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Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. President Trump met with his British and Israeli counterparts at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He’s set to give a highly anticipated speech tomorrow.
Calling the reports of a rift with Prime Minister Theresa May, above left, “a false rumor,” Mr. Trump indicated that he might be planning another trip across the pond. The last one was canceled, averting the risk of large protests.
And with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader, at his side, he criticized the Palestinians for refusing to meet with Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Israel this week. Palestinian leaders were angered by the administration’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
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2. Elsewhere in Davos, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin unleashed market turmoil with an apparently offhand comment — that a weak dollar benefits U.S. trade.
The currency plunged to a three-year low amid a flurry of speculation about the administration’s economic plans. Above, Mr. Mnuchin’s signature on the dollar. Here’s our full coverage of the happenings in Davos.
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3. The White House is about to offer Democrats what it hopes will be an excruciating choice.
In exchange for eventual citizenship for the Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors, they’ll have to accept a huge border wall and strict policies designed to block immigrants from bringing relatives to the U.S.
The strategy is set to be released on Monday, and Democrats and activists have vowed to reject it. Above, Dreamers in Washington.
Separately, we reported that President Trump ordered the firing last June of the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller. But he ultimately backed down after the White House’s top lawyer threatened to resign over the directive.
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4. “You are the bravest person I’ve ever had in my courtroom.” That’s how a judge described Rachael Denhollander, above, the first former gymnast to go public about abuse by Larry Nassar, the former doctor for the U.S. team.
Today on “The Daily,” we talked to another gymnast who spoke at the extraordinary court proceeding.
And a writer for our newsletter on gender issues, The #MeToo Moment, asked why it took so long for the gymnasts to get justice.
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5. Puerto Rico’s leaders say the island won’t be able to pay down any of its $70 billion debt for the next five years because of the damage from Hurricane Maria.
We talked to artists and curators about how the island’s art scene is persevering after the storm. Above, the view from one artist’s studio.
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6. Election news from the around world:
Another challenger dropped out of Egypt’s presidential election, clearing the field for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to run virtually unopposed. The human rights lawyer Khaled Ali, above, said a fair contest wasn’t possible after a concerted government effort to derail his campaign.
A Brazilian appeals court upheld the corruption conviction of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the lions of the Latin American left. He remains Brazil’s most popular politician, but the court’s ruling will jeopardize his bid for a third term in office.
Victory is similarly assured for the incumbent in Russia’s upcoming presidential vote. But Vladimir Putin is pushing hard for high turnout as a way to ensure a strong mandate.
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7. Tough week: The Doomsday Clock was advanced by 30 seconds to 2 minutes to midnight. The last time the clock was so close to midnight was in 1953, during the Cold War.
Devised by the nonprofit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the clock is meant to convey “how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making.” The group cited the threats of nuclear war and climate change at the announcement in Washington, above.
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8. A new study by a group of scientists at Harvard suggests that some types of song are universal, recognizable by people across all cultures. But not everyone agrees.
Can you tell a lullaby from a love song? Take a quiz based on the study and find out.
Above, Aborigines of northern Australia performed a corroboree dance for visitors in 1978. Music for the corroboree is part of the study.
Market Snapshot View Full Overview
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9. Finally, Jimmy Kimmel was wary about President Trump’s trip to Davos, where he planned to tell the financiers that “America is open for business.”
“Who better to make that declaration than a man who declared bankruptcy six different times?”
Have a great night.
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