Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09988-8CD44 expressed by fibroblastic reticular cells in secondary lymphoid organs regulates trafficking of dendritic cells, and thus has an essential role in the priming of T cells and the adaptive immune response.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04095-0Neurons in the bird eyes inner retina lack a blood supply. Finding how these neurons function without oxygen reveals a role for an enigmatic eye structure.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10013-1An extreme barocaloric effect in NH4SCN aqueous solutions is enabled by pressure-induced dissolution and precipitation, but without using a separate heat-transfer liquid.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09826-xWith its attribution to Paranthropus, a 2.6-million-year-old partial mandible expands the range of the genus into the Afar region of Ethiopia and adds to our understanding of hominin evolution in eastern Africa.

Panthers defenseman Seth Jones won't play for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics because of an upper-body injury and has been replaced by Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe.

Charles Bediako, a former Alabama standout who entered the NBA draft in 2023, has been granted a temporary restraining order to return to the team, a judge ruled Wednesday.

A similar operation that unfolded in Minnesota became a flashpoint between protesters and immigration authorities.

Gianne describes her 1100-square-foot rental apartment as a perfect blank canvas. A charming craftsman home with a storybook cottage feel white walls and still full of character. It just needed an artist to honor its potential and bring it to life.READ MORE...

Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook and attorney Abbe Lowell, arrive at the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2026-01-21T17:04:45Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed inclined to keep Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook in her job, casting doubt on President Donald Trumps bid to wrest control of the nations central bank.The justices heard arguments over Trumps effort to fire Cook based on allegations she committed mortgage fraud, which she denies. No president has fired a sitting governor in the 112-year history of the Fed, which was structured to be independent of day-to-day politics.Allowing Cooks firing to go forward would weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve, said Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of three Trump appointees on the nations highest court.At least five other justices on the nine-member court also sounded skeptical about the effort to remove her from office.Both Cook and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell sat through nearly two hours of arguments in the packed courtroom. For as long as I serve at the Federal Reserve, I will uphold the principle of political independence in service to the American people, Cook said in a statement issued after the arguments. The true motivation for trying to fire Cook, Trumps critics say, is the Republican presidents desire to exert control over U.S. interest rate policy. If Trump succeeds in removing Cook, the first Black woman Federal Reserve governor, he could replace her with his own appointee and gain a majority on the Feds board. The case is being closely watched by Wall Street investors and could have broad impacts on the financial markets and U.S. economy. Trump has been dismissive of worries that cutting rates too quickly could trigger higher inflation. He wants dramatic reductions so the government can borrow more cheaply and Americans can pay lower borrowing costs for new homes, cars or other large purchases, as worries about high costs have soured some voters on his economic management. During a speech earlier Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, Trump reiterated his call for the Fed to sharply lower rates, arguing that the United States should pay the lowest interest rate of any country in the world.The board cut a key interest rate three times in a row in the last four months of 2025, but thats more slowly than Trump wants. The Fed also suggested it may leave rates unchanged in coming months over inflation worries.The issue before the court is whether Cook can stay on the job while her challenge to the firing plays out in court. Judges on lower courts have allowed her to remain in her post as one of seven central bank governors. The justices could simply deny the emergency appeal Trump is seeking and allow the case to continue playing out in lower courts. Chief Justice John Roberts, who also seemed skeptical of Trumps actions, suggested it may be pointless to return the case to lower courts rather than issue a more enduring ruling. With Cooks case under review at the high court, Trump dramatically escalated his confrontation with the Fed. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation of Powell and has served the central bank with subpoenas. Powell himself took the rare step of responding to Trump, calling the threat of criminal charges pretexts that mask the real reason, Trumps frustration over interest rates. The Justice Department has said the dispute is ostensibly about Powells testimony to Congress in June over the cost of a massive renovation of Fed buildings. In Trumps first year in office, the justices generally, but not always, went along with Trumps pleas for emergency action to counteract lower-court rulings against him, including allowing the firings of the heads of other governmental agencies at the presidents discretion, with no claim that they did anything wrong.But the court has sent signals that it is approaching the independence of the nations central bank more cautiously, calling the Fed a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity. In Cooks case, Trump is not asserting that he can fire Fed governors at will, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said. Cook is one of several people, along with Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who have been accused of mortgage fraud by federal housing official Bill Pulte. They have denied the allegations against them. The case against Cook stems from allegations she claimed two properties, in Michigan and Georgia, as primary residences in June and July 2021, before she joined the Fed board. Such claims can lead to a lower mortgage rate and smaller down payment than if one of them was declared as a rental property or second home. Those applications, Sauer said, are evidence of gross negligence at best and give Trump reason to fire her. In any event, he argued, courts shouldnt be reviewing his decision and Cook has no right to a hearing. Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. There is no fraud, no intent to deceive, nothing whatsoever criminal or remotely a basis to allege mortgage fraud, a Cook lawyer, Abbe Lowell, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi in November.Cook specified that her Atlanta condo would be a vacation home, according to a loan estimate she obtained in May 2021. In a form seeking a security clearance, she described it as a 2nd home. Lowell wrote that the case against her largely rests on one stray reference in a 2021 mortgage document that was plainly innocuous in light of the several other truthful and more specific disclosures about the homes she has purchased. ___Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein, Christopher Rugaber and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report. MARK SHERMAN Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta. twitter mailto

Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook and attorney Abbe Lowell, arrive at the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2026-01-21T18:50:32Z Cody Bellinger became the last of the top free-agent hitters to reach a deal, agreeing Wednesday to stay with the New York Yankees for a $162.5 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Bellinger gets a $20 million signing bonus and a full no-trade provision. He has the right to opt out after the 2027 or 2028 seasons to become a free agent again, but if there is a work stoppage that leads to no games being played in 2027, the agreement specifies the opt outs will shift to after the 2027 and 2028 seasons.A two-time All-Star acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs in December 2024, Bellinger hit .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBIs last year including .302 with 18 homers and 55 RBIs at Yankee Stadium. A left-handed hitter, he played in 149 games in the outfield and seven at first base in his first season since 2022 without a stint on the injured list. He is a son of former Yankee Clay Bellinger.Voted the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP, Bellinger has a .261 average with 225 homers and 695 RBIs in eight seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2018-22), Cubs (2023-24) and the Yankees.He earned $57.5 million from the $80 million, three-year contract he reached with the Cubs before the 2024 season. Bellinger declined a $25 million option for 2026 in favor of a $5 million buyout.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10006-0Sidewinder enables high-fidelity DNA assembly by separating the information that guides assembly from the final assembled sequence.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00227-2Quantum superposition gets supersized plus, US science after a year of Trump.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10140-3Publisher Correction: Polyamine-dependent metabolic shielding regulates alternative splicing

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09939-3The detection of forsterite and enstatite emissions in EC 53 during accretion bursts marks one of the first pieces of direct evidence of in situ silicate crystallization in young stars.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09876-1One-shot tissue dynamics reconstruction can infer changes in tissue composition over time, from single-time-point spatial proteomics of human cancers.

Texans GM Nick Caserio said Wednesday that a "freak" foot injury kept RB Joe Mixon out for the season, and the team will have to "see where his status is."

The Yankees and outfielder Cody Bellinger are ending their offseason standoff by agreeing to a five-year, $162.5 million contract, sources told ESPN.

The 2026 Big 12 Conference football schedule released Wednesday includes all 16 programs playing nine conference games apiece, with a collective 13 nonconference games against Power Four opponents and Notre Dame.

Bills owner Terry Pegula said he decided to fire Sean McDermott in the locker room after the loss to Denver, as he felt the team had hit "the proverbial playoff wall."

Breaches of ethics in sports are almost as old as professional competitions. Heres when they have affected the business and when they havent.

President Trumps verbal broadsides drew gasps and nervous laughter at the annual gathering of political and business leaders.

A Kurdish force that helped defeat the Islamic State is collapsing as the Trump administration turns to back the new Syrian government.

The U.S. military said it has transferred 150 and could eventually move as many as 7,000 Islamic State fighters out of prisons in Syrias northeast to Iraq, as the Syrian government wrestles for control of the region from Kurdish-led forces.

