Today in History: Waco Siege begins
Today is Friday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2025. There are 306 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Feb. 28, 1993, a gun battle erupted at a religious compound near Waco, Texas, when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents tried to arrest Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on weapons charges; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.
Also on this date:
In 1844, a 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others; President John Tyler, who also was aboard the ship, was uninjured.
In 1953, Francis H.C. Crick announced that he and fellow scientist James D. Watson had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
In 1975, 43 people were killed in London's Underground when a train failed to stop at Moorgate station, smashing into the end of a tunnel.
In 1983, the final episode of the television series 'M*A*S*H' aired; nearly 106 million viewers saw the finale, which remains the most-watched episode of any U.S. television series to date.
In 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated while walking on a Stockholm street with his wife; his assailant was never captured and remains unidentified.
In 2013, Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign, ending an eight-year pontificate. (Benedict was succeeded the following month by Pope Francis.)
In 2014, delivering a blunt warning to Moscow, President Barack Obama expressed deep concern over reported military activity inside Ukraine by Russia and warned 'there will be costs' for any intervention.
Today's birthdays: Architect Frank Gehry is 96. Rock singer Sam the Sham (aka Domingo Samudio) is 88. Actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune is 86. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 85. Actor Mercedes Ruehl is 77. Actor-singer Bernadette Peters is 77. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley is 70. Actor John Turturro is 68. Actor Maxine Bahns is 55. Actor Robert Sean Leonard is 56. Musician Pat Monahan (Train) is 56. Actor Tasha Smith is 54. Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros is 52. Actor Ali Larter is 49. Country musician Jason Aldean is 48. NBA guard Luka Dončić is 26
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US Rep. Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey Democratic primary for governor
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic primary in New Jersey's race for governor, emerging from a crowded field of experienced rivals on the strength of her biography as a Navy pilot and former prosecutor who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Sherrill defeated five rivals, including a fellow House member, the mayors of the state's two biggest cities, a former top state legislator and the head of the influential teacher's union. She will face the Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, in the November general election. The general election will undoubtedly cover New Jersey issues, like the high cost of living and sky high property taxes. It also sets up a test for the president, who waded into the contest on Ciattarelli's side. She becomes the Democrats' standard-bearer at a time when the state party is looking to win the governorship for a third straight term and the national party is looking for leadership and a message that resonates with voters. New Jersey is one of two states with a governor's race this year — the other is Virginia — and could give both parties the chance to test strategies ahead of next year's high-stakes midterm elections. Sherrill built her campaign around her personal story — a Naval Academy graduate who flew choppers for the Navy, Sherrill went on to work as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. She first ran for office in 2018, during the midterm election in Trump's first term, winning in a district that the GOP had controlled for years. Her primary campaign, like those of her rivals, focused on finding ways to make the state more affordable, though she shied away during the primary campaign from offering a broad-based plan. She focused instead on more narrow steps such as lowering housing costs by boosting the number of development tax credits so more housing could be built. Fred Martucci, 75, is a retired glazier who voted early in person recently in Trenton. He said he supported Sherrill after seeing her speak at a forum recently where she was confronted with tough questions. 'She was on her feet. She answered every one of them. She's terrific,' he said. Sherrill overcame fellow Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney and New Jersey Education Association head Sean Spiller. Part of her winning coalition included the endorsements of significant county party organizations like those in populous Essex and Middlesex, traditionally backbones of winning campaigns in the Garden State. She also sought to galvanize support among women, a key component of the party's base, winning endorsements from reproductive rights groups like EMILY's List. A win in November would give New Jersey its second female governor after Christine Todd Whitman held the office for two terms as a Republican. The current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, is prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term because of term limits. He didn't endorse a successor in the primary. Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and small businessman, won the Republican primary in New Jersey's race for governor , cruising to victory with the support of President Donald Trump. Ciattarelli now heads into the general election seeking to win back the governorship after two straight Democratic victories. He's hoping to build on his 2021 performance when he came within a few percentage points of defeating Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. As he turns his attention to the general election, Ciattarelli confronts a balancing act in a state that leans toward Democrats but has shown a willingness to elect Republicans as governor. On one hand, he and the president have embraced one another, and Ciattarelli remains popular with the GOP base, which has largely unified after eight years of Democratic control of state government. But to win in November, Ciattarelli will have to appeal to New Jersey's wider electorate, which has never supported Trump in his three presidential campaigns despite the president's strong ties to New Jersey, where he has owned casinos and other high-profile properties. Ciattarelli's campaign touts the president's 2024 performance in the state, where he lost by 6 percentage points compared to a 16-point defeat in 2020, as a sign that the GOP is poised for a comeback. It also notes a decline for Democrats in registration