NPR News: 08-28-2025 10PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – 08-28-2025 10PM EDT

Main Theme

This five-minute newscast, anchored by Jeanine Herbst, covers major developments in the U.S. and abroad. The main stories include the aftermath of a mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, significant turmoil at the CDC following high-level dismissals, the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, new scientific findings about forest elephants and ebony trees, and details about the near-billion-dollar Powerball jackpot.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Minneapolis Catholic Church Mass Shooting (00:19 – 01:38)

• Incident Summary:
  A mass shooting erupted during the first school mass of the year at a Catholic church in Minneapolis. The shooter fired 116 rounds, leaving written materials expressing hate. Two children were killed, including 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, whose father was quoted emotionally, asking the public to remember his son for who he was, not just as a shooting victim.
• Victim Update:
  • Two Merkel children present survived.
  • 18 people wounded (15 children).
  • Hospital updates: 3 children still hospitalized at Children’s Hospital; others treated or discharged at Hennepin Healthcare. Six are in satisfactory condition, 22 in serious, and one child is in critical condition.
  • Law enforcement and school employees were praised for quick response and mutual protection during the crisis.

Notable Quotes:

• “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.”
  — NPR Reporter (00:51)
• “Hospital staff today praised law enforcement for acting quickly, and they praised students and teachers who protected each other when the shooting began just after morning mass started on Wednesday.”
  — Jason DeRose (01:28)

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2. CDC Leadership Turmoil (01:38 – 02:44)

• Federal Shakeup:
  HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill was appointed interim CDC director after the Trump administration dismissed Director Susan Menarez, who is pursuing legal action to remain in her position.
• Employee Response:
  • Significant backlash within the agency: dozens of CDC employees staged a walkout along with members of the public.
  • Multiple top CDC officials, including Chief Medical Officer Deborah Howery and two directors of immunization and infectious diseases (Daniel Jernigan and Dimitri Daskalakis), resigned and were escorted from CDC property.
  • Employees and the crowd demonstrated support for outgoing CDC leadership.

Notable Quotes:

• “I just can’t tell you like what CDC means to all of us, the mission, the work, your commitment. Thank you. And we're so honored to have done this for you.”
  — Deborah Howery (02:21)

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3. UN Sanctions Reimposed on Iran (02:44 – 03:22)

• International Developments:
  France, Germany, and the UK are reinstating UN sanctions on Iran, intensifying Tehran’s isolation following a series of bombings at its atomic sites during a 12-day conflict with Israel.
• Diplomatic Context:
  • The “snapback” of sanctions comes from a provision in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that is veto-proof at the UN.
  • Sanctions will refreeze Iranian assets, halt arms transactions, and penalize ballistic missile development.

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4. Forest Elephants and Ebony Trees – New Ecological Study (03:22 – 04:14)

• Scientific Discovery:
  A study in Science Advances finds a crucial link between endangered forest elephants and the dispersal of rare ebony trees in West African forests.
• Ecological Importance:
  • Elephants eat ebony fruit, and the seeds found in their dung help sustain the tree’s population.
  • Declines in elephant numbers from poaching are causing corresponding drops in new ebony trees.

Notable Quotes:

• “Ebony is often found in elephant dung, and these seedlings often sprout in elephant dung.”
  — Indigenous partners via NPR field reporter (03:51)
• “They found that by eating ebony fruit and depositing the seeds, the elephants are moving the tree through the forest.”
  — Nate Rott (03:58)

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5. Powerball Jackpot Approaches $1 Billion (04:14 – 04:57)

• Lottery Update:
  With no winner in the latest draw, the Powerball jackpot rises to $950 million—the sixth largest in the game's history.
  • Winner options: multi-year payout or $428 million lump sum (before taxes).
  • Tickets available in 45 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Odds of winning: 1 in 292,201,338.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Fletcher Merkel’s Legacy:
  “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.”
  — NPR Reporter (00:51)

• Hospital Staff Praise:
  “…They praised students and teachers who protected each other when the shooting began just after morning mass started on Wednesday.”
  — Jason DeRose (01:28)

• CDC Walkout Solidarity:
  “I just can’t tell you like what CDC means to all of us, the mission, the work, your commitment…”
  — Deborah Howery (02:21)

• Ecological Surprise:
  “Ebony is often found in elephant dung, and these seedlings often sprout in elephant dung.”
  — Indigenous partners via NPR (03:51)

