Tragedy in Minneapolis, Deadly Gaza Hospital Strike Under Scrutiny, CDC Scales Back Food Safety Tracking

Summary

Here's the Scoop – Episode Summary

Podcast: Here's the Scoop (NBC News)
Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Morgan Chesky
Main Topics: Minneapolis school shooting, Gaza hospital strike, CDC food safety tracking cuts, and top headlines

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Brief Overview

In this episode, Morgan Chesky brings listeners up to speed on three major stories: the heartbreaking shooting at a Minneapolis school, the controversial deadly Israeli airstrike on a Gaza hospital (with an investigative look at conflicting accounts), and the CDC’s quiet rollback of its FoodNet food safety tracking program. Later, the show closes with headline highlights covering US tariffs on Indian goods, the health benefits of diet and exercise in alcohol-related liver disease, soaring beef prices, and Cracker Barrel’s corporate branding saga.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Tragedy at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis

• Event Recap (00:24–02:44):

  • A shooter opened fire during morning mass at Annunciation Catholic School, killing two children (ages 8 and 10) and injuring 14 students and 3 adults; the shooter died by suicide.
  • Mayor Jacob Frey provided a heartfelt statement highlighting the pain felt by families and the setting of the tragedy.
  • Eyewitness accounts and student testimonies relayed the chaos and bravery displayed, including a boy saved by his friend.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Jacob Frey:
    "These were Minneapolis families. These were American families. And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. And 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." (01:05)
  • Weston Halsney (student survivor):
    "I just ran under the pew and then I covered my head. My friend Victor, like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit." (01:51)

• Additional Details:

  • The shooter identified as Robin Westman, early 20s, limited criminal history.
  • Shooter left behind videos referencing violent thoughts, suicide, an apology to family, and a church layout sketch. The exact target of the sketch remains unconfirmed (02:05–02:44).

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2. Deadly Gaza Hospital Strike Under Scrutiny

• Segment Start: 02:50

• Key Points:

  • Nasser Hospital, the only functioning hospital in southern Gaza and a hub for journalists, was hit twice by Israeli airstrikes within seven minutes, killing at least 20, including 5 journalists.
  • Israeli Prime Minister’s office called it a "tragic mishap," while the IDF claimed the strikes were due to a Hamas surveillance camera on the roof.
  • NBC correspondent Molly Hunter, reporting from Jerusalem, highlighted inconsistencies between IDF statements and evidence/interviews on the ground.

• Memorable Explanations:

  • Molly Hunter:
    "Nassar Hospital is the only functioning hospital in the south of Gaza. It's also the main hospital, but importantly, it is also a hub for journalists... There is a semblance if you work near a hospital that you may be a little safer." (03:54)
  • She emphasizes the use of "double tap" strikes:
    "In these seven minutes... first responders race up to that staircase. Other journalists in the area, because there are a lot of journalists... race up to cover the story of the first strike. And that's when at 10:17, about seven minutes after the first strike, the second strike comes and hits the exact same spot." (04:45–05:06)
  • On IDF's justification: "We dug into this. We spoke with five different eyewitnesses, independent journalists who were on the ground during those attacks, and everyone tells us there was only one camera on the roof... and that camera was operated by Reuters..." (05:25) "We are digging into every single line of this Israeli military statement because it does not sufficiently explain or justify why there were two strikes that killed 20 people, including five journalists." (07:05)
  • On journalist safety and access: "Every time a journalist is killed, that is less information that we're getting. That is pictures left untaken. Those are stories untold. It is less information Israel is not letting in, and they control the borders of Gaza... There is no other conflict in the world... where we have been shut out like this." (07:33)

• Protests and Political Pressure in Israel:

  • Massive protests in Tel Aviv demand a peace deal to return hostages and end the war; Netanyahu faces mounting public pressure but remains unresponsive to mediated ceasefire proposals (08:32–09:17).

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3. CDC Scales Back Food Safety Tracking

• Segment Start: 10:25

• Main Story:

  • The CDC's FoodNet program, monitoring foodborne illnesses since 1995, cut back its tracking from 8 pathogens to just 2 (Salmonella, E. coli) due to budget constraints.
  • Health experts and state agencies express concern about blindspots in foodborne illness tracking.

