Today, President Trump greets his creation. The Board of Peace will hold its first gathering since more than 20 nations signed the board’s founding charter last month. Delegates will talk about how to rebuild Gaza.

But the board, a kind of Trump-aligned alternative to the United Nations, is aiming much higher. It wants to “secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” according to the charter. That’s a lot of places beyond Gaza. It also promises to be a nimble peacekeeping body, presumably unlike the diplomats at the United Nations.

It sounds like something off a pitch deck: a start-up meant to disrupt international statecraft. Trump has offered many out-of-the-box ideas, and some of them have succeeded. Will this one?

How the board works

Member nations must cough up $1 billion to secure a permanent board seat. If they don’t pay, they lose their spot after three years.

The recruits are an odd assortment — not all America’s traditional friends. They include Argentina, Hungary, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Seven European nations, including France and Britain, have declined the offer. Trump rescinded Canada’s invitation after the prime minister criticized U.S. foreign policy. Russia said it would pony up if the United States thawed its bank accounts.

Trump is the chairman — not just while he’s president, but for life! He can invite new countries to join or expel others. He decides who is on the executive committee. Among them are Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, and Tony Blair, a former British prime minister. Trump is the “final authority” on all matters related to the board and its operations. There are not a lot of checks and balances. He makes the calls.

What is the board doing?

The original idea was to execute Trump’s blueprint for postwar Gaza, which he outlined in a 20-point peace plan in September. Trump says member nations have already pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding the territory. (The United Nations has estimated the cost at more than $50 billion.)

The Trump administration concedes that the challenges in Gaza are enormous. For 60 million tons of rubble to be cleared, the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas must hold. Israel has killed more than 600 Palestinians since the ostensible peace began, and Hamas has yet to agree to disarm, as Trump envisions. American officials hope both sides will agree to the board’s proposal for this, but they caution not to expect any overnight miracles. “There are big chunks of this plan where the rubber just hasn’t hit the road yet,” Aaron Boxerman, who covers Israel and Gaza, told me yesterday afternoon.

So, we’ll see. The U.N. Security Council approved Trump’s 20-point plan and blessed the creation of the Board of Peace last November. But now some nations feel buyer’s remorse, Farnaz Fassihi, who covers the U.N., told me. Some, like France and Britain, won’t join it. “Very awkward,” Farnaz said.

• Rescuers on Tuesday found the bodies of eight skiers killed near Lake Tahoe, Calif., in the deadliest avalanche in modern California history.

• One skier remains missing and is presumed dead; six skiers survived the disaster. They contacted rescuers through emergency beacons and the iPhone SOS function.

• An avalanche starts with a snowflake. But once a chunk of snowpack breaks loose, the powder, ice, and rocks can suffocate you in minutes. See how it happens.

The Epstein Files

• The British police arrested the former Prince Andrew after accusations that he shared confidential information with Epstein, the sex offender and financier, while serving as a British trade envoy, according to the BBC. Follow updates here.

• This month, Buckingham Palace said that if King Charles III or the palace were approached by the police, “we stand ready to support them as you would expect.”

Around the World

340

— That is the weight, in tons, of a granite rock the artist Michael Heizer installed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for his sculpture “Levitated Mass.” Visitors can walk through a 456-foot-long concrete trench beneath it. See more dramatic photos of Heizer’s work.

WINTER OLYMPICS

Men’s hockey: Quinn Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the U.S. to a 2-1 win over Sweden and to the semifinals. The Americans will play Slovakia on Friday.

Women’s hockey: The U.S. will play Canada for the gold medal today. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, they’ll be cheering for Laila Edwards, a barrier-breaking star of the American team.

Skiing: The American Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in her final event at these Games, claiming the women’s slalom, her first medal in eight years.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

Ali Slagle says you could roast these spinach meatballs in the oven before adding them to the sauce for pasta. You could. I prefer to follow her original recipe, though, which calls for browning them in a pot, so you can build the sauce above the drippings they release while they crisp. Fish them out when you’re ready to serve, dress your pasta with the sauce, then nestle a few meatballs onto each plate. Shower with grated Parmesan. Enjoy.

A REBEL YELLS

Billy Idol is 70, sober after decades of addiction, and on the cusp of releasing a documentary about his life, “Billy Idol Should Be Dead.” Melena Ryzik, a culture reporter, interviewed him at his home in Los Angeles, and we could have saved her perfect opening description for the obituary: He’s “the razor-blond British singer with the everlasting sneer, whose anthemic, power chord hits — ‘Rebel Yell,’ ‘White Wedding,’ ‘Dancing With Myself’ — and swaggering attitude made him the bad boy of ’80s rock.” Idol’s tour last summer was the biggest of his career. “I’m super lucky,” he told Melena. Read more.

More on culture

• Cynthia Erivo, the “Wicked” actress, is playing 23 roles in a one-woman show of “Dracula” on London’s West End.

• Behold: the 25 best things to eat in Los Angeles right now, according to five of the city’s most committed and expert grazers. (I can vouch for the crispy shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco.)

• Stephen Colbert reviewed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s workout with Kid Rock.

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS

Watch the third season of the political thriller “The Night Agent,” which starts streaming on Netflix tonight. In it, Peter Sutherland is on a manhunt to track down a rogue agent who has fled with sensitive information. (The Times recently spoke to Gabriel Basso, who plays the role.)

Crisp quickly, with the best air-fryer toaster oven recommended by the countertop culinarians at Wirecutter.

Watch live TV free on your phone with these apps.

GAMES

Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was cordovan.

And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay, and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam

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