Army Veteran Went Into ‘Combat Mode’ to Disarm the Club Q Gunman  —  Richard M. Fierro, who served for 15 years in the military, was at the nightclub in Colorado Springs with his family when the gunman opened fire.  “I just knew I had to take him down,” he said.

AP Fires Reporter Behind Retracted ‘Russian Missiles’ Story … This reporting appears as one of several scoops featured in this week's edition of Confider, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media.  Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Ukraine Launches Assault to Oust Russia From Key Black Sea Peninsula  —  Kinburn Spit, occupied by Russia for months, lies at maritime choke point and is coveted prize for Kyiv  —  Ukraine's military said it launched an operation to push Russian forces from a strategic peninsula …

Mike Pompeo: “The most dangerous person in the world is Randi Weingarten”  —  David is a Political Reporter for Semafor, joining us from the Washington Post.  Sign up for Americana to get his coverage of the national political scene in your inbox twice a week.

Jan. 6 Troll ‘Baked Alaska’ Is Going to Jail in 2023 for Attacking Security Guard  —  The notorious troll and former Buzzfeed employee, whose real name is Anthime Gionet, will start his sentence in January.  —  Notorious racist internet troll and Jan. 6 riot participant “Baked Alaska” …

From Twitter to Mastodon: What Happens When Journalists Flock Platforms  —  Journa.host promises to be a new “reliable home for journalists.”  What happens when they move in?  —  It's one thing to hope for a better community online, and another, very different one, to build it.

Right-wing media continued attacking the LGBTQ community after the mass shooting in Colorado Springs  —  Conservative pundits used the massacre at an LGBTQ nightclub as an excuse to further “grooming” smears … In the wake of the horrific mass shooting over the weekend at Club Q …

Exclusive: Bankman-Fried's FTX, parents bought Bahamas property worth $121 million  —  Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX, his parents and senior executives of the failed cryptocurrency exchange bought at least 19 properties worth nearly $121 million in the Bahamas over the past two years, official property records show.

From Europe, Trump special counsel takes over Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 6 probes  —  Prosecutor Jack Smith must assemble a team, find office space and catch up on the long-running cases involving Donald Trump  —  Newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith continues to work remotely from Europe …

CBS ‘confirms’ Hunter Biden laptop is real 769 days after Post broke story  —  It only took them 769 days.  —  CBS News said Monday that it confirmed the authenticity of data from Hunter Biden's former laptop — more than two years after The Post first revealed its contents ahead …

Beware, DeSantis is as much a threat to America as Trump  —  If you believe Florida's Republic Gov. Ron DeSantis would be a less dangerous presidential candidate than former president Donald Trump, take a moment to consider the recent ruling striking down DeSantis's “Stop WOKE Act.”

A Georgia Senate runoff poll points to challenges for Walker, Warnock  —  A new poll focusing on the Dec. 6 runoff between U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker shows a close race with challenges for both rivals as they rush to rebuild their coalitions.

Beyond Meat Plant's Dirty Conditions Revealed in Photos, Documents  —  Photos and internal documents from a Beyond Meat Inc. plant in Pennsylvania show apparent mold, Listeria and other food-safety issues, compounding problems at a factory the company had expected to play a major role in its future.

How Not to Stop Trump  —  If Republican leaders make the foolhardy decision to run the 2016 strategy again, it will play right into the former president's hands.  —  The conventional wisdom about the November 8 midterm elections is still taking shape.  In conservative circles …

Anti-Woke Bank GloriFi to Shut Down  —  Texas startup has laid off most employees after failing to secure more funding  —  The Texas startup that sought to build a conservative banking alternative is shutting down.  —  GloriFi has laid off most of its employees and told them that it is closing up shop …

Court Docs Rip Into DOJ for ‘Fiddling Away’ on Matt Gaetz Case  —  More than two years after the DOJ opened an investigation into the congressman, there are no charges against him.  The lawyer for an alleged co-conspirator can't believe that.  —  The Florida lawyer who gave the feds …

Todd and Julie Chrisley Get a Combined 19-Year Sentence for Fraud Scheme  —  GUESS CHRISLEY DOESN'T KNOW BEST  —  Todd Chrisley once said that while he could fix ignorance, stupid is forever.  Guess it takes one to know one.  The reality star of USA Network's Chrisley Knows Best was sentenced …

U.S. and Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Reflection of Easing Tensions  —  The bilateral meeting in Cambodia follows a summit between President Biden and Xi Jinping this month  —  SINGAPORE—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart for the first time in months …