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  • Search continues for Minnesota suspect and Trump vetoes an Israeli plot: Weekend Rundown

    Search continues for Minnesota suspect and Trump vetoes an Israeli plot: Weekend Rundown


    Authorities in Minnesota have mobilized state and local police, SWAT teams and K-9 units across multiple counties as a massive search continues for a 57-year-old man suspected of shooting two state Democratic lawmakers in a targeted attack.

    Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of committing the “politically motivated” shootings.

    State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed Saturday morning at their home. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were severely injured in a second shooting.

    Officials say Boelter impersonated law enforcement in order to gain access to the lawmakers’ homes. Photos, believed to be of Boelter, show a man at one of the victim’s doors wearing a long-sleeve shirt and what looks like a bulletproof vest similar to those worn by law enforcement. Another photo shows a man wearing a cowboy hat walking alone.

    Authorities on Sunday found what they believe is his vehicle and cowboy hat in Sibley County, where an emergency alert was issued for residents in the area to keep their doors locked and cars secured, NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported.

    Earlier Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Boelter is believed to still be in the Midwest.

    “We believe he’s somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him,” she said. “But right now, everyone is on edge here because we know that this man will kill at a second.”

    An official who saw a list of names drawn up by Boelter previously told NBC News that it targeted prominent people in Minnesota who advocated for reproductive rights.

    Trump vetoed Israeli proposal to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader

    President Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Israel in recent days to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a U.S. official told NBC News.

    During an interview on Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu neither directly confirmed nor denied the initial Reuters report about the proposed assassination attempt, but he dismissed what he called “false reports” regarding discussions between the U.S. and Israel.

    The news comes as deadly strikes between Israel and Iran intensified, with Iran launching drones as Israel expanded its attacks to include oil depots, missile sites and nuclear infrastructure, killing at least 150 people and leaving hundreds injured, Iran state media said.

    Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 13 people in Israel to date, including 3 children, Netanyahu’s office said.

    Israeli strikes have deeply wounded Iran’s government, leaving it facing a number of questions, including whether it needs to give up on negotiations and rush its nuclear program.

    A military parade amid turmoil at home and abroad

    President Donald Trump presided over a parade Saturday celebrating the nation’s military power and history, though the event was shadowed by political violence at home and escalating tensions abroad.

    “Every other country celebrates their victories,” Trump said as he took the lectern after the parade ended. “It’s about time America did, too. That’s what we’re doing tonight.”

    Prone to delivering long, boastful speeches, Trump kept his remarks brief and made the military the focus. Beforehand, critics had warned he would politicize the event for his own purposes.

    Trump avoided any overt partisan messages, though he seemed to allude at one point to his “Fight! Fight! Fight!” exhortation after an assassination attempt against him last year.

    “Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,” Trump said. “Your defeat will be certain. Your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete — because our soldiers never give up, never surrender and never ever quit. They fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win.”

    Meet the Press

    Sen. Rand Paul, a leading Republican critic of the sweeping Trump agenda bill, said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he told President Donald Trump that he is “not an absolute no” on the package.

    “I talked to the president last evening after the parade, and we’re trying to get to a better place in our conversations,” Paul said. “And I’ve let him know that I’m not an absolute no.”

    The Kentucky Republican said that in order to vote for the package, he wants lawmakers to separate out a vote on the debt ceiling.

    The Trump-backed “big, beautiful bill” is projected to increase the national deficit by about $2.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

    Meanwhile, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., condemned Trump’s call to send the National Guard and Marines into Los Angeles amid protests, and criticized the forceful removal of fellow California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference last week.

    “This is just Donald Trump doing what he wanted to do in the first administration, which was essentially use the military for domestic law enforcement, to make himself look tough,” Schiff said.

    Politics in brief

    • Underwater: President Donald Trump’s second-term approval rating remains stuck in negative territory, along with general attitudes toward his administration’s policies, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
    • Trust fall: Neither party has a distinct advantage when it comes to Americans looking for honesty in U.S. politics, the polling found, with pluralities of Americans saying politicians in both parties are sometimes or always dishonest.

    Welcome to the zoo. That’ll be $47 today — ask again tomorrow.

    The data-driven pricing systems many institutions are testing allow entry fees to be lowered when demand is soft — as well as the reverse.
    The data-driven pricing systems many institutions are testing allow entry fees to be lowered when demand is soft — as well as the reverse.Kate Dehler for NBC News

    How much will it cost to visit a museum, zoo or aquarium this summer? The answer, increasingly, is: It depends.

