Minnesota
Minnesota dad who ranted against Trump election gunned down wife, ex-girlfriend and his 2 kids in murder-suicide
A Minnesota dad who ranted against President-elect Donald Trump online shot and killed his wife, ex-partner, and his two sons before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.
The shooter, 46-year-old Anthony Nephew, had a “pattern of mental health issues,” Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said on Friday — one day after authorities found five people dead inside two homes in the city.
Authorities found Anthony Nephew’s ex-partner Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home Thursday afternoon, police said.
After identifying Anthony Nephew as a suspect, police found his 45-year-old wife Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son Oliver Nephew dead from gunshot wounds inside their family home close by.
Anthony Nephew was also found dead inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Before his rampage, Anthony Nephew had been sharing left-wing and anti-Trump posts on his Facebook account.
“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” Anthony Nephew wrote in July.
“I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross.
“Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan or, the anti-Christ or whatever their favorite color of boogie man they are afraid are this week.”
In another post, he accused Republicans of “making it harder for women to leave” abusive relationships.
“Gilead here we come,” he wrote, referencing “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian novel turned Hulu series in which women, who have been stripped of their rights, are forced to reproduce for the ruling class.
Anthony Nephew shared other political posts, including an image of former president Barack Obama, Trump, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The word “hate” sits under Trump’s face, while the words “hope,” “heal” and “grow” correspond with the Democratic politicians.
“Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would really like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates,” he wrote in July. “We can do better than a binary choice between fascism and not fascism.”
Anthony Nephew previously even issued a chilling warning about his mental health battles, writing in an op-ed in the local Duluth News Tribune in 2021, “For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.”
“Mental health in this country is stigmatized, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone, with little help and less understanding,” he wrote.
“Americans deny they have mental health struggles. Because they have to, because they’re told to, or because they don’t realize their mind is broken.”
Police in Duluth, a city of nearly 90,000 residents about 135 miles north of Minneapolis, have not yet determined a motive in the shootings.
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
With Post wires.
CDC warns of rise in cyclosporiasis cases. Here’s what to know.
Cyclosporiasis cases are rising across the U.S. as officials warn about contaminated produce and symptoms.
After an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal disease, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is speaking up.
The Minnesota senator is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reinstate funding and staffing for federal and state food safety programs to fight the current cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water and can lead to severe diarrhea, dehydration, fatigue and other health issues. So far across the country, Klobuchar states, nearly 2,800 cases and 87 hospitalizations linked to this outbreak have been confirmed.
“I write to urge the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore funding and staffing cuts made by the administration to federal and state food safety programs,” wrote Klobuchar. “As a currently uncontrolled large foodborne outbreak across the country continues, cuts to these programs are impacting our nation’s ability to prevent, detect, and contain foodborne illnesses and protect public health.”
Klobuchar said last year the administration made reporting of foodborne illnesses caused by the parasite cyclospora optional when it cut the CDC FoodNet program’s tracking of 10 pathogens, refering to the administration’s layoffs of federal public health employees.
“More recently,” the senator wrote, “the administration terminated Congressionally-appropriated Public Health Infrastructure Grants and Preventive Services Block Grants, which pay for state health department staff, laboratory capacity, diagnostics, tracking, and surveillance.”
What is cyclosporiasis?
The outbreak of cyclospora is putting health officials on alert as cases of the foodborne illness continue to be investigated across the United States. The illness is caused by the microscopic parasite, which can contaminate fresh produce and cause days, or even weeks, of severe gastrointestinal illness.
Unlike many foodborne illnesses, cyclospora is most often linked to fresh fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw, including leafy greens, herbs and berries. Investigators are working to determine the exact source of the current outbreak while tracing where contaminated food may have been distributed.
The CDC states on its website that local, state and federal public health authorities are investigating several clusters of cases in more than one state.
Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by a tiny, single-celled parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It is a protozoan parasite that is so small, it can only be seen with a microscope. It can infect humans when they eat food or drink water that’s been contaminated with fecal matter.
How many cyclosporiasis cases in Minnesota?
Although several states have reported illnesses tied to the current outbreak, Minnesota is one of the states that was identified in 2019 and 2020 with an outbreak; however, there is not a significant number of outbreak-related cases as of now.
As of July 9, according to CDC data, Minnesota has recorded fewer than 10 cases. The largest outbreaks have been reported in states such as Michigan, New York, Texas, Louisiana and Connecticut.
The CDC website states as of July 13, 1,645 cases were reported in people who acquired cyclosporiasis in the U.S. There were 141 hospitalizations, with 34 states reporting. These people became sick after eating food in the U.S. and had not traveled outside the country within two weeks of becoming ill.
What foods can carry cyclosporiasis?
Fresh produce is the food most commonly linked to cyclosporiasis outbreaks. Foods associated with infections include bagged salad mixes, romaine lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro, parsley, raspberries, blackberries, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and other fresh fruits and vegetables eaten raw. Contaminated water used to irrigate crops or wash produce is often the source of contamination, according to the FDA.
How to prepare food to avoid cyclosporiasis
The safest option is to cook leafy greens, cilantro, basil, green onions, snow peas and raspberries after carefully washing them under clean, running water. Heating food to 158 degrees or higher kills the parasite.
If you must eat raw, fresh produce, the Centers for Disease Control suggests:
- Washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing food.
- Avoiding prewashed bagged lettuce or salad mixes. Instead, buy a whole head of lettuce. Throw away the outer two or three layers of leaves and thoroughly wash the inner leaves under running water.
- Thoroughly washing herbs, such as cilantro and basil, under running water. Separate the leaves as you wash them.
