memeorandum: Takeaways from CNN's Iowa town hall with Ron DeSantis (CNN)

12:25 PM ET, December 13, 2023

Top Items:

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

Hunter Biden, Defying Deposition Subpoena, Again Offers Public Testimony — The president's son appeared at a news conference at the Capitol as House investigators awaited him at a private session he declined to attend. — Hunter Biden, the president's son, appeared on Capitol Hill …

Discussion: Axios, HuffPost, USA Today, The Messenger, The Hill, CBS News, NBC News, Associated Press, RedState, Twitchy and Fox News

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

House Set to Approve Biden Impeachment Inquiry as It Hunts for an Offense — Republicans are pushing forward with a formal investigation even though their yearlong scrutiny of the president and his family has turned up no proof of high crimes or misdemeanors.

Discussion: The Messenger, The Nation, PJ Media, Raw Story, IJR, New York Daily News, Vox, Washington Times, The Daily Signal, ABC News, New Jersey Globe, NewsNation, One America News Network, Vanity Fair, Breitbart, The Hill and Axios

CNN:

Hunter Biden flouts subpoena for closed-door testimony, demanding to testify publicly: ‘I am here’ — President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden defied Republican investigators' subpoena for closed-door testimony, demanding to testify publicly Wednesday. — In his first public statement since …

Washington Post:
Hunter Biden defies subpoena as House GOP plans vote on impeachment inquiry

Discussion: New York Times, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Axios, Washington Examiner, ABC News, CBS News, The Messenger, The Hill, Politico, New York Post, NPR, Fox News, HuffPost, Daily Kos, NBC News, FAIRtax, Mediaite, emptywheel, CNN, Raw Story, RedState, New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, NewsNation and USA Today

Ann E. Marimow / Washington Post:

Supreme Court will decide access to key abortion drug mifepristone — The Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will decide this term whether to limit access to a key abortion drug, returning the polarizing issue of reproductive rights to the high court for the first time since …

Discussion: New York Times, The Messenger, Forbes, Vox and NDTV

Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:

Supreme Court agrees to hear showdown over abortion pill access — In a high-stakes legal battle, the Biden administration is defending federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, including a recent move to make it available by mail. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday took …

The Messenger:

Trump Tries to Slow Down Appeals Court Review on ‘Presidential Immunity’ — The former president's lawyers cited ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ in a court filing on Wednesday arguing against a speedy briefing schedule … “The prosecution has one goal in this case: To unlawfully attempt to try …

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, Associated Press, Raw Story, Daily Caller News Foundation and Fox News

Politico:
Supreme Court will review scope of obstruction law that Trump is charged with breaking

Discussion: HuffPost, Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, The Hill, USA Today, Roll Call and Washington Post

NBC News:
Supreme Court agrees to hear Jan. 6 cases that could affect Trump prosecution

Discussion: Axios, Fox News, The Messenger and Raw Story

Mother Jones:
After Jan. 6, Brad Parscale Felt “Guilty” for Helping Trump. Now He's Back on Trump's Gravy Train.

Discussion: New York Times and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Zachary Leeman / The Messenger:

Fani Willis Responds to GOP Backlash to Trump Case: ‘They Want to Come Up With This Foolishness’ — ‘They worry the hero is treated the same as everybody else,’ the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney said — Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis is speaking up amid pushback …

Discussion: Human Events, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Daily News and Raw Story

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
EXCLUSIVE: Willis hints at courtroom role during Trump trial

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Raw Story and Blaze Media

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Democrats press Thomas to recuse himself from Trump immunity case

Discussion: Letters from an American, BizPac Review, Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Today's Edition Newsletter, Raw Story, SCOTUSblog, Daily Caller News Foundation and The Messenger

Gareth Vipers / Wall Street Journal:

Tesla to Recall More Than Two Million Vehicles Over Autopilot Safety Concerns — Move follows two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Tesla will recall more than two million vehicles over concerns over its Autopilot system, following a two-year probe …

Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline:

André Braugher Dies: Star Of ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ & Other Series And Films Was 61 — Co-Editor-in-Chief, Film — VIBE Editor-In-Chief Datwon Thomas Takes Executive Producer, Talent Post At Dick Clark Productions — Mort Engelberg Dies …

