THE SHOW NOTES: Newsom v DeSantis, Israel Knew, & Sandra Day O’Connor

Welcome! Rand Paul performed the Heimlich maneuver on Joni Ernst yesterday.

BREAKING: Sandra Day O’Connor just passed away. - CNBC

MUST READ: Israel Plans to Kill Hamas Leaders Around the World After War - WSJ (paywall)

HEADLINE: Florida Republicans face a crisis as the state party chair is accused of sexual battery - NBC

WHAT: NFL suspends credentials of videographer who was involved in backflip celebration with Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill - CNN

OUT: The US House expels Santos - Politico

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BREAKING: Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plans Over A Year Ago

The Israeli military obtained copies of Hamas’s October 7th attack plans more than a year ago but dismissed the plans as aspirational according to documents reviewed and interviews conducted by The New York Times (paywall).

Details: While the plans did not specify a set date for the attack, the 40-page document nicknamed “Jericho Wall,” outlined in shocking detail Hamas’s systematic plan to maximize the number of civilians killed and hostages taken in the terror attacks on southern Israel. Here’s the line that matters from The Times:

Underpinning all these failures was a single, fatally inaccurate belief that Hamas lacked the capability to attack and would not dare to do so. That belief was so ingrained in the Israeli government, officials said, that they disregarded growing evidence to the contrary.

Payback: In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed the Israeli military will conduct targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders in Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar, and around the world as payback for the October 7th attacks after the war in Gaza has concluded. Here’s a summary of Netanyahu’s quote:

“I have instructed the Mossad to act against the heads of Hamas wherever they are. They are marked for death… and living on borrowed time. The struggle is worldwide, both the terrorists in Gaza and those who fly in expensive planes.”

Ceasefire over: Israel commenced targeted bombings in Gaza after Hamas broke the terms of a multi-day ceasefire. Leaflets were dropped in a southern Gazan city urging civilians to evacuate the area signaling that Israel is expanding its air and ground offensive.

DeSantis vs Newsom

Ron DeSantis debated Gavin Newsom on Fox News last night in a debate moderated by Sean Hannity. The Newsom camp claimed without proof that Hannity and DeSantis cheated and went so far as ending the debate when Hannity asked if both sides were willing to go into overtime.

Watch: While the debate was largely unproductive, here’s the best moment of the night:

Americans Are Finally Turning Frugal After Splurging Over Summer

The long-awaited US economic slowdown has begun.

Signs are piling up — in recent data, in warnings from top retailers such as Walmart Inc. and in anecdotes from local businesses across the country — that after defying expectations all year and splurging over the summer, American households are starting to pull back.

A burnt-out consumer, weighed down by high interest rates and dwindling savings, is the surest sign that economic growth is gliding lower heading into 2024. The economy may face additional challenges in the new year as the labor market cools and wage growth moderates.

Full story at Bloomberg (paywall)

Meta says it broke up Chinese influence operation looking to exploit U.S. political divisions

China has become one of the most aggressive actors attempting to sway U.S. public opinion through fake accounts on social media, Meta said Thursday, despite still finding little success in those efforts.

In a quarterly report on inauthentic account behavior on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, Meta said it had taken down five distinct Chinese networks targeting foreign audiences this year, more than from any other country. 

“For comparison, between 2017 and November 2020, we took down two networks from China, and both mainly focused on the Asia-Pacific region,” the company said in its report. “This represents the most notable change in the threat landscape, when compared with the 2020 election cycle.”

Full story at NBC.

Trending news:

• Florida Democrats plan to cancel presidential primary, enraging Dean Phillips’ campaign - Politico

• The Great Unlearning - National Review

• Trump doesn’t have presidential immunity from lawsuits over January 6, appeals court rules - CNN

• NFL LB Von Miller turns himself in on allegations of assaulting pregnant woman in Dallas - Dallas Morning News

• OPEC+ members agree to significant voluntary oil production cuts - CNN

• Pending home sales drop to a record low, even worse than during the financial crisis - CNBC

• New wave of child pneumonia - Dailymail

• US funding for Ukraine arms has poured into Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas - Reuters

• Inside the Biden White House's aggressive back-to-office push - Axios

• Drivers would pay $15 to enter busiest part of Manhattan under plan to raise funds for mass transit - Marketwatch

• What a Petty Pair DeSantis and Newsom Made - NYT (paywall)

Market snapshot: