DC Gala Attack Latest, US-Iran Talks at Stalemate

Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Good morning, I'm Nathan Hager and I'm Karen Moscow. Here
are the stories we're following today.
Karen, we will have much more on a busy week
from markets and the latest developments on the war with
Iran in a moment, but we begin with the very
latest on the shooting over the weekend at the White
House Correspondence Association dinner. Bloomberg's Alexis Christopherus kicks off our
team coverage.
Alexis, the California man accused of opening fire at the
White House Correspondence Association dinner, referred to himself as a
friendly federal assassin in writing sent to family members just
minutes before the shooting. Law enforcement officials say the writings
made repeated references to President Trump without naming him directly.
The President spoke on CBS's Sixty Minutes, where he weighed
in on the alleged shooter's manifesto.
He's radicalized. He was a Christian believer and then he
became I'm an anti Christian and he had a lot
of change. He's been going through a lot. Based on
what he wrote. His brother complained about him, and I
think reported him to the police, and his sister likewise
complained about him his family, who was very concerned. He
was probably a pretty sick guy.
Acting Attorney General Todd blanche As investigators are still looking
into the alleged shooter's motivation.
We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles
to Chicago and then Chicago to Washington, d C. And
we've executed search warrants on his devices as well. We've
started talking to folks that know him.
Thirty one year old Cole Thomas Allen is in custody custody.
He is set to be arraigned on felony charges later
today in New York. Alexis Christophers Bloomberg Radio.
All Right, Alexis, thank you well. According to a law
enforcement intelligence profile reviewed by Bloomberg, Cole Thomas Allen spent
years quietly acquiring his arsenal Bloomberg's Laura Davis use our
team coverage.
He's a thirty one year old from California. He took
a train from the West Coast to Washington, d C.
And was able to check into the hotel where the
event was taking place a day early, and that's one
of the ways he was able to avoid scrutiny and
some of the security coming into the building. You know,
he has allegedly written this manifesto that Bloomberg News has seen,
which calls Trump a trader and also refers to himself
as a potential assassin, but it's not clear exactly what
his motives were.
Bloomberg's Laura Davison says Alan earned a mechanical engineering degree
from cal Tech in twenty seventeen and was pursuing a
master's degree in computer science at California State University, Domingez
Hills as recently as last year.
Well, Karen, as you can imagine, it was a frightening
time for the thousands attending the dinner. David Gura was
among them, covering the event for Bloomberg this weekend and
continues our team coverage.
The ballroom, which is in the basement of the Washington Hilton,
was packed. It's about twenty six hundred people and we
milled a bound, gathered around our tables, taken our seats,
and then there were speeches. The president of the White
House Correspondents Association spoke and we were digging into our salads.
When in the corridor beyond the ballroom. We heard the
sound of gunfire, and those of us who heard that
noticed it wondered what was happening. That was most eerie
was the silence that kind of descended on the room
as those doors to the corridor busted open, and we
saw police and Secret Service coming in with their weapons drawn,
and they made their way through the well of this
ballroom to the stage. They did that by knocking over chairs,
stepping on tables, making their way onto the stage, and
we saw the President, other dignitaries along with the reporters
who remembers of the White House Corresponds Association Executive Board
taken off of that stage, and then Secret Service with
their guns drawn again pointed them at the audience as
they looked to see if there was anyone with a
gun in the audience as well.
And Bloomberg This Weekend host David Gera notes the White
House Correspondent's Association president Wi Jajang said the board would
meet quote to assess what happened and determine how to proceed.
Well, Nathan, President Trump is arguing the chaos and the
Correspondence dinner shows why the White House needs a new ballroom,
and the President made the case in an interview with
Fox News.
Military and Secret Service have wanted it for many years,
and I'm getting it built.
And the one good thing is that now everybody knows
how badly needed it is.
President Trump's ballroom would be used for state dinners and
other events planned by the White House if it's built.
The Correspondence Dinner is organized by the White House Correspondence Association,
which is an outside group. Last month, of federal judge
ordered construction halted on the ballroom until President Trump gets
approval from Congress. The Justice Department filed yesterday for the
lawsuit to be dismissed, citing the attack on the dinner.
