SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol could try to impose martial law again or undermine constitutional institutions should he be reinstated, lawyers for parliament argued on Tuesday as his impeachment trial entered its final phase.
After weeks of testimony by high-ranking current and former officials, including some facing criminal charges for their role in the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, lawyers for both sides summarized their arguments and evidence at the Constitutional Court.
“Declaring martial law in a situation that doesn’t fit a national emergency is a declaration of dictatorship and military rule,” Kim Jin-han, a lawyer for the parliament, told the justices.
He cited pro-Yoon protesters who stormed a different court in January.
“If he returns to work, we don’t know if he will again exercise martial law,” Kim said. “If he returns to work, we can’t rule out the possibility that he will attack other state and constitutional institutions.”
The Constitutional Court is due to hold another hearing to question three more witnesses on Thursday, including the impeached prime minister and the former police chief.
The court is reviewing parliament’s impeachment of Yoon on December 14 and will decide whether to remove him from office permanently or reinstate him. If he is removed, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days.
Yoon has argued that he had a right as president to issue his martial law decree, which lasted around six hours before he rescinded it in the face of parliamentary opposition. He said the move was also justified by political deadlock and threats from “anti-state forces” sympathetic to North Korea.
His case at the Constitutional Court has also included arguments that he never actually intended to stop parliament from operating, even though the order was publicly declared and troops and police were deployed to the legislature.
Yoon also sent troops to the National Election Commission and later said the decree was necessary in part because the NEC had been unwilling to address concerns over election hacking, a claim rejected by election officials.
Prosecutors have also indicted Yoon on separate criminal charges of leading an insurrection. He was arrested last month and is being held at a detention center.
The first preparatory hearing in that case is scheduled for Thursday.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity. It is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.
South Korea’s parliament presses for Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal as impeachment trial winds down
https://arab.news/rt8hp
South Korea’s parliament presses for Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal as impeachment trial winds down
- Lawyers for both sides summarize their arguments and evidence at the Constitutional Court
- Yoon Suk Yeol has argued that he had a right as president to issue his martial law decree
Hope of finding survivors fades in aftermath of Dominican club roof collapse
- Roof of legendary nightclub Jet Set collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 184 people
- Doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: Rescue crews in the Dominican Republic on Thursday dug through the remains of a legendary nightclub whose roof collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 184 people, but hope of finding survivors was slim.
Meanwhile, dozens of people in the capital of Santo Domingo still searched for their loved ones, growing frustrated upon getting no answers after visiting hospitals and the country’s forensic institute.
Doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear, especially the eight who were in critical condition.
“If the trauma is too great, there’s not a lot of time” left to save patients in that condition, said Health Minister Dr. Víctor Atallah.
He and other doctors said that injuries include fractures in the skull, femur and pelvis caused by slabs of cement falling on those attending a merengue concert at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, where more than 200 were injured.
The government said Wednesday night that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies, but Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.
The legendary club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the roof collapsed.
Victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before the roof fell; former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi whose brother is seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.
Also killed was a retired United Nations official; saxophonist Luis Solis, who was playing onstage when the roof fell; New York-based fashion designer Martin Polanco; the son and daughter-in-law of the minister of public works; the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth; and three employees of Grupo Popular, a financial services company, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.
Randolfo Rijo Gomez, director of the country’s 911 system, said it received more than 100 calls, with several of those made by people buried under the rubble. He noted that police arrived at the scene in 90 seconds, followed minutes later by first response units. In less than half an hour, 25 soldiers, seven fire brigades and 77 ambulances were activated, he said.
Crews used dogs and thermal cameras to search for victims, rescuing 145 survivors from the rubble, authorities said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
The government said late Wednesday that once the recovery phase ends, it will launch a thorough investigation.
