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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Aug 28 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Where were you August 26?

Quick look at Thursday's news:

•	Teachers, faculty and children took life-saving actions at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis.
•	The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired.
•	This top college quarterback makes zero NIL dollars.

Minneapolis community mourns after deadly shooting

Tears dripped down cheeks as mourners wrote messages at a memorial Wednesday following a deadly shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church.

What happened: Two children were killed Wednesday and at least 17 people were injured when a shooter fired through the windows of the Announciation Church toward young students worshipping at a start of the school year Mass, authorities said.

•	Minnesotans attended vigils to grieve. "I'm not usually that emotional, but I was genuinely shaking," said Elaina Polding, 17, who goes to youth group at Annunciation Church and was among attendees who shared their fear and grief with USA TODAY.
•	Teachers, kids — turned heroes. Teachers and some of the older children scrambled to protect the youngest and most vulnerable. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said without these brave actions, "it could have been far worse."
•	Who did this? The assailant, Robin Westman, 23, died at the rear of the church from a self-inflicted wound, according to authorities, who said the weapons used in the attack had been purchased legally and recently. Like with many mass shooters, Westman's motives - even with detailed writings - will be hard to decipher into anything meaningful that could prevent future attacks.

Mourners embrace during a prayer vigil at Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota on August 27, 2025 following a shooting earlier in the day at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis.

Tim Evans, REUTERS

Vance blames Zelenskyy Oval Office blowup on Biden's Ukraine policy

'Sometimes people disagree. Do I wish that we had had a blowup in the Oval Office in public? Not necessarily.'

~ Vice President JD Vance in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, suggested he wasn't looking to goad Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into an Oval Office shouting match back in February, but he thinks the testy exchange helped shed light on the administration's concerns with Ukraine.

More news to know now

•	Here's what several new polls say about Trump's approval rating.
•	What's next for D.C.'s Union Station, a vital railway hub, after Trump takeover?
•	A second deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was blocked - at least until October.
•	Obama's favorite books include a "blueprint for reforming government."

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

CDC director ousted

The White House said it fired CDC director Susan Monarez after she refused to step down from her post amid a policy disagreement with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Monarez's ouster, less than one month after the Senate confirmed her to the role, was followed by resignations from three other top CDC officials in protest of Kennedy's leadership, including his direction on vaccines. In his resignation letter, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis said recent CDC changes to the adult and children's immunization schedule "threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people." Since being named the top U.S. health official, Kennedy has targeted vaccine policy.

Union wind workers want answers

Dozens of union construction workers off the Rhode Island coast are killing time playing video games, texting their families — and trying to figure out why President Donald Trump has put them out of work. The White House on Aug. 22 abruptly halted the nearly complete 65-turbine Revolution Wind project in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving developers and construction workers wondering how to proceed. For the union members hoping to get back to work, Trump's action makes no sense: After more than a decade of planning, permitting, approvals, reviews and lawsuits, it's the kind of construction work that provides six-figure jobs for skilled laborers while helping produce inexpensive carbon-free energy for consumers. They're waiting and wondering offshore.

Today's talkers

•	The Crumble Cookies co-founder and a viral rumor.
•	American Eagle dropped a new collab with Travis Kelce.
•	We want a fall vacay at this North Carolina bed and breakfast.
•	Who are Keegan Bradley's Ryder Cup captain's picks?

Meet the top quarterback making $0 NIL money

Blake Horvath, Navy's quarterback, is in an elite tier next to the game's best. He's part of a top 10 that includes Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and the rest of the names you'd recognize. And in college football in 2025, that means everyone on that level is being well-compensated. It's probably conservative to estimate that every elite quarterback in the country is at least a millionaire, with plenty of those names earning way more than that. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is making a reported $4 million a year. Texas' Arch Manning is estimated to make more than $6 million. But athletes like Horvath at service academies are considered government employees and are not allowed to make money off their name, image and likeness. Yet Horvath's NIL valuation might be in the seven figures.

Photo of the day: What caused that US Open confrontation?

Taylor Townsend of the U.S. and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia approached the net for a customary post-match handshake at the U.S. Open Wednesday — but a verbal confrontation ensued. See more photos from the US Open.

Jelena Ostapenko argues with Taylor Townsend after their match.

Clive Brunskill, Getty Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.