A candlelight vigil in remembrance of Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman will be held Wednesday on the steps of the State Capitol after the couple was slain in what authorities are calling a political assassination in their Brooklyn Park home.

The vigil will be held from 8 to 9:30 p.m. and will not have a slate of speakers. People are asked to bring their own candles and not to bring signs of any kind. The Capitol building will be closed to the public during the vigil.

Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were photographed Friday, June 13, 2025, at the annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis. (Courtesy of Minnesota House DFL Caucus)

The Hortmans were shot and killed early Saturday, about 90 minutes after a gunman also shot and injured Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in Champlin. Between the two shootings the gunman stopped at legislators’ homes in Maple Grove and New Hope. He found no one home in Maple Grove and was interrupted by a police officer in New Hope.

Fundraising accounts have been set up for both families.

A GoFundMe account (gofund.me/08964165) set up for the Hortmans’ adult children had raised more than $116,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

A GoFundMe account (gofund.me/8f5ab066) set up for the Hoffmans’ medical expenses had raised more than $165,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

A memorial for the Hortmans has been created outside the Capitol and includes flowers, American flags, photos and handwritten messages.

Gov. Tim Walz ordered on Saturday the U.S. and Minnesota flags be flown at half staff in remembrance of Hortman, saying “Hortman was a formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol, who woke up every morning determined to make Minnesota a better place … remembered for her compassion, grace, humor, and sense of service. She is irreplaceable and her death is a monumental loss. The state extends its prayers and deepest condolences to her friends, family, and loved ones.”

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By DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press

The trustee overseeing Infowars host Alex Jones’ personal bankruptcy case is accusing the far-right conspiracy theorist of trying to shield more than $5 million from creditors, including relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.

Three new lawsuits filed by the trustee on Friday alleging fraudulent asset transfers are the latest developments in Jones’ long-running bankruptcy case, which has been pending in federal court in Houston for more than two years. In financial statements filed in bankruptcy court last year, Jones listed his net worth at $8.4 million.

The Sandy Hook families won nearly $1.5 billion in judgments in 2022 in lawsuits filed in Connecticut and Texas accusing Jones of defamation and emotional distress for saying the school shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a hoax. Victims’ relatives testified in court about being terrorized by Jones’ supporters.

Attempts to liquidate Jones’ Infowars broadcasting and product-selling platforms and give the proceeds to the families and other creditors have been hindered by a failed auction and legal wrangling. Jones, meanwhile, continues to appeal the Sandy Hook judgments.

Here’s what to know about the status of Jones’ bankruptcy case:

Trustee sues Jones alleging improper money and property transfers

The trustee, Christopher Murray, alleges that Jones tried to shield the money through a complex series of money and property transfers among family members, various trusts and limited liability companies. Other named defendants include Jones’ wife, Erika; his father, David Jones; and companies and trusts.

Murray alleges that a trust run by Jones and his father fraudulently transferred nearly $1.5 million to various other Jones-associated entities in the months leading up to the bankruptcy. Jones is also accused of fraudulently transferring $1.5 million to his wife, more than $800,000 in cash and property to his father and trying to hide ownership of two condominiums in Austin, Texas, with a combined value of more than $1.5 million.

Murray is trying to recoup that money and property for creditors.

Jones’ bankruptcy lawyers did not return email messages seeking comment.

In an email to The Associated Press, Erika Wulff Jones called the lawsuits “pure harassment” and said she already had sat for a deposition. She said “the accounting has been done,” but did not elaborate.

A lawyer for David Jones did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Jones railed against the new allegations on his show on Saturday. He has repeatedly said Democratic activists and the Justice Department are behind the Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings, and claimed they were now “trying to get” to him by suing his father, who he says is seriously ill.

The fraud allegations are similar to those in a lawsuit in a Texas state court filed by Sandy Hook families. Jones also denied those claims. That lawsuit was put on hold because of the bankruptcy.

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Sandy Hook families still haven’t received money from Jones

Jones says the fact that the Sandy Hook families haven’t received any money from him yet should be expected because he is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments.

Infowars’ assets continue to be tied up in the legal processes. Those assets, and some of Jones’ personal assets, are being held by Murray for eventual distribution to creditors.

An effort to sell Infowars’ assets was derailed when U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected the results of a November auction in which The Onion satirical news outlet was named the winning bidder over only one other proposal by a company affiliated with Jones. The Onion had planned to turn the Infowars platforms into parody sites.

Lopez had several concerns about the auction, including a lack of transparency and murky details about the actual value of The Onion’s bid and whether it was better than the other offer. The judge rejected holding another auction and said the families could pursue liquidation of Jones’ assets in the state courts where the defamation judgments were awarded.

