Some former colleagues said Pete Hegseth’s drinking while working for Fox News was concerning. Impeachment proceedings are underway against the South Korean president after he declared martial law. And a new study shows how women benefit from even short bursts of activity.

This is what you should know today.

Pete Hegseth’s alcoholic colleagues at Fox News were worried, sources said

According to 10 former and current Fox News employees, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick as defense secretary, drank in a way that alarmed his colleagues. The revelations come at a time when uncertainty is growing over whether the Senate will confirm him.

The allegations include:

→ Two people say that during Hegseth’s time as co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” they smelled alcohol on him more than a dozen times before he went on the air.

→ One current and two former Fox employees said they felt like they had to “babysit” Hegseth because he drinks and stays late at night.

→ Three current aides said Hegseth’s drinking was a problem until Trump announced he had chosen to run the Pentagon. At this point, Hegseth left Fox.

None of the sources could recall an instance in which Hegseth missed a scheduled appearance because he had been drinking.

A spokesman for the Trump transition team called the allegations “completely baseless and false.”

Former colleagues’ descriptions of Hegseth’s behavior during his tenure at Fox News raise questions about his ability to carry out the around-the-clock duties that come with running the Pentagon and its 3 million civilian and military employees. A secretary of defense typically works around the clock and may need to respond to a crisis that suddenly arises at night or on weekends.

Last weekend, The New Yorker raised concerns about Hegseth’s drinking in two jobs he held at nonprofit veterans groups before joining Fox. Hegseth was also the subject of a sexual assault investigation in California in 2017.

Hegseth’s Senate confirmation appears to be in jeopardy As Republicans become increasingly concerned about the allegations. As many as six Senate Republicans, perhaps more, currently disagree with supporting Hegseth’s bid to run the Pentagon, three Republican sources said. Given Republicans’ narrow Senate majority in the next Congress, Hegseth can afford to lose just three GOP votes, assuming all Democrats vote against him.

Read the full story here.

Read more about Trump’s transition and political coverage:

• Chad Chronister, Trump’s pick to head the DEA, has withdrawn from considerationciting the “gravity” of the post and his commitment to his ongoing work as sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida.
• None of Trump’s children will have roles in his next term, according to sources familiar with the family dynamics. But they will continue to be influential in his circle.
• Trump’s lawyers called for his hush money case be dismissedciting President Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden.
• In his column this week, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd calls Biden’s pardon “Shakespearean,” “tragic on so many levels” and “a huge mistake.” Read the full analysis here.
• Trump transition officials are exploring the possibility Construction of detention centers for immigrants on land owned by the State of Texas.
• Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, promoted a supplement line A drug was developed earlier this year that claims to help people “detoxify” Covid vaccines.

South Korean lawmakers are moving to impeach the president

Efforts are underway to indict South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after he shocked his country by declaring martial law, only to have the order revoked hours later. Six opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, which controls parliament, filed charges against Yoon today. The party will also initiate impeachment proceedings against the country’s defense minister and interior minister. Yoon’s chief of staff and all other senior presidential secretaries have tendered their resignations, his office said.

Meanwhile, the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) said there were discussions about whether Yoon should leave the party.

The six-hour standoff began yesterday when Yoon said in a late-night televised address that he was declaring a martial law state of emergency and accused opposition parties of sympathizing with North Korea and controlling parliament. Less than three hours later, lawmakers passed a resolution calling on Yoon to rescind his order. But early in the morning, Yoon went on television again to announce the about-face. Read the latest about the fallout from Yoon’s short-lived declaration.

SCOTUS is cracking down on state treatment bans for transgender youth

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning in a case examining whether states can restrict the care of minors undergoing gender reassignment surgery. One challenge raised by the Biden administration and transgender teens and their families concerns a Tennessee law that bans gender reassignment surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. However, the court, with a conservative majority of 6-3, will only hear arguments on puberty blockers and hormone therapy; A lower court judge said the plaintiffs had no legal standing to challenge the surgery ban.

Challengers argue that Tennessee’s law is a form of sex discrimination and violates the 14th Amendment, which requires equal treatment under the law. There are other circumstances in which non-transgender patients can be treated with puberty blockers and hormone therapy, challengers say.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti argues that the law does not constitute gender discrimination and that it is simply a form of medical regulation that applies equally to everyone.

The case is the most important so far the last term of the court.

US officials warn of unprecedented cyberattack

An unprecedented cyberattack by China on telecommunications companies including AT&T and Verizon has not been fully resolved, U.S. officials said in an update yesterday, nearly two months after the hack was first reported. Instead, officials recommended Americans use encrypted messaging apps to minimize the chances of foreign hackers intercepting their communications.

The FBI said hackers were generally able to access three types of information: call records, live phone calls to specific targets and systems used in accordance with court orders to track people’s communications.

The scale of the hacking campaign was so large, a CIA official said, that it was “impossible” to have a timetable for declaring American telecommunications systems free of intruders. Here’s what else you should know.

read all about it

• A head-to-head clinical trial of two popular weight loss medications involved people taking Eli Lilly’s Zepbound lost more weight than those who took Wegovy from Novo Nordisk.
• Hannah Kobayashi’s sister said her family was “confused” and “frustrated” on the conclusion of the Los Angeles Police Department in the case of the missing 30-year-old.
• An Indian-American man speaks out about his family being racially harassed by a woman on a United Airlines bus.
• That was the season of second (or third) chances for NFL quarterbacks. Just look at Bryce Young and Baker Mayfield.

Personnel selection: A few short daily bursts of activity can go a long way

If you’re looking to start a new workout routine, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas may not be the best time. But the good news is that even short bursts of activity can have big benefits for your health. There’s a growing body of research showing that even small amounts of physical activity — like carrying groceries or climbing stairs — can add up, especially for people who don’t exercise regularly. The latest study mainly finds women can almost halve your risk of serious heart problems by adding just under 3.5 minutes of activity throughout the day. — Sara G. MillerHealth Editor

NBC Select: Online shopping, simplified

NBC Selects 12 days full of offers starts today! Every day the team offers a new, exclusive discount on your favorite brands and products – a kind of virtual Advent calendar. Expect deals on grooming products, pet accessories, bedding, kitchenware and more. You can check out today’s offer Here and log in The Selection newsletter to get the daily offer straight to your inbox. Happy shopping!