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Global News Podcast
Minnesota Democratic politician killed in targeted shooting
00:30:15
A huge search is underway for the man who shot dead Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark
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Nigel Adderley
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A huge manhunt is Underway in the U.S. state of Minnesota for a gunman who shot dead a Democratic politician and her husband. The authorities say it was a targeted attack. Many US Towns and cities have stepped up security as protests against Donald Trump are held to coincide with a big military parade in Washington, and Israel and Iran have threatened to step up their military confrontation. Also in this podcast, there are plenty of reasons which could explain these trends. For instance, our changing attitudes to smoking improvements when it comes to diagnosing things like hearing loss and diabetes. These known associated risks of dementia. We hear about a new study into why younger generations may be at less risk of developing dementia. The US State of Minnesota is reeling after two shootings that appear to be linked and politically motivated. In the early hours of Saturday morning, Democratic state politician Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot dead at their home in the city of Champlin. A short time earlier and just a few kilometers away, Democratic state lawmaker John Hoffman and his wife were shot by the same gunman and left gravely injured. Speaking at a news conference, Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz said the attack seemed to be an act of targeted political violence. We're here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota. My good friend and colleague Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination. Our state lost to a great leader and I lost to the earth of friends. A suspect has now been identified. Our North America correspondent Jake Kwon told us more about him. He is a man in his 50s, whose name is Vance Luther Bolter. He's a local man. And the police have released his face as well as his outfit. He was wearing a cowboy hat and holding a dark bag. They released also a photo of the man as he approached the houses of the lawmakers. And in the photo you can see him wearing these black vest as well as holding a torch. What they say is him dressed like a police officer and that he was driving SUV that is typically driven by law enforcement. So they said that the manhunt is still going on. Earlier they said hundreds of police officers and SWAT team is activated to find this man. And they fear that the man may be out of the region. Now, they last have spotted him in the city of Minneapolis, away from where the shooting happened. So they really urged the public to share any information they may have if they spot this man. We also heard from community leaders in Minnesota at the press conference and really they summed up what we heard from Tim Voltz earlier on. Just the sense of shock. It really is. I mean, Minnesota, they really pride themselves on their friendliness, their easygoing attitude. And this is a state known for their civility, really. And we also heard from the White House, President Trump saying that this is a horrific killing, that he had ordered the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate the matter and that the person responsible will be held to account to the fullest extent of the law. And he said that there is no place in America for a political motivated killing, that it will not be tolerated. You know, it's really unfortunate, but this politically motivated killing, it really feels like there's an increasing number of them. We are now in a very politically charged atmosphere here in the United States. Just a few months ago, there was an arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor's residence. And of course, everyone will remember the near assassination of President Trump himself. And of course, this comes on the day that people across the country have taken to the streets to protest against Donald Trump's military parade taking place in Washington today. I'm going to show D.C. when it's all said and done that the power of the people. I am very appalled by the actions and the rhetoric from our government. And I did not vote that way. And I'm trying to change things because this is not what's happening in America now, is not the real America. And Jake, you use the term politically charged earlier and really that sums it up. It really does. I mean, this parade itself is very controversial. It is supposed to celebrate the American might, the American nationalism on the 250th birthday of the US military. But it's also happens to fall on the same day as President Trump's 79th birthday. And there will be more than 6,000 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft. There will be fireworks, etc. But the people who are opposed to President Trump, they're criticizing it as the personal vanity project and they're really using it as a day of defiance against President Trump. And just a final point to make, and it's a significant one to make, that there were planned marches in Minnesota and they've now been canceled. In the US Media, it was reported that police found manifesto as well as some other material in the suspect's car. One of them was a flyer for today's no Kings protest. So the authorities now fear that this suspect may be moving somewhere to harm the people who are participating in the rally. You know, it is not clear yet what exactly is the motivation for this suspect and whether it has any connection to the rally. Jake Kwon, as we record this podcast, over the last few hours, more than 100 