US-UK friction forms backdrop to King’s speech

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The king addresses Congress

Correspondents’ dinner shooter in court

Conspiracy theories surge

Tensions between the U.S. and the United Kingdom are simmering as King Charles III prepares to address Congress today, from President Trump’s frustrations toward NATO amid the Iran war to tumult in bilateral trade.

Eyes will be on how the king seeks to alleviate these strains, and how much — directly or indirectly — he is willing to call out areas of agitation for the U.K.

Charles has been less politically outspoken since becoming the king, but has long championed the fight against climate change, which Trump has actively undermined. The Hill’s Sarakshi Rai and Julia Manchester report, the U.K. is looking to him to help smooth over what’s long been considered a “special relationship” with the U.S.

As Charles has enjoyed warm relations with Trump, the president has increasingly bashed his U.K. counterpart, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, particularly for his refusal to assist the U.S.’s war in Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The dispute over Iran has also tied into two of the U.K.’s overseas territories.

Before the war started, the president railed against the U.K.’s plan to transfer the Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius. The U.S. and U.K. have shared a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, since the 1970s.

Although the transfer would allow both countries to continue using the base, Trump called the planned move a “great act of stupidity.” Shortly before the U.S. launched its initial strikes on Iran, the president said the U.S. may need to use Diego Garcia to “eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous” regime if no deal on Iran’s nuclear program is reached.

The U.K. ultimately paused its transfer of the islands earlier this month.

U.K. officials were up in arms late last week following a report of an internal Pentagon email suggesting Trump is considering various actions to punish NATO allies for not supporting the Iran war. One possibility: the U.S. reviewing its position on “imperial possessions,” including the Falkland Islands near Argentina.

Even Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform U.K. party and a frequent Trump ally, pushed back, saying the Falklands “are and will always be British.”

Trade has also been a thorny issue for the U.S.-U.K. relationship, as the president has turned to tariffs to achieve what he says is a more level playing field with America’s closest partners. The U.S. reached a wide-ranging trade deal with the U.K. last year and one specifically on pharmaceuticals in December, but tensions remain.

A committee of the British Parliament launched an inquiry earlier this month into the trade deal amid concerns that it’s not delivering for the U.K. A release announcing the probe noted the foundations of the U.S.-U.K. trade relationship are “shifting rapidly.”

Any mention of climate change by the king will likely be seen as a shot at Trump, who has regularly brushed off environmental efforts throughout his time in office, calling climate change a hoax and gradually weakening regulations.

Despite vowing to scale back his passion projects as the king, Charles did make an appearance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2023.

He has also been an active supporter Ukraine in its war against Russia, while the U.S. under Trump has pulled its direct support for Kyiv and shifted toward Moscow’s position in peace negotiations.

One issue that both the president and the king may be keen to avoid is the continued controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and his contacts. Trump has been openly pushing for the country to move on from its focus on the issue, and Charles has dealt with the scrutiny surrounding his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who had ties to Epstein.

Royal Palace lawyers said Charles will not meet with Epstein victims and their families during his trip, despite their requests for a sit-down, citing the ongoing criminal investigations. Amplifying calls for accountability during his address may help the king blunt some of the disappointment over that decision.

▪ The Guardian: Charles meeting with Trump off camera.

▪ CNN: Charles’s visit in pictures.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

After Saturday’s assassination attempt against President Trump and members of his Cabinet at the WHCA dinner, the Trump administration renewed its push for construction of the White House ballroom as it faces resistance in the courts. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called it a “meaningful safety issue.” Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) was the first prominent Democrat to come out in support of the ballroom. I asked Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who was at the dinner, how she now views that issue. 

“It’s not about one place. It’s about how do we make sure that we have the right protocols in place,” Rosen told me. “No president can just say, ‘We’re going to have every event I ever go to in the ballroom.’ That doesn’t make sense. Do we need a ballroom? Well, we can discuss that,” she added.

Speaking of Congress, I want to hear from you. Tomorrow night, we continue our Viewer’s Voice series, as I take your questions directly to those in power. Rep. Dina Titus, another Democratic lawmaker from Nevada, joins me on the show and will answer your questions. Ping our team here and you could have it answered on air Wednesday evening.

Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated he will introduce a “modified” version of the Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing the current version includes “problematic” language. Any changes to the bill will need to go back to the Senate for approval.

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who led the state as a Republican before switching to become a Democrat, announced he will run for mayor of St. Petersburg, his latest attempt at a return to political office.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico warned government employees on Monday to avoid the border city of Reynoso amid “violent criminal activity.” The city is located in the northeastern corner of Mexico, connected to Texas through the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge, which passes over the Rio Grande River.

Law enforcement respond to an incident at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (Allison Robbert, Associated Press)

NEW CHARGE: The man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner Saturday with multiple firearms has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

Cole Allen, the 31-year-old teacher suspected of planning the attack, didn’t enter a plea at his first court appearance on Monday. Along with attempting to kill Trump, Allen is facing charges of transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

If convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump, Allen could be sentenced to life in prison.

The Hill’s Ella Lee reports this raises questions about whether Allen’s weapon was discharged or struck law enforcement during the incident.

Allen appeared with public defenders at the hearing, while high-profile prosecutors are set to represent the government.

Officials say they believe Allen acted alone when he stormed toward the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel. No one was killed during the attack, but one Secret Service agent was injured.

Allen traveled from his home in California to Washington, D.C., and was a guest at the hotel ahead of the attack, according to law enforcement.

Allen is due back in court Thursday for a detention hearing, and his preliminary hearing was set for May 11, unless a grand jury returns an indictment first.

▪ The Hill: Pirro warns against political violence in D.C.

▪ Politico: White House discussing ‘protocol’ after shooting.

MAP RELEASED: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has released the long-awaited new congressional map that would give Republicans multiple pickup opportunities in the Sunshine State.

The map, first released Monday to Fox News Digital, would allow the GOP to gain up to four additional seats in November, building on their current 20-8 edge. If enacted, the new map would place Democratic Reps. Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz most at risk of losing their seats.

DeSantis has called for a special session of the state Legislature that’s expected to convene Tuesday to address multiple issues, including redistricting. But the map will face hurdles before going into effect and may not be as effective as Republicans hope.

Democrats are expected to mount a legal challenge, and the Florida Constitution prohibits gerrymandering. Even if the map can go into effect for November, some of the red-leaning districts might not be safe for Republicans, given the increasingly favorable political environment for Democrats.

But the map could cancel out the gains Democrats stand to make in Virginia if the commonwealth’s redistricting ballot measure that passed last week is upheld. The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Republicans’ bid to block the measure, arguing the process violated the state constitution.

▪ The Hill: What to know about DeSantis’s House map.

▪ The Hill: Lower Virginia court rules in favor of Dems.

FIGHT ON: A preservation group said that it will not drop its lawsuit seeking to block Trump’s White House ballroom from going forward despite pressure from the administration and the GOP to allow the construction.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation responded to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sunday by rejecting its call to abandon the case, maintaining its argument that Trump must seek approval from Congress before moving ahead with the project.

The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports Trump and his allies are using the shooting at the correspondents’ dinner as a vehicle to push for the ballroom to be permitted. The president has argued it’s necessary for security, an argument echoed by many GOP lawmakers Sunday.

But Manchester notes that the dinner is a private event in which the WHCA determines the guest list and venue, not the president.

And the trust, along with Democrats, doesn’t seem likely to back down in its opposition.

▪ The Hill: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) calls for support for ballroom.

▪ The Hill: GOP tensions intensify over DHS funding.

NO DEAL? Trump has reportedly told his advisers that he’s not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, which would offer reopening the Strait of Hormuz but punt on the issue of Tehran’s nuclear program.

Multiple people briefed on discussions from a meeting in the White House Situation Room on Monday told The New York Times about Trump’s response to the latest offer.

A U.S. official told the outlet that accepting the proposal could deny Trump a victory in the war. The president has repeatedly maintained that Iran must not be allowed to build a nuclear weapon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, a continuation of the ties between their countries during the war. Putin said he would do everything he could to help end the war.

