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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will hold their first-ever trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates this week, marking a potentially significant step in efforts to end the nearly four-year war.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy said the meetings are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and will take place at a technical level, typically involving lower-ranking officials. Neither the White House nor Moscow has formally confirmed the talks, though U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet Russian officials in Moscow before traveling to Abu Dhabi for follow-up discussions.

Zelenskyy said: “I think it will be the first trilateral meeting in Emirates. It will be two days’ meetings in Emirates. I hope that Emirates know about it.”  Zelenskyy emphasized that any lasting agreement must include strong security guarantees for Ukraine backed by U.S. support, even as Britain and France signal readiness to deploy forces on the ground. “The U.K. and France are ready to actually commit their forces,” he said, “but the backstop of President Trump is needed. And again, no security guarantees work without the U.S.”

The Ukrainian leader met for more than an hour with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the forum, calling the conversation positive but acknowledging the difficulty of final negotiations. “This is the last mile, which is difficult,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia “has to be ready for compromises” as well.  Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, said progress has been made, though one unresolved issue remains. “I think we’ve got it down to one issue,” he said. “If both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved.”

Zelenskyy also warned that Europe remains heavily dependent on U.S. military support and urged the continent to strengthen its own defense capabilities. He suggested that Ukraine could help counter Russian naval activity in strategic areas if integrated into NATO, underscoring Kyiv’s continued push for deeper Western security ties. While the talks offer cautious optimism, Zelenskyy noted that fighting continues. “It’s better than not having any dialogue,” he said, “but Ukraine is still under attack, and we are responding.”

The diplomatic developments unfolded as President Trump unveiled a new “Board of Peace” initiative in Davos, tied to broader global ambitions, including conflict resolution in the Middle East.

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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee plans to depose Ghislaine Maxwell on Feb. 9 as part of its ongoing investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a source familiar with the planning, the deposition will be conducted virtually. Maxwell was convicted in 2022 of helping Epstein traffic teenage girls, but has denied abusing anyone and has claimed she was unfairly blamed after Epstein died in custody in 2019. Maxwell is currently incarcerated at a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas, where she was transferred last year.

Chairman James Comer announced the scheduled deposition on Wednesday, during a committee session considering contempt resolutions against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – both of whom declined to appear for depositions related to the Epstein inquiry. The contempt votes stem from the Clintons’ refusal to comply with subpoenas, which their attorneys have called “legally invalid.” Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña said the Clintons have cooperated with investigators and denied any recent ties to Epstein. In a statement posted Wednesday, Ureña wrote that the Clintons had nothing to do with Epstein “for more than 20 years,” adding, “The Committee is voting whether to charge the Clintons with a crime that could end in their imprisonment. But we have cooperated. They just won’t tell you we have because then they can’t charge them.”

Comer emphasized the importance of hearing directly from Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking.  He said: “We need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell. We’ve been trying to get her in for a deposition, and her lawyers have been saying that she’s going to plead the fifth, but we have nailed down a date, Feb. 9, where Maxwell will be deposed by this committee.”

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, has warned that his client will refuse to answer questions. In a letter to Comer, Markus wrote that if the deposition proceeds, “Ms. Maxwell will invoke her privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions.” He stressed that her legal challenges remain unresolved, adding, “That is not a negotiating position or a tactical choice; it is a legal necessity.” Markus argued that moving forward would amount to “pure political theater” and “a complete waste” of taxpayer funds, saying, “The only certainty is a public spectacle in which a witness repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment.” He also noted that Maxwell would consider testifying publicly if granted clemency, a possibility President Donald Trump has not ruled out.

The committee first subpoenaed Maxwell last summer, but a planned August deposition was postponed. Comer previously said her testimony is “vital to the Committee’s efforts regarding Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, including the 2007 non-prosecution agreement and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein’s death.” After the delay, the panel opted to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision on whether to review Maxwell’s conviction. The court declined to take up her appeal in October.

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European lawmakers have indefinitely suspended work on a long-negotiated trade agreement with the United States, deepening tensions after President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs tied to his push for U.S. control of Greenland.

The decision was made Wednesday by senior members of the European Parliament handling the agreement, halting the legal ratification process just days before a scheduled committee vote. The move effectively freezes the EU-U.S. trade deal reached last summer, often referred to as the Turnberry agreement, until further notice.

European Parliament trade committee chair Bernd Lange confirmed the decision publicly, writing: “Now official: EU-US deal is on hold until further notice! Our negotiating team just decided to suspend work of @ep_trade on the legal implementation of Turnberry deal. Our sovereignty and territorial integrity are at stake. Business as usual impossible #Greenland #tariffs”

Lange later told reporters the process would remain paused “until there is clarity on Greenland,” adding that Trump “did not seem to have revised his position” following his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In a separate statement, Lange said, “Given the continued and escalating threats, including tariff threats, against Greenland and Denmark, and their European allies, we have been left with no alternative but to suspend work” on the deal. He added that progress would not resume “until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation.”

The suspension followed renewed tariff warnings from Trump, who said the U.S. would impose a 10% levy starting Feb. 1 on imports from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom. The rate would rise to 25% by June unless “a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland”. Trump, speaking in Davos, ruled out military action but stood by his economic pressure campaign. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that,” he said.