We're going to turn now care into the latest from
the Middle East. There may be a new development. With
the US Israeli war with Iran nearing the two month mark,
Axios is reporting the Tehran is signaling it's willing to
accept an interim deal with the US where it would
reopen the strait of horror moves if the US lifts
its blockade of Iranian ports. The report says Iran's told
mediators in Pakistan that negotiations over its nuclear program could
be dealt with later. We get More from Bloomberg's Juwmana
Barsecci in Dubai.
What Iran are putting forwards via the mediators is not
an end or a solution to these peace discussions. In fact,
it is just the conditions under which the negotiations with
the US can continue. So you know, it's important to
make that distinction. What they're saying here is in order
for them to come back to the negotiating table, these
are the conditions that need to be satisfied.
Bloomberg's Jamana Barsecci reporting from Dubai. Iran's foreign minister Abas
Saragchi is now in Russia for a meeting with President
Vladimir Putin. With the US talks now at an impasse.
Moneith and amid the showering relations between the US and
the UK over the war in Iran, King Charles is
visiting Washington to try to restore the relationship. Begin More
from bloombergs U and Pons in London. You and good morning,
Karen and Nathan.
To say the US UK special relationship is going through
something of a rough patch would be a little bit
of British under statement. King Charles arrives in Washington today
against the backdrop of relations with the United States at
a multi decade low point. President Trump has mocked prominence
of kist Arma as weak and unreliable for refusing to
join the initial strikes on Iran, and he's threatened to
reopen the trade deal signed with the UK last year.
We do know that Donald Trump has spoken warmly about
the King, calling him a fantastic man. Whether any of
that royal magic helps heal the relationship between the countries, well,
that remains to be seen in London. I'm you in
pots Bloomberg Radio.
Okay, you and thanks.
Let's update markets now as we begin this new trading week.
Right now, oil is on the rise. Brent is up
more than two percent at one hundred and seven dollars
eighty two cents of barrel. West Texas Center Media's hired
by two percent as well, at ninety six twenty eight.
Stock futures are mixed, with the Dow futures down about
a tenth of a percent, but equities head into the
week at record highs. Chip stocks have gained for eighteen
straight sessions, and it's another busy week for earnings, with
a focus on tech, specifically the mag seven Bloomberg's Charlie Pellett.
Reports Wednesday, it's Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta platforms. Thursday
it's Apple. Amy wou Silverman is head of Derivative Strategy
at RBC Capital Markets.
Just from a concentration perspective, that really has the ability
to pump up the market even more. We're really watching
that bid to call options, particularly in tech, because once
you see that start going, it typically begets more upside momentum,
not less.
Also this week earnings from Caterpillar, Chevron, General Motors, NXP
Semiconductor ups and Verizon in New York. Charlie Pellett's Bloomberg Radio.
All right, Charlie, thank you. In addition to the slew
of big tech earnings, investors will have a FED decision
to look forward to, and we get a preview with
the Bloombergs Michael McKee.
This will be one of the most widely followed FED
meetings in years, not because the Central Bank is going
to do anything. Rates won't change. They're not going to
issue new economic forecasts or a dot plot. But it
is likely to be Chairman J. Powell's last at the
helm of the Policymaking Open Market Committee and his last
news conference before his term as chair ends on May fifteenth.
It is possible, of course, he'll stay on his chair
for a bit if successor Kevin Worsh is not confirmed
by the Senate in time. Wall Street will want to
know if Powell thinks that will change the rate calculus
at all, as well as the thinking around the table
about the impact of the Iran war and tariffs. Investors
and even folks at the FED will be listing for
any hints about whether Powell will remain at the FED itself.
His term on the Board of Governors doesn't end until
twenty twenty eight. Michael McKee, Bloomberg Radio.
All right, Mike, thanks for Kevin Walsh's path to succeed
Powell's chair just got a little easier. We get that
story from Bloomberg's John Tucker. John, what's the latest, right.
Nathan Will Republicans Sadator Tom Tillis dropping his blockade of
Worsh's nomination to head the FED. Tillis now seems satisfied
after receiving assurances from the Justice Department that they're ending
a criminal probe targeting FED share Jerome Powell.
They have made it very clear that the current investigation
is completely and fully ended.
Altil has appeared on the NBC's Meet the Press Heard
here on Bloomberg Radio. He had called the criminal probe
been attack on the central banks independence. The Senate Banking
Committee has scheduled a vote on Warsha's nomination for Wednesday.
