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Laura Coates Live

Trump Abruptly Leaves G7 To Monitor Tensions In The Middle East; Minnesota Suspect Planned To Kill More; Secretaries Of State Speak Out. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

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LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Breaking tonight, new fears that America could soon get involved in Israel's strikes against Iran. President Trump abruptly ditching the G7 to return home and warning Iran's largest city to evacuate immediately.

Also breaking, the chilling new information about the alleged assassin in Minnesota. One of the eyewitnesses who helped police track him down is set to join me tonight as we hear from one of the lawmakers who says the gunman wanted her dead.

Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

COATES: We begin with the breaking news out of the Middle East. President Trump is cutting short his visit to the G7 Summit in Canada due to the rapidly unfolding chaos in the region.

He's getting ready to back -- to fly back to Washington now. A White House official says that Trump has directed his national security staff to convene in the Situation Room.

And just before the president announced he was leaving the G7, he issued this dramatic post, urging Iranians to evacuate Iran immediately.

He was asked why he is abruptly ending his trip and -- while he was on the stage with the G7 leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I have to be back. Very important. I want to just thank our great host. Thank you. And Canada. But you probably see what I see, and I have to be back as soon as I can. So, I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they -- they understand. This is big -- this is big stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: We are learning that Trump has directed members of his national security team to attempt a meeting with the Iranian officials as quickly as possible. And as of tonight, the White House is insisting the U.S. has not joined Israel in attacking Iran.

The two countries are now entering their fifth day of trading attacks. The IDF said Iran launched more missiles toward Israel as recently as an hour ago. And Iranian state media released this video a short time ago. It's showing Iranian air defenses intercepting Israeli drones over Tehran.

In a moment, The New York Times's David Sanger will join me on what Trump is now considering behind the scenes.

But first, we go to Reuters senior correspondent, Alexander Cornwell, who is live in Tel Aviv tonight. Alexander, there have been missile alerts in Israel all night long. People have been rushing to their shelters. Are there any reports of -- of strikes or damage?

ALEXANDER CORNWELL, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Good morning. It's -- it has just gone 6 a.m. here in Tel Aviv. And you're right, we did have a number of warnings of incoming strikes, and those warnings triggered a number of air raid sirens throughout the morning.

But as -- emergency services are reporting that there were no direct impacts throughout the morning, which is a bit -- it's a bit different to what we've had in -- over the weekend. It's -- it has -- it has been quite quiet.

COATES: Is the Israeli government reacting to Trump's decision to leave the G7 early and -- and calling for everyone in Tehran to evacuate? What's the reaction been?

CORNWELL: Well, we're yet to hear from (INAUDIBLE) still early. It has just gone 6 a.m. And I'm -- I'm sure they will be commenting throughout the day.

COATES: Can you just describe a little bit of the -- of the poli -- political climate, excuse me, that's happening right now in Israel in light of the attacks against Iran?

CORNWELL: We -- we've seen members of the opposition come out in support of -- of the actions the government is taking now. Just a few weeks ago, the opposition tried to move a motion within the parliament to dissolve the government. The opposition has been, you know, very critical of the government, but it has -- it has been able to support it on this matter.

COATES: Alexander Cornwell, thank you so much.

I'm joined by CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger and former New Jersey Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski. He was the former vice chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Gentlemen, welcome to both of you.

David, you're reporting that Trump is facing a choice, use diplomacy or supply Israel with a bunker buster bomb that could actually reach one of Iran's secretive nuclear sites. What is he considering now as he is even weighing that decision?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE AND NATIOANAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, this has been a decision we've known is coming because the one difference between what the United States can do and what Israel can do has to do with this one site called Fordow.

[23:05:04]

It's one of the two major nuclear enrichment sites. That's where fuel is made, not where you construct a bomb but just where you enrich the fuel that turns into the warhead with -- with more work.

The Israelis went after one of those sites called Natanz on Friday during their attacks. They wiped out a lot that was on the surface. They didn't go down deep, and it's not all that deep, but they didn't hit the centrifuges, which spin at supersonic speeds to make this fuel.

