Today in one sentence: What we know about the Trump assassination attempt so far; Biden called on the nation to “lower the temperature in our politics,” saying the attempted assassination of Trump requires Americans "to take a step back" to determine "how we go forward from here"; Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal classified documents case against Trump, which accused him of mishandling classified information after leaving the White House; Trump named J.D. Vance as his running mate; a federal judge dismissed Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy protection case; Trump said he’ll reveal his choice of running mate later today; and the Republican National Convention opens in Milwaukee.

What we know about the Trump assassination attempt so far:

  1. The shooting at Trump’s rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination. Trump was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear,” but is otherwise “fine,” his campaign said. As he was ushered away, Trump raised a fist to the crowd, mouthing: “Fight. Fight. Fight.”

  2. The Secret Service said the shooter – 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – fired “multiple shots” from an “elevated position” outside of the rally using an AR-style rifle that was legally purchased by his father. Two “suspicious devices” were found in his vehicle, and authorities suspect a third may have been found at his home.

  3. Crooks and at least one audience member were killed, and two other attendees were critically injured.

  4. Officials said Crooks didn’t have a history of interactions with law enforcement or of mental illness, and investigators haven’t found any evidence on social media or elsewhere that might help identify his motive for the attempted assassination. Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, but had made a small donation to a Democratic-leaning group. Former classmates described him as kind, polite, and smart.

  5. The rooftop where Crooks shot at Trump was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event.

  6. Shortly after the shooting Biden condemned the attack, saying “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick […] We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this.”

  7. And in a pair of interviews on Sunday, Trump recounted the shooting, saying: “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.” He added: “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead.”

  8. House Republicans, meanwhile, said they will “conduct a full investigation” into the shooting.

  9. Trump’s campaign said he still plans to attend the Republican National Convention, which begins today in Milwaukee. The Secret Service said it was “not anticipating any changes to our operational security plans” for the RNC. “We’re ready to go.”

  10. There have been 327 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2024 so far.

1/ Biden called on the nation to “lower the temperature in our politics,” saying the attempted assassination of Trump requires Americans “to take a step back” to determine “how we go forward from here.” Using the Oval Office to make his third remarks to the nation in less than 24 hours, Biden said “We cannot, we must not, go down this road in America. There is 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.” Biden also cited a number of violent political acts in recent years, including the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the failed attempt to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and the intimidation of election officials. “In America, we resolve our difference at the ballot box, not with bullets,” he said. “The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of would-be assassins.” In earlier remarks Sunday, Biden said: “An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation — everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen.” (New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News)

2/ Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal classified documents case against Trump, which accused him of mishandling classified information after leaving the White House. In a 93-page order, Cannon found that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was “unlawful” and unconstitutional because Smith had not been named to the post by Biden or confirmed by the Senate. Trump’s lawyers argued in February that the appointments clause of the Constitution “does not permit the Attorney General to appoint, without Senate confirmation, a private citizen and like-minded political ally to wield the prosecutorial power of the United States.” Garland appointed Smith, a private citizen, in 2022 to oversee the two federal investigations into Trump. Garland, as well as Smith’s team have argued, that legal and historical precedent allowed for the appointment of an independent prosecutor to handle the investigations. Nevertheless, Cannon ruled that “None of the statutes cited as legal authority for the appointment […] gives the Attorney General broad inferior-officer appointing power or bestows upon him the right to appoint a federal officer with the kind of prosecutorial power wielded by Special Counsel Smith. Nor do the Special Counsel’s strained statutory arguments, appeals to inconsistent history, or reliance on out-of-circuit authority persuade otherwise.” The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling. Trump appointed Cannon to the federal bench in south Florida in 2020. A federal grand jury originally indicted Trump with 40 felony counts alleging he willfully kept classified material after he left the White House and then obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to get them back. Separately, Trump was charged with 32 counts under the Espionage Act for “willful retention” of national defense information, and an additional eight charges for making false statements and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Bloomberg / Politico / Axios / CNBC / CBS News)

3/ Trump named J.D. Vance as his running mate – the heir apparent to his MAGA movement. The Ohio Republican has embraced Trump’s “America First” policies, criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, praised authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, opposed abortion rights even in the case of incest or rape, introduced a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, claimed the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump, and doesn’t believe climate change is real. In 2016, however, Vance called Trump “noxious,” “unfit for our nation’s highest office,” and said he “loathed” him. If the ticket is elected in November, Vance would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history at 39-years-old. The Biden campaign, meanwhile, said “Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda.” (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / NBC News / Politico / ABC News)

4/ A federal judge dismissed Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy protection case, clearing the way for creditors to pursue and potentially seize his assets. Giuliani sought bankruptcy protection after a jury awarded two Georgia election workers $148 million after he defamed them following the 2020 election. (CBS News / Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press / Politico)

✏️ Notables.

  1. A Nation on Edge Fears an Election Careening Toward an Ugly finish. “A nation barely removed from the violent end to the 2020 election, which included several deaths tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, has since been whipsawed by a cascade of jolts to the system. A House speaker ousted. A former president, Trump, indicted on criminal charges four times, only to win his party’s nod to reclaim the White House. A presidential debate only two weeks ago that found the commander in chief, Joe Biden, significantly compromised in his ability to express thoughts and recall words. Now, America is faced with the realization that political violence has struck at a moment when the nation is on the cusp of deciding its next president.” (Wall Street Journal)

  2. Trump rally shooting comes amid rise in support for political violence. “Research shows more Americans support violence to stop a second Trump presidency than back violence in his favor.” (The Guardian)

  3. American Stares Into the Abyss After Trump Assassination Bid. “To all intents and purposes America’s two tribes were already at war. But a shot had not been fired. Until now.” (Daily Beast)

  4. In the Wake of the Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity—and Caution. “The best way to fend off conspiracy theories and instability is by emphasizing the need for solid facts.” (The Nation)

  5. America is not ready for what comes next. “The attempt on Donald Trump’s life has put the republic in peril.” (Vox)

  6. A Terrible New Era of Political Violence in America. “In this fragile moment, the nation desperately needs prudent and wise leadership.” (The Atlantic)

  7. Trump Rally Shooting Marks Dark Day in American Politics: ‘It Was Mayhem’ (Wall Street Journal)

  8. Trump’s Bloodied, Defiant Image After Shooting Pumps Up His Base. “His supporters, many of whom viewed him as a movement figure and martyr long before the violence on Saturday, seized on the photos as a metaphor for the former president’s resiliency.” (Bloomberg)

  9. Trump allies immediately blame Biden, Democrats for their rhetoric. “Supporters argued that Democratic portrayals of Trump as a threat to democracy led to the violence, though the shooter’s motive was not apparent at the time of their remarks.” (Washington Post)

  10. Trump’s most loyal Congressional allies immediately blamed Joe Biden for Saturday’s assassination bid against the former president–with one claiming: “Biden sent the orders.” “In a series of posts on social media, loyalists including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert sought to link the sniper’s attack to language used by Biden.” (Daily Beast)

  11. Trump’s Raised Fist Will Make History — And Cement His Legacy. “In wake of shooting, GOP officials are quick to blame Democrats for demonizing the former president.” (Politico)

Four years ago today: Day 1273: "We could go on for days."
Five years ago today: Day 907: Racist in chief.