Scale of Iran's nationwide protests come into focus as internet is out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The bloodiest crackdown on dissent since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution is slowly coming into focus, despite authorities cutting off the Islamic Republic from the internet and much of the wider world. Cities and towns smell of smoke as fire-damaged mosques and government offices line streets.

Wall Street drifts as gold rises to another record

NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market finished its zigzag week full of tariff threats and cancellations with a quiet and tentative close. The S&P 500 closed barely changed Friday and notched a second straight week with a modest loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. The majority of U.S. stocks fell, including Intel.

How the old and new US defense strategies differ on traditional priorities

The new U.S. National Defense Strategy released by President Donald Trump’s administration is the first since 2022 and contrasts with its predecessor, issued under former President Joe Biden. Here’s a look at how the two Pentagon strategies address some of the traditional concerns of U.S. security policy.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and others

Jan. 19 – The Washington Post says Congress has dropped the ball regarding oversight of ICE, DHS. Geraldo Lunas Campos died at a Texas detention center on Jan. 3 while pleading for air as guards choked him, according to a fellow detainee. The local medical examiner’s office is considering classifying his death as a homicide, The Post reports.

Freezing and in the Dark, Kyiv Residents are Stranded in Tower Blocks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Olena Janchuk spends another day of freezing isolation in her high-rise apartment.  The former kindergarten teacher has severe rheumatoid arthritis, and has been trapped for weeks on the 19th floor of her Kyiv tower block, 650 steps from the ground.

 

Court records raise doubts that ICE is detaining the 'worst of the worst' in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement has highlighted the detention of people whom it called some of Maine’s most dangerous criminals during operations this past week, but court records paint a more complicated picture.

Minneapolis residents shelter immigrant children separated from parents

When federal immigration agents pounded on the door of his Minneapolis home, the oldest son in a family of 10 knew he had to move his siblings to a safer place. Their mother, a 41-year-old Indigenous Ecuadorian office cleaner without a known criminal record besides minor traffic offenses, had been detained in early January because she entered the country illegally.

Trump housing finance chief OKs more mortgage spending

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s federal housing finance director, Bill Pulte, quietly granted government-backed lenders the authority to nearly double a $200 billion bond purchase that Trump ordered to try to lower mortgage rates, a move that could introduce a new level of risk for the companies.

Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days

RAQQA, Syria (AP) – Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.