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Democracy Now!
- "Empire in Decline": Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond
As President Trump threatens Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Greenland and more, renowned historian Alfred McCoy says the United States is “an empire in decline,” following a predictable pattern of militarism abroad and political instability at home as it loses power and influence on the world stage. “American politics become increasingly contorted and irrational,” says McCoy. “I think the thing to do is to realize that we are an empire in decline, … and it will continue for another decade or two, until American power finally slips away.” McCoy just published his latest book, Cold War on Five Continents: A Global History of Empire and Espionage, on the impact of U.S.-Soviet imperial proxy wars in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- "State of Siege": Iran Protest Death Toll Rises to 2,000 After U.S. Sanctions Spawn Economic Crisis
Iran has said it’s ready for “war” or dialogue after President Trump said the U.S. was considering “very strong options” to intervene if Iran’s security forces kill anti-government protesters in an ongoing crackdown. Vali Nasr, professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, says the U.S. “can wage full-scale war on Iran — which President Trump does not seem to be eager to do — or it can hope to squeeze Iran economically in order to create political unrest in Iran.” This comes as at least 648 people have been killed since protests broke out in late December, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, and over 10,000 people have been arrested. Iranian officials say the number of dead […]
- "Stolen from Us": Family Demands Justice for Keith Porter, Black Father Killed by Off-Duty ICE Agent
Activists in Los Angeles are demanding justice for Keith Porter Jr., an African American 43-year-old father of two, who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve. His family is demanding transparency in the investigation into his killing. “When he walked in, he brought joy,” says Porter’s cousin Jsané Tyler. “He always had a laugh, a joke, a smile.” Community organizers have called for the arrest of the ICE officer who killed Porter, but local government officials have reportedly told activists they have no intention of investigating Porter’s killer. “The community is going to have to mobilize,” says Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.
- Headlines for January 13, 2026
Minnesota & Illinois Sue over “Federal Invasion” by ICE Agents, ICE Agents in Minneapolis Fire Tear Gas, Pepper Spray at Protests over Immigration Raids, Four Top DOJ Officials Resign over Decision Not to Probe ICE Killing of Renee Good, As Trump Weighs Iran Strikes, Tehran Says It Is Prepared for War But Ready to Negotiate, Eight Palestinians Killed in Intense Winter Storm, Headstone Is Finally Placed for Palestinian Poet Refaat Alareer, Killed in 2023 Israeli Strike, Ex-Treasury Secretaries & Fed Chairs Criticize Criminal Probe into Jerome Powell, Sen. Mark Kelly Sues Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over “Unconstitutional Crusade” to Censure Him, Press Freedom Groups Criticize House Subpoena of Journalist Seth Harp, […]
- "All the Walls Came Down": L.A. Fire Survivors Fight Foreclosure & Demand Justice in Altadena
We look at All the Walls Came Down, a new short documentary directed by filmmaker Ondi Timoner that looks back at the devastating 2025 fires in Los Angeles, which destroyed Timoner’s home and left the historically Black community of Altadena in ruins. The film, which has been shortlisted for an Academy Award, follows community organizer Heavenly Hughes as residents confront the aftermath of the fires and organize to rebuild their town. “We feel like we’re being forced out because of this fire and not really getting the support that we need from our elected officials to be sure to preserve and protect our Black and Brown community,” says Hughes. Timoner says Southern California Edison, which has taken responsibility for the Eaton […]
Anthropocene
- Here are three climate wins airlines could unlock tomorrow. No new technology required.
A global analysis finds that existing aircraft, flown differently, could deliver dramatic emissions cuts without grounding travelers.
- A new kind of green revolution could start with self-fertilizing crops
Early experiments suggest that reprogramming plant immune receptors could one day slash the world’s dependence on nitrogen fertilizer.
The Guardian
- Democratic lawmakers to file articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem
Robin Kelly, Ilhan Omar and Maxine Dexter to move against homeland security secretary over ICE killing of Renee GoodDemocratic representative Robin Kelly on Wednesday plans to formally introduce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, following the fatal shooting of a US citizen by an immigration agent in Minneapolis last week.The new push comes amid mounting national outrage over the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, at the wheel of her car on a residential street, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Continue reading...
- US supreme court could issue ruling on legal challenge to Trump’s tariffs today – live
A supreme court ruling is expected later today, though it is unclear what it will beDonald Trump is in Washington today. We’ll hear from the president at 2pm ET, when he takes part in a signing ceremony in the Oval Office. We’ll bring you the latest lines as that gets underway.We’ll also be watching the meeting with vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and officials from Denmark and Greenland – also on tap for later today. Continue reading...
