Former President Donald Trump’s campaign called out a veiled dig at running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, made by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the Democratic National Convention. 

Walz, who formally accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination Wednesday night, addressed the United Center in Chicago by speaking of his upbringing in the Midwest. 

‘Now, I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people. I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale,’ Walz said, prompting laughter from the audience. ‘But I’ll tell you what. Growing up in a small town like that, you’ll learn how to take care of each other. That that family down the road, they may not think like you do. They may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do. But they’re your neighbors. And you look out for them, and they look out for you.’

The Trump War Room X account posted a clip of Walz’s remark about Yale, where Vance attended law school.

‘Walz: ‘I had 24 kids in my high school class and none of them went to Yale,’’ Trump War Room noted, adding, ‘Weird flex!’ 

Vance is the author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ a memoir about his time as a Yale Law School student reflecting on growing up in Appalachia that was adapted into a Netflix film. In his debut as Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention, Vance was open about being raised by his grandmother, whom he described as tough and keeping him away from drugs, and who would barter with the Meals on Wheels volunteers to help feed him growing up. Vance, credited for appealing to working-class Midwesterners in the Rust Belt, also spoke of his mother’s long battle with addiction. She is now nearly 10 years sober. 

Vance enlisted in the Marine Corps right after graduating from high school in Middletown, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and later Yale Law School. 

Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked Vance to respond to Walz’s reference to Yale, suggesting he was deeming Vance ‘Mr. Fancypants Ivy League.’ 

‘I grew up in a very poor family. I was raised by my grandmother who didn’t graduate from high school, much less from college,’ Vance responded. ‘And I am proud of the fact that she really worked her tail off – she went to her grave fighting to give me opportunities. I’m not ashamed of the fact that my grandmother sacrificed for me, and I was able to live the American Dream. I’m proud of what I accomplished, and, more importantly, I’m proud of all the people who sacrificed in order to give me a better life.’

‘I would think Tim Walz would want to praise people who sacrificed to give their children and grandchildren a better life, not put me down, but I guess this is the political order of the day,’ Vance added. ‘He’s going to attack me. That’s fine. But I’m proud of my family. I’m proud of what they sacrificed to make my life possible.’ 

Walz, by comparison, enlisted in the Army National Guard at age 17 and served for 24 years. 

He has faced recent ‘stolen valor’ attacks from fellow veterans for reportedly opting to retire to run for Congress, while his unit went to Afghanistan months later. 

According to his congressional biography, Walz earned a Bachelor of Science from Chadron State College in Nebraska. The former Minnesota high school teacher is not without Ivy League ties himself. He spent 1989-1990 teaching high school in China as part of a group of government-sanctioned American educators sent to the communist country through a program at Harvard University. 

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., started her address on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday by briefly praising President Biden – despite reportedly helping to orchestrate his exit from the presidential race. 

‘On Jan. 20, 2021, with the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we established one of the most successful presidencies of modern times,’ Pelosi said. ‘And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver – millions of jobs, stronger infrastructure and rural broadband.’ 

‘A Biden child tax credit, rescuing human pensions, honoring our veterans, bold climate action, lowering the cost of prescription drugs all thanks to President Biden’s patriotic vision of a fairer America. Doing so with liberty and justice for all,’ she said before adding, ‘Thank you, Joe.’ 

Pelosi then shifted from the current president and championed Vice President Kamala Harris for ‘quickly securing the nomination with dignity and grace.’ 

Biden ended his re-election campaign on July 21 and immediately endorsed Harris’ presidential candidacy. This came after weeks of defections from Democratic lawmakers who implored him to withdraw from the presidential race following his rough performance in the Atlanta debate against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. Despite some reporting that Pelosi had coordinated the effort to force Biden to drop out, Democrats at the convention – including Pelosi – have insisted that Biden was the one ‘who made the decision for the country.’ 

Harris secured enough delegates to become the presidential nominee on Aug. 1 during a virtual roll call conducted by the Democratic National Committee two weeks before the start of the party’s convention at the United Center in Chicago. Republicans, by contrast, did their roll call in person at their party’s convention in Milwaukee.

