Police Identify Dallas Mall Shooter

Police have identified Mauricio Garcia as the man who killed eight people and wounded seven others at a suburban Dallas shopping mall this weekend. Garcia, who wore body armor and carried multiple weapons, was shot dead by police during the incident.

Witnesses say the shooter pulled up in front of the outlet mall and began firing at shoppers on the sidewalk. Police responded quickly, and efforts to evacuate shoppers were posted on Twitter. (Watch here, discretion advised).

Very little is known about the assailant. FBI agents searched his motel room and spoke with his family at the Dallas home where Garcia, 33, lived with his parents. In Washington, the White House called again for an “assault weapons” ban.

Seven Dead Horses Overshadow Surprise Derby Win

Mage, a 15-1 long shot, won a troubled Kentucky Derby this weekend after the favorite, Forte, was scratched the morning of the race due to “state veterinary concerns.”

The Derby went on despite the deaths of seven thoroughbreds the week of the race, including two horses being put down after being injured in undercard races that day.

Race officials are continuing to investigate the unprecedented spate of deaths. The Derby itself boasted an exciting finish on Saturday; watch here if you missed it.

Biden Falls to New Low in National Poll

President Biden’s approval ratings have fallen to 36%, a new low for his presidency, according to a Washington Post-ABC News survey. The share of those who strongly disapprove went up to 47%.

The same poll found Donald Trump leading Biden in a head-to-head matchup by 6 points, with 44 percent for Trump and 38 percent for Biden.

Biden faces a continuing set of problems as he pivots to the election, including the fallout from a brace of investigations into his son Hunter Biden’s activities. White House advisors say they worry about the toll this could take on the 80-year-old president.

➤ Robert Kennedy Jr. will make his debut as a presidential candidate at a Bitcoin conference in Miami this month. Kennedy is a prominent champion of cryptocurrency, though many Democrats have backed away from the industry after several high-profile failures. (More)

➤ President Biden named Neera Tanden as his new domestic policy advisor to replace outgoing Susan Rice. Republican senators had blocked the politically combative Tanden from being named head of the Office of Management and Budget, but her new role doesn’t require Senate approval. (More)

➤ The California reparations task force, as expected, approved a plan that could provide payments of up to $1.2 million to every qualifying Black resident. The state still has to vote on the plan; the amount of reparation payments could exceed California’s total annual budget several times over. (More)

➤ Newton Minow, the former FCC Chairman who famously labeled TV “a vast wasteland,” died at age 97. He made his iconic remark in 1961 at an annual meeting of broadcasters, after daring them to sit through a day of their own TV programming. (More)

➤ Tiger Woods has been accused of sexual harassment in a court filing by his ex-girlfriend, Erica Herman. Herman is seeking $30 million in damages, claiming the golfing legend forced her to either sign a non-disclosure agreement or be fired from her job at his restaurant. (More)

➤ Vida Blue, legendary Hall-of-Fame pitcher and Cy Young award winner, died at age 73. He won three world series rings with the Oakland Athletics and later played for the S.F. Giants and Kansas City Royals. (More)

➤ Bronny James, a top high school basketball player and son of Lakers’ superstar LeBron James, has announced he’ll attend USC, joining his father in Los Angeles. The younger James is the first member of the family to attend college, his father said. (More)

Market Report   Previous Week

➤ Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway posted a $35.5 billion first-quarter profit, largely on its investment in Apple. At its annual shareholder’s meeting, Buffett criticized the government’s handling of the ongoing regional bank crisis. (More)

➤ Adidas says its options are narrowing to find a solution for $1.3 billion worth of unsold Yeezy sneakers, left behind in stacks of crates after the company split with Yeezy founder Kanye West. The company hasn’t ruled out simply destroying the shoes. (More)

➤ Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss says the new Academy Award diversity standards “make me want to vomit.” The new rules require that specific diversity quotas must be met for any movie to be nominated for an Oscar in key categories. (More)

➤ New research promises hope for patients suffering from degenerative retinal disease. Canadian scientists have discovered a genetic fix for people suffering a retinal degeneration that can lead to blindness. (More)

➤ Mars may have had salt water on its surface as recently as 400,000 years ago, much later than scientists had believed. The new findings could help guide future missions to find life on Mars. (More)

➤ British scientists have named a new genus of butterfly after the villain Sauron from the popular “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. They chose the name “Saurona” because black rings on the insect’s orange wings resembled the “All-Seeing Eye” described in J.R.R Tolkien’s books. (More)

➤ Seven people were killed in Brownsville, Texas after a car ran into pedestrians Sunday morning. Six others were injured. Details are sketchy, but police say a male suspect was in custody. (More)

➤ Ukraine’s air force shot down one of Russia’s modern hypersonic missiles using the just-acquired American Patriot defense system. It’s the first time Ukraine has been able to intercept that level of missile. (More)

➤ Frontier Airlines accidentally flew a Jacksonville-bound passenger to Jamaica because of confusion over a last-minute gate change. Worse, the passenger had no passport so couldn’t leave the plane at all. (More)

Today’s Trivia

Of the 15 presidents from World War II to the present, which had the lowest approval ratings ever?