Thursday morning news: January 22, 2026

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Greenland update » President Trump has dropped his threat to impose tariffs on several European countries after reaching a new understanding with NATO on Arctic security.

The president commented from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland Wednesday:

TRUMP:  It's a long term deal. It's the ultimate long term deal, and it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and minerals...

Trump said the two sides agreed on a framework for future cooperation in the Arctic, easing tensions tied to Greenland.

The move followed talks Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

RUTTE:  This is our seven allies, including United States, working on that, implementing that part of what the president has been pushing for.

Trump said discussions would continue but confirmed the tariff plan was off the table. He had confirmed earlier in the day that he was not considering using force to acquire Greenland.

The deal is also reported to include rights to rare earth minerals, but the terms of that agreement are not yet clear.

TRUMP:  The deal is gonna be put out pretty soon and we'll see. It's, uh, it's right now a little bit in progress, but pretty far along. It gets us everything we needed to get.

Trump has long argued the island is strategically important for U.S. national security, especially as Russia and China expand their presence in the region.

NATO leaders stressed that Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark and is not for sale.

Ukraine update » Also in Switzerland Wednesday, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that he plans to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and a delegation from Ukraine:

WITKOFF: We plan to discuss peace in Ukraine in Russia.
REPORTER: And how do you think it will go?
WITKOFF: I'm hopeful, I'm hopeful that all meetings will go well on that subject. We need a peace.

But it was anything but peaceful in Ukraine overnight.

SOUND: [Zaporizhzhia attack]

Firefighters in the town of Zaporizhzhia worked to put out a blaze at a residence.

Authorities there say a Russian drone attack killed at least three people and injured two more.

UNRWA demolition » Meanwhile in the Middle East:

SOUND: [UNRWA demolition]

Israel is facing criticism after it demolished the east Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA. That is the United Nations’ relief agency that provides aid to Palestinians.

A UN deputy spokesman yesterday called the demolition unlawful and told reporters:

HAQ: The compound is a UN facility and is therefore inviolable under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which all UN member states are obliged to respect without exception.

But the Israeli government calls UNRWA a breeding ground for terrorism and banned it from operating in areas under Israeli jurisdiction.

Israel has claimed that UNRWA employees actively took part in the Oct 7 terror attacks against the country.

Clintons contempt of Congress » On Capitol Hill, some House Democrats have joined Republicans in voting to move forward with contempt of Congress resolutions against the Clintons.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the panel doesn’t take the action against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lightly.

COMER:  Since issuing the subpoenas, this committee has acted in good faith. We've offered flexibility on scheduling. The response we received was not cooperation, but defiance marked by repeated delays, excuses, and obstruction.

The Clintons have argued that the subpoenas were not legally valid. But Comer says that’s not their call to make.

COMER:   But subpoenas are not mere suggestions. They carry the force of law and require compliance.

The committee wants to question the Clintons in connection with the probe of late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Roughly half of the panel’s 19 Democrats joined Republicans on moving ahead with contempt charges against Bill Clinton. And three voted yes on contempt for Hillary Clinton.

The measures now head to the full House, where leaders could schedule a vote in the coming weeks.

If the resolution passes, the House would refer the matter to the Justice Department.

Wall Street rallies » U.S. stocks rebounded Wednesday, clawing back about half of the losses from the day before. 

WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Wall Street rallied as Investors reacted to President Trump backing away from those tariff threats.

The S&P 500 rose a little over one percent, the Dow gained nearly 600 points, and the Nasdaq also finished higher.

Markets had fallen sharply Tuesday on worries about tariffs and broader trade tensions. Wednesday’s rebound helped steady nerves, though indexes remain just below recent record highs.

Bond markets also calmed. Treasury yields slipped, a sign that investors were feeling less anxious. The dollar recovered some ground after sliding earlier in the week.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

I’m Kristen Flavin.

Still ahead, new testimony on the sprawling fraud scandal in Minnesota. And later, new travel rules standing in the way of international adoptions.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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