Midwest
Wife of Harris' VP pick sets social media ablaze with 'bizarre' admission about 2020 riots
The wife of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate set social media ablaze Tuesday after an unearthed clip of her describing her actions during the 2020 Minneapolis riots went viral.
Gwen Walz is Minnesota’s first lady and the wife of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was picked by Vice President Harris to be her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket.
A pivotal part of Walz’s gubernatorial record was his handling of the death of George Floyd in the state in 2020. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests about race and police brutality.
TIM WALZ, KAMALA HARRIS’ NEW RIGHT-HAND MAN, ECHOES LEFT-WING CRIME POLICIES
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz and an image of the 2020 riots in Minnesota. (Getty Images)
“Again we had more sleepless nights during the riots,” Walz’s wife told KSTP in July 2020. “I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.”
Conservative commentators expressed astonishment at Gwen Walz’s remarks after the clip started going viral on social media.
“What might you call this? Bizarre? Abnormal? Peculiar? Eccentric? Offbeat? Quirky?” Noah Rothman, a senior writer at the National Review Online, said. “Gotta be a word that describes reveling in the catharsis represented by the torching of other people’s property.”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk described the comments as “weird.”
“Profoundly disturbing,” journalist Abigail Shrier said. “We’re going to need to learn a lot more about the Walzes.”
Dustin Grage, the president of a conservative Minnesota-based consulting firm, said the comments were “bizarre,” adding, “Her [Walz’s] daughter also coordinated with rioters to let them know that the National Guard would not be activated one night.”
“Everything you need to know about leftist elites can be found in this short clip,” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh said on X. “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.”
Gov. Walz was criticized for his handling of the riots. Conservatives accused him of sitting on his hands as the state was engulfed by riots.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, applauds her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as he speaks at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the first day of their Battleground State Tour. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)
As a result of the delayed action, hundreds of businesses across Minneapolis and St. Paul were devastated by the destruction and had to ask their local government for help recovering on top of what they lost during pandemic-related closures.
First lady Walz said she was aware Minnesota was under national scrutiny at the time.
“With COVID-19, the entire state was watching what Tim did,” Ms. Walz said. “But with Mr. Floyd’s death, it was the entire country and the whole world looking at and watching what we did here in Minnesota in response to that.”
RIOTING, LOOTING LINKED TO GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS LEAVES TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS AMERICAN CITIES
That record is now again under scrutiny as Walz is catapulted into the national spotlight, with Republican critics taking aim at how both Walz and Harris handled the 2020 crisis.
“Minnesota was ground zero for the BLM riots of 2020,” Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “Harris egged it on, and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.”
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate and running mate of former President Trump, poked at Walz’s 2020 record on Tuesday, calling his addition to the Democratic ticket “an interesting tag team.”
“If we remember the rioting in the summer of 2020, Tim Walz was the guy who let rioters burn down Minneapolis,” he said of the riots that began in Minnesota in response to the death of Floyd while being arrested in Minneapolis. “And then Kamala Harris was the one who bailed the rioters out of jail.”
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Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis leaders provide public safety update ahead of Fourth Fest
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Nearly 25,000 Central Indiana residents are expected to attend Fourth Fest, the city’s July Fourth celebration, in downtown Indianapolis featuring live music, food and a fireworks show.
City public safety officials say that while they’re excited about the festival, their top priority is making sure everyone celebrates safely.
Any emergency updates will be shared on Fourth Fest’s main stage and displayed on event screens, while the Indianapolis Metro Police Department says its officers will be patrolling the festival area and all through downtown on Saturday.
“They’ll be intentionally patrolling key locations, assisting with traffic flow, and insuring that both visitors and residents feel safe and supported,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Matthew Thomas.
Thomas says parents have the responsibility of knowing where their kids are at all times, and that everyone attending should be respectful. He also stresses that public safety is a shared responsibility.
“Anyone coming downtown must behave responsibly,” Thomas said. “Reckless or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. If juveniles are found in violation of curfew or involved in disruptive behavior, officers may take appropriate enforcement action. We are all working to keep this city safe.”
Other things to keep in mind: you can not bring your own fireworks or drones to Fourth Fest. As temperatures are expected to be hot, free water will be available at stations throughout the event.
Fourth Fest takes place Saturday at the American Legion Mall. The street party starts at 6 p.m., while the fireworks show starts just after 10 p.m.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland councilman warns of planned outages coming to city’s west side during high heat
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland City Councilman Charles Slife warned of a planned and temporary power outage from First Energy on Wednesday afternoon amid dangerously high temperatures.
MORE: Widespread power outages plaguing Cleveland
According to the post, First Energy is working to install two new poles, one in Lakewood and one on Rocky River Drive near St. Joseph Academy.
19 First Alert Days: First Alert Weather Days continue through Friday for heat, Saturday for storms
“This work is being done to bolster the electrical grid, which is being strained by heavy use due to high temperatures, and to avoid widespread and long-lasting outages,” the post said.
Slife emphasizes that Wednesday’s outages are temporary and intentional.
PUCO rejects FirstEnergy’s attempt to loosen reliability standards
The outages are expected to impact the northern half of Ward 15 and may last up to an hour.
Slife said he would provide more details when available.
19 News has reached out to First Energy for more information.
MORE: Where to find cooling centers in Northeast Ohio
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