White House bets the midterms on Trump and 3 dead in Minneapolis shooting: Morning Rundown

The White House is inserting Trump into midterm elections even though he’s not on the ballot. Three people, including the suspect, were killed and five injured in a Minnesota shooting. And the Los Angeles Clippers are handed one of steepest penalties in NBA history.

Here’s what to know today.

White House moves to make the midterms about Trump

In a meeting last week, some of President Donald Trump’s senior advisers were told by his pollster that the midterms outlook for Republicans is grim, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Republican voters aren’t all that enthused about November’s elections in which Trump isn’t on the ballot, the advisers were told. It’s not a good sign for the GOP, which is fighting to maintain its thin majorities in the House and Senate.

So, in a bid to bolster voter turnout, the administration is looking for ways to make the midterms about Trump.

One approach is telling any and all disaffected voters that the president has answers to the economic anxieties that people face, which could be tough considering the ongoing Iran war and the high prices — especially for diesel fuel — that have resulted.

A second approach is rousing Trump’s core supporters to get them to show up as if he’s on the ballot. Next week, Trump will appear at a first-of-its-kind GOP midterm campaign event in Dallas. And he is planning to hit the campaign trail in the weeks leading up to the election for Republican candidates in 35 races.

But a Trump-centric strategy is a gamble. With his approval rating at 33%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, the effort could instead energize those who oppose the president.

What some Republicans critical of Trump think of the efforts.

More politics news:

• For subscribers: Anti-Muslim rhetoric from Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several other Republicans has escalated since Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary.

• For subscribers: Leading AI chatbots provided inaccurate, unclear or outdated replies on nearly 29% of basic questions about elections and voting procedures, a study found.

• A federal judge blocked Trump’s latest executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship, saying it’s “almost certainly unconstitutional.”

• House Democrats voted down a proposed constitutional amendment to keep the Supreme Court at nine justices, as openness grows within the party to expand it.

3 dead, including suspect, and 5 injured in Minnesota shooting

Two people were killed and five others, including two police officers, were injured in a shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building, officials said. The suspect, who exchanged gunfire with responding officers, is also dead, interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said.

A sixth person, another officer, was not shot but suffered other injuries. Four people with apparent gunshot wounds were taken to the hospital, where one died, and an additional person died at the scene, Peterson said.

Witnesses described the chaotic scene.

Iran says U.S. strike on wedding party killed at least 4

Iranian officials have accused the U.S. military of striking a wedding party, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would respond to the deadly attack in the village of Kuhestak in Sirik, southern Iran, “with firmness.” U.S. Central Command is investigating, a U.S. official said.

The wedding celebration did not appear to be the U.S. military’s intended target, and the strike had been aimed at a radar site nearby, an Iranian official said. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said about 67 people were injured and warned that the number of fatalities “may increase.” The humanitarian organization requested a war crime investigation by the International Criminal Court.

Here’s what else we know.

NBA suspends Clippers owner, docks team first-round draft picks

The Los Angeles Clippers said it will challenge the findings of an NBA investigation that found the team had circumvented the league’s salary cap rules, leading to steep penalties for owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard, among others.

The NBA yesterday fined the Clippers $30 million and Leonard $700,000. It also suspended Ballmer and two top executives and stripped the franchise of five first-round picks. Ballmer will be suspended from all league and team activities for one year.

According to the investigation, the Clippers broke league rules by initiating off-court income opportunities and facilitating endorsement agreements between Leonard and four companies that also did business with the team. Leonard also violated league rules by pressuring the Clippers, through his uncle, to “assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities.”

What else the NBA findings said.

Staff Pick: USS Lincoln’s personnel swap boots for flip-flops during R&R

I arrived in the Thai resort town of Pattaya a day before the USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into a nearby port. It’s low season, and the streets were mostly empty. Walking down the beach, I saw banners welcoming the service members.

On Wednesday, the scene was totally different. Thousands of exuberant U.S. sailors and Marines got their first “liberty” day. Out went the cargo pants, in came the shorts. Service members told me they couldn’t wait to dig into the food, get a relaxing massage or hit the beaches.

The relief of being away from the walls of the ship is palpable. Personnel described food running low at one point, not having Wi-Fi for days or any comfort spots to go to. But during their time at sea, they earned a lot of money that they can now finally spend in Pattaya. “I feel like a millionaire, like the president,” one service member told me. — Mithil Aggarwal, digital reporter

Read All About It 

• Gloria Steinem, the feminist trailblazer and award-winning journalist, has died at 92.

• When former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick faced blowback for kneeling during the national anthem, one of his most high-profile supporters was Jay-Z. But their relationship has frayed in recent years. Kaepernick spoke exclusively to NBC News about the friction with his one-time ally.

• The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial is expected back in court for a sixth day of deliberations after saying yesterday it was deadlocked for a second time. If it remains that way, the judge could declare a mistrial.

• For subscribers: A groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug recently approved by the FDA shows promise against the most common form of lung cancer, according to new clinical trial results.

• For subscribers: How Ukraine delivers babies underground, safe from Russian strikes.

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