An annual Washington DC dinner descended in chaos after the Donald Trump was evacuated and guests hid under tables after shots were fired late on Saturday night

Mayhem took over the annual White House correspondents’ dinner when a gunman stormed the lobby outside the ballroom and Donald Trump was swiftly evacuated.

A Secret Service agent was shot at close-range but he survived due to his bulletproof vest, while guests inside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel dived under tables. Trump wad uninjured and quickly rushed off stage as shots were fired. Police later identified the shooting suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. Cops added the man was armed with multiple weapons, including a handgun, shotgun and multiple knives.

At a press conference after the attack, Trump described the suspect as a “lone wolf whack job”.

READ MORE: Trump live: Suspect identified after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinnerREAD MORE: Donald Trump shooter Cole Thomas Allen ‘sneaked in as guest’ – all we know on gunman

8:35pm: The incident unfolded at around 8:35pm local time (1:35am UK time) as shots were heard in the hotel and guests were told to take cover. The Secret Service rushed to the US President and quickly removed him from the stage.

9:17pm: The US President posts on Truth Social for the first time since the incident and revealed the suspected gunman “has been apprehended”. He said: “Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job.”

9:36pm: Trump said law enforcement officials told the President to leave the hotel “which we will do, immediately”. In a post, he said: “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.”

10:29pm: The President shared CCTV footage online from the hotel lobby, outside the ballroom where 2,500 guests were present, which appeared to show the suspect running past several officers and towards the hall. Trump also shared images of the suspect being detained inside the hotel.

10:30pm: Trump held a news conference from the White House and said the suspect was a “lone wolf whack job”. The President was joined at the news conference by FBI chief Kash Patel and Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche.

10:50pm: The suspect was named as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California, by US media outlets.

11:10pm: Images from Torrance, California, showed police searching a home believed to be linked to the suspect as dozens of cops were pictured outside the property late at night.

11:15pm: The US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said authorities plan to formally charge the suspect in court on Monday with several offences, including using a firearm during a crime of violence.

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It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity – including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.

Trump, after the attack, said: “Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.” He also said: “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”

Misinformation about the Epsom incident began to circulate online, with many accounts on social media making false suggestions the suspects were asylum seekers or migrants. Others commented that they were distressed by reports of such a serious crime taking place in their local area, and expressed support for the alleged victim.

LK Bennett, founded back in the 90s, entered administration in January, with John Noon and Mark Firmin of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP appointed joint administrators.

Immediately following their appointment, the LK Bennett brand and related intellectual property were sold to US firm Gordon Brothers, which also owns Laura Ashley and Poundland.

However, LK Bennett’s nine stand-alone and 13 concession stores were not included in the deal, leaving them at risk of closing.

Its website explains: “The LK Bennett stores were not included in the transaction and continue to trade under the Administration.”

All LK Bennett stores “are now closed”

All LK Bennett stores have now closed, according to the retailer’s website.

In an Instagram post on Saturday (April 25), the fashion retailer said: “We’re nearly at the end.

“With only 2 days remaining, tomorrow is your last moment to shop our collections in-store with everything up to 90% off.”

“Our boutiques will remain open today as long as stock lasts, but once it’s gone, our doors will close.”

But it appears all stock has been sold, as the LK Bennett website reads: “Website and stores are now closed.”

Full list of LK Bennett stores

The full list of LK Bennett stores that have closed is:

Stand-alone stores

• Lower Guildhall Mall (Bluewater)
• Canary Wharf (London)
• Eastgate Square Shopping Centre (Chester)
• Duke of York Square (London)
• Harrogate
• Knightsbridge (London)
• New Bond Street (London)
• Richmond
• White City Westfield (London)

Concession stores

• Arnotts (Dublin)
• The Bentall Centre (Kingston upon Thames)
• Brown Thomas (Dublin)
• De Gruchy (Jersey)
• Hoopers (Tunbridge Wells)
• Hoopers (Wilmslow)
• Jarrold (Norwich)
• John Lewis (Edinburgh)
• John Lewis (High Wycombe)
• John Lewis – Oxford Street (London)
• John Lewis (Manchester)
• John Lewis (Oxford)
• John Lewis (Cheadle)

‘Very sad day’ – shoppers react to closure of LK Bennett stores

Shoppers were quick to react to the closure of the remaining LK Bennett stores, taking to the Instagram post to share their thoughts.

One person commented: “Very sad day indeed. I will miss the lovely collection and the staff who was always attentive no matter which boutique you shopped.”

Another added: “Very sad day for the high street and more importantly the staff who have worked their shoes! Off- good luck to all of you.”

Other major UK companies that have closed or entered administration in 2026

It has been a tough start to 2026 for the UK high street, with a wide range of businesses entering administration or closing down.

Major high street retailers have been forced to close stores, including:

Several other retailers have fallen into administration, including:

Meanwhile, four UK travel companies have closed in 2026:

EcoJet Airlines, billed as “the world’s first Electric Airline”, also entered liquidation after just three years, resulting in the cancellation of all planned flights.

What has a nose, wings and runs off of hydrogen? Ecojet 😎 pic.twitter.com/y8QGiBdFe2

— ecotricity (@ecotricity) July 17, 2023

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out over the coming months after being acquired by InPost.

It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It’s not been all bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Are you saddened by the closure of all LK Bennett stores? Let us know in the comments below.

But if you’re looking at the region on a map, you’d be forgiven for doing a double take or getting a sense of de ja vu, as some towns share names or are awkwardly similar.

If you don’t know your Stanley and Crook from your Stanley Crook, or your Easington from your Easington, you could easily end up in the wrong place.

Last month the Echo told how a Barcelona fan heading to his side’s Champions League clash at St James Park in Newcastle was left red-faced after turning up at the stadium of the same name in Exeter.

But within the region there are plenty of names which could leave tourists, or locals, making a similar error.

Stanley, Crook and Stanley Crook

Stanley in North West Durham and Crook are almost a half-hour drive further south.

But Stanley Crook is its own village in itself, just north of Crook itself.

Miss a comma in a text and your mates could be waiting in the wrong pit village, wondering which Stanley you’re in.

Elwick and Elswick

Elwick is the quiet village just outside Hartlepool, while Elswick sits on the banks of the Tyne in west Newcastle.

One wrong vowel and you’ve swapped country lanes for city dual carriageways.

Easington

If you key Easington into your sat nav, make sure you check twice where you’re heading.

There’s one by Peterlee and another near Saltburn, and picking the wrong one can leave you 25 miles out, staring at the sea and thinking, “that cliff definitely wasn’t here last time.”

Newbiggin

Head for the coast and you’ve got Newbiggin‑by‑the‑Sea in Northumberland with its chips, promenade and sea air, versus Newbiggin Hall in west Newcastle, which is very much not a seaside resort, however optimistic you are with your bucket and spade.

Hemlington and Helmington Row

Head to Middlesbrough and you’ll find Hemlington with its lake and housing estates.

But be careful not to make a typo and mix up the M and L, as you’d find yourself heading to Helmington Row near Crook.

The Trimdons

If you’re looking for an East Durham pit village with Trimdon in the name, make sure you get the right out.

Trimdon, Trimdon Station, and Trimdon Colliery all lie so close together they’re often dubbed “the Trimdons”.

Bowes

If you’re looking for Bowes in Teesdale, a pretty village with an old castle, you’ll want to make sure you aren’t heading towards Gateshead and the Bowes Incline, near the Angel of the North.

Hetton-le-Hole and Hutton-le-Hole

Even your tongue can get tied with Hetton‑le‑Hole in Sunderland and Hutton‑le‑Hole over in North Yorkshire.

One misplaced vowel and you’re a national park away from where you planned to be.

The US President described the shooter as a ‘lone wolf whack job’ while posting footage from the event online.

A gunman carrying “multiple weapons” attempted to storm a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump on Saturday night. The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner descended into chaos as the US President, who had previously been the target of an assassination attempt, was swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents.

One officer, who was shot but protected by his bulletproof vest, was hospitalised. The suspect, who was allegedly armed with a shotgun and handgun, has since been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California.

It is understood that he was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the event was being held. As reported by the Mirror, Allen faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has announced that additional charges will be filed.

Trump addressed the media following the shooting and posted images on his Truth Social platform of the suspected shooter handcuffed on the ground.

The President stated: “My impression is he was a lone wolf whack job. These are crazy people.”

Trump praised the work of the Secret Service, adding that the suspected gunman was not close to breaching the ballroom where he was seated on stage at the time of the incident.

He continued: “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing. To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service, and they acted very quickly.”

He added: “It is always shocking when something like this happens.” Washington mayor Muriel Bowser stated she had “no reason” to believe anyone else was involved.

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Mr Blanche said: “Tonight you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward… but you also saw the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they’re supposed to do. I promise you justice will be served.”

Trump added that the event would be rescheduled in the next 30 days. The Washington Hilton has been the site of a previous attempted presidential assassination when then president Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr outside the hotel in 1981. This led to security being heightened at the property.

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Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has been identified as the suspect who was armed with guns and knives when he stormed the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.

Stunning footage shared by Donald Trump has shown the moment a suspect was seen dashing through the hotel lobby at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner before he was taken down by secret service agents.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has been identified as the suspect who was armed with guns and knives when he stormed the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.

Video posted by the US President on his Truth Social platform showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran towards him. Officials said that one officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but is recovering.

Police confirmed the gunman was tackled to the ground and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital. Allen, from Torrance, California, has been arrested and he is facing two firearm-related charges, including a count of assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.

As reported by the Mirror, the suspect – who officials said was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held – has been taken into custody and is expected in court Monday.

Officers believe he opened fire and acted alone but did not say who was his intended target or describe a motive. Trump appeared to agree, describing him as a “lone wolf whack job” at a press conference afterwards.

The US President was uninjured and was rushed off the stage. Secret Service agents, including the heavily-armed counter assault team, swarmed the stage after the incident.

Vice President JD Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place, before escorting him and First Lady Melania Trump from the room. Trump briefly stumbled on his way offstage before being assisted by his security detail.

