A gunman opened fire on Secret Service officers at a checkpoint just steps from the White House on Saturday evening while President Trump was inside the building. The suspect approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, shortly after 6 p.m. ET. According to the Secret Service’s preliminary account, the individual removed a weapon from a bag and began firing at posted officers. Officers returned fire and struck the suspect, who was transported to a local hospital where he later died. The story started circulating fast on social media as the White House went into lockdown: BREAKING: Two people, including a possible suspect, were wounded in a shooting outside the White House at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building Saturday evening, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Sources said the suspect… pic.twitter.com/FJ6mcNocSf — Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) May 24, 2026 A bystander was also struck during the incident, though initial reporting did not establish whether that person was hit by gunfire from the suspect or from the officers’ response. No Secret Service personnel were wounded in the exchange. As reported by CBS News: A suspect was killed after opening fire on a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House on Saturday evening. Secret Service officers returned fire, hit the suspect, and the suspect was transported to a hospital, where he later died. A bystander was also wounded, while no Secret Service agents were injured. President Trump was at the White House during the incident, but Secret Service said he was not impacted, and a White House official said he was briefed on the shooting. The shooting happened at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Law-enforcement sources said approximately 15 to 30 gunshots were fired, and reporters on the White House North Lawn described hearing gunfire before Secret Service moved them inside. The White House lockdown was lifted shortly before 7 p.m. CBS also cited sources familiar with the matter who said the suspect began shooting at a security booth where Secret Service officers were on guard, and that the officers returned fire without any agents being struck. President Trump was later briefed on the shooting, according to CBS. That matters because this was not some distant street crime that happened blocks away from the seat of government. This was an armed person allegedly walking up to a White House security checkpoint and firing at the officers posted there. The Associated Press confirmed the Secret Service account: Federal officials said a person approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers. The Secret Service said the preliminary investigation showed the person approached the checkpoint shortly after 6 p.m. ET, removed a weapon from his bag, and began firing at posted officers. Officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who was taken to an area hospital and later died, according to the Secret Service account. A bystander was also struck, though it was not immediately clear whether that person was hit by the suspect’s initial gunfire or by gunfire fired afterward by officers. None of the Secret Service officers were injured, and President Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not impacted. The suspect’s name had not been released in the reporting available before publication. The AP context made the timing even more serious. Journalists at the White House reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to shelter inside the press briefing room, while federal and local authorities worked the scene near one of the most sensitive security zones in the country. This is yet another reminder of the very real threats that surround this president every single day. The same people who spent years whipping up hysteria around Trump, calling him every name in the book, will spend very little time reflecting on the climate they helped create. The Secret Service officers at that checkpoint did exactly what they are trained to do. They held the line, stopped the threat, and protected the White House while President Trump was inside. There will be more details in the coming hours and days. But the core facts are serious enough already: someone walked up to a White House security checkpoint and started shooting, and the men and women protecting the president responded immediately.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the PROTECT Kids Act on a 217-198 vote, sending a clear message: parents have the right to know what is happening with their children at school. H.R. 2616, also known as the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, requires any elementary or middle school receiving federal funding to obtain written parental consent before changing a student’s gender markers, pronouns, preferred name, or sex-based accommodations. Only eight Democrats crossed party lines to vote yes. The rest of the Democratic caucus voted no, choosing to side with school administrators who believe they know better than moms and dads. The bill is straightforward in what it demands. Schools that receive federal dollars cannot socially transition a child without telling the parents first. Period. As reported by the House Committee on Education and Workforce, the legislation restores transparency in K-12 schools and stops taxpayer dollars from funding what it calls “radical ideological agendas” in the classroom. The full text of the bill makes the requirements explicit and ties compliance to federal education funding. That means schools that refuse to notify parents risk losing taxpayer support. The official roll call from the Office of the Clerk shows the vote broke almost entirely along party lines. 217 Republicans voted in favor. 