Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Today's top stories
The alleged gunman at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is scheduled to make his first court appearance today. While police have not formally identified the suspect, NPR confirmed the identity of 31-year-old Cole Allen with two people familiar with the investigation who aren't authorized to speak publicly. Authorities say Allen charged through a security perimeter at the Washington Hilton, where President Trump and other top administration officials were gathered for the annual event with journalists. Law enforcement arrested Allen before he could reach the ballroom. One Secret Service agent was shot in his protective vest and not seriously injured. Allen faces charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. Here's what we know about Allen so far.
- 🎧 NPR's Tamara Keith, who was in the ballroom at the time of the incident, describes what happened as tense and scary. She tells Up First that the shooting came at the end of a bad week for Trump politically. He is facing his lowest-ever approval ratings as the war with Iran drags on. Keith says that while this incident temporarily shifts the focus from these issues, it feeds into the unease she hears from voters about how chaotic and divided the country feels.
- 🎧 The investigation is still in the early stages. Authorities are still investigating his motive, NPR's Ryan Lucas says. A White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity told NPR that Allen's brother notified law enforcement a few minutes before the incident about a letter Allen had written and sent to family members. Allen's sister told law enforcement that her brother mentioned a plan to do something to address issues in today's world.
- ➡️ Take a look at the photos of the aftermath of the shooting.
- ➡️ Several NPR journalists, including Morning Edition's Michel Martin, were in the ballroom when the gunshots rang out. Martin recounts her experience to co-host Steve Inskeep. Read the accounts from other NPR journalists here.
- ➡️ During a press conference after the shooting, Trump said he does not think Allen's motive could be the war with Iran. The potential peace talks between Iran and the U.S. remain on hold.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in Washington today for a state visit commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaring independence from Britain. During their four-day trip, they will attend a state banquet hosted by Trump at the White House, and the King will address Congress. This visit comes at a low point in the relationship between the two allies, including disputes over the war in Iran and lingering controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Despite these challenges, many people hope that the visit will help ease tensions and strengthen the long-standing ties between the countries.
- 🎧 Polls show that the British people do not support the trip, NPR's Lauren Frayer says. Some U.K. politicians have called for the trip to be canceled. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wanted it to go forward, despite the president insulting him. Frayer attended a small protest at the palace gates. She spoke with protester Tom Walker, a member of a group called the Stop Trump Coalition. Walker says he doesn't want the king's visit to be seen as a show of support for Trump.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case that could transform digital privacy. At stake is a relatively new law enforcement technique known as geofencing, which allows police to tap into massive tech company databases to identify individuals who were near a crime scene. At the center of the case is the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches of people, their homes, papers and effects. A decision in the case is anticipated by summer. Watch NPR's Nina Totenberg break down how geofencing works, explain the incident that sparked the Supreme Court case and look into both sides of the argument.
Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to court today in a showdown between two tech world titans. Musk is suing Altman, alleging that Altman misled him when he transformed OpenAI from a non-profit entity into a for-profit powerhouse. OpenAI, now valued at nearly $1 trillion following the success of ChatGPT, was established in 2015 as a charity dedicated to benefiting humanity. According to statements OpenAI posted online, the founders, including Musk and Altman, quickly realized they needed to attract deep-pocketed investors, and the best way to do so was to create a for-profit company. After stepping down from OpenAI's board in 2018 due to potential conflicts with Tesla, Musk launched his own AI venture, xAI. Now, Musk is demanding that Altman and others return billions of dollars earned by the for-profit business to the part of OpenAI that is still not-for-profit.
Today's listen
A new project from the Marshall Project is highlighting music recorded in American prisons. Each week, the media organization — which reports on the American prison system — is releasing a song performed by an incarcerated person in its newsletter, Redemption Songs. Marshall Project staff writer Maurice Chammah was inspired after surfing eBay one day in 2014 and finding a listing for a record featuring music recorded by men incarcerated in Texas back in the '70s. The performance was part of an annual prison rodeo, where incarcerated people competed and provided comedy and music. "I was surprised that a lot of the songs, first of all, were very good. And then second of all, it was very fun and a lot lighter than you might think," Chammah said. This led him to reflect on how much prisons have changed and eventually to an idea with his Marshall Project colleagues. Listen to music by incarcerated people and learn about the project's goals.
Picture show
Southeast Asia is facing a critical environmental crisis, fueled by overfishing. The region produces over half of the world's fish. Since the 1950s, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that 70-95% of fish stocks in the region have been depleted and are at risk of collapse. The trend is exacerbated by the rise of industrial-scale fishing, much of which is illegal. But legal overfishing also factors in the crisis. The U.S. imports about 50% of its seafood from Asia, with China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India accounting for nearly $6.3 billion in trade, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This activity harms unique ecosystems and significantly impacts artisanal and small-scale fishers in the region. Check out these photos from three countries showing the complex issues associated with overfishing.
3 things to know before you go
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art is displaying the iconic bronze statue of fictional heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa inside the museum for the first time to commemorate the original film's 50th anniversary.
- The Smithsonian Institution has reopened its carousel. It was closed for nearly three years for restoration and refurbishment.
- Researchers have discovered evidence of colossal octopuses up to 60 feet long that hunted in the seas some 100 million years ago.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Copyright 2026 NPR