San Francisco has wasted no time in cracking down on homeless encampments after a Supreme Court decision in June gave cities more authority to deal with the issue. City authorities have been working quickly to clear tent cities — but keeping public areas clear has proven to be no simple task. Cleanup crews removed several tent cities last week, but tents popped up again in those areas within days. Some of the new campers could be seen using drugs, a persistent problem in the city. The City by the Bay also continues to bus homeless people to other California counties and even other states, including Texas. Over the last two years, the city has sent at least 857 homeless people to other states and counties, The San Francisco Standard reported. At least a few homeless people have been sent to Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, and Indiana, according to data from the city’s new program, Journey Home, which was launched in September. The data is unclear for the city’s older Homeward Bound program, which has relocated hundreds of people in recent years. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Mayor London Breed issued an executive directive on Thursday ordering city employees to point homeless people in the direction of these relocation programs before offering shelter and other services. Breed said San Francisco is no longer able to support the influx of homeless people moving to the city and taking advantage of free services. The Supreme Court ruled last month that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places even if there is not enough shelter space to accommodate them, saying such laws do not violate the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The original case involved the Oregon town of Grants Pass, which tried to fine people $295 for sleeping outside when tents began crowding the town’s public parks. Before the court’s decision, homeless encampments continued to spread in California, Oregon, and Washington while city officials remained limited in what they could do to address the problem, especially since homeless people often refuse shelter beds. San Francisco has struggled for years with rampant homelessness, crime, and open-air drug use driven by fentanyl, all of which have driven people and businesses out of downtown. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. California has the highest homeless population in the country by far. About 180,000 people were homeless last year across the state, and about 123,000 are unsheltered on a given night, according to the latest homeless count. Homeless encampments near freeways, under overpasses, and near exit ramps have also become so common that California’s transportation department now has its own protocol and workers for clearing encampments.

On the night of Wednesday May 27, 2020, BLM supporters held a racial justice protest at a Target store near the Third Precinct police station in Minneapolis. After they completely ransacked the Target, the mob began surrounding the police station itself. Everyone in the city knew what was about to happen: Either the authorities would defend the police station, or they’d let it burn. At 6:23 p.m, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, received an urgent phone call from the chief of police. He preferred to defend the police station, and he told Frey that because the riot was now so large and out of control, the National Guard would be required to do so. Five minutes later, the mayor’s spokesman texted several other employees in the mayor’s office. He wrote: “Mayor just came out and said the chief wants him to call in the national guard for help at Third Precinct. Mayor appears intent on doing.” Frey’s policy director quickly added: “He called the governor just now.” That was a reference to the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, who was the only one in the state with the authority to deploy the National Guard. Frey passed along the police chief’s message. And before midnight, Frey made his own explicit request to Walz for the deployment of the National Guard.  Keep in mind, Frey is about as far-Left as they come. He’s the kind of mayor who doesn’t resist a single opportunity to pander on the basis of identity politics. He would go on a few days later to performatively weep while kneeling at George Floyd’s golden casket. But in this case, letting a police station burn was just too much, even for Frey. Yet Walz refused to grant Frey’s request. As the mayor’s spokesperson texted later in the evening: “Walz was hesitating.” Around 11:00 a.m. the next morning, as reported by the Star Tribune, Frey’s office put their request for the National Guard in writing, citing injuries to first responders as well as, “widespread looting and arson.” Frey wrote that “the ongoing situation is well-beyond the capability of our police and fire departments to respond.”  