Trump signals force and tariffs on Iran; Minnesota sues over ICE
President Donald Trump announces new tariffs on any country doing business with Iran, as his national security team weighs next steps — including possible military action.
Plus, a rare bipartisan moment on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers warn a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell looks like retaliation over interest rates.
And Minnesota’s governor, attorney general and Twin Cities leaders sue the federal government, accusing ICE of an unconstitutional enforcement surge.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Trump escalates Iran pressure, threatening tariffs and military force
President Donald Trump has escalated pressure on Iran as deadly anti-government protests continue. On Monday, he announced new tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran. It comes as his national security team prepares to review options for possible military action.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on trade with the U.S., effective immediately.
The president has repeatedly warned Iran against using lethal force to crush the protests.
As the crackdown intensifies, the State Department has urged Americans to leave Iran. One human rights group reported that nearly 650 people have been killed, with thousands more injured.
The Associated Press reported it spoke with residents in Tehran for the first time since the government shut down communications. They described a heavy security presence, including anti-riot police at major intersections, with Revolutionary Guard and Basij forces, some in plainclothes, patrolling the streets.
All of this comes as Trump is set to be briefed on the possible next steps. Former U.S. officials told ABC News that options range from cyber operations and targeted strikes to broader military action.
“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table, and airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president.
However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary. And nobody knows that better than Iran.”
— Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Leavitt also said Iran’s foreign minister is negotiating directly with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The president’s national security team will meet Tuesday at the White House, though it’s not clear whether Trump himself will attend.
Republicans push back on Fed probe, warning of political pressure
The Trump administration’s investigation into the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, has triggered sharp pushback, including from Republicans.
Several Republican lawmakers are speaking out against the investigation, warning that it could undermine the central bank’s independence.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., wrote on social media, “If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Monday that she spoke with Powell and called the investigation “nothing more than an attempt at coercion.”
In a statement, Murkowski added, “If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns — which are not unusual — then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice.”
Even Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has privately expressed unhappiness with the decision to open a criminal investigation into Powell, according to CNN. The report said Bessent is concerned the probe could rattle financial markets.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeated Monday that Trump didn’t order the Justice Department to investigate Powell, who says the probe is retaliation for refusing to set interest rates based on the president’s preferences.
Minnesota sues Homeland Security to halt federal immigration surge
The state of Minnesota, along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, is suing the Department of Homeland Security to halt what they call an unlawful and dangerous surge of federal agents into the Twin Cities.
The lawsuit seeks to block DHS from what state and city leaders say are unconstitutional stops, raids and use of force, including operations near schools, hospitals and work sites. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the federal deployment a direct assault on state sovereignty.
“We ask the courts to end the DHS’s unlawful behavior in our state. The intimidation, the threats, the violence,” Ellison said. “The deployment of thousands of armed, masked DHS agents to Minnesota has done our state serious harm. This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop.”
The legal action comes just days after the deadly shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on a Minneapolis neighborhood street. It’s a case that has sparked days of protests and sharpened tensions on the ground.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said what’s happening goes far beyond typical. He claims that sometimes 50 agents are involved in the arrest of a single person.
“What we are seeing right now is not normal immigration enforcement. We are not asking Ice not to do ICE things. We are asking this federal government to stop the unconstitutional conduct that is invading our streets each and every day,” Frey said.
The suit asks a judge to immediately limit federal agents’ authority, including requiring probable cause for arrest and barring the brandishing of weapons against people who pose no immediate threat.
DHS has defended its operations as necessary and lawful, even announcing an increase in manpower on Sunday.
It will fight the case in court.
Sen. Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, targets Hegseth over attempted demotion
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is suing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging the Pentagon engaged in unconstitutional retaliation over a video in which Kelly and other lawmakers urged service members to refuse illegal orders.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, Kelly argues that the administration is trying to punish him for protected speech — a move his attorneys say would upset the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch.
They write: “Allowing that unprecedented step here would invert the constitutional structure by subordinating the legislative branch to executive discipline and chilling congressional oversight of the armed forces.”
The case originates from a democratic video posted last fall, during the Trump administration’s expanded military operations in major cities, which reminded troops they are not obligated to follow unlawful orders.
Defense Secretary Pete responded by formally censuring Kelly and launching a review that could downgrade Kelly’s retired military rank and reduce his pension, calling the senator’s conduct reckless and harmful to the chain of command.
Trump added to the rhetoric, labeling the video “seditious behavior.” Kelly’s lawyers now cite that language as evidence that the punishment was predetermined.
Kelly, a retired Navy captain, said the move sends a dangerous message far beyond him. He’s asking a federal judge to block the Pentagon from proceeding, arguing that no member of Congress has ever been subjected to military discipline for political speech.
In a statement, the Pentagon told Straight Arrow News: “We are aware of the litigation. However, as a matter of policy, the department does not comment on ongoing litigation.”
Trump to meet Machado at White House on Thursday
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Thursday, CNN reported. The meeting comes as the administration continues to navigate a fragile power shift in Caracas.
It follows the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, and Trump continues to engage with Maduro’s inner circle.
The president has not endorsed Machado as Venezuela’s next leader but has signaled he is open to meeting with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez. Rodríguez is now serving as acting president.
As she prepares for the White House visit, Machado has been making her case abroad.
On Monday, she met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, pressing for the release of political prisoners and for international recognition of what the opposition says was Maduro’s stolen 2024 election.
The moment is also colored by the Nobel Peace Prize. Machado has said she would like to dedicate her award to Trump, and he has said he would accept it. Even as the Nobel committee stresses that it cannot be transferred or shared.
For now, Machado arrives in Washington seeking recognition, while Trump signals he’s keeping channels open to all sides.
Astronauts’ brains shift in space over time, study reveals
It has long been understood that microgravity affects the human body. Recent research indicates that it can also alter brain position, with longer durations in space resulting in more pronounced shifts.
A study of more than two dozen astronauts, published Monday in “The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” found that after time in space, the brain tends to tilt slightly upward and shift back within the skull, compared to its position on Earth.
No need to pack your bags!
NASA astronauts @AstroDuke and @astro_kjell will bring space station to you! Tour the orbiting laboratory and keep celebrating 25 years of humans on station into the new year! Full video: https://t.co/wGBmXnMc7x pic.twitter.com/nRwVVmvOWM
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) January 5, 2026
The astronauts spent anywhere from a few weeks to several months in space, including six-month tours aboard the International Space Station and, in some cases, up to a full year.
The study’s co-author said the pattern was clear: the longer the mission, the