    Zoo New England is one of many attractions embracing dynamic pricing systems that were earlier pioneered by airlines, ride-hailing apps and theme parks. While these practices allow operators to lower prices when demand is soft, they also enable the reverse, threatening to squeeze consumers who are increasingly trimming their summer travel budgets.

    Before the pandemic, less than 1% of attractions surveyed by Arival, a tourism market research and events firm, used variable or dynamic pricing. Today, 17% use variable pricing, in which entry fees are adjusted based on predictable factors such as the day of the week or the season, Arival said. And 6% use dynamic pricing, in which historical and real-time data on weather, staffing, demand patterns and more influence rates.

    Data-driven pricing can reduce overcrowding by steering budget-minded guests toward dates that are both cheaper and less busy.

    But steeper prices during peak periods and for short-notice visits could rankle guests — who may see anything less than a top-notch experience as a rip-off.

    Notable quote

    We were just so happy that they caught him. This was an evil guy.

    Brian Scheerer, owner of Calico Cold Creek Manor

    Grant Hardin’s escape from an Arkansas prison last month involved detailed planning, perfect timing and a makeshift outfit designed to mimic a law enforcement uniform. After nearly two weeks on the run, the “Devil in the Ozarks” was found about 1.5 miles west of the prison.

    In case you missed it



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  • McLaren drivers clash in Canada as George Russell beats Verstappen to win F1 race

    McLaren drivers clash in Canada as George Russell beats Verstappen to win F1 race


    MONTREAL — George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix with a lights-to-flag victory on a hot Sunday in this city, giving Mercedes its first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

    He beat rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who finished second, and 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, who finished third and secured his first podium in Formula 1.

    But the race was marked by dramatic incidents in the final stages that altered the trajectory of the world championship fight. McLaren’s teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris engaged in a fierce battle, culminating in Norris crashing out after a failed overtake attempt on the start-finish straight.

    Norris initially overtook Piastri on the hairpin, but Piastri reclaimed the position on the long straight and into the final chicane. The fight wasn’t over as Norris got a better exit and went for the overtake — but he ran out of road, slipped onto the grass and crashed out after hitting the wall. Over the team radio, he was quick to take full responsibility for the incident.

    “I should never have gone for it, I guess, is my complete hindsight thing. I thought he was starting to drift a little bit to the right, so I thought I had a small opportunity to go to the left,” Norris told reporters after the race. “But it was way too much risk, especially on my teammate.”

    Piastri continued on to finish fourth, extending his lead over Norris in the championship race from 10 points to 22 points. Verstappen is still third, 43 points off the lead.

    Marshals remove the car of Lando Norris.
    Marshals remove the car of Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren from the circuit during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal on Sunday.Clive Rose / Getty Images

    The result in Canada will fuel questions about Norris and his tendency to make mistakes in clutch moments. Still, the title race is far from over: This was the 10th Grand Prix of the 2025 season. There are 14 more races to go.

    “Plenty more races left,” Norris said when asked about his championship hopes. “I don’t expect it to be easy. I don’t expect to catch him easily. But I have to work hard for it and make less mistakes than I made this weekend.”

    There is bad blood between Russell and Verstappen, who qualified first and second, respectively, for a highly anticipated start.

    Russell got the better jump and led away, but Verstappen stayed close and sought to attack the pole-sitter in the first few laps. But he couldn’t get past in the first stint, and the defending four-time world champion ended up having to fend off Antonelli. Verstappen tried to attack again in the final stretch of the race, but Russell increased his pace and kept his rival behind.

    “It’s amazing to be back on the top step. Obviously the last time for us was back in Vegas,” Russell said in a post-race interview. “Amazing day for the team.”

    The 1-3 finish puts Mercedes back in second for the constructors’ championship, after they lost out to Ferrari in the prior race.

    It was the first time all year that both McLaren drivers failed to make the podium. Piastri started in third place but fell into the clutches of a faster Norris in the closing stretch of the race. Norris qualified poorly in seventh place but gambled on a different tire strategy that helped him gain positions.

    George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W16 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 on track
    George Russell of Great Britain leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands on the racetrack during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal on Sunday.Clive Rose / Getty Images

    Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fifth, while teammate Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing sixth, struggling with car damage throughout the race.

    “I am nowhere in this race, mate. I don’t know what’s happened,” he said on team radio at the halfway point of the race.

    Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso delivered what is likely the standout radio moment of the day. When his race engineer asked him on the radio to ease off when entering certain corners to preserve his tires, the two-time world champion clapped back.

