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Five takeaways from primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota and beyond

Five takeaways from primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota and beyond

Tuesday’s primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut saw victories for Trump-endorsed candidates in the GOP, wins for progressives on the Democratic side of the aisle, and a few history-making moments as well.

Former President Trump and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) touted their endorsed candidates’ victories, while Democrats in Vermont put the state on track to send its first woman representative to Capitol Hill.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries.

A good night for Trump-backed candidates

Trump saw a number of victories on Tuesday, marking a second successful week in a row for the power of his endorsement.

In Wisconsin, Trump-endorsed businessman Tim Michels defeated his GOP gubernatorial primary opponent, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who had the backing of former Vice President Mike Pence. If he wins, Michels will take on the incumbent Gov. Tony Evers (D), who is thought to be one of the most vulnerable Democratic governors going into November’s midterms.

Meanwhile, in Vermont, retired US Army officer Gerald Malloy was projected to win the state’s GOP Senate primary. And in Connecticut’s Republican Senate primary, Trump-backed Leora Levy handily won her primary by roughly 10 points. However, both will likely face uphill battles in the two New England liberal strongholds.

Tuesday night’s results were reminiscent of last week’s primaries in states like Arizona, where Trump’s favored candidates also did well. Wisconsin, for example, was yet another example of Trump winning out over the GOP establishment, much like he did in the Grand Canyon State, where Trump-backed Kari Lake defeated Karrin Taylor Robson in the gubernatorial primary.

But the ultimate test of Trump’s endorsement will come in the general election when his endorsed candidates will be tasked with winning over swing voters.

Another pro-impeachment Republican goes down

One of the biggest political developments happened not in the states holding primaries Tuesday night, but rather in Washington, which held its primaries last week.

Incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R), who represents Washington’s 3rd congressional district, conceded in her primary race against former Green Beret Joe Kent on Tuesday, marking yet another loss for a House Republican who voted to impeach Trump.

Herrara Beutler’s defeat comes one week after her fellow Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who also voted to impeach Trump, managed to survive his primary. However, Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), another pro-impeachment Republican, lost his primary last week.

In her concession statement, Herrara Beutler said she was proud of what her and her team accomplished during her tenure.

“I’m proud that I always told the truth, stuck to my principles, and did what I knew to be best for our country,” she said.

Trump, on the other hand, celebrated Kent’s win and criticized Herrara Beutler in his own statement.

“Joe Kent just won an incredible race against all odds in Washington State. Importantly, I have knocked out yet another impeacher, Jaime Herrera Beutler, who so stupidly played right into the hands of the Democrats,” Trump said.

Kent will likely face a relatively easily general election, with the Cook Political Report rating the district as “solid Republican.”

Vermont poised to make history

Vermont is set to send the first woman and openly gay representative to represent the state on Capitol Hill after the state’s President pro tempore Becca Balint won the Democratic primary for the at-large House seat on Tuesday.

Balint defeated Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray to represent the seat currently held by Senate candidate and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

“We proved them wrong. I was the long shot. I was the underdog, ”Balint told her supporters of her at an election night party, according to Seven Days. “But this campaign wasn’t built on connections. It was built on relationships.”

Balint is heavily favored to win the general election in the deep-blue state going into November,

Bernie Sanders scores a win

Balint’s win also represented a high-profile victory for progressive leader and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who backed her in the primary.

“She will be a fighter for working people, and I look forward to serving with her in Washington,” Sanders said in a statement.

“In this next Congress, we could see the strongest progressive presence in a long time. Alongside Becca, I know that new members like Greg Casar, Summer Lee, Jonathan Jackson, and Delia Ramirez will all be fighters for a bold progressive agenda,” he added, citing other successful progressive candidates.

Her win brings much-needed relief to progressives, who have experienced a number of primary losses this midterm cycle, including former Texas House candidate Jessica Cisneros, former Missouri Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, and former Ohio House candidate Nina Turner.

