Israel strikes Iranian state TV in new attack on Tehran

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Iran's state broadcaster was hit after Israel had issued an evacuation warning for residents in northern Tehran, where the broadcaster is located. More on DW.

Below is a roundup of the latest developments on theIsrael-Iranconflict and thewider crisis in the Middle Easton Monday, June 16, 2025:

Israeli defense industry exhibitions have been covered in black partition walls at the prestigious Paris Air Show, after reportedly failing to comply with a directive to remove offensive weapons from being displayed.

The incident comes as Israel trades deadly airstrikes with Iran and almost two years into its campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Read more about theParis Air Show and Israel's response to the French move here.

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Iranhas launched a new wave of combined drone and missile operations at Israel, Iran's state TV announced on Monday evening.

"A new salvo of missiles" was headed for Israel, state TV reported. It added that the attacks are targeting Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Iranhas issued evacuation warnings for two Israeli news channels, Iran's state TV reported, hours after Israel attacked the state broadcaster's building.

"Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel," state TV said, adding that the order was in response to the Israeli attack on Iran's broadcasting service.

Iran'sforeign minister, Abbas Araghchi, addressed US President Donald Trump on Monday, saying it would take "one phone call from Washington" to make the fighting stop.

"If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential," Araghchi said on X. "Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue."

He also warned the US against "getting … mired" in the conflict, saying this will "destroy any prospect for a negotiated solution, with dangerous, unpredictable and likely UNFATHOMABLE consequences for regional security and the global economy."

"Let us not forget: Iran did NOT begin this war and has no interest in perpetuating bloodshed. But we will proudly fight to the last drop of blood to protect our land, our people, our dignity and our achievements," the Iranian foreign minister added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference Monday evening that, although Israel is not attempting to topple Iran's regime, he wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

"We arechanging the face of the Middle East," he said.

He added that Israel was eliminating Iran's military leadership "one after the other."

"The regime is very weak," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said Israel had been "well-coordinated" with the United States since the start of the campaign against Iran. He added that he is in daily contact with US President Donald Trump.

He also said Israel's strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program "a very long time." Netanyahu did not share details to back up the claim.

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The Israel Defense Forces on Monday evening issued an alert for northern Israel on X.

The post read "sirens sounding across northern Israel following another barrage of Iranian missiles."

After Israel launched a new round of strikes on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would "pummel" Israel until attacks stopped.

Germany's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it would organizing flights for nationals to leave Israel via Jordan as hostilities between Israel and Iran escalate.

The ministry said a charter flight was being organized from Jordan's capital, Amman, to Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Germans departing Israel would need to organize their own transport to Jordan, the ministry said. Israeli airspace is currently closed.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that Germany, France and the United Kingdom are keen to resume nucleartalks with Iran.

The three countries, known as the "E3," have held four meetings with Iranian delegations in recent months on Iran's nuclear program. The United States also heldparallel negotiations.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is enriching uranium far beyond what is needed for civilian use.

On June 12, the IAEAadopted a resolutioncondemning Iran's "non-compliance" with its nuclear obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran faces the possibility of sanctions.

"We will once again make our clear position explicit there that we can only achieve a contractual settlement and avoid further military conflicts if Iran is fully prepared to refrain from using nuclear technology for military purposes," Wadephul said during a stopover in Cyprus after a multi-day visit to the Middle East.

After Israel's attack on Iran on Friday, which included nuclear sites, Tehran canceled a planned continuation of talks.

US President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

Trump said Iran wants to talk about deescalation and should negotiate with Israel "before it's too late."

"I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately,"  Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Iran's state broadcaster in Tehran was hit by an Israeli strike Monday evening.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement after the strike that "the propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority of the Iranian regime was attacked" by Israeli forces."

A video clip from the IRIB broadcaster showed a live broadcast interrupted by loud explosions. The broadcast resumed after a short pause.

There was no immediate information provided about casualties or damage.

Earlier Monday, Katz had issued a cryptic statement that Iran's state television and radio were "about to disappear."

He made the statement after an evacuation warning was issued for a district in northern Tehran where the broadcaster is based.

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"We don't have access to a shelter. There are no shelters in the whole city. I don't think there are any places people can go to in an emergency," one Tehran resident said.

Mehdi Chamran, spokesperson for Tehran's City Council, suggested that residents should also consider sheltering in underground parking garages. Iranian officials say schools and mosques are being used as makeshift shelters.

