Cuneyt here, reporting after attending Saturday's dinner. First, here's what we know:

To breeze into the Washington Hilton on Saturday, all you needed was fancy attire and a paper ticket — less stringent requirements than big ballgames or even after-parties hosted by NBC and MS NOW, which required a QR code, our Mike Allen writes this morning.

• The suspect in the attack on the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was a guest of the hotel and sprinted through Secret Service magnetometers, with no sniper to stop him.

Why it matters: Six of the top seven officials in the presidential line of succession were in the ballroom. Yet the dinner wasn't a Secret Service-designated National Special Security Event — like the inauguration, Super Bowl, State of the Union or political conventions — which would have vastly hardened security.

• A Secret Service statement said: "The strength of our layered security posture was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures still ahead" before the gunman could reach the dais.

The latest: The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, called himself a "Friendly Federal Assassin" in writings sent to family members minutes before the attack.

• Officers tackled Allen to the ground after he sprinted through the security checkpoint, authorities said, and gunshots were fired.
• He's set to appear in D.C. Superior Court today.

Inside the room: I was sitting with my Axios colleagues near the back, eating our salads, when I heard chairs skidding across the floor. People dove under their tables.

• We ducked too — for what felt like 10 minutes — with no idea what was happening.
• I'm grateful for our ace global affairs reporter, Barak Ravid — just a couple of tables away — who did what he does every day: break news. With my back to the stage when the commotion started, I didn't have a clear view of where Trump was. I first learned from Barak's X post that he'd been escorted out.
• Afterward, reporters fanned out for interviews, in between comforting tablemates, trading nervous laughs, and trying to process what we'd just witnessed.

What's ahead: Trump wants the dinner back on within 30 days.

• But my colleague Sara Fischer explains why many media execs are skeptical about pulling it off: "Hundreds of corporate executives, diplomats and even celebrities fly in for the event, many with their own security teams and protocols."
• It takes months of planning and security prep, which Trump vows will be stronger next time.

Before the chaos, there were all the makings of the biggest Correspondents' Dinner weekend since the Obama years.

• MAGA bigwigs were mingling in Washington, while corporate sponsors helped fund a jam-packed party calendar.

🐣 At Tammy Haddad's classic Garden Brunch, you could find the likes of Gavin Newsom and Tony Dokoupil — plus Dr. Oz and Dr. Fauci, all near a booth of McDonald's McMuffins.

• New players put on a scene: Grindr's Friday night party at a Georgetown mansion had an hour-long line, as the new TMZ DC guys danced with Don Lemon.
• At Osteria Mozza, the United Talent Agency held an aperol-fueled bash, where content creators and Hollywood agents hobnobbed with a mix of media moguls — like Bari Weiss and Mehdi Hasan.

But after the aborted dinner, many went straight home, instead of hitting Saturday's after-party circuit.

• Those who did go out found more muted gatherings. At MS NOW's underground speakeasy, the likes of Van Jones and Kaitlan Collins chatted — near an almost-deserted dance floor.

🎈 At TIME's annual après-dinner at the Swiss Ambassador's residence, partiers snapped red-carpet pics and the DJ went past 3am.

• Along with drinks, many revelers gripped their phones, scrolling for updates and new images from the ballroom they'd just left.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla land in D.C. today — their first U.S. state visit as monarchs, timed to America's 250th.

The big picture: The royal visit was in question after Saturday's attack, and the King and Queen will arrive amid heightened security with minor adjustments to their schedule, per the BBC.

State of play: It's still unclear how their majesties' plans will change as they embark on a four-day sprint through D.C., New York and Virginia.

Today:

• Wheels down — and yes, tea is on the agenda. Trump and the first lady will greet the king and queen "informally," per Buckingham Palace.
• Then it's off to a garden party at the British ambassador's residence.
• Tonight: a formal White House welcome, complete with a ceremonial military review.

Tomorrow:

• Trump and King Charles hold a bilateral meeting, while the first lady hosts Queen Camilla.
• The king addresses a joint meeting of Congress — a rare honor. Queen Elizabeth II was the first monarch to do so, in 1991.
• The day wraps with a White House state dinner.

Zoom out: Before heading to New York, the royals will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, marking the military partnership between the U.K. and U.S.

Thursday shifts south to Virginia (location still under wraps), where the itinerary leans Americana.

More details

💬 D.C. Councilmember Robert White deleted and apologized for an X post he made after the WHCA dinner attack that said, "Looks like we need a curfew on the Correspondents Dinner," referencing recent juvenile curfews.

• "I should not have tried to make a point by referring to an incident of gun violence," said White, a candidate for D.C.'s delegate to Congress. (WTOP)

🏛️ The Reflecting Pool is being painted with a blue-tinted, "American Flag Blue" coating — among Trump's many revamps ahead of the nation's 250th.

• Preservationists warn the change could undermine the pool's historic design, making it look more like a "large lap pool," and bypassing the usual federal review. (Washington Post)

🥖 A French bistro is bound for the old Daily Grill space in Dupont, courtesy of restaurateur Hakan Ilhan (Brasserie Liberte). The restaurant, going into an office-to-residential conversion, will cost over $4 million to build out. (WBJ)

🐝 The South Lawn is abuzz about a new White House-inspired hive designed by a Virginia artisan. It's part of the first lady's newly expanded honey program.

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After studying Waymo's rollout in other cities, Councilmember Charles Allen is introducing a new bill to bring the robotaxis to D.C.

Why it matters: This legislation would be the path forward for driverless ridesharing in the nation's capital.

State of play: Allen's bill proposes guardrails around autonomous vehicles. For example, Allen wants to avoid what happened during a blackout in San Francisco last year, when Waymo vehicles bricked. The bill would require companies to have a backup power system.

• Companies would also be charged a "vehicle miles traveled" fee. It would apply to each AV operating in the city. The revenue would be split between funding Metro and supporting rideshare drivers facing job displacement.
• The fee aims to disincentivize companies from sending around empty robotaxis and making traffic worse, Allen says.

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