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Wednesday, December 13

House GOP chairmen vow to hold Hunter Biden in contempt

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said they'll kick off contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter Biden after the president's son failed to appear for a Wednesday deposition.

The younger Biden said he'd appear for a public hearing only. He gave a press conference on the Capitol lawn Wednesday instead of showing up for the closed-door deposition that the GOP chairs demanded.

The GOP chairmen weighed in hours before the House was set to vote on formally authorizing the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, which has been underway for months without the grounding of a House vote.

"Today's obstruction by Hunter Biden reinforces the need for a formal vote," the Republican lawmakers said in a joint statement.

Some of the GOP's accusations against President Biden involve Hunter Biden's business dealings and the Justice Department's handling of Hunter Biden's tax case.

Hunter Biden's lawyer had argued Republicans would misinform the public about what happened in a closed-door deposition, while GOP lawmakers maintained granting a public hearing would constitute special treatment.

Read more here.

Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

CATCH UP QUICK

The Supreme Court will take up a case concerning the availability of abortion pill mifepristone, with a decision expected by the end of June.
Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is launching a two-month tour in January to try to mobilize the "politically homeless" before deciding on whether to launch a third-party presidential bid.
The Federal Open Market Committee is maintaining its baseline interest rate at a range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent, in line with expectations as inflation continues to drop but remains above the Fed's target of 2 percent annual price growth.

NEW THIS AFTERNOON

Trump's federal 2020 election subversion case paused

The federal case into former President Trump's alleged attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election has been paused amid Trump's appeal arguing he's immune from being prosecuted.

From The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch: "The maneuver by Trump threatens to upend a March 4 trial date in the case and comes after prosecutors have argued the former president is simply using every avenue possible to disrupt the case in the hopes of punting the matter beyond the 2024 election."

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on Trump's appeal, and to do so quickly. Trump's team has until Dec. 20 to respond.

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CLIMATE

COP28 produces unprecedented agreement on fossil fuels

For the first time in the international climate summit's three-decade history, COP28 resulted in a pledge of "transitioning away" from fossil fuels.

The pledge, involving nearly 200 countries, is nonbinding. And while the language is weaker than the "phase out" commitment some countries wanted, it's stronger than the "phase down" language in previous agreements. See how some advocates responded here.

Related: The Hill's Zack Budryk explains how the agreement could affect U.S. climate efforts.

💬 WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS

We asked polling and politics experts: How important of a role will independent voters play in 2024?

📣 "If President Joe Biden's current weakness among his own 2020 base continues into next November, every vote from independent voters is going to count. Beyond Biden improving his standing among independent voters on the economy, Morning Consult's ongoing tracking of independent voters suggests the president is also going to need to change the issue discussion to ones that are more favorable to him to improve his standing. Former President Donald Trump's crescendo back onto the political stage in the coming months could help with independent voters if Biden's team can maximize on what his likely 2024 challenger is saying on issues like health care and democracy." — Eli Yokley, U.S. politics analyst at Morning Consult

📣 "Voters are restless and less than happy with the two leading candidates and no demographic group is more on the fence than Independents. They hold a lot of cards." — Tim Malloy, polling analyst at Quinnipiac University Poll, who pointed to a November poll showing 72 percent of Independents would like to see other candidates enter the presidential race

📣 "Independents in battleground states will continue to play an outsized role in the 2024 election, especially once the general election campaigns have begun in earnest and voters start to tune in. Turnout matters, but there's a comparative advantage to winning over undecided voters, who are still numerous in the most pivotal swing states." — Matt Taglia, senior director of Emerson College Polling

IN OTHER NEWS

Geminids meteor shower to peak Wednesday night

The unique Geminids meteor shower is expected to peak late Wednesday into the early morning hours on Thursday. "Most meteors appear to be colorless or white, however the Geminids appear with a greenish hue," noted Bill Cooke, the lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Learn why, and how to see them, here.

23 Changemakers of 2023

Agree or disagree with them, The Hill's 23 Changemakers of 2023 are making an impact in Congress, the media, the White House and beyond. See the list here.