A similar operation that unfolded in Minnesota became a flashpoint between protesters and immigration authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)2026-01-21T18:36:07Z As tensions simmered between the United States and Europe this week over President Donald Trumps push to acquire Greenland, Russian officials, state-backed media and pro-Kremlin bloggers responded with a mixture of glee, gloating and wariness. Some touted Trumps move as historic, while others said it weakens the European Union and NATO something that Moscow would seem to welcome and that it takes some of the Wests attention away from Russias war in Ukraine. People protest against Trumps policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) People protest against Trumps policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More There was wariness, too, with commentators noting the possible acquisition of the self-governed, mineral-rich island by the U.S. from Denmark held security and economic concerns for Russia, which has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic and has moved to boost its military presence in the region, home to its Northern Fleet and a site where the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons. In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Trump insisted he wants to get Greenland, but said he would not use force to do so while repeatedly deriding European allies and vowing that NATO should not try to block U.S. expansionism. Making world history The Kremlin has neither criticized nor supported Trump on the issue, but pointed out the far-reaching impact if the U.S. took Greenland from Denmark. Such measured praise appears in line with Moscows public rhetoric toward the current U.S. administration, as Russia tries to win concessions in the Trump-led effort to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine and revive relations with Washington that had plunged to Cold War lows. President Donald Trump gestures after his special address during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP) President Donald Trump gestures after his special address during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Regardless of whether its good or bad and whether it complies with international law or not, there are international experts who believe that if Trump takes control of Greenland he will go down in history, and not only the U.S. history but world history, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. Without discussing whether its good or bad, its hard not to agree with these experts, he added.President Vladimir Putin said last year that Trumps push for control over Greenland wasnt surprising, given longtime U.S. interest in the territory. Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II. Its obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic, Putin said. The government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Sunday compared it to such planetary events as Abraham Lincolns abolition of slavery ... or the territorial conquests of the Napoleonic Wars. A Danish serviceman climbs out of a hatch on the bow of the military vessel HDMS Knud Rasmussen of the Royal Danish Navy docked in Nuuk, Greenland, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) A Danish serviceman climbs out of a hatch on the bow of the military vessel HDMS Knud Rasmussen of the Royal Danish Navy docked in Nuuk, Greenland, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More If Trump secures the annexation of Greenland by July 4, 2026, when America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he will undoubtedly join the ranks of historical figures who affirmed the greatness of the United States, the newspaper wrote.A statement that appeared favorable to Trump came from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said at a news conference Tuesday that Denmarks control over Greenland was a vestige of the colonial pastIn principle, Greenland isnt a natural part of Denmark, he said. Lavrov also drew parallels between Trumps bid for Greenland and Putins annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. The 2014 illegal seizure of the peninsula is not recognized by most of the world. Crimea isnt less important for the security of the Russian Federation than Greenland is for the United States, he said.A blow for longtime alliesOthers focused on the potential rift between the U.S. and its European allies in NATO, a bloc that has held firm since the dawn of the Cold War and that Russia has long viewed as an adversary. Transatlantic unity is over. Leftist, globalist EU/UK elites failed, wrote Kirill Dmitriev, a presidential envoy involved in talks with the U.S. on ending the war in Ukraine, in a post Saturday on X. Flags flap in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Flags