But Walz hesitated once again. His daughter, a Left-wing activist, posted on social media that the National Guard hadn’t been deployed, which emboldened the rioters further. By the time the governor finally activated the National Guard at 2:30 p.m., the police station had already been evacuated. Rioters stormed in and lit the building on fire. The police precinct was the most prominent of the 164 arson attacks that took place in Minneapolis from May 27 to May 30 of 2020. As Tim Walz kept the National Guard away from the city, rioters used Molotov cocktails to indiscriminately torch small business, cars, and government buildings. WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show All of this has been public knowledge for a while now. Walz himself has called his response to the riots an “abject failure.” But that doesn’t explain why he let Minneapolis burn for several days. For years, Walz’s defenders have argued that the situation at the police station was somehow ambiguous, or that he was somehow unaware of what was happening all over Minneapolis — even though it was being broadcast live on national television. But there’s another explanation that actually makes sense. And it’s that Walz, like so many other Left-wing elites, welcomed the violence. He wanted Minneapolis and the rest of the country to burn. At a deeply personal level, he enjoyed all the death and destruction.  That was certainly the view of the First Lady of Minnesota, Gwen Walz. We know that because she admitted it. In an interview, Gwen Walz says she kept her windows open as long as possible during the riots in order to savor the smell of the burning tires. It was a profound moment for her, because no one was burning down anything she owned. She has bodyguards to prevent that sort of thing. So only the plebs suffered. And as they suffered, Gwen Walz did everything but pull out a fiddle. Watch: Everything you need to know about leftist elites can be found in this short clip. Tim Walz’s wife sat by the window enjoying the smell of poor neighborhoods burning during the Floyd riots. She did everything but pull out a fiddle. pic.twitter.com/IVJYORX4vu — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 6, 2024 She didn’t call her husband and ask him why he was allowing arson in the street outside her window. She didn’t display any concern for the people who were losing their businesses and their livelihoods. Instead, she went with the single most psychotic option available, which was to revel in the suffering and destruction of other people. And apparently, the media was fine with this response. There was no national outcry after this interview. When Melania Trump wore a light-hearted jacket during the fake “kids in cages” controversy, it was a five-day news cycle. Imagine if she had done something like this. Imagine if she said she rolled down her window so she could take in the sounds of all the migrant children crying. That’s effectively what we’re seeing here. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI And we know Tim Walz endorsed this sentiment, for a couple of reasons. It’s not just that he stalled the deployment of the National Guard, or that he never condemned his wife’s comments. Walz came out and said directly that the riots were a justifiable reaction to America’s failure to fully embrace the principles of DEI. So all those businesses had it coming. The people who died during the riots had it coming too. The tens of millions of dollars of property damage in Minnesota was all worth it, according to Tim Walz. Watch: Gov. Tim Walz's reaction the BLM riots: "A society that does not put equity and inclusion first will come to this result" This is who Kamala picked as her VP. pic.twitter.com/AOKkByahVg — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 6, 2024 “A society that does not put equity and inclusion first will come to this result.” In other words, if you don’t fully support DEI, the government will allow mobs to destroy your business and maybe kill you. And you’ll deserve whatever happens to you. When I covered the riots in the UK, I made the point that leaders who fail to enforce the law — say, by opening the borders — shouldn’t be surprised when lawlessness eventually breaks out. That doesn’t make lawlessness good, but it does make it understandable in that context. What Tim Walz is saying is very different. He’s saying that leaders should embrace lawlessness and destruction as a means of compelling people to support his party’s agenda. He doesn’t regret violence. He wants more of it. Terror can be an effective motivator in the voting booth. Keep in mind, Tim Walz said all of this while Derek Chauvin was supposedly receiving a “fair trial” in his state. That jury knew very well that, unless they found some reason to convict Chauvin, the city would burn again. This is how things are done in Minneapolis. And by picking Tim Walz over a more moderate option like Josh Shapiro, Kamala Harris has signaled very clearly that she wants the Minneapolis model of governance to go nationwide. This is a model where voters are instructed to endorse Democrats’ ideology, or they’ll lose everything. That includes potentially their children. Last year, Walz signed a law that encourages children to flee from their parents in order to obtain puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and genital surgeries. The law also allows the state to use these procedures as a means to remove children from the custody of their parents. From The National Review: Tim Walz signed a bill in April 2023 that made his state a sanctuary for child sex-changes, promoting tourism for such radical medical interventions in defiance of states that restrict them. … Dubbed the Trans Refuge Bill by supporters, the law grants legal protection to children who travel to Minnesota for so-called gender affirming care, including puberty blockers, reconstructive genital surgery, and hormone therapy, as well as the medical practitioners who provide it. … The law makes seeking gender-transition procedures for minors a factor in some assessments for whether a Minnesota court has jurisdiction to make an initial determination in child-custody cases. This kind of law is so extreme that even California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year