It’s Friday. Happy March. Rabbit, rabbit! 😘 Here’s what’s happening in the political world today:

• Congress diverted *another* shutdown, but only for a few days. I’m very thankful not to be Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
• House Republicans released the transcript of their sit-down with Hunter Biden. There was no major smoking gun to incriminate President Biden.
• Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was laid to rest today after unexpectedly dying in an Arctic prison under mysterious circumstances last month. “Busloads” of riot police were nearby.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

Yet again, the House and Senate voted to delay the government funding deadlines, averting a shutdown that would have begun at midnight tonight.

The ✨ new and improved ✨ deadlines: Part of the government’s funding will expire March 8; the rest will expire March 22. So, not a ton of time.

The votes: The House passed the bill 320-99. The Senate passed the bill 77-13. The 13 GOP senators who voted against the bill

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus, shot down the idea of using a loophole to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and force a House vote. Read more on the saga

No, not really. President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, finally agreed to sit down with House Republicans for a nearly seven-hour interview as part of their impeachment investigation into his father.

The gist: Hunter Biden was Republicans’ best shot at finding a smoking gun into President Biden, but there was no big “ah-ha” or “gotcha” moments. The younger Biden’s drug addiction came up repeatedly.

A sad undertone to the hearing: The Biden’s family tragedies — the 1971 car accident that killed Biden’s first wife and daughter and the president’s other son Beau Biden’s brain cancer death in 2015 — came up repeatedly.

Excerpt from the Hunter Biden transcript: “You understand my relationship with my family. When my dad was 29 years old, he woke up one day, went to work, and got a phone call and lost his wife and his daughter. And, in that same accident, he also lost almost my brother and myself. And then, when I was 46 years old, my 47-year-old brother died. … In our family, when you have a call from — I call him or he calls me or I call one of my — his grandkids or one of my children, you always pick up the phone.”

Helpful explainer on the transcript, via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell

There’s a GOP power struggle emerging in the race to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who announced this week that he will step down from leadership in November.

The tension: Where former President Trump fits into the equation. McConnell had a bitter falling out with Trump in 2020, and that tension is still palpable. GOP senators are split on how closely aligned McConnell’s replacement should be with Trump.

On one hand: “Some, such as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) want to elect a new leader who will be a cheerleader for Trump, flying with the former president to rallies around the country.”

On the other hand: “Other Republicans, who point to what they view as Trump’s spotty record endorsing Republican candidates who can actually win Senate seats in November — not to mention Trump’s failure to win reelection in 2020 — want to keep a healthy distance from Trump.”

Keep in mind about the latter group: “Some of those same Republicans are privately alarmed that Trump last month torpedoed a package of Ukraine funding and border security reforms because he wanted to deny President Biden a political win.”

‘GOP senators face Trump civil war with McConnell retiring’, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton

“Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a rising conservative voice in the Senate, confronted Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) during a private meeting Thursday evening over McConnell’s opposition to Hawley’s proposal to compensate victims of radioactive exposure around St. Louis.”

Why?: “Hawley says McConnell led the effort to strip his proposal to expand and extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act from last year’s defense authorization bill, even though Hawley’s amendment got 61 votes on the Senate floor.” (The Hill)

©  AP

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was buried today after suddenly dying in an Arctic prison last month.

Putin protesters attended: “Crowds of mourners, including opposition figures, chanted ‘We are not afraid! Don’t be afraid!’ as Navalny’s coffin arrived at the church. Thousands waited behind barriers in hopes of laying flowers on the coffin, but the public was not able to enter the church.” There were also “busloads of riot police,” according to The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)

A Georgia judge is hearing final statements today about whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) should be booted from former President Trump’s election interference case due to a romantic relationship with a subordinate colleague.

^ Wow, writing this felt like a political soap opera plot.

What could determine the verdict?: When the romance began. Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade say it began in 2022, but the defense team says it began in 2019. The defense also says that Willis personally benefited from Wade’s employment. More from The Hill

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels report five takeaways from President Biden and former President Trump’s competing border trips. 

🥜 Celebrate: Today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day.

🎾 Interesting read: The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay writes how “the death of tennis’s one-handed backhand may be premature.” The gist: “It is no longer the dominant choice, but the elegant stroke can have utility, beauty—and power.” (The Wall Street Journal)

🐸 The best leap day content: @audipenny posted a screenshot of babies born on leap day. They’re wearing little frog hats! 🥹

🤔 But, but…what about Florida?: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) posted a birthday message for his state with a mock map showing Ohio’s takeover of North America. 🗺️  But, check out Florida in this graphic

🚈 This is s a little boy’s heaven: The New York Times’s David Waldstein writes, “Inside the Massive Repair Shops Where Subway Cars Go for a Makeover: An in-depth look at the process that overhauls every single wheel, motor, brake, axle, wire and door on every car in the New York City system.” 📸 The photos from the warehouse are pretty cool

The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in Durham, N.C. (all times Eastern)

• 12:40 p.m.: Harris delivers remarks in North Carolina on entrepreneurship and small businesses. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) participate. 💻 Livestream
• 1 p.m.: Biden meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
• 1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security spokesperson John Kirby brief reporters. 💻 Livestream
• 5:20 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C.
• 5:45 p.m.: Biden leaves for Camp David.
• Sunday morning: GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
• 3 p.m. Monday: The Senate meets next. 🗓️ Monday’s agenda

Because you made it this far, please take a moment to meet our executive branch manager.