I'm John Tucker, Bloomberg Radio.
All right, John, thank you. The tensions between Elon Musk
and Sam Altman are front and center of this week,
as Musk's case against open Ai and it's backer Microsoft
hits to trial. Bloomberg's Lisa Mateo has more.
The biggest feud in tech is headed to court. Elon
Musk has tried just about everything to undermine Sam Altman's
leadership at OpenAI, the company they founded together more than
a decade ago. Must launched a rival artificial intelligence startup,
made an unsolicited and unsuccessful ninety seven billion dollar bid
for the company, and his waging a legal battle.
So what's at stake?
Musk's lawsuit against open Ai is looking to unwind the
company's for profit conversion and could cost open Ai big money,
as well as trigger and overhaul of the chat GBT maker.
Musk has also asked that Altman be removed from his
roles at the company. Lisa Matteo, Bloomberg Radio Lisa Thanks.
In another big tech development, China has decided to block
meta platforms two billion dollar acquisition of agentic Ai startup
MANUS analysts say it's a surprise move to unwind a
controversial deal that had drawn fire for the leakage of
technology to the US.
Time now for look at some of the other stories
making news in New York and around the world, and
for that we're joined by Bloomberg's Michael Barr. Michael, good Morning,
Good morning Karen.
At least two people have died from a severe tornado
producing storm that hit in northern Texas, and many homes
have sustained major damage. The storm came through the town
of Runaway Bay over the weekend, killing one person. Weiss
County Judge Ad Clark says that about twenty families are
displaced as search and rescue efforts continued.
Texas weather it can devastate in an instant, and unfortunately,
we've seen that here in Runaway Bay.
The storm also hit the Springtown area, where a second
person died in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Authorities, including the FAA
and the NTSB our investigating a plane crash that left
two people dead, one of whom was North Dakota State
lawmaker Representative Liz Conmy, near Crystal Airport over the weekend.
According to early reports, the plane, a single engine beach
F thirty three a, departed Crystal Airport and crashed soon
after in a small park northwest of the airfield, bursting
into flames. This man lives near the Crystal Airport.
I always listened to him, you know, because it just
didn't sound right. Light was cutting out, and all of
a sudden thump and a crash or a crunch, you
know when I go to any right now, went around
the house, looked up and there was a big orange ball.
While both people on board the plane. Parish Brooklyn Park
officials say no one was injured on the ground, and
the airport resumed normal operations a short time later. A
search and rescue effort is underway off the shores of
Massachusetts after a crew member fell off a cruise ship
late Saturday night. The US Coast Guards Southeastern New England
sector has been searching for the crew member. Norwegian Cruise
Lines say that the ship security cameras caught the fall
from one of the upper decks. Global news twenty four
hours a day and whenever you want it with the
Bloomberg News Now Michael Barr and this is Bloomberg Karen.
Thanks Michael.
A time now for our Bloomberg Sports update, and for
that we bring in John stash.
Hour as Karin. A quartet of NBA playoff game fours,
including the Celtics winning by thirty two in Philadelphia. They
had an earlier winning this series by thirty one. Boston
leads the series three games to one. San Antonio up
three to one this first game from nineteen down to
win in Portland. The Lakers lead three games that won.
They lost Game four in Houston, Toronto b Cleveland. That
series tied to two Stanley Cup playoffs Buffalo, Colorado and
Tampa Bay, all one on the road. The Abs won
their series of a sweep. Anaheim won in overtime with Edmonton.
That's a Bloomberg Sports update.
Stay with us. More from Bloomberg Day Break coming up
after this.
Coast to coast on Bloomberg Radio, nationwide on Sirius XM,
and around the world on Bloomberg dot Com and The
Bloomberg Business app This is Bloomberg Daybreak and now.
We have more on our top story this morning. The
suspect of the White House Correspondence dinner shooting is due
in court today. He has been identified as thirty one
year old Cole Thomas Allen. Police a open fire at
the Washington Hilton where more than twenty five hundred people
gathered Saturday night, and David Gura was covering the event
for Bloomberg.