EU lawmakers view the tariff threats as a violation of the political understanding reached in July, when both sides agreed to cap most U.S. tariffs on EU goods at 15% while the bloc committed to cutting tariffs on U.S. industrial imports to zero. Some categories, including generic pharmaceuticals, were set to become tariff-free. At the time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the deal “creates certainty in uncertain times … In politics as in business, a deal is a deal. When friends shake hands, it must mean something.”

The dispute comes as EU leaders prepare for an emergency meeting Thursday to coordinate a response. Options under discussion include retaliatory tariffs and possible activation of the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument—often dubbed the EU’s trade “bazooka”—which would allow sweeping restrictions on U.S. goods, services and investments. France and Germany have publicly raised support for using the mechanism, which has never been deployed.

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The Justice Department has issued a series of grand jury subpoenas to top Minnesota officials, dramatically escalating a federal investigation into whether state and local leaders interfered with immigration enforcement during a sweeping federal operation in the Twin Cities.

According to documents and multiple people familiar with the matter, subpoenas seeking records were delivered to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. The subpoenas were served the same day Attorney General Pam Bondi visited Minnesota, underscoring the growing clash between federal authorities and Democratic leaders in the state.

Federal prosecutors are examining whether public statements or directives from state and local officials amounted to a conspiracy to obstruct federal officers carrying out immigration duties. Sources say the investigation centers on a rarely used federal conspiracy statute, 18 USC 372, a Civil War-era law that was also applied in cases tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The subpoenas themselves do not spell out specific criminal charges.

The probe follows weeks of tension after the Department of Homeland Security launched a massive immigration enforcement push in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Roughly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents were deployed — a force far larger than the Minneapolis Police Department — as part of what the administration calls Operation Metro Surge. Federal officials say more than 3,000 people suspected of being in the country illegally have been arrested.

The crackdown intensified public outrage after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, on Jan. 7. Authorities say the officer, Jonathan Ross, fired in self-defense, though video of the encounter shows Good’s vehicle slowly turning away at the moment she was shot. The killing sparked sustained protests, frequent confrontations between residents and federal agents, and the use of tear gas and chemical irritants by officers.

Frey and Ellison both confirmed receiving subpoenas and sharply condemned the Justice Department’s actions. Frey accused federal officials of abusing their authority, saying, “When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with. In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”

Ellison said the subpoena directed to his office seeks documents, not his personal testimony, and suggested it was retaliatory. “Everything about this is highly irregular, especially the fact that this comes shortly after my office sued the Trump Administration to challenge their illegal actions within Minnesota,” he said. “Let’s be clear about why this is happening: Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I’m standing in his way.”

Her said she is “unfazed by these tactics” and vowed to continue advocating for her community.

The subpoenas require Frey’s office to produce records and provide testimony on Feb. 3, including communications related to cooperation — or lack thereof — with federal immigration authorities and guidance issued to residents about interacting with immigration officers.

Minnesota and several cities have asked a federal judge to halt or limit the enforcement surge, arguing it violates constitutional protections and relies on what Ellison has described as poorly trained, heavily armed officers. Meanwhile, tensions on the ground remain high. Local police leaders say federal agents have stopped U.S. citizens and even off-duty officers without cause.   President Donald Trump last week floated the idea of invoking an 1807 law to deploy troops to Minnesota, though he has since softened those remarks publicly.

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South Carolina’s measles outbreak continues to intensify, with state health officials confirming 88 additional infections this week, pushing the total to 646 cases since October. The South Carolina Department of Public Health said the vast majority of cases remain concentrated in the Upstate region, particularly Spartanburg County near the North Carolina border.

Health authorities have identified numerous public exposure sites tied to the outbreak, including elementary and secondary schools, two grocery stores, a Publix supermarket, the South Carolina State Museum, and college campuses. Clemson University reported that 34 students are currently quarantined, while Anderson University has placed 50 students in quarantine following confirmed exposures. The department has posted specific dates and times of potential exposure events on its website.

The expanding outbreak has added to growing concern among public health experts that the United States may be at risk of losing its measles elimination status. The World Health Organization defines measles elimination as having “no locally transmitted measles infections or outbreaks lasting 12 months or longer.” The U.S. achieved that benchmark in 2000, but sustained outbreaks in recent years have raised doubts about whether it can be maintained.

In 2025, the U.S. recorded more than 2,240 measles cases — the highest total in three decades — with many linked to a large outbreak in West Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far in 2026, 171 cases have been reported nationwide as of Jan. 13, with updated figures expected later this week from the CDC.

Measles is among the most contagious viruses known and can lead to serious complications, including hospitalization and death. Public health officials note that declining vaccination rates have fallen below the herd immunity levels needed to prevent sustained transmission.

The Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization’s regional office for the Americas, is scheduled to meet in April to review measles elimination status for both the United States and Mexico. Canada lost its elimination status in November, nearly three decades after the disease was declared eliminated there.

Health officials stress that vaccination remains the most effective defense. One dose of the MMR vaccine is about 93% effective against measles, while the full two-dose series offers roughly 97% protection, according to the CDC. Vaccines are available through primary care providers, pharmacies, and local health departments.

People who believe they may have been exposed are urged to monitor for symptoms, which typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure, though they can take up to 21 days. Early signs include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads.

Anyone experiencing a fever of 101°F or higher with these symptoms should contact a health care provider before seeking in-person care so precautions, such as masking or isolation, can be arranged to limit further spread. Patients may be advised to remain at home until medically cleared.

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