memeorandum: The Pentagon says a US warship and multiple commercial ships have come under attack in the Red Sea (Jon Gambrell/Associated Press)

7:00 PM ET, December 3, 2023

Top Items:

The Pentagon says a US warship and multiple commercial ships have come under attack in the Red Sea — An American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:

Ron DeSantis bashes Trump and teases plans to ‘supersede’ Obamacare — The Florida governor touted his campaign's efforts in Iowa on NBC's “Meet the Press” six weeks ahead of the caucuses. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on NBC's “Meet the Press” that he would replace Obamacare with a …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, Florida Politics, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Hill, Digby's Hullabaloo, Rolling Stone, NPR, Washington Times, The Messenger, Business Insider, Political Wire and Progress Pond

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

DeSantis says he will win Iowa — “I think it's going to help propel us to the nomination,” DeSantis said. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign's success on his performance in Iowa, where he's secured a key endorsement from Gov. Kim Reynolds and recently completed a 99-county campaign swing.

Discussion: The Messenger, The Hill, National Review, NBC News, Mediaite, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, CBS News, Florida Politics, The Dispatch, Bloomberg and Fox News

Michael Gold / New York Times:

Trump's Defense to Charge That He's Anti-Democratic? Accuse Biden of It — Indicted over a plot to overturn an election and campaigning on promises to shatter democratic norms in a second term, Donald Trump wants voters to see Joe Biden as the bigger threat.

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, Althouse, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and The Messenger

Myah Ward / Politico:
Swing-state Muslim leaders launch campaign to ‘abandon’ Biden in 2024

Discussion: Fox News, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Digby's Hullabaloo, Al Jazeera, Breitbart, Bloomberg, The Messenger, Reuters, New York Post, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Axios and Twitchy

Washington Post:
Trump attempts to spin anti-democracy, authoritarian criticism against Biden

Discussion: Althouse, Associated Press, The Messenger, The National Pulse+ and Raw Story

David Cohen / Politico:

I've lost confidence in Lloyd Austin, Lindsey Graham says — The South Carolina Republican decries his statements on the Israel-Hamas war. — Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday he has lost confidence in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin because of his recent comments about the Israel-Hamas war.

Discussion: The Hill, KEYT-TV, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, Mediaite and The Messenger

New York Times:
U.S. Is Pressing Israel and Hamas to Resume Talks, White House Official Says

Discussion: The Messenger, Fox News, Bloomberg, Politico, USA Today, Axios, CBS News and Breitbart

Peter Martin / Bloomberg:
Israel Risks ‘Strategic Defeat’ If It Doesn't Protect Civilians, Austin Says

Discussion: Breitbart, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Jewish Press, The Times of Israel, Breaking Defense, Axios, RedState, Reuters, Politico and The Hill

The Guardian:

Cop28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels — Exclusive: UAE's Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and gas would take world ‘back into caves’ — The president of Cop28, Sultan Al Jaber, has claimed there is “no science” …

Discussion: KEYT-TV, CNBC, Bloomberg, inews.co.uk, NBC 7 San Diego, Rolling Stone, Associated Press and Climate Home News

Wall Street Journal:

One Supreme Court Case Could Mess Up Chunks of the Tax Code — Justices will debate the meaning of ‘income’ under the 16th Amendment — WASHINGTON—A case that could punch holes in the federal tax code heads to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. — The court will hear arguments in Moore v. U.S. …

Discussion: Tax Policy Center and Mother Jones

Stephanie Saul / New York Times:

DeSantis's Education Policies in Florida Drive Out Liberal-Leaning Professors — Liberal-leaning professors are leaving coveted jobs with tenure. And there are signs that recruiting scholars has become harder. — Gov. Ron DeSantis had just taken office in 2019 when the University …

Discussion: Business Insider and Raw Story

Michaela Zee / Variety:

George Santos Movie in the Works at HBO Films — A movie about George Santos is in the works at HBO Films, Variety has confirmed. — HBO Films has optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano's book “The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos,” which was published on Nov. 28.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and The Daily Caller

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
George Santos Movie In Works At HBO Films From ‘Veep’ EP Frank Rich

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Fox News, New York Post, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, The Hollywood Reporter and The Messenger

Tessa Stuart / Rolling Stone:

The Dirty Tricks the GOP Is Using to Keep Abortion Off the Ballot in 2024 — Republicans are getting killed on reproductive rights, and they're taking desperate measures to prevent their constituents from having a say next year — TIFFANY CAMPBELL USED to describe herself as a “hardcore, church-going Republican.”

Discussion: Axios and Political Wire

Valerie Volcovici / Reuters:

Al Gore slams COP28 climate summit host UAE, says its emissions soared — Climate advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Sunday slammed the UAE - host of the COP28 climate summit - saying its position as overseer of international negotiations on global warming this year was an abuse of public trust.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

Liz Cheney would rather see Democrats win in 2024 — She warned of the “threat” from within her own party. — Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney would rather cede power to Democrats than see members of her own party win in 2024, she said, calling a Republican majority a “threat,” …

Discussion: HuffPost, PoliticusUSA, Washington Examiner, KEYT-TV and Breitbart

Elena Schneider / Politico:

‘Time to Be Bold’: Advice for Democrats from a Quietly Powerful Governor — Gov. Tim Walz has some tips for the party as he takes over as chair of the Democratic Governors Association. — Perhaps it's because he's a quintessential Midwesterner, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has flown …

Discussion: The Messenger and Washington Examiner

Chelsea Harvey / Politico:

Open secret at climate talks: The top temperature goal is mostly gone — Researchers injected a sobering finding into global climate negotiations Sunday by saying the world will likely fail its most important warming test. — Leading scientists worldwide delivered a striking dose of reality …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Pro-DeSantis super PAC fires interim CEO after 9 days — Never Back Down fired Kristin Davison on Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision. — The chief super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Never Back Down, has fired its interim chief executive officer after less than two weeks.