190 Democrats voted against. Eight Democrats broke ranks to vote yes. Those eight Democrats now have to answer to their colleagues for siding with parents over the activist wing of their party. As Daily Signal reported, the bill reflects a growing national movement demanding that parents be treated as partners in their children’s education, not obstacles to be worked around. This concern reaches ordinary families in school districts across the country. School districts across the country have adopted policies explicitly instructing teachers and counselors to hide a child’s new identity from parents. The PROTECT Kids Act says that ends now, at least for any school that wants to keep receiving federal money. Moms for Liberty summed it up well: parents are not asking for permission to be involved in their children’s lives. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will face a tougher path. But the House vote drew a hard line in the sand. If your child’s school is changing their name, their pronouns, or their bathroom access, you as a parent have the right to know about it before it happens. That should not be controversial, and the fact that 190 Democrats voted against it tells you everything you need to know about where that party stands on parental rights. The bill’s passage quickly drew attention from parental-rights groups watching the fight nationwide: BREAKING: H.R. 2616, aka the “PROTECT Kids Act,” was passed by the US House of Representatives in a 217-198 vote! Parents have the right to know and make decisions about the physical and mental health of their gender-confused kids, not be kept in the dark by ideology-driven… pic.twitter.com/q6mIUW0kG6 — Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) May 22, 2026 Moms for Liberty also framed the vote as a reminder that parents are not asking Washington for permission to be involved in their children’s lives: The U.S. House passed the PROTECT Kids Act, advancing parental rights in education. Parents are not asking for permission to be involved in their children’s lives. They are reminding Washington, school boards, and bureaucrats of a truth that should never have been… pic.twitter.com/WDAH7i2iBP — Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) May 23, 2026 The House Committee on Education and Workforce announced the passage this way: The House passed H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, on May 20, 2026. The legislation was led by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg of Michigan and Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah. The committee described the bill as a measure to increase transparency in K-12 schools, strengthen parents’ rights, and make sure federal education dollars are not used to advance radical political or ideological agendas in the classroom. Walberg framed the fight around a simple principle: parents should not be kept in the dark about what is happening in their own children’s classrooms, especially on issues involving gender identity. Owens said schools should be focused on reading, writing, math, and history rather than ideological agendas that divide students and weaken parental authority. That is the core of the bill: return authority to families and stop taxpayer-funded schools from hiding major decisions from mothers and fathers. Congress.gov and the House Clerk show what the bill does and how the vote broke down: H.R. 2616 is titled the Parental Rights Over The Education and Care of Their Kids Act, or the PROTECT Kids Act. The bill applies to public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Those schools would have to obtain parental consent before changing a student’s gender markers, pronouns, preferred name, or sex-based accommodations. The text specifically includes accommodations such as locker rooms and bathrooms. In other words, the bill is aimed at stopping schools from making major identity and facilities decisions for minors behind parents’ backs. The House Clerk recorded the vote as Roll Call 184 on May 20, 2026. The bill passed 217-198, with 15 members not voting. The party breakdown is the political tell: 208 Republicans voted yes, zero Republicans voted no, eight Democrats voted yes, and 198 Democrats voted no. One independent also voted yes. Daily Signal identified the Democrats who crossed over and the White House posture toward the bill: The eight Democrats who voted for the bill were Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Cleo Fields of Louisiana, Lauren Gillen of New York, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Eugene Vindman of Virginia. That leaves 198 Democrats on record against the parental-consent bill, even after years of national backlash against schools and districts that hid gender-related changes from parents. The White House indicated President Trump would sign H.R. 2616, calling it a crucial legislative step to defend children from radical ideology in schools. That makes the next stage very clear. The House has now put members on the record, and the question becomes whether the Senate will put parental rights on President Trump’s desk. Daily Signal also pointed to Defending Education polling from 2023 showing 71 percent voter support for parental-consent policies, a reminder that this issue is far less complicated to ordinary parents than it is to Washington activists. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

