Erin & Jake kicked the week off with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's unexpected resignation announcement on Monday, which he gave amid mounting disapproval within his party and economic roadblocks like rising inflation and tariff threats from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Billionaire Elon Musk tweeted about Trudeau, saying, “Girl, you're not the governor of Canada anymore, so doesn't matter what you say.” 

They broke down the situation in South Korea, in which in early December President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, was swiftly impeached, and is now barricaded inside his residence, resisting arrest with the secret service protecting him. After two impeachments (one for his immediate successor, for not launching an investigation into President Yoon), the country now has a relatively stable government while navigating this new crisis. 

Finally, they discussed how European leaders are pushing back on Elon Musk’s interference in their elections, claiming his platform, X, has been amplifying support for far-right political parties throughout the continent. In the UK, this has taken the form of pushing lies against the leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer; in Germany, it means over support for the far-right party, the AfD. 

This week’s top headlines include a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Tibet, killing at least 126 and injuring more than a hundred more in the disaster near Mount Everest. In France, far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, father of Marine Le Pen, died on Tuesday at 96, leaving a legacy marked by Holocaust denialism and inflammatory remarks. 

In the U.S., Donald Trump’s election was certified by a session presided over by Kamala Harris, his main opponent in the election. At a press conference on Tuesday, he doubled down on his ambitions to annex Greenland and Canada, and control territories like the Panama Canal. 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced he will be ending fact-checking on platforms like Facebook and Instagram in favor of community notes, which experts warn will increase misinformation. And finally, a deadly winter storm hit the northern U.S., the strongest in decades, while greater Los Angeles fights wildfires raging through Pasadena and Eaton.