    “We are racing. Not testing,” he replied.

    Verstappen, who was under the cloud of a potential one-race ban if he incurred penalty points in Montreal, bristled at questions about it. Verstappen insisted he wouldn’t adjust his driving style, and showed his irritation Saturday when asked about the prospect during the weekend.

    “I don’t need to hear it again. It’s really pissing me off,” Verstappen said after qualifying. “It’s such a waste of time. It’s very childish. So, that’s why I also don’t want to say too much because it’s really annoying, this world that we live in.”

    Russell’s pole position was the first of the 2025 season for Mercedes. He’s just the fourth driver to claim a pole position — with Norris, Piastri and Verstappen taking the previous nine.

    The race came ahead of the premiere of the new “F1” movie starring Brad Pitt, which was heavily promoted during the race weekend. The movie releases on June 27 in the U.S. and Canada, and internationally on June 25.

    “I think for sure it will do good,” Guenther Steiner, the former boss of the American Haas F1 team, told NBC News in the paddock. “A production like this — and the people involved are the best of the best. So how can it not help F1 in the world? Not only in the States, in the whole world.”



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  • Trump rejects Israeli plan to kill Iran’s supreme leader 

    Trump rejects Israeli plan to kill Iran’s supreme leader 


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    President Trump rejected a proposal from Israel to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official. NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard details how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the reports. 

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  • Portrait of suspect in Minnesota ‘politically motivated’ shootings emerges amid massive manhunt

    Portrait of suspect in Minnesota ‘politically motivated’ shootings emerges amid massive manhunt


    As a massive manhunt for Vance Boelter continues, authorities are piecing together a profile of the alleged gunman accused of killing a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another in two separate “politically motivated” shootings on Saturday morning.

    State Rep. Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park and her husband, Mark, were killed in one shooting, and State Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife, Yvette, were severely injured in another. Hoffman and his wife remain hospitalized.

    Follow along for live updates

    Officials say Boelter impersonated law enforcement in order to gain access to the lawmakers’ homes. Photos, believed to be of Boelter, show a man at one of the victim’s doors wearing a long-sleeve shirt and what looks like a bulletproof vest similar to those worn by law enforcement. Another photo shows a man wearing a cowboy hat walking alone.

    Authorities found what they believe is his vehicle and cowboy hat in Sibley County, where an emergency alert has been issued for residents in the area to keep their doors locked and cars secured, NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported.

    Information on Vance Luther Boelter, the suspect in the Minnesota state lawmakers shootings.
    Information on Vance Luther Boelter, the suspect in the Minnesota state lawmakers shootings.Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety

    He’s married with five children

    Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson identified 57-year-old Boelter as the suspect in the shootings, describing him as 6-foot-1 with brown hair, wearing a light-colored cowboy hat and a dark long-sleeve collared shirt or coat. Jacobson urged the public not to approach Boelter if they see him, adding that he is “armed and dangerous.” During a press briefing Saturday Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the shootings were “politically motivated.”

    According to a video circulating online, Boelter is married and a father of five children. His wife, who has not been identified, was stopped by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office Saturday morning in Onamia, Minnesota as part of a perimeter stop. There were “several other relatives,” in the car, according to the sheriff’s office and no one in the vehicle was questioned or searched.

    He worked in Africa

    In a 2022 video posted to Facebook and verified by NBC News, Minnesota Africans United featured a person introduced as Vance Boelter during a discussion about trade and investment opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a keynote presenter, Boelter said he was calling from the DRC, and spoke about his work partnering with farmers and fishermen in the country to help them stimulate their food supply system.

    In a statement shared with NBC News, a spokesperson for Minnesota Africans United said ” there is no connection between Minnesota Africans United and the individual who carried out the assassinations and attacks” on Hortman, Hoffman and their spouses.

    He spoke at church sermons

    Boelter delivered church sermons in the DRC in 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to live streams posted to Facebook authenticated by NBC News. In a 2021 speech, he began with a prayer and then spoke about his path to becoming a better Christian.

    Boelter recounted working in a vegetable-canning factory at age 17 with a coworker who “talked about God all the time,” ultimately inspiring him to take his religion more seriously.

    At one point during his testimony, Boelter dropped to his knees as he described the moment he dedicated his life to Jesus.

    “And I said ‘I’m so sorry, forgive me God, for living for myself, and not for you,’” he said. “And I said ‘Jesus, if you forgive me of my sin and save me, I’ll live for you for the rest of my life.’”