Sanctuary cities want it both ways: full federal customs processing at their airports and zero cooperation with ICE once illegal aliens walk out the terminal doors. President Trump’s administration is done letting them have it. A May 23 AP update reported the travel industry is worried after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reiterated the threat to withdraw Customs and Border Protection officers from airports serving sanctuary jurisdictions. The public threat had already been circulating for weeks, and the clip below shows the enforcement leverage Mullin put on the table. DHS Secretary Mullin raises the possibility of pulling CBP and customs officers from airports in large sanctuary cities, citing lack of cooperation with the federal government and funding refusals. International arrivals would be unable to clear customs at those airports. “It’s… pic.twitter.com/wdYNlNIcr1 — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 6, 2026 The message is simple: if your city refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, maybe your city does not need federal officers staffing your international arrivals hall. According to Reuters and The Atlantic, Mullin privately raised the possibility of reducing CBP staffing and processing capacity at major airports during a recent meeting with travel-industry executives. The airports potentially in the crosshairs serve some of the biggest blue strongholds in the country: Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland. Investing.com carried the Reuters wire with similar details from the private warning: Mullin privately warned travel executives that DHS could stop processing international travelers and cargo at major airports in sanctuary cities that decline to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. He had first made the threat publicly in April during a DHS funding dispute, then repeated it privately as the administration kept looking for ways to pressure blue jurisdictions into cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. The possible airport list included Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle, and San Francisco. These are not tiny airports in out-of-the-way towns. They are major international gateways used by passengers, airlines, and cargo operators every day. The pressure point is obvious: sanctuary leaders can posture against ICE in front of their local base, but international air travel still depends on federal officers doing federal work at the airport. If those cities refuse cooperation outside the terminal, the Trump administration is asking why federal airport support should be treated as automatic inside the terminal. Every one of those cities has declared itself a sanctuary jurisdiction in some form, limiting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Every one of them also relies heavily on CBP officers to process international passengers, cargo, and customs inspections at their airports. That is the leverage. Trade groups are already sounding alarms. U.S. Travel and Airlines for America warned that reducing CBP staffing would cause major disruption to international travel, tourism, and cargo operations. The AP laid out the current fight this way: The travel industry is on edge because Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reiterated that the administration is considering pulling U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports tied to sanctuary jurisdictions. The point was not a minor staffing shuffle. CBP officers process international passengers, customs inspections, and related airport operations. A reduction at major hubs could quickly become a direct problem for airlines, cargo, tourism, and local economies. U.S. Travel confirmed Mullin raised the idea in a meeting where the group was already warning the administration about proposals that could hurt travel. The industry response was immediate. U.S. Travel and major airlines warned that reducing CBP staffing would create major disruption, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly questioned the idea. The same report noted that President Trump has previously threatened to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, making this airport fight part of a broader pressure campaign over local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The warning landed because international airports rely on federal screening capacity that local sanctuary policies cannot replace. The industry lobbying is predictable, but the underlying policy question is legitimate: why should federal resources flow to jurisdictions that actively obstruct federal law? There is a real policy debate inside the Trump administration on how far to push this. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly sounded skeptical, saying air travel should not be shut down over political disagreements. That is a fair concern from a cabinet secretary responsible for keeping planes moving on time. Reuters captured the same pressure campaign when the threat first surfaced publicly in April. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said customs officials could stop processing international travelers at major US airports in 'sanctuary cities' that have declined to cooperate with the Trump administration's hardline immigration crackdown https://t.co/bsWEw5aY9Q pic.twitter.com/r4cR3cTH9T — Reuters (@Reuters) April 7, 2026 But Duffy’s caution does not mean the threat is off the table. It means the Trump team is weighing the right calibration, not abandoning the principle. Mullin clearly believes the pressure point has value, and he is not wrong. Sanctuary politicians created this conflict. They chose to shield illegal aliens from deportation while demanding every other federal service continue uninterrupted. They want CBP officers processing tourists and cargo at JFK and O’Hare, but they do not want ICE officers removing criminal aliens from their streets. That is not a principled legal position. It is a political convenience. The Trump administration is testing whether that convenience has a price. If sanctuary mayors want to posture as protectors of illegal aliens, they should be prepared to explain to their own residents why international flights are being rerouted to cities that actually cooperate with federal law. Nobody is shutting down air travel. But forcing sanctuary jurisdictions to acknowledge that federal cooperation is a two-way street is long overdue. The leverage exists. The question is how hard the administration decides to squeeze.