missiles have been fired, fired into Israel. That's according to Iranian state television as both countries continue to carry out air attacks on each other. The Iranians say that Tel Aviv and Haifa are the main targets in northern Israel. Fire and rescue services reported they had to respond to several incidents and the authorities told citizens to take shelter. Meanwhile, Iranian media have reported a massive explosion at a refinery in the southern port of Kangan, and two more senior Iranian military commanders and three nuclear scientists have been killed. Earlier, the Iranian president had warned of a more severe response to Israeli attacks. While in Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran had seen nothing yet. So a ratcheting of rhetoric on both sides. As our correspondent in Jerusalem, Ione Wells, explains, there's been some really strong words from Benjamin Netanyahu this evening. He has said that in the near future, Israeli air force jets will be over Tehran skies and they would strike what he described as every target of the Ayatollah regime. We had information that this unscrupulous regime was planning to give the nuclear weapons that they would develop to their terrorist proxies. That's nuclear terrorism on steroids that would threaten the entire world. This is what Israel is doing with the support, the clear support of the president of the United States, Donald Trump and the American people and many others in the world. So with God's help and with the goodwill and resolution of all free societies, we shall win. Now, that is significant. It shows confidence. After Israel has indicated that it's defeated, certainly dented severely a lot of Iran's defense capabilities, particularly over Tehran. And it also suggests that, as many people have been speculating, that this is not just about targeting Iran's nuclear capacity, it's also about targeting the regime itself. That's been echoed by Benjamin Netanyahu also calling on the Iranian people last night to rise up against their leadership. But also Iran confirming today that a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader died from his wounds. He was somebody also responsible for the nuclear programs. Very strong rhetoric from Iran too. Iran has said to the us, uk, France, that it would hit military bases in the region if those nations join in and stop missile strikes on Israel. Iran's president has also threatened a more severe response if Israel continues its attacks. Ione wells. But how damaging have the strikes been for Iran and what are Tehran's options for retaliation now? Sanam Vakil is a Middle east analyst. She says the Iranian leadership knows that for the moment at least, Israel is militarily stronger. I think that the Islamic Republic is in a extraordinarily difficult moment, one that it hasn't experienced since the 1980-88 Iran Iraq War. So it is prioritizing its own survival. It is looking to deal very heavy blows to Israel whatever it can. But it will also be looking for an off ramp. Iran is the weaker party here and it cannot fight on equal footing against Israel. There is going to be a time where it will be waiting for those diplomatic channels to open. We got through to a journalist in the Iranian capital who told us about the situation there. For his safety, we are not giving his name. Many people in Tehran didn't sleep a wink last night, including me, of course. I fell asleep at 3am and three hours. I had the air defense flashing in the skies, trembling in my bed and trying to digest my anxiety. So many people, I can say, share the same anxiety and nervousness. So you think a lot of people at the moment are very scared and maybe it's a fear of the unknown. Yes, and also a very tiny minorities, those who are probably monarchy. They feel powerless and paralyzed to take any initiative to do something to topple their hatred regimes, yet have a wishful thinking that okay, our savior is Netanyahu. He will be able to do what we have failed to do. But at the same time, the overwhelming majority of the people just want security, peace and predictable future they have been deprived for decades. Is there a fear the attacks could get worse this evening and moving forward in the coming days? Yes, there is a fear and when people go to bed or when the dark falls, they worry and they don't go to bed just in time and get ready. Just anything happens to save the family in the daytime in Tehran today, have people been going about their business? Are they using supermarkets, are they going to shops or are people staying indoors? No, people do their errands, but they come back very shortly home and they try to save some things in a store and stock up groceries, whatever is called staple food. Do people have shelters? We've seen members of the public in Israel heading down to bomb shelters overnight. Are there similar provisions in Tehran? No, we don't have the luxury of shelters. We have a subway which is very good and clean comparing to Cairo subways or somewhere else. But subways are not open to the people after 10:30. Otherwise you can go to the basement of your own building, which is the ruling establishment since the beginning of the revolution has never ever thought about the shelters because there is a culture which is the culture of martyrdom. So in this society, going to the shelters when there is a jet fighting or looming around it indicates your chicken hardness. So you should brave and brace for the bombardments and enjoy martyrdom. A journalist in Tehran. Only hours after Israel launched its attacks on Iran, news broke that six top nuclear scientists and the number of high profile members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had been killed, including its chief of staff. Not