• Reporter Insights:

  • Aria Bendix (NBC Digital Health):
    "FoodNet was a program that actually started in 1995… one of our best tools for tracking foodborne illnesses because it conducts active surveillance… It’s actually going out, conducting surveys and finding out how common these illnesses are." (11:15) "The CDC's budget for food safety has been essentially flat for several years. Hasn't kept up with the price or the cost of inflation." (11:56)
  • On surveillance gaps: "Campylobacter is one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the United States... and that one is crossed off the list now of things that are under active surveillance. Some of these pathogens… can be pretty life threatening. Vibrio… was fatal in about 1 in 5 cases. And we're not going to be doing active surveillance… for Vibrio anymore." (12:38)
  • On impact: "The fear is that we won't have any context moving forward of how rare or abnormal an outbreak is because we just don't know how commonly these pathogens are circulating..." (14:29)
  • On consumer risk: "It's not that state health departments or the CDC is not going to catch big outbreaks... but FoodNet would have helped to catch it sooner, to identify cases that maybe didn't fit with the outbreak pattern, to understand how common these illnesses are circulating generally." (15:06)
  • Only Salmonella and E. coli will continue to receive proactive national surveillance.

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4. Additional Headlines and Quick Hits

• US Doubles Tariffs on Indian Goods (16:29):

  • Tariffs increased to 50% in response to India’s purchase of Russian oil.
  • Expected to impact India’s textile, gem, and jewelry sectors; smartphones and pharmaceuticals are exempt.

• Diet, Exercise & Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (16:50):

  • Study finds a healthy diet and regular exercise dramatically lower risk of dying from alcohol-related liver damage—even among frequent or binge drinkers; effects most pronounced in women.

• Beef Prices Soar (17:40):

  • Beef reaches record high prices ($9/lb); shrinking US cattle herd blamed for limited supply.

• Cracker Barrel Logo Backlash (18:16):

  • Public and political uproar over chain’s new logo leads to return of their classic design after shares fall and online criticism intensifies.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Jacob Frey (Minneapolis Mayor):
  "These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church." (01:05)

• Student Survivor Weston Halsney:
  "My friend Victor, like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit." (01:51)

• Molly Hunter (Gaza Coverage):
  "There is no other conflict in the world…where we have been shut out like this." (07:33)

• Aria Bendix (CDC FoodNet Cuts):
  "Vibrio was fatal in about 1 in 5 cases... we're not going to be doing active surveillance for Vibrio anymore." (12:38)

• Morgan Chesky (on beef prices):
  "Beef prices are now the highest they've ever been... There simply aren't enough cows to keep up with demand." (17:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------|----------------| | Minneapolis School Shooting | 00:24 – 02:44 | | Gaza Hospital Strike | 02:50 – 09:20 | | CDC Foodnet Cuts | 10:25 – 16:23 | | Top Headlines | 16:29 – 19:58 |

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains an empathetic, urgent, and fact-driven tone throughout with moments of human-centered storytelling and crisp, journalistic clarity. The host and correspondents remain accessible, conversational, and keenly aware of the real-world impact of the news.

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For listeners wanting a fast, clear, and comprehensive update on key national and international stories, this episode delivers insightful on-the-ground reporting, context, and expert perspectives—making sense of significant events shaping today’s world.

Transcript

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[Morgan Chesky]

Hey, friends, and welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Morgan Chesky. Before we dive into the show today, we need to start in Minnesota. That is where a tragic scene unfolded at Annunciation Catholic School. That's in the southwest part of Minneapolis. And that's where authorities tell us a shooter opened fire this morning while students were attending mass at the school's church. City officials said two children were killed, an 8 year old and a 10 year old. Fourteen other students as well as three adults were also hurt. The shooter, meanwhile, took their own life. Here's Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who was at the scene.

[Jacob Frey]

These were Minneapolis families. These were American families. And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. And 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.

[Morgan Chesky]

An eyewitness who lives across from Annunciation said he was walking home from the gym when he heard what sounded like a nail gun at a construction site. And as he got closer, he saw a dozen children running from the school and says at least three of them were covered in blood. Fifth grader Weston Halsney says he was saved by his friend and he knows he's in the hospital and hopes he's okay.

[Weston Halsney]

I just ran under the pew and then I covered my head. My friend Victor, like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.

[Aria Bendix]

Your friend laid on top of you?

[Weston Halsney]

Yeah.

[Morgan Chesky]

Now, multiple senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News this church shooter had been identified as Robin Westman. And police had previously described the shooter only as being in their early 20s when with a limited criminal history. NBC News has also confirmed with those law enforcement officials that the shooter left behind multiple videos posted online with writings that referenced suicide, extremely violent thoughts and ideas, an apology to their family, and a handwritten sketch of the interior layout of a church. However, it isn't confirmed that the individual sketched the church where they eventually opened fire. We're, of course, going to be updating.

