The Evening: Vance is Trump’s V.P. pick

Also, the Secret Service is under scrutiny.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 15, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. Trump's pick for V.P. Trump's documents case dismissed Plus, the Olympic torch in Paris J.D. Vance at the Republican National Convention today. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Trump picked J.D. Vance as his choice for vice president Donald Trump announced today that he had selected J.D. Vance as his running mate, elevating the 39-year-old Senator and former Marine who transformed over the last few years from a sharp critic of the former president into one of his most loyal allies. The selection was made public on the first day of the Republican National Convention, where Trump was officially awarded enough delegates to become the party's nominee for president. By choosing Vance, Trump tapped an ambitious ideologue who relishes the spotlight and has already shown he can energize donors. Here's what to know about him. Vance in 2016 privately feared that Trump could be "America's Hitler," and publicly called him "reprehensible." But by the time he ran for Senate in 2021, he had adopted much of Trump's ring-wing messaging, such as advancing Trump's unsubstantiated claims about widespread election fraud and hard-line stances on immigration. Vance's selection positions him to continue pushing Trump's movement after a potential second term. His similarities with Trump suggest a limited potential to draw in new voters — but Trump has never seen much of a need for a vice president, and part of the delay in his selection was Trump's lack of interest in the position, my colleague Maggie Haberman reported. Trump's announcement came just days after he survived an assassination attempt, an episode that underlined the significance of his choice. And even as Trump called for unity, Vance directly attributed the shooting to the rhetoric of President Biden and his campaign. In other politics news, the latest New York Times/Siena College polls found that President Biden is trailing Trump in Pennsylvania and is just slightly ahead in Virginia, two must-win states. Vice President Kamala Harris ran about two percentage points ahead of Biden. Boxes of documents stored in a bathroom at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. U.S. Justice Department, via Reuters A judge dismissed the classified documents case against Trump The federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump threw out all of the charges against him and his two co-defendants today. The judge, Aileen Cannon, said that the special counsel who indicted Trump had been given his job in violation of the Constitution. It was a stunning move by Cannon, who was appointed by Trump. Her decision went against decades of rulings by higher courts, including a 1974 Supreme Court decision, and contradicted nearly 30 years of how special counsels have gotten their jobs. Jack Smith, the special counsel, will almost certainly appeal the ruling. But for now, Cannon's ruling has ended what was once considered to be the most straightforward criminal prosecution of the former president. Secret Service snipers stood watch at the rally in Butler, Pa. Eric Lee/The New York Times The Secret Service is under scrutiny Lawmakers, experts and federal officials raised urgent questions today about how a would-be assassin was able to open fire 400 feet from Donald Trump during a campaign rally this weekend in Pennsylvania. At least three congressional committees said they had begun investigations, and the cabinet secretary who oversees the Secret Service described the incident as a "failure" of security. These are some of the key questions facing the agency — including whether the local police, whose responsibility it was to secure the building from which Trump was shot, were prepared for the assignment. Video taken by a bystander also showed that law enforcement had been warned about the gunman minutes before he fired, adding to the questions. In related news, federal investigators scoured the home, car and phone of the 20-year-old gunman, searching for evidence of a motive. Here's what we know so far. More top news Climate: Dangerous heat could persist through Wednesday in the Northeast U.S. Ukraine: As the war approaches the two-and-a-half-year mark, slow but steady Russian advances have erased hard-won Ukrainian victories. Gaza: China will host senior officials from the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to bridge gaps between them. China: Away from the public eye, President Xi Jinping is presiding over a meeting to draft a new economic program. Gambia: In a major reversal, lawmakers voted to keep a ban on female genital cutting. Labor: The U.A.W. criticized the Biden administration for declining to pursue a union complaint of labor abuses in Mexico. Health: Families pay thousands of dollars to cord blood banks to store their children's stem cells with the hope of a healthier future for them. But the cells are rarely useful. Nature: A paleontologist solved a 310-million-year-old mystery by turning a fossil upside down. TIME TO UNWIND Two Olympic torchbearers during the relay in front of the Pantheon in Paris. Christian Hartmann/Reuters The Olympic torch arrived in a made-over Paris With less than two weeks before the Games begin, the Olympic torch arrived on the Champs-Élysées in a custom-made Louis Vuitton suitcase. The French soccer legend Thierry Henry then carried it away for a celebratory tour of Paris. Surrounding the festivities was a city that had already transformed, with most bridges closed to traffic and bleachers set up on several of them. Paris is also opening 80 pop-up restaurants and countless dining experiences for the Games, including a high-end eatery in the Eiffel Tower and a 15,000-euro meal on a boat that will cruise the Seine during the opening ceremony. For anyone attending, we have a guide to the city's best bakeries. Shannen Doherty played Brenda Walsh in "Beverly Hills, 90210." Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Hallmark Channel Shannen Doherty's final act was to put it all out there Shannen Doherty, the raven-haired actress who starred in "Beverly Hills, 90210," died over the weekend at 53. She started a podcast last year that was unlike any other celebrity show. On it, she spoke candidly about her tumultuous career, her cancer and her own mortality — in wrenching specifics. More lives lived: Ruth Westheimer, the grandmotherly psychologist who became America's best-known sex counselor by challenging norms, died on Friday at 96. And the exercise enthusiast Richard Simmons died on Saturday at 76, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped the fitness industry. Jake Weber, a New York lawyer, began wearing Miu Miu this year. Amir Hamja for The New York Times Dinner table topics Miu Miu: Why are so many men wearing this high-fashion women's wear brand? An interview: The actor Anthony Hopkins, 86, said aging had given him "a tremendous amount of energy to move forward." Your brain on dance: A performance that's also a study incorporates sophisticated imaging to show how dance engages the mind as intensively as the body. First payday: In order to make a college football video game, EA Sports paid $600 to all 11,000 players featured in the game. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Cook: Hot weather calls for this Korean corn cheese. Watch: My colleague recommended four compelling true-crime stories. Read: "Rat City" is a phenomenally weird tale of a man and his rodent metropolis. Listen: The "godmother of rock 'n' roll" could shred. Hear for yourself. Grill: Here's how chefs from different global traditions cook outside. Relax: This is Wirecutter's favorite lumbar support pillow. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING These school bags carry books, pencils and tradition.  Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times The bag that unites nearly all Japanese children There is no rule requiring Japan's elementary-school students to wear the boxy, bulky backpack known as the randoseru. But for nearly 150 years, most of them have. Boys usually carry black versions, while girls favor colors like lavender or red. Typically made of leather and costing hundreds of dollars, randoseru are meant to last for the entire six years of elementary school. They also reflect the conformity and consistency that are deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Have a practical evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Emree Weaver was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018