Tuesday morning news: January 20, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

DOJ investigating Minnesota church disruption » The Justice Department says it is taking action after anti-ICE protesters disrupted a church service this week in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 A group stormed into a Sunday church service shouting and reportedly getting into the faces of churchgoers.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche:

BLANCHE:  You are not allowed to stop people from worshiping, and you're not allowed to intimidate or impede them. And so the individuals that went in there and did that, and you could tell that they had a plan, you could tell that they had an agenda...

They reportedly targeted that church because of the pastor’s ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Department of Justice senior advisor Alina Habba says she expects that Attorney General Pam Bondi will hold them accountable.

HABBA:  She will come down hard. The Department of Justice will come down hard. Our Civil Rights division will come down hard … on anybody who tries to impede or intimidate somebody in a place of worship or a police officer or an ICE officer. It's just not gonna happen in this administration.

And U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced on social media that the Civil Rights Division is investigating potential violations of the federal so-called FACE Act by the people who stormed that service.

Greenland latest » On Capitol Hill, there is no consensus regarding President Trump’s strong push for the United States to acquire Greenland.

Many NATO allies are pushing back, saying Trump should respect Greenland’s sovereignty as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

And Democratic Sen. Mark Warner agrees, and says in his view a takeover isn’t even needed.

WARNER:  We had 17 military bases there, we shut them down. They have said "build them back up." You know, the, the, the groups that benefit most from this break with NATO is Vladimir Putin.

But some Republicans, like Congressman Mike Haridopolos argue that the president’s push is exactly the right move.

HARIDOPOLOS: This is a president who leads and he is willing to even buck some friends to make sure we make the right long-term strategic decisions.

The European Union held an emergency meeting on Sunday. EU leaders are hoping to convince Trump to back away from threatened tariffs against European countries that oppose his push to acquire Greenland.

Gaza latest » President Trump's peace board created to lead the post-war construction of Gaza is taking shape, but not everyone is on board with the plan.

The president reportedly sent invitations to some 50 world leaders to join the panel. A spokesman for the European Commission says commission president Ursula von der Leyen is one of them.

GILL: At this stage, we can confirm the receipt of the invitation. We appreciate the receipt. The President is in close contact with EU leaders on all geopolitical matters, and discussions will continue on this topic, I'm sure, during the week.

One world leader who is not signing on is French President Emmanuel Macron. His office reportedly turned down a seat at the table...saying the peace board is ultimately designed to undermine the United Nations.

Others with invites include the leaders of Thailand and Belarus, as well as one name that's raising eyebrows: Russian leader Vladimir Putin. A spokesman for the Kremlin says it's still looking at the offer.

Spanish train death toll update » The death toll from a deadly train crash in southern Spain has climbed to at least 40, and officials warn that number could rise further. 

WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The collision happened Sunday night when part of one high-speed train jumped the tracks near Adamuz and struck another train coming the opposite way. Several cars derailed and slid down an embankment.

Regional officials said Monday that recovery crews were still searching wrecked cars for victims while families waited nearby to identify loved ones.

Dozens of injured passengers remain hospitalized.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning as investigators sift through clues to try and figure out what went wrong.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Chile wildfires update » Firefighters in Chile are battling wildfires that have killed at least 19 people and forced some 50,000 to evacuate, and authorities warn that death toll could still rise.

President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the hardest-hit regions, allowing the military to help with firefighting and evacuations.

Authorities estimate the fires have now burned roughly 75,000 acres, fueled by extreme heat, strong winds, and dry conditions.

Officials say more than a dozen fires remain active.

I'm Kent Covington.

Still ahead: A female athlete discusses what it’s like being forced to compete against men. Plus, the Supreme Court rules in a case on election integrity.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.