News Wrap: World leaders weigh whether to join Trump's 'Board of Peace' for Gaza

Amna Nawaz:

Also today, a number of world leaders are weighing whether to join President Trump's new so-called Board of Peace. That includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the Kremlin saying it's -- quote -- "studying the details of the offer."

The European Commission says that President Ursula von der Leyen was invited, but no word on whether she's accepted. And there are reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among those invited. That is significant, because President Trump says the board will be tasked with overseeing the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.

Speaking to Israeli lawmakers today, Netanyahu said he objects to the makeup of the board, which could also include Turkey and Qatar, who have been critical of Israel's actions in Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through interpreter):

We have a certain disagreement with our friends in the United States regarding the composition of the advisory council that will accompany the processes in Gaza. Now there is a disagreement, and I'm laying it here on the stage, on the podium.

Amna Nawaz:

U.S. officials reportedly plan to charge $1 billion for those wanting a permanent seat on the board. Last week, the White House announced the seven members of what it's calling the founding executive board. They include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, among others.

Gunmen in Nigeria have abducted more than 150 worshipers from three separate churches. The attacks took place on Sunday in the northwestern Kaduna state while services and a mass were under way. A Nigerian lawmaker told the Associated Press that 168 people were sent still missing today. No group has taken responsibility.

The region has seen a surge in such kidnappings as armed gangs, target villages, schools, and places of worship. President Trump and some U.S. lawmakers have claimed this amounts to what they call a Christian genocide, which Nigeria's government has rejected.

Police in Spain say the death toll from a train collision on Sunday has risen to 40 and warn it could rise further. Emergency workers were still searching for bodies earlier today. Last night, the tail end of one train carrying almost 300 people from Malaga to Madrid went off the rails, slamming into the front of a second train heading in the opposite direction.

More than 150 other passengers were injured, some critically. Spain's prime minister has declared three days of national mourning. An investigation is under way.

Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister (through interpreter):

We will uncover the truth. We will find out the answers. And when we know the origin and cause of this tragedy, as we must, we will inform the public via the media with absolute transparency and clarity.

Amna Nawaz:

Spain's transport minister called the incident strange because the flat stretch of track where it occurred was renovated just last year.

China's birth rate plunged last year to its lowest level since the 1949 Communist Revolution. That is despite government efforts to encourage new births. Official data out today show that the number of new babies dropped by 17 percent to just under eight million. By another measure, the number of births fell to its lowest level since modern records began.

It's the fourth straight year of declines and puts the country's total population at just over 1.4 billion. And it comes even as China's economy grew 5 percent last year, despite President Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods.

Nearly 80 million Americans were under winter weather alerts today as abnormally cold air sweeps through large parts of the country. Earlier today, temperatures with windchill felt like 27 degrees below zero in Minneapolis. They fell below zero as far south as Kansas City and in the single digits in places like Buffalo and Detroit.

Outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, whiteout conditions led to a 100-vehicle pile-up that shut down part of interstate 196. More snow is expected this week across much of the Great Lakes.

And temperatures even dipped below freezing in Florida, leading to rare snow in the Sunshine State. Flurries dusted palm trees near the Alabama border.

U.S. financial markets were closed today in observance of Martin Luther King Day, but the federal holiday was marked in other ways.

Protester:

No justice!

Protesters:

No peace!

Amna Nawaz:

In the nation's capital, marchers called for equal justice in the city's annual MLK Day Parade. In Upstate New York, volunteers engaged in acts of service, like putting together boxes of meals at a regional food bank, while, in California, admission to state parks was kept free.

That's after the Trump administration removed MLK Day from its list of days when you can enter national parks for free. Instead, it added Flag Day, which is also President Trump's birthday.

And GPS pioneer and mathematician Gladys West has died. Her calculations helped produce extremely accurate modeling of the Earth's shape, laying the foundation for modern global positioning system technology. West was born in rural Virginia during segregation.

In 1956, she was hired as a computer programmer at a Navy base in Virginia, where she was one of only four Black employees. Her work went largely unrecognized for years, though she was later acknowledged as one of the hidden figures of the era. Despite being considered the mother of GPS, West said she's still preferred using a paper map when driving.

Gladys West was 95 years old.

And Italian fashion giant Valentino Garavani has died. The famed couturier began his career in Rome in the early 1960s. He met former first lady Jackie Kennedy in 1964, who helped propel him to global fame. He soon went by one name, Valentino, and was known for one signature color called Valentino Red.

Julia Roberts, Princess Diana, and Elizabeth Taylor were among those who wore his designs. Known as fashion's last emperor, he lived a life as lavish as his customers with multiple homes, including a chateau outside Paris. During his roughly five decades in fashion, Valentino spoke often of his commitment to feminine beauty.

Valentino Garavani, Fashion Designer:

I have always been very, very concerned to beauties. I love beauties. I love making women sensational, glamorous, elegant. And I never destroyed a human being body, because I respect the proportion of a woman very, very, very much.

Amna Nawaz:

Valentino's foundation announced his death today, calling him a -- quote -- "true source of light, creativity, and vision."

Valentino Garavani was 93 years old.