A surprise nail-biter for a high-profile ‘Squad’ member

In one of the biggest surprises of the night, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of the progressive “Squad” on Capitol Hill, just barely won her primary against former Minneapolis City Councilmember Don Samuels.

While Omar had the backing of progressive leaders like Sanders and had an incumbent’s advantage, she only led Samuels by just over 2 points with over 96 percent of the vote in.

Samuels conceded on Tuesday evening and pledged his support for Omar in the general election.

“The will of the people is the will of the people. Part of the effort to reach out to people, to talk to them on the phone, to go to their doors, to go to events, is out of deference for their decision-making freedom,” Samuels told the Sahan Journal. “To then violate that trust in people’s wisdom and not celebrate their decision, would be inconsistent with the democratic process.”

Samuels, who is a moderate Democrat, campaigned heavily on combatting violent crime as progressives like Omar embraced the “defund the police” movement. The primary could serve as a warning sign for progressives going into the general election as Republicans seek to make combatting crime a centerpiece of their campaign messaging.

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FBI’s search for Trump’s Florida estate: Why now?

FBI's search for Trump's Florida estate: Why now?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI’s unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence ricocheted around government, politics and a polarized country Tuesday along with questions as to why the Justice Department — notably cautious under Attorney General Merrick Garland — decided to take such a drastic step.

Answers weren’t quickly forthcoming.

Agents on Monday searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which is also a private club, as part of a federal investigation into whether the former president took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said. It marked a dramatic escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of Trump, who faces an array of inquiries tied to his conduct in the waning days of his administration.

From echoes of Watergate to the more immediate House probe of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Washington, a city used to sleepy Augusts, reeled from one speculative or accusatory headline to the next. Was the Justice Department politicized? What prompted it to seek authorization to search the estate for classified documents now, months after it was revealed that Trump had taken boxes of materials with him when he left the White House after losing the 2020 election?

Garland has not tipped his hand despite an outcry from some Democrats impatient over whether the department was even pursuing evidence that has surfaced in the Jan. 6 probe and other investigations—and from Republicans who were swift to echo Trump’s claims that he was the victim of political prosecution.

All Garland has said publicly that “no one is above the law.”

A federal judge had to sign off on the warrant after establishing that FBI agents had shown probable cause before they could descend on Trump’s shuttered-for-the-season home — he was in New York, a thousand or so miles away, at the time of the search.

Monday’s search intensified the months-long probe into how classified documents ended up in boxes of White House records located at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year. A separate grand jury is investigating efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and it all adds to potential legal peril for Trump as he lays the groundwork for a potential repeat run for the White House.

Trump and his allies quickly sought to cast the search as a weaponization of the criminal justice system and a Democratic-driven effort to keep him from winning another term in 2024 — though the Biden White House said it had no prior knowledge and current FBI Director Christopher Wray was appointed by Trump five years ago.

Trump, disclosing the search in a lengthy statement late Monday, asserted that agents had opened a safe at his home, and he described their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct.”

Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search, including whether Garland had personally authorized it. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the West Wing first learned of the search from public media reports and the White House had not been briefed in the run-up or aftermath.

“The Justice Department conducts investigations independently and we leave any law enforcement matters to them,” she said. “We are not involved.”

About two dozen Trump supporters stood in protest at midmorning Tuesday in the Florida summer heat and sporadic light rain on a bridge near the former president’s residence. One held a sign reading “Democrats are Fascists” while others carried flags saying “2020 Was Rigged,” “Trump 2024” and Biden’s name with an obscenity. Some cars honked in support as they passed.

Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence, a potential 2024 rival, tweeted Tuesday, “Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell echoed Pence, saying, “Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately.”

“The FBI director was appointed by Donald Trump,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when asked about GOP allegations that the raid showed the politicization of the Justice Department. She added, “Facts and truth, facts and law, that’s what it’s about.”

Trump was meeting late Tuesday at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club with members of the Republican Study Committee, a group headed by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana that says he is committed to putting forth his priorities in Congress.

The FBI reached out to the Secret Service shortly before serving a warrant, a third person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Secret Service agents contacted the Justice Department and were able to validate the warrant before facilitating access to the estate, the person said.

