News Wrap: Justice Department plans partial release of Trump Jan. 6 report

Geoff Bennett:

And we start today's other headlines with president-elect Donald Trump's latest legal battles with just days to go before his inauguration.

The Department of Justice says it plans to release special counsel Jack Smith's findings on Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It's unclear exactly when. But the DOJ says Smith's report on the classified documents case will remain under wraps for now.

Separately, Mr. Trump is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to call off his sentencing by Judge Juan Merchan in his New York hush money case set for this Friday. It's his third attempt this week to delay sentencing. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

There's been international pushback over president-elect Trump's recent comments about taking control of Greenland. Speaking to the press yesterday, Mr. Trump said he would not rule out using military force to take over the Arctic island, which is rich in natural resources. During his first term, Mr. Trump pressed his aides to explore ways to buy Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.

Today, Greenland's finance minister met with his Danish counterpart in Copenhagen, where he pushed back on such an idea.

Erik Jensen, Finance Minister of Greenland (through interpreter): Greenland is not for sale. We have said that, all of us, and it will never be for sale. And I can reiterate that it will never be up for discussion.

Geoff Bennett:

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also dismissed the idea today while speaking in Paris alongside the French foreign minister.

Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but, maybe more important, it's obviously one that's not going to happen. So we probably shouldn't waste a lot of time talking about it.

Geoff Bennett:

Denmark is a long time ally of the U.S. and a founding member of NATO. And Greenland itself is home to a large U.S. military base.

The Israeli military says it's recovered the body of a hostage inside an underground tunnel in Gaza. Yosef AlZayadni was taken, along with three of his 19 children, when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. Two of them were later released. The discovery of the 53-year-old's body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a cease-fire deal that would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and stop the fighting in Gaza.

Israeli officials are investigating whether the remains of a second body recovered today are that of AlZayadni's son Hamzah.

An Italian journalist who was detained in Iran for three weeks was freed today. Cecilia Sala arrived back in Rome this afternoon, where she was greeted by her boyfriend and reunited with her parents. The 29-year-old was accused of violating laws of the Islamic Republic while visiting on a journalist visa last month.

Italian commentators have speculated that her detainment could have been related to the arrest of an Iranian businessman just days earlier. He allegedly supplied drone technology to Iran that was used to kill three U.S. service members last year and remains in Italian custody.

Extremely cold weather is gripping much of the country, with temperatures dipping below 30 in places as far south as Atlanta and El Paso. Some areas further north saw single digits. And there's another winter storm brewing that's due to sweep from Texas to the Carolinas in the days ahead.

More than 40 million people are under some form of winter weather alert. Dallas, Texas, is bracing for several inches of snow, more than it typically sees in a whole year. The state's governor warned people to stay safe, especially on the roads.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX):

I cannot emphasize enough to my fellow Texans, listen, we're not used to driving on ice and snow. We're not used to driving in conditions like this. Be careful. Be cautious. Make sure that you're protecting your own life. If you do get on the road, drive safely.

Geoff Bennett:

Earlier this week, dangerous driving conditions caused by the last winter storm led to fatalities in multiple states, including Virginia, North Carolina and Kansas.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 100 points. The Nasdaq slipped 10 points, so little change on the day. The S&P 500, meantime, managed a slight gain.