White House bets midterms on Trump as Minneapolis shooting shocks the city and Clippers face sweeping penalties

The White House is steering the midterm narrative to focus on Donald Trump even though he isn’t on the ballot, amid concerns about GOP turnout; a mass shooting in downtown Minneapolis left 3 dead (including the gunman) and five injured; and the NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million, stripped five first‑round picks, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer and executives for salary-cap violations tied to Kawhi Leonard, while Iran accused the U.S. of striking a wedding and the U.S. investigates.