🎯 Axios PM: Trump's veep

Plus: Deadly heat wave | Monday, July 15, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jul 15, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 369 words, a 1.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: It's Vance   Sen. J.D. Vance works the spin room on Trump's behalf after last month's presidential debate. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images Former President Trump has selected Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — a onetime critic who is now among Trump's most stalwart defenders in Congress — as his running mate. "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. 🧐 Between the lines: Trump allies hope Vance, famous for his bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," could help boost the former president's standing in key Rust Belt states, Axios' Erin Doherty writes. He rose to the top of the VP shortlist over the past several weeks through enthusiastic fundraising and public appearances — including at Trump rallies — where he has emerged as a staunch defender of MAGA conservatism. He's friends with Donald Trump Jr. and was the first VP hopeful to flock to the Manhattan courthouse for Trump's New York criminal trial.     2. Extreme heat grips East Coast   Tuesday peak heat index forecast from NWS. Credit: Weatherbell.com A stifling, widespread heat wave is ushering in some of the hottest and most perilous temperatures of the summer, especially on the East Coast, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports. 🌡️ Temperatures were set to soar to 100°F or higher today in D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia, and southward to Florida. ⚠️ The National Weather Service warned of "extremely dangerous and potentially deadly heat," and more than two dozen deaths have already been attributed to the heat in the U.S. so far this summer. Go deeper.     3. Catch me up   Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks Friday in Las Vegas. Photo: Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images 🚓 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will get Secret Service protection, following the attempted assassination of former President Trump this weekend. Go deeper. ⚖️ Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified-documents case against Trump. She said the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional — a ruling that contradicts other courts' findings. The Justice Department is expected to appeal. Go deeper. 🛒 T-shirts featuring the now-iconic image of Trump pumping his fist after being shot are now for sale for as little as $4 in China. Go deeper.     4. 🐘 Milwaukee sneak peek   Here are some pics Mike took yesterday in the Fiserv Forum — the main hall for the Republican National Convention, which opened this afternoon in Milwaukee. Photo: Mike Allen/Axios Photo: Mike Allen/Axios Photo: Mike Allen/Axios   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Advertise with us.   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: