Jack Smith testifies about his Trump investigations: Live updates

By the Associated Press

Many public comments to the Fine Arts Commission criticized the White House ballroom concept as too large to maintain the traditional appearance of the president’s residence.

The commission collected public comments ahead of its meeting Thursday via Zoom.

Thomas Luebke, the commission’s executive director, summarized the comments and told commissioners “almost all of them were in some way critical.”

The one he read and described as “more positive” complimented the proposal’s design and style but said “the scale appears oversized, making the main structure dominated.”

Luebke said other commenters criticized Trump’s process, which historic preservationists are challenging in court, accusing Trump of bypassing federal rules for construction on historic buildings in Washington.

By the Associated Press

The former Justice Department special counsel stepped into a crush of cameras and lawmakers eager to question him. His appearance in a public House hearing is expected to refocus attention on the two criminal investigations that loomed over Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith stands as he waits to testifies before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigations into President Trump, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 at the Capitol in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

By the Associated Press

Five newly seated Trump appointees to the US Commission on Fine Arts are hearing details of the president’s White House ballroom and new East Wing.

It’s the first such hearing for a project that historic preservationists want a federal court to slow down, arguing that Trump already has flouted the required process for changing historical buildings in Washington.

Architect Shalom Baranes is presenting renderings of the project, confirming many elements: an overall addition of almost 90,000 square feet, with 22,000 of that the ballroom itself. He emphasized that current plans call for the addition’s north boundary to be set back from the existing North Portico and for the top of the new structure to be even with the primary facade of the White House and its residence.

Baranes said this is to ensure the view of the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue would not change fundamentally.

By the Associated Press

The vice president told a crowd of industrial transportation workers in Toledo, Ohio, that Democrats in Minnesota — where he heads later Thursday — do not want a safe American border.

“If you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement and accept that we have to have a border in this country,” he said at Midwest Terminals. “It’s not that hard.”

He said, “In a few distinct cities, you see this craziness because the far left has decided that the United States of America shouldn’t have a border anymore.”

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Riya Vashi dismissed Vance’s comments as “just another desperate attempt to lie to Ohioans about Washington Republicans’ cost-raising, economy-tanking agenda of giving tax breaks to billionaires and backing price hiking, reckless tariffs.”

US Vice President JD Vance waves as he boards Air Force two before departing Joint Base Andrews on January 22, 2026 in Maryland. Pool/Getty

By the Associated Press

Trump has cast aside alliances forged over seven decades that helped reunify Germany and sped the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Switzerland, he hectored leaders, making demands and leveling accusations more commonly associated with enemies.

The most stark example is Trump’s threat to take over Greenland. He shared images of him planting the US flag in the self-governing Danish territory, and in his extraordinary speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that “sometimes you need a dictator.”

The episode has left America’s standing in the world uncertain. “Any country that is behaving rationally in terms of its relationship with the United States will realize that we can only be counted on in four year increments, if at all,” said Jon Finer, Biden’s deputy national security adviser and now a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

By the Associated Press

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and a stream of his followers bumped into a large entourage around Zelensky in front of TV cameras. It seemed like two rivers briefly merging, and the two leaders seemed a bit surprised to cross paths at such close distance.

“Good speech?” quipped the black-clad Ukrainian leader to his Indonesian counterpart, who was wearing a traditional black cap.

They exchanged a hearty handshake, and Zelensky moved on to deliver his own address.

Amid the hubbub, former France soccer star and Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane slipped by almost incognito. Classic Davos.

By the Associated Press

Trump’s ambition for his “Board of Peace” to play a role in global conflicts beyond Gaza appears to be the latest US attempt to sidestep the UN Security Council, raising new questions about the relevance of the 80-year-old world body and uncertainty about its future as a primary force in brokering peace worldwide.

Trump is establishing the board, to be composed largely of invited heads of state, as the UN has embarked on major reforms to make it a more viable global player in the 21st century. The decades-long effort gained new impetus as the UN courts continued support from its largest donor. Trump has eliminated billions in funding to international organizations and humanitarian aid.

“The U.N. just hasn’t been very helpful,” Trump told reporters during a White House press briefing this week.

By the Associated Press

Zelensky has delivered strong words criticizing European leaders on the continent’s security.

“Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words again,” he said in a speech at Davos.

He added that Europe needs to “act now,” referencing the film “Groundhog Day.”

