organize the celebrations. Freedom 250 and Task Force 250 are separate from a 2016 bipartisan commission created to help plan celebrations for the 250th anniversary.

The Great American State Fair, according to Freedom 250, will run from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall, and will include “state and territory pavilions celebrating all 56 states and territories, specialty exhibits, live performances, interactive experiences, and classic fair attractions.”

Van Winkle said he understood why other artists would back out if they feel the event is too political and are “scared” of social media backlash, but added, “For me, I’m just here to celebrate the country I was born in.”

Van Winkle also brushed aside other artists’ accusations that they were misled.

“When I play events, I never ask about them,” he told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨. “I just go, ‘Where am I going?’ I don’t even know and I don’t even care, because I have fans and they have booked me to play a show.”

Asked if he felt it was possible to separate art from politics, Van Winkle said, “Heck yeah. They should never be in there.”

“You should do whatever you feel like doing and express yourself. That’s what music is,” he said.

Van Winkle, who has previously performed at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, said he’d play for Democratic politicians as well.

“I’d go play for anybody,” he said. “Putin. Whoever. You want — I’d go to Iran. Don’t matter.”

“You can’t pick your fans. They pick you,” Van Winkle added. “You’re just an entertainer. Don’t ever try to think you’re anything beyond that.”

Source

Senate Democrats are launching a coordinated effort to kill the Trump administration’s $1.7+ billion “anti-weaponization” fund. In a “Dear Colleague” letter released Monday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will use a variety of strategies, from floor action to oversight, to block President Trump’s “nearly $2 billion MAGA slush fund.”   

“If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,” Schumer wrote. “If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there, too. There will be no escape hatch. No fake guardrails or backroom promises to hide behind.” 

In addition, a trio of Democratic Senators are introducing a bill Monday to shut down the fund and prevent taxpayer dollars from being paid to the president or his allies, including those convicted of crimes or related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The measure, dubbed the Drain the Slush Fund Act, is sponsored by Sens. Adam Schiff, of California, Mark Kelly, of Arizona, and Elissa Slotkin, of Michigan. 

“As Republicans return to Washington to provide further funding for this and other mistaken priorities, we’re going to hold them accountable,” Schiff said. “And as Senators who have actually seen their government weaponized against them, we want to make it clear: We will not allow a single payout from this so-called weaponization fund to be paid.”

Last week,  from moving forward with work on the new fund. A department spokesperson said it “remains extremely confident in the legality of the Anti-Weaponization Fund which is supported by ample precedent, including Obama-era settlements.” 

The $1.776 billion fund would provide taxpayer-funded payouts to people who allege the legal system has been “weaponized” against them. It’s part of an agreement between President Trump and the federal government to settle his lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns.

Senate Republicans are considering adding potential guardrails to the fund as part of a broader $72 billion reconciliation package for immigration enforcement agencies. GOP leaders scrapped votes on the party-line measure last month  with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 

“They (Trump administration) need to help with this issue, because we have a lot of members who are concerned,”  Majority Leader John Thune told reporters at the time.

Blanche will return to Capitol Hill this week for an oversight hearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee.

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Former first lady Jill Biden said she was “frightened” by her husband Joe Biden’s performance and thought he was having a stroke.

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ Sunday Morning’s Rita Braver in an interview airing Sunday on CBS.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

Biden was running for a second term when he the June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, prompting widespread calls for him to drop out of the race. He a month later, with 107 days to go until the general election, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. He became the first sitting president to pull out of a presidential race since President Lyndon B. Johnson stepped aside in March of 1968.

In a wide-ranging interview, Jill Biden talked about the election, her husband, and her new book, , and more.

Watch more of Jill Biden’s interview on “Sunday Morning” on May 31 at 9 a.m. on CBS stations and streaming on .Ìý

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The Department of Homeland Security is set to implement new entry restrictions beginning Thursday for foreign travelers coming to the United States from countriesÌýÌýof theÌý.

According toÌýÌýof a new DHS rule scheduled to be published Thursday, all U.S.-bound flights carrying foreign travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan at any point in the previous 21 days will be required to fly into Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The arrival restrictions, issued at the direction of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, are designed to funnel those travelers to an airport “where the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures,” the rule states.

The rule applies only to passenger flights, DHS said, with cargo flights excluded from the restrictions.

In a statement provided to CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨, a DHS spokesperson confirmed the new travel requirements, saying that “to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus spreading,” Customs and Border Protection is “enhancing public health screening, travel monitoring, and health protection response activities.”

The DHS spokesperson added that CBP was coordinating with “airlines, international partners and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.”

