A 24-year-old Kansas man has been arrested after allegedly making online calls for President Donald Trump to be shot, officials said.

Jaden J. Read of Clearwater was arrested on Saturday, two days after authorities received a tip about a series of disturbing Facebook posts concerning Trump’s planned visit to Wichita on Monday, according to the Department of Justice.

Federal prosecutors said the investigation began on October 15, when a person contacted Crime Stoppers about comments Read had posted beneath a KAKE News report detailing the president’s scheduled October 19 appearance.

In one alleged post, Read urged someone to shoot Trump, writing, “Let’s shoot Trump honestly, where’s our shooter? I’m tired of living this money life.”

Prosecutors allege that Read later claimed in the comments that he had obtained ammunition and threatened to kill the president.

“I just got a 308 and 305 round and I’m killing this pedo,” Read allegedly wrote.

Investigators later found additional comments Read allegedly made on October 17 beneath a separate KWCH 12 News report about Trump’s Wichita visit.

According to prosecutors, Read said he would shoot the president himself, claimed to know where Trump would speak and said he had already identified nearby rooftops.

“Can we shoot him in Kansas please I will myself,” Read allegedly wrote.

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A minute later, he allegedly added: “IK where your speech will be. Already mapped out roofs around. Finna get kirked since yall couldn’t help him.”

The posts triggered a federal investigation and led to Read’s arrest in Clearwater on October 17.

He remains in federal custody while awaiting a detention hearing.

Read has been charged federally with threatening the president, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

Ryan A Kriegshauser, the US attorney for Kansas, said the case demonstrated that political disagreements do not justify threats of violence.

He added that Americans have the right to express strong political views, but that freedom of expression has legal boundaries.

The Secret Service, US Marshals Service, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita Police Department are participating in the investigation.

Read’s reference to rooftops echoes the location used by Thomas Matthew Crooks when he shot at Trump on July 13, 2024.

Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle at Trump just moments after he took the stage. 

The president’s right ear was wounded, and a rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, died. Two others were injured. 

A Louisiana State University student and her firefighter fiancé, who were high school sweethearts, were killed early Sunday when a woman allegedly drove off the road and struck them as they walked along the shoulder.

The Baton Rouge Police Department identified the victims as 21-year-old Leah Fonte and 21-year-old Shane Hirstius, who were engaged. Mia Dawson, 20, was arrested in connection with the crash and faces charges of operating while impaired, reckless operation of a vehicle, hit-and-run driving, vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injuring.

According to officials, Dawson veered off the roadway at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday and hit Fonte and Hirstius as they walked along the right shoulder.

Fonte was pronounced dead at the scene. Hirstius was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

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The River Ridge Volunteer Fire Department remembered Hirstius in a Facebook post, writing: “Shane was much more than a firefighter. He was a person with an enormous heart, an unforgettable smile, and a genuine passion for helping others.”

“He gave 110% of himself to his responsibilities as a first responder, always willing to step forward when someone needed help. His dedication, compassion, and commitment to serving others represented the very best of what it means to be a firefighter,” the department said.

Fonte was a senior at LSU, where she was studying biological sciences, the university said in a statement.

“On behalf of the LSU System and all nine of the institutions that make up our LSU family, we send sincere condolences to the Fonte family as they learn of Leah’s passing,” LSU President Wade Rousse said. “We pray that God will comfort those she loved during this time of reflection and mourning.”

Federal officials say the man accused of shooting a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., had a significant criminal record, including convictions for attacking police officers and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The U.S. Marshals Service identified the suspect Monday as 41-year-old Jerrell Jackson. The shooting occurred around 11:15 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of 8th Street SE, where troops were responding to a street fight.

According to the agency, Jackson previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. He also had three parole violations.

Court records reviewed by News Media indicate that Jackson has been involved in at least 13 criminal cases or arrests in the District since 2004. The allegations included gun and drug offenses, assault, threats and unlawful entry. Some matters ended in convictions, while others were dismissed or handled through diversion programs.