The Justice Department has been investigating the potential mishandling of classified information since the National Archives and Records Administration said it had received from Mar-a-Lago 15 boxes of White House records, including documents containing classified information, earlier this year. The National Archives said Trump should have turned over that material upon leaving office, and it asked the Justice Department to investigate.

Christina Bobb, a lawyer for Trump, said in an interview that aired on Real America’s Voice on Tuesday that investigators said they were “looking for classified information that they think should not have been removed from the White House, as well as presidential records.”

There are multiple federal laws governing the handling of classified records and sensitive government documents, including statutes that make it a crime to remove such material and retain it at an unauthorized location. Though a search warrant does not necessarily mean criminal charges are near or even expected, federal officials looking to obtain one must first demonstrate to judge that they have probable cause that a crime occurred.

Two people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the search Monday was related to the records probe. Agents were also looking to see if Trump had additional presidential records or any classified documents at the estate.

Trump has previously maintained that presidential records were turned over “in an ordinary and routine process.” His son Eric said on Fox News on Monday night that he had spent the day with his father and that the search happened because “the National Archives wanted to corroborate whether or not Donald Trump had any documents in his possession of him. ”

Trump himself, in a social media post Monday night, called the search for a “weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024.”

Trump took a different stance during the 2016 presidential campaign, frequently pointing to an FBI investigation into his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, over whether she mishandled classified information via a private email server she used as secretary of state. Then-FBI Director James Comey concluded that Clinton had sent and received classified information, but the FBI did not recommend criminal charges.

Trump lambasted that decision and then stepped up his criticism of the FBI as agents investigating whether his campaign had colluded with Russia to tip the 2016 election. He fired Comey during that probe, and though he appointed Wray months later, he repeatedly criticized him, too, as president.

The probe is hardly the only legal headache confronting Trump. A separate investigation related to his efforts by him and his allies to under the results of the 2020 presidential election — which led to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol — has also been intensifying in Washington. Several former White House officials have received grand jury subpoenas.

And a district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating whether Trump and his close associates sought to interfere in that state’s election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.

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Associated Press writers Terry Spencer, Meg Kinnard, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Alan Fram, Darlene Superville and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico’s Islamic community

Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico's Islamic community

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Aug 9 (Reuters) – A Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan has been arrested as the prime suspect in the serial killings of four Muslim men that rattled the Islamic community of New Mexico’s largest city, police said on Tuesday.

After days bolstering security around Albuquerque-area mosques, seeking to allay fears of a shooter driven by anti-Muslim hate, police said on Tuesday they had arrested 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, one among the city’s Islamic immigrant community.

Authorities said the killings may have been rooted in a personal grudge, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian overtones.

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All four victims were of Afghan or Pakistani descent. One was killed in November, and the other three in the last two weeks.

A search of the suspect’s Albuquerque home uncovered “evidence that shows the offender knew the victims to some extent, and an inter-personal conflict may have led to the shootings,” police said in a statement announcing the arrest.

Investigators are still piecing together motives for the killings of the four men, Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock of the Albuquerque Police Department said at a news conference.

In response to reporters’ questions, Hartsock said sectarian animus by the suspect toward his fellow Muslim victims may have played a role in the violence. “But we’re not really clear if that was the actual motive, or if it was part of a motive, or if there is just a bigger picture that we’re missing,” he said.

Syed has a record of criminal misdemeanors in the United States, including a case of domestic violence, over the last three or four years, Hartsock said.

Police credited scores of tips from the public in helping investigators locate a car that detectives believed was used in at least one of the killings and ultimately track down the man they called their “primary suspect” in all four slayings.

Syed was formally charged with two of the homicides: those of Aftab Hussein, 41, and Muhammed Afzaal Hussain, 27, killed on July 26 and Aug. 1, respectively, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told the briefing.

