WEBVTT - Why the gun lobby hates Tim Walz

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<v Speaker 1>You can listen to the Front on your smart sneaker

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<v Speaker 1>every morning to hear the latest episode. Just say play

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<v Speaker 1>the news from the Australian. From the Australian, here's what's

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<v Speaker 1>on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's Friday, August nine.

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<v Speaker 1>Medical experts are calling for Australia to overhaul its plastics regulations.

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<v Speaker 1>New research indicates there are chemicals in some plastics which

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<v Speaker 1>are linked with the development of autism. That's a big

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<v Speaker 1>health story with implications for all of us. Breaking now

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<v Speaker 1>on the Australian dot com dot AU. Disability service providers

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<v Speaker 1>say they're going broke because of a multi billion dollar

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<v Speaker 1>accounting problem with the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They say

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<v Speaker 1>the NDIS is underpaying the providers who look after Australia's

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<v Speaker 1>most needy people. There's a new player in American politics.

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<v Speaker 1>The former high school football coach Kamala Harris has picked

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<v Speaker 1>as her new vice president. He's a straight talking Midwesterner

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<v Speaker 1>and the gun lobby hates him. Today we meet Tim Walls,

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<v Speaker 1>a social studies teacher, a high school football coach, and

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<v Speaker 1>once he became a prominent Democrat politician. Tim Walls was

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<v Speaker 1>a hunting, fishing, gun rights advocate. I'm Tim Walls. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>growing up hunting taught me a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>About responsibility and respect, lessons I hope to pass on

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<v Speaker 2>to my kids. I'm proud to stand with the NRA

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<v Speaker 2>to protect the rates of sportsmen and gun owners.

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<v Speaker 3>Until this, Oh my god, Oh my god, oh my god,

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<v Speaker 3>we're still shooting.

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<v Speaker 1>Shooting animate.

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<v Speaker 2>They scored this that we have actual to the shooter

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<v Speaker 2>in room three two.

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<v Speaker 4>One five three two sustained automatic gunfire at the concert.

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<v Speaker 3>Fifty nine now dead, more than five hundred injured.

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<v Speaker 1>The most deadly massacre of civilians by a loan shooter

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States is sorry. History of gun violence.

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<v Speaker 1>The twenty seventeen Mandalay Bay massacre in Las Vegas. It

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<v Speaker 1>turned Tim Walls away from guns.

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<v Speaker 2>The time for hiding behind thoughts and prayers is long gone.

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<v Speaker 2>What we need is action, and we need it now.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's what's going to happen. Here's what's going to happen.

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<v Speaker 2>We've got gun safety bill on the table, and we're

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<v Speaker 2>going to get it passed and.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to sign it. He donated all the money

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<v Speaker 1>he'd ever received from the NRA, the most powerful lobbying

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<v Speaker 1>organization in the States to charity. After the Parkland High

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<v Speaker 1>School massacre in twenty eighteen, Walls had a confronting conversation

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<v Speaker 1>with his daughter op walk up like.

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<v Speaker 2>Many of you did five weeks ago, and Debt said, Dad,

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<v Speaker 2>you're the only person I know who's an elected office.

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<v Speaker 2>You need to stop what's happening with this. I'll take

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<v Speaker 2>my kick in the butt for the NA I spent

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<v Speaker 2>twenty five years in the army, and I.

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<v Speaker 1>Hunt As governor of Minnesota. He dramatically tightened gun restrictions,

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<v Speaker 1>and now he's Kamala Harris's running mate. He welcome the

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<v Speaker 1>next Vice President of the United States, Tim Wall. There's

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<v Speaker 1>been lots of speculation that Kamala Harris would choose a

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<v Speaker 1>straight white Midwestern dude to reassure the voters. Well, she did,

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<v Speaker 1>But Tim Walls is more complex than the cliche might suggest.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of us in here are old enough to remember.

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<v Speaker 2>I see you down there, I see those all white guys.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of us are all remember when it was Republicans

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<v Speaker 2>who were talking about freedom. It turns out now what

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<v Speaker 2>they meant was the government should be free to invade

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<v Speaker 2>your doctor's office.

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<v Speaker 1>On the keystone issue of abortion rights, something the Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>are pinning their hopes on this election cycle. Walls is

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<v Speaker 1>loud and proud in Minnesota.

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<v Speaker 2>We respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make,

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<v Speaker 2>even if we wouldn't make the same choice for ourselves.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a golden rule, mind your own damn business.

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<v Speaker 1>Wolves is derided by the Republicans as a political wed

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<v Speaker 1>of vean, someone who can't be trusted. The Democrats say,

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<v Speaker 1>over a long career in the federal House of Representatives

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<v Speaker 1>and in state politics, he's just changed his mind. Wolls

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<v Speaker 1>hits all the progressive notes from the Democrats' dreams in

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<v Speaker 1>an accent that's meant to tell you he's not part

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<v Speaker 1>of the East Coast liberal elite.

