PBS News Hour full episode, July 15, 2024

Introduction GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening. I'm Geoff Bennett. AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz here at the  Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. On the "News Hour" tonight: WOMAN: Senator J.D. Vance has  the overwhelming support of this   convention to be the next vice  president of the United States! AMNA NAWAZ: Donald Trump picks Ohio Senator  J.D. Vance to be his running mate as the   GOP charts its path forward days after the  assassination attempt on the former president. GEOFF BENNETT: A federal judge  in Florida dismisses Mr. Trump's   classified documents case, likely  setting up a high-stakes appeal. AMNA NAWAZ: And after calling on  Americans to reject political violence,   how President Biden is adjusting his own campaign. (BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour." RNC Wrap We are here at the Republican  National Convention in Milwaukee,   where Ohio Senator J.D. Vance has been tapped  as the vice presidential nominee just days   after a failed assassination attempt  on Donald Trump and as Republicans are   cheering the sudden dismissal of the classified  documents case against the former president. GEOFF BENNETT: Quite a busy day  in the 2024 presidential campaign. Our Lisa Desjardins is here with us in the  middle of it all from the convention floor. LISA DESJARDINS: Just two days  after the attempt on his life,   former President Donald Trump in Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, for the start of the Republican   National Convention,defiant and lifted  by good news from his legal battles. A   federal judge in Florida dismissed  Trump's classified documents case,   saying that special counsel Jack Smith was  illegally appointed by the Justice Department. ERIC TRUMP, Executive Vice President,  Trump Organization: For the greatest   president that's ever lived,  and that's Donald J. Trump. LISA DESJARDINS: The decision can be appealed,   but it handed Trump a win the same day as  he formally became the party's presidential   nominee and officially began his bid to  return to office. And he wasn't alone. Alongside him at the top of the ticket, his  much-anticipated choice for vice president,   Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. Formerly a critic of  Trump's, Vance once referred to Trump as America's   Hitler back in 2016. Now he's one of Trump's  most vocal defenders, taking to social media   after former President Trump was nearly killed and  pointing a finger of blame at the Biden campaign,   just one way that the shooting is hanging  over the RNC, which began today as scheduled. But for the delegates, there was enthusiasm about  the party and their beliefs coming together. SAM SOMOGYE, Harris County Republican  Party: I feel great. I think the   Republican Party has never been as  unified as we are in this moment. CAROL CASSADY, Alternate Delegate,  Texas: We're here and we're standing   up in the name of Jesus for God, family, country. LISA DESJARDINS: The day one agenda, make America  wealthy again with a focus on the economy,   but the overarching message, striving  for unity in the party and the country. Trump telling reporters who  traveled with him aboard his   plane to Milwaukee -- quote -- "I'm supposed  to be dead. I'm not supposed to be here." He said he's changing the tone of his convention  speech, tossing aside his initial draft. PROTESTER: We have to defeat the Republicans! LISA DESJARDINS: But there was vocal  disagreement in Milwaukee today from   protesters who gathered outside the security zone,  many pro-Palestinian, but many focused on Trump. JODI DELFOSSE, Protester: The direction that the   Republicans are taking this  country is very dangerous. LISA DESJARDINS: Here too, the  assassination attempt hovered. MICHAEL TROKAN, Protester: I'm concerned  it may change the direction of the election   and make people more sympathetic to it,  but doesn't change his policies at all. LEONARD SOBCZAK, Protester: I  think it could work against him,   because what happened to him is everything  that he's been espousing, violent overthrow. LISA DESJARDINS: But blocks away, for delegates  and attendees, prominently, a sense of gratitude. MICHAEL MURPHY, Illinois Resident: I think we  lucked out, but everybody's on eggshells here. DONALD TRUMP, Former President of  the United States (R) and Current   U.S. Presidential Candidate:  Take a look at what happened. (GUNSHOTS) LISA DESJARDINS: This as the investigation  continues. FBI officials who are leading the   investigation have yet to determine the motive of  the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks,   a registered Republican who made  a $15 donation to a progressive   organization in 2021, according to  the Federal Election Commission. And the Secret Service facing urgent questions  over how they handled the shooting, including   how the shooter could get so close, fewer than 500  feet from Trump's podium, and how the suspected   shooter was confronted by an officer on the  roof before that same officer had to pull back. In Milwaukee, no plans for more changes  to the already heavy security posture   for the RNC, which is classified as  a national special security event. AUDREY GIBSON-CICCHINO, RNC Coordinator, Secret  Service: We are confident in these security plans   that are in place for this event, and we're  ready to go. It's been an 18-month process. JOE BIDEN, President of the United  States: My fellow Americans... LISA DESJARDINS: But President Biden is calling   for many Americans to change their tone.  He spoke in the Oval Office last night. JOE BIDEN: There's no place in America for  this kind of violence, for any violence,   ever, period, no exceptions. We can't  allow this violence to be normalized.   The political rhetoric in this country has  gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down. LISA DESJARDINS: The president had paused his  own campaign schedule in wake of the shooting,   canceling an appearance today in Texas, but he  will resume in Nevada, where he travels tonight. Meanwhile, I'm sure somewhere tonight someone  is printing out signs that say Trump/Vance,   but, tonight, Amna and Geoff, delegates had to  do it on their own, handwriting the name Vance   in, as they just learned like you  and I in the last couple of hours   that will be their vice presidential nominee. GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa, what is the Trump  campaign telling you about why Mr.   Trump ultimately settled on Senator  Vance as his vice presidential pick? LISA DESJARDINS: Multiple reasons. Number one, it is about his experience and his  actual biography speaking to the working class   of America. Number two, they like his military  experience. He served in the Marine Corps. He was   a correspondent in Iraq. Number three, they also  like that he is someone who is from the Rust Belt. And in his announcement today, President --  former President Trump mentioned several states,   Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin.  