New details are emerging about the suspect accused of attempting to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and open fire -- and officials say he’s not making things easy.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed in an interview with CNN that the suspect -- identified as California resident Cole Allen -- traveled across the country before arriving in the nation’s capital ... allegedly going from Los Angeles to Chicago, then continuing on to D.C., apparently all via train.
Blanche says he then checked into the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the event took place, a couple of days before the incident on the 24th ... and then attempted to breach the event’s security perimeter the following night.
As for what’s happening now behind the scenes … it sounds like investigators aren’t getting much directly from the suspect himself.
Erika Kirk was whisked away during the White House Correspondents' Dinner after an armed individual rushed the building and gunshots rang out during the event ... and she was seen on video getting incredibly emotional as she left.
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In one clip, shared online by CNN reporter and anchor Sara Sidner, Erika is seen moments after chaos erupted Saturday night ... while crying, she appears to say "I just want to go home" as she's ushered out of the building.
Erika Kirk was spotted in tears and clearly shaken up after the shooting took place at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Mentalist Oz Pearlman is recounting the heart-stopping moments from inside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, describing the moments after chaos erupted, and how close he was to the President when it all went down.
Pearlman says everything seemed normal as he was doing a big reveal for one of his tricks ... until sudden commotion broke out across the room.
At first, he wasn’t even sure what he was hearing, telling CNN, “I thought maybe it was a medical emergency,” adding that initial confusion quickly turned into fear when he realized what he heard sounded like gunshots.
10:30 PM ET -- Trump released images and video of the suspect, who he called a "sick" person who was armed with "multiple" weapons.
The video, seen below, shows the man sprinting while shooting towards the location of the White House Correspondent's Dinner from the lobby of the Washington Hilton. Security immediately jumps into action to aprehend him.
10:15 PM ET -- The shooter has been identified as a 30-year-old male from Los Angeles, according to CNN. Based on information that is surfacing, it appears the man began shooting at the metal detector and did not get through it.
9:40 PM ET-- The White House Correspondents' Dinner has been canceled. President Trump there will be a redo within to the next 30 days.
A gunman threw the White House Correspondents' Dinner into mad chaos Saturday night, firing shots in the lobby near the ballroom where President Trump and many other administraiton officials were having dinner.
The room was filled with several thousand journalists who were celebrating the evening, when someone in the lobby fired at least 6 shots.
The suspect tied to the shocking security breach and shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was spotted being taken away in an ambulance, moments after being placed into custody.
The chaotic scene unfolded in Washington, D.C., when an armed individual -- identified as California resident Cole Allen -- made it past security and triggered a massive response inside the esteemed event.
New images show Allen inside an ambulance parked outside the Washington Hilton hotel shortly after the incident Saturday night.
President Trump has addressed the media to discuss details about the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday evening.
He said the suspect was a "very sick" person armed with multiple weapons who was taken down by "brave" Secret Service members. He also confirmed one officer was shot from a "very close" distance with a "very powerful" gun, but was saved by his bulletproof vest.
Trump shared a video of the shooting as well as a photo of the assailant being apprehended by police on Truth Social, which can be seen below.
The biggest players in politics gathered for the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night ... proving they're just as stylish as any Hollywood awards show.
Karoline Leavitt wore a sparkling black dress to the event ... giving a wave while photos got a look at her growing baby bump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a genuine A-lister on his arm -- his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. And, UFC president Dana White flexed his style muscles in a perfectly tailored suit.
The Grindr party in D.C. went down Friday night, and the people inside may have actually had more fun than those who were using the app!!!
Among the partygoers -- our boyz, Jacob, Charlie, and Jakson, who danced alone, danced with each other, even danced with Don Lemon, who, by the way, can truly bust a move.
The line to get in was reminiscent of Studio 54 ... it snaked down the block and even further.
Charlie actually judged a competition for Best Dressed ... check out who won!
"The Hills" alum Spencer Pratt reportedly has stacks on stacks of cash compared to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in their respective campaign fundraising for the upcoming mayoral race.
