Colorado officials identified the man <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-horrifying-video-shows-moment-plane-strikes-airport-trespasser">killed</a> while walking on the runway of the Denver International Airport last week and said they believe he died by suicide.
Michael Mott, 41, died from multiple blunt and sharp force injuries he sustained when he was struck by a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 that was speeding down the runway just before takeoff, according to the Denver City and County Medical Examiner’s Office. While authorities said they have not found a suicide note, they believe that Mott wanted to end his life.
“We currently are looking for any notes, computers, anything like that, trying to identify places where he most recently was,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/officials-reveal-grim-details-in-death-of-trespasser-mutilated-by-frontier-airlines-jet-engine-at-denver-airport/">said</a> Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.
Mott had run-ins with Denver police in the past, according to a department spokesman, who did not say what led to those encounters.
Mott hopped an eight-foot barbed wire fence before casually strolling onto the runway just after 11:00 p.m. local time last Friday. Video footage showed the 41-year-old man slowly walking into the middle of the runway and directly into the path of the plane before the collision.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/565TSHGgG7PqNoEm01D2A00KNy5I8LSfa3?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=a300aedf-aefa-45c4-8d5f-c83194a95540&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=WATCH%3A%20Moment%20plane%20strikes%20person%20on%20runway%20seen%20in%20horrifying%20new%20video&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F7bad4735-08f8-4466-97e6-60ee6693ee16.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Mott was ingested into one of the engines of the Airbus A321, sparking a fire and causing passengers to evacuate through the plane&#8217;s emergency slides. Twelve passengers were injured in the emergency evacuation, according to officials.
The Denver International Airport said it has alarms set up to alert staff if someone gets past the airport&#8217;s barriers, but last Friday, the operator on duty “reviewed the alarm and identified a herd of deer just outside of the perimeter fence.”
“The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual. There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well,&#8221; Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said.
Washington said the airport would conduct a review to look into the incident and better prepare for the future.
“Since this incident, we have been asked, ‘Why don’t you electrify the fence, or ‘Why isn’t the fence tall?’ or ‘Why don’t you use razor wire instead of barbed wire?’” the CEO added. “Safety and security, again, is always our top priority. We don’t want our fence to be deadly, and even if the fence was taller, we believe a motivated individual could find a way to penetrate, that is why we have many layers of security.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress, or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 by dialing 988.

Denver International Airport

Police ID Man Hit By Frontier Jet, Reveal Horrifying Final Moments

Airplane

Death

Denver

Suicide

Independent journalist Nick Shirley recently traveled to Cuba, where he looked into the ongoing food and energy crisis on the island and asked residents about living under a communist regime.
Shirley, who gained nationwide recognition for his reporting on suspected fraud schemes in Minneapolis, was in Cuba for 24 hours earlier this month as the country faces an oil shortage and mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
In one interview, Shirley asked a Cuban man to share his opinion on communism.
&#8220;The worst thing to exist in life!&#8221; he said. &#8220;The worst thing to exist in life is communism because, in reality, none of them are communist. They get rich and exploit the people.&#8221;
He argued that the equality promised under communism &#8220;doesn&#8217;t exist.&#8221;
&#8220;They are the ones with everything,&#8221; he added, referring to Cuba&#8217;s communist leaders. &#8220;They have electricity, they have the nicest cars, they have oil, they have gas, they have everything. And the people have nothing. And the majority of the companies are theirs.&#8221;
The oil shortage has forced Cuba into island-wide blackouts, disrupting essential services, including hospitals and public transportation. Many Cubans are also forced to wait in long lines for food handed out by the government, which is typically imported.
&#8220;How can you live off a ration book that gets you three pounds of sugar and one pound of salt?&#8221; the Cuban man told Shirley. &#8220;Each year, they give you a chicken and eggs. Eggs haven&#8217;t arrived in a year. It&#8217;s been a year since I had an egg.&#8221;
Asked why some people in Cuba continue to defend the country&#8217;s communist system and government, the man replied, &#8220;The only ones who defend communism are with the Castro family, or someone who&#8217;s afraid of them, or someone who lives off the government — who gets rich from the dictatorship.&#8221;
He then urged Americans to reject socialism and communism.
&#8220;The worst thing that can happen in life is socialism and communism because it&#8217;s the great lie,&#8221; the Cuban man said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t exist. It just leads you to misery, harassment, hunger, and anguish.&#8221;
&#8220;Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, I am waiting for you guys, please, to see if we can live like people, to live like a human being,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is the truth about communism from someone living in communism: 
&#8211; Regime leaders get rich and exploit the people 
&#8211; No food (hasn&#8217;t had eggs in a year) 
&#8211; No freedom of speech 
&#8211; No equality
&#8220;It just leads you to misery, harassment, hunger and anguish&#8221; &#8211; Man living in communism <a href="https://t.co/qSa4ref68U">pic.twitter.com/qSa4ref68U</a>
— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickshirleyy/status/2053995650518601906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Shirley later claimed he was tracked by undercover government agents and a Cuban general while in Havana and said he had to plan his own escape from the country &#8220;to avoid being taken hostage.&#8221;
Cuba&#8217;s already bleak energy crisis worsened following the January capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. After the capture of Maduro, the United States took control of Venezuelan oil sales and imposed a blockade around Cuba. Previously, Venezuela was Cuba&#8217;s main oil supplier.
President Donald Trump has sought to force Cuba&#8217;s communist regime to the negotiating table as it tries to hold onto power. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Cuban regime poses a national security threat to the United States. Cuba has been accused by American officials of aiding adversarial governments and maintaining close ties with regimes in China and Venezuela.

