Wednesday, August 7, 2024

August 7, 2024

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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Progressives get victory with Harris pick of Walz for vice president . . . Liberal Democrats are all cheers after Kamala Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday, hailing the decision as a victory for progressive policy ideals that will invigorate the party's base heading into November's elections. Walz had built a moderate record during his 12 years representing a rural district in the U.S. House, championing a number of liberal social causes but also bucking his party on other prominent policy goals, including those related to gun reform and environmental protection. Yet Walz has shifted to the left in more recent years, promoting gun restrictions and clean energy advances while winning praise from civil rights leaders for his handling of the 2020 murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. The Hill

GOP welcomes leftist Walz to the ticket . . . In the run-up to Harris' decision, Republicans had expressed concern over the possibility of her choosing Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), pointing to his record of winning statewide in the critical battleground and moderate record as governor. But with Walz at the top of the ticket, Republicans are already targeting his progressive record and doubting he will be much help in appealing to swing voters in battleground states. "Tim Walz? What a relief," Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to former President Trump, posted on X. The Hill

Politics

Accusations Harris snubbed Gov. Shapiro as VP pick to appease anti-Israel Dems . . . Politicians, pundits, and conservative voices reacted to news of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being selected as the Democratic vice presidential nominee by claiming it is evidence that Democrats have a problem with antisemitism within the party. "The Walz selection shows just how deep the Dems' antisemitism problem runs," Manhattan Institute's Ilya Shapiro posted on X after Walz was selected by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday over Gov. Shapiro. Shapiro, who is Jewish, was forced to defend his stance on Israel during the VP selection process. Fox News

Walz's history of restricting faith-based institutions . . . Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has faced multiple lawsuits accusing him of infringing on religious liberty during his six years as Minnesota governor. Walz encountered legal challenges for COVID-19 lockdown policies that religious organizations argued were discriminatory, placing stricter requirements on churches than businesses. He also encountered pushback after signing a law that stripped faith-based schools of funding for a program that offers free college credits to high school students. Daily Signal

Walz taught in China, speaks Mandarin . . . Kamala Harris's vice-presidential pick Tim Walz has drawn attention halfway across the world in China. Chinese social media users have been discussing how Mr Walz spent a year teaching in the south-eastern province of Guangdong in 1989 - a topic that was trending on Weibo with 12 million views. Mr Walz once described his decision to teach in China as "one of the best things I've ever done". BBC

He and his wife, fellow teacher Gwen Whipple, later honeymooned in the country. Bernie Sanders and his wife honeymooned in the Soviet Union.

Watch the media fawn over "cuddly VP pick Walz

VP pick says he wants to ban guns he "carried in war;" but he was never in war . . . Walz, the governor of Minnesota, served 24 years in the Army National Guard but never saw combat, according to his own résumé. Walz responded mostly to natural disasters in Minnesota and Nebraska, he told Minnesota Public Radio. He served overseas on a few occasions, but far away from any war zone: in Italy to support the European security force during the war in Afghanistan and Norway for joint training exercises with NATO forces. Washington Free Beacon

Walz makes crude joke about Vance . . . Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) referred to a crude sex joke based on a fake meme to make fun of rival Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) during a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate. "I can't wait to debate the guy," Walz said, to cheers. Then he added: "That is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up." The crowd roared with laughter. "You see what I did there?" he said, clearly aware of the joke. The joke refers to a meme that claims Vance had sex with a couch, based on a fake citation from his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. Breitbart

Walz has never used a teleprompter. He may need to learn quick.

Former Clinton pollster disappointed . . . Former Bill Clinton adviser Mark Penn on Tuesday expressed disappointment with Vice President Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate because it indicates "the left" would dominate if they win the election. "I had really suggested that Josh Shapiro would be the best choice for a multitude of reasons, but mostly that, ideologically Josh Shapiro really put down a marker that the left wasn't going to control this next administration and it was a reach out to centrists," Penn said. "So I think Walz sends a message, Bernie Sanders' choice, all in with the base. Daily Caller

Wife loved the smell of riots . . . Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's wife, Gwen, said she left her windows open to "smell the burning tires" during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots because she felt it was a "touchstone" moment. An interview clip with Gwen Walz discussing the 2020 riots and her reaction to them resurfaced online Tuesday after Vice President Kamala Harris announced she would be choosing the Minnesota governor as her running mate for the 2024 election. In the interview, Gwen could be heard talking about the riots and her choice to leave the "windows open as long" as the city was burned by looters and rioters. Daily Caller

Harris pushed gun show ban . . . In August 2007, Harris held a San Francisco press conference to promote a state bill to ban gun shows at the Cow Palace, a popular indoor arena owned by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Flanked by then-mayor Gavin Newsom, Harris said there was an "absolute and direct connection" between gun shows at the Cow Palace and "San Franciscans … dying in the streets." Washington Free Beacon

