Morning Report — GOP united in Milwaukee, Biden ‘all in’ for November

by Kristina Karisch - 07/17/24 6:30 AM ET

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In a show of party unity, the GOP’s next generation took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.

A day after former President Trump announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice-presidential pick, his erstwhile primary rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, both spoke in support of the Republican nominee. DeSantis, who threw his support behind Trump shortly after exiting the race, was a confirmed speaker ahead of the convention. Haley, the last of the former president’s challengers to drop out, only recently urged her delegates to support Trump and was not originally scheduled to speak.

Haley, who had described Trump as unfit for office during her campaign, encouraged her supporters to vote for him over President Biden Tuesday “for the sake of our nation.”

“We should acknowledge that there are some Americans who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time,” Haley said. “Take it from me. I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree.”

Here are five takeaways from the second day of the convention.

Vance, DeSantis and Haley are part of a crucial group as the Republican Party shifts further to the right — embracing “Make America Great Again” populism as established leaders, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), take a step back. With Vance on the November ticket, there’s a new wrinkle in the succession fight, write The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Al Weaver.

Vance is now in early pole position to become the GOP standard-bearer in a post-Trump era should the two win in November. Trump’s vice-presidential decision was always going to have major ramifications, but those are magnified further as he is limited to a single term. Vance, 39, has now rocketed toward the top of the list in the eyes of many top Republicans who argue that a successful stint as vice president would put him in a prime spot to lead the America First agenda.

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit here, but he’s got a very bright future, and obviously if we are successful and can serve as vice president, he, I’m sure, will be on a lot of people’s lists … for a long time to come,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), a top contender to become Senate Republican leader next year.

▪ CNN and Politico: The U.S. intelligence community has received an increasing amount of evidence to suggest that Iran is actively working on plots to kill Trump, potentially in the lead up to the election in November.

▪ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Five police officers from Columbus, Ohio, shot and killed an armed man early Tuesday afternoon just west of downtown Milwaukee — under a mile from the security perimeter for the Republican National Convention.

▪ The Hill: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) needled his rival, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Tuesday on the convention floor, tauntingly asking McCarthy when he was slated to speak.

ACROSS THE AISLE, the debate around whether Biden should withdraw from the race was put on pause in the immediate aftermath of the attempted assassination on Trump. Now, The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports it appears to be grinding to a halt. Many Democrats said the inter-party fight is unhelpful, particularly as Trump appears to be well ahead in the presidential contest.

“It’s over,” said one prominent Democratic strategist. “There’s been no meaningful movement in a week. There is little to no time left. People are focused elsewhere. It’s a collective action problem and we have no solution. Game over.”

Still, some Democrats say they have held onto hope that it’s not too late to replace Biden at the top of the ticket. Among them is Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running for Senate and warned during a private donor meeting Saturday that his party was likely to suffer overwhelming losses in November if Biden remained the nominee (The New York Times). And former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave the distinct impression that she wanted Biden to take himself off the ticket, a battleground House Democrat told Politico.

But as Biden continues in the race, he faces major hurdles — from the issue of his age to swing state polls and the ramifications of the assassination attempt against Trump. The Hill’s Niall Stanage breaks down the president’s four biggest challenges.

Axios: Since his disastrous debate, Biden has embraced a laundry list of left-wing policy proposals and strong-armed the party’s nomination process.

3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY:

▪ Biden is finalizing plans to endorse major changes to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, including proposals for legislation that would establish term limits for the justices and an enforceable ethics code.

▪ COVID-19 cases are growing or likely growing in 45 states and territories as a summertime wave expands.

▪ SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk said Tuesday he will move the headquarters of both companies from California to Texas, citing opposition to a California law that bars school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change.

LEADING THE DAY

© The Associated Press / Susan Walsh | President Biden at Andrews Air Force Base on Monday.