Cuba

‘Worst Thing To Exist’: Cuban Man Blasts Communism On Streets Of Havana

Communism

U.S.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he&#8217;s serious about officially making Venezuela and its massive oil reserves part of the United States.
In a phone call with Fox News anchor John Roberts, Trump <a href="https://x.com/johnrobertsFox/status/2053844898890051748">said</a> he is &#8220;seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2053849060377759775">emphasized</a> Venezuela&#8217;s oil reserves and discussed his administration&#8217;s focus on the South American country, adding, &#8220;Venezuela loves Trump.&#8221;
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela&#8217;s acting president, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/venezuela-never-considered-becoming-51st-172403831.html">responded</a> to Trump&#8217;s remark and told reporters that Venezuela wants to remain independent.
&#8220;That would never have been considered, because if there is one thing we Venezuelan men and women have, it is that we love our independence process, we love our heroes and heroines of independence,&#8221; she said.
Rodríguez added that her government would continue to work with the United States in &#8220;a diplomatic cooperation agenda.&#8221;
For Venezuela to become a U.S. state, Congress would have to pass a law via the Admissions Clause of the Constitution, which would then require the president&#8217;s signature. Former territories, such as Alaska and Hawaii, also held referendums for residents to vote on statehood before they became part of the union.
Trump floated Venezuelan statehood as his administration continues to work with the country&#8217;s acting president after dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and brought back to the United States to stand trial on narco-terrorism charges. Trump suggested in March that he was pleased with Rodríguez as oil flows from Venezuela to the United States and Europe, with the South American country&#8217;s exports hitting a <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Venezuela-Oil-Exports-Hit-Seven-Year-High.html">seven-year high</a> last month. The U.S. Treasury Department is currently managing the proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales in specialized accounts.
Since Trump took major military and economic action on Venezuela in early January, the United States has become the top destination for Venezuelan oil, with around 445,000 barrels per day exported to America in April, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuelas-oil-exports-jump-highest-since-2018-with-more-sales-us-india-2026-05-01/">reported</a>. Last month, Chevron said that the increased oil imports from Venezuela are helping mitigate rising fuel costs due to the war in Iran.
Andrew Walz, Chevron&#8217;s president of global refining, said the oil imports are helping &#8220;bring revenue to Venezuela&#8221; and &#8220;helping Americans.&#8221;
The Trump administration also reopened commercial flights to Venezuela late last month, with direct flights to Caracas set to become available at major airports across the United States in the coming months.
Trump first hinted at making Venezuela the 51st state in a Truth Social post in March when he wrote, &#8220;Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?&#8221;
While Trump claims that Venezuelan statehood is a serious consideration inside the Oval Office, the president has often suggested that the United States would take over foreign countries or territories.
As the president pressured Canada on trade last year, he regularly suggested that America&#8217;s neighbor could become the 51st state. He has also pushed for Greenland to become a U.S. territory for national security purposes and suggested that the United States could take over Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.

Donald Trump

Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ Turning America’s Former Adversary Into 51st State

