Trump’s SecDef pick Hegseth is under scrutiny. His mom went on TV to plead his case Pete Hegseth is fighting to keep his nomination on track after a series of negative reports about his past behavior — including a damning email his mom sent him during his second divorce. Read more on NPR

A North Carolina town is suing utility Duke Energy over climate change A small North Carolina town is suing Duke Energy for costs from climate change, claiming the utility knew its fossil fuel power plants were heating the planet and deceived the public. Read more on NPR

South Korea’s president faces calls to be impeached. And, tips to avoid porch pirates South Korea’s president faces calls to resign or to be impeached after he briefly imposed martial law over the country. And, tips on how to avoid falling victim to porch pirates this holiday season. Read more on NPR

South Korea’s president faces calls to resign or be impeached Opposition parties have filed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and plans for rallies in major cities are underway. Read more on NPR

D.R. Congo’s mining capital is at the heart of Biden’s bid to counter China in Africa Kolwezi has some of the world’s largest copper and cobalt reserves and that makes it a key location at the heart of the U.S. and China’s jostle for mineral supremacy on the African continent. Read more on NPR

‘Guardian’ journalists strike to protest sale of sister paper ‘Observer’ Nearly 500 journalists have walked out of the Guardian and its sister paper, the Observer, to protest what they see as a betrayal of the paper’s values: the planned sale of the Observer to a startup. Read more on NPR

Supreme Court hears challenge to law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids At issue is a Tennessee law that bans access to hormones, puberty blockers, and other treatments for trans kids in the state. Read more on NPR

Inside RFK Jr.’s nonprofit’s legal battles over vaccines and public health The nonprofit Children’s Health Defense that Kennedy led has filed nearly 30 federal and state lawsuits since 2020, many challenging vaccines and public health mandates. Read more on NPR

North Carolina’s voter ID law just got its first big test For more than a decade, North Carolina has seen a bitter back-and-forth over voter identification rules. The requirement finally got its first major test in last month’s presidential election. Read more on NPR

Search goes into the night for Pennsylvania woman who may have fallen into a sinkhole A grandmother looking for her lost cat apparently fell into a sinkhole that had recently opened above an abandoned coal mine and rescuers worked late into Tuesday night to try and find her. Read more on NPR