Discussion: NPR, CBS News, Variety, KEYT-TV, New Jersey Online, National Review, UPI, abc7NY, UPROXX, Breitbart, Twitchy, NBC News, Page Six, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, KTLA, RedState, The Root, VIBE.com, ComingSoon.net, Associated Press, The Sun, Hollywood Life, Black America Web, New York Post and Fandom Stuffs

Alice Miranda Ollstein / Politico:

Contraception is a winning issue, conservative strategists tell GOP — Former Trump confidante Kellyanne Conway and other strategists are citing poll data showing strong demand among GOP voters for birth control after the fall of Roe. — Kellyanne Conway is going to Capitol Hill on Wednesday …

Discussion: Raw Story

Rasmussen Reports:

One-in-Five Mail-In Voters Admit They Cheated in 2020 Election — More than 20% of voters who used mail-in ballots in 2020 admit they participated in at least one form of election fraud. — A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute finds …

Discussion: HotAir, Power Line and Washington Examiner

The Heartland Institute:
Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: One-in-Five Mail-In Voters Admit to Committing at Least One Kind of Voter Fraud During 2020 Election

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media, The Daily Signal, Heartland Daily News and Las Vegas Review-Journal

Paul Demko / Politico:

‘Thank God they walked out’: Oregon's partisan divide highlights heightened animosity in statehouses — Republicans lawmakers in Oregon are banned from running for reelection after staging a six-week protest over guns, abortion and transgender issues. — Ten Oregon Republican senators …

Politico:

Playbook: A protest that should worry Biden and Harris — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — IT'S A WRAP — “Climate summit makes ‘historic progress’ — but the world still can't quit oil,” by Karl Mathiesen, Zia Weise, Zack Colman …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation, BizPac Review and The Federalist

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

We Were Told Biden Is Secretly Running the DOJ. Why Is His Son Being Charged? … It has long been an article of faith on the right that Attorney General Merrick Garland is prosecuting Donald Trump because President Biden wants him to. Even the Trump-skeptical corners …

Discussion: PJ Media, RedState, Breitbart and Washington Examiner

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Manchin taking 2-month tour to test appetite for national ‘movement’ — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday that he has not decided on his political future but will launch a two-month winter tour to determine whether there is a national “movement” for a third-party ticket.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Associated Press:

Trump makes third Iowa trip this month in final weeks before GOP voting starts in caucusesDonald Trump is making his third trip to Iowa this month as ... CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump is making his third trip to Iowa this month as he increasingly turns his attention to the state …

Discussion: The Messenger and Washington Post

David Shepardson / Reuters:

US agency will not reinstate $900 mln subsidy for SpaceX Starlink unit — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday reaffirmed its 2022 decision to deny SpaceX satellite internet unit Starlink $885.5 million in rural broadband subsidies. — The FCC said the decision impacting …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Verge and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

The Daily Beast:

GOP Rep. Mike Garcia Secretly Sold Boeing Stock Ahead of Damning Report — A Republican lawmaker sold up to $50,000 of Boeing shares just before a committee he was on released a damning report about Boeing—and then he blew the deadline to report it.

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Alexander Ward / Politico:

Trump considers overhauling his approach to North Korea if he wins in 2024 — The idea, which has been considered in other forms during years of U.S.-led negotiations with North Korea, would be a shift in Washington's overall approach to Pyongyang. — Donald Trump is considering a plan …

Discussion: New York Times and Raw Story

Washington Post:

Monumental, Youngkin announce deal to move Caps, Wizards to Virginia — Renderings show a 20,000-seat arena, practice facilities for the Wizards and Capitals, expanded esports facilities, a performing arts venue, “fan plaza” and more — The owner of the Wizards and Capitals has reached …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, National Review, Defector, Twitchy and Washington Times

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

The truth about Wreaths Across America — Wreaths Across America is a non-profit organization that places wreaths on the graves of military veterans. It's a simple gesture that has proven popular. Wreaths Across America placed 33,000 wreaths in 2007, its first year.

Juliegrace Brufke / Axios:

Scoop: House Freedom Caucus compares Mike Johnson to John Boehner … - The Freedom Caucus played a leading role in Boehner stepping down as speaker in 2015, and it blocked several speaker candidates in October after five of its members voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Breitbart