Participants in an interfaith memorial ceremony enter the New Mexico Islamic Center mosque to commemorate four murdered Muslim men, hours after police said they had arrested a prime suspect in the killings, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Hay

The latest victim, Nayeem Hussain, 25, a truck driver who became a US citizen on July 8, was killed on Friday, hours after attending the burial of the two men slain in July and August, both of them of Pakistani descent.

The three most recent victims all attended the Islamic Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque’s largest mosque. They were all shot near Central Avenue in southeastern Albuquerque.

The first known victim, Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, a native of Afghanistan, was killed on Nov. 7, 2021, while smoking a cigarette outside a grocery store and cafe that he ran with his brother in the southeastern part of the city.

BULLET CASINGS

Police said the two killings with which Syed was initially charged were tied together based on bullet casings found at the two murder scenes, and the gun used in those shootings was later found in his home.

According to police, detectives were preparing to search Syed’s residence in southeastern Albuquerque on Monday when he drove from the residence in the car that investigators had identified to the public a day earlier as a “vehicle of interest.”

Albuquerque and state authorities have been working to provide extra police presence at mosques during times of prayer as the investigation proceeded in the city, home to as many as 5,000 Muslims out of a total population of 565,000.

The ambush-style shootings of the men have terrified Albuquerque’s Muslim community. Families went into hiding in their homes, and some Pakistani students at the University of New Mexico left town out of fear.

Imtiaz Hussain, whose brother worked as a city planning director and was killed on Aug. 1, said news of the arrest reassured many in the Muslim community.

“My kids asked me, ‘Can we sit on our balcony now?’ and I said, ‘Yes,’ and they said, ‘Can we go out and play now?’ and I said, ‘Yes,'” he said.

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Reporting by Andrew Hay in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Washington; Tyler Clifford in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, Daniel Wallis and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Live election results: Key Minnesota legislative primaries

Live election results: Key Minnesota legislative primaries

While the spotlight may be on races such as attorney general or the first congressional district in Tuesday’s primaries, many Senate and House seats across the state are up due to state-wide redistricting. Here are the legislative primaries we’re watching closely. Results will be shown below.

Senate District 5

In northern Minnesota, this race is between Republican Sen. Paul Utke, endorsed candidate Bret Bussman and Republican Dale Anderson, a lifelong Walker resident and pastor. Utke currently represents District 2 in northwestern Minnesota. Bussman emphasized the Republican party is moving too far left, so he is running as a Christian Constitutional Conservative. The Democratic primary is uncontested.

Senate District 10

An open seat in central Minnesota has former Jim Newberger, Steve Wenzel and Nathan Wesenberg competing. Newberger and Wenzel are former state representatives and Wesenberg is a Wildlife Biologist and resident of Little Falls, Minn. The Democratic primary is uncontested.

Senate District 23

Incumbent Republican Sen. Gene Dornink is being challenged by restaurant owner Lisa Hanson for his seat in southern Minnesota. There has been controversy of Dornink’s residency status after he bought a new house in a nearby town after new district boundaries paired him with a fellow incumbent. He insists he met residency requirements in state law despite allegations he has spent considerable time in his family’s prior home to him. Hanson says Dornink was n’t forceful enough in taking on COVID-19 restrictions, she has said she believes Democrats will raise their own residency challenge if he wins Tuesday. The Democratic primary is uncontested.

Senate District 54

This Prior Lake race is between Republican Sen. Eric Pratt and endorsed candidate Natalie Barnes. Pratt currently serves District 55. Barnes is a nurse and small business owner. Currently, District 54 is controlled by Democrats. The Democratic primary is uncontested.

Senate District 56

On the DFL side, the race is between endorsed candidate Justin Emmerich and former state Rep. Erin Maye Quade. Earlier in the year, Maye Quade entered labor and during the DFL debate leaving some confusion on if she was still running. Shortly after, she announced that although she was not endorsed, her campaign would carry on. The Republican primary is uncontested.

Senate District 62

In south Minneapolis, DFL Sen. Omar Fateh is up against Shaun Laden. Fateh won his seat in 2020 and is endorsed by the party. Laden is an educator and community organizer. The Republican primary is uncontested.