all were killed where they worked, some were hit in their homes. So how did Israel carry out such high precision attacks? Ronan Bergman is a journalist for the New York Times. Paul Henley asked him about the sprawling intelligence operations behind Israel's offensive. The need to identify online where to 22 people all over Tehran, mainly Tehran region, at this specific moment and be able to target all of them can only be the fruit of years of intelligence infiltration and research. Once you have such an intimate understanding of the adversary, then usually people are looking for a Mossad agent under every bed, around every corner. It's a mixture of all. It's either a street camera or communication or phones or emails or well located spies also directing the collection into the specifics of someone's private life. Because many of the scientists were taken out, were killed in their homes. And the Israeli leaders of the intelligence and the defense establishment for many, many years were convinced that later or sooner they will need to fight. You've spoken on condition of anonymity, I know, to both Iranian and Israeli officials. What else have you learned from them? Both fields of reporting to the New York Times in a story with our colleague Ben Hubbard basically corroborate the same information that the Iranians as well confirmed the fact that drones that can be launched and guided from close range quadcopters were indeed launched. And so the meaning of that, that Assad commando teams were deployed on the ground in Iran. And that by itself means that this is not just operating or collecting intelligence from afar. It's not even spies that were recruited from that office or that neighborhood that are only giving information, but it's also the ability to have teams of commandos with explosives, with rifles, with ammunition and with a lot of gear and sending drones in time of need everywhere. If I understand correctly, that component of everything that Iran has gone through in the last 48 hours is the main concern for the Iranian leaders, because these platoons were never caught and the modus operandi was never revealed. And their existence on Iranian soil just mean further threat to other interests of the regime. Ronan Bergman the war between Israel and Iran has also dominated a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Russia's President Putin. Mediators say the latest round of talks between the US and Iran about its nuclear program, which have been planned for Sunday, will not now take place. Tehran had said they were meaningless because of what it described as American involvement in the wave of Israeli attacks. Our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet has this assessment of the situation. In his latest statement, Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis the threat from Iran had been in its 90th minute, that Israel had to act to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear bomb. His critics say this was a war of choice, not necessity, that the talks which had been expected to take place tomorrow between Iran and the US had offered a path to curb Iran's nuclear enrichment. But the only focus now is on the escalating military operations. Israel is continuing to hit nuclear facilities, missile sites and Iran's air defenses. It now says it has freedom of action. In the skies over Tehran, more blistering attacks on the capital are certain to follow. A former US negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Robert Malley, spoke to the BBC about the risk of a dangerous escalation. This is a very tumultuous time and there's a lot of uncertainty. One day's victory can quickly turn source. It's a powder keg and the powder keg has already blown up. This may well last and it may go in even more dangerous direction. Iran is also making it clear it will keep hitting back. Both sides are aiming for military targets which lie in or close to residential areas. That creates the risk of a rising number of civilian casualties. There's concern, too, about possible leakage as Israel targets nuclear facilities. And there's no clear sense of Israel's end game. Mr. Netanyahu talks about not just ending Iran's military threat, but encourages Iranians to bring an end to their regime. Lis Doucet still to come because of the need for radio quiet, we've kind of frozen the community around 1990 technology the new film about the American town in West Virginia where people go to avoid the electromagnetic radiation of modern life from coast to coast. 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But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Ameca Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Ameca Empathy is our best policy. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive could save hundreds. With that kind of money, you could go big time on a fancy water bottle with ultra titanium alloy metal. You're not sure why you need all that. I mean, it just holds water. But you're getting it anyway. Because if you're hiking near an active volcano and you accidentally drop the bottle into molten lava, your water will still be icy cold. Switch to Progressive and you could save big time for water bottles. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states. Potential savings will vary. An investigation is ongoing to understand what caused an Air India plane to crash in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday. The plane plummeted shortly after takeoff and hit a residential area, killing 241 passengers and more than 30 people on the ground. Air India's CEO says it's now inspecting all of its Boeing 787 aircrafts and working to support the families of those who have died. Our correspondent Arunude Mukherjee is in Ahmedabad. There's been a lot of activity at the crash site from behind the barricades where we've been stopped. We've seen a steady stream of officials arrive since this morning, driving in and out, trying to find material which may prove to be crucial to the investigation. Excavators have been busy clearing the debris and scanning the area as well. India's Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the successful recovery of the black box will help give them an in depth understanding on the Moments before the crash, the response teams were working on ground, actively trying to rescue whatever is possible, cut down the fire and to move the debris so that the bodies can be sent to the hospital at the earliest. Beyond the technical investigating team, a committee set up to look into the incident has been given three months to come up with their findings. Air India has been ordered by the civil aviation authorities to carry out inspections of its existing Boeing 786 7th fleet before each aircraft can be cleared for their next flight. They've cautioned passengers that some of these checks could result in delays and disruptions, especially for long haul flights. Arunide Mukherjee Dementia is the seventh biggest cause of death globally, but there's still a lot that scientists don't understand about it. The condition refers to an umbrella of symptoms that affect memory, thinking and the ability to do daily activities. There is currently no way to know if a person will have dementia in later life. But now a new study from the University of Queensland has found that in general, the younger generations of today are less likely to develop it when they get older than in the past. BBC health reporter Laura Foster has been speaking to Claudia Hammond about the findings this study. They looked at 100,000 people in the UK, the USA and Europe who are aged 70 or over and they found that, as expected, people were more likely to have dementia the older they were. That's very well known. But they also found that people born more recently are less likely to have dementia at any given age than earlier generations and that this trend was more pronounced in women, particularly in the UK and Europe. So what they're saying is when people get to the same age, I don't know, say 80, fewer of those who were born later will have developed dementia. Yeah. So if I was born in the 1930s, I wasn't. And you were born with whichever decade you'd like to pick, that is after the 30s, I would be more at risk of dementia than you would be. And why should that be? Why should people from later generations be at less risk when they get older? So, frustratingly, the study didn't look at that, but that is the question I want to ask next. They did kind of throw out a few theories, though, and one hypothesis is that as the 20th century progressed in the UK, the US and Europe where this study took place, women became better educated. But there are plenty of reasons which could explain these trends. You know, for instance, our changing attitudes to smoking because, you know, it was so encouraged even by doctors 60, 70, 80 years ago. Our improvements in medicine across the board, which we've talked about, improvements when it comes to diagnosing things like hearing loss and diabetes, these known associated risks of dementia. But this doesn't mean there'll be fewer people being diagnosed with dementia in the future or less. Pressure on services and carers as well. No, sadly not so. Although it is some good news because the population is just set to grow and grow. The number of cases of dementia will keep growing. And of course, dementia doesn't just affect the one person who has it, it affects the families, many of whom have to end up caring for the person. And that puts pressure also on social care systems and society, with people not able to work because they have to care, and so on, so forth. So although this is sort of good news, it's. It's not a problem solved. It's definitely not a problem fixed. Laura Foster in an earlier podcast, we brought the story of North Korea's claim that it had successfully relaunched a warship less than a month after it capsized during its initial launch. The humiliating failed launch incensed the country's leader, Kim Jong Un. And now Pyongyang appears to have edited its top Navy commander out of official photographs. This suggests he's being held responsible. As our Asia Pacific editor Mickey Bristow reports, the destroyer tipped onto its side in a failed launch last month. It was successfully relaunched this week, but the ramifications for those involved in the accident continue. The four star General Kim Yong Sik was seen in pictures published in March as the warship was being built, but had been airbrushed out of the same photos when they were shown again on Friday. He was previously thought to be close to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. He might now have been demoted or imprisoned. North Korea hasn't, said Mickey Bristow. After decades of near misses, South Africa's cricketers have finally managed to land one of the sport's major titles. The team, which gained a reputation for stumbling with the finish line in sight, beat Australia by five wickets in the final of the World Test Championships at the iconic Lord's Ground here in London on Saturday. Addressing the crowd, captain Temba Vabuma said, it was an historic moment. It's been a special couple of days. At some point, it felt like we were back in South Africa with all the support and the stands. We've prepared hard for this. We've worked hard for this moment. And for us as a country, you know, here's an opportunity for us to, as divided as we are at times, to forget all of that, rejoice in this moment and just