Israel's military urged residents of a district in northern Tehran to evacuate "immediately" on Monday evening, saying it intended to carry out airstrikes.

"In the coming hours, the (Israeli military) will operate in the area, as it has in recent days throughout Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime," the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X in Persian.

The post showed a part of Tehran's District 3 on a map.  The area is known as an upmarket part of Tehran home to at least four hospitals and medical centers, a major police building and state broadcaster IRIB.

Shortly thereafter, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said residents of Tel Aviv should evacuate, Iranian state media reported.

At least 20 Palestinians were killed in shootings at food distribution centers in southern Gaza, the Health Ministry reported on Monday.

According to the Health Ministry, the people killed were trying to reach the US- and Israel-supportedGaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Gaza's civil defense agency reports that dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach aid distribution points operated by GHF. The United Nations does not work with the foundation, which it considers ineffective and aimed at catering to Israeli military objectives.

There have been near-daily reports of shootings as Palestinians move through Israeli-controlled areas toward GHF food aid centers in Gaza.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on Monday's incident. In previous incidents, the Israeli military has said it has fired warning shots at people approaching their positions.

Israel restricts media access to the Gaza strip, meaning that news agencies are unable to independently verify death tolls.

The UN's OCHA humanitarian agency has warned that Gaza's entire population of 2 million is atrisk of famine. Israel is under international pressure to allow more aid to reach Gazans.

Since Israel resumed strikes on Gaza in March, more than 5,000 people have been reported killed. Israel also cut off aid entering Gaza for two months, saying supplies were aiding Hamas militants who continue to control the enclave.

More than 55,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks that precededthe war with Israel.

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Transport Minister Miri Regev said Israel planned to gradually secure the return of the about 100,000 citizens who are stuck abroad following the closure of the country's airspace.

Regev said leaving Israel would not be possible for nationals who live within the country for the time being.

Only tourists, diplomats and participants of various exchange programs will be allowed to depart to their home countries.

Iran has accused Israel of targeting a hospital, labeling it a "war crime."

"Farabi Hospital in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran was targeted by the Israeli regime's aggressive attacks," an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Footage shared by Iranian media showed damage to the intensive care unit and blood-stained beds.

According to previous Iranian media reports, a workshop near the hospital was the target of the Israeli attack.

An Israeli army spokesman said the reports are under investigation.

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G7 summit: Trump calls removing Russia from group ‘mistake’

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The US president has also said he "wouldn't mind" China joining the G7. The summit is being held against the backdrop of a climate of global economic uncertainty and the Israel-Iran conflict. Follow DW for more.

Here is a roundup of news on theG7meeting and connected events on Monday, June 16, 2025:

On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, US President Donald Trump addressed the ongoingconflict between Iran and Israel, saying Iran was not winning.

The US president added that Iran should reenter negotiations over its nuclear program "before it's too late." A new round of US-Iran nuclear talks was scheduled on Sunday, but Iran pulled out after the Israeli attacks started.

"They have to make a deal, and it's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it's too late," Trump told reporters.

Media reports cited unnamed sources as saying Trump did not intend to sign the document coming out of the G7, which addresses the conflict.

US PresidentDonald Trumphas once again complained about the G7's throwing Russia out of what was once the G8 following its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

"The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn't want to have Russia in," Trump said, referring to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "And I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn't have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago."

The US leader also said he "wouldn't mind" China's joining the G7.

We are resuming our coverage of the G7 summit, as US President Donald Trump arrives and reports begin to emerge on a draft document.

Issues in the draft document reportedly include calls for Israel and Iran to exercise restraint during their unfolding conflict, as well as the group's agreeing on a strategy to protect critical mineral supply and reaffirming an earlier commitment to prevent and counter migrant smuggling.

So far, Trump doesn't intend to sign the document, CBS News has reported.

We've paused our coverage for now and will have more updates from the G7 meeting later this evening.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merzhas arrived in Canada for the G7 summit.

The chancellor is scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for talks on Sunday evening.

Speaking before his departure, Merz said his main topics for summit are the conflict between Israel and Iran, efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the trade dispute with the United States and migration.

"Iran must not be allowed to develop or have nuclear weapons," he stressed.

"Israel has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens," he said, adding that Iran's nuclear weapons program was an existential threat to Israel.

