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What leads someone to commit a mass shooting? Trump admin, RFK Jr plan to find out
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Two children were killed and 17 others were injured when a shooter opened fire during a morning Mass for a Minneapolis Catholic school, with the nation subsequently reeling from the tragedy and reigniting debate about ways to prevent such horror in the future.
«This kind of violence is very recent. It’s a new thing in human history,» Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a Thursday morning interview on «Fox & Friends.» «There was no time in the past when people would walk into a church or a classroom and start shooting people. And it’s not really happening in other countries. It’s happening here, and we need to look at all of the potential culprits that might be contributing to that.»
The FBI is investigating the shooting, which FBI Director Kash Patel called «an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics,» while Trump administration officials are offering prayers and looking at ways to address the nation’s ongoing mental health crisis.
John Lott, the founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Fox News Digital about some of the top variables involved in such shootings, including killers seeking to gain as much media attention as possible by targeting areas where people are unarmed.
MELANIA TRUMP CALLS FOR ‘PRE-EMPTIVE INTERVENTION IN IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL SCHOOL SHOOTERS’
Ann Stovner kneels by a makeshift memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church Aug. 28, 2025, after a school shooting the day before in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
«You read these manifestos and diaries. Over and over again, these guys know that they’re going to commit suicide,» Lott said. «They know or they believe they’re going to die. People have always wanted to commit suicide, but someplace along the line, people who felt unappreciated, who didn’t think people knew what a great person they were, or whatever, realized they could get national and international attention by killing lots of people.»
The Minneapolis shooter committed suicide during the Wednesday morning rampage.
«They know if they go to a place where their victims are defenseless, they’re going to be able to go and kill more people and get more media attention,» Lott said. «And so the thing to stop these attacks is to take away this notoriety that they can get.»
Lott has long called for the obliteration of «gun-free zones,» and said the Trump administration has the opportunity to «harden» schools by removing such zones, as well as the signs designating them, which essentially advertise that no one inside a facility has a firearm.
Instead, Lott said, schools and other common «soft targets» should install signs noting that select teachers and staff are armed with concealed weapons to protect students and others.
Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church unfolded as young students of the church’s parochial school attended mass during their first week back in classrooms. The tragedy ultimately left two children, aged 8 and 10, dead and 17 other students and people injured.
GUNS USED BY MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH SCHOOL SHOOTER ROBIN WESTMAN WERE PURCHASED LEGALLY, POLICE SAY
Community members embrace after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)
Police identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who allegedly used a trio of legally purchased firearms, including a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun, to carry out the devastation.
Court records previously reported by Fox News show that a Minneapolis juvenile named Robert Westman acquired a legal name change to Robin Westman in 2019. Patel confirmed that the shooter was born Robert and later identified as Robin.
Local police additionally reported they were aware the shooter released a manifesto on YouTube, though the video has been taken down and is now under investigation.
The White House held a Thursday press conference during which press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Kennedy’s Health and Human Services was investigating potential prescription drug links to mass tragedies, and that the health arm of the federal government had an ongoing focus on the nation’s mental health woes.
«I know the Secretary of Health and Human Services this morning said that HHS is investigating perhaps links between some of these drugs and these prescription drugs that some of these minors may be taking in an increase in violence,» Leavitt said. «And obviously, we have mental health problems in this country that this administration and Secretary Kennedy will continue to speak out about and the work that we’re doing to solve it.»
In response to Kennedy floating a potential tie between shootings and certain prescription intake, senior advisor to America First Legal Ian Prior told Fox Digital that the conservative group uncovered FDA «documents showing the government knew puberty blockers increase depression and suicidal thoughts.»
«Yet they still pushed them on vulnerable kids. We are flooding children with drugs that destabilize their minds— from puberty blockers to SSRIs — and then acting surprised when tragic violence erupts,» he said. «Instead of protecting kids, federal regulators have created a generation struggling with instability that endangers both themselves and the public. If we want to end mass shootings, we must confront these underlying causes head-on.»
Karoline Leavitt said Kennedy’s Health and Human Services was investigating potential prescription drug links to mass tragedies, and that the health arm of the federal government had an ongoing focus on the nation’s mental health woes. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Amy Swearer told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration should end the U.S.’s historic and «absurd focus» on gun control in reaction to school shootings as it maps out next steps to address such tragedies.
