The White House responded Monday to the New Hampshire Episcopal bishop who urged his clergy to finalize their wills and get their affairs in order and prepare for a “new era of martyrdom” at a vigil for ICE shooting victim Renee Good.
Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire also criticized the “horror unleashed in Minneapolis” and said people of Christian faith should not fear death in a Jan. 9 speech, a video of which has since gone viral.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an emailed response to a question from NBC News about Hirschfeld’s address: “No one should follow advice encouraging them to commit crimes. Anyone who interferes with federal law enforcement operations is committing a crime and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Trump administration has staunchly defended the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. They insist Ross fired in self-defense against a motorist who ran him over — even though cellphone video of the shooting showed Good turning the steering wheel away from Ross as she began to drive and Ross still standing after he shot into her SUV numerous times.
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Candles burn around a poem written by Renee Good during a vigil honoring her on Jan. 9 in St. Paul outside the Minnesota State Capitol.Kerem Yücel / AP
Good’s killing has sparked numerous anti-ICE protests across Minneapolis and harsh criticism from local leaders like Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who are now being investigated by the Justice Department for allegedly conspiring to impede federal immigration agents.
Hirschfeld addressed Good’s shooting at a Jan. 9 vigil in Concord, New Hampshire.
Responding to the White House, he said, “In no way have I, or will I, advocate, support, or encourage, criminal behavior, especially acts of violence.”
“We are speaking about peaceful, non-violent resistance against those who without warrant or justification threaten physical injury, or even death,” he said in an email to NBC News. “Non-violence and love, as Jesus himself practiced and lived, should be the way for us to settle all differences in a free society.”
During his speech, Hirschfeld criticized “those who call themselves Christians” and who are close to the Trump administration and “who tell us the way the world works is by force.”
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He also mentioned several historical clergy members who risked their lives to protect others, including New Hampshire seminary student Jonathan Daniels, who was shot and killed by an Alabama sheriff’s deputy while he was shielding a young Black civil rights activist in 1965.
“I have told the clergy of the Episcopal diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness,” Hirschfeld said. “And I’ve asked them to get their affairs in order, to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements but for us with our bodies, to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”
Hirschfeld said people of Christian faith should not fear death, but he did not call for responding to the ICE raids with violence.
“Those of us who are ready to build a new world, we also have to be prepared,” he said. “If we truly want to live without fear, we cannot fear even death itself, my friends.”
As for Good, Hirschfeld said, “I believe God is raising Renee Good to glory right now.”
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A person holds a sign reading “Good Rest in Power” during a vigil at a memorial near the site where Renee Good was killed in Minneapolis.Stephen Maturen / Getty Images
Good, 37, a mother of three and a U.S. citizen, was behind the wheel of an SUV on a snowy residential street when she was shot and killed by Ross.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Ross was treated in a hospital for injuries he sustained in the incident and was released soon after.
But emergency services logs obtained by NBC News say Ross was first taken to a federal building. A DHS official claimed that Ross sustained internal bleeding to the torso after the incident but did not elaborate on the extent of his injuries.
CONCORD – While Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she opposes increasing highway toll rates across the state, the Senate voted Thursday to increase rates for out-of-state license plate holders.
It now goes to the House for consideration.
This would be a $1 increase for those who have out of state plates going through the tolls at Hooksett, Hampton and Bedford for out-of-state plates, a 75 cent hike for those taking Hampton’s Exit 2 and on the Spaulding turnpike at Rochester, and a 50 cent hike for those taking the exit off I-93 to Hooksett.
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An analysis in the bill shows that this would increase toll revenue by $53.3 million in fiscal year 2027 and go up each year to generate $81.4 million a year in 2036.
Senate Bill 627 passed on a voice vote with two Republicans, Senators Regina Birdsell of Hampstead and William Gannon of Sandown opposing.
Senator Mark E. McConkey, R-Freedom, moved to take the bill off the table and offered an amendment. He said the last time there was a systemwide increase to the turnpike toll was 19 years ago.
“I am sure we could all agree the cost of operations…has continued to escalate when revenue is not rising with it,” and he noted that with an enterprise fund, the state can only spend what it takes in.
The state has just completed a 10-year highway plan and there was a $400 million shortfall in projects that could not be paid for under the current income.
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McConkey said the measure would not increase tolls for New Hampshire drivers with a state license plate.
“Why don’t we ask our neighbors,” to pay a toll increase. “We are getting the best of all worlds,” by passing the bill, he said, including “protecting our residents” and having resources for improvements to the turnpike system.
Sen. Gannon, R-Sandown, asked McConkey if there are any studies on impacts near the border on businesses.
If implemented, McConkey said the state will be the 27th lowest in per mile cost still. McConkey said the bill would also increase from seven to 14 days the amount of time for those with NH license plates to pay for a toll adding there are other states that also have different rates for out-of-state users.
The Hampton toll cost would go from $2 to $3, while Hooksett and Bedford would rise from $1 to $2 for out-of-state plates.
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New Hampshire currently has the lowest rate per mile among states with tolls roads. The governor said she does not support a toll increase.
“We are not going to put a burden on drivers for a toll increase,” Ayotte said. “Families are struggling.”
WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
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