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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri Sep 12 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Hope you're doing OK.🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket.

Quick look at Friday's news:

•	A series of violent events have highlighted this week's news.
•	Costs are still up.
•	America's best track and field talent race against the world.

This week in America: Bloody news across political divides

Charlie Kirk, a prominent Conservative activist was killed. Active shooter threats shut down schools. Two teens were injured in a school shooting. A man was charged in a Ukrainian refugee's killing.

What this moment means: Violence in the U.S. this week underscores increased incidents of political violence and has tested political figures at a time of heightened political divides (See: Congress erupting into a shouting match over Kirk's killing).

There's a lot of news happening. USA TODAY has the latest on these stories for you:

•	New video shows killer's getaway: Footage released Thursday night shows the suspect in Kirk's killing running across a rooftop, jumping off and dropping to the ground just after the conservative influencer was shot at Utah Valley University.
•	Threats at institutions across the country: The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, lifted a lockdown after authorities received reports of shooter threats Thursday. And multiple HBCUs were on lockdown Thursday due to "terroristic threats."
•	Suspect identified in Colorado school shooting: The suspected shooter was identified as a 16-year-old student who attended Evergreen High School and "was radicalized by some extremist network."
•	Feds charged a man in fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee. The Aug. 22 killing of Iryna Zarutska inside a Charlotte light rail car has become the latest case fueling the Trump administration's condemnation of violent crime in cities run by Democrats.

Students walk to board a bus after a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, on Wednesday.

Hyoung Chang, Getty

Americans are caught between grief and outrage

'We didn't talk much besides the occasional check-in, and even though I didn't at all agree with or admire what his organization turned into, I was amazed that the middle school boy that always wanted to debate built THAT. It was impressive.'

~ Christina Lorey, a left-leaning journalist, who grew up with Charlie Kirk in the suburbs of Chicago. Kirk inspired and infuriated millions of Americans with his hard-line conservative views and often incendiary language. For many Republicans, he was a culture warrior who could make inroads with young voters. Among some Democrats, he was the epitome of Trump's brand of combative conservatism. Across the political spectrum, people are reckoning with what Kirk's legacy means.

Supporters visit a memorial for Charlie Kirk at the Turning Point Headquarters in Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025.

Mark Henle, The Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK

More news to know now

•	Trump attended a New York Yankees game on 9/11.
•	These companies are to blame for extreme heat waves.
•	Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, was convicted for a coup plot.
•	Your health insurance costs are rising at the highest level since 2010.

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

Planning Friday date night at home?

You're not alone. Dining costs are among key areas where Americans are cutting back spending amid somewhat-high consumer prices and an iffy job market. But even as we feel the pinch, U.S. inflation accelerated just modestly in August, offering some leeway for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its September meeting. Consumer price data released by the Labor Department this week come on the heels of reports that suggest the labor market is weaker than many experts previously believed. As long as inflation remains tame, the central bank has the option of cutting rates to try to boost demand and hiring.

•	Caregiving pulled these women out of the workforce — then gave them new careers.

Hyundai workers land in South Korea

More than 300 South Korean workers detained during an immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant construction site in Georgia landed at Incheon airport Friday. The workers had been detained for nearly a week following a sweeping Sept. 4 immigration raid at the HL-GA battery plant currently under construction near Savannah. Trump offered for the Korean workers to stay in the U.S., hoping they would train American employees, South Korean officials said. Only one of the Korean workers chose to remain in America.

A South Korean worker hugs a family member in the long term parking lot at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Friday.

Kim Soo-hyeon, REUTERS

Today's talkers

•	Who will win at the Emmy Awards this weekend?
•	Dylan O'Brien walking a dog. That's all.
•	This woman's transformation is about more than losing weight.
•	These Denver singles are ready to test whether "Love is Blind."
•	The internet is shocked by those short, skimpy homecoming dresses.

They look ready to run!

The world title is up for grabs at the 2025 World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo. A total of 141 athletes will represent Team USA in Japan from Sept. 13-21. The U.S. routinely boasts the top track and field team in the world. Team USA is just a year removed from winning an Olympic-high 34 track and field medals at the Paris Olympics. Two year's ago the U.S. squad won the medal count at the 2023 World Track and Field Championships. Here are USA TODAY Sports' top U.S. athletes to watch at the 2025 World Track and Field Championships.

Track Field World Athletics Championships Press Conference

Team USA athletes (from left) Cooper Lutkenhaus, Katie Moon, Masai Russell, Laulauga Tausaga and Cordell Tinch.

Kirby Lee, Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Photo of the day: Just September football?

... Or a sign of something more? The Washington Commanders' 27-18 faced defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, raising questions over the team's momentum. Check out the best 2025 NFL photos so far.

Nfl Washington Commanders At Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) reacts in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sept. 11, 2025.

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn 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.