U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty reveals her name was on Minnesota shooting suspect's 'materials'
In an emailed statement June 16, Beatty extended her sympathies to friends and loved ones of Minnesota House Speaker and Rep. Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, whom authorities say were fatally shot June 14 by 57-year-old Vance Boetler.
Boetler, who was driving one of the "police type vehicles" owned by the security company he works for and is an evangelican Christian Republican opposed to abortion rights, went to the Hortman home after authorities say he shot State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home a short time earlier. Hoffman and his wife remained hospitalized.
According to Beatty, her office was notified that her name was found on Boetler's materials. Security around Beatty was then increased, she said in the statement.
"I am grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Columbus Police Department for their swift response," said Beatty, who would not share more information as the investigation remains ongoing.
"We must do better in how we engage one another as Americans. Our democracy demands nothing less," Beatty said.
Boetler's attack on the lawmakers was described as "targeted" by law enforcement. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Hortman's death a "politically motivated assassination."
A massive two-day manhunt described as the largest in Minnesota history resulted in Boetler's arrest without incident June 15 in a wooded area near his home on June 15. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
Beatty was among four Democratic representatives who did not participate in a narrow June 11 vote on the fate of funding for NPR and PBS as well as foreign aid already approved by Congress.
Beatty, who represents Columbus and eastern and northeastern suburbs in Franklin County, was not present for the vote, which passed 214-212. Four Republicans joined with all present Democrats in voting against the measure.
Beatty's office issued a statement saying she missed the vote "due to a medical procedure that could not be delayed." Her office did not provide additional information about the procedure, saying only that Beatty, 75, "is in good health."
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rep. Beatty says her name was on Minn. shooting suspect's materials
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Jack White slams Trump's ‘vulgar' Oval Office transformation after Zelensky meeting
Grammy-winning artist Jack White took aim at President Donald Trump's White House redecoration efforts on Monday after the leader's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The former White Stripes frontman, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump's, shared a photo of the two politicians sitting in the Oval Office, surrounded by gold ornaments. 'Look at how disgusting trump has transformed the historic White House,' he began. 'It's now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler's dressing room. Can't wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too, he's almost fully achieved the movie 'Idiocracy.' Trump last month announced his plans for a UFC fight at the White House to celebrate 250 years of American independence. White, who previously labeled Trump an 'obvious fascist' and a 'wannabe dictator' after he won the 2024 election, continued: 'Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes? 'A gold plated Trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of Trump shoes on either side wouldn't it? What an embarrassment to American history.' The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. White, meanwhile, heaped praise on Zelensky, concluding his post with the comment: 'Also pictured in this photograph, a REAL leader of a nation in a black suit.' Trump quickly had the Oval Office redecorated after his inauguration in January, switching the pictures, busts, and ornaments around and introducing as much gold as possible. As CNN noted earlier this year: 'There is gold everywhere: new gold vermeil figurines on the mantle and medallions on the fireplace, gold eagles on the side tables, gilded Rococo mirrors on the doors, and, nestled in the pediments above the doorways, diminutive gold cherubs shipped in from Mar-a-Lago.' Trump also tripled the number of pictures of his predecessors on the walls, adding portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan, amongst others. He further reinstated his signature Diet Coke button on the Resolute Desk and a bust of Sir Winston Churchill last seen during his first term. White's criticism comes after Trump hosted the Ukrainian president and several European leaders at the White House on Monday to advance peace efforts aimed at ending the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Analysis-Trump's interest rate demands put 'fiscal dominance' in market spotlight
By Davide Barbuscia NEW YORK (Reuters) -As U.S. debt swells and the White House leans on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, investors are weighing the risk of "fiscal dominance," a scenario where keeping government financing cheap eclipses the fight against inflation. A budget bill passed last month by the Republican-controlled Congress is set to pile trillions onto the swelling U.S. debt load - raising the cost of servicing that debt. U.S. President Donald Trump has meanwhile made explicit calls for the Fed to cut rates, in part to lower the U.S. government's interest costs. The White House's pressure campaign has raised concerns that the administration wants the Fed to return to a bygone era when it kept rates low in order to allow for lower-cost borrowing. "(Fiscal dominance) is a concern ... There are risks on the horizon, both from the perspective of increasing debt loads and the probability for higher structural inflation, or at minimum, more volatility of inflation," said Nate Thooft, chief investment officer for equity and multi-asset solutions at Manulife Investment Management. "The reason why the Trump administration and politicians in general ... would like to see lower rates, is because it actually requires lower rates to be able to afford the debt levels that we have outstanding," he said. The U.S. experienced fiscal dominance during and shortly after World War Two, when the Fed was required to keep interest rates low for the war borrowing effort. The inflation spike that followed led to the 1951 Treasury-Fed accord that restored central bank independence. High long-term Treasury yields and a sliding dollar already reflect that economic setup, some analysts say, as investors require more compensation to hold U.S. assets that could lose value if inflation rises. "The administration wants to outgrow the debt ... but the other way to deal with the debt is to inflate it away," said Kelly Kowalski, head of investment strategy at MassMutual, who sees the dollar continuing to weaken. Higher inflation would mean the real value of government debt shrinks. Trump said last month that the Fed's benchmark interest rate should be three percentage points lower than the current 4.25%-4.50% range, arguing that such a reduction would save $1 trillion per year. He separately said the central bank could raise rates again if inflation rose. In the 12 months through June, inflation as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index advanced 2.6% - still above the Fed's 2% target. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, however, has explicitly said that the U.S. central bank does not consider managing government debt when setting its monetary policy. Some investors argue fiscal dominance lies on an uncertain horizon, with rising debt yet to trigger unsustainable interest rates, while others see it already seeping into markets as long-term yields remain elevated even amid expectations of Fed rate cuts. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the Trump administration respects the Fed's independence, but that, with inflation having come down significantly from its highs in recent years, Trump believes it's time to reduce rates. The U.S. central bank so far has resisted those demands, though it is expected to lower borrowing costs at its September 16-17 meeting. It declined to comment on this story. FED'S MANDATE The dollar is down about 10% this year against a basket of major currencies while Treasury term premiums - the extra compensation investors demand for holding long-term debt - are high, even as yields have recently dipped amid slowing economic growth. "It's difficult to be bullish (on) long bonds in this environment," said Oliver Shale, an investment specialist at Ruffer, citing government spending that could keep inflation elevated and erode bond values. "If you have an economy that's running above its natural output, that's going to result in inflation or have important implications for inflation, interest rates, and probably the currency," he said. Thooft at Manulife said he was bearish on long-dated Treasuries as higher inflation would require higher term premiums. Despite years of economic growth, U.S. deficits have continued to balloon. Debt now stands at more than 120% of GDP, higher than after World War Two. The Fed normally manages inflation while Congress maintains fiscal discipline. That balance inverts under the fiscal dominance scenario, with inflation driven by fiscal policies and a Fed trying to manage the debt burden, said Eric Leeper, an economics professor at the University of Virginia. "The Fed cannot control inflation and keep interest payments on the debt low. Those are in conflict," Leeper said. One red flag for investors is the narrowing gap between interest rates and economic growth. Benchmark 10-year yields have hovered around 4.3% in recent weeks, while nominal GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.02% in the second quarter. When interest rates exceed the growth rate, debt as a percentage of gross domestic product typically rises even without new borrowing, making the debt increasingly unsustainable. "Risks to Fed independence stemming from fiscal dominance are high," Deutsche Bank analysts said in a recent note, citing high deficits and long-term rates close to nominal GDP growth. 'DOVISH BIAS' History offers cautionary tales. Extreme fiscal dominance triggered hyperinflation in Germany in the early 1920s and in Argentina in the late 1980s and early 2000s. More recently in Turkey, pressure on the central bank to keep interest rates low undermined policy credibility and fueled a currency crisis. A majority of economists polled by Reuters last month said they were worried the Fed's independence was under threat. Despite a barrage of criticism from Trump and administration officials, Powell has vowed to remain Fed chief until his term expires in May 2026. "It seems relatively clear that whoever is nominated for the seat, regardless of whatever views they've espoused in the past, is likely to articulate a dovish bias in order to be nominated," said Amar Reganti, a fixed income strategist at Hartford Funds and former Treasury official. Lower interest rates, however, might only be a temporary fix. The administration may be hoping to "juice nominal growth," despite the risk of creating higher inflation, to get to a place where real growth makes the debt trajectory sustainable, said Brij Khurana, a fixed income portfolio manager at Wellington. "The problem they have is ... the central bank is saying: 'I don't want to make that bet with you.'" Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
First Democrat enters race to become Oklahoma's next state superintendent
The race to become Oklahoma's next state schools superintendent now includes two former Tulsa Public Schools board members. Jennettie Marshall filed her candidacy paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission on Thursday, Aug. 14. She is the first Democrat to enter the race. Marshall said at her campaign kickoff in Tulsa that she wants to repair relationships she believes have been damaged by current state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, a far-right Republican who is often critical of teachers' unions and school administrator salaries. '(W)hen you attack our superintendents, when you attack our school boards, that trickles down to our families and our students and makes learning a hostile environment,' Marshall told Tulsa television station KOKI. 'No one can be productive in a hostile environment, so that would be a key, is restoring relationships which will restore trust in that office." Marshall represented parts of north Tulsa on the school board for two terms but chose not to run for a third term in 2025. She was one of two board members who requested an audit of the district by state Auditor Cindy Byrd's office. Auditors investigated district financial records from 2015 to 2023, and found $25 million was spent without proper bidding along with $824,503 in fraud by a former administrator. Another former Tulsa board member, Jerry Griffin, now is running as an independent candidate for the office, meaning he'll automatically be on the general election ballot in November 2026. He served on the Tulsa school board from June 2020 through January 2024. Three Republicans have active candidacies for the race: retired Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller; Peggs Public School Superintendent John Cox; and Ana Landsaw, of Tahlequah, who works as the assistant director of the Alternative Certification for Educators Institute at Northeastern State University, which provides training for career professionals transitioning into a teaching career. Walters, who's in his first term as state superintendent, has not yet announced his future political plans. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Democratic challenger jumps into Oklahoma school superintendent race Solve the daily Crossword