Venezuela

A Tennessee Democrat pushed a state trooper and screamed in his face as tempers flared when lawmakers gathered to approve new Republican-backed congressional maps on Thursday.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), known for his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/there-is-nothing-off-the-table-tennessee-dem-says-anything-goes-in-fight-against-fascist-gop">tirades</a> against the state&#8217;s conservative majority and his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fake-southern-preacher-videos-show-expelled-tennessee-lawmakers-oratorical-transformation">shapeshifting personality</a>, got into a confrontation with state troopers who were attempting to secure the state capitol as leftist protesters converged on the area. In a video captured by ABC&#8217;s Nashville affiliate WKRN, state troopers appeared to be attempting to detain a man when Pearson stepped in and shoved the trooper&#8217;s arm away.
&#8220;Move the f*ck back!&#8221; Pearson shouted as he stared down the law enforcement officer.
The state trooper backed away and held his arms in the air as Pearson continued to berate him and call him &#8220;boy.&#8221;
&#8220;What the f*ck is wrong with you?&#8221; Pearson screamed. &#8220;What the f*ck is wrong with you? You stupid motherf*cker!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Warning: explicit language
Rep. Pearson came to the gallery as troopers appeared to arrest a demonstrator. There’s a heated exchange. <a href="https://t.co/Dq76zVrTtW">pic.twitter.com/Dq76zVrTtW</a>
— Tori Gessner (@ToriGessnerTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/ToriGessnerTV/status/2052404638410735643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Pearson&#8217;s meltdown occurred just before Tennessee Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/brutal-blow-for-democrats-in-red-state-sparks-leftist-outrage?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Brutal+Blow+For+Democrats+In+Red+State+Sparks+Leftist+Outrage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> on Thursday to approve new congressional maps that will likely wipe out the Democrats&#8217; only U.S. House seat in the state. Republican Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law shortly after the vote. The special session in Tennessee&#8217;s capital was quickly organized after the Supreme Court ruled that certain majority-black districts put in place by the Voting Rights Act amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.
During the special session, hundreds of protesters entered the state capitol and claimed that state Republicans were enacting &#8220;Jim Crow 2.0&#8221; and &#8220;Modern Apartheid.&#8221; Another video captured by WKRN showed leftist protesters refusing to leave the Capitol building after state troopers began clearing the gallery.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Some protestors are now refusing to leave and chanting in the gallery. <a href="https://t.co/uYtLGiltOq">pic.twitter.com/uYtLGiltOq</a>
— Tori Gessner (@ToriGessnerTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/ToriGessnerTV/status/2052401991725306142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Rep. Steve Cohen, who currently serves the lone Democratic district in Tennessee that has been upended by the new map, <a href="https://x.com/RepCohen/status/2052481665080213523">accused</a> Republicans of &#8220;enforc[ing] a racial gerrymander of Memphis.&#8221;
&#8220;Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful. Next stop is the courts,&#8221; Cohen added.
Republican state leaders celebrated the vote as the party will likely boast a 9-0 advantage in Tennessee&#8217;s Congressional delegation come November.
“It’s a great day for Tennessee! Thank you to President [Donald Trump] for leading the charge, Governor [Bill Lee], and to the legislators who worked quickly and diligently to make this possible,” Blackburn posted on X. “This is how we cement President Trump’s agenda and usher in America’s Golden Age here in Tennessee, and how we become America’s conservative leader.”
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

Justin Pearson

WATCH: Democrat Shoves State Trooper, Screams In His Face As Redistricting Protest Turns Ugly

Democrats

Redistricting

Tennessee

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) told reporters on Wednesday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was not &#8220;100% truthful&#8221; about his past relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning for a closed-door deposition before the Oversight Committee to answer questions on his relationship with Epstein. Before the deposition began, Comer took questions from reporters and said the Commerce secretary has not been fully honest in some of his past statements on Epstein.
Lutnick claimed last year that he vowed never to go near Epstein after a strange encounter with the financier in 2005. Photos released by the Justice Department in its trove of Epstein documents, however, show Lutnick with the disgraced financier on his infamous private island in 2012 — four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
&#8220;We&#8217;ll let the American people judge whether the credibility was damaged,&#8221; Comer <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2052041254582497381">said</a> before the Oversight Committee hearing began. &#8220;But at the end of the day, I haven&#8217;t seen wrongdoing in the email correspondence. But he wasn&#8217;t 100% truthful with whether or not he had been on the island.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1053025" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1053025" class="wp-image-1053025 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-03T151929.602-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-03T151929.602-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-03T151929.602-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-03T151929.602-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-03T151929.602.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Justice Department</div>
Comer added that the Oversight Committee would ask Lutnick more questions about his visit to Little Saint James.
&#8220;We haven&#8217;t talked to too many people that have admitted they&#8217;ve been on the island,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2052041606396563913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2052041606396563913%7Ctwgr%5Eaf21514ed8f52cc35fd510d98c61f2c482bcb7a4%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2Fjames-comer-hits-lutnick-ahead-of-epstein-testimony-he-wasnt-100-truthful-about-island-visit%2F">said</a>. &#8220;It&#8217;s my understanding he wasn&#8217;t on the island very long. He was there with his wife and kids, but we&#8217;ll see what he says.&#8221;
The Oversight Committee chairman promised to release the full transcript of Lutnick&#8217;s deposition in the coming days.
During a Senate hearing in February, Lutnick <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-cabinet-secretary-confirms-he-visited-epsteins-island-with-wife-and-children-in-2012">confirmed</a> he visited Epstein&#8217;s Little Saint James Island and said he was accompanied by his wife and four children, as well as another couple and their children. Lutnick told senators that he had lunch with Epstein on his island for around an hour while he was on vacation with his family. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein&#8217;s sex crimes.
The Commerce secretary has been ripped by Democrats and some Republicans who expressed concern about his previous storyline.
“It’s now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein. He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together. Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democratic member on the House Oversight Committee, said in February.
Lutnick is the first Trump administration official to be questioned under oath before the Oversight Committee on the Epstein investigation. The Commerce secretary went in for a closed-door deposition voluntarily.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been on the Oversight Committee 10 years, and there&#8217;s never been a chairman [who has brought] in Cabinet secretaries of their own party,&#8221; Comer added.
Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is also slated to appear before the committee for questioning on the Epstein case in the coming weeks. Bondi was fired as attorney general in early April as President Donald Trump was frustrated with the lack of criminal prosecutions of Democrats who committed lawfare against him. Bondi also faced scrutiny over how she handled the Epstein investigation.