There's another site, though. It's called Fordow. And it's deep in a mountain. And it was constructed after the U.S. and Iran did the cyberattack, which is known generally as the Stuxnet attack. It was codenamed Olympic Games by the -- by the U.S. back in 2009, 2010. And it's made to be impenetrable.

And if Prime Minister Netanyahu is going to fulfill his commitment that he said, which was to eliminate their pathway to a bomb, get rid of all the big nuclear structures, he's got to get at that.

COATES: Hmm.

SANGER: And the question is, would President Trump, after this diplomacy -- that if this diplomacy does not work, and we don't know if that has run its course yet, would he allow American pilots in American B-2s to drop an American-made bomb on Iranian territory, an act of war?

COATES: Do Americans have an appetite for such a war?

TOM MALINOWSKI, FORMER NEW JERSEY REPRESENTATIVE: I don't think most Americans do. And -- and look, we -- we have an interest in making sure Iran doesn't get nuclear bomb. I think pretty much everybody agrees on that.

And it sounds tougher to blow things up. When you blow things up, you can't -- the Iranians can't use them for a while. But the problem is that what we destroy, what Israel destroys, can be rebuilt.

And so, while a diplomatic agreement may seem softer, if it results in a highly-intrusive inspection regime where you have cameras, where you have inspectors at all of these known sites, and with the ability to -- to go anywhere they want in Iran, that actually provides a greater assurance in the long term than the strategy of blowing things up every year, every five years, every 10 years.

COATES: Okay. Trump do this on his own or does he need Congress to make any decisions?

MALINOWSKI: Well, there are many members of Congress, Democrats, even some Republicans, who think that Congress should approve any direct U.S. Military involvement. Congress has never -- when I was in Congress, a lot of us would say that but some of my colleagues, when push came to shove, didn't really want the responsibility, which is why Congress has never actually stopped in modern times a president from taking these kinds of actions.

But I think there's another concern. I think an almost universal agreement that it is a -- it is appropriate for the United States to work with Israel to make sure that Iran doesn't get the bomb. But it seems to me that the Netanyahu government has a much more ambitious goal here, which is basically regime change.

COATES: Hmm.

MALINOWSKI: A fantasy that if they bomb Iran enough, the Iranian people will somehow rise up and overthrow this regime. As much as I'd like to see this cruel regime overthrown, historically, that doesn't happen. When people were bombed, people hunker down, they don't rise up.

And so, I think the question for us is, are we in our desire to get rid of some nuclear equipment? Are we going to get sucked into a much bigger, broader war with an objective that cannot be achieved?

COATES: Well, Iran believes the U.S., optically, was complicit in this. Do you have reporting about what Trump intends to do to try to change that narrative, if anything?

SANGER: Well, they think they're complete -- complicit because clearly, President Trump, by his own accounting, knew that Prime Minister Netanyahu was preparing to do this military action even while the United States was marching toward what was supposed to be a negotiating session in Oman on Sunday. That session obviously never happened.

Now, the president has said and sent messages to the Iranians that he's still open to a negotiation, but that negotiation would essentially be that they have to accept the deal that Steve Witkoff, the president's Mideast envoy, put on the table.

COATES: How likely is that?

SANGER: Seems to me that while under attack, not likely for them to agree to something that says you may never produce uranium, you may never produce the fuel for a nuclear weapon on Iranian soil.

COATES: Will Vice President Vance have input?

SANGER: Vice President Vance, we think, was part of the group that would -- might have contacted the Iranians or been part of the negotiation had this come together on Sunday.

[23:10:00] But, of course, the attacks happened beforehand. Now, it's possible that after four days of -- of this, the Iranian leadership or what's left of it would come to conclusion, you know, that deal that you put on the table doesn't look so bad today, it looks a lot better than it did a week ago.

But, essentially, what the president is trying here is what's called coercive diplomacy. He's basically saying you're going to lose your enrichment capability one way or the other. Better to lose it in a negotiation than in a military action.

COATES: But it seems as though based on that, it's less coercive diplomacy and more reactive given that Israel did what they wanted, anyway. Is diplomacy a pipe dream?

