Morning Brief: Shooter Targets Catholic School, DOJ Settles With FBI Whistleblowers, Flags Sweep UK

A trans-identified shooter kills two children and injures 17 others in a horrific attack on a Catholic school in Minneapolis. The Department of Justice finalizes settlements with ten FBI whistleblowers who were punished by the Biden administration for exposing political weaponization. A patriotic “flagging” movement sweeps the U.K. as public backlash grows against the government’s mass migration policies and a surge in migrant crime.

It’s Thursday, August 28, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.

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Trans-Identified Gunman Murders Two Children at Catholic School

Topline: Two children are dead and 17 others are injured after a 23-year-old trans-identified gunman opened fire on a Catholic K-8 school in Minneapolis during its opening Mass on Wednesday.

The gunman, identified by police as Robin Westman, began firing a semi-automatic rifle through the church’s windows as students were gathered for Mass. Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed as they sat in the pews. Another 14 children were among the 17 injured, four of whom are in critical condition. The shooter was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The gunman’s mother reportedly worked at the school from 2016 to 2021.

The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. Prior to the attack, the shooter uploaded a video to YouTube displaying firearms scrawled with anti-Christian, anti-conservative, and antisemitic language. One rifle magazine had the words “Where is your God?” Others said, “Kill Donald Trump,” and “6 million wasn’t enough.”

The tragedy comes after Catholic school leaders in Minnesota pleaded with Governor Tim Walz for additional security following the 2023 mass shooting at Covenant Christian School, which was also carried out by a trans-identified shooter. One of the letter’s authors told The Daily Wire that Walz did not provide any additional security, despite the state having an $18 billion budget surplus that year. Instead, Walz signed legislation making Minnesota a “transgender refuge state.”

Trump DOJ Settles With FBI Whistleblowers

Topline: The Department of Justice has finalized settlements with ten FBI whistleblowers who faced retaliation from the Biden administration after they sounded the alarm on the political weaponization of the agency.

The settlements include payments for damages, full backpay and benefits, and reinstatement for at least three of the agents. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who advocated for the whistleblowers, praised the Trump DOJ for prioritizing “accountability” and bringing “closure” to the cases.

The whistleblowers were punished for speaking out against the previous administration’s politically motivated actions. Special Agent Stephen Friend was suspended without pay after he objected to using a SWAT team to arrest a J6 defendant for a misdemeanor charge. Special Agent Garret O’Boyle was also suspended after raising concerns about politicized investigations into parents at school board meetings and pro-life activists.

The settlements are part of President Trump’s broader effort to end government weaponization, which includes his pardons of J6 defendants and his DOJ’s narrowing of FACE Act enforcement. A new AP-NORC poll shows strong public support for the president’s law and order agenda, with 53% of Americans—including about half of independents—approving of his methods for taking on crime.

‘Flagging’ Movement Sweeps U.K. Amid Migrant Backlash

Topline: A new patriotic movement known as “flagging” is sweeping the United Kingdom, as public anger grows over the government’s mass migration policies and a surge in violent crime committed by migrants.

The organic movement involves citizens raising the Union Jack and the St. George’s Cross flags on lampposts across the country. It grew out of protests against the government’s practice of housing illegal immigrants in local hotels, which has led to a number of rapes and assaults on local people.

Critics have labeled the movement “xenophobic,” but supporters point to a double standard, as local councils that have been quick to take down British flags have been afraid to remove Palestinian flags from heavily Muslim areas.

The backlash comes as government data shows a surge in crimes committed by foreign nationals. According to the Centre for Migration Control, convictions of foreign nationals for sexual offenses increased by a “staggering 62%” between 2021 and 2024. A recent viral video from Scotland shows a 14-year-old girl brandishing an axe and a machete to defend herself and her 12-year-old sister from a man with a foreign accent who was harassing them. The girl has since been charged by police with possession of a knife.