A person saying she was inside Iran was able to share disturbing details about what is taking place inside the country as the dictatorial regime cracks down on protests across the country. The insider was able to connect with Elina Shirazi, a senior political correspondent at the Daily Mail, over text during a gap in the countrywide internet blackout enforced by the Iranian government. During the brief exchange, the insider described troubling developments on the crackdown and protesters’ hope for international assistance in their struggle against the regime. Since the regime crackdown on protesters began in earnest late last week, estimates of the death toll have ranged from hundreds to thousands. One text from the insider suggests that the real number is somewhere in the thousands. “At least 1k only in tehran [sic],” the insider said. “Dead.” “100 people [dead] in Shahrak Karevan in Afsarie area,” the insider added. The hope of the protesters lies in “US and Israel intervention,” the insider said. “Without them we cannot succeed.” “We need foreign power intervention. Institutions like [the] UN [have] proved to be useless doing nothing at [these] important moments in totalitarian countries like Iran. It has been [the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s] custom. People protest. IRGC shut down the internet and start mass killing,” the insider continued. “US intervention is not another act of imperialism! Iranian people want to call the police. … There are people shot dead!” other messages said. “We cannot do it alone and without weapons against a regime that has shown no shame [in] mass killing its Iranian [civilians].” The insider said that protesters are waving the flag of Iran under the Pahlavi monarchy, which ruled iran as shah before the family was exiled in 1979. Protesters are chanting “javid shah,” which means “long live the shah.” The phrase was considered unutterable not long ago, but has surged in popularity among protesters in the past few weeks. The insider said an attack from Israel or the United States against the regime would “help the morale” of protesters, at least. The insider also expressed some hope that the protesters calling for regime change and the downfall of the Islamic dictatorship are having some success. “The population is massive. We are occupying streets in every cities in the country,” the insider said.  “But the regime has no shame killing everyone,” the following message said. “At what cost?” ?INSIDE IRAN: My conversation today, day 15 of the blackout protests, with someone inside Iran. Please watch and share as there is little communication coming out right now. #iran #iranprotests pic.twitter.com/iEJoZAFXr6 — Elina Shirazi (@elinashirazi) January 11, 2026

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced on Friday that he was under investigation, and claimed that President Donald Trump’s administration was using the threat of an indictment to as a punishment for his refusal to lower interest rates at the president’s direction. Powell posted a video in conjunction with a press release on Saturday, explaining the Trump administration’s rationale for launching the probe and then pivoted to say that he believed the real reasons for the investigation were political. WATCH: Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: https://t.co/5dfrkByGyX pic.twitter.com/O4ecNaYaGH — Federal Reserve (@federalreserve) January 12, 2026 “On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June. That testimony concerned in part a multi-year project to renovate historic Federal Reserve office buildings,” Powell said. “I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law,” he added, before turning to suggest that the Trump administration was retaliating against him for refusing to adjust interest rates to the president’s satisfaction. “But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.” “This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It is not about Congress’s oversight role; the Fed through testimony and other public disclosures made every effort to keep Congress informed about the renovation project,” Powell claimed, arguing that the president was simply using those reasons as cover. “Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.” “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation,” he added. “I have served at the Federal Reserve under four administrations, Republicans and Democrats alike. In every case, I have carried out my duties without political fear or favor, focused solely on our mandate of price stability and maximum employment. Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats. I will continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do, with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people.” Trump has repeatedly threatened to either fire Powell or sue him — as recently as late December — and has accused him of “gross incompetence.”

