White House Dossier's

US warship shoots down Houthi drone launched from Yemen-US . . . The U.S. Navy destroyer Mason on Wednesday shot down a Houthi drone launched from Yemen that was headed in its direction as it responded to reports of an attack on a commercial vessel, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the Houthis had attacked the commercial vessel Ardmore Encounter with skiffs and then by firing two missiles that missed the ship. The Adrmore Encounter reported no damage or injuries and continued on its way, the U.S. official said. Reuters

Live: Hunter Biden speaks ahead of closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill

As Trump lead widens, prosecutors step up pursuit . . . Two things are true today. One, former President Donald Trump's polling, nationally, in key swing states, and in the first-voting state of Iowa, has never been better. And two, Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by the Biden Justice Department to prosecute Trump, is taking self-described "extraordinary" measures in a rush to put Trump on trial before the 2024 presidential election. The two things are not unrelated. And nothing could more effectively illustrate the contrast between Trump's rising political fortunes and the administration's effort to imprison him before the election. Washington Examiner

Trump considers overhauling his approach to North Korea if he wins in 2024 . . . Donald Trump is considering a plan to let North Korea keep its nuclear weapons and offer its regime financial incentives to stop making new bombs, according to three people briefed on his thinking.

The move would mark a sharp departure from his past stance on the issue and a shift toward accommodating the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, with whom Trump developed an unusually friendly relationship during his time in office. Politico

Woke college’s ‘professor of peace’ ousted over alleged war crimes, antisemitism and sexual misconduct . . . The Ohio-based Oberlin College removed a former Iran regime official and religion professor, Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, from his teaching post after a three-year pressure campaign from Iranian Americans who were outraged over his role in covering up the mass murder of at least 5,000 Iranian political prisoners in 1988. Andrea Simakis, a spokeswoman for the controversial college administration, told Fox News Digital that"Professor Mahallati was placed on indefinite administrative leave on November 28." Fox News

They are here. Hiding in plain sight.

‘Long list of excuses’: Why the US and Chinese militaries still aren’t talking . . . DOD officials say logistical conversations are taking place in order to get the senior leader meetings on the schedule. But some expressed frustration at the lack of progress, blaming stonewalling from the Chinese side. “We’ve seen a long list of excuses and delays over the past two years,” said one DOD official, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive talks. Beijing’s foot-dragging in resuming high level military communications adds a dangerous level of instability to an already fraught relationship. Even before Beijing cut those links, U.S.-China military communications systems were highly unreliable. Their absence at a time of rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait — including Chinese air and naval harassment across the median line separating Taiwan and China — deprives Washington and Beijing of reliable high-level channels essential to de-escalating encounters between their militaries. Politico

Money

Morning Report — Zelensky leaves US empty-handed . . . Neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky nor President Biden persuaded Congress to approve more military help for Kyiv. Biden this week did not find willing Republican dealmakers on border security and immigration, or an accord with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end what Biden now calls “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza.  The president is under fire in the United Nations and from a growing number of voters for opposing a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. His son is under investigation on Capitol Hill, House conservatives are poised as early as today to launch an impeachment inquiry, and some nervous Democrats openly wish a different presidential nominee would compete in 2024. The Hill

What the COP28 deal means for the U.S. as oil and gas production hits record levels . . . A landmark agreement to shift away from fossil fuels thrusts U.S. policy into the global spotlight, with campaigners demanding that President Joe Biden’s administration should lead the charge toward cleaner energy technologies. For the first time in nearly three decades, government ministers from nearly 200 countries on Wednesday approved a deal that calls on countries to move away from using fossil fuels — the chief driver of the climate crisis. The agreement, known as the global stock take, was hailed as “historic” by COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber during his closing speech. The European Union welcomed what it described as “the beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. CNBC

Mortgage refinance demand jumps 19% after rates hit lowest level since July . . . Homeowners looking to refinance are finding savings after mortgage rates dropped again last week. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 7.07% from 7.17%, with points falling to 0.59 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That was the lowest level since July. CNBC

International

Israel suffers worst combat losses since October . . .  Israel announced its worst combat losses for more than a month on Wednesday after an ambush in the ruins of Gaza City, and faced growing diplomatic isolation as civilian deaths mounted and a humanitarian catastrophe worsened. Intense fighting was under way simultaneously in the north and south of the enclave, a day after the United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel's "indiscriminate" bombing of civilians was costing international support. Reuters

