(WHDH) — 7News Holiday Helping is back! In this edition, Olivia Michael is making her Abuela’s Empanadas.
Order new 2024 recipes from the 7News team to get all of their favorite holiday recipes!
Your donation will help Project Bread feed hungry families right here in Massachusetts.
Check out other Holiday Helping recipes from the 7News team.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree, a move that ended days of political paralysis but set up an intense debate over Yoon’s fate, as jubilant crowds roared to celebrate another defiant moment in the country’s resilient democracy.
The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85. Yoon’s presidential powers and duties were subsequently suspended and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, took over presidential powers later Saturday.
The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
It was the second National Assembly vote on Yoon’s impeachment after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the first floor vote last Saturday. Some People Power Party lawmakers had since said they would vote for Yoon’s impeachment as public protests intensified and his approval rating plummeted.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik said Yoon’s impeachment was an outcome driven by “the people’s ardent desire for democracy, courage and dedication.”
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered near the parliament roared in jubilation, waved banners and brandished colorful K-pop glow sticks, as a lead activist shouted on stage, “We have preserved the constitutional order!”
“The impeachment has been done in line with the people’s demand and I hope a decision to dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol will come as soon as possible,” said Kim Su-bong, a protester. “I’m very happy and moved. I view it as a victory of the people.”
In a central Seoul plaza, another huge crowd gathered supporting Yoon, but they grew subdued after hearing he had been impeached.
Yoon issued a statement saying he would “never give up” and calling for officials to maintain stability in government functions during what he described as a “temporary” pause of his presidency.
“I will carry with me all the criticisms, encouragement and support directed toward me, and I will continue to do my utmost for the country until the very last moment,” Yoon said.
Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but has caused massive political tumult, halted diplomatic activities and rattled financial markets. Yoon was forced to lift his decree after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
Han, the acting leader, ordered the military to bolster its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching provocations by miscalculation. Han asked the foreign minister to inform other countries that South Korea’s major external policies remain unchanged, and the finance minister to work to minimize potential negative impacts on the economy by the political turmoil, according to Han’s office.
“I earnestly ask public servants this. At this moment, we have the critical task of ensuring normal and stable operations of state affairs … I ask you to carry out your duties without any neglect to ensure that the government is operated without being shaken,” Han said in a televised statement.
Han’s office said he had a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday, discussing the political situation in South Korea and regional security challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear program and its ongoing military cooperation with Russia, and reaffirming their mutual commitment to maintaining and strengthening their alliance.
South Korea’s executive power is concentrated with the president, but the prime minister leads the country if the president becomes incapacitated. Han is a seasoned official and has previously held a string of top government posts such as trade minister and finance minister. He also served as a prime minister from 2007-2008.
U.S. Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg wrote on X that the U.S. supports South Korea’s “democratic and constitutional process here and stands with its people.” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Saturday that Tokyo was closely watching the developments in South Korea but said that “the importance of Japan-South Korea relations is not affected.”
After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to try to impede its vote on the decree, before they withdrew after the parliament rejected Yoon’s decree. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties accuse Yoon of rebellion, citing a law that categorizes as rebellion the staging of a riot against established state authorities to undermine the constitution. They also say that a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and has no right to suspend parliament’s operations even under martial law.
The impeachment motion alleged that Yoon “committed rebellion that hurt peace in the Republic of Korea by staging a series of riots.” It said Yoon’s mobilization of military and police forces threatened the National Assembly and the public and that his martial law decree was aimed at disturbing the constitution.
In a fiery speech on Thursday, Yoon rejected the rebellion charges, calling his martial law introduction an act of governance. The conservative Yoon said he aimed to issue a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, calling it “a monster” and “anti-state forces” that he argued has flexed its legislative muscle to impeach many top officials and undermine the government’s budget bill for next year. He claimed the deployment of troops was meant to maintain order, rather than disrupt it.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called Yoon’s speech a “mad declaration of war” against his own people.
Observers say Yoon’s speech suggested a focus on legal preparations to defend his martial law decree at the Constitutional Court, even as opinion surveys showed more than 70% of South Koreans supported his impeachment. A survey released Friday put Yoon’s approval rating at 11%, the lowest since he took office in 2022.
Some of Yoon’s claims don’t align with testimony by some military commanders whose troops were deployed to the Assembly.
Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, said that Yoon had asked for his troops to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside.” Kwak said he didn’t carry out Yoon’s order.
Yoon is the third South Korean president impeached while in office. In 2016, parliament impeached Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, over a corruption scandal. The Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment and dismissed her from office.
In 2004, President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached at parliament over an alleged election law violation but the court later overturned his impeachment and restored his presidential powers.
Yoon has been banned from leaving South Korea. Yoon’s defense minister and police chief and two other high-level figures have been arrested over the martial law enforcement.
He has the presidential privilege of immunity from criminal prosecution but that doesn’t extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. But observers doubt that authorities will forcefully detain him because of the potential for clashes with his presidential security service.
__
Associated Press journalists Seong-bin Kang in Seoul, South Korea, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Country star Walker Hayes surprised three Waffle House employees in Tennessee when he gave them huge tips to mark the holiday season.
The 44-year-old singer was joined by entrepreneur and social media influencer Lexy Burke at one of the restaurant chain’s locations in Nashville, where they handed $1,200 in tips to workers following a meal.
Known as the “Serial Tipper,” Burke, a former server, collects donations from her followers to provide restaurant staff with generous tips. Burke launched the online movement in May 2020 to support food service workers after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she has continued her efforts since then.
“Honestly, I’m just so grateful Lexy included me in something so generous that she has cultivated,” Hayes told Southern Living magazine.
Walker Hayes surprised three Waffle House workers with huge tips. (Getty/Lexy Burke Instagram)
He continued, “As far as giving back is concerned, it is wild to be on this side of the gift. We’ve had people give us cars when we were hurting financially, so we know what it’s like to need a little help.”
WALKER HAYES OF ‘FANCY LIKE’ FAME HINTS AT OPENING APPLEBEE’S IN NASHVILLE
In a joint video posted by Hayes and Burke on Instagram Thursday, the two were seen meeting up outside a Nashville Waffle House. Burke introduced the Grammy Award nominee as a “surprise contributor.”
“You ready to tip?” Burke asked Hayes.
“Let’s big tip these people,” he replied with a smile.
APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST
Burke was seen chatting with a waitress, who said she also works at a hospital. The server marveled over Hayes’ appearance at the restaurant, telling Burke, “Wow, he walked in while I was working. I don’t ever get to see anybody good.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Another employee played Hayes’ song “Fancy Like Christmas” on the jukebox while the singer placed his order with the waitress.
“I’m trying to get this item on the menu. It’s called the Waffle Hayes,” he said. “It’s basically a waffle but with two eggs over-easy and bacon and cheese in it and folded like a taco.”
“We have customers come in and get that,” the waitress told him.
“If they get that, that’s what I want,” Hayes said.
After finishing their meal, Burke told the waitress and two other workers about her serial tipping movement.
Country singer Walker Hayes, above, was joined by influencer Lexy Burke, who is known as the “Serial Tipper.” (Debra L. Rothenberg/WireImage)
“I do this thing like every holiday season on my social media where I just ask people to send in some spare change,” she said. “So they do that and then my friend Walker wanted to contribute as well.”
Burke told the astonished employees that they were giving them $400 each for a total of $1,200.
“What’s up?!” Hayes said before assuring them that Burke was serious.
“On my God,” said one worker, to which Hayes replied, “I know!”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“This is from tons of people who just wanted to make y’all’s night,” Burke said. “A lot of love.”
Burke gave the waitress a stack of $100 bills while Hayes cheered.
“Can I hug you?” the waitress asked.
The two hugged and the waitress said, “I’m going to hug everybody. Thank you so much.”
At the end of the video, the employees addressed Burke’s followers, calling out “Thank you!”
Hayes struggled for years before making it big with his hit “Fancy Like.” (JCPenney)
Before skyrocketing to fame with the success of his 2021 viral hit “Fancy Like,” Hayes struggled for over a decade as an aspiring singer-songwriter and worked at a Costco in Nashville. During a July 2023 interview with Fox News Digital, Hayes detailed his battle with alcoholism.
The father of six shared that he was able to embrace sobriety and his faith with the help of his friend Craig Cooper, a pastor who helped him and his family when they needed it most.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
While speaking with Southern Living, Hayes said, “I really never dreamed we would have much to offer anyone.”