be one, you know, I'm sure the people back home will be celebrating it with us, and you can trust that we'll be celebrating it massively as well. Among those celebrating is the South African sports broadcaster, Mo Ali. He spoke to Sports World's Lee James. Wow. What? My heart is still pounding, you know, from the drama of this morning, especially when South Africa lost their that wicket of timber Bavuma early on. And many were thinking, oh, here we go again, that favorite tag of chokers coming along. And, you know, they finally done it. Only their second ICC Trophy that they have won. They won the 1998 Champions Trophy, of course, but just over a year ago, it was heartache in the T20 final when they narrowly lost by seven runs to India. And this is just a fantastic achievement and, and, you know, particularly pertinent and significant for this country is that we are the Rugby World Championship and now the Cricket Test World champions. And both captains Siya Kolisi and Temba Bavuma are black players. To people elsewhere in the world, it might not mean anything, but given the history of this country, of apartheid, it's just a massive, massive achievement. Yeah, I think, Mo, that was one of the defining images for me. So many great moments to see the celebrations at Lourdes. So many of South Africa's fans were able to be there to be a part of this very special day. But to see Themba Bavuma on the balcony, I think he was barely able to watch. But as you say, the huge significance, the first black cricketer to captain South Africa to bat so well through discomfort with his hamstring injury. But as you say, the significance, then, Mo, of that moment, to be there as Siya Kolisi was for his country. Exactly. And also, you know, Themba Bavuma. You know, we've had great black bowlers throughout the years. We've had Makayla Antini, now Cahiso Rabada. But batting hasn't come through in this country in a big way. You know, Timba Bavuma scored his first hundred against England a few years ago batting then. He's been under the microscope all the time. He was captain of the white ball team at one stage. He's had his critics all along. People are saying, you know, he's a quota player, doesn't belong in the team. And he's just shown so much character and resilience and, and that was really borne out when he was batting virtually on one leg in, in the second innings in that terrific partnership, that match, winning partnership with Aiden Markram when they added 147 for the third wicket. And that epitomizes who timber Babuma is and the fights that he's gone through in his cricket career. Mo Ali. Finally, to the Tribeca Film Festival currently underway in New York. A new documentary there is getting lots of attention because it takes audiences inside a community in the US which has been living in a pre Internet age. The use of mobile phones and electronic devices there has been restricted in case it interferes with the radio telescope in the town. As Tom Brook reports, the filmmakers wanted to find out what impact this had on the inhabitants. The world's largest steerable radio telescope can be found in Green bank in West Virginia, so the telescope can be used for sensitive scientific research and military intelligence. Federally mandated restrictions have long been imposed to reduce electronic interference, with a near total ban on mobile phones by local residents. And there are limitations on the use of WI fi and microwave ovens. If you're going to hide anything, you're going to hide it here. The filmmakers follow a group of individuals who inhabit Green Bank. Each has their own experience of what it's like to live in the quiet zone. Filmmaker Mikhail Lipinski. In the documentary we see several characters. We follow them in depth over several years, and we show different destinies and how each of the personalities are affected by living in this fight zone. Every time we go anywhere, they have more cell phones than they did last last time, more WI fi than they had last time, you know. Among the characters featured in the film is Clover Krieger, a poet. She settled in this community because she suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity, a debated medical condition. Filmmaker Mikhail Lipinski. Again, she's allergic to electricity and rain waves, so she has found a kind of safe haven there in Green Bank. But at the same time this means that that she has had to leave her husband abroad, so she's forced into this confinement in a way. With its exploration of a mobile phone free community, this film has an intriguing point of departure. Although it may not deliver any earth shattering conclusions, the filmmakers hope because of the slow, non frantic way in which their film is shot, that it does convey the reality of what life is like in a quiet community. Filmmaker Caspar Bisgaard hopefully the audience will get a cinematic experience that reminds them what silence is. That slowness provides a feeling too, a feeling of reflectiveness, a feeling of connectedness. We are deliberately telling in a cinematic and slow way to get a feeling of going almost go back in time. Those seeking the silent calm benefits of mobile phone free Green bank may be too late. WI fi and wireless devices have begun to infiltrate this quiet zone in West Virginia, so it's now becoming noisy by way of electronic interference, just like the rest of the world. Tom Brooke and that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Masoud Ibrahim Kale and the producers were Alison Davis and Niki Varico. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nigel Adam. Until next time. Goodbye. Hi, I'm Richard Karn and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. 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