January 13, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Reports say Iran has eased communications restrictions slightly amidst ongoing anti-government protests, allowing residents of some areas to make, but not receive, international phone calls. Internet access and texting services remain largely cut off in the country as reports cite Iranian officials as saying about 2,000 people, including protesters and government security force members, have been killed in two weeks of protests. [more]
• U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he would impose 25% trade tariffs, effective immediately, on countries that do business with Iran amidst the government crackdown on protests in the Islamic Republic.  [more]
• In a social media post this morning, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to continue protesting, saying that "help is on its way" and that he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until "the senseless killing of protesters stops." [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,417 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say Russia fired nearly 300 drones and 25 missiles at targets across Ukraine overnight, targeting power infrastructure in the second major aerial attack in four days. [more]
• Speaking before the U.N. Security Council yesterday, U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce accused Russia of a "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" of the war in Ukraine. The accusation follows large-scale Russian targeting of Ukrainian power infrastructure and Moscow's recent use of its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile in the war. [more]

MINNESOTA | As demonstrations against the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis continue, Minnesota and the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul joined to sue the Trump administration yesterday, alleging that Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional rights by targeting enforcement operations on a progressive state that favors Democrats and welcomes immigrants. A similar lawsuit against DHS was also filed by Illinois yesterday. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Labor Department data released today indicates that consumer prices in the U.S. rose 2.7% for the 12-month period ended in December and 0.3% from November to December. [full consumer price index report] [more]

U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE | All living former chairs of the U.S. Federal Reserve, along with central bank heads of numerous international central banks, including those of the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Canada, released statements yesterday in support of US Fed chair Jerome Powell amidst reports of a US Justice Department criminal probe into Powell over his building renovation-related testimony before Congress. US and global bank heads emphasized the importance of central bank independence in their statements. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | Senator Mark Kelly, a US Navy pilot and astronaut, filed a lawsuit yesterday against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Defense Department, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and the US Navy, seeking to block his formal censure by Hegseth over participation in a video that called for US military troops to resist or refuse unlawful orders. In the lawsuit, Kelly says the censure, which could result in a reduction in retired rank and related pay, is "unlawful and unconstitutional." [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement news releases indicate that four migrants have died while in ICE custody so far in 2026, including two from Honduras, one from Cuba, and one from Cambodia. In 2025, at least 30 people died while in the agency's custody, according to its Detainee Death Reporting web page. [more]

U.S. TRANSGENDER SPORTS | The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today in a case brought by transgender student athletes to challenge state mandates requiring transgender children and teenagers only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender with which they identify. [more]

U.S. AND U.K. | The BBC said yesterday that it will seek to have U.S. President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the British broadcaster over the editing of January 6-related video of Trump speaking to his supporters dismissed, saying that the Florida court in which Trump's suit was filed lacks jurisdiction and that Trump has failed to show actual damages. The BBC has previously apologized for the editing. [more]

CANADA | Amidst ongoing political and trade tensions with the United States, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing this week to discuss trade and other relations as Canada seeks to reduce its reliance on U.S. partnerships. [more]

FRANCE | French farmers drove more than 300 tractors through the streets of Paris today to reach the National Assembly to protest the E.U.-Mercosur trade deal that is expected to be signed later this week but that opponents contend will threaten the livelihoods of European farmers. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Organizers of the Adelaide Festival – Australia's largest free literary festival – cancelled the upcoming industry event today after more than 180 writers and speakers withdrew after the festival revoked an invitation to Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, who was born to Palestinian and Egyptian parents and who often writes on the topic of Islamophobia. In disinviting Abdel-Fattah, Festival organizers cited "cultural sensitivities" in the wake of last month's ISIS-inspired antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach. [more]

COLOMBIA | The National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest rebel group, called yesterday for national reconciliation, saying that it would work with the South American country's new government after this year's elections to address issues including poverty, ecosystems, and drug trafficking. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | Apple announced yesterday that it will use Google's Gemini artificial intelligence technology to power its updated Siri virtual assistant feature and to bring other AI-related features to the iPhone. [more]

FOOTBALL | The Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-6, last night to claim the last spot in the NFL playoffs' divisional games scheduled for this coming weekend. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2021, the U.S. House Of Representatives voted, 232-197, to impeach President Donald Trump on a charge of “incitement of insurrection” following the violent January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, making Trump the only president to have been impeached twice. Trump was acquitted in a Senate vote after his term in office ended. [more history]