AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

On the "News Hour" tonight: All eyes are on the Republican National Convention here in the walking, where former President Donald Trump is set to make his first public speech since the assassination attempt.

AMNA NAWAZ: President Biden faces more calls from top Democrats to step aside.

The latest setback in his reelection campaign.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the U.S. Secret Service faces mounting pressure over the apparent failures that led to Mr. Trump's shooting.

ANTHONY CANGELOSI, Former U.S. Secret Service Agent: Realizing this was only 150 yards with a clear line of sight to the podium where the president was going to be speaking, that's a critical error.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

It is the final night of the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee.

Donald Trump is set to accept his party's nomination for president, marking his first public speech since the attempt on his life this past weekend.

AMNA NAWAZ: That speech will wrap up a week messaging a united Republican Party, one that spent days reminding voters about Trump's strengths and the party's vision for America.

Meanwhile, Democrats are facing an array of questions about the top of their ticket.

Lisa Desjardins has been following it all -- Lisa.

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

Tonight is the big night here, of course, at the convention, but it follows the other marquee night of the week, where the vice presidential nominee, J.D.

Vance, came out.

And throughout the night, we saw rhetoric that swung between talk of strengths to talk of sensitivity to some sharp words.

Overall, where we are today is a Republican Party trying to build momentum for their new presidential ticket.

This morning, a newly minted nominee.

MAN: The next vice president of the United States, Senator J.D.

Vance.

LISA DESJARDINS: V.P.

candidate and U.S.

Senator J.D.

Vance, fresh off his address to the Republican National Convention, made his first stop to a key Trump voter group, Christian conservatives, speaking at a Faith and Freedom Coalition breakfast.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: There are all of these small little miracles.

And if you look for them, you actually see them.

LISA DESJARDINS: The night before, Vance brandished his working-class roots.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE: America's ruling class wrote the checks.

Communities like mine paid the price.

LISA DESJARDINS: And told stories of growing up poor in Ohio raised by his grandmother, Mamaw.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE: Now, my Mamaw died shortly before I left for Iraq in 2005.

And when we went through her things, we found 19 loaded handguns.

They were... (LAUGHTER) SEN. J.D.

VANCE: And we wondered what was going on.

And it occurred to us that, towards the end of her life, Mamaw couldn't get around so well.

And so this frail old woman made sure that, no matter where she was, she was within arm's length of whatever she needed to protect her family.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE: That's who we fight for.

That's American spirit.

LISA DESJARDINS: An introduction from his wife, Usha Vance, emphasized their unique story.

USHA VANCE, Wife of J.D.

Vance: It's safe to say that neither J. D. nor I expected to find ourselves in this position, but it's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream.

LISA DESJARDINS: The Vance rollout capped a day of sharply contrasting tones on the convention floor.

A 98-year-old World War II veteran brought tears to delegates' eyes appealing to shared love of country.

SGT.

WILLIAM PEKRUL (RET.

), World War II Veteran: America is an idea, but I believe America is much more than that.

America -- America is our home.

LISA DESJARDINS: But minutes later, from Donald Trump Jr., a dark message of fear.

DONALD TRUMP JR., Son of Donald Trump: All hell has broken loose in America, and it's impossible to hide anymore.

LISA DESJARDINS: There were other emotional waves, including an American family whose son was taken hostage after the Hamas attack in Israel.

ORNA NEUTRA, Mother of Israeli-American Hostage Omer Neutra-Orna: Imagine, over nine months not knowing whether your son is alive, waking up every morning praying that he too is still waking up every morning.

LISA DESJARDINS: But the crowd may have been most transfixed by a heartbreaking segment with Gold Star families of service members killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal, highly critical of President Biden.

ALICIA LOPEZ, Gold Star Mother: Now we have another son serving in the Army.

ALICIA LOPEZ: And we do not trust Joe Biden with his life.

LISA DESJARDINS: They read and the convention floor repeated the names of the 13 military personnel killed.

Some lifted up.

Others threw punches.

PETER NAVARRO, Director, White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy: Yes indeed, this morning I did walk out of a federal prison in Miami.

LISA DESJARDINS: Former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro served four months over refusing to testify in front of the January 6 congressional committee.

He blamed the justice system, but he also raised the temperature against undocumented immigrants, calling them: PETER NAVARRO: A whole army of illiterate illegal aliens stealing the jobs of black, brown and blue-collar Americans.

They put them right on your front doorstep.

LISA DESJARDINS: Migrant flow at the southern border has decreased in recent months.

While it remains historically high, PolitiFact and others have debunked the idea that there is any kind of invasion, as well as the idea that there's a resulting job shortage.

At the convention, members of Trump's family tried to show his softer side.

Donald Trump Jr. turned the mic over to his teenage daughter, Kai, before starting his speech.

Trump smiled as his eldest granddaughter told the crowd about her -- quote -- "normal grandpa."

KAI TRUMP, Granddaughter of Donald Trump: A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell, and he's still standing.

LISA DESJARDINS: Yesterday, Trump made his first known comments about the shooting to a private crowd, chanting: AUDIENCE: Fight, fight, fight!

LISA DESJARDINS: In video obtained by PBS News, he credited his close call this weekend to divine intervention.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Honestly, I think you appreciate God even more.

I really do, because something -- something happened.

LISA DESJARDINS: But he also talked to political shop about recent poll gains, indicating he wants President Biden as his opponent.

DONALD TRUMP: But the polls, the worst polls are very good.

So we don't want them to be too good, because, if they're too good, maybe this guy doesn't run.

We want him to run.

And I say that, but I'm also willing to take on second and third and fourth.

LISA DESJARDINS: And as Trump prepares to take stage tonight, President Biden is off the campaign trail at home in Rehoboth recuperating from his COVID diagnosis.

And back here on the convention floor, the signs show the difference in some of the messaging from yesterday.

This one, "Make America Strong Again," may be part of the unity proposal, but then look at this one that was all over the floor last night, "Mass Deportation Now," obviously something that some see as vitriolic, very different, sharp, sometimes soft tones we saw on the floor yesterday -- Amna, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, you mentioned we heard from Senator Vance speaking a lot about his biography last night.

But what do we know about his stances on the issues that matter here?

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

It's important.

Let's take a look at where Senator Vance is on the issues exactly.

Obviously, he does not have a long political career, but here's what we know, especially since he ran for the Senate.

First, on the border, Senator Vance, as with the sign I held up, would launch large-scale deportations on Ukraine.

He strongly says he would end U.S. funding for that war.

Let's talk about the 2020 election.

He has said that he believes it was stolen.

How about January 6?

He has said that he would not have done what Vice President Pence did on that day, and instead he would have blocked the Biden certifications of some slates of electors and added more slates of electors, sending the contest to Congress itself.

Now, let's talk about abortion.

This is something that I want to get into a little more detail on.

There's some positions here that sometimes he's gone a little back and forth in.

But, overall, most recently, we know that Senator Vance would be -- would support a national 15-week ban.

He has said that reasonable exceptions should be allowed for that, including the life of the mother.

But it's not exactly clear where he stands on exceptions for rape and incest.

He's sometimes casts doubt on that concept, saying true rights don't make a wrong when talking about an abortion exception for rape.

And then, finally, he would ban the mailing of abortion pills.

This is an area where some conservatives love him.

This is a place that wants abortion restrictions in general at the Republican Convention, but this is something that Democrats think could help them in swing areas, especially in the suburbs, where they may not want as tough abortion restrictions as Senator Vance does.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Lisa, as we mentioned, Donald Trump is set to accept his party's nomination tonight.

What should we expect to hear from him tonight?

LISA DESJARDINS: Well, we know a lot about how Senator -- how the former president speaks on this stump.

He can often go off-script.

We understand that maybe he's going to speak for about an hour, I'm told from sources.

Now, that may or may not include applause lines.

I'm also told that he has been revising his script up until today, and that it could go longer or shorter.

Some around him think that it would be better for him to go shorter.

This is really the prime-time address and maybe one of the key moments of the campaign.

What he says tonight will probably define him and also define the ads that Democrats use against him.

AMNA NAWAZ: A lot of people here are eager to get their message out, like that gentleman who came behind you to show off his T-shirt.

He's now gone.

But, Lisa, you have been looking at what Republicans have been saying on the stage here, the messages being conveyed.

What about the topics that we're not hearing about?

What should we know about those?

LISA DESJARDINS: Amna and Geoff, I think it's notable that we haven't heard that much about abortion in this Republican Convention.

That is unique.

That is usually a central core, unifying theme.

Of course, this is in the days after the Dobbs decision, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which was the goal of many here.

But when you talk to delegates here, as a group, they still want a national ban.

That's something that former President Trump has said he doesn't think is a good idea.

So there is divide in the party here, and they know that it's a difficult political issue for them as well.

It's something I have heard the least about, and I have certainly never heard less about it at any Republican Convention than this one.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Lisa, let's talk about the Democrats for a moment, because, as we speak, President Biden is facing growing pressure from top Democrats now to exit the race over concerns about the party's fate come November.

Walk us through the latest news.

LISA DESJARDINS: I can report that, in the past few days, in the past week, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer told President Biden of concerns by other senators that he cannot win and that it could help Democrats in deeper ways.

Now, Schumer's office has said very clearly no one knows about the conversation, no one can say exactly what Schumer thinks, except Schumer himself.

But I can tell you with confidence that he did express the concerns of the Democratic conference.

As Laura has been reporting, our Laura Barron-Lopez, these days right now are very critical, and I will tell you, this convention's watching right now.

They don't mind the sense of chaos in the Democratic Party as they put in their two new nominees for 2024.

GEOFF BENNETT: All right, that is Lisa Desjardins.

Lisa, thanks so much.

Let's turn now to our White House correspondent, Laura Barron-Lopez, in Washington for more on those calls for President Biden to drop out of the race.

Laura, what's been the Biden campaign's response to all of this?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: I asked a senior Biden adviser about all of these calls today, Geoff, and they texted back saying, he is the nominee of the Democratic Party and plans to win in November.

The campaign is not budging on this, Geoff.

And deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks in Milwaukee today said that they are not considering any scenario where President Biden is not at the top of the ticket.

QUENTIN FULKS, Biden Principal Deputy Campaign Manager: I don't want to be rude, but I do not know how many more times we can answer that.

Joe Biden has said he is running for president of the United States.

Our campaign is moving forward.

We're drawing a vision and a contrast between that of Project 2025 and what we have seen for the past three days here in Milwaukee, the extreme agenda of Republicans, and that's where our focus is.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So even though some sources close to the campaign tell me that a lot of staffers there are anxious and waiting for a shoe to drop, publicly, the campaign is holding its ground.

AMNA NAWAZ: Laura, we know you have been talking to other Democratic sources as well.

What are you hearing from them about these efforts to get President Biden to step aside?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: A number of the Democrats that I spoke to today, Amna, whether they were lawmakers or donors or party operatives, say that the next 72 hours are going to be critical, that they want to see some type of movement or resolution.

And I was speaking to one Democratic lawmaker today who said that they may very well come out and break with Biden by Monday, because they want to see some type of decision here.

