Links to three reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-16-26 and UKRAINE and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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Iran’s leader calls Trump a ‘criminal’ for backing protests and blames demonstrators for deaths, by Elena Becatoros | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today branded U.S. President Donald Trump a “criminal” for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths. He said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

A protester from Iran shares her experience. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with A., an Iranian who recently left the country after participating in several days of protests. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel fears it can’t defend against Iran, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  Israel is fearful that its air defense systems, depleted by the Iranians in last June’s 12-day war, have not been sufficiently restored to withstand Tehran’s powerful response if Donald Trump’s public ravings leads him to bomb Iran. Thus Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump on Wednesday to ask him . . . READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports: from the Associated Press National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-14-26, and up or down for IRAN and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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Ukrainian delegation arrives in U.S. for peace talks as Russia hammers energy sites, by Samya Kullab and Elise Morton | AP  KYIV — A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks today on a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly 4-year-old war as Russian attacks again took aim at Ukraine’s power grid, cutting electricity and heating in freezing temperatures. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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The latest of what’s happening in Ukraine. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Scott Simon | NPR  Many residents in Kyiv are suffering through freezing temperatures with no heat or electricity after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to two reports and to an article of commentary: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Floutist; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-13-26, and scroll up for IRAN and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Documents show Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez has been on DEA’s radar for years, by Jim Mustian, Joshua Goodman and Eric Tucker | AP  WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump announced the audacious capture of Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S., he portrayed the strongman’s vice president and longtime aide as America’s preferred partner to stabilize Venezuela amid a scourge of drugs, corruption and economic mayhem. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 15  The USS Ford crew is struggling with sewage problems on board the Navy’s new carrier. Reported by Steve Walsh | NPR  Problems with the plumbing system on board America’s newest aircraft carrier are getting worse. Issues with the toilets on the USS Ford continue even as it continues its deployment to the Caribbean. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 9, 2025  Oil & ideology, by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  Roughly a quarter of the U.S. Navy’s fleet now floats in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela — in America’s largest deployment in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. What is the plan? READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from MintPress News; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-15-and GAZA.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 15  The CIA-backed think tanks fueling the Iran protests, by Alan MacLeod | MintPress News  The National Endowment for Democracy was created during the Reagan administration as a way to outsource many of the CIA’s most controversial activities, especially overseas regime change operations. READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports and an article of commentary: from Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-15-26. Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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Israel continues bombing Gaza despite launch of second ceasefire phase. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli forces continued bombing and demolishing buildings in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, despite the announcement of the second phase of the ceasefire process, as casualties from ongoing attacks continued to rise. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 15  Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan faces great uncertainty as it moves into a new phase, by Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — The White House says it is moving into the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan — breathing new life into a proposal that aims to rebuild the war-ravaged area and reshape the wider Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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Why Arab states now oppose a U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, by Mohamad Elmasry | Middle East Eye  Israel has significantly expanded its illegal occupation of Arab lands. It has carried out genocide in Gaza and indicated its plans to take the territory over, and has deepened its hold in the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from Asharq Al-Awsat, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-14-26 and IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ali Shaath appointed head of Gaza administration committee. From Asharq Al-Awsat. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye announced on Wednesday the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip, headed by Ali Shaath. This follows changes to the committee’s membership and broader political maneuvering that point to an imminent transfer of governance from Hamas. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for this and other Asharq Al-wsat reports in Arabic.

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Ali Shaath says rebuilding Gaza is a humanitarian priority, will take 7 years. From Middle East Monitor. Ali Shaath, head of the Gaza Strip Management Committee (the technocrats committee), said his main task is to secure decent living conditions that protect human dignity in Gaza. Based on his professional experience, he said the Strip needs seven years of serious work to return in a better state than it was before. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinian factions discuss ‘phase two’ of Gaza truce as Israel continues indiscriminate attacks. From the Cradle. A senior Hamas delegation and representatives of other Palestinian factions met in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday to discuss the newly announced second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which comes despite Tel Aviv’s continued violations and failure to adhere to the terms of phase one. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu says the announced start of Gaza ceasefire’s next phase is a ‘declarative move,’ by Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Metz | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cast the U.S. announcement that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza would advance to its second phase as largely symbolic, raising questions about how its more challenging elements will be carried out. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

Death and displacement in Gaza months into ceasefire, by Maha Hussaini | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY, occupied Palestine  With continued Israeli restrictions on border crossings, aid, and goods, residents feel the situation has merely shifted from an intense genocide to a slower-paced one. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says second phase of Gaza ceasefire has begun, but major challenges remain. Reported by Aya Batrawy and A Martínez | NPR  The White House says the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is moving into its second phase, which includes the demilitarization of Gaza, a key point in President Trump’s peace plan. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to two reports, from Middle East Monitor and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-14-26 and up or down for GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israel sees U.S. attack on Iran as possible within days. From Middle East Monitor. Israel believes the United States could launch an attack on Iran within the coming days, according to the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority. The report said Israeli estimates suggest Washington would give Tel Aviv a warning several hours before any action. READ MORE . . .