MALINOWSKI: Well, I -- I hope not. But I -- I -- I think there's -- there's a theory that this is also some grand master plan, that Trump is using the Israelis to advance his diplomacy.

COATES: You don't see it that way?

MALINOWSKI: I don't -- I don't think so. I -- I think it's -- there's a lot of credible reporting, which I believe, that President Trump did not want the Israelis to do this because he understood, as David just said, that -- that, at least in the short run, they're less likely to agree to some version of what the Trump administration put forward --

COATES: So, what does it say about our relationship with Israel, that they did it, anyway, or Trump's ability to --

MALINOWSKI: Oh, I -- I think there are a lot of countries in the world right now that are sensing that President Trump, for all the blusters, is easy to push around.

SANGER: And when you think about the four major international incidents he has been in, there was the ceasefire he was going to get with Hamas. Hasn't happened yet. We hope it does. There was the 24 hours it would take him to solve the Ukraine-Russia conflict. We're still at that. I'm not sure we're going to get that any time soon.

There was the Iran negotiation where I think you have to give the president the credit, that he did go off to do two months of negotiation, which you would not have expected considering the Iranians --

COATES: Uh-hmm.

SANGER: -- had a plot out to kill him last year, according to the -- the Biden Justice Department. So, you know, he's -- he's looking for a win someplace here and having a hard time getting there.

COATES: Well, at what cost? And how do Americans feel about it? Thank you, gentlemen.

Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson is at the magic wall to break down the military implications. General, what asset does the United States have in the Middle East right now?

STEVE ANDERSON, RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL, U.S. ARMY: Well, thank you, Laura. It's great to be here with you. Right now, we've got a couple of carrier battle groups that are inbound to the Mediterranean. We've got the Nimitz, and then we got the Carl Vinson that's on -- on site as well.

There are two destroyers, my understanding, within range to be able to support Israel right now. Of course, we also got 46,000 troops scattered on nine different installations all over the Middle East. The Al Udeid Air Base is probably the most significant. There's quite a number of F-16s, F-35 that can fly out of there.

And there's also aerial refuel. We've been talking about using B-2 bombers out of Diego Garcia to perhaps deliver this -- this GBU-57. It's probably so far away, 3,500 miles, that it would need some aerial refueling assets.

So, we've got those assets available in the theater. We've got everything. We -- I think the -- the Israelis will get lots of support if President Trump wants to provide it from these carrier battle groups and the assets that are already in the area.

COATES: Well, you have the assets. Let's talk -- let's talk capability here because one of Iran's nuclear sites is buried deep underground, in a mountainside. The U.S. does have the capacity of reaching it with bunker busters. Describe how that would work.

ANDERSON: Well, this is probably the most capable conventional munition in the world, the GBU-57. It can penetrate up to 200 feet of hardened facilities. The problem in Fordow is that some of the facilities, my understanding, some of the centrifuges may be as deep as 300 feet.

But nevertheless, this is a massive bomb. It delivers about 5,000 pounds of explosives, 30,000 pounds. And there's only one asset really in the world, the B-2 bomber, that can deliver this. And, as I -- as I mentioned, it's about 3,500 miles away.

But this is an incredible munition. I had them in Afghanistan. We used it a couple of times. It's very, very effective. But the question is, can it penetrate deep enough to really get at all the centrifugations? I submit that you would probably have to have at least a half dozen of these things that we'd have to put on-site at Fordow to really have the effect that we want.

COATES: Well, meanwhile, Israel is saying that it's flying unimpeded over the skies of Iran, that Iran's military has been degraded by the strikes. We know about the U.S. capabilities. What are the capabilities of Israel's military and also Iran's now?

ANDERSON: Well, I would say Israel has got the upper hand. Without a doubt.

[23:14:58] They've got total air superiority over Tehran right now, over all of Iran. They've demonstrated that. They also have intelligence dominance, which is absolutely critical in this fight.

