Today in History: March 7, ‘Bloody Sunday' in Selma for civil rights movement
Today in history:
On March 7, 1965, a march by over 500 civil rights demonstrators was violently broken up at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; state troopers and a sheriff's posse fired tear gas and beat marchers with batons in what became known as 'Bloody Sunday.'
Also on this date:
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a U.S. patent for his telephone.
In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties.
In 1975, the U.S. Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60 senators to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously required two-thirds of senators present.
In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a parody that pokes fun at an original work can be considered 'fair use.' (The ruling concerned a parody of the Roy Orbison song 'Oh, Pretty Woman' by the rap group 2 Live Crew.)
In 2010, filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, taking the prize for directing the film 'The Hurt Locker.'
In 2024, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting incident on the set of the film 'Rust' in 2021, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. (Gutierrez-Reed was later sentenced to 18 months in prison.)
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
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Search Broadens as Investigators Race to Track Down Minnesota Suspect
EDITORS NOTE: EDS: SUBS 2nd graf to update with possible found vehicle; TWEAKS graf 3 and graf starting "-- The suspect: ..." Investigators expanded their search across Minnesota on Sunday as they raced to track the footsteps of a man suspected of assassinating a Democratic state lawmaker and trying to kill a second. Police found what they believe is a vehicle belonging to the suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, in Sibley County, near a listed address for him and about an hour's drive southwest of where Saturday's shootings occurred. Officials have pleaded for help from the public, offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest. At the same time they urged caution, saying that he was believed to be armed, dangerous and willing to kill. "He is someone that no one should mess with, except for law enforcement," Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday morning on NBC's "Meet the Press." Communities were on edge around the Minneapolis suburbs where authorities say the suspect went to the homes of two lawmakers early Saturday, pretending to be a police officer. Wearing a ballistic vest, gloves and an identity-disguising mask, investigators say he killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. The police almost caught the suspect at the home, but he escaped on foot after exchanging gunfire with officers. State Sen. John A. Hoffman, a fellow Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot in a separate attack but survived. Klobuchar said Sunday that the couple was "hanging in there." Hoffman, she said, "may face some additional surgeries, but he is also in stable condition right now, from what I know." Investigators have been examining surveillance footage, bank records, Boelter's associations and his movements from before the shootings. He had been politically engaged: A friend said he opposed abortion and had supported President Donald Trump, and he previously served on a state workforce development board alongside Hoffman. Here's what else we know: -- The victims: Hortman served as speaker of the Minnesota House for a six-year period that ended this year and helped pass several key policies on abortion rights, marijuana legalization and medical leave. Hoffman is a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb, and leads the Senate's Human Services Committee. -- The suspect: Boelter and his wife run a private security company that promotes the usage of SUVs similar to those used by police departments, according to its website. The couple also appears to have run a religious nonprofit. An archived version of the organization's website described Boelter as an ordained minister who had preached overseas. It said that he "sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer." -- Political violence: Slowly but surely, violence has moved from the fringes to become part of the political landscape. Threats and even assassinations, attempted or successful, have become a steady undercurrent of American life. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
Boston Globe
a day ago
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Who are the Minnesota lawmakers who were shot?
Related : Advertisement This year, under Hortman's leadership, Democrats in the House boycotted the early weeks of the legislative session amid a fight for control of the chamber. Voters last year left Democrats and Republicans with an equal number of seats in the House, but challenges to two of the elections won by Democrats created a period of uncertainty around which party would control the chamber. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman addresses the house floor after being re-elected for her third term during the first day of the 2023 legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. Abbie Parr/Associated Press When those challenges were settled, Hortman agreed to let the top Republican in the House, Rep. Lisa Demuth, serve as speaker. Colleagues have long praised Hortman's work ethic, negotiation skills and pragmatism. Jerry Gale, Hortman's campaign manager, said in an interview that she was a tireless campaigner who was passionate about recruiting fellow Democrats to run for office. 'She had a vision of what she wanted the state to be like, and she knew it was going to take a lot of work,' Gale said. Advertisement As the political rhetoric in the state grew more acrimonious in recent years, Gale said, Hortman worried about her safety. 'I think it did cross her mind at times on the campaign trail,' he said. Her own style was not combative, however. On the campaign trail and in the Capitol, Hortman kept her remarks short, to the point and civil, he said. Hortman was married with two children, according to her state legislative biography. Her husband, Mark, was also shot and killed on Saturday. Hoffman has served in the Legislature since 2013. Before being elected, he served as a member of the Anoka-Hennepin School Board for several years. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said the Hoffmans had both undergone surgery. 'We are cautiously optimistic that they will survive this assassination attempt,' he said. Hoffman, 60, was born in Casper, Wyoming, and formerly made a living as a marketing and public relations professional. He and his wife, Yvette, have a daughter. They live in Champlin, a suburb north of Minneapolis. His home address was published on his biographical page on the Senate's website. Hoffman chairs the Senate's Human Services Committee. He is a fourth-term senator and won his most recent election by 10 percentage points. 'A hallmark of my approach is collaboration across the aisle,' Hoffman wrote in a letter to constituents before last year's legislative session. 'I firmly believe that the path to progress for our state involves considering input from all perspectives, regardless of which party holds the majority.' On his campaign website, Hoffman said he was particularly proud of his efforts to make it easier for people with disabilities to work. He also described himself as a conscientious steward of taxpayer dollars. Advertisement This article originally appeared in .