which would have required custody courts to consider whether parents are “affirming” the gender delusions of their children. But Tim Walz has no problem with tearing apart families on this basis. In fact, he wants these broken families to come to Minnesota. In my documentary “What is a Woman?” I spoke to a Canadian father who lost custody of his child after a hospital began administering cross-sex hormones to his daughter without his consent. At the time it seemed like a story that you’d only hear about in Canada. Tim Walz now wants to make that the reality in all 50 states. And because projection is the Democrats’ platform at this point, Tim Walz will accuse conservatives of hating “freedom” while he works to rip children away from their parents. This is from his big announcement rally yesterday in Pennsylvania. Watch: What Walz is counting on is that no one in the media will ask him an adversarial question in the next three months. That’s really the only explanation for this. He’s hoping he’ll get the same treatment from the press as Kamala Harris. And frankly that’s probably a safe assumption at this point. There is nothing about Walz’s tenure as governor that suggests, even remotely, that he would allow people to mind their own business about anything. During COVID, Walz established a Soviet-style “stay at home” hotline to allow people to snitch on their neighbors for violating his lockdown rules. Hundreds of people called in to report that they saw people who weren’t standing six feet apart, or who kept their mask off at a restaurant even though they weren’t mid-bite.  Here’s one of the complaints that was emailed in: Good morning! I don’t feel people are being compliant with the stay at home order. [At the] convenience store in White Bear Lake, in-store traffic is the same. Customers are coming and saying, I’m bored and need to get out of the house. They buy lottery tickets, a candy bar, a soda etc; those items are not essential. And the traffic flow is the same as it was a month ago. … The stay at home order is not being followed and needs to be stricter. NY Post This is the kind of antisocial behavior that Tim Walz encouraged just a few years ago in Minnesota. He didn’t want to send rioters to jail. But he did want to encourage people to rat on their neighbors so that they’d face hefty fines and potentially a jail sentence for disobeying his lockdown orders, which had no scientific basis whatsoever. And now he’s going to lecture conservatives about freedom, because he’s betting that facts don’t matter anymore. His base wants to hear lies and distortions, so that’s what he’ll deliver. And these are not subtle lies and distortions. At the same rally, Walz invoked the JD Vance “couch” meme, which is based on a fake passage from JD Vance’s book “Hillbilly Elegy” that was uploaded by a random Twitter user a few weeks ago. This is now an attack line that Walz used at his rally — a fabricated page from someone on the internet that has no basis in reality. And the base loved it. Watch: Here is Tim Walz making a joke about the viral JD Vance couch thing, which was something a random guy on Twitter completely made up by posting a fake page from Hillbilly Elegy. pic.twitter.com/KLql3C5I01 — Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 6, 2024 After watching that clip, and the other ones I’ve showed, there’s not really a point in going into any further detail about Walz’s policies or life story. Yes, he says he’s proud of his role in passing Obamacare, which has tripled the average family’s health insurance premium. Yes, the very first executive order that Tim Walz signed created something called a “DEI council” that would address the problem of “whiteness.” Yes, he was in the military, at least until he abandoned his unit before they deployed to Iraq. Yes, he wants to give illegals a ladder to climb the border wall, and then he wants to give them driver’s licenses when they get here. He also supports abortion until the moment of birth and putting tampons in the boy’s bathroom at school. Oh, and he thinks that one person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness. But it’s not even necessary to go into detail about any of that, because they’re all exactly what you’d expect from a stock far-Left-wing politician. More to the point, Kamala Harris didn’t select Tim Walz to govern anything. She selected him because she thought he’d help him win the election. And she did that because of the belief — pushed by Kamala Harris yesterday, and by the media as well — that Walz is a down-to-earth, blue-collar guy because he knows how to fix a car and likes to hunt. And this is maybe the most flagrant misrepresentation of all. Blue-collar people aren’t impressed with any of that stuff. That’s obvious to anyone who’s grown up around working-class families, or anyone who’s turned on a television since 2016. Donald Trump is about as non-blue collar as it gets. He probably hasn’t driven a car in 40 years, much less fixed one. He wouldn’t know how to hunt for deer if his life depended on it. But blue-collar voters love him. That’s because Donald Trump projects an image of someone who loves his country and cares about Americans. Walz, on the other hand, let his middle-class communities burn while his wife enjoyed the smell from the window of their mansion. That is a contrast that Kamala Harris has just embraced. And if there are still a critical mass of voters in this country who still want to live in America, instead of burning it down, it’s a decision that will cost Kamala Harris the White House in November.

