| In her new memoir, former first lady Melania Trump says she supports women’s autonomy and the right to control their own bodies, including abortion. The Guardian obtained an early copy of her self-titled memoir , which comes out next Tuesday. That’s a dramatic difference from what her husband, former President Trump, says he believes about abortion. Three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices were among the conservative majority that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and Trump has bragged that he was able to “kill Roe v. Wade.” This election year, Trump has sought to portray a more nuanced position on abortion, including saying abortion laws should be left for states to decide. That belief has been central to his bid for reelection, while the Harris-Walz campaign says they support a constitutional right to abortion.
Minnesota's first lady was also talking about abortion rights yesterday . Gwen Walz joined other Minnesota Democrats, including two U.S. senators, in the western suburbs for a stop on a reproductive rights bus tour. Mark Zdechlik checked it the stop in Minnetonka, the 44th stop on the national tour that features a rotating cast of speakers. DFL Sen. Tina Smith criticized former President Donald Trump for appointing justices to the Supreme Court — which overturned the landmark Roe V. Wade decision. "Today because of Donald Trump's abortion bans, millions of women have lost the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies. One in three women of childbearing age in this country are living in places with abortion bans," she said. Democrats say they will work to codify abortion rights into federal law if they retain the White House and Senate and pick up the House in next month's election.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance’s attitude during the vice presidential debate surprised many viewers, perhaps no one more than Gov. Tim Walz. Vance went into the debate with a demeanor that stood in contrast to some of his rhetoric on the campaign trail. In other words, Vance played into Walz’s “Minnesota nice” streak, greeting Walz with a big smile and shaking hands. Walz was prepared to debate the attack-dog Vance seen on the campaign trail, but Vance’s unusually cheery demeanor seemed to throw the governor off guard. That was all part of a campaign strategy, a close Vance advisor told Axios . “We figured it would throw [Walz] off,” the Vance adviser said. “We had an intentional strategy of not being overly adversarial and aggressive and jumping down Walz’s throat on every little thing.” And it worked. One of Walz’s aides told Axios they were expecting more “MAGA mode” from Vance, adding that, “it’s harder to criticize the other when talking about their kids.”
Gov. Tim Walz will be on Jimmy Kimmel’s show on Monday. Walz has been busy following Tuesday’s vice presidential debate. He will be a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday and tape an interview with “60 Minutes” the same day. The campaign announced he will be making more media appearances in the coming weeks. That’s a change in direction; the Harris campaign has almost entirely kept him off national television. Kimmel participated in a fundraising event for the Biden-Harris ticket in June, where he moderated a conversation between President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles.
Did you catch a glimpse at Walz’s wrist on Tuesday night? The governor sported a pair of beaded friendship bracelets made for him as good luck charms. His daughter, Hope Walz, made the bracelets that said “Joyful Warrior” and “Coach,” People Magazine reports. Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff refers to his wife as a joyful warrior and the campaign has branded Walz as coach, pointing back to his time as an assistant football coach at Mankato West High School.
The Harris-Walz campaign kicked off a nationwide effort to earn the votes of Native Americans this week. Melissa Olson attended Wednesday’s Minnesota launch of “Native Americans for Harris-Walz” at the Mystic Lake Event Center, a complex owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, headlined the event. Tribal leaders from across the country have shown their support for the Democratic ticket. As governor, Walz was the first sitting governor to visit all 11 tribal nations. He also signed legislation to codify government-to-government relations. The campaign says they plan to host “Native Americans for Harris-Walz” events in Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Ever wanted to take a peek behind the curtain of the Minnesota DFL’s massive fundraising network? MinnPost created an interactive graphic that outlines the money that fuels the DFL campaigns in Minnesota. Most of that money comes from unions and wealthy donors, but how that money funnels through the system is fascinating, and mostly a behind-the-scenes system. The fundraising apparatus has been in place for nearly two decades and all the DFL organizations work closely together. Check out the story here. | 