Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🚨 Shooter targets Trump
• 🍿 Michael sets box office record
• 🤯 First sub-2-hour marathon

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.50-minute read (931 words).

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"It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards."

–Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

On Saturday night, a gunman charged through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C. and opened fire, prompting a rapid response from Secret Service agents that involved the evacuation of top officials and canceling the event.

What we know so far

The suspect, a 31-year-old teacher and Caltech grad armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, ran through a security area at the Washington Hilton and toward the ballroom before being intercepted by Secret Service agents.

• During the encounter, the suspect opened fire and struck one officer, who was protected by a bullet-resistant vest and not seriously injured.
• The suspect was targeting President Trump and administration officials, according to a ~1,000-word document the authorities have tied to the man, which Trump described as a “manifesto” in an online post.

Many high-level officials were in attendance. President Trump and First Lady Melania were present at the White House Correspondents Dinner for the first time in Trump’s 5+ years of being president, along with Vice President JD Vance.

Other top US officials at the dinner include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—all of whom are directly in line to succeed the US President.

The incident comes amid rising political violence

Saturday night’s shooting is the latest example of political violence across the US in recent years, a list that includes two assassination attempts on Trump in 2024, as well as the killings of Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

• The Washington Hilton hotel itself has also been the site of similar past violence: in 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan outside the hotel and injured three others.
• Security is typically heightened for the annual dinner when the President attends, with multiple layers designed to control access and protect those inside. Officials said those measures worked as intended in this case, noting the suspect was stopped before reaching the ballroom.

Looking ahead… Trump says he hopes to reschedule the White House Correspondents Dinner within the next 30 days. The president has also called for unity and bipartisan healing, a message echoed by lawmakers across party lines. The suspected shooter is set to appear in court today, as the federal investigation into the incident continues.

📊 Flash poll: Which of the following best describes your opinion of political violence in America today?

• It’s one of the top issues in America
• It’s a pretty big issue
• It’s a minor issue
• It’s not an issue

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Familia Morgan is crafted with hand-picked grapes, barrel-fermentation, and delivered direct from the winery. It's the kind of bottle that outperforms everything else on the table.

The 2025 microvinification batches have just come out of a year in oak and are close to release. Until then, the 2019 and 2020 Reservas are ready for your guests.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 Intel stock rose 23.6% on Friday—its best day since 1987—following strong earnings report, as S&P 500 (+0.8%) and Nasdaq (+1.6%) both set new record highs.
• 🤖 Google to invest up to $40 billion in Claude-maker Anthropic; pact involves a $10 billion initial investment in the AI giant, with up to $30 billion more based on performance milestones.
• 📝 Busiest earnings slate of the season kicks off today, with five of “Magnificent Seven” Big Tech companies set to report this week.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎥 Michael breaks opening weekend box office record for a biopic, earning $97 million domestically and $217 million globally; it’s the second-biggest domestic debut so far this year.
• 📺 Helena Bonham Carter leaves The White Lotus Season 4 days into shooting, with the creative team citing a “misalignment” between her character and the actress’ portrayal.
• ⚾ Boston Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora amid wider coaching staff shakeup; Boston is off to a 10-17 start and already 8 games behind the first-place Yankees. | 🏈 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-7 were held across Friday and Saturday, with host city Pittsburgh setting a new attendance record; check out full draft grades for each team.

When you try meditation and your mind goes everywhere, it’s easy to feel like you’re doing it wrong. Mindful offers expert-led guided meditations that prompt you with breathwork and simple cues, so you can follow along without wondering what to do next.

Each 12-minute session is structured for real life, so you can sit down, press play, and be done—no pressure to do it perfectly or stick with it longer than you can.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🫄 Simultaneous exposure to toxic chemicals and climate change impacts like increased heat stress likely contribute to the broad global drop in fertility seen across many countries, new study suggests.
• 🍄 FDA is fast-tracking its review of three companies studying psilocybin—the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms"—for treating depression and other mental health conditions.
• 🧠 Between 7-8 hours of sleep is the sweet spot for minimizing dementia risk, per new study; researchers also find prolonged sitting (8+ hours/day) and low physical activity (<150 mins/week) are also linked to a significant increase in dementia risk.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: President Trump cancels planned trip to Pakistan by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for another round of peace negotiations with Iran; a second round of mine-laying by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz has complicated any near-term path to reopening the waterway, with unconfirmed reports saying it could take up to six months to clear the mines.
• 🏛️ Department of Justice drops criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, clearing the path toward Senate confirmation for President Trump's replacement pick, Kevin Warsh.
• 🔥 Wildfires across Georgia have destroyed 50+ homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate amid historically dry conditions; no major injuries have been reported so far.

👆 Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday with a blistering time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, becoming the first athlete in history to run a sub-2-hour marathon—a barrier long considered untouchable. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also dipped under that historical mark while running his first marathon ever, finishing second with a time of 1:59:41.

🤔 Did you know? While dead bones are dry and brittle, living bones are wet, soft, and slightly flexible, which allows them to absorb pressure and not snap. Living bones are made up of about 20%-30% water by volume.

📰 Worth a read: Creating baby geniuses to thwart the AI threat? (Yes, really.)

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Can money buy happiness? (12 min video)
• New Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar flavor is exclusive to Costco
• The split-sides of GenZ

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On Friday, we covered how the LA Unified School District, the second-largest in America at 500,000+ students, became the first major US school district to formally limit classroom screen time.

❓ Our question to you: Do you support or oppose with LAUSD’s new plan to limit classroom screen time and de-emphasize the use of devices in school?

• Support: 84%
• Oppose: 6%
• Unsure/other: 10%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 604 votes and 67 longform responses.

Monday: UK’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin first state visit to US as monarchs

Tuesday: Visa, Coca-Cola, T-Mobile report earnings

Wednesday: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears before House committee in first hearing since Iran war began; Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta report earnings

Thursday: US gov’t publishes Q1 GDP figures; Controversial surveillance law set to expire without act of Congress; Apple, Eli Lilly, Mastercard report earnings

Friday: May 1st; The Devil Wears Prada 2 debuts in theaters; Exxon Mobil, Chevron report earnings

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Amic
2. Carn
3. Equ
4. Grat
5. Loc

🎪 Linda Jarrett, aka the “Unicycle Granny,” was recently re-crowned the world’s oldest unicycle rider at 69 years and 189 days old. Her latest professional ride took place during a 2025 Nutcracker show, her latest in a nearly six-decade career.

1. Amic = Friend (e.g., amicable)
2. Carn = Flesh (carnivore)
3. Equ = Even (equal)
4. Grat = Thank (gratitude)
5. Loc = Place (local)

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