• Elephants as Seed Dispersers:
  “They found that by eating ebony fruit and depositing the seeds, the elephants are moving the tree through the forest.”
  — Nate Rott (03:58)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:19: Shooting at Minneapolis Catholic church; victims and aftermath
• 01:09: Updates on wounded children and hospital conditions
• 01:38: CDC leadership shakeup, employee walkout, public support
• 02:44: Europe reimposes UN sanctions on Iran
• 03:32: New study linking elephants to ebony tree regeneration
• 04:14: Powerball jackpot update

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This NPR News Now segment delivers a concise yet comprehensive update on urgent domestic and global developments, blending hard news, scientific insights, and cultural moments with clear, human-centered reporting.

Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

I'm Jeanine Herbst in Minnesota. Police say the shooter who opened fire at a Catholic church in Minneapolis yesterday as school children and adults sat in the pews for the first mass of the school year, fired 116 rounds and left writings describing hate for individuals and some groups. Two children died, including Hyper myoski and Jesse Merkel's son, 8 year old Fletcher. Fighting back tears, he says he wants people to remember his son for who he was and not for being the victim of a mass shooting.

[NPR Reporter (possibly Nate Rott or another field reporter)]

Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Two other children in the family were not harmed in the shooting. Eighteen other people were wounded in the shooting, 15 of them children. NPR's Jason DeRose has more on their.

[Jason DeRose]

Condition at Children's Hospital here. Officials say three children remain hospitalized. Others were treated and discharged at another hospital, Hennepin Healthcare. Six shooting victims there are in satisfactory condition. 22 are in serious condition and one child remains in critical condition. Hospital staff today praised law enforcement for acting quickly, and they praised students and teachers who protected each other when the shooting began just after morning mass started on Wednesday.

[Jeanine Herbst]

NPR's Jason DeRose reporting from Minneapolis. HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O' Neill will be named interim director of the CDC after the Trump administration fired Director Susan Menarez, who who's suing to keep her job from member station wabe. Christopher Alston reports. Dozens of CDC employees staged a walkout today in support of the agency's top leadership, several of whom resigned after Menarez was fired.

[Unidentified Speaker]

Usa, NOT rfa.

[Christopher Alston]

Members of the public joined current and former CDC employees to line the street outside the center's entrance. One of the officials who resigned, former Chief Medical Officer Deborah Howery, was was met with cheers and applause from the crowd.

[Deborah Howery]

I just can't tell you like what CDC means to all of us, the mission, the work, your commitment. Thank you. And we're so honored to have done this for you.

[Christopher Alston]

Howery was joined by Daniel Jernigan and Dimitri Daskalakis, formerly directors of centers overseeing immunizations and infectious diseases. The three say they were escorted off the property earlier in the day. For NPR News, I'm Christopher Alston in Atlanta.

[Jeanine Herbst]

France, Germany and the UK Are reimposing UN Sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program that further isolates Tehran after its atomic sites were repeatedly bombed during a 12 day war with Israel. The process, called a snapback by diplomats who negotiated it into Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, was designed to be veto proof at the UN it would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of its ballistic missiles program. This is NPR News. A new study finds an interesting link between forest elephants and ebony trees. NPR's Nate Rott reports. Jet black ebony wood is commonly used for stringed instruments and furniture.

[Nate Rott]

Ebony trees are rare. They're wood expensive. The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, comes after nine years of fieldwork to better understand how the tree is spread in West African forests. Tom Smith, a conservation ecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, says they worked with indigenous group in Cameroon and one day they said, did you know.

[NPR Reporter (possibly Nate Rott or another field reporter)]

That ebony is often found in elephant dung and these seedlings often sprout in elephant dung?

[Nate Rott]

They found that by eating ebony fruit and depositing the seeds, the elephants are moving the tree through the forest. Illegal poaching for the ivory trade has greatly reduced elephant populations, though the study found, also reducing the number of new ebony trees. Nate Raat, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Are you feeling lucky? Like nearly a billion dollars lucky. That's the jackpot for the Powerball after no one won last night's drawing. Now on Saturday, the jackpot will be $950 million, the sixth largest prize in the game's history. The winner can take the money broken out annually over several years or in a lump sum of $428 million before taxes. The tickets are sold in 45 states, D.C. puerto Rico and the U.S. virgin Islands. But the odds are astronomical, 1 in 292,201,338. You're listening to NPR News.

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