Harris introduces Walz; Vance speaks to supporters during Philly rallies

[KARAH RUCKER]

WE START ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — WITH BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES MAKING A SHOWING IN PHILADELPHIA ON TUESDAY. 

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND HER NEWLY-PICKED RUNNING MATE TIM WALZ HELD THEIR FIRST RALLY TOGETHER — 

AND A DUELING RALLY CLOSE BY — 

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE JD VANCE MAKING HIS FIRST STOP IN PHILADELPHIA SINCE JOINING THE REPUBLICAN TICKET. 

HARRIS JOINED WALZ ON STAGE IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AT A RALLY — 

AND IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF VOTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO TUNED IN. 

POLLS SHOW 71 PERCENT OF AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HARRIS’ NEW RUNNING MATE. 

WALZ — GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF IN BATTLEGROUND TERRITORY — 

AND — TAKING AIM AT THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL PICK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TICKET. 

GOV. TIM WALZ | D-MI, DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE 

“Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller (book) trashing that community. Come on. That’s not what middle America is. And I got to tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy.” 

AND AT VANCE’S RALLY IN PENNSYLVANIA — HE RESPONDED TO THE NEWS OF WALZ BEING HARRIS’ SELECTION FOR VICE PRESIDENT. 

SEN. JD VANCE | R-OH, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE 

“Tim Walz’s record is a joke. He’s been one of the most far left radicals in the entire United States government at any level, but I think that what Tim Walz is selection says is that Kamala Harris has bent the knee to the far left of her party which is what she always does.” 

VANCE ALSO CRITICIZED HARRIS FOR NOT DOING A SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW WITH THE MEDIA SINCE BECOMING THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY 17 DAYS AGO. 

HARRIS WILL BE HITTING AT LEAST 5 BATTLEGROUND STATES IN THE DAYS TO COME. 

AND THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION — IS ALSO SCHEDULED FOR LATER THIS MONTH.

THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE — FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE SITTING DOWN WITH ELON MUSK FOR AN INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK. 

TRUMP MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM TUESDAY SAYING QUOTE “ON MONDAY NIGHT I’LL BE DOING A MAJOR INTERVIEW WITH ELON MUSK – DETAILS TO FOLLOW.” 

MUSK HAS NOT YET COMMENTED ON THE INTERVIEW. 

LAST MONTH – THE TECH MOGUL ENDORSED TRUMP FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON THE FORMER PRESIDENT DURING A RALLY IN PENNSYLVANIA.

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SAYS IT’S ARRESTED A PAKISTANI NATIONAL WITH TIES TO THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT… IN CONNECTION WITH A PLOT TO KILL AMERICAN POLITICIANS AND OFFICIALS. 

MULTIPLE SOURCES SAY ONE OF THE MAIN TARGETS — WAS FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. 

ASIF MERCHANT IS CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR HIRE — AFTER D-O-J OFFICIALS SAY HE FLEW FORM PAKISTAN TO THE U-S TO RECRUIT HITMEN FOR THE PLOT. 

THEY SAY ONE OF THE SO-CALLED “HITMEN” HE CONTACTED WAS A CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT FOR THE F-B-I. 

TRUMP’S SECURITY WAS INCREASED IN JUNE — AFTER AUTHORITIES LEARNED OF AN IRANIAN PLOT TO KILL HIM. 

THIS WAS **BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AT A PENNSYLVANIA RALLY — AND IS **UNRELATED TO THOSE EVENTS ACCORDING TO THE FBI. 

MERCHANT WAS ARRESTED ON JULY 12-TH — ONE DAY PRIOR TO TRUMP GETTING SHOT IN BUTLER PENNSYLVANIA.

CALIFORNIA WAS RATTLED TUESDAY NIGHT BY A 5.2 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE NEAR BAKERSFIELD — 

THE EFFECTS BEING FELT ALL THE WAY UP TO LOS ANGELES. 

OFFICIALS SAY THERE’S BEEN DOZENS OF AFTERSHOCKS — WITH MAGNITUDES MEASURING BETWEEN 2.5 AND 4.5 — FOLLOWING THE INITIAL RUMBLINGS THAT BEGAN AROUND 9 P-M LOCAL TIME. 