The war in Ukraine approaches the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

By the Associated Press

Zelensky said documents for a deal to end the war in Ukraine are “nearly, nearly ready.”

Some of the documents seek security guarantees, while others cover economic plans for the future of Ukraine.

By the Associated Press

Zelensky has called his meeting with Trump “productive and substantive” in a post Thursday on social media.

The Ukrainian president said on X that he and Trump spoke about air defense for Ukraine. Zelensky also wrote that he thanked the US leader for the previous package of air defense missiles, while asking for an additional one.

“Our previous meeting with President Trump helped strengthen the protection of our skies, and I hope that this time we will reinforce it further as well,” he said.

By the Associated Press

Elon Musk’s appearance at Davos marks a reversal for the billionaire, who has previously criticized the gathering. In 2023 he trolled the meeting in a series of posts on his social media platform X.

“We shouldn’t be obsessed with WEF/Davos, but they take themselves sooo seriously that making fun of them is awesome,” he wrote in one post.

In another he said the World Economic Forum “is increasingly becoming an unelected world government that the people never asked for and don’t want.”

A WEF spokesman told the AP that year that Musk wasn’t invited, despite his claim that he turned down an invite because he thought it was “boring.”

By the Associated Press

The former Justice Department special counsel will tell lawmakers Thursday that he stands behind his decision to bring charges against Trump.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith will say, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by The Associated Press. “If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.”

“No one should be above the law in our country, and the law required that he be held to account. So that is what I did,” Smith will say.

ack Smith, former special counsel for the Justice Department, during a break in a House Judiciary closed-door deposition, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2025. ANNA ROSE LAYDEN/NYT

By the Associated Press

Federal prosecutors were stunned when immigration authorities allowed a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist to deport himself to South America last month as they prepared for his trial.

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven people charged last year with stealing the jewels from a Brink’s truck at a rest stop north of Los Angeles in 2022. He faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted in what’s believed to be the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history.

Instead, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him to Ecuador after he requested voluntary departure.

Flores lawyer wants the case dismissed. Prosecutors asked a judge to keep the charges pending. The jewelers who lost millions of dollars worth of diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches want answers. ICE didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

By the Associated Press

Trump is leaving Davos, but bad weather kept his helicopter grounded, meaning he faces a drive from the mountain town to Air Force One that could take as long as two hours.

By the Associated Press

The US and Ukrainian leaders were together for about an hour in what Trump described to reporters as a good meeting.

The Russia-Ukraine war “has to end,” Trump said, adding, “We hope it’s going to end.”

“I think the meeting was good,” he said. US representatives will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

US President Trump gestures as he climbs a staircase after a signing ceremony of his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Laurent Gillieron/Associated Press

By the Associated Press

A report issued Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice is showing a 21 percent decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, based on data collected from 35 American cities. That’s about 922 fewer homicides last year amid decreases in 31 of the cities studied.

Elected officials at all levels — both Democrats and Republicans — have been claiming credit for the steep declines. But experts say the trends are so widespread that local decisions aren’t likely responsible. Republicans have rushed to credit tough-on-crime moves like deploying the National Guard and surging immigration agents. But the data show that cities with no surges of troops or agents saw similar historic drops in crime.

The council’s CEO and president, Adam Gelb, says “it’s a dramatic drop to an absolutely astonishing level,” but “there’s never one reason crime goes up or down.”

By the Associated Press

“We’re going to have total access to Greenland,” Trump said in a Fox Business interview with Maria Bartiromo. “We’re going to have all the military access we want.”

Trump said the deal, if completed, will also allow the US to install an element of his “Golden Dome,” part of a multibillion dollar missile defense system, on the Danish territory.

The president on Wednesday scrapped the tariffs that he threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for US control over Greenland after he said he came to an agreement with the head of NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security.

By the Associated Press

The meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump has ended, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said.

The meeting between the two leaders at Davos lasted about an hour.

“They had a brief one-on-one conversation at the end,” Nykyforov added.

Zelensky’s media adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said: “We didn’t count how long the meeting lasted, but it was good.”

By the Associated Press

Reporters waited outside the room where the US and Ukrainian presidents met. But the two leaders stayed off camera, and there was no photo op nor questions taken.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrives prior to a planned meeting with US President Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

By the Associated Press

President Vjosa Osmani, whose small Balkan country has signed on to the board, said decisions will be taken by a majority of members.

