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Year: 2024

Video: Walz accepts VP nomination at Democratic convention

Video: Walz accepts VP nomination at Democratic convention

NewsFeed The Democrats’ candidate for the US vice presidency Tim Walz drew on his background as an American football coach as he urged supporters to fight for an election win, in a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Published On 22 Aug 202422 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Canada rail freight traffic comes to a standstill over labour dispute

Canada rail freight traffic comes to a standstill over labour dispute

The standoff could cause economic damage and supply chain problems for businesses and consumers in Canada and the US. Canada’s two major freight railroads have completely halted operations due to a contract dispute with their workers in a standoff that could cause considerable economic damage to businesses and consumers in both Canada and the United States. Canadian National (CN) and CPKC railroads both locked out their employees after the Thursday deadline passed without new agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference which represents some 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers. This is the first time the country has faced simultaneous work stoppages at the two companies, which in the past have negotiated labour deals in alternate years. All rail traffic in Canada and all shipments crossing the US border have stopped, although CPKC and CN’s trains will continue to operate in the US and Mexico. Labour talks started early this year, but progress has been slow with both the union and the companies accusing each other of bad faith. The negotiations are stuck on issues related to the way rail workers are scheduled and concerns about rules designed to prevent fatigue and provide adequate rest to train crews. Both railroads had proposed shifting away from the existing system, which pays workers based on the miles in a trip, to an hourly system they said would make it easier to provide predictable time off. Business groups had urged the government to intervene, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declined to force both sides into arbitration yet, but he urged them to reach a deal on Wednesday because of the economic damage that would follow a full shutdown. “It is in the best interest of both sides to continue doing the hard work at the table,” Trudeau told reporters in Gatineau, Quebec. “Millions of Canadians, workers, farmers, businesses, right across the country, are counting on both sides to do the work and get to a resolution.” Numerous business groups have been urging Trudeau to act. “Despite the lockout, the Teamsters remain at the bargaining table with both companies,” the union said in a statement. Rail traffic in Canada and all shipments crossing the US border have stopped over the labour dispute [File: Nick Ingram/AP Photo] Effect on trade Canada – the world’s second-largest country by territory – relies heavily on rail to ship grain, fertiliser and commodities, and the country’s main business lobby group estimates losses would hit $1 billion Canadian dollars ($733m) a day during a stoppage. If the dispute drags on for a couple of weeks, water treatment plants across the country might have to scramble without new shipments of chlorine. Billions of dollars of goods each month move between Canada and the US via rail, according to the US Department of Transportation. “If rail traffic grinds to a halt, businesses and families across the country will feel the impact,” Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement. “Manufacturing workers, their communities and consumers of all sorts of products will be left reeling from supply chain disruptions.” Adblock test (Why?)

