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Manhunt Continues For Minnesota Shooting Suspect; New Rocket Attack Hits Israeli City Of Haifa; Trump Rejects Israeli Plan To Kill Iran's Supreme Leader; Trump To Depart For Summit In Canada; "No Kings" Protests Draw Crowds In Cities Across U.S.; Trump Pauses Immigration Arrests At Farms, Hotels And Restaurants; Minnesota Assassination Suspect's Vehicle Found, Manhunt Intensifies. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 15, 2025 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:42]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we continue to follow breaking news out of Minnesota. Right now an active manhunt is underway for the gunman suspected of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses. A sizable law enforcement presence has converged on a rural area southwest of Minneapolis after police found a vehicle they believe is connected to the suspected assassin, 57-year-old Vance Boelter.

CNN affiliate KARE is also reporting that police found items possibly belonging to Boelter at the scene, including a cowboy hat that he was seen wearing in surveillance video after the shootings.

We have team coverage of these developments. CNN's Danny Freeman is at the scene of the manhunt where this new vehicle has been located.

Danny, you first on the search.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, the way that I would describe the scene out here right now, and really what we've seen throughout the entirety of the day is methodical. We saw a tremendous amount of law enforcement personnel descend on, like you said, this largely rural area about 45 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

And while there was a lot of rapid fire kind of concern earlier, you saw, like I said, a lot of speeding cars coming in here ever since early in the morning when they confirmed that they discovered this car, it's been a lot slower, essentially, because you can see these officers are taking their time, first, making sure that there were no explosives in or around the suspect's car that they found a gravel road not too far up here.

But then also, as we understand, combing through the woods behind me and then also residents now. So I want you take a look, down here, this is a state route, right. And you can see a little bit in the distance there's a car right there with flashing lights. And then to the right that's the gravel road where county officials here say that they found the suspect's car.

When they found the suspect's car, Fred, earlier today, they put out an alert to all residents in this county, saying the suspect himself has not yet been found. Again, as you noted, that's 57-year-old Vance Boelter. But the suspect's car has been found. And they were urging, out of an abundance of caution, all the residents in the area to lock their doors, secure their cars as well as they search through.

So we understand from neighbors that officers have been searching through these wooded and farmland areas. But I want you to listen to my conversation with a local neighbor who told me that he just got a phone call not too long ago, and the cops were coming to his own home, just out of an abundance of caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: How do you feel about cops searching your home?

BRIAN LIEBHARD, LIVES NEAR SCENE OF MANHUNT: Go ahead. You know, evidently they're still searching for him. You know, find him. You know. We don't want somebody like that running around loose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, the one thing I'll tell you, Fred, I mean, I got to hand it to the folks that live in this area. They have a tremendous amount of patience because they've been out here basically all day because police have shut down this whole area as they've been searching for Boelter all day really.

Again, no sign of the suspect at this point, but this is still an active scene behind me. Again, the word that comes to mind is as they methodically go through this area to try and find the suspect who's now been on the loose for two days since allegedly shooting those two lawmakers and their spouses -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Danny freeman, thanks so much.

Let's go now to Whitney Wild, who is at the scene of one of those shootings.

Whitney, tell us about that location and what, if any, activity is happening?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is where Representative Melissa Hortman was shot and killed. This is where her husband was shot and killed. And this represents really one of the most remarkable moments along the timeline here was at this home where law enforcement actually encountered Vance Boelter as he was coming out of the home. That's when he fired on law enforcement.

And what we know now, when you look here, Fredricka, there are still bullet holes in this home. The garage door has been ripped off and is mangled. The front windows are boarded up, the front door is boarded up. What is happening right here, this is this is a new development in the last few minutes, is that there is now what appears to be a cleaning crew on scene. There's vehicles here with a marking that says clean scene. So this is moving forward insofar as they're trying to return this to maybe perhaps some sense of normalcy while it's still very much part of this very active investigation.

