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Blurb:

One of the biggest problems — of many — that President Donald Trump identified under his predecessor’s regime involved the soaring cost of living to which many Americans were subjected.

By that same token, Trump also appears cognizant that one of the initiatives he supports, the investment in and proliferation of artificial intelligence, could very well lead to Americans feeling the same sort of squeeze they felt under former President Joe Biden.

Aware of that, the president took to Truth Social to issue a mandate to tech companies, saying they will not be allowed to jack up American utility bills.

Blurb:

Taiwan has deployed coastguard vessels after four Chinese boats entered waters near Kinmen Island, sparking further fears over an invasion. The Coast Guard Administration condemned China’s attempt to use routine gray-zone conflict tactics to create false information about its jurisdiction, seriously undermining regional peace and stability.

According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard, the Kinmen‑Matsu‑Penghu Branch, unusual activity was seen near Kinmen in the afternoon. In a press statement, it explained that around 2 pm, personnel in the 12th Patrol District detected Chinese Coast Guard ships gathering in two separate areas just off Kinmen’s southern coastline. In response, Taiwan’s Coast Guard quickly sent out its own patrol vessels, moving them into nearby restricted waters so they would be in position ahead of any potential developments.

Blurb:

President Donald Trump earlier signaled support for protests in the Islamic Republic and threatened new strikes

The US has opened a new air and missile defense coordination cell at a key airbase in Qatar amid rising tensions with Iran and President Donald Trump’s promises to assist protesters in the Islamic Republic.

In a statement on Tuesday, US Central Command said the facility at the Al Udeid Air Base, which houses some 10,000 troops, will be comprised of American and allied personnel and seeks to “enhance integrated air and missile defense.” The new cell is also intended to tighten information-sharing, threat warning, drills and joint responses for air and missile defense, US officials said.

Reuters reported, citing three unnamed diplomats, that some personnel had been advised to leave the base by Wednesday evening for unknown reasons. The agency noted that the US took the same measures ahead of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last summer, while the Al Udeid Air Base came under a retaliatory attack from Tehran at the time.


 

The move comes amid soaring US-Iran tensions, with Trump offering symbolic support for the riots, which began in late December as protests over the sharp devaluation of the Iranian rial and the sanctioned country’s cost-of-living crisis. The US president, in particular, has urged Iranians to keep protesting and said “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” while also warning of “very strong” action in case of a harsh crackdown on rioters. At the same time, Trump did not rule out talks with Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran did not seek war but was prepared for it, and Iranian officials have warned neighboring states that host US forces that they could face retaliation if Washington attacks. Officials in Tehran have also insisted that the US and Israel had had a “big hand” in fostering the current protests.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar have privately pressed Washington not to strike Iran, warning that a conflict could trigger severe regional instability and disrupt oil markets, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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from www.rt.com

Blurb:

Independent journalists Nick Sortor and Cam Higby were physically attacked by a violent mob during an anti-ICE demonstration outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Sunday night, after a far-left streamer threatened to track and harass them.

According to Sortor, agitators scuffled with them whenever they left their vehicle to film clashes between law enforcement and the anti-ICE militants.

“We did our best not to engage with them,” Higby stated on X.  “Obviously they repeatedly initiated physical contact with us.”

At one point, an aggressive masked female agitator got in front of Sortor,  holding up a sign to block him from filming. Sortor snatched the sign from her and threw it on the ground.   The woman continued hounding the journalist, throwing punches and trying to grab his phone away. Sortor continued filming while pushing her away with his free hand. He pulled off her mask so she could be identified and face consequences for the assault, Higby explained later on X.

Federal agents deployed flash bangs, tear gas, and pepper balls to disperse the increasingly violent mob, which allowed the two to escape to their vehicle, a white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

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The next step from the Executive Order in November where such a designation was announced (White House).

On January 13, 2026, the U.S. labeled the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood—Al Jama’a Al Islamiyya—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, while designating its Egyptian and Jordanian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. This stems from a November 2025 executive order by President Trump, based on evidence of their financial, logistical, and ideological support for Hamas. Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE endorsed the step, though the Brotherhood called it politically motivated and plans legal challenges. The designations impose asset freezes, travel bans, and penalties for material support, marking a targeted escalation in counterterrorism without labeling the entire group.

Blurb:

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has declared that the communist regime would defend itself “to the last drop of blood” before making a deal with the United States.

Bermúdez responded defiantly to pressure from President Donald Trump, who urged Havana to strike a deal with Washington.

Trump addressed Cuba earlier in the day in a Truth Social post, warning the regime to negotiate while it still can and signaling a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward the island.

“They make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote.

Blurb:

A train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday after a construction crane fell on three of its carriages, ‌killing at least 25 people and injuring about 80, police said.

The accident took place on Wednesday morning in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 km northeast of Bangkok, on a train from ‍the capital bound for Ubon Ratchathani province.