[NBC News Host]

The story as soon as we learn.

[Morgan Chesky]

More and you can go to nbcnews.com.

[NBC News Host]

For the very latest.

[Morgan Chesky]

Alright. Switching gears now to Gaza. We've been watching the fallout after Israeli forces struck one of the main hospitals inside Gaza, then struck it again seven minutes later after rescue workers and journalists had rushed into that scene. The strikes killed at least 20 people and we've now learned that that includes five journalists. That brings the number of journalists killed in, in this conflict to 197, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Now, the Israeli prime minister's office said the strike on the hospital was a tragic mishap and that the military is currently investigating. But NBC News reporting has revealed some inconsistencies in that statement. For much more on this, I do want to bring in our international correspondent Molly Hunter, who is on the ground in Jerusalem. Molly, thanks for making time.

[Molly Hunter]

Morgan, thanks for having me.

[Morgan Chesky]

I want to start with these strikes that are getting so much international attention right now, these double tap strikes. Can you kind of explain these?

[Molly Hunter]

Right, so this happened Monday morning at Nassar Hospital. Morgan Nassar Hospital is the only functioning hospital in the south of Gaza. It's also the main hospital, but importantly, it is also a hub for journalists. Now, in the last 22 months, we've seen journalists work near hospitals a lot. One because of the semblance of safety is that hitting a hospital, striking a hospital is a war crime. So there is a semblance if you work near a hospital that you may be a little safer. But the second is that resources have been so limited and so hard to come by in Gaza that things like generators and water and access to wi fi hospitals will have. So that is the scene at Nasser Hospital around 10am on Monday morning when the first Israeli strike hits, and the first Israeli strike hits the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital right near the staircase that the journalists are gathered. Then seven minutes later and in these seven minutes, and this is why it's called a double tap, Morgan, first responders race up to that staircase. Other journalists in the area, because there are a lot of journalists, because it is a hub for journalists race up to the area to cover the story of the first strike. And that's when at 10:17, about seven minutes after the first strike, the second strike comes and hits the exact same spot.

[Aria Bendix]

Morgan.

[Morgan Chesky]

And we should note here that strike in a hospital is a war crime. But there are some exceptions to that. Molly, I'm curious. There's, there's been a little distance between how the Israeli authorities are explaining the strike and what journalists there on the ground are reporting. What can you tell us on that front?

[Molly Hunter]

So, Morgan, the IDF released their initial preliminary findings yesterday, and it's not sufficient. We still have a lot of questions. The biggest question we have is why were there two strikes? So the reason they are giving, the explanation they are giving for striking Nassar hospital is, is that they say Hamas positioned a camera that was being used to observe Israeli troops and that Israeli troops identified this camera. Well, we dug into this. We spoke with five different eyewitnesses, independent journalists who were on the ground during those attacks. We spoke with doctors inside Nasser Hospital. And everyone tells us there was only one camera on the roof of Nasser Hospital. And that camera was operated by Reuters, of course, an international news organization, NBC News, or clients. Now, we have gone back to the IDF to say, can you provide proof? Can you show us evidence of this Hamas camera, of a camera positioned by Hamas? Because our reporting says there was only one camera and it was Reuters. And they have not provided us with an answer. They also don't address at all why there were two strikes. If that first strike was a mistake, which is as it's being framed in the Israeli press, then why was there a second strike? Second, seven minutes later. The other major discrepancy in the Israeli version, in the Israeli statement of events that we are digging into is they say that six Hamas terrorists were killed by the strikes. Now, we have dug into each one of those names. We are asking journalists, we were asking doctors who are at Nasser Hospital about each of those names. And so far, we have found that one was a firefighter, not a Hamas terrorist, but a first responder who responded to the first strike.

[Weston Halsney]

And.

[Molly Hunter]

And we've also found that two were killed previously. One was killed early that morning in a separate incident, and one was killed a couple of days earlier. So we are digging into every single line of this Israeli military statement because it does not sufficiently explain or justify why there were two strikes that killed 20 people, including five journalists.

[Morgan Chesky]

What does this tell us about the ability for journalists to continue to cover this war?

[Molly Hunter]

Every day has been dangerous for our colleagues, our peers, our fellow reporters and producers and photographers in Gaza. But every time, and as we mentioned, the numbers are very high. Every time a journalist is killed, that is less information that we're getting. That is pictures left untaken. Those are stories untold. It is less information Israel is not letting in, and they control the borders of Gaza. They are not letting in international journalists. And we have signed petitions, we have repeatedly asked the Israeli military to allow us to work inside alongside our Palestinian colleagues. But There is no other conflict in the world, not Ukraine, not anywhere else where we have been shut out like this.