«Focusing on this through the lens of gun control is generally not conducive to actually solving any problems here, especially when we’re talking about school shooters in particular,» Swearer said.
«Generally, when we see school shooters, you either have individuals who are underage, who can’t legally buy guns, who are taking them from parents or other family members,» she continued. «Or you’re dealing with individuals like we saw in Minneapolis, who fall into the broader category of adult mass public shooters, who unfortunately, the problem isn’t that they were prohibited people who are circumventing our laws. … It’s that they were mentally unstable, showed signs of being a danger to themselves or others, but hadn’t yet committed a disqualifying felony or misdemeanor offense.»
TWINS DENOUNCE FATAL SHOOTING AT MINNESOTA CATHOLIC CHURCH AS ‘INCOMPREHENSIBLE’ ATTACK
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sits on the steps of the Annunciation Church’s school as police respond to a reported mass shooting, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
Democratic lawmakers have come out in force to voice support for additional gun control following the shooting while denouncing «gun violence» and «weapons of war» on U.S. streets.
«I’m horrified by the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis and closely monitoring the situation. I’m thankful for the first responders on the scene,» Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X. «Students and teachers should not be putting their lives on the line just by going back to school. We must do more to stop gun violence in America.»
«Praying for the children, families and first responders during this moment of terror and unimaginable grief,» House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said of the tragedy. «Weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods, streets or schools.»
Police work the scene following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School on August 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Getty Images)
Like Lott, Swearer said «soft targets» such as gun-free school zones, are frequently preyed upon by mass shooters as criminals can carry out deadlier attacks without resistance from their victims. She called for schools and other «soft targets» to at least have the option to protect themselves.
«There is a general rule: hard targets protect people,» she said.
Lott added that a killer’s «goals» must be taken from them if mass shooting tragedies are ever to significantly decrease.
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«The way you take away their goal is having somebody there quickly, or they believe somebody’s there quickly to be able to stop them before they can kill many people,» he said. «I forced myself to read their diaries and manifestos, and time after time after time they say, ‘If I can only kill more people than such and such did, I can get even more media attention. I can get my name in the history books.’»
crime,second amendment,donald trump,health,politics,robert f kennedy jr
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Crisis energética en Cuba: se quedará sin combustible para aviones esta medianoche y se suma un apagón gigante
El Gobierno de Cuba les confirmó este lunes a las aerolíneas que operan en la isla que se suspenderá el suministro de combustible. Y ya le puso fecha a la sequía de JetFuel: será a partir de esta misma medianoche, en medio de la crisis energética que atraviesan por las presiones políticas y el bloqueo económico impulsados por Estados Unidos.
Además, desde La Habana indicaron que habrá «prolongados apagones» durante toda la jornada, con cortes que llegarán a dejar simultáneamente sin corriente a un 61,5 % de la isla en el momento de mayor demanda energética, según datos de la estatal Unión Eléctrica (UNE).
Cuba atraviesa una profunda crisis energética desde mediados de 2024, pero el asedio petrolero agravado por el Gobierno de Donald Trump está llevando a cifras récord los apagones, paralizando por completo la economía y disparando el malestar social.
«La aviación civil cubana ha notificado a todas las compañías que ya no habría suministro de JetFuel, el combustible de aviación, a partir del martes 10 de febrero a las 00 (hora local)», indicó a la agencia AFP, bajo condición de anonimato, un ejecutivo de una aerolínea europea.
En principio, la medida tiene vigencia por un mes. Obligará a las aerolíneas que operan vuelos de largo recorrido a efectuar una «escala técnica» al regreso para asegurar su abastecimiento de JetFuel, refirió el ejecutivo. Sin embargo, los vuelos regionales deberían poder continuar sus conexiones con normalidad, precisó la fuente.
La compañía Air France, por ejemplo, ya adelantó que mantendrá su ruta, con una escala técnica prevista en otro país del Caribe.
Con este panorama, Rusia acusó este lunes a Estados Unidos de asfixiar a la isla. «La situación en Cuba es realmente crítica», declaró el portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, y ya avisó que trabajan en alternativas para evacuar a los turistas rusos que se queden varados por la cancelación de vuelos.