[16:05:0]

The other thing going on here, Fredricka, is the community is coming together in a small but powerful way. If you look here, we've seen several people come and lay flowers here at Representative Melissa Hortman's home, remembering her. And I'd like to take a moment to just tell our viewers about her. She was the -- she was the House speaker here for six years. She was in government for more than two decades. She was the mother of two children.

And this is such a gut-wrenching, jarring scene. When you come into this neighborhood, this is an otherwise very calm, just a very normal suburban neighborhood. This is everyday America. And then you see where this absolutely horrible act happened.

CNN's investigative team is also doing a deep dive into Vance Boelter. And what they found are two things that are really critical and are bringing greater texture to him. And the first is that he worked for a private security company that offered armed security patrols.

And so what that suggests is that perhaps it was through his company that he was able to find the gear that made him look so much like a law enforcement officer that people -- that, at least in the case of State Senator John Hoffman, he actually opened the door for this man, believing that he was a real law enforcement officer.

The second, Fredricka, is that he was an evangelical Christian. He traveled all around the world to give sermons. And according to some social media posts and video that we've reviewed, some of his sermons were highly critical of the U.S. embrace of LGBTQ Plus rights.

The man who is emerging within the last 48 hours is very different from the man that his friends thought that they knew. So here's one friend of his who spoke with Carol Levin. That's our affiliate here in Minneapolis. Here's what he said about the man he thought he knew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CARLSON, SUSPECT'S FRIEND: 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. 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: That was the last text message Vance Boelter sent to that man, and he was reading it. And you just hear that deep emotion in his voice, Fred. It is so shocking for the people who knew him. So what law enforcement is trying to do here is figure out what happened between, you know, what a man who represented himself as completely normal to the man who police say was capable of just unimaginable atrocities -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Whitney Wild, thank you so much.

Let me bring in now John Miller, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

I mean, John, there are a lot of either crime scenes or scenes of interest right now that police continue to canvass, look, trying to collect evidence, piece things together all while they are still searching for this suspect. How do they prioritize this? What kind of resources used? What's likely happening?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the crime scenes they're looking at is really kind of the forensic piece. They've completed that at the two shooting scenes. That's why you see the commercial cleanup people coming today to try and restore those homes so someone can bear to return to them and live in them. But the other scenes they're looking at are largely digital, going over social media, going over computers, going over cell phones.

They are looking at reports that they've received from many people in the Minneapolis area about a suspicious man with a cowboy hat seen walking on streets. They're looking at reports as to where would he go? What would he look to steal? What would he need to keep on the road? The finding of this car, where Danny was in this farmland is a really significant development because you want to know whose car is that? Was that a car that somebody lent him? Is that a car that he took? Is that a car that's associated directly with him?

One thing we know is that before law enforcement found it, they seemed to know it was connected to him. And now the question is, where did he go from that car? Is he hiding in the farmland which is why they're doing that basically, a grid search from farm to farm, or did he switch with another car, meaning that there are still people out there who are willing to help him, whether that's friends, family, associates, and pick him up and get him on the move again.

WHITFIELD: And John, we're also learning that there's going to be a 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time press conference. Perhaps revealing more information about the direction their investigation is going. Meantime, it will soon be dark in that very rural area there outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

[16:10:05]

That too presents new challenges. What are they in your view?

MILLER: Well, it's interesting, Fred, because it can help and it can hurt. From an aerial standpoint, when it gets darker there, it gets cooler. And that something that's going to be moving around in farmland is going to send a heat signal. For drones, for helicopters, for any aerial assets that are seeing the big picture that can help put them on a potential mark, even under a canopy of trees where it wouldn't be visible by daytime and where it might send off a less prominent heat signature. The flip side is obvious, which is you don't want to be operating in

the dark against an individual who you believe still to be armed, still to have additional ammo, still to have body armor potentially, and who may have survival gear and is going to be moving around in a way that it's going to be hard to see.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Miller, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

Again 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time press conference involving this ongoing manhunt and murder investigation.