as an indicator that voters are disillusioned with the party that has long prevailed in most statewide elections, though they occasionally have tapped Republicans as governor. Ciattarelli defeated former talk radio host Bill Spadea, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and contractor Justin Barbera to win the GOP primary. A state Assembly member until 2018 when he stepped down to run for governor, Ciattarelli founded medical publishing company Galen Publishing and held local and county positions in Somerset. Trump's endorsement of Ciattarelli in the final month of the primary came after the candidate got to know and understand the 'Make America Great Again' movement, the president said in a social media post. Trump's backing hinted at Ciattarelli's earlier criticism of Trump during his first run for the White House a decade ago, when he said Trump wasn't fit for the presidency. Now Ciattarelli is 'ALL IN,' Trump said. Trump wasn't a factor for Thomas Walton, 45, who supported Ciattarelli because he said he thinks he's best suited to handle the state's financial matters. 'We've had the nation's highest property taxes for years, and no one ever does anything about them, especially the Democrats. He deserves the chance to change the way Trenton works,' Walton said. Murphy is prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term because of term limits. He didn't endorse a successor in the primary. The two open races for governor this year could offer signals about how the public is responding to Trump's agenda and whether Democrats have succeeded in their efforts to rebuild after defeat in 2024 . Both parties will look to build their general election campaigns on widespread voter frustrations. For New Jersey Democrats, that means focusing on the parts of Trump's aggressive second-term agenda that are unpopular. Republicans, meanwhile, are casting blame for economic hardships on Democrats who've run state government for the last eight years. New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in Senate and presidential contests for decades. But the odd-year races for governor have tended to swing back and forth, and each of the last three GOP governors has won a second term. Democrats have the largest share of registered voters in the state, followed closely by independent voters and then Republicans, who have roughly 800,000 fewer registrations than the Democratic Party. But the GOP has made gains in recent years, shaving the Democrats' lead of more than 1 million more registrations to the current level. ___ Associated Press reporter Bruce Shipkowski in Holmdel, New Jersey, contributed. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins nomination for New Jersey governor, faces Trump-backed Republican
Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins nomination for New Jersey governor, faces Trump-backed Republican Rep. Mikie Sherrill has won the Democratic nomination in New Jersey's high-stakes gubernatorial race. A former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, the congresswoman had the edge coming into the state's June 10 primary. She beat five other Democratic candidates vying for the spot in the November general, including a fellow member of Congress, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, according to election calls made by the Washington Post and Associated Press. Sherrill was first elected to the House in 2018 and has fashioned a reputation as a moderate. Earlier this year, she began her fourth term representing a district in north New Jersey. Term-limited, current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, will wrap up eight years in the governor's mansion after the end of this year. Sherrill looks to extend her party's hold on the state's top spot for another four. She will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the November general election. Ciattarelli has run for governor twice before, coming within three points of unseating Murphy in 2021. He came into Tuesday's GOP primary with President Donald Trump's endorsement and a sizable lead in recent polls.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Mikie Sherrill beats crowded field to become Democratic candidate for NJ governor
US Rep. and former prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill will be the state's Democratic nominee for governor in November after defeating five Dem opponents in Tuesday's party primary. Sherrill, 53, a mother of four and four-term congresswoman representing parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, garnered an early lead in pre-primary polling in large part because of her impressive resume, which included a stint as a federal prosecutor. She tallied 34.6% of the vote when the Associated Press projected her to win at 8:39 p.m. ET. Advertisement Rep. Mikie Sherrill has won New Jersey's Democratic primary for governor. AP Photo/Heather Khalifa Sherill of Montclair beat out Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, US Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Education Association union President Sean Spiller and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney for the nod. Fulop was netting 17.8% of the vote and Baraka, Gottheimer, Spiller and Sweeney all had less than 14% support when the race was called. Advertisement In addition to Sherill enjoying a solid polling lead heading into the primary, she also had won the support of much of the Garden State's Democratic Party apparatus. In Congress, Sherrill serves on the House Committee on Armed Services and its Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. She also is a member of caucuses including the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, the New Democrat Coalition and the Rare Disease Caucus. Her campaign centered around the affordability crisis in Jersey affecting everything from healthcare costs to grocery prices. She also regularly spoke out against the Trump administration as well as Elon Musk, accusing them of working to 'dismantle' social programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Sherrill pledged if elected as governor to work to lower prescription drug costs while requiring more transparency in healthcare pricing and directing the state's attorney general to go after practices such as price gouging, monopolies and insurers denying coverage. Advertisement Sherrill posing for photos with supporters at a 'Get Out the Vote' rally in Elizabeth on June 7, 2025. AP Photo/Heather Khalifa She also champions shared services for municipalities and school districts to help spread some of the cost around in an effort to lower property taxes and supports the expansion of the state's Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. The New Jersey gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
