Former officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speak out after an exodus. New details emerge about the Minnesota school shooter. Trump’s tariffs that target a nearly century-old exemption on small goods come into effect. And the impact of Deion Sanders in college football.
Here’s what to know today.
Former CDC director felt pressure to sign off on policy ‘that flew in the face of science’
Details have begun to emerge about what led up to the firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez and the exodus of other top officials in the agency. Former acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser said on the day she was fired, Monarez had suggested she was going to be forced to sign off on new vaccine recommendations for the upcoming meeting of the agency’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Monarez had said she would never “rubber-stamp ACIP recommendations that flew in the face of science,” according to Besser.
One of the officials wrote in his resignation letter that a document related to the vaccine committee “ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.”
Hundreds of current and former CDC staffers, other public health workers and private citizens gathered outside the agency’s Atlanta headquarters yesterday, a day after Monarez’s firing, to show their support.
The White House appointed Health and Human Services deputy Jim O’Neill as the new acting CDC director.
Read the full story.
More on the Trump administration:
- Some doctors say RFK Jr.’s push for nutrition education in medicine is a good idea — in theory.
- The court battle between Lisa Cook and President Donald Trump could have major implications for the future of the Federal Reserve.
- Cook weathered racist attacks and became a pioneer as an economist. Her latest fight is to keep her position on the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve.
Details emerge about victims and shooter in Minnesota school attack
The two children killed in the shooting Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic School have been identified by family as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski. Both families shared details about them and expressed grief for the Annunciation community and gratefulness for first responders and school staff.
Authorities are discovering more about the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing over 100 rounds into the church. Though the shooter left behind disturbing social media posts, there was no evidence suggesting she was legally barred from purchasing a firearm nor that any alarms were sounded as she amassed an arsenal that included the rifle, the pistol and the shotgun used in the attack.
Westman attended Annunciation Catholic School, and her mother worked at the church. She had an obsession with the idea of killing children, according to Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooter left anti-religious references in her “manifesto” and written on her firearms.
Read the full story.
Trump tariffs hit small goods from other countries
U.S. shoppers ordering smaller goods from abroad will soon be met with notices about delays, cost spikes or even order cancellations.
For nearly a century, the U.S. allowed de minimis exemptions on items worth less than $800 to be shipped to the country duty and tariff free. Now, they will be charged either the tariff rates the U.S. has on their countries of origin or flat fees of $80 to $200.
De minimis parcels made up 97% of overall shipping volume over the last three fiscal years.
Many European nations, alongside Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand, have announced suspensions of U.S.-bound shipments in advance of the official termination date for the exemption. U.S. e-commerce hubs like Etsy and eBay have posted notices warning customers about shipping disruptions.
Read the full story.
More on the end of the de minimis exemption:
- A British artist is cutting off sales to the United States as the numbers no longer make sense.
Hate groups cash in on the internet
Hate groups and their online speech were once considered a fringe part of the web. But because of relaxed moderation efforts by tech companies, such groups and their rhetoric have found large audiences, and paydays, on mainstream platforms like YouTube, Roblox and Instagram.
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) found “hate not only spreading across the internet but becoming more profitable,” in a recently published report. The foundation said that monetization efforts that once existed on the edges of the internet could now be found in popular spaces like cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding, livestreaming and merchandising. The cash generated on tech platforms serves as the lifeblood for many fringe groups.
Read the full story.
Read All About It
- A federal judge in Tennessee ordered new trials for three former Memphis police officers who were convicted of felony counts in the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
- Immigration agents arrested two Mexican contractors helping to tackle a wildfire in Olympic National Forest in Washington.
- Israel said that Gaza City was now a dangerous combat zone and that it had begun the “initial stages” of its assault on the area, which has been gripped by a mounting starvation crisis. It also said its military had recovered the remains of two hostages from the enclave.
- A man who threw a sandwich at a federal officer was charged with a misdemeanor assault one day after the U.S. attorney’s office failed to persuade a grand jury to return a felony indictment.
- A tailor-made drug was created to slow a man’s ALS with genetic underpinning. Is it the future of treatment?
- The Dallas Cowboys trade star pass rusher Micah Parsons in a stunning trade with the Green Bay Packers just one week before the start of the NFL season.
Staff Pick: The ‘Deion Sanders effect’ is spreading across college football
What makes a successful college football coach in 2025? Some believe that criteria is changing, to the point that no coaching experience is required.
When the new season begins this weekend, former NFL stars Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson will lead teams despite little-to-no experience with a headset, hires many attribute to the “Deion Sanders effect.” Since the former NFL star changed the trajectory at several universities despite scant time previously coaching, other schools have followed suit.
I wanted to understand the learning curve such first-time coaches face, and how they have spent the offseason preparing not only to run practice, but operate within a budget and forge relationships with university leaders. It’s a big job — and Sanders himself has helped many prepare for it. — Andrew Greif, sports reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Some of the best Labor Day deals can be found at sales at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Best Buy and Amazon. Plus, dermatologists weigh in on the salmon sperm skin care craze.
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