“We are praying this National Guard member has a quick and speedy recovery,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement to News Media. “The suspect in the shooting has a lengthy rap sheet including two counts of assault of a police officer, illegally carrying a pistol, and multiple parole violations.”

The Guard member suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was later discharged from the hospital.

The incident began when at least two men started fighting outside a local business. National Guard members intervened, and at least one of the men opened fire.

Guard members returned fire, striking Jackson in the abdomen, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Jackson was transported to a separate hospital for medical treatment.

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Authorities found a firearm in an alley beside the scene, along with at least 14 shell casings. Officials said no additional suspects remained at large, and no other Guard members or civilians were hurt.

The U.S. Marshals Service and the National Guard declined to release the wounded service member’s identity, citing privacy protections and the continuing investigation.

The shooting occurred as the Trump administration highlights the efforts of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, a coalition comprising more than 20 federal and local agencies, as well as the National Guard.

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The Marshals Service said the task force has made more than 18,000 arrests, confiscated nearly 2,200 illegal firearms and helped return 28 missing children to their homes.

Bis said the task force has contributed to a decline in violent crime across the nation’s capital.

“Thanks to the President’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force violent crime in the city has drastically decreased,” Bis said. “D.C. residents and visitors are thankful for all the Task Force has done to drive down crime and make our nation’s capital safe again.”

Donald Trump has launched a sharp attack on Fox News, accusing the network of spending more time defending Democrats than presenting Republican perspectives.

The former president issued the broadside Monday morning as he prepared to travel to Wichita for a campaign rally supporting vulnerable Republican Senator Roger Marshall ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

“Fox spends more time defending Dumocrats, and putting on their views versus their Republican opponent, than at any time in the history of Fox News,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It’s ridiculous!”

He added: “Fox News is trying too hard to be politically correct! Watch my big Kansas Rally today on RSBN [Right Side Broadcast Network]. Great early coverage!”

The complaint is the latest in a series of attacks Trump has directed at the network in less than three weeks. Fox News has long been regarded as a central media platform for his MAGA movement.

The latest string of criticism began on September 30, when Trump questioned why Fox had featured Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Jessica Tarlov and “every Democrat” discussing what he said were negative views of the Republican Party and himself.

Several days later, he accused Fox & Friends of overlooking his “packed house” rally in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump claimed the program spends too much time interviewing “Communists, Socialists, and Dumocrats, often without rebuttal.”

He renewed the criticism on October 6, labeling Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn a “sleazebag” and faulting Martha MacCallum for what he considered overly sympathetic treatment of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. “She never interviews me like that,” he said.

“Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA,” Trump wrote. “They have totally lost their way!”

The Daily Mail has contacted Fox News for comment.

Trump’s latest attacks came after Fox’s polling showed his approval rating had fallen to 36 percent, a low for his second term, while 64 percent of voters disapproved of his performance. The survey also found Democrats holding a nine-point advantage over Republicans heading into the midterms.

Republicans are widely expected to lose control of the House, while their Senate majority is also facing a serious challenge.

The latest model from election forecaster Nate Silver gives Democrats a 75 percent chance of taking control of the Senate. They would need to gain four seats overall to capture the chamber.

Marshall’s Kansas seat is among those considered vulnerable. The Republican is locked in a close race with Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor from Overland Park.

Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. However, the Cook Political Report shifted the contest to toss-up status earlier this month.

Trump has endorsed Marshall, describing him in a Truth Social post last week as “great” and “a wonderful person.” He also said the senator had received a “bum rap” because he was legally required to seek repayment for money owed by patients.

Marshall, an OB-GYN who practiced in Great Bend for two decades before entering Congress, sued more than 700 of his patients over unpaid medical bills, the New York Times revealed last month.

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The senator has dismissed the report as a Democrat-planted hit job, insisting only ‘a very small, small, small fraction of the unpaid bills even went to collections.’

Trump’s Fox tirade comes as Republicans brace for potentially catastrophic losses next month, with GOP strategists and leaders already pointing fingers at each other, and even at the president.