On Monday and Tuesday, Merz is scheduled to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines with leaders from Japan, Australia, India, Brazil and South Africa.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he hopes Israel and Iran can make a deal but said sometimes countries have to fight it out first.

"I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal and we’ll see what happens," Trump said to reporters as he left for theG7summit in Canada.

"Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we're gonna see what happens,"Trumpsaid.

Trump said theUnited States will continue to support the defense of Israel but declined to say if he asked Israel to pause strikes on Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the US president's threats to Greenland are "not what allies do" as he arrived in the autonomous Danish territory for a short visit.

Macron was visiting the Arctic island to convey "France's and the European Union's solidarity" for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Greenland, he told reporters in Nuuk.

Greenland is a self-ruling territory of Denmark with the right to declare independence. Both the Greenland and Danish governments say it is not for sale and only Greenlanders can determine their future.

Leaders from Ukraine, Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil are also likely to want to hold bilateral meetings with Trump to put across their interests on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

Of particular interest is the likely meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump, with their last prolonged one-to-one encounter at the end of February turning into a notorious televised dressing-down of the Ukrainian leader by Trump and his deputy, JD Vance.

Canada, for its part, has long been one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters, while the US has become ever more ambivalent in its attitude to Russia's invasion of its neighbor.

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The leaders of the Group of Seven economies are coming together for their annual gathering, which is the first of its kind since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

For this G7 meeting, diplomats say Canada has dispensed with the idea of issuing a comprehensive joint final communique, and will instead release chair summaries.

"This will be a successful meeting if Donald Trump doesn't have an eruption that disrupts the entire gathering. Anything above and beyond that is gravy," said University of Ottawa international affairs professor Roland Paris, who was foreign policy adviser to Trudeau.

The last time Canada was host, during Trump's first term in 2018,the US leader left the summit,held in Quebec, before slamming then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "very dishonest and weak."

He also instructed the US delegation togo back on its approval of the final communique.

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a visit to the autonomousDanishterritory ofGreenlandon Sunday.

The island, the world's largest, has been the focus of much attention in recent months afterUS President Donald Trump made several remarks indicating his interest of incorporating it into US territory, citing reasons of national security. BothGreenland and Denmark have categorically rejected Trump's approaches.

Macron's visit, which comes just hours ahead of his participation in the G7 summit, is being seen as a show of European support for the territory, whose some 60,000 citizens are Danish nationals and thus also citizens of the EU.

The French president will visit Greenland alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, with the leaders planning to discuss the security situation in the North Atlantic and the Arctic with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Macron's office said talks, which are planned aboard a Danish frigate, will also touch on economic development, climate change and renewable energy.

He is expected to visit a glacier threatened by global warming and a hydroelectric power plant.

Greenland's ice sheet is currently melting at a rapid rateas the Earth warms, contributing greatly to the rise of sea levels across the world.

The office of CanadianPrime Minister Mark Carneylast Saturdayreleased a list of topics to head the agenda at the meeting.

According to the statement, discussions will center on three main thematic areas: reinforcing peace and security in the face of foreign threats, transnational crime and increased wildfire risk; energy security and digital technology; and promoting private investment to improve infrastructure and activate economies.

Other topics are to include examining possibilities forpeace in Ukraineand other conflicts and the search for non-EU partners to bolster security and prosperity.

The Group of Seven (G7), founded 50 years ago this year, is one of the most important forums for exchange between the leaders of some of the world's major economies.

This year, it will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, from June 15 to 17, with Canada this year's holder of the group's rotating presidency.

DW's coverage will bring you reports and analysis of the topics under discussion and news on the top-level meetings occurring on the sidelines of the summit.

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Why Israel’s attacks aim to cripple Iran’s energy sector

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As Israel and Iran attack each other with missiles, Israel is especially targeting Iran's vital energy infrastructure, including key oil and gas facilities. That could have a major impact on Iran's economy.

The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, with both sides firing missiles and drones at each other, has unsettled globalenergymarkets.

Israeli attacks on Saturday targetedIran'senergy infrastructure, including vital oil storage sites, refineries and power stations.

Among the locations targeted was the massive South Pars gas field, which is part of the world's largest reservoir of natural gas. It's located off Iran's southern Bushehr province and is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran.

Iran shares control over the South Pars gas field with neighboringQatar, which calls the reservoir under its control North Dome.