All right. Thank you so much.

All right, now to this breaking news in the Middle East. Video into CNN appears to show missiles over Israel, including one hitting the ground in Haifa a short time ago. The aftermath of the strike shows a building and some cars on fire in that northern coastal city. The death toll from earlier Iranian strikes on Israel has now risen to 14. Israel says Iran launched more than 200 rockets in the latest barrage.

Earlier today, Israel's military says it struck an airport deep inside Iran's northeast. A refueling plane was hit, sending flames high up into the air as you see there. Israel's foreign minister told CNN earlier today that the attacks on Iran will continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIDEON SA'AR, ISRAEL'S FOREIGN MINISTER: We haven't finished our job. We still have objectives which is connected to the missile program, strategic weapons, nuclear program, and we'll continue to work there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Tel Aviv. Betsy Klein is at the White House.

Clarissa, let's start with you. What have you been seeing and hearing?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's been quiet for the last couple of hours, but there have been reports of a number of injuries as a result of that earlier barrage that actually our cameraman could see from this rooftop position here, a number of those Iranian missiles falling on Haifa, at least one direct impact that we know of. The others appear to have been intercepted.

You've seen those images now of a fire on the scene. We know that a number of people, what we're hearing from Israeli Emergency Services is four people were injured. We're hearing of another direct impact in a place called Kiryat Gat to the south of Tel Aviv. And essentially people here now bracing themselves for what tonight will bring. The last two nights we have seen a lot of activity, particularly after midnight tonight.

It was interesting and significant that things started earlier, about 8:00 p.m. local time, that first barrage was alerted by the Israeli Home Command. And we visited today, earlier, one of the sites of last night's barrages. It's a town called Tamra towards the north, about an hour north, or an hour and a quarter north of Tel Aviv.

An entire family home basically decimated, four people living there, killed a mother, two of her daughters, the youngest just 13 years old, and a relative who had been staying with the family, and only one daughter, a little girl managed to survive because she was sleeping in the room that was used as the shelter.

So we are definitely seeing a lot of residential areas bearing the brunt of some of these barrages of Iranian missiles that have been coming in, and a significant number of civilian casualties. As you mentioned that figure now stands at 14 with more injuries and no end in sight. Israeli officials saying this could be weeks, not days, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Clarissa Ward, thanks so much in Tel Aviv.

Betsy, to you at the White House. U.S. officials are telling CNN that President Trump actually rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader? Tell us more.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN WHITE HOUSE SENIOR CORRESPONDENT AND WRITER: That's right. The White House, the U.S. has been watching these strikes that Clarissa just laid out so closely over the past few days. But President Trump, for now, does not want the U.S. to enter the fray. Of course, the U.S. has been providing some defensive support to Israel, efforts to block those missiles that are incoming.

[16:15:04]

But we've learned that the president did reject a plan by the Israelis to assassinate Iran's supreme leader according to a U.S. official. Now, a second senior U.S. official tells me that Israel had an opportunity to kill the Ayatollah this weekend. President Trump communicated that he did not want them to go forward with that, and it ultimately was not executed. Israeli officials say that these reports are false, we should note.

But President Trump does not want a prolonged conflict here. He does not want the U.S. embroiled in another war in the Middle East. He's also acutely aware of some of the tensions within his own party and shifting attitudes toward that. But sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that Israel has spoken with the U.S. about the possibility of getting further involved.

Now, there are some in this Trump administration that recognize that U.S. involvement could help Israel achieve its objectives more quickly, and Trump himself has left the door open to U.S. involvement. In a phone interview earlier today with ABC News' Rachel Scott, he said, quote, "We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved, but we are not at this moment involved."