And other Democratic sources that I talk to say the train has ultimately left the station for lawmakers, that they think that it is time for President Biden to step aside.

And a lot of them, some of their hesitancy comes from the fact that they want him to make that decision and they want him to make the announcement without having to come out publicly and pushing him to do so.

One other Democratic lawmaker that I was talking to today, Amna, said that they were getting calls from big Democratic donors in over the past few days saying that they want President Biden to step aside.

And those donors were telling that lawmaker that there should be an open convention.

Now, an open convention is something that a lot of lawmakers do not want and a lot of other Democrats do not want.

And it seems as though they'd like people, if President Biden makes this decision, to rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, Laura, I know that you have been talking to folks who've been tracking Nikki Haley voters.

That's, of course, a coveted bloc for both the Biden and Trump campaigns.

How have those voters been responding to all of this?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: I have sat in on a lot of focus groups over the last few days, Geoff.

And those Haley voters, moderate Republican voters and swing voters say that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump has not swayed them.

But they also say that they're not necessarily certain about voting for President Biden.

And I spoke to Craig Snyder, a Republican Pennsylvania political operative who is the director of Haley Voters for Biden PAC.

And he said that Haley's endorsement of Trump is not swaying the voters he's talking to and that the Haley voters that he's working to mobilize are open to Democrats other than Joe Biden.

CRAIG SNYDER, Director, Haley Voters for Biden: They would be willing certainly to consider another Democrat.

But it would depend on who the individual turns out to be.

Really, for these voters, they are looking for someone in the center, number one.

Number two, they're looking for someone who they see as a stabilizing force, a nonchaotic force.

Number three, they're looking for somebody who they see as decent and civil.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Craig Snyder also said, though, that, if President Biden is ultimately the nominee, that he would continue to work to try to make sure that these moderate voters vote for him.

AMNA NAWAZ: Laura, what about the selection of J.D.

Vance as Mr. Trump's running mate?

Has that changed anything for these voters?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: It doesn't seem to have, Amna.

I spoke to Emily Matthews, who runs a working group of 25 Haley voters across the country in key battleground states.

The Biden campaign has actually met with this group of Haley voters.

And she told us that voters in her group don't trust J.D.

Vance.

EMILY MATTHEWS, Haley Voters Working Group: They see him as an opportunist who used to be a never-Trumper like many of them who ended up bowing down to the Trump altar in the pursuit of power.

And they see right through it.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: She said that her group is concerned with President Biden staying in the race and losing to Trump, and that ultimately she's also worried that this could hurt President Biden's legacy.

GEOFF BENNETT: And have those voters, Laura, been receptive to alternatives to President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: They have, Geoff.

Emily Matthews says that her group of Haley voters has been receptive to talk of Vice President Kamala Harris taking over the top of the ticket.

And I also sat in on a number of focus groups this week that were run by Republican never-Trumper Sarah Longwell's firm.

And in a focus group of two-time Trump voters, Brad, who's a Georgia voter, said that he thinks Vice President Harris could beat Trump.

BRAD, Georgia Voter: I just think it's a fresh face.

It's just someone different.

And for those who really don't like Biden, I think they could coalesce a little bit more around Harris over Biden.

And I think that might even sway a few Republicans over.

They may absolutely detest Biden, but they may be willing to swallow their pride a little bit with Harris versus Trump.

Definitely not saying it's a good option, but, for some people, it may be the lesser of two evils.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Again, Brad there was a two-time Trump voter in the swing state of Georgia saying that about Vice President Harris.

None of these two-time Trump voters in that focus group said that they would vote for Trump this time around.

And it sounded as though they might be willing to move towards Democrats if Democrats ultimately shook up the ticket.

And they appeared more likely to do that if on that ticket Democrats included Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro or North Carolina Governor Cooper.

GEOFF BENNETT: All right, Laura Barron-Lopez, thanks, as always, for that recording.

We appreciate it.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's turn now to Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma.

AMNA NAWAZ: He endorsed former President Trump after his first choice.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, dropped out of the primary race earlier this year.

He joins us now.

Governor, welcome.

Thanks for being here.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT (R-OK): Absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: Thanks for enjoying this music with us as well.

I see you tapping your feet.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Yes, absolutely.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: It's pretty loud in here.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you about these calls for unity that we have heard again and again.

And we have seen a lot of unity among the party right now.

All of Mr. Trump's former rivals have shown up here to lend their support.

There's a lot of folks not in the room, though.

And that's fair to point out as well.

His former vice president, Mike Pence, is not here.

Your former presidential nominee Mitt Romney is not here.

Former member of House leader Liz Cheney is not here.

Is this idea of unity only unity if you back President Trump and don't disagree with him?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: You know, I don't think so.

I think this is just a -- obviously, I endorsed DeSantis early on.

I thought we needed someone there for eight years.

But the party is clearly behind President Trump.

It's a great night.

The party's never been more unified.

This is my first time to come here to the convention, and it just feels like there's a lot of momentum on our side.

I'd rather be our team than the other side right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: You know, Nikki Haley in her speech earlier this week, she really implored Republicans to grow the party, to expand it, to talk directly to voters who have major disagreements with the GOP.

Do you see that happening?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Well, when we picked J.D.

Vance as the vice president, you can look at him.

He came from Ohio, was raised by a grandmother, mother had addictions.

You're seeing us cast a wide net right now and bringing a lot more people into the party, Hispanic community, because, at the end of the day, most Americans know that the left has kind of went a little bit too far.

And right now, we're the party for the middle class, for the working people, people that are faith-focused, family-focused, that want a better economy.

Inflation's killing Americans.

And those are the policies that we believe are going to win in November.