Senate District 65

In St. Paul, longtime DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas has two competitive challengers in Zuki Ellis and Sheigh Freeberg. Ellis currently serves on the school board for Saint Paul Public Schools and Freeberg is a part of the union movement. The Republican primary is uncontested.

House District 50B

This Bloomington area contest pairs two DFL incumbents — Reps. Andrew Carlson and Steve Elkins. Carlson was elected in 2016 and Elkins in 2018 for District 49B. The Republican primary is uncontested.

House District 52A

In Eagan the race is between two DFL incumbents — Reps. Sandra Masin and Liz Reyer. Masin was elected in 2006 and currently serves 51A. Reyer is the current representative for 52A and was elected in 2020. The Republican primary is uncontested.

House District 54A

A third rematch is occurring in Shakopee between Republican state Rep. Erik Mortensen and former GOP state Rep. Bob Loonan. In 2021, Mortensen was voted out of the New House Republican Caucus for disagreements with leadership. He currently serves 55A. Loonan served 55A in 2014, ran for reelection in 2018 and 2020 but lost to Mortensen.

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Trump’s legal team was in talks with the Justice Department this spring over records stored at Mar-a-Lago, attorney says

Trump's legal team was in talks with the Justice Department this spring over records stored at Mar-a-Lago, attorney says

Donald Trump’s legal team was in discussions with the Justice Department as recently as early June about records stored at the former president’s Mar-a-Largo home, which FBI agents searched Monday, one of his attorneys confirmed to NBC News.

Trump attorney Christina Bobb said Tuesday that the FBI removed about a dozen boxes from a basement storage area and that a search warrant left by agents indicated they were investigating possible violations of laws dealing with the handling of classified material and the Presidential Records Act.

With her account, multiple sources have now confirmed to NBC News that the unprecedented search was related to classified material.

The Washington Post first reported the new details from Bobb, who said she was present for Monday’s search, while CNN previously reported aspects of the spring meeting.

According to Bobb, Trump’s lawyers earlier this year searched through two to three dozen boxes of material in a storage area, looking for possible presidential records, and they turned over “a few pages” that might meet the definition.

Bobb said she and Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran met later with a senior Justice Department official whose name she could not recall. Trump appeared at the beginning of the meeting, in June, and greeted investigators, Bobb said, adding that the former president was not interviewed. Federal officials then looked through boxes of material, Bobb added.

Corcoran did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department has declined to comment on the FBI search at Trump’s home for him.

Bobb told NBC News that the Justice Department officials said they did not believe the storage unit housing the documents was properly secured. She said that Trump officials added a lock to the facility and that FBI agents broke the lock when they searched the property Monday.

Bobb added that she did not know what prompted the Justice Department to escalate its investigation to a court-ordered search.

A source close to Trump who is familiar with the search said there are no plans to release a copy of the warrant. The source added that Trump had personally shown the Justice Department officials the room where the materials were housed during the spring meeting, which the source said took place June 3.

In a lengthy email statement issued by his Save America political committee, Trump said his home was “currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents” who “broke into my safe.”

Trump this year had to return 15 boxes of documents that the National Archives and Records Administration said were improperly taken from the White House.

The National Archives subsequently asked the Justice Department to examine whether Trump’s handling of White House records broke federal law.

A spokesman for Trump, Taylor Budowich, blasted the FBI’s search, calling it both “brazen” and “completely unnecessary.”

“President Trump and his representatives have gone to painstaking lengths in communicating and cooperating with the appropriate agencies — something that is routine for all similar instances,” Budowich said in a statement Tuesday.

Ken Dilanian is the intelligence and national security correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington.

Vaughn Hillyard

Vaughn Hillyard is a political reporter for NBC News.

Zoë Richards is the evening politics reporter for NBC News.

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Suspects used slur, monkeypox reference in DC attack

Suspects used slur, monkeypox reference in DC attack

Police in DC are investigating an attack on two men as a suspected hate crime, after the assailants referenced monkeypox and called them an anti-gay slur.

