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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Desperate Pleas From Within Iran; US Tells Citizens to Get Out

The message from pro-freedom protestors is sober. Via journalist and activist Masih Alinejad: Please help us. The situation here is horrific. It is a full scale war. The regime’s forces show no mercy. They shoot protesters in the head and heart and even finish off those already wounded on the streets. In hospitals the wounded are being kidnapped and killed. Masih please tell the world we need help (Alinejad). From the US Virtual Embassy in Tehran: Protests across Iran are escalating and may turn violent, resulting in arrests and injuries…. Actions to Take: • Leave Iran now. Have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on U.S. government help. • If you cannot leave, find a secure location within your residence or another safe building. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items. • Avoid demonstrations, keep a low profile, and stay aware of your surroundings. • Monitor local media for breaking news. Be prepared to adjust your plans. • Keep your phone charged and maintain communication with family and friends to inform them of your status (US Embassy).

Why Is the Left Silent on Iran? JK Rowling Weighs In

Leading outlets on the left have been silent on the mass protests in Iran—with some harboring sympathies for the mullahcracy. Why? Yascha Mounk: The silence is far from random; it is a choice. And while I suspect that this choice is not fully conscious, and that the people making that choice haven’t fully spelled out the logic which motivates it, even to themselves, it ultimately goes back to a very simple calculation that … has plagued leftist intellectuals ever since the days of George Orwell. The sympathies of every single person who believes in freedom and equality and the basic rights of women should be with those courageous millions in Iran. For far too many progressives and leftists, their founding commitment is not to some principle or aspiration for the world. It is to believing that their own countries and societies are at the root of profound evil. This creates in their minds a simple demonology: Anybody who is on “our side” must be bad, and anybody who is on the “other side” is presumptively good. As Orwell said about some of the intellectuals of his day, their “real though unacknowledged motive appears to be hatred of Western democracy and admiration for totalitarianism” (Persuasion). JK Rowling has nearly 11 million views here: If you claim to support human rights yet can’t bring yourself to show solidarity with those fighting for their liberty in Iran, you’ve revealed yourself. You don’t give a damn about people being oppressed and brutalised so long as it’s being done by the enemies of your enemies (Rowling). More from Ed Morrissey: the truth may be even more basic and fundamental. The Left hates the West and wants it destroyed. They are willing to ally with all of those who want the same outcome, no matter the nature of the regime involved. That is their highest priority, and the deafening silence in response to the yearning of the brave Iranian people can only be understood in that context (Hot Air).

Trump Imposes 25 Percent Tariff on Countries That Do Business With Iran

From the President on Monday afternoon: Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter! (Truth). Fox News: The post came amid heightened tension with Iran as the country entered its fifteenth day of spiraling protests in which hundreds of people have been reported to have been killed since Dec. 28. According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), the deaths of 544 people have been confirmed so far and “dozens of additional cases remain under review.” Trump’s trade tariff announcement, which could impact China, Brazil, Turkey and Russia, also came as U.S. officials urged citizens to consider leaving Iran, according to a Department of State statement (Fox News).

Khamenei’s Regime Fearing Defections

Two key pieces to pay attention to as we watch the increasingly bloody pro-freedom movement: First, what will the U.S. do? And, second: Will police and/or military forces start to defect? Janatan Sayeh of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies: As authorities have failed to meaningfully deter protesters or contain the movement, fears of defections within the armed forces are growing. The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on January 9 that followed a familiar regime pattern, framing the unrest as a US and Israeli conspiracy and casting Iranian protesters as terrorists. The statement claimed that “a targeted, multi-phase plan has been designed under the guidance of foreign intelligence services, with operational leadership by organized terrorist forces.” However, in a now-deleted section of the statement, the IRGC Intelligence Organization also warned that any “defiance, desertion, or disobedience” among military personnel would be met with “trial and decisive action.” The apparent removal of this language likely reflects concerns about triggering a panic, but it nevertheless exposes the depth of anxiety among regime officials (FDD).

Today: Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Laws Protecting Women’s Sports

At issue, in sum, is whether a state has the right to legislate that only women can participate in women’s sports. West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey explains their state’s Save Women’s Sports Act, passed in 2021: It’s a very simple law. And all it says is that biological males should be playing sports against other biological males. And that just makes common sense because we know that there are physical characteristics that men have that give them an unfair advantage on the playing field and can also make the playing field unsafe for girls who are just trying to enjoy the incredible benefits of competitive sports (Faulkner). Idaho has a similar law—passed in 2020. Alliance Defending Freedom gives background on the case: In March 2023, ADF asked the Supreme Court to reverse the 4th Circuit’s decision and make it clear that the West Virginia law should be enforced, but the Supreme Court declined to do so before the 4th Circuit issued its final decision. About a year later, the 4th Circuit ruled to reverse part of the district court’s decision, hindering West Virginia’s ability to protect fairness in women’s sports. In July 2024, ADF once again asked the Supreme Court to affirm West Virginia’s right to enforce its law protecting female athletes. Finally, in July 2025, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (ADF).

Democrats See Opportunity to Take House in Midterms

The Wall Street Journal reports: Republicans currently hold a 218–213 majority in the House, with four vacancies. That slim edge means Democrats would need a net gain of just a handful of seats to win back the gavel, sharpening focus on a small number of competitive districts likely to decide control of the 435-seat chamber. “Democrats have a much better chance of winning the House,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, a nonpartisan political newsletter…. Republicans’ concern has surfaced publicly at the highest levels of the party. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) warned supporters at a conservative conference in December that losing the House would plunge Washington into “absolute chaos,” arguing Democrats would use the majority to investigate and impeach Trump. “Everything is on the line in the midterms of 2026,” Johnson said. The GOP hopes to focus on economic concerns, border security and public safety, issues party leaders argue continue to resonate with voters even amid broader dissatisfaction with Washington (Wall Street Journal). Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) has made it clear what he’ll do if given the opportunity: “I know that this president has committed 10 times more impeachable offenses in his second term as he did in his first term,” he said (Washington Times).

California Working to Put Billionaire Tax on Ballot

The wrong-headedness of the ballot initiative is not difficult to see. Anyone in the billionaire class is not going to find it difficult to find a new home for themselves or an alternative state or nation for their assets. But: We’re talking about California. CBS: A proposed billionaire wealth tax in California is sparking debate over whether the measure, if passed, would lead to more harm than good if ultrawealthy residents in the state flee to other locales. Under the proposed ballot initiative, California would institute a one-time tax of 5% on the state’s estimated 255 billionaires…. If passed, the measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of the state’s billionaires, although it would not tax their income. According to California’s attorney general, the tax would be applied to assets including: • Businesses • Securities such as stocks and bonds • Art • Collectibles • Intellectual property (CBS). From the legislative analysis of the measure’s fiscal impact: Likely ongoing decrease in state income tax revenues of hundreds of millions of dollars or more per year (LAO).

Facing Confiscatory Wealth Tax, California’s Wealthy Are Already Fleeing

Kelly Sadler: Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page reportedly appear to be reducing their footprint, according to The New York Times. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, has opened an office in Miami for his investment firm. Billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks relocated from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, late last year. Tech investor Chamath Palihapitiya estimates that the total wealth that has left California in the past month is $1 trillion. “We had $2T of billionaire wealth just a few weeks ago. Now, 50% of that wealth has left — taking their income tax revenue, sales tax revenue, real estate tax revenue and all their staffs (and their salaries and income taxes) with them,” Mr. Palihapitiya wrote on X on Sunday. “In other words, by starting this ill-conceived attempt at an asset tax, the California budget deficit will explode” (Washington Times). More on Thiel: Thiel just put out this press release. Why? Because he is trying to show publicly that he is a taxpayer in Florida, not California (X). From the New York Times: David Lesperance, a tax and immigration adviser for high net-worth individuals, said it would be a “process” for people to successfully claim nonresidence in a state…. Because of the potential ballot measure, “almost all of my clients are taking steps as quickly as possible both to sever California residence and to move assets outside of the state,” Mr. Lesperance said in an email. (New York Times).

With California’s Public Pension System in Crisis, State Retirement System Hires New DEI Officer

Mike Miller for RedState: California’s troubled public pension giant CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System), the largest public retirement system in the U.S. — which is facing a staggering $166 billion shortfall — has decided that what it really needs to turn things around is a brand spanking new “chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. No, really. The new hire, Shari  Slate, will earn a base salary of $221,580, but according to her own LinkedIn profile and the CalPERS announcement — you can’t make this stuff up — she brings zero background in finance or investment management experience to the table. [CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost] said in a statement: “Shari brings the kind of leadership this moment calls for – connecting diversity, inclusion, and equity to trust, governance and our core values. She will help CalPERS continue to lead with our purpose, which is to deliver the best outcomes for the millions of people who depend on us for their retirement and health care benefits” …. the insanity of DEI has no business being included in the factors that “help” determine investment decisions — including the minimization of portfolio risk — but I suspect you already knew that (RedState).

10.

‘Are You Dead’ Most Popular App in China

With an aging populace, a demographic imbalance and a reticence towards marriage, a growing number of Chinese people—of all ages—are living alone. Financial Times: An app called “Are You Dead?” that checks up on people living alone has become the most popular paid Apple Store download in China, a sign of concerns created by the country’s rapidly changing demographics. The app, called Sile Me in Chinese, requires users to “check in” by pressing a button. If they fail to do so over two consecutive days, the app sends a message to an emergency contact nominated by the user. Are You Dead? has gone viral as an increasing cohort of Chinese young people are choosing to live alone rather than get married and have a family. Meanwhile, a growing number of elderly people are being left isolated in their homes without relatives nearby to care for them…. The percentage of single-person households in China rose to 19.5 per cent in 2024 compared with 7.8 per cent two decades earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. One of the three young co-creators of the app, who identified himself only as Lyu, told local media its target users were young people living alone in the biggest cities, especially young women around the age of 25…. Signing up to the app was a way of expressing quiet pessimism, similar to other trends that have swept through the younger generation such as tang ping, or “lying flat”, and bailan, or “let it rot” that signal a ceasing to strive in the face of a hopeless situation (Financial Times).

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