Politics – Headline Smart

Missing Senate Hopeful Found Dead in Remote Area

Barry Christian’s cause of death remains pending as state investigators review a crashed pickup found south of Erick. ERICK, Okla. — Barry Christian, a 54-year-old Republican candidate for Oklahoma Senate District 38, was found dead Thursday inside his pickup in a rural wildlife area south of Erick, state investigators and his campaign said. Christian’s death moved a missing-person case into a state investigation less than seven weeks before Oklahoma’s June 16 primary. The Oklahoma State …

State Rep. Dies in Fiery Plane Crash

Rep. Liz Conmy and pilot Joseph Cass died after the aircraft went down near Crystal Airport. BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — A North Dakota state legislator and a pilot were killed Saturday when a single-engine plane crashed and caught fire in a Brooklyn Park park shortly after taking off from Crystal Airport north of Minneapolis, authorities said. State Rep. Liz Conmy, 67, of Fargo, and Dr. Joseph Cass were identified by family members and colleagues as …

White House Dinner Shooter Identified as Teacher

Authorities said Cole Tomas Allen was armed with guns and knives outside the Washington Hilton ballroom. WASHINGTON — A 31-year-old California man was identified Sunday as the suspect in a shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, forced President Donald Trump from the stage and left a Secret Service officer recovering from a gunshot impact. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, was taken into custody Saturday night at the Washington Hilton after authorities …

Former Lt. Gov. Kills Wife, Then Himself, Police Say

Their two teenage children were home in Annandale during the overnight shooting, and one called 911. ANNANDALE, Va. — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, and then killed himself at the couple’s home shortly after midnight Thursday as their two teenage children were inside, Fairfax County police said. The deaths closed a violent chapter in a high-profile divorce and ended the public story of a onetime Democratic rising …

Trump Ousts DHS Chief Kristi Noem and Names a New Pick

President Donald Trump said Thursday he is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to run the department that oversees border security, immigration enforcement, disaster response and transportation screening. The shake-up comes after days of intense hearings on Capitol Hill and a widening dispute over a costly federal advertising campaign that featured Noem. It also lands as the Department of Homeland Security remains partly shut down in a funding …

Armed Suspect Shot Dead at Mar-a-Lago

U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an armed man early Sunday after authorities said he breached the secure perimeter outside Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s private club and residence, during a predawn confrontation near the property’s north gate. The shooting, which investigators said happened around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 22, 2026, triggered a multiagency review led by the FBI and renewed attention on security at a high-profile site …

Text Reignites Affair Claims Tied to Congressman Aide’s Fiery Death

A text message attributed to a former aide to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales has renewed allegations that the Texas Republican had an affair with the staffer months before she died by suicide in 2025, adding a volatile new dispute to an already competitive primary campaign. The allegations center on Regina Ann “Regi” Santos-Aviles, a district staffer who worked for Gonzales and died after an incident at her home in Uvalde. The San Antonio Express-News reported …

GOP Chair Waterboards Daughter as Punishment

A 54-year-old Utah man who leads a county Republican Party organization was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after investigators said his 16-year-old daughter reported he repeatedly pushed her head under water in a bathroom sink because her room was not clean enough. The case has drawn attention beyond this mountain town east of Salt Lake City because the suspect, David Nephi Johnson, is the chair of the Wasatch County Republican Party and the …

Candidate Ends Campaign After Daughter Stabbed to Death

A Minnesota Republican candidate for governor ended his campaign after his 22-year-old daughter was found stabbed to death in her St. Cloud apartment over the weekend, and her husband was taken into custody and charged with murder, authorities said. The death of Hallie Marie Tobler and the quick shift from a political race to a homicide investigation drew reactions from both parties across the state. Police said officers initially responded to what was reported as …

Librarian Arrested for Recruiting Online to Assassinate Trump

A Jackson County woman was arrested Sunday evening after investigators said she used social media to recruit people to assassinate President Donald Trump, a plan described in online posts that prompted a fast-moving inquiry and a single felony count of making a terroristic threat. Authorities identified the suspect as Morgan L. Morrow, 39, of Ripley. Sheriff Ross Mellinger said deputies and the Jackson County Bureau of Investigations tracked the posts over the weekend and took …