Tim Walz speaks on day 3 of DNC, dozens arrested to date in anti-Israel protests

Hundreds of pro-Hamas supporters continued protesting well past midnight and into Thursday morning in Chicago as the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention gets ready to begin.

The protests center around many lawmakers’ propensity of supporting Israel during its ongoing war with Hamas.

The Chicago Police Department tweeted on Wednesday that a large group had gathered but didn’t have a “valid permit.”

“The gathering did not have a valid permit, yet CPD allowed demonstrators to rally and exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully for a reasonable amount of time,” CPD tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

“CPD leadership attempted multiple times to negotiate with organizers who refused to comply and disperse from the area. A coordinated multiple arrest was declared after our officers were physically confronted and attacked by this group. Our officers responded professionally and with public safety as the top priority.” 

Protests went beyond midnight and into Thursday morning, with CPD sending a force of patrol cars, bike patrols and a large truck to help block streets, reports indicated.

Chicago police arrested 70 people at the DNC on Tuesday, police announced on Wednesday.

"We attempted to avoid the clash, to no avail," Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters. "Enough is enough."

There were no confirmed reports of arrests yet from the Wednesday night protests.

Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was once on the short list to become the vice presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket, but he was passed over for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

Shapiro spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday to show his full support for presidential nominee Kamala Harris. He took a jab at former President Donald Trump in the process, and Trump snapped back.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, said that Shapiro, who’s Jewish, gave a “really bad” speech for ‘Comrade Kamala.’

"The highly overrated Jewish Governor of the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, made a really bad and poorly delivered speech talking about freedom and fighting for Comrade Kamala Harris for President, yet she hates Israel and will do nothing but make its journey through the complexities of survival as difficult as possible, hoping in the end that it will fail. Judge only by her actions!’” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. 

"Yet Shapiro, for strictly political reasons, refused to acknowledge that I am the best friend that Israel, and the Jewish people, ever had. I have done more for Israel than any President, and frankly, I have done more for Israel than any person, and it’s not even close. Shapiro has done nothing for Israel, and never will. Comrade Kamala Harris, the Radical Left Marxist who stole the nomination from  Crooked Joe, will do even less. Israel is in BIG trouble!’

Shapiro at the DNC slammed Trump as a "man with no guardrails."

"Today we find ourselves writing that next chapter. Will we be a nation defined by chaos and extremism, or will we choose a path of decency, honor, and continued progress? Kamala Harris Well, she has spent her entire career making progress," Shapiro said.

"Donald Trump, a man with no guardrails, wants to take away our rights and our freedoms and listen while he cloaked himself in the blanket of freedom," Shapiro said.

"What he's offering isn't freedom at all...It's not freedom to tell our children what books they're allowed to read...And it's not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies," he added.

Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spent her time on stage Monday night at the Democratic National Convention giving a pep speech to the base. Two days later, she slammed the DNC for not being more sympathetic to pro-Hamas protesters outside the United Center in Chicago.

“Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Wednesday night.

“To deny that story is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The @DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity.”

Ocasio-Cortez, a New York City Democrat who’s also known as part of the far-left faction known as “The Squad,” didn’t particularly share her sympathy toward anti-Israel agitators during her speech on Monday, but rather tiptoed a political line.

Her only mention of the Israel-Gaza conflict on Monday happened when she complimented Kamala Harris for “working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the hostages home.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gave his acceptance speech Wednesday night for the vice presidential nomination during the Democratic National Convention. His speech, from beginning to end, lasted 15 minutes and 27 seconds, and is the shortest on record dating back to the Cold War.

It’s the shortest acceptance speech by a vice presidential candidate since C-SPAN began tracking the data in 1984, when the network started fully recording data from both Democrat and Republican national conventions each cycle.

Walz’ speech teetered on policy and harped on his background in the Army National Guard and as a school teacher and assistant high school football coach.

His speech was three minutes shorter than the previous short-timer record of 18.5 minutes, shared by three other candidates, including current Vice President Kamala Harris (2020), 1988 Democratic nominee Lloyd Bentsen and 1992 Republican incumbent Vice President Dan Quayle.

Harris was the only of those three to make it to the White House after a short speech. She will have a stab at a speech as a presidential nominee on Thursday night in Chicago.