Now in that same interview, he told Scott that Russian President Vladimir Putin could play a mediating role and he might be open to that. But President Trump, for now, calling on both parties to make a deal. Here's what he said in a post to social media this morning. Quote, "Iran and Israel should make a deal and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make. In that case, by using trade with the United States to bring reason, cohesion and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and stop."

He went on to say, "We will have peace soon between Israel and Iran. Many calls and meetings now taking place." And I want to note that our colleague Alejandro Jaramillo actually just observed Secretary of State Marco Rubio departing the White House a few moments ago.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you so much.

All right. Still to come, trade deals and international conflicts. What's on the agenda for the G7 summit as President Trump heads to Canada to gather with other world leaders?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:36]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're keeping an eye on the White House, where President Trump is expected to depart soon for Canada, where he will meet with other leaders from the world's seven largest economies at the G7 Economic and Security Summit.

The increasingly deadly missile strikes between Israel and Iran, along with Russia's war on Ukraine, will likely dominate much of the two days of talks. But Trump's tariff threats are also expected to have world leaders seeking to have conversations with him.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Alberta, where the G7 will be held through Tuesday.

Paula, for weeks, it wasn't clear whether the president would actually attend. Well, now we know that he is or at least he's scheduled to depart the White House. So talk, you know, about the agenda. What's going to be the priority?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So the priority would have been tariffs and then Ukraine. It was in fact a stacked agenda. But I want to be clear that didn't mean that expectations were very high in terms of any kind of a consensus. Having said that, now that there is this new dimension to the Middle East crisis, certainly Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, will be looking to have a robust discussion on that.

I do want to pick up where Betsy Klein from the White House left off, saying that Marco Rubio, the secretary of State, had left the White House. Anita Anand, the Canadian foreign minister, just posted that she has spoken to her colleagues from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman. She has not spoken to Marco Rubio. And this is key here in terms of really laying the table for what all

of these leaders say they want between Israel and Iran, and that is a de-escalation. We will see where we go from here.

I want to make it clear, Fred, that given the fact that the president really only committed to this meeting and being here for the full extent of the summit just a few weeks ago, it is significant he'd have a reason to stay back at the White House. He's not. He's coming here. He wants to hear from all of these leaders to see how best to go forward. Another point of contention will be Russia's involvement, if any, in trying to de-escalate things between Iran and Israel.

And obviously, Ukraine at the heart of what Mark Carney wanted to do and wanted to accomplish at this summit. Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be here on Tuesday, and really, a lot of people are on around the table wanted another crack at trying to convince the president to declare Russia the aggressor and to really show more support for Ukraine. We'll see where all of that goes.

But as you can imagine, Fred, given the trade war, it is still on. A lot of these leaders looking for pull asides or bilaterals, including Canada, with President Trump to try and get a handle on where the trade war is going. And that again, the complexion of that, Fred, will change even with the Iran-Israel conflict given where the price of oil is right now and the fact that that is skyrocketing.

Again, there were not a lot of expectations, but a packed agenda. They just added another very significant item to it with this Iran-Israel conflict. The president lands later this evening, and I can tell you, there is a lot on the agenda in a very, I will say, secluded atmosphere. It's a very tight group there. They're in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. We will see what they can get to in terms of statements and what really proved to be a de-escalation in any of these issues going forward -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted. Paula Newton in Alberta, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, huge crowds in cities across the U.S. protesting the Trump administration's policies this weekend, including his mass deportations.

[16:25:07]

But will the demonstrations influence President Trump's tactics? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to follow developments on our breaking news out of Minnesota. Officials there are set to hold a press conference at 6:30 Eastern Time to update efforts on the manhunt for the suspect wanted in the shootings of two state lawmakers.

A large police presence, by the way, has converged on an area southwest of Minneapolis after a car connected to a 57-year-old Vance Boelter was found abandoned there earlier today.

[16:30:08]

We're also learning now new details about the 2,000 No Kings rallies that were scheduled nationwide this weekend. Mass demonstrations took place on Saturday against the Trump administration's policies and agenda.