So, I mean, there's no way that the Iranian military can match the Israeli military. In fact, they do have some assets, some F-14s, MiG- 29s and whatnot. But the only thing they're really able to use right now is the Shahab-3 and the guided missiles. They've got perhaps 2,000 or so guided munitions, ballistic missiles that they could fire at Israel. But a lot of the launching sites have been taken out by the Israelis, again, due to their air superiority.

So, it's really not a fair fight at this point. Israel has got the upper hand, and they are seeking to take advantage of that.

COATES: They actually need the United States' help then?

ANDERSON: They do if they want to take out Fordow. If they want to have -- because the United States is the only country in the world that can provide that deep penetrating GBU-57 capability and the B-2 bomber that can deliver that capability. So, yes, they would need the United States to do that.

If they didn't have the United States, the only other way they could do that, they'd have to do some kind of a ground attack, believe it or not. I mean, some kind of a special operation where they'd have to secure the area and send guys with bombs into these tunnels to blow everything up in there. That can be done. I would not underestimate the Israelis and their capability to do that.

Of course, invading another country, putting boots on the ground in Iran would be a major escalation in the war and would probably outrage the entire Arab community. But they could potentially do that.

COATES: Retired Brigadier General Steve Anderson, the commander-in- chief has got quite the decision. Thank you so much.

Much more on the situation in Iran ahead. But up next, the shocking and chilling assassination of lawmakers in Minnesota. Tonight, we're learning just how far the suspect wanted to go and how police say he planned to do it.

And later, the woman who spotted the gunman and helped end the largest manhunt in state history, talking about what she saw.

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[23:20:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE THOMPSON, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA: It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: That's the U.S. attorney from Minnesota, my home state, describing a political assassination that he says was meant to strike at the very heart of his state and democracy itself.

This is the man he's talking about. Police say that Vance Boelter carried out the targeted shootings of Democratic state lawmakers, which led to the largest manhunt in the state's history. He is facing both state and federal murder charges, and prosecutors could even seek the death penalty at the federal level.

And this is what police say he looked like when he showed up at the door of his victims. He was wearing a hyper-realistic silicone mask, and he was disguised to fool anyone who answered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: He concealed himself as a police officer, outfitting his black SUV with police lights and a police license plate, wearing a black tactical vest and body armor, carrying a police flashlight and a handgun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Officials say that this is the car that Boelter was driving. This is the fake license plate that says "police." And this is what police found inside the SUV after it was abandoned. They say that he had three AK-47 assault rifles.

Investigators believe that he had been planning the attack for quite some time. He apparently had a hit list with more than 45 names, including prominent Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: He researched his fam -- his victims and their families. 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The attacks, they are just chilling. I mean, investigators say that Boelter first showed up at the home of State Senator John Hoffman. The senator and his wife came to the door and quickly knew something was wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: They shouted out, you're not a cop, you're not a police officer. Boelter then announced, this is a robbery and forced himself into their home. When Senator Hoffman attempted to push Boelter out and stop him from entering his home, Boelter shot him repeatedly. Boelter then shot Ms. Hoffman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: This is the door from the Hoffman's home. It is riddled with bullet holes. Family says that Senator Hoffman was shot nine times. His wife was hit eight times. But they survived, and they're now recovering in the hospital. Police say that Boelter then went to the home of another Minnesota lawmaker who was on vacation. This was the image of the suspect outside the door.

The suspect's next apparent stop was probably at the home of State Senator Ann Rest. By that point, police had learned of the shooting at Hoffman's home. So, an officer went to Rest's home to check it out. Police say the officer saw Boelter's car parked down the street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: The New Hope Police officer pulled up next to Boelter and his car, rolled down her window, and attempted to speak with him. Boelter did not respond.

[23:25:00]

According to the officer, he just sat there and stared straight ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: That officer then went to Rest's home. By the time backup got there, Boelter's car was gone.

The police say that he had moved on to the home of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, who served as speaker of the House for six years. Now, officers captured this image of Boelter outside of her home when they got there for a safety check. You see, this happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: He rushed into the house through the front door, firing into it. He repeatedly fired into the house. And when he entered, he murdered Representative Hortman and her husband, Mark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The police say Boelter escaped out of the back of the house. Shortly after the shootings, he texted his own family. One of them says -- quote -- "Dad went to war last night. I don't want to say more because I don't want to implicate anybody."