AMNA NAWAZ: To Geoff's point on the idea of debate within the party right now, though, we haven't heard a lot of policy articulated just yet.

I understand it's a convention and more of a rally.

But there -- it's clear to say there's some daylight on issues.

I will even -- I will point out, even you recently articulated, and you said in the past, you support U.S. supporting Ukraine aid and additional aid in the future as well.

That's something Senator Vance has opposed.

He led the charge to oppose that aid in the Senate.

So where is the Republican policy on that right now?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: You know, I just -- I have been asked about that.

I think most Americans, most Oklahomans, at least, if we have got a $900 billion defense budget, it makes sense to us to use a little bit of that to support our allies in Israel and Ukraine and push back against some of these aggressions from Russia, so -- or Iran or Hamas or some of these terrorist groups.

So, not sure exactly where the president is on that, but that makes a lot of sense to us.

And I know Congress has been supporting Israel and Ukraine.

And it's a... (CROSSTALK) AMNA NAWAZ: Well... AMNA NAWAZ: Former President Trump and Senator Vance now both articulate opposition to that aid.

So that puts you on the opposite end of that, right?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Yes, I haven't heard them say that they're opposed to supporting Israel.

AMNA NAWAZ: I'm talking about Ukraine.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Yes.

Yes.

Again, you will have to talk to them about that.

But it makes a lot of sense to me, if we're going to have a defense budget of about $900 billion, we're not putting American soldiers in harm's way, but we are pushing back against some aggression that might affect some of our other allies as well.

GEOFF BENNETT: This convention opened less than 48 hours after that assassination attempt in former President Trump's life.

This week has been historic.

It has been eventful.

What do you want to hear, what do you expect to hear from President Trump when he accepts his party's nomination later this evening?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: You know, I think he's going to continue to cast a wide net, invite people into the party.

There has been a lot of unity.

We have been talking, he's been talking about the Hispanic community being part of our voter base, the African American community, the working class.

It used to the Democrats claimed that they were for the working man, and that's just not the case anymore.

Those policies of the Democrat of bigger government, more regulation are really squeezing the middle class.

Inflation, when President Trump left, was below 2 percent.

And we're going to get back to those policies again, and part of it is an energy dominance, and making sure that American companies can innovate and meet the needs of Americans.

And Oklahoma does that better than any other state.

We love our oil and gas industry, but we also are number three in the country in electricity generated by wind.

And so we kind of have an all-of-the-above approach in our state, and I think that's what you will see a Trump administration do as well.

AMNA NAWAZ: I hear you saying you're expanding the party.

We heard Senator Vance say it's a big tent party.

I have to say there are a lot of folks who are hearing some of the messages and watching Republican actions, and saying, I'm not sure I feel welcome here.

I will just point out, in your state alone, there have been over 50 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced by Republican lawmakers there.

We have got 150,000 people who identify as LGBTQ in Oklahoma.

What do you say to them about a party that doesn't seem to be welcoming them in?

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Well, I would totally disagree with you.

If you're talking about boys going to girls bathrooms or boys playing in girls sports, we absolutely don't want that to happen in Oklahoma.

I'm going to support our young ladies in Oklahoma.

You don't know how many track athletes from the universities have thanked me for protecting their scholarships.

And we just have a disagreement... AMNA NAWAZ: I'm talking about banning, for example, the flying of a rainbow flag outside of a state agency, limiting classroom discussion on sexual orientation or gender.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: No, nobody's limiting discussion.

But as far as flying a LGBTQ+ flag on state buildings, yes, we're not for that.

Why would we do that in a public building and for taxpayer dollars?

So, yes, that's not something that's going to happen in our state.

AMNA NAWAZ: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, thank you so much for joining us today.

We appreciate your time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Thanks for coming by.

We appreciate it.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: Congressman Tom Cole, also of Oklahoma, is serving his 11 term in Congress, and he has seen a lot of changes in the Republican Party during his 21 years in Washington.

We spoke earlier today, and I asked him how the Trump/Vance ticket will affect downballot Republican races.

REP. TOM COLE (R-OK): Well, I think it's a big plus for the Republicans in the House.

I don't think there's much doubt, if the president were to lose, President Trump, then we would lose our majority.

It's just too thin to think we could survive without him.

If, on the other hand -- and the polling has gotten better over the course of the summer -- he wins, then it's hard for me to see how we lose the House.

And I think we will expand our majority.

That would be helpful.

We need a little padding out there so we can -- one or two people can't overturn the whole apple cart.

I think, in the Senate, frankly, I just feel good.

We don't have anything in any danger.

We obviously have great opportunities in Montana and Ohio, where we know President Trump will all likelihood win very substantially.

But I think we have got great shots in Nevada, Michigan, Maryland.

There seem to be more Senate seats coming into play.

So I think it's almost inevitable we will win the Senate regardless of what happens presidentially.

GEOFF BENNETT: Do you see J.D.

Vance as the heir apparent to the MAGA movement?

REP. TOM COLE: I do.

I think he staked out that territory.

I think that was very much on President Trump's mind when he made the selection.

He certainly had an excellent group of candidates to choose from.

It's not lost on me he chose the one that philosophically is probably closest to him and the one that's youngest.

And that tells me he sees a long future for his vice presidential nominee as the head of the movement that he's created.

GEOFF BENNETT: On that philosophical closeness, J.D.

Vance has been vocal in his opposition to continued U.S. support for Ukraine.

He says it's not in America's interest to continue funding an effectively never-ending war.

You were a lead sponsor of the bill to provide U.S. funding to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.

How does that sit with you?

REP. TOM COLE: Well, look, I respect anybody's opinion.

And this one has been a divisive issue.

