Daily Briefing: Hunter Biden indicted

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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Hunter Biden was indicted on charges he failed to pay his income taxes. Also in the news: A Texas judge ruled a woman with severe pregnancy complications can obtain an emergency abortion, marking the first such intervention in the state since before Roe v. Wade was decided 50 years ago. We explain the secret push to expel Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. The mystery of a tomato missing in space for months has been solved.

Here is the news to know Friday.

Hunter Biden indicted on nine tax charges

Hunter Biden is charged in a California federal court with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors. He engaged in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes from 2016 through 2019, and also evaded tax assessment for 2018 when he filed false returns, according to the indictment.

The second indictment comes months after a plea deal over tax and gun charges collapsed.

Judge allows emergency abortion in Texas in first case of its kind since before Roe v. Wade

A Texas judge signed a temporary restraining order on the state's near-total abortion ban — but it only applies to one woman and doesn't establish a broad precedent, legal experts say. The judge's order prevents the state, Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Texas Medical Board from enforcing the state's near-total abortion ban in the case of Kate Cox of Dallas, a woman whose baby has a lethal genetic condition, if she should terminate her pregnancy. The order also protects Cox's husband and her OB-GYN from prosecution or fines related to any abortion care. Read more

More news to know now

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

A news agency has accused Israel of killing a journalist

An investigation revealed Israeli tank fire killed a Reuters video journalist and injured six reporters Oct. 13 in Lebanon, the news agency said Thursday, in what two human rights organizations concluded was probably an intentional attack and war crime. Videographer Issam Abdallah, 37, who had covered wars for years, was filming Israeli shelling less than a mile away from the border with Lebanon when a round hit a group of journalists from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Al Jazeera, killing Abdallah. Read more

A man carrying an assault rifle rides an electric scooter down a sidewalk in central Jerusalem on December 8, 2023.
A man carrying an assault rifle rides an electric scooter down a sidewalk in central Jerusalem on December 8, 2023.

House Republicans secretly consider expelling Matt Gaetz

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., continues to draw the ire of his Republican colleagues in the House weeks after he led the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the speakership, with some of his detractors privately floating expelling him from Congress. Several Republican House members, many of whom are still angry at Gaetz for his antics that have impeded McCarthy and the majority of the conference from passing legislation, have begun to discuss Gaetz’ ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Read more

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., casts his vote as the House of Representatives holds an election for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 25, 2023 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., casts his vote as the House of Representatives holds an election for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 25, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Keep scrolling

Thursday Night Football highlights: Patriots put dent into Steelers' playoff hopes

Just four days after they were shut out at home by the Los Angeles Chargers, the scuffling New England Patriots upended the Steelers, 21-18, on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Sports betters likely didn't see this one coming — And certainly this was no offensive masterpiece, but this Thursday night tilt did blow past a historically low point total of 30 … in the first half. Read more

Dec 7New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) passes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Dec 7New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) passes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.

Photo of the day: Lighting the National Menorah

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, says American Jews are “feeling alone” and “in pain” as he denounced rising antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad, particularly amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Emhoff spoke Thursday at the lighting ceremony of a massive menorah in front of the White House to mark the first night of Hanukkah.

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, left, speaks next to Rabbi Levi Shemtov, during the National Chanukah Menorah lighting, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, on the ellipse of the White House in Washington.
Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, left, speaks next to Rabbi Levi Shemtov, during the National Chanukah Menorah lighting, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, on the ellipse of the White House in Washington.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden indicted, Texas abortion, Israel-Hamas war, Matt Gaetz, Taylor Swift, NFL, menorah, Hanukkah: Daily Briefing