Howard Lutnick

House Oversight Chair Says Lutnick ‘Wasn’t 100% Truthful’ About Epstein Ahead Of Hearing

Department of Justice

House Oversight Committee

James Comer

Jeffrey Epstein

The suspect who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner with a plan to assassinate President Donald Trump and top administration officials was potentially motivated by anger about the war in Iran, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
A DHS intelligence report obtained by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/iran-conflict-may-have-motivated-trump-dinner-shooting-suspect-us-intelligence-2026-05-06/">Reuters</a> on Wednesday concluded that the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran &#8220;may have contributed&#8221; to Cole Allen&#8217;s &#8220;decision to conduct the attack.&#8221; Posts on a social media account linked to Allen raged against the U.S. government&#8217;s actions in Iran and recently called for Trump to be impeached over the president&#8217;s warning that &#8220;a whole civilization will die.&#8221;
A DHS spokesman told Reuters that the intelligence report was created to &#8220;notify our partners of the latest available information following significant incidents that have impacts to homeland security.&#8221;
Allen wrote out some of his motivations in a manifesto that he shared with family members minutes before he attempted to charge into the ballroom at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner, according to federal prosecutors. In a 1,000-word document, the suspected would-be assassin referred to Trump as a &#8220;pedophile, rapist, and traitor&#8221; and wrote that his goal was to murder Trump administration officials at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, targeting them from “highest-ranking to lowest.&#8221;
While Allen did not mention any frustrations about the Iran war in his manifesto, in a criticism of the security at the Washington Hilton, the suspect wrote, &#8220;If I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed sh*t.&#8221; A Ma Deuce is a .50-caliber heavy machine gun used by many militaries.
In the manifesto, Allen condemned other U.S. military action, highlighting strikes on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean. Allen said the suspected drug runners were “fisherman executed without trial.”
In the manifesto, the suspect called himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and invoked his Christian faith, arguing that &#8220;Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.&#8221;
Minutes after President Trump arrived at the Washington Hilton for the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner on April 25, Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired one shot from his Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that struck a Secret Service agent, according to the Justice Department. A Secret Service agent returned fire, and Allen was detained shortly after he got past the security checkpoint when he fell to the ground. Allen was not hit by any of the agent&#8217;s shots, and the agent who was shot by Allen was protected by a bulletproof vest.
Allen was also carrying a fully-loaded Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol and multiple knives when he attacked, the Justice Department said. Allen was initially charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors added an additional charge of assault on a federal officer. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Sunday that the Secret Service agent was &#8220;definitively&#8221; shot by Allen.
“He had every intention to kill him and anyone who got in his way on his way to killing the president of the United States,&#8221; Pirro <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/03/trump-assassination-cole-allen-suicide-pirro.html#:~:text=%7C%20Getty%20Images-,U.S.%20Attorney%20for%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia%20Jeanine%20Pirro%20said,his%20bullet%2C%22%20Pirro%20said.">said</a>.
Earlier this week, the judge overseeing Allen&#8217;s case <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-issues-stunning-apology-to-accused-trump-assassin">apologized</a> to the suspect for the conditions he has faced in jail. Judge Zia Faruqui, who has a soft-on-crime <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woke-judge-who-apologized-to-wannabe-trump-assassin-has-a-radical-leftist-record">record</a>, grilled jail officials for placing Allen on a temporary suicide watch that required 24-hour isolation.