MORE IN POLITICS

BIDEN PROMISED BLACK VOTERS on Tuesday that he was “all in” to seek reelection on Nov. 5 and assailed Trump’s presidential record. In his first political speech since the shooting at Trump’s rally, Biden was greeted by chants of “four more years” at the NAACP’s annual convention in Las Vegas. Biden criticized Trump for initially contending that former President Obama was not an American citizen and for his reference to “Black jobs” at the presidential debate in June. He also addressed the criticism that he is too old for the job (The Hill and Reuters).

“Hopefully today I’ve demonstrated a little bit of wisdom,” he said. “Here’s what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. And I know the good Lord hasn’t brought us this far to leave us now. We have more work to do.”

Trump’s selection of his running mate sets the stage for a match-up between Vance and Vice President Harris. Both are staunch supporters and defenders of the top of the ticket, write The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Julia Mueller, but they haven’t always been in the past. While they have similarities, including their vigor and command of policy, their clear differences will be in the spotlight ahead of November and play out on a debate stage later this summer. Harris and Vance spoke Tuesday, and she said she hopes “that the two can meet in the vice-presidential debate proposed by CBS News.”

Trump agreed to a debate on behalf of his then-unidentified running mate two months ago — but on Fox News, which Biden’s team has indicated it would reject.

Meanwhile, Vance is bolstering support for Republicans from conservatives in Silicon Valley who have increasingly consolidated around Trump. The 39-year-old former venture capitalist joins the GOP ticket as a growing number of leaders in Silicon Valley — once considered a liberal bastion — have rallied around Trump, particularly in the wake of the assassination attempt. Jacob Helberg, senior adviser to the CEO of Palantir Technologies, said in a post on the social platform X that the Ohio senator “will be a historic and uniquely capable Vice President.” Helberg, once a prominent Democratic donor, has reportedly donated $1 million to Trump’s campaign.

SENATE REPUBLICANS FACE a conundrum in their fight to retake the majority as Biden’s post-debate struggles are not bleeding into battleground races. Democratic incumbents still are far outpacing the president in their push to hold onto the upper chamber, write The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Al Weaver. A pair of polls from The New York Times/Siena College showed a set of Democrats — including Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.) and Tim Kaine (Va.) — outperforming Biden by 14 and 15 percentage points in the two states. This is creating a major problem for Senate Republicans as the surveys suggest voters have more of a problem with the president than Democrats more widely, dulling an arrow in their quiver with less than four months until November.

2024 Roundup:

▪ Trump’s attempted assassination has put Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) in the spotlight as he takes on a consoling and unifying role following the event. The development comes as Shapiro joins a group of rising-star Democratic governors who have been floated as potential 2028 presidential hopefuls.

▪ Military and security experts are baffled as to how the Secret Service allowed a gunman with an AR-style rifle to get close enough to shoot and injure Trump, with intense scrutiny on the basic expectations of the agency at such an event. Meanwhile, House GOP probes of the Secret Service have quickly grown tense.

▪ Trump appeared to echo independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s false views about the safety of vaccines during a private phone call between the two presidential candidates that was posted online.

▪ Black voters make up roughly 5 percent of the electorate in Wisconsin. But in this swing state where the election is likely to be won by a slim margin, their vote is critical for both campaigns.

▪ Vance told a group of influential young conservatives in a closed-door speech in 2021 that they should stand up for “nonconventional people” who speak truth, such as Infowars founder Alex Jones.

WHERE AND WHEN

The House will meet Thursday at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session.

The Senate will convene Thursday at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session.

The president is in Las Vegas. He will receive the President’s Daily Brief. He will then participate in a radio interview with Univision before speaking at the UnidosUS Annual Conference and participating in a campaign community event. The president will then travel to Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Vice President Harris will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., where she will speak at a campaign event.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is in Omaha, Neb., where he will speak at two campaign events.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet withCosta Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre at the State Department.

ZOOM IN

COURTS

© The Associated Press / Frank Franklin II | Embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Tuesday was convicted of all 16 counts at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D) was found guilty of bribery, acting as a foreign agent and a slew of other charges in his federal corruption case Tuesday. The embattled Democrat and ex-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was convicted on all 16 counts he faced, from accepting luxurious bribes in exchange for his political clout to acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Prosecutors found proof Menendez took bribes from three business executives who showered him and his wife with cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz (The Hill).

