Good morning. The Greenland confrontation is now ricocheting through NATO and the markets, a brutal Arctic outbreak keeps much of the U.S. in a deep freeze, Spain counts its dead after a catastrophic rail crash, and Kyiv absorbs another massive barrage. Here’s what to know today.

Top lines

• NATO jitters over Greenland: A Danish member of Parliament warned that former President Trump is “tearing apart NATO” amid his renewed pressure campaign over Greenland, underscoring how the dispute has widened from trade salvos to alliance cohesion. In parallel, Trump publicly discussed the prospect of NATO breaking up over the Greenland fight and even linked his threats to what he cast as a Nobel Peace Prize snub [2] [1].
• Markets and tariffs: U.S. stocks fell on tariff fears connected to Trump’s stated desire to acquire Greenland, an escalation that investors worry could metastasize into wider trade retaliation across the Atlantic [1].
• Deep freeze endures: An Arctic blast continues to grip large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast, with another round of winter weather lined up behind it, complicating travel and utility restoration across multiple states [1].
• Spain rail disaster: The death toll in Spain’s high‑speed train collision has climbed to 40 as emergency crews complete grim recovery work and investigators probe how a high‑speed corridor turned deadly [1].
• Kyiv under fire: Russia launched a massive attack on Kyiv, the latest in a winter campaign aimed at grinding down Ukraine’s air defenses and power grid as temperatures plunge [2].
• Jerusalem flashpoint: Israel has begun demolishing UNRWA buildings in East Jerusalem, a move certain to spark diplomatic friction as humanitarian agencies warn of expanding needs across the Palestinian territories [1].

Why it matters

• Alliance risk is now real: Greenland has shifted from headline‑grabbing rhetoric to a test of NATO’s political glue. The Danish MP’s warning reflects growing anxiety in Europe that tariff threats and security brinkmanship could bleed into core alliance commitments [2].
• Economic spillovers: Markets don’t need a formal policy paper to react—headline risk alone is tightening financial conditions as traders price in a higher probability of new cross‑border tariffs tied to the Greenland standoff [1].
• Winter as a force multiplier: The U.S. deep freeze is straining infrastructure at home while cold weather on the Ukrainian front can complicate both drone interception and grid repair—conditions Russia has historically tried to exploit with mass strikes [1] [2].

Also on the radar

• Minneapolis protests have stretched into a second week, keeping pressure on local and federal leaders as negotiations over crowd control and accountability continue [2].
• In Texas, prosecutors in the Uvalde case against former school officer Adrian Gonzales rested, setting up pivotal defense arguments in a community still seeking closure after the 2022 massacre [2].
• A manhunt is underway after a judge and his wife were shot, with authorities urging vigilance as they trace the suspect’s movements [2].

The bottom line

• Watch three fronts today: 1) Whether Washington or European capitals move to cool the Greenland rhetoric before it further spooks markets and allies [1]. 2) The U.S. energy and travel impacts from the lingering Arctic outbreak [1]. 3) Any retaliatory cycles after Russia’s latest Kyiv strike and Israel’s demolitions in East Jerusalem—both with potential to widen regional crises [1] [2].

References

1. ABC News — ABC News Live Prime: Jan. 20, 2026. https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/abc-news-live-prime-jan-20-2026-129406902
2. ABC News — Trump is ‘tearing apart NATO’ over Greenland: Danish MP. https://abcnews.go.com/International/video/trump-tearing-apart-nato-greenland-danish-mp-129384420