News Wrap: Jan. 6 committee to hold surprise hearing with new evidence

In our news wrap Monday, the Jan. 6 committee is calling a surprise hearing featuring newly collected evidence, the Supreme Court sided with a high school football coach in Washington state who lead prayers on the field, an Amtrak train with more than 200 passengers and crew hit a truck and derailed in Missouri killing at least three people, and artist Sam Gilliam died at 88.

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  • Nick Schifrin:

    In the day's other news: The U.S. Supreme Court sided with a high school football coach in Washington state who was suspended in 2015 for leading prayers on the field after games.

    Today's 6-3 ruling said Joe Kennedy's actions were protected by the First Amendment. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said: "The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect intolerance, not censorship and suppression."

    In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned: "The decision moves further down a path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion."

    An Amtrak train with more than 200 passengers and crew hit a truck and derailed in Missouri today. Three people were killed, two on the train and one in the truck. An ambulance official says at least 50 were injured. Amtrak said eight cars derailed when the train struck a dump truck that had blocked the rail crossing. Rescuers used ladders to climb inside and medical helicopters waited nearby.

    In Ukraine, Russian missiles spread more terror today, smashing into a shopping mall and a sports arena in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. Officials confirmed at least 13 killed, but warned there could be many more. It came as G7 leaders met in Germany to discuss new sanctions on Russia.

    We will get more on all of this after the news summary.

    Police in South Africa are still trying to figure out what killed 21 teenagers at a nightclub early Sunday. Investigators cordoned off the club in the coastal town of East London. Some of the victims were celebrating the end of exams and others were having a birthday party. Authorities say it appears they were accidentally poisoned, but it's not clear how.

    Back in this country, the congressional January 6 Committee has called a surprise hearing for tomorrow. The panel originally said it plan no more sessions until July. Now it says Tuesday's hearing will feature what it calls recently obtained evidence. Lawmakers today gave no details of what that evidence is.

    On Wall Street, stocks gave back a little of last week's gains. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 62 points to close it 31438. The Nasdaq fell 83 points. The S&P 500 slipped 11.

    And artist Sam Gilliam has died. He was best known for large abstract drape paintings and was the first Black artist to represent the U.S. at the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition.

    Jeffrey Brown has more.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    He was a pioneer of color, abstraction, and form, painting onto canvases and then hanging them unstructured and flowing draped from the ceiling or wall.

    Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Sam Gilliam moved to Washington, D.C., in 1962 and was connected to what was called the Washington Color School. He spoke in a 2011 "NewsHour" video.

  • Sam Gilliam, Artist:

    We had what was called a movement, but it was like a community movement through desire to do things. I decided to work with the canvas just as it was painted on the floor and work from the floor to the wall.

    I guess, today, you would say that we had learned to think outside the box.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    In recent years his profile had risen to its greatest heights. Just last month, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington opened an exhibition of new large-scale round paintings made during the pandemic titled Full Circle.

    Sam Gilliam died of kidney disease at his Washington, D.C., home on Saturday. He was 88 years old.

  • Nick Schifrin:

    And still to come on the "NewsHour": our politics Monday team weighs in on the latest developments, from the Supreme Court to the G7 summit in Germany; American WNBA star Brittney Griner appears in a Russian court, as her supporters try to increase pressure to bring her home; and the artists in residence at hospitals working next to doctors helping to heal; plus much more.

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