Now, police found Boelter about a day and a half later. He was in a rural area, about an hour's drive away from the sites of those attacks. I'll be hearing from the woman who spotted him right before his arrest in just a second.

But first, I want to get to criminologist Casey Jordan, former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, and former FBI agent Chris O'Leary. Welcome to all of you on this day of these revelatory chilling details. I mean, Casey, the criminal complaint states the gunman went to great lengths to disguise his identity and also to imitate police. What does that tell you about his mindset?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST, BEHAVIORAL ANALYST: The outline of the details that we just heard in that presser is really astounding because we not only know that he did a tremendous amount of research and got not just the names of them, but their addresses.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

JORDAN: He cased the joint. He surveilled them. He had notes next to their names like married with two children, big house by the golf course, two different ways in and out. And this is the thought process of an incredibly dangerous, methodical, systematic criminal.

And to compound that, we know that after he shot the Hoffmans and surely thought he left them for dead, the idea that he was so unfazed that he went on to two other locations before even reaching Melissa Hoffman's house. At no point did he ever think this is madness, I need to stop this. He just kept going.

And if he had not been intervened at his fourth location, there's no doubt in my mind that he would've committed even more mayhem and had more killings.

COATES: Unbelievable. And, of course, then impersonating officers as well as his vehicle by which to commit these alleged acts. Chris, I mean, the authorities say the suspect stalked his victims like prey. Allegedly had voluminous rags. We talked about it as well.

So, what more would the FBI need to try to piece together what happened here? I mean, there's got to be a digital footprint. Obviously, there's his family to talk with. There are friends, writings. Walk me through that investigation.

CHRISTOPHER O'LEARY, FORMER FBI AGENT: Yeah. So, the FBI is now looking back. And, you know, most terrorist attacks or, you know, incidents of political violence, those incidents happen, and then now you're piecing the investigation together afterwards.

So, the FBI is trying to illuminate his entire life. Who were his friends and associates? Family members, obviously. But who did he interact with? And really getting down to what is his ideology or his grievance.

There has been a lot of assertions that will list his political violence. And it certainly has the hallmarks of it because of the list.

But why did he go after these individuals? Was -- was it a single issue? Was it the abortion rights issue? Was he has been -- has been alluded to also a Christian nationalist? Did he have some parts of that? Did he believe in more of a Christian identity movement and a Christian national state?

COATES: And finding all this out helps you do what? Figure out deterrence or other people who might have acted?

O'LEARY: To find out if there's other people following this ideology, number one, if there was some larger plot at play here but also other charges that you could supersede with.

You know, is this an act of terrorism and political violence or was this an individual at a grievance against these individuals for some unknown reason and he was just acting out for that? Or -- I mean, he's clearly a homicidal maniac. Did he just want to go after people? Now, that would -- it's going to make a splash.

COATES: Hmm.

O'LEARY: I mean, it's really hard to get inside of his mind to determine why he did this. There's also something in kind of the terrorism and political violence world now, which is this -- we call it salad bar, where people are taking different pieces of ideologies or grievances and kind of creating their own.

COATES: Hmm.

O'LEARY: It's -- there -- there's not much of a gateway to get in when you can create your own kind of movement and your own ideology.

[23:30:00]

COATES: Chief Arradondo, I mean, a local police officer came across the gunman near the home of another state lawmaker and thought that he was providing security, it seems. So, the officer apparently moved on. Was this a breakdown in protocol of some way?

MEDARIA ARRADONDO, FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: No, Laura. I -- I don't think it was a breakdown in protocol. As -- as both Casey and Christopher had mentioned, the suspect here, Vance Boelter, he went through absolutely painstaking details to conceal himself to the public. I mean, everything down from the license plate details to the vest he was wearing to the flashlight, even with the silicone mask that he -- that he wore.

That officer did the right thing, was checking up. During the press conference, it was captain -- excuse me, it was Chief Bruley of the Bloomington (ph) Police Department that said to media, if he had walked into that media room right there wearing what he had on, everyone in that room would have thought he was a police officer.