Cole Allen/Police

Feds Uncover Critical Link In Radicalization Of Wannabe Trump Assassin

assassination attempt

Department of Homeland Security

White House Correspondents’ Dinner

A rare strain of hantavirus that has a 40% mortality rate and spreads through human-to-human contact could be responsible for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mystery-illness-eyed-in-deaths-aboard-luxury-cruise">three deaths</a> on board a luxury cruise ship, health officials believe.
The outbreak on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, has resulted in at least seven other infections and has trapped other passengers on the ship as government and health officials try to figure out how to get sick passengers off the cruise ship. Most hantavirus strains only spread to humans from rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, but one rare and extremely dangerous strain can spread from human-to-human and “can’t be ruled out,” the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts,” World Health Organization official Maria Van Kerkhove <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/world-news/cruise-ship-infected-with-terrifying-hantavirus-strain-that-has-40-mortality-rate-who-believes-heres-what-happens-next/">said</a>.
“We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out,” Van Kerkhove <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/world/africa/cruise-ship-hantavirus-cape-verde-hondius.html">added</a>.
The deadly strain suspected of spreading on the cruise ship is known as the &#8220;Andes virus&#8221; and is most commonly found in the Andes Mountains of Argentina and Chile. Van Kerkhove assured the media that the risk posed to the public from the hantavirus outbreak on the ship &#8220;is low.&#8221;
The cruise ship, along with its nearly 150 passengers and crew members, is being held off Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa. Van Kerkhove said on Tuesday that the ship would soon move around 1,000 miles northeast to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory. The Spanish government said it was still trying to figure out &#8220;which port of call is most appropriate&#8221; for the ship to dock.
Health officials in hazmat suits checked out the cruise ship on Monday, and the World Health Organization said that no rodents were found on board, giving more credence to the human-to-human transmission theory. Medical teams also went aboard the ship to look into suspected infections of two crew members, The New York Post reported.
Jake Rosmarin, an American travel blogger who&#8217;s stuck on the ship, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/trapped-cruise-ship-passenger-shares-update-cleanliness-ship-amid-deadly-hantavirus-outbreak">said</a> in a video recording on Tuesday that all the healthy passengers &#8220;are doing well&#8221; and are in &#8220;good spirits.&#8221; He said that healthy passengers &#8220;have the option to have meals delivered directly to their cabins,&#8221; but &#8220;gathering in indoor common areas such as the lounge is currently restricted.&#8221;
Two of the people who died after contracting hantavirus were a Dutch couple who had been traveling in South America before boarding the MV Hondius, which left from Argentina on March 20 for a weeks-long voyage. The World Health Organization believes the couple contracted the disease before boarding the ship.
The first person, a 70-year-old Dutch man, died on board the ship on April 11. His wife, a 69-year-old woman, died 15 days later in South Africa while she was attempting to fly home to the Netherlands, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/world/africa/cruise-ship-hantavirus-cape-verde-hondius.html">reported</a>. A German national died on the ship on Saturday.
Hantavirus typically begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches, before potentially progressing to breathing problems and possible lung or heart failure.

