Axios

Around 24.2 million people watched President Biden's press conference during the NATO Summit Thursday, nearly half the number (51.3 million) that tuned into his disastrous debate performance two weeks prior.

Why it matters: Like the debate, the vast majority (19.1 million) of speech viewers that tuned in on live TV were over 55 years old, according to figures from Nielsen.

President Biden's meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday didn't go as planned, with one lawmaker even urging him to drop his re-election bid, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

Why it matters: It's a rare instance of a lawmaker actually telling the president in a direct encounter that he should exit the 2024 presidential race.

A New Mexico judge dismissed the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin on Friday, finding the state withheld evidence, according to multiple outlets.

The big picture: Baldwin would have faced up to 18 months in prison if he was convicted for the 2021 incident in which he fired a prop gun, killing "Rust" crew member Halyna Hutchins and injuring another person on the movie set.

President Biden's relatively smooth Thursday night press conference was received particularly well by one unlikely crowd: Republicans.

Why it matters: The mostly-solid performance actually hit a sweet spot for the GOP, several top advisors and aides say: It made it harder for some Democrats to convince Biden to step aside, even as it keeps the weeks-long conversation about his age and health going.

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on Friday cast doubt on President Biden's chances of winning re-election without a significant shift in strategy, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Although Polis has criticized Biden before, his recent remarks are the most pointed yet and come as the governor is being considered as a possible replacement for Biden on the 2024 ticket.

Current and former Biden aides are worried that the president is surrounded by a shrinking group of "yes" people who block negative information from getting to him.

Why it matters: Biden's already small inner circle has shrunk further since the June 27 debate that has jeopardized Biden's re-election campaign.

A federal judge in New York dismissed Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy case on Friday, slamming him for lacking financial transparency, AP reports.

Why it matters: The dismissal allows two Georgia election workers who won a $148-million defamation case against the former New York City mayor to begin pursuing and potentially seizing his assets.

Meta on Friday said it would soon roll back restrictions it placed on former President Trump's Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Why it matters: The company said it was making the change to ensure parity among presidential candidates leading up to the 2024 election.

President Biden is meeting with at least two groups of House Democrats on Friday with plans to meet with a third on Saturday as he tries to stem the tide of calls for him to end his reelection bid, six sources familiar with the meetings tell Axios.

Why it matters: Despite his better-than-expected NATO press conference on Thursday, the steady stream of statements urging his withdrawal from the race has continued apace.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told colleagues on Friday that he met with President Biden the previous evening and shared their feelings about his bid for reelection.

Why it matters: The House Democratic leader is seen as one of a handful of Democrats on Capitol Hill with the stature to influence Biden's thinking.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet isn't the only top Colorado Democrat who sounds fearful about President Biden as the party's presidential nominee.

Why it matters: The apprehension — and silence from previous supporters — is deafening in a blue state like Colorado, where Biden won by 14 percentage points in 2020.

Joe Biden's campaign chair urged staffers Thursday to tune out "crazy f***ing gossip land world," according to an audio recording of an all-hands call obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: It was the third all-staff call Biden campaign leadership has held since last Wednesday as they try to fix low morale and disillusionment among their staff.

The Democratic National Committee is launching billboards in 10 cities in battlegrounds linking former President Trump to Project 2025, the conservative plan that backs a dramatic expansion of presidential power.

Why it matters: Attention on Project 2025 has surged as more Americans tune into the presidential race. Democrats have pounced on that focus as they try to paint presumptive Republican nominee Trump as a threat to the U.S.

President Biden beat back the initial public campaign by Democrats to oust him from the party's presidential ticket, swiftly and decisively. But very-connected Democrats, mostly veterans of the Obama and Clinton administrations, are plotting hourly to get him to withdraw quickly.

• They're commissioning polls, lobbying former presidents, back-channeling Democratic leaders, organizing donors and taking the fight to Biden in a very public way.
• They're the unofficial Committee to Unelect the President. The mission: Push Biden out of the presidential race — the sooner, the better.

With the world watching, President Biden delivered a press conference performance strong enough to buy time from fence-sitting Democrats — but wobbly enough to keep the mutiny armed and dangerous.

Why it matters: It was the quintessential "two Bidens" performance, fueling both sides of the debate over his fitness for office at a moment when Democrats are desperate for two things: clarity and unity.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday departed early from a NATO summit in Washington, D.C., where he played his perennial role of internal irritant, for a much friendlier meeting at Mar-a-Lago with former President Trump.

Why it matters: Thursday's Orbán split-screen highlights one dramatic change coming if Trump replaces Biden: a very different set of leaders will have VIP status with the White House.

Two Russian-born Australian citizens face charges of spying for Russia, the country's federal police announced Friday morning local time.

Why it matters: Australia is a U.S. partner in the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance, along with the U.K., Canada and New Zealand.

Democrats who were bracing for the worst out of President Biden's press conference at the NATO summit instead saw a passable performance – but it doesn't appear to have calmed Capitol Hill's panic around his candidacy.

Why it matters: The number of lawmakers calling for Biden to end his campaign practically doubled on Thursday, with multiple statements coming shortly after the press conference wrapped.

President Biden in a rare news conference Thursday told reporters he isn't staying in the 2024 presidential race for his "legacy," but to "complete the job." Seconds after it ended, another member of his own party was already unconvinced by his resolve to stick around.

Why it matters: Biden's political support has been cratering since his disastrous debate against former President Trump. Each public appearance since has been an attempt to reset the narrative on his fitness for office.

President Biden expressed confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to assume the presidency during his high-stakes press conference on Thursday.

Why it matters: Despite his trust in his second-in-command, Biden has refused to drop out of the presidential race — and to make room for her to step in — following his disastrous debate against former President Trump.

Doubts about President Biden's path to victory still linger among Senate Democrats after the president's top campaign aides briefed lawmakers Thursday.

Why it matters: No minds seemed to be changed after the high-stakes briefing from Biden's team, a bad sign for the president as he struggles to stem a dramatic drop-off in support on Capitol Hill.