The attack, which forcedTehranto partially suspend production at the field, raised the prospect that a widening conflict would threaten Iran'senergy productionand supply.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has slammed Israel for targeting South Pars, saying it was an attempt "to expand the war beyond" Iran.

"Dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf region is a major strategic mistake, likely deliberate and intended to extend the war beyond Iranian territory," the news agency AFP quoted Araghchi as saying during a meeting with foreign diplomats.

Iran is a major player in the global energy sector, with the country home to the world's second-largest proven natural gas reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Data from the intergovernmental Gas Exporting Countries Forumshow that Iran produced about 266.25 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023, with domestic consumption accounting for 255.5 bcm. About 15.8 bcm of natural gas were exported.

Iran holds the world's third-largest crude oil reserves, about 9% of the total proved oil reserves worldwide.

The country extracts about 3.3 million barrels of crude and another 1.3 million barrels of condensate and other liquids daily, of which it exports around 1.8 million barrels, according to the Belgium-based data analytics firm Kpler.

Iran is the third-largest oil producer in theOrganization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The income it generated from energy exports account for a sizeable chunk of government revenues and foreign exchange reserves.

A report by EIA suggests that Iran received $144 billion (€138.5 billion)in oil export revenues in the three years from 2021 to 2023.

"Iran uses several obfuscation techniques such as turning off its ship identification signals, applying ship-to-ship transfers, or relabeling cargoes as originating from other countries for both crude oil and oil products, which increases the challenge of providing precise export data," according to the report.

China remains a big importer of Iranian crude, importing 1.71 million bpd in March, up 20% from 1.43 million bpd in February, the news agency Reuters reported.

The price of crude oil surged late last week after the Israel-Iran strikes began, but it has since decreased, with both main oil contracts dropping by over 1% on Monday.

Should Israel intensify its targeting of Iranian energy facilities, however, it could trigger a spike in global oil and gas prices.

Despite Iran's vast hydrocarbon reserves, much of its potential remains untapped.

Iranian officials acknowledge that the country needs advanced technology and billions of dollars in new investment to modernize its oil and gas sectors.

But the country is subject to one of the most stringent sanction regimes in the world, hampering its trade and investment opportunities.

Though a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2015 promised sanctions relief in exchange for the country's restricting its nuclear activities, PresidentDonald Trump, withdrew the United States unilaterally from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions during his first term in office.

The sanctions, aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, have targeted Iran's oil exports, as well as banking and shipping, among other sectors.

They have also severely curtailed Tehran's natural gas exports in recent years.

The measures have effectively crippled Iran's economy, which is currently reeling from a raft of crises such as soaring inflation and a collapsing currency.

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Decades of mismanagement and geopolitical tensions have compounded the economic problems. Despite its vast oil and gas resources, Iranhas been struggling with energy shortagesamid declining production, outdated equipment and a lack of investment in infrastructure.

Iran relies heavily on natural gas for domestic consumption, particularly for electricity generation. Additionally, more than 95% of Iranian households are also connected to gas pipelines, and energy subsidies have resulted in overconsumption.

In recent years, Iran's government has beenforced to impose rolling power blackoutsaffecting both homes and factories to cope with spikes in electricity demand.

In May, President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized what he called Iran's "excessive and inappropriate consumption" of electricity.

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Ukraine says repatriation of fallen soldiers complete

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Kyiv says the last stage of the return of bodies of Ukrainians by Russia is over, with more than 6,000 now repatriated. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president has made his first trip of the war to non-NATO member Austria.

Ukraineon Monday said it had received the remains of 1,245 soldiers killed in the war withRussia, marking the final stage of a large-scalerepatriation agreementreached earlier this month during peace talks in Istanbul.

The deal represents one of the largest such exchanges since the start of thefull-scale Russian invasionin February 2022.

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the completion of the returns.

"Today marks the final stage of the repatriation of fallen soldiers," he said.

Since last week, when the implementation of the Istanbul agreements began, we have managed to bring back over 6,000 bodies."

Both countries have previously coordinated limited exchanges of prisoners and remains, but the Istanbul agreement marks a rare instance of cooperation on such a scale amid ongoing hostilities.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko on Monday accused Russia of deliberately hindering the identification of fallen soldiers by returning bodies in severely mutilated condition.

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"Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags," Klymenko said in a post on Telegram. He also claimed that Ukraine had received the remains of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians during earlier stages of the repatriation process last week.

