Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode: Action on America's Gun Problem Is Not Hopeless
Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Jen Psaki, MSNBC

Overview

This episode tackles the latest tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Jen Psaki explores the details of the attack, the community's response, and the broader issue of gun violence in America. The show features interviews with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Senator Tina Smith, and Dr. Georges Benjamin (Director of the American Public Health Association) to examine how action remains possible amid recurrent tragedies and the politicization of related issues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Minneapolis School Shooting – Details and First-Hand Accounts

• Incident Recap:

  • On the first day back to school, a shooter fired through stained glass church windows, trapping staff and students inside (01:13).
  • Two children, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, were killed, and the shooter died by suicide. Seventeen others, including 14 children, were injured (05:48).
  • The shooter was able to buy multiple firearms legally.
  • Trauma lingers: All injured are expected to survive, but the community faces immense psychological scars (05:48).

• First-Hand Voices:

  • 10-year-old Weston Halsney described hiding under pews and being shielded by a friend who was shot:
    “We kind of like got under the pews... My friend Victor like saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.” (04:05)
  • Senator Amy Klobuchar’s staff member’s daughter communicated the trauma of seeing friends shot:
    “Her daughter... had to watch several of her friends get shot. One in the back, one in the neck and they all got down under the pews.” (05:19)

• Community Response:

  • Vigils and services brought out overwhelming crowds (01:13, 32:38), highlighting collective grief and solidarity.

2. The American Gun Crisis – Systemic Problems

• Host’s Analysis:

  • Jen Psaki underscores that the U.S. leads the world in gun violence and that mass shootings occur with an unmatched frequency.
    “This is the only country where shootings like this, this one, happen this often... It’s the guns, everyone. It’s not really a secret.” (07:23)
  • The show criticizes the pattern of “thoughts and prayers” and the use of the shooter’s identity (trans, political views) to distract from policy solutions (07:41).
  • Psaki argues for activism: “Anger can turn into activism... That pressure can change laws. It’s not hopeless at all.” (10:26)

• Historical Parallel:

  • The bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022) after Buffalo and Uvalde proved legislative change is possible with enough public pressure (10:39).

3. Interview: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey

• Community Pain and Humanity:

  • Frey emphasizes compassion and urges everyone to view victims as “your own kids,” not someone else’s tragedy (16:41).
  • “Every parent should have the assurance and the confidence that they can kiss their kid goodbye... without the fear that they wouldn’t come home.” (16:41)
  • Regards teachers and law enforcement as heroes for their actions that saved lives.

• Demands for Action:

  • Blunt on the issue of firearms:
    “We have more guns in America than people. Say it again. We have more guns in America than people. Why?” (19:47)
  • Calls out the cycle of inaction:
    “This is not what anybody should expect or deal with in the first week of school... Words are not enough... We got to act.” (18:27)
  • On identity and scapegoating:
    “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize trans people has completely lost touch with a common humanity... The antidote to hate is not more hate. The antidote is love.” (22:58)

• Guidance for Citizens:

  • Frey acknowledges the powerlessness people feel, but insists on collective responsibility:
    “We can do a whole lot more than [thoughts and prayers]... Why are we okay with that? Collectively?... This is not about politics. This is about kids. This is about your kids.” (25:03)

4. Interview: Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)

• Grief and Resilience:

  • “The depth of our grief is just unfathomable... everyone is trying to figure out both how to make sense of it and... how do we scrape ourselves up off the sidewalk and figure out where we go from here.” (31:34)
  • Notes the community’s strength shown in record turnout at the vigil.

• The Power of Hope and Action:

  • Smith frames hope as an act:
    “Hope is an action word... people who take these kinds of violent actions... want us to feel powerless... we do have power, that we do have autonomy, that we can change this.” (33:43)
  • Points to real impact from the Safer Communities Act (“lives were saved because of that... we have to use that as our momentum”) (34:29).

• On Policy and Political Contradictions:

  • Smith calls out widespread hypocrisy:
    “What Donald Trump is doing is using fear of crime... as a political cudgel. He’s using it to expand people’s fear rather than actually doing anything to keep people safer.” (36:18)
  • Highlights the rollback of violence prevention grants even as troops are deployed for other “crime emergencies” (36:18).

5. Weaponization of Public Health & Breaking News

• CDC Leadership Purge:

  • CDC Director Susan Menarez was forced out after resisting pressure to change vaccine policy per RFK Jr. and the Trump White House (37:50-41:49).
  • Dr. Georges Benjamin explains, “He has created a toxic work environment... bringing on board a highly competent expert... decides he wants to fire her.” (41:50)

• Public Health Implications:

  • The loss of leadership at the CDC undermines trust and efficacy:
    • “Public health works on trust. And the minute you break that trust, you lose the public.” (42:58)
    • “You’re pushing out some of the world's top experts in disease... What this means is... we can't assure you the air will be safe to breathe, the water safe to drink, or food safe to eat.” (43:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Senator Tina Smith quoting an African proverb:
  “When you pray, pray with your feet. Faith is about taking action to get the kind of community you want.” (34:53)

• Mayor Jacob Frey’s urgent plea for empathy:
  “Don’t think about these as just somebody else’s kids. Think about them as if they were your own.” (19:47)

• Jen Psaki on U.S. gun violence:
  “We live in a country with more guns than people... It’s the guns, everyone. It’s not really a secret.” (07:23)

• Direct voice from a 10-year-old survivor:
  “My friend Victor like saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.” – Weston Halsney (04:25)

Important Timestamps

• 01:13 – 05:48: The attack recounted; voices from child survivor and families.
• 07:23 – 13:22: Psaki’s monologue on gun violence, legislative action, and cycles of inaction.
• 16:41 – 27:17: Extended interview with Mayor Jacob Frey, including perspectives on empathy, blame, and action.
• 31:34 – 37:48: Senator Tina Smith reflects on grief, hope, policy, and political hypocrisy.
• 37:50 – 45:08: Breaking news on the CDC director’s firing and expert reactions with Dr. Benjamin.

Tone and Language

The tone throughout is empathetic, urgent, and at times raw with emotion from both hosts and guests. There’s a repeated call for moving from despair and “thoughts and prayers” to meaningful, collective action. The show maintains clear, accessible language but doesn’t shy from moral outrage or political critique.

Conclusion

This episode of The Briefing with Jen Psaki provides a powerful account of the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, focusing both on the immediate suffering and the need for systemic change. Guests reinforce the theme that hope and progress depend on action — from citizens, lawmakers, and leaders. The episode also shifts to the politicization of public health, warning of the risks of undermining institutions at a time of repeated national crisis.

Listeners gain a sobering but motivating picture: the tragedy is not just a repeating news cycle, but a challenge that can — and must — be met with empathy and resolve.