«Las medidas asfixiantes impuestas por Estados Unidos están causando muchas dificultades al país. Estamos estudiando posibles soluciones con nuestros amigos cubanos, al menos para proporcionar la asistencia que podamos», añadió.
En tanto, el canciller cubano, Bruno Rodríguez, denunció una «cruel agresión» que busca «doblegar la voluntad política de los cubanos».
«El escenario es duro y reclamará gran sacrificio. Nuestra disposición al diálogo es clara y conocida. Se ha reiterado directa y públicamente», agregó.
México envió este domingo dos buques cargados con 814 toneladas de ayuda humanitaria a Cuba y la presidenta Claudia Scheinbaum se encuentra negociando una eventual entrega de petróleo a la isla sin ser sancionados por Estados Unidos.
Tras haber cortado los envíos desde Venezuela, el presidente Donald Trump firmó la semana pasada un decreto que indica que Estados Unidos podría imponer aranceles a los países que vendan petróleo a La Habana.
El 31 de enero se registró el máximo histórico desde que Cuba empezó en 2022 a difundir regularmente estadísticas energéticas, con un apagón que llegó a dejar sin corriente de forma simultánea a un 63 % del país.
El Gobierno cubano anunció la semana pasada un durísimo paquete de medidas de emergencia para tratar de subsistir sin petróleo del exterior, cuando la isla apenas produce un tercio de sus necesidades energéticas.
En ese sentido, La Habana anunció la semana laboral de cuatro días y teletrabajo en las administraciones y empresas estatales, así como restricciones en la venta de combustible, para hacer frente a la crisis energética.
También habrá una reducción de los servicios de autobuses y trenes entre provincias, así como el cierre de determinados establecimientos turísticos.
Las jornadas de clases serán más cortas y las universidades funcionarán en modalidad semipresencial. Estas medidas deben permitir ahorrar combustible para favorecer «la producción de alimentos y la producción de electricidad» y posibilitar «la salvaguarda de las actividades fundamentales que generan divisas», declaró el vice primer ministro, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, en la televisión estatal.
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Massie, top Oversight Democrat call for Secretary Lutnick to resign for ‘lying’ about alleged Epstein ties
Will Anybody Get Arrested From The Epstein Files?
Rich Zeoli, host of «The Rich Zeoli Podcast,» tells Jimmy he doesn’t think anybody will face any real charges following the release of the Epstein files. But the Clintons testifying could set a trap precedent for President Trump down the road.
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The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee piled onto calls from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Monday for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to step down in light of alleged business ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Files released by the DOJ suggest that Lutnick and Epstein bought stakes together in a technology company called Adfin in 2012.
Lutnick, who is listed among nine other investors, appears as a «signatory» alongside Epstein, who is named as a «preferred holder.»
Notably, the purchase is dated four years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl.
DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are pictured from left to right. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; Tasha Poullard/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said the documents clearly contradicted previous statements from Lutnick about his relationship with Epstein.
«It’s now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein. He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, and we now know they were in business together,» Garcia said in a post to X.
«Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions,» Garcia added.
Garcia’s calls follow similar comments made by Massie on Sunday. When asked about Lutnick’s appearance in the files on CNN, Massie also said that Lutnick should step down.
MASSIE, KHANNA TO VISIT DOJ TO REVIEW UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., arrives for a House vote on Feb. 3, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«He should just resign. Prince [Andrew] lost his title for less than what we’ve seen Howard Lutnick lie about,» Massie said, referring to the member of the royal family who was stripped of his titles last year for his association with Epstein.
«He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein — and this was many years after Epstein was convicted for sexual crimes. So, he’s got a lot to answer for.»
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
Other documents in the Epstein files reveal communications between Lutnick and Epstein’s staff that suggest Lutnick may have met with Epstein in the Virgin Islands.
«Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St. Thomas some over the holidays. Jeffrey requested I please pass along some phone numbers to you so the two of you can possibly get together,» an assistant to Epstein wrote in an email dated November 2012.
In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital on the criticism from Garcia and Massie, a spokesperson for the Department of Commerce framed their demands as a distraction.