The ballroom, which is in the basement of the Washington Hilton,
was packed it. It's about twenty six hundred people and
we milled a back, gathered around our tables, taking our seats,
and then there were speeches. The president of the White
House Correspondents Association spoke, and we were digging into our
salads when in the corridor beyond the ballroom we heard
the sound of gunfire, and those of us who heard
that noticed it wondered what was happening. And that was
most eerie was the silence that kind of descended on
the room as those doors to the corridor busted open,
and we saw police and Secret Service coming in with
their weapons drawn, and they made their way through the
well of this ballroom to the stage They did that
by knocking over chairs, stepping on tables, making their way
onto the stage, and we saw the President, other dignitaries
along with the reporters who remembers the White House Corresponds
Association Executive Board taken off of that stage, and then
Secret Service with their guns drawn again pointed them at
the audience as they looked to see if there was
anyone with a gun in the audience as well. All
the while, guests were quick to move onto the ground,
some ducked beneath tables, and we were left in that
moment of silence, wondering what was happening and what was
going to happen next, and there wasn't clear guidance. Over
the next fifteen or twenty minutes, I was seated on
the rim of that room. Again it looks kind of
like a well. The bulk of the tables are a
little bit lower than where I was on this mezzanine
surrounding it. After about fifteen minutes, law enforcement again came
through those doors and told many of us that we
had to leave, rushed us out of the room, and
we went up a set of escalators and other set
of escalators to the lobby and waited wondering what was
going to happen next. There were reports at the time
that the President wanted to come back out and have
the event continue as it was scheduled, so we were
waiting to see if that was the case. Some of
us tried to get back downstairs. We were rebuffed in
those efforts, and it became clear once we were able
to use our cell phones was very difficult to get
service that because of protocol, they weren't going to continue
with the event. And then in another fifteen minutes time
or so, the rest of the guests at the dinner,
and we're talking about journalists and members of Congress, diplomats,
business leaders began to make their way back up to
the lobby. Once again, there was just an incredible presence
of law enforcement outside of this hotel, which is in
downtown Washington. D C was also the site of where
Ronald Reagan was shot in March of nineteen eighty one.
Then began another round of chaos as people tried to
leave Connecticut Avenue, this major thoroughfare was closed down. It
was very difficult to get a car or a taxi
back to hotels. So again throngs of people, more than
two thousand people just trying to find their way back
to their hotels. After this, we got worded that the
President was going to speak to the press at the
White House, and some members of the White House Press
Corps headed back to the White House for that briefing,
and the President was there alongside the Vice President, Jady Vance,
who was also at the dinner, members of the cabinet
as well. The Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was there
with Cash Pateel, the head of the FBI. Marco Rubio,
the Secretary of State, was there as well, and the
President was very gracious in his remarks about the President
of the White House Correspondents Association dinner. He said he
was pleased with the event and really wanted it to
continue again. Protocol prohibited that from happening, but he said
within the next thirty days he wanted to have that
dinner rescheduled once again. He said that he wouldn't allow
someone to tear apart the fabric of society that would
prevent something like that from happening. He delivered those remarks.
The bulk of the questions from the reporters in that
room had to do with the President, having lived through
a couple of events like this before that attempt on
his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, another instant at a golf
course of his in Florida where law enforcement killed somebody
who had a gun on that golf course. The present
very contemplative, introspective about that, sharing his thoughts on the
prospect of him being targeted. Once before and before the
night ended, we had some clarity on who the suspect was,
and in broad strokes they identified him as a thirty
one year old male from Torrents, California. Then on Sunday morning,
Todd Blanche, the Acting Attorney General, went on television and
shared a bit more information about what they'd learned about
this suspect. He'd traveled from California to Washington, d C.
Via train. The guns that he had he'd purchased eight
months ago, and he was staying in the Washington Hilton.
In that hotel, the US Attorney for the Distct of Columbia,
Jenane Piro, said in remarks that she made at the
Hilton after the incident took place. She anticipates filing two
charges against the suspect on Monday and invoke the spector
of there being more charges as they learn more about
both the suspect himself and what transpired there. But a
very sobering night here in Washington, DC.
And that's Bloomberg's David Gera, who says police Day, the
suspects spent years quietly acquiring his arsenal Nathan.
All right, Karen, thank you. We want to get more
now on what we are learning in the aftermath of
the events on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton. Joining
us now as Bloomberg News Deputy Washington Bureau chief Laura Davis.
And Laura, we heard a bit about what we've started
to learn about this suspect. What more are we hearing
is we await his first court appearance today.
Good morning, Good morning.