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<v Speaker 2>When Vice President and I talk about freedom, we mean

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<v Speaker 2>the freedom to make.

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<v Speaker 1>Your own healthcare decisions.

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<v Speaker 2>And for our children to be free to go to

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<v Speaker 2>school without worrying they'll be shot dead in their classrooms.

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<v Speaker 2>By the way, as you heard, I was in the

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<v Speaker 2>best shots in Congress. But in Minnesota, we believe in

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<v Speaker 2>the Second Amendment, but we also believe in common sense

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<v Speaker 2>gun violence laws.

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<v Speaker 1>It's only been a few days since Walls was named

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<v Speaker 1>as Harris's running mate, and he's already on the attack.

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<v Speaker 1>One person firmly in his sights Donald Trump's running mate JD. Vance.

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<v Speaker 2>Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland.

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<v Speaker 2>JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon

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<v Speaker 2>Valley billionaires, and then wrote a best seller trashing that community.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on the crowd at Walls's debut speech to the

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<v Speaker 1>Democratic faithful in Pennsylvania. Loved Walls's shtick, and there was

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<v Speaker 1>one line in particular that brought the house down.

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<v Speaker 2>And I gotta tell you, I can't wait to debate

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<v Speaker 2>the guy. That is, if he's willing to get off

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<v Speaker 2>the couch and show up so.

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<v Speaker 4>You see what I did there.

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<v Speaker 1>If you didn't see what he did there, then this

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<v Speaker 1>moment needs a bit of explaining. You might need a

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<v Speaker 1>coffee for this one. Soon after JD. Vance was nominated

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<v Speaker 1>as Trump's running mate, someone put out a tweet saying

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<v Speaker 1>there was a very strange passage in the first edition

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<v Speaker 1>of Vance's autobiography, Hillbilly Elegy. It said that on pages

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<v Speaker 1>one nine to one point eight one, Vance wrote about

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<v Speaker 1>having well carnal relations with a couch. Those aren't the

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<v Speaker 1>words that we used by the way, you get my drift.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, there's nothing like that in Hillbilly Elergy, which

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<v Speaker 1>was actually a lyrical exploration of poverty and what it's

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<v Speaker 1>like to be an outsider. This couch stuff is completely

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<v Speaker 1>made up. It's ridiculous, but the Internet being the Internet,

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<v Speaker 1>people ran with it. The fake story was all over

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<v Speaker 1>social media, Instagram, TikTok x, even Fox News referenced it.

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<v Speaker 2>It seems like the Republicans are getting a big ged

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<v Speaker 2>Vans should.

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<v Speaker 1>I say couch sized? Wake up hod he or didn't he?

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<v Speaker 1>It got so weird that the Associated Press released a

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<v Speaker 1>story with the headline no, JD. Vans did not have

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<v Speaker 1>sex with a couch, But the horse was out of

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<v Speaker 1>the gate, and the fact Wolls invoked it crystallizes something

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<v Speaker 1>Wolls brings to the Harris campaign. He's a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>daggy dad, a little bit vicious political street fighter. He's

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<v Speaker 1>rolling out a line. The Democrats have been working hard

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<v Speaker 1>since Kamala Harris stepped up as candidate.

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<v Speaker 2>Just an observation of mine that I made. I just

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<v Speaker 2>have to say it. You know it, you feel it.

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<v Speaker 2>These guys are creepy and yes, just where its hell JD.

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<v Speaker 1>Vance hasn't dignified the couch thing. Why would you? But

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<v Speaker 1>he has returned fire and it's Wolls's military history. He's

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<v Speaker 1>coming after coming up next things get even more personal.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you're interested in the US election, make sure

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<v Speaker 1>you subscribe to The Australian. You'll never miss a moment

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<v Speaker 1>with all the latest news and analysis. We're at the

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<v Speaker 1>Australian dot com dot au and we'll be back after

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<v Speaker 1>this break. Jdi Vans is doing a press conference. He's

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<v Speaker 1>talked about law enforcement, his policies, the usual campaign trial stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>but the press aren't so interested in that.

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<v Speaker 4>Last night, doctor Wallt suggested that because of your height,

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<v Speaker 4>league education and your Silicon backing, your political career and

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<v Speaker 4>tho yourself are part of the elite water.

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<v Speaker 1>A reporter asks Vance to respond to Walls's digs about

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<v Speaker 1>his Yale education and Silicon Valley patronage, the very elite

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<v Speaker 1>Vance is so vocal about taking down.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, look, I came from a family where nobody in

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<v Speaker 4>my family had ever gone to law school. I grew

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<v Speaker 4>up in a poor family. The fact that Tim Waltz

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<v Speaker 4>wants to turn it into a bad thing that I

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<v Speaker 4>actually worked myself through college and made something myself. To me,

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<v Speaker 4>that's the American dream.