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) says that there is “no guarantee to free speech” when it comes to “misinformation or hate speech,” and argued on MSNBC that there needed to be some “pushback” on those things. Walz made the comments during a December 2022 appearance on MSNBC’s “The Reidout,” where he spoke about possible repercussions for spreading “misinformation” with regard to elections in the United States. WATCH: “I think we need to push back on this. There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy,” Walz said in the clip that circulated on social media on Wednesday, just 24 hours after Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, chose him to be her running mate. Critics responded to Walz’s comment, noting that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution begged to differ. “I’d probably die if a Democrat understood what our rights are and how they work,” Frank Fleming posted. I’d probably die if a Democrat understood what our rights are and how they work. https://t.co/JEZIecx7sU — Frank J. Fleming (@IMAO_) August 7, 2024 “There is, actually, it’s called the First Amendment,” another posted. There is, actually, it’s called the First Amendment. https://t.co/eJxLnCoSKi — Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru) August 7, 2024 “Uh, yeah there is. Misinformation and hate speech are literally protected by the First Amendment,” Noah Smith pointed out. WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+ Uh, yeah there is. Misinformation and hate speech are literally protected by the First Amendment. https://t.co/YPhoG7ikXa — Noah Smith ????? (@Noahpinion) August 7, 2024 “Dude’s a straight up communist. An actual communist,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller commented. Dude’s a straight up communist. An actual communist. https://t.co/LHJ6HGqmBE — Stephen Miller (@StephenM) August 7, 2024 “Walz couldn’t be more wrong in suggesting ‘there’s no guarantee to free speech’ when it comes to anything progressive Democrats might label ‘misinformation’ or ‘hate speech.’ Don’t trust this man with power,” Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) added. Walz couldn’t be more wrong in suggesting “there’s no guarantee to free speech” when it comes to anything progressive Democrats might label “misinformation” or “hate speech.” Don’t trust this man with power. https://t.co/HWv5xdXKF9 — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 7, 2024 During the same interview, Walz referenced previous instances in which “insidious” efforts at spreading “misinformation” had harmed the American people — namely during the COVID-19 pandemic and after January 6th — but he suggested that Democrats were fully engaged in stopping said “misinformation” rather than spreading it. WATCH the full interview here:

Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance was on the same tarmac as Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin on Wednesday and felt some sympathy for the group of reporters covering the Democratic nominee. It’s been more than two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out and passed the mantle to Harris and the vice president has yet to do a major interview. Both Vance’s and Harris’ planes landed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, around the same time as both candidates hit the campaign trail in the swing state. Vance took the opportunity to address the reporters waiting for Harris and called on the Democrat to answer more questions from the press. “I figured I’d come by … hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months,” Vance said pointing back at Air Force Two. “I also thought you guys may get lonely because the vice president doesn’t answer questions from reporters and hasn’t for seventeen days.” “Have they given you guys an explanation for why she won’t take questions from reporters?” he asked. “Nobody? Okay, great. Well, I hope that she’s changed her mind because it would be good for the American people, and I think it would be good for you all if she actually ran a real campaign instead of one from her basement with a teleprompter.” WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Asked by one reporter what he wants to hear from Harris, Vance replied, “I’d love her to just answer what she wants to do and also explain why every single position she has has changed.” WATCH: Vance and Harris on the same tarmac in Eau Claire. Vance comes over to cameras covering AF2 arrival… “… hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months. I also thought you guys may get lonely, bc the VP doesn’t answer q’s from reporters…” Vid: @WEAU13News pic.twitter.com/QhUS2MtEby — James Stratton (@StrattonWISN) August 7, 2024 WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+ Harris has been blasted for seemingly avoiding tough questions from the media after she locked up the Democratic nomination. The vice president and her newly tapped running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are at the beginning of a campaign tour that will take them to each of the seven battleground states, but Harris doesn’t have any long-form interviews planned as of Wednesday. Harris and Walz appeared together for the first time as presidential and vice presidential nominees in Philadelphia for a rally on Tuesday night, hours after Harris picked Walz as her running mate. During the rally, Harris said Walz’s resume next to Vance’s is “like a matchup between the Varsity team and the JV squad.” VP: Tim Walz will be ready on day one. When you compare his resume to Trump’s running mate… some might say it’s like a matchup between the Varsity team and the JV squad pic.twitter.com/rIC4B1JHQn — Acyn (@Acyn) August 6, 2024