The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson for the family that owns the club told said that she passed along questions about potential inspections.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
South Korean opposition leader opens presidential bid following Yoon’s ouster
- Lee Jae-myung is widely seen as the frontrunner in the presidential by-election
- South Korean opposition leader narrowly lost the 2022 election to ousted president
SEOUL: South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, widely seen as the frontrunner in a presidential by-election triggered by the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week, officially announced a presidential bid on Thursday, vowing to heal a starkly divided nation through economic growth.
Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the liberal Democratic Party’s campaign to oust the former president over his December declaration of martial law.
Lee recently stepped down as the party’s chairman to focus on campaigning for the June 3 election. He is considered the clear frontrunner in party’s primary. Kim Dong-yeon, the Democratic governor of Gyeonggi province and a longtime financial policymaker, also told reporters Wednesday that he intends to run for president.
Yoon’s downfall has left the conservative People Power Party in disarray, with roughly 10 politicians expected to seek the nomination, reflecting a split between Yoon loyalists, who still control the party’s leadership, and reformists calling for a fresh start.
In a video message, Lee said that Yoon’s martial law saga exposed the country’s deep divisions and social conflicts, and argued that the root cause was a widening rich-poor gap. He promised aggressive government spending to jolt economic growth and ease income polarization.
“We have more than we did in the past, but wealth is too concentrated in certain areas,” Lee said. “With economic growth rates declining worldwide, it has become difficult to maintain and develop an economy solely on the strength of the private sector. However, with government-led talent development and extensive investments in technological research and development, we can revive the economy.”
Lee said it was crucial to maintain a robust alliance with the United States and to pursue three-way cooperation with Japan, but he stressed that South Korea’s national interest should come first in “every decision.”
Lee, who has served as a lawmaker, provincial governor and city mayor, is adored by supporters for his outspoken style and has long positioned himself as an anti-elitist. His critics view him as a populist who stokes division and demonizes conservative opponents while failing to offer realistic funding plans to achieve his ambitious goals.
Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party and a staunch Yoon loyalist, said that if Lee becomes president, he will “ruthlessly wield the sword of dogmatism and retribution” and further deepen the country’s divisions.
Lee also has his own set of legal troubles, facing five different trials for corruption and other criminal charges.
Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment by the legislature and formally removed him from office over the martial law decree, triggering a presidential by-election within 60 days. The next president will serve a full 5-year term.
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who heads the party’s anti-Yoon faction, was expected to announce his presidential bid on Thursday. Among the conservatives’ presidential hopefuls, former Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo is considered to be the most pro-Yoon.
Kim, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and senior PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo – a former computer software entrepreneur and three-time presidential candidate – have declared their intentions to run for president. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to enter the race later.
Trump’s ‘buy’ tip on social media before his tariffs pause made money for investors who listened
- Less than four hours later, Trump announced a 90-day pause on nearly all his tariffs. Stocks soared on the news, closing up 9.5 percent by the end of trading
- Trump Media closed up 22.67 percent, soaring twice as much as the broader market, bested only by another Trump special adviser Elon Musk’s Tesla
NEW YORK: When Donald Trump offered some financial advice Wednesday morning, stocks were wavering between gains and losses.
But that was about to change.
“THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social at 9:37 a.m.
Less than four hours later, Trump announced a 90-day pause on nearly all his tariffs. Stocks soared on the news, closing up 9.5 percent by the end of trading. The market, measured by the S&P 500, gained back about $4 trillion, or 70 percent, of the value it had lost over the previous four trading days.
It was a prescient call by the president. Maybe too prescient.
“He’s loving this, this control over markets, but he better be careful,” said Trump critic and former White House ethics lawyer, Richard Painter, noting that securities law prohibits trading on insider information or helping others do so. “The people who bought when they saw that post made a lot of money.”
The question is, Was Trump already contemplating the tariff pause when he made that post?
Asked about when he arrived at his decision, Trump gave a muddled answer.
“I would say this morning,” he said. “Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about it.”
He then added, “Fairly early this morning.”
Asked for clarification on the timing in an email to the White House later, a spokesperson didn’t answer directly but defended Trump’s post as part of his job.
“It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering,” wrote White House spokesman Kush Desai.
Another curiosity of the posting was Trump’s signoff with his initials.
DJT is also the stock symbol for Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of the president’s social media platform Truth Social.
It’s not clear if Trump was saying buying stocks in general, or Trump Media in particular. The White House was asked, but didn’t address that either. Trump includes “DJT” on his posts intermittently, typically to emphasize that he has personally written the message.
The ambiguity about what Trump meant didn’t stop people from pouring money into that stock.
Trump Media closed up 22.67 percent, soaring twice as much as the broader market, a stunning performance by a company that lost $400 million last year and is seemingly unaffected by whether tariffs would be imposed or paused.
Trump’s 53 percent ownership stake in the company, now in a trust controlled by his oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., rose by $415 million on the day.
Trump Media was bested, albeit by only two-hundreds of a percentage point, by another Trump administration stock pick — Elon Musk’s Tesla.
Last month, Trump held an extraordinary news conference outside the White House praising the company and its cars. That was followed by a Fox TV appearance by his commerce secretary urging viewers to buy the stock.
Tesla’s surge Wednesday added $20 billion to Musk’s fortunes.
Kathleen Clark, a government ethics law expert at Washington University School of Law, says Trump’s post in other administrations would have been investigated, but is not likely not to trigger any reaction, save for maybe more Truth Social viewers.
“He’s sending the message that he can effectively and with impunity manipulate the market,” she said, “As in: Watch this space for future stock tips.”
Republican-led US House votes to limit judges’ power to block Trump’s agenda
- Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has touted it as an alternative to calls by some of Trump’s allies in the chamber to impeach judges who block the Republican president’s agenda
Republican-led US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to curtail the ability of judges to issue nationwide injunctions blocking government policies after key parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda have been stymied by such court rulings.
The House voted 219-213 along largely party lines in favor of the No Rogue Rulings Act, a bill that top Republican lawmakers have called a priority after numerous judges ruled against Trump’s executive orders and policies used to implement his immigration crackdown and government downsizing initiatives.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it faces long odds of securing the 60 votes needed to become law. Republicans have only a 53-47 majority in the Senate, where similar legislation to limit nationwide injunctions is pending.
Such nationwide orders from judges have risen over the last two decades in response to challenges to policies issued by Republican and Democratic administrations, prompting calls in both parties over the years for reform.
Yet the latest bill was introduced only after judges in some of the 170-plus lawsuits challenging Trump’s flurry of executive orders and initiatives began issuing a wave of rulings blocking policies they deemed unlawful or unconstitutional.
“Since President Trump has returned to office, left-leaning activists have cooperated with ideological judges whom they have sought out to take their cases and weaponized nationwide injunctions to stall dozens of lawful executive actions and initiatives,” US Representative Darrell Issa, the bill’s lead Republican sponsor, said on the floor on Tuesday.
Under his bill, judges would have to limit the scope of their rulings to the specific parties before them, though they could still issue nationwide orders in class action lawsuits.
Cases by two or more states would be heard by randomly assigned three-judge panels, whose rulings could be appealed directly to the US Supreme Court.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has touted it as an alternative to calls by some of Trump’s allies in the chamber to impeach judges who block the Republican president’s agenda.
“No one single activist judge should be able to issue a nationwide injunction to stop a president’s policies,” Johnson told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night ahead of the vote. “That’s not the way the framers intended this to work, and we’re going to put them back in check.”
Democrats lambasted the bill as an effort to change the rules to ensure judges could not fully block anything unlawful Trump does while in office, after many of former President Joe Biden’s own initiatives were blocked by courts.
“The whole idea of suddenly blocking nationwide injunctions because Donald Trump is losing every single day in court defeats the whole concept of the rule of law,” Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said at a committee hearing last week on the bill.