Still, Trump is the “founder and chairman of the board,” Osmani said, and “there are more powers in the hands of the United States of America.” She did not elaborate.

US officials have not made public the text of the board’s charter document.

Osmani spoke to reporters after emerging from the signing ceremony, lamenting how the decision-making at the United Nations has a “very complex decision-making procedure.” She alluded to the right of all five permanent members of the Security Council to veto any decision.

“Is it better to be in an international organization where Russia has the right of veto and causes wars that they never want to stop by using the rights of veto?” said Osmani. “Or to be in an international organization where Russia doesn’t have the right to veto and where we can trust established leadership, which is American leadership, when it comes to making peace in the world?”

By the Associated Press

The Ukrainian president passed reporters on his way into a meeting with Trump at the World Economic Forum.

Trump said earlier today that ending the Russia-Ukraine war remains a priority.

“We’re working to end the horrible killing in Ukraine,” Trump said at the launch of his Board of Peace.

US representatives will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Thursday, Trump said after the event.

By the Associated Press

A judge on Wednesday threw out the boundaries of the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ordering the state to redraw its borders because its current composition unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of Black and Hispanic residents.

Republicans are expected to appeal the decision, as a new front opens in a national gerrymandering battle that has both political parties jockeying for advantage in the fight over control of the US House.

Lawmakers in about a third of states have considered redrawing their congressional districts after Trump pushed Republicans to craft new lines that would help his party hold onto their narrow House majority. Democrats countered with their own redistricting efforts, though they have sometimes been hampered by laws they passed intended to prevent partisan gerrymandering.

In his ruling Wednesday, Justice Jeffrey Pearlman said the New York district represented by Republican US Representative Nicole Malliotakis, which includes all of the borough of Staten Island and a small piece of Brooklyn, should be reconfigured before this year’s midterm elections.

By the Associated Press

A House committee advanced resolutions Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, opening the prospect of the House using one of its most powerful punishments against a former president for the first time.

In bipartisan votes, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee approved the contempt of Congress charges, setting up potential votes in the House early next month. In a rare departure from party lines, some Democrats supported the contempt measures against the Clintons, with several progressive lawmakers emphasizing the need for full transparency in the Epstein investigation.

The repercussions of contempt charges loomed large, given the possibility of a substantial fine and even incarceration. Still, there were signs of a potential thaw as the Clintons appeared to be searching for an off-ramp to testify. In addition, passage of contempt charges through the full House was far from guaranteed, requiring a majority vote — something Republicans increasingly struggle to achieve.

Former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive at the Capital in Washington on Jan. 20, 2025 for Donald Trump’s swearing in as the 47th president of the United States. Melina Mara/The Washington Post

By the Associated Press

Denmark’s prime minister insisted that her country can’t negotiate on its sovereignty on Thursday after Trump said he agreed on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security with the head of NATO.

Trump on Wednesday abruptly scrapped the tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for US control over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. It was a dramatic reversal hours after he insisted he wanted to get the island “including right, title and ownership” — though he also said he would not use force.

He said “additional discussions” on Greenland were being held concerning the Golden Dome missile defense program, a multilayered, $175 billion system that for the first time will put US weapons in space. Trump offered few details, saying they were still being worked out.

NATO said its secretary general, Mark Rutte, had

By the Associated Press

An Israeli official said Thursday that special efforts were being made to bring back the last hostage body in Gaza, Ran Gvili.

The cabinet will take up the issue and the opening of the Rafah crossing at the beginning of the week, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

By the Associated Press

Zelensky has arrived at the Congress Center ahead of his panel discussion.

He walked past the media without answering questions.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a meeting on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Evan Vucci/Associated Press

By the Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow for talks.

The Russian leader said the Soviet Union recognized the Palestinian state in 1988 “and we maintain the same position today.”

“Our approach to the issues of Palestine and the Middle East settlement is principled, not opportunistic. We believe that only forming and proper functioning of the Palestinian state can lead to a final settlement of the Middle East conflict,” Putin said.

Moscow is considering an invitation to join Trump’s Board of Peace, according to Putin, who has proposed sending $1 billion from Russian assets frozen in the U.S.“First and foremost, in order to support the Palestinian people, allocate these funds for rebuilding Gaza, generally on solving problems of Palestine,” Putin told Abbas.

“I think it is quite possible,” Putin added. “We have discussed such options before with the representatives of the U.S. administration, and today a meeting and a conversation on this topic is planned in Moscow.”