“So grateful, especially in this season, to help anyone, however we can,” he added.
Colorado’s Travis Hunter is college football’s most outstanding player, winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.
Hunter won the Heisman Trophy over Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
An emotional hunter shared a long embrace with head coach Deion Sanders, wiping away tears on Coach Prime’s shoulder.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Cornerback Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes hits the Heisman Pose after making an interception during the game against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The Buffaloes defeated the Knights 48 to 21. (Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
“I thank God, man. I never thought I’d be in this position,” Hunter said when accepting the award.
Hunter received 552 first-place votes, beating out Jeanty’s 309. They were, by far, the top-two finishers in the vote.
Hunter, 21, had one of the most incredible seasons in college football history playing both wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado.
The Colorado superstar played a whopping 1,380 total snaps this season, rarely leaving the field.
Hunter played 670 snaps on offense, and 686 snaps on defense, while also playing 24 special teams snaps.
Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter runs against TCU during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
NAVY PULLS OFF UPSET OVER ARMY WITH TRUMP, STAR-STUDDED GROUP IN ATTENDANCE
As a wide receiver, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 total touchdowns. Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver.
Hunter also won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, becoming the first player ever to win both the Bednarik and Biletnikoff Award.
As a corner, Hunter had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado’s defense.
Hunter, along with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, led Colorado to a 9-3 record, falling just short of making the Big 12 Championship game.
Jeanty came in second place, as the Boise State running back had one of the best seasons a running back has ever had in college football history.
Jeanty’s numbers were that out of a video game, running for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns on 344 carries, averaging an incredible 7.3 yards per carry.
Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Jeanty helped lead Boise State to the three-seed in the College Football Playoff, getting a bye in the first round. Boise State will play the winner of SMU and Penn State.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
President-elect Trump named a couple of key first-term allies to roles in his second administration, including Richard Grenell.
Grenell was the incoming president’s pick as presidential envoy for special missions, a post that will likely drive the administration’s policies in some of the most contentious regions of the world.
“Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea,” Trump said in the announcement Saturday evening.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES MORE NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING DEVIN NUNES, TROY EDGAR AND BILL WHITE
Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, speaks on stage during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 17. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Grenell was Trump’s intelligence chief during the president’s first administration.
“In my First Term, Ric was the United States Ambassador to Germany, Acting Director of National Intelligence, and Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations,” Trump said. “Previously, he spent eight years inside the United Nations Security Council, working with North Korea, and developments in numerous other Countries.”
President-elect Trump chose Edward Walsh as ambassador to Ireland. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump also announced Edward Sharp Walsh as his pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
NEW POLL REVEALS WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF TRUMP’S TRANSITION DECISIONS
“Edward is the President of the Walsh Company, a very successful nationwide construction and real estate firm. He is a great philanthropist in his local community, and previously served as the Chairman of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority Board,” Trump announced.
President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance at an election night watch party in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP/Evan Vucci)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The picks are the latest in a string of nominations the president-elect hopes the Senate will approve.
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
As part of the settlement made public Saturday, ABC News posted an editor’s note to its website expressing regret over Stephanopoulos’ statements during a March 10 segment on his “This Week” program. The network will also pay $1 million in legal fees to the law firm of Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito.
The settlement agreement describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution,” with the money earmarked for a non-profit organization that is being established in connection with the yet-to-be built library.
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” ABC News spokesperson Jeannie Kedas said.
A Trump spokesperson declined comment.
Trump, Stephanopoulos and ABC executives signed the settlement agreement on Friday.
The document bore Trump’s bold, distinct signature and an electronic signature with the initials GRS in a space for Stephanopoulos’ name. Debra OConnell, the president of ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, also e-signed the agreement.
ABC News must transfer the $15 million for Trump’s library to an escrow account that’s being managed by Brito’s law firm within 10 days, according to the agreement. The network must also pay Brito’s legal fees within 10 days.
While sizeable, ABC’s contribution to Trump’s presidential library will likely cover just a fraction of the cost. Former President Barack Obama’s library in Chicago, for example, was estimated to cost $830 million as of 2021.
Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos in federal court in Miami days after the network aired the segment, in which the longtime “Good Morning America” anchor and “This Week” host repeatedly misstated the verdicts in Carroll’s two civil lawsuits against Trump.
