Jack Smith Hearing, Homicide Rates, & Luxury Diapers

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Adam Rogers
January 23, 2026

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Former special counsel Jack Smith testified publicly Thursday that Donald Trump caused the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and used the violence to his advantage. In his first public appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Smith said his investigation found Trump was looking for ways to stay in power rather than honest answers about election fraud.
Smith defended his decision to charge Trump in both the 2020 election interference case and the classified documents case, saying investigators had proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Both cases were dropped after Trump's reelection due to Justice Department policy barring prosecution of sitting presidents.
Smith said he would not be intimidated by Trump's threats to investigate him. He denied any political pressure from the Biden administration and said he would prosecute the same facts regardless of whether the defendant was a Democrat or Republican.

The homicide rate in major US cities fell 21% in 2025 compared to 2024, about 922 fewer deaths, according to a report by the Council on Criminal Justice. The decline brought homicide rates to their lowest level in decades across most major crime categories. Denver, Omaha, and Washington each saw drops of 40% or more. The study tracked data from 35 cities, with 31 recording decreases.
Experts don't know what caused the decline. Both Republicans and Democrats are claiming credit, but cities without National Guard deployments or immigration operations saw similar drops. A University of Chicago researcher said the widespread nature of the decrease means no single mayor or policy can take credit.
One explanation is that crime may be returning to normal after spikes during the pandemic. But experts cautioned that crime rates fluctuate significantly year-to-year, and the decreases may not last.

Stanford Medicine researchers have identified a biological pathway that could enable scar-free healing after surgery or injury. Scarring, also known as fibrosis, is linked to about 45% of US deaths, largely through damage to vital organs such as the lungs, liver, and heart.
In experiments with mice, activating this pathway caused wounds on the back and abdomen, areas that usually heal poorly, to repair themselves more like facial injuries, leaving far less scar tissue. The researchers found that facial tissue relies on a distinct type of repair cell that stays more flexible and produces less collagen, the stiff material that forms scars. Altering just a small fraction of these cells near a wound was enough to shift healing toward regeneration instead of scarring.
The team also showed that blocking a related protein with an existing experimental drug produced similar results. While the findings are limited to mice, they suggest that scarring — on the skin or inside the body — may one day be reduced or prevented in humans.

Travelers without REAL ID must pay $45 starting February 1 to verify their identity or risk missing flights. About 6% lack compliant IDs, though passports are accepted alternatives. (More)

President Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion, claiming the bank closed his accounts for political reasons after the January 6 Capitol riot. (More)

School officer Adrian Gonzales was acquitted of child abandonment in the 2022 Uvalde shooting that killed 21. He beat 29 charges despite officers waiting 77 minutes to stop the gunman. (More)

Japan’s TEPCO shut down a reactor hours after restarting it—the first nuclear restart since the 2011 Fukushima disaster—after an alarm during control rod operations; no abnormal radiation was reported. (More)

Zelenskyy slammed European leaders at Davos for being in "Greenland mode," waiting for Trump to act on Ukraine instead of defending themselves. (More)

Filipino journalist Frenchie Cumpio got 12-18 years for terror financing after six years awaiting trial. Rights groups and UN officials condemned the conviction as retaliation for her critical government reporting. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Thursday (S&P +0.55%, Nasdaq +0.91%, Dow +0.63%). Stocks continued higher in response to easing geopolitical fears. (More)

Inflation stayed at 2.8% in November, above the Fed's target but meeting expectations. Consumer spending rose 0.5% despite slower income growth, showing economic resilience even as the labor market cools. (More)

General Motors will move production of a Buick compact SUV from China to Kansas starting in 2028 for US sales. (More)

Ryan Coogler's Sinners broke Oscar records with 16 nominations, surpassing the previous 14-nomination high. Timothée Chalamet became the youngest actor with three Best Actor nominations at 30. (More)

The Baltimore Ravens hired Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as head coach on a five-year deal, replacing John Harbaugh. (More)

US soccer star Trinity Rodman signed a record three-year, $2 million annual contract with the Washington Spirit, making her the highest-paid female player in the world. (More)

Scientists may have solved the Prototaxites mystery—giant prehistoric towers reaching 8 meters. AI analysis showed they weren't fungi or plants but an extinct branch of life with no modern relatives. (More)

High blood pressure and body weight directly increase vascular dementia risk, new research shows. Managing both is crucial for preventing the brain condition, which occurs when reduced blood flow damages cognitive function. (More)

Giant prehistoric kangaroos weighing 550 pounds could hop, not just walk as long assumed. Bone analysis showed they had strong enough tendons and feet for short bursts to escape predators. (More)

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