Harris donated last year to defund police group backing DC 'sanctuary city' law . . . Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff cut checks to a progressive legal group that pushed to defund the police and make Washington, D.C., a permanent "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants, documents show. Legal Aid DC, a nonprofit organization in the district that works on housing law and represents low-income clients in other areas, received a $1,000 donation from Harris and Emhoff in 2023, according to a copy of their joint tax return. In 2021, the couple also directed $1,000 to Legal Aid DC. Washington Examiner

Trump leads among Jewish voters in New York . . . Former President Trump has moved into the lead among Jewish voters in deep-blue New York. Trump garnered the support of 50% of likely Jewish voters in New York, according to a Siena Research Institute poll released Tuesday, a slight lead over Vice President Harris who garnered the selection of 49% of respondents. While the lead for Trump is slim, it marks a dramatic change from the former president's prospects against President Biden, who in June led Trump among likely Jewish voters, 52%-46%, in the state. Fox News

Squad member Cori Bush ousted in primary . . . Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) was defeated in a primary Tuesday, becoming the second member of the progressive Squad to be ousted this year after massive spending by pro-Israel groups. Wesley Bell, the elected lead prosecutor in St. Louis County, Missouri, beat Bush in what became the second most-expensive House primary in history, thanks largely to the over $8 million in spending from the United Democracy Project, the super PAC arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Politico

Culture

Judge dismisses most claims in lawsuit filed by black Texas student punished over hairstyle . . . A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed most of the claims in a lawsuit filed by a Black high school student who alleged that school officials committed racial and gender discrimination when they punished him for refusing to change his hairstyle. The ruling was another victory in the case for the Barbers Hill school district near Houston, which has said its policy restricting hair length for male students instills discipline while teaching grooming and respect for authority. Washington Times

Alphabet song canceled . . . Social media users appear to be divided as educators are revealing online how they are altering the way in which they teach young students the "ABCs." Different from the classic "Alphabet Song," the latest version is switched up by separating the letters into different groups and changing the ending to, "Now I will never forget, I know how to say the alphabet." "The traditional alphabet song has a few issues. When sung quickly, the letters 'LMNOP' tend to blend together, leading many young children to incorrectly believe 'elemenop' is a single letter. Additionally, the way 'Y and Z' is sung can sound like 'Y N Z,' which adds an extra, unintended letter to the song," said one phonics teacher. Fox News

National Security

Feds disrupt Iranian murder-for-hire plot against U.S. officials . . . Federal authorities broke up an assassination plot on U.S. soil, prosecutors revealed Tuesday, saying a Pakistani man operating as an agent of Iran was trying to kill American officials. Investigators said Asif Merchant tried to recruit hit men but ended up with two undercover agents. He didn't reveal his targets but told the agents they were planning to strike "government officials," according to court documents. He also hoped to foment protests and steal documents from targets' homes, the FBI said. Washington Times

International

Rebekah Koffler: Putin may not be so quick to help Iran against Israel . . . Throughout his presidency and until the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has pursued a largely pro-Israel policy. Not because he is a nice guy, but because he is a pragmatist. As a practical matter, Putin likely calculates that the 1.2 million Russian and former Soviet émigrés living in Israel represent a good pool of expatriates who could return to their own or their parents' motherland, adding some educated human capital to demographically struggling Russia. He also sees Jewish émigrés in Israel, Europe and the United States as a potential source of investment in Russia, especially in high technology, now that Russia is marginalized from the West because of its war on Ukraine. Fox News

Russian officials say they are fighting off a Ukrainian military incursion for a second day

Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader . . . Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group's hardline wing after his predecessor was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Iran. The selection of Sinwar, a secretive figure close to Iran who worked for years to build up Hamas' military strength, was a defiant signal that the group is prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of destruction from Israel's campaign in Gaza and after the assassination of Sinwar's predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh. Associated Press

You should also know

Americans aren't buying the official version of the Trump shooting, poll shows . . . Americans are deeply skeptical of the official storyline of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, with a new poll showing just a third of them believe the gunman was acting alone and there was no broader conspiracy. The TIPP/Daily Mail poll found 45% of those surveyed believe in the "larger conspiracy" and another 22 are unsure about what to think. More than a quarter of people believe a second shooter was involved. Washington Times

Guilty Pleasures

Iowa Chicken parade prompts uproar in Des Moines . . . Iowa's capital city is establishing a new pecking order for backyard chickens and roosters after some of their diehard fans paraded around City Hall with some of their flocks on Monday. City Manager Scott Sanders said in a statement issued Friday evening that he thinks the city can find a way to amend the proposed restrictions so they will "better serve the whole community," including chicken owners. The proposal that got preliminary approval from the city council would have cut the number of birds allowed from 30 to 12 and ban the roosters that are disturbing the peace in some neighborhoods. Chicken parade organizer Ed Fallon said the city seemed to be overreacting. Associated Press

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