[Morgan Chesky]

Molly, before you let you go, I do want to ask about something that's happening outside Gaza. These massive protest on the streets of Tel Aviv. What kind of pressure does that actually put on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at this point in time?

[Molly Hunter]

Not enough. If you ask the people who still have family members who are hostage in Gaza, there were huge protests yesterday. They called for a national day of disruption. Half a million people shut down highways in and out of Tel Aviv across the country. And they are asking, begging, demanding Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a peace deal that would see the return of all the hostages and, and that would see the end of the war. And they are so frustrated, Morgan, that Prime Minister Netanyahu at this hour has had a proposal in front of him on his desk for more than a week that was mediated by the Qataris, that Hamas has agreed to it as a phase ceasefire, and he has not responded. And they want this war to end. Now.

[Morgan Chesky]

Molly Hunter joining us from Jerusalem. Molly, thanks so much.

[Molly Hunter]

Thanks, Morgan.

[Morgan Chesky]

All right, team, time now for a quick break. But when we're back, we're talking big changes at the cdc. Stick around.

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[Morgan Chesky]

And we're back with here's the scoop. We're learning that the CDC is quietly cutting back on a program that keeps a very close watch on foodborne illnesses. It's called FoodNet. This is a program that once kept tabs on eight major pathogens and it's now scaled back to tracking just two. You'll recognize these names, salmonella and E. Coli. Foodnet's big rollback has been blamed on budget cuts, but food safety experts are now raising serious concerns about how we'll keep track of people getting sick. So for what this means, at the Grocery store and on our dinner plates. I want to turn to NBC News digital health reporter Aria Bendix, who has some exclusive reporting here.

[NBC News Host]

Aria, always a pleasure to have you.

[Aria Bendix]

Good to see you, Morgan.

[NBC News Host]

So your report really struck me.

[Morgan Chesky]

What do we know right now about.

[NBC News Host]

This program's pretty significant scale back?

[Aria Bendix]

FoodNet was a program that actually started in 1995. It's this partnership between the federal government and 10 different state health departments. And it's really one of our best tools for tracking foodborne illnesses because it conducts active surveillance. That means it's not waiting on these health departments to tell the CDC about cases. It's actually going out, conducting surveys and finding out how common these illnesses are in the population at large.

[NBC News Host]

In short, proactive versus reactive.

[Aria Bendix]

Exactly. And you want to have an active system in addition to that passive reporting.

[Morgan Chesky]

So I understand that they're now focusing.

[NBC News Host]

On two pathogens and dropping six others.

[Morgan Chesky]

But Aria, do we know exactly why.

[NBC News Host]

This is taking place?

[Aria Bendix]

The CDC has told me that they're just reducing their operations to some of their core functions, focusing on the two most critical pathogens. But my reporting has indicated that the reason for these cuts is actually financial. The CDC's budget for food safety has been essentially flat for several years. Hasn't kept up with the price or the cost of inflation. And then we know that there have been cuts to federal funding for local and state health departments. And that's really seeming to have an impact here and reducing states abilities to actually get this tracking and the surveillance done.

[Morgan Chesky]

There are six pathogens now cut out. What foods would those six pathogens be be linked to?

[Aria Bendix]

So some of them are going to be recognizable like listeria. That's something we often associate with your deli meat or your soft cheeses. One that actually isn't as well known. Campylobacter is one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the United States that's associated with raw or undercooked poultry. So essentially chick and that one is crossed off the list now of things that are under active surveillance. And some of these pathogens are essentially amounting to a stomach bug. Others can be pretty life threatening. Vibrio, that's one of the ones on the chopping block that's associated with oysters, raw or undercooked shellfish. You might remember some news headlines about some fatal contamination of oysters. In the past, Vibrio was fatal in about 1 in 5 cases. And we're not going to be doing active surveillance through the CDC for Vibro anymore.

[NBC News Host]

I want to make sure I understand FoodNet correctly here. It's a collaboration among the CDC, the FDA, the Agriculture Department and 10 state health departments. It covers 54 million people.

[Morgan Chesky]

How wide reaching could these cuts actually be?

[Aria Bendix]

It depends on what happens next. I've been reaching out to state health departments over the last 72 hours or so. Some say they might be able to absorb the shock here, keep up this surveillance on their own if they're well funded. So New York and Maryland are going to try and keep this going. Other states that just don't have the resources might have to scale back entirely just to these two foodborne illnesses instead of the usual eight that they were looking for. And that means that just those cases are going to go missed moving forward.

