Axios

The estate of Negro League legend Josh Gibson is examining new licensing deals after Major League Baseball added once-banned Black players' stats to its official record, making Gibson an all-time leader in some categories.

Why it matters: For more than half a century, the images of former players of the Negro Leagues have been used and exploited, but now families can benefit from a newfound interest in those like Gibson, who changed the game.

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

The big picture: The video was created the day after a New York jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

The U.S. has not seen any negative effects on marriage, divorce or living arrangements among all couples since Massachusetts issued the first state-sanctioned, same-sex marriage licenses 20 years ago, a new analysis says.

Why it matters: Two decades after that historic moment — and nine years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled state-level same-sex marriage bans were unconstitutional — advocates worry that marriage equity is vulnerable despite its wide acceptance today.

Hunter Biden's first criminal trial begins Monday, but he quietly has been in and out of courtrooms since 2019 in a messy, multimillion-dollar civil case involving unpaid alimony to his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, according to court documents.

Why it matters: Buhle is likely to testify about Hunter's drug use and finances in both of his upcoming trials over gun and tax charges, which will unfold in the final months of his father's campaign for re-election.

Vulnerable House Republicans said they don't see former President Trump's criminal conviction as a major threat to their re-election bids.

Why it matters: Several swing-district Republicans said the verdict may in fact help their odds of holding onto their seats, arguing it will rally the base in November.

As Pride Month begins Saturday, Floridians will notice a vivid difference: Instead of casting rainbows, bridges around the state will only 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 that have since spread to other states.

One of the first polls conducted since a New York Jury found Donald Trump guilty of falsifying business records find that a significant minority of Republicans and Independents want him to drop out and a majority of registered voters approve of the jury's decision.

Why it matters: The Morning Consult poll conducted on Friday offers some of the first clues about how voters are reacting to the unprecedented situation.

After a day of holding its fire, the Biden campaign late Friday blasted Donald Trump as a "convicted felon" — an indication the president's team has decided to seize upon Trump's conviction to question his fitness for the White House.

Why it matters: The broadside from Biden's campaign — 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.

Members of Congress from pro-Palestinian progressives to staunchly pro-Israel moderates – and even some Republicans – are voicing support for a Gaza ceasefire proposal laid out by President Biden on Friday.

Why it matters: As the war grinds into its ninth month and its effects continue to be felt strongly in the U.S., lawmakers are eager to see a cessation in the fighting.

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

The big picture: 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.

The University of California is asking the state labor board to put an end to student-worker strikes related to pro-Palestinian demonstrations that broke out across the country in recent months.

Why it matters: The union's strike is in protest of UC's handling of encampments where police arrested hundreds of students and employees at UC San Diego, UCLA and UC Irvine.

House Democrats campaign arm is accusing Biden-district Republicans of "blind loyalty" to Donald Trump over their ardent defenses of the former president following his guilty verdict, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: It's an early indicator of how Democrats plan to use the verdict – and Republicans' unwavering support of Trump in the aftermath – on the campaign trail.

Former President Trump's legal team began outlining its appeal strategy within hours of his conviction in New York, but experts tell Axios it will 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.

All four congressional leaders have signed onto a letter inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: The speech, which has been in the works for months, threatens to ignite already simmering tensions within Congress over the war in Gaza.

Eight Republican senators are vowing to vote against any spending bills, judicial nominees or other Democratic legislation brought to the floor in protest of former President Trump's conviction on 34 felony charges.

Why it matters: It's unlikely to be enough to fully block action in the Democrat-controlled chamber, but it could slow things down — and shows how Republicans are taking action to hit back at Democrats over the jury's Thursday decision.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) are coming under fire both publicly and privately from fellow Democratic lawmakers for recent anti-Israel comments.

Why it matters: It's the latest bout of tension between the Democratic Party's pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel wings as the war in Gaza continues to divide the party.

A slew of Republicans vying to be former President Trump's running mate in 2024 have vocally jumped to his defense following his historic felony conviction on Thursday.

Why it matters: The rush to defend the former president caters to Trump's fondness for public displays of loyalty after attendees at the courthouse trial became a veritable who's who of Trump loyalists.

President Biden addressed former President Trump's criminal conviction for the first time Friday, warning that it's "reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."

Why it matters: Republicans have erupted in outrage over Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money trial — with some warnings of recriminations if Trump wins the election in November.

The price of postage stamps will go up by 5 cents in July after the Postal Regulatory Commission signed off on the United States Postal Service's proposal to raise rates.

Why it matters: The increase, approved by the commission this week, ties the record for the highest stamp hike ever.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is calling for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to testify June 13 about what he's characterized as a "kangaroo court" that led to former President Trump's historic criminal conviction.

Why it matters: Trump's Republican allies in Congress were quick to jump to his defense, and Jordan's move shows they plan to use their narrow House majority to drive home their claim that Bragg's prosecution was politically motivated ahead of November's election.

Former President Trump on Friday railed against his historic felony conviction, rehashing familiar gripes with the judge and President Biden while maintaining his innocence.

Why it matters: Trump's guilty verdict has raised legal questions, enraged Republicans and spurred a fundraising windfall for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday unanimously ruled against 22 women who suffered complications during pregnancy who had sued the state over its near-total abortion ban.

Why it matters: The state Supreme Court struck down a lower court's ruling that clarified when abortion exceptions for medical emergencies should be allowed.

Polls show that Asian Americans in 2024 still worry about anti-Asian hate four years after the pandemic and are unsure how their fellow Americans view them.

Through the lens: For our last Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month installment this year, Axios wanted to revisit how Asian Americans have experienced joy and triumph through the years amid enormous challenges. Here are some images.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia officially left the Democratic Party on Friday and registered as an independent.

