Former President Donald Trump‘s campaign reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday to be her running mate by casting them as a pair of “extremist” liberals. The statement from Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt focused a great deal on the blue state of California, where Harris spent time serving as state attorney general and a U.S. senator. “It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate – Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” Leavitt said. “While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is ‘mostly cows and rocks.'” She added, “From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide. If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare.” Walz edged out Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to join Harris’ ticket. Walz and Shapiro were reportedly the final two frontrunners. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, spoke to radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier on Tuesday about Harris choosing a running mate. “If it’s not Josh Shapiro, I will be stunned. But if it isn’t Josh Shapiro, if they pick Tim Walz, who makes Tim Kaine seem like Justin Timberlake, he’s the most boring man in America, if it’s not Josh Shapiro, and that’s because he’ll be Jewish and because he’s a supporter of Israel, what does that tell you about the Democratic Party if it’s not Josh Shapiro?” Hewitt asked. “Well, look, if it’s not Josh Shapiro, I agree with you. I think that they will have not picked Shapiro, frankly, out of the antisemitism in their own caucus, in their own party. I think it’s disgraceful that Democrats have gotten to this point where it’s even an open conversation. And it is an open conversation, Hugh,” Vance replied. In his first post to Truth Social after Harris made her pick, Trump simply declared in all capital letters, “THANK YOU!”

Members of the far-left “Squad” threw their support behind Tim Walz shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris tapped the Minnesota governor as her running mate. Walz on Tuesday racked up endorsements from Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN), Jamaal Bowman (NY), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY). The trio share Walz’s progressive positions on a number of issues, including illegal immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The “Squad’s” swift embrace of Walz could cause problems for the Harris campaign. While Democrats are optimistic that Walz’s folksy, midwestern charm could help balance Harris’ coastal progressivism, the governor actually had the most far-left record of any of the lawmakers on Harris’s vice presidential shortlist, The Daily Wire reported. Endorsements from the “Squad” could serve to remind voters that Walz isn’t as moderate as he appears. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI “Congratulations to our next Vice President,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) wrote on X, boasting that Walz is “Bringing Minnesota nice to the ticket.” Omar also cheered Walz for “sign[ing] universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law.” Congratulations to our next Vice President @Tim_Walz ? Our North Star state Governor has signed universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law. Bringing Minnesota nice to the ticket ?? pic.twitter.com/8fNZS1jsyG — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 6, 2024 “Vice President Harris made an excellent decision in Gov. Walz as her running mate,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “Together, they will govern effectively, inclusively, and boldly for the American people.” Vice President Harris made an excellent decision in Gov. Walz as her running mate. Together, they will govern effectively, inclusively, and boldly for the American people. They won’t back down under tight odds, either – from healthcare to school lunch. Let’s do this ?? https://t.co/9vttVTC39Z — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 6, 2024 Most notable was Walz’s ringing endorsement from Bowman, who shared a video of him excitedly shouting about the governor on X, with the caption “It’s Walz baby let’s go!!” It’s Walz baby let’s go!! pic.twitter.com/ix54tsvMJ9 — Rep. Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (@JamaalBowmanNY) August 6, 2024 Bowman lost his June primary to a moderate New York Democrat after supporters and voters alike deserted the congressman over his radical anti-Israel statements. Bowman, best known for pulling a fire alarm in Congress in a bid to disrupt a vote, claimed that videos of Hamas terrorists beheading babies on Oct. 7 were “Israeli propaganda.” Bowman, whom Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro says has become a “full scale anti-Semite,” refused to condemn the Hamas attacks. He has joined his fellow Squad members in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as Israel defends itself against ongoing terrorist attacks. Walz called for a ceasefire on March 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, and will likely emphasize his military service as part of their campaign. But when Walz was running for governor in 2018, former members of the National Guard spoke out about his service, with a retired command sergeant major saying he “embellished and selectively omitted facts of his military career for years.” In an open letter posted to Facebook that year, retired Command Sergeants Major Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr wrote that Walz retired just a few months after receiving a warning order that his battalion would be deployed to Iraq – even though he told military personnel he would be going on the mission. “On May 16th, 2005, [Walz] quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war,” Behrends and Herr wrote. The pair wrote that Walz said he needed to retire to run for Congress, but this was untrue. Walz could have run for Congress and requested permission from the Secretary of Defense before he entered active duty, the pair claimed. “If he had retired normally and respectfully, you would think he would have ensured his retirement documents were correctly filled out and signed, and that he would have ensured he was reduced to Master Sergeant for dropping out of the academy,” the two wrote. “Instead he slithered out the door and waited for the paperwork to catch up to him.” They noted that his official retirement document says “soldier not available for signature.” Walz’s sudden retirement complicated his selection to the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Behrends and Herr wrote. Once someone accepts enrollment, they agree to three stipulations: to serve two years after graduation from the academy or promotion, that failing the course could result in being kicked out of the military, and that they will be reduced to Master Sergeant if they don’t complete the course. Walz wasn’t promoted to Command Sergeant Major until September 17, 2004. A month earlier, he was photographed holding a protest sign outside a rally for President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign, though it doesn’t seem as though the military noticed or disciplined him. Less than a year after his promotion, Walz retired, meaning his promotion was nullified since he broke the agreement he signed when entering the academy. On September 10, 2005, Walz was reduced to Master Sergeant. As Behrends and Herr wrote, “It took a while for the system to catch up to him as it was uncharted territory, literally no one quits in the position he was in, or drops out of the academy.” In November 2005, Walz reached out to his former battalion as it was preparing for war. He offered to hold a fundraiser for their bus trip home over Christmas. “The same Soldiers he had abandoned just months before, trying to buy their votes,” Behrends and Herr wrote. These are not the only two to call out Walz’s service. According to Behrends and Herr, Tom Hagen, an Iraq war veteran, wrote a letter to the Winona Daily News calling Walz’s retirement “disturbing”. “But even more disturbing is the fact that Walz quickly retired after learning that his unit —southern Minnesota’s 1-125 FA Battalion — would be sent to Iraq,” Hagen wrote in the letter, according to Behrends and Herr. “For Tim Walz to abandon his fellow soldiers and quit when they needed experienced leadership most is disheartening. It dishonors those brave American men and women who did answer their nation’s call and who continue to serve, fight and unfortunately die in harm’s way for us.” WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI The letter prompted a scathing response from Walz, who defended his service record. “After completing 20 years of service in 2001, I re-enlisted to serve our country for an additional four years following Sept. 11 and retired the year before my battalion was deployed to Iraq in order to run for Congress,” Walz said. “I’m proud of the 24 years I served our country in the Army National Guard. There’s a code of honor among those who’ve served, and normally this type of partisan political attack comes only from one who’s never worn a uniform.” Behrends and Herr note that Walz’s official Report of Separation and Record of Service state that Walz re-enlisted on September 18, 2001, for six years. Walz said in his response to Hagen that he only re-enlisted for four years, which would have made his retirement date September 18, 2005 – four months later than when he actually retired. “The bottom line in all of this is gut wrenching and sad to explain,” Behrends and Herr concluded. “When the nation called, he quit.”

