DNC: Walz gets spotlight among party heavyweights

Donald Trump held his first outdoor campaign event since his assassination attempt.

Speaking against a backdrop of vintage warplanes at an aviation museum in North Carolina, Trump called his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris the "most radical left person" ever to run for the White House. He claimed millions of jobs would "vanish overnight" if she wins in November.

"Your life savings will be totally wiped out," the Republican candidate told the crowd, one of several apocalyptic scenarios he painted during his speech.

"All over the world, our adversaries knew that America was not to be trifled with when I was your commander in chief," Trump said. "If comrade Kamala wins this November, World War III is virtually guaranteed to happen."

North Carolina is one of a handful of swing states that are expected to determine the outcome of the November 5 election.

Kamala Harris' main campaign fundraising group raised four times as much money in July as Donald Trump's campaign did, according to a federal disclosure filed late Tuesday.

Democratic Vice President Harris' campaign told the Federal Election Commission it raised $204 million (€183 million) last month, compared to $48 million reported to the body by Republican former President Trump's main fundraising group.

Harris' figures include money raised during the month before she launched her candidacy on July 21, when President Joe Biden folded his flagging reelection effort.

Biden endorsed Harris, who took over control of his fundraising group. The records show the group raised more than $60 million in the first three days of Harris' candidacy. Harris also outspent Trump during the month, $81 million to $24 million, according to their FEC reports.

While the candidates and their parties work together, the sums raised are important because the campaigns are, by law, given steep discounts on television ads, while the parties and other allied groups must pay full price.

Tim Walz is a relative unknown to American voters. On Wednesday, he is slated to introduce himself.

Despite Republican attempts to brand him a "radical Socialist" who "is worse than Bernie [Sanders]," Walz is often seen as a straight-talking — at times folksy — down-to-earth, middle-class Midwesterner.

Minnesotans regularly rank among the happiest Americans and Walz seems to embody that. His message is one of conviction and determination.

Walz will likely speak of his childhood in Nebraska, his years in the National Guard, his work as a high school teacher and football coach, in the US House of Representatives and as governor of Minnesota.

That down-to-earth reputation could be key to Harris and Walz securing victory in Midwestern swing states and when it comes to connecting with working-class voters, providing a balance to Harris' West Coast background. 

Besides Walz, key speakers to take the stage on Wednesday are former President Bill Clinton and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner. 

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and numerous swing-state governors and senators are also set to address the DNC.

Chicago police remained busy in their attempt to keep a lid on public order as protesters continue to descend on the city. Tuesday night saw 55 arrests made as a result of violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police.

The arrests were made near the Israeli Consulate in Chicago, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the United Center, where the DNC is being held.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling described the situation as "a danger to our city."

"As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything that we could to de-escalate that situation," said Snelling during a news conference, "But there's only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition."

Snelling said some protesters at the consulate, many dressed in black and with their faces covered, charged at a line of police who had blocked their march. He said protesters showed up to, "fight with the police. We were not the initiators of violence, but we responded to it."

After a raucous send-off of President Joe Biden on day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday, and a message of rekindled hope for America's future as told by Michelle and Barack Obama on day two, day three will see vice-presidential candidate Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota step into the limelight.

The prime-time slot will give Walz — who is expected to formally accept the party's vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday — the opportunity to introduce himself, a relative unknown, to a national audience.

On day two, the Obamas delivered a message of rejuvenated political hope amid a party-like atmosphere, often poking fun at the narrow-minded privilege and strange racial obsessions behind the rantings and policies of Kamala Harris' Republican challenger, Donald Trump. They also urged Democrats to prepare for the political battle facing them in their effort to get Harris elected president.

Though day three may see Walz jokingly refer to his labeling of Trump Republicans as "weird" — which has clearly struck a nerve — he will also seek to highlight just how a second Donald Trump term would imperil American liberties.

The tenor of the evening is expected to highlight individual freedoms that Democrats say would be under threat should Republicans win back the White House.

Reproductive rights will be front and center as an example of what can happen to long-accepted rights when Republicans are in control. It is a visceral example of personal freedoms — revoked by GOP lawmakers and a conservative Supreme Court — that hits very close to home for millions of Americans. It also happens to be an election-swaying issue for the party and one that can be pinned directly on Donald Trump.

js,dh/fb (AP, Reuters)