A rainbow of colored lights used to illuminate the Kennedy Center and cast a reflection of joy and pride in the water. But once President Donald Trump took over as its new chairman and replaced most of the board with loyalists, the center’s programming began to change. No longer friendly to those celebrating LGBTQ+ rights or culture, the Kennedy Center has quietly canceled a week’s worth of events for this summer’s World Pride festival. Some events, such as the display of parts of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, plan to move to different venues.
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1. Iran explosion
The cause of a massive explosion that rocked the Shahid Rajaee port dock near Bandar Abbas in Iran over the weekend is still unknown. At least 40 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured when an area filled with shipping containers caught fire and exploded, sending a huge plume of thick smoke into the air. The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said the blast was likely sparked by containers of chemicals, but did not name which ones. The Customs Administration of Iran blamed a “stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials stored in the port area.” Reports of the possible presence of a chemical used to make missile propellant remain unconfirmed. Some experts suggested more mundane chemicals might explain the explosion. As investigators search for answers, a state of emergency has been declared due to increased air pollution caused by the blast.
2. Vancouver attack
A man who crashed into a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. Police said Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was driving a black Audi SUV just after 8 p.m. local time when he allegedly plowed into a large crowd of people attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival, a celebration of Filipino culture. At least 11 people, ranging in age from 5 to 65, were killed and dozens more were injured, some critically. “The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety. It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual,” Vancouver Police interim chief Steve Rai said. Although no motive has been released, police said there was no indication the incident was an act of terrorism. Further charges are anticipated in the case.
3. Immigration
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown kicked into high gear over the weekend with hundreds of arrests. On Friday, the FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan and charged her with allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant in her courtroom avoid arrest. Over a four-day period, ICE and Florida law enforcement agencies detained nearly 800 people who were allegedly undocumented immigrants. More than 100 people who were accused of being in the country without proper documentation were arrested in Colorado Springs after a raid at an underground nightclub. Amid these mass arrests, staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency are reportedly building a master database of sensitive data gleaned from the IRS, Social Security and Health and Human Services, among other government agencies. Trump officials said the database will help create “targeting lists” that can be used to find, detain and deport migrants.
4. Harvard
Just days into his second term, President Trump began directing America’s elite universities to make major policy changes under the auspices of fighting antisemitism. Since then, his administration has taken punitive actions against Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern and others for not fully adapting to his priorities. But Harvard refused the government’s demands to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies, audit the viewpoints of students, faculty and staff, and alter rules for on-campus protests — even with the threat of losing federal funding. Instead, the nation’s oldest university sued the Trump administration, claiming such threats were a violation of the First Amendment as well as “arbitrary and capricious.” Both sides will make their first appearance in a Boston court today. The judge is expected to set deadlines for the government to provide documentation showing its internal deliberations behind the funding freeze.
5. Noem theft
A man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a high-end Gucci purse belonging to Kristi Noem. The Department of Homeland Security secretary was eating dinner with her family at a Washington, DC, restaurant on Easter when the suspect allegedly sat at the table next to hers and took the bag. Inside was a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, her DHS access badge, a makeup bag, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash. The Secret Service also arrested a second person in Miami who was described as a co-conspirator. “We have also determined that this incident had no protective nexus to Secretary Noem or her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. The investigation revealed alleged criminal activity, including potential device and credit card fraud,” Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool said.
THIS JUST IN
1 dead after boat crashes into ferry in Florida
A recreational boat collided with a ferry carrying 45 people in Clearwater on Sunday and then fled the scene, police said. At least one person was killed in the collision and several others were injured.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Model school to close
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, opened a tuition-free school for low-income families in the Bay Area in 2016. Last week, the Primary School announced it will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Parents were reportedly told that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the couple’s philanthropy, had pulled its funding.
A Warhol in the wastebasket?
A 1980s Andy Warhol print depicting the Netherlands’ then-Queen Beatrix has disappeared along with an art collection that was stored in a Dutch town’s basement during a renovation. Left unprotected, the print and 45 other works were possibly tossed in the trash.
Eugenio’s big turnaround
Eugenio Suárez has struggled at the plate recently, and now he’s in the record books. Over the weekend, the 33-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman became just the 19th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. He is the first player in nearly eight years to do so.
Buy the Bard’s First Folio
If you can afford it, of course. A set of the first four editions of William Shakespeare’s collected works is going up for auction in May. It’s the first time since 1989 that all four folios have been offered as a single lot. Sotheby’s auction house expects the set to sell for up to $6 million.
The secret life of pangolins
These small and adorable mammals are one of the most trafficked animals in the world. Now, an Oscar-winning director hopes to teach the world more about them with his documentary, “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey.”
IN MEMORIAM
Virginia Giuffre, survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex crimes, dies
Giuffre, 41, publicly alleged Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with his friends, including Britain’s Prince Andrew, when she was a teenager. She also claimed the prince was aware she was underage; he denies this. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” her family said in a statement. “She was the light that lifted so many survivors.”
Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US, call or text 988, for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.
TODAY’S NUMBER
121,000
That’s at least how many federal employees have been fired or laid off so far this year. These charts put those losses into context.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“Online bullying is getting more toxic, and I think that somebody needs to call it out. It’s shocking to read some of the vile things that people write, there just seems to be this whole online movement where people think that it’s OK to say these things that they would never have the courage to say to people in real life; or absolutely shouldn’t.”
— British racing driver Katherine Legge, who has been inundated with thousands of hateful messages, death threats, vulgar and inappropriate comments since she entered NASCAR in March.
TODAY’S WEATHER
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AND FINALLY …
From the conclave to smoke signals
How is a new pope chosen? The process is a combination of ancient tradition and politics.