Two US politicians and their spouses shot in ‘targeted' attacks on homes
Minnesota mayor Ryan Sabas of Champlin said state senator John Hoffman and state representative Melissa Hortman were shot, and that Mr Hoffman's wife was also shot.
A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that investigators believe that the suspect may have been posing as a law enforcement officer.
The person said investigators were still working to establish motive for the attacks and were still in the early stages of an investigation.
Governor Tim Walz said the shooting was targeted.
Mr Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012. PA Media A police officer sets up a perimeter with police tape near the scene of the shooting. PA Media
He runs Hoffman Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm.
He previously served as vice-chairman of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota.
Mr Hoffman is married and has one daughter.
Ms Hortman is the top House Democratic leader in the state legislature and a former house speaker.
She was first elected in 2004.
Ms Hortman, a lawyer, is married and has two children.
Both Mr Hoffman and Ms Hortman represent districts located north of Minneapolis.
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NBC News
19 hours ago
- NBC News
Thom Tillis' exit shakes up the battle for the Senate as key races take shape
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis' surprise retirement announcement has shaken up not only North Carolina's Senate race, but also the broader fight for the majority in the chamber heading into next year's midterm elections. Democrats face a difficult task of netting four seats to win the Senate majority. Aside from battleground North Carolina, the party's top pickup opportunity is in Maine, where Sen. Susan Collins is the only Republican senator representing a state that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024. But the five-term incumbent has proved difficult to unseat. And beyond that, Democrats would need to win races in traditionally red states, in addition to holding a handful of swing-state seats. But with Tillis now declining to seek a third term, Democrats are starting to see a clearer, if still uphill, path to the majority. 'If Democrats want to take back the Senate, it starts in North Carolina,' said Morgan Jackson, a veteran Democratic consultant in the state. The Democratic fields in North Carolina and Maine are still taking shape, and decisions from potential contenders could come in the next few weeks after a new fundraising quarter kicked off on Tuesday. Candidates often launch campaigns early in a quarter in hopes of posting a big fundraising number right out of the gate. In recent days, Republican Scott Brown launched a Senate bid in New Hampshire, while former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred announced he is running in Texas. Tar Heel State shake-up Tillis' exit now means the Republican field in North Carolina is in flux, with all eyes on a potential contender with the same last name as President Donald Trump. Trump told reporters Tuesday that his daughter-in-law Lara Trump 'would always be my first choice' to run for Senate in North Carolina, her home state. Some Tar Heel State Republicans said potential candidates would likely defer to Lara Trump if she decides to run. 'The Trump lane is the path to victory. If your name's Trump, you got a pretty good advantage,' said Republican strategist Jonathan Felts. A former Republican National Committee co-chair, Lara Trump told Fox News Radio on Monday that she is considering a run, noting that she passed on running for Senate in North Carolina in 2022 and in Florida earlier this year. 'It is something that, if it works out and the timing works and it works for my family, it is absolutely something that I would consider doing,' she said. Doug Heye, a former RNC spokesman and North Carolina native, said Lara Trump 'has the right of first refusal.' 'If she wants the nomination, she's in the driver's seat,' Heye said. 'If she doesn't, this process could be wide open.' Other potential candidates include current RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the North Carolina GOP. 'It's fair to say that he is open to it, but he is going to take direction from the president and the White House,' said one Senate GOP strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly about private deliberations. First-term Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., is also considered a potential candidate, though he posted on X that he would back Lara Trump if she runs. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday that he is also considering a Senate run, but he has been focused on passing the president's sweeping domestic policy bill. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., was considered a potential candidate, but he announced on Tuesday that he remains focused on leading the National Republican Congressional Committee. On the Democratic side, former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel is in the race, but many members of the party are waiting to see if former Gov. Roy Cooper decides to jump in. 