    He worked for two funeral homes

    In a resume-style video circulating online, Boelter introduces himself as a married father of five from Green Isle, Minnesota, who works for two funeral homes, Wulff Funeral Home and Metro First Call, handling what he called “removals.”

    “Fun fact about myself, I’ve been in the food industry about 30 years and that led to an opportunity. I was invited to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said in the video, adding that he worked with Del Monte Foods and Minnesota-based chicken producer Gold’n Plump.

    Boelter explained he left the food industry because his company “wasn’t interested in doing anything in Africa.” Boelter said he then transitioned to the funeral home business while pursuing projects in Africa on his own.

    Boelter mentioned in the video that he was taking a course to learn more about the funeral industry, indicating it may have been taped for the class. The timing of the video, recorded using screen-recording software Screenpal, remains unclear.

    In a statement, Tim Koch, the owner of Metro First Call, said Boelter worked for the company from August 2023 until he “voluntarily left” in February of this year.

    “To say anything more at this time would be irresponsible as the investigation continues,” Koch said.

    ‘A loving, caring guy’

    Boelter’s roommate, who was not identified, spoke to NBC affiliate KARE 11 about him.

    “I mean, he was a loving, caring guy, you know,” the man told the outlet. “Loved his family, loved his friends, and loved God, and I don’t know why he did what he did. It’s just, it’s not Vance. No one will believe this.”

    The roommate said he received a final message from Boelter around 6 a.m. Saturday in which he said he “may be dead shortly.”

    “So, I just want to let you know that I love you guys both, and I wish it hadn’t gone this way,” the text, read by Boelter’s tearful roommate, read. “I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way, because you guys don’t know anything about this. But I love you guys, and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”

    It is not clear at this time whether the roommate lived with Boelter and his family, or if Boelter had been living separately from his family with the roommate.

    Anyone who sees Boelter is encouraged to call 911. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Boelter’s arrest.



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  • The winner of FIFA’s Club World Cup gets more than bragging rights. $1 billion is on the line.

    The winner of FIFA’s Club World Cup gets more than bragging rights. $1 billion is on the line.


    The debate that roiled soccer fans for generations was also its most unanswerable: Which clubs, on which continents, played the best soccer?

    Unlike national teams that played one another in the quadrennial World Cup, there was rarely overlap between the top teams in Europe and South America, or North America, except for summertime “friendly” competitions.

    The FIFA Club World Cup, which begins this weekend across the U.S. and runs through the final on July 13, expanded its previously smaller format in an attempt to provide an answer. It now features 32 teams, from six continents, playing for a total prize money pool of $1 billion.

    “This is for bragging rights,” said Jill Ellis, the chief football officer of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and a former World Cup-winning coach of the U.S. women’s national team. “Prize money is a part of it. But most importantly, this is a chance to be the first-ever club world champion.”

    As the tournament opens, however, the money is more than just a small part of it. Falling ticket prices, and accusations from Major League Soccer players that the league had agreed to participate in a “cash grab” that unfairly compensates them, have raised the question of just how much buy-in the new tournament has from U.S. audiences and players.

    When tickets for Saturday’s opening game in Florida between Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi, and Egyptian side Al Ahly went on sale in December through Ticketmaster, an upper-deck ticket cost $379 at the time. This week, similar ticket were on sale for as low as $116. According to NPR, FIFA has worked with a local Florida college to offer four complimentary tickets for students who pay for a single $20 ticket. Attendance for the opening game was announceed at 60,927, slightly shy of the stadium’s capacity of 65,000.

    Bayern Munich, the perennial German champion, listed lower-bowl tickets for its opener Sunday in Cincinnati for as low as $107 when its tickets went on sale in December; on Saturday, tickets were being resold on Stubhub for half that.

    For as little as $8, fans can watch a June 25 game between the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds and Mexican side C.F. Monterrey.

    “We anticipace great attendances and electric atmospheres at its inaugural edition, with excitement growing with every round of matches and the tournament ultimately standing as the undisputed pinnacle of club world football,” FIFA said, in part of a statement sent to NBC News. “The appetite speaks for itself: fans from over 130 countries have already purchased tickets. The top 10 markets are led by the United States, followed by Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal — a clear sign of global anticipation and reach.”

    As a new tournament, the Club World Cup cannot offer much in the way of prestige or history. Instead, it has offered a historic amount of prize money, with $525 million of the total $1 billion distributed to teams on a sliding scale, guaranteed, just for making the 32-team field. At the top, brand-name European teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will earn between $12.8 and $38 million; at the bottom, New Zealand’s Auckland City FC will earn $3.5 million.