These are states that clearly could be decisive   in this election. One last thing, he's  a new generation. He's not yet 40 years   old. He will be the youngest nominee for  any presidential ticket this century. And that's something that the Trump  campaign is going to push forward. Now,   they know he also has some drawbacks. He has  been critical of former President Trump in the   past. I asked the campaign about that. They  said they're going to try and message that as   someone who has changed his mind. I guarantee  you Democrats will go the other way and say   this is someone who saw Trump as dangerous and  changed his mind because of political opportunity. AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, meanwhile, the man at the top  of the ticket, former President Donald Trump,   is expected to appear here later tonight.  You have been talking with his campaign. What should we expect in that appearance? LISA DESJARDINS: They are feeling good. The former  president wrote today that he has rewritten his   campaign speech, we expect, on Thursday night and  that he's trying to have more of a tone of unity. That's part of the J.D. Vance story too. We have  talked on this program about how Vance came out   against Biden and the Democrats in terms of what  happened on -- in the assassination attempt.   They expect some, campaign sources, Vance to  be the bulldog. It's a traditional role for   the vice presidential ticket, allowing Trump to  perhaps be more of a unifier here on the floor. Now, it remains to be seen what role the Trump  family will have. There are many who are confident   now, more confident than they were that Trump  will win this election. But one of them is not   Donald Trump Jr. I was in a gaggle with him just a  few feet away from where I'm standing now. And he   said they're not taking any vote for granted. They  think this could be close right up to November. GEOFF BENNETT: Well, what about the level  of confidence among the delegates with whom   you have been speaking? How do they feel  about Mr. Trump's standing in this race? LISA DESJARDINS: Yes, that's the thing about  J.D. Vance. It wasn't electric for him,   to be honest. People were very happy about it.  But this crowd is waiting for Donald Trump. And I think right now there's sort of  an air of digesting the assassination   attempt still to see what that  means. And there's a question of,   is this a divided or united party still? I want to  show the picture of someone I met from Arkansas.   This delegate had on the front of his hat, this  alternate delegate, the Trump bumper sticker. And then on the back of his hat, it  said Nikki Haley. And I asked him:   "Well, how are you feeling about that?  You were a Haley voter. You wanted her." He said: "I sure did. I thought she was  going to be better than Donald Trump,   but now I am all the way behind Donald Trump." So there is some unity here. One  place there's not, Mitch McConnell.   The Republican leader of the Senate, was  booed on this floor when he announced   Kentucky's delegation. So that is still a  sign of the real fractures in this party. AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, meanwhile, you  covered the Republican National   Convention back in 2016 as well. How  does this one compare to that one? LISA DESJARDINS: I will say it actually,  strangely, feels a little bit more reserved   early on. I think they are waiting. I think  the assassination attempt has given people   pause about the country. And it feels a little  bit more serious when I talk to delegates. Of course, this will change over the course  of the week. This is a place where the country   unites. It's all people of one party, but you  see miners' hats from West Virginia. You see   Texans wearing cowboy hats. This is something  that the delegates feel, but they're almost   clinging to it in a way of consoling each  other over a traumatic event for the country. So, right now, it is a little bit more reserved  than I see on the first day of convention. But we   have three more days to go. And this party  knows that they also have a very big task,   a very tricky election for both parties  involved this year. And if the Republicans win,   it will be in large part to the people  who are here at this convention today. AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is our Lisa Desjardins  live on the Republican Convention floor for us. Lisa, thank you. LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome. AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, Trump's pick for  vice president was being closely watched.   VP Reveal And it's notable that the man he ultimately  chose is a relative newcomer to politics. J.D. Vance rose to fame in 2016  with his best-selling memoir,   "Hillbilly Elegy," documenting his upbringing in a   white working-class Appalachian family  struggling with poverty and addiction. GEOFF BENNETT: But as we mentioned, Senator Vance  has been a staunch ally of the former president. In a statement on his conservative social  platform. TRUTH Social, Mr. Trump congratulated   Vance, saying -- quote -- "As vice president,  J.D. Will continue to fight for our Constitution,   stand with our troops, and will do everything  he can to help me make America great again." Joining us to talk about all this  is Ohio Public Media Statehouse   news bureau chief Karen Kasler. She's  been following Vance for many years. Karen, thanks so much for being with us. AMNA NAWAZ: Karen, thanks for being with us. KAREN KASLER, Statehouse News Bureau,  Ohio Public Media: Great to be here. AMNA NAWAZ: So, Mr. Vance, Senator Vance, has  now been tapped for this role. We know he's a   young senator, not spending too much time in  politics so far, but you have been covering   him. What should we understand about why you  think he was tapped to be the vice president? KAREN KASLER: Well, he is the second  youngest member of the U.S. Senate,   so that potentially brings in younger  voters, possibly. He's got a young family. He's only two years in office, and never held  elected office before he ran for the U.S. Senate.   He was elected in 2022 after winning a brutal  seven-way primary that was the most expensive   in Ohio history. And so I think that there  may be the thought that, because of his age,   his military service, some of these things  might be part of the reason why he was picked. He also has a strong business background. He came   from California as a venture capital  -- working at a venture capital firm,   so that could indicate that maybe that's  something that Trump is looking at as well. GEOFF BENNETT: And, Karen,  as Lisa mentioned, years ago,   back during the 2016 race, Vance was a  critic of Donald Trump. Here's what he   told Judy Woodruff when he appeared on  this program years ago to talk about... SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), Vice Presidential  Candidate: Donald Trump doesn't necessarily   have a good message either. That's maybe not the  best approach to politics. It's not how you... Donald Trump doesn't necessarily have  a good message either. That's maybe   not the best approach to politics. It's  not how you win these folks over. And if   you're worried about them being racist  now, when you push them away and push   them to somebody like Trump, you're  only going to make the problem worse. GEOFF BENNETT: So how has his persona,  his political ideology evolved since then? KAREN KASLER: Well, that clip is mild compared  to some of the things that Vance said about   Trump. He compared Trump to Hitler. He called  Trump an idiot. He said he was a never-Trumper. He has walked all of those statements back.  