Kamala Harris to accept presidential nomination on final night of DNC

Kamala Harris to accept presidential nomination on final night of DNC

CHICAGO — Vice President Harris will formally accept the Democrat presidential nomination Thursday night in a historic moment after President Biden won the 2024 Democrat primaries but later suspended his campaign due to internal party pressure.  Harris is expected to address the Democratic National Convention (DNC) during a primetime Thursday night address.  By the end of the night, the Democrat presidential ticket will be solidified with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and then it will be off to the general election against Republican nominee former President Trump and his VP pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.  Harris delivered surprise remarks on Monday night to kick off the DNC in Chicago, praising Biden and saying “we are forever grateful to him.”  WALZ TO ACCEPT DEMOCRAT VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION ON NIGHT 3 OF DNC “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do,” Harris said Monday. “We are forever grateful to you. Thank you, Joe.” Harris said Democrats are “united by our shared vision for the future of our country.” “And this November, we will come together and declare with one voice as one people, we are moving forward,” she said Monday. “With optimism, hope and faith so guided by our love of country, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us, let us fight for the ideals we hold dear and let us always remember when we fight, we win.” Just over a month ago, Biden was considered the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, having won each primary race.  However, after a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June, Democrats mounted a pressure campaign for Biden to suspend his re-election bid. Biden eventually gave in and dropped out of the race. He swiftly endorsed Harris, his vice president, to take his place as the Democrat nominee. Biden addressed the convention Monday night and handed the reins of the party to Harris. DNC ATTENDEES REJECT POPULAR GOP ACCUSATION OF CONVENTION HYPOCRISY: ‘APPLES AND ORANGES’ Speaking in front of the jam-packed United Center arena, the president declared, “America, I gave my best to you.”  “Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made before I became, when I became our nominee, and it was the best decision I made my whole career,” Biden said. “She’s tough, she’s experienced, and she has enormous integrity, enormous integrity.” He added, “Her story represents the best American story.” He then asked the crowd, “Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for president and vice president of the United States?” Harris has spent the week campaigning, holding events across the country. She also unveiled her first big-ticket proposal to raise revenues this week, upping the corporate tax rate. The Harris campaign said the vice president is proposing to raise the rate that major businesses pay from 21% to 28%, describing it as a “fiscally responsible way to put money back in the pockets of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.” MICHELLE OBAMA’S 3RD CONSECUTIVE DNC SPEECH SLAMMING TRUMP RIPS HIS ‘RACIST LIES,’ ‘NARROW VIEW OF THE WORLD’ The announcement this week comes as Harris is beginning to offer details on how she would govern if she is elected president and how she would try to pay for expensive ideas she proposed last week, including expanding the child tax credit, easing the cost of homeownership and lowering medical debt. Meanwhile, ahead of Harris’ formal acceptance of the Democrat presidential nomination, the vice president drew support from major Democrats – beyond Biden – and top Hollywood stars. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Harris, invoking her famed “glass ceiling” line. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States,” said Clinton, who in 2016 became the first female to win a major party presidential nomination.   DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: LIVE UPDATES Harris also drew praise from former President Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Clinton, among others. Her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, said he was “so proud of how you’re stepping up for all of us.” “That’s who she is. Whenever she’s needed, however she’s needed, Kamala rises to the occasion,” Emhoff said. “She did it for me and our family. Now that the country needs her, she’s showing you what we already know: she’s ready to lead, she brings both joy and toughness to this task, and she will be a great president who we will all be proud of.”

‘Star Wars’ actor Mark Hamill weighs in on Kamala Harris’ chances of victory

‘Star Wars’ actor Mark Hamill weighs in on Kamala Harris’ chances of victory

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill is among the big names in Chicago this week to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepting the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week. Hamill told Fox News Digital on the way to a VIP event on Tuesday evening that he is “very confident” Harris will beat former President Trump in November. The Hollywood star, known best for playing Luke Skywalker in the science-fiction saga, briefly chatted with fans and media and stopped to take photos with Democrat fans in attendance. DNC IN CHICAGO: 8 SHOT, 4 MURDERED IN WINDY CITY ON DAY 1 OF CONVENTION When asked what he thought of President Biden’s Monday evening farewell speech, Hamill said, “I’m speechless. It was fantastic.” Hamill has long been one of Biden’s most high-profile supporters and an active critic of Republican presidential nominee former President Trump. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison posted a TikTok video alongside Hamill on the first night of the convention where the actor invoked his “Star Wars” past. CHICAGO GETS ‘WEIRD’ FOR DNC WITH ABORTION TRUCKS, INFLATABLE IUD AND FREE VASECTOMIES, CONSERVATIVES SAY “In the movies, I fought against make-believe evil. But we’re at a time in history where we’re fighting against real evil,” Hamill said. “So, I beg you, please don’t go to the orange side.” It was followed by Harrison posing with a blue lightsaber. Hamill shared the video on X and wrote, “My message to Jaime Harrison: The Force is strong with [the Harris-Walz campaign] & the Democratic Party…My message to MAGA: Go FORCE Yourself.” PLANNED PARENTHOOD OFFERING FREE ABORTIONS, VASECTOMIES AT DNC The actor notably defended Biden in the days after his disastrous performance in the late June presidential debate on CNN, which eventually precipitated Biden’s ouster by fellow Democrats worried he would lose to Trump in November. “One off night doesn’t change the fact that [Biden] is the most legislatively successful [U.S. president] in our lifetime. One off night also doesn’t change the fact that the former guy is a convicted felon, serial liar & adjudicated rapist who is unfit for ANY office. Period,” Hamill wrote on X.