Russia's defense ministry confirmed the handover, stating it had "fulfilled the agreement." Moscow also said it was prepared to return an additional 2,239 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen, in a move beyond what had been agreed in Istanbul.

Russia reported receiving the remains of 51 dead Russian soldiers in the latest exchange, bringing the total returned by Ukraine to 78.

Meanwhile,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyarrived in Austria on Monday, where he was welcomed with military honors by President Alexander Van der Bellen.

After talks and a joint press conference with Van der Bellen, Zelenskyy was expected to meet Chancellor Christian Stocker.

The occasion marks Zelenskyy's first visit to Austria since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

While not a NATO member and officially militarily neutral,Austria does not claim political neutralityand, according to its Foreign Ministry, has provided around €300 million ($347 million) in bilateral financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries.

The visit drew criticism from Austria's far-right Freedom Party, known for its pro-Russian stance, which accused Zelenskyy of violating the country's neutrality.

After his stop in Vienna, Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to the G7 summit in Canada where he is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.

Edited by Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker killing visited other legislators’ homes, say authorities

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Officials say Vance Luther Boelter, who allegedly shot two lawmakers, went to two other legislators’ homes that night intending to kill them

A man accused of dressing up as a police officer andshooting two Minnesota state lawmakersin their homes – killing one and her husband – also showed up at the houses of two other legislators the same night intending to assassinate them too, authorities revealed on Monday.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, wascaptured on Sunday nightafter a major two-day manhunt and charged by state prosecutors with the second-degree murder of the Democratic representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their residence in Brooklyn Park early on Saturday.

He was also charged with the attempted murder of state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin.

Appearing in federal court in St Paul,Minnesota, on Monday, Boelter said he could not afford an attorney. A federal public defender was appointed to represent him. A hearing about whether Boelter should be detained in federal custody pending the outcome of his case was tentatively scheduled for 27 June.

The court appearance came after officials announced a separate 20-page federal indictment, which could include the death penalty for Hortman’s murder, at a late-morning press conference.

The acting US attorney for the district of Minnesota, Joe Thompson, told reporters that as well as the early-hours attacks on the Hortman and Hoffman residences, Boelter was spotted at the homes of two other unnamed lawmakers, one a state representative, the other a state senator, in a “planned campaign of stalking and violence”.

At one of the properties, nobody was home, he said. At the other, he was confronted by a police officer who was called to make a wellness check, and fled the scene.

“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares,” Thompson said.

“Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer, and shot them in cold blood.”

Hortman’s killing, at the final house he visited, “was a political assassination”, he added.

“It’s a chilling attack on our democracy, on our way of life. The trend [of political violence] has been increasing over recent years and I hope it’s a wake-up call to everyone that people can disagree with you without being evil, without [anybody] needing to be killed for it.”

Thompson gave a timeline of Boelter’s alleged spree, which began at the Hoffmans’ home. Arriving in a black SUV disguised to look like a police vehicle, and wearing a “hyper-realistic latex mask”, Boelter knocked on their door claiming to be a police officer, and shot them both repeatedly after they opened the door and realized he was not who he claimed to be.

Both remain in hospital in serious condition but are expected to survive.

Next, Thompson said, Boelter drove to the home of a Minnesota state representative in Maple Grove, where a doorbell camera captured him at 2.24am. She was on vacation, and he left.

From there, he traveled to the home of a state senator, arriving at about 2.36am. An officer from the New Hope police department arrived to find Boelter’s vehicle parked a short distance away with lights on.

Thompson said she assumed he was a fellow officer already there in response to the Hoffman shooting – but when she wound down her window to speak to him, Boelter did not respond, and “just sat there and stared straight ahead”, Thompson said.

She retreated to the senator’s home to await the arrival of colleagues, who arrived to find him gone.

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Finally, Thompson said, he drove to the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park. Officers arrived at about 3.30am to find him standing on the porch – and when they got out of their vehicles, he began firing at them, forced his way into the house and shot and killed Hortman and her husband, then fled on foot.

“Boelter planned his attack carefully. He researched his victims and their families,” Thompson said.

“He used the internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes.”

He said he could not speculate on a motive, but said investigators found “dozens and dozens of names on hundreds of pages of documents” in the vehicle retrieved at the Hortman residence. All the elected officials targeted were Democrats, Thompson said.

The writings and list of names are believed to include prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare facilities.

