Good Morning! Today’s edition is 901 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Supreme Court hears Fed firing case

• Nathan’s Famous Sale

• Do jaguars meow?

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Big Stories

Greenland Deal

• President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte have a 'framework' for a future deal involving Greenland and Arctic security, and would suspend tariffs he had threatened against several European allies scheduled to take effect Feb. 1.

• Trump provided no details on the framework. He declined to say whether it includes US ownership of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, and said only that negotiations would focus on security and cooperation in the Arctic. He ruled out using military force to take Greenland but said the US is uniquely positioned to defend it.

• Trump had spent weeks pressuring Europe over Greenland. He threatened tariffs of up to 25% on goods from eight European nations unless the US could purchase the territory. In response, European officials suspended a separate trade agreement with the US reached last summer.

Winter Storm Warning

• A massive winter storm will hit the eastern two-thirds of the United States starting Friday, threatening 230 million people with frigid temperatures and 150 million with snow and ice. The system stretches from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South.

• Temperatures could plunge to minus 25 or 30 degrees in parts of the North and Midwest, while treacherous ice accumulation is expected to cause widespread power outages and tree damage. The cold weather is likely to persist through January into early February.

• The storm is driven by a stretched polar vortex, cold air normally confined to northern Canada and Alaska, that is being pushed south in an elongated pattern. Freezing rain is expected to affect the southern plains through the Carolinas, while heavy snow is forecasted to impact the Ozarks, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast.

Justices Question Fed Firing

• The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday on President Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. At least five justices appeared skeptical, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh warning that allowing such a firing could weaken or shatter the Fed’s independence. No president has ever removed a sitting Fed governor in the central bank’s 112-year history.

• Trump argues Cook committed mortgage fraud by listing two homes as primary residences in 2021, before she joined the Fed — a designation that can cheapen loan terms. Cook denies wrongdoing, has not been charged, and says the reference was an error, noting she identified one home as a vacation property in other filings.

• Critics say the case is about power, not paperwork. Removing Cook would allow Trump to appoint a replacement and secure a majority on the Fed’s seven-member board, giving the White House greater influence over interest rate and inflation policy.

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Quick Stories

US News

• A North Carolina teenager who killed his brother and four neighbors in a 2022 shooting spree pleaded guilty to five murder counts weeks before trial. (More)

• Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya launched her campaign for Minnesota's US Senate seat, competing for the Republican nomination against several candidates. (More)

• The Department of Homeland Security raised its self-deportation incentive from $1,000 to $2,600 for people in the US illegally. DHS claims 2.2 million have voluntarily left since January. (More)

World

• Uruguay will build the world's first commercial plant making jet fuel from agricultural waste. Commodity giant Trafigura agreed to buy all output starting in 2028. (More)

• Vienna is closing composer museums honoring Schubert, Strauss, and Haydn for two years to cut costs. It will also reduce hours at other cultural sites. (More)

• Thousands of suspected trafficking victims escaped or were released from scam compounds across Cambodia following international pressure. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +1.16%, Nasdaq +1.18%, Dow +1.21%). Equities soared after President Trump called off new Europe tariffs. (More)

• Smithfield Foods bought Nathan's Famous for $450 million in cash. The deal unites the iconic Coney Island hot dog brand with its longtime manufacturer. (More)

• Pending home sales dropped 9.3% in December. Stagnant mortgage rates around 6.25% and shrinking housing supply drove declines across all US regions. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Arizona high school guard Adrian Stubbs scored 100 points in three quarters, breaking the state's 58-year-old record of 75. He dropped 70 points in the first half alone. (More)

• A Brooklyn judge sentenced gambler Timothy McCormack to two years in prison for defrauding sports betting platforms using inside information from NBA players. (More)

• The 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame will induct Taylor Swift, Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, along with Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette, and producer Tricky Stewart. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Scientists discovered a massive freshwater reservoir beneath the seafloor off the East Coast that likely formed 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. It could supply New York City for 800 years. (More)

• Archaeologists found what may be the world's oldest rock art in an Indonesian cave—a 67,800-year-old hand stencil likely made by ancestors of Indigenous Australians migrating south. (More)

• The shingles vaccine may slow aging beyond preventing disease, a USC study found. Vaccinated adults over 70 showed less inflammation, slower cell aging, and stronger immunity than those unvaccinated. (More)

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