Law enforcement officials disrupted “planned attacks” meant to target the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend, and multiple people were in custody, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday (June 16, 2026).

The nature of the potential threat was not immediately disclosed, with additional details expected to be released once charges are unsealed later on Tuesday (June 16, 2026).

Five people were arrested from States including Ohio, Missouri and California, said a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public.

The FBI learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, “and thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Mr. Patel said in a post on X on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) morning.

The Secret Service “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.

President Donald Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event on Sunday (June 14, 2026), sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (May 24, 2026) that the gunman who opened fire on Secret Service officers outside the White House had a “violent history and possible obsession” with the building.

“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

A person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died, according to federal officials.

The U.S. Secret Service said in a statement late on Saturday (May 23, 2026) that, according to a preliminary investigation, the person approached a 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 transported to an area hospital, where he later died, according to the Secret Service.

A bystander was struck, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was struck by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.

Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump – who was at the White House at the time – was not “impacted.” Journalists working at the White House on Saturday (May 23) reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room.

(WIth inputs from AP)

A new White House rule issued Friday (October 31, 2025) restricts the ability of credentialed journalists to freely access the offices of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other top communications officials in the West Wing, near the Oval Office.

The new memorandum from the National Security Council bans journalists from accessing Room 140, also known as “Upper Press,” without a prior appointment, citing the need to protect potentially sensitive material. It said the change would take effect immediately.

The White House move follows restrictions put in place earlier this month for reporters at the Department of Defense, a move that prompted dozens of journalists to vacate their offices in the Pentagon and return their credentials.

The National Security Council said the change was made to protect sensitive material now being routinely handled by White House communications officials as a result of changes to the council.

“In order to protect such material, and maintain coordination between National Security Council Staff and White House Communications Staff, members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval in the form of an appointment with an authorized White House Staff Member,” the memo said.

Previously, credentialed White House journalists could access Room 140, which is a short hallway from the Oval Office, on short notice to speak with Leavitt, her deputy Steven Cheung and other senior officials.

“Some reporters have been caught secretly recording video and audio of our offices, along with pictures of sensitive info, without permission,” Mr. Cheung wrote in a post on X, adding that some reporters wandered into restricted areas, or eavesdropped on private, closed-door meetings.

“Cabinet Secretaries routinely come into our office for private meetings, only to be ambushed by reporters waiting outside our doors,” Mr. Cheung wrote.

Journalists can still access another area where lower-level White House spokespeople have desks, the council memo said.

The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents journalists covering the White House, said the new restrictions would hinder reporters’ ability to question officials, ensure transparency and hold government accountable.

“The White House Correspondents’ Association unequivocally opposes any effort to limit journalists from areas within the communications operations of the White House that have long been open for newsgathering, including the press secretary’s office,” said Weijia Jiang, current president of the group.

The administration of former President Bill Clinton announced a similar step in 1993, but later rescinded the measures after a storm of criticism.

The Trump administration months ago removed Reuters, the Associated Press and Bloomberg News from the permanent “pool” of reporters covering the president, although it allows those outlets to participate on a sporadic basis.

Friday’s announcement comes weeks after the crackdown on press access by the Defense Department, which now requires news outlets to sign a new policy or lose access to press credentials and Pentagon workspaces.

At least 30 news organizations, including Reuters, declined to agree to the Pentagon restrictions, citing a threat to press freedoms and their ability to conduct independent newsgathering.

The Pentagon policy requires journalists to acknowledge new rules on press access, including that they could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of unclassified information.

The White House on Monday (October 20, 2025) started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald Trump’s ballroom.

The Washington Post shared dramatic photos of the demolition work on its website showing a backhoe tearing through the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next door to the East Wing.

The clearing of trees and other site preparation work started in September.

The White House insists it does not need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for the demolition work, only for new construction. The commission is responsible for approving construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area. Its chairman is Will Scharf, who also is the White House staff secretary and a top aide to Trump.

The commission has not approved the construction and it was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans to the agency. The commission’s offices are closed because of the government shutdown.

The Republican President has said he’s adding a massive a 90,000-square-foot ballroom because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small and he does not like the idea of hosting events in pavilions on the South Lawn.

The ballroom will fit 999 people, Mr. Trump said last week.

The White House has said it will be completed before his term ends in January 2029.

The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday (August 19, 2025), taking advantage of the short video app’s more than 170 million U.S. users to spread the messages of President Donald Trump.

Mr. Trump has a soft spot for the popular app, crediting it with helping him gain support among young voters when he defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the November 2024 presidential election.

Lawmakers in Washington worry, however, that its U.S. user data could fall into the hands of China’s government. Mr. Trump has been working on a deal for U.S. investors to buy the app from TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance.

Past intelligence assessments have said the app’s owners are beholden to the Chinese government and that it could be used to influence Americans.

The new account, @whitehouse, went live on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) evening with an initial video showing footage of Mr. Trump as he declares: “I am your voice.”

“America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” the caption read.

The TikTok account Mr. Trump used for his presidential campaign last year, @realdonaldtrump, has more than 15 million followers. The Republican President also relies heavily on his Truth Social account to deliver his message and posts occasionally on his X account.

“The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“President Trump’s message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we’re excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before,” she said.

A 2024 law required TikTok to stop operating by January 19 of this year unless ByteDance had completed divesting the app’s U.S. assets or demonstrated significant progress toward a sale.

Mr. Trump opted not to enforce the law after he began his second term as President on January 20. He first extended the deadline to early April, then to June 19 and then again to September 17.

Extensions to the deadline have drawn criticism from some lawmakers, who argue the Trump administration is flouting the law and ignoring national security concerns related to Chinese control over TikTok.