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World leaders condemn ‘unacceptable’ violence after armed attack disrupts WH Correspondents’ Dinner

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World leaders condemn ‘unacceptable’ violence after armed attack disrupts WH Correspondents’ Dinner

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World leaders across the globe swiftly condemned political violence and expressed relief that President Donald Trump was unharmed after a chaotic armed attack Saturday night disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Their responses poured in on X after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby of the Washington Hilton and charged toward the ballroom, where Trump, lawmakers, journalists and foreign dignitaries were gathered, prompting Secret Service agents to open fire and guests to dive under tables.

The suspect — later identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California — was taken into custody, and Trump was rushed offstage unharmed. Officials said the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held, and was taken into custody at the scene. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

In their reactions, world leaders emphasized both solidarity with the United States and concern over rising political violence.

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President Donald Trump and other government officials were evacuated from the Washington Hilton after reports of gunfire during the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “unacceptable,” writing that “violence has no place in a democracy” while expressing “full support” for Trump.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed that sentiment, warning against political extremism.

“No political hatred can find space in our democracies,” she said, adding that democratic nations must not allow “fanaticism to poison the places of free debate and information.”

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “relieved” Trump, the first lady and Vice President JD Vance were safe, stressing that violence “must be unequivocally condemned.”

Leaders across Europe struck a similar tone. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked by the scenes,” calling the attack one that must be “condemned in the strongest possible terms,” particularly given it targeted a high-profile democratic event.

President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington on April 25, 2026. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “appalled,” adding that democracies must “stand together against political violence.”

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the incident as a broader threat to democratic systems, calling it “an attack on our free and open societies” and reaffirming solidarity with the United States.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino jumps over a chair after an incident at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and other officials were evacuated from the Washington Hilton following reports of gunfire. The FBI’s Washington field office said a subject is in custody. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as an “attempted assassination,” though U.S. authorities have not publicly characterized it as such, saying he and his wife were “shocked” while praising U.S. security forces for their “swift and decisive action.” He also wished a speedy recovery to a police officer who was shot in a bullet-resistant vest during the confrontation.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026, following the cancellation of the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner due to a possible shooting. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

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From the Western Hemisphere, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “relieved” all attendees were safe but called the episode a “disturbing event,” while Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said simply, “Violence should never be the way.”

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Argentine President Javier Milei issued one of the strongest statements, condemning what he described as a “new assassination attempt,” and linking the attack to “violent rhetoric of the left all over the world.” His characterization has not been confirmed by U.S. officials.

Louise Barnsley stands in front of a home secured after the correspondents dinner shooting incident. (Louise Barnsley/Shutterstock)

Leaders from beyond the traditional Western alliance also weighed in. Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said her government “strongly condemns” the attack and emphasized that “violence is never an option,” while European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas highlighted the symbolism of the venue, noting that “an event meant to honour a free press should never become a scene of fear.”

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Law enforcement officers detain a suspect lying face down on the floor following a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised U.S. law enforcement and Secret Service agents for their “swift action” in containing the situation.

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The attack marks the latest in a string of security threats against Trump since 2024 and is likely to intensify scrutiny over security protocols at major public events involving the president. It is also likely to renew conversations about rising political violence in the U.S.

Authorities say the suspect acted alone and have not yet identified a motive. FBI and local law enforcement officials descended on the suspect’s Torrance home Saturday night.

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Stocks fall and oil prices gain after Trump warns the Iran ‘clock is ticking’

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Stocks fall and oil prices gain after Trump warns the Iran ‘clock is ticking’

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks mostly retreated and oil prices jumped on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that the “clock is ticking” as U.S.-Iran negotiations over a permanent end to the war stall.

U.S. futures fell and markets in Japan and South Korea pulled further back from their records. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 60,815.95, a decline led by technology-related stocks. It reached all-time intraday high levels last week above 63,000.

The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond surged to as high as 2.8%, its highest level since the late 1990s, part of a shift toward higher yields as the Bank of Japan gradually raises interest rates and higher energy costs raise expectations of rising inflation. That’s up from around 2.55% just one week ago.

Seoul’s Kospi climbed 0.3% to 7,516.04 after trading lower earlier in the day. It crossed the 8,000 mark for the first time on Friday, supported by buying of technology shares driven by the boom in artificial intelligence, but later declined partly on profit-taking by investors.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.4% to 25,596.68. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower to 4,131.53, after China reported weaker-than-expected retail data for April.

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Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.5% to 8,505.30.

Taiwan’s Taiex dropped 0.7%, while India’s Sensex fell 0.1%.

Oil prices rose after Trump warned Iran in a social media post that “the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them” following a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump has set deadlines for Iran and then backed off, so investors have remained cautious about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and how it is impacting global energy flows, including oil and gas. The strait is still mostly closed, and the U.S. has also imposed its own sea blockade on Iranian ports since last month.