“The death ‍toll has now ‍reached 25. The search for more bodies is ongoing,” Police Colonel ⁠Thatchapon Chinnawong told Reuters by phone.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that there were 195 ​people on board, adding that he had ordered a thorough investigation to be carried out.

Blurb:

Scott Adams, whose popular comic strip Dilbert captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirised the ridiculousness of modern office culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks, has died. He was 68.

His first ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced the death Tuesday (Jan 13) on a livestream posted on Adams’ social media accounts. “He’s not with us right anymore,” she said. Adams revealed in 2025 that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Miles had said he was in hospice care in his Northern California home on Monday.

“I had an amazing life,” the statement said in part. “I gave it everything I had.”

At its height, Dilbert, with its mouthless, bespectacled hero in a white short-sleeved shirt and a perpetually curled red tie, appeared in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in at least 70 countries and 25 languages.

Blurb:

States that have sanctuary cities protecting illegal aliens and their dangerous criminal element as of February 1 will no longer receive any form of federal funding, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday during an address at the Detroit Economic Club.

The U.S. simply can’t afford to subsidize the millions of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. – especially since many of them are a threat to American citizens, Trump warned:

“Many of those people are murderers. They’re people released from jails, prisons, mental institutions, insane asylums. They’re people that are drug dealers, they’re addicts.”

If states and cities continue to protect people who break U.S. immigration laws, they’ll have to do so without the help of federal funding, Pres. Trump said:

“Starting Feb. 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens.”

Blurb:

The political heavyweight is seeking to overturn a five-year ban on holding office

Veteran French politician Marine Le Pen appeared in court on Tuesday to appeal a ruling that bars her from holding office for five years, effectively sidelining her from the 2027 presidential race, where she had long been seen as the leading candidate.

Le Pen, who was convicted last year of misappropriating EU funds, told the court that she had done nothing wrong.

RT examines what is at stake.

Blurb:

Nick Shirley, the viral YouTuber who exposed the fraud happening at Somali daycare centers in Minnesota, took credit for Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s resignation from the 2026 gubernatorial race.

While Walz faced national scrutiny for his handling of fraud, Shirley posted a 42-minute documentary on Dec. 26, which found that nearly a dozen Somali daycare centers funded by taxpayer dollars were not actually providing services. In response to the governor accusing Shirley of being a “conspiracy theorist” who broke into daycare centers, Shirley posted on X that he “ended” Walz’s career.

“I ENDED TIM WALZ,” Shirley wrote on X.

Blurb:

“The retirement grade determination process directed by Secretary Hegseth will be completed within forty five days.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that the Pentagon is taking administrative action against Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy Captain, for his role in a late 2025 video in which he and other lawmakers, dubbed the “Seditious Six,” called for active duty troops to “refuse illegal orders.” Hegseth said that the Pentagon has initiated “retirement grade determination proceedings,” with a reduction in grade resulting in a reduction in retired pay.

Hegseth said, “Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice.”

Blurb:

Kiano Vafaeian suffered from diabetes, vision impairment, and mental illness.

A 26-year-old man who sought Canada’s state-assisted suicide program after becoming depressed over losing his eyesight has now died.

Kiano Vafaeian suffered from diabetes, vision impairment, and mental illness. His case gained attention on social media after being highlighted by Billboard Chris, who shared details of Vafaeian’s death and his family’s objections to the process.

Vafaeian’s mother, Maersilla Vafaeian, wrote in a Facebook post that she had previously been able to stop her son from undergoing euthanasia and secure help for him when he was vulnerable.

Blurb:

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed extradition paperwork Tuesday to seek the prosecution of a California abortionist accused of illegally shipping abortion pills into the state.

Landry is vowing to hold accountable those who undermine Louisiana’s pro-life laws and endanger women and unborn children.

“I am signing the extradition paperwork to bring this California doctor to justice,” Landry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Louisiana has a zero tolerance policy for those who subvert our laws, seek to hurt women, and promote abortion.”

The Republican governor added: “I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life.”

Blurb:

BRASILIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court has rejected former president Jair Bolsonaro’s request to convert his prison sentence for plotting a coup to house arrest, according to a ruling published Thursday (Jan 1).

Bolsonaro’s lawyers submitted the request Wednesday, citing a “real risk of a sudden worsening” in health for the far-right ex-leader as the reason to serve his 27-year sentence at home.

Bolsonaro, 70, has been hospitalised for more than a week after undergoing surgery for a groin hernia and then a procedure to treat recurring bouts of hiccups.

“Contrary to what the defense alleges, there has been no worsening of Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s health condition”, judge Alexandre de Moraes stated in his decision.

Blurb:

The man arrested for vandalizing the Cincinnati home of pro-life Vice President J.D. Vance identifies as transgender and goes by the name “Julia DeFoor,” while his father is a surgeon who has donated to Democrats, according to reports.