An FBI affidavit states that after the shootings Boelter used cash to purchase a vehicle from a stranger, and then drove to Green Isle, about an hour west of Minneapolis, where a police officer reported seeing him run into woodland.

The Brooklyn Park police chief, Mark Bruley, said about 20 different tactical teams searched inside a perimeter for him and he was located after an hours-long operation that included a helicopter.

When Boelter was found, Bruley said, he crawled out of the woods after “a short period of negotiation” and was taken into custody in a field.

In the vehicle there, police allegedly found a handwritten confession, while a search of his wife’s car yielded two handguns, passports and $10,000 in cash, the affidavit said.

It states that Boelter texted his wife: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation. There’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”

The superintendent of Minnesota’s bureau of criminal apprehension, Drew Evans, told a Sunday news conference that authorities interviewed Boelter’s wife and other family members in connection with Saturday’s shootings and that they were cooperative and not in custody.

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New Jersey supreme court allows grand jury to investigate clergy sexual abuse allegations

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News comes after Catholic diocese in Camden tried for years to block such proceedings

New Jerseycan have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state’s supreme court ruled on Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course.

The Camden diocese previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state’s investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he’d met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church’s opposition to the grand jury.

The seven-member supreme court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed.

“Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written,” the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justices. “We find that the state has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.”

The state attorney general’s office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it’s committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse.

“We are grateful for the New Jersey supreme court’s decision … confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the state from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy,” first assistant attorney General Lyndsay V Ruotolo said in an emailed statement.

The Camden diocese is still committed to cooperating with the effort, it said in a statement.

“To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always,” the diocese said.

An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an advocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese’s change.

A Pennsylvania grand jury reportin 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey’s inquiry never became public partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings.

Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to pre-empt a grand jury – and a lower court agreed with the diocese.

The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits – up to 55, according to court records – after the statute of limitations was relaxed.

In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5m to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers.

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Trump and Japanese PM meet on sidelines of G7 amid tariff concerns – US politics live

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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishibamet withPresident Trumpon the sidelines of theG7 meetingon Monday to discuss import auto tariffs Washington imposed on Japan, Reuters is reporting.

Tokyo is urging Washington to drop the tariffs because they threaten to slow Japan’s economy, the Japanese government said.

Ishiba wants Trump to end the 25% auto tariff he imposed on Japanese cars and a 24% reciprocal tariff paused until July 9.

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Ice raids in LA continue as armed agents target immigrant communities

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Mayor of Montebello, a suburb east of LA with 79% Latino population, said: ‘This is racial profiling’

US immigration raids continued to target southern California communities in recent days, including at a popular flea market and in a Los Angeles suburb where US citizens were detained.

On Saturday, as mass protests swept the nation, includingtens of thousandsdemonstrating in LA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents descended on aswap meet in Santa Fe Springsin southeast LA county. Videoshoweddozens of heavily armed, masked officers carrying out the raid before a scheduled concert at the long-runningeventthat features vendors, food and entertainment every weekend

Witnessestoldthe Los Angeles Times that agents appeared to be going after people who “looked Hispanic in any way”, sparking widespread fear.

A US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said on Monday that it arrested two people at the swap meet who are now facing deportation.

The crowd at the swap meet largelyclearedout before a scheduled 5.30pm concert, which was ultimatelycanceled, leaving the site unusually empty for a spring Saturday. Another witnesstold ABC7agents were asking attendees where they were from: “I told them I was from the United States, and then they proceeded to walk away, and they took a picture of me … I took it as a personal threat.”

The swap meet arrests came at the end of more than a week of sustained raids and Ice activity in the region that have targetedday laborers outside Home Depot,car washers,warehouse workers, people outside churches and other residents in public spaces. The raids have continued as Donald Trump has sent the national guard and marines to LA to respond to protests, despite the objections of California leaders, who havesued to stop a deploymentthey deem unconstitutional.

Also over the weekend, videoemergedof immigration actions in Montebello, a suburb east of the city of LA. Last Thursday, armed border patrol agents, who drove in an unmarked car, ended up detaining Jason Brian Gavidia and pressing him against a fence by an auto body shop he runs, the New York Timesreported.

An agent interrogated Gavidia, a US citizen, asking, “What hospital were you born at?” Gavidia, 29, was born down the street, and video shows agents twisting his arm, as he said, “I’m American! … I’ll show you my ID. I was born here.” A witness filming the encounter is heard saying: “Literally based off skin color.”

