Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance tried to “throw off” his opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate by greeting him with friendliness and cordiality, an aide to the Ohio senator said in a new report.

Walz was reportedly preparing to debate a much more hostile Republican nominee, sources told Axios—and was expecting “more MAGA mode given what [Vance has] been saying repeatedly on the stump.”

“The ‘MN nice’ dynamic played out more surprisingly and organically onstage than strategically, in a way maybe neither candidate expected,” a Walz campaign aide told the outlet.

Vance’s camp said: “We had an intentional strategy of not being overly adversarial and aggressive and jumping down Walz’s throat on every little thing,” a Vance aide told Axios.

It stands in stark contrast to the no-holds-barred image his Walz debate prep stand-in, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, gave reporters the night before the debate.

“No amount of Minnesota nice is going to make up for the fact that Walz embodies [Kamala Harris’] open-border and soft-on-crime” policy stance, Emmer told reporters on a call on Monday night. The GOP congressman predicted Vance would “wipe the floor” with his state’s governor.

But viewers tuning in to the actual debate were greeted with a different reality: Vance and Walz started and ended the debate with a handshake, and agreed with one another at multiple points throughout the evening.

When Walz spoke about his son, Gus, witnessing a shooting at a community center near his school in 2023, Vance offered him an apology:

“I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed the shooting,” the Ohio senator said. “And I’m sorry about that. And I hope, Christ, have mercy. It is awful.”

“JD’s focus on bipartisanship was intentional, because we knew it was a side of JD that the media has largely ignored,” the advisor told Axios. “The goal was to disarm the ‘he’s an extremist’ B.S. by positioning him in the populist center. Democrats may have mindf—ed themselves into believing the caricature they invented.”

Despite this, at least one response seemed only designed to appeal to the MAGA wing of the Republican base. When asked if he accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election, Vance deflected and said he was “focused on the future.”

Walz called the response a “damning non-answer.”

But some of Vance’s personality as the campaign’s “policy attack dog,” as the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, did manage to shine at moments during the debate. After Margaret Brennan corrected the Ohio senator that most of the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio do have legal status, Vance spoke over the moderators and went on the offensive.

The CBS anchors eventually cut off both candidates’ microphones as they continued to argue about the legal status of the Haitian immigrants.

The Minnesota Vikings have raced out to a 4-0 start under Kevin O’Connell in 2024. Any talk of early season MVPs must mention both the head coach and the yin to his yang, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has every offense in the NFL sweating the moment they have to lineup opposite of the Vikings.

KOC is the odds-on favorite to win coach of the year, everywhere you look, and for good reason. One could argue Flores should be right up there with him. But this is about the guys in between the white lines. There have been several key contributors on the field as well, some more obvious than others.

Of course, certain positions will always generate prominent consideration for individual awards. Given what the Vikings have done this season, and where they came from just a year ago, there should be a level of nuance to this discussion as well. There are a few different players that stand out.

Sam Darnold is obvious choice for Minnesota Vikings MVP through 4 weeks

When the Minnesota Vikings allowed Kirk Cousins to chase the money in Atlanta, they pivoted to a bridge quarterback. Sam Darnold was a guy that O’Connell thought he could make something out of, and it has turned out to be incredibly fruitful.

Three touchdown passes for Sam Darnold 🔥

📺: #HOUvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/BMIjnHKWOp

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

Not only has Sam Darnold mostly avoided terminal mistakes, he’s been exceptional. We wanted a guy who wasn’t going to throw away too many games. Instead, we got a guy who’s been throwing the Minnesota Vikings to weekly victories. This is a supporting cast he has never previously worked with before, yet everything has clicked.

• Sam Darnold 2024 Stats: 73-of-106 | 68.9 % | 932 Yds | 11 TD | 10.4 TD% | 3 Int

Darnold’s 11 passing touchdowns lead the league, and he has thrown just three interceptions. His 68.9% completion rate is nearly 10% better than his career average, and he has developed immediate chemistry with his teammates. Darnold is the favorite for Minnesota’s MVP right now, and he’s among the leading candidates across the entire league.

Aaron Jones is so much better than Alexander Mattison

It’s weird to consider a running back as a catalyst for a team in this day and age. That said, Aaron Jones has revitalized a position that was awful for the team just a year ago. After Alexander Mattison went belly-up, Minnesota had few answers. Jones has come over from Green Bay and has been better than expected for a 29-year-old back.

Jones finds himself eighth among leading rushers this season, with 321 yards on the ground. He’s one spot (eight yards) behind Josh Jacobs, who took over for him in Green Bay. Beyond what he provides in the run game, Aaron gives so much everywhere else. He has 143 receiving yards this year, less than 50 yards shy of what Mattison put up all of last season.