GOP veteran-lawmakers drop scathing ‘stolen valor’ letter to Walz as Trump camp rips ‘Freakish Timothy’

GOP veteran-lawmakers drop scathing ‘stolen valor’ letter to Walz as Trump camp rips ‘Freakish Timothy’

The Trump campaign distributed a letter Thursday from dozens of veterans serving in Congress hitting back at Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz over claims of “stolen valor.” Journalists were handed the letter condemning Walz, as the Minnesota governor has battled back against questions about the timing of his retirement from military service. In an announcement of the letter, the Trump campaign dinged the Democrat as “Freakish Timothy.” Walz, who joined the Nebraska National Guard as a teenager and also later served for Minnesota, met his 20-year requirement in 2001. During that time, he was reportedly deployed to arctic Norway, before reenlisting after 9/11. He was also deployed to Italy to supplant other troops being shifted to Afghanistan, according to NPR. JD VANCE RIPS HARRIS’ LATEST WORD SALAD: ‘SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POWER OF DIPLOMACY’ Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, the senator from Ohio, and others have criticized Walz for retiring only months before his unit was deployed to Iraq in 2005. The letter was led by retired Army sergeant Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and signed by other servicemembers-turned-lawmakers including Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Reps. Brian Babin, R-Texas, Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Greg Lopez, R-Calif., Cory Mills, R-Fla., Scott Perry, R-Pa., Barry Moore, R-Ala., Jack Bergman, R-Mich., and Don Bacon, R-Neb. In the letter, the lawmakers call the office of vice president “a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to duty on behalf of the United States of America.” “As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people.” Going on to reference allegations of stolen valor, the letter continues: “You have stated you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service. Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘retired command sergeant major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable.” KARI LAKE DINGS HARRIS ON BORDER: THE ONLY WALZ SHE SUPPORTS IS HER RUNNING MATE “Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons ‘in war’ when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.” The letter closes with a collective vote of no confidence for Walz: “… Until you admit you lied to [America’s veterans], there is no way you can be trusted to serve as vice president.” At a separate press conference, Mast noted how Steve Nikoui – father of a Marine killed in President Joe Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal – became so angry and frustrated that he shouted out during this year’s State of the Union. Mast added that Vice President Kamala Harris went along with the Afghanistan plan and praised it herself. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Because, not only has Biden gone through now four years and not said a word [about] Afghanistan, he has never said his son’s name. He’s never said any of the 13 servicemembers’ names.” “It’s one thing to lose your men or women in combat, that happens, but to lose it due to incompetence and to literally idiotic and asinine decision-making out of that White House is something we as a veterans community, and certainly me, as long as I’m in this position and I have a breath, will never let them forget. and [Harris] owns it.” “She owns it. She was proud of it. She bragged about it.”  Fox News Digital reached out to Vance for further comment on the letter, as he had previously critiqued Walz on the matter and also served in uniform. William Martin, a spokesman for Vance, said veterans nationwide are “furious with Tim Walz’ lies about his military record.” “Even Walz’ superior office and the chaplain of his regiment have explicitly condemned his decision to abandon his unit when they were deployed to Iraq,” Martin said. He added Walz has the opportunity Thursday night to apologize for “years of stolen valor” during his scheduled DNC speech.