Good morning.
South Korean opposition parties could vote on whether to impeach the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as soon as Friday over his brief declaration of martial law on Wednesday after they announced they had submitted a motion for the process.
“We’ve submitted an impeachment motion prepared urgently,” representatives for six opposition parties said. The announcement came on the same day that Yoon launched a failed attempt to impose martial law, sparking protests and political condemnation. The shock move caught Seoul’s international allies off guard.
The liberal opposition Democratic party, which holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament, said its representatives decided to call on Yoon to resign immediately or they would take steps to impeach him. His actions were also condemned by the president’s own party, with the leader of the People Power party, Han Dong-hoon, branding the coup attempt “tragic” and calling for those involved to be held accountable.
Why did Yoon say he was declaring martial law? According to his address, it was “to safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness”.
What’s the context? Yoon’s approval ratings have tanked and he is at bitterly odds with the opposition over next year’s budget. Meanwhile, Seoul remains technically at war with Pyongyang.
Trump’s DEA pick Chad Chronister withdraws from consideration
Donald Trump’s nominee to be boss of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Chad Chronister, said on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from consideration.
“Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister wrote on social media.
Trump on Sunday announced that he wanted Chronister, the current sheriff of Hillsborough county, Florida, to head up the DEA on Sunday, saying he would focus on stopping the US trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico. Chronister did not offer further reasons for his withdrawal and the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Is he the first nominee to withdraw? No – former Republican representative Matt Gaetz, who Trump originally picked as attorney general, also dropped out. His decision followed scrutiny over a federal sex-trafficking investigation that threw his ability to be confirmed into question.
California Democrat Adam Gray unseats Republican as last House race decided
Democrat Adam Gray won California’s 13th congressional district on Tuesday, unseating Republican John Duarte in the final US House race to be called in November’s elections.
The election’s cycle’s ultimate race was a close call, with Gray clinching it by a margin of fewer than 200 votes. Both Duarte and Gray underlined their bipartisan credentials during the race.
Where does this leave the House tally? The Republicans hold 220 seats, while the Democrats have 215.
In other news …
Lawyers for Donald Trump have filed a motion requesting his Manhattan criminal hush-money case be dismissed, referring to Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son in their argument.
Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, who was at times the subject of his rap lyrics, has died at the age of 69.
Police fear a grandmother who went missing while searching for her cat may have fallen into a sinkhole that recently appeared in a western Pennsylvania village.
Guardian and Observer journalists are striking on Wednesday and Thursday to protest the proposed sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media. Guardian US and Guardian Australia staff are not involved.
Stat of the day: Music workers to ‘lose almost a quarter of income to AI within four years’
People working in the music industry will see their income shrink by almost a quarter due to artificial intelligence within the next four years, according to the first global study researching the impact of the AI on creative work. It found that while the technology boom will be enhance profits for giant tech firms, creators’ rights and incomes will be hit hard unless there is policy intervention.
Don’t miss this: From India’s Chandler Bing to Mexico’s Gossip Girl: stars of TV hit remakes reveal all
TV shows including Friends, Gossip Girl, and Breaking Bad have been remade over the years in various countries, giving the world, to name a couple, India’s answer to Chandler Bing and the Mexican version of Serena van der Woodsen. Here, leading characters in a range of hits talk about what it was like, from the cultural issues that meant “Ross’s wife wasn’t allowed to leave him for another woman” and pretending to be the iconic upper-east siders while shooting in a town gripped by Mexico’s war on drugs.
Climate check: On the Grenadian island of Carriacou, even the dead are now climate victims
Tombstones and human remains on the Grenadian island of Carriacou are being washed out to the ocean by rising sea levels, leading the island nation’s prime minister to warn that “even the dead are now victims of climatic changes”. The disturbing incident is being presented as evidence of the deepening emergency facing vulnerable countries as the international court of justice (ICJ) considers what states can be held liable for.
Last Thing: Are chicken sandwiches a) a tasty lunch? Or b) the ultimate symbol of gen Z wokeness?
What’s the latest thing to be branded “woke” by rightwingers? Obviously, it’s that well-known lunch beloved by snowflakes … the chicken sandwich. According to the MailOnline anyway, who got themselves worked up after a poll found younger generations prefer chicken over ham and mustard. It’s the latest in a long line of inoffensive items that conservatives have branded “woke”, writes Arwa Mahdawi, which includes not only beer, but also asset managers at BlackRock of all places.
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