He’s also a leader and great human being, just ask his old QB, Aaron Rodgers, or his new head coach (below). The Vikings locker room has loved having Jones, and he has loved being here. It’s been a perfect fit, and his place in the offense has helped Darnold open up options at multiple levels.

Aaron Jones is Awesome and Everyone Knows It

Coach O’Connell talks about the value that Aaron Jones brings to the team pic.twitter.com/o1pfawA2OG

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 2, 2024

Don’t forget about Stephon Gilmore

Coming into the season, there were serious questions about the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary. Depth was going to be an issue, and the veteran presence of Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin wasn’t necessarily seen as enough. Stephon Gilmore’s acquisition added to the top and made everyone else better.

Opposing quarterbacks have consistently shied away from him thus far this season. Gilmore has just a single pass deflection, and it’s a byproduct of signal callers not even wanting to mess with him. That’s why the 34-year-old veteran has become the forgotten hero of a shockingly undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

Even in the latter stages of his career, Gilmore has proven to be every bit the shutdown cornerback he promised to be. With or without training camp. The defense is rolling. Much of that is due to Brian Flores and the Vikings’ incredible pass rush. But the secondary has been the most pleasant surprise of this hot start, and that is in large part thanks to Stephon Gilmore.

The biggest difference between the Vikings defense this season versus last season is the CB play.

This season – Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr, Shaquil Griffin

Last season – Byron Murphy Jr, Akayleb Evans, Mekhi Blackmon

The veteran presence in the DB room has made a huge…

— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) September 30, 2024

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The Minnesota Vikings MVP Nobody is Talking About

Much of that success can be attributed to the addition of Stephon Gilmore. This is a guy who landed with the Vikings, just before the start of the regular season, because he wanted to play for a winning team where he could make a difference. So far, so good.

Without the breakout performances of the three players above, all of which were free agent additions this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings would not be 4-0. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah deserves credit for an incredible run in free agency, over the spring/summer. He worked with his two superstar coaches for what currently looks like one of the best offseasons in team history.

Mentioned in this article: aaron jones Sam Darnold Stephon Gilmore

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MOOSE LAKE, Minn. — Fall is hunting season in Minnesota, but folks walking near the Moose Lake Airport aren’t looking for pheasants or deer — they’re hunting for a gemstone.

“There’s a pretty nice one. Got some nice lines in it,” said John, a local agate hunter.

It’s a hobby that’s been unearthed in Moose Lake, also known as the Agate Capital of the World.

“It’s a big deal right here in this area,” said Michaela Anderson of the Moose Lake Agate and Geological Center. “If you want to find a good agate, I would say this is generally the area I would suggest going to look for one.

For some people, it’s like finding a piece of gold. Some of that “gold” ends up at the Moose Lake Agate and Geological Center. 

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, a glacier created these stones — the silica-rich water helped to give them wavy and colorful lines.

“The glacier spread them literally from what would be Duluth to Cloquet, Barnum, Moose Lake, Hinckley and such. I have found a Lake Superior agate in Hannibal, Missouri,” said Roger Biebl, Carlton County Gem and Mineral Club.

Beibl got hooked on agate hunting when he was a kid.

“This is not polished. This is exactly how I found it at 5 years old. I’m 68 now so I’ve kept this for 63 years,” said Beibl while holding up the first agate he ever found. “This actually led me to become a geologist.”

Spotting these stones takes a trained eye. Sun helps, but so does rain. They become glass-like when touched by raindrops. Gravel pits and gravel roads around Moose Lake are agate-picking hot spots.

“Along the dirt roads now. It used to be you would never see anybody. Now, after a rain, you might see eight or 10 cars. It’s really become popular,” said Beibl.

Agates are collectors’ items that also hold a lot of value. The bigger and more colorful they are, the more they’re worth. Especially when it comes to eye agates, which can be eye-catching.

The town has embraced the stones so much that every summer they have Agate Days, also known as the largest rock show in Minnesota, with over 100 vendors. People show up to buy, trade, polish and cut agates. They also have an agate stampede where they dump hundreds of gemstones in downtown Moose Lake, and let people go hunting for them.

“It is insanity,” said Beibl. “We are putting 600 pounds in there. That’s about $3,000 worth.”

Year-round First National Bank in Moose Lake flaunts a more than 100-pound agate in their entryway.

“This is just eye-catching and I think that’s the total thing about agates is just how beautiful they are,” said Beibl.

Many vendors at Agate Days turn the gemstones into jewelry, belt buckles, bolo ties and even clocks. Next year’s festival will be held July 19 and 20 in Moose Lake.