In a financial statement last year, Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, listed $18 million in assets, including merchandise and studio equipment.

What’s next

Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families said they will soon move their effort to sell Infowars’ assets to a Texas state court in Austin, where they expect a receiver to be appointed to take possession of the platform’s possessions and sell them to provide money to creditors. A court schedule has not been set.

“The families we represent are as determined as ever to enforce the jury’s verdict, and he will never outrun it,” Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said Tuesday.

Jones’ appeals, meanwhile, continue in the courts. He said he plans to appeal the Connecticut lawsuit judgment to the U.S. Supreme Court, after the Connecticut Supreme Court declined to hear his challenge. A lower state appeals court upheld all but $150 million of the original $1.4 billion judgment. The $49 million judgment in the Texas lawsuit is before a state appeals court.

He said in 2022 that he believes the shootings were “100% real.”

Because Infowars’ assets are still tied up in the courts, Jones has been allowed to continue broadcasting his shows and hawking merchandise from Infowars’ Austin studio.

By RIAZAT BUTT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Iran-Israel conflict has shuttered airspace across the Middle East as the two bitter enemies launch attacks and reprisals at one another.

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The worsening security situation has seen foreigners scramble to evacuate. But, with so much travel disruption in the region, it’s a tough task.

Some governments are using Iran’s land borders to get their nationals out. Others are advising their citizens on how to leave voluntarily or stay safe until an official exit plan is in place.

Here’s a look at evacuation efforts from Iran and Israel:

Border buses and convoys

Iran shares land borders with seven countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it had evacuated dozens of its citizens from Iran in convoys heading to Azerbaijan and Turkey on Monday. Poland is evacuating some of its diplomatic staff from Tehran through Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the Russian Embassy in Tehran was working “around the clock” to ensure nationals could leave Iran via a checkpoint on the border with Azerbaijan.

“All (Russian) citizens who are in Tehran and got in touch (with the embassy), for all of them the possibility of evacuating is being provided,” Peskov said during his daily conference call with the media.

Moscow had earlier advised citizens to leave Iran and Israel by commercial means. The Russian Embassy in Tehran said several hundred people had already left Iran via the Astara border crossing into Azerbaijan, including the families of those working in Iran, members of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, and citizens from Belarus, Serbia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Peskov said that he was unaware of state-organized evacuations, but that such plans could be put in place if needed.

The Astara crossing has also been used by citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Portugal, the Philippines and Finland.

Pakistan has started voluntary repatriations from Iran by bus to land border crossings. Pakistani passport holders are barred from traveling to Israel.

China said that its Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Iran and Israel had promptly activated “emergency consular protection mechanisms” upon the outbreak of hostilities and was “actively assisting” Chinese nationals seeking to leave.

Third-country options

Cyprus, the closest European Union country to Israel, says Portugal and Slovakia have asked for help in repatriating their citizens.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Monday that his government has received informal requests from other governments about Cyprus’ ESTIA plan, which provides for the brief accommodation of evacuated third-country nationals before their repatriation.

Cyprus has acted as a transfer point for third-country evacuees following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, attack. In April 2023, Cyprus also assisted in the repatriation of U.K. nationals from Sudan.

Turkmenistan is making its territory available for the departure of foreign diplomats and their family members, as well as other citizens in Iran. Those who have arrived so far have been given food, accommodation and other essential items, according to the Foreign Ministry in Ashgabat.

Albania has thanked the Greek and Bulgarian Embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel, for helping Albanians who were in Israel for business and tourism. The Albanians are in Egypt and are expected to make their way home from there.

Taiwan’s government helped its citizens in Israel to leave by land for Jordan early Sunday on a bus that was arranged by Taiwan’s representative office in Israel.

Taiwan’s representative office in Jordan is helping the Taiwanese nationals return home.

Guidance and eventual help

The French Foreign Ministry has urged citizens in Israel to be “’in a position to reach a shelter in a short time frame” and said there is a ban on any public gatherings and nonessential professional or educational activities.

It has urged citizens to register with French authorities for eventual help. The ministry reiterated an earlier warning against nonessential travel to Israel and provides guidance on overland journeys to Jordan or Egypt. It also reiterated warnings against all travel to Iran.

The Thai Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday advised nationals to leave the Iranian capital as soon as they could. It has set up a temporary shelter for Thai citizens in the historic Iranian city of Amol, which is about 12 miles south of the Caspian Sea.

Thailand’s government said that it’s ready to evacuate Thai people in Israel and Iran if necessary, adding that no Thais have been injured in the ongoing conflict.