Police in DC are investigating an attack on two men as a suspected hate crime, after the assailants referenced monkeypox and called them an anti-gay slur.

It happened on Sunday in the 1700 block of 7th Street Northwest in the Shaw neighborhood. The men were walking southbound on the east side of the street when they were approached by a group of people.

The men told NBC Washington that the group consisted of teenagers. The people in the group called the men “monkeypox” followed by an anti-gay slur, and then punched them several times, a DC police report said.

The group then went northbound on 7th Street.

“One of them comes up to me and punches me in the jaw, giving me a gash right here that needed about three stitches,” one of the victims told NBC Washington, adding that he is not shocked at what happened, as there had been a buildup over the last couple of months regarding monkeypox.

Below is the area where it happened.

The federal government declared a public health emergency last week to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has affected more than 9,000 people in the US as of Tuesday.

Last month, DC reported the largest outbreak of monkeypox per capita in the nation. Currently, DC has 318 cases, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count.

There has been stigma related to monkeypox, especially surrounding how it can be transmitted.

Monkeypox can spread from person to person through direct contact with an infectious rash, scabs or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex, the CDC said.

Major Muriel Bowser said in a statement that she was “extremely disturbed by the reported hate crime.”

She criticized those who use public health to “stigmatize and discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community,” and said it’s everyone’s responsibility to understand how to build a safer community for DC residents and visitors.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US’ top infectious disease expert, told WTOP’s “DMV Download” podcast last week, “Don’t stigmatize. Don’t point fingers. That’s about the worst thing you can do.”

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Freak beach accident leaves Florida man Sean Nagel dead

Freak beach accident leaves Florida man Sean Nagel dead

A Florida man died after getting buried alive by a sand dune that collapsed while he was enjoying the sunrise, authorities said.

The freak accident happened early Sunday morning at Rock Beach on Hutchinson Island — where a passerby spotted a pair of human legs sticking out from the sand and called for help, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.

The grim discovery was made just south of the House of Refuge Museum at around 9 am

Sean Nagel, 37, has died in a suspected accident when a beach dune under which he was recording a sunrise on a Florida beach collapsed on top of him on Sunday.
Sean Nagel, 37, has died in a suspected accident when a beach dune under which he was recording a sunrise on a Florida beach collapsed on top of him on Sunday.
Facebook/Will Nagel

Officials have determined that the man in the sand, who has been identified as 37-year-old Sean Nagel, from Stuart, “died hours earlier from asphyxia as a result of being trapped in the sand.”

Sheriff William Snyder confirmed to WPTV that when first responders dug up Nagel, sand was discovered in his lungs.

The release from the sheriff’s office stated that detectives believe Nagel was laying underneath a sand dune with his feet up while recording video of a sunrise between 5 and 6 am when the dune collapsed, trapping him. They do not suspect foul play.

The incident happened along Rock Beach on Hutchinson Island, Florida, early Sunday.
The incident happened along Rock Beach on Hutchinson Island, Florida, early Sunday.
TNS via Getty Images
A beachgoer found Sean Nagel's legs sticking out of the sand and called for help, but the man had been dead for a couple hours.
A beachgoer found Nagel’s legs sticking out of the sand and called for help, but the man had been dead for a couple hours.
Facebook/Will Nagel

A GoPro camera and a plastic bag were found next to Nagel’s body in the sand, reported TCPalm.com.

The sheriff’s office added that investigators were awaiting the results of toxicology tests, as per standard procedure, but it noted the results were “not likely to change the outcome of this incident being a tragic accident.”

Nagel’s older brother confirmed his death resuming from an accidental dune collapse in a Facebook post on Monday.

“I am grief-stricken and still in disbelief to tell you all that my younger brother Sean Alexander Nagel is no longer with us on this earth,” Will Nagel wrote. “Please remember to enjoy your life and don’t take a single second for granted.”

Sean Nagel’s old Facebook posts suggest that he is survived by a young son.

In May, an 18-year-old was killed when a sand hole he was digging at a New Jersey beach suddenly collapsed.

