In our news wrap Thursday, the Trump administration placed new sanctions on several Iranian officials after a bloody regime crackdown reined in widespread protests, European troops are arriving in Greenland after talks failed to make progress on President Trump’s push to take over the territory and federal prosecutors are charging 26 people for allegedly rigging NCAA and Chinese basketball games.
Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines in Iran, where a bloody regime crackdown looks to have rained in widespread protests, even as the threat of U.S. intervention remains.
President Trump has signaled an interest in de-escalation, though he hasn’t ruled out military action.
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary:
The president and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table for the president.
Amna Nawaz:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was told by Tehran that some 800 scheduled executions of protesters had been halted. But, today, the Trump administration placed new sanctions on several Iranian officials they described as being the architects of the attacks on protesters.
At the U.N. today, U.s. ambassador Michael Waltz condemned Iran for claiming that the protests were a foreign plot.
Michael Waltz:
Regardless of its excuses, and you will hear many today from the Iranian regime and from its friends, the regime is solely, solely responsible for the economic misery of the Iranian people and the repression of their freedom, and they will be held accountable.
Amna Nawaz:
A U.S.-based human rights group says at least 2,600 protesters have been killed by state forces. Iran remains largely shut off from the world as a state-imposed Internet blackout remains in place.
European troops have begun arriving in Greenland after talks in Washington failed to make progress on President Trump’s push to take over the territory. Danish Air Force troops landed late last night, and NATO partners, including France, Germany and others, are sending small numbers of forces as well.
This comes after the Danish foreign minister set a fundamental disagreement over Greenland remains after meeting with American officials at the White House. Greenland residents say they are relieved to have the support from allies, but worry about what comes next.
Birger Poppel:
I don’t think facts affect Trump. And, to be honest, as it seems right now, the major threat to security in Greenland comes from our U.S. allies.
Amna Nawaz:
The White House said today that the presence of new European troops in Greenland would not affect President Trump’s position on taking over the territory.
Federal prosecutors are charging 26 people for allegedly rigging NCAA and Chinese basketball association games; 15 of those charged played Division I basketball as recently as last season. The charges include wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy. In a press conference today, authorities said fixtures paid players up to $30,000 a game to deliberately underperform, then placed large bets against their teams.
U.S. attorney David Metcalf says those involved — quote — “poisoned the American spirit of competition from monetary gain.”
David Metcalf:
When criminals pollute the purity of sports by manipulating competition, it doesn’t just imperil the integrity of sports betting markets. It imperils the integrity of sport itself.
Amna Nawaz:
The indictment claims that fixers and players tried to rig 29 games across multiple seasons involving millions of dollars in bets. It comes after a series of NCAA investigations that have led to at least 10 players receiving lifetime bans.
A federal appeals court today opened the possibility that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil could be rearrested and possibly deported. The three-judge panel reversed a lower court decision that led to his release last June, saying it didn’t have jurisdiction. They added that Khalil — quote — “will have to wait to seek relief from allegedly unlawful government conduct.”
The former Columbia University graduate student is a permanent resident whose wife and son are American. His case became a high-profile example of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activities on campus. His lawyers say they plan to appeal.
Four astronauts are safely back on Earth after NASA’s first medical evacuation of the International Space Station.
Woman:
Splashdown of Crew-11.
Amna Nawaz:
The crew touched down in the Pacific near San Diego early this morning. They ended their mission more than a month early because one of the astronauts was experiencing an undisclosed medical condition. The astronaut has not been named for privacy reasons. All four were taken for medical checks when they landed, as is standard procedure.
NASA and SpaceX officials say they’re working to move up the launch of the next crew currently set for mid-February.
On Wall Street today, stocks posted decent gains, thanks largely to a rebound in A.I.-related shares. The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 300 points. The Nasdaq rose about 50 points on the day. The S&P 500 snapped a two-day losing streak.
And the U.S. Postal Service revealed a new stamp today featuring boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
(Applause)
Amna Nawaz:
The unveiling took place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The stamp features a photo of Ali from 1974 with his last name in bold letters. The Postal Service has printed 22 million of the Ali Forever Stamps which went on sale today.
The three-time heavyweight champ once joked that he should be on a stamp someday, because, as he put it, that’s the only way I will ever get licked.