Law enforcement described the rallies as largely peaceful with a few violent clashes and arrests in some cities.

Protesters ran for cover in downtown Salt Lake City after gunshots were heard there in a crowded street. Police said more than 10,000 demonstrators were at that rally and three people were arrested, one of them seriously wounded. Another person was also hospitalized with life threatening injuries there in Salt Lake City.

And then in Portland, Oregon police declared a riot after a tense standoff with protesters near an ICE building.

Let's bring in now CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle who is live for us in Los Angeles where city officials say more than 20,000 protesters attended yesterday's "No Kings" rally. Five arrests. What more can you tell us about these rallies after a rather tumultuous week in L.A. where there were other protests taking place?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, given how tumultuous it has been all throughout the week, as you just mentioned yesterday was deemed as really relatively peaceful. As you mentioned, just five arrests and tens of thousands of protesters. And those people were out since the early morning hours of Saturday all throughout the day. It wasn't until the evening when police were trying to enact the curfew. They're trying to get people pushed out of downtown Los Angeles and to clear the area. That's when there were some skirmishes.

There were some stun grenades thrown. There were some, there were some pepper spray and definitely some confrontations. And so those five arrests and I believe about 20 citations were issued. But tens of thousands of people peacefully protested all throughout the day. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was flying over the entire city all day.

And that was also her perspective from the air in terms of Marines as well as the National Guard. She actually said she didn't see any Marines out, but they were protecting federal buildings. In terms of the National Guard, she says she wants them to leave the city. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D) LOS ANGELES: We don't want them here. They don't need to be here. Our local law enforcement have complete control of this situation. And I will tell you, the 30,000 people were downtown LA. There were protests in 15 different locations in our city. I flew over each one of them and they were overwhelmingly peaceful. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: She did say that the curfew is working and it will be enacted indefinitely. So what remains to be seen, exactly how many people will be out will they continue to protest throughout this next week, but relatively quiet today? Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Veronica Miracle, thanks so much. All right. Let's discuss further now with Axios senior contributor Margaret Talev. Margaret, great to see you. So organizers said, you know, millions across the country were expected in the "No Kings" demonstrations yesterday.

How do you think the turnout and the tenor of these demonstrations might influence Democrats who have struggled, you know, to find uniformity in how they want to challenge the president's agenda?

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: Yes, Fred, I think you sort of nailed the challenge for Democrats. On the one hand, you know, the public has showed, not just in elections but in poll after poll, a sense of dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party or thinking that the Democratic Party needs to find a new message. Right.

And so there are many Democrats who are sort of instinctively want to keep protesters at arm's length and saying, let's return to more moderation or messages around the economy. And then on the other hand, you see if the organizers are to believed, something like 5 million people in cities around the country. But even if the numbers are slightly off, a lot of people in a lot of parts of the country turned out.

And the groups involved are something like 200 organizations involved in this "No Kings" movement, everything from the American Civil Liberties Union to some big unions like AFT, the Teachers Federation or the group MoveOn.

And so on the other hand, you do see this huge power to convene, ability to convene what were overwhelmingly peaceful protests in suburbs and cities outside of Washington, DC.

[16:35:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. And then you also have some new reporting, you know, showing that Biden supporters who then ended up voting for Trump in North Carolina supported Trump's activation of the National Guard and Marines in L.A. Democrats have been slamming that decision as government overreach and a violation of civil rights. So does this potentially become a legal or constitutional issue or one of public opinion?

TALEV: Yes, it's a great question. Also, these are our monthly focus groups that Axios does with Engagius. And in these focus groups, we go to battleground states and talk to voters who in this case voted for President Biden before and then President Trump in 2024. And what were hearing from them, these panels were on Tuesday, so pretty early. It's only been less than a week, but it feels like three months ago. So much has happened.