Israeli army has begun pumping seawater into Hamas tunnels in Gaza: report . . . The water from the Mediterranean is one of several measures the Israel Defense Forces is using to clear and decimate the miles of intertwined tunnels, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials. Earlier this month, the outlet reported that the tactic was under “consideration” after the IDF had built at least five pumps about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp that could be used to draw the seawater to flush out the tunnels. The flooding began around the time Israel added two more pumps to the five and the IDF conducted some initial tests, US officials told the Journal. New York Post

Ukraine officials say more than 50 injured amid Russian ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv . . . Russia launched its second missile attack of the week on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, injuring at least 53 people and damaging homes and a children's hospital, according to officials. Fox News

Christmas in the Balkans – Not Exactly Merry This Year . . . By Miljan Vešović.  Elections in Serbia will be held on Sunday, December 17th. Barring “The Miracle on Ice” type surprise, Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party will win and have a chance to form yet another government. Serbian opposition’s chances to win majority are close to zero. The main opposition bloc’s foreign policy platform is almost a carbon – copy of Vucic’s – it rejects the independence of Kosovo, refuses to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and introduce sanctions to Russia. Other opposition parties are going even further – they openly support Russia and call for end of Serbia’s accession negotiations with EU. The point is – whoever wins, Serbia will remain hostile to Western interests in the region and Europe, a main source of instability and the closest political and economic partner of Russia and China. Antena M

Culture

Conservatives Have Lost the Culture War . . . If you had to pick one symbol of how conservatives are losing American culture, you could do worse than the mighty NFL’s embrace of the even mightier Taylor Swift.

Before the pop music superstar was crowned Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” her romance with eight-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce spawned countless viral memes, including tongue-in-cheek photoshops of Swift on the cover of the next Madden NFL video game. Conservative football fans are unhappy. Pop icon Swift is largely apolitical but endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020 and has supported LGBTQ rights. Her beau made right-wing enemies through his advocacy for COVID-19 vaccines and by appearing in an advertisement for Bud Light after anti-trans conservatives started boycotting the brand. But does their anger even matter? The NFL’s marketing decisions suggest otherwise.  Conservative Monthly

Southwest Airlines celebrated for policy to give a full row to 'passengers of size' for free . . . Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is being celebrated by "passengers of size" on TikTok after they discovered they can request complimentary seats – one or two, depending on needs – to accommodate their girth. Customers whose bodies "encroach" past the armrest are entitled to an extra seat, according to Southwest's inclusion policy. They are currently one of the few, if not the only, airlines to offer free seats to larger passengers. Fox Business

Apple makes security changes to protect users from iPhone thefts . . . Apple is addressing a security vulnerability that has allowed iPhone thieves to take over customers’ accounts, access saved passwords, steal money and lock people out of their digital memories. A new iOS setting called Stolen Device Protection is designed to defend against these attacks. It is rolling out to beta testers starting Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal reported on a nationwide spate of thefts where criminals used the iPhone passcode to break into victims’ accounts and upend their lives. Thieves in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis and other cities watch iPhone owners tap in their passcodes before stealing the targets’ devices. Fox Business

Hunter goes on profanity-laced tirade saying GOP picking on recovering addict . . . Hunter Biden held nothing back during a recent podcast appearance, blasting his critics as “motherf—ers,” and casting himself as a victim while claiming Republicans were trying to kill him in order to destroy his dad’s presidency.  “That’s the one thing — one of the reasons why I’m going to survive this — and I’m going to survive it clean and sober — is because I am not going to let these motherf—-ers use me as just another example of why people in recovery are never going to be okay, never to be trusted, they’re all degenerates. I’m just not going to let that happen. I’m just not going to let it happen,” Biden said. White House Dossier

Claudine Gay Responds To Plagiarism Accusations By Giving Inspiring 'I Have A Dream' Speech . . . As controversy continued to swirl at Harvard University after the school's board expressed unanimous support for its embattled leader, President Claudine Gay responded to the people calling for her removal by giving a rousing, original speech she wrote called "I Have A Dream." "This is something I just wrote last night to inspire others," Gay said. "It is my hope that this speech, which I wrote entirely myself, will help other people stand up under unjust oppression, just as I have over the last week." Babylon Bee