Actor Colin Farrell is discussing a foundation he started to honor his 20-year-old son James, who has a rare neurogenetic condition called Angelman syndrome. James is nonverbal and has a live-in caregiver. “I want the world to be kind to James,” the 48-year-old Irish actor told People during an interview published Wednesday. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.” Farrell said he started The Colin Farrell Foundation as a means to help families once children become too old for other established support systems. James, who the actor shares with ex-girlfriend Kim Bordenave, will turn 21 soon and therefore be too old for most programs designed to help individuals with special needs. “Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” Farrell told the outlet. “All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes away, so you’re left with a young adult who should be an integrated part of our modern society and more often than not is left behind.” “This is the first time I’ve spoken about it, and obviously the only reason I’m speaking is I can’t ask James if he wants to do this,” he added. “I mean, I can. I speak to James as if he’s 20 and has perfect fluency with the English language and age-appropriate cognitive ability. But I can’t discern a particular answer from him as to whether he’s comfortable with all this or not, so I have to make a call based on knowing James’s spirit and what kind of young man he is and the goodness that he has in his heart.” WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Farrell also said James “has worked so hard all his life, so hard.” He continued, “Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looks like a Jackson Pollock by the end of it. But he gets it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic.” The Academy Award-nominated actor said he “for years wanted to do something in the realm of providing greater opportunities for families who have a child with special needs, to receive the support that they deserve, basically the assistance in all areas of life.” He said individuals with special needs have “earned the right to have a greater degree of individuality and autonomy on life, and a greater degree of community.” “This is all because of James— it’s all in his honor,” he said of starting the foundation.

A Gazan woman with long ties to a U.S.-designated terror organization was nominated in June for the 2024 News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Bisan Owda, who was once a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was nominated with her outlet, AJ+ in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form category for her Al Jazeera show “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive.” The video series documents Owda’s experience since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, during which the terrorist group killed over a thousand people and took hundreds hostage. But Owda’s 4.7 million Instagram followers may not be aware of her ties to the PFLP. Owda’s connection with the group was first reported by Israeli activist Eitan Fischberger, who found evidence that Owda was a member of the Marxist terror organization, which has a history of airplane hijackings and suicide bombings.  The PFLP, which has been a U.S.-designated terror organization since 1997, identified Owda as a member of its youth wing in a 2018 post on its website. In a 2015 on-camera interview with a Palestinian outlet, Owda, wearing military garb and a PFLP scarf, said she would not back down from “revolution.” Here’s Bisan being interviewed at the rally celebrating the 48th anniversary of the PFLP’s founding pic.twitter.com/GrbrGu2BAM — Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) August 7, 2024 “The most important front is that the people of Gaza, the people in the West Bank, and in Jerusalem, and all the protesters are one hand and one people who will not back down for a moment from their land, from their right to their land,” she said in Arabic. “That is to say, they will not back down at all from their cause and their revolution.” The interview took place at PFLP’s 48th-anniversary celebration in 2015, for which “Comrade” Owda served as a reception committee member and welcomed the crowds, according to the Palestinian outlet Al Watan Voice. Photos show Owda on stage addressing the crowd, which included children and masked men holding knives and Hezbollah flags. Owda also attended the following year’s PFLP anniversary celebration, where she was named as a host and opened the event with a moment of silence “in honor of the souls of our revolution’s martyrs,” according to the PFLP’s website. Owda was nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the organization responsible for the News and Documentary Emmys. The New York City-based organization is separate from the Primetime Emmy Awards bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Bisan Owda at the 2015 PFLP anniversary celebration, as reported by Al Watan Voice. (Photo credit: Al Watan Voice) A spokeswoman for NATAS told The Daily Wire that its awards are given by independent judges after a peer review. “Independent peer judges from across the broadcast journalism community reviewed the content and found it meritorious,” the spokeswoman said.  