In its rule, DHS did not disclose what kind of specific protocols foreign travelers will have to undergo upon arrival at Dulles.

The move comes two days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued travel restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak. The CDCÌýÌýthat people without U.S. passports who had traveled to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past three weeks would be restricted from entering the country.

It’s unclear how the new DHS rule impacts the CDC’s order.

On May 15, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said Wednesday there are at least 600 suspected Ebola cases so far, included 139 suspected deaths from the virus. Ghebreyesus said the virus is believed to have been circulating for some time before it was detected.

A U.S. doctor working with a missionary organization in CongoÌýÌýand was transported to Germany for medical treatment, the U.S. CDC and his missionary group said Tuesday.ÌýÌýsix Americans were exposed to the virus, sources told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ Monday.

Health officials say the new outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, according to CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder.

WHO has the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but says as of now it falls short of the criteria for a pandemic emergency.

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Two law enforcement officers who clashed with rioters at the U.S. Capitol on , sued Wednesday to block the Trump administration’s which was created this week as part of a settlement between President Trump and the federal government.

, filed in federal court in the District of Columbia by retired U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges, asks a federal judge to find the creation of the fund illegal and reverse any transfers that the Treasury Department has made to the Justice Department to implement it.

Both Dunn and Hodges defended the U.S. Capitol after a mob of Trump supporters attempted to stop the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6.

The fund was announced Monday by the Justice Department. In a statement, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the fund would “provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

Since the announcement, attorneys representing those claiming the government was weaponized against them .

Jan. 6 rioters — including those during the attack but later pardoned by Mr. Trump — could . High-profile and who sued the Justice Department before reaching their own settlement agreements may also be eligible to receive payments from the fund.

Neither Blanche nor the White House has said outright that they would oppose payouts from the fund to those convicted — and since pardoned — of assaulting law enforcement officers. The Justice Department has not disclosed any criteria regarding who would be eligible for a settlement or whether there would be a cap on the amount of money they could receive. Blanche said at a Senate hearing this week that the five-member commission that will make up the fund’s board would supply that information.

“By creating the Anti-Weaponization Fund, funding it, and authorizing claim criteria that will allow it to make payments to, among others, Proud Boys and January 6 rioters, Defendants have inflicted concrete and cognizable harms on Plaintiffs Dunn and Hodges,” the officers argued in their complaint. “The Fund’s mere existence sends a clear and chilling message: those who enact violence in President Trump’s name will not just avoid punishment, they will be rewarded with riches.”

“This Fund creates enormous physical dangers for Officers Dunn and Hodges, who risked their lives on January 6, 2021, and who continue to do so by refusing to let that day be forgotten,” wrote Public Integrity Project founder Brendan Ballou, who represents the officers. “The Fund is stunningly, blindingly illegal, and the defendants must be prohibited from transferring money to this corrupt and illegal monstrosity.”

The settlement stemmed from a filed earlier this year in federal court by Mr. Trump, who accused the agencies of unlawfully allowing a government contractor to leak his tax returns and those of his sons and his company. He alleged the government’s mishandling led to the improper disclosure of the tax documents to media outlets in 2020. His sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization were also plaintiffs in the suit.

Mr. Trump and his legal team also agreed to drop their administrative claims against the Justice Department after he asked the government to settle two federal damage claims over investigations targeting him during his first administration or the Biden administration, the department said.

The settlement also the IRS from pursuing claims against Mr. Trump or his company based on prior tax returns.

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Attorneys for accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter Cole Allen asked a judge Thursday night to disqualify U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro and other senior Justice Department leaders from the case because they were present during the incident.

In the , his lawyers led with a quote from FBI Director Kash Patel, who appeared at a to discuss the case alongside acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pirro.

“This one hits a little differently. We were all there,” the motion quotes Patel as saying.

Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two gun counts. He has not yet entered a plea.

Allen’s legal team argued Thursday that Pirro and Blanche should be disqualified due to their status as “purported victims and witnesses in this case.”

His lawyers noted that Allen of trying to kill “high-ranking government officials” — a term that could refer to Blanche and Pirro. They also pointed out that Pirro is a longtime friend of Mr. Trump’s, and said she has “referenced her status as a potential victim” in media appearances where she discussed her experience in the ballroom, including one CNN interview in which Pirro she was “in that combat zone.”

The filing cited internal Justice Department rules that direct employees to recuse themselves from any criminal investigations where they may have a conflict of interest or a personal relationship with people involved in a case.

