Hundreds honor 2 children killed and 17 people wounded in shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Just hours after a shooter opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, hundreds were crowding inside a nearby school’s gym, clutching one another and wiping away tears during a vigil. Archbishop Bernard Hebda told a crowd of mourners Wednesday night that students tried to shield their classmates as the gunfire erupted. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says two children were killed and 17 people were wounded in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. The children who died were 8 and 10, and 14 other kids were among the wounded. Police believe the shooter died by suicide. Officials were looking into the suspect’s motive.

Minneapolis Catholic schoolchildren listened to a prayer, then ducked for cover from gunfire

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The pews of a Minneapolis church were packed with teachers, parents and schoolchildren paired with older ‘buddies’ listening to a prayer on their third day of the new school year. Then people scrambled for safety after a shooter opened fire Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic School. Two children were killed and 17 people were wounded. The shooter was found dead by suicide behind the church. Police said all the wounded victims are expected to survive. The shooting has shaken the tight-knit community built around the century-old Catholic school and parish.

What to know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school

A shooter opened fire during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 other people before dying by suicide. The victims include two children who were fatally shot Wednesday morning while in the church pews. Seventeen others, including 14 children, were injured. All 17 are expected to survive. Authorities say a 23-year-old fired dozens of rounds through the church windows. Officials say the shooter did not have an extensive known criminal history, acted alone and had legally purchased the weapons. The White House has been briefed on the situation, and the FBI is investigating.

Mass Russian drone and missile attack kills 4 and injures 30 in Ukraine's capital

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital has killed at least four people and injured 30. Among the dead is a 14-year-old girl and another child. The attack early Thursday hit a five-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district. Nearly 100 buildings in 20 locations across Kyiv were damaged, and rescue teams are working to pull people from the rubble. This is the first major combined attack on Kyiv since U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to discuss ending the three-year war in Ukraine.

CDC director Susan Monarez is fired and other agency leaders resign

NEW YORK (AP) — The director of the nation’s top public health agency has been fired after less than one month in the job. The White House says Susan Monarez isn’t “aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda and refused to resign, so she was fired. Her lawyers said she was targeted for standing up for science. Also on Wednesday, some other top agency leaders said they are resigning. Monarez was sworn in on July 31 — less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.

Top Florida official says 'Alligator Alcatraz' will likely be empty within days, email shows

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A top Florida official says the controversial state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades will likely be empty in a matter of days, even as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration fights a federal judge’s order to shutter the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by a late October deadline. That’s according to an email exchange shared with The Associated Press. Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie says in an email to a South Florida rabbi on Aug. 22 in regard to providing spiritual care at the facility that “we are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days.”

Trump extends control over Washington by taking management of Union Station away from Amtrak

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is taking control of Washington's Union Station from Amtrak, marking another federal intervention in the nation's capital. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the move Wednesday during the launch of the NextGen Acela high-speed train. Duffy says Union Station has "fallen into disrepair" when it should be a "point of pride" for the city. The federal government owns Union Station, which is near the Capitol. Mayor Muriel Bowser says upgrading the transit hub that serves various rail lines and buses would be an “amazing initiative” for the federal government to take on because the city cannot afford the cost.

US hosts talks on post-war Gaza as Israel calls Gaza City evacuation ‘inevitable’

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli and U.S. officials are meeting in Washington to discuss post-war Gaza. The meeting on Wednesday comes even as Israel’s military calls the evacuation of Gaza City “inevitable” ahead of a new offensive and no signs of a ceasefire are in sight. The talks take place amid mounting outrage over this week’s double Israeli strike on a southern Gaza hospital that killed journalists, emergency responders and others. Gaza health officials said the death toll from the attack on Nasser Hospital rose to 22 after two more people died Wednesday. The Israeli military offered no immediate explanation for striking twice and no evidence for an assertion that six of the dead were militants.

Pope demands end to 'collective punishment' and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is demanding that Israel stop the “collective punishment” and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. Leo was interrupted twice by applause as he read aloud his latest appeal for an end to the 22-month war during his weekly general audience Wednesday. History’s first American pope also called for the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in southern Israel, and for both sides and international players to end the war. Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for Israel's promised offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas including Gaza City, where famine has been documented and declared.

FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots with limits for some kids and adults

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall and winter season. But it could be weeks before many Americans know whether they’ll be able to get one, under new restrictions imposed by the Trump administration. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax target a newer version of the coronavirus. They are approved for all seniors but only for younger adults and children with at least one underlying health problem, like obesity. Additionally, U.S. officials revoked use of Pfizer's vaccine in young children. That leaves only Moderna's vaccines for children as young as six months.