‘I know that Vice President Harris is ready to take us to new heights. I’ve known Kamala Harris for decades. Personally, I know her a person of deep faith, which is reflected in her community care and service,’ Pelosi said Wednesday, before also championing Harris’ record on abortion. ‘Officially, she is a leader of strength and wisdom and eloquence on policy, most recently demonstrated fighting for a woman’s right to choose. Politically, she is astute and strategic, and winning difficult elections, quickly securing the nomination with dignity and grace, and choosing Tim Walz as our vice president.’ 

As for Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pelosi said she had the honor of serving with him in Congress for 12 years. 

‘He united Democrats, Republicans and independents to turn a red district blue. He showed courage when he came to Congress and voting for the Affordable Care Act, meeting the needs of his constituents despite Republicans’ lies and misrepresentation,’ Pelosi said. ‘When he went home, won the election, he returned to Congress. He fought for our America’s heroes as the Democratic leader of the Veterans Affairs Committee. Thank you, Tim.’ 

Pelosi, who was serving as speaker of the House on Jan. 6, 2021, brought up the riot at the Capitol, decrying it as a ‘perilous moment for our democracy’ and placed blame on Trump – though without mentioning the Republican presidential nominee by name. 

Pelosi also called on the Democrats to ‘reject autocracy, choose democracy’ by voting for Harris and Walz. 

‘Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on January 6. He did,’ she said of Trump. ‘But let us not forget who saved democracy that day. We did. And thank God we had a Democratic House of Representatives then. We returned to the Capitol that very same night. We insisted on certifying the election results on the floors of the House and the Senate. And we demonstrated to America and to the world that American democracy prevailed.’ 

‘The parable of January 6th reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care and we must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections, who respect the peaceful transfer of power,’ Pelosi said. ‘The choice couldn’t be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.’ 

Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report. 

Legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, when she slammed former President Trump and his vice president 24 years after she suggested he would make a good president.

‘We know all the old tricks and tropes that are designed to distract us from what actually matters,’ Winfrey told the crowd at the United Center. ‘But we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people, and they require adult conversation. And I welcome those conversations because civilized debate is vital to democracy, and it is the best of America.’

In another veiled shot at Trump, Winfrey said, ‘Now, there’s a certain candidate that says if we just go to the polls this one time, that we’ll never have to do it again. Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again because I’m an American. And that’s what Americans do. Voting is the best of America.’

Winfrey also took aim at Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, who faced criticism over comments about ‘childless cat ladies.’

‘When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowners’ race or religion,’ Winfrey said. ‘We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted no. We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady. Well, we try to get that cat out too. Cause we are a country of people who work hard for the money. We wish our brothers and sisters well. And we pray for peace.’

Shortly after Winfrey criticized him, the Trump campaign posted a thank-you letter Winfrey wrote in 2000 suggesting that he would be a good president.

‘Too bad we’re not running for office,’ Winfrey wrote. ‘What a team!’

‘I might have thought it back then,’ Winfrey said in a 2023 interview. ‘I might have thought it 23 years ago.’

Oprah told the crowd in Chicago that she is ‘telling the truth’ when she says ‘values and character matter.’

‘Most of all,’ Winfrey said, ‘in leadership and in life, you know, this is true, that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And, and just plain common sense over loyalty to any individual.’

There are 75 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But if Americans vote like they did in the last two election cycles, most of them will have already cast a ballot before the big day.

Early voting starts as soon as Sept. 6 for eligible voters, with seven battleground states sending out ballots to at least some voters the same month.

It makes the next few months less a countdown to Election Day, and more the beginning of ‘election season.’

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses. 

In some states, almost every voter casts a ballot by mail.

Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail.

Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day.

Elections officials stress that voting early is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election did not reveal evidence of widespread fraud or corruption. 

The difference between ‘early in-person’ and ‘mail’ or ‘absentee’ voting.

There are a few ways to vote before Election Day.