'Gov. Cooper continues to strongly consider a run for the Senate and he'll decide in the coming weeks,' said Jackson, a Cooper adviser. Jackson said Tillis' exit has not affected Cooper's deliberations, noting Cooper's decision 'has always been based on a personal decision of what is the best way to serve the state and the people. And that calculation has not changed.' Other key matchups take shape The Democratic field is also still in flux in Maine. Collins' spokespeople did not return a request for comment on her plans, but she told CNN in May, 'It's certainly my inclination to run and I'm preparing to do so,' adding that she has 'not made a formal announcement because it's too early for that.' Jordan Wood, a Maine native who served as former California Rep. Katie Porter's chief of staff, is in the race on the Democratic side. Maine state House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and former state Sen. Cathy Breen told the Portland Press Herald in May that they were considering runs. And Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company, told the Bangor Daily News that he is also weighing a run for Senate. But Democrats are largely waiting on Gov. Janet Mills to make a decision on a Senate run. Mills, who cannot run for re-election due to term limits, has not closed the door on challenging Collins. But she told the Maine Trust for Local News in April, 'I'm not planning to run for anything. Things change week to week, month to month, but at this moment I'm not planning to run for another office.' Democratic Senatorial Campaign Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told NBC News last month that she was confident her party would have formidable candidates in both Maine and North Carolina. She also did not rule out taking sides in primaries to boost the strongest candidate. Republicans, meanwhile, are looking to expand their 53-47 majority by targeting Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is the only Democrat running for re-election in a state Trump won last year, since Michigan Sen. Gary Peters is retiring. And Republicans are bracing for a primary fight in the Peach State after Gov. Brian Kemp passed on running. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and state Insurance Commissioner John King are already in the race, and the field is expected to grow. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., told NBC News on Wednesday that he is seriously considering a run and would make a decision 'in the near future.' Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee with personal ties to Kemp, is seriously considering running and has met with key Georgia donors and Republican officials in Washington, D.C., according to a Georgia GOP strategist familiar with Dooley's deliberations. It remains to be seen whether Trump and Kemp will work to back the same candidate in the primary. Trump and Kemp met in mid-May, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News. The meeting was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which noted that Trump and Kemp did discuss the Senate race. GOP leaders have already taken sides in the primary in Michigan, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., backing former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost a close Senate race last year. But Rogers could still face a primary, with Rep. Bill Huizenga considering a run. Democrats will also have a contentious primary in the open-seat race, with Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, former state House Speaker Joe Tate and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed all running for the nomination. But Democrats have coalesced around a candidate in New Hampshire, with Rep. Chris Pappas running to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Brown, a former ambassador and former Massachusetts senator, may not be the only Republican candidate to jump into the race. State Sen. 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The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Donald Trump signs BBB megabill into law that cuts taxes, Medicaid
It includes tax cuts, increased spending on immigration enforcement and the military and deep spending reductions to Medicaid that Democrats and some Republicans have strongly criticized. But with the furious legislative debate behind him, Trump was ebullient as he signed what he has dubbed the "Big beautiful bill" into law during a White House ceremony that included legislative leaders and a flyover from military planes. "It's really promises made, promises kept," Trump said, addressing a crowd of supporters gathered on the White House South Lawn, his wife at his side. Trump sketched out some of the broad strokes of the bill on the campaign trail as he proposed to cut taxes on tipped wages and overtime pay and greatly expand immigration enforcement and deportation efforts. The legislation does that, and a lot more. It extends the 2017 tax cuts that Trump passed and were set to expire at the end of the year and has many other provisions, including reducing taxes on corporations and large estates, boosting the child tax credit, increasing the deduction for state and local taxes to $40,000 and eliminating dozens of green energy incentives. The bill reduces tax revenues by roughly $4.5 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In the process, it adds $3.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade, according to CBO, and includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. CBO projects it will result in 12 million people losing health insurance, while the Senate Joint Economic Committee Minority estimates that about 20 million people could lose coverage. Medicaid is being cut by nearly $1 trillion. Different factions of Republicans took aim at the bill, with some complaining about the Medicaid cuts and other arguing the legislation didn't go far enough to cut spending. Yet the nearly 900-page legislation cleared Congress less than six months into Trump's second term, allowing him to quickly put in place the centerpiece of his agenda. Since reclaiming the White House, the president has moved aggressively to implement his priorities, from overhauling the federal government to mass deportations. Trump has relied heavily on executive orders to accomplish his goals, which can be reversed if a Democrat wins the presidency. The legislation he signed July 4 could be a more lasting legacy. He was able to hold together a GOP caucus that at times seemed poised to buck him, but ultimately fell in line, once again demonstrating the president's immense influence within his party. "I think I have more power now," Trump said after the bill passed, in discussing his sway with congressional Republicans. The legislation narrowly cleared the Senate, with three Republicans breaking ranks to vote against it and the chamber ending in a tie vote that was broken by Vice President JD Vance, resulting in a 51-50 margin. It passed the House 218-214 with two Republicans opposed. Democrats were united against the measure, saying that it disproportionately benefits the wealthy and hurts lower-income Americans. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, laid out these concerns in a marathon address that broke the record for longest House speech. "I rise today in strong opposition to Donald Trump's disgusting abomination... that guts Medicaid, rips food from the mouths of children, seniors and veterans, and rewards billionaires with massive tax breaks," Jeffries said. The legislative drama will now give way to a political messaging battle over the legislation. Trump and his allies predict it will turbocharge the economy and ultimately benefit the party, even as polls show it's unpopular. "It's going to make this country into a rocket ship," Trump told reporters June 3. Former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the legislation "a massive legislative and political victory" and said passing it now allows time for its effects to "marinate into the economy and I think will be a huge bonus for Republicans in both chambers running" in the 2026 midterm election. "The consequence and effects of this bill will be baked into the economy for 18 months and I believe spur economic growth, job creation" Spicer said. Some Republicans are nervous about political fallout, though. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis opposed the bill because of the Medicaid provisions. In a Senate floor speech criticizing the legislation, Tillis attributed his rise to U.S. senator to blowback against former President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which fueled crushing Democratic losses across the country. The GOP is now rushing into similarly perilous territory, Tillis implied, by cutting Medicaid. Contributing: Sarah Wire, Phillip Bailey, Reuters
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- South Wales Guardian
Trump signs tax and spending cut bill at White House July 4 picnic
Flanked by Republican legislators and members of his cabinet, Mr Trump signed the multi-trillion dollar legislation outside the White House, and then banged down the gavel that house speaker Mike Johnson gifted him that was used during the bill's final passage on Thursday. Against odds that at times seemed improbable, Mr Trump achieved his goal of celebrating a historic and divisive legislative victory in time for the nation's birthday. Fighter jets and a stealth bomber streaked through the sky over the annual White House Fourth of July picnic as Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump stepped out onto the White House balcony. 'America's winning, winning, winning like never before,' Mr Trump said, noting last month's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear programme, which he said the flyover was meant to honour. 'Promises made, promises kept and we've kept them.' The White House was hung with red, white and blue bunting for the regular Fourth of July festivities. The United States Marine Band played patriotic marches — and, in a typical Trumpian touch, tunes by 1980s pop icons Chaka Khan and Huey Lewis. The two separate flyovers bookended Mr Trump's appearance and the band playing the national anthem. Democrats assailed the package as a giveaway to the rich that will rob millions more lower-income people of their health insurance, food assistance and financial stability. 'I never thought that I'd be on the House floor saying that this is a crime scene,' Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said during a record-breaking speech that delayed the bill's passage by eight-plus hours. 'It's a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people.' The legislation extends Mr Trump's 2017 multitrillion-dollar tax cuts and cuts Medicaid and food stamps by 1.2 trillion dollars. It provides for a massive increase in immigration enforcement. Congress' non-partisan scorekeeper projects that nearly 12 million more people will lose health insurance under the law. The legislation passed the House on a largely party-line vote on Thursday. It passed by a single vote in the Senate, where North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis announced he would not run for re-election after incurring Mr Trump's wrath in opposing it. Vice president JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote. The legislation amounts to a repudiation of the agendas of the past two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in rolling back Mr Obama's Medicaid expansion under his signature health law and Mr Biden's tax credits for renewable energy. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add 3.3 trillion dollars to the deficit over the decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage. Mr Trump exulted in his political victory on Thursday night in Iowa, where he attended a kick-off of events celebrating the country's 250th birthday next year. 'I want to thank Republican congressmen and women, because what they did is incredible,' he said. The president complained that Democrats voted against the bill because 'they hate Trump — but I hate them, too'. The package is certain to be a flashpoint in next year's mid-term elections, and Democrats are making ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multi-day vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements. Upon his return to Washington early Friday, Mr Trump described the package as 'very popular' though polling suggests that public opinion is mixed at best.