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NJ crash: 1 killed, 5 injured after Megabus overturns on New Jersey Turnpike near service area in Woodbridge

NJ crash: 1 killed, 5 injured after Megabus overturns on New Jersey Turnpike near service area in Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, NJ (WABC) — One person was killed and five people were seriously injured after a bus overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike in Woodbridge Tuesday night, according to New Jersey State Police.

Authorities say the crash, involving an overturned double decker Megabus, happened just before 7 pm on the New Jersey Turnpike at the Thomas Edison service area entrance ramp from the outer roadway.

Police say the bus struck a Ford F-150 pickup truck, causing the bus to overturn on the entrance ramp to the service area.

According to Megabus, there were 19 passengers and a driver on the bus that was heading southbound from New York to Philadelphia.

One person was killed and five people were seriously injured, including the driver. They were all taken to nearby hospitals.

No one in the pickup truck was injured in the crash.

The inner roadway entrance to the service area has reopened. The outer roadway remains closed.

An investigation is under way into what caused the crash.

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Ilhan Omar will win Democratic nomination for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, CNN projects

Ilhan Omar will win Democratic nomination for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, CNN projects

Omar, who is running for a third term in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, held off a primary challenge from former Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels and three other Democratic primary candidates, CNN projects.

Omar beat back a well-funded primary rival in 2020, but Samuels, a moderate, entered the race with higher name recognition in the Minneapolis-based district and the support of a big-spending super PAC.

Takeaways from the Vermont, Wisconsin and Michigan primaries

Samuels had run as a pro-police critic of Omar’s calls to “defund the police.” He and his wife de el successfully sued the city of Minneapolis to force it to increase police staffing levels to the 741 officers required by the city’s charter.

Momentum built behind what had been widely seen as a long-shot challenge after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey endorsed Samuels last week. He was also backed by building trades unions, several suburban mayors and more moderate DFL leaders.

His close call could inspire another effort to oust Omar in 2024. Democrats currently control four out of the state’s eight US House seats to three for the Republicans and one vacancy.

Omar’s victory comes the week after two other liberal members of the “squad,” Missouri Rep. Cori Bush and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, also beat back primary challenges.

Votes were being counted in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut on Tuesday night following a round of primaries that will further clarify several of November’s key contests.

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Judges overturn 7 murder convictions after misconduct allegations

Judges overturn 7 murder convictions after misconduct allegations

His father died while Nelson Gonzalez was in prison. Alfredo Gonzalez couldn’t go to his daughter’s wedding. And Marilyn Mulero missed out on her two children’s childhoods.

“It’s been hard — I lost my brother,” Mulero added, her voice breaking. “He was my strength.”

These are three of the Chicago families affected by murder convictions tainted by allegations of misconduct by former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.

In a historic move Tuesday, judges overturned seven murder convictions in a single day. Many of the exonerees have spent decades in prison for slayings that took place between 1989 and 1996.

Nelson Gonzalez talks with reporters at the Leighton Criminal Court Building following a hearing on Aug. 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office had filed motions in the seven cases and an eighth to be heard at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. In an unprecedented move, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced at a news conference Tuesday morning that prosecutors “can no longer stand by these convictions,” leading to the mass dismissal.

“Rebuilding the community trust in our justice system requires that when we find an injustice, we work diligently to correct it,” Foxx said. “Today marks another step in that process at the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.”

Exoneres, family members and supporters spoke with reporters after the court hearings. Emotions ran high as people cheered, cried and hugged. Some were holding signs showing the faces of Guevara accusers.

Mulero spoke as the first woman to have a conviction overturned due to allegations of misconduct by Guevara.

“I had to be a strong individual because I had two toddlers when I was incarcerated. I had to fight for them. I had to be strong for them, ”Mulero said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Marilyn Mulero, who served 28 years for a 1992 arrest, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building following a hearing on Aug. 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

She served 28 years in prison — including five years on death row — and was released in April 2020.