The first is , where a voter casts a regular ballot in-person at a voting center before Election Day.

The second is , where the process and eligibility varies by state.

Eight states vote mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters receive ballots and send them back.

Most states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot and send it back. This is also called mail voting, or sometimes absentee voting. Depending on the state, voters can return their ballot by mail, at a drop box, and/or at an office or facility that accepts mail ballots.

In 14 states, voters must have an excuse to vote by mail, ranging from illness, age, work hours or if a voter is out of their home county on Election Day.

States process and tabulate ballots at different times. Some states don’t begin counting ballots until election night, which delays the release of results.

Voting begins on Sept. 6 in North Carolina, with seven more battleground states starting that month

This list of early voting dates is for guidance only. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, go to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website.

The first voters to be sent absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, which begins mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6.

Seven more battleground states open up early voting the same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.

September deadlines

In-person early voting in bold.

Sept. 6

North Carolina – Absentee ballots sent to voters

Sept. 16

Pennsylvania – Mail-in ballots sent to voters

Sept. 17

Georgia – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 19

Wisconsin – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 20

Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Minnesota, South Dakota – In-person absentee voting begins
Virginia – In-person early voting begins
Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 21

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Indiana, New Mexico – Absentee ballots sent
Maryland, New Jersey – Mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 23

Mississippi – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent
Oregon, Vermont – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 26

Illinois – In-person early voting begins 
Michigan – Absentee ballots sent
Florida, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent
North Dakota – Absentee & mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 30

Nebraska – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 4

Connecticut – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 6

Michigan – In-person early voting begins 
Maine – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
California – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
Montana – In-person absentee voting begins
Nebraska – In-person early voting begins 
Georgia – Absentee ballots sent
Massachusetts – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 8

California – Ballot drop-offs open
New Mexico, Ohio – In-person absentee voting begins
Indiana – In-person early voting begins
Wyoming – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent

Oct. 9

Arizona – In-person early voting begins & mail ballots sent

Oct. 11

Colorado – Mail-in ballots sent
Arkansas, Alaska – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 15

Georgia – In-person early voting begins
Utah – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 16

Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee – In-person early voting begins
Iowa – In-person absentee voting begins
Oregon, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 17

North Carolina – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 18

Washington, Louisiana – In-person early voting begins
Hawaii – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 19

Nevada, Massachusetts – In-person early voting begins 
Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas – In-person early voting begins 
Colorado – Ballot drop-offs open

Oct. 22

Hawaii, Utah – In-person early voting begins 
Missouri, Wisconsin – In-person absentee voting begins

Oct. 23

West Virginia – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 24

Maryland – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 25

Delaware – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 26

Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 30

Oklahoma – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 31

Kentucky – In-person absentee voting begins

A new nationwide survey highlighted in a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial found that most Americans don’t support sweeping changes to the Supreme Court, despite President Joe Biden’s last-minute push for such a measure. 

The WSJ cited a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey that found that ‘support for the separation of powers just as many of the speakers at this week’s Democratic National Convention seek to undermine it.’

President Biden, after abruptly leaving the presidential race a month ago, endorsed legislation that would impose term limits for justices, among other things, that would drastically alter the makeup of the high court. His plan is also of questionable constitutionality.

According to the Journal, the Mason-Dixon poll found that after asking likely voters if they ‘support or oppose amending the U.S. Constitution to change the structure of the U.S. Supreme Court,’ that 52% of them oppose the idea, while 41% of likely voters support the idea of amending the constitution to change the court’s structure.

Noting that for ‘over 150 years, the United States Supreme Court has had nine justices’ and that court-packing ‘is generally defined as increasing the number of Supreme Court seats, primarily to alter the ideological balance of the court,’ the poll asked respondents if they agree with ‘court-packing.’

Only 34% supported such a plan, while 59% opposed and 7% of likely voters were undecided.

The poll also found that an overwhelming number of voters supported this statement: ‘Plans to expand the membership of the U.S. Supreme Court are primarily motivated by political objectives.’