“SEISMOLOGISTS” CALLING IT “A PRETTY ACTIVE SEQUENCE IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.” 

NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS FOUND BY HELICOPTER CREWS AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

HAMAS HAS NAMED ITS NEW LEADER FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION OF FORMER LEADER ISMAIL HANIYEH IN IRAN LAST WEEK. 

YAHYAH SINWAR WILL NOW LEAD THE TERROR GROUP — WHO IS KNOWN AS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE OCTOBER 7-TH ATTACK. 

THE MOVE IS LIKELY TO PROVOKE ISRAEL — WHICH HAS HAD SINWAR AT THE TOP OF ITS MOST WANTED LIST SINCE THAT DEADLY ATTACK TEN MONTHS AGO. 

THE ISRAELI MILITARY RESPONDING TO SINWAR’S APPOINTMENT — VOWING TO TAKE HIM OUT, AS WELL. 

ISRAEL’S KILLINGS OF MULTIPLE SENIOR OFFICIALS IN HAMAS OVER RECENT MONTHS HAS LED TO RISING TENSIONS IN THE REGION.

A QUICK RESULTS RECAP FROM A FEW CLOSELY WATCHED PRIMARY RACES. 

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN AND “SQUAD MEMBER” CORI BUSH HAS LOST HER PRIMARY RACE IN MISSOURI ACCORDING TO MEDIA PROJECTIONS. 

BUSH HAS BEEN A VOCAL CRITIC OF ISRAEL IN ITS WAR AGAINST HAMAS — 

WITH PRO-ISRAEL GROUPS SPENDING UPWARDS OF 10 MILLION DOLLARS ON EFFORTS TO UNSEAT HER. 

HOWEVER — IT WAS A VERY CLOSE RACE — WITH WESLEY BELL ON TRACK TO WIN THE VOTE WITH 51 PERCENT OF BALLOTS CAST. 

AND IN MICHIGAN — IN BATTLEGROUND TERRITORY — 

FORMER U-S REPRESENTATIVE MIKE ROGERS HAS WON THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR A U-S SENATE SEAT — SETTING HIM UP TO FACE DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE ELISSA SLOTKIN IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. 

MICHIGAN IS SET TO BE A KEY SENATE RACE THIS ELECTION — ESPECIALLY SINCE IT’S AN OPEN SEAT NOW THAT INCUMBENT DEMOCRATIC SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW IS RETIRING.

THE MAJOR RESTAURANT CHAIN “BUCA DI BEPPO” HAS FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION. 

THE PRIVATELY OWNED COMPANY SAYS REVENUE NEVER FULLY RECOVERED AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. 

AS PART OF ITS BANKRUPTCY, THE THREE-DECADE-OLD BUSINESS SAID IT BEGAN CLOSING UNDER PERFORMING RESTAURANTS THIS YEAR, INCLUDING A DOZEN LOCATIONS LAST MONTH ALONE. 

IT WILL ALSO “RESTRUCTURE” THE REST OF ITS 44 LOCATIONS — BUT SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE ITS FAMILY-SIZE PORTIONS THAT HAS BEEN BUCA’S STAPLE.

THE US TOOK HOME TWO OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS ON THE TRACK IN PARIS ON TUESDAY – BRINGING THE TEAM’S GOLD MEDAL COUNT TO 24 AND THE OVERALL TOTAL TO 86. 

FIRST – COLE HOCKER WON THE MEN’S FIFTEEN HUNDRED (1,500) METER RELAY – COMING FROM BEHIND IN THE FINAL SECONDS TO SET AN OLYMPIC RECORD AT 3 MINUTES AND 27 POINT 65 SECONDS. 

AND THEN – GABBY THOMAS EARNED HER FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL – WINNING THE WOMEN’S 200-METER FINAL AFTER TAKING THE BRONZE BACK IN TOKYO. 

THOMAS CROSSING THE FINISH LINE IN 21 POINT 83 SECONDS TO GIVE THE US ITS FIRST GOLD IN THE EVENT IN 12 YEARS.