Top 5 US news stories
August 28 2025
Former Student Kills 2 Children in Shooting at Minneapolis Church; FBI Investigates as Hate Crime
Turmoil at CDC: Director Fired by White House After Clashes With RFK Jr., Top Aides Quit
Nvidia Sales Soar 56% to $46.7 Billion, Signaling Robust AI Demand Continues
US Imposes Punitive Tariffs on India Over Discounted Russian Oil Purchases
Chinese Chipmakers Plan Massive Expansion, Backed by Huawei, in Race for AI Supremacy
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1. Former Student Kills 2 Children in Shooting at Minneapolis Church; FBI Investigates as Hate Crime
23-year-old Robin Westman had opened fire at a church adjoining the local Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 people, authorities said. The Mass marked the start of the school year. The shooting began just before 8:30 a.m. as the priest finished the processional and congregants were finishing the opening song, according to a father who attended Mass with his second-grader. Westman approached the side of the building and fired dozens of shots through the church windows, police said. The suspect was armed with a rifle, shotgun and a pistol, all recently purchased legally. Of the 17 people injured, 14 were children, ages 6 to 15, and three were adult churchgoers in their 80s, police said. Two of the children were in critical condition, but authorities expected them to survive. Westman died by suicide in the rear of the church, police said. The suspect was a former student at Annunciation Catholic School, according to a school yearbook, and Westman’s mother formerly worked in the parish office. Westman was a trans woman, according to court documents, who had petitioned for a name change to Robin in 2020. “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. The shooting was being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and as a hate crime against Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
WSJ
2. Turmoil at CDC: Director Fired by White House After Clashes With RFK Jr., Top Aides Quit
The White House said late Wednesday that it had fired Susan Monarez, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after a tense confrontation in which Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to remove her from her position. A lawyer for Dr. Monarez said in response that she was refusing to step down. Dr. Monarez, an infectious disease researcher, was sworn in just a month ago by Mr. Kennedy, but had clashed with the secretary over vaccine policy, people familiar with the events said. Four other high-profile C.D.C. officials quit en masse, apparently in frustration over vaccine policy and Mr. Kennedy’s leadership. Because Dr. Monarez has been confirmed by the Senate — previous C.D.C. directors were not subject to such confirmation — she serves at the pleasure of the president, and Mr. Kennedy likely did not have the authority to dismiss her. At 9:30 p.m., a spokesman for President Trump, Kush Desai, said in an email that Dr. Monarez was “not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” and so “the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the C.D.C.” Shortly past midnight, one of Dr. Monarez’s lawyers, Mark S. Zaid, rejected the firing as “legally deficient” because the president did not announce it. Mr. Desai did not respond to an email message asking if Mr. Trump would do so.
NYT
3. Nvidia Sales Soar 56% to $46.7 Billion, Signaling Robust AI Demand Continues
Nvidia, the artificial intelligence chipmaker, was crowned the world’s first $4 trillion public company last month and has become perhaps the most important factor determining the direction of the stock market. On Wednesday, the Silicon Valley company reported results that showed that spending on A.I. infrastructure remains robust, easing the anxieties of Wall Street and investors around the world. Concerns over whether tech companies would continue shelling out billions to build A.I. data centers — spending that has helped prop up the economy — had mounted in recent months. But Nvidia’s sales rose 56 percent to $46.74 billion in the three months that ended in July, just topping Wall Street’s expectations. Profit increased more than 59 percent to $26.42 billion. Revenue in the current quarter is projected to rise 54 percent from a year ago to $54 billion, as tech companies pour money into data centers. The forecast was in line with Wall Street’s prediction for $53.9 billion, but the company said its estimates did not include any sales for China, which would lift its revenue higher.
NYT
4. US Imposes Punitive Tariffs on India Over Discounted Russian Oil Purchases
The US has slapped punitive tariffs on India over its purchases of discounted Russian oil, dealing a blow to the world’s fastest-growing large economy and deepening a rift between Washington and New Delhi. The 25 per cent levy, which came on top of a 25 per cent “reciprocal” tariff, took effect at 12.01am US eastern time on Wednesday and raised duties on India to among the highest in the world. President Donald Trump’s announcement this month that the US would double its tariff rate on India marked a sudden escalation of tensions after the two sides failed to reach a breakthrough in trade talks.
FT
5. Chinese Chipmakers Plan Massive Expansion, Backed by Huawei, in Race for AI Supremacy
China’s chipmakers are seeking to triple the country’s total output of artificial intelligence processors next year, as domestic groups such as DeepSeek push for the semiconductors needed to match western rivals in developing the most advanced AI. One fabrication plant dedicated to producing Huawei’s AI processors is scheduled to start production as soon as the end of this year, while two more are due to launch next year, said two people with knowledge of the plans. While the new plants are designed to specifically support Huawei, it is not clear who exactly owns them. Huawei denied having plans to launch its own fabs and did not provide further details. Chinese companies are also racing to develop the next generation of AI chips adaptable to a standard advocated for by DeepSeek, which has emerged as the country’s leading AI start-up. Huawei’s latest products are seen as among those that would satisfy DeepSeek’s requirements. Combined capacity from these three new plants, once fully ramped up, could exceed the current total output of similar lines at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China’s leading fab, according to those people with knowledge of the effort. The people added that SMIC also planned to double its capacity next year for making chips at 7 nanometres — the most advanced mass-produced type in China. Huawei is SMIC’s largest customer at present for such processor lines.
FT
August 28 1941: Mass slaughter in Ukraine
The German invasion of the Soviet Union had advanced to the point of mass air raids on Moscow and the occupation of parts of Ukraine. Between August 26 and August 28, 1941, more than 23,000 Hungarian Jews are murdered by the Gestapo in occupied Ukraine.
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Sources
- https://www.wsj.com/us-news/minnesota-school-shooting-annunciation-catholic-minneapolis-281597d5?mod=hp_lead_pos7
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/health/cdc-monarez-kennedy-vaccines.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/technology/nvidia-earnings-ai-chips.html
- https://www.ft.com/content/bc3a60cf-c039-4b5f-bbbe-97f22e8a9edd
- https://www.ft.com/content/64caeab8-a326-4626-98fb-e1bf665827d3
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