Gov. Tim Walz calls special election for Melissa Hortman's House seat
Hortman, the former House speaker and leader of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus in the House, represented House District 34B, a district that includes Brooklyn Park, as well as parts of Champlin and Coon Rapids.
A special primary election for the seat is now scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12. The special election is set to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Candidates can begin submitting paperwork to run starting July 15. Affidavits of candidacy and nominating petitions can be submitted to the Anoka and Hennepin county auditors or the Minnesota Secretary of State until July 22.
House District 34B has been without a representative for nearly a month.
In the early morning hours of June 14, Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot at their home by a gunman who was reportedly targeting state lawmakers. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their home in Champlin and survived.
Hortman was first elected to the House in 2004 and was in her 11th term in the Legislature. She was elected speaker of the House in 2019, when the DFL took a majority in the House.
Hortman lost the speakership in 2025 after the 2024 election resulted in a House tied 67-67 between the parties.
The House is now split 67-66 between the parties, with Republicans at a one-seat majority.
Hortman had handily won reelection in District 34B and past districts that covered a similar footprint. In 2024, she won reelection with 63% of the vote.
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CBS News
5 minutes ago
- CBS News
Brazil's Bolsonaro, former president charged with masterminding coup plot and a Trump ally, ordered under house arrest
Sao Paulo — A justice on Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the house arrest Monday of former President Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election - a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by spreading content through his three lawmaker sons. Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement that he will appeal the decision. They said his words "good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom" - broadcast from a cell phone of one of his sons during a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro - cannot "be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act." The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after President Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally's judicial situation. Mr. Trump has called the proceedings a " witch hunt," triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Hours after the decision, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X that the Trump administration "condemns (de) Moraes' order imposing house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct." "Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro's ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!" the post said. Brazil's government hasn't commented on the case. Brazil's prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and Justice de Moraes after the far-right leader narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022. Monday's order followed one from the top court last month that ordered Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings are underway. Following news of the arrest order, a staffer with Brazil's federal police told The Associated Press federal agents had seized cell phones at Bolsonaro's residence in the capital of Brasilia, as ordered by de Moraes in his decision. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak about the matter publicly. De Moraes also warned that any new transgression would lead to him being detained, French news agency AFP reports. Bolsonaro is expected to remain in Brasilia for his house arrest as he isn't allowed to travel. He also has a house in Rio de Janeiro, where he held his electoral base as a lawmaker for three decades. The former army captain is the fourth former president of Brazil to be arrested since the end of the country's military rule from 1964 to 1985, which Bolsonaro supported. The move from the Brazilian justice comes a day after tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took the streets in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio, pleading for Brazil's congress to pardon him and hundreds of others who are either under trial or jailed for their roles in the destruction of government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023. On Sunday, Bolsonaro addressed supporters in Rio through the phone of one of his sons, which de Moraes' described as illegal. "The flagrant disrespect to the precautionary measures was so obvious that the defendant's son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, decided to remove the posting in his Instagram profile, with the objective of hiding the legal transgression," de Moraes wrote. Flávio Bolsonaro claimed on X that Brazil "is officially in a dictatorship" after his father's house arrest. "The persecution of de Moraes against Bolsonaro has no limits!" the senator wrote. De Moraes added in his ruling that Jair Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022, has spread messages with "a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary" - likely a veiled reference to Mr. Trump's support for Bolsonaro. De Moraes also said Bolsonaro "addressed protesters gathered in Copacabana, in Rio" on Sunday so his supporters could "try to coerce the Supreme Court." Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression regarding Bolsonaro's trial. On Monday, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs called the Brazilian justice "a U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser" and accused him of using "institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy." De Moraes said in his decision that "(Brazil's) judiciary will not allow a defendant to make a fool out of it." "Justice is the same for all. A defendant who willingly ignores precautionary measures - for the second time - must suffer legal consequences," he said. Creomar de Souza, a political analyst of Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, a political consultancy firm based in Brasilia, said Bolsonaro's house arrest opens a new moment for the country's opposition, which will could gather steam in fighting against Lula's reelection bid next year. Now, de Souza said, "the 2026 election looks like turmoil" and the political debate in Brazil will likely be split between two key struggles. "One is the effort of Bolsonaro supporters to keep strong on the right, no matter if it is pushing for amnesty in congress or putting themselves physically out there," the analyst said. "The second is how the Lula administration will try to show that the country has a government." "This is just the start," he concluded. The latest decision from the top court keeps Bolsonaro under ankle monitoring, allows only family members and lawyers to visit him and seizes all mobile phones from his home. Lula was imprisoned for 580 days between 2018 and 2019 in a corruption conviction that was later tossed out by the Supreme Court, citing the bias of the judge in the case. Michel Temer, who became president after Dilma Rousseff was impeached in 2016, was arrested for 10 days in 2019 in connection with a graft investigation, which later ended without a conviction. Earlier this year, de Moraes ordered the detention of President Fernando Collor, who was in office from 1990 to 1992 until he was impeached. The 75-year-old former president was convicted of money laundering and corruption in 2023 and is now serving his more than eight-year sentence. Hours after the order, right-wing lawmakers criticized de Moraes' decision and compared Bolsonaro's situation to that of his predecessors. "House arrest for Jair Bolsonaro by de Moraes. Reason: corruption?" asked lawmaker Nikolas Ferreira. "No. His kids posted his content on social media. Pathetic." The far-right leader is already barred from next year's election due to an abuse of power conviction by the country's top electoral court. Leftist lawmaker Duda Salabert said Bolsonaro's house arrest boosts Brazil's democracy. "And those who attacked it are about to pay," Salabert said.