    The remaining $475 million of the billion-dollar pool will then be determined by teams’ performances; making the round of 16 earns each club $7.5 million, with quarterfinalists $13.1 million, and increasing up to the final. The winner can ultimately rake in up to $125 million, all of which adds up to much more than bragging rights — which has left Major League Soccer players asking why their cut from the windfall isn’t greater.

    Before a June 1 match players from the Seattle Sounders donned white T-shirts during warmups that read “Club World Ca$h Grab,” with an image of the Mr. Monopoly character wearing an “MLS” top hat and holding a pouch reading “FIFA.” The protest led the team’s owner to berate players afterward, according to the Seattle Times.

    Seattle Sounders FC v Minnesota United FC
    Paul Rothrock #14 of the Seattle Sounders warms up before the game against Minnesota United FC at Lumen Field, in Seattle, on June 1.Olivia Vanni / Getty Images file

    The three teams in the Club World Cup field from Major League Soccer — Seattle, Inter Miami and Los Angeles Football Club — are each guaranteed $9.55 million for participating, before any bonuses are earned for performance. Players’ earnings from participation or performance in a “compulsory tournament or noncompulsory tournament” is capped at $1 million, per the terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

    The players’ union has continued to push publicly to increase’ players stake from what is currently about a 90/10 split, and has noted that before a major tournament in 2024, the players and MLS renegotiated the prize money distribution before ultimately landing at a 50-50 split.

    In a statement to NBC News on Thursday, MLS said that it has “agreed to voluntarily provide additional performance-based compensation to players from the three participating clubs.” That proposal, the league said, would allocate 20% of all prize money earned from the group stage onward to players.

    “If an MLS club wins the Club World Cup, its players would collectively receive more than $24 million in performance bonuses,” the statement read. “MLS club owners believe performance-based incentives are appropriate given the expanded format and increased prize pool for the Club World Cup. The League values the continued dedication and commitment of its players and looks forward to supporting them as they represent their clubs — and Major League Soccer — on the global stage this summer.”

    On June 8, the players association posted on X that it was “deeply disappointed” by the league’s proposal.

    “The timing, substance and retaliatory nature of the proposal sends a clear message: MLS does not respect or value players’ efforts with regard to this tournament,” the post read. “Although not surprised, the players and the MLSPA are deeply disappointed by this message.”

    “I don’t think sitting out is an option,” Seattle midfielder Albert Rusnak told reporters Friday. “Just because again, that inside what we have as athletes and winners and want to go out there and win and prove the people wrong whether we’re talking about the bonuses or the people not believing we can do anything.”

    Ellis, who works for FIFA, believes the prospect of playing on that global stage will lead to strong competition from players.

    “I think the U.S. players, if you were to say to anyone, ‘Do you want to play in this tournament?’ Sure, do they want to be paid as much as probably — I mean, that’s within their own league and within the MLS to determine that, because obviously, unlike a lot of leagues around the world, MLS has a salary cap,” Ellis said. “So there’s certain different structures and CBA, and so that’s internal to that.

    “But I think in terms of what I and my experience in working with some of the best players in the world, elite players want to play against elite players. They want to test themselves, prove themselves, and they want to compete. … Listen, at the end of the day it’s a choice, but I think players will want to play in this event.

    “… In American sports when we win, when the Major League Baseball team wins, they’re world champions. When the NFL team (wins) — the title is world champions. Well, yes, but they’re playing against American teams. This is truly a world championship. This is the best clubs in the world.”



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  • Iranian retaliatory strikes kill several people in Israel

    Iranian retaliatory strikes kill several people in Israel


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    Israel and Iran continue to exchange airstrikes strikes into the weekend, leaving multiple people dead outside Tel Aviv. NBC News’ Matt Bradley reports from Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv, where a residential building was hit by a missile.

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  • A disguise and a prison guard’s mistake helped ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ escape

    A disguise and a prison guard’s mistake helped ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ escape


    Dressed in all black and pushing a cart with wooden pallets, a former police chief turned convicted murderer and rapist walked past a guard and out the back gate of an Arkansas prison before disappearing into the woods.

    Grant Hardin’s escape from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock last month involved detailed planning, perfect timing, and a makeshift outfit designed to mimic a law enforcement uniform. Hundreds of state, local and federal agents swarmed the small town, battling severe weather and rugged terrain to search for the man known as the “Devil in the Ozarks.”

    After nearly two weeks on the run, he was found near an Izard County creek — about 1.5 miles west of the prison.

