NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-27-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: August 28, 2025

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This is Eric Glass. On This American Life, we like stories that surprise you. For instance, imagine finding a new hobby and realizing... To do this hobby right, according to the ways of the masters, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to have to bend the law to get the materials that you need. If not, break it. Yeah.

To break international laws. Your life stories, really good ones. This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. A shooter fired into a Catholic church in Minneapolis during mass this morning, killing two children in their pews. 17 other people were wounded, most of them children. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar says the children will be scarred forever.

This madman shoots through the windows. The children are hiding under pews. I know this first thing because one of my former employees and a close friend, Kate Nyland, she has three children that were in that church. And one of them, her daughter, Cora, actually saw two of her good friends being shot. Officials say the 23-year-old shooter had legally purchased the weapons and was believed to have acted alone. Staffers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are confirming the agency's director is leaving the job. Susan Menares was sworn in less than a month ago.

Jess Maydor of Member Station, WABE, has more. The Washington Post first reported Monarez's ousting, citing unnamed officials with the Trump administration who said she'd refused to commit to changing COVID vaccine policy without first consulting with her advisors. It comes just weeks after a shooting at the main CDC campus in Atlanta that damaged buildings and killed DeKalb County police officer David Rose in a tweet, HHS thanked Monarez for her service, and said, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confident CDC will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious disease. For NPR News, I'm Jess Mador in Atlanta. The Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines today, but it narrowed their use to people who are over the age of 65 or with an underlying condition that puts them at high risk. President Trump is directing the Justice Department to prioritize cases against people who are

burn the American flag in protest through an executive order. But the Supreme Court ruled decades ago that flag burning is free speech. NPR's Joe Hernandez reports. The Supreme Court decided in the 1989 case, Texas v. Johnson, that a man who set a flag on fire to protest the Reagan administration was protected by the First Amendment. Trump's order acknowledges the free speech rights associated with flag burning, but it also requires the attorney general to prioritize cases against people who burn the flag while inciting violence or otherwise violating the law. Free speech attorneys say most flag burners are only doing

it in protest, and that the order smacks of selective prosecution and would likely face legal challenges. Trump's executive order also threatens to withhold certain immigration benefits to non-citizens who burn flags, a provision critics say, is unconstitutional. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. Ford is recalling more than 350,000 pickup trucks because the instrument panel may fail to display critical information, such as speed and fuel level. The recall affects certain Ford F-150 trucks from the 2025 model year, as well as other Ford Super Duty trucks. One of Africa's largest wildlife sanctuaries is scrambling to find new funding after a U.S. government grant to fight poaching was cut

by the Trump administration. Wildlife officials say the cut has left millions of endangered animals vulnerable to poachers. NPR's Jill Bright reports. Officials at the Savo National Park in Kenya say the almost $8 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development was caught by the Trump administration in January after the agency was closed. The grant was meant to support conservation efforts, build climate resilience and combat poaching in the park, which is home to 500 species of birds and 60 different mammals. Officials say unless new funding is secured, the court could lead to a surge in illegal hunting across the park. Before its closure, USAID was one of the largest funders of conservation

initiatives in Africa. Experts say the absence of U.S. funding could result in the loss of unique wildlife across the continent. Drew Bright MPR News Lagos. Thousands of people descended on a town in eastern Spain today for an annual food fight. This is the 80th anniversary of the event. Participants throw tons of overripe tomatoes at each other. It's not exactly clear how it started, but it's grown to attract people from around the world. I'm Nora Rom, NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.