Iran Issues Assassination Threat Against Trump: ‘This time it will not miss the target’

The Ayatollah has a strange approach to de-escalation. New York Post: The image of a bloodied-Trump appeared to be taken from a pro-government rally in Iran, which has been allowed to air despite nationwide blackouts over the protests against the regime. Trump was infamously the target of an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when he was shot in the ear by gunman Thomas Crooks…. The Justice Department also said that in 2024, the US thwarted an Iranian-led plot to kill Trump after arresting Farhad Shakeri, who was allegedly tasked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to murder the president for the regime, according to court documents (New York Post). 

As Tensions Escalate With Iran, US Evacuates Personnel From Qatar; Issues Travel Warning

It’s very clear that we are clearing space and assembling our key assets. Financial Times: Washington is evacuating personnel from a military base in Qatar, as the possibility of a US strike on Iran raises fears across the region of a wider conflagration. A US official on Wednesday said “some people” were leaving Al Udeid air base, Washington’s regional military command, which hosts about 10,000 troops…. Tehran previously targeted Al Udeid with a missile barrage after the US bombed its nuclear facilities during Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June (Financial Times). From our embassy in Qatar: Qatar: Given ongoing regional tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Doha has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase. We recommend U.S. citizens in Qatar do the same (Travel.Gov). Treasury Secretary Bessent: We are now seeing the rats fleeing the ship because we can see millions, tens of millions of dollars being wired out of the country, snuck out of the country by the Iranian leadership. So, they are abandoning ship and we are seeing it come into banks and financial institutions all over the world (X).

Israel Warns Iran: ‘If you attack us, we will end you for good’

That comes via Israel’s channel 12: An Israeli security official just said if Iran attacks, there won’t be another round after that. No back and forth, no limits. According to the official, Israel would move to bring down the Iranian regime entirely (Nawfal). Israel Hayom: Against the backdrop of threats by US President Donald Trump, Israel’s security establishment, with particular emphasis on the Israeli Air Force, has shifted to its highest state of readiness amid indications of a looming US strike on Iran. Israel’s air defense array has raised its alert level nationwide and is preparing for the possibility of a heavy Iranian barrage directed at Israel. At the same time, the Israeli Air Force is preparing potential retaliatory strikes should Iran make what Israeli officials describe as a grave mistake by launching long-range surface-to-surface missiles at Israel (Israel Hayom). On Sunday, Iran had threatened Israel that they would retaliate towards the Jewish state if the US hit them (Times of Israel).

Officials From Denmark, Greenland Meet at White House; ‘Fundamental’ Differences Remain

The Trump administration continues to demonstrate seriousness about acquiring the island. CBS News: The U.S. and Denmark still have “fundamental” differences over the future of Greenland, but will continue to talk, Denmark’s foreign minister said after a White House meeting Wednesday amid President Trump’s push to take over the Arctic island. Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, met with Greenland’s minister for foreign affairs, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials. Loekke Rasmussen described the meeting as a “frank but also constructive discussion” on security long-term security in Greenland (CBS). An interesting interchange with a reporter yesterday: Reporter: Right now it sounds like you are saying that you would potentially acquire Greenland by force. That would be a NATO country in the United States. Are you saying that? Trump: No. You’re saying that. No, you’re telling me that that’s what I’m going to do. You don’t know what I’m going to do. Reporter: So what are the options? Trump: Your network doesn’t know either. Reporter: …. Are you willing to leave the NATO Alliance in order to get what you want with Greenland? What are the options right now? Trump: Well, I wouldn’t be telling you what I’m willing to do, certainly. I’m not going to give up options, but it’s very important. Greenland’s very important for the national security, including of Denmark (Rapid Response). Trump on Wednesday afternoon: The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it (Truth).

Senate Narrowly Rejects War Powers Resolution on Venezuela, Vance Breaks Tie Vote

Earlier in the week, the Senate voted to advance a resolution that would have been a rebuke to Trump while also seeking to limit his authority for further action in Venezuela. That vote was 52-47, with five GOP senators joining Democrats. The floor vote was on Wednesday. Teri Christoph at RedState: Two Republican senators who had previously cast votes advancing the war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and co-sponsored by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), thought better of it Wednesday and voted in support of a point of order against the resolution. The vote was 51-50, with Vice President JD being the tie-breaker in his role as President of the Senate…. In the wake of last week’s defections by the five GOP senators, the president was reportedly irate and began placing phone calls to the defectors. One phone call was apparently quite heated, as Trump went on a “profanity-laced” rant at Collins (RedState). Vance placing his vote: On this vote, the yays are 50, the nays are 50, the Senate being equally divided. The vice president votes affirmative and the point of order is sustained (Daugherty).

