It's the first Brandon’s Take- Tech vs. Tradition: You know, it’s funny—everywhere you look, tech is supposed to be making life “easier.” We’ve got smart fridges that text you when you’re low on milk, watches that tell you how many steps you didn’t take today, and even apps that order dinner before you realize you’re hungry. But sometimes, I wonder if in all this convenience, we’re losing a little of the tradition that grounded us.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, a New York judge threw out terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, rejecting the Manhattan district attorney’s theory in a state murder case that the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was “intended to evoke terror.”

Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died at 89.

And out in the American West, prosecutors brought a murder charge against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”