“As this case proceeds closer to trial, the country and the world will continue to wonder—how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?” they wrote. “Or even—how can one of the victim’s closest friends prosecute the alleged perpetrator of the offense?”

CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Prosecutors have accused Allen, 31, of one floor above the correspondents’ dinner while armed with a handgun, a shotgun and several knives. Authorities say he fired his shotgun at an officer who was hit in his protective vest, and the officer fired back five times but didn’t hit him, before Allen was taken into custody.

Allen allegedly on the night of the dinner claiming he planned to target Trump administration officials aside from Patel, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” A range of administration figures were present at the annual event, including Mr. Trump, much of his Cabinet and other high-level federal officials.

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An activist who protested outside the home of White House adviser Stephen Miller and distributed fliers containing his Virginia address will not face state charges, after a local prosecutor determined she did not commit a crime.

In a 166-page court filing, the Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said that she had reviewed evidence against Barbara Wien and found there was “nothing in the proceeds of the search warrant supports criminal prosecution” for violations of a state law that criminalizes using someone’s identity or address as a means to coerce, intimidate or harass. Violations of that law constitute a misdemeanor.

“It would neither accomplish the ends of justice nor discharge the Commonwealth’s ethical obligations of fair prosecution to initiate any charges,” she wrote, adding that charging her for protesting against the Trump administration’s policies also would likely violate her constitutionally protected free speech rights.

Wien, a former college professor and longtime political activist in Arlington, Virginia who specializes in peace-building,  has been under a state investigation since last year, after she distributed fliers last August and September depicting Miller on a “Wanted” poster for “crimes against humanity.”

The flyers contained his Arlington address, and they also provided a QR code that urged people to demand a congressional investigation. 

A second flyer distributed in his neighborhood, meanwhile, referred to Miller as the “alt-right extremist behind Trump’s most abhorrent policies, and your new neighbor in Arlington, Va.”

In making her determination not to bring charges, Dehghani-Tafti noted that the wanted flyer “called neither for any action at or near his residence, nor for any action by the viewer against Mr. Miller.”

“The sole call to action was to a traditionally and clearly protected political activity, encouraging residents to petition Congress to investigate Mr. Miller’s actions based on the wanted flyer’s allegations,” she wrote.

A White House spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment on the decision.

Bradley Haywood, an attorney for Wien, said he admired Dehghani-Taft’s careful effort to analyze the facts and the law in her filing. He said that such a move is important at a time when the federal government has been increasingly targeting political activists whose views do not align with the Trump administration.

“We have a… federal government that is trying to bring conspiracy and even RICO cases against activist groups,” he told CBS.  

“If you are looking to investigate someone for alleged threats of violence, maybe don’t pick a literal professor of peace studies,” he added. “Barbara’s whole career has been in peace studies.”

Wien has separately been under a federal investigation in connection with the same incident, according to congressional documentation cited in the court filing, sources familiar with the matter and a witness who was approached by the FBI for an interview. To date, no federal charges have been filed.

Shortly after those incidents, the Miller family moved out of their home and into military housing, CBS previously reported.

Stephen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, reported the flyers to Arlington County Police Department on August 4, and said she believed the flyer listing their home address violated state law. 

About a month later, protesters appeared at the public intersection closest to the Millers’ home and used sidewalk chalk to depict non-threatening political messages about issues such as and .

Katie Miller also told police she saw Wien walk by once while she was on her porch, and that Wien made a gesture which seemed to convey “I’m watching you.”

As part of the state investigation, Virginia State Police reviewed evidence, including a message sent in April 2025 from a phone associated with Wien to a group that stated that Stephen Miller had moved to the neighborhood and accused him of being “the evil fascist behind family separation and deportation policies.”

“My Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) chapter in N. Virginia intends to make his life hell. We have set up a carefully vetted Signal group. Let me know if you are interested in being a part of our campaign,” the message said.

In other Signal chat messages, Wien also communicated about sidewalk chalk events, sending one image that read: “Got a message for Stephen Miller? Come (peacefully) CHALK IT OUT on the sidewalks of his neighborhood.”

“The conduct initially investigated cannot support a charge,” Tuesday’s court filing said. “In short, Ms. Wien is not likely to be found guilty and her speech is likely to be found to be constitutionally protected.”

The decision not to charge Wien is likely to spark fresh tensions with House Republicans, who since last year have demanded investigative documents from Dehghani-Tafti and accused her of “stymying the investigation” into the alleged threats against the Miller family.

Miller has repeatedly pressed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia to bring federal charges in the case, a source familiar with the matter told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨. 