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<v Speaker 1>JD. Vans is good at this. He didn't actually dress.

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<v Speaker 1>The accusation is morphed into part of the elite. But

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<v Speaker 1>before anyone can follow up, he's on the attack.

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<v Speaker 4>When Tim Waltz was asked by his country to go

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<v Speaker 4>to Iraq, you know what he did. He dropped out

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<v Speaker 4>of the army and allowed his unit to go without him.

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<v Speaker 4>What bothers me about Tim Waltz is the stolen valor garbage.

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<v Speaker 4>Do not pretend to be something that you're not. And

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<v Speaker 4>if you want to criticize me for getting an Ivy

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<v Speaker 4>League education, I'm proud of the fact that my mammoll

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<v Speaker 4>supported me, that I was able to make something of myself.

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<v Speaker 4>I'd be ashamed if I was him and I lied

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<v Speaker 4>about my military service like he did.

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<v Speaker 1>Wolls spent twenty four years with the Army National Guard,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the part of the US armed forces made up

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<v Speaker 1>of civilian soldiers. Over that time, he responded to natural

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<v Speaker 1>disasters and deployed to Europe in support of operations in Afghanistan.

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<v Speaker 1>Eventually he rose to the position of command sergeant major.

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<v Speaker 1>Then in two thousand and five, Wolls retired so he

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<v Speaker 1>could run for Congress. This was two months before his

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<v Speaker 1>unit received orders to deploy to Iraq. The stolen valor

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<v Speaker 1>line of attack is compelling, but it might backfire. JD.

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<v Speaker 1>Vance went to Iraq, but he wrote in Hillbilly Elegy

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<v Speaker 1>he never saw combat. Instead, he worked as a military

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<v Speaker 1>journalist for the Marines. Famously, Donald Trump received a medical

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<v Speaker 1>exemption from the military for bone spurs in his heel

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<v Speaker 1>during the Vietnam War. That diagnosis has previously come under

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<v Speaker 1>serious scrutiny, but Walls's military history isn't the only thing

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<v Speaker 1>from his past under the microscope. Here's a Republican ad

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<v Speaker 1>from this week.

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<v Speaker 3>What could be weirder than signing a bill and the

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<v Speaker 3>law that requires schools to stock tampons in boys' bathrooms,

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<v Speaker 3>or weirder than signing legislation allowing miners to receive sex

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<v Speaker 3>change operations. Try electing the man who signed those bills

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<v Speaker 3>vice President of the States. Enter cheef weirdo Tam Walls

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<v Speaker 3>as governor of Minnesota.

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<v Speaker 1>Ooh, the tampons go with me. Last year, Walls signed

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<v Speaker 1>a bill requiring Minnesota schools to supply menstrual products to

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<v Speaker 1>students so far, so unremarkable. But some Minnesota Republicans took

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<v Speaker 1>exception to the wording of the legislation, which said sanitary

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<v Speaker 1>products should be available to all menstruating students in restrooms

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<v Speaker 1>regularly used by students. The Republicans said, shouldn't this be

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<v Speaker 1>about female students and the girls' bathrooms? Maybe the gender

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<v Speaker 1>neutral bathrooms too, Why would you implicitly include boys' bathrooms?

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<v Speaker 1>An amendment was drafted, but the original wording remained. Now

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<v Speaker 1>the Republicans are calling Walls tampon Tim. Gender identity is

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<v Speaker 1>a hot political issue in the US, and the Republicans

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<v Speaker 1>sniff a weakness. So will Tim Walls be the next

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<v Speaker 1>Vice President of the United States of America. If there's

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<v Speaker 1>something the past decade of global politics has taught us,

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<v Speaker 1>it's that you can't fully trust the polls, but it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't hurt to have a little peak every now and then.

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<v Speaker 1>With Tim Walls on the Democratic ticket, it's still shaping

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<v Speaker 1>up to be another razor thin election.

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<v Speaker 4>A new poll from PBS News and PR and Maris

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<v Speaker 4>shows Kamala Harris with a three point lead over Donald

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<v Speaker 4>Trump nationally. That's within the poll's margin of error.

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<v Speaker 1>A number of recent polls indicate there's been a tipping

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<v Speaker 1>point for the first time. Kamala Harris is slightly ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of Donald Trump, but there's a long way to go.

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<v Speaker 1>The US election is on November five, but the next

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<v Speaker 1>big set piece is the Democratic National Convention, kicking off

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<v Speaker 1>on August nineteen. We'll have a team at the DNC

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<v Speaker 1>bringing you all the news twenty four to seven at

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<v Speaker 1>the Australian dot com dot au. Thanks for joining us

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<v Speaker 1>on the front. Our team is leat Sannaglau, Stephanie Coombs,

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<v Speaker 1>Kristen Amy at Jasper League, Tiffany Dimak, Joshua Burton and

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<v Speaker 1>me Claire Harvey.