During a live “This Week” interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Stephanopoulos wrongly claimed that Trump had been “found liable for rape” and “defaming the victim of that rape.”
Neither verdict involved a finding of rape as defined under New York law.
In the first of the lawsuits to go to trial, Trump was found liable last year of sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll. A jury ordered him to pay her $5 million.
In January, at a second trial in federal court in Manhattan, Trump was found liable on additional defamation claims and ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million.
Trump is appealing both verdicts.
Carroll, a former advice columnist, went public in a 2019 memoir with her allegation that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury Manhattan department store across the street from Trump Tower, after they crossed paths at an entrance.
Trump denied her claim, saying he didn’t know Carroll and never ran into her at the store.
After Trump lashed out, calling Carroll a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell her memoir, she sued him for unspecified monetary damages and sought a retraction of what she said were Trump’s defamatory denials.
Testifying in April 2023, Carroll told jurors: “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen. He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back.”
After she’d agreed to help Trump shop for a gift for a woman, Carroll testified that he pushed her against a dressing room wall, stamped his mouth onto hers, yanked down her tights and shoved his hand and then his penis inside her while she struggled against him.
She said she finally kneed him off her and fled.
In upholding the $5 million judgment in the first trial, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote that the unanimous verdict was almost entirely in favor of Carroll, except that the jury concluded she had failed to prove that Trump raped her “within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law.”
Kaplan, who presided over both of Carroll’s lawsuits against Trump, said the definition of rape in the state code was “far narrower” than how rape is defined in common modern parlance, in some dictionaries, in some federal and state criminal statutes and elsewhere.
Under New York law, a rape finding requires vaginal penetration by a penis. Forcible penetration without consent of the vagina or other bodily orifices by fingers or anything else is labeled “sexual abuse.”
The judge said the verdict did not mean that Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’ Indeed … the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”
___
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
WELLESLEY, MASS. (WHDH) – In a story you’ll see on just one station, a worker who suffered life-threatening injuries after being shocked while hanging holiday lights in Wellesley last month was reunited with the officer who helped save his life.
Emergency crews responded to Falmouth Circle on Nov. 27 after learning 22-year-old Dante Marino had suffered the shock after being hired to install lights on a tree and was not breathing.
That’s when Officer Michael Pino sprang into action and performed CPR on Marino until paramedics arrived.
‘He’s a hero and he’s a super cool dude as well and I’m happy to be here and to meet him,” Marino said at the Wellesley Police Department on Saturday.
Pino said his training kicked in.
“In critical incidents like that the best thing you can do is rely on your training and experience,” Pino told 7NEWS. “We’re fortunate enough that we get plenty of both.”
When paramedics arrived, they hooked Marino up to a defibrillator and flew him to Mass. General Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. His release from the hospital earlier this week, Pino said, was a medical miracle.
Marino said he’s thankful to be alive and home for the holidays.
“I hang holiday lights for a living and I’m happy that there’s a happy ending to the story because I know a lot of people were scared and I’m just glad everything turned out well and I hope everyone has a nice Christmas out there,” he said.
Marino said he’s still having trouble with his foot and his memory but is glad to be on the road to recovery.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Temperatures will dip into the teens and single digits again tonight as a cold Canadian high pressure system remains overhead.
Coldest locations locally will be expected in Southern New Hampshire, where temperature could fall to just 5 degrees.
Although it’ll be cold tonight, a warmup is on the way, with temperatures jumping into the 50s on Tuesday.
That won’t come without a cost, as another rain storm is expected to move through during the day.
Sundarpal Ghotra: Arrested for alleged organized retail theft, two counts of theft – shoplifting, resisting law enforcement, criminal conversion, three counts of driving while suspended, operating while intoxicated – endangerment, operating while intoxicated, possession of paraphernalia, expired plates, resisting law enforcement – fleeing vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash – property damage in Allen County, Indiana on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
read more
BOSTON (WHDH) – More than 65 pediatric patients and their families from Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic boarded the Cape Cod Polar Express on Saturday for a 90-minute festive train ride with Santa Clause to the North Pole.
The fun started in the lobby of the hospital, where Santa’s Elves greeted families and hosted crafts before boarding the buses that would take them to the Polar Express ride.
Those going on the trip said they were excited to see the big man himself and were grateful for the opportunity to get out and celebrate the holidays.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)