Minneapolis Protests Remain Tense and Dangerous for Law Enforcement; Who’s Funding the Unrest?

The funding from George Soros will not be a surprise. Free Beacon did a deeper dive: The activists are members of radical groups that together have received millions of dollars from the Left’s premier foundations and dark money networks, including George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a Washington Free Beacon review found. At the center of the unrest is the Sunrise Movement, a left-wing group founded to fight climate change that has since directed its local chapters to fight the Trump administration…. Sunrise is bankrolled by a who’s who of deep-pocketed left-wing organizations. Open Society Foundations has sent it $2 million since 2019, according to its grant database. Half of the money supported general “social welfare activities.” The Ford Foundation contributed $150,000 in 2024 and $550,000 in 2025, while the MacArthur Foundation—the 12th-largest private charity in America—gave $250,000 in 2024, according to tax filings and grant disclosures (Free Beacon).

State Department Halts Visas for 75 Nations

As we do a deep reassessment of who’s coming and how what they are adding (or taking). Ward Clark for RedState: The State Department is now halting visa processing for 75 nations that are considered to present a high risk of applicants seeking American welfare benefits. It’s quite a list of nations, including Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, and (no shock here) Somalia. The pause will remain in place while the State Department does a reassessment of the visa process (RedState). Fox News: The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more. The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of immigrant visa processing. Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a sweeping fraud scandal centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered massive abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans (Fox News). State Department: We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused. The Trump Administration will always put America First (State).

UK Presses Ahead With Orwellian Surveillance Under ‘Online Safety Act’

The UK arrests more people for what they post on social media than any other nation—and it’s not even close. Steve Forbes: Police are making more than 30 arrests a day over what they deem to be offensive online posts, retweets or cartoons. That’s 12,000 arrests a year (Forbes). Now: Sir Keir Starmer is about to turn your smartphone into a government surveillance device with access to all your private messages in real time. This is the terrifying endpoint for the Online Safety Act (OSA), legislation that serves as a weapon against British citizens that was passed by the Tories, and is now being enriched by Labour. Lord Hanson of Flint, who is steering this awful mission, recently confirmed the Government expects Ofcom to exercise these powers swiftly, in fact he “set a date of April 2026”. That’s when Ofcom will finalise guidance and minimum standards for the technology, paving the way for mandatory deployment. The clock is ticking. Within months, your private conversations will likely be subject to real-time state-mandated surveillance….  We must push back now, before April 2026 arrives and the scanners switch on (Telegraph). Elon Musk: Real fascism is arresting thousands of people for social media posts (Musk). Notable: Musk’s attention on the United Kingdom’s policing of online content is a likely response to the United Kingdom’s threats to ban X…. State Department said on Tuesday that “nothing is off the table” if the United Kingdom decides to go ahead with banning X in the UK. State Department’s Sarah B. Rogers said UK’s threats to shut down X is about the government wanting “the ability to curate a public square, to suppress political viewpoints it dislikes” (KOMO).

Jeb Bush Commends Trump’s ‘Historic Leadership on Iran’

A nice complement of Trump’s leadership—and a nice twist of history. Jeb Bush today is the chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran. From the former Florida governor on Tuesday: President Trump continues to demonstrate historic leadership on Iran, with unprecedented support for the Iranian people as they face bullets for freedom. We @UANI join him in standing with the brave people of Iran (Bush). And, from UANI’s statement: For far too long, the United States and the West have equivocated in expressing support for the people of Iran in the face of the Ayatollah’s violence and repression. President Trump’s post made clear that no longer will the United States and the West lack the moral clarity to support the people of Iran as they face bullets for freedom. That change is historic (UANI).

‘America Is the Sole Superpower Again’

That’s the title of a piece from historian and prolific author Arthur Herman: It happened after World War II and after the Cold War—and it is happening now. President Trump has thrust the U.S. into another “unipolar moment,” a time when a single great power dominates the globe and crafts a new world order. The strike against Iran’s nuclear sites, the cease-fire in Gaza, and the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro together show that the U.S. controls the tempo and direction of world events. Which may also come to include regime change in Iran…. Now, after only a year in office, Mr. Trump has asserted U.S. dominance on a scale not seen since the 1990s—or even World War II. China had its chance to win the superpower sweepstakes, but it is slipping away…. The most recent era of great-power competition is over, and the U.S. won. History shows, however, that such unipolar moments are fleeting. It is up to the second Trump administration to make sure it doesn’t slip away—that America’s status as the dominant superpower becomes a bridge to a more secure and more prosperous future for the rest of the free world (Wall Street Journal).