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He was held for some time in the secure presidential suite at the hotel as the president and organisers initially sought to resume the event — hotel staff refolded napkins and refilled water glasses, and aides adjusted the teleprompter for the president — before Trump was returned to the White House on the advice of the Secret Service.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

The shooting unfolded just outside the vast subterranean ballroom holding thousands of dinner guests, disrupting minutes after it began an annual event meant to honour journalism and the First Amendment that was being especially scrutinised this year because it was the first time since Trump became President that he had attended.

The President told reporters later that he hoped the event would be rescheduled within 30 days, though the fact that an armed man was able to rush toward the ballroom raised instant questions about security precautions at an event attended each year by senior government officials.

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Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has had a debut season to forget in Ligue 1

Paul Pogba’s comeback campaign at Monaco was supposed to be the redemption arc for one of football’s modern greats. Instead, it’s quickly fizzling out as the latest disappointing chapter since the World Cup-winner left Manchester United in 2022.

From deflating second spells with United and Juventus to even greater disappointment serving an 18-month suspension for a doping offence he insists was not intentional, recent years have not been kind to Pogba. And the sad truth is the 33-year-old’s best days may be long behind him.

An injury-ravaged debut year on the French Riviera is testament to that, with Pogba having played only 57 minutes in five appearances for Monaco approaching the season’s finish line. And French football expert Tom Williams believes another move lies on the horizon after failing to flourish in Fontvieille.

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“Yes, unfortunately,” he told MEN Sport when asked to assess Pogba’s comeback season after two years without competitive minutes. “From what we’ve seen, he is the same player. He still moves around the pitch in the same way. He has the authority that he always had. He has the same technical dexterity on the ball. He can still fly a perfectly weighted 60-yard diagonal pass.

“He just can’t get around the pitch anything like he used to be able to. Unfortunately, since the start of the season, he’s not been able to do it for more than 20 minutes at a time. Despite the fact that he has literally had nothing to do but just try to get fit.

“Again, I don’t know what the long-term solution is, if there is one, but it’s hard to have any real faith in his ability to come back from this in any durable way. Because he’s had the best part of nine months to have a go at it and it just hasn’t worked.”

Pogba’s latest contribution was a six-minute cameo off the bench in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Toulouse. The midfielder replaced Simon Adingra at 2-1 up in a bid to shore things up and get the result over the line, only for Sebastien Pocognoli’s side to wilt once again and lose vital ground in the European qualification race.

Although contracted until the summer of 2027, Pogba’s chances of staying at the Stade Louis II beyond this season could depend on which competition they find themselves in next term (if any). And his chances of seeing out a second campaign look that much slimmer if they fail to qualify for Europe at all, an increasingly plausible outcome at this rate.

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What was teased as the renaissance of France’s former prodigal son has instead illustrated Father Time’s hand in the matter. At 33, other creative midfielders often remodel their game to account for what their legs no longer can; Pogba would at this point be overjoyed just to get a 90-minute performance on the board.

Les Monegasques could truly do with him, too, in their efforts to secure Champions League qualification for next season. The reality, however, is that what started out as a potential dream acquisition is looking more like a nightmare by the week.

Williams continued: “I imagine if Monaco had drawn up a set of potential scenarios at the beginning of the season, in terms of how much football he might be able to play and how much he might be able to contribute, the season that he’s been able to produce so far would have been pretty much the absolute minimal expectation.

“Things have basically gone as badly as they could have done on the injury front. I guess it could [be seen as] a complete whitewash of a season [regarding Pogba’s situation].”

It’s important to note the high regard in which Monaco’s supporters held the player, and which they largely still do. Williams stressed that the fanbase welcomed Pogba, who remains United’s record signing, as one of their own, and he’s still very well received.

While others might be blamed for a lack of fitness, Pogba still inspires candour, particularly from young supporters. Even opposition fans have found it in them to show the player love; Pogba is, after all, a French icon due to his previous exploits and was one of the faces of that 2018 World Cup win.

But the harsher reality is the Monaco experiment “just hasn’t worked out,” in Williams’ words. Another move may well beckon this summer, but that only raises more questions about who will take on a pricey yet depreciating asset with so little promise of a return on investment.

A woman has been arrested after two young children died in a house fire on Friday night.

The woman, in her 30s, was taken into custody as police investigated the fire which killed two boys aged one and three.

Another two children and a woman made it outside the house before firefighters arrived.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said on Saturday afternoon: ‘We have detained a woman following a fatal house fire in Wolverhampton yesterday evening.

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‘The woman in her 30s remains in custody this afternoon (Sat) as investigations continue into the blaze in Mason Street at around 8.30pm (Friday).’

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Officers were called to Mason Street at about 8.30pm on Friday along with the West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Police said.

Firefighters entered the property and rescued them but they were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Two other children and a woman were already out of the house before emergency services arrived.

Firefighters from Bilston, West Bromwich and Bloxwich Fire Stations attended the scene, West Midlands Fire Service confirmed.

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MORE: Two young children killed in house fire in West Midlands

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