IRS whistleblower says Justice Dept. slowed, stifled Hunter Biden case  —  Tax investigator says prosecutor decisions whittled down the case against the president's son  —  An IRS agent who supervised the investigation into President Biden's son Hunter told lawmakers that Justice Department officials slowed …

U.S. Navy Detected Titan Sub Implosion Days Ago  —  Underwater microphones designed to detect enemy submarines first detected Titan tragedy  —  WASHINGTON—A top secret U.S. Navy acoustic detection system designed to spot enemy submarines first heard the Titan sub implosion hours …

No Labels declines to reveal just who is funding its third party bid  —  The group isn't required under law to disclose its donors even as it takes on the look of a political party  —  No Labels' bid to run a third party presidential candidate in 2024 has sparked a number of questions about political motivations.

Read: Arizona GOP election official sues Kari Lake for defamation  —  Kari Lake is facing a defamation lawsuit from Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer over the failed Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate's false claims about her 2022 election loss.

‘Shady and Corrupt’: Add Barrett Real Estate Deal to List of Supreme Court Ethics Scandals  —  The right-wing justice sold a home to a religious freedom group that has filed numerous briefs in cases before the court.  —  Thursday reporting on a real estate deal made by U.S. Supreme Court …

Trump insider says mood has shifted to ‘quiet’ and ‘a bit sour’  —  What a difference a day makes?  —  While Donald Trump was “fixated,” fired up and outraged in the wake of Hunter Biden getting a “slap on the wrist” after being charged with tax and firearm offenses …

House Freedom Caucus faces an internal purge push  —  At least two hardliners have discussed trying to boot members who no longer meet the group's ideological standards, according to three Republicans with knowledge of the talks.  —  Tensions inside the conservative House Freedom Caucus …

Senator Calls For Return of Old Mississippi Flag: ‘Our People Died Under That Flag’  —  Almost three years after both houses of the Mississippi Legislature overwhelmingly voted to retire the old Confederate-themed state flag, a state senator from Union County is calling for its return.

GOP's field for president is historically diverse  —  Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd may be a long shot to be the Republican nominee for president, but his entry into the race Thursday was a benchmark: Of the 12 major GOP candidates, half are people of color.

3M Reaches $10.3 Billion Settlement in ‘Forever Chemicals’ Suits  —  The deal followed an agreement by Chemours, DuPont and Corteva to pay $1.19 billion to help resolve claims that the chemical manufacturers contaminated drinking water across the country.  —  The chemical and manufacturing …

The Big Names That Got Backstop for Billions in Uninsured SVB Deposits  —  When federal regulators stepped in to backstop all of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits, they saved thousands of small tech startups and prevented what could have been a catastrophic blow to a sector that relied heavily on the lender.

New video undercuts claim Twitter censored pro-Trump views before Jan. 6  —  In the internal video call from Jan. 5, 2021, workers were told not to take tougher action against a growing wave of tweets they feared were veiled incitements to violence.  —  On Jan. 5, 2021, the lawyers …

Joe Biden and Narendra Modi hail ‘defining’ US-India partnership  —  US President Joe Biden hailed US-India ties, while rolling out the pomp and pageantry for visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.  —  This included marching bands, a lavish vegetarian dinner and a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn of the White House.

I-95 to reopen Friday after Philadelphia bridge collapse, Pa. governor says  —  The stretch carries about 160,000 vehicles per day, and the closure spelled misery for commuters and left truckers facing long, slow detours through the city  —  A stretch of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia …

Have Republicans found their own Steele dossier?  —  Remember the Steele dossier?  Congressional Republicans certainly do.  —  On Wednesday, House GOP members voted to formally censure Rep. Adam Schiff, one of Donald Trump's most vocal Democratic critics in Congress, for spreading …

Exclusive: House conservatives challenge their leaders on abortion  —  The Republican Study Committee is pushing House GOP leadership for a vote on the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act (H.R. 7), Axios has learned.

Hundreds of dolphins and sea lions have washed up dead or sick in California amid toxic algae outbreak  —  The scene is unsettling: hundreds of sea lions and dolphins are sprawled across the beaches in Southern California, either dead or sick and exhibiting abnormal behavior.

How hydrogen subsidies could cause a ‘doom loop’ for the climate  —  Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202!  Happy Friday.  As a scheduling note, the newsletter won't publish on Monday or Friday next week, with Congress out of town.  We'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.

GOP Split With Big Business Gives States New Lobbying Clout  —  Arizona and Texas are circumventing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to shape economic policy in Washington  —  The rift between big business and Republicans that's playing out in boardrooms and on the presidential campaign trail …

Will evangelicals finally dump Trump in 2024?  —  Longtime evangelical kingmaker Ralph Reed explains why Trump has such a tight grip on religious conservatives, and what it will take for another 2024 hopeful to convert them to his or her cause.  —  The big debate in Washington this week is about realism versus idealism.

Ron DeSantis pushes racist tropes in latest comments about basketball and baseball players  —  Ron DeSantis isn't telling the truth.  He knows when he uses a racist dog whistle in speaking about basketball players − not a dog whistle actually, a bullhorn ... wait, not a bullhorn …

Moms for Liberty chapter apologizes for quoting Adolf Hitler in newsletter  —  The Hamilton County chapter of Moms for Liberty in Indiana placed the quote on the front page of its new newsletter.  —  A local Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative parents organization …

Georgia police department under investigation for using photo of a Black man for target practice  —  The Villa Rica Police Department posted the photos on its Facebook page, showing participants using an image of a Black man as a target during a firearms safety class.

India's Russian oil buying scales new highs in May  —  India's rising imports of Russian oil hit a record high of about 1.95 million barrels per day (bpd) in May denting purchases from Iraq and Saudi Arabia fell, tanker data from trade and industry sources showed.

Ukraine and its partners are beginning to win the peace  —  In contrast with last year's shambles, solid planning for rebuilding a modern European country is well under way  —  This article is an on-site version of Martin Sandbu's Free Lunch newsletter.  Sign up here to get the newsletter sent straight to your inbox every Thursday