[NBC News Host]

In some cases now, FoodNet data that may have been available prior for them to kind of check in on will no longer be there. Is that right?

[Aria Bendix]

That's right. The fear is that we won't have any context moving forward of how rare or abnormal an outbreak is because we just don't know how commonly these pathogens are circulating in the general population outside of an outbreak setting. Those one or two cases really matter in the terms of an outbreak because it helps give us sort of a baseline or scale to figure out is this something out of the ordinary? Should we be responding to it differently? What type of action should, should we take? FoodNet gives you that context.

[NBC News Host]

I think some people may see the headline here and understandably be, be concerned. But what do we actually need to know before we go to the grocery store, before we go to the market or a restaurant?

[Aria Bendix]

It's not that state health departments or the CDC is not going to catch big outbreaks. So if there's, you know, a leafy green that's causing all these illnesses, they'll catch it eventually. But foodnet would have helped to catch it sooner to identify cases that maybe didn't fit with the outbreak pattern, to understand how common these illnesses are circulating generally. So that is important information when we're thinking about what foods are actually more prone to contamination and to certain types of illnesses. What's making people sick just on a day to day basis and how should we take regulatory action to account for that?

[NBC News Host]

And to be clear, FoodNet is still actively seeking out salmonella and E. Coli information data to prevent outbreaks.

[Aria Bendix]

That's right. Those two pathogens were the ones that were spared.

[NBC News Host]

And those are arguably two of the most significant or that impact on most people.

[Aria Bendix]

They have perhaps the largest impact. We most commonly hear about those in association with food contaminations. But some of these others were quite common. The ones that were cut, a few of them are life threatening. And health experts are really concerned now that that act of surveillance isn't being done on a broader scale.

[NBC News Host]

Always with a stellar breakdown. Arya Bendix, thanks so much.

[Aria Bendix]

Thanks, Morgan.

[Morgan Chesky]

All right, time now to move on to some headlines. The US just doubled its tariff on many Indian goods to 50%. Now, Washington says this is all about punishing India for buying Russian oil and then indirectly funding the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. But this move is expected to hit India's economy hard, really hard, especially industries like textiles, gyms, and jewelry, sectors that employ millions of people and account for billions of dollars in exports. Now, India, for its part, says that it will not be pressured whatsoever. It's insisting that it will keep making energy choices based on its own national interest. And to soften the blow, the government in New Delhi is already rolling out financial help for the businesses that will be most affected. Also worth noting here, crucial products, including Indian made smartphones and pharmaceuticals are all exempt from the US Tariffs for now. Hey, turns out your liver might love leafy greens and lunges just as much as you do. A new study in the Journal of Hepatology found people with healthier diets and more physical activity had a much lower risk of dying from alcohol related liver damage even and big even here if they drank daily or binged. Now, big twist, the benefits were even more substantial for women. So piling your plate with veggies, fruits and whole grains, then hitting the gym could actually help offset some of the damage from that extra glass or three of vino. Turns out the best chase for a night out might just be a morning jog. Heads up now for my fellow lovers of grilled meats, you might want to hold off on the burgers for the time being. Beef prices are now the highest they've ever been. Yet again. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, beef prices are up 11 and a half percent in a year. That means one pound of beef could cost you more than $9 across the country. I know what you're thinking. Why there simply aren't enough cows to keep up with demand. The US Is down to its smallest cattle herd on record, but America's appetite for beef still big as ever. So if you want to spare your wallet this Labor Day weekend, maybe think less beef, more chicken. Okay. Finally, before we let you go, looks like Cracker Barrel's serving up a big plate of regret. The chain unveiled their sleek new logo back on August 18th. And as many of you may have seen the Internet was not hungry for change. Outrage boiled over. Their shares slid 13%. Even President Trump jumped into the food fight on Truth Social, saying that Cracker Barrel should admit a mistake. Well, guess what? The old logo is back. A White House aide even claims Cracker Barrel personally thanked the president for weighing in. Balance has been restored. Uncle Hershel and his rocking chair ain't going anywhere. Hey, as long as they've got chicken and dumplings, no complaints on my end. All right, that's gonna do it for us. And here's the scoop from NBC News. Thanks for listening. We'll be right back here tomorrow. Signing off, I'm Morgan Chesky.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

This week only on Meet THE press. As the US Pushes for a Ukraine, Russia peace deal. Kristen Welker sits down exclusively with Vice President J.D. vance and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Plus Senator Adam Schiff. This week only on Meet THE Press. Listen to the full episode now. Wherever you get your podcasts.