President-elect Donald Trump traveled to Paris this weekend to attend the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, which had been severely damaged by a fire in 2019. This was Trump's first trip abroad since winning the election last month, marking his return to the global political stage. Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron before the reopening ceremony. Prince William of England, First Lady Jill Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Elon Musk were also in attendance.
As Trump's inauguration grows closer, his Cabinet picks continue to face intense scrutiny. After the withdrawal of Matt Gatez for attorney general, Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary, may be the next target of Senate Republicans' quiet defiance. His nomination appears to be in peril over allegations of excessive drinking and abuse of women (Hegseth has denied he has a drinking problem or done anything inappropriate). As many as six Senate Republicans have suggested they are not comfortable supporting his nomination, three Republican sources with direct knowledge of the process told NBC News earlier in the week. On Friday Trump expressed confidence in Hegseth's chances, telling "Meet the Press'" Kristen Welker that "it looks like Pete is doing well now." But according to two sources familiar with the president-elect's decision-making, Trump is considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
President Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter Biden has drawn mixed reactions, with criticism from both the left and right. Now, Biden is weighing the idea of pre-emptive pardons for potential targets of Trump's retribution, including Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., former chief medical advisor to the president Anthony Fauci and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., NBC News reported.
In New York, police are still looking for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson early Wednesday morning. Authorities believe a person of interest in the shooting may have left New York City through a busy bus terminal shortly after the shooting, a police official said Friday. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman, on top of a combined $10,000 offered by Crime Stoppers and the NYPD.
And in South Korea, a move to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law failed on Saturday after members of his governing party left Parliament ahead of the planned vote. Yoon said he would not declare martial law a second time.
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