Investigators look for a motive in a deadly mass shooting at Minneapolis church
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Investigators are poring over the videos, writings and movements of the shooter who fired through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 18 people. Police Chief Brian O’Hara says Robin Westman fired dozens of rounds at the students during Mass on Wednesday morning. He says the shooter then died by suicide. O’Hara told NBC’s “TODAY” show that Westman had been a student and member of the Annunciation church and that Westman’s mother worked for the parish. The police chief says investigators haven’t yet found what exactly motivated the shooting.
Trump administration asks military base near Chicago for support on immigration operations
CHICAGO (AP) — The Trump administration has asked a military base outside of Chicago for support on immigration operations. The move offers a clue of what its expanded law enforcement crackdown might look like in the nation’s third-largest city. A base spokesperson says the Department of Homeland Security asked Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations.” The spokesperson says no decisions have been made on the request, and that the base hasn’t received an official request to support a National Guard deployment. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have pushed back against a possible mobilization, saying crime has fallen in Chicago. They plan to sue.
Departing CDC officials say Monarez’s firing was the final straw and political meddling is a problem
NEW YORK (AP) — Two departing scientific leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say political interference at the agency remains a problem. Dr. Debra Houry and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis resigned after the White House dismissed CDC Director Susan Monarez on Wednesday. Houry tells The Associated Press that Monarez’s firing showed a lack of scientific leadership. The White House says Monarez was fired because she wasn’t “aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda. Monarez’s lawyers contend her termination was illegal. Meanwhile, Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says he continues to have concerns about CDC officials hewing to the administration’s health policies.
Fed official sues Trump over attempt to fire her, challenging his power over the independent agency
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is suing the Trump administration in an effort to overturn the president’s attempt to fire her, launching an unprecedented legal battle that could significantly reshape the Fed’s longstanding political independence. No president has sought to fire a Fed governor in the institution’s 112-year history until Trump posted a letter on his Truth Social media platform late Monday saying that Cook was fired. Trump said the reason for her removal were allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021, before she was appointed to the board.
UN food agency chief says women and children are ‘starving’ in Gaza and pressed Netanyahu on aid
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The director of the U.N. World Food Program says it’s “very evident” after a visit to Gaza that there is not enough food and that mothers and children are starving. Cindy McCain, the program’s executive director, tells The Associated Press that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says he is “concerned” about the issue. International experts have declared a famine in Gaza City and say it is likely to spread without a ceasefire and the full restoration of humanitarian aid. Israel rejects the famine declaration and has called claims of starvation a propaganda campaign by Hamas.
Major Russian attack includes rare strikes on the center of Kyiv, killing at least 21
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital has killed at least 21 people and wounded 48. The attack early Thursday on Kyiv was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in weeks as U.S.-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction. A Ukrainian official says Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and struck at least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv. This is the first major combined attack on Kyiv since U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to discuss ending the three-year war in Ukraine.
UK, France and Germany initiate ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran over status of nuclear program
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — France, Germany and the United Kingdom have moved to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The effort that began Thursday further isolates Tehran after its atomic sites were repeatedly bombed during a 12-day war with Israel. The process is termed a “snapback” by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. It was designed to be veto-proof at the U.N. and is likely to go into effect. It would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of its ballistic missile program, among other measures, further squeezing the country’s reeling economy.
What to know after the US deports more migrants to Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Trump administration has deported more migrants from the United States as it expands its program to send people to countries they have no ties with. A Rwandan government spokesperson said Thursday that seven deportees arrived from the U.S. earlier this month. Two other African nations, South Sudan and Eswatini, have already accepted a small number of deportees from the U.S., while Uganda said it has an agreement in principle to take deportees. Here’s what we know about the deportations.
Florida taxpayers may lose $218M on empty ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as judge orders shutdown
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for the $218 million cost of converting a training airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention center that may soon be empty of detainees. A federal judge has ordered operations to wind down indefinitely due to environmental concerns. The facility, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” has been emptying of detainees. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams Wednesday night denied requests to pause her order, despite claims it would disrupt immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security says it’s complying and moving detainees elsewhere. Civil rights groups also have filed lawsuits over detainee treatment at the facility.
A look into the Bleak House auction items Guillermo del Toro had the hardest time letting go of
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Guillermo del Toro has made his mark in horror and built a hefty memorabilia collection along the way. The filmmaker announced Thursday he’s teaming up with Heritage Auctions to auction hundreds of the 5,000 items in his collection. The items range from works by comic luminaries to exclusive items from his own classics. The auction was not an easy decision for del Toro, who joked that each item in his collection feels like a child of his own. The auction opened for online bidding Thursday and is the first of a three-part series with Heritage Auctions. The auction will take place on Sept. 26.