House Republicans are blaming the Senate. Senators are privately pointing at Trump. And vulnerable candidates are lashing out at their own party committees.

‘If it happens, there will be plenty of blame to go around,’ New Jersey Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew warned of the impending losses, per Politico.

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey released Sunday put Trump’s approval even lower than Fox’s, at 33 percent of US adults, with 66 percent disapproving and 52 percent strongly disapproving.

The finger-pointing follows a string of alarming internal polls that reportedly show Republicans in danger not only in traditional battlegrounds, but in once-safe red districts.

Particularly infuriating for House members is the Senate map, where Republicans have been forced to dump eye-watering sums into races they never expected to defend.

The leading Senate GOP super PAC and Trump’s MAGA Inc. have spent nearly $200 million trying to rescue Ken Paxton in Texas, where he is locked in an unexpectedly tight battle against Democrat James Talarico.

Trump has already decided who will take the blame if Paxton falls.

‘If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of weak and ineffective Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove,’ he wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.

‘All of this money that was expected to go to the House, for the most part, is now being wasted on the Senate because they f****d up so bad,’ one national GOP operative fumed, per Politico.

But some Republicans believe the real problem sits in the White House.

Retiring Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon told Politico that Trump’s weak polling and high unfavorable ratings are dragging down GOP candidates, while others privately blame his tariffs and the Iran war for anger over rising costs.

Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna has turned her fire on the National Republican Congressional Committee, accusing party leaders of getting distracted by internal leadership jockeying.

‘I am also getting calls from members wondering what is going on at the @NRCC,’ Luna wrote on social media.

‘Sounds to me like some in leadership need to focus on winning races instead of gaming their next steak donor dinner,’ she added.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy has mocked National Republican Senatorial Committee consultants, telling reporters last month he trusts his own reading of the polls over strategists because all they care about is ‘buying Porsches.’

Kennedy also said he plans to spend $5 million to $8 million from his own campaign war chest in states he sees as crucial to holding the Senate.

Trump allies are now warning candidates that attacking Democrats may no longer be enough, urging them to hammer a positive economic message on how they will lower living costs.

NRSC chairman Tim Scott remains defiant, telling reporters on a press call earlier this month that he expects his party to hold its Senate majority and possibly expand it.

President Donald Trump said Ukraine should consider replacing President Volodymyr Zelensky as its chief negotiator if it wants to bring its war with Russia to an end.

Trump pointed back to his highly contentious February 2025 Oval Office meeting with Zelensky, during which he warned the Ukrainian president that his country was losing the war and remained in a strong position largely because of U.S. military assistance.

“Ukraine could have had this thing settled a long time ago,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn before departing for Kansas on a campaign trip. “If he would have listened to me, and you remember the Oval Office, he would have had to settle a long time ago.”

“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump added.

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Trump also said he was open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month while visiting China for the ASEAN meeting.

His remarks suggested that his patience with Kyiv had run out and that he believed the United States had already provided sufficient support to Ukraine.

“We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us. Remember that,” Trump said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

As footage of burning vehicles and damaged historic buildings in France and Italy spreads across Europe, Hungary and Poland are using the unrest to sharpen a broader political argument about migration rather than focusing solely on the disorder itself.

Both countries have established some of Europe’s toughest positions on accepting migrants. Hungary, under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was fined and sanctioned by European Union courts for refusing to participate in the bloc’s migration arrangements, while Poland also faced EU sanctions in 2025 over its policies.

The latest available Eurostat data indicate that France had nearly 10 million foreign-born residents in 2025, compared with roughly 7 million in Italy. Poland recorded about 1 million, while Hungary had fewer than 700,000. Most foreign-born residents in Hungary came from elsewhere in the European Union, and approximately half of Poland’s foreign-born population originated in Ukraine.

Following the violence, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote on X that “Europe can count on Hungary.” He argued that the destruction should make clear why Budapest supports the strictest possible migration controls, adding that his government would not dilute its border security or immigration rules “under any pressure.”