But a part of why they seem to be somewhat grudgingly supportive of the activation of the National Guard and the Marines is that they primarily were seeing the protests in Los Angeles as being about immigration, not being about American civil liberties or freedom of speech. And in a lot of ways, these voters in North Carolina saying they don't think they have much in common personally with Californians. They don't trust the Democratic Party.

So early in that protest cycle, they really didn't see what was going on there as something that could ever impact them. I think what you saw with these "No Kings" protests is really something different. These are Americans around the country saying, we are concerned that President Trump's policies and behavior could infringe on our civil rights. I think it's safe to say probably the bulk of those "No Kings" protesters, perhaps not school voters who had gone from Biden to Trump last November.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, you know, reports are indicating that the White House is now backtracking on its promise to target all migrants who are in the U.S. illegally. The administration, you know, is said to be making an exception now for those working at hotels, farms, restaurants. How might this play, especially with his base?

TALEV: Well, you know, obviously what is going on here is that the economy, which was a real strength for President Trump when he ran, Americans perceptions that President Biden was to blame for their discomfort with the economy. Some of that starting to attach now to President Trump.

And you've got business leaders, especially in sectors like agriculture, food production, hotels, restaurants, saying, you know, there was an example, a prominent example in Nebraska at a meatpacking facility over the past week, saying they will take massive hits and be unable to recover in if, you know, if they lose working populations like this.

But if you are an immigrant whose status is even somewhat questionable, I'm not sure, you know, is that going to give you great comfort, or are you going to be more concerned about what we see playing out? So I think this is a new development, but certainly one worth watching. And we'll see how the base response.

WHITFIELD: OK, and then quickly, the military parade yesterday celebrating the Army's 250th birthday. Troops marching and tanks rolling down the streets of the nation's capital despite concerns, you know, about the administration politicizing the military.

So, there were a lot of people out there, but there were also a lot of, you know, empty seats in the stands. So did the president get what he was seeking to do? I mean, what kind of impact is made here?

TALEV: I mean, this is something he's wanted to do since the first time around he was president. He event itself ended up being relatively low key, if you can say that, about a $45 million parade. But he stuck with the script. There wasn't a lot of drama. But overwhelmingly, this was overshadowed not just by these "No Kings"

events around the country, but by these two other massive developments. And one, of course, is what's going on in the Middle East right now. Iran strikes. Israel strikes on Iran, which could last quite a long time, not just a couple of days. Will it spread into war? Will the U.S. become more involved? And then, of course, the tragedy and violence in Minnesota, political violence and that alleged killer still on the loose.

So both really did end up greatly overshadowing coverage and attention on this parade that the president so much wanted. And, of course, now we're going to see him heading to Canada for this summit where every other participating country is really furious with him over tariffs and not wanting to play by his rules. So I think it was quickly overshadowed by developing news events.

WHITFIELD: All right, Margaret Talev, great to see you. Thanks so much.

TALEV: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: We're continuing to follow our breaking news. A massive surge underway for the suspected killer of a Minnesota state representative and her husband that Margaret was referring to as the community their remembers their lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:44:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following breaking news. We've just learned that a news conference is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time to update the massive manhunt for Vance Boelter as this search now expands into a second day there in Minnesota.

And we're also seeing a heavy police presence in the area where a vehicle possibly linked to Boelter was discovered. Officers are asking people who live in the area as well stay on alert. Boelter is suspected of fatally shooting Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband. He is also accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in their home.

[16:45:07]

Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke is joining me right now. First, let me express my condolences. Melissa Hortman was the speaker when you were elected. I also understand that you all were good friends. Tell me about her.

LEIGH FINKE (D) MINNESOTA STATE HOUSE: Yes, Melissa was the speaker when I was elected. She was a friend to all of us in the caucus, really took being our leader very seriously, knew all 66 of her members were going to have her care and attention, and she provided it individually and supportively. And, yes, we are all heartbroken in Minnesota over this loss. WHITFIELD: So many say that she was particularly warm and welcoming to

the newcomers. What was it about her interest in helping other elected officials feel comfortable about the responsibility that they were walking into?