- Trimming the root end and removing the outer layer of green onions, which also are known as scallions. Once that’s done, wash them thoroughly under running water.
- Considering using frozen raspberries, rather than fresh, to reduce risk. The fruit’s bumpy surface makes raspberries especially difficult to clean. The parasite can hide in its tiny crevices. Freezing may reduce the risk, but the health department warns it does not guarantee the fruit won’t be contaminated.
- Rubbing the surface of snow peas while washing them under running water.
- Washing all fresh produce under clean running water, even if you plan to peel it. Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush and cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing and eating.
- Refrigerating cut, peeled or cooked fruits and vegetables as soon as possible.
- Washing and sanitizing utensils and surfaces before and after handling food. Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators where fresh produce is stored along with cutting boards, surfaces and utensils used to prepare, serve or store fresh produce.
What caused previous cyclosporiasis outbreaks?
In the past, outbreaks in the United States and Canada have been tied to bagged salad mixes and kits, such as pre-cut lettuce blends with romaine, iceberg, red cabbage and carrots; fresh cilantro, basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.
Among them were outbreaks identified:
- In 1997, when more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and Canada were sickened by contaminated raspberries imported from Guatemala.
- In 2005, when people got sick after eating basil imported from Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Costa Rica.
- In 2018, when lettuce served at McDonald’s restaurants was the source of a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis infections.
- In 2019, when more than 2,400 people in 37 states and the District of Columbia became ill after eating imported basil from Mexico.
Klobuchar leads efforts on food safety
Klobuchar has led other efforts to improve food safety, particularly by reducing harmful heavy metals in baby food and children’s products. In 2024, Klobuchar introduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 to limit the levels of harmful heavy metals allowed in commercial food for infants and toddlers. In 2009, Klobuchar led the bipartisan Food Safety Rapid Response Act to help agencies detect and investigate food safety outbreaks, which was signed into law as part of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2012. Her legislation also established eight food safety centers of excellence, including the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence.
The Portland Trail Blazers tamed the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night, 111-84, in NBA Summer League action. Center Yang Hansen made a heroic return after missing the last game due to an illness, while two-way guard Chris Youngblood turned in a much needed all-around performance to pace Portland. With the Blazers 0-2 in summer league, the team came out with a sense of urgency to put a complete game together and grab their first win in Las Vegas.
After a slow start against Minnesota, Yang really took command in the second half, imposing his will on both ends of the floor. He finished the game with 18 points on 7-8 shooting, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers (3 in the first half). He still has a ways to go, but when he gets into a comfortable rhythm, good things happen. Youngblood poured in 20 points on an efficient 5-11 shooting, to go with 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Donovan Williams led Minnesota with 21 points. Center Rocco Zikarsky finished with 18 and 6 rebounds. G league point guard Zyon Pullin scored 16 and dished out 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was the only Minnesota starter with a positive plus/minus.
Yang got off to both a good and bad start, recording 2 points, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, a rebound, and an assist in the first 3 minutes of the game. That sent him to the bench early. His center counterpart for the T-Wolves, 7’3”, 20-year-old Australian Rocco Zikarsky came out on fire. He scored 10 points in the first quarter, including two shots behind the arc. Youngblood provided a much needed good shooting start, while newly signed former lottery pick point guard Kira Lewis Jr. came off the bench with instant offense – 5 points in 4 minutes. The Blazers ended the first quarter up 24-17.
Youngblood, one of the Blazers on a two-way contract, has a reputation as a sharpshooter. However, coming into tonight’s game he was 1/13 from three through the first two games. He put together another solid run in the second quarter to lead Portland with 17 points, while helping double their lead at the half, 58-44.
The Blazers continued to dominate the third quarter. Yang punished Minnesota when they went to a smaller lineup. When Yang gets comfortable in the flow of a game, his confidence level rises. You can see the wheels turning in real time when he makes plays. He tries to parlay that into as much production as possible. He even impressed with his ability to bring the ball across half court a few times. He feasted in the paint and on the boards, registering 10 points in the third quarter alone. Blazers guard Quincy Olivari heated up with 9 points in the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with the Yang Hansen Show. He made a couple of impressive passes and drove the lane for a rim-rocking dunk! He was gassed after stuffing the stat sheet in the second half. He was subbed out with 6 minutes left and began pounding the Gatorade on the bench. After a tough start, Yang regrouped to play a very disciplined game.
The Blazers (1-2) get a couple days off, then return to action on Thursday when they take on the Denver Nuggets at 7 p.m. PDT. That game will be available Prime Video, BlazerVision and KUNP.
(FOX 9) – Minnesota is joining a legal challenge targeting the largest media merger in history, arguing that it would ultimately be a bad deal for customers.
AG Ellison joins lawsuit to block Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 11 other attorneys general, filing a lawsuit to stop the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
The suit alleges the merger would violate antitrust laws by creating a media conglomerate that would control nearly one-third of all U.S.-based theatrical movies.
The combined company would control about 27% of the market for wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels. Only three distributors would control 75% of wide-release films, and four — including Disney, Universal, and Sony — would control 86%, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also points out that Warner Bros. is currently the second largest and Paramount the third largest in licensing basic cable channels, and together they would control 27% of that market. The merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies, eliminating competition and harming movie theaters, cable distributors and consumers.
What they’re saying:
“Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have,” AG Ellison said in a statement. “This would be the largest merger in media and entertainment history. It will raise prices, limit innovation, and reduce the variety of voices in media and entertainment. I’m taking action because this goes too far in consolidating power with a few at the expense of the public.”
What’s next:
The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If the companies refuse, the attorneys general plan to file a temporary restraining order to halt the deal.
The Source: Information provided in a statement from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
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