Democrat vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz once said that he was so pro-abortion that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) suggested that he moderate his position.  When Walz first ran for governor back in 2018, he joked about his extreme views on abortion. “My record is so pro-choice Nancy Pelosi asked me if I should tone it down,” he said. “I stand with Planned Parenthood.”  Walz, who was in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019, has a 0% pro-life score from the National Right to Life. After he voted for a bill in 2018 that would protect babies who survive botched abortions, he apologized and said that he had accidentally voted for the measure. “Accidentally voted for HR4712 today,” he said. “It was an honest mistake. I meant to vote NO, as I did on an identical bill last Congress. My apologies for the confusion. I’ll keep fighting for women’s access to health care.” The bill would have required doctors to care for babies who were born alive after failed abortions and charge doctors with murder if they end the life of the baby outside of the womb.  WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI As governor, Walz signed a measure in January 2023 that effectively removed all restrictions on abortions. Republican lawmakers said the law would allow for abortions at any stage of pregnancy.  “Every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual’s own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care,” the legislation said.  Walz’s selection has already drawn criticism from pro-life advocates who say that a Harris-Walz administration would be radical on abortion.  “If elected, a Harris-Walz Administration would push for the most extreme abortion agenda policies of any administration,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are both radically pro-abortion and see the lives of precious unborn babies as disposable inconveniences.” The pick was also criticized by Susan B. Anthony President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz make up the most pro-abortion presidential ticket America has ever seen. There is no daylight between them on this issue. Walz is no moderate when it comes to abortion,” she said, saying that he has signed legislation that “grossly expanding taxpayer-funded abortion, stripping away the state’s informed consent protections, and significantly weakening protections for babies born alive.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pushed for Minnesota to become a sanctuary state and signed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday tapped Walz, a two-term liberal Democrat governor from Minnesota, as her running mate. Walz has a history of advocating for liberal policies on illegal immigration, one of the top issues on voters’ minds heading into the November election. During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Walz openly advocated for Minnesota to become a sanctuary state, where illegal immigrants would be safe from deportation. “My position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state boils down to who has the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws,” Walz said at the time. “Here’s what I believe: Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws in Minnesota, and I support their doing so.” Sanctuary states do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials, which allows illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes to remain in the country. Michigan Republicans wrote a letter to Waltz earlier this year outlining their concerns about legislation that would officially prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. “This legislation, which does nothing to help the citizens of Minnesota and is devoid of common sense, ignores the ongoing crisis at our southern border that is plaguing our nation,” the lawmakers wrote. “It will encourage more illegal immigration, which has already reached record highs under the Biden Administration.” As governor, Walz signed legislation in 2023 that allowed as many as 81,000 illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, a policy that critics say encourages and rewards illegal immigration. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a border security advocacy organization, says the policy “allows those breaking the nation’s immigration laws to remain hidden in plain sight, promotes the normalization of illegal aliens, and undermines the rule of law.” “There is no reason for states to provide state identification documents to people who have no right to be present in the United States,” FAIR goes on to assert. Numbers USA, an organization that advocates for increased border security, gave Walz a D on immigration for his time as a congressman, noting that Walz co-sponsored a bill to increase chain migration and offer amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. Walz also called former President Donald Trump’s plan to use Defense Department funds to build a wall on the southern border “ridiculous.” Recent polling has found that a majority of Americans support building a border wall, increasing deportations, and penalizing businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Harris’ choice of Walz occurs amid an unprecedented illegal immigration crisis. President Joe Biden tasked Harris with stemming the tide of migration to our southern border, but the country has seen an estimated 10 million illegal immigrants unlawfully cross the border since the two took office. Recent polls have found that immigration is one of the most important issues for voters heading into the November election, and that an increasing share of Americans are in favor of slashing immigration and ramping up mass deportations.