Following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, the radical “ICE Watch” organization that she was working with is pushing to get more activists onto the streets. The ICE Watch groups, which organize activists to follow and obstruct federal immigration agents making arrests across the country, are trying to get more activists out onto the streets where the Trump administration has warned that they could put their lives in danger. On Saturday, thousands of activists participated in a church training in Roseville, Minnesota, where they were encouraged to annoy agents like “mosquitoes.” The group running the training session, Monarca, has scheduled six trainings since the shooting, all of which are “at capacity,” according to their website. One of the local Minneapolis ICE watch groups, known as “defendthe612,” held a training the day after the shooting “for anyone who wants to learn how to plug in and for those who have already been in the streets and can share lessons from that experience,” according to an Instagram post. “Practicing ICE Watch keeps our neighborhoods safer by ensuring people know their rights, have a plan, and know how to act in the event of targeting by ICE,” the post read. The group also organized a protest Friday night that later grew violent as rioters broke into a local hotel where they believed ICE agents were staying in Minneapolis. A Minnesota woman named Kristin Peter said Good was on the same ICE Watch team as one of her coworkers, the New York Post reported. And despite Good’s fatal interaction with law enforcement, the activists don’t seem deterred. Peter said she herself was planning to attend of the group’s meetings Thursday night — and Minneapolis ICE Watch member Flannery Clark told CNN she’s not stopping either. “We have to do what we can to protect our immigrant neighbors,” she said, adding that it’s “too dangerous” to block ICE. “We document and make sure that the families of people who are kidnapped can find them.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Defend the 612 (@defendthe612) Just hours after the shooting, an Instagram account called “ICEoutoftwinports” said “NEED BODIES” in response to apparent Homeland Security Investigations activity at a daycare in Duluth, Minnesota. Another post from the group that day asked “for people to SHOW UP in numbers” to an area where 100-200 agents were apparently spotted. “Show up, record, inform them of their right to remain silent and not sign anything! Please proceed with caution and do not interfere directly with any investigation unless you are willing to face potential legal consequences,” the group wrote.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by @iceoutoftwinports The organization has also been asking agitators to harass hotels in the hopes to get them to kick ICE agents out. View this post on Instagram   A post shared by @iceoutoftwinports And some have already acted on the instructions from “ICE Watch” organizations. Video captured by Fox News Friday showed Border Patrol agents warning two drivers against following them and impeding with their arrests in Minneapolis. “If I continually see you following us, interfering with us, honking your horn, blocking our cars, you have a very high probability of making a really bad decision and being arrested today,” a masked Border Patrol agent said to the first woman as she sat in her car. “I think I’m making exactly the right decision,” the woman responded. Good apparently joined one of the activist groups after learning about it through her 6-year-old son’s leftist charter school, which prides itself on “involving kids in political and social activism,” according to the New York Post. A mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told the outlet that Good “was trained against these ICE agents” on “what to do, what not to do, it’s a very thorough training,” adding that the training included how “to listen to commands, to know your rights, to whistle when you see an ICE agent.” Good was killed after she appeared to be blocking a road ICE agents were trying to pass through. The officers could be heard in a video ordering her to get out of her vehicle, before she put it in reverse and then in drive. BREAKING: Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/p2wks0zew0 — Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 9, 2026 One video appeared to show the ICE officer take a hit as he was standing in front of the car before shots were fired. ? BREAKING: Was just sent a video showing the moments before the shooting. In it, you can clearly see Renee Good’s vehicle blocking ICE agents for over 3 minutes as she’s dancing to her own car horn. Kinda ruins some narratives, doesn’t it? pic.twitter.com/aXtiTjAtF9 — Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) January 10, 2026 Video taken minutes before appeared to show Good repeatedly honking her horn as her car blocked the road and she danced to the loud noise from the driver’s seat. “I’m not happy that this woman was there at a protest violating the law by interfering with a law enforcement action. I think that we can all recognize that the best way to turn down the temperature is to tell people to take their concerns about immigration policy to the ballot box,” Vice President JD Vance said during a press conference Thursday. “Stop assaulting and stop inciting violence against our law enforcement officers. That’s the best way to take down the temperature,” he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons fired back on Saturday at the  Philadelphia Sheriff who’d threatened to arrest ICE agents, telling her to go ahead and “try it, see what happens.” Lyons addressed Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s comments directly during an appearance on “The Big Weekend Show” on Fox News, saying that Bilal was only feeding into the already dangerous situation ICE agents were facing every day by pitting local law enforcement against federal law enforcement. WATCH: ICE Director FIRES BACK At Democrat Threats To Arrest ICE Agents Todd Lyons: “You can’t pit a local law enforcement officer against a federal law enforcement officer … My message to the Sheriff is try it, try to arrest my folks. Let’s see what happens.” https://t.co/ZyZC2GgB08 pic.twitter.com/Jd4yZXErhk — Mr Producer (@RichSementa) January 11, 2026 “Any time you pit law enforcement officers against law enforcement officers, it makes nobody safe,” Lyons said. “This is the exact type of political rhetoric that I’ve been seeing ever since I had the opportunity to be the ICE Director … this increased rhetoric is what’s causing the issues right now. You can’t pit a local law enforcement officer against a federal law enforcement officer. We are out there trying to do a lawful law enforcement mission, and this rhetoric right here is a pure example of what we’re facing every day.” Lyons went on to say that he wasn’t normally one to engage in