Trump Mulls War on Iran - the Wednesday AM Quickie 1/14/26

By Corey Pein — Jan 14, 2026

I'm delighted to report that the St. Louis monkeys are still on the loose. Step lightly, monkeys. Stay free! - Corey

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THE BIG NEWS

Death Toll in Iran Crackdown Rises to 3,000 as Trump Lackeys Weigh Military Action

Despite a government internet blackout, photos and video are being smuggled out of Iran that show large crowds, fires in the streets, and other signs of the massive protests that have swept the country, prompting a violent crackdown. NBC News verified, but was not able to date, images showing "rows of black body bags" in and around a warehouse. Exiled Iranians in touch with doctors back home report that "Iranian physicians have witnessed hundreds of dead and wounded people streaming into Tehran's hospitals"; many of the wounded have endured gunshots to the eyes.

Government sources tell the New York Times that some 3,000 people have died in the protests – although those sources "sought to shift the blame to 'terrorists' fomenting unrest" and claim hundreds of security officers are among the dead. US-based activists put the death toll at 2,571 as of early Wednesday, a figure that, as the Associated Press puts it, "dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution."

Donald Trump yesterday urged "Iranian patriots" to "keep protesting" and "take over your institutions if possible." "Help is on its way," he added. Who knows what he means by that. According to the Washington Post, the National Security Council met yesterday without Trump to "prepare options." Vice Bootlicker JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will supposedly present those options to Trump "without preference." At least one of those options involves military strikes. Israeli and Arab governments are reportedly advising Trump against "large-scale strikes" – for now. They may favor bombing if the Iranian regime grows weaker.

The Guardian reports that US military strikes in Iran may actually help the government there solidify its position. A strike targeting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, inspired by Trump's abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, would likely leave the Revolutionary Guards in charge. "They're certainly repressing their people, but the president has yet to make the case that a military strike will either aid the population or get the government to change dramatically," cautions Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.

Of course, we're talking about Trump here, so all the very good reasons not to make war on Iran could mean nothing to him.

MORE STORIES TO WATCH

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Six Federal Prosecutors in Minnesota Quit Rather Than Investigate the Widow of Renee Nicole Good, Who Was Executed By ICE Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 at the US Attorney's Office, "strenuously objected to the decision not to investigate the shooting as a civil rights matter, and was outraged by the demand to launch a criminal investigation into Becca Good." via the New York Times, the Associated Press, and HuffPost.
Observers Brave Chemical Weapons to Confront Regime Agents Around Minneapolis as Immigrant-Owned Business Close Their Doors "Our community is undeterred," says state Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis. "We're not going to just lay down. You can gas us and mace us all you want, we're not going to just lay down." via Minnesota Reformer, Sahan Journal, the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Common Dreams, and the AP.
Regime Agents Routinely Use Banned, Life-Threatening Chokeholds on Immigrants, Citizens, and Protesters Nationwide One of those subjected to a chokehold was 16-year-old tenth grader Arnoldo Bazan, a US citizen, who saw his undocumented father brutalized when they were on their way to school; "I felt like I was going to pass out and die," he recalls. via ProPublica, NBC News, Minnesota Reformer, and the Star-Tribune.
Local, State, and National Progressives Organize Pushback, Including Blocking New Homeland Security Funds "ICE has gone rogue," says California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who is calling for the arrest and prosecution of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. "We need accountability." via NBC News, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and The American Prospect.

US Military Illegally Disguised Plane Used in Boat Strikes as Civilian Aircraft

The New York Times reported earlier this week – and the Associated Press and the Washington Post confirmed yesterday – that the US military used a plane painted to look like a civilian aircraft to bomb civilian boats in Latin American waters. Doing so would violate the Pentagon's own guidance on the laws of war. It's no wonder that, per HuffPost, the phone has been ringing off the hook at the GI Rights Hotline with servicemembers concerned that the Trump regime's aggressive actions in Latin America are illegal.

Meanwhile, the Times and the Post report that the Justice Department revealed a previously secret memo yesterday saying Donald Trump could send troops into Venezuela without consulting Congress and without violating US or international law. "But that's not how US or international law works," Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs, a member of the Armed Services Committee, tells the Post. "I'm incredibly concerned that if this is their standard for logic and the rule of law, then they believe anywhere is fair game for US military strikes or regime change, even without congressional authorization, and they will act on that belief."

QUICKEST QUICKIES

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'We Choose Denmark': Greenland's Prime Minister Makes United Front Against US Takeover Threats The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland are supposed to meet in Washington, DC, with Vice Bootlicker JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio today, but Greenland reportedly doesn't know what's on the agenda. via the Guardian, Politico, and the Associated Press.
Bill and Hillary Clinton Risk Contempt Charges By Refusing House GOP Summons in Epstein Investigation "We are confident that any reasonable person in or out of Congress will see, based on everything we release, that what you are doing is trying to punish those who you see as your enemies and to protect those you think are your friends," the Clintons wrote in a letter explaining their decision. via the New York Times and Politico.
South Korea Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty for Ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, Who Staged Insurrection in 2024 "Under South Korea's criminal code, insurrection ringleader charges carry just three possible sentences: the death penalty, life imprisonment with labour, or life imprisonment without labour." via the New York Times and the Guardian.

SOME NUMBER

$1.19 trillion

That was the size of China's trade surplus last year, its government announced yesterday, a 20 percent increase from 2024. The growth of Chinese exports demonstrates the utter failure of Donald Trump's tariff strategy.

ON THE SHOW TODAY

1/14: Sam will be hosting solo; the guests will be a union rep from the New York State Nurses Association, discussing the largest nurses strike in NYC history, and Ken Klippenstein, an independent journalist covering security and US politics, discussing the leaked NSPM-7 directive and how it redefines the meaning of "domestic terrorist."

DON'T MISS MR CLIPS‌

ICE Kidnaps and Tortures Teen Before Dumping Him in a Parking Lot

Here is a link to a form letter drafted by the National Immigration Law Center to tell your Congressperson no more funding for ICE and demand accountability.

SCHUMER MUST GO!

Contrast his mealy nonsense with AOC's righteous clarity.

PARTING WORDS

"I don't feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity. And today I think I did that."

-- TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old United Auto Workers Local 600 line worker at Ford F-150 factory in Dearborn, Michigan, speaking to the Washington Post about his decision to heckle Donald Trump as he toured the plant to tout his economic performance. Sabula called Trump a "pedophile protector" and believes Trump heard him "very, very, very clearly." It seems so, because Trump responded by flipping Sabula off and mouthing "fuck you" and "you're fired." Sabula has been suspended from his job but says he has no regrets.

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