- Cities and states must hold ICE accountable for violence. The feds won’t | Kristy Parker and Samantha Trepel
As former federal prosecutors, we know an incident like the Minneapolis shooting must be followed by a credible inquiryLast Wednesday, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old American mother. Already, the federal investigation into the killing raises serious concerns, which is why the parallel investigation Minnesota officials are conducting is vital.Mere hours after Good’s death, the Trump administration prejudged the case before any investigation could begin. The administration was swift to blame the victim, with the president and the DHS secretary making disparaging, accusatory, and prejudicial statements about her motives and conduct; Donald Trump said she was a “professional […]
- Donald Trump is waging war against human conscience | Osita Nwanevu
The Trump administration’s assaults on liberty are the kinds of abuses that spurred the American revolution that the nation will commemorate this yearIt’s garnered less attention than the other events of our already wretched new year. But to understand why Renee Nicole Good was killed on Wednesday, why the White House has designs on Greenland, and why the people of Venezuela may soon be governed, in effect, by a junta of oil companies backed by the US military, we should also consider an email Martin Peterson, a philosophy professor at Texas A&M, received about his course Contemporary Moral Problems last week.His syllabus, he was informed, contained material banned by the college’s board of regents in December – part of the […]
- DoJ deemed it ‘unnecessary’ to conclude whether seizing Maduro violated law, memo reveals
Memo on US military raid to capture Venezuela’s president effectively argued that presidents can blow through UN charterUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration received approval from the justice department to use the military to seize Nicolás Maduro even as it declined to address whether the operation would violate international law, according to its legal memo released on Tuesday.The dark-of-night raid to capture Venezuela’s president has raised a host of legal issues concerning the president’s power to start an armed conflict without congressional approval and possible breaches of international law. Continue reading...
Aeon
- Red tape on a blue planet
All our laws and rules to protect coral reefs now stand in the way of radical action to save them from heat death- by Irus BravermanRead on Aeon
The Conversation
- Why unlocking Venezuelan oil won’t mean much for US energy prices
Political chaos, sanctions and technical mismanagement of the oil industry may have taken a heavy toll on the industry.
- Martin Luther King Jr. was ahead of his time in pushing for universal basic income
The policy of providing guaranteed cash incomes has gained momentum in recent years. This tool to tackle inequality has the potential to address racial resentment.
- Rural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy – telescopes in schools can help
Stargazing can stimulate an interest in space in kids and lead to a passion for science. But rural schools often lack the resources to nurture these interests.
- Research institutions tout the value of scholarship that crosses disciplines – but academia pushes interdisciplinary researchers out
Researchers who focus on one specialty are more likely to rise through the academic ranks, even though wicked societal problems require crosscutting work to solve.
- From flammable neighborhoods to moral hazards, fire insurance maps capture early US cities and the landscape of discrimination
Hundreds of thousands of Sanborn maps mapped the fire risk of every US city with over 1,000 people in the 20th century.
Inter Press Service
- Gaza: Physicians Call For Unimpeded Aid To Restore Reproductive Healthcare
Israel must lift all restrictions on medicine, food and aid coming into Gaza, rights groups have demanded, as two reports released today (Jan 14) document how maternal and reproductive healthcare have been all but destroyed in the country. In two separate reports released jointly, Physicians for Human Rights (with the Global Human Rights Clinic at
- Tracking the Invisible: Monitoring Air Pollution from Space
Take a deep breath. Did you know that in many countries in Asia and the Pacific, the air we breathe falls short of the safety standards for air quality set by the World Health Organization? While the start of a new year signals new beginnings, it also marks the continuation of the recurring air quality
- Books: A Peep Into Claude McKay’s “Letters in Exile”
Nomadic Jamaican-American writer Claude McKay probably never dreamed that 21st-century readers would be delving into his private correspondence some 77 years after his death. But that’s probably part of the professional hazard (luck?) of being a literary luminary, or, as Yale University Press describes him, “one of the Harlem Renaissance’s brightest and most radical voices”.
Sludge
- GOP Stock Trading Bill Leaves Glaring Conflicts Untouched
Senators and reps could continue to hold stock in companies they oversee on their committees under a GOP leadership-backed stock bill that is being fast-tracked through the House.
Grist
- Why almost none of the homes burned in LA have been rebuilt since last year’s fires
The wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes. In Los Angeles County, just seven have been rebuilt.
- A major agreement to protect the Amazon is falling apart after 20 years
Amid changing political headwinds, the moratorium on soy-driven deforestation is in danger. What now?
- After one year of Trump, is anything left of the American Climate Corps?
The federal program shut down, but a handful of state efforts are carrying on — with a lower profile.
Truthout
- We Can Honor Renee Nicole Good’s Life by Abolishing Death-Making Institutions
Those of us who see ourselves in Renee Good can take this moment to deepen our solidarities with all who are policed.
- FBI Investigating Renee Good While Obstructing Probes Into ICE Killer
At the same time, numerous officials have resigned from the DOJ over its decision to not investigate the killing.
- New Campaign Targets Capital One for Partnership With Israeli Arms Manufacturer
Some involved in the Eject Elbit campaign are Capital One employees themselves.
Labor Notes
- Fifteen Thousand New York City Nurses Strike
Fifteen thousand nurses across 10 campuses in New York City’s three biggest hospital systems are on an open-ended strike. It’s the city’s largest nurse strike in decades. Picket lines stretched for blocks at Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and New York Presbyterian hospitals on January 12, thronged with nurses plus Teamsters, hotel workers, and university staff showing solidarity.
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