COATES: Hmm.

ARRADONDO: And you can imagine in the darkness of the hour when that officer rolled up on him. I would actually say, Laura, what occurred over the last 43 hours, it was a highly complex, multijurisdictional law enforcement operation.

And I got to tip my hat off to Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson, the BCA, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans. They really put together a finely-tuned law enforcement operation that, again, from 43 hours out, they were able to capture him. And he also went to four different suburbs.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

ARRADONDO: We mentioned the first shooting occurred in Champlin. The second one where the law -- excuse me, the elected official was at home was in Maple Grove. The third one was in Robbinsdale where that officer happened to interrupt him.

And then, of course, I -- I think we have to give credit to the Brooklyn Park Police Department as they approached State Representative Melissa Hortman's home. They engaged with him. There was a -- there was a -- there was a fire. They were -- they were shooting at each other. And for them to have engaged the way that they did, he had to flee without that vehicle.

COATES: Yeah.

ARRADONDO: We know that the contents of that vehicle were AK-47s, multiple ammunition rounds. He left what he needed to fulfill those other targets, and he couldn't do it.

And so, I really applaud the -- the law enforcement operation that took place that got him into custody within 43 hours. Sadly, we lost, obviously, Melissa Hortman and her husband, and we're -- we're praying for a full recovery for Senator Hoffman and his wife.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

ARRADONDO: But Minnesota law enforcement is to be commended on how quickly and fast they perform that operation.

COATES: Truly remarkable and so tragic to think about how this has transpired and what could have been as well. Thank you so much, everyone.

So, how did Minnesota's largest manhunt ever even come to an end? Or all because one woman spotted the suspect near her friend's home? They're my guests, next.

Plus, one of the top Democratic officials on the alleged gunman's target list joins me to talk about the alarming rise of political violence.

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[23:35:00]

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COATES: See something, say something. Wendy Thomas did exactly that last night. After spotting someone all alone, wearing a dark outfit, ducking down by a grassy area near her friend's home, all while talking with her dad on the phone. Rattled by what she saw, Wendy quickly flagged the sheriff nearby.

Now, little did she know at the time, that someone was the suspect in the Minnesota shootings that authorities had been searching for nearly two days.

Wendy Thomas joins me now along with her friend, Kevin Efforts, the owner of the property where the gunman was found. Thank you both for joining us. I -- it's really unbelievable. This has hit so very close to home. I mean, Wendy, last night, you stopped by Kevin's house to get a phone number for a neighbor. And on your way there, you saw the suspect lurking in the grass. Can you describe what you saw?

WENDY THOMAS, SPOTTED VANCE BOELTER: It wasn't on my way here. It was after I ran and gotten the phone number and I was leaving. As I was exiting the driveway, he was in the grassy area. It's a high hay area. And I saw him there. And I was on call with dad. And I said, dad, there's somebody here. He's in the grass. And I said, it looks like the SWAT is wearing black.

COATES: Did you know at that point what and who this person may have been?

THOMAS: I honestly thought it was the SWAT team because I know they were coming out and they were checking our properties. But then the more I was talking to dad, I said, dad, there's only one person, there are no vehicles here. And then it dawned on me. Kevin was up in Alexandria, and they would have needed his permission on the property. And that's when my adrenaline started going in. I was, like, this is a person, you know, they shouldn't be here. I don't know what's going on. And then he headed towards the culvert and he ducked down.

COATES: You -- you called the police? What happened next?

THOMAS: No. I -- I was right next to him driving down the driveway. I mean, not right next to him but, you know, parallel with him driving down the driveway. And at the end of the road, an officer just so happened to be coming by. And so, I flagged him down.

[23:40:00]

And he pulled into the driveway. And I said, there is a person in the grassy area, he just went into the culvert.

COATES: What did the officer say?

THOMAS: He asked as much detail as he could in a brief amount of time, and then he told me to go down to the tar intersection and wait.

COATES: Were you afraid?