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Assassin Imitating Officer Kills Minnesota Legislator
EDITORS NOTE: EDS: SUBS throughout to update and expand; NEW headline; REMOVES Thrush from byline; EXPANDS contributor note; ADDS related story.); (ART ADV: With photos.); (With: MINN-SHOOTINGS-VICTIMS); Reporting was contributed by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Chris Hippensteel, Ernesto Londoño, Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Wolfe. A person pretending to be a police officer assassinated a Democratic state legislator in Minnesota and killed the lawmaker's husband in "an act of targeted political violence," law enforcement officials said Saturday. The gunman also shot and injured another Democratic lawmaker and his wife, officials said. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, died in the attack at their home in the Minneapolis suburbs. State Sen. John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times at their house in a nearby suburb but were alive after surgery as of Saturday afternoon. Authorities were searching for the gunman, who shot at officers as they arrived at Hortman's home, before escaping. He was identified as Vance Boelter, 57, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the matter. Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, police said the gunman's vehicle contained a manifesto and a target list with names of individuals, including the two lawmakers who were shot. They did not immediately provide details of what the manifesto said, nor did they offer a possible motive for the attacks. "We must all, Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence," Gov. Tim Walz said. FBI officials said they had joined the investigation. The Minnesota State Patrol urged people not to attend political protests Saturday "out of an abundance of caution." The agency said that among the papers found in the gunman's car was at least one with the words: "NO KINGS," the name of the anti-Trump rallies scheduled across the nation. Though organizers of several protests said they were canceling their gatherings, thousands of people still gathered outside the state Capitol in St. Paul. Hortman, a lawyer by training and a legislator for about 20 years, was the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for a six-year period ending earlier this year. She helped Democrats pass several key policies on abortion rights, marijuana legalization, medical leave and other issues in 2023 and 2024, when her party briefly held full control of the state government. Hoffman, a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb, chairs the Senate's Human Services Committee and has said he strives for "collaboration across the aisle." His home address was published on his biography page on the Senate's website. Bob Jacobson, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said "This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy." The shootings came days after the conclusion of an unusually acrimonious legislative session, during which tensions over party dominance had turned into a legal dispute, and a narrowly divided statehouse struggled to agree on a two-year budget. The shootings were also the latest in a series of recent attacks on political figures that has shaken American politics. Gunmen and arsonists have targeted politicians in both parties, from state-level officials to President Donald Trump, who was grazed in his right ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally last year. Just over two months later, Secret Service agents traded fire with a man they called a second would-be assassin at one of Trump's golf courses in Florida. In April, a man was charged with setting fire to the residence of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Not long before, the Republican Party headquarters in New Mexico and a Tesla dealership near Albuquerque were firebombed, at the height of Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump administration. And less than a month ago, a man gunned down two workers from the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Condemnations of Saturday's shootings came from prominent figures in both parties. "It was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said. Trump said he had "been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota," adding that "such horrific violence will not be tolerated." Officials shared some information about how the attacks unfolded, including the quick thinking of a police sergeant that led officers to the Hortmans' home. They arrived too late to save the couple, but they engaged the gunman in a shootout, and after he ran, they were able to seize his car. Around 2 a.m., officers from the Champlin Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at a home in Champlin. There, they found Hoffman and his wife injured with gunshot wounds. Officers from Brooklyn Park, a nearby suburb, assisted in the emergency response to the Hoffman home, and a sergeant from that department became concerned after discovering that one of the victims was a politician. "In hearing that, that very intuitive sergeant asked our officers to go check on Melissa Hortman's home, the representative that lives in our community," Bruley said. Two Brooklyn Park officers drove to Hortman's home around 3:30 a.m., and when they pulled up at her street, they were met with a strange sight: A police vehicle, or what appeared to be one, was already there, parked in the driveway with its emergency lights on. As the officers approached, a person who looked like a police officer -- dressed in a blue shirt and pants, wearing what looked like a protective vest, carrying a Taser, and wearing a badge -- was at the door and walking out of the house. When confronted by the officers, the person immediately opened fire. Police fired back, and the person "retreated into Melissa's home," Bruley said. It wasn't immediately clear whether anyone had been shot in the confrontation. Officers moved to the entrance of the house and saw Mark Hortman's wounded body. They took a few steps inside the home, dragged Hortman out and attempted first aid. He was pronounced dead shortly after. More officers were called to the scene, and they surrounded the house. A SWAT team arrived and sent a drone into the house, which helped them find the body of Melissa Hortman inside. But the gunman escaped on foot, officers said, and officials began a "large scale" search. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