Raskin said had it been law, the bill would have prevented federal judges in Washington state, Massachusetts and Maryland from issuing the nationwide injunctions that have blocked Trump’s “blatantly unconstitutional” attempt to restrict automatic US birthright citizenship as part of his immigration agenda.
The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to narrow those injunctions to cover just the plaintiffs that brought the cases, saying the justices “should declare that enough is enough before district courts’ burgeoning reliance on universal injunctions becomes further entrenched.”
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has yet to act on that request.
But it has handed Trump a series of recent victories, halting judges’ orders that required the administration rehire thousands of fired employees and reinstate millions of dollars in teacher training grants and blocked the administration from pursuing deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members using a 1798 wartime law, though that decision imposed limits.
The Trump administration welcomed Wednesday’s action in Congress, which a US Justice Department spokesperson said would “reinforce the separation of powers.”
“This Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s policies and will continue to do so whenever challenged in federal court by rogue judges who think they can control the president’s executive authority,” the spokesperson said.
US intel investigating whether FBI was involved in 2020 Capitol riot
- Trump's aide Gabbard forms task force to investigate intelligence community weaponization
- Justice Department report debunks FBI involvement in Capitol attack
WASHINGTON: The top US spy’s chief of staff on Wednesday said the US intelligence community is investigating whether the FBI was involved in planning the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
“We’re looking into it right now,” Joseph Kent, chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, said during a Senate intelligence committee hearing on his nomination to head the US National Counterterrorism Center.
He did not elaborate on which of the 18 US intelligence agencies is conducting the probe. Gabbard oversees the FBI’s intelligence functions.
A US Justice Department watchdog report released in December debunked claims by far-right conspiracy theorists who falsely alleged that FBI operatives were secretly involved in the Capitol attack.
The report found there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on the day of the attack. But, it said, the FBI did not authorize any to enter the Capitol or engage in violence.
Kent’s comments came in response to questions from Democratic Senator Mark Kelly about the attack by Trump supporters trying to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory.
Trump falsely claimed he lost the contest due to widespread voting fraud. In January, he pardoned more than 1,500 people charged in the assault by a mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to overturn his election defeat.
Kelly asked Kent, a former Green Beret and CIA officer and staunch Trump loyalist, what evidence he had to back up a post on what is now the social media platform X that the FBI and US spy agencies were involved in planning the assault on Congress.
“We’ve already identified that there were multiple confidential human informants run by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies that were present in the crowd that day, directing, removing barriers, those types of things,” Kelly said. “That has been investigated widely. We continue to look into that intelligence.”
He alleged that the FBI and law enforcement elements that he did not identify “attempted to suppress the fact” that informants were among the thousands of rioters.
Information that forewarned of violence indicated that there had been “some degree of intelligence infiltration” of groups who stormed the Capitol, he said.
Kent said that it “probably” was the bureau’s Washington Field Office that was involved and that it was “being looked into” by the intelligence community.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Gabbard’s office referred to her announcement on Tuesday that a new task force she has formed is “executing” Trump’s executive orders to rebuild trust in the intelligence community “starting with investigating weaponization, rooting out deep-seeded politicization, exposing unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence, and declassifying information that serves a public interest.”
Gabbard campaigned for Kent during his failed 2022 run to represent Washington state’s 3rd congressional district.
He was quoted by local media as questioning the validity of Biden’s victory and called the Capitol attack an “intelligence operation,” and rioters charged in the assault “political prisoners.”
Several Democratic senators questioned Kent about his participation in a group chat on the Signal messaging app in which top Trump national security officials discussed plans for March 15 airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Kent said that material posted in the chat was unclassified, but he declined to answer questions, saying the matter is the subject of litigation.
The Pentagon’s Inspector General’s office announced earlier this month that it was opening a probe into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal to coordinate the strikes.