It is a sentiment echoed by Magyar’s Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk posted: “Poland will not repeat the mistakes of other European countries, nor will it pay for them,” he wrote on Sunday night. “We are firmly defending the border against illegal migration, we have our own asylum policy (we do not accept applications), we deport those who break Polish law. On security issues, we will be relentless.” 

Daniel Schatz, a Sweden-based political scientist, told News Media that images of torched buildings and ransacked stores are increasingly being turned into political messaging across Europe. For leaders advocating stricter immigration rules, he said, the message to domestic voters is straightforward: “This is what we intend to prevent.” In his view, scenes of disorder can resonate more powerfully than lengthy policy speeches.

Eurostat’s most recent crime figures show that France recorded 304,900 police-reported offenses in 2024, among the highest totals in the European Union. Italy registered 142,600, while Poland reported 57,300 and Hungary 28,600—figures that placed the two Central European countries among the bloc’s lowest. Eurostat’s 2023 measure of how many people experienced crime or vandalism in their neighborhoods showed a similar pattern: around 20% in France, 14% to 17% in Italy, 7% to 8% in Poland and 6% to 7% in Hungary.

Boštjan Udovič, chair of international relations at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Social Sciences in Slovenia, said Central and Eastern European countries commonly interpret the unrest in France through the lens of immigration, particularly concerns about the integration and adaptation of newcomers.

Schatz said Magyar and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are also sending a message to Brussels: supporting Europe does not necessarily mean endorsing liberal migration policies. Magyar has portrayed the turmoil in France as evidence supporting his approach, while Tusk’s warnings about avoiding the mistakes of other nations point in a similar direction.

After last week’s European Council meeting, Magyar said the summit demonstrated that most European governments had “woken up” and wanted to move away from what he called the permissive policies of the past. He added that leaders hoped they had not waited too long.

“The Europe we all love is in serious trouble today,” Magyar said, expressing solidarity with the French people. He described protecting the continent for future generations as a shared responsibility and said Europe should remain a safe and exceptional place for children and grandchildren.

Schatz said Magyar and Tusk do not need to draw on the legacy of Polish King Jan Sobieski, whose allied forces defeated the Ottoman army during the 1683 siege of Vienna—a moment often framed as the defense of Christian Europe—to present themselves as the continent’s guardians. Today, he said, burning buildings offer a more immediate visual backdrop for that political narrative.

Udovič said the positions taken by Magyar and Tusk were unsurprising. Central and Eastern European nations often connect their EU membership to strongly defined national identities, he explained, shaped by histories of independence movements. Against that background, he said, it would be unrealistic to expect them to quickly embrace a fully multiethnic model of society.

“This is ‘all politics is local’ playing out across borders,” Schatz said. “The streets are French or Italian; the voters being addressed are Hungarian or Polish.” Udovič added that Tusk was moving into a kind of pre-election period in which migration is likely to become an increasingly important issue.

Poland’s next parliamentary election is slated for Nov. 2027, and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a possible Tusk opponent, is echoing his successor’s remarks. “France is burning, and we must be wise before the harm is done,” Morawiecki posted to X Monday morning. He added that his new center-right political coalition, Rozwoj Plus, “has a package of comprehensive solutions that will allow Poland to be not only prosperous, but also the safest country in the world!” 

Á. Félix Debrenti, a former official in Viktor Orbán’s government and a current Hungarian Atlantic Council board member, said firm immigration restrictions continue to enjoy broad public support in Hungary.

He said, “Magyar understands that abandoning Orbán’s tough approach to immigration and border protection could cost him significant political support, particularly at a time when his party is already facing growing pressures.”

He said, “Taking a strong position on immigration allows Magyar to shift public attention away from the government’s domestic challenges and onto an issue where there is a broad national consensus,” Debrenti continues. “All this comes just days before Oct. 23… when Hungarians commemorate the 1956 Revolution and the fight for freedom against Soviet oppression.”

Touching on the protests, Magyar posted: “Let there be no doubt: peaceful and lawful protest is one thing; vandalism and violence are quite another. The former is a fundamental right; the latter is a serious crime.”