“There’s other women out there that are incarcerated, that are innocent, that I will keep fighting for, just like our other Guevara victims that are in there,” she added.

Tuesday’s development marks 31 convictions overturned since 2016 in connection to Guevara’s alleged misconduct, claims that range from manipulating witnesses to fabricating evidence.

Alfredo Gonzalez’s family, who was at the courthouse for the hearings Tuesday, was itching to see him. He had been serving a life sentence after his arrest in 1990.

“We’ve been waiting for a very long time. My dad got taken away from us when I was 3, my brother was 7, ”his daughter from him Maria Gonzalez said. “We are just ready to drive over there and pick him up.”

Nelson Gonzalez, who was exonerated, embraces his attorney Jennifer Bonjean outside the Leighton Criminal Court Building following a hearing on Aug. 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Nelson Gonzalez, who served 22 years and was released in 2016, called on Foxx to seek charges against Guevara.

“This was a conspiracy created by Mr. Guevara and other agents. And I’m asking Kim Foxx to press charges, to pursue, to prosecute not only Guevara, but the other CPD agents that helped him convict these individuals,” he said. “They created a chaos within many families. And we’re not going to stop. We’re going to keep going. We’re going to keep pushing, we’re going to keep pushing.”

Gonzalez said he plans on going back to school to study criminal justice.

“I would love to be a lawyer,” he said. “I know what the journey is, so I can speak from both sides. So, that’s what I’m gonna be focused on, and family, and making sure my mom’s OK, and continue to help the community. I’m not going to give up just because I was vindicated.”

The other men exonerated Tuesday included Carlos Andino, who had been serving a 60-year sentence, Johnny Flores, who served 20 years, and Jaime Rios, who served 18 years. David Colon’s conviction was vacated last month after having served 26 years in prison.

Johnny Flores, right, and Daniel Rodriguez greet each other during a gathering to celebrate seven murder convictions overturned because of misconduct by former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, at a restaurant on Aug. 9, 2022, in Schiller Park. Rodriguez, who was exonerated in April 2022 for a 1991 murder, and Flores, who was exonerated Tuesday, are two of 31 people whose convictions have been overturned since 2016 in connection to Guevara’s alleged misconduct. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The conviction of an eighth Guevara accuser, Louis Robinson, was not thrown out Tuesday. Robinson is still serving a 60-year sentence after his arrest in 1996. He “remains in custody pending further court proceedings,” Foxx said in a news release.

“Louis Robinson, you know we will continue to fight for you,” Mulero said. “Today was the day that wasn’t your day, but your day is going to come. It is coming.”

At the state’s attorney’s office news conference, Foxx said Guevara had repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself “and then when asked questions, was not truthful.” She added that her office de ella hasn’t actively pursued charges against Guevara yet.

“Our first priority was ensuring that we could stand by these convictions, the next step of that: We’re going to review these cases, and also review the possibility for charges where appropriate,” she said.

Foxx pointed out that there might also be issues with the statute of limitations to prosecute the former detective.

She also spoke about the pain of those who lost family members to the homicides. Guevara’s alleged misconduct, she said, hurts them too.

“To lose a loved one is difficult enough — and to lose a loved one to violence. And to believe that you have someone being held accountable, only to be told that conviction doesn’t stand, is disheartening,” Foxx said. “(Guevara’s) harm is not just to those who may have been imprisoned for crimes that they didn’t commit, but to families who are looking for justice for the loss of their loved ones.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx talks about her office’s review of cases related to allegations of misconduct involving former CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara on Aug. 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

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Looking ahead, Foxx said three other cases will be reviewed in the coming weeks. If those convictions — and Robinson’s — are tossed, it would bring the tally for vindicated Guevara accusers up to 35.

“We expect to resolve additional cases with similar court action in the upcoming weeks,” Foxx said. “We also anticipate that more individuals may come forward, and we will review their cases as they come.”

“What do we want?” Mulero asked before leaving the mic setup at Leighton Criminal Court Building.

“Justice!” the group of supporters, families and exonerees behind her responded.

“When do we want it?”

“Now!”

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