In an ominous turn of events in Tehran, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Court warned Tuesday that arrested protesters could face the death penalty when their cases come to trial. According to the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency, chief justice Mousa Ghazanfarabadi is quoted as threatening “Obviously one of their charges can be Moharebeh”—or waging war against God, which is a death-penalty offense in Iran. More than 450 people have reportedly been taken into custody during six days of unrest, as tens of thousands have taken to the streets in nationwide demonstrations against poor economic conditions and frustration with the Islamic government. Meanwhile, state TV reported early Tuesday that an 11-year-old boy and a Revolutionary Guardsman were among the nine killed overnight. The death toll rose to 21 from the clashes. In his first comments since the protests erupted, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused unnamed foreign enemies of meddling in Iran’s affairs, using money, weapons, politics and intelligence apparatuses “to create problems for the Islamic system,” according to a post on his website.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s apparent willingness to participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and offer for high-level talks. Just a day earlier, Kim announced his hope “for (a) peaceful resolution with our southern border” in a televised New Year’s Day speech. Kim said North Korean representatives should begin discussing the possibility of sending a delegation to the 2018 Winter Games as soon as possible. Moon, in turn, described Kim’s speech “as a response to our proposal to turn the Pyeongchang Olympic Games into an epoch-making opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations and establish peace.”

Hoda Kotb will officially step into the Today show co-anchor role left vacant by Matt Lauer, who was terminated over accusations of sexual misconduct by female colleagues. NBC News Chairman Andy Lack announced that Kotb, 53, will formally debut in her new role Tuesday to join Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk during the first two hours of the morning news program. She will also continue her job as co-host of Today’s fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford. Kotb has been with NBC News since 1998 and has acted as a fixed substitute in Lauer’s spot since his November ouster. “The two have quickly hit the ground running,” Lack said of Kotb and Guthrie, in an announcement to staff on Tuesday. “They have an undeniable connection.”

Alabama will face the Georgia Bulldogs in college football’s national championship game, after the No. 4 Crimson Tide beat No. 1 Clemson late Monday at the Sugar Bowl 24-6, avenging its loss in the title match last season. “They talked so much trash, but we just came in here and dominated the game,” said Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley. “We just wanted to come out here and dominate the game, and that’s what we did, dominate ... we dominated Clemson. Dominated. Dominated.” “It was a little personal for us after the way the game played out last year,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban noted, referring to the 35-31 game that went to Clemson. The win sets up an all-Southeast Conference capper to the playoff tournament, set for Jan. 8 in Atlanta.

Following an angry New Year’s Day tweet from President Trump, Pakistan lashed out Monday, summoning the U.S. ambassador. Trump accused the country’s leaders of “lies and deceit,” writing on Twitter: “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Ambassador David Hale came to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the social-media post, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire. During that meeting, Pakistani officials protested the president’s allegations and asked for clarification, several news outlets report. Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s foreign minister, publicly condemned Trump’s incendiary remarks and dismissed them as nothing but a political stunt. “He has tweeted against us [Pakistan] and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV. “He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in a dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Peter Martins, who served as the powerhouse leader of the New York City Ballet for more than three decades, has decided to immediately retire in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and physical abuse. “I have denied, and continue to deny, that I have engaged in any such misconduct,” said the 71-year-old. Martins added, “I cooperated fully in the investigation and understand it will be completed shortly. I believe its findings would have vindicated me.” Board members were reportedly informed of Martins’ decision Monday evening in a conference call, when they also learned that he had been arrested days earlier on a charge of driving while intoxicated. In all, 24 former dancers have told The New York Times of a culture of intimidation and physical and verbal abuse under Martins’ leadership.

YouTube superstar Logan Paul apologized Monday night for posting a video of a suicide victim to his vlog, which has since been removed. “I didn’t do it for the views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet... I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention,” Paul, the older brother of YouTuber Jake Paul, tweeted. Logan Paul, who has more than 15 million subscribers, has been on a trip to Japan for the past week. Over the weekend, he and some friends paid a visit to Aokigahara by Mt. Fuji, also known as “suicide forest.” There, they stumbled upon the body of a man who had apparently hanged himself just hours before. Paul filmed the body and his reaction to it, then uploaded the video on Dec. 31 with the title “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…” “This is not clickbait. This is the most real vlog I’ve ever posted to this channel,” he said in the video. Backlash was swift, and after mass outrage, the YouTube video was removed from Paul’s channel Monday night. Before the video was removed it had garnered over half a million likes and 6.3 million views.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un taunted the U.S. in his New Year’s Day address to the nation Monday, saying newly perfected nuclear capabilities mean he can launch a nuclear strike at any time. “The entire mainland of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button is always on the desk of my office. They should accurately be aware that this is not a threat but a reality,” Kim said in his address broadcast on state TV. He said the U.S. would “not dare” to take any military action against Pyongyang because “they know that now we possess such great nuclear power.”

Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News host who helped bring down network chairman Roger Ailes with a sexual-harassment lawsuit, has been tapped to serve as chairwoman of the Miss America Organization board. Carlson, who won the Miss America crown in 1989, will become the first former pageant winner to lead the organization. “Honored to move this iconic program forward with so many amazing volunteers,” Carlson tweeted about the news Monday. The move comes after a major shakeup at the Miss America Organization following a leaked-email scandal that prompted its top leadership to step down. CEO Sam Haskell and President Josh Randle resigned after the emails revealed conversations with derogatory and mocking comments about former contestants.

Singer Lorde was labeled an “anti-Semite” and a “bigot” in a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post after pulling out of a planned gig in Tel Aviv. U.S. celebrity rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s organization This World: The Values Network took out the ad, which features a large photo of the New Zealand singer and the caption, “21 is young to become a bigot.” The ad goes on to accuse Lorde of taking part in a “global anti-Semitic boycott of Israel.” “Let’s boycott the boycotters and tell Lorde and her fellow bigots that Jew-hatred has no place in the twenty-first century,” the ad urges readers. Last month, Lorde announced the cancellation of an upcoming show in Tel Aviv after criticism from groups who said the show would be a sign of support for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.