THOMAS: I was freaked out because as I turned the corner, I saw him again squatting in that culvert. And I could definitely tell it was a person because I knew had it been an animal, it would have been long gone. So that's when things just kind of started to piece together.

COATES: When did it dawn on you that that you had just flagged down an officer who was then going to end this largest manhunt in the history of Minnesota?

THOMAS: It didn't dawn on me then. I'll tell you that. I didn't think that he was in the area. And I thought, was it an animal? Am I wasting people's time? You know? Should I even -- you know, was it something? Did I see something? And then when I got down to that tar road, there was another set up of vehicles where they inspect your cars.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

THOMAS: And they could tell right away that I was shaken up. I could barely talk. I was distraught and trying to explain to them what happened. And I had to call Kevin because I didn't know his address. I didn't know north, south. I've been -- yeah.

COATES: I mean, Kevin, you actually own the property where the suspect was eventually found. I mean, the image on the screen is actually showing people how incredibly close he was to your home. Can you just describe what that area is like, the terrain where you live, and why do you think he'd be hiding out there?

KEVIN EFFERTZ, OWNS PROPERTY WHERE VANCE BOELTER WAS FOUND: I -- I really don't know why he'd be hiding out there. But he does have -- in that terrain, there is a counter -- county waterway ditch that gave him great cover. And then when he got into meadow, that stuff was standing three, four feet tall. So, he had plenty of cover to hide in.

I don't know why he stood up because if he would have stayed crawling down, Wendy would have never saw him. So, when he stood up and he, you know, stand out by himself, so they had him in clear sight and yeah.

COATES: Well, thank God, Wendy was watching. Wendy Thomas, Kevin Effertz, thank you both.

EFFERTZ: Thank you.

COATES: Up next, the Minnesota community shattered and warning the victims. But who were they? And who would the alleged assassin go after them next? One of their friends will join us.

Plus, she has faced high-profile threats before. And tonight, she tells us that she was on this suspect's target list as well. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is standing by to join us live.

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[23:45:00]

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COATES: New tonight, the children of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, releasing their first statement since their parents were killed on Saturday. Writing -- quote -- "We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless."

They went on to write, "Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together." The attacks over the weekend are once again raising many questions about how to combat the growing threat of political violence and extremism right here in the United States.

We reported the alleged gunman had a hit list with dozens of names as potential targets, including prominent Democrats and people linked to Planned Parenthood and the abortions rights movement.

And tonight, we are learning that one of those targets was my next guest, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. She is joining me now along with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

Let me begin with you, Secretary Simon, because you have known Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, for years. What can you tell us about them tonight?

STEVE SIMON (D), SECRETARY OF STATE, MINNESOTA: They were both really bright shining lights. They were just tremendous human beings. I knew Melissa Hortman 30 years ago. We went to law school together. We came into the legislature at the same time where I came to know her husband, obviously. They were at my wedding. They were just such thoughtful, warm people.

And, you know, Melissa, in particular. She demonstrated that you could be steely and savvy and a good negotiator and tough, and yet also warm. And she always embraced the humanity in other people, particularly and especially people on the other side of the islands. Why she was so popular, why she was so well-liked, why she was so effective. She's going to leave a giant -- her absence will leave a giant gaping hole and marks as well, not just among those who knew her, but really in all of Minnesota.

COATES: What a tragedy. I mean, Secretary Benson, we're learning tonight that -- that your office was told that you were a target on the suspect's hit list.

[23:50:00]

How are you feeling after hearing about that?

JOCELYN BENSON (D), SECRETARY OF STATE, MICHIGAN: Well, it was unnerving, especially -- we received this information before he had been apprehended.

COATES: Hmm.

BENSON: And so immediately went into lockdown because we didn't know at that point where he was headed next and what he would do. But grateful for the -- the enormous outpouring of support. We and others who are in Michigan also targeted on this list received from the state police. Colonel Grady called me repeatedly, consistently working to make sure I had everything I needed to feel safe.

