Today's SCHOOL SHOOTING story

2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school mass

What happened
A 23-year-old armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol killed two children and wounded 17 others yesterday during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. The attacker barricaded at least two doors of the school's church from the outside before firing dozens of bullets through the stained-glass windows, then died by suicide, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said. "We don't have a motive at this time."

Who said what
"The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," O'Hara said. The children killed were 8 and 10. The other gunshot victims — 14 children ages 6 to 15 and three octogenarian parishioners — were expected to survive. School and city officials said teachers protected students and older kids shielded their younger classmates. "The pews saved lives and took a lot of bullets," youth minister Ellie Mertens told The New York Times.

The assailant, identified as Robin Westman, is believed to have attended the school, purchased the guns legally and "recently," had no criminal record and acted alone, police said. FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency was investigating the attack as an "act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics." It was also the "146th U.S. school shooting so far this year," Reuters said. "Don't let anybody tell you that it's not about guns, because it is," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said at a vigil yesterday evening.

What next?
President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) both ordered flags lowered to half-staff as a sign of mourning.

Today's LAW and Order Story

DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower

What happened
Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., failed to secure a felony indictment against a man who threw a sub-style sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent in the early days of President Donald Trump's federal deployment in the capital, news organizations reported yesterday. Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer.

Who said what
It is "highly unusual for grand jurors to refuse to return an indictment," The Associated Press said. In fact, a legal adage holds that "prosecutors could persuade a grand jury to 'indict a ham sandwich.'" Tuesday's "remarkable failure" to indict Dunn "amounted to a sharp rebuke by a panel of ordinary citizens" against Trump's federal takeover of their city, The New York Times said. Federal prosecutors are experiencing an "increasing number of embarrassments" as they seek maximal charges on U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's orders.

Prosecutors certainly "overcharged here," Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told USA Today. The "idea that a sandwich could pose a serious threat of bodily harm to warrant a felony charge beggars belief."

What next?
Pirro's office could try again to obtain an indictment against Dunn, who was fired from his job at the Justice Department after footage of his sandwich toss went viral. Or they could "forgo seeking felony charges and refile his case as a misdemeanor," as they did Monday after failing "not just once but three times to obtain an indictment" against a woman also accused of assaulting a federal officer, the Times said.

It's not all bad

Surgeons in China transplanted a genetically modified pig lung into a brain-dead man, where it functioned for nine days, marking a first in xenotransplantation. Researchers said the lung remained viable without triggering an immediate rejection, although it was eventually damaged by antibodies. Experts are excited by the transplant, but caution that it was an early step and many hurdles remain before pig lungs might be used to treat human patients.

Under the radar

Private zoo of Asia's richest family faces investigation

Vantara, a wildlife center in India, is among the largest private zoos in the world. It is also beset by controversy over its treatment of animals and financial scandals, and India's Supreme Court has authorized an investigation.

Located in the Indian state of Gujarat, the zoo serves mainly as a wildlife rehabilitation center "for those animals rescued from abuse and trauma," Vantara said on its website. It is "run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani" and "led" by his son, Anant, said Reuters. Mukesh Ambani is Asia's richest man, with a reported net worth of $103 billion.

The sprawling complex encompasses 3,500 acres and is home to more than "150,000 animals" and "2,000 species," said Vantara's website. The facility is "thought to be unique in its size and ambition, dwarfing other private animal collections," said The Guardian.

But the zoo has faced "allegations that animals were acquired unlawfully and mistreated," said BBC News. Wildlife activists have claimed it is "housing endangered species on baking flatlands next to a giant oil refinery complex without any plan to return them to the wild," AFP said.

India's Supreme Court has ordered investigators to look into these claims, as well as allegations of money laundering and other financial irregularities. Along with examining potential violations of wildlife laws, the investigators will "scrutinize the standard of veterinary care, breeding programs, animal deaths in captivity and allegations that the sanctuary was being used as a 'private vanity project,'" said The Telegraph.

On this day

August 28, 1963

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The speech, in which King urged people to judge each other "not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," remains one of the most quoted pieces of prose in American history.

TODAY'S newspaperS

'Sheer cruelty and cowardice'

Police chief slams "sheer cruelty and cowardice" as "shooting at Minneapolis Catholic school kills 2 children," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says on Thursday's front page. "This is evil," The Minnesota Star Tribune says, quoting a parent at the school. "In Trump's second presidency, an unfettered leader takes hold," The Wall Street Journal says. "Trump takes power quest to new level," The New York Times says. "Trump's D.C. surge faces resistance in federal court," The Washington Post says, while in foreign policy, "U.S. sends 8 warships on anti-cartel mission, rattling Venezuela." The Jeffrey Epstein "scandal awaits Congress' return from break," says the Los Angeles Times.

► See the newspaper front pages

Tall tale

Ring toss

When his wife's wedding rings accidentally ended up in the compost bin, Steve Van Ysseldyk of British Columbia went to the dump and sifted through piles of organic waste to find them. Because it was a "rainy day," that helped "keep the stink down," Van Ysseldyk told the BBC. While digging, Van Ysseldyk spotted sausages that he had thrown out, and within an hour of searching nearby both rings were found. "I'm amazed," he said.

Morning Report was written and edited by Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Rafi Schwartz, Peter Weber and Kari Wilkin, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.