And I certainly respect the opinion guy that I'm going to vote for.

But, look, I haven't changed my view on Ukraine.

I think it's very much in America's interest.

It's not hard to know who the bad guys are here.

It's not hard to know what the stakes are here.

It's also a mistake to say we have done this alone.

There's been an alliance of countries, over a dozen of whom have now given a higher percentage of their GDP and a higher percentage of their budget than the United States has.

Now, that makes a lot of sense because most of them are in the neighborhood.

And I think that's a point President Trump has made repeatedly.

We expect Europe to do more to defend itself.

I think, in this case, you're actually seeing that.

And so I think this is in our interest, but, again, we will have that debate in Washington, D.C., and go from there.

GEOFF BENNETT: In your view, how would a Donald Trump govern if he is reelected?

Because Democrats, as you well know, paint him as an existential threat to the great American experiment.

REP. TOM COLE: Well, I don't think he is.

I think Democrats have misdescribed who he is.

I think this president will be a very strong president.

I think he will probably be much better equipped to govern this time than he was last time.

The four years of experience makes a difference.

I think you see it in everything from the campaign to the policy pronouncements.

I think, again, his goals are going to be pretty much the same., secure border, robust economy, peace around the world, strong military.

So I would expect him to do the kinds of things he's laid out already on the campaign trail.

GEOFF BENNETT: That recent Supreme Court decision that afforded presidents broad immunity, would that embolden President Trump, who has shown a willingness to really obliterate boundaries that have served as guides and guardrails for past presidents?

REP. TOM COLE: I tend to look at -- what he tends to do is, if he tells you he's going to do something, my experience with him is, he means it.

And he is going to do everything within his power to reach the goals that he's laid out, whether it's, I'm going to change the Supreme Court or we're going to build a wall or whatever it is.

And you can agree or disagree with the policy.

That's fair enough.

But you better take him seriously, because he is going to pursue it.

I think you're going to see a robust use of executive power, but I don't think it's going to be anything outside the normal American history.

Strong presidents use executive power.

And it's up to Congress and the courts to keep them in check.

And, frankly, historically they have done a pretty good job of doing that.

GEOFF BENNETT: I got to say it's remarkable to hear a member of Congress defend the president's use of executive power.

I would think a member of Congress would want that power reserved for the legislative branch.

REP. TOM COLE: I would love to have had it when Joe Biden had it, but it didn't work that way.

And nobody was concerned about that.

I have disagreed vehemently with ending the Keystone pipeline, with the actions on the border.

All my colleagues in Congress did.

That still was within the realm of his authority to do.

I think President Trump will use his authority aggressively.

Again, that's not much different.

President Obama talked about a phone and a pen.

We have presidents that have misused executive authority terribly, I mean, FDR, and putting 120,000 Japanese Americans in internment camps, Andrew Jackson, who forcibly removed Indian tribes from historic areas in violation of treaty and lost a Supreme Court case on it and still ignored the Supreme Court.

So these things do happen in American history, but I would actually tell you they happened less under Donald Trump than they have happened under some other presidents.

GEOFF BENNETT: In addition to being a member of Congress, you're also a trained historian.

You have served in the Congress since 2003, more than 20 years.

The Republican Party has changed dramatically since then.

How do you track that evolution and the impact of it?

REP. TOM COLE: Parties do change over time, and that tends to be a good thing.

They usually are changing in response to changing demographic and political circumstances.

I mean, there was time, obviously, when the African American community was heavily Republican.

The civil rights movement and really beginning in FDR's presidency began to change that.

And they said, this is a party that creates more opportunity for me, and it's more focused on me.

I think we now are seeing a great shift among working-class Americans of all races and ethnicities that the Democratic Party has become sort of imprisoned by elites and rigid thinking, and they're not thinking very much about us.

And so I think you see that movement working in the last several years.

Trump sensed it and took advantage of it ahead of most people.

So, again, over time, the one thing I will tell you about political parties is they reflect the demographic reality underneath them, and I think that's what's going on with the Republican Party.

GEOFF BENNETT: Democrats at the moment don't share that same level of confidence.

President Biden, as we sit here and talk, is facing increasing pressure from Democratic leaders in Congress to withdraw from this race.

Would Republicans rather run against a Biden/Harris ticket or have Kamala Harris atop the Democratic ticket?

REP. TOM COLE: Well, I don't think there's going to be a great deal of difference, in the sense that, since Vice President Harris has been the vice president here, been enthusiastically supportive of President Biden's policies and initiatives, she's going to take responsibility and ownership of that.

And I don't think she will -- she would try to back away from it, but she certainly can't.

So we're going to be running against the record of this administration, whether it's President Biden or Vice President Harris heading the ticket.

So whoever the Democrats choose, that is their choice.

I respect that.

It's been an interesting process to watch.

I have never seen anything where an incumbent president who had already effectively won the nomination might be forced out.

I mean, it's just unprecedented, but it speaks of both desperation and chaos on the other side.

And that's usually a good thing if you're in a competition.

If the other person's desperate and changing horses this late in the game, it suggests they don't have a lot of confidence in their own team and their own outlook and their own record.

Because, at the end of the day, this is going to be a referendum on the Biden administration.

And they don't seem very confident in that right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Congressman Tom Cole, thanks so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

REP. TOM COLE: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: The Secret Service is under intense scrutiny after the attempted assassination on former President Trump.

A homeland Security and congressional probe are under way, and the agency's director, Kimberly Cheatle, is expected to testify before the House Oversight Committee next week.

Yesterday, here on the floor of the Republican National Convention, lawmakers confronted Cheatle as she walked through the venue.

SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): This was an assassination attempt.

You owe the people answers.

