Category: World

During a Christmas event on Friday, Jill Biden, the First Lady, interacted with kids at the White House for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. She greeted the children by saying “Happy Holidays.” However, the kids quickly chimed in, correcting her by exclaiming, “Happy Christmas!” The funny moment was caught on camera and shared widely online.

In the video, Jill Biden, who is 73 years old, was excited to see children of military service members. She warmly greeted them, saying, “Hello! How are you? Hi! Happy Holidays.” Without missing a beat, many children shouted back, “Happy Christmas!” Jill laughed and replied, “Happy Christmas, yes.”

After the video went viral, people rushed to social media to share their thoughts. Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines tweeted, “Even kids get it,” with a laughing emoji. Conservative commentator Steve Guest described the kids’ response as an “epic reply” to “Jill Biden’s war on Christmas.” Another user humorously noted, “Jill Biden fact-checked by toddler.” David J. Harris Jr., a conservative host, celebrated the moment, saying it gives “HOPE FOR THE FUTURE!”

During her speech at the event, Jill encouraged the kids to remember that they are loved. She said there are many people who care about them, including family, friends, teachers, and even the President and herself. Jill added, “The best thing we can do with that love is to share it with others who might need it.” She concluded with, “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”

On Saturday, South Korea’s parliament decided to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol because of a controversial martial law he declared earlier this month. This move surprised everyone and caused a lot of confusion in the country’s politics, affecting foreign relations and frightening investors.

Yoon, who used to be a public prosecutor, once helped investigate former President Park Geun-hye. In 2017, Park was impeached and removed from office due to serious charges like bribery and abuse of power. Now, Yoon faces even graver allegations and the Constitutional Court will decide if his actions were rebellious.

Key Events:

– Dec. 3: At 10:29 p.m., President Yoon announces martial law on TV. He claims the opposition-controlled parliament is filled with criminals. He says these rivals are hurting the country but doesn’t provide evidence.

– Dec. 4: After his announcement, soldiers surround the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from meeting. Despite this, lawmakers gather and vote to lift the martial law unanimously.

– Dec. 5: President Yoon fires his Defense Minister, who he believes is responsible for the martial law. A party leader now thinks Yoon could take extreme actions again.

– Dec. 6: The leader expresses concerns about Yoon’s mental fitness and vows to impeach him.

– Dec. 7: Yoon apologizes for the martial law and says he will deal with the issues caused by his actions. However, a vote to impeach him does not pass.

– Dec. 8: The former Defense Minister is arrested for his role in implementing the martial law.

– Dec. 9: The Justice Ministry stops Yoon from traveling as investigations into his actions continue.

– Dec. 10: A military commander reveals that Yoon ordered troops to prevent lawmakers from meeting, but he did not follow those orders.

– Dec. 11: The former Defense Minister is arrested again and police look for evidence against Yoon but are blocked by his security.

– Dec. 12: Yoon defends his actions but faces a new impeachment vote. Other officials are also impeached.

– Dec. 14: The National Assembly impeaches Yoon with 204 votes in favor. Yoon vows to fight to keep his presidency, waiting for the Constitutional Court’s decision on his fate.

Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, quickly moved up the political ladder from being a public prosecutor to the country’s leader in just a few years. However, his presidency has been marked by many scandals, and recently, he declared martial law, pushing the nation into a crisis. This move only lasted a few hours, as widespread protests forced him to backtrack. Now, a large majority of South Koreans want him out, and lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach him.

Yoon is now the third president in South Korea’s history to be impeached by parliament. If the Constitutional Court agrees with the decision, he will be the second president to be removed from office. He has said he will fight back to keep his position and has accused the opposition of working with the country’s enemies.

Born during a military dictatorship in 1960, Yoon became well-known as a public prosecutor who fought corruption. He helped impeach Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s first female president, for abuse of power in 2016. In 2019, he also indicted a senior aide from the administration of Park’s successor, Moon Jae-in.

Yoon won the presidency in March 2022, but his popularity has been low, especially among women. Scandals and poor handling of situations like the 2022 Halloween crowd crush, which killed over 150 people, have hurt his reputation. People blame him for rising food prices, a weak economy, and limiting free speech. His wife also faced controversy when she was caught accepting a designer handbag as a gift, which Yoon defended.

As president, Yoon has taken a tough approach to North Korea and has tried to strengthen ties with the United States. He even surprised President Biden by singing at the White House. However, his efforts to improve relations with Japan have faced backlash from many South Koreans.