But those efforts faltered after a federal magistrate judge twice rejected the FBI’s attempt to obtain a search warrant for Wien’s phone, according to a letter sent to Dehghani-Tafti from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and a source familiar with the matter.

Dehghani-Tafti said the efforts by federal investigators to accompany state police on the execution of the search warrant “raised specific concerns regarding how federal authorities may have been involved (and appearing, potentially, to be attempting to use the Commonwealth, this Court, and the VSP to further a federal investigation—that had to date failed to demonstrate wrongdoing by even the lowest of legal standards of proof.)”

After the FBI and Secret Service sought to accompany the state police when officers tried to seize Wien’s cell phone, a state judge also separately prohibited local investigators from sharing any data collected from the phone with anyone, apart from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Since then, FBI agents have tried to interview several witnesses in the case, telling at least two of them they were visiting, “based on Barbara Wien’s phone logs or, on review of their personal phone logs,” the court filing says.

Dehghani-Tafti wrote in her filing that she was not sure how the FBI could have obtained phone logs, since the court had restricted data sharing with the bureau and the state’s narrow search warrant did not include data pertaining to those phone logs or contacts.

She added that since she learned about the FBI’s interviews, she has tried to obtain more information about how they may have accessed phone logs, but said neither the FBI nor the Virginia State Police have been willing to share their communications with one another.

Dehghani-Tafti asked the court to issue an order telling the state police to destroy the records it obtained from its search of Wien’s phone. She also asked for a court order requiring the custodians of the records to attest that they were not shared with any other outside agency.

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Captain Jon Jackson ended up on a Southwest Airlines flight to return home to Baltimore International Airport. Video captured the warm welcome he received upon arrival — complete with a bottle of champagne and a cheering crowd.

“This is very overwhelming,” Jackson said, after the crowd encouraged him to give a speech. “I can’t thank you all enough, As Spirit goes down, this is kind of a sad day, and you guys made it incredible. Thank you so much.”

Jackson had planned to take his retirement flight on a Spirit aircraft Saturday, marking the end of his career as a pilot for the airline, according to a statement from Southwest. But, when Spirit and collapsed the same day, he boarded the Southwest flight to Baltimore with his son, a first officer for that airline.

His son informed the Southwest pilots that the trip should have been his father’s retirement flight, and the airline proceeded to arrange a spontaneous series of festivities to commemorate Jackson’s service.

“They seized the opportunity to change the course of the day for Capt. Jackson,” said Southwest of the flight’s pilots, “setting in motion a plan that resulted in a proper retirement party when the flight landed in Baltimore.”

In addition to the cheers awaiting him at the gate, Baltimore Airport Fire and Rescue met Jackson’s aircraft with a traditional water cannon salute, Southwest said. The airline called the affair “a powerful reminder of the aviation community’s ability to show respect, compassion, and solidarity when it matters most” and thanked Jackson for his “service in the skies.”

Spirit had approached the Trump administration in hopes of acquiring an emergency bailout that would help the budget carrier avoid liquidation, as . When it did not come through, the airline’s parent company, Spirit Aviation Holdings, announced Saturday that it had “started an orderly wind-down of operations, effective immediately.”

“All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and Spirit Guests should not go to the airport,” the announcement said. The airline promised to automatically process refunds for people who had purchased flight tickets and launched a website to answer questions about the shutdown.

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At least five people were wounded Thursday in a stabbing incident at a high school in Tacoma, Washington, authorities said.

The incident was reported at Henry Foss High School a little after 1:30 p.m. local time, Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Shelbie Boyd told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨.

According to Boyd, police were called to the school on a report of a possible stabbing or altercation and arrived to find four wounded students and a wounded campus security officer. All five victims and a suspect were either stabbed or cut, Boyd said. 

The suspect, a juvenile, was detained at the scene, Boyd disclosed. 

The five victims and the suspect were transported to several area hospitals, Boyd said. Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ in an email that four of the victims were in critical condition and one had minor injuries.

The suspect was taken into police custody and evaluated at the scene by firefighters before being taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, Shepherd said.

All six were last reported to be in stable condition, Shepherd added. 

The suspect was later charged with five counts of first-degree assault, Boyd told CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨.

The circumstances that led to the attack were unclear. Tacoma police detectives and forensics officers were on scene conducting an investigation.  

The campus was locked down, Boyd said, and police arranged for parents to meet their children in the school’s parking lot.

Classes were canceled for Friday but the school will reopen Monday with counselors and added administrative staff on hand to support staff and students, the school said on its website.

Tacoma is located about 30 miles south of Seattle. 

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abruptly halted the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. A and knives breached a Secret Service checkpoint outside the ballroom. He was stopped by law enforcement before he could reach the dinner where President Trump and 2,600 guests had gathered. A Secret Service officer was hit by a round and protected by a bulletproof vest, authorities said.

Here is a moment-by-moment account of the events, according to authorities and eyewitness accounts. All times are eastern daylight time.

8:34:29 PM Security checkpoint is breached

A person barrels at full tilt through a Secret Service metal detector, stunning a half dozen officers nearby. He’s sprinting so fast he nearly clips one officer in plainclothes, who draws a sidearm. A swarm of officers chase after him.

The security checkpoint is separated from the 30,000square-foot ballroom by a staircase. About 2,600 people are inside, one floor below, eating an appetizer course of bread and salad.

Security camera video of the breach is posted by Mr. Trump on Truth Social.

8:34:33 PM: Rapid fire of gunshots is heard

A series of rapid gunshots can be heard in the ballroom. On the dais where President Trump is seated, the gunshots are muted, if audible at all. Some think a member of the waitstaff had dropped serving trays. For guests in the back of the venue, closer to the incident, the sound and smell of gunpowder are unmistakable.Ìý

At the time shots were fired, mentalist Oz Pearlman, the entertainer for the evening, can be seen at the head table performing a trick for Mr. Trump, first lady Melania Trump, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang.

Pearlman later confirms to CBS Ì«×Ó̽»¨ he was trying to guess the name of Leavitt’s unborn daughter who is due next week.

It takes more than 20 seconds for the president to be whisked off stage by his security detail.

Around 8:34:35 PM: Guests take cover

Guests in the raised seating area at the back of the ballroom begin to take cover on the floor and under tables. Some take out their phones to shoot video of the unfolding scene.

Around 8:34:40 PM: Security rushes in

Moments after the shots, security officers rush up the center aisle, climbing over chairs and fanning out to their protectees. Some Cabinet members and members of Congress are crouched under tables.

8:34:45 PM: Trump is evacuated

Secret Service agents run on stage. An agent grabs Vice President Vance – who is still seated at the head table – by the shoulders, and pulls him out of his chair. He is escorted offstage within four seconds, while the president is still on stage.

Across the stage, a Secret Service agent stands in front of Mr. Trump, blocking him from view. Mr. Trump remains seated, the first lady visible next to him, while Pearlman stands behind them holding a paper from his trick.

At the same moment Vance exits the stage, the first lady starts to lower herself to the floor, and four seconds later President Trump starts to get out of his chair after agents yell to “stay down.”

Leavitt and others seated at the head table get on the ground. Two Secret Service agents pull Mr. Trump up and start to escort him offstage. After taking several steps, Mr. Trump is lowered to the ground and covered by four agents. Leavitt exits the stage at a crouch. Mr. Trump then stands back up, and he and the first lady are escorted offstage by Secret Service. Mr. Trump exits the stage 20 seconds after Vice President Vance.

8:35:30 PM: Stephen Miller uses body to protect pregnant wife

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller used his body to protect his pregnant wife, Katie Miller, as armed federal security agents ran down the main walkway of the ballroom toward the dais, and past tables near the front of the ballroom. Seconds later, what appeared to be a Secret Service agent reached the Millers and then a group of them quickly escorted the couple out through an exit door to the right of the dais.

8:35:47 PM: Security sweeps continue

Law enforcement with guns drawn occupy a stairwell at the rear of the ballroom. An agent shouts: “Is anyone in the kitchen? Is anybody in the kitchen?” Behind a swinging set of doors a nervous kitchen staff is lined up and stands with arms raised as agents, weapons drawn, clear the area.

8:36:20 PM: RFK Jr.’s security detail swarms his table

The security detail for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rushes to Table 91, just in front of the dais. A federal agent uses his body to cover Kennedy before multiple agents escorts him and his wife, Cheryl Hines, over a camera platform and toward an exit door to the left of the stage.

8:37 PM: Administration officials escorted out

Security details start moving dignitaries from the ballroom.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche are escorted out as dinner attendees continue to take cover under their tables. A Capitol Police detail hustles House Majority Leader Steve Scalise through the room.

9:17 PM: Trump posts on social media

Mr. Trump posts on Truth Social that the shooter has been apprehended and that he “recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement.” He adds: “Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”

9:39:12 PM: “We run to a crisis, not from it”

Jiang returns to the podium to announce the dinner will not go on as scheduled. She adds that the president insists the dinner be rescheduled in the next 30 days.

“I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it,” Jiang says to the room full of reporters. “And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are.”

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