NPR News: 08-28-2025 10AM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now – August 28, 2025, 10AM EDT

Host: Windsor Johnston (NPR News)
Date: August 28, 2025
Length: 5 minutes

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Brief Overview

This concise NPR News Now episode covers major breaking news and significant stories of the morning, including updates on a tragic church shooting in Minneapolis, legal fallout at the Federal Reserve, developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the unveiling of a historic civil rights artifact, new COVID-19 vaccine regulations, and a quick check on financial markets. The episode balances somber reporting with essential updates, featuring direct voices from affected individuals and officials.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Minneapolis Church Shooting: Community in Mourning

Segment Start: 00:16

• Incident: Two children (ages 8 and 10) were killed and 17 others wounded during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic Church; the shooter died by suicide.
• Community Response: Vigils held at a nearby Catholic high school and city park.
  • Archbishop Bernard Hebda spoke on the power of communal support.

    "Coming together of so many people from so many places and so many traditions would provide some support, some consolation to those who have lost loved ones." (Archbishop Bernard Hebda – 00:56)

• Witnessing Grief: The report described children and families holding candles and supporting one another.

2. Federal Reserve Lawsuit: Governance in Turmoil

Segment Start: 01:23

• Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s attempt to fire her, naming the president, the Fed Board, and Chairman Jerome Powell as defendants.

3. Russia-Ukraine War: EU Outrage After Airstrikes

Segment Start: 01:23

• EU Response:
  • The latest Russian airstrikes in Kyiv damaged diplomatic offices but did not cause EU casualties.
  • EU foreign policy chief summoned Russia’s top diplomat in Brussels.
  • Arianna Podesta (European Commission Spokesperson):

    "[T]he EU's ambassador and diplomatic staff are safe and staying put in Kyiv after their offices were severely damaged in the latest round of Russian airstrikes, described as the second most severe since the start of Russia's war more than three years ago." (Arianna Podesta – 01:51)
    "[T]he EU support is unshakeable." (Arianna Podesta – 02:11)

4. Economic Update: US GDP & Nvidia Boom

Segment Start: 02:15

• US GDP Revision:
  • Growth revised up to 3.3% for spring, reflecting stronger consumer spending and investment, but weaker government spending.
  • International trade fluctuations driven by Trump's tariffs policies.
• Nvidia’s Surge:
  • Demand for AI drives nearly 60% leap in quarterly income.
• Market Snapshot:
  • Dow down 47 points in early trading.

5. 70 Years Since Emmett Till’s Lynching: New Artifact Unveiled

Segment Start: 03:13

• Commemoration:
  • Marks the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s killing—a pivotal event in civil rights history.
• Artifact Unveiling:
  • The presumed murder weapon—a pistol—displayed at the Civil Rights Museum.
    • Nan Prince, Mississippi Department of Archives and History:

      "This is a pistol that we believe is the weapon that was used to kill Emmett Till." (Nan Prince – 03:58)

    • Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin:

      "It's been something that I've always wondered about for 70 years." (Wheeler Parker – 04:06)
      "I think it gives validity to it. It helped bring closure, far as I'm concerned." (Wheeler Parker – 04:15)

6. COVID-19: New Vaccine Approvals and Restrictions

Segment Start: 04:23

• FDA Approvals:
  • Latest COVID-19 vaccines targeting new strain approved, but restrictions mean only seniors – and children/adults with underlying conditions – have immediate access.
• Manufacturers:
  • Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax produce the new vaccines.
• Update:
  • Stocks continuing to trade lower (Dow down 82; NASDAQ down 11).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Coming together... would provide some support, some consolation to those who have lost loved ones."
  – Archbishop Bernard Hebda [00:56], speaking at the Minneapolis vigil

• "This is a pistol that we believe is the weapon that was used to kill Emmett Till."
  – Nan Prince, museum director [03:58]

• "It's been something that I've always wondered about for 70 years."
  – Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin [04:06]

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Timeline: Timestamps of Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 00:16 | Minneapolis church shooting & community vigils | | 01:23 | Fed Governor lawsuit; Russia-Ukraine, EU outrage | | 02:15 | US economy, tariffs, Nvidia boom, stock update| | 03:13 | Emmett Till: 70 years & museum artifact | | 04:23 | FDA COVID-19 vaccine approvals & market update|

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This episode delivers a rapid-fire, yet respectful, roundup of morning headlines. If you missed it, you’ll walk away informed on today’s top stories—from tragedies and courtrooms to Wall Street and historic reckonings—directly in the voices of those affected.