The judges’ votes are anonymous, and they are not paid by NATAS. Owda won a Peabody Award for her show earlier this year, and dedicated the award to “college students who are protesting, to all the people who took to the streets, to all the people at home who are participating in boycotts, to all the people worldwide, regardless of their religion, color, ethnicity, and kind.” ⁣ Owda kicked off her coverage of the October 7 massacre by defending it, according to The Jerusalem Post. “For every action, there is a reaction. This means: What was expected after 75 years of occupation and 17 years of siege?” she wrote in Arabic. “What was expected of us? … Would the families of the prisoners remain silent?” Since then, Owda has pushed anti-Israel rhetoric and falsehoods, and claimed that Israel is committing genocide and commits massacres “every second.” In March, Owda, who nicknamed Israel, “IsraHell,” said it was a “lie” that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) workers participated in the October 7 massacre, and blamed the organization losing some funding over the reports as a “reason of [sic] the starvation of 2.3 million in Gaza.” Nine UNRWA workers were fired this week after an investigation concluded there was sufficient evidence they may have been involved in the October 7 attacks, according to UNRWA Deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq. A report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) determined that there has been no famine in Gaza as of June. For those who don’t know, IsraHell accused UNRWA workers last month of participating in 7Oct, and the majority of UNRWA western funders accepted the lie without IsraHell providing any evidence! And cut the funds! And that was a reason of the starvation of 2.3million in Gaza! — Wizard_bisan1 (@wizardbisan) March 19, 2024 In July, Owda denied that Hezbollah had any part in killing 12 Druze children on a soccer field in northern Israel with a missile, calling it “propaganda.” The winners of Owda’s category will be announced at a ceremony on September 25.

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) stuck it to an NBC reporter during a brief exchange on Wednesday, calling him out for the “DNC talking point” inspired framing of the question before delivering his response. The reporter, who identified himself as NBC News senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake, asked Vance about claims that Vice President Kamala Harris — who shot to the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket without winning a single primary vote of her own accord — had passed over Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) as her running mate due to his Jewish faith. WATCH: J.D. Vance SHUTS DOWN an MSNBC reporter for asking a misleading question: “You should take a little less DNC talking points when you ask your questions and ask a real question.” pic.twitter.com/Y7XSAnCfnf — Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 7, 2024 “You have repeatedly suggested that the only reason Kamala Harris didn’t pick Josh Shapiro to be her running mate was because of his Jewish faith. Do you have any evidence to support that assertion, that a person who is married to a Jewish man is somehow anti-Semitic, or bowing to anti-Semites?” Haake asked. Vance took issue with the framing of the question, and said so: “Well, I reject the premise of the question. I did not say that was the only reason that Kamala Harris didn’t choose Josh Shapiro. So you should, you know, take a little less DNC talking points when you ask your questions, and ask a real question.” “I have suggested that Kamala Harris was motivated — or at least her party was motivated — by anti-Semitism, and the evidence that I offer for that is what dozens of Democratic activists said in the run-up to her selecting her nominee,” Vance continued. “There were multiple grassroots activists, multiple media personalities, multiple people with influence in the Democrat Party who suggested that she should not choose Josh Shapiro because of his ethnic background.” WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Vance pivoted then, adding, “And look, I don’t care what your ethnic background is. I know Donald Trump doesn’t care what your ethnic background is. I do not want to live in a country where we’re choosing who the next VP is based on skin color or ethnic heritage. Choose based on merit. And the fact that so many prominent leaders in the far Left felt empowered to talk about Shapiro’s ethnic heritage is a disgrace and I think it’s a scandal for the Democrat Party, yes, I do.” Vance was far from the only person to suggest that Shapiro being Jewish was what cost him a spot on Kamala Harris’ 2024 ticket. CNN’s Van Jones said that he believed Harris had “caved” to the anti-Semitic wing of the party when she did not tap Shapiro — a popular governor in a must-win state. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) took things a step further, arguing that Harris had not “caved” to the anti-Semitic Left, but rather was a part of it herself. “Let’s be clear: Kamala didn’t *cave* to the antisemitic, pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party,” he said. “She *belongs* to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic party.” Let’s be clear: Kamala didn’t *cave* to the antisemitic, pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. She *belongs* to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic party. — Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) August 6, 2024

Republicans are putting together an “aggressive playbook” for the new Congress that could result in the “most consequential” run in recent years, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a new interview. The plan is predicated on the stated expectation that Republicans hold the House and win control of the Senate and the White House in the November election, a result that would give the GOP a strong hand come January. “What we’re planning right now is we’re designing a very aggressive playbook for the legislative agenda in the new Congress,” Johnson told The Hill this week. Johnson called himself an “optimist” and said he believes Republicans are “going to win the White House, the Senate and the House, so I think there’ll be a lot of energy and excitement behind that.” Democrats currently lead the Senate, but only because a handful of independents caucus with them. Republicans hope to gain a couple seats, some of which are in “toss-up” territory, as rated by the Cook Political Report. The presidential election is poised to pit former President Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris now that President Joe Biden has dropped out. Polls, so far, signal a close race. And in the present Congress, Republicans control the House, though with a slim margin that has allowed a small group of defectors breaking ranks to threaten or even blow up close votes. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Johnson indicated that he feels bullish about the GOP’s chances in the lower chamber, though the speaker tempered expectations by stating that he does not think a 35- or 40-seat majority is in the cards. “It’s not possible anymore, because the number of swing districts has been reduced dramatically due to gerrymandering and redistricting,” he said in reference to the “red wave” idea. Johnson said he believes Republicans can have “an exponential increase in our majority.” Such an edge over the Democrats would be “very helpful,” he added. “So if we have [a] unified government, what we’re also planning in the midst of all this is a very aggressive first 100 days agenda for the Congress,” Johnson said. The speaker said he told colleagues and Trump that Republicans can “have the most consequential presidency and Congress of the modern era if we win all this, because we have to fix everything.” He added, “The Biden-Harris administration has made a mess of every area of public policy.”

There’s an attempt to make Kamala Harris a wildly attractive and joyous candidate. We’ve had a few key words from the Kamala Harris campaign, which have then been repeated ad nauseum by their Praetorian Guard in the media. First, we had the word “weird” applied to Donald Trump and JD Vance. But it’s not “weird” for Harris to appear with drag queens or speak complete word coleslaw or randomly dance with schoolchildren. We had two and a half weeks of “weird,” complete with several lies about JD Vance. Now, we have a new campaign buzzword: “joy.” The Harris-Walz campaign is the campaign of “joy.” Donald Trump and JD Vance? They’re just too dark. They’re too dark because when they look at America right now, what they see is that America is in rough waters. They see an economy that is on the brink. They see a foreign policy that is completely disastrous and in full-scale meltdown. And that’s dark and terrible. But Kamala Harris? She represents joy. She can’t help but dance. She can’t help but bubble over with enthusiasm for electric school buses and Venn diagrams. And Tim Walz is filled with joy. This is the new angle. WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show David Plouffe, who was brought on from the Obama campaign to redo the 2008 Barack Obama campaign for Harris, stated in an MSNBC interview, “The Trump-Vance ticket is just incredibly dark, negative about the country, kind of captured in the Fox bubble where you blame everybody for everything. And I think that’s a distinction. In my career in politics, which is longer than I’d like, joy alone won’t win you, but it’s a great combination with the right ideas and the right message and you’re out there, you like being with people you believe in this country. You know that we’ve got challenges, but you know we also have opportunities. And to be upbeat about that and to believe in this country, I think, is really, really important.” That’s a lie. Democrats are not upbeat about