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Correspondents’ dinner attack suspect Cole Allen being held inside D.C. jail complex, source says

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Correspondents’ dinner attack suspect Cole Allen being held inside D.C. jail complex, source says


Cole Allen, the California man charged in the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, is being detained at the Correctional Treatment Facility at the D.C. jail complex, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News. This is the same facility that previously housed many Jan. 6 defendants and is a newer facility than the main jail.  

The CTF, operated by the D.C. Department of Corrections, holds men, women and juveniles charged as adults.

Allen, 31, is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump and two firearms-related offenses stemming from the shooting on Saturday night. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

Allen is being held in a restrictive cell in medical isolation, which is standard protocol, the law enforcement source said. Corrections protocol requires that Allen be held under suicide watch for the first 72 hours in a green suicide smock while he is assessed. A lawyer for Allen told the court Thursday that he is being held in a “safe cell” under 24-hour lockdown. 

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Also, according to the source, a D.C. correctional officer is posted outside Allen’s cell door 24/7 while he is under observation. During this period, he is under strict observation with no access to outside materials. Allen is brought finger foods on a tray and is not allowed utensils, the source said. He’s allowed to shower every 72 hours. Allen is also allowed religious materials in his cell, such as a Bible or Quran. He has not requested any religious materials, according to the source.

File photo of the Washington, D.C., jail.

Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images


The D.C. Department of Corrections says on its website that the facility consists of five separate, multi-story buildings situated immediately adjacent to each other, so the facility presents as one large structure. Housing units within the CTF range from 16 to 48 cells with a maximum capacity of 96 beds per unit. It is a separate structure from D.C.’s main jail. 

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The U.S. Marshals Service, which manages federal pretrial detainees, has a contract with the D.C. Department of Corrections, the law enforcement source said. The U.S. Marshals Service says on its website that it has contracts with approximately 1,200 state and local governments to rent jail space to house more than 63,000 pretrial detainees. 

The U.S. Marshals said it doesn’t release detention locations for high-profile prisoners due to security concerns.

CBS News has reached out to the D.C. Department of Corrections.

Allen has been compliant since his arrival, the law enforcement source said. 

During an appearance in federal court Thursday, Allen’s attorneys told the judge that he agreed to remain detained in the lead-up to his trial. A preliminary hearing is set for May 11.

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His attorneys had argued in a filing Wednesday that  Allen was “gainfully employed” as a tutor, is a “devout Christian” who “dutifully” attends church and is an “active participant” in his religious community. They said he has no criminal history and is college-educated, and that those factors weigh in favor of release.

After telling the judge that Allen instead agreed to remain detained, his attorney, Tezira Abe, asked the judge to order the jail to lift his lockdown restrictions. The judge said she did not have the authority to override the judgment of the jail but would accept briefs on the matter.

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Washington, D.C

National Guard continuing DC deployment through Inauguration ’29

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National Guard continuing DC deployment through Inauguration ’29


The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Wednesday the National Guard will remain deployed in Washington, D.C., through Inauguration Day 2029.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials have been against deployment since it began last summer, but pushing back has been an uphill battle.

More than 5,000 National Guard troops are deployed in the city after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a crime emergency, and that number swelled for the Fourth of July.

City leaders made it clear they want the National Guard to leave, but the Defense Department says the troops will stay through the end of the Trump administration.

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City leaders argue the National Guard is unnecessary, the soldiers are not trained in law enforcement and it’s bad for business. A lawsuit filed by the D.C. attorney general was overturned on appeal pending further litigation.

“My understanding is that there’s going to be some sort of proceeding in September, and so the city is still litigating that we don’t want these National Guard troops from other states here,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.

On July 9, the D.C. Council sent letters to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan asking them to withdraw their National Guard soldiers that were sent for the Fourth of July celebrations.

“We respectfully ask that you recall all Michigan National Guard personnel as soon as practicable and decline any extension of their current deployment,” Council wrote to Whitmer.

“To have National Guard troops sent here from states across the nation who are armed, who are not trained in our laws, does not help us advance public safety and is not the right path forward,” Councilmember Brooke Pinto said.

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The Council did not reach out to any other governors with troops deployed to Washington.

Bowser declined to comment on the extension of the guard’s deployment.

News4 reached out to both governors’ offices for comment but has not heard back.



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Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post

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Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to Washington, DC, on Saturday night, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Netanyahu’s visit would mark the first official trip to Washington since the war with Iran, with his last visit in February.

During a recent phone call made by Netanyahu to congratulate Trump on the  250th anniversary of US independence, the two leaders agreed to “meet soon.”

Netanyahu’s main commitment during this upcoming trip will be attending Graham’s funeral, who passed away on Sunday after “a brief and sudden illness.”

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Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, mourned Graham in a statement on Sunday.

“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said in his statement.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

“Our hearts are with Lindsey’s family and with the American people at this difficult time. May his values and initiatives continue to guide us toward victory and peace, and may his memory forever be a blessing.”

Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this article.

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DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there

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DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there


Some D.C. residents told 7News they are fed up with the no-parking signs that have been added in front of their homes.

For the first time in 70 years, the view outside Anita Marsh’s home has changed.

“It’s very emotional,” said Marsh. “To be in a place where there’s no access to my door, no one can legally park for me to enter and exit my home. It’s frustrating, but more importantly, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting. I find it heartless.”

ALSO READ | DC considers tighter rat control restrictions after poison, tracking and trash concerns

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Video from Marsh showed what she woke up to on Monday morning. She said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed no parking signs in front of her home.

“How do I walk? How do I get into my house? I’m not very ambulatory,” said Marsh. “I have mobility challenges. So what happens?”

Neighbors about a mile away, over on Kimi Gray Court, reached out with the same frustrations. That’s where 7News met Aaron Harris.

“DDOT put these signs up, these signs, and they are ticketing people who are trying to park in front of their home because they have multiple cars,” said Harris.

Both neighborhoods feel that access to their home will now cost them.

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“I’m very nervous because also financial impact is on a retiree,” said Marsh.

7News also got a call from businesses on MLK Jr. Avenue in Anacostia who said DDOT hit them with changes, too. 7News met Ronald Moton in front of his Gogo museum.

“They bring a bus lane without talking to us and take away 29 parking spaces,” said Moton.

Moton said business owners and customers have been hit with $200 tickets.

“This is a community trying to build itself up and survive,” said Moton. “You cannot come and dump stuff like this on us without talking to us.”

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“We can’t afford to pay $90 a week or $180 or $270 per week because we’re in violation in front of a property that wasn’t zoned this way,” said Harris. “At least we didn’t know it was owned that way until the signs went up and they started getting ticketed.”

“I’m very scared. I’m very scared. And very upset,” said Marsh. “I’m not going to be able to stay in my house. Then I’m going to be forced to go elsewhere. Because I’m not going to be able to enter and exit my house.”

7News reached out to DDOT and Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs D.C.’s Transportation and Environment Committee, and asked about the no-parking signs community members feel came out of nowhere. 7News has not heard back from either yet.



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