flap in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Lavrov echoed his sentiment, saying Trumps bid for Greenland heralds a deep crisis for NATO and raises questions about the alliances preservation as a single military-political bloc.In a series of columns this week, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti touted Trumps push for Greenland as opening the door to world history before our very eyes and mocked European countries for sending small military contingents to Greenland in a show of support for Denmark. Europeans can only watch this in impotent rage they have neither economic nor military leverage against Washington, one column said. Another column said it was amusing and didactical that the World Economic Forum once was at the pinnacle of power and might, a place everyone aspired to, and today theyre burying Atlantic solidarity here. Pushing aside the war in UkraineRussian state and pro-Kremlin media also argued Greenland was diverting attention from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys effort to negotiate a favorable peace settlement to end Russias invasion of his country, painting it as a positive for Moscow. The world seemed to have forgotten about Ukraine and Zelenskyy. And in this silence, U.S. negotiators (Steve) Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner were preparing to travel to Moscow, the pro-Kremlin tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets said Sunday. RIA Novosti echoed that Wednesday in a column titled Greenland knocked out Zelenskyy, that this uproar stirred up by Donald Trump has knocked Zelenskyy out cold, and that Ukraines importance will never return to its previous levels.But Trump said in Davos that he would meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday. I want to stop it, Trump said of the fighting. Its a horrible war.Seeking Arctic supremacyDmitry Medvedev, Russias former president who is deputy chairman of the Security Council, drew parallels between Trumps bid for Greenland and Putins seizure of territory in Ukraine but said the Americans actions were completely different. Greenland was never directly connected to the States, even though they tried to acquire it several times, Medvedev said, questioning what price Trump is willing to pay to achieve this goal and whether he is up to the task of eliminating NATO. Popular pro-Kremlin military blogger and correspondent Aleksander Kots said in a recent Telegram post that by taking Greenland, Trump wants to seize the Russian Arctic and get to the natural resources that Moscow covets there. The Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid on Sunday called Trumps bid for Greenland a turning point, arguing that the Arctic turns from a zone of cooperation into a zone of confrontation. The Northern Fleet will be under threat. The economic projects will face hurdles. The nuclear deterrence will lose effectiveness. Russia will end up in strategic isolation, the article said. Greenland is not just Trumps coveted 2 million square kilometer island. It is an icy noose around Russias throat. And Trump has already begun to tighten it. These concerns stand somewhat in contrast with the Kremlin publicly touting the prospects of cooperating with Washington in the Arctic. Putin has said, however, that Russia is worried about NATOs activities in the polar region and will respond by strengthening its military capability there. DASHA LITVINOVA Litvinova is an Associated Press correspondent covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. She has covered Russia and the region for over a decade. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09998-6A global atmospheric microplastics dataset is compiled, and comparison with size-aligned microplastic models in the literature indicate that fewer microplastic particles are emitted into the atmosphere than previously thought.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09883-2The symmetry, microscopy and spectroscopy signatures of altermagnetism are reviewed, and compared with traditional ferromagnetism and Nel antiferromagnetism, and magnetic phases with symmetry-protected compensated non-collinear spin orders.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09996-8Pyramidal neuron-driven mechanisms actively promote the survival and terminal differentiation of their associated interneuron subtypes.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09968-yA hand stencil painted on a cave wall on a small island off the coast of Sulawesi more than 67,800years ago suggests a very early occupation of Wallacea.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00178-8Socializing at a young age helps to develop greater diversity in their microbiota, according to an analysis of baby-to-baby transmission of gut bacteria.

