Geoff Bennett:
Also today, President Biden is taking steps to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling across a huge stretch of federal waters. Altogether, the action affects more than 625 million acres of ocean along both coasts, plus the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska.
The Biden administration says the environmental and economic risks of drilling in those areas outweigh their potential economic benefit. It comes just two weeks before president-elect Trump is set to return to the Oval Office. He’s vowed to — quote — “unban it immediately,” but that would likely need an act of Congress.
U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel are suing the Biden administration for blocking their nearly $15 billion merger deal. In a lawsuit filed in federal court today, the companies say the decision was based on politics and had no legal basis. In a separate filing, they also alleged that the head of the steelworkers union and a rival steelmaker engaged in racketeering to tank the buyout.
On Friday, President Biden officially blocked the deal, citing America’s national interests. In South Korea, the government’s anti-corruption agency has asked the police there to take over its efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Pro-Yoon demonstrators gathered outside of his residence in Seoul today. That’s where presidential guards blocked investigators from detaining Yoon last week.
Authorities are investigating whether Yoon’s declaration of martial law back in December amounts to a rebellion. He has refused to be questioned about his actions.
It’s all unfolding as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his counterpart in Seoul today. He said South Korea’s political crisis would not hurt its relationship with the U.S.
Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: The United States has full confidence in South Korea’s institutions, and we reaffirm our unwavering support for the Korean people as they work tirelessly to uphold those institutions. We trust that the Republic of Korea, as a leading global democracy, will proceed in full accordance with its Constitution and the rule of law.
