Kamala Harris names Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP candidate – National & International News – TUE 6Aug2024

Kamala Harris names Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP candidate.

Putin calls for Iran to show restraint in retaliation against Israel.

NATIONAL NEWS

Kamala Harris names Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP candidate

After weeks of speculation, VP Kamala Harris has picked progressive Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz has an impressive record of getting legislation passed with a narrow Democratic majority in his state’s legislature. These are some of the bills he has managed to get through:

• Universal free school breakfast and lunch,
• Legalized recreational marijuana,
• Tax rebates for working class people (up to $1300),
• 12 weeks paid family leave and 12 weeks paid sick leave
• Free public college for students families making under $80,000 a year,
• Banned PFAS, a harmful “forever chemical”,
• 2.2 billion funding boost for K-12 schools.

Walz’s policies and legislative accomplishments made him a favored pick among left-leaning Democrats. He has also been an effective spokesperson for the Harris campaign in news media. Walz and Harris are holding a joint campaign rally in Philadelphia.

Many were expecting Harris to pick Pennsylvania’s popular Governor Josh Shapiro, but several controversies seem to have knocked him out of the running. Firstly, those concerned about the ongoing war on Gaza were alarmed by Shapiro’s comparison of ceasefire protesters to members of the KKK as well as other inflammatory statements he’s made on the conflict.

Secondly, it came to light that while he was Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, he was asked to review a case in which a young woman’s death had been ruled a suicide, despite her having suffered 20 stab wounds, some to the back of her neck. Shapiro allowed the suicide ruling to stand, and it was later alleged that he had ties to the family of the victim’s fiancee, who was the prime suspect. Shapiro’s office later referred the case back to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office due to an “appearance of conflict”.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Putin reportedly calls for Iran to show restraint in retaliation against Israel

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly delivered a message to Iran via his Foreign Minister Sergei Shoigu calling for Iran to avoid civilian casualties in its expected retaliation against Israel. Iran’s President has promised a significant military response after Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital of Tehran last week. Calls from Washington and European nations for restraint have apparently been rejected by Iran. However, other members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a group of nations similar to the Arab League are worried about the possibility of sparking an all-out war in the region. The OIC will meet this week in an emergency meeting called by Iran and Pakistan. 

Putin’s message is likely to carry some weight in Tehran. Ties between Iran and Russia have deepened in recent years, particularly since Iran became a critical weapons supplier for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

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