Why it matters: Manchin, who flirted with an independent presidential bid earlier this year, has said he's not running for Senate re-election. But leaving the party could give him the flexibility to change tack and run for Senate or West Virginia governor as an independent.

Former President Trump's social media company began preparing for a legal loss like Thursday's conviction long before he had even been indicted.

Behind the scenes: In its October 2021 merger agreement with a blank-check company, Truth Social's parent company identified two "material disruptive events," one of which was a felony conviction.

Former President Trump's historic felony conviction makes half of Republicans even more likely to vote for him, according to a poll in the verdict's immediate aftermath.

Why it matters: In what is gearing up to a tight race to the White House between Trump and President Biden, even small shifts in support could prove decisive.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for the U.S. Supreme Court to "step in" to overturn the guilty verdict against former President Trump in his New York hush money trial.

Why it matters: It's one of the starkest examples yet of Republicans, furious about the jury's decision, calling for some form of intervention to protect the ex-president.

Former President Trump's campaign said Friday that it had a $34.8 million windfall after he was convicted of 34 felonies in his New York hush money trial.

Why it matters: The presumptive GOP presidential nominee's campaign said the haul was "nearly double" its previous single-day fundraising record on the WinRed platform for Republican donors.

A group of 19 pro-Israel House Democrats is pushing back on the White House's opposition to sanctions against the International Criminal Court for its top prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials.

Why it matters: It's another split between Biden and his party's moderate, pro-Israel wing which could bubble up to the surface next week as Republicans prepare a vote on ICC sanctions.

With former President Trump's historic felony conviction on Thursday, a longstanding question in American politics is more pertinent than ever: Can a U.S. president pardon himself?

Why it matters: The conviction, which does not bar the presumptive GOP presidential nominee from continuing his 2024 campaign, renews debate on whether he would use the power of his office if elected to absolve himself of criminal liability.

A profound sense of rage — and an insatiable thirst for revenge — is permeating virtually every corner of the Republican Party in the wake of former President Trump's historic conviction.

Why it matters: No one knows how the verdict will affect the outcome of the election. But the immediate impact is undeniable: America's political fabric has been fundamentally altered.

Houston (about 32,000 kids), Los Angeles (about 12,700) and Dallas (about 8,500) received the largest shares of the 550,000-plus unaccompanied migrant children who arrived in U.S. cities between 2015 and 2023.

• That's based on U.S. Department of Human Health and Services data on migrant children sponsors' ZIP codes obtained by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Former President Trump's attorney Todd Blanche outlined how the defense team plans to challenge the New York jury's guilty verdict in the presumptive Republican nominee's hush money trial on Thursday.

What the big picture: Blanche told CNN Thursday evening after Trump became the first sitting or former U.S. president convicted of a felony that the defense team was "prepared for a conviction" and they would "vigorously fight" by filing motions before Judge Juan Merchan in a couple of weeks.

A Minneapolis police officer and at least one other person were killed in a shooting in the city that also left the suspect dead, local officials said Thursday.

The big picture: Four people, including another officer, a bystander, and a firefighter, were injured by gunfire at the scene, authorities said.

Judge Juan Merchan has set former President Trump's sentencing for July 11 after he was found guilty on all 34 counts in his New York hush money trial.

Why it matters: Trump will be sentenced four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be nominated to take on President Biden in November's election.

Former President Trump became the first-ever former U.S. president to become a convicted felon on Thursday.

Why it matters: What comes after the guilty verdict in the New York criminal trial will be unprecedented for a current or former U.S. president.

Former President Trump was found guilty on Thursday on all 34 felony counts in his New York criminal trial, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

Why it matters: The verdict introduces unprecedented legal and political questions that will have an undeniable impact on the 2024 presidential campaign.

Democratic lawmakers are cheering the guilty verdict against former President Trump as a win for the rule of law and a potential political windfall.

Why it matters: The party's campaign apparatus is already using Trump's new "convicted felon" status to try to whack vulnerable Republicans.

Republican leaders quickly rallied around former President Trump after he was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment that amounted to a campaign contribution.

Why it matters: GOP congressional leaders attacked the "weaponizing" of the justice system and decried the decision as "corrupt" and a "sham" — and expressed confidence that it would only bolster their chances of victory in November.

Members of Congress in both parties are worried that former President Trump's guilty verdict could touch off unrest or attempts at political reprisals.

Why it matters: It's a concern that has lingered since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump sympathizers, often resurfacing in the aftermath of major legal developments in the ex-president's criminal cases.

Republican leaders quickly rallied around Trump after he was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment that amounted to a campaign contribution.

• GOP congressional leaders attacked the "weaponizing" of the justice system and decried the decision as "corrupt" and a "sham" — and expressed confidence that it would boost their chances of victory in November.

"President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict — and he WILL WIN," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement, calling it a "shameful day in American history."

• "Democrats just pulled off the biggest sham in U.S. history," said House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.)

A scowling Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, told reporters Thursday that the "real verdict" for him "is going to be Nov. 5, by the people."

Why it matters: That's one of the few things that Trump and President Biden agreed on in the hour after Trump's historic conviction on 34 felony counts: Voters will deliver the final judgment on Trump on Election Day.

Former President Trump's fundraising page temporarily crashed after he was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in his hush money criminal trial in New York on Thursday.

The big picture: The WinRed donation platform used by Trump's 2024 campaign and other Republicans was hit by an outage as Google searches for "Donald Trump donation," "Donald Trump donation site" and other related searches spiked in the wake of the verdict.