Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman, killed by a gunman, and her colleague John Hoffman, injured by the assailant on June 14, 2025
EA on Times Radio: Trump’s Ego Parade Failure; The Assault on Senator Padilla
I joined the Irish Times’ In The News podcast on Monday for a 26-minute deep dive into US politics, violence, and Donald Trump’s authoritarianism.
I begin with a close look at the Saturday shootings that killed Melissa Hortman, leader of the Democrats in Minnesota’s House, and her husband, and seriously wounded fellow legislator John Hoffman and his wife.
I outline what we know about the alleged assailant, Vance Boelter, and his “hit list” of around 50 politicians and activists. The common link? All are in favor of a woman’s right to choose over abortion.
Without directly linking him to the case, I explain how Donald Trump’s politics has fed hatred and violence. That plus his quest for authoritarian rule takes me to his call-up of the military amid demonstrations in Los Angeles against his mass detentions and disappearances of migrants and asylum seekers.
From there, it is a short jump to compare the flop of Trump’s military parade in Washington and the success of more than 13 million people at “No Kings” marches.