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How the Trump administration’s threats to Iran are stoking tensions in the region. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Vali Nasr, a professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, about how President Trump’s threats against Iran are escalating regional tensions. READ MORE . . .

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One way to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day is to order James W. Douglass’s new book, Martyrs to the Unspeakable: The Assassinations of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK, from a bookstore or public library. Below, a recommendation from northern Berkshire County resident Stewart Burns, and a link to a review by southern Berkshire County resident Edward Curtin. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-14-26, and scroll up for GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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‘Crystal clear,’ by Stewart Burns*.  James Douglass’s earlier bestseller, JFK and the Unspeakable, presented an ironclad case that President Kennedy was murdered by the CIA because he turned into a true peacemaker, determined to end the Cold War. Martyrs to the Unspeakable picks up where he left off. Going beyond the how of the assassinations, he makes crystal clear the case for why.

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FROM OCT. 27, 2025  A luminous tapestry, by Edward Curtin** | Behind the Curtain  Douglass’s genius is to cut to the heart of the matter – to find redemptive meaning in the great mishmash of facts and awaken this compassionate spirit in the reader, just as his subjects had to discover it in the circumstances into which life had tossed them. Just as we do. Click HERE for full review.

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* Burns is the author of To the Mountaintop: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Sacred Mission to Save America (2004), and four other books.

** Curtin is the author, most recently, of At the Lost and Found: Personal and Political Dispatches of Resistance and Hope (2025).

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For today, links to eleven reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, the Cradle, Agencia EFE, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines may be accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-13-26 and UKRAINE, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Iran strike on U.S. Qatar base shows ability ‘to respond to attack’: Khamenei adviser.  From AFP. A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned President Donald Trump today that an Iranian strike in June 2025 on an American base in Qatar had demonstrated its ability to respond to any attack. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar report from AFP (with sudouest.fr) in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Some personnel at key U.S. base in Qatar advised to evacuate. Edited by Bridget Brown and Sara Aboubakr | AP  Some personnel at Qatar’s Al Udeid, a key U.S. military base, have been advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, a U.S. official said. The decision came as a senior official in Iran brought up an earlier Iranian attack there. READ MORE . . .

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Iran signals fast trials and executions for protesters as crackdown death toll exceeds 2,500, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s judiciary head said today there would be fast trials and executions ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for a Jan. 13 report from AP.

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Israeli, Arab officials urge Trump to ‘hold back’ on striking Iran: report. From the Cradle. Israeli and Arab officials are urging US President Donald Trump to “hold back” on attacking Iran until the Islamic Republic has been further weakened by unrest, sources told NBC News on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 13  Russia rejects possibility of a U.S. attack and increased tariffs on Iran’s partners. From EFE. Moscow — Russia on Tuesday rejected both the threat of a potential United States military attack on Iranian territory and the possibility of increased tariffs on the Islamic Republic’s trading partners. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same EFE report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 13  Iranian intelligence says seizes U.S.-made weapons, explosives smuggled by western-backed rioters.  From the Cradle. Iranian intelligence has announced the seizure of guns, ammunition, and over 200 kilograms of explosives from foreign-backed cells that participated in the instigation of riots across the country. READ MORE . . .

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How the internet blackout in Iran opened the door to a deadly crackdown on protests. From Middle East Eye. It has been 18 days since the first demonstrations began in Tehran, sparked by economic woes that have gravely impacted Iranians’ ability to afford the very basic necessities. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 13  Trump calls on Iranians to keep protesting but the death toll is rising. Reported by Rob Schmitz and Jackie Northam | NPR  Help is on its way. That was President Trump’s message on social media today to anti-government protesters in Iran as he urged them to continue taking to the streets. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JAN. 13  How Trump may act on Iran — and why. Rob Schmitz of NPR speaks with former National Security Adviser John Bolton about the protests in Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JAN. 13  Iran expert talks about the Trump administration’s strategy with Iran. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Inskeep asks if this feels like a moment when Iran’s longtime government could fall. Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to two reports from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-13-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s new defense minister reveals scale of desertions as millions avoid the draft, by Illia Novikovy | AP  KYIV — Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers are among a raft of challenges facing Ukraine’s military as Russia presses on with its invasion of its neighbor after almost four years of fighting, the new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 13  Russia attacks Ukraine’s power grid again in freezing temperatures, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched a second major drone and missile bombardment of Ukraine in four days, officials said Tuesday, aiming again at the power grid amid freezing temperatures — almost 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles at eight regions overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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