And that content -- that contact with state law enforcement was so critical for making us feel prepared, safe and also, frankly, that we could continue along with our work. We have jobs to do, serving the people of Michigan. And these types of acts that are meant to deter us from doing us -- our work, make us afraid to do our work, has to have the impact of redoubling our efforts to -- to -- to do the work we were elected to do, keeping others safe and making government work for everyone.

COATES: You're truly honorable to continue in the work that you're doing because this is not the first time that you've even been targeted. Do you have any idea as to why these what appeared to be politically-motivated attacks on elected officials -- why do they feel more common?

BENSON: Well, certainly, one of the things that has been on the rise in recent years has been a lot of divisive rhetoric, hateful rhetoric, and threats from leaders all across the country.

And in moments like this, it's really important that though these -- these acts of violence, which I believe you can draw a direct line to the hateful rhetoric to -- to potential and -- and to violent acts, all the data shows that connection. Yet though this is becoming more common, it cannot be seen as normal. We cannot allow this to be normalized. And everyone across the political spectrum needs to take this as a recognition.

As the children of those -- of those we lost reminded us, to come together, condemn political violence, recommit ourselves to disagreeing without being disagreeable, and recognize that we need to lead together and solve real problems for people and move away from this heated environment with threats, and hateful rhetoric and cruelty are in infecting too much of our discourse.

COATES: Their children left some truly beautiful words even amid the grief. Simon -- Secretary Simon, the Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment report for this year, it warned the threat from domestic violent extremism is high. And they added -- quote -- "Lone offenders and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat of carrying out attacks with little to no warning." Do you think authorities have been taking this seriously enough?

SIMON: Well, I think, yes, mostly they have, but it's tough because the people who perpetuate this kind of politically-motivated violence, they're always one step ahead, they seem to be one step ahead.

So, I hat off to law enforcement, certainly in Minnesota, for doing an outstanding, impeccable, nearly perfect job over this last 72 hours or so. But it's hard when you have people who are as sadly inventive as this alleged gunman was. But they did a great job in trying to get at it.

I think, you know, Secretary Benson is right, that no matter where we are on the political spectrum, we have to call this stuff out.

COATES: Hmm.

SIMON: And then there's one other thing, too, I would suggest. I think one of the things that's going to get at this problem, it's not the one and only thing is, we have to also call out our own. I think each political group, party, culture, has to police its own to some extent.

You know, it's very easy. There's very little cost to me as a Democrat calling out when maybe a Republican says something inflammatory. Very little cost. But it's a lot tougher to do when it's on your own side.

And I think all sides, all parts of the political spectrum have to police their own, even if it's quiet. It doesn't have to be social media post. It doesn't have to be a press conference. Nothing self- aggrandizing.

But even if it's quiet and behind the scenes, one of the ways we're going to get at this problem, not the only way, but one big way, is for us to police our own. All of us. Period. Doesn't matter where we are on the political spectrum.

COATES: Full stop. Secretaries, thank you so much.

BENSON: Thanks for having us.

COATES: We have much more on the tensions in the Middle East straight ahead as President Trump gets ready to depart the G7 Summit to head back to Washington, D.C.

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COATES: Much more in the Middle East and what's going on there ahead. But first, a quick update of the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial that we've been watching here since day one on "Laura Coates Live." It was another dramatic day with some significant developments.

Juror number six was thrown out of the trial. The judge removed him for not being truthful about his living situation. The juror also saw a jury saw for the first time, videos of the so-called "freak-offs," about two minutes worth. One juror winced. Another put her hand over her eyes. And we learned that the prosecution could rest as early as Wednesday.

Now, Diddy's team is not happy about that juror getting removed. He's a 41-year-old black man who lived in the Bronx. He's now being replaced with a 57-year-old white man.

[23:59:59]

In a filing, the defense tried to argue against his removal, saying the juror was one of only two Black men on the jury and the one most similar in background to Diddy.

Quote -- "Removing this particular juror will deprive Mr. Combs of that important perspective, and it is no answer to simply say that there are other Black jurors or other males on the jury."

The judge, though, was not swayed, and the juror was dismissed. Testimony continues tomorrow.

Thank you all for watching. John Vause picks up CNN's breaking news coverage of the tensions in the Middle East right now.