public bluster, but his message to the sheriff was simple: “Try it, try to arrest my folks. Let’s see what happens.” Bilal tore into ICE a day earlier, claiming that federal agents were the ones committing crimes when they moved to enforce federal immigration law. “Those that come into our communities wearing masks to commit crime—and thank God for our District Attorney Larry Krasner, who says he’s gonna lock them up … you’re getting arrested … we stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up fake, what you can call ICE,” she said. “Professional law enforcement? I’m not calling none of that. I call them made-up, fake wanna-be law enforcement. Because what they do is against not only legal law but moral law … you will not be able to hide. Nobody will whisk you off. You don’t want this smoke, because we’ll bring it to you. And the fake, whatever they call them because I can put … I can’t say their name. But the criminal in the White House will not keep you from going to jail.” The Philadelphia Police Department also issued a statement in response to Bilal’s comments, saying that she was not in charge of municipal policing and that the city’s police officers would continue to work in conjunction with other “law enforcement partners” moving forward. pic.twitter.com/4XEnRgP3St — Kevin J. Bethel (@PPDCommish) January 9, 2026

Bob Weir, who co-founded the Grateful Dead and helped introduce new generations to the band at the end of a virtuosic career, died Saturday following a brief battle with cancer. He was 78. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the guitarist’s family wrote in a statement posted on his website. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could.” “A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead,” the statement continues, “Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.” Fans were shocked to learn that Weir received his cancer diagnosis in July and began treatment just before performing in a series of shows to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Grateful Dead in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. His final performance with the band was, fittingly, “Touch of Grey,” a 1987 song about coming to terms with growing old that marked the Grateful Dead’s only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. The youngest member of the band’s founding lineup, Weir was known for his fierce stage presence and baritone voice, which served as counterpoints to frontman Jerry Garcia’s hippie tenor. Like the band’s founding bassist, Phil Lesh, who died in October 2024, Weir was known for his unique style of rhythmic playing, which served as the driving pulse of the Dead’s famous jams. Bob Dylan called Weir “a very unorthodox rhythm player” who “plays strange, augmented chords and half chords at unpredictable intervals that somehow match up with Jerry Garcia.” Weir, whose voice even casual Dead fans will recognize from the verses of “Truckin’,” wrote or co-wrote many of the Grateful Dead’s most popular songs, including “Sugar Magnolia,” “Jack Straw,” “Mexicali Blues,” and “Playing in the Band.” Known affectionately to friends and fans alike as “Bobby,” Weir is survived by his wife, Natascha, and their two daughters, Monet and Chloe. Born Robert Hall Parber in San Francisco on October 16, 1947, Weir was adopted by Frederic and Eleanor Weir shortly after birth. Weir met a 21-year-old Jerry Garcia on New Year’s Eve 1963, when Weir was just 16. The pair joined with Lesh, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and pianist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan to form the Grateful Dead in 1965. He remained with the band until they disbanded following Garcia’s death in 1995. Like Garcia, Weir had a prolific musical career outside the Dead. In the early 1980s he formed Bobby and the Midnites, a band packed with jazz veterans that blended jazz, rock, and power pop in two albums and legendary live shows. In 1998, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart formed The Other Ones, which continued the Dead’s legacy of improvisation-driven live shows. Weir partnered with Lesh again in 2009 to form Furthur, a psychedelic jam band that was active until 2014. From 1995 until 2014, Weir was also the frontman for RatDog, his primary post-Dead vehicle. In 2015, Weir launched his most enduring side project, which wasn’t really a side project at all. Weir met John Mayer, then a nascent Deadhead, at Capitol Studios that winter. A few weeks later, when Mayer was slated to guest-host The Late Late Show on CBS, he invited Weir to join as the musical guest. The two first played together during a now-legendary soundcheck that lasted more than two hours and inspired the pair to launch Dead & Company. The revival act, which featured Mayer in Garcia’s place, brought Weir back together with drummers Hart and Kreutzmann, along with Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. Dead & Company played more than 200 shows over its 10-year run, including two residencies at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Though Mayer and Weir conceived of it as its own entity, Dead & Company continued the Grateful Dead’s tradition of live jams and brought their catalogue and the Deadhead culture to a new generation of fans. Tributes to Weir are pouring in from all corners of the globe, a testament to his and the Dead’s wide-reaching appeal. “Rest in Peace Bob Weir. Thank you for all the years of support in the environment wars and thank you for your friendship,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy posted, along with a picture of him with Weir. Rest in Peace Bob Weir. Thank you for all the years of support in the environment wars and thank you for your friendship. “Fare-thee-well now Let your life proceed by its own design Nothing to tell now Let the words be yours, I’m done with mine” pic.twitter.com/MqD0w9BWGj — Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) January 11, 2026 “Mostly, he just loved playing, and I loved that about him,” Phish frontman Trey Anastasio wrote on Instagram. “I don’t think he ever got caught up in the bigness. I don’t think it meant anything to him. There were times when I was talking to him when I thought he was the last actual hippie.”     View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Trey Anastasio (@treyanastasio) Daily Wire host Michael Knowles hours chipped in with a rendition of “Sugar Magnolia” on his ukelele, adding only, “RIP, Bob Weir.” RIP, Bob Weir! pic.twitter.com/yoBtdAmn5D — Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) January 11, 2026 Though fans remained unaware of Weir’s failing health, the guitarist reflected on mortality in a March interview with Rolling Stone. “I’ll say this: I look forward to dying. I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived. That’s it,” Weir said. “I’ve still got a lot on my plate, and I won’t be ready to go for a while.”