Gavidia was released, but Javier Ramirez, another US citizen who is Gadivia’s friend and coworker, was detained by two agents, forced facedown on the ground and taken to federal detention, where he has remained in custody, the New York Times reported.

Salvador Melendez, the mayor of Montebello, acitythat is 79% Latino, told the Guardian on Monday that the videos and reports of Ice in his community had caused widespread anxiety.

“This is racial profiling. They’re stopping folks because of the way they look,” said Melendez. “Ice agents are terrorizing our community. They are taking actions and asking questions later. There is absolutely no due process.”

Ice agents were spotted in a small area of Montebello, the mayor said. “But psychologically, they are already in our whole city. People are not going to work, not going out, not going to school. People don’t want to ride the bus. It’s extremely unfair … seeing Ice agents come in with these big guns, it almost feels like a war zone. They’re militarized to apprehend folks and they rough up our people.”

After millions protested Trump in national “No Kings” demonstrations, the president pledged Sunday toescalate Ice raids in Democratic-run cities, including LA, Chicago and New York.

“Folks have to stay vigilant, we have to look out for one another. If you see something, alert your neighbors,” said Melendez. “It’s beautiful to see people coming together, helping their neighbors and rallying against this … This is not normal and we have to be outspoken.”

Immigrant rights’ lawyers have said that people detained in the raids have disappeared or had little contact with theirattorneys or families. Amid the crackdown, residents across the region have increasinglygone into hiding, turning typically lively immigrant hubs desolate.

DHS and border patrol did not respond to inquiries about the detentions in Montebello, but Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary, said in a press release Monday: “DHS targets have nothing to do with an individuals’ skin color. What makes someone a target is if they are in the United States illegally.”

A spokesperson added in a statement to the Guardian: “DHS and its components continue to enforce the law every day in greaterLos Angelesand throughout the country … DHS agencies will not be deterred from the completion of our mission.”

In LA’s Koreatown, a dense immigrant neighborhood, street vendors have been staying home out of fear of raids, causing significant financial hardships, said Andreina Kniss, an organizer with Ktown for All, a mutual aid group. Volunteers identified more than 60 families of vendors out of work andfundraisedmore than $50,000 for them, she said. The group had distributed funds to 36 families covering a month of expenses, as of Monday morning, allowing vulnerable workers to stay home.

“We felt like we couldn’t stand around and watch them have to make the choice between being kidnapped and paying their bills,” she said. “The city is being held hostage economically, and it’s not going to end until these Ice raids end.”

She hoped to see mutual aid efforts expand: “The $2,000 you raise for a family might prevent a family separation. It can change people’s lives. We’re just normal neighbors who care about neighbors.”

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US supreme court to hear case involving anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center

theguardian|oleh

First Choice is fighting New Jersey subpoena as part of an investigation into potentially unlawful practices

TheUS supreme courtagreed on Monday to consider reviving a New Jersey anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center operator’s bid to block the Democratic-led state’s attorney general from investigating whether it deceived women into believing it offered abortions.

The justices took up an appeal by First Choice Women’s Resource Centers of a lower court’s ruling that the Christian faith-based organization must first contest Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s subpoena in state court before bringing a federal lawsuit challenging it.

The justices are expected to hear the case in their next term, which begins in October.

Crisis pregnancy centers provide services to pregnant women with the goal of preventing them from having abortions. Such centers do not advertise their anti-abortion stance, and abortion rights advocates have called them deceptive. The case provides a test of the ability of state authorities to regulate these businesses.

First Choice, which has five locations inNew Jersey, has argued that it has a right to bring its case in federal court because it was alleging a violation of its federal rights to free speech and free association under the first amendment of the US constitution. First Choice is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that has brought other cases on behalf of anti-abortion plaintiffs including an effort to restrict distribution of the abortion pill that has since been taken over by Republican states.

New Jersey is targeting First Choice because of its views, Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Erin Hawley said.

“We are looking forward to presenting our case to the supreme court and urging it to hold that First Choice has the same right to federal court as any other civil rights plaintiff,” Hawley said in a statement.

Platkin said that his office may investigate to ensure nonprofits are not deceiving residents and that First Choice has for years refused to answer questions about “potential misrepresentations they have been making, including about reproductive healthcare”.

“First Choice is looking for a special exception from the usual procedural rules as it tries to avoid complying with an entirely lawful state subpoena, something the US Constitution does not permit it to do. No industry is entitled to that type of special treatment – period,” Platkin added.