FRANCE-ILLUSTRATION-HANTAVIRUS

Deadly Rare Virus Prime Suspect In Cruise Ship Nightmare

Disease

World Health Organization

The Daily Wire&#8217;s &#8220;Morning Wire&#8221; podcast received the coveted &#8220;Outstanding Podcast&#8221; award, and Daily Wire immigration reporter Jennie Taer won the title of &#8220;Outstanding Reporter,&#8221; the Media Research Center announced on Tuesday.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/morning-wire">Morning Wire</a> was praised for its &#8220;concise, professionally produced alternative to legacy media&#8221; as the daily podcast has remained consistent with its promise to deliver &#8220;15 minutes of what matters, nothing that doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;
&#8220;Featuring reporting from on-the-ground journalists and interviews with expert guests, hosts Georgia Howe and John Bickley guide listeners through the day’s most important stories without the ideological filter common in traditional outlets,&#8221; MRC said.
Since 2021, Morning Wire has covered the biggest stories around the world in a common-sense approach to news. Since then, Morning Wire has expanded into providing evening updates, weekend interviews, and deep dives.
Daily Wire reporter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/jennie-taer">Jennie Taer</a>, who has extensively covered illegal immigrant crime and President Donald Trump&#8217;s deportation operation, was recognized &#8220;as a leading voice in immigration reporting.&#8221; MRC awarded Taer for her coverage of the migrant gang crisis in Aurora, Colorado, which she also <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/12/us-news/inside-the-migrant-gang-warzone-of-aurora-colorado/">covered</a> for The New York Post before joining The Daily Wire. Taer was also recognized for her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-day-in-the-life-of-minneapolis-ice-agents">reporting</a> at the frontlines of Trump&#8217;s deportation effort in Minneapolis, where she <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4PZjZYETyKI&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fa-day-in-the-life-of-minneapolis-ice-agents">spent a day</a> with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the height of the administration&#8217;s operation in the Twin Cities.
“This year’s Media Research Center Bulldog Award winners stand in stark contrast to the elitist media’s herd mentality,” said MRC President David Bozell. “These courageous journalists refuse to follow the pack, choosing instead to deliver truth over narrative, facts over favoritism, and accountability over activism. They represent the best of American journalism — independent, fearless, and committed to informing the public rather than manipulating it.”
The Media Research Center presents awards to conservative journalists, columnists, and podcast hosts each year. The Daily Wire is the only organization that has won in each of the five years that MRC has handed out MRC Bulldog Awards, NewsBusters Managing Editor Curtis Houck <a href="https://x.com/curtishouck/status/2051671557307572530?s=46">pointed out</a>.
In 2025, former Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist won MRC&#8217;s &#8220;Outstanding Blogger&#8221; award for his reporting on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-investigative-reporter-spencer-lindquist-honored-for-colony-ridge-reporting">Colony Ridge</a> in Texas. In 2024, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro and journalist Kassy Akiva were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wires-ben-shapiro-and-kassy-akiva-win-conservative-media-awards">named</a> the winners of the &#8220;Outstanding Podcast&#8221; and &#8220;Outstanding Blogger&#8221; awards, respectively. Daily Wire host Matt Walsh was awarded &#8220;Outstanding Podcast&#8221; in 2023, and Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak won the &#8220;Outstanding Investigative Journalism&#8221; award in 2022.
Other winners for this year&#8217;s MRC Bulldog Awards include Dana Loesch for &#8220;Outstanding Radio Talk Show Host,&#8221; Douglas Murray for &#8220;Outstanding Columnist,&#8221; and Washington, D.C., local news reporter Nick Minock for &#8220;Outstanding Investigative Journalist.&#8221;

Daily Wire Snags Two Awards For ‘Outstanding’ Podcast And News Reporting

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An 18-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting two U.S. Bank employees in Berea, Kentucky, before rifling through the teller drawers for cash and speeding off in his car.
Brailen Weaver of Covington, Kentucky, entered the bank at around 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, wearing a black mask and gloves, according to the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1033646042/BrailenWeaverAffidavit-Redacted?secret_password=6Pd48N8xJJIAk7EFw5t7#download&amp;from_embed">arrest affidavit</a>. Weaver shot and killed a male U.S. Bank employee right after walking into the branch and then gunned down a female teller before he searched through multiple drawers, the affidavit states.
The suspect fled the bank in a silver BMW sedan, which authorities tracked down after finding the same car listed for sale on Facebook by Weaver. Investigators then reviewed Weaver&#8217;s social media and found photos of him that matched the description of the suspect seen on the bank&#8217;s security cameras.
Weaver also posted a meme on Instagram just hours after he allegedly robbed the bank and killed two employees, according to the FBI. The meme depicts an alien holding a stash of $100 bills with the caption, &#8220;I pledge allegiance to da bag.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1088381" style="width: 483px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1088381" class="wp-image-1088381 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-473x576.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-473x576.jpg 473w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-246x300.jpg 246w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527.jpg 657w" sizes=" (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px" />FBI</div>
On Thursday evening, authorities tracked Weaver to Somerset, Kentucky, which is about 40 miles southwest of Berea. A short time later, the FBI spotted Weaver&#8217;s vehicle on Interstate 75, and federal, state, and local law enforcement pursued the suspect in a high-speed chase.
The affidavit states that Weaver reached speeds of nearly 130 mph and dodged spike strips laid out in the road by law enforcement. The suspect eventually crashed as he was driving toward downtown Lexington, but escaped on foot. Authorities found a firearm in the suspect&#8217;s abandoned BMW. Weaver was finally arrested in downtown Lexington and faces federal charges of armed bank robbery and using/discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
&#8220;The perpetrator&#8217;s heinous actions were not only indefensible but cowardly,&#8221; <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/2-employees-killed-bank-robbery-berea-kentucky-suspect/71180865">said</a> Olivia Olson, the special agent in charge at the FBI&#8217;s Louisville field office. &#8220;While there is no longer imminent danger, we understand that the tragedy is far from over for the community. The only solace that we can offer is that this individual who valued a stolen dollar more than two human lives will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.&#8221;
The killings appear to be the first deadly shooting in a bank robbery in the United States since 2021, when a man <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/pr/gary-man-sentenced-2-consecutive-terms-life-prison">fatally shot</a> a security guard at a bank in Gary, Indiana, during an attempted robbery. In 2019, a 21-year-old man <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/former-prison-guard-trainee-is-sentenced-to-death-for-killing-5-women-at-a-florida-bank/">executed</a> five women at a SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida. In that shooting, there was no indication that the gunman intended to rob the bank.
Bank robberies in the United States are becoming increasingly uncommon as banks improve security and hold less cash at any given time, reflecting society&#8217;s shift to digital payments.