Following the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) called on Menendez to resign. Other lawmakers swiftly followed (The Hill).

Murphy, who would pick Menendez’s replacement to serve the remainder of his term, which lasts until January 2025, called on the senator to “resign immediately,” adding in a statement that “if he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him” (The Hill).

“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a statement.

▪ Politico: Here’s what happens next for Menedez. When will he be sentenced? Can he remain in Congress? Can he vote as a convicted felon?

▪ The Hill: The federal judge overseeing the senator’s bribery trial has indefinitely delayed the trial for his wife, Nadine Menendez, who was charged alongside her husband but is set to face a separate jury due to her treatment for cancer.

Federal prosecutors have started the process of dropping charges accusing Jan. 6, 2021, defendants of obstructing Congress’s confirmation of the 2020 presidential election results. The new plea deals come after the Supreme Court last month restricted the government’s use of that count (The Washington Post).

The Hill: Peter Navarro is set to be released from prison today after serving a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to Jan. 6. He will then address the Republican National Convention.

ELSEWHERE

© The Associated Press / Efrem Lukatsky | Former President Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate is increasing worry among Ukraine and its allies that U.S. aid to the country could soon dwindle.

INTERNATIONAL

DISAPPOINTMENT WASHED OVER UKRAINE’S supporters when Trump announced Vance as his running mate. An outspoken critic of U.S. military and economic support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia, Vance once said “I don’t care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.” The Hill’s Laura Kelly reports his selection as the Republican nominee for vice president shines a spotlight on the internal GOP battle between Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, and the wing of Trump loyalists who view Kyiv as a problem and Russia as the solution.

As aid to Ukraine remained stuck in Congress earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Vance — a staunch opponent of the proposed package — during a February interview with CNN.

“I’m not sure he understands what’s going on here,” he said when asked about Vance’s opposition. “We don’t need any rhetoric from people who are not deeply in the war.”

The Guardian: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that Trump has “detailed and well-founded” plans for peace between Russia and Ukraine in a letter to a top European Union body.

CEASE-FIRE TALKS: CIA Director William Burns said in a closed-door conference on Saturday that the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is coming under increased pressure from his own military commanders to accept a cease-fire deal and end the war with Israel, CNN reports. Meanwhile, Israel’s military said Tuesday that it has eliminated half of Hamas’s military leadership since the war in Gazabegan more than nine months ago. The announcement, which could not be independently verified, came amid more reported airstrikes across the enclave (The Washington Post).

The New York Times: “We’re not obstinate” in cease-fire talks. Hamas’s Husam Badran said the militant group would give up civilian control in Gaza but would not disband its military wing.

OPINION

■ Will Trump meet the moment? by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), guest essayist, The New York Times.

■ Trump’s tariffs could mirror Hoover’s Depression-era results, by Ed Gresser, opinion contributor, The Hill.

THE CLOSER

© The Associated Press / Aurelien Morissard | Ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, athletes must transport their sometimes bulky equipment to France.

And finally … With nine days until the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics, athletes are making the trip to the City of Love. For some, figuring out how to pack is an easier task than for others.

Air rifles, 17-foot vaulting poles, clubs and hoops for rhythmic gymnastics, even kayaks and sailboats — all these pieces of odd-sized equipment have to make it to France in time for each athlete’s event. No matter if the items can be carried onto an airplane or have to weather the uncertainty of a cargo hold, contingency plans are key.

And then there are the horses. Equestrian athletes fly commercial to France while their four-legged teammates board special cargo jets specifically outfitted for horse travel, with stalls, hay and grooms.

Evy Leibfarth told The Washington Post she’s arrived at airports around the world with two or three kayaks in tow.

“The airlines were never happy about that,” she said. “We’d always show up and be like, ‘Hey, sorry.’”

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