MSU Shooting: “I thought I was going to die. We didn’t know where he went. Everyone was on the ground huddling, and I just looked at my classmates and told them it was going to be okay.” Three students were killed by a single gunman at Michigan State University on Monday night. The shooter (who killed himself) had a history of rabid anger issues and had previously had a gun taken away by police. But in America, there are always more guns. Here’s the latest from CNN.

+ Modi Operandi: BBC broadcasted a documentary in the UK critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (that Modi has gone to great lengths to keep out of view). A few weeks later, BBC’s India offices were searched by income tax officials. The authoritarian playbook is not complicated. (It’s also spreading.)

+ We’ve Have the Receps: NPR: Videos show Turkey’s Erdogan boasted letting builders avoid earthquake codes. (And spreading…)

+ Assad State: “They had none of the advanced rescue equipment brought to Turkey, where teams from around the world flew in with sniffer dogs, sensitive microphones, and seismic sensors. Syrians mostly dug with backhoes, shovels, and bare hands. People told us that there were some buildings, filled with families, from which no survivors had emerged.” The New Yorker: How Assad Blocked Aid to Syrian Earthquake Victims. (And spreading…)

+ A Village on the Take: “It seemed like an open-and-shut case of democracy in action: Residents had banded together to make their voice heard and changed the direction of their community, rejecting a cozy arrangement between the area’s political and business elites. Next up was the property tax rollback. None of that, of course, could be allowed.” Ryan Grim in The Intercept with a truly crazy story of politics run amok. Surprise, it’s in Florida. The Villages Vendetta: How a Grassroots Revolt in the Iconic Retirement Community Ended With a 72-Year-Old Political Prisoner.

+ This Isn’t What They Meant By Reparations: The University of Richmond took his family name off a building because of ties to slavery. So now he wants the money back. WaPo (Gift Article): A school took his family name off a building. He’s demanding $3.6 billion.

+ Brett, Tu? Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton did the near impossible. He brought Republicans and Democrats together … in their belief that he had to be fired immediately. Biden fires Architect of the Capitol over alleged abuses.

+ Money Can’t Buy You Love. But it Can Buy You Attention: Elon Musk manipulates Twitter to ensure the world sees his tweets at the top of their feed. If I owned Twitter, I would require that every user followed me and that every one of my tweets was seen by every single person. I’d do that because I am (or was) a Twitter dopamine addict. Just like Elon was (and is). That’s why he bought the company. To understand this story, everything must be viewed through that prism.