the country. They believe America is systemically racist, deeply inequitable, and quite evil from its root. Both Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have said this in the past. They’re not a party of deep feeling for the magic of the U.S. Constitution or for the American people, whom they malign, looking at half of them as outright racists. But they’re going to paper over this unbelievably thin campaign with this pastiche of joy and happiness. You can feel it. I have very sensitive taste buds, and I can taste fake sugar. I can taste it. I can’t have NutraSweet; it tastes bitter to me. That applies to my political analysis as well. When I see the fake sugar that is being ladled all over the Kamala Harris campaign, it makes me want to vomit. Watching Harris call Walz to notify him that he was going to be the running mate looked absolutely scripted with fake enthusiasm. The smiles are all pasted on Joker-style, as though she’s fallen into a bin of toxic waste that has left her with some sort of facial contortion. But we’re supposed to pretend this is joy. It’s such bumper-sticker pablum. Those who fall for it will deserve what they get. This is the new campaign, the campaign of joy, laughter, and unicorns running through the meadows accompanied by fairies. Is this a joyous time? Do most Americans feel like this is a joyful time in America? Are you getting that feeling? Because this is what they’re trying to tell you. There isn’t that much Stevia or monk fruit in the world to gloss this one over. * * * WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) suffered a significant defeat in her primary election on August 6, losing her bid for a third term in the House of Representatives to St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. Bush, known for her progressive stance and membership in "The Squad," was ousted following a substantial financial push by the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project. The primary race, which turned into the second most expensive House primary in history, saw AIPAC pour nearly $9 million into supporting Bell. This massive spending significantly impacted the outcome, as Bush, despite receiving $2.2 million from Justice Democrats, could not match the financial firepower backing her opponent​. A "BLACK JOB" IS SOMETHING CORI BUSH DOES NOT HAVE OH HAPPY DAY! OH HAPPY DAY She is the Second Squad member to lose her seat! I can’t wait until they are all gone They are all full of hate stupidity. I’m laughing so hard Who’s laughing with me pic.twitter.com/eyyOA30cWo — Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) August 7, 2024 In her fiery concession speech, Bush declared that the campaign against her had only strengthened her resolve. "All they did was radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid," she said, targeting AIPAC directly. "AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down"​. Bush's defeat marks a broader trend this election cycle, where pro-Israel groups have successfully targeted progressive Democrats. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), another "Squad" member, also lost his primary earlier this year following a similar influx of spending from AIPAC. These losses highlight the growing influence of external funding in shaping the political landscape, particularly concerning U.S. policies toward Israel​. JUST IN: Democrat "Squad" member Cori Bush defeated in the Missouri First Congressional District primary. How’s that "Defund the Police" campaign working out for you, Cori? This loss has sent shockwaves through political circles, as the once unshakable incumbent finds herself… pic.twitter.com/LCISc1cWup — Hank (@HANKonX) August 7, 2024 Bell's campaign capitalized on Bush's vulnerabilities, including her vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a federal investigation into her campaign spending. While the Israel-Hamas conflict was not a central issue in the primary, Bush's outspoken criticism of Israel amplified her challenges​. In a statement after the election, AIPAC emphasized the broader implications of Bush's defeat, noting that voters are rejecting anti-Israel voices in favor of candidates who support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. This sentiment was echoed by Marshall Wittmann, an AIPAC spokesman, who pointed out that Bush's defeat was part of a larger pattern of losses for candidates not aligned with AIPAC's views​. Despite her loss, Bush remains committed to her political activism. She promised to mobilize grassroots efforts and continue her advocacy from outside the halls of Congress. "Whether I'm congresswoman or not, I'm still taking care of my people," she told her supporters, indicating that her political journey is far from over​ . As Wesley Bell prepares to take over Missouri's 1st Congressional District, the dynamics of the House will shift, with the influence of progressive voices like Bush's being tempered by the increasing clout of well-funded pro-Israel groups. The coming months will reveal how these changes will affect the legislative priorities and alliances within the Democratic Party​. The post Cori Bush Concedes, Vows to Take Down Jewish Lobby appeared first on The Conservative Brief.