The Note: The President and the People

— -- NOTABLES

--OBAMA TO PARTICIPATE IN TOWN HALL ON RACE AND POLICING WITH ABC’s DAVID MUIR: With the recent tragic events in Minneapolis, Baton Rouge and Dallas still fresh on the minds of Americans, President Obama will participate in a Disney Media Networks town hall today titled "The President and the People: A National Conversation." The town hall will be moderated by "World News Tonight" anchor DAVID MUIR and held in Washington DC. It will focus on candid discussions on race relations, justice, policing and equality by the members of the community. ESPN's Jemele Hill will join Muir. The one-hour event will come just days after President Obama attended a Dallas memorial for five police officers shot dead last week by a sniper. It also comes after two black men were killed by officers in Louisiana and Minnesota -- controversial shootings that sparked a wave of protests. http://abcn.ws/29C5bQh

--TUNE IN TONIGHT: The town hall is set to air tonight at 8 p.m. ET and will be simulcast commercial-free on ABC, ESPN, Freeform, ABCNews.com, Freeform Digital, Watch ABC, Watch ESPN, Yahoo, ABC News’ Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as ABC Radio. http://abcn.ws/29C5bQh

--RNC ANNOUNCES PARTIAL SPEAKER LIST: Republican National Convention CEO Jeff Larson today announced a preliminary list of speakers at the four-day convention in Cleveland that kicks off Monday. The list includes House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, among others. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump also said his family will deliver remarks. http://abcn.ws/2accpLW

--EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY’S GOP RULES COMMITTEE MEETING: The Republican convention's powerful rules panel is slated to gavel in this morning at 8 a.m. So what do they do and why are they important? Here's everything you need to know, courtesy of ABC’s RYAN STRUYK: http://abcn.ws/29UDF2f

--NEW CLINTON CAMP ATTACK AD: The Clinton campaign is out with a new Trump attack ad, titled "Role Models." The minute-long TV spot -- which is part of the previously announced eight-figure buy in VA, OH, CO, NH, IA, FL, NV, NC -- shows young kids watching footage of Trump talking on topics such as women, guns, and minorities, ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ notes. Text on the screen then reads: "Our children are watching. What example will we set for them?" The ad ends with Clinton commenting on the importance of being a good role model for children. WATCH: http://bit.ly/29LiGjI

--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Does Trump go Trump, or the opposite of Trump? If Newt Gingrich’s play-by-play of the veepstakes is accurate, and Donald Trump flew across the country Wednesday juggling “Gingrich, Pence, Pence, Gingrich” in his head, the two paths could not be more clear. In Gingrich, Trump gets a version of himself with insider experience: Another thrice-married, dynamic 70-something with a proven history of tangling with the Clintons. “Do you really want a two-pirate ticket?” Gingrich asked Wednesday night on Fox. (Yes, he really said this.) Pence isn’t talking openly about what he represents, thought that’s part of his appeal. He represents quiet stability, strong conservative values, and a voting and governing record – in other words, what Trump isn’t. In choosing a partner, Trump either doubles down or hedges his bet.

PULSE OF AMERICA: ROAD TRIP TO THE CONVENTION WITH MARTHA RADDATZ. As the nation engages in a dialogue about race and law enforcement, politics have inevitably entered the picture, with Americans looking to see who can lead the country and bridge the divide during this difficult moment in history. To gather a better understanding of the pulse of America, ABC's MARTHA RADDATZ departed from Dallas for a week-long road trip. The final destination: Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention will kick off July 18. More from ABC’s ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN: http://abcn.ws/29Yxtcn

DNC PREVIEW: STAR-STUDDED GUEST LIST INCLUDES LADY GAGA, DEMI LOVATO, LENNY KRAVITZ. Public figures spanning the political and celebrity spectrum -- from well-known Democrats to Hollywood heavyweights and chart-topping musicians -- will head to Philadelphia later this month for the seemingly star-studded Democratic National Convention. According to a convention scheduling document obtained by ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ, "Breaking Bad" actor Bryan Cranston, Lady Gaga and Lenny Kravitz are among those slated to appear at events in Philadelphia during the week of the DNC, which runs July 25-28. Although the official program for the convention, which is being held at the Wells Fargo Center has yet to be released, the document -- which lists roughly 170 events planned throughout the week -- gives an indication in to who will be in and around the city for the event. http://abcn.ws/29ErRyo

YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and ADAM KELSEY

TRUMP SAYS HE’LL ANNOUNCE VP PICK FRIDAY AS SEARCH ENTERS FINAL STRETCH. Donald Trump is set to announce his pick for vice president on Friday in New York, he tweeted last night, as the search appears to have whittled down to three main prospects. First up was Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Trump’s children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, and campaign chair Paul Manafort joined Trump Sr. at Pence's home in Indiana Wednesday morning. Later on Wednesday, the next contender, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has publicly announced that he is being vetted for the job, flew into Indianapolis, meeting with Trump at the Conrad Hotel. Later, Sen. Jeff Sessions also flew in to meet with the presumptive Republican nominee, ABC’s JOHN SANTUCCI, CANDACE SMITH and MEGHAN KENEALLY report. http://abcn.ws/29PB4ak

INSIDE THE STUNNING FACE-OFF BETWEEN TRUMP AND SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG. In a stunning move for a sitting Supreme Court member, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg waded into presidential punditry by hurling several blistering attacks at Donald Trump in recent on-the-record interviews. The 83-year-old leader of the court’s liberal wing called the presumptive Republican presidential nominee “a faker” with zero consistency and an outsized ego, described a Trump presidency as unthinkable, and even suggested that she’ll move to New Zealand if he wins in November, ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL notes. http://abcn.ws/29Q1qM7

NOTED: GINSBURG’S TRUMP ATTACKS LEAVE DEMOCRATS STRUGGLING. Democrats on Capitol Hill grappled Wednesday with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s unprecedented criticism of Donald Trump, as some even suggested that the progressive jurist should step aside if a Trump-related case were to come before the court. In a series of interviews, the liberal justice called Trump a “faker” and expressed concerns about his ability to serve as president, ABC’s BENJAMIN SIEGEL reports. http://abcn.ws/29IcedV

TRUMP CLAIMS 'SOME PEOPLE' CALLED FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE DALLAS GUNMAN. Donald Trump has spoken repeatedly about the fatal shooting of five police officers in Dallas, but one of his responses to the attack is now being called into question, writes ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. Trump has now said at least twice that some people have asked for a moment of silence for the shooter, Micah Johnson, who was killed when a police robot detonated a bomb near him. http://abcn.ws/2a9HTCs

CLINTON CALLS FOR UNITY, SAYS 'PARTY OF LINCOLN' IS 'BECOMING PARTY OF TRUMP.’ Standing inside the Illinois Old State Capitol where Abraham Lincoln once proclaimed a "house divided against itself cannot stand," Hillary Clinton denounced Donald Trump for turning the “Party of Lincoln” into the “Party of Trump” while calling for unity across the country in the wake of the recent police-involved shootings. "This man is the nominee of the Party of Lincoln. We are watching it become a Party of Trump,” the presumptive Democratic nominee said, notes ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ and JOSH HASKELL. http://abcn.ws/29xebGT

GOP CONVENTION FLOOR FIGHT BREWING AS DELEGATES MULLING GOING ROGUE. There may not be a contested convention, but the RNC may have a floor fight on its hands, even if efforts to change the rules fail, according to a group pressing for delegates to “vote their conscience” during next week's nationally-televised roll call. Delegates Unbound, a group spearheading efforts to insist delegates can already vote freely for the presidential nomination, has set up shop in downtown Cleveland, just blocks from where those delegates will cast their vote on the floor of the Quicken Loans arena next week. In an interview in their nerve center, a room scattered with empty coffee cups and donut boxes, Dane Waters, the head of the group, told ABC News even if last-ditch attempts to change the rules fail, the roll call vote on the floor of the GOP convention won't be "some quiet little rodeo." ABC’s RYAN STRUYK, SHUSHANNAH WALSHE and JOHN PARKINSON have more. http://abcn.ws/29EwlXX

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: MY YEAR WITH BERNIE SANDERS. One year and one week ago I interviewed Bernie Sanders for the first time on the campaign trail in Portland, Maine. I asked him if he had any advice for Hillary Clinton and he said she probably had enough consultants, writes ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS. What a difference a year makes. The Maine event was key in my early realization that there was something extraordinary taking place in his campaign. http://abcn.ws/29PUWg6

WHO’S TWEETING?

@KFaulders: .@newtgingrich leaves house this morning, takes trash out, says he doesn't take questions outside his house.

@thehill: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to appear together in Little Rock http://hill.cm/J9FmNWO 

@AriFleischer: Tom Brady has been held more accountable 4deflating footballs than Hillary for lying, evading transparency laws & risking national security.

@tedhesson: Some perspective on the VP media coverage: three in ten said it would have no effect on their vote http://nyti.ms/29GOg1m

@politico: Obamacare in North Carolina is a smashing success story — and a huge failure http://politi.co/29AF8J4