William DeFoor, 26, was charged with obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism after allegedly smashing several windows at Vance’s home and vandalizing a U.S. Secret Service vehicle in the driveway early Monday.

DeFoor identifies as transgender, with an Instagram profile under “Julia DeFoor” using “she/her” pronouns and a Facebook account liking pages including “Heartland Trans Wellness.”

Blurb:

 

Dan Bongino served his final day as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, returning to civilian life on Sunday after less than a year of public service.

Bongino first announced mid-December that he would be departing from the bureau in the New Year. On Saturday, Bongino made his departure official, signing off in a post on X.

‘I gave up everything for this.’

“It was a busy last day on the job,” Bongino said. “This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life.”

Blurb:

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a bar in a Swiss Alps resort town during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure,” Gisler said, adding that the community is “devastated.”

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

Blurb:

The following content is sponsored by Americans for Limited Government.

After years of Washington politicians lining the pockets of insurance companies and anointing them “essential partners,” President Trump has called out the insurance monopoly for what it is. “Let the money go not to the big fat cats and the insurance companies that made 1,700 percent over a short period of time,” President Trump said.

“Let the money go directly to the people, where they can buy their own health care.”

The big health insurance companies that have gorged themselves at the Obamacare trough are finally being put under the spotlight and held to account. While these companies have grown richer, patients have been left paying ever-increasing premiums and deductibles with steadily decreasing care in return.

Blurb:

Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people’s historic resistance movement opposing their Islamic government, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.

The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars.

ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.

Blurb:

More than two weeks after the December 19 deadline to release records tied to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the Department of Justice (DOJ) says it is still working through a vast backlog of unreleased material.

The DOJ acknowledges that millions of documents remain under review.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York, the department disclosed that:

“There are more than 2 million documents potentially responsive to the Act that are in various phases of review.”

Blurb:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson on Sept. 18, 2025, when he announced that eight people federally charged for allegedly billing for services they didn’t provide through the Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services. (Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer)

The career prosecutor overseeing the sprawling federal investigation into social program fraud in Minnesota resigned abruptly this week.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson was one of at least six senior lawyers to leave the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota on Tuesday, according to the New York Times and other outlets.

Thompson was the top lieutenant of Daniel N. Rosen, an appointee of President Donald Trump. He served as the acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota last year before Rosen’s confirmation.

Blurb:

 

At least 42 people were slaughtered and others abducted when armed bandits stormed a crowded market in Niger State, northwest Nigeria, opening fire indiscriminately, burning stalls, and looting food as terrified civilians fled. Witnesses say women and children were not spared and that security forces were nowhere to be seen as raids spread across multiple villages, with some estimating the death toll as high as 40. The massacre underscores the accelerating collapse of security across northern and central Nigeria, where mass killings and kidnappings have become routine despite repeated military operations. President Bola Tinubu has ordered authorities to hunt down the perpetrators and rescue abductees, but the bloodshed comes just weeks after more than 300 children were kidnapped from a Catholic school—grim proof that banditry is spiraling out of control while the state struggles to protect its people.

Blurb:

 

The BBC will file a motion to dismiss U.S. President Donald Trump‘s $10-billion lawsuit over its editing of a speech that made it appear he had directed supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.

Court documents published late on Monday showed the broadcaster would argue that the court in Florida lacked personal jurisdiction in the case because it did not broadcast the program in the state, and that the president could not prove damages because he was re-elected after it aired.

Blurb:

Two suspects shot for “weaponizing” their vehicle against a Portland-based Border Patrol agent are affiliates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The revelation came late Thursday after news emerged of a shooting involving U.S. immigration officials in Portland, Oregon. Initial reporting indicated that two individuals were shot in the incident.

When details of the case finally emerged, it clearly was not what Democrats — who had already rushed to falsely blame the immigration officials — were expecting.

According to DHS, Border Patrol officials were conducting a “targeted vehicle stop” in Portland. The agency said that upon identifying themselves to the driver and passenger, “the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents.”

Blurb:

 

With anti-regime unrest spreading across Iran, the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is secretly planning his escape if the regime falls, The Times of London revealed Monday, quoting an intelligence source.

Khamenei has good reasons to work out a backup plan. His regime suffered a serious military and morale setback in the Twelve-Day War with Israel last summer. Khamenei’s own position within the regime has been weakened by the loss of many of his long-time confidants and key military commanders since Iran-backed Hamas launched the terrorist invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.

Russia appears to be an obvious destination for a failed Iranian dictator. Nearly one year ago, the Iran-backed dictator of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, fled to Moscow after his regime collapsed after 50 years of clan rule. Khamenei, who leads the chants of “Death to America” at weekly Friday prayers in Tehran, has been at the helm of the tyrannical Islamic regime since 1989.