President Trump is putting one of America’s most unforgettable 9/11 heroes back in the national spotlight. President Trump announced that Welles Remy Crowther, the 24-year-old former Boston College lacrosse player who gave his life saving strangers inside the burning South Tower on September 11, 2001, will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Crowther is known to history as the Man in the Red Bandana. BREAKING: President Trump announces that 9/11 hero Welles Crowther will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Known as “The Man in the Red Bandana,” Crowther repeatedly ran back into the South Tower on 9/11 to help others escape, saving as many as 18 lives… pic.twitter.com/4xDqNQqHsb — Fox News (@FoxNews) May 22, 2026 On that terrible morning, Crowther was working as an equities trader on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building. Rather than flee, the young man tied a red bandana over his nose and mouth and went back into the smoke and fire again and again, guiding survivors to safety through a stairwell. Witnesses who escaped would later describe a mysterious young man in a red bandana who carried a woman on his back, directed others to clear stairwells, and kept returning to the upper floors to find more people. Reports indicate Crowther saved as many as 18 lives before the South Tower collapsed. His remains were found the following March in a lobby alongside New York City firefighters and emergency personnel. He was 24 years old. As Fox News reported: President Trump announced the posthumous honor during a Rockland County stop with Rep. Mike Lawler, who had urged him to recognize Crowther before the 25th anniversary of September 11. Crowther was a 24-year-old equities trader and volunteer firefighter who became a symbol of American courage after survivors described being guided through smoke and wreckage by a man wearing a red bandana over his face. At the event, President Trump said Crowther would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and he brought Crowther’s mother, Alison, before the crowd. Alison Crowther described the award as a huge honor and said her son’s light still shines brightly nearly 25 years later. The account also noted that Welles made repeated trips toward danger, helping lead victims to safety from the South Tower before the building collapsed. That is the reason this announcement hit differently than an ordinary campaign-stage moment, especially with Crowther’s family present as the country moves toward the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The honor ties the official memory of the nation to a man who never sought fame, only a way to get more people out alive. That detail is part of what makes the story so extraordinary. Crowther’s parents, Jefferson and Alison Crowther, did not know the full scope of their son’s heroism until survivors began telling their accounts publicly. His father, Jefferson Crowther, had given Welles the red bandana as a boy. It became his trademark. He carried it everywhere. Boston College keeps Crowther’s story alive through its tribute page: Crowther was a Boston College graduate from the class of 1999, a former lacrosse player, and a young man whose life had already been shaped by service before he ever walked into the World Trade Center. He was a rookie equities trader and volunteer firefighter from Upper Nyack, New York, who became known as the Man in the Red Bandanna because of the handkerchief he used as a protective mask on September 11. Boston College says Crowther helped save as many as 18 lives from the South Tower before it collapsed, and the school continues to honor his legacy through red bandanna traditions and service programs. That is the heart of the story: a young man with every reason to run down and out instead used his training, courage, and faithfulness to lead others toward life. The school’s remembrance is not just biographical. It treats Crowther’s life as a call to service, leadership, and moral courage for students who were not yet born when the towers fell. He died doing exactly what he was born to do. NTD also reported on the New York announcement: President Trump revealed the honor on May 22 while speaking in front of Crowther’s mother and sisters at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. The event put Crowther’s family at the center of the moment, making the announcement feel less like a political line item and more like a public act of remembrance. Crowther is remembered for wearing the red bandana while saving victims from the South Tower after the September 11 attacks. The award is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and it comes as the country approaches the 25th anniversary year of the attacks. For many Americans who still remember exactly where they were that morning, honoring Crowther is also a reminder of the ordinary citizens who became extraordinary in the middle of horror. That family presence matters. The Medal of Freedom announcement was not only about history; it was about telling a mother that her son’s sacrifice still belongs to the whole country. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded at the discretion of the President of the United States to individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” It is difficult to imagine a more fitting recipient. Crowther’s red bandana now hangs in a glass case at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan. Boston College retired the number 19 in his honor. Nearly 25 years after the towers fell, the name Welles Remy Crowther still means something in America. It means courage when there is no reason to expect it. It means running toward the fire instead of away from it. President Trump is making sure the country remembers. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

