Hunter Biden's lawyer sent a blistering letter Friday to the Republican chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, accusing him of trying to undermine the law and feeding "the misinformation campaign to harm our client, Hunter Biden, as a vehicle to attack his father."
Why it matters: The White House has been struggling to answer questions about the IRS agent transcripts over the past week, but Hunter's lawyer Abbe Lowell is now taking the lead in fighting back against the Republican-led committee.
Why it matters: Federal student loan payments are coming due in October for the first time since the pandemic began, and millions of Americans will struggle to make the payments.
Former President Trump is not campaigning at the pace of previous cycles, preferring to spend most of his days at Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster rather than grip-and-grinning in Iowa and other early primary states.
The big picture: Trump — who enjoys a big lead despite his 2024 rivals doing far more campaign events — has held only one of his signature rallies this year, with his second coming this weekend in South Carolina.
Poor planning among senior officials during both the Trump and Biden administrations contributed to the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, according to a report released Friday.
Driving the news: The State Department's long awaited after action report found that under both presidents, "there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow."
Tens of millions of borrowers will resume monthly student loan payments after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that President Biden's loan forgiveness plan is unconstitutional.
Why it matters: Borrowers who qualified for the relief plan would have been forgiven for loans up to $10,000 for individual borrowers who make under $125,000 per year or $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
The nonprofit Equal Citizens began crowdsourcing for a video contest this week that could earn the winner at least $50,000, attorney and political activist Lawrence Lessig told Axios.
Driving the news: The goal is to make "it so unavoidably clear, that even lawyers who understand it enough, begin to shift the conventional wisdom about whether Super PACs are constitutionally protected or not," said Lessig, the founder of Equal Citizen, a nonprofit devoted to fighting corruption and promoting equality.
The Supreme Court's ruling Friday that certain businesses can refuse to serve LGBTQ customers could have broad implications for the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, experts and advoates say.
Driving the news: The court said in a 6-3 ruling Friday that a Colorado web designer could decline to make a website for a same-sex wedding.
Why it matters: Pressure from the left has been effective in getting Biden to look past his own reservations about the legality of broad executive actions.
The country’s top business leaders are telling Janet Yellen they are confident that the U.S. economy is resilient and can outrun a recession, the Treasury secretary will say today, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Senior Biden officials are convinced the economy is healthier than some Wall Street analysts have suggested. But they know they need to convince the public that it's true.
Unable to force a vote in D.C., House Democrats are building a nationwide campaign to fight back against state bills that limit trans rights.
Why it matters: More than 80 bills — out of 560 proposed — limiting the rights of trans people have been passed in 2023, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker.
All three major U.S. stock indices have increased during President Biden's time in office, but the gains are smaller than those of his last two predecessors.
Why it matters: Biden this week signaled plans to run for reelection on his economic record, embracing the term "Bidenomics."
A group of Georgia parents of trans children filed a lawsuit Thursday night seeking to block the state's new law restricting gender-affirming care for minors — days before it's set to go into effect.
Why it matters: Nearly 20 states have passed laws restricting access to this care for minors and many have already faced trouble in the courts.
