April 11, 2026 - Dramatic Splashdown Caps Historic Mission

It's a Saturday lightning round — five quick takes:

Artemis II: Hallelujah. NASA's Artemis II launched April 1st, sending four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — on a ten-day journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. And on Friday, they splashed down safely in the Pacific. A much-needed reminder of what America can do when not bogged down by partisanship.

Harris 2028: The only thing more non-partisan than Artemis is the cheering that greeted former Vice President Kamala Harris at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention on Friday. After chants of "run again!" filled the room, Sharpton asked her directly whether she'd run for president in 2028. Three times she repeated, "I'm thinking about it." Republicans are cheering too, they can only hope they'll be so lucky — considering she’d be in a field that includes more centrist candidates who could compete for independent votes in 2028.

Melania/Epstein: Contrary to the wild speculation of the internet — and it merits noting, there was no particular news hook that prompted this — First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement Thursday saying she was not friends with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that Epstein did not introduce her to the President. Her adviser said she wanted to "set the record straight." As CNN noted, the statement may have had the opposite effect — reviving a story that wasn't dominating headlines. The President said he didn't know she was going to do it. Is there really a need for all the speculation? How about Occam's Razor? She is PO’d at suggestions that Epstein introduced her to her husband and wanted to say so.

Our man in Pakistan: Be careful what you wish for, Iran. They wanted JD Vance at the table because they think he’ll be a more reasonable negotiator, knowing of his reputation as an anti-interventionist and his reported role as one of the only high-ranking officials who tried to talk Trump out of striking Iran in the first place. But with Vance heading to Islamabad for high-stakes ceasefire talks, he had every incentive not to appear weak. Today might be the starting gun for the 2028 Republican nomination.

I smell gas: The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index plummeted 11% to a historic low of 47.6 in April — the lowest reading in the survey's 74-year history. No surprise. It's hard to wrap your head around abstract economic data like GDP and GNP, but everyone gets the gas pump — regular gasoline nationally averaged around $4.15 per gallon last week, up roughly 39% from before the Iran war began. And there's no escape from it, even if you drive an EV — electricity prices are climbing too. That's a real Debbie Downer.

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Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.

Associated Press

A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian representatives, the first such meeting since the war began more than a month ago.

New York Post

Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.

The New York Times

We are at the halfway point of the 2026 Masters, and everyone is chasing Rory McIlroy. The defending champ poured in six birdies over his final seven holes to close out his second round, posting a seven-under 65 to open up a six-shot lead.

Golf.com

President Trump said in an interview that he had known his wife wanted to address rumors about the late sex offender at some point, but that he had not known exactly what she would say.

New York Times

A man has been arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the company said. No one was hurt, according to the San Francisco Police Department and OpenAI.

ABC News

For decades, the focus has been on getting more women into male-dominated fields. Some efforts have been more successful than others. But now, with the vast majority of new jobs going to women, it's clear that men need help, too.

NPR

Kamala Harris gives her clearest signal she is mounting a 2028 presidential bid. She has toyed with the idea before, but her comments Friday took on a new meaning in front of an audience full of Black power brokers.

Politico

Americans are remarkably down on the state of the economy, even though headline measures of conditions like unemployment and inflation are not that bad.

Axios

American schools are reassessing technology use in classrooms as increased screen time correlates with lower student performance, leading some to revert to traditional teaching methods and limit devices to enhance student engagement and comprehension.

Fortune