The U.K. Foreign Office said that family members of staff at the U.K. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.K. Consulate in Jerusalem have been temporarily withdrawn as a precautionary measure. It advises against all travel to Israel and Iran, but hasn’t ordered an evacuation.

Instead, it advises people to “register their presence” if they are in Israel or the Palestinian territories, and offers information on international land border crossings to Jordan and Egypt that are open.

In Iran, having a British passport or connections to the U.K. can be “reason enough” for authorities to detain someone, warns the Foreign Office.

“U.K. government support is extremely limited in Iran,” it said. “Assume that no face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency.”

AP journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

By MEG KINNARD and THOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated Press

A schism has opened among President Donald Trump’s most devout MAGA supporters and national security conservatives over the Israel-Iran conflict, as some longtime defenders of the president’s America First mantra call him out for weighing a greater U.S. role in the region.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, commentator Tucker Carlson and conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk — with legions of their own devoted followers — are reminding audiences of Trump’s 2024 promises to resist overseas military involvement after a week of deadly strikes and counterstrikes between Israel and Iran, and discussion of U.S. involvement.

On social media and their popular airwaves, questions about Trump’s stance from these central validating voices are exposing a crack in his forward guard. They are also warning that the schism could deter progress on other priorities.

“No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy,” Kirk wrote on X, adding he was “very concerned” that a massive split among MAGA could “disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.”

The State Department and U.S. military last week directed a voluntary evacuation of nonessential personnel and their loved ones from some U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump walks away following the family photograph during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Trump on Monday abruptly departed this week’s G7 Summit in Canada due to the intensifying conflict, returning to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team. He also posted an ominous social media warning that “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

The moves sparked new speculation from his isolationist devotees that the U.S. might be deepening its involvement, perhaps by providing the Israelis with bunker-busting bombs to penetrate Iranian nuclear sites or offering other direct U.S. military support.

Other strong Trump backers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are making the case that this is Trump’s moment to deliver a decisive blow against Iran. Graham is calling for Trump to “go all-in” in backing Israel and destroying Iran’s nuclear program.

“If that means providing bombs, provide bombs,” he said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “If that means flying with Israel, fly with Israel.”

Any option comes with political risk for Trump, who, as he returned to Washington, expressed exasperation at Iranian leaders’ failure to reach an agreement.

“They should have done the deal. I told them, ‘Do the deal,’” he told reporters on Air Force One. “So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”

On Tuesday, Trump said on social media that the U.S. knows where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding during the conflict but doesn’t want him killed “for now.” He also called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”

A look at what some of Trump’s top MAGA-world backers are saying:

Tucker Carlson

On Monday, Carlson’s increasingly critical rhetoric toward Trump reached a new level, as the longtime supporter who headlined large rallies with Trump during the 2024 campaign suggested Trump’s posture was breaking his pledge to keep the United States out of new foreign entanglements.

“You’re not going to convince me that the Iranian people are my enemy,” Carlson said as a guest on “War Room,” the podcast led by 2016 Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon. “It’s Orwell, man. I’m a free man. You’re not telling me who I have to hate.”

Carlson posted to X that same day his call to challenge other Trump media supporters like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin to push the president to uphold his campaign pledge.

Trump has bristled at the criticism, posting on social media, “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,’ IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!’”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

The Georgia Republican — the epitome of MAGA, sporting the signature red cap for President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address — has publicly sided with Carlson, directly calling out Trump for deriding “one of my favorite people.”

Saying the former Fox News commentator “unapologetically believes the same things I do,” Greene wrote on X Monday night that those beliefs include that “foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction.”

“That’s not kooky,” Greene added, using the same word Trump used to describe Carlson. “That’s what millions of Americans voted for. It’s what we believe is America First.”

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Charlie Kirk

The founder of Turning Point USA has been generally supportive of Trump, saying Monday in an interview with Fox News that “this is the moment that President Trump was elected for,” but he’s also warned of a potential MAGA divide over Iran since last week.

Days later, Kirk said, “Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war.” He also wrote that “there is historically little support for America to be actively engaged in yet another offensive war in the Middle East. We must work for and pray for peace.”

That same day, Kirk noted, “The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible.”

There have been other divides

The evolving situation surrounding Iran isn’t the first time Trump and some of his base have diverged, and it’s possible the current tension is more of a disagreement than a breakup between the president and the MAGA faithful.

In April, some of the thought leaders and influential podcasters who backed Trump’s campaign voiced doubts as global markets buckled under the pressure of impending tariffs.

Trump has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine, in December calling Biden’s decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory “a very stupid thing to do.” But Trump stopped short of cutting off all funding, something for which other allies, including Carlson, have advocated.

Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP