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Today, Arraignment for Suspect Accused of Opening Fire at Press Gala; Trump Calls to Reschedule White House Correspondents' Dinner; Sabastian Sawe Smashes Two-Hour Barrier at London Marathon. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired April 27, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by for the first court appearance of the suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as investigators comb through new details in his alleged writing.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And severe weather alert across the Midwest this morning. Some 40 million people are in the crosshairs of potentially violent tornadoes, damaging winds and hail after days of storms have caused more than 50 tornado reports across the plains in the south.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the royal visit, King Charles kicking off today a four-day state visit marking America's 250th birthday. Why some are calling this trip the toughest mission of his reign.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And the Breaking News this morning, we are standing by for the suspect and the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner to make his first appearance in federal court. We're learning new details about him and also what happened inside the Washington Hilton.

President Trump, of course, was rushed off the stage after shots were hurt outside the ballroom. Inside that room, much of the U.S. line of succession, the constitutional line of succession, five of the top six, including Vice President Vance. Overnight, the president told 60 Minutes he was not worried.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I was surrounded by great people and I probably made them act a little bit more slowly. I said, wait a minute. Wait minute. Let me see. Wait a minute. So, you know, I'm telling guys --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just at that moment where it looks like you go sort of down with the Service, you were telling them to wait?

TRUMP: Well, no. What happened is then I started walking with them. I turned, I started walking and then said, please go down. Please go down on the floor. So, I went down and the first lady went down also. But we were asked to go down by the agents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The Justice Department says the suspect ran past the security checkpoint at the dinner, then fired, quote, a couple shots. One agent was struck in his bulletproof vest. He is expected to be okay. A source tells CNN that a Secret Service agent fired back but no one was hit.

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was detained moments later without serious injury. This morning, investigators are combing through his writings, which authorities say he sent to family members just before the attack and expressed anti-administration sentiments.

CNN's Holmes Lybrand in Washington this morning with the latest. What are you learning, Holmes?

HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: That's right, John. So, what we know about this man, Cole Tomas Allen, we know that he was a part-time tutor in California, that he took a train days earlier from California to Chicago, then to D.C., where he booked a hotel room in the hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was set to take place.

Now, he brought with him a shotgun and a pistol. Those were purchased in the years prior, as well as knives. That was before he rushed the security there at the event, got past that magnetometer before he was tackled and taken down.

He is expected in court today. He's facing several charges. The D.C. U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro, says those will include two counts of using a firearm as well as one count of assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. Now, we know that that officer was struck in the chest and protective gear and will be okay.

Now, the writing that you mentioned, there is a general conversation in this writing that we know from Cole Tomas Allen about his disdain for the administration that could come in to court today as he's set to appear before a judge.

Now, it's unclear if we'll have a longer hearing, maybe going through some of those facts, to keep him detained as we go forward to a trial in the future.

BERMAN: All right, Holmes. This is the first chance we're going to get to hear some of these details, perhaps. We are watching very closely. Thank you for sharing your reporting on this. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, John.

President Trump speaking to 60 Minutes and praising the quick response from law enforcement during the shooting, now he's pushing for the White House Correspondents' Dinner to be rescheduled, calling for it to happen within the next 30 days and demanding a bigger perimeter and more security. CNN's Alayna Treene is live from the White House with the very latest.

[07:05:03]

Give us some sense of what the president is expecting here, and, you know, going forward, obviously, the security is going to have to change.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, this was really interesting. Yesterday, we were learning a lot more about kind of what Holmes was getting into the suspect yesterday and also about the security around all of this. One of the key questions that came up yesterday through the course of our discussions with the White House and law enforcement was about that manifesto that Cole Allen Tomas had written, the suspected shooter, where he referred to himself as the friendly federal assassin.

And from other conversations I was having, Sara, with people in the building behind me, essentially they were making very clear how it laid out the targets of his operation really was to go after Trump administration officials, and that in that manifesto, it clearly laid out that he had anti-Trump and anti-Christian views that he had shared in that.

But one of the key things that was a question was the timing of when local enforcement had learned about this as well as when the Secret Service may have learned about the manifesto and whether or not they had been tipped off to this. When the White House had talked to CNN and other reporters yesterday, they had said that they believed that the suspect, Allen, had sent this manifesto to his family around ten minutes prior to this incident.

They later confirmed that that is what they believe had happened. But then what we learned throughout the day was that Allen's family had an actually shared that manifesto until after the shooting has happened. And that is a key detail because there were questions of whether or not law enforcement had really properly alerted authorities about what was about to transpire. We're learning now that, of course, it seems like they had that information only after this manifesto, only after the incident had occurred.

But getting into how the president is viewing all of this, I mean, I think he laid out very clearly during that interview with 60 Minutes last night that he believed that he was very well-protected by Secret Service. He felt that, if anything, he said, and you kind of played some of that clip, that he felt like he was the one perhaps who was slowing them down, that he wanted to get a sense of what was happening.

