Secret Service threat cases soar 40%

Threats against people the U.S. Secret Service protects are up about 40% from a year ago, the agency says, as it prepares for Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Why it matters: The increase is stretching Secret Service resources as agents devote more time to investigating threats against senior government officials.

Driving the news: "We are seeing a roughly 40% increase from this time compared to last year," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tells Axios.

"This is roughly 10,000 so far this year and we are a little over halfway through the year," he says.

Mental health interventions have increased tenfold from the same period last year, including referrals and both voluntary and involuntary commitments involving people encountered during its protective mission, he says.

The big picture: News of the surge comes ahead of Friday's White House Correspondents' Dinner. The original dinner was derailed after shots were fired in the D.C. building where President Trump was due to address the White House correspondents in April.

A 31-year-old California man, Cole Tomas Allen, faces charges including attempting to assassinate the president.

Context: In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service is tasked with protecting Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, former presidents, presidential candidates and foreign leaders visiting the U.S.

Go deeper: Timeline of shootings, threats against Trump over the years ...