After holding its fire for a day, the Biden campaign blasted Donald Trump as a "convicted felon," Axios' Hans Nichols and Alex Thompson report.

• Why it matters: The broadside, in a press release chiding Trump for his "unhinged" rant earlier in the day, put President Biden in the same camp as many Democrats who are now mocking the ex-president.

🔎 Behind the scenes: Throughout the day, Biden advisers and Democratic strategists on congressional campaigns said they wanted to know more about how Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts is playing with voters before launching a full-throated attack.

• But by the evening, Biden's campaign apparently had made the call. Its press release — clearly designed to get under Trump's skin — listed "34 Lowlights from Convicted Felon Donald Trump's" speech.

📊 By the numbers: A Morning Consult poll out this morning — one of the first polls since Trump's conviction — finds 49% of independents and 15% of Republicans said Trump should end his campaign because of the conviction.

• 54% of registered voters "strongly" or "somewhat" approve of the guilty verdict compared to 34% who "strongly or "somewhat" disapprove.

More on the poll.

It took less than three hours for the Trump campaign to turn this moment — as President Biden left the State Dining Room yesterday after speaking on the Middle East — into a campaign video.

• At 1:42 p.m., NBC's Kelly O'Donnell shouted as Biden walked out: "Mr. President, can you tell us, sir: Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"

Biden didn't say anything, but turned to the press pool and made this face.

• An in-house Trump campaign team added horror music, and put the video in slow-mo.
• At 4:21 p.m., campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita tweeted the video and labeled it "The face of corruption" — a phrase you'll hear again.

🥊 Reality check: Despite what former President Trump and GOP officials keep saying, he was convicted in a New York State court that Biden has nothing to do with.

👀 What we're watching: Mike asked a Trump official if the campaign might use the video as a paid ad.

• "We might," the official said with a chuckle. "Because we're gonna raise a lotta money off it."

Hunter Biden's quietly been in and out of courtrooms since 2019 in a messy, multimillion-dollar civil case involving unpaid alimony to his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, Axios' Alex Thompson writes.

• Buhle is likely to testify about Hunter's drug use and finances in his upcoming trials over gun charges, which starts Monday in Delaware, and tax charges, set for Sept. 5 in L.A.

Court records obtained by Axios detail the dispute between Hunter and Buhle, which is cited in the indictment charging Hunter with tax crimes.

• On Jan. 29, 2021 — just after President Biden's inauguration — a D.C. court found Hunter was in breach of his divorce agreement and owed Buhle more than $1.7 million in spousal support, legal fees and interest since their 2017 divorce.
• Their divorce agreement called for Hunter to pay Buhle $37,000 a month plus 50% of anything he made over $875,000 annually, according to documents filed in D.C. Superior Court retrieved by Axios.

Hunter didn't pay the additional spousal support he owed in 2017 and 2018, when he earned $2.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively, according to the court documents.

• Keep reading.

President Biden's boldest attempt yet to push for a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza now hinges on whether Hamas leaders will return to negotiations and reach a deal, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: U.S. officials said Biden's speech was intended to mobilize international support for the proposal and increase pressure on Hamas to take the deal.

The details: Biden said the first phase of the deal would include a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in Gaza.

• During that time, Hamas would release a number of hostages — including women, elderly and sick captives — in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

⚡ The latest: Hamas, which in recent days said it won't resume negotiations if Israel doesn't first stop the war, issued a statement stressing it "looks positively" at Biden's speech.

• Keep reading.

As Pride Month begins, Floridians will notice a vivid difference: Instead of casting rainbows, bridges around the state will light up in red, white and blue.

• The DeSantis administration, which issued this year's ban on rainbow lights, is calling it "Freedom Summer."

Why it matters: Ever since the headline-making "Don't Say Gay" law, Gov. Ron DeSantis has turned Florida into a test kitchen for anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions, Axios' Jeff Weiner and Kathryn Varn report.

State of play: Florida bans transgender women and girls from participating in sports for female students. Trans people can't use bathrooms at schools and government buildings that match their gender identity.

• Books about LGBTQ+ characters have been pulled from school libraries.
• Minors are barred from receiving gender-affirming healthcare, despite such treatment having support from every major medical group.
• State agencies have banned trans people from changing their driver's license to match their gender identity.

💡 What we're watching: LGBTQ+ advocates are actually more hopeful than they've been in recent years.

• Judges have gutted key pieces of the DeSantis administration's agenda, blocking the enforcement of a law that tried to crack down on drag shows and another that restricted teachers from using pronouns that align with their gender identities.

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Donald Trump's legal team began outlining its appeal strategy within hours of his conviction. But legal experts tell Axios' Sareen Habeshian it'll be an uphill battle.

• Why it matters: Appeals can be unpredictable. But given the timeline and the high bar to overturn the verdict, Trump will almost certainly still be a convicted felon on Election Day.

🔭 What's next: Sentencing is set for July 11, after which Trump would have 30 days to file an appeal.

• After a notice of appeal is filed, the case goes to the New York Appellate Division.
• Once that court rules, the New York Court of Appeal, the state's highest court, can decide if it also wants to hear an appeal.
• The Supreme Court could only get involved if some element of the appeal relates to the Constitution or federal law, which doesn't seem to apply.

Zoom in: The defense arguments on appeal will likely include that the location and timing of the trial were unfair to Trump.

• Keep reading.

Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has died, the family said in a statement Friday. She was 86.

• The Chicago native moved into the White House after her son-in-law, former President Obama, won the presidency, holding his hand through election night in 2008, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes.

"With a healthy nudge, she agreed to move to the White House with Michelle and Barack," the family said. "We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all."

• The family highlighted some of Robinson's nuggets of wisdom, including: "Don't worry about whether anybody else likes you. Come home. We'll always like you here."

Go deeper: Read the full statement for more on Robinson's life.

Several mall-staple chains that were once floundering are enjoying a sudden resurgence, Axios' Nathan Bomey and Kelly Tyko write.

• Why it matters: Stores catering to Gen-Z shoppers — the drivers of the mall resurgence — are leading the comeback.

Abercrombie & Fitch smashed expectations with a 22% jump in sales in its first fiscal period, compared with a year earlier.

• Gap Inc. beat top and bottom line expectations for all four of its brands — Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Old Navy.
• American Eagle Outfitters reported record revenue.
• Foot Locker's comparable sales were down 1.8% — but that was much better than expected. And CEO Mary Dillon said more customers are paying full price.

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