South Korea’s incumbent president indicted. And how the “Beyoncé Bowl” played on Netflix

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Today’s top stories

South Korea’s parliament voted today to remove incumbent President Han Duck-soo from office. This comes less than a month after Parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law. The two impeachment proceedings underscore the seriousness of the political crisis in one of Asia’s most important democracies.

• 🎧 Han was quoted as refusing to appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which will decide Yoon’s removal from officetells NPR’s Anthony Kuhn First up. Han says he did not appoint her because it is the prerogative of the president, not the sitting president. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is now acting president. The court has 180 days to decide whether to remove or reinstate Yoon, but says impeachment is a top priority. Yoon is also charged with insurrection.

Israel yesterday launched its most aggressive attack yet in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis. The airstrikes hit the rebel-held capital’s international airport, causing damage to the runway and control tower. According to Yemen’s state news agency, at least six people died and dozens were injured in the attacks.

• 🎧 Israel says it attacked infrastructure that serves as a conduit for Iranians supporting the Houthis rebels to smuggle weapons into the country and for senior Iranian officials to enter the countrysays NPR’s Carrie Kahn. The head of the World Health Organization was at the airport waiting to board a flight at the time of the strike. Israel says the attack was in retaliation for rocket fire from Yemen, which the Houthis say they will not stop until Israel withdraws from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Houthis will be crushed, even if it takes time.

Georgia is preparing to swear in a new president who is a vocal critic of the West. The development follows protests in the capital Tbilisi that erupted last month after the government decided to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The country’s incumbent president has refused to step down after the disputed election in October.

• 🎧 Mikheil Kavelashvii, a former soccer player turned Georgian Dream Party politician, is scheduled to be inaugurated on Sunday. He was elected by the Electoral College, a first for the country, rather than the popular vote, said Robin Forestier-Walker, a reporter who follows the situation in Georgia. The incumbent president, President Salome Zourabichvili, was elected by popular vote in 2018 and says the recent elections were stolen. Tensions are rising in the country as two potential presidents claim their legitimacy. A significant portion of the country is calling for new elections as polls have consistently shown strong support for Georgia’s EU accession.

Life advice

Fraudsters are improving their scams using artificial intelligence. Generative AI has made it easier to deceive people by creating more convincing fake text messages and voices to commit scams. The FBI issued a public service announcement earlier this month warning that AI is being used to commit these crimes, particularly during the holidays. Here are some tips to help you protect yourself:

• 📱 Phishing is an attempt by criminals to gain access to confidential information for fraudulent purposes. If you receive a strange-looking message, check whether there are misspelled words, grammatical errors, or even differences in the logos of companies that are supposedly contacting you.
• 📱 Scammers only need a few seconds of your voice to create a clone which you could then try to apply to your friends and loved ones. Create a secret code with your loved ones to protect them from schemes that demand money.
• 📱 To prevent identity theft, reduce your digital footprint. Make your social media accounts private and limit the personal information you share publicly.

Checkout More tips to help you avoid AI scams.

Weekend tips

Look at what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:

🍿 Movies: It’s been a great year for films. Some contained scenes and performances that continued to captivate audiences many months later. NPR’s Aisha Harris breaks down nine such moments.

📺 Television: The new series Laid is a dark romantic comedy about a woman who finds out that all of her exes have started dying under mysterious circumstances. This leads her to undertake a sexual audit of her life to warn her of her possible fate.

📚 Books: Photographer Brian Kelley spoke to us Morning edition around Parks 2a new book full of photos, memorabilia and essays about US national parks.

🎵 Music: All songs included asked listeners about songs they couldn’t give up this year because they made them feel so good. Check out the curated playlist of songs that made the list.

🍍 Food: Camilla Wynne, a Canadian pastry chef and food preserver, is the author of the new cookbook Nature’s sweets. It’s an ode to the joys of fruit candy and baking. Here is one of her cake recipes to try.

3 things you should know before you go

1. According to Netflix, over 200 countries watched the “Beyoncé Bowl” and its two NFL games on Christmas Day. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans writes that the platform has proven it’s ready to compete with the big dogs of broadcasting and offer trouble-free live entertainment.
2. An animal shelter in Washington state is under quarantine after an outbreak of bird flu In recent weeks, 20 big cats have been killed, including four pumas and a half-Bengal tiger.
3. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh died yesterday at the age of 92. He was considered the father of economic reform in the country.

This newsletter was published by Obed Manuel.

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