And it's interesting because his path to where   he is now kind of mirrors the way that a lot  of Republicans feel in the Republican Party,   that the party has kind of moved  and Vance has moved along with him. And so I think that's notable that he has  turned that around. He has said that he has   apologized. He's walked back a lot of those  statements. And he said that -- and even   Trump has said that he's forgiven Vance  for what he has said in the past. And,   apparently, the party plans to kind of  use that to show that there are people   who may not have liked Trump at one point,  but could be persuaded to like him now. AMNA NAWAZ: Karen, tell us more about some of  those people he may bring into the fold here.   He doesn't necessarily broaden appeal when it  comes to racial or gender diversity, right? But -- and he's not even necessarily  geared to bring in people who wanted a   maybe softer rhetoric from this ticket. So what's   the broader appeal and what way does  he expand the appeal for this ticket? KAREN KASLER: Well, he doesn't really  bring in Ohio voters. He beat Tim Ryan,   a moderate Democratic congressman for  the Senate in 2022, by six points. And   Ohio is most likely going to go for Trump anyway. But he potentially appeals to Appalachian  voters, people who grew up poor and have   seen what Vance has been able to do. But  it's interesting. He's talked a lot about   opposing the elites and pushing back on the  elites, but he is indeed a graduate of Yale   Law School. So that's something that a lot  of people do consider to be fairly elite. But he also, like I said, brings in potentially  younger voters, in that he is younger. If he   were elected, I believe he would be the third  youngest or second youngest vice president. And so   that's certainly an appeal for some  folks. And his business background,   I think, is going to be something  that could potentially be highlighted. GEOFF BENNETT: That is Karen Kasler. Karen, thanks so much for  sharing your insights with us. For more on Donald Trump's selection of  Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate,   Gov. DeWine we are joined now here in our studio  by Ohio's Governor Mike DeWine. Governor, thanks so much for being with us. GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Good  to be with you. Thank you. GEOFF BENNETT: And picking up on this  conversation we were having with Karen,   J.D. Vance is 39 years old. He turns 40 later  this summer. This marks a real generational   shift for the Republican Party.  I imagine you know him well. In your view, what does he  add to this Republican ticket? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Well, I have known him for many,   many years. Right after he wrote his book,  I sought him out. I wanted to talk to him.   I thought he'd be an interesting person.  You know, we have been friends since then. Look, I think he brings some of the obvious  things, as you say, a generational change.   I think people are looking for that, frankly.  And so he certainly does that. I think his life   experiences are unique. There are a few people  who have had that experience and have been   able to achieve what he has been able to  achieve in a relatively short period of time. So while he may not have long political  experience, I think he will be able to   relate to the mom who doesn't have enough food  for her kids, the family that's got someone in   their family who has a mental health problem  or has a drug problem. These are things that,   because of his life experiences -- and I think  that will come out during the campaign and people   will start to really -- from a national  point of view, start to understand that. I think the other thing he brings is, he  has the ability to articulate what Donald   Trump's program is in a very sophisticated  way and I think in a very compelling way.   I think we have seen that on some of  the talk shows over the last three or   four months. He's been there and  he makes a very persuasive case. AMNA NAWAZ: In the wake of this horrific  assassination attempt on former President Trump,   there have been so many calls for unity, for  a tamping down of the political rhetoric. And yet former President Trump picked  the man who was perhaps most aggressive   in terms of immediately turning the tables and  pointing the finger at President Biden to say,   you are responsible for this attack. What  kind of message do you think that sends? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: I think what people  listen to is what Donald Trump says.   And I have been very pleased, frankly, from  what he has said since this tragedy occurred. I think he's been trying to reach out. He's  trying to tamp it down. He said he's changed   his acceptance speech dramatically. So, look, I  think both President Biden and President Trump,   both of them, since this occurred,  have said the right things. And I think we need to keep going down that  pathway. Look, we are a very divided country.   Everybody knows that. But there's still so  many things that we share with even people   on the other side of whatever the issue is.  I mean, we all care for our kids. We all want   our kids to have a good education. We want  this country to thrive and to move forward. So we need to keep reminding ourselves  of what brings us together. I try to   do that as governor. It's something that's very   important. And so what I have seen the  last few days, I think it's very good. GEOFF BENNETT: You know, Senator  Vance, as we were discussing earlier,   he previously said of Donald Trump that  he's a never-Trump guy. "I never liked   him. He's a terrible candidate. He's an --  you're an idiot if you would vote for him." How damaging are those prior statements?  And how do you characterize his change   of heart? Because his critics say that  this change of heart is -- was basically   cynically molded so that he would be  in line with the Republican Party. GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Well, clearly, Donald Trump   thought that he has changed his mind.  The president would not have done this,   put him on the ticket if he didn't  think he really had changed his mind. So I think those statements are what they are.  I think most people are looking towards the   future. I don't know if that's going  to be a big deal in this campaign. I   think what will be a big deal is, again,  where people think Donald Trump is going   to take this country, and versus where they  think President Biden is going to take it. It always the way it is.  We always vote our future. AMNA NAWAZ: There's been some concerns, I'm sure  you have seen as well, from the Biden campaign,   from their campaign chair, Jen  O'Malley Dillon, basically saying   that J.D. Vance was picked because he would  potentially do what Mike Pence would not,   as a staunch Trump loyalist, that if President  -- another time, elected President Trump were   to ask him to do something like overturn  election results, J.D. Vance would do that. Do you see that happening?  Do you share that concern? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: No, but that's going to -- look,  those things will play out during this campaign. I mean, those are some of  the things that are going to   be debated in this campaign.  There's no doubt about that. AMNA NAWAZ: You don't share that concern  at all, though, that he's such a loyalist   that he would do Donald Trump's bidding  regardless of what he is asked to do? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: No, no. Look, I have known him for some time. I don't  think so. But, look, I mean, thee two are aligned.   I mean, this is not -- some of the criticism has  been, well, you should have picked somebody who   he is not aligned with. Well, President Trump is  not going to do that. That was never in the cards. It was a question of, which person that's  aligned with him was he going to select?   And we're very happy in Ohio to have J.D.  Vance on this ticket and excited about it. GEOFF BENNETT: Governor, casting  our focus a bit into the future,   I imagine you're a very popular man among  elected Republicans right now, because,   if the Trump/Vance ticket wins, you get  to appoint his replacement in the Senate. What are you looking for potentially  if you get to make that choice? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Well, I'm really not going  to get into that in much detail. Kind of the   obvious things. You want someone who will  do a good job in the United States Senate. I spent 12 years in the Senate. I think I have  a pretty good idea of what it takes. It takes   someone who wants to work and someone who is  focused on getting things done. The second   thing is, of course, they have to be able to  win. They have to be able to win a primary. The   person who I would appoint would only serve  two years. Then, if they want to stay in,   they have got to run again. So they're  going to be right into a campaign. So they have to be able to get through a  primary and have to win a general election.   So those are kind of the realities of it.  But I think my experience in the Senate   I think is helpful because it tells  -- I can tell pretty well, I think,   who will do a good job in the United States  Senate, at least as I envision that job. AMNA NAWAZ: I'm going to ask you to look one more  time into the future for us, if you will indulge. And just reflect on this idea that we  were living in a very different world   just 48 hours ago. And I wonder how you think  that this horrific assassination attempt on   former President Donald Trump's life, how that  changes the contours of this race and whether   you think this pledge to continue to tamp  down political rhetoric will be adhered to. GOV. MIKE DEWINE: I don't know that it  changes whatever the outcome was going   to be. I don't know that. It could.  But I don't -- sort of doubt that. What I hope it changes is the division that  we have in this country, this chasm that has   been growing. We need to -- this country,  we have always fought out issues. We have   always been -- people disagree. But we  have to remember the things that bring   us together. There's so many things  that do in fact bring us together. The last few days, if you listen to what both  President Trump and President Biden have said,   they have said all the right things,  in my opinion. I hope this continues. GEOFF BENNETT: Here we are in day one  of this Republican National Convention. In the minute that remains in our conversation,   is that your metric of success for this convening,  this gathering here, that folks focus on unity? GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Well, I  hope so. Look, I hope so. Look, we're not going to change differences  overnight. People have certain opinions and   they're very, very different. I mean, we have  seen the parties move farther and farther apart.   But I think a sense of that we are all in this  together, that we are a country, that we have to   have a strong national defense, the things that  we all agree on, we need to protect our country,   we need our kids to be educated, we need our  kids to learn how to read, I mean, these are   all kind of basic things that we need to remind  ourselves, hey, we agree on these things at least. Then we have got other things. (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: Ohio Governor Mike  DeWine, thanks so much for joining us. GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Thank you. (CROSSTALK) GEOFF BENNETT: Always a  pleasure to speak with you. AMNA NAWAZ:   Documents Case Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal  of the classified documents case   against former President Trump is his  second major legal victory in weeks. In a 93-page ruling, Cannon said the  appointment of special counsel Jack Smith,   who's overseeing the case, was unlawful. GEOFF BENNETT: A spokesperson for the Department  of Justice says it will appeal the ruling. And joining us now is Mary McCord. She was  acting head of the Justice Department's   National Security Division  and a longtime U.S. attorney. Mary, thanks so much for being with us. (CROSSTALK) AMNA NAWAZ: And, Mary, we should point  out here that this was not dismissed on   the merits of the case, but, rather, as we  pointed out, it was about the way in which   special counsel Jack Smith was appointed  by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Other federal courts have upheld  the constitutionality of a special   counsel. So, based on your understanding,   how out of step is the judge here with  what you know legal precedent to be? MARY MCCORD, Former Justice Department Official:  Well, she's quite out of step with the legal   precedent. And I would say all of the cases, all  of the courts who have upheld the appointment of   the special counsel in the past, they have relied  on a Supreme Court case called us v. Nixon,   which accepted for purposes of that case that  the attorney general had the authority to   appoint special prosecutors with special  responsibilities and actually pointed to   the same statutes that the attorney general in  this case relied on in appointing Jack Smith. But you know who she's not out of  step with is Justice Thomas, who,   in his concurring opinion in the immunity  decision, spent several pages -- in fact,   the entire point of his concurring opinion was  to call attention to the fact that he thought   it needed to be examined whether the appointment  of Jack Smith violated the appointments clause. And that's not an issue that was  before the court in the immunity   case. It hadn't been briefed. It  hadn't been argued. Nevertheless,   he set out real -- a road map for determining  that the appointments clause was invalid. And if you read his short concurrence  and her much longer opinion,   Judge Cannon's much longer opinion, you will  see that she basically took his road map,   added some more flesh to  it, and that's her decision. GEOFF BENNETT: Mary, among the remaining  cases facing the former president,   this classified documents case was  largely seen as the clearest-cut. Could the special counsel,  Jack Smith, bring this case,   in another jurisdiction in D.C., for instance,   where the courts there and the judges have far  more experience handling these kinds of cases? MARY MCCORD: So, I think the smartest  thing, frankly, for Jack Smith -- for   the Department of Justice to do right now  would be actually to re-indict the case,   have a U.S. attorney re-indict the case,  because one of the main points here is that   Jack Smith is not presidentially  appointed and Senate-confirmed. And even if he's an inferior officer -- one of  the main points, I should say, of Judge Cannon's   opinion, even as an inferior officer, she argues  there was no statutory authority to appoint him.   