Putin is due to meet later Thursday with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

By the Associated Press

China on Thursday refuted Trump’s claim that it doesn’t use wind power turbines at home while dominating the international market for them.

Trump blasted wind energy in a speech Wednesday in Davos, saying “stupid people” were buying windmills from China, which doesn’t use them at home.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China had 600 million kilowatts of wind power capacity as of the end of November, adding that Chinese exports of wind and solar power equipment had helped other countries reduce their carbon emissions.

“China’s efforts in addressing climate change and promoting the development and application of global renewable energy are evident to all,” he said in Beijing.

By the Associated Press

Trump on Thursday inaugurated his “Board of Peace” to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations — despite many US allies opting not to participate.

In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future of the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to seize Greenland, and then by a dramatic retreat from that push.

“This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” he said, adding, “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.”

The new peace board was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the cease-fire, but has morphed into something far more ambitious — and skepticism about its membership and mandate has led some countries usually closest to Washington take a pass.

By the Associated Press

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli military did not have immediate comment on the possible opening of the Rafah crossing.

By the Associated Press

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who has been involved in Middle East negotiations, gave a slide deck presentation at the Board of Peace launch that included real estate development plans by zones.

“We do not have a plan B,” Kushner said, adding that people in Middle East build cities in two or three years.

Trump, during his closing remarks, noted his own experiences in real estate.

He described Gaza as “this beautiful piece of property” and suggested his push for peace between Israel and Hamas “all began with the location.”

By the Associated Press

Republican lawmakers are poised to grill former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday at a congressional hearing that’s expected to focus fresh attention on two criminal investigations that shadowed Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Smith testified behind closed doors last month but returns to the House Judiciary Committee for a public hearing likely to divide along starkly partisan lines between Republican lawmakers looking to undermine the former Justice Department official and Democrats hoping to elicit new and damaging testimony about Trump’s conduct.

Smith will tell lawmakers that he stands behind his decision as special counsel to bring charges against Trump in separate cases accusing the Republican of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

By the Associated Press

Ali Shaath, head of new technocratic government in Gaza, announced the Rafah border crossing will open in both directions next week.

Israel said in early December it would open the crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but has yet to do so.

Shaath spoke by video message to leaders at the forum.

By the Associated Press

The US secretary of state praised the Board of Peace as “a group of leaders that is about action” and credited Trump for bringing it together.

Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State, speaks during a session on the Board of Peace initiative of US President Donald Trump at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

“He’s not limited by some of the things that have happened in the past, and he’s willing to talk to or engage with anyone in the interest of peace,” Rubio said.

Rubio stressed the body’s job “first and foremost” is “making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring.”

Then, Rubio said, it can look elsewhere.

With details of the board’s operations still unclear, Rubio described it is a work in progress.

“Many others who are going to join, you know, others either are not in town today or they have to go through some procedure internally in their own countries, in their own country, because of constitutional limitations, but others will join,” Rubio said.

By the Associated Press

Trump inaugurated his newly created Board of Peace with a handful of founding members but offered few details about its mandate and how the panel will work or might pursue efforts to end global conflicts.

Trump hailed the board as “something very, very unique for the world.”

Speaking at a ceremony to sign the board’s charter, Trump said it could work with the United Nations to resolve wars not only in the Middle East, where the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza was the genesis of the concept.

But he did not provide specifics about how the board would cooperate with the UN.

A number of countries, many of them close US allies, have expressed concerns Trump might want the board to supplant or rival the UN and have either refused to sign on or remained noncommittal.

By the Associated Press

The US president has concluded his remarks and he and leaders from Board of Peace nations are signing documents.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan join President Trump during a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF).Chip Somodevilla/Getty

The White House billed the ceremony as a sort of charter launch, but no charter draft has been publicly released. Nor is a complete membership list clear yet.

Some invitees are still considering whether to join.

By the Associated Press

Trump reaffirmed the Board of Peace will start with a focus on Gaza but then look globally.

“I think we can spread out to other things as as we succeed with Gaza, we’re going to be very successful in Gaza,” he said, adding, “We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.

“He promised again to work “in conjunction with the United Nations,” though he still criticized the U.N. for not doing enough historically.

“I think the combination of the Board of Peace with the kind of people we have here, coupled with the United Nations, can be something very, very unique for the world,” Trump said.