Over the weekend: Assassination plot against Trump; arson attack on PA governor; student visas revoked; Bernie and AOC in CA; Russia strikes Ukraine

Over the weekend, newly released records revealed another plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, this time by a teen who has been charged with the February murder of his own parents.

In Pennsylvania, the governor’s mansion was set on fire early on Sunday morning as the governor and his family slept. No one was hurt and damage was limited.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is keeping its promise to crackdown on radical campus activists, revoking dozens of student visas from foreign students at universities around the U.S.

Far left congressional lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, rallied against Trump in California on Saturday, even as the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is positioning himself as more moderate, likely in anticipation of a possible run for president. 

As Christians around the world celebrated Palm Sunday, a Russian missile strike killed 34 and injured 117 in the Ukrainian town of Sumy. 

Teen killed parents in plot to assassinate Trump   

A Waukesha, Wisconsin, teen has been charged in the shooting death of his parents as a part of a larger plot to assassinate the president and create a violent revolution, according to federal records unsealed on Friday. 

Nikita Casap, 17, created a three-page manifesto, with plans for bombing and other terror attacks to usher in the revolution, said the court documents, according to local WISN. 

According to a search warrant, authorities were told by a classmate of Casap’s that he had been in contact with a Russian speaking person about fleeing to Ukraine with assistance after the assassination, reported Fox News. 

“How long will I need to hide before I will be moved to Ukraine? 1-2 months?” Casap asked, according to the warrant. 

Arsonist arrested in firebombing of PA governor’s mansion 

A man from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is under arrest after allegedly setting fire early Saturday to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro was asleep with his family at the time of the blaze.  

Pennsylvania State police said that the man used homemade incendiary devices to set fires, reported Reuters. 

Police reportedly woke Shapiro and his family at 2 a.m.  

No one was injured in the blaze, but a few rooms in the executive mansion suffered significant damage, according to photos shared on X. 

Prior to the fire, Shapiro and his family celebrated a Seder supper at the mansion. It’s not clear if antisemitism was a motive in the crime. 

Cody Balmer, 38, is expected to be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, said local public radio WHYY.  

“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Shapiro told reporters who speculated which political party was more responsible for the arson attack, reported the local radio station. “I don’t give it a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another, it is not OK and it has to stop.”  

Members of the Trump administration also spoke out against the violence.  

“Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack,” said Vice President JD Vance via X. “Really disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice.”  

Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi thanked local law enforcement for “the police work that resulted in an arrest” so quickly after the attack. 

More student visas revoked as deportations continue 

Student visas for foreigners who have run afoul of the Trump administration policies against promoting anti-American activity continue to be revoked. 

Foreign students at a number of private southern universities, Ohio State University, Penn State, Northwest Missouri State University and several institutions in Massachusetts have been given orders by the State Department to leave the U.S. immediately or be subject to deportation proceedings, which could involve jail time, a fine and the permanent loss of the ability to apply for a new visa. 

The news comes as the Trump administration continues deporting illegal and other immigrants tied to gang activity in the U.S. to El Salvador’s harsh gang prison.  

“Last night, another 10 criminals from the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua Foreign Terrorist Organizations arrived in El Salvador,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio via X. “The alliance between @POTUS and [El Salvador’s] President @nayibbukele has become an example for security and prosperity in our hemisphere.” 

California’s radical left fawns over Bernie, AOC 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, drew big crowds in California, as he looked to rally leftist progressive opposition to the Trump administration. 

Sanders’ appearance in the Golden State was to push back against attempts to move to the center by prominent California Democrats such as Gov. Gavin Newsom, reported Politico.  

Joined by Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, tens of thousands of people turned out for an anti-Trump rally in Los Angeles that featured the aging Sanders. 

“We’re living in a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life,” Sanders said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. 

At the end of last week, a video mashup of Sanders making the same point on 10 occasions from 1993 to 2025 was widely circulated on X. 

Russian missile kills dozens in Ukraine 

A Russian ballistic missile strike killed 34 and injured 117 in the Ukrainian town of Sumy on Palm Sunday.  

Video from the Associated Press shows the missile slamming into a commercial street.  

Leaders around the world condemned the attack on civilians, with Trump calling the attack “terrible” and characterizing the strike as a “mistake” by Russia, according to Reuters.   

“These attacks show just what Russia’s supposed readiness for peace is worth,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on social media, reported Reuters.  

Trump’s Ukrainian peace envoy, Keith Kellogg, said the Russian attack crossed “any line of decency.” 

“There are scores of civilian dead and wounded,” said Kellogg, a retired Lt. General in the U.S. Army. “As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war.” 

Photo: Screenshot of slideshow via X