Well, you know who clearly has statutory authority  to bring indictments is the U.S. attorney. And so this could be re-brought in the  Southern District of Florida. Again,   it might then end up back in front of Judge  Cannon. But at least this argument that the   appointment of the special counsel is  unconstitutional would be completely   off the table, would avoid that issue going  through appeals and up to the Supreme Court. A U.S. attorney could bring it  in D.C. as well. And, legally,   I think there's jurisdiction there.  But that would, I think, receive a   lot of criticism as being judge-shopping,  looking for someone other than Judge Cannon. But one thing that the department could   do in really relatively short  order is re-indict the case. AMNA NAWAZ: Mary, we saw the former  president welcome this decision. He   issued a statement online. He also reiterated  without evidence that the case had been   brought as a result of what he called the  weaponization of the Department of Justice. He also said that this should now lead for  the other cases against him to be dismissed.   What about that? Could this decision have  any impact on the other cases he's facing? MARY MCCORD: Well, I'd say at the outset  it's interesting that he says this shows   the weaponization of the Department of Justice,  because Judge Cannon, the basis for her opinion   really, is that Jack Smith is not tethered tight  enough to the attorney general, and that's why the   attorney general lacked authority to appoint  him, because he's got too much independence. So it's actually completely at odds with  what Mr. Trump is saying. But with respect   to application to other cases, I mean, right  now, this is just a district court opinion   that is binding on no other judge outside that  district and no other judge in that district. Now, so no one -- it does not  necessarily mean, for example,   that the January 6 case will be dismissed  on this grounds or anything like -- well,   that would be the only other one, I guess. But,  certainly, we will see Mr. Trump filing, I expect,   any moment now, any day now, filing something  before Judge Chutkan in D.C. District Court. He may wait until the judgment actually  comes back from the Supreme Court,   but I suspect he will file there asking  the judge now to consider dismissing that   case on the same grounds that Judge  Cannon dismissed the Mar-a-Lago case. GEOFF BENNETT: And, briefly, Mary, is there  any universe in which the government's appeal   of this case could give Jack Smith an opening to  push to have Judge Cannon removed from this case? MARY MCCORD: So he could appeal this decision  to the 11th Circuit and also seek her recusal. In doing so, though, he'd be bringing a  lot more into that than just this decision,   I think. I think he'd be having to sort of -- he  would need to set forth a number of her decisions   and opinions that -- and make a case that she  is biased and should be taken off this case. I am not going to put money on Jack Smith  doing that. Again, it is extraordinary for   the Department of Justice to seek to have a  judge removed. And it is extraordinary for   higher courts to remove a judge. The bar is  very, very high when it comes to bias. And   I think a lot of people have the opinion  that she's biased in favor of Mr. Trump. And, certainly, she has issued favorable  decisions toward Mr. Trump, but she has   also issued some favorable decisions, obviously,  not this one, in favor of the government. And   so I think it's a very, very steep hill for  the government to climb to seek her recusal. But, yes, it is on the table as  something they could do when they appeal. GEOFF BENNETT: All right, that is Mary McCord. Mary, thanks so much for your insights and   for walking us through all of  this. We deeply appreciate it. MARY MCCORD: My pleasure. Secret Service scrutinized after 'basic rules' not followed AMNA NAWAZ: The assassination attempt on Donald   Trump is raising major questions about the  Secret Service and its security protocols. Chief among them, how was a 20-year-old armed with  an AR-15-style rifle able to obtain a clear line   of sight to a former president? President  Biden has ordered an independent review. This afternoon, Homeland Security Secretary  Alejandro Mayorkas said that security had   previously been enhanced for former  President Trump and that independent   candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would also  now receive Secret Service protection. For more on this, I spoke earlier with Carol  Leonnig, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for   The Washington Post and the author of "Zero  Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service." Carol, welcome back to the "News  Hour." Thanks for joining us. CAROL LEONNIG, The Washington  Post: Glad to be here, Amna. AMNA NAWAZ: So on this central question  of how a gunman got up on a roof within   a line of sight of a former president,  fired several shots before the Secret   Service could evacuate him, what does your  reporting show about how that happened? CAROL LEONNIG: You know, this is  the central mystery and concern.   There are some answers and there are some  things we're still trying to figure out. But since 1963 and John F. Kennedy's  assassination in Dallas from a gunman in   a tall building, every Secret Service agent  who's responsible for planning security for   an event has lost sleep over the line of  sight. It's a -- it's Secret Service 101. You plan for every possible piece of  high ground that would give someone an   ability to shoot at the president  or other senior official that the   Secret Service is protecting at  a public event. In this case,   it's really obvious, Amna. The Secret Service did  not physically mitigate the line of sight here. That means they didn't do what they often do  at big, big public events. They didn't roll   in a 14-wheeler or a bus or a crane or a van  or a banner and place it in between the high   ground behind the stage, meaning behind the  audience, and where Donald Trump was speaking. That breaks up the line of sight. They  didn't use that physical blockade. And   what is unknown is what happened in terms of  securing those buildings, and particularly a   glass plant company that was right behind the  -- and outside the perimeter of the crowd,   where a shooter positioned himself and used a  roof as a platform to shoot at Donald Trump. What's unclear is, in that perimeter,  where local police are usually assigned   by the Secret Service to secure those  areas, to check those buildings,   to make sure no one is getting on top of  them, what's unclear is what instructions   the Secret Service gave those local police and  whether or not they completed their mission. It's a mystery right now how this  critical breakdown could have happened. AMNA NAWAZ: There's a remarkable piece  of your reporting as well that tells   the story about one of those local  officers who climbed up on the roof,   saw the gunman, and then went back down the  ladder before the gunman began to fire a shot. Tell us about that. CAROL LEONNIG: Yes, this was  a stunning find by one of my   partners on this story, Isaac Stanley-Becker. He called all around, as we did yesterday, to  Butler local county and township police officers.   And one of them relayed to us that an officer who  had been alerted by bystanders that there had --   was a suspicious man clambering onto this roof,  that police officer went to look for the man. He hoisted himself up physically with both hands   up to the roof to see what was there. And because  he was using both his hands to hoist himself,   he didn't have a weapon in his hand.  