Spencer has raised nearly $540,000 for his mayoral campaign since announcing his candidacy in January, the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile, Bass hasn't even hit the $500K mark, with her tally coming in at just under $495,000.
Spencer's got some serious heavy hitters in Hollywood behind him, including "The Hills" alum and Lauren Conrad's ex Doug Reinhardt and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" producer Jeff Jenkins ... plus Katharine McPhee and more, per People.
TMZ DC has gone international, with an invite to the Secretary of War's news conference, and Jacobfired off a question that goes right to the psychology of war.
Jacob and Charliecame locked and loaded with questions, the first being what goes through Pete Hegseth's mind and body when he orders the military to drop bombs on people and places -- does he feel an adrenaline rush, power, is he scared? It's really a mindset question about how he approaches war. He didn't really answer, but good on Jacob.
Charlie also had a good question -- check out the video.
An Orlando-area congressman is sounding the alarm over a controversial attraction called Sloth World ... urging federal officials to step in before more animals are harmed.
Rep. Maxwell Frost is calling on a federal agency to launch an immediate investigation into the facility, alleging deeply troubling conditions persisting ahead of its opening to the public.
Before it even opened, Sloth World saw 31 sloths die after being kept in unsafe conditions.
I’ve called on the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA to investigate Sloth World, protect any surviving sloths, and prevent more from being brought in.
Frost said in a statement ... "Before it even opened, Sloth World saw 31 sloths die after being kept in unsafe conditions." Frost continues ... "I've called on the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA to investigate Sloth World, protect any surviving sloths, and prevent more from being brought in."
FBI DirectorKash Patel is suing over claims he's been drunk on the job ... but he reportedly admitted in the past to twice being arrested for alcohol-related offenses around 2 decades ago.
When Patel worked for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender's Office back in the day, he wrote a letter elaborating on a couple disclosures from his Florida Bar application, which related to his past arrests ... and The Intercept obtained a copy.
Patel wrote he was arrested for public intoxication in February 2001 when he was a junior at the University of Richmond. He said he was under 21 years of age at the time and had two drinks before getting booted from the crowd at a Richmond basketball game for "excessive" cheering. He said he paid a fine.
Melania Trump is running a honeypot operation out of the White House ... as in, she's adding a couple new bee colonies to bump up honey production.
The First Lady just announced an expansion of the White House honey program -- yes, that's a thing -- with a newly installed, fully functioning beehive on the South Lawn.
Melania's hive is a miniature version of the White House ... it's crafted by a local artisan and it's home to a pair of bee colonies. The White House says the new hives are expected to increase annual honey production at the White House by an estimated 30 pounds.
Monica Lewinsky is able to laugh at her infamous past with Bill Clinton ... and that's exactly what she did during a West Hollywood event Thursday night.
Check out our clip -- Clinton's former White House intern and affair partner spoke on a panel titled "The Fluency Gap in Women's Wealth" alongside Mika Brzezinski and Racquel Oden at HSBC's "The Financial Glow Up" event at the 1 Hotel in WeHo.
When she's asked if she'd do anything differently in her past knowing what she knows now ... she let out a tongue-in-cheek smile and giggle and clarified that the question was about money.
The FBI says it plans to dig into possible connections between the disappearances and/or deaths of at least 10 scientists and government workers over the last few years ... but their family members say it's all a bunch of baloney.
The House Oversight Committee announced Monday they're probing any possible connections between 10 cases dating back to 2023 ... but family members of Melissa Casias, Carl Grillmair, Michael Hicks and Jason Thomas all say there's no way they're linked -- and some have proof.
Melissa was an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico who vanished in June 2025. A family member, Paul, tells TMZ ... he believes Melissa wanted to go MIA and "does not want to be found."
Grindr's White House Correspondents' Dinner weekend bash in Washington, D.C. is drawing interest from the top reaches of government ... including President Donald Trump's administration!
Hack says the party can accommodate up to 500 ... and it's looking like it'll be packed to the gills -- with staffers on both sides of the political divide, journalists and more looking to hook up with organizers and score an invite.
