Minneapolis mourns after Catholic school shooting, ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ empties out: Unbiased Updates, Aug.

Children gunned down inside a Minneapolis Catholic school mass

Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying

Two dead, 17 hurt, and the gunman's disturbing manifesto. Plus a power struggle at the CDC

The new director refuses to be fired over vaccines. Why her lawyers say she's not going anywhere

And alligator Alcatraz empties, but the Trump administration is vowing to appeal

The stories that matter, clear and credible from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelly

We begin in Minneapolis where a city is still reeling from horror inside a Catholic church

where children were simply praying at Mass. It happened yesterday morning at Annunciation Catholic School

where the Mass was to celebrate the beginning of the new school year

A gunman opened fire through the stained glass windows. Two children, just 8 and 10 years old, were killed

17 others wounded, most of them kids. The shooter identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died from a self-inflicted wound

Federal officials refer to Westman as transgender, though the gender identity was not clear

Court records show a 2020 petition signed by Westman's mother to change his name from Robert to Robin

said the petitioner identifies as female. Police say Westman had no criminal history, but left behind a notebook and videos revealing a fixation on mass shootings

We know we have a total of 19 victims from this tragedy

Two were young children, ages 8 and 10, that were sitting in the pews at mass when they were shot and killed

They were pronounced deceased on the scene. There were another 14 children between the ages of 6 and 15 that were injured by gunfire

The coward that shot these victims took his own life in the rear of the church

The scene was devastating. Children hiding in pews, parents rushing to embrace them

afterwards Some children were shielded by teachers even by their classmates These were Minneapolis families These were American families And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary

Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying

It was the first week of school. They were in a church

This morning, flags are at half-staff nationwide. Governor Tim Walz calling it a day no community should have to endure

It's Minnesota's day today, and it's my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school ever experiences a day like this

Investigators say they're still searching for a motive, but evidence shows Westman elaborately planned the attack

A hand-drawn diagram you see here matched the layout of the church, and he barricaded a few of the church doors

Authorities also recovered a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Annunciation Catholic School remains closed today

The FBI is now investigating the mass shooting as a possible hate crime against Catholics and domestic terrorism

The CDC is in turmoil this morning, and now the director, Susan Minares, is refusing to leave

Confirmed just last month, she was declared out last night by the White House

after clashing with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over COVID vaccine policy

HHS posted on X that she was no longer director, but Menardes is defying the order

Her lawyers call it a political firing, saying she refused to rubber stamp unscientific, reckless directives

She chose protecting the public over a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted

The White House insists she's been terminated, calling her not aligned with the president's health agenda

But her attorneys argue only the president can remove a Senate-confirmed director, and until he does, she remains in charge

Already four top CDC officials have resigned in protest, including the agency's chief medical officer, warning that public health is being weaponized

Under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the administration has fired advisory boards and cut funding for MRNA research

In a related topic public health new COVID shot guidelines are out this morning and the window just got a lot narrower The FDA now says only high risk groups should routinely get the updated shot That means adults 65 and over and children with at least one

underlying condition. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated the

move on X, calling it science, safety and common sense and declaring the days of Biden's general

mandate over. Doctors can still prescribe the vaccine to others outside those groups

but they won't be able to simply walk into a pharmacy and get it. And it's unclear whether insurance will cover the cost for anyone not recommended

The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics called the titer guidelines

deeply troubling. The next step, a CDC vaccine panel weighs in before issuing final recommendations

on who should get the shot. Across the world this morning, Kiev is reeling after one of the

largest Russian strikes on Ukraine in months. At least 12 people killed and dozens more injured

Ukraine's Air Force says the Kremlin launched nearly 600 drone strikes, decoys and 31 missiles

across the country, calling it one of Russia's biggest air attacks yet. Defense forces managed

to shoot down more than 560 drones and 26 missiles, but others slipped through, hitting the capital

You see some of the aftermath there. President Zelensky in a post on X said the strikes prove

Moscow has no interest in peace, urging world leaders who have called for negotiations to, quote

take principled positions rather than stay silent. Meanwhile, Russia claims it intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones overnight

The Trump administration is now emptying out the controversial immigrant detention center

in the Florida Everglades, better known as Alligator Alcatraz. The move follows a federal judge's ruling that parts of the facility must be dismantled

over environmental concerns. Homeland Security says detainees are being transferred elsewhere, but insists it will fight the decision, calling it, quote, another attempt to stop the president

from removing the worst of the worst. The administration had asked to keep the center

open during its appeal, but a U.S. district judge rejected that request late Tuesday

saying they failed to offer any new justification. Finally this morning Florida new secret weapon against invasive pythons robot rabbits Yes really The Everglades are overrun with Burmese pythons so many that Florida holds an annual python hunt

That's actually a thing. Now scientists at the University of Florida are joining the fight with technology

The fluffy-looking little critters are not pets. their remote-controlled rabbit decoys, tricked to give off heat, smell, and movement

just enough to lure a hungry python out of hiding. The Burmese python has decimated a lot of our native wildlife in the Everglades

and so this is really an emergency situation for our native wildlife

and that's why we're trying to manage a species. This summer, researchers deployed about 120 of the bunny bots as a test run

It's too early to call it a game changer, but officials say early results look promising, so that's good

The hunt is still on in the Everglades, only now it's man and technology versus nature

Yikes. I used to live in Florida. I mean, it's a big deal. People take time off, they get on airboats, they get all this apparatus, these big bow and arrows

and they go to the Everglades and try to hunt these pythons. I mean, you watch and it's like you're watching a scary movie

Yikes, I told you, it's a true thing. All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today

At 10 this morning, the Reverend Al Sharpton leads a march to Wall Street, pressuring corporate America to resist President Trump's rollback of DEI policies

Then at 1, a hearing in Idaho, where the mother of a murder victim, Madison Mogan

is asking a judge to keep certain crime scene photos sealed in the Brian Koberger case

At 3, Mississippi officials will unveil newly discovered artifacts in the historic Emmett Till murder case

And tonight, the wake begins for Frank Caprio, the beloved judge remembered for his compassion and empathy

He died last week at 88. His funeral mass is tomorrow. Other newsletters bring drama

Ours bring sanity. Unbiased updates every morning. Sign up at san.com slash newsletters

Those are your unbiased updates for this Thursday. We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday

We love that. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great day