May 31 top stories

Hello, it is May 31. Here are today’s top stories.

Police officer, suspect among 3 dead in Minneapolis shooting

Local news reported that a Minneapolis police officer, Jamal Mitchell, 28, responding to a shooting call was ambushed and killed Thursday when he stopped to provide aid to a man who appeared to be a victim. That man instead wound up shooting the officer.

It happened during a chaotic situation involving two crime scenes two blocks apart that left three people dead, two others hospitalized in critical condition and another officer and a firefighter with less serious injuries.

Another police officer arrived and exchanged gunfire with the shooter–the suspected gunman who died as a result of that shootout. That officer had non-life-threatening wounds.

Another person, believed to be an innocent bystander, was shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition. The firefighter was also shot and injured.

When other officers went to the apartment, they found two people inside who had been shot. One was dead and the other was hospitalized in critical condition.

Mexico to choose between two women in presidential election

Seventy years ago, Mexican women won the right to vote, and today tens of millions of Mexican citizens go to the polls on Sunday, June 2, in a historic election in which they will most certainly elect the country’s first woman president.

Who are the main presidential candidates?

Frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, a scientist, academic and former mayor of Mexico City, is widely viewed as current Mexican president López Obrador, handpicked successor. She’s ahead in polls by double digits.

Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz, 61, a high-tech entrepreneur and senator with Indigenous roots, heads a center-right bloc of parties united against the current Mexican president.

López Obrador will leave his predecessor with a number of crises, including dire water shortages, a struggling healthcare system, stubborn inequality and violence from criminal gangs and cartels so severe that the U.S. State Department warns its citizens not to travel to many Mexican states.

Mexico’s new president will begin a single, six-year term on Oct. 1.

Several people injured in stabbing attack in Germany

Local police said an assailant with a knife attacked and wounded several people in a square in the southwestern German city of Mannheim on Friday.

German news site Bild showed a video in which the bearded attacker is shot and injured as he stabs a policeman in the neck from behind.

That police officer was in a critical condition and will have to undergo emergency surgery.

Police said the incident happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. when an anti-Islam activist, Michael Stüerzenberger, spoke to a small crowd in the square. The victims included him and a police officer. They also said that they couldn’t immediately give any information on the severity of the injuries, or specify exactly how many people were hurt.

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12-year-old from Florida wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 12-year-old seventh-grader from Tampa, Florida, Bruhat Soma, blitzed through 30 words in 90 seconds Thursday night, and judges determined that he spelled 29 of them correctly – nine more than his fellow 12-year-old competitor, Faizan Zaki.

Bruhat Soma won the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee. As the champion, Bruhat received a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

He said: “My heart was pumping so fast when I realized I won.” He shared that he rehearsed the spell-off every day for six months.

See Alex’s updates on after Trump’s convictions.

Updates after Trump’s felony conviction

Here are some updates after Donald Trump’s felony conviction yesterday.

New York State Judge Juan Merchan scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. Trump’s attorneys said they would appeal the verdict as soon as possible. NBC News explained that because Trump is a first-time, nonviolent offender, he may only get a fine, probation, or up to four years in prison.

Trump gave a speech today and blamed his conviction on President Joe Biden and “his people.”

Trump’s campaign said it’s raised almost $35 million after the jury’s decision and that it’s a new record for a single-day fundraising haul. Trump’s campaign said it was overwhelmed with support and that a fundraising platform temporarily crashed.

A poll by YouGov that was conducted right after the guilty verdict showed that half of Republicans are even more likely to vote for him. That is in line with a recent poll by ABC News that showed 80% of Trump supporters said they would continue to support him even if he was found guilty.

Thanks for the updates. That’s all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light!

Police officer, suspect among 3 dead in Minneapolis shooting

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/police-officer-suspect-among-3-dead-in-minneapolis-shooting-several-others-injured/

https://www.startribune.com/two-officers-shot-multiple-other-victims-reported-wounded-in-south-minneapolis-neighborhood/600369864/

Mexico to choose between two women in presidential election

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/world/americas/mexico-election-claudia-sheinbaum.html

Several people injured in stabbing attack in Germany

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/31/far-right-activist-and-others-hurt-in-stabbing-in-mannheim-germany

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckmm4lgm0l4o

12-year-old from Florida wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

https://www.npr.org/2024/05/31/g-s1-2050/scripps-national-spelling-bee-winner

Updates after Trump’s felony conviction