The family of Kyle Busch has revealed the cause of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s death. According to a statement released by the Busch family, a medical evaluation concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications. Busch was 41 years old. Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family. https://t.co/MbPBCin9aZ — ESPN (@espn) May 23, 2026 The announcement brings some measure of clarity after days of shock across the racing world following his sudden death. Busch won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2015 and 2019, cementing himself as one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in which the body’s response to infection causes widespread inflammation and organ failure. When it develops rapidly, the window for treatment can be devastatingly narrow. The family’s statement did not elaborate on the timeline of Busch’s illness or the specific type of pneumonia involved. Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, his family says https://t.co/HsWQyuegyp pic.twitter.com/bU7F8u0CCp — Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) May 23, 2026 Over the course of his career, Busch won 63 Cup Series races, ranking him among the all-time greats. He was also a dominant force in the Xfinity and Truck Series, where his combined win totals across all three national series topped 200. The racing community has been united in grief since the news broke, with drivers past and present paying tribute to a competitor known for his intensity, skill, and refusal to settle for anything less than a win. He leaves behind his wife Samantha and two children. This is a developing story. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Busch family during this unimaginable time. The Associated Press reported on the family statement and medical evaluation: Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family. Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday. Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, one day after he passed out in a Chevrolet simulator. The medical context matters here. Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that can happen when the body has an extreme response to an infection and the immune system begins damaging tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Busch had been preparing for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was testing in a Chevrolet simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a Charlotte hospital. The update also underscored the size of Busch’s NASCAR career. He won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series, more than any driver in history, and all 39 drivers in Sunday’s race are expected to carry a black No. 8 decal in his honor. NASCAR also updated its official report with the family statement and Busch’s career record: NASCAR’s official obituary was updated Saturday morning with the family’s statement on the medical evaluation. The statement said the evaluation concluded that severe pneumonia had progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications. The family also asked for continued privacy as they navigate the loss. NASCAR noted that Busch was in his 22nd full-time Cup Series season. He won the Cup Series championship in 2015 and again in 2019, building one of the most accomplished resumes in modern racing. The official account of his career included 63 Cup Series wins, which ranks ninth all time. Busch also had 102 wins in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 wins in the Truck Series. Together, those numbers made Busch the winningest driver across NASCAR’s three national series. That is the career backdrop behind the grief now moving through the sport: the cause-of-death update came only days after NASCAR lost one of its most recognizable champions. NBC Sports added more context on the emergency call and the tribute planned for the Coca-Cola 600: The same family-statement cause of death was tied to Dakota Hunter’s confirmation that the family received the medical evaluation Saturday. Busch died Thursday at age 41, one day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator while preparing for the Coca-Cola 600. The testing took place in Concord, North Carolina, before he was taken to a Charlotte hospital. The emergency call added more detail to the final hours: Busch had shortness of breath, felt very hot, thought he was going to pass out, and was producing a little blood. Those details add context, but the official cause update remains the family’s medical-evaluation statement. The tribute planned for Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be visible across the field. Every driver in the 39-car field is expected to race with a black No. 8 decal to honor Busch. That gesture will put Busch’s number on every car in one of NASCAR’s biggest events, a sober reminder of how quickly the sport moved from preparing for a crown-jewel race to mourning a champion. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.