10 things you need to know today: June 15, 2017

House majority whip critically injured in shooting, special counsel turns attention to Trump, and more

FBI officials investigate after a shooting during a congressional baseball practice
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

1. House majority whip critically injured in attack on GOP baseball team

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) remained in critical condition overnight after he and four others were wounded by a gunman who opened fire on lawmakers and staffers practicing in Alexandria, Virginia, for a charity baseball game on Wednesday. Police identified the attacker as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old unemployed home inspector from southern Illinois who was angry about the election of President Trump. Hodgkinson was killed in a shootout with members of a Capitol Police detail assigned to protect Scalise because of his leadership position. Two members of Scalise's security detail, agents David Bailey and Crystal Griner, were injured, as were congressional aide Zachary Barth and lobbyist Matt Mika. Hodgkinson had made anti-Trump posts to his Facebook page and accused Republicans of supporting policies that favored the wealthy over the poor. He had been living in his van near Washington, D.C., for several months.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.