    Fugitive Grant Hardin after being captured.
    Images released by U.S. Border Patrol on June 7 show fugitive Grant Hardin after being captured.U.S. Border Patrol

    The brazen prison break, which occurred a little more than a week after 10 inmates escaped a New Orleans jail, exposed a security lapse at the facility that houses about 800 inmates. But Hardin, who was described as a model inmate who never caused trouble, ultimately escaped because of one employee’s error.

    “This was not an instance where there wasn’t proper protocol or proper policy,” Arkansas Department of Corrections board member William “Dubs” Byers said in an interview. “It was a matter of the protocol not being followed. One person in particular just didn’t pay attention as he should have and questioned this fellow when he walked out the back door.”

    Urgent manhunt for ‘Devil in the Ozarks’

    It was just before 3 p.m. on May 25 when Hardin, disguised in a black T-shirt, black pants and a black baseball cap, strolled across the prison grounds. He was wheeling a cart carrying a box and wooden pallets.

    Byers said employees swipe their badges to exit the prison’s front gate. Hardin left through a back sally port gate, which is typically used for vehicle traffic.

    The officer on duty was in a control tower and, based on preliminary information, assumed Hardin was an employee.

    “He didn’t pay close enough attention. He just thought that the person walking up was an officer because he looked like an officer,” Byers said. “He didn’t talk to him, he didn’t question him, he didn’t check him closely. He just opened the gate and assumed that he was an officer taking some things outside the fence.”

    About 20 minutes had passed before a routine head count revealed that Hardin was missing. By then, he was long gone.

    Brian Scheerer, owner of Calico Cold Creek Manor, said people were on edge as law enforcement set up a perimeter around the prison.

    “You could tell that there was certainly a different vibe in the air. The streets were all closed where they were stopping just about everybody. They weren’t taking any chances,” he said in an interview.

    His manor, which he rents out during the summer, is about four miles from the prison.

    “People were hunkering in, even myself,” Scheerer said. “Where my property is, it’s very secluded. When I went to check my place after renters, I was very cautious.”

    Prison break opens old wounds for victims

    Hardin was in prison for fatally shooting Gateway, Arkansas, city water employee James Appleton, and sexually assaulting teacher Amy Harrison. Both cases were featured in the Max documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”

    According to an affidavit filed in the case, a passerby was driving home from work on Feb. 23, 2017, when he saw Appleton’s truck stopped on the side of the road. Appleton was on the phone with his brother-in-law, then Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, and had pulled over so he would not lose the connection.

    James Appleton.
    James Appleton.via TODAY

    Hardin’s white car was stopped behind the truck, the passerby told police. After driving about a few hundred yards up the road, the passerby said he heard a loud bang and saw Hardin’s car driving quickly up the street and turn down a dirt road, the affidavit states. The passerby turned around to check on Appleton and found him dead in the driver’s seat.

    Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway, was arrested that night as he returned home from having dinner with his wife and daughter. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime.

    DNA taken after his arrest linked him to the Nov. 9, 1997, sexual assault of Harrison at Frank Tillery Elementary School.

    According to an affidavit filed in that case, several people were in the school’s cafeteria for a Sunday church service. Harrison was at the school to prepare for the week.

    Harrison told police she left her classroom and went to the lounge to use the restroom. When she came out, she said a man was standing in front of the door, pointing a gun at her. The affidavit states that she said she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom and then forced to move to a classroom, where she was raped.

    Hardin asked if she was going to tell anyone and then left the room, according to the affidavit. She found a janitor and had him call 911.

    Harrison declined to comment to NBC News. Appleton’s sister, Gateway Mayor Cheryl Tillman, did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday. She previously told NBC News that Hardin’s escape brought back “a lot of memories of when it first happened.”

    “What were they doing down at the prison that this happened?” she said.

    Hardin ‘didn’t put up a fight once apprehended’

    An investigation is being conducted to learn how he planned his escape. Byers said Hardin was a model inmate at the facility and believes he used that to his advantage.

    Hardin worked in the kitchen and never got in trouble while incarcerated, Byers said.

    “Those types of inmates kind of build up trust, you know, they come to work every day, they don’t have any disciplinary, they’re not causing any problem, and they build up trust in the system,” Byers said. “I think that contributed to his ability to do the things he needed to do in order to effectuate this escape.”

    What also remains a mystery is how Hardin evaded law enforcement for 13 days. Authorities do not believe he had help from inside the prison or on the outside, Rand Champion, a Corrections Department spokesperson, said in an email.