Since the opposition Democratic Party gained control in parliament, Yoon’s influence has weakened. Recently, he declared martial law, claiming it was necessary to deal with legislative problems. Experts criticized this move, saying it was unreasonable to impose martial law when there was no war or emergency situation.

Han Duck-soo is the new acting president of South Korea after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon is now suspended because he tried to impose martial law, and the law says that the prime minister, Han, must take over during this time. Han is experienced and respected, having worked in many important government jobs for over 30 years, and he has a strong background in economics from Harvard.

He has worked with both conservative and liberal presidents, making him a unique choice who is above party politics. Han faces several difficult tasks: keeping the government running during this big political crisis, handling threats from North Korea, and dealing with slowing economic growth. There are also concerns about criminal investigations into his involvement in Yoon’s martial law decision.

Han has previously served as prime minister and held several roles, including ambassador to the U.S. and finance minister. He helped negotiate the important U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and speaks fluent English. Yoon chose Han for his skills, saying that Han is the right person to lead and coordinate the Cabinet.

Han’s time as acting president may last for several months while the Constitutional Court decides the future of Yoon’s presidency. If Yoon is removed, a new presidential election must happen within 60 days, during which Han will stay on. However, Han faces a complaint from the opposition, which could affect his position.

In South Korea, the Constitution doesn’t clearly say how much power the prime minister has while acting as president. Many experts believe the prime minister can only do what is necessary to keep the government running, while others argue he can exercise full presidential powers.

A small drone crashed into a backyard in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, on a Thursday night, December 12. It happened around 8:45 PM, as police reports noted. Officials described the drone as a “hobby or toy type” rather than a big commercial or military drone. This incident followed warnings from New Jersey police about others possibly imitating such drone activities.

A police chief speculated that this drone might have started as part of a surveillance operation but sparked interest online, leading to copycat situations. After the drone crash, Pequannock Mayor Ryan Herd visited the site in his work van. He expressed concern about the unknown flying drones overhead and their purposes, stressing everyone’s right to safety and privacy in their backyards.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating the crash. Mayor Herd warned people not to chase or shoot at drones. He cautioned that if someone tries to catch a big drone and it crashes into something else, there could be serious dangers.

People in the area have been feeling uneasy about the unusual drone sightings. Even President-elect Donald Trump raised concerns, saying that these mystery drones are happening without the government’s knowledge. He suggested that officials should be more open about it and even joked about shooting them down if necessary.

Time magazine has done something unusual when choosing Donald Trump as its Person of the Year. For the first time ever, the magazine added a long fact-check to an interview with the winner. This fact-check looks at 15 claims Trump made during their conversation.

This marks Trump’s second time as Person of the Year; he first received this honor in 2016 when he was elected president. Time said it wasn’t a difficult choice among other candidates like Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kate Middleton.

Time has never fact-checked a Person of the Year in almost 100 years, but it has done fact-checks for past interviews with figures like Joe Biden and Trump. Over the years, corrections have been a point of concern for Trump, especially during his debate with Kamala Harris, where ABC News pointed out inaccuracies.

In the article, Time challenged several of Trump’s statements. For example, he made claims about border security, autism, and the crowd size at his rally. Trump said he received a big mandate from voters, but Time reminded readers that former President Barack Obama received more electoral votes twice when he ran.

The magazine also questioned Trump’s statement that he would talk to anyone who asked for an interview during the campaign, pointing out that he refused a request from CBS’s 60 Minutes. Instead, in the last part of his campaign, Trump chose to do interviews with podcasts rather than mainstream media.

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former researcher at OpenAI, has sadly died by suicide in his San Francisco apartment. The local medical examiner confirmed this news. Suchir previously voiced his worries about OpenAI’s use of copyrighted materials, sharing his thoughts in an interview with The New York Times last month.

Balaji was a bright student who studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked at OpenAI for four years, contributing to projects like WebGPT and the team behind ChatGPT. After leaving OpenAI, he expressed concerns about how AI technology could negatively impact society, especially related to copyright laws.

Just before his passing, Balaji was mentioned in a copyright lawsuit involving OpenAI. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department found him after a wellness check was requested, and there were no signs of foul play at the scene.

In an X post, Balaji shared that he became interested in copyright issues after noticing many lawsuits against companies that create generative AI products. He believed that these products could confuse or compete with the original data they were trained on.

After the news of his death, an OpenAI spokesperson said they were heartbroken and sent condolences to Balaji’s family.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please reach out for help. You can call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).