Today is Thursday, June 19, the 170th day of 2025. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth.

Today in history:

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that all remaining enslaved people in Texas were free — an event now celebrated nationwide as Juneteenth.

Also on this date:

In 1910, the first-ever Father’s Day in the United States was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. (President Richard Nixon would make Father’s Day a federally recognized annual observation through a proclamation in 1972.)

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In 1953, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York; they were the first American civilians to be executed for espionage.

In 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed her historic flight as the first woman in space, landing safely by parachute to conclude the Vostok 6 mission.

In 1964, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.

In 1975, former Chicago organized crime boss Sam Giancana was shot to death in the basement of his home in Oak Park, Illinois; the killing has never been solved.

In 1986, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias, the first draft pick of the Boston Celtics two days earlier, suffered a fatal cocaine-induced seizure.

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Edwards v. Aguillard, struck down a Louisiana law requiring any public school teaching the theory of evolution to teach creation science as well.

Today’s Birthdays:

Hall of Fame auto racer Shirley Muldowney is 85.
Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is 80.
Author Tobias Wolff is 80.
Author Salman Rushdie is 78.
Actor Phylicia Rashad is 77.
Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 75.
Actor Kathleen Turner is 71.
Singer-choreographer-TV personality Paula Abdul is 63.
TV host Lara Spencer is 56.
Actor Jean Dujardin is 53.
Actor Robin Tunney is 53.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is 47.
Actor Zoe Saldaña is 47.
Rapper Macklemore is 42.
Actor Paul Dano is 41.

The Association for Black Economic Power will launch Arise Community Credit Union, the state’s first Black-led credit union, on Thursday, the national Juneteenth holiday.

The North Minneapolis-based credit union is committed to offering accessible banking services and “pivotal resources” to all residents of the state of Minnesota, including clients who have been underserved by traditional banking systems, according to a written statement from the association. Its headquarters are on Colfax Avenue.

Francis Odhiambo, CEO of Arise CCU, called the launch of the credit union a “meaningful occasion.”

“Juneteenth embodies principles of freedom and opportunity, and we take pride in offering a financial institution that empowers our community members to achieve their aspirations,” Odhiambo said in a statement.

According to a 2025 WalletHub report, Minnesota has the fifth largest racial wealth gap in the country. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported in 2024 that Black Minnesotans, on average, earn 60% of what white Minnesotans earn. Arise CCU was founded to help bridge the wealth gap.

The credit union intentionally chose Juneteenth as the day of their opening. According to the credit union, Arise CCU is “proud to open our doors on a day that symbolizes liberation and opportunity for Black communities.”

The credit union “stands as a testament to our dedication to advancing economic equity,” said Juneau Robbins, board chair of the Association for Black Economic Power.

To celebrate the opening, Arise CCU will participate in the Juneteenth Family Celebration from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Minnesota State Capitol. Attendees can stop by Arise’s booth to learn more about the credit union and how to become a member.

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Cincinnati >> Spencer Steer hit a two-run home run and Nick Lodolo allowed two runs on three hits in five innings to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in a game called in the sixth inning because of rain.

The start was delayed two hours and seven minutes by severe weather. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, rain returned and the game was called after a 53-minute delay.

The loss, the Twins’ sixth in a row, dropped them below the .500 mark at 36-37. They are now 1 1/2 games behind in the race for the final American League wild-card playoff spot.

The Reds have won four straight and nine of their last 12 games to climb within one game of the third NL wild-card spot. They are a season high four games above .500 at 39-35.

Byron Buxton’s 11th career leadoff homer put the Twins ahead 1-0. It was his second leadoff homer this season, and first since May 4 at Boston.

Nick Lodolo (5-5) allowed a run and two hits following Buxton’s home run.

Steer put the Reds ahead 2-1 in the first with a two-out, two-run homer off Bailey Ober (4-4) who allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

RBI singles by Matt McLain in the second and Will Benson in the third extended the Reds’ lead to 4-1.

Key moment

After waiting more than two hours for the game to start, Buxton launched Lodolo’s first pitch into the left-field seats for his 13th home run of the season.

Key stat

The Reds have scored 57 runs in the first inning, second most in the major leagues behind the Dodgers, who have scored 58.

Up next

Reds RHP Nick Martinez (4-7, 3.92 ERA) will face Twins RHP Chris Paddack (2-6, 4.30) in the series finale on Thursday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people, some clutching candles or carrying flowers to lay in front of a memorial, gathered outside Minnesota’s Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker and her husband who were gunned down at their home.

As a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra played, Gov. Tim Walz wiped away tears and comforted attendees at the gathering for former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.

Walz has described Hortman as his closest political ally and “the most consequential Speaker in state history.”

Wednesday’s vigil also included a Native American drum circle, a string quartet and the crowd singing “Amazing Grace.”

The memorial, which sprang up outside the Capitol after the killings, features flowers, American flags, photos of Hortman and sticky notes with such messages as, “Thank you for always believing in me and in Minnesota” and “We got this from here. Thank you for everything.”

Around the gathering, there was a heavy police presence, with law enforcement blocking off streets leading up to the Capitol and state troopers standing guard.

The event didn’t have a speaking program planned and attendees were instructed not to bring signs of any kind.

The man charged in federal and state court with killing the Hortmans, Vance Boelter, is also accused of shooting another Democratic lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home a few miles away in Champlin. They survived and are recovering. Federal prosecutors have declined to speculate about a motive.

Boelter’s attorneys have declined to comment on the charges.

Hortman had served as the top House Democratic leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. Under a power-sharing deal after the 2024 election left the House tied, her title became speaker emerita and Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth became speaker.

The Hortmans were alumni of the University of Minnesota, which held a midday memorial gathering on the Minneapolis campus.

Rebecca Cunningham, the university’s president, spoke during the event about the grief and outrage people are grappling with along with questions about how things got to this point.

“I don’t have the answers to these questions but I know that finding answers starts with the coming together in community as we are today,” she said.

Funeral information for the Hortmans has not been announced.