Vice President Kamala Harris hadn’t decided on a running mate even the night before she was scheduled to announce her pick. A source told NBC News Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander that as of Monday night, “VP Harris had not yet made a final decision and wanted to sleep on it one more night.” The same source told Alexander that the “Harris campaign has printed signs with Harris’ name and multiple different possible VP picks beneath it so they are prepared for whatever decision she makes.” As of last night, VP Harris had not yet made a final decision and wanted to sleep on it one more night, according to a source familiar with the process. This source tells me the Harris campaign has printed signs with Harris’ name and multiple different possible VP picks… — Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) August 6, 2024 On Tuesday morning, however, news outlets began reporting that Harris had selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP pick. Harris is expected to formally announce Walz as her running mate later in the day, but she did confirm the reports on social media. CNN broke the news, citing “four people close to the process.” The Associated Press followed, also citing anonymous sources close to the decision. Walz was picked despite reporting that indicated popular Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro would be Harris’ choice. Two sources told Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich that “the deciding factor” in Harris’ pick came from something Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) had said recently: That Shapiro’s own ambitions would lead to him upstaging Harris. As for why Walz was picked instead of some of Harris’ other potential choices, NBC’s Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur listed four reasons: Executive experience with a record on core goals: child tax credit, paid leave, gun safety, junk fees, abortion Appealing bio in key Midwest states: veteran, football coach, hunter, gun owner, won a Trump district Effective messenger vs. Trump-Vance (see: “weird”) Personal rapport & her confidence in him as a governing partner WHY TIM WALZ? Per source close to VP selection process on what @KamalaHarris sees in him: • Executive experience with a record on core goals: child tax credit, paid leave, gun safety, junk fees, abortion • Appealing bio in key Midwest states: veteran, football coach, hunter,… — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) August 6, 2024 Walz has already picked up endorsements from members of “The Squad,” including leftist Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI “Congratulations to our next Vice President,” Omar wrote on X, saying that Walz is “Bringing Minnesota nice to the ticket.” She also cheered Walz for “sign[ing] universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law.” “Vice President Harris made an excellent decision in Gov. Walz as her running mate,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Together, they will govern effectively, inclusively, and boldly for the American people.” Bowman, who just lost his re-election campaign, shared a video of him endorsing Walz with the caption “It’s Walz baby let’s go!!”

The Olympics offers viewers the chance to witness some of the most spectacular feats possible. Although this usually applies to human contestants, every once in a while, a nearby animal friend decides to step into the spotlight. This is most likely to happen with sports that take place outdoors, particularly the surfing events. For the Paris Olympics, these events took place a whopping 9,800 miles away in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. Some of these events took place on Monday. It was a pretty typical day until Brazil’s Tatina Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy were in the water. The two of them were waiting for waves during the semifinals when, suddenly, they spotted something unexpected. At a safe distance away, a whale had decided to join the Olympic surfing event! See this stunning moment for yourself in the video below. @nbcsports The Olympic surfing semi finalists had a WHALE stop by during their heat. #ParisOlympics ♬ original sound – NBC Sports In an instant, the massive whale leaps out of the water, almost as if to tell everyone “hello!” As you can imagine, seeing a creature like this up close is breathtaking. But even those watching on land found themselves in awe of this magnificent creature. And, naturally, the commentators gave the talented whale a perfect 10/10 score for their majestic leap! Curious Whale Makes a Brief Appearance During an Olympic Surfing Event Because there were so many photographers around for the Olympic events, lots of great images where taken from this beautiful moment — and what a beautiful moment it was! “Awww what a cutie pie! Wants to show its talents too,” someone shares in the comment section of the video, with another adding, “Give that whale a gold medal right now.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Humpback Whale Crashes Olympic Surfing Event — Shows Up The Contestants appeared first on InspireMore.

'Disobey the law'

'It’s truly a matter of life and death'