memeorandum: House Set to Approve Biden Impeachment Inquiry as It Hunts for an Offense (Luke Broadwater/New York Times)

1:45 PM ET, December 13, 2023

Top Items:

Federal appeals court denies Trump's presidential immunity defense in E. Jean Carroll case — The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Trump's lawyers waited too long - three years - to try to use the defense for his upcoming civil trial. — A federal appeals court on Wednesday shot …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, New York Times, CNBC, The Messenger, ABC News, Associated Press, Bloomberg, UPI, Raw Story, Law & Crime and PoliticusUSA

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: The Hill, Associated Press, emptywheel, Raw Story, Daily Caller News Foundation and Fox News

Politico:

Supreme Court will review scope of obstruction law that Trump is charged with breaking — The case calls into question prosecutors' handling of an Enron-era obstruction law to punish those who stormed Congress. — The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case that could derail hundreds …

Discussion: Bloomberg Law, New York Times, HotAir, Business Insider, HuffPost, ABC News, Associated Press, The Hill, CBS News, New York Post, National Review, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call and Washington Post

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC: Glenn Youngkin praises Trump on economy, downplays ‘dictator’ fears

Alexander Ward / Politico:
Trump considers overhauling his approach to North Korea if he wins in 2024

Discussion: New York Times and Raw Story

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

Discussion: Axios, Fox News, The Messenger, RedState, Daily Caller News Foundation and Raw Story

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 12, 2023 — Last night, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

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

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

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.

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: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Axios, USA Today, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, CBS News, The Messenger, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, NewsNation, New York Daily News, RedState, Twitchy, IJR and Fox News

CNN:
Hunter Biden flouts subpoena for closed-door testimony, demanding to testify publicly: ‘I am here’

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

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Hunter Biden will not sit for deposition by GOP, says father not ‘financially’ involved in his business

Discussion: CNBC, Twitchy, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

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, Experiences with Rape Culture, 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 …

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 …

Olafimihan Oshin / The Hill:

US targets Hamas finances with new sanctions — The Treasury Department has imposed an additional round of sanctions aimed at Hamas. — Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the latest rounds of sanctions will target eight Hamas officials and facilitators who have …

Discussion: Reuters, Voice of America and Bloomberg

U.S. Department of the Treasury:
U.S. And UK Target Additional Hamas Finance Officials and Representatives

Discussion: Associated Press, Fox News and UPI

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 …

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

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

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

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

Kerry Breen / CBS News:

NASA rover unravels history of lake on Mars that grew up to 22 miles wide, 100 feet deep — NASA's Perseverance rover has learned new data about a major crater on Mars, teaching researchers and astronomers about how the structure was formed and when water was present on the planet.

Ken Bensinger / New York Times:

Inside the Troll Army Waging Trump's Online Campaign — A team of meme-makers has been flooding social media with pro-Trump posts riddled with sexist and racist tropes. Donald Trump is cheering them on. — The video, called “Let's Get Ready to Bumble,” is a slick mash …

Discussion: Althouse and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

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 …

CNN:

Takeaways from CNN's Iowa town hall with Ron DeSantis — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday showed new urgency in taking on Donald Trump, attacking the former president at every turn at a CNN town hall in Iowa with the state's caucuses less than five weeks away.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, The Messenger, HotAir, Axios, RedState, USA Today, Sun-Sentinel, KEYT-TV, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, New York Post, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, Mercury News and The Hill

Associated Press:
Trump makes third Iowa trip this month in final weeks before GOP voting starts in caucuses

Discussion: The Messenger and Washington Post

Dan Bloom / Politico:

Who will be Wales' next first minister? The runners and riders — LONDON — It's a nation of 3 million people where Labour is riding a 101-year winning streak. Now the party is choosing a new leader in Wales — and Westminster will be watching closely. — Whoever replaces Mark Drakeford …

Discussion: Redfield & Wilton Strategies, North Wales Live, Metro.co.uk, Bloomberg.com and The London Economic

Gabriella Abdul-Hakim / ABC News:

Biden plans swing through South Carolina, in early glimpse at 2024 campaign — The state has been elevated to first in the Democratic primary. — In this Feb. 11, 2020 photo, Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, greets supporters after speaking at a campaign event in Columbia, S.C.

Discussion: NBC News