News Wrap: Pentagon grounds V-22 Osprey fleet after near-crash

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• Amna Nawaz:

  We start the day's other headlines with the latest problems with the military's V-22 Osprey fleet. The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights of the aircraft after weakened metal components were found following a near-crash in New Mexico last month.

  The latest incident bears similarities to the crash off the coast of Japan in 2023 that killed eight service members. And it comes amid ongoing concerns over the Osprey, which has been plagued by safety issues during its three decades of flying.

  The Biden administration is banning two known carcinogens found in a variety of everyday products and services. Today's announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency includes a total ban of the highly toxic TCE. It's primarily used in industrial settings as a metal degreaser, but TCE is also in some household items like cleaning wipes, stain removers and glue.

  The agency also restricted consumer and commercial use of what's known as Perc, a common solvent used in dry cleaning. Both chemicals have been linked to liver, kidney and other types of cancer, as well as damage to the nervous and immune systems.

  More than three-quarters of the land on Earth got drier in recent decades. That's according to a new report released at a U.N. summit in Saudi Arabia where nations are working to address the loss of once-fertile land. The U.N. calls the shift an existential crisis, which will mean more drought and less land that can grow food and sustain plant and animal life.

  The report finds that some five billion people will be impacted by drying land by the end of the century. Scientists place the blame on emissions from burning fossil fuels.

• Sergio Vicente-Serrano, Lead Author, IPPC Assessment Report:

  From observations, we can see that global warming has been the main factor explaining the aridity trends observed in the last decades. Precipitation is not changing very much at the global scale.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Separately, European climate scientists say that the Earth just experienced its second warmest November on record. The report from the climate service Copernicus is just the latest evidence that this year will likely be the hottest ever recorded. That would mean back-to-back years of record heat following the all-time highs set in 2023.

  South Korea's Justice Ministry has banned President Yoon Suk Yeol from leaving the country following his attempt to impose martial law last week. Authorities are investigating Yoon for rebellion and other charges amid allegations that he tried to consolidate power and use the military to block legislators from voting the martial law down.

  Protesters have maintained a presence outside of Parliament, calling for Yoon to resign. South Korea only turned to democracy in the 1980s, and activists say they are committed to defending it.

• Jeon Hyo Young, Protester (through interpreter):

  I am well aware democracy in South Korea was not achieved easily. Our history says so, and it is something that our parents devoted their tears and blood to achieve. I am here today because I cannot sit idly by while watching it crumble.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Yoon survived an impeachment vote on Saturday after his allies boycotted the proceedings. He has apologized, but refuses to step down and says he will leave it to his party to decide what happens next.

  Merriam-Webster has selected polarization as its word of the year. It refers to a very specific type of division. In the current landscape, polarization has become nearly synonymous with political discord. The dictionary itself defines it as — quote — "a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum, but become concentrated at opposing extremes."

  The word was first used in 1812 in "The Journal of Natural Philosophy." More than 200 years later, it is more relevant than ever.

  The sports world is buzzing after news that Yankees outfielder Juan Soto has agreed to a record contract with crosstown rivals the New York Mets. The deal is reported to be worth $765 million over 15 years. That would work out to more than a million dollars per home run if he's able to keep up his 2024 output for that whole time.

  Soto's deal tops the previous record held by Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the L.A. Dodgers last December for $700 million over 10 years. Soto is a four-time All-Star who hit 41 home runs this year as he helped the Yankees to reach the World Series.

  On Wall Street today, tech stocks struggled after China announced an antitrust investigation into American chipmaker Nvidia. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 240 points, or about half-a-percent. The Nasdaq dropped more than 100 points, retreating from its recent record. The S&P 500 also pulled back from its all-time high.

  And it is the end of an era for Taylor Swift's two-year blockbuster of a concert tour. The pop superstar wrapped up her record-breaking Eras Tour with a final show in Vancouver this weekend. In total, Swift performed 149 shows in over 50 cities across five continents.

  More than 10 million people saw her perform. That is roughly the population of Sweden. Along the way, she raked in a record 2.2 billion, with a B, dollars in ticket sales. That is about double the amount Coldplay reportedly took in for a similar stretch of shows for its Music of the Spheres Tour.

  And in a touch of class behind all that cash, it's been reported that Swift gave nearly $200 million in bonuses to her tour team. That includes truck drivers, caterers, security personnel and her dancers, among many others.