FINKE: Yes, that's very well said. She, you know, when I came in '22, we had a lot of freshman members in our class, and she created space in the caucus for us to find what it is that we wanted to do, for us to become leaders on issues that were important to us. I came in ready to lead on trans issues, and she said, OK, like, we'll make the space for you. You go do what you got to do, and if you can get the votes, we'll move your bills.

She was fierce and she was strong, and she was often frustrating, but she did all of that work with care for her caucus members. And, you know, she really was the leader of our caucus, not just because we voted her to be speaker, but because she. She held us together.

She understood the need to really keep the unit tight. And I think more than anything, what she did in that historic session in '23, '24 was hold us together and make sure we understood we could do something tremendously important if we stuck together and shepherded us beautifully.

WHITFIELD: Police found writings in the suspect's car that included a hit list of nearly 70 names. Among those names were mostly Democrats, including Minnesota lawmakers Representative Ilhan Omar, Senator Tina Smith.

I'm wondering for you and for all elected members, particularly those of Minnesota, you know, how this has impacted your ongoing concerns about your own personal safety.

FINKE: Yes, it's very difficult to, I mean, one to see our leader, you know, a beloved and bipartisan figure, murdered by political violence. I mean, it's difficult to see. It's very difficult to understand, and then to just know that there was a list, to know that there were other doors that this person was -- would have been bound for, given the opportunity. It's hard. It's difficult.

This job, it brings a lot of glamour and it doesn't bring a lot of money. We do this job because we believe that we can help improve the lives of the people that we care about. And, you know, our safety is always important. And to some of us, we always feel like we're targets. But now, you know, it's like breaking down the door and murdering our colleagues.

I mean, this is something that we just, you know, we can't fathom it. We're all in a state of shock. We're all asking that question about how do we keep ourselves safe going forward. Being accessible to the public is important and core to politics in Minnesota. So we are all shook.

WHITFIELD: I mean, I think everyone is in agreement. There's something about the climate right now. It's hard to put a finger on the climate in this nation now. And, you know, as of recently. So I wonder, with these shootings at the homes of these lawmakers, what does this do about elevating your concerns about where this climate is going? If it will be suspended, if this will lower the temperature or if something like this elevates the temperature?

FINKE: Yes, I mean, I appreciate the difficulty of trying to understand the environment that we're serving in. The truth is, I think we are at the start of something. It just feels like things are moving towards a climate of fear, a climate of alienation and othering and violence.

Frankly, I would hope and pray that a death like that of Speaker Hortman would wake us up from this road that we are traveling.

[16:50:03]

But it truly does feel to me like this moment is not one in which we are going to learn much. It just feels. I pray that I'm wrong. I hope for all of us that we can start seeing our neighbors as members of our community worthy of love and acceptance and affirmation and tolerance and all of the things that a multinational, multiracial country like ours is supposed to be built upon.

But really, we are all shook. And it doesn't, you know, this man is still on the loose. And it just does not feel to me like we are going to turn around tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: I think we're all praying. Representative Leigh Finke, thank you so much.

FINKE: Thank you for the invitation.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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[16:55:14]

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Jessica Dean in a moment. But before we go, Happy Father's Day to all of you dads and dad figures who help uplift all of our lives, including that of my awesome newsroom team here.

We so appreciate the many fathers you see here who comfort, console, lead and leverage showing by example how to strive and best at every turn. To the dedicated dads I work with here who even on this expected day of rest, did more than show up today.

They dug in as usual, bringing their finest skills in editing, producing, writing, coordinating and gathering and in a variety of spaces. Thank you. And to all of you dads out there, even though we try with a gesture here and there, no amount of cards, cakes, ties and shirts can possibly convey how much we universally appreciate your commitments to family, children and love.

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