A drone strike over the weekend on a United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant added to worries over a potential escalation in the conflict.

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Brent crude, the international standard, gained 0.7% to $110.02 per barrel. It was trading at roughly $70 a barrel in late February before the start of the Iran war. Benchmark U.S. crude was trading 0.8% higher to $106.31 per barrel.

“Re-escalation risks are increasing,” ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a research note. While there has also been a pick up on shipping activities over the past week around the strait, they said, “this can change quickly.”

The pair also noted that the oil market was reacting to the lack of tangible results on the Iran war after last week’s widely-watched summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, even as the White House said both the U.S. and China had agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open.

U.S. officials had hoped that Beijing could use its influence, given its economic ties with Iran, to help broker a peace agreement and reopen the strait. Trump said last week in an interview that Xi told him China “would like to be of help” in negotiating an end to the war. So far it’s been unclear how Beijing might do that.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury was at around 4.60%, up from 4.47% last Thursday and sharply higher than the nearly 4% level it was holding at before the Iran war.

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On Friday, the benchmark S&P 500 dropped 1.2% from the record it set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 1.5%.

In other dealings early Monday, the U.S. dollar rose to 158.86 Japanese yen from 158.62 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1635, up from $1.1622.

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Canada confirms hantavirus case linked to cruise ship outbreak that has killed three passengers

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Canada confirms hantavirus case linked to cruise ship outbreak that has killed three passengers

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Canadian health officials on Sunday confirmed that one of four Canadians who returned from the MV Hondius cruise ship, the subject of an international Andes hantavirus outbreak, tested positive for hantavirus. Three people connected to the outbreak have died.

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The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed the positive test after British Columbia’s top public health officer previously described the case as a “presumptive positive.”

“One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus,” the agency said in a statement.

Officials said additional testing will be conducted at a national laboratory. It was not immediately clear whether that testing was for confirmation, strain characterization or another purpose.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE

Experts say cruise outbreaks get more attention due to public reporting rules, but many travelers still plan to sail as booked. (Myloupe/Universal Images Group)

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The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring the rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius, which has sickened multiple passengers.

As of May 13, the World Health Organization said 11 cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Those figures included three deaths. The Associated Press later reported that the Canadian confirmation brought the number of people from the ship who had tested positive to 10.

Canadian health officials said four Canadians returned home from the MV Hondius, though only one has tested positive for the virus.

RARE HANTAVIRUS HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION SUSPECTED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP WHERE 3 HAVE DIED

The rare Andes virus, which was linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, is the only known hantavirus strain that has the capability to spread from person to person, usually through prolonged close contact. (Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu)

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The confirmed patient and a traveling companion — identified as a Yukon couple in their 70s — returned from the cruise together. The companion later tested negative, officials said.

A third person in their 70s from Vancouver Island remains in isolation, along with a British Columbia resident in their 50s.

So far, no confirmed U.S. cases tied to the cruise ship have been reported, though WHO said as of May 13 that one U.S.-repatriated passenger had inconclusive laboratory results and was undergoing retesting.

HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF RODENT-BORNE DISEASE

Pictured is the MV Hondius, the cruise ship tied to a hantavirus outbreak after a stop in Argentina that left three passengers dead. (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images)

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Last week, however, health officials in Ontario County, New York, announced they were investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case unrelated to the cruise ship.

The Ontario County Public Health Department said there was no risk to the general public. Officials also said the strain typically seen in the United States is not known to spread from person to person.

The outbreak linked to the MV Hondius began after the Dutch cruise ship, carrying 147 passengers and crew members, departed Argentina on April 1 for a South Atlantic voyage.

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The outbreak has prompted heightened precautions internationally, including in the Netherlands, where Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest protocols recommended for the virus strain.

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The outbreak has also sparked comparisons to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel previously told Fox News Digital there is “no comparison.”

He noted hantavirus is difficult to spread.

Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken Hondius cruise ship walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, on May 12. (Piroschka van de Wouw)

“It’s not airborne … in terms of respiratory droplets hanging in the air,” he said. “It’s very difficult to transmit.”

While coronavirus “moved in the direction of humans in a significant way,” hantavirus has not, except for “very rare” cases of human-to-human transmission, he added.

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The World Health Organization has assessed the risk to the global population as low, while noting that current evidence suggests subsequent human-to-human transmission may have occurred on board. Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to have documented person-to-person transmission, though such spread is considered rare.

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Siegel also noted hantavirus cases have been reported in the United States for decades, though they remain “very rare.”

Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller and Angelica Stabile, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

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Moment of collision between two Navy jets at Idaho air show

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Moment of collision between two Navy jets at Idaho air show
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Two US Navy jets collided during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, sending both aircraft crashing to the ground in front of spectators. All four crew members ejected safely before impact.

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