The Edge: Ryan on Trump—Okay, Sure
After weeks of consideration, the House Speaker said he’ll vote for Donald Trump in November.
Today in One Paragraph
House Speaker Paul Ryan said he’d vote for Donald Trump after weeks of consideration. Meanwhile, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will not support the presumptive Republican nominee. Hillary Clinton called Trump “temperamentally unfit” to be president during a major foreign policy speech. President Obama gave the final commencement address of his presidency at the United States Air Force Academy. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli announced he will step down on June 24. And police found a “kill list” in the home of the UCLA shooter.
Top News
Ryan Is Ready. The House Speaker endorsed the presumptive Republican nominee, writing in a column for his hometown newspaper that he’s “confident” Trump can make the conservative agenda a reality. Ryan admitted that the two have differences, but said “we have more common ground than disagreement.” (Frank Schultz, GazetteXtra)
Snyder, Not So Much. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said he will not back Donald Trump. “I’ve stayed out of the whole thing, and I’m going to continue to,” Snyder told The Detroit News editorial board on Wednesday. “I’ve got important things I want to work on in Michigan.” Snyder said his main focus is maintaining a Republican majority in the state House. (The Detroit News)
Clinton Bashes Trump. The former secretary of State billed Donald Trump’s national security ideas as dangerous during a foreign policy speech in San Diego, California. “They’re not even really ideas—just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds, and outright lies,” Clinton said. Trump responded to the speech on Twitter, criticizing Clinton’s teleprompter reading skills. (Monica Alba and Andrew Rafferty, NBC News)
Meanwhile, In Colorado. President Obama delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in which he defended his foreign policy. “We can’t be isolationists. It’s not possible in this globalized interconnected world,” he said. The address was the 26th in his presidency. A Thunderbirds fighter jet crashed after performing a flyover at the ceremony. There were no injuries. (ABC News, Denver Post)
Solicitor General Rests His Case. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli’s chief deputy, Ian Gershengorn, will replace him for the rest of President Obama’s term in office. Verrilli has argued dozens of cases before the Supreme Court, with gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act among his victories. “Thanks to his efforts, 20 million more Americans now know the security of quality, affordable health care,” Obama said in a statement. (Richard Wolf, USA Today)
UCLA Shooting Update. Authorities found a “kill list” at the home of 38-year-old Mainak Sarkar, the gunman who killed Professor William Klug in a murder-suicide Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus, according to the Los Angeles police chief. The list contained Klug’s name as well as the name of another woman who was found dead in Minnesota Thursday. Police have not identified the woman. (CNN)
Tomorrow in One Paragraph. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will continue to campaign in California. First Lady Michelle Obama will give the commencement address at The City College of New York. And President Obama will travel to Miami, Florida, where he will attend a DSCC roundtable and deliver remarks at a DNC event.
Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard.
Top Read
“Those who live there tend to like it, but they’re aging, and there aren’t enough jobs to keep younger people around. So kids and grandkids move to the cities, coming back on holidays, inheriting their parents’ homes and leaving them empty, wondering what will happen to the towns their parents say used to thrive. This is how rural America dies: not with a bang but a whimper.” The Atlantic’s Alana Semuels on the slow decline of rural America.
Top Lines
Sincerely, Donald. The presumptive Republican nominee is known for dishing out praise and insults on Twitter. But one of his lesser-known hobbies is writing letters—both mocking and adoring—to his admirers and critics. (Michael Barbaro, The New York Times)
Harry Reid Tells All. The Democratic senator blames Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the rise of Donald Trump and vows to do his best to make sure Trump never gets elected president in an interview with Politico’s Burgess Everett.
From Sanders to Trump. The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf corresponded with a Bernie Sanders supporter who is flirting with the idea of voting for Donald Trump: a nightmare for Democrats attempting to coalesce the party behind Hillary Clinton.
Top View
Notorious Ilomantis Ginsburgae. Scientists at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History learned that it was possible to classify insect species using female characteristics, as well as male. So, they named a new species of praying mantis after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Camila Domonoske, NPR)
We want to hear from you! We’re reimagining what The Edge can be, and would love to receive your complaints, compliments, and suggestions. Tell us what you’d like to find in your inbox by sending a message to newsletters@theatlantic.com.
-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)