Unfortunately, the gunman did point his   weapon, according to this officer, at the  officer who was trying to check him out. To save his own life, to protect himself,  the officer dropped down and let go. And   within minutes -- or, actually within  seconds, depending on the account,   fired -- shots were fired from this  rooftop by this gunman at the stage. AMNA NAWAZ: Carol, you literally wrote  the book about the Secret Service. When   we spoke about that book back in may  of 2021, you told me agents had been   telling you for a while about the culture of  secrecy, about chronic underfunding as well. You said that many of them  were whispering to you they   were worried about a president  being killed on their watch. Given all of that, was this  inevitable in some way? CAROL LEONNIG: You know, I have been really  devastated, after a lot of reporting that   I did in 2014 and 2015 about just episodic  security failures and gaffes and major breaches. After that reporting prompted an Oversight  Committee investigation and then a blue-ribbon   panel by the Obama administration  making a series of recommendations   to strengthen the Secret Service and ensure  that its mission was not so broadly spread,   that it really focused on the security of the  presidents and the most important VIP officials   who run the government, after all of that  reporting, after all of those recommendations,   many of those recommendations were  never executed and implemented. So, now where are we, Amna? Ten  years later, the Secret Service   appears to be spread too thin once  again, and in a situation where the   basic rules of Secret Service 101  don't appear to have been followed. AMNA NAWAZ: That is Carol Leonnig,  national investigative reporter   with The Washington Post and  author of the book "Zero Fail." Carol, thank you. Appreciate your time. CAROL LEONNIG: (AUDIO GAP) Good luck today. Democrats Response AMNA NAWAZ: As Republicans convene here to  nominate their candidate, President Joe Biden is   easing back into campaign mode after canceling  events in the wake of Saturday's shooting. Tonight, NBC News will air its  sit-down interview with the president. GEOFF BENNETT: Our White House correspondent,   Laura Barron-Lopez, has been covering the  latest and joins us now from Washington. So, Laura, last night, in his address to the  nation, President Biden urged Americans to   lower the temperature -- that was the phrase  that he used -- following the attempted   assassination of Donald Trump. How has all of  this affected his approach and his campaign? LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That's right, Geoff. In the address last night, President  Biden called on Americans to lower the   temperature. He also said that political  violence is unacceptable across the board,   any kind of political violence.  And when it comes to his campaign,   Geoff, he's temporarily halted or  paused some of his campaigning. The biggest changes ultimately were the fact  that he canceled a scheduled event in Texas   to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil  Rights Act, as well as a fund-raiser that   he had planned on holding in Texas. That was  set for today. And, also, his campaign paused   all political ads, and they haven't said  when they are going to resume those. But with this NBC interview  tonight with Lester Holt,   President Biden is going to be resuming  campaigning, the campaign said. And we   got a first look at some of this. We got  a look at this interview. And, in it,   President Biden was asked about comments he made  in a call with donors last week when he told them   that the talk of the debate was over and that  he wanted to put Donald Trump in the bullseye. JOE BIDEN, President of the United States:  Actually I guess I was talking about at the   time was, there was very little focus  on Trump's agenda, focus on the number   of lies he told in the debate, focus -- I  mean, there's a whole range of things that,   look, I'm not the guy that said I  want to be a dictator on day one. I'm not the guy that refused to accept  the outcome of the election. I'm not the   guy who said that he wouldn't accept the  outcome of this election automatically. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: President Biden added  in that interview with Lester Holt that   Trump is the candidate that he's going to be  resuming campaigning, including law enforcement,   including judges and prosecutors,  in his interview with Lester Holt. And then his campaigning is also set to  resume in Nevada tomorrow -- Geoff and Amna. AMNA NAWAZ: Laura, what about those  Democratic efforts that we were all   talking about not too long ago about  Democrats trying to get President   Biden to step aside from the top of the  ticket? Where do those efforts stand now? LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: There's still  split amongst Democrats, Amna. The Democrats that I spoke to today, I  spoke to a Democratic Party chair who said   that they think that the conversation  is over following the last few weeks,   as well as this assassination attempt on  Donald Trump. Donors that I spoke to are   resigned that they think that President Biden  will remain at the top of the Democratic ticket. One Democratic adviser to donors said  that they feel as though they could be   headed toward a party extinction-level event come  November. I also spoke to Congressman Adam Smith,   one of the Democrats who has called  on Biden to step aside. And he was   on a call with President Biden this  past weekend that didn't go so well. And Congressman Smith told me that the  conversation about replacing Biden at the   top of the ticket isn't over and that, in that  call, multiple Democrats asked the president,   they said to him that they felt as though  the party was in trouble looking forward   towards November, and they asked  him what his plan was to fix it. And Congressman Smith told me that  President Biden said that he didn't   think that the party was in trouble, that  polls show a steady race, and that he feels   as though he hasn't been given enough credit  on his record of achievements as president. GEOFF BENNETT: Well, Laura, with  at least one Democrat warning of   an extinction-level event -- I mean, I wrote  that in my notes. That's really staggering. How is the president aiming to counter  that? What's his message moving forward? LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Campaign officials  tell me that they still feel as though   the dynamics of the race have not changed,  that the assassination attempt on Donald   Trump hasn't changed those dynamics, as well they  know that there's more work to do with Democrats. Jen O'Malley Dillon, the campaign  chair for President Biden's campaign,   spoke to reporters today and saying that the  president is going to be focused heavily still   on the democracy message, zeroing in on Project  2025, which is that blueprint from conservative   allies of Donald Trump for a second Trump  term, and that they also are going to be   heavily focused on abortion, especially in the  state of Nevada, where Biden is heading to. He's also going to be focused on housing and the  economy. So they say that they are not changing   their campaign strategy at all when it comes to  attacking Donald Trump on threats to democracy. AMNA NAWAZ: Laura, meanwhile,  on the brief time we have left,   I know even amid the calls from some leaders to  tamp down the political rhetoric, you have been   tracking some continuing calls for violence,  also conspiracy theories spreading online. Tell us what you have seen. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Many GOP lawmakers called for  calm, like President Biden, Amna, but there were   leading GOP lawmakers, including the vice  presidential pick, J.D. Vance, who blamed   Democrats, blamed Biden for the assassination  attempt, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene,   who ended a rant of conspiracies on X  saying that -- quote -- "The Democrat   Party is flat-out evil. And, yesterday,  they tried to murder President Trump." Now, a nonprofit research group that I have spoke  to says that there have been increased calls for   violence on social media, namely among Proud Boys,  but also among some lawmakers in Congress -- Amna. AMNA NAWAZ: Our White House correspondent,  Laura Barron-Lopez, joining us. Laura, thank you. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you. Politics Monday AMNA NAWAZ: All right, let's turn  back now to the Republican campaign   and the first day of the party's  convention right here in Milwaukee. GEOFF BENNETT: And our Politics Monday  team is here with us. That's Amy Walter   of The Cook Political Report With  Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR. And we should say that the  house band is back on stage. (LAUGHTER) AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: I know. GEOFF BENNETT: Delegates are taking to the floor.   We could have some background  music for this conversation. AMY WALTER: Yes. AMNA NAWAZ: There we go. On that note, Amy, kick us off  here. The big news of the day,   obviously, the selection of J.D. Vance  as former President Trump's running mate. AMY WALTER: That's right. AMNA NAWAZ: What do you make about  it? What does he bring to the ticket? AMY WALTER: Yes, I mean, I think when the Biden  campaign made clear the other week that they   believed that the easiest path for them to win  the Electoral College was through the blue wall,   I think picking J.D. Vance in  that -- by picking J.D. Vance,   I think the Trump campaign is saying,  OK, you want to fight for the blue wall? We will pick a blue wall candidate,  somebody who grew up in poverty in Ohio,   somebody who could have an appeal with his  populist message to those voters in that   area of the country, try to win over some of  those voters. He did not pick someone, though,   who was going to try to appeal  maybe to suburban women, right? This was really very much leaning in on the  MAGA message. And he is essentially saying that,   with the pick of Vance, that the  sort of MAGA movement is exactly   what he wants to campaign on for this  next four years. He's not going to   suddenly shift to become more of a sort of  traditional Republican in the pre-Trump era. GEOFF BENNETT: And, Tam, you have got to  imagine the Biden team is getting their   opposition research together, if they haven't  already, I mean, just the reams of things   that J.D. Vance had said about Donald Trump  years ago and the memo -- or the -- rather,   the statement that Amna mentioned from Jen  O'Malley Dillon where she said, the reason   Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance is because J.D.  Vance will do the things that Mike Pence wouldn't. TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Yes, and that   is very much the line that they are  delivering from the Biden campaign. Vance is also someone who has taken  positions on abortion that the Biden   campaign believes they can make hay  with. He has said things about rape   and incest and exceptions that most voters  would find offensive. And they are going to   make sure that those statements are  repeated and repeated and repeated. As President Trump, former President Trump has  tried to soften the Republican image on abortion,   move away from some of the  more hard-line views, Vance,   before he became the running mate, said  things that he's now having to calibrate. AMNA NAWAZ: What does -- Tam, what  does this ticket now say to you in   terms of the messaging moving forward,  especially in light of where we are? After that assassination attempt, even Donald  Trump was saying, we have to have unity moving   forward. And then he picks the guy who was perhaps  most aggressive in terms of blaming Democrats   directly for that attack. Do you expect that kind  of unity message to continue even here this week? TAMARA KEITH: Right. Just to go back to the tweet that J.D.  Vance put out in the hours immediately   after the assassination attempt, he said  that President Biden's rhetoric led directly   to President Trump's attempted assassination.  He drew a line that does not appear to exist. And the Biden campaign has said, as Laura said,  that they are not going to shy away from making   the democracy arguments. The president was pressed  by Lester Holt. And he said, well, I didn't say he   was in the sights. I said in the bullseye, and  that just means I wanted to talk about issues. But the fact that Biden is being asked  about that is a testament to the fact   that that line of thought has been elevated  by J.D. Vance and others. I don't know what's   going to happen in terms of  the tone and the rhetoric. AMNA NAWAZ: Thank you. TAMARA KEITH: I think everyone is talking  about bringing the temperature down. Let's   see how low the temperature stays  today, tomorrow, the next days. AMY WALTER: That's right. TAMARA KEITH: And the Biden campaign has  also said that Biden's going to be out   there campaigning tomorrow and reiterating  a message that he delivered on Friday that   very much went after Trump on policy, but  went after Trump as an existential threat. That theme of the campaign on  both sides is not going away. GEOFF BENNETT: What about his  age? In this election cycle,   where you have majorities of voters  saying that both candidates are too old... AMY WALTER: Yes. Yes. GEOFF BENNETT: ... in J.D. Vance, you have  someone who will turn 40 years old in August. AMY WALTER: Yes. GEOFF BENNETT: And this notion that,  oh, he's too young, he's untested,   well, Barack Obama blew that out of  the water when he ran and when he won. AMY WALTER: I know, exactly. I think what they were also looking for is  this contrast with the age argument. And it's   the argument that the Trump campaign has been  making from the very beginning. He's strength.   Biden is weakness. By having a fighter  on his ticket like J.D. Vance has been,   that only adds to that message. I think the other thing about Vance, given that he  was such a critic of Trump in the 2016 campaign,   it's a reminder to everyone out there,  especially every Republican, that,   you know what? I have made a lot of converts.  