A shooter opened fire during morning Mass for a Catholic school in Minneapolis this morning, killing two children.

• 17 others were wounded, including 14 children, two in critical condition, writes Axios Twin Cities co-author Torey Van Oot.

The big picture: The attack came at the end of a deadly 24 hours in Minneapolis, as police responded to three separate, unrelated fatal shootings that occurred since last night.

What we know: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the shooter approached from the side of Annunciation Catholic Church during a service marking the first week of school and began firing into the windows.

• The assailant was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol. They died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.

The slain children, ages 8 and 10, were sitting in the pews when they were shot, O'Hara said.

"The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," O'Hara said at a press conference.

• "Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now," said Mayor Jacob Frey. "These kids were literally praying."
• President Trump posted this morning that the White House was monitoring "this terrible situation": "Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"

What's next: O'Hara said authorities are still investigating and searching for a potential motive.

• FBI Director Kash Patel posted that the FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.

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We're in a golden age of Josh, NBC News reveals.

• Why it matters: It's a sign of a generational power shift away from boomers named Bob and Doug, toward Gen Xers and millennials.

State of play: The next presidential election could theoretically pit Josh against Josh.

• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) are both in the mix.
• Politics is riddled with Joshes: Three Democratic U.S. governors — Shapiro (Pa.), Green (Hawaii) and Stein (N.C.) — even have a Josh group chat, where they, ahem, "josh" around. Until 2022, there hadn't been a Josh governor since 1895.

Zoom in: "I do think it's the new four-letter word in politics," says Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), one of five congressional Joshes.

• 🍷 Other notables: Last season's NFL MVP, Josh Allen; the star of the surprise summer hit "Weapons," Josh Brolin; and a wine called Josh.

By the numbers: Josh peaked as a baby name in 1985, at 2.2% of all boys born.

• Sara(h) reached similar levels for girls. But at least in political life, where there are still fewer women, the name isn't quite as common.

The bottom line: Josh is no joke.

1. 🚂 Amtrak unveiled its new high-speed train, the NextGen Acela, at Union Station in Washington. Separately, the Trump administration said it's taking over management of Union Station. Go deeper.
2. 📢 President Trump called for RICO charges against billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his son Alex, continuing his push to punish political opponents. The Truth Social post also criticized the elder Soros' "Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we're watching you!" Go deeper.
3. ✈️ Not only is there a shortage of air-traffic controllers, now there's a shortage of instructors who can teach new recruits. Bloomberg (gift link).
4. 💼 Dan Scavino, Trump's longest-serving aide, will take over as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office — an influential role charged with staffing the administration, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.

Packing a few beach reads ahead of the holiday this weekend? You're one of a diminishing few.

• The share of Americans reading for pleasure has been falling for the past two decades, according to a new comprehensive analysis of Census Bureau data on time use.

📚 Why it matters: Reading is pretty great — with benefits for literacy, logical reasoning, your job prospects and health, the researchers point out.

• Plus, it's fun, notes your newsletter editor, Emily Peck.

📊 By the numbers: 26% of those surveyed read for pleasure on an average day back in 2003.

• By 2023, the number had fallen 10 points to 16%.

👫 Between the lines: There's a consistent gender gap. 18.6% of women read for pleasure in 2023, compared to 13.7% for men.

• Those with postgraduate degrees are more likely to be readers, as are people over age 66.

🔎 The intrigue: The researchers were somewhat surprised because the data defined reading to include books, magazines, newspapers, audiobooks and e-readers.

⏱️ The bottom line: People only have so much leisure time, the researchers note. And in this "attention economy," books are taking a hit.