First Choice sued Platkin in New Jersey federal court in 2023 after the attorney general issued a subpoena seeking internal records including the names of its doctors and donors as part of an investigation into potentially unlawful practices. First Choice argued that there was no good cause for the subpoena, which it said chilled its first amendment rights.

Platkin moved to enforce the subpoena in state court. Essex county superior court Judge Lisa Adubato granted that motion, finding that First Choice had not shown that the subpoena should be quashed at the outset of the investigation, but ordered the parties to negotiate a narrower subpoena and said that the constitutional issues could be litigated further going forward.

The US district judge Michael Shipp then dismissed the federal case, finding that First Choice’s federal claim was not ripe because it could continue to make its constitutional claims in the state court and did not face any immediate threat of contempt.

The Philadelphia-based third circuit court of appeals in a 2-1 ruling in December 2024 upheld Shipp’s ruling, prompting First Choice to appeal to the justices.

In asking the supreme court to hear the case, First Choice argued that federal civil rights law is intended to guarantee parties a federal forum to assert their constitutional rights. It said that forcing it to litigate in state court would effectively deny it that forum, since the constitutional claims would be decided before a federal court could ever hear them.

Crisis pregnancy centers have also drawn the attention of the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who in 2024 sued 11 centers for advertising abortion pill reversal, a treatment whose safety and effectiveness is unproven. That case remains pending. Several New York crisis pregnancy centers sued James and in August won an order allowing them to continue touting abortion pill reversal.

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Nationwide draws up bonus plan that could give CEO £7m payday

theguardian|oleh

Building society criticised for proposal that will be voted on next month but says it is prioritising member value

Nationwide’s chief executive, Debbie Crosbie, could land a maximum pay package of nearly £7m as part of a new bonus plan that has been criticised as “borderline hypocritical” for a UK building society.

The pay policy, which will be put to its customers next month, would raise Crosbie’s maximum payout by 43% to £6.9m.

She had previously been allowed to earn up to £4.8m under the building society’s remuneration guidelines.

The plans were outlined in Nationwide’s annual report, which argued that Crosbie’s pay should reflectnew demands following the £2.9bn takeover of Virgin Money,and should be offering payouts close to packages offered by rivals including Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest.

Those rivals, it said,had “significantly increased” executive payfollowing the eradication of the UK banker bonus cap, which previously limited payouts to two times’ salary. “This has materially increased the gap between Nationwide and the firms with which we compete for senior talent,” its annual report said.

Nationwide now wants to offer Crosbie an annual bonus worth up to 150% of her £1.1m salary, up from 100%, and said it would consider hiking other elements – which could include long-term bonuses – in order to compete with other big high street lenders.

“While our proposed changes for 2025-26 will go some way to addressing the competitive gap, we remain materially behind some of our UK banking peers, and the committee recognises that future policy changes among other firms may further increase the existing gap,” the annual report said.

Nationwide is hoping that its customers back the new plan at its annual meeting, which is being held online on 25 July.

But the pay policy drew criticism from the High Pay Centre thinktank, which said a member-owned UK building society like Nationwide should not be trying to match UK banks on pay.

Luke Hildyard, the director of the High Pay Centre, said: “It’s borderline hypocritical for a building society that presents itself as an ethical alternative to the major banks to replicate their pay culture, the aspect of modern banking that people find most egregious.

“Nationwide is a longstanding institution with an established brand and business model. They really don’t need to make such vast executive payouts and could better reflect the values they project in TV adverts by doing things differently.”

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Nationwide had aTV advert bannedlast year that mocked its bank rivals. The original advert showed the actor Dominic West as a fictional, hard-nosed bank manager intent on closing branches. He mocked customers who have lost their life savings as a “total yawn fest”, clicks his fingers for a green smoothie and says: “We’re not Nationwide are we, we’re nothing like them.”

Nationwide’s annual report showed Crosbie was paid a total of £2.5m for the financial year to March, up 2.4% from a year earlier. The staff bonus pot – excluding new Virgin Money colleagues – rose 16.8% to £97m. Including the newly added Virgin Money workforce, the bonus pot totalled £132m.

A Nationwide spokesperson said: “Nationwide has become the second largest provider of mortgages and retail deposits, and remains first for customer satisfaction, because it can attract, retain and motivate talented leaders to run a business of this scale and prioritise member value.”

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