Indianapolis Star
6 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Trump's tax bill snuck in Planned Parenthood attack that will hurt Indiana women
Reproductive health care is under attack, and recent policy changes threaten to make matters worse. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4, includes provisions that go into effect Oct. 1 mandating that Medicaid spending can't be used towards clinics designated as nonprofit organizations that provide family planning services and reproductive care. A federal judge has partially blocked implementation of this provision. If it takes effect, though, that would mean Medicaid users won't be able to access care from Planned Parenthood clinics, among other similar nonprofit health services. While conservatives are hailing this as a pro-life victory, this law is far from saving lives. It targets all of the resources and care that Planned Parenthood provides, including contraception, STI testing, HIV-related care, mental health support and so much more. More from Sadia Khatri: Abortion ban, fetal anomaly and a ticking clock: 'an impossible decision' There's a misconception that Planned Parenthood only provides access to abortions. The organization offers a wide variety of care. In states like Indiana, where abortion is banned, Planned Parenthood doesn't even provide abortions. Some states might use state funding to cover abortion services for Medicaid enrollees, but federal dollars do not pay for abortions. Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, a pediatrician and professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, thinks the Big Beautiful Bill has less to do with fiscal responsibility and a lot more to do with control. 'The Hyde Amendment has been in place for decades, preventing any federal funds, including Medicaid funds, to ever be used for abortion,' Wilkinson said. 'This issue in the federal budget is not about that. This issue is about preventing people that want to get birth control or want to get testing for sexually transmitted diseases, not being able to go there anymore, and ultimately, hopefully, the goal being that that clinic no longer can keep their doors open and will close.' This bill goes beyond the typical anti-abortion agenda. It's an attack on health care, and it's particularly concerning for a state like Indiana. More from Sadia Khatri: Why young progressives shouldn't give up on Indiana — or flee from it Many Indiana counties are considered maternity care deserts, which are defined as counties where there are zero hospitals that offer obstetric care and zero physicians who provide obstetric care. A little under a quarter of Indiana counties are maternity care deserts. An additional fifth of Indiana counties have limited access to obstetric care. Collectively, almost half of the counties in Indiana have limited or no access to obstetric care. Not all Hoosiers can easily get access to reproductive, sexual health and general OB-GYN-related care in Indiana. This bill is only going to exacerbate that. Planned Parenthood last year received 34,403 visits from Hoosiers across 11 health centers, 53% of whom had incomes at or below the federal poverty line. In 35% of cases, patients were insured by Medicaid. Planned Parenthood provided 30,000 family planning visits, 42,000 STI tests, 5,500 HIV tests and 1,300 Pap tests. Federal law threatens all of those services for Medicaid enrollees. For Hoosiers on Medicaid who live in areas where obstetric care is limited or nonexistent, there aren't always alternatives to Planned Parenthood clinics. Planned Parenthood often is the alternative. It's not just Planned Parenthood that's going to be negatively impacted. Indiana could lose 12 rural hospitals, Wilkinson said. When hospitals shut down, health care deserts worsen. This allegedly big and beautiful bill is about taking bodily autonomy and control away from patients and placing it in the hands of elected officials. Limiting access to family-planning and contraceptive resources has ripple effects. 'When you take away people's abilities to decide if and when and how to become a parent, all the downstream impacts are worsened,' Wilkinson said. 'Infant mortality is worsened, maternal mortality is worsened and pregnancies tend to be more complicated.' For Hoosiers enrolled in Medicaid, it's important to be vigilant and aware about your coverage. Dr. Wilkinson recommends regularly checking to make sure you are still enrolled. Rebecca Gibron, a regional CEO for Planned Parenthood, said the organization will continue to build new pathways to care. Planned Parenthood recently increased access to its telehealth services, helping more patients access remote services. "Indiana's reproductive health care landscape is being reshaped by relentless political interference from local and national leaders —designed to limit our freedom to control our own bodies," Gibron said. "But they should know: Planned Parenthood will never stop showing up for our patients." Despite what some politicians and pundits may say about the Big Beautiful Bill, the reality is that people will lose access to healthcare in some way. The outlook on reproductive health in Indiana is only going to get more grim.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Karl Rove Reveals Trump's 'Big Mistake' That's About To 'Bite' Republicans
Longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove had some bad news for President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. Trump is not as popular as a president should be at this point in his term, which could cost his party big in next year's midterm elections, Rove said during a Fox News interview over the weekend. 'While he has strengthened the support among right-leaning Republicans, he has also sort of lost ground among independents, who at this point are disposed to say, 'I'm voting Democrat in the midterm election,'' he said. Rove noted that Trump was elected largely on three issues: the border, the economy, and inflation, but the latest polls show those last two issues in particular are a problem for the president right now. 'To me, what's ironic is, is that the Trump administration is making the same mistake that the Biden administration made,' he said. President Joe Biden and his aides insisted that 'Bidenomics' was working even as inflation continued to surge. 'Well, now we have 'the golden age of American prosperity has returned,' and Americans are not feeling that,' Rove said, calling out Trump and his administration for declaring a 'premature victory' on those issues. 'I think that's a big mistake for the White House and is likely to come back and bite 'em in the midterm election,' said Rove, who helped lead George W. Bush's two presidential campaigns. See the full video at Mediaite.