Yes, we're waiting to hear more details about what his
motive was and what his targets might have been in
this There is a manifesto that the Bloomberg News has
reviewed that seems to suggest that the the attacker here
referred to Trump as a trader and referred to himself
as a potential assassin. It's not at all clear, you know,
exactly kind of what sort of the ideological methods and
motives were but these are these are details that may
come out as we hear more in the arrangement and
additional charges that may be filed. There were two preliminary
felon accounts that he was charged with related to to
his handling of weapons charged over the weekend, but we
have heard from prosecutors that they anticipate that more charges
are still to come, so lots of details there. They
also searched his house over the weekend in California, so
there may be additional evidence as that comes out. There's also,
you know, reports that the family is cooperating and they
have actually tipped off the police to to some of
as actions. So there's there's a lot of pieces that
investigators are putting together as we speak here. But there's
you know, sort of a always the questions are raised
after an event like this of you know, what went wrong?
What is you know sort of the Secret Service's response
to this. In past incidents, we've seen top officials at
the Secret Services their jobs, step down, resign. That is
not the indication we're getting, at least so far from
the White House, who's sort of indicated support for the
law enforce, enforcement and authorities involved here. They put out
a statement in support of the Secret Service. So lots
of questions, you know, exactly on how this unfolds and
what this means for both this event and other events
involving the President going forward.
Familiar questions, particularly at a time when the nation's capital
has been under heightened security almost from the time that
President Trump returned to office, with a higher National Guard
presidence all around Washington, d C. As well, and now
the President sort of putting out this idea that this
incident at the Hilton shows why he wants a ballroom
at the White House. That's now I guess on hold
in terms of the construction, what to make of that?
Laura, Yeah, this is a you.
Know, sort of to quote Realma Manuel and sort of
never let a political crisis go to waste. You see,
the White House very quickly pivot to using this as
an example of why that they should have a large
scale ballroom on the on the White House grounds that
can be more secured that is, you know, behind the
White House gates and is fully within the control of
the federal government and the Secret Service protection. You know, this, however,
you know, begs the question of would this event actually
happen in that ballroom if it were to exist. That
is is not clear both if that the White House
Corresponds Association want that or even if the size of
this ballroom that Trump is planning would would accommodate an
event of this size and scale. But this is sort
of the you know, an issue that Trump is really
viewed as as close to his legacy. He you know,
wants this ballroom. It's hit several legal snags in the process.
Trump has been sort of using this method of you know,
go ahead and push forward with the construction first, ask
questions later, face the legal challenges later. And he's in
this moment where he's faced a series of legal setbacks.
This may give him a fresh boost both you know,
politically in terms of support for a project like this,
as well as from members of Congress. We've already seen
at least one bill from a Republican lawmaker put forward
to advance the construction of this. But there's a lot
of different avenues here, in different steps that would need
to happen for Trump to be able to push forward
with the ballroom. But this gives him, at least rhetorically
a reason and you know, a very concrete example on
why he should be able to have a larger ballroom
on the White House campus.
You mentioned that this raises questions around other events. It
just so happens we have another event starting today in
Washington with the arrival of King Charles the Third for
a state dinner. I mean, there are a lot of
questions about the US UK relationship for one thing, But
does the security situation sort of overshadow all that now?
It certainly does, and this is you know, kind of
a concern. You know that the King and Queen from
England are scheduled to arrive have a very ambitious trip.
It's a four day trip. They'll be both at the
White House but also on Capitol Hill. They're headed to
several sites of New York and as well as in Shenandoah.
So they'll be out and about a lot, and typically
their security is far less than what the US President
typically has of you know, they're out shaking hands with
people in crowds and open air. You know, these are
all the kinds of scenarios that make you know, at
least US Secret Service very nervous. And then they have
like to have lots of control over that, as we
saw during the campaign, after Trump and the assassination attempt
at Butler, Pennsylvania and that big open air rally. Trump
stopped doing outside events for a period of time until
they felt like they could get the security situation under control.
You know that all indications are that this event, that
this visit from the King and Queen will continue, will
continue largely as scheduled. But one has to imagine that
the all the various authorities you know you're working with,
both Secret Service as well as as local and state
authorities who are in charge of securing these events, are
working very, very carefully to make sure that this goes
out without any sort of breaches the protocols in place.
This is Bloomberry Daybreak, your morning podcast on the stories
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