News Wrap: Much of U.S. bracing for 'expansive' winter storm

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: Much of the country is bracing for what weather officials are calling an expansive weekend winter storm, as frigid temperatures and snow are hitting the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast.

So-called lake-effect snow is already pummeling places like Upstate New York, causing whiteout conditions on the roads. By Friday, arctic air will reach farther south, with more than two dozen states expected to see some combination of heavy snow, freezing rain and ice through Sunday.

Forecasters warn the weather could knock out power and heat to hundreds of thousands of Americans and disrupt travel for days.

Nearly 20 nations have now said they will join President Trump's Board of Peace. That's according to an Associated Press tally. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement today saying they have accepted Trump's invitation.

Earlier, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would join after his office initially objected to the makeup of its members. And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Italy needs more time to consider the invitation due to constitutional concerns, but she remains open to joining. Meanwhile, Sweden and France said today they won't take part.

A court in Japan sentenced the man who killed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to life in prison today. Tetsuya Yamagami admitted to assassinating Abe during a campaign event in 2022 in a bid to expose ties between Japanese politicians and a controversial South Korean church.

The 45-year-old is said to have blamed the Unification Church for his family's financial problems after his mother began making massive donations and neglecting her family. Yamagami's lawyer said the sentence was regrettable and did not take into account his client's difficult upbringing.

Takashi Fujimoto, Tetsuya Yamagami attorney (through interpreter): The aspect most closely tied to the motive for this crime is, to put it simply, the misery he endured since his minor years due to his mother joining the unification church.

Amna Nawaz:

Yamagami's lawyers say they will consider an appeal after consulting with their client.

A judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked government officials from reviewing materials seized from a Washington Post reporter's home last week. The raid was part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor who's accused of illegally handling classified information.

The Post has also asked the federal court to force the government to return electronics taken from her home, writing that -- quote -- "The outrageous seizure chills speech, cripples reporting and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials." A hearing is scheduled for February 6.

A Texas jury heard closing arguments today in the trial of one of the first officers on the scene of the Uvalde school shooting in 2022. Prosecutors urged the jury to convict former school's officer Adrian Gonzales for failing to protect children that day.

Bill Turner, Special Prosecutor:

If you have a duty to act, you can't stand by while the child is in imminent danger.

Amna Nawaz:

Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. His attorneys argue he was not responsible for the shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Jason Goss, Attorney For Adrian Gonzales:

The memory of those children that I agree should be honored is not honored by an injustice in their name. It's not.

Amna Nawaz:

Gonzales was one of nearly 400 officers on the scene at Robb Elementary School. It took more than an hour for a team to breach a classroom and kill the gunman.

Astronaut Suni Williams, whose extended stay at the International Space Station grabbed worldwide headlines, has retired after 27 years at NASA. Williams and her crewmate, Butch Wilmore, were meant to spend a week in space in 2024, but problems with Boeing's new Starliner capsule extended their stay to nine months.

Williams visited the ISS three times and holds the women's record for the most space walking time with more than 62 hours.

Separately, a Russian cosmonaut still on board the space station posted this stunning footage of the Northern Lights from earlier this week. He said it felt like they were sailing inside the light.

Nathan's Famous hot dogs is being sold to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods in a deal worth $450 million. The Coney Island icon started as a stand more than a century ago selling 5 cent hot dogs. More recently, it's faced pressure from rising prices. Shares of Nathan's close more than 8 percent higher after the news.

Elsewhere on Wall Street today, investors cheered news that Trump's tariff threats over Greenland may be fading. The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 600 points. The Nasdaq jumped around 270 points. The S&P 500 recovered about half of yesterday's losses.

And pop superstar Taylor Swift is among this year's inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. When did my hair, I was there, I remember it all to the world. At the age of 36, Swift is the second youngest inductee ever and the youngest woman.

She will be joined by Alanis Morissette, whose alt-rock angst dominated the '90s, Kenny Loggins, known for movie soundtracks like "Footloose" and "Top Gun," Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band Kiss, as well as non-performers like Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, hitmaker for Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and more. An official induction ceremony will be held in New York in June.