AMNA NAWAZ: For a closer look, I'm joined now by Anthony Cangelosi, a former Secret Service agent and a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Mr. Cangelosi, welcome.

Thanks for joining us.

ANTHONY CANGELOSI, Former U.S. Secret Service Agent: Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So the more we have learned about what happened here, the more questions it seems to raise.

Knowing as we do now that the shooter was able to get less than 500 feet within a former president to climb on top of the building, get a line of sight to him, and get off those shots, do you agree when lawmakers look at this and say this was a failure of the Secret Service?

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Yes, it's undoubtedly a failure.

When I first started watching video footage of it, my first reaction is, where were these shots coming from?

How can this be?

And as the information started to come in, realizing this was only 150 yards with a clear line of sight to the podium where the president was going to be speaking, and that they didn't have an agent or some kind of armed law enforcement officer on the top of that roof, that's a critical error on the part of the planning.

And that gap in security could have resulted in someone climbing that roof and shooting indiscriminately into the attendees on that venue.

And there could have been a lot more death than there really was that day.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, there have been some reports I'm sure you have seen that local police with whom they were coordinating had told the Secret Service they didn't have enough people to station a patrol car outside that building that we know the gunman was able to get access to.

Could that one factor have changed everything here?

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Yes, there's a lot of planning that goes into these events.

They go into the -- they start planning these events days in advance.

And if that was known, and it should have been known, there had to be some kind of way of getting -- whether it was the local police or the Secret Service getting an agent to stand the post on that roof to deter any bad actors like the shooter from trying to get up there and trying to either kill President Trump or kill people in the venue.

This is something that proper planning was easy -- it was easy to avoid.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's questions around the planning, and there's also questions about communications in the moment.

As the details have come out through reporting, it appears to be that local police had actually identified the shooter as someone who looked suspicious.

They did not know he was armed, that they notified Secret Service.

We understand police were pulled to try to find him and they lost track of him.

And in that time, just eight minutes after President Trump took the stage, the gunman began to fire those shots.

If that timeline is proven to be correct, what should have been happening in there that didn't?

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Yes, there are a lot of questions, like you said, if that timeline proves to be correct was communication crisp to the Secret Service command post?

What actions were actually taken?

Secret Service can sometimes send a P.I.

team, a protective intelligence team, out there to interview the suspect or a countersurveillance unit team to interview the suspect.

Again, I don't know where everyone was positioned on that day.

The other thing is, a police officer who's out there could approach him as well.

My question is, well, why didn't the police officer that saw him approach him and question him if he really thought he was suspicious?

AMNA NAWAZ: On that point, and to clarify here, when there is this kind of coordination between Secret Service and local police, as we understand does happen, where does the accountability end up?

Is it Secret Service's responsibility to make sure local police are doing what they're supposed to?

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Look, as part of the planning stages, the Secret Service is coordinating with the local police department.

And communication is always a critical aspect of that preplanning stage.

You have got to try to get everybody on the same sheet, so as what their duties and responsibilities are.

Ultimately, it lies with the Secret Service.

The protection of the president, former president, the venue itself, they're ultimately responsible.

But it is true that, because of manpower issues, the local police department generally secures the outer perimeter of the venue.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, as we mentioned, the Secret Service director is expected to testify on Capitol Hill next week.

What questions do you think she needs to answer in that testimony?

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Yes, I have been thinking about that.

One of the questions I would ask is, who's the highest official in the United States Secret Service that approved that site, site survey plan?

And why did they approve the plan without someone positioned on the top of that roof?

It seems evident to everybody.

I don't think you're going to find another retired Secret Service agent who doesn't think that was a critical flaw in the plan.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Anthony Cangelosi, former Secret Service agent, lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Mr. Cangelosi, thank you.

Good to speak with you.

ANTHONY CANGELOSI: Thank you.

You have a good evening.

GEOFF BENNETT: The intersection of faith and politics has been a central message we have heard this week here in Milwaukee.

AMNA NAWAZ: It's also something our own Judy Woodruff has been following closely as part of her America at a Crossroads series.

Judy's with us now for a closer look.

Thanks for being here.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Absolutely.

Very good to be here.

GEOFF BENNETT: It's great to have you.

So, as Amna mentioned, you recently filed two reports about the role of politics and the political divide in the white evangelical church.

I wonder, what's your reaction to the incorporation of faith in the proceedings this week and this notion expressed by lots of people here at this convention that Donald Trump surviving that assassination attempt really confirms that he is in some way God's chosen to bring salvation to the U.S., to the world, really elevating him as this messianic figure?

JUDY WOODRUFF: You're right, Geoff.

There's no question there's been an effort on the part of some of the speakers and certainly on the part of some of the delegates, as you talk to them, the sense that they want to or that they feel that faith and their faith, their Christian faith, has been invoked by this incident.

I think Senator Tim Scott the other night mentioned Satan came down and was going to take Donald Trump's life, in effect, but God intervened, and, therefore, here's a message that we all need to hear.

So you're hearing strands of that throughout this -- these delegates.

I will say this is not a universally accepted idea.

I have just -- just a few minutes ago, I was on the floor talking to delegates in general about a number of different things and asked them about the role of religion in politics.

And some of them say they're not comfortable with it.

So I wouldn't say it's universal among every single Republican.

These, as you know, are -- these are the most active Republicans in the country.

They're here at the convention, but it clearly is a significant strain in the Republican Party.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, tell us a little bit more.

We know you were spending time talking to many of those delegates today.

What kind of views did they articulate about the role that faith has played and the way it's made it into those speeches and how much it matters to them?

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, for many of them, Amna, it is front and center.

Many people here are wearing a cross.