    Excessive rain and thunderstorms rolled through the area during the first week of Hardin’s escape. Because of the weather, tracking dogs had difficulty picking up a scent, drones couldn’t be flown as high and helicopters were grounded, Champion said at a news conference.

    He told NBC News that crews were initially limited in where they could search.

    Tracking dogs picked up Hardin’s scent in Moccasin Creek, about 1.5 miles from the prison, around 3 p.m. on June 6. Authorities said in a news release that he was apprehended a short time later by U.S. Border Patrol and Arkansas law enforcement officers.

    Champion said Hardin tried to flee the search teams but “had little resistance due to being on the run for an extended period of time.” Hardin “didn’t put up a fight once apprehended,” Champion said.

    Hardin was taken to Varner Supermax prison in Gould, Arkansas, which also houses high-profile inmates, including convicted child rapist and murderer Zachary Holly, and Army center shooter Abdulhakim Muhammad. Champion said it’s the most secure facility in the state.

    The community can now breathe a sigh of relief, Scheerer said.

    “We were just so happy that they caught him,” Scheerer said. “This was an evil guy.”



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  • Sen. Rand Paul says he’s ‘not an absolute no’ on Trump’s agenda bill

    Sen. Rand Paul says he’s ‘not an absolute no’ on Trump’s agenda bill


    WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul, a leading Republican critic of the sweeping Trump agenda bill, said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he told President Donald Trump that he is “not an absolute no” on the package.

    “I talked to the President last evening after the parade, and we’re trying to get to a better place in our conversations,” said Paul, R-Ky. “And I’ve let him know that I’m not an absolute no.”

    “I don’t have as much trouble with the tax cuts. I think there should be more spending cuts, but if they want my vote, they’ll have to negotiate,” Paul said, noting he did not want to vote to raise the debt ceiling by trillions of dollars.

    Republicans are working to pass the bill through a budget process called reconciliation, which allows them to pass the bill with a simple majority. Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, meaning they can only afford to lose three votes if Vice President JD Vance is brought in to break a tie.

    Several Republican senators, however, have raised concerns about the bill’s impact on the national debt and Medicaid, throwing the bill’s future into question.

    Paul has been sharply critical of the Trump-backed “Big Beautiful Bill” because it is projected to increase the national deficit by about $2.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

    The senator said last week that he had been “uninvited” to a White House picnic typically attended by lawmakers and their families. Paul said that he believed the White House was trying to “punish” him, calling the move “petty vindictiveness.” Trump later posted to Truth Social, saying that “of course” Paul was invited to the picnic.

    The reconciliation package as it stands would increase the debt ceiling. Lawmakers are also running up against a deadline this summer to avoid the U.S. defaulting on its debt. The Treasury Department has asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling by mid-July to avoid default.

    Asked what it would take for Paul to vote for the bill, the senator said, “separate out the debt ceiling and have a separate vote on it.”

    Paul, a fiscal hawk, has said that while the “debt ceiling has to go up,” he wants the ceiling to increase a few months at a time, “and then we should have a renewed debate about the debt.”

    The GOP-led package that passed through the House aims to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion ahead of a mid-July deadline. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the package would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

    Trump, however, has called for abolishing the debt limit, saying in a post last month that it “should be entirely scrapped to prevent an Economic catastrophe.” It’s one of the rare areas that the president has found common ground with liberal lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has been a vocal proponent of abolishing the limit.

    Trump said that the debt limit was “too devastating to be put in the hands of political people that may want to use it despite the horrendous effect it could have on our Country and, indirectly, even the World.”

    Paul also addressed Sen. Alex Padilla’s detainment in California last week, when the California Democrat was forcibly removed from a press conference after trying to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that Padilla should be censured for his behavior during the press conference — a measure that Paul opposed.

    “I’m not for censuring. I think that’s crazy,” Paul said.

    Paul said that he thought the situation “could have ended without the handcuffs,” but added that he did not think there could be a “get out of jail free” for “rushing the stage.”

    Video of the incident shared with NBC News does not show Padilla “rushing” toward Noem. Instead, the senator identified himself and tried to ask a question as several men pushed him out of the room. The video did not show the moments leading up to Padilla’s question.



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  • Klobuchar says authorities believe the suspect in ‘politically motivated’ killing of Minnesota lawmaker is in the Midwest

    Klobuchar says authorities believe the suspect in ‘politically motivated’ killing of Minnesota lawmaker is in the Midwest


    WASHINGTON — Sen. Amy Klobuchar said that authorities believe Vance Boelter, the 57-year-old suspect in a pair of “politically motivated” shootings, is still in the Midwest, noting that “he may be” in Minnesota and that authorities have put out an alert in South Dakota.