Conversely, J.D. Vance, the 2024 Republican nominee for vice president, last month had the third-longest acceptance speech since C-SPAN began keeping records. Vance spoke for 35.5 minutes in Milwaukee. There’s a tie for longest vice presidential acceptance speeches at 38 minutes between Joe Biden (2012) and Sarah Palin (2008). Just behind them are Republicans Paul Ryan (2012) and Mike Pence (2020) at 36.5 apiece.

Biden, who was an incumbent at the time, was the only victorious one of those.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in his speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention took aim at his Republican opponents former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

"Some folks just don't understand what it takes to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance. Their project 2025 will make things much, much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives," he said.

Project 2025, a product of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, is not affiliated with the Trump campaign.Trump has repeatedly denounced Project 2025 and called it "abysmal."

"They spent a lot of time pretending they know nothing about this. But look, I coached high school football long enough to know and trust me on this. When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they're going to use it," Walz said.

He also alleged Trump would "start jacking up the cost on the middle class," repeal the Affordable Care Act and "gut Social Security and Medicare."

JD Vance spoke to Fox News following Walz' remarks and debunked those accusations, saying "of course not" and called the notions "so preposterous."

Vance said Walz attacked Trump and his voters "rather than offer a compelling vision for the future."

Walz also took a swipe at Vance for attending an Ivy League colleague, to which Vance said "I'm not ashamed of the fact that my grandmother sacrificed for me and I was able to live the American dream."

"I grew up in a very poor family. I was raised by a grandmother who didn't graduate from high school much less from college. And I'm proud of the she really worked her tail off, that 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," he said

"I'm proud of what I accomplished and more importantly iI'm proud of all the people that 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 my down. But I guess that's the political order of the day," Vance added.

One of the most striking images of Gov. Tim Walz's speech to the Democratic National Convention was of his son Gus emotionally applauding his father as he addressed attendees.

Gus, 17, also has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder, PEOPLE reported this month.

The Walz family has called it his "secret power."

"When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates," the Walz family told PEOPLE.

"Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself. When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have."

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday, during his speech to the Democratic National Convention, reiterated his story about his experience with infertility treatment -- but was a lot more careful after past scrutiny of his claims.

Walz said his commitment to freedom included for those seeking IVF and fertility treatments.

"This is personal, for Gwen and I," he said, calling infertility "hell."

"I can remember praying each night for a phone call, the pit in your stomach when the phone rings, and the absolute agony when we heard the treatments hadn't worked. It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments, and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you," he said.

Walz stated during an interview with MSNBC in July that he had IVF to thank for their children, saying, "Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children." In other instances, Walz referred to "fertility treatments" and stressed that the issue of IVF rights remained "personal" for him due to the struggles he and his wife went through to have their children. 

The Harris campaign recently said that Walz "talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments."

The couple did not receive in vitro fertilization (IVF) but instead intrauterine insemination (IUI). 

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, touted his military service in his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday -- despite an ongoing controversy over that service.

"Everybody belongs and everybody has a responsibility to contribute," he said.

"For me, it was serving in the Army National Guard. I joined up two days after my 17th birthday, and I proudly wore our nation's uniform for 24 years," he said.

Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery after transferring from the Nebraska National Guard in 1996. He retired as a master sergeant in 2005.

But criticisms have mounted that Walz retired just months before his battalion deployed to Iraq as war raged in the Middle East following the 9/11 attacks. Walz put in his papers for retirement at least five months before his battalion received deployment orders, according to the Minnesota National Guard.

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.

The Minnesota high school football team coached by Gov. Tim Walz 25 years ago, the Mankato West Scarlets, made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention Wendesday night ahead of Walz' speech.

Ben Inman, Walz' former neighbor in Minnesota, spoke to the crowd before inviting the team out, donned in their scarlet and white football jerseys.

"He believed in us, and he helped us believe in each other and his leadership stuff," Inman said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Wednesday praises Gov. Tim Walz for his military service, despite an ongoing controversy over an alleged early retirement.

"Tim knows that in the military that you count the days until mission completion, so guess what y'all, we have got 75 days and a wake up until election day," he said.