Bank robbery

FBI Reveals Robber Posted Chilling Instagram Meme After Killing Two Bank Employees

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A police K9 followed would-be Trump assassin Cole Allen into a side room just seconds before he charged through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner last weekend, newly released Justice Department footage shows.
The <a href="https://x.com/USAttyPirro/status/2049975353976688653">video</a>, posted Thursday by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, captures the Secret Service dog trailing Allen into the room, where investigators say the gunman removed a large black jacket concealing his shotgun. The K9 briefly entered the doorway before the handler paused, looked inside for roughly 10 seconds, and appeared to speak to someone in the room.  It remains unclear whether the handler was a Secret Service agent or with another law enforcement agency.
Immediately after the officer and K9 walked away, Allen charged through the security checkpoint armed with his fully loaded Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/Fe025Ts8W96EnwZO5YcmvdFQqUrErVL52?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=b8207dd7-b178-4c04-90ec-321eb07961cd&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Police%20K9%20zeroes%20in%20on%20gunman%20seconds%20before%20attack&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2Fa23fdf61-a7c8-4917-8aad-c9f8da47926f.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Daily Wire reached out to the Secret Service seeking clarification on the interaction captured in the footage.
Allen sprinted down the hallway at approximately 8:36 p.m. ET, just as agents began dismantling one of the metal detectors at the checkpoint. Minutes before he made his way downstairs from his hotel room, Allen had been monitoring news updates on the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner and President Donald Trump&#8217;s travel to the event at the Washington Hilton, according to court documents. The dinner began at 8:00 p.m., and Trump arrived at the hotel at 8:27 p.m.
Authorities say Allen fired one round from his shotgun as he attempted to storm the ballroom, striking one Secret Service agent who was protected by a bulletproof vest.
An agent returned fire, discharging rounds, though none struck Allen. He was ultimately subdued after falling shortly after breaching the security checkpoint.
The Secret Service has faced criticism in the aftermath, though President Trump and administration officials have praised agents for stopping Allen before he reached the ballroom.
Retired Secret Service agent Scot Bryan told The Daily Wire that the response appeared consistent with training based on the footage released.
&#8220;When you consider the point of possibility perception and the cognitive recognition of what was occurring, the officer’s reaction time was elite,&#8221; Bryan added. &#8220;The response inside the ballroom, from what video I had access to see, was excellent.&#8221;
Bryan also pushed back on claims that the agency should have secured the entire 10-floor hotel.
&#8220;In the after-action evaluation, will the service discuss policy protocols for off-site venues? I expect they will,&#8221; Bryan said. &#8220;But completely controlling a private business (a hotel or any other venue location) where a protectee visits has broad consequences that have to be examined and are not likely accepted. Critics speak of things they know very little about and espouse ideas without considering context or consequences.&#8221;
Additional footage released by the Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-brand-new-video-shows-trump-would-be-assassin-shooting-secret-service-agent?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Brand+New+Video+Shows+Trump+Would-Be+Assassin+Shooting+Secret+Service+Agent">shows</a> Allen scouting the hotel the day before the dinner. He traveled from California to Washington, D.C., by train, arriving around 1:00 p.m. ET last Friday, according to the Justice Department.
A manifesto posted minutes before the attack said Allen intended to target top Trump administration officials and was prepared to shoot any of the attendees or law enforcement officers who stood in his way.

