This week, Erin and Jake discussed how Syria faced a huge and unexpected shift as the Assad regime collapsed after 13 years of civil war, with a rebel group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) having taken control of key cities like Aleppo and Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia. HTS leader Mohammed Al-Sharaa, known for his past ties to Al-Qaeda, claimed to advocate for inclusivity of religious groups in the region, but concerns persisted over strict religious rule for religious minorities and women, in part because of recent memories of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. They also covered South Korea, where President Yoon Seok-Yeol's controversial martial law declaration last week sparked mass protests and allegations of insurrection, leading to his defense minister Kim Yong Hyun's resignation and a criminal investigation into Yoon’s actions. Finally, they examined the situation in Romania, which faced political chaos after the second round of its presidential election was canceled by the Romanian Supreme Court due to alleged Russian interference backing ultra-nationalist Călin Georgescu. So far, there’s no new date for the presidential election to resume. 

In the Have You Heard headline breakdown, Erin and Jake broke down the Pennsylvania arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with reports saying that his lawyer, Tom Dickey, said that Mangione is resisting extradition to New York. In the UK, they talked about a decision by the country’s health secretary banning puberty blockers for minors due to "unacceptable safety risks," limiting their use to clinical trials. In Brazil, they touched on President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recovering from surgery after a fall in October, and was expected to return to the capital city after a recovery from the brain bleed. They discussed the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris to the public after a massive fire in 2019, with a ceremony attended by world leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, US President-Elect Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And they went through how scientists tracked a humpback whale that broke records by migrating over 8,000 miles, or 13,000 kilometers, in a journey that might be related to climate change's impact on food sources and breeding grounds.

Sources…
The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria:

• France24 - Why the Assad regime collapsed in Syria – and why so fast
• The AP - The fall of Bashar Assad after 13 years of war in Syria brings to an end a decades-long dynasty
• Politico - Has Syrian rebel leader al-Golani really shaken off his al Qaeda past?

South Korean martial law chaos:

• The Guardian - South Korea police raid President Yoon’s office over martial law declaration
• Al Jazeera - South Korea’s President Yoon declares emergency martial law
• The AP - What to know about martial law and the impeachment vote threatening South Korea’s president

The Romanian elections getting cancelled:

• Le Monde - Romania's far right challenges annulment of presidential election
• BBC - How meddling blamed on Russia exploited real grievances in Romania
• EuroNews - Romanian court cancels presidential election in unprecedented political earthquake

Have You Heard Headlines:

• The New York Times - Suspect in Health Care C.E.O.’s Killing Charged With Murder
• The Guardian - Puberty blockers to be banned indefinitely for under-18s across UK
• Sky News - Brazilian President Lula da Silva recovering in intensive care after having emergency brain surgery
• The Guardian - Notre Dame celebrates first mass in five years after devastating fire
• NBC News - Whale stuns scientists with epic 8,000-mile migration across three oceans