"75 days and a wake up for us to prove what Americans can do when the pressure is on," he said.

"Thank you, God Bless you and let's leave no-one behind," he said.

Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery after transferring from the Nebraska National Guard in 1996. He retired as a master sergeant in 2005.

Critics have pointed to Walz's retirement just months before his battalion deployed to Iraq as war raged in the Middle East following the 9/11 attacks. Walz put in his papers for retirement at least five months before his battalion received deployment orders, according to the Minnesota National Guard.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke at the Democratic National convention Wednesday night and compared former president Trump to "an old boyfriend" who "won't go away.

"Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won't go away," Jeffries said.

"He has spent the last four years spinning the black, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people," Jeffries quipped.

"Bro, we broke up with you for a reason," he added.

Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday used her speech to the Democratic National Convention to call for unity, and pushing back against those seeking to divide and conquer.

"There are people who want you to see our country as a nation of us against them, people who want to scare you, who want to rule you, people who have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe, that there's a right way to worship and a wrong way to love people who seek, first to divide and then to conquer," she said. "But here's the thing, when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us."

However, she did appear to take a shot at both former President Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, referencing Vance's previous comments about "childless cat ladies."

"When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. 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, place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too, because we are a country of people who work hard for the money," she said.

"We wish our brothers and sisters well, and we pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and tropes that are designed to distract us from what actually matters, but we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times people and they require adult conversation."

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, previously on the Democratic short-list for vice president, addressed the crowd at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, slamming former President Trump as a "man with no guardrails."

"Today we find ourselves writing that next chapter. Will we be a nation defined by chaos and extremism, or will we choose a path of decency, honor, and continued progress? Kamala Harris Well, she has spent her entire career making progress," Shapiro said.

"Donald Trump, a man with no guardrails, wants to take away our rights and our freedoms and listen while he cloaked himself in the blanket of freedom," Shapiro said.

"What he's offering isn't freedom at all...It's not freedom to tell our children what books they're allowed to read...And it's not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies," he added.

Former President Bill Clinton said on Wednesday that President Biden "healed our sick" during the COVID-19 pandemic as he paid tribute to the outgoing president.

"He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work," Clinton said, describing Biden's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also praised Biden's "service and sacrifice" including giving up the 2024 nomination for Vice President Kamala Harris.

"He kept the faith and he infected the rest of us," he said during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin addressed the crowed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Wendnesday night in an emotional speech.

Goldberg-Polin, 23, was taken hostage by Hamas at the Supernova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7.

"Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that John and I and all the hostage families are enduring," Goldberg said from the stage.

She said that just before he was taken by Hamas terrorists her son's arm was blown off before he was "loaded onto a pickup truck and stolen from his life."

"That was 320 days ago since then, we live on another planet," Goldberg said.

"This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue," Polin said. "It is a humanitarian issue."

During the attack, Hersh, his best friend Aner Shapira and others took refuge in a concrete field shelter. Hamas terrorists repeatedly threw grenades at the shelter. Shapira managed to throw seven of the grenades back out before being killed. Hersh had only recently returned to Israel after several months traveling across Europe.

Musician and songwriter Stevie Wonder performed Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention after addressing the crowed in Chicago.

"This year, this year, I've prayed very hard for peace to come to our world's nations, but also to each one of our heart," Wonder said.

"Even though our hearts have been beaten and broken. Beyond prayer, I know the important action, and now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win," he said.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison evoked the death of George Floyd during his Democratic National Convention speech, and accused Republicans of thinking they are "above the law."

"No-one is above the law and no-one is beneath it," he said. "In the Republican Party, everyone thinks they're above the law."

He recalled the death of Floyd in 2020 and said he soon received a call from Gov. Tim Walz.

"[Walz] felt the exact same way I did, and a few days later, Tim appointed me to prosecute Floyd's murder."

The DNC is taking place in Chicago until Thursday evening.

Chicago police arrested 70 people at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, police announced on Wednesday.

There were dozens of arrests at the anti-Israel protests, conflicting with police. On Monday, protesters had moved through barriers at the outer perimeter and on Tuesday they clashed with police -- arrests soon followed.

"We attempted to avoid the clash, to no avail," Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters. "Enough is enough."