    “We believe he’s somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him,” Klobuchar, D-Minn., said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “But right now, everyone is on edge here because we know that this man will kill at a second.”

    A Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed early Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said appears to be “a politically motivated assassination.”

    State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were severely injured, Walz said. Authorities have identified the shooting suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter of Minnesota.

    Klobuchar emphasized that if people see Boelter, they “should not approach him, that they should immediately call the tip lines and report.”

    Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said on Saturday that they found a “manifesto” in Boelter’s vehicle with names of other officials.

    An official who saw the list on the suspect’s “manifesto” previously told NBC News that it targeted prominent people in Minnesota who advocated for reproductive rights.

    After the shootings, Klobuchar said that she has received extra security without her request.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Saturday statement that he asked the Capitol Police to “immediately increase security” for Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also put out a statement on Saturday saying that he asked the “the House Sergeant at Arms and United States Capitol Police to ensure the safety of our Minnesota delegation and Members of Congress across the country.”

    “I think they’re concerned about everyone,” Klobuchar said of receiving added security. She said that she does not have confirmation as to whether she was on Boelter’s list.

    The senator said that she was concerned that “this guy is going to come up against just an innocent: Try to take their car, try to go into their house.”

    “Because a lot of the political leaders in our state have received extra protection, but not the innocents out there,” she said.

    Smith, who has discussed being on the suspect’s list, said in a Sunday interview on CNN that it was “deeply concerning” to be named. She said that “the level of threat that lawmakers are exposed to is just unacceptable.”

    “I’m grateful that I personally feel safe, but this is no way for our government to work when people, any any number of us, feel this kind of personal threat,” Smith said on CNN.

    Klobuchar mourned the loss of the couple killed, remembering that she was at a large political dinner with them the night before they died.

    “Everyone was rejoicing, happy, the session’s behind them, and that was the last time so many of us saw Melissa and Mark,” Klobuchar said on NBC News, referring to the late lawmaker and her husband. “And the next morning, 5 a.m., the governor, Governor Walz, calls me and tells me that we believe that she’s no longer with us.”

    Klobuchar remembered the late lawmaker as a friend, recalling how Hortman juggled being a mother, Sunday school teacher, girl scout leader, on top of her political career, eventually becoming “this extraordinary Speaker of the House.”

    “When you think about political violence and the statistics of political violence, you’ve got to realize the people who are behind it and a true public servant that we lost,” Klobuchar said.



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  • He invented a viral watch-cleaning device. Now he says the American dream has been ‘ripped out of my hands’ by Trump tariffs.

    He invented a viral watch-cleaning device. Now he says the American dream has been ‘ripped out of my hands’ by Trump tariffs.



    Looking ahead

    To this day, Mendoza must grapple with the uncertain environment Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff pronouncements have created.

    As a backup plan, Mendoza says he has routed some orders directly to the U.K. to avoid the U.S. duties. But it’s an expensive hedge: Mendoza said it cuts into his bottom line.

    He remains anxious about further escalations from Trump.

    “If it goes back to 145%, I won’t be able to import my next shipment into the U.S.,” Mendoza said. He has a lead time of about five months, and has to be able to make decisions with certainty.

    “Because they are selling so well, I need to start working on my next order now,” he said.

    A closer look at this moment in time

    Mendoza describes himself as having “strong political feelings.”

    “I don’t like the way things are right now,” he said.

    He called the Trump administration’s insistence on moving vast manufacturing operations from overseas to the U.S. “a slap in the face” to small-business owners.

    “It sounds great if you don’t understand how logistics work. For my product, the reason it sells is because it’s the cheapest you can buy,” Mendoza said, pointing to the reality that affordable manufacturing outside of the U.S. helps him keep his prices low for customers.

    As a single parent, Mendoza is working to try to put his two daughters through college. Between those expenses and funding ChronoClean, Mendoza said his financial cushion is thin.

    It’s all the more wrenching given what he’s gone through, he said.

    “It’s like, ‘You’ve been deployed, you started as a private, retired a major, got through a horrible divorce, you’re a great father and now you’ve started your own business and invented a product people want — they’re begging for it,’” he said of ChronoClean.

    “Then here comes your own government to shatter that dream, so big businesses and Elon Musk can get richer,” Mendoza said.

    “To me, that’s not the American dream. It’s small business, middle America, everyone should have a good chance at this. [The tariffs] will potentially put me out of business, it’s hard to wrap your head around it.”



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