| Former President Donald Trump reflected on his second assassination attempt during a town hall last night in Flint, Mich. Trump told his supporters in attendance at his first public appearance since the incident on Sunday that “only consequential presidents get shot at.” The Republican also told the crowd he appreciated that Vice President Kamala Harris called after the assassination attempt to make sure he was OK and condemned political violence. NPR has more from the Trump town hall, as well as a rundown from Harris’ interview with the National Association of Black Journalists. She urged the former president to stop sharing baseless claims about immigrant communities in Springfield, Ohio, and noted the adverse impact the claims had on that town.
Trump’s running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance on Tuesday committed to toning down some of the campaign rhetoric in the lead-up to Election Day. And he said that Democrats in particular need to dial back their criticism, per NBC News . "To hear the Democrats talk about both sides' need to tamp down the political rhetoric ignores one big problem, and that problem is that in the past two months, two separate people have tried to take Donald Trump’s life," Vance said. "Yes, we need to tone down the political rhetoric, but that especially applies to the Democrats.”
During a campaign swing through Georgia and North Carolina yesterday, Walz addressed the second assassination attempt, too. The governor told Harris campaign staffers and reporters on the campaign trail that the incident was “horrific,” according to a pool reporter, and thanked the Secret Service for keeping Trump safe. “I think all of us know we don't solve our differences in this country with violence. We condemn it in all its forms. We solve our differences at the ballot box. That's how we get this done.” Noting the fatal shooting at Apalachee High School weeks earlier, Walz said Harris would prioritize gun safety policies. “The tragedy is not just a fact of life. And as Donald Trump would know, this violence across the country has got to end. Gun violence has got to end. We need a leader who's willing to take that on in every way.”
Thanks to Walz, Minnesota Lutheranism is getting its moment in the national political spotlight. But as the AP points out, how Lutherans live their faith in the public eye can be as “different as a marshmallow-topped hotdish from a prickly pear cactus salad.” It’s true with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the more liberal and largest Lutheran denomination. Walz has alluded to attending an ELCA church in St. Paul, but his spokesperson declined to discuss details. Many Lutherans try to keep their politics and their potlucks separate, spurred by their beliefs that political and social life is ruled by different sets of principles than religious life. And unlike other religious groups, Lutherans are ideologically divided.
Speaking of hotdish, the pool reporter traveling with Walz noted yesterday that hecklers in Georgia used a distinctly Minnesota-focused diss. A group of between 30 and 40 Trump supporters in Macon yelled out “take your hotdish and shove it,” which has Dana wondering how much the governor’s position on the ticket has moved the national needle on the food that Minnesotans refuse to call casserole. The governor’s public schedule notes he’s in Minnesota for state business today — meeting with University of Minnesota President Dr. Rebecca Cunningham, interviewing judicial candidates and attending an Urban Debate League event. The Harris campaign says he’s headed to Washington, D.C. tonight.
The U.S. Supreme Court declared Minnesota’s process for handling tax-forfeited properties unconstitutional and affected Minnesotans could receive thousands of dollars. Geraldine Tyler, 94, owed about $15,000 in property taxes and fees on her Minneapolis condo when Hennepin County seized the property and sold it for $40,000. They didn’t return any of the $25,000 surplus to Tyler. The Supreme Court called it an unfair taking without just compensation in a unanimous opinion. A class-action lawsuit filed by other Minnesotans resulted in a settlement and state lawmakers approved $109 million to settle the claims. Attorneys have begun notifying people who might be eligible to claim money, Kirsti Marohn reports.
In honor of National Voter Registration Day yesterday, dozens of high schools around the state held events to help 16- and 17-year-old students get pre-registered. Two teenagers who are working to get young people more engaged in politics — Michael Wall and Markus Wessman — sat down with MPR’s Morning Edition to discuss their initiatives to get eligible high school students into the voting pipeline. You can read more about the efforts and listen to the discussion here . Also, a quick reminder that early voting in Minnesota (the early date kind, not before you turn 18 kind) starts on Friday.
Republican congressional candidate Joe Teirab’s ads are starting soon. The 2nd Congressional District nominee locked in commercial time starting next week, according to television records on campaign purchases. He’s bought time through the election. Democratic incumbent Rep. Angie Craig has had ads running for several weeks. Teirab and Craig are both getting assistance from political caucuses who have also been snatching up ad time. Teirab’s joint ads with the National Republican Congressional Committee are beginning this week.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate again blocked a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization across the country. The measure failed on a 51-44 vote — short of the 60-vote threshold it needed to advance. The Associated Press reports that Democrats are trying to put the GOP on the defensive on issues of reproductive health care access. GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, say it’s an election year political stunt. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska broke with their party and supported the legislation.
Trump is facing heat from several recording artists for using their songs on his campaign playlist without their permission. NPR reports that the list of singers and bands filing complaints against the Trump campaign may be a record. Beyoncé, Celine Dion, ABBA and the White Stripes have sued to make the former president take their tunes out of rotation. Evidently, the lawsuits can be pricey and time-consuming for the folks who want to file them.
The last minute switch-up on the Democratic ticket may have come in July, but it was too late for these bobbleheads. Since 2004, the St. Paul Saints have brought out the two presidential candidates to CHS Field in bobblehead form. As fans enter the gate, they can choose a bobblehead and the first candidate to have all 1,000 bobbleheads chosen will win the “Bobblection”. While Saints fans have correctly predicted the 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, this year was a tough one to get right. The Saints handed out bobbleheads of Donald Trump and… Joe Biden with a Harris/Walz campaign sign. The Saints say they had to order the bobbleheads back in April. “There wasn’t enough time to make a new one, but as they say in the business, ‘The Show Must Go On,” the Saints said in a statement. Trump ultimately won out with Saints fans, picking up 52.6 percent support compared to Biden’s 47.4 percent. The Saints also won against Indianapolis. | 