What We Know About the Washington DC Gunman’s Attack Plans

Good morning from Melbourne, one of the few corners of the nation that’s at work today. It was a busy Sunday for our US colleagues, after a gunman attempted to enter the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. The motive behind the attack is still unknown, but it’s emerged that he spent years building an arsenal of firearms. Meanwhile, efforts to resume peace talks over the Iran war stalled after US Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys and the Islamic Republic said it won’t negotiate so long as it’s being threatened. — Paul-Alain Hunt, metals and mining reporter

The Albanese government has committed more than A$1.2 billion to buy armored vehicles, adding to its recent spurt of weapons purchases as the government implements its biggest peacetime increase in defense spending.

Meantime, Foreign Minister Penny Wong heads to Japan, China and South Korea this week to talk energy supplies, ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s expected visit here in early May.