Duke QB Darian Mensah is permitted to enter the transfer portal, but can't enroll at another school or play football for another college team before a North Carolina judge rules on Duke's request for an injunction that would prevent him from leaving.

The justices were alert to the central banks crucial role and wary of issuing a broad ruling based on rushed briefing and incomplete information.

A recently filed lawsuit claims the ratings assigned by A.I. screening software are similar to those of a credit agency and should be subject to the same laws.

The former Chicago mayor, who is trying to shape the Democratic Partys future and might run for president, said that across all three branches of government, 75 years youre out.

Heres a look at the latest forecasts, and how to prepare.

The administration withdrew its challenge to a ruling halting its effort to strip funding from schools and colleges with D.E.I. programs. It did not say why.

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Living in New York City means storage is always the limiting factor, especially when it comes to closets. No matter how much I edit my wardrobe, there never seems to be enough space for shoes, bags, or the random-but-necessary things that dont belong anywhere else. This is why, lately, Ive been eyeing the Origami Heavy Duty 3-Tier Rack as a way to finally bring some order to the chaos.READ MORE...

Buildings on the working waterfront catch the early morning light, Feb. 26, 2025, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)2026-01-21T20:28:30Z PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The Trump administration is now targeting Maine in its mass deportation campaign, a state with relatively few residents in the United States illegally but a notable presence refugees in its largest cities, particularly from Africa.Reports of immigration arrests over the last week have struck fear in immigrant communities of Portland and Lewiston and prompted backlash from Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats, including a refusal to help ICE agents obscure the identity of their vehicles by issueing undercover license plates.The Department of Homeland Security named the operation Catch of the Day, an apparent play on Maines seafood industry, just as it has done for other enforcement surges, like Metro Surge in Minnesota and Midway Blitz in Chicago. The departments arrest target of 1,000 Maine residents, reported by Fox News Channel, would make it a significant operation but far from the largest. Portland and Lewiston have thousands of residents of African descent, including many from Somalia.Somali immigration into Maine accelerated in the early 2000s, and the state now has one of the highest percentages of Somali residents in the country. Immigrants and asylum seekers from other countries followed. Now the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is causing great anxiety in Portland, said city council member Pious Ali, a native of Ghana. Our schools have seen about a quarter of immigrants not showing up, Ali said, and many fear going to work as well: There are immigrants who live here who work in our hospitals, they work in our schools, they work in our hotels, they are part of the economic engine of our community. ICE agents dont need to spread trauma by smashing doors and windows, he said: The federal government has the ability to contact these people without unleashing fear into our communities. Dozens of arrestsThe enforcement action is arriving in Maine, a mostly rural state with about 1.4 million residents, as confrontations between ICE and demonstrators continue in Minnesota, where ICE is under scrutiny following an agents fatal shooting of Renee Good.ICE didnt respond to a request for comment Wednesday on the agencys plans for Maine, where U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that increased enforcement began on Tuesday. ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told FOX News that it had made 50 arrests by Tuesday and has more than 1,000 targets in the state.We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state. On the first day of operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child, said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. No new undercover license platesSecretary of State Shenna Bellows, a longtime opponent of President Donald Trump, said state officials received a request from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for confidential, undercover Maine license plates and decided against issuing them. The licenses plates are used on unmarked vehicles and Bellows said she wants more assurance they will be used appropriately. ICEs use of license plates in other states has raised concerns: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat, issued a warning to ICE agents last year that swapping or altering license plates is illegal.These requests in light of rumors of ICE deployment to Maine and abuses of power in Minnesota and elsewhere raise concerns. We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates. We want to be assured that Maine plates will not be used for lawless purposes, Bellows said.Bellows has run afoul of Trump and his administration before. In 2023, she sought to remove his presidential candidacy from the states ballot, arguing that Trump had engaged in insurrection in violation of the 14th Amendment. More recently, she has refused to hand over the states voter rolls to the federal government. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request seeking comment, but a top Maine Republican said withholding the undercover plates would jeopardize public safety.That really, one, puts us at odds as a state. Puts us at one end of an extreme that we really shouldnt be on, Senate Leader Trey Stewart said.Maines top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson joined Democrats in calling for any demonstrations in the state to remain peaceful and civil. Benson, a Trump appointee, warned people to stay out of the agents way or be prosecuted.Mayor, governors speak outGov. Mills has pushed back, as have mayors, school district leaders and numerous community organizations. Mills said aggressive enforcement actions that undermine civil rights are not welcome.Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said ICE enforcement has been causing anxiety, fear or uncertainty for many. Portland Mayor Mark Dion and the citys school district issued statements acknowledging its a nervous time for many.There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents, Dion said. Schools, Democrats call for cautionPortland Public Schools, the largest and most diverse school district in the state, said in a statement Wednesday that it conducted a lockout at two schools to prevent anyone from entering the building during the school day Tuesday because of concerns about ICE activity nearby.It was quickly determined that there was no threat to our school communities and the lockouts were lifted within minutes. This is an understandably tense time in our community, as reports and rumors of immigration enforcement actions grow, the districts statement said.Maine Democrats have condemned the ICE activity.The Trump administration has deployed ICE agents to Portland, Lewiston, and possibly other Maine communities. This is not about public safety. It is about fear, control, and political theater, Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said in a statement Wednesday. PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto

Ice forms along the Lake Michigan shore as People walk their dogs on a beach, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)2026-01-21T14:47:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in a way that will send much of the United States a devastating dose of winter weather later this week with swaths of painful subzero temperatures, heavy snow and powerline-toppling ice.Meteorologists said the eastern two-thirds of the nation is threatened with a winter storm that could rival the damage of a major hurricane and has some origins in an Arctic that is warming from climate change. They warn that the frigid weather is likely to stick around through the rest of January and into early February, meaning the snow and ice that accumulates will take a long time to melt. Forecasts have the storm, expected to hit starting Friday, stretching from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South. About 230 million people face temperatures of 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius) or colder and around 150 million are likely to be hit by snow and ice, with many Americans getting both, according to the National Weather Service. I think people are underestimating just how bad its going to be, said former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue, now a private meteorologist. The polar vortex, a patch of bitterly cold air that often stays penned up in northern Canada and Alaska, is being elongated by a wave in the upper atmosphere that goes back to a relatively ice-free part of the Arctic and snow-buried Siberia. As the bone-chilling temperatures sweep through the U.S., theyll meet with moisture from off California and the Gulf of Mexico to set up crippling ice and snow in many areas. Vehicles are driven through whiteout conditions along Lake Michigan Drive during a winter storm warning in Ottawa County, Mich. on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) Vehicles are driven through whiteout conditions along Lake Michigan Drive during a winter storm warning in Ottawa County, Mich. on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Origins of the system in a warming ArcticThe origins of the system begin in the Arctic, where relatively warmer temperatures add energy to the polar vortex and help push its cold air south. The atmosphere is aligned perfectly that the pattern is locked into this warm Arctic, cold continent, Maue said. And its not just here for us in North America, but the landmass of Eastern Europe to Siberia is also exceptionally cold. The whole hemisphere has gone into the deep freeze.As far back as October 2025, changes in the Arctic and low sea ice were setting up conditions for the kind of stretched polar vortex that brings severe winter weather to the U.S., said winter weather expert Judah Cohen, an MIT research scientist. Heavy Siberian snowfall added to the push-and-pull of weather that warps the shape of the normally mostly circular air pattern. Those conditions kind of loaded the dice a bit for a stretching of the polar vortex, he said.Cohen co-authored a July 2025 study that found more stretched polar vortex events linked to severe winter weather bursts in the central and eastern U.S. over the past decade. Cohen said part of the reason is that dramatically low sea ice in the Barents and Kara seas in the Arctic helps set up a pattern of waves that end up causing U.S. cold bursts. A warmer Arctic is causing sea ice in that region to shrink faster than other places, studies have found. Arctic sea ice is at a record low extent for this time of year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. A large wave from Lake Michigan sends ice balls into the air as it crashes into the South Pierhead Outer Light at Grand Haven State Park in Grand Haven, Mich., Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) A large wave from Lake Michigan sends ice balls into the air as it crashes into the South Pierhead Outer Light at Grand Haven State Park in Grand Haven, Mich., Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Where the winter blast will strike The center of the stretched polar vortex will be somewhere above Duluth, Minnesota, by Friday morning, ushering in long-lasting brutal cold, Maue said. Temperatures in the North and Midwest will get about as cold as possible, even down to minus 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to minus 34 degrees Celsius), Maue said. The average low temperature for the Lower 48 states will dance around 11 or 12 degrees (minus 12 to minus 11 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Maue said.Two Great Lakes Erie and Ontario may freeze up, which would at least reduce the famed lake-effect snow a bit, Maue said.National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor of the national Weather Prediction Center said most areas east of the Rockies will be impacted by the bitter cold, snow or ice. Treacherous freezing rain could stretch from the southern plains through the mid-South and into the Carolinas, he said. Were looking at the potential for impactful ice accumulation. So the kind of ice accumulation that could cause significant or widespread power outages or potentially significant tree damage, he said. And if you dont get ice, you could get another significant swath of heavy snow, Taylor said. He said it was too early to predict how many inches will fall, but significant snowfall accumulations could hit the Ozarks region, Tennessee and Ohio valleys, the central Appalachians, and then into the mid-Atlantic, and perhaps into the portions of the northeast.Maue said in the mid-Atlantic around the nations capital, theres a possibility that you can get two blizzards on top of each other in the next 14 days.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SETH BORENSTEIN Borenstein is an Associated Press science writer, covering climate change, disasters, physics and other science topics. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, left, talks to his defense attorney Nico LaHood during a break on the 10th day of his trial at Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Sam Owens/The San Antonio Express-News via AP, Pool)2026-01-21T05:01:50Z CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) A Texas prosecutor urged a jury Wednesday to convict one of the first police officers on the scene of the deadly Robb Elementary School attack in Uvalde and send a message that law enforcement must fulfill their duty to protect when a gunman threatens children.Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde schools officer, is the first officer to stand trial over the hesitant police response to the 2022 massacre, when a teenage gunman killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.The trial is a rare case of a police officer charged with failing to stop a criminal act to protect lives.Gonzales, 52, sat at the defense table during closing arguments as special prosecutor Bill Turner told jurors the 10-year police veteran had a duty to act even if it meant entering the building alone. Sitting behind Gonzales in the courtroom were family members of several of the victims. Some cried when the names of the children killed and wounded that day were read out loud.Were expected to act differently when talking about a child that cant defend themselves, Turner said. If you have a duty to act, you cant stand by while a child is in imminent danger. As jurors, Turner said, their verdict will set the bar over whether its appropriate to stand outside, hearing 100 shots, while children are being slaughtered. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on The jury began its deliberations after listening to a little over two hours of closing statements from prosecutors and defense lawyers. Jason Goss, an attorney for Gonzales, began his closing statements by telling jurors his client was not responsible for the attack.The monster that hurt those kids is dead, Goss said. It is one of the worst things that ever happened.Goss said a conviction would tell police they have to be perfect when responding to a crisis and could make them even more hesitant in the future.Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment for the 19 students killed and 10 others who were wounded. Gonzales faces up to two years in prison if convicted. Trial is in its third weekGonzales did not take the stand in his own defense. He has insisted he didnt freeze in the chaotic early moments and never saw the gunman, and his lawyers argue that three officers on the other side of the school saw the gunman still outside and didnt fire a shot.Body camera footage shows Gonzales being among the first group of officers to enter a shadowy and smoky hallway trying to reach the killer in a classroom.Contrary to the portrayal of a reluctant officer officer, Gonzales risked his life when he went into a hallway of death where others were unwilling to go in the early moments, his lawyers said.They are trying to feed you a coward sandwich and telling you Adrian is the one who gave it to you, defense attorney Nico LaHood told jurors.Prosecutors called 36 witnesses over nine days in a trial that began Jan. 5. Gonzales attorneys presented just two witnesses, starting with a woman who worked across the street from the school and who told jurors she saw the shooter ducking between cars and trying to stay out of view testimony that could reinforce Gonzales claims that he never saw the gunman.Jurors heard emotional testimony from teachers who recounted the terrifying moments when the 18-year-old gunman entered the school. Prosecutors have presented graphic photos from inside the classrooms and questioned officers who described the chaos of the response. Case moved out of Uvalde to get a fair trialThe trial was moved hundreds of miles to Corpus Christi after defense attorneys argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde. Still, some victims families have made the long drive to watch the proceedings.Early in the trial, the sister of one of the teachers killed that day was removed from the courtroom after an angry outburst following one officers testimony.Prosecutors allege Gonzales, who had led an active shooter response training course two months before the shooting, abandoned his training and did not try to stop gunman Salvador Ramos before he entered the school. Teacher Arnulfo Reyes described seeing a black shadow with a gun enter the room before he was shot and all 11 of his students were killed. Other teachers described students, some as young as second grade, grabbing safety scissors to attack the gunman if he came into their room.Teachers and children followed their school shooting training, Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell told jurors.Were not going to continue to teach children to rehearse their own death and not hold (police) to the training thats mandated by state law, Mitchell said.Gonzales was one of 376 federal, state and local officers swarmed to the school as the attack unfolded. It would take more than an hour for a tactical team to breach a classroom and kill the gunman. Only Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo have been criminally charged for the delayed response. Arredondo was indicted on similar charges on the same day as Gonzales in 2024, but his trial has not yet been set.___Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. JIM VERTUNO Vertuno has been covering news, sports and politics from Texas for The AP since 1998. He won a National Headliner Award for sports writing in 2013. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09970-4First-principles molecular dynamics driven by density functional theory is used to show that silicate and hydrogen are completely miscible over a wide range of plausible coreenvelope pressuretemperature conditions.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00018-9Rock art found in Indonesia dates to at least 67,800 years ago, representing the earliest known cave art made by humans. These findings provide insights into the movement and cultural lives of populations that contributed to the ancestry of Indigenous Australian and Papuan people.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09966-0Early vertebrates, particularly myllokunmingids, possessed four camera-type eyes (a pair of lateral eyes and pineal and parapineal organs), which indicates that these structures functioned in image formation, in support of the hypothesis that the four camera-type eyes represent an ancestral vertebrate trait.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09994-wAn allosteric site on the E3 ligase adapter cereblon can be targeted to modulate the efficacy of cereblon in targeted protein degradation applications.

Nature, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10009-xNoradrenergic circuits support and balance aggressive behavioural states in predatory nematodes, distinguish predatory from non-predatory nematode species and are associated with the evolution of complex behavioural traits.

If a new CBA is reached, the upcoming WNBA season will start May 8 with teams playing 44 games and including a 17-day FIBA World Cup break, the league announced Wednesday.

Among the areas Ben Johnson feels the Bears need to improve most next season is the chemistry between quarterback Caleb Williams and his pass catchers.