US lawmaker assassinated ahead of Trump parade as protestors gather nationwide

TOI correspondent from Washington: Two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were shot — one of them fatally — by a gunman masquerading as a cop as the US spiraled into deadly violence ahead of a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the US army on Saturday. The parade, which coincidentally or conveniently fell on MAGA supremo Trump’s 79th birthday, is being marred by nationwide “No Kings” protests by critics who see it as a self-aggrandizing fete by a President intent on derailing democracy in America. Thousands of protestors are gathering at nearly 2000 locations across the country, with major demonstrations in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta and other cities, even as the Trump’s MAGA flock is gathering near the White House to witness a parade that the US President has long been fixated on after watching a Bastille Day parade in France.Hours before the parade, which itself is being threatened by rain, Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, were shot and killed early Saturday morning in what the state governor Tim Walz said “appears to be a politically-motivated assassination.” Another lawmaker, John Hoffman, and his wife were also targeted by the same individual in a separate incident, and they both survived after surgeries, Walz said.President Trump said he has been briefed on the “terrible shooting”, which he acknowledged appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the USA,” he asserted, adding that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved.Minnesota authorities said the vehicle used by the gunman contained fliers for the “No Kings” events and advised people to stay away from the protests as a precaution.A hunt is on for the gunman, who is still on the loose.Even before the deadly shooting, America was careening towards political violence, with physical confrontations and scuffles that also involved lawmakers. California Senator Alex Padilla was tackled, brought down and handcuffed by security agents when he sought to question Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the incidents in Los Angeles, including the rounding up of documented immigrants and even US citizens. Videos of heavy-handed US law-enforcement officials corralling US citizens on account of their looks and accent are surfacing with increasing frequency on social media, even though Trump eased up on deportations on Friday in response to complaints from his MAGA business constituency who told him they are starting see shortage of farm labor and restaurant workers. Trump, who earlier misspelled parade as “perade” in a post, insisted before the assassinations in Minnesota that the event would go on in “rain or shine” amid forecast of dodgy weather. Critics, California Governor Gavin Newsom among them, excoriated the President for the extravaganza, saying it is nothing more than a “vulgar demonstration” of how weak he is. “Only the narcissistic manchild who was a 5 time draft dodger during Vietnam would hold a military parade, basically in his own honor,” another critic wrote on X where sentiments on the events were divided, reflecting the growing fissures across America.There was heavy security presence all around the White House, the US Capitol and the National Mall to keep out demonstrators, with heavy-handed cops even cuffing and marching out a 80-year old veteran who was protesting — after confiscating his walker. Protestors gathered in pre-designated spots in the Greater Washington area and suburbs with colorful banners and posters, one of which read “NO FU-KING WAY!”