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US Lawmaker Shot Dead, Another Wounded In Targeted Attack
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2 months agoon
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A gunman shot two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota early Saturday, killing one and her husband and wounding the other, in what the northern US state’s governor said were politically motivated attacks.
The shootings came at a moment of deep political divisions in the United States, as thousands took to the streets in protest at the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.
The suspected assailant was still at large, officials said, with a massive manhunt underway.
Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said the perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”
State representative Melissa Hortman — the former speaker — and her husband Mark were killed at their home near Minneapolis, Governor Tim Walz told a press conference.
State senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded, the governor said, his voice breaking with emotion. He said officials remained “cautiously optimistic” they would recover.
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“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz told reporters.
“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Hoffman and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.
The suspected gunman was able to escape during an exchange of gunfire with officers near Hortman’s residence, Evans told reporters.
“We’re actively searching for that individual right now,” he said.
– Impersonating law enforcement –
In both cases, authorities believe the assailant was impersonating a law enforcement officer.
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“The suspect exploited the trust that our uniform is meant to represent,” said Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
An anti-Trump rally in Minneapolis — part of the national wave of “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday — was canceled after police issued a shelter-in-place order because of the shootings.
Flyers for the protests were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said.
Police are looking for a white man with brown hair, wearing black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants, local TV station KSTP said.
“We do have the suspect’s car. Suspect is on foot,” said Mark Bruley, the police chief in Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived.
The United States has been deeply divided since Trump returned to the White House in January.
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The Republican president has drawn criticism from Democrats over his harsh deportation policy, his assault on universities and the media and a perceived flouting of limits on executive power as he pushes his agenda.
“At this precipice moment we’re on, this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us,” Walz said.
“The democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar remembered Hortman as a friend who entered politics at the same time as her and dedicated her life to serving the state, working on issues such as women’s rights and clean energy.
“Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “We must all condemn it.”
Minnesota’s other US senator, Tina Smith, also issued a statement condemning the shootings.
Former House member Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting to the head in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence, described herself as “devastated” by the death of Hortman.
“We must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun,” Giffords wrote on X.
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Headline
We’ll Deny You Visa If You’re Traveling To Give Birth, US Tells Nigerians
Published
2 days agoon
July 28, 2025By
Editor
The United States Mission in Nigeria has warned Nigerians planning to travel to the US primarily to give birth to secure American citizenship for their children.
In a post on X, the US Mission stated that using a visa for the main purpose of childbirth is prohibited under US immigration policy.
“Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted. Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent,” the US Mission said.
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This warning is coming following the rising scrutiny of visa applications and growing enforcement around what is informally referred to as “birth tourism”, the practice of traveling to the US to give birth so the child obtains automatic citizenship.
Recall that the United States Department of State had also revised its visa reciprocity policy, announcing that most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.
The US maintained that its visa policies are based on global technical and security benchmarks aimed at protecting the integrity of its immigration systems.
Headline
Three Dead, Several Injured As Train Derails In Germany
Published
3 days agoon
July 28, 2025By
Editor
Three people were killed and several others injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said.
About 100 passengers were aboard the train, when the accident occurred at around 6:10 pm (1610 GMT) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state.
Contacted by AFP, police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims.
Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were, though tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured.
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German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. Two train carriages had derailed “for reasons yet unknown”, it added.
Authorities were currently investigating the circumstances of the accident, the operator said, and traffic had been suspended over a 40-kilometre (25-mile) stretch of the route.
German media reported that a landslide might have caused the accident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services.
The passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when it derailed in a forested area.
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– Outdated train infrastructure –
In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and had asked them to “provide the emergency services with all the support they need”.
Footage from the scene of the accident showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services tried to get to the passengers.
According to local TV station SWR, helicopters arrived shortly after the accident to transport the injured to hospitals in the area, and emergency doctors from nearby hospitals were alerted.
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German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays, and various technical problems.
The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure.
In June 2022, a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, killing four people and injuring dozens.
Germany’s deadliest rail accident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people.
AFP

At least 11 people were injured in a stabbing at a Walmart store in the Midwestern state of Michigan on Saturday, with police saying it appeared to be a random attack.
A 42-year-old male suspect was in custody, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told a press conference.
“Based on the information that we have at this time, it appears they were random acts,” Shea said of the attack in Traverse City, Michigan.
“The victims were not predetermined,” Shea said, adding that the suspect, a Michigan resident, apparently acted alone and used a “folding knife.”
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Six victims were in critical condition late Saturday, and five were in serious condition, Munson Healthcare said in a statement.
At least three of the victims were undergoing surgery, according to Shea. The victims included six men and five women.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she was in touch with law enforcement regarding the “horrible news.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence,” Whitmer said in an X post.
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Eyewitness Julia Martell told The New York Times she heard screaming and saw a man with a knife running through the store’s pharmacy section.
Martell said she saw the man shoving and stabbing people as he moved through the store.
The 30-year-old witness described seeing three people with stab wounds and “blood everywhere.”
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Shea said the stabbing spree initially started near the checkout area of the store.
“It is very uncommon for our area,” he said of the violence, adding that citizens in the Walmart “assisted” in apprehending the suspect.
Traverse City is a popular tourist destination located on the shore of Lake Michigan.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said agents were providing “any necessary support to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation of the attacks at the Walmart.”
AFP
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