Additionally, a full 87% of likely voters — including 84% of Democrats — agree with the following statement: ‘An independent judiciary is a crucial safeguard of our civil liberties.’

Democrats in Congress, in conjunction with the White House, have pushed to make radical changes to the high court.

And Democrats at the Democratic National Convention this week have already leveled attacks against the high court. 

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow falsely claimed that the Supreme Court has made Trump ‘completely immune from prosecution’ in its presidential immunity decision.

‘Sadly, such poisonous attacks on the highest court are likely to be a staple of this week’s convention,’ the Wall Street Journal wrote about the comment. ‘Thank goodness most Americans still don’t endorse them, according to the new Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by the First Liberty Institute, which advocates for religious freedom.’

Former President Trump said he ‘stopped wars with phone calls’ while commander in chief during his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt.

Trump held a campaign event in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday, where he focused his remarks on national security and how ‘the entire world was safer when I sat behind that beautiful, Resolute desk in the Oval Office.’ 

‘The world is on fire. And Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III,’ Trump said from a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.

The former president reflected on the state of national security under his administration, saying that ‘our allies admired us’ and ‘our enemies feared us.’

‘We defeated ISIS. We killed the world’s top terrorists. We secured our borders. We achieved energy independence. We stood up to China. We protected Israel. We made peace in the Middle East with the Abraham Accords and more. We did things like nobody ever heard of it,’ Trump said.

‘I talked this world out of a lot of wars with telephone calls. I don’t have to send in the troops,’ he told the crowd.

Trump pointed to President Biden’s erratic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israel — suggesting none of these things would have happened under his watch.

‘Since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it’s been open season on America and our allies,’ he said of the withdrawal, which saw 13 U.S. service members killed.

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s running mate, also spoke at the event, saying Trump was ‘the person who prevented nuclear war.’

‘Mean tweets and world peace have a pretty nice ring to it. I think we ought to bring it right back,’ Vance told a cheering crowd. ‘He’s too tough for the tyrants all over the world. He was too strong, even for an assassin’s bullet. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s return to a time when the bravest man led this nation with strength.’

During the speech, Trump addressed the revised job numbers after new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed there were 818,000 fewer jobs created this year than previously reported. 

‘The Harris-Biden administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin that they’ve inflicted on America,’ Trump said.

The Trump-Vance event came ahead of the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ secretary of Health and Human Services refused to say whether he would back any limits at all on late-term abortions, even with exceptions, instead deferring to Harris. 

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago if he would support any limits on late-term abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.

‘I think the president – the vice president may answer those questions really well,’ he said. 

He further said he could not answer questions related to Health and Human Services, because,’I’m here not as secretary, so I really can’t answer Health and Human Services questions.’ 

As Democrats have pushed abortion as a top issue going into the 2024 elections, Republicans have tried to hit back at their opponents and highlight a lack of clarity on whether they support any limits on abortion with the popular exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. 

Democrats have done little to refute claims that they support abortion without any limitations, meaning throughout all nine months, even with exceptions. When confronted with accusations, the party’s lawmakers have suggested the procedure doesn’t take place in the late term, or take place incredibly rarely, insinuating limits may not be necessary. 

The Harris campaign did not answer in time for publication whether she supports any limit on abortion throughout nine months, even with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, when asked by Fox News Digital. 

Prior to Harris’ candidacy, Biden avoided answering a question during his CNN debate against former President Trump on whether he believed in any limit on abortion. 

Trump went on to slam Biden and Democrats for their position. ‘So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth?’ he asked. ‘Because some states Democrat-run take it after birth. The former governor of Virginia: ‘put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it.’ So, he’s willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. Nobody wants that to happen – Democrat or Republican. Nobody wants that to happen.’

But Biden pushed back, saying, ‘You’re lying, that is simply not true.… We are not for late-term abortion, period,’ without providing a specific limit he supported. 

Democrats have largely avoided supporting any specific limits, often redirecting attention to their claim that Republicans would ban abortion entirely. A majority of Republicans have said they believe the abortion issue should be navigated at the state level.