I have changed this party from what it was to   what it is. You're either -- and you're  on the team or you're not on the team But J.D. Vance is an example, I think,  of somebody who he was able -- he can   make the case that, I brought converts  in with this message that is resonating. TAMARA KEITH: Yes. And what I would say is that this is the Trump   campaign doubling down on  its theory of the case... AMY WALTER: That's right. TAMARA KEITH: ... which is not that they are  going to go sway a bunch of undecided women   in the suburbs, but that they are going to  find MAGA voters who just aren't voters yet. They are going all in on finding and building  that base, rather than expanding the tent. AMNA NAWAZ: On the Democratic side,  Amy, as Laura was reporting earlier,   the entire conversation around changing... AMY WALTER: I know. AMNA NAWAZ: ... the Democratic ticket in this new  post-assassination attempt, is that now over with? AMY WALTER: It sure feels like, and people that  I was talking with and texting with this weekend,   it sure felt like, if it's not completely  over, the odds are very, very, very low. It really took all the winds out of the sails.  And let's face it. We have known this from the   very beginning. If Joe Biden is digging in,  if the president says, I'm staying around,   there is nothing that the Democrats can do  to make a change on the top of the ticket. GEOFF BENNETT: So, bottom line, what I  hear you both say in different ways is   that Donald Trump selecting J.D. Vance as  his vice presidential pick is a sign that   he's feeling pretty good about where  he stands in this race right now. TAMARA KEITH: Yes. And he does feel pretty good. But just as the Trump campaign plan is to  expand -- just build the base, go with the base,   the Biden plan is not that. Their plan is  to do a battle of inches for every single   undecided and ambivalent voter out there. And  so I think that we're seeing that Biden has dug   in. He doesn't seem to be going anywhere.  And it's not clear that they can push him. I will say, I did go out door-knocking with  some Democratic volunteers over the weekend   before the assassination attempt. And none of  the voters whose doors got knocked on brought   up the idea of Biden getting out. Instead,  though, they were basically like a pox on both   their houses. I can't believe these are the  choices we have, is what voters were saying. AMNA NAWAZ: It feels like a message  we have been hearing for a while now. AMY WALTER: For a long time. GEOFF BENNETT: Yes. AMNA NAWAZ: That's right. Tamara Keith, Amy Walter, always great to see  you both. Thank you so much for being here. TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome. AMNA NAWAZ: And after a whirlwind of political  news, we turn now to the day's other headlines. News Wrap Stephanie Sy is in Washington  and has those stories. STEPHANIE SY: Thanks, Amna and Geoff. Houston's main utility company says the majority  of power outages in the city should be fixed   by Wednesday. That news comes amid growing  pressure on CenterPoint Energy, as more than   200,000 customers remain without power a week  after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area. The Texas Public Utility Commission has launched  an investigation into CenterPoint's storm   preparedness a day after Governor Greg Abbott  demanded -- quote -- "specific actions to address   power outages and reduce the possibility that  power will be lost during a severe weather event." Beryl also left its mark thousands of miles  away in Vermont. Officials there are seeking   disaster assistance from FEMA after flooding  knocked out bridges and washed out roads. In the Middle East, Israel has carried out  new attacks on Gaza following a weekend   of devastating airstrikes. Today,  in Deir al Balah in Central Gaza,   local officials say an Israeli attack  killed three members of the same family,   including a child. The State Department  spokesperson said today that Secretary   Blinken expressed concern over civilian  casualties in a meeting with Israeli officials. MATTHEW MILLER, State Department Spokesman:  We have seen civilian casualties come down   from the high points of the conflict and even from  where they were, say, six weeks, two months ago,   but they still remain unacceptably high.  We continue to see far too many civilians   killed in this conflict. We want to see  civilian casualties completely ended. STEPHANIE SY: Blinken also spoke with  Israeli officials today about ongoing   talks toward a cease-fire deal with Hamas.  During the meeting, Israel said it is still   committed to reaching an agreement. Hamas also  said today the cease-fire talks are continuing,   but accused Israel of trying to derail  progress with its ongoing attacks in Gaza. In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  says he aims to hold a second international   peace summit and he wants Russia to attend.  At last month's gathering in Switzerland,   Russia was absent. In his first news conference  since visiting the U.S. last week, Zelenskyy also   said he was ready to work with Donald Trump if  the former president wins November's election. And he made an urgent plea for more military aid. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through  translator): From the point of view of the   structure of our air defense, to completely  cover Ukraine, according to our military,   we need 25 Patriot systems. This is in order  to completely close the sky of Ukraine. STEPHANIE SY: Separately, a Moscow court convicted  U.S. journalist Masha Gessen in absentia today on   charges of spreading lies about the Russian  military. Gessen was sentenced to eight years   in prison. The Moscow-born author is the latest  American target of Russia's crackdown on dissent. Gessen is a prominent critic of  Vladimir Putin who lives outside   Russia and is unlikely to  face actual imprisonment. Gambia's Parliament voted today to uphold a ban  on female genital cutting. Lawmakers rejected a   push by the country's religious conservatives, who  had argued that the practice is -- quote -- "one   of the virtues of Islam." Gambia would have  been the first country to reverse such a ban. According to the U.N., more than 50 percent  of women there between the ages of 15 and 49   have undergone the procedure, also called female  genital mutilation. The practice can cause serious   bleeding, death, and childbirth complications,  but remains widespread in parts of Africa. Police in Miami say they arrested 27 people  and ejected 55 others amid chaotic scenes   at the Copa America final last night in  Florida. The showdown between Argentina   and Colombia was delayed multiple times  after fans tried to force their way into   the stadium, some without tickets. A few even  attempted scaling the walls to gain entry. Security officials tried to control the gates,  leading to tense scenes, with some fans forcing   their way in. The head of Colombia's soccer  federation and his son were among those arrested. On Wall Street today, stocks ended  higher after the Federal Reserve chair,   Jerome Powell, said there has been progress  on taming inflation. The Dow Jones industrial   average added more than 200 points to close  at an all-time high. The Nasdaq tacked on 75   points, ending just shy of its own record, and  the S&P 500 also ended higher to start the week. Now let's go back to Geoff and Amna in  Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention. AMNA NAWAZ: Thank you, Stephanie. And we will have much more coverage  from the Republican Convention online,   streaming gavel to gavel, and on the "News  Hour" tomorrow, and, of course, during our   live special coverage, which begins tonight at  8:00 p.m. Eastern. We hope you will join us then. GEOFF BENNETT: And that is the "News  Hour" for tonight. I'm Geoff Bennett. AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz. On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team,   thank you for joining us, and  we will see you later tonight.