Shots in Washington, shock in oil: UAE exit from Opec signals a new world order
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.It has been a bruising week for the news cycle, starting with gunfire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and ending with a geopolitical jolt from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).Let’s begin with Washington.President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior officials were rushed to safety after shots were heard outside the venue hosting the annual gathering of journalists and political leaders.
Security footage later showed the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, darting through a security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby, evading law enforcement before being subdued and arraigned.Was this an assassination attempt? US authorities appear to think so. The Justice Department has charged Allen with attempting to assassinate Trump.The episode raises uncomfortable questions about security around top US leaders.
Videos circulating online show Allen walking the hotel corridors a day earlier, apparently surveying the layout. Why that didn’t trigger alarms, especially with the president scheduled to be there, remains unclear.According to Fox News, this marks the fifth alleged attempt on Trump’s life, dating back to a July 2024 incident during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The image of Trump raising a defiant fist, blood streaking from his ear as Secret Service agents surrounded him, became one of the defining visuals of that election cycle—one he went on to win decisively.Four US presidents have been assassinated in office; several others have survived attempts. Whether such incidents shape political fortunes is harder to say.
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