Transcript

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[Windsor Johnston]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Mourners in Minneapolis are gathering in prayer. An interstate service is planned for today at the Basilica of St. Mary to grieve the killings of two children who were attending Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church yesterday morning. The shooter also wounded 17 people and later died by suicide. NPR's Kristen Wright reports on community vigils.

[Kristen Wright]

Many are asking how it's happened again. Hundreds gathered for a prayer service at a Catholic high school near Annunciation Catholic Church last night. Archbishop Bernard Hebda offered this message of.

[Archbishop Bernard Hebda]

Coming together of so many people from so many places and so many traditions would provide some support, some consolation to those who have lost loved ones.

[Kristen Wright]

Close by in a city park, kids with candles and their parents and many in the community said prayers and consoled one another. The children who died were 8 and 10 years old. They were sitting in the pews. Kristen Wright, NPR News.

[Windsor Johnston]

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's attempt to fire her. The suit, filed in Washington, D.C. named the president, the Federal Reserve Board and Chairman Jerome Powell as defendants. The European Union is expressing its outrage at the latest round of Russian airstrikes on civilians in Kyiv. Terry Schulz reports. The EU's foreign policy chief has summoned Russia's top diplomat in Brussels to protest the attacks.

[Arianna Podesta]

The EU's ambassador and diplomatic staff are safe and staying put in Kyiv after their offices were severely damaged in the latest round of Russian airstrikes, described as the second most severe since the start of Russia's war more than three years ago. European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta condemned Moscow for its regular targeting of Ukraine's civilian population and said the EU support is unshakeable.

[Windsor Johnston]

That's Terry Schultz reporting. Stocks are trading lower at this hour, as the Commerce Department said the US Economy grew somewhat faster in the spring than initially reported. NPR Scott Horsley reports. The dow fell about 47 points in early trading.

[Scott Horsley]

Revised GDP figures show the US economy grew at an annual pace of 3.3% in April, June and July, up from the original tally of 3%. Consumer spending and investment were slightly stronger than first reported, while government spending was slightly weaker. GDP figures for both the first and second quarter were skewed by big swings in international trade. Imports surged early in the year as businesses raced to beat President Trump's tariffs, then fell sharply once those import taxes took effect. Booming demand for artificial intelligence drove another big jump in sales and profits for computer chip giant Nvidia. The company's quarterly income soared almost 60%. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Windsor Johnston]

This is NPR. Today marks 70 years since the lynching of Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who was visiting family in Mississippi. It was a watershed moment that galvanized the civil rights movement. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports on a new artifact being unveiled today at Civil Rights Museum, the murder weapon.

[Debbie Elliott]

On August 28, 1955, white men kidnapped, tortured, shot and dumped 14 year old Emmett Till in the Tallahatchie river after he whistled at a white shopkeeper, one of their wives. Now the state has the gun. Nan Prince is director of collections for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

[Nan Prince]

This is a pistol that we believe is the weapon that was used to kill Emmett Till.

[Wheeler Parker]

It's been something that I've always wondered about for 70 years.

[Debbie Elliott]

That's Till's cousin, Wheeler Parker, the last living witness to what happened.

[Wheeler Parker]

I think it gives validity to it. It helped bring closure, far as I'm concerned.

[Debbie Elliott]

Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Jackson, Mississippi.

[Windsor Johnston]

The FDA has approved the latest vaccines for COVID 19, but new restrictions imposed by the Trump administration might delay. They've been approved for seniors, but only for younger adults and children who have at least one underlying health condition. The new vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and novavax target a new strain of the virus. Stocks are continuing to trade lower on Wall street at this hour. The dow was down 82 points, the NASDAQ down 11. This is NPR News.

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