Today is Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Let's get caught up.

These headlines are in the news this morning: Twitter's CEO is defending his company's ban of President Trump in wake of Capitol riots; McConnell won't speed up impeachment trial of Trump and won't rule out conviction; 'Jeopardy' names Katie Couric and Aaron Rodgers among new guest hosts.

Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.

Top stories

Twitter CEO defends Trump ban, warns of dangerous precedent

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended his company’s ban of President Donald Trump in a philosophical Twitter thread that is his first public statement on the subject.

When Trump incited his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol last week, then continued to tweet potentially ominous messages, Dorsey said the resulting risk to public safety created an “extraordinary and untenable circumstance” for the company. Having already briefly suspended Trump's account the day of the Capitol riot, Twitter on Friday banned Trump entirely, then smacked down the president's attempts to tweet using other accounts.

“I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter,“ Dorsey wrote. But he added: ”I believe this was the right decision for Twitter.” Read more:

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McConnell open to convicting Trump in impeachment trial

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointedly did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached President Donald Trump, but he also blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial.

Minutes after the House voted 232-197 on Wednesday to impeach Trump, McConnell said in a letter to his GOP colleagues that he’s not determined whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate's upcoming proceedings. The House impeachment articles charge that Trump incited insurrection by exhorting supporters who violently attacked the Capitol last week, resulting in five deaths and a disruption of Congress.

“I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell wrote. Read more:

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Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik to be 'Jeopardy!' guest hosts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and journalist Bill Whitaker are among the future guest hosts who will fill in for the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy!”

The show announced Wednesday that Couric, the journalist and former “Today” show host, will become the first woman ever to host the show.

Trebek, the face of the show for 36 years, died from pancreatic cancer Nov. 8, and the final shows he recorded aired last week. The show has opted to use a series of interim guest hosts rather than immediately find permanent replacements. Read more:

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Today's weather

A storm system will bring winds near hurricane-force to the Central Plains as snow develops across the Upper Midwest. CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest forecast.

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In other news today ...

• President-elect Joe Biden hopes his multidimensional coronavirus strategy, expected to be detailed in a Thursday evening speech, will put the country on the path to recovery by the end of his first 100 days.
• Encrypted messaging apps Signal and Telegram are seeing huge upticks in downloads from Apple and Google’s app stores. Facebook-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, is seeing its growth decline following a fiasco that forced the company to clarify a privacy update it had sent to users.
• Two years after leaving office, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is facing charges of willful neglect of duty in the Flint water crisis as prosecutors revisit how the city's water system was contaminated with lead.
• The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $640 million without a winner heading into the next drawing Saturday. That comes a day after the Mega Millions prize grew to $750 million ahead of Friday's drawing.
• The number of people killed on the nation's highways rose 4.6% in the first nine months of 2020 despite coronavirus lockdowns that curtailed driving early in the year.
• Ugandans were voting Thursday in a presidential election tainted by widespread violence that some fear could escalate as security forces try to stop supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine from monitoring polling stations. Internet access has been cut off.
• James Harden is heading to Brooklyn, joining old teammate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to give the Nets a potent trio featuring some of the NBA's highest scorers.

Click on the links below for full versions of these stories and scroll further for trending stories, a look at today in history and celebrity birthdays.

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