US news: Suspect in DC gala shooting to appear in court

What you need to know
- A 31-year-old suspect in the shooting at the Washington, DC, media event, where President Donald Trump was present, is set to appear before court
- The suspect has not been publicly identified yet, but is believed to be a man from California who traveled to Washington, DC
- Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla are headed to the US on a four-day state visit
- Sam Altman and Elon Musk are headed to court in a high-stakes showdown over artificial intelligence
Follow our live coverage of the many different strands of news dominating headlines in the United States on April 27:
Skip next section King Charles III heads to Washington, DC, despite shooting incident04/27/2026April 27, 2026King Charles III heads to Washington, DC, despite shooting incident
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla are going ahead with a planned four-day visit to Washington, DC, and other locations to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US independence and the US-UK "special relationship."
Their state visit, scheduled from Monday through Thursday, comes after a shooting at a dinner attended by President Donald Trump sparked a last-minute security review of the trip.
Buckingham Palace said the king "is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed." After the review, the palace said the trip "will proceed as planned."
The stakes for Charles' visit were already high because of the bumpy status of the "special relationship" between the US and UK in recent months.
Trump has repeatedly attacked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not joining the US-Israeli war on Iran, dismissing Britain's leader as "not Winston Churchill," the World War II prime minister who coined the phrase "special relationship" to describe the US-UK bond.
As monarch, Charles is expected to stay above politics and represents the UK but does not speak for its government.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Cs2hSkip next section Elon Musk and Sam Altman's bitter feud is headed to court04/27/2026April 27, 2026Elon Musk and Sam Altman's bitter feud is headed to court
Tech titans Elon Musk and Sam Altman are set to face off in court Monday in a case centered on OpenAI's transition to a firm that prioritizes making money over public service.
Altman and Musk founded OpenAI in 2015. The company released its artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, in 2022.
Musk alleges that Altman, OpenAI's CEO, broke the company's founding statement by breaching the motto "to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return."
Altman and OpenAI have brushed off Musk's allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes aimed at undercutting OpenAI's rapid growth and bolstering Musk's own AI venture, xAI, which he launched in 2023.
Musk left OpenAI in 2018 after internal disputes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Cs7cSkip next section Suspect in shooting at correspondents' dinner expected to be formally charged Monday04/27/2026April 27, 2026Suspect in shooting at correspondents' dinner expected to be formally charged Monday
A suspect in the shooting at theWhite House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night has been identified as a teacher and engineer who traveled from California.
The alleged gunman is expected to be arraigned on Monday on two preliminary charges that include using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, according to US Attorney for District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
The high-profile dinner, with President Donald Trump and other senior members in attendance, honors journalism every year.
DW correspondents: '6 or 7 very loud shots in the corridor'
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This was the first time Trump was attending the event as president. He was rushed off the stage as guests ducked under tables amid loud bangs that were later confirmed to have been gunshots.
The alleged shooter's motive is not clear.
Editor's note: In accordance with the German press code, DW refrains from publishing the full names of crime victims.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CrvTSkip next section Welcome to our blog04/27/2026April 27, 2026Welcome to our blog
Roshni Majumdar | Louis Oelofse EditorWe are covering developments related to the shooting at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC, which President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended.
The Trumps were not harmed, and neither were Cabinet members or other guests. A Secret Service officer was injured during an exchange of gunfire with the suspected shooter and is now recovering.
In other news, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla are headed to the US for a four-day state visit. Tech titans Sam Altman and Elon Musk are also taking their long-running bitter feud to court.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CsA3Show more posts