On today’s show: Israel and Hamas inch closer to a ceasefire. What to know about special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on Trump's election-interference case. TIME explains why so many incarcerated firefighters are battling the L.A. fires. President Biden attempted to shore up and reflect on his foreign policy legacy in a speech Monday. CBS News has more. And Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, faces a tough confirmation test that begins today. Liz Goodwin, a congressional reporter at the Washington Post tells us that is just the start for Trump’s nominees. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
Full Episode
Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 14th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why incarcerated firefighters are battling the flames in California, the defining global crises that are part of Biden's foreign policy legacy, and Trump's cabinet picks face scrutiny on Capitol Hill. But first, a few big breaking stories we're watching this morning.
Israel and Hamas are finalizing the terms of a ceasefire deal, according to officials. The Wall Street Journal reports both parties have agreed to the bigger points of the deal, including pausing the fighting in Gaza and releasing dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israel.
There are still a few hurdles ahead before an agreement would be finalized, but both parties describe this as a significant step forward. And in Washington, with just days to go before Trump returns to office, special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results is now out. The Justice Department released it this morning.
In it, Smith says he believes prosecutors had a strong enough case to convict Trump if they hadn't been forced to drop the case when voters elected him again. Trump was charged in 2023 with four felony counts of undertaking a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He pleaded not guilty.
The investigation included interviews with hundreds of witnesses, others summoned via grand jury and an examination of troves of data. Smith also writes that Trump consistently encouraged violence against his opponents leading up to January 6th, quoting evidence from several criminal cases of people charged with taking part in the riot who said they believed they were acting on Trump's behalf.
Trump responded to the report's release on social media, saying the prosecution was politically motivated. This report is the most detailed assessment we have seen to date of the decision-making by Smith's team to bring federal charges against Trump. Smith resigned from the Justice Department last week.
A second volume of the special counsel's report focusing on the classified documents case against Trump has not been publicly released. As always, you can follow the latest on breaking news in the Apple News app. Now to Southern California, where wildfires have leveled entire communities over the past week.
While firefighters are making progress, dangerously strong winds in the forecast could halt that progress and threaten even more communities. Battling a disaster of this magnitude requires a lot of hands on deck. More than 15,000 people are part of firefighting efforts, and not all of them are from California. Some are from nearby states, others from Canada and Mexico.
Here's Governor Gavin Newsom speaking on Saturday.
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