The Note: Trump’s Veepstakes Auditions Come to a Close

— -- NOTABLES

--TRUMP TRIES OUT ANOTHER VP POSSIBILITY -- MIKE PENCE: Donald Trump was introduced by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence last night, who gave Trump a ringing endorsement in what could be an audition for a possible spot with the real estate mogul at the top of the Republican ticket. "Donald Trump gets it," Pence said. "Donald Trump hears the voice of the American people." He went on to call Trump a "strong man" and a "good man." The Indiana governor is believed to be one of the finalists in Trump's search for a running mate. For his part, Trump asked for the crowd's opinion. "How's your governor doing by the way? Good? I think so," Trump said. Tuesday night's appearance is the latest in a series Trump has done with people who are believed to be vice presidential contenders, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Bob Corker, ABC’s CANDACE SMITH and MEGHAN KENEALLY note. http://abcn.ws/29NQjDk

--TRUMP LIKELY APPEARING WITH VP PICK FRIDAY, SOURCES SAY. Trump is likely to appear with his vice presidential pick at an event on Friday, sources tell ABC News. Still, there is a chance that the name of Trump's running mate could be released before the Friday event, ABC’s JOHN SANTUCCI and MEGHAN KENEALLY report. http://abcn.ws/29CPn2o

--TRUMP CALLS FOR RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S RESIGNATION: Trump is calling for the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg following her comments that the business mogul is a "faker" who lacks consistency for not releasing his tax returns, reports ABC’s BRIAN MCBRIDE.  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee tweeted early this morning that Ginsburg's "mind is shot" and should "resign." Justice Ginsburg, 83, hasn't shied away from blasting the business mogul in recent interviews. "He is a faker," Ginsburg said of Trump on Monday on CNN. "He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego ... How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that." http://abcn.ws/29D8Qi2 More on Ginsburg’s comments from ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL: http://abcn.ws/2a6xNC8

--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: You can bet that someone else is doing something pretty wrong when The New York Times editorializes that “Donald Trump is Right.” This particular editorial refers to the unusual if not unprecedented comments of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has given a series of interviews of late making clear that she thinks Trump is, among other things, a “faker” who “really has to go.” Sure, Trump has said far worse about judges. But the rules don’t work equally for the two branches of government. Her comments raise a real issue of whether she could impartially decide a case involving Trump. What if there’s a Bush v. Gore situation? If his immigration orders – or even the Trump University case – end up in front of the Supreme Court? Moreover, if Ginsburg is trying to defeat Trump, in what world do these comments help? Trump is now in a fight with a liberal Supreme Court justice, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. Trump, for once, has the high ground, with Ginsburg – to quote the Times – in the “mosh pit.”

TODAY ON ‘GMA’: SANDERS: 'MY JOB' IS TO MAKE SURE CLINTON IS ELECTED. Bernie Sanders had one message to his supporters this morning: “It is absolutely imperative for the future of this country that Donald Trump not be elected president of the United States,” he said on "Good Morning America" today, reinforcing his Tuesday endorsement of Hillary Clinton, according to ABC’s LISSETTE RODRIGUEZ and MARYALICE PARKS. “So, it's about the lesser of two evils?” “GMA” co-anchor GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS asked. “No, it's not about the lesser of two evils,” Sanders said before listing a number of issues, including minimum wage, college affordability and health care, where he said his formal rival would help working families. http://abcn.ws/29PgqXB

--ON GINSBURG: Sanders hesitated to weigh in on the fight between U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Trump. The justice called Trump a “faker” in an interview published this week. “I'll let justice Ginsburg answer that herself,” Sanders said when initially asked about it this morning. “Let me be very clear, I agree with what Justice Ginsburg said. I think that Trump is a total opportunist,” he added. “I do not believe anything that comes out of his mouth, because I think the record is quite clear that he lies just a whole lot of the time.” http://abcn.ws/29PgqXB

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

TRUMP SAYS FATAL POLICE SHOOTING VIDEOS WERE ‘TOUGH TO WATCH.’ Donald Trump said that he "hated" watching the videos of the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota -- incidents that sparked a wave of protests around the country. "The two people killed in Louisiana and Minnesota: it was tough to watch," Trump said, referencing the shootings without specifically mentioning the names of the men killed. "I hated it. I hated watching it," he said at a rally in Indiana last night, ABC’s CANDACE SMITH and MEGHAN KENEALLY report. The mention of the two shootings came after Trump praised the work of police officers, and lamented the murder of five officers in Dallas, who were killed during a protest against the police-involved shootings. http://abcn.ws/29NQjDk