And he was very, you know, positive in the way that he was describing how they had acted on Saturday evening, even, of course, as we were hearing so many others, including people in the Trump administration and other allies of the president saying there was a breakdown in security that night, that this should never have been allowed to happen, and that the suspect should never have been able to get as close to the ballroom as he had when those shots had gone off. And so, of course, there are going to be a lot of questions and I think a lot of internal evaluations going on about how to prevent something like this moving forward, especially, of course, when we have seen that this is not the first time this has happened. The president has now faced, three different assassination attempts, one of them, of course, being in Butler, Pennsylvania near just nearly two years ago.

A lot of similar questions from that event come coming up now, I think, in the conversations around all of this, about how to ensure, particularly at a time when we've seen such rising political violence that the president is protected as well as all of the other -- I mean, we saw some of the most powerful people in the room on Saturday night, as John laid out, a lot of people who are in the line of succession.

So, many questions that still have to be answered, and they're still kind of putting together their timeline on all of this, at least from the Secret Service perspective. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. And I think what people may not realize is all of those members of the cabinet walked through on the floor where the shooter was about a half an hour before all of this happened. And so there are questions about security this morning.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much, great reporting from you from there at the White House. Kate?

BOLDUAN: There is new reporting today that Iran has sent a new proposal to the White House, including what it calls a series of red lines. What could that mean today?

And more storms are bearing down on parts of the Midwest today. There's new video of a rare sighting of twin tornadoes in Oklahoma. The update on where those storms are now headed.

And King Charles, Queen Camilla, they're arriving soon in Washington for a much anticipated and what's become a high-stakes royal state visit. So, what's in store once they arrive in the White House?

We'll be right back.

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: The man suspected of attempting an attack at the White House Correspondents' Dinner will be arraigned today. Cole Tomas Allen is his name, and he is facing two charges, using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

According to the White House, this man, the suspect, clearly stated that he was targeting administration officials, but what does today mean?

Joining us right now, Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst. Let's keep looking forward now, Elie, after what we saw from Saturday night. What does it mean -- what is today going to look like and why does it seem -- I don't know, it seems to the layman that he is facing so few charges.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So, on your second question first, this is what I would call a placeholder charges, something prosecutors do. You just get your most simple, most easily proved charges on the books so you have a piece of paper so you can arrest and hold this guy. I promise you there is more coming.

So, specifically, I'd be looking for attempted murder charges, right? You reportedly fired shots and hit a Secret Service agent who fortunately had a body armor on, and I would look for attempted assassination charges. It is, of course, a federal crime to attempt to assassinate the president, the vice president, members of the cabinet, so we could see a whole slew of those charges.

[07:15:04]

With respect to today, here's what to watch for. So, he will be arraigned. He'll be advised of the charges against him. He'll enter a plea of not guilty. They will make sure -- the judge will make sure that he has a defense lawyer. He can hire one if he wants to. If not, the court will appoint one. And they'll set the schedule moving forward. Not necessarily the whole schedule. We won't necessarily get all the way out to a trial date, but at least the intermediate dates.

And the last thing, this is just a formality, the judge will consider bail. This guy's not getting bail. He's getting locked up.

BOLDUAN: How much detail could come out today? Like could we learn more from the manifesto today? Could we learn more about possible beliefs and motivations?

HONIG: For sure.

BOLDUAN: How much will come out or not in this?

HONIG: In an arraignment, we could learn quite a bit, and it's really up to the Justice Department, how much do they want to put out there? Some a tactic that prosecutors sometimes do is they might submit what we call a bail memo saying to the judge, you cannot release this guy on bail and here's why. And we've seen those, those could be 10, 20 pages long, and give us substantial detail. And I think those writings, the manifesto, whatever we want to call it, is a key piece of evidence. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if we hear more about it because it shows intent, it shows his motive, it could go -- it would be crucial evidence towards a potential attempted assassination charge.

BOLDUAN: But then with that in mind, if this becomes -- these writings become a key piece of evidence, what is -- how is it weighed of not giving -- giving as little as possible seems to be like the smart approach.

HONIG: Yes. Ordinarily you do want to take a little bit of a poker player tactic, right? You don't want to show your hands. In a case like this, though, the evidence is so overwhelming. And we see the Justice Department rightly, I think, giving a little more information to the public than you ordinarily would, right?

Prosecutors usually are very shut about everything, we're not telling you anything, no details, you'll see it in court. Here, I think given the public imperative of this case, I think it's appropriate what we've seen so far from DOJ to give us more information than normal.

BOLDUAN: I'm asking you with very -- with little basis because we haven't heard anything from what will be the defendant. But what do you think a defense would be?