Howard Lutnick, Commerce secretary, participates in a roundtable in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 10, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Mr. Lutnick met Jeffrey Epstein in 2005 and had very limited interactions with him over the next 14 years,» the spokesperson said.
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«This is nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments, including securing trillions of dollars in investment, delivering historic trade deals and fighting for the American worker.»
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., did not respond to a request for comment on whether the committee would consider questioning Lutnick as a part of the committee’s ongoing probe of Epstein and his crimes.
congress,politics,jeffrey epstein
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As Epstein-linked appointment sparks backlash, UK PM Starmer faces party revolt amid resignation calls
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing one of the most serious crises of his premiership after a cascade of resignations, renewed scrutiny over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington and mounting unrest inside the ruling Labor Party ahead of a critical meeting of members of Parliament Monday evening.
On Monday, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar became the most senior party figure to call for Starmer’s resignation, saying «the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change,» according to the Associated Press. His intervention piles fresh pressure on the prime minister.
At the center of the crisis are newly publicized materials detailing Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, revelations that have reshaped the political stakes and triggered questions about vetting at the highest levels of government. Documents cited by Fox News Digital report Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, and that Epstein transferred about $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 to accounts connected to Mandelson or his husband.
KEIR STARMER’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS AFTER RECOMMENDING EPSTEIN-CONNECTED AMBASSADOR
Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff and one of the most influential figures inside Downing Street, stepped down on Sunday after acknowledging his role in recommending Mandelson for the diplomatic post. In a resignation statement obtained by The Guardian, McSweeney said the decision was «wrong» and he accepted responsibility, calling his departure the «only honorable course.»
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)
The pressure intensified hours later when Tim Allan, the prime minister’s director of communications, also resigned, according to GB News. Allan, a veteran New Labor strategist, became the second senior aide to exit as the political fallout deepened.
Dr. John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital the prime minister is now under escalating political pressure and that «it’s unclear as to whether he’ll survive.»
«Prime Minister Starmer is coming under ever-increasing political pressure to resign here in London in the wake of the scandal around Lord Mandelson — his appointed ambassador to the United States — and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. He has lost two close aides and is under attack for his China foreign policy. The Chagos Deal is under scrutiny and his trip to Beijing was largely viewed as devoid of real results,» Hemmings said.
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, added: «It is extraordinary to be in a situation where a prime minister who won a landslide general election victory only 20 months ago is now on the verge of being forced to resign. We are here as a result of a series of policy U-turns and bad judgment calls culminating in the Lord Mandelson debacle. His fate is now ultimately in the hands of the Parliamentary Labor Party tonight. If he feels he no longer has their confidence, then there is every chance that this will be the end of Keir Starmer.»
STARMER CALLS ON EX-PRINCE ANDREW TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS AFTER LATEST EPSTEIN RELEASE
Peter Mandelson speaks during a welcome reception for British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, at the ambassador’s residence on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Carl Court/Pool via Reuters)
Starmer has sought to contain the damage, saying he regrets the appointment. In remarks reported by GB News on Monday, the prime minister said: «I have been absolutely clear that I regret the decision that I made to appoint Peter Mandelson. And I’ve apologized to the victims, which is the right thing to do.» He added that scandals of this kind risk undermining public faith in politics.
The prime minister now faces a showdown with Labor lawmakers, with backbench MPs expected to challenge his leadership at a party meeting Monday evening U.K. time. A senior Labor MP told GB News the «clock is ticking» and called for decisive action to «cleanse politics.»
Downing Street has insisted Starmer will not resign despite the double departure. A spokesperson told journalists that the prime minister is «getting on with the job in hand and delivering change across the country,» and he remains «upbeat and confident,» and retains Cabinet support.
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Peter Mandelson sits with Jeffrey Epstein as he blows out the candles on a cake, in an undated photograph released by the U.S. Justice Department on Dec. 19, 2025, as part of a trove of documents from its investigations into Epstein. (U.S. Justice Department/Handout via Reuters)
The political damage, however, extends beyond staffing turmoil. Mandelson was withdrawn from the ambassador role after additional details about his relationship with Epstein emerged, and he resigned from the Labor Party earlier this month, leaving Starmer confronting what experts describe as the most acute test of his leadership since taking office.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
united kingdom,politics,uk politics
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