They very comfortably bring up their faith.

They bring up God or whatever faith they belong to in conversation.

I also -- I have to say, I mean, I have just finished within the last half-hour speaking with some delegates, and I said, do you think that religion should play a bigger role in the public square?

And a couple of them, several of them said no.

They think that what we need is more room for people of different faiths to express their views, that there shouldn't be a particular faith imposed.

So, they -- some of them seem, to me, to have given this a lot of thought.

I will say, though, we need to overlay all this that right now 80 percent of self-identified evangelicals in America say they identify as Republicans, so -- or voted, I should say, have voted with Donald Trump in the last election.

So this is a party that is overlaying the evangelical church in America.

GEOFF BENNETT: On the issues, how does the religious right, the party faithful who are here, how do they feel about the issue of abortion, specifically Donald Trump saying that this should now be left to the states?

JUDY WOODRUFF: I think there's a shift.

This was a -- this is a party, Geoff, that for every four years in the platform, the language has been there, we need to have strict rules against abortion.

They wanted Roe v. Wade repealed.

This year, as you know, the language has been very much downplayed.

Donald Trump's position is, it's in line with what the Dobbs decision, the court's -- the Supreme Court ruling, the Dobbs decision, leave it up to the states.

And in talking to delegates last weekend - - we talked to a group of six delegates from across the country -- all but one of them said that they were perfectly comfortable with abortion being left to the states.

That's a significant shift.

And some of them, I know, are individuals -- in fact, they said to us, in their own view, in the past, they felt that there should be more government regulations about abortion.

It's another, I think, reminder of just how much Donald Trump and his personal views have injected themselves into the belief system of Republicans who have shown up at this convention.

AMNA NAWAZ: Our very own Judy Woodruff joining us here.

Judy, thank you so much for joining us.

Always great to see you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Thank you.

Thank you both.

GEOFF BENNETT: Shifting our focus overseas now, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to Gaza today.

AMNA NAWAZ: For that and for all of the other day's headlines, we turn now to Stephanie Sy in our Washington studio -- Stephanie.

STEPHANIE SY: Thanks, Amna and Geoff.

Just days ahead of his high-stakes trip to Washington next week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with his IDF troops in Rafah in Southern Gaza.

The city had been a vital crossing point for aid into Gaza, but Israeli forces invaded Rafah in early May in their effort to further destroy Hamas' military power, driving out many of the two million Palestinians who had sought shelter there.

Netanyahu said Israeli control of the crossing is essential for ongoing hostage negotiations.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): The military pressure they are exerting right here at Hamas' throat helps us, along with the firm insistence on our just demands to promote the hostage deal.

This double pressure does not delay the deal.

It promotes it.

STEPHANIE SY: Hours earlier, in Jerusalem, Israel's far right national security minister made a notable visit of his own.

Itamar Ben-Gvir walked through the Al-Aqsa compound, sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Palestinian officials condemned the visit, calling it a provocative intrusion.

It comes a day after Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo to continue work on moving peace talks forward.

A Russian court says closing arguments in the trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will take place tomorrow.

It's a sign that the legal proceedings against the 32-year-old are moving quickly.

Gershkovich faces espionage charges that his employer and the U.S. government say were drummed up.

Just today, the State Department called the entire process a sham.

Gershkovich has been held in Russian custody for over a year.

He was arrested in March of 2023 while on a reporting trip and has pleaded not guilty.

Ukrainian forces have retreated from the village of Urozhaine in the Eastern Donetsk region, surrendering more front line territory as Russian forces wage a relentless summer offensive, this as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European leaders today in the English countryside to seek further support for his nation's defense.

He called this a tough period for Ukraine and said he hopes allies will allow longer-range strikes into Russia.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President: The more effective our air defense is, the more helpless Putin will be.

The fewer restrictions we have on the use of effective weapons, the more Russia will seek peace.

STEPHANIE SY: So far, NATO members have taken different positions on how Ukraine can use the weapons they have provided.

The U.S., for instance, only allows American arms to be used to hit Russian targets in order to defend the city of Kharkiv.

And the flow of munitions from the West has not been enough to repel Russian advances, especially in the Donetsk region.

The Department of Justice has accused employees of the country's largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children of sexual abuse and harassment.

Southwest Key has nearly 30 facilities in Texas, Arizona and California, with room for more than 6,000 children.

In its lawsuit, the DOJ alleges severe, pervasive and unwelcome abuse and harassment of the minors in its care.

It details at least 100 reports of misconduct dating back to 2015 that included touching, soliciting nude images and even rape.

The suit says children were threatened with violence against themselves or their families if they reported the abuse.

New data shows that, so far, 2024 has been the world's hottest year on record.

From January to June, global temperatures have soared.

That's the top line you see.

The other 10 lines beneath it represent the hottest years since records began.

Those high temperatures have already helped fuel $15 billion weather disasters in the U.S. in 2024.

And that's not counting Hurricane Beryl.

On Wall Street today, stocks dropped as investors turned sour on high-flying tech stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 500 points, but is still above that 40,000-point level.

The Nasdaq gave back 125 points, pulling further back from recent records.

The S&P 500 also ended lower on the day.

And, sadly, we have a few passings of note this evening.

Legendary actor and comedian Bob Newhart has died.

Newhart got his start as a stand-up comic in the late 1950s.

He gained nationwide fame and a Grammy when his routine was captured on vinyl and released as "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart."

With his deadpan delivery and everyman looks, Newhart became one of the most popular TV stars of the '70s and '80s.

He fronted not one, but two shows that bore his name and engineered a finale for the ages by crossing the two stories in a famous bedroom scene, implying the second show was just a dream.

