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Throughout U.S. history, presidents and presidential candidates have been targets for assassination
The Congressional Research Service in 2009 reported 15 “direct assaults” against presidents and presidential candidates.
MINNEAPOLIS — As federal authorities continue to investigate an attempted assassination on former President Trump, the country has been thrown into turmoil just four months before a presidential election.
Yet, as author and University at Buffalo history professor Dr. Carole Emberton explains, it’s not without precedent.
“It’s very shocking and very scary,” Emberton said. “This type of political violence is, unfortunately, not new for us. We haven’t seen it recently, thank goodness, but history does provide us with some tragic examples of this happening before.”
According to a Congressional Research Service paper — updated in late 2009 early in the Obama administration — 15 “direct assaults” have been made throughout history against presidents, president-elects and presidential candidates.
The last sitting president to be shot was Ronald Reagan in 1981, when John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on the president near the Hilton in Washington, D.C. Before that, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, Franklin Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson were fired at, but not hit, in assassination attempts.
Four presidents have been assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901 and John F. Kennedy in 1963. Lincoln and JFK are widely known in the American collective memory, while Garfield and McKinley have been somewhat overlooked by the general public.
McKinley’s killing at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, however, was a landmark moment for the country because it spurred Congress to authorize the Secret Service specifically for presidential security.
“America was really becoming a key player on the global stage, an imperial power, a world power. The anarchists who were blamed for McKinley’s assassination, it was a global movement,” Emberton said. “There was really a sense that new measures needed to be taken to ensure the president of the United States was protected and that’s one of the driving forces behind making sure there’s a dedicated branch of government that is tasked with protecting the president and his family.”
The U.S. Secret Service eventually expanded to include former presidents and candidates.
Yet, since the start of the 20th century, three major presidential candidates have been injured or killed in shootings during campaigns.
In 1912, former president Teddy Roosevelt was shot in Milwaukee while seeking a return of office through a third-party nomination. U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles in 1968 after winning California’s Democratic presidential primary, and during the Democratic primaries four years later, Alabama’s segregationist governor George Wallace was paralyzed by a bullet, derailing his campaign.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