Sanders Fans May Be Slow to Come Around to Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders gave a hearty endorsement to Hillary Clinton Tuesday morning, saying plainly that she was best equipped to be president and that he would work to get her into the White House. Some of his fans, however, were not ready to come on board. At the event, several of the senator’s backers left after he announced he was backing his rival and said they would rather vote for the Green Party candidate than Clinton, notes ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS, ALANA ABRAMSON and BRAD MIELKE. http://abcn.ws/29N9tJD

Pence Stands By Opposition to Donald Trump's Muslim Ban. Amid the speculation of whether he’ll be picked as Vice President, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence dodged questions about the prior disagreement he's had with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on his proposed temporary ban on Muslims from traveling to the U.S. "I’ve taken issue with candidates from time to time," the Republican governor told ABC's TOM LLAMAS during a press gaggle Tuesday. "But I’m supporting Donald Trump to be president of the United States of America," said Pence, reports ABC’s INES DE LA CUETARA. http://abcn.ws/29FLjPP

How Top GOP Officials Are Shooting Down 'Free the Delegates' Efforts. The rules for the Republican convention have cleared their first hurdle unchanged after the party's top lawyer gave a lengthy rebuke of efforts to unbind delegates to the national convention, writes ABC’s RYAN STRUYK. In a sign that top Republican officials in Cleveland are taking last-ditch efforts to block Donald Trump seriously, two of the Republican National Committee's standing rules panel's most powerful members made clear their interpretation of the rules Tuesday. http://abcn.ws/29NU74D

Dallas Sniper Attack Impacts GOP Convention Security Preparations. As thousands of political activists, delegates, members of the media -- and the presumptive Republican nominee for president -- prepare the descend on Cleveland in the coming days, the deadly attack on police officers in Dallas last week has impacted security preparations at the Republican National Convention, notes ABC’s JOHN PARKINSON “Of course an event like [the Dallas attack], a tragedy like that, definitely impacts our planning,” Cleveland Division of Police Chief Calvin Williams said Tuesday. http://abcn.ws/29ujdaS

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Meet 5 Republican Delegates Heading to Cleveland. The breakdown of the delegates became a closely watched sport during the presidential primaries.  Now these delegates are heading to vote at the convention in Cleveland next week. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY takes a closer look at some of the 2,472 delegates that will play roles in selecting the next Republican presidential candidate. http://abcn.ws/29ARdOy

WHAT WE’RE READING

STRATEGIC MOVE: RALPH NADER SAYS BERNIE’S ENDORSEMENT SET HILLARY UP FOR ‘POLITICAL BETRAYAL’ By FUSION’S TAMARA WESTON: Nader said that listing off the many promises Clinton has made on issues like student aid, immigration reform, and minimum wage, Sanders was actually making a self-serving move. “He set her up for political betrayal, which would allow him to enlarge his civic mobilization movement after the election and after she takes office,” he told Ramos. “So I think it’s a very astute endorsement.” http://fus.in/29O7CkP

IN THE NOTE’S INBOX

PRECISION STRATEGIES HIRES IOWA OPERATIVE BRAD ANDERSON. Today, Precision Strategies, the communications, digital and data analytics firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. and New York, announced the hiring of Iowa political veteran and Obama 2012 Iowa director, Brad Anderson. He will be joining Stephanie Cutter, Teddy Goff and Jennifer O'Malley Dillon at Precision Strategies. Anderson will hold the title, "Of Counsel" and will work out of a new Precision office in Des Moines.  

WHO’S TWEETING?

@amyewalter: Here's the thing about a Newt-Trump ticket. It's like putting two unpredictable chemicals in same test tube. Odds of explosion are high

@HotlineJosh: In Iowa, there hasn't been a dollar of pro-Trump spending. Monmouth poll this week found him leading, regardless.

‏@amandacarpenter: Are POTUS ads dead? Is there any evidence any of them have boosted or damaged a candidate this 16 cycle?

@DavidMDrucker: The anti-Trump rebellion has long odds, could completely evaporate by Mon. But that it exists today is significant: http://washex.am/29NzNS9

@PhilipRucker: Three words that Republicans wrestle with: 'Black Lives Matter,' via @daveweigel http://wapo.st/29CJHoU