SUZANNE PLESHETTE, Actress: All right, Bob.

What is it?

BOB NEWHART, Actor: I was an innkeeper in this crazy little town in Vermont.

(LAUGHTER) SUZANNE PLESHETTE: I'm happy for you.

STEPHANIE SY: In his later years, Newhart appeared in movies such as "Elf" and "Horrible Bosses" and made TV appearances in such hits as "The Big Bang Theory."

Bob Newhart was 94 years old.

Also today, veteran news anchor Lou Dobbs passed away.

Dobbs was a long time business anchor for CNN, hosting its popular "Moneyline" program.

He left in 2009 to help Rupert Murdoch launch the FOX Business Network.

He later became one of Donald Trump's most vocal supporters in the media.

In a post on his social media platform, the former president called Dobbs a friend and truly incredible journalist, reporter, and talent.

Lou Dobbs was 78.

And, finally, Bernice Johnson Reagon, a prominent civil rights activist, singer, and scholar has died.

Born and raised in Southwest Georgia, a young Reagon there on the right co-founded the Freedom Singers in 1962.

A year later, the a cappella group was performing alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary.

(SINGING) STEPHANIE SY: Her searing alto voice amplified Black liberation struggles and helped define an era of American history.

Bernice Johnson Reagon was 81 years old -- Amna and Geoff, back to you in Milwaukee.

GEOFF BENNETT: Thank you, Stephanie.

It has been a convention unlike any other, with the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump lingering over the week.

But this moment is just the latest on the long timeline of the Republican Party.

AMNA NAWAZ: Our Lisa Desjardins is back now with a look at the birth of the GOP and what it means for today.

MANDY KIMES, Executive Director, Ripon Area Chamber Of Commerce: Did you hear about the birthplace of the Republican Party yet?

LISA DESJARDINS: Just outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Mandy Kimes is giving history lessons to anyone who will listen.

MANDY KIMES: It happened just an hour-and-a-half away from here.

It's 170 years old.

LISA DESJARDINS: She's traveled almost 100 miles from the small town of Ripon, Wisconsin, bringing a replica of the original little white schoolhouse where the Republican Party was born 170 years ago.

MANDY KIMES: I really think people are kind of surprised when they're learning about history.

And I think because this is the story of the Republican Party, we have kind of like a hook to draw them in.

And then all of a sudden, they're learning something even deeper than what they thought it was.

LISA DESJARDINS: But before my lesson, I asked Kimes about much more recent history, the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

MANDY KIMES: I think, if anything, it's made everything feel more poignant and more important.

But I think there's still a sense of camaraderie, a sense almost like pulling together and a united front.

There's definitely a thing of like, we are all one family here.

So this was obviously a schoolhouse.

And this was also a gathering place for the community.

LISA DESJARDINS: We first met Kimes before the convention at the real Little White School House in Ripon, where her enthusiasm is infectious.

MANDY KIMES: The fact that these ordinary people in this ordinary place actually got together and stood up against what they believed in and then changed the world is, like, cool.

Like, it's extraordinary.

LISA DESJARDINS: She's the head of the local Chamber of Commerce and leads tours at the schoolhouse.

MANDY KIMES: The threat of the expansion of slavery was an issue for many.

LISA DESJARDINS: It was here in 1854 that a new political party took shape around opposition to slavery.

MANDY KIMES: And so if slavery were allowed to move in, it would be an economic threat.

LISA DESJARDINS: The original building, which has moved multiple times, now sits in what could be an easy-to-miss spot on one of the town's main roads.

Once inside, visitors can find a host of artifacts, the words of party founders, and a space for conversations about political divides of today.

KEITH HELLWIG, Wisconsin Resident: Let's get back to what's best for our country, instead of what's best for the party.

Keith Hellwig and Rory Tompkins lived near the schoolhouse, but they'd never stopped to see it.

When they did, they found the history of 1854 still relevant today.

RORY TOMPKINS, Wisconsin Resident: I do feel the country is very divided.

Both sides, they're playing the people.

And I feel that, if they keep us divided, it keeps our focus off of what they're doing.

SAM ROSENFELD, Colgate University: The two eras that come to mind of the danger of political violence being at the level it is right now would be the 1850s, the kind of run-up to the Civil War, and the 1960s.

LISA DESJARDINS: Sam Rosenfeld is a political scientist at Colgate University who has studied polarization throughout U.S. history.

He says this moment has the nation on edge.

SAM ROSENFELD: The assumption that given the level of conflict and divisiveness in American politics right now, that kind of violent event could inevitably cascade into more political violence.

I don't think that particular assassination attempt is going to do so, but, yes, this is a period in which there is real danger of political violence, in part because of the rhetoric of major political actors in American politics right now.

MANDY KIMES: We really feel strongly that this is Ripon's history, and it's part of our, like, heritage as a city.

LISA DESJARDINS: Back outside the convention, Kimes keeps sharing this story.

MANDY KIMES: The thing I hope people will take away from this history is that we can find ways to work together and we can find ways to listen to one another.

And that's really what happened in that little schoolhouse so long ago.

LISA DESJARDINS: A small schoolhouse still giving big lessons.

For the PBS "News Hour," I'm Lisa Desjardins in Milwaukee.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, remember, we have much more online, including an interview with the man who has coordinated the celebratory balloon drop at every GOP Convention since 1988.

You will want to watch that one.

That's at PBS.org/NewsHour.

AMNA NAWAZ: And we hope that you will join us tonight for our live convention coverage.

That starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on your local PBS station.

Of course, it's always streaming on our Web site and our YouTube pages.

And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

For all of us here at the PBS "News Hour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us, and we will see you back here very soon.