Cole Allen/WHCD

WATCH: Police Dog Appeared To Flag Wannabe Trump Assassin Seconds Before Attack

Secret Service

A Christian school in Vermont is set to receive more than half a million dollars in damages and attorneys&#8217; fees from the Vermont Principals&#8217; Association, partially settling a lawsuit after the school was punished when its girls&#8217; basketball team refused to play against a team with a transgender-identifying boy.
Mid Vermont Christian School will receive $566,000 under the agreement, more than three years after it was removed from the state athletic association for forfeiting the game.
The settlement follows a federal appeals court ruling that the school must be allowed to compete in games as the case proceeds.
“The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs,” said David Cortman, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the Christian school.
“For more than two years, state officials denied Mid Vermont Christian School a public benefit available to all other schools in Vermont just because it stood by the widely held, biblical belief that boys and girls are different,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There’s a price to pay for violating constitutional rights for Christian schools and students.”
In February of 2023, the Mid Vermont Christian School girls&#8217; basketball team forfeited their state tournament game against a team that allowed a boy who identified as a girl to play on the team, saying that playing against a male &#8220;jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.&#8221;
Following the forfeiture, the Vermont Principals’ Association retaliated against the Christian school by banning it from athletic tournaments, CBS News affiliate WCAX <a href="https://www.wcax.com/2026/04/29/vermont-principals-association-pay-566000-christian-school-transgender-athlete-dispute/">reported</a>.
Chris Goodwin, the team&#8217;s coach, said he will &#8220;always&#8221; fight for his players to compete in &#8220;fair and safe competitions.&#8221;
“I never thought I would be in court for simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different,” Goodwin said. “At Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do.&#8221;
Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom continue to litigate the case, which also seeks to hold Vermont officials accountable for denying students at Christian schools access to the state&#8217;s tuition programs.
Multiple transgender-identifying male high school athletes have injured opposing female players in recent years. In 2022, North Carolina high schooler Payton McNabb was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-was-injured-by-a-trans-athlete-state-legislatures-need-to-do-more-to-protect-womens-sports">injured</a> when a trans-identifying boy spiked a volleyball in her face. McNabb suffered a concussion and a neck injury, which she said left her partially paralyzed on the right side of her body.
In 2024, a boy who identified as a girl <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/high-school-sports/2024/03/01/injuries-involving-trans-basketball-player-at-mass-school-spark-controversy/">injured</a> two girls&#8217; basketball players on the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell&#8217;s team during a game in Massachusetts. <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-13105605/Trans-basketball-high-school-game-injury-forfeit-Massachusetts.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Video</a> of one of the injuries shows the boy hurling a girl to the floor as they fight for the ball. The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell forfeited the game after the injuries.

Basketball

Christian School Scores Big Legal Win After Forfeiting Game Over Trans-Identifying Boy

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Vermont

The suspected wannabe assassin who opened fire at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner last weekend is &#8220;not a danger to anybody,&#8221; his lawyer argued in court on Wednesday.
In a court filing, Cole Allen&#8217;s defense team argued that the gunman should be allowed to roam free as he awaits his trial, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/us-news/whcd-shooting-suspect-cole-allen-makes-absurd-argument-for-why-he-should-walk-free/">reported</a>. Allen&#8217;s lawyer also claimed that the suspect had no intention of carrying out a mass shooting since he was not carrying an automatic or semi-automatic weapon.
&#8220;Mr. Allen has no criminal history — not even prior arrests, which alone would rebut the presumption of detention,&#8221; his defense team wrote, adding, &#8220;The government’s rhetoric about a ‘mass shooting’ is also unsupported by its own proffered facts. Mr. Allen was not alleged to be holding an automatic or even semi-automatic weapon that are the hallmarks of the modern-day mass shooting.&#8221;
During a court hearing on Thursday, defense attorney Tezira Abe said Allen&#8217;s defense team was changing course and dropping its request to keep him out of detention &#8220;at this time.&#8221; Abe then asked the judge for Allen to be removed from his &#8220;safe cell,&#8221; where he&#8217;s remained isolated around the clock since being taken into custody. Allen, wearing an orange jump suit, was present for the hearing in the D.C. federal court on Thursday.
Allen ran through a security checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton last Saturday and fired one shot from his Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun before he fell to the ground and was detained by Secret Service and law enforcement agents, according to federal prosecutors. The gunman was also carrying a fully-loaded Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol and multiple knives.
Shotguns have been used in some of the darkest mass shootings in U.S. history, including by the gunmen at Columbine, the Aurora theater, and Washington Navy Yard.
In a manifesto that Allen sent to family members just before the attack, the gunman said he was targeting top Trump administration officials at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner and added that he would shoot any of the attendees or law enforcement officers who got in his way.
“I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he wrote in the manifesto.
Three law enforcement sources told NBC News on Wednesday that Allen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bullet-that-struck-secret-service-agents-vest-now-traced-to-would-be-assassin?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bullet+That+Struck+Secret+Service+Agent%E2%80%99s+Vest+Now+Traced+To+Would-Be+Assassin">fired</a> the shot that struck a Secret Service agent after early reports suggested the agent might have been hit by friendly fire. The agent was protected by his bulletproof vest.
A Secret Service agent fired five times at Allen as he charged through the security checkpoint, but Allen was not hit, according to federal prosecutors. The gunman fell down and suffered a minor knee injury immediately after he breached the security checkpoint, the Justice Department stated.
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Cole Allen/White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Lawyer Says WHCD Shooter ‘Not A Danger’ Because He Had The Wrong Gun

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