HONIG: Gosh. It's a tough one. I mean, one thing that has occurred to people that people have asked me about is could he make an insanity defense.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

HONIG: Now, of course, people naturally think of that. I mean, John Hinckley, who attempted an assassination at this same hotel in the 1980s, actually succeeded with an insanity defense. He still gets held but just not in a prison. But since the 1980s, because of that, the law has been toughened up. It's really hard to succeed on an insanity defense. Now you have to show essentially the person did not even understand the nature of his actions. Here, you look at the level of deliberation, the planning, the writings, that's not going to fly.

BOLDUAN: Yes. It seems to work hard against that.

HONIG: Yes. This is a tough one to defend. I -- look, sometimes if you're a defense lawyer, you just try to make sure the guy gets a fair trial. But how are you going to beat this charge? How are you going to prove it wasn't him? I mean, there's thousands of witnesses, of videotape, I don't know what they do.

BOLDUAN: Yes. But a critically important first step is about to happen today.

Thanks, Elie.

HONIG: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: I really appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: All right. New video this morning from the police body camera that stopped a bullet and saved the life of an officer.

And then the ultimate victory celebration in any sport, here it is, the cannonball.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: This morning a record shattered, and it's a big one. The first human being to run a marathon in official race conditions in under two hours. And to be clear, it is not something humans should be able to do.

Let's get right to see it as Coy Wire for the latest on this. And there were like two dudes who did it. It's unbelievable.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. And move over machines, John. The humans just hit turbo mode. Sabastian Sawe making history at the London Marathon, as John said, first human to run a sub two-hour marathon in official race conditions. 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, shattering the world record by more than a minute. That's 26.2 miles at a 4-minute and 33 second per mile pace. He must have inspired a competitor behind him. Who also broke the two-hour mark.

In the 1940s, it was believed nobody could run a sub four-minute mile. Roger Banister broke it in 1954. Within just 46 days, someone else did it. Within a year, three more. Once you stop believing something is impossible, maybe it becomes possible.

All right, like a cheat code, reloading at the right time in the NBA playoffs, Victor Wembanyama is back the 7'4" defensive player of the year clearing the concussion protocol an hour before game four. Then goes full video game mode, 27 points, 12 boards and 7 blocks. Spurs overcome a 17-point halftime lead to roll past the Blazers, 114-93, taking a 3-1 series lead.

NHL now, this one, pure playoff chaos, Connor McDavid had a last second chance to win it for Edmonton, but no. Lukas Dostal says, not today, a jaw-dropping tippy-toe save, John. Look at this. Send it overtime where Ryan Poehling calls game, maybe. It had to be reviewed. John, did it completely cross the line? They say it did. Poehling's first ever playoff goal is a game-winner. The Ducks win 4-3, taking a 3-1 series lead, talk about a duck call.

All right, first women's golf major of the year. Cool, calm and cannon-balling her way to history. Nelly Korda does it again. The Chevron championship wire-to-wire for her second title there, third career major, back to world number one, she goes and she seals it the only way golfers know how at this event, a celebratory leap into the 18th old pond with caddy, sister and friends. That's what we call making a splash while fully embracing the water hazard.

All right, John, if you win your first NASCAR Cup series race, maybe you would celebrate. If you're Carson Hocevar, you make it unforgettable. After a last lap pass at Talladega Super Speedway, Hocevar hangs out the window mid drive. He does this for like a full two minutes, waving to fans, and he then would eventually steer into the wall for a smokey burnout.

One of his co-owners said that he looked like Shamu out there, but, honestly, that was like better than any splash you'd see at any sort of theme park, John.

[07:25:00]

I know you can run a sub four-minute mile or a sub two-hour marathon, John. Yes? BERMAN: So, this sounds like a humble brag, but it's the opposite. I've been running half marathons, Coy, half, and it takes me longer than it did to run these guys -- like a lot longer. These guys beat my half by a lot, a lot.

WIRE: It is unbelievable. That is no shame on you, my friend. I'm very impressed, surprised those legs of yours can take you half a marathon. That's crazy.

BERMAN: It is barely. But I do have nice legs. Thank you for pointing that out.

Coy Wire, thank you very much for that.

BOLDUAN: What am I supposed to do with this? Coy, you've got to see his jams, Coy. They are something.

BERMAN: It's a fact check. Daniel Dale can do a whole fact check true on that.

BOLDUAN: I mean, true. Factually true. I think now we just --

BERMAN: Pull up that pant leg, John.

BOLDUAN: I'm saying, I'm like waiting. I am waiting. Give people what they need, J.B. They need some calf leg action.

Okay, here we go. I love you, Coy. I love him so much.

Here we go. A tree trimmer stranded 75 feet in the air after a medical emergency. We've got details now on the dramatic rescue to get them to safety.

Plus, has the DHS funding stalemate finally reached a breaking point after more than two months? The emergency funding paying the federal agents who stopped a gunman at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, that funding is about to run out again. Will this actually push lawmakers to actually make a deal?

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[07:30:00]