White House fires CDC director as other officials resign from health agency
The White House has fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after she refused to resign, saying she was “not aligned with the president’s agenda.” Monarez’s lawyers accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of pressuring her to back “unscientific” policies, according to BBC.
Her removal sparked a wave of resignations, including the agency’s chief medical officer and leaders of infectious disease and immunisation programs, who cited misinformation and political interference.
The shake-up comes as the FDA restricted new Covid vaccines to seniors and high-risk groups, and amid widespread layoffs at the CDC, BBC reported.
School shooting in US Minneapolis leaves 2 children dead, 17 people injured
A gunman opened fire Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two students aged 8 and 10 and injuring 17 others, BBC reported.
The attack occurred during morning Mass, when the shooter, armed with multiple weapons, fired through the church windows before taking his own life. Fourteen of the wounded are children, with two in critical condition, according to police.
Governor Tim Walz said Minnesota is “heartbroken” and expressed support for the victims’ families. President Donald Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff, pledging federal support.
The tragedy marks the fifth school shooting in the US this year, amid 286 mass shootings nationwide, according to BBC.
UN says Gaza famine expanding, ten more die from hunger amid Israeli siege
Famine is now a grim reality in Gaza, with children increasingly dying from hunger as Israel’s siege blocks essential aid, UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Deputy humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya confirmed famine in Gaza City and warned it will spread south to Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September. She said over half a million people face starvation, a figure that could rise to 640,000 within weeks, while 132,000 children under five are at risk of severe malnutrition, Al Jazeera reported.
“This is not a natural disaster but a created catastrophe,” Msuya said. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported 10 more famine-related deaths in the past day, bringing the war’s total to 313, including 119 children.
Israeli strikes hit southern Damascus countryside
Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on the southern outskirts of Damascus on Wednesday evening, according to residents and local media. At least eight raids hit areas near the town of al-Kiswah, while other strikes targeted military sites in Jabal al-Mani near al-Harjleh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
According to Xinhua, the attacks followed a drone strike a day earlier near al-Kiswah that killed six Syrian soldiers, an incident condemned by Damascus. Witnesses also reported intense Israeli aerial activity over Damascus, Daraa and Quneitra.
Israel has intensified strikes across Syria in recent months, with Damascus accusing it of expanding control in the occupied Golan Heights in violation of past agreements.
