Two US politicians and their spouses shot in ‘targeted' attacks on homes
A US mayor says two state politicians were shot in their 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.
I've activated the State Emergency Operations Center.
Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 14, 2025
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.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Sean 'Diddy' Combs probably won't testify as defense says its case could be less than 2 days
NEW YORK (AP) — The possibility that music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs might testify at his federal sex trafficking trial all but vanished Tuesday after his lawyer predicted a defense presentation lasting as little as two days and a judge said jurors could begin deliberations as early as next week. Attorney Marc Agnifilo offered the hint when Judge Arun Subramanian asked him for an estimate on the length of the defense case, and the attorney said their presentation could last less than two days — but not more than five. If Combs testified, it was likely his testimony would take longer than a week. Testimony by two of his former girlfriends consumed two of the trial's six weeks. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. He has been jailed at a federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said prosecutors would rest as early as Wednesday and no later than Friday morning. The estimates were provided Tuesday after the irate judge scolded prosecutors and defense lawyers, saying information about a closed court proceeding involving a juror last Friday had leaked to a media outlet. The judge said he believed someone who was at the sealed court hearing violated his secrecy order. In the future, Subramanian said, he would hold Comey and Agnifilo responsible for any slipups, and any violations of his orders could result in criminal contempt penalties 'at the most extreme level.' 'This is the only warning I will give,' he said. Meanwhile, prosecutors resumed showing jurors evidence Tuesday of text messages, phone calls, hotel records to support charges that Combs oversaw a racketeering conspiracy that utilized his employees and associates and his stature in the hip-hop industry to help him control and abuse women, including two former girlfriends. Ex-girlfriends Casandra ' Cassie ' Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym ' Jane ' told jurors that Combs used threats and monetary incentives to coerce them into frequent multi-day sex marathons where Combs watched, directed and sometimes filmed them engaging with male sex workers. Defense lawyers say prosecutors were trying to criminalize consenting sex between adults by targeting Combs. Ventura's relationship with Combs lasted from 2007 to 2018 while Jane dated him from 2021 until his arrest last fall.
CBS News
20 minutes ago
- CBS News
U.S. Steel-Nippon deal includes "golden share" giving Trump power to approve big corporate changes
President Trump's executive order on Friday clearing the way for Japan-based Nippon Steel to potentially buy U.S. Steel comes with an unusual corporate twist called a "golden share." As part of the agreement, Mr. Trump will gain power to approve a number of major corporate decisions for the company, signaling that the president could potentially block the company from relocating U.S. Steel's headquarters from Pittsburgh, or transferring or relocating jobs outside the U.S. The details of the golden share were disclosed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Saturday in a social media post, where he described the agreement as including "powerful terms that directly benefit and protect America, Pennsylvania, the great steelworkers of U.S. Steel and U.S. manufacturers that will have massively expanded access to domestically produced steel." What is a golden share? A "golden share" refers to special rights held by a government over a corporate entity. They are typically granted in relation to newly privatized businesses over which the government wants to maintain some control, according to legal research company Westlaw. Golden shares have been employed in countries ranging from the U.K. to China, although they are rare in the U.S. In the former case, the U.K. government held a golden share in the British Airports Authority, although it was ruled illegal by a court in 2003. In the latter, the Communist Party had taken a percentage ownership in private companies as well as control over government board seats and voting power, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2023. While presidents can indirectly influence corporate decisions through agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, which reviews mergers for antitrust concerns, it's unusual for a commander-in-chief to exercise the level of control outlined by Lutnick regarding U.S. Steel. According to his post, U.S. Steel — which would keep its name and headquarters after the merger — also wouldn't be allowed to change its name from U.S. Steel without President Trump's approval. The president has the authority to name one of the corporate board's independent three directors and can veto the other two choices, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the terms of the agreement who insisted on anonymity to discuss them. The details of the board structure were first reported by The New York Times. "The Art of the Deal," Lutnick wrote of the agreement, referencing Mr. Trump's best-selling book about his business skills and negotiating techniques. Terms remain unclear Lutnick described the golden share in the U.S. Steel deal as "perpetual." The Commerce Department didn't return a request for clarification on if the golden share would transfer to subsequent presidents after Mr. Trump leaves office. The full terms also remain somewhat unclear. The companies have not made public the full terms of Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel nor the national security agreement with the federal government. On Friday, the two companies announced in a joint statement that they had agreed to the terms of the government's national security agreement. They added the terms mandate $11 billion in new investments by 2028 and provides for "a Golden Share to be issued to the U.S. Government." The U.S. Steelworkers union told CBS MoneyWatch that it can't comment on the golden shares without seeing more information about the agreement. But it pointed to a June 15 statement that expressed the union's disappointment with the president's decision to move forward with the merger. "Details matter: Neither the government nor the companies have publicly identified what all the terms of the proposed transaction are," the union letter said. "And, while there is a claimed 'golden share,' what can we expect from Nippon's leadership in Japan which continues to build up overcapacity in steel globally and has been charged again with dumping by the Department of Commerce just weeks ago?" contributed to this report.
Associated Press
20 minutes ago
- Associated Press
US spies said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran's nuclear program earlier this year. The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program. But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. 'I don't care what she said,' Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was 'very close' to having a nuclear bomb. Trump's statement aligned him with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, rather than with his own top intelligence adviser. The Republican president was expected to meet with national security officials in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps. Trump's contradiction of Gabbard echoed his feuds with U.S. spy leaders during his first term, when he viewed them as part of a 'deep state' that was undermining his agenda. Most notably, he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 when asked if Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election, saying Putin was 'extremely strong and powerful in his denial.' The latest break over Iran was striking because Trump has staffed his second administration with loyalists rather than establishment figures. Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was narrowly confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate because of her scant experience with intelligence or managing sprawling organizations. Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Trump, is expected to testify Tuesday in a closed session on Capitol Hill, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a previously scheduled budget hearing. Both officials would likely face questions about their views on Iran and Trump's latest statements. Representatives for Gabbard and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gabbard, in her March testimony to lawmakers, said the intelligence community was closely monitoring Iran's nuclear program, noting that its 'enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.' The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful. An earlier intelligence report, released in November under then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also said Iran 'is not building a nuclear weapon.' However, it said the country has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce one, if it so chooses,' such as increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium and operating more advanced centrifuges. The report did not include any estimates for a timeline for how quickly a bomb could be built. Trump's immigration agenda is another place where he's split with intelligence assessments. He cited the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport Venezuelan migrants, which he justified by claiming that the Tren de Aragua gang was coordinating with the Venezuelan government. However, an intelligence assessment in April found no evidence of that. Gabbard fired the two veteran intelligence officers who led the panel that created the assessment, saying they were terminated because of their opposition to Trump. In response to those reports, the White House released a statement from Gabbard supporting the president. 'President Trump took necessary and historic action to safeguard our nation when he deported these violent Tren de Aragua terrorists,' the statement said. 'Now that America is safer without these terrorists in our cities, deep state actors have resorted to using their propaganda arm to attack the President's successful policies.'