The president will participate in executive time at 8 a.m. He and first lady Melania Trump will greet King Charles and Queen Camilla at 10:35 a.m. and participate in a guestbook signing and gift exchange with them at 11:10 a.m. They will then participate in a receiving line with their official delegations. The president and king will participate in a bilateral meeting at 11:40 a.m. as the first lady and queen join students in exploring U.S.-U.K. history at 11:45. The president and first lady will participate in a tour and document viewing with the king and queen 7:05 p.m. and a receiving line at 7:20 p.m. They will have dinner at 8:05 p.m.

The House will convene at 9 a.m.

The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.

Members of the U.S. Secret Service counter assault team stand on the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

CONSPIRACY WAVE: Wild theories surrounding the WCHA shooting have surged on social media in the days following the attack.

The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo reports the largely unfounded theories mostly focus on short video snippets of those who were in the room and the initial reports after the suspected shooter tried to break in. Thousands of posts online have claimed the incident was “staged” or faked.

The reasonings given for the shooting being purportedly faked range from distracting from the Iran war to justifying Trump’s push for a ballroom at the White House.

These are just the latest false conspiracy theories that have been sparked by real shootings. Some examples include the assassination attempt on Trump in 2024, the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year and the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in 2022.

Disinformation experts said breaking news is increasingly becoming a breeding ground for conspiracy theories in part because misinformation spreads so rapidly online.

“We’re in an information environment where people are just not believing anything they see because they’ve become so exhausted by the steady tide of information everyone is sharing that later turns out to be not true,” Katie Sanders, editor in chief of the fact-checking website PolitiFact, told Mastrangelo.

▪ CNN: Facts compete with conspiracies after the attack.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk (Markus Schreiber and Czarek Sokolowski, Associated Press)

CLASH OF THE TITANS: Two of the most prominent Big Tech leaders are facing off in court in Oakland, Calif., in an ongoing dispute over the structure of the company that created the AI model ChatGPT.

Elon Musk helped found OpenAI in 2015 before leaving and launching his own AI company. He sued his co-founder, and current OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, in 2024, alleging that he manipulated Musk into co-founding and financially backing the company before abandoning its original nonprofit mission.

Jury selection in the case began Monday. The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero report the outcome of the legal battle could have significant consequences for the rapidly changing AI landscape.

Musk invested about $38 million in OpenAI from late 2015 through May 2017 to support the nonprofit. OpenAI said the founders realized by late 2017 that more capital would be needed to develop its AI tools in the ways they hoped, leading them to create a for-profit entity in 2019.

Musk protested the move before stepping down from OpenAI’s board, citing potential conflicts of interest in working for Tesla. He has since launched his own rival company, xAI.

OpenAI altered its corporate structure last year to convert it into a public benefit corporation under control of the nonprofit. Musk offered to buy the nonprofit for nearly $100 billion last year, but OpenAI rejected the offer.

Musk and Altman have since then repeatedly clashed online, leading up to the opening of the case between them. Both entrepreneurs are expected to testify during the four-week trial.

▪ The Associated Press: Suspect in killings asked ChatGPT about disposing bodies, prosecutors say.

Hasan Piker, the WHCA shooter, ‘social murder’ and the real McCoy, The Hill’s Chris Stirewalt writes.

How HUD is restoring fairness to housing, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner writes in The Hill.

Jimmy Kimmel attends the 2017 Scleroderma Foundation Benefit at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Chris Pizzello, Invision, Associated Press file)

And finally … Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is once again under fire for comments he made on his show, with both the president and first lady calling for him to be punished.

Kimmel commented during a sketch on Thursday, two days before the WHCA shooting, that first lady Melania Trump had the “glow” of an “expectant widow.” The first lady spoke out against Kimmel, calling him a “coward.”

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” the first lady said in a statement. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

The president followed up the statement with a call for Kimmel to be fired.

The controversy comes months after Kimmel was briefly suspended in the fall for comments he made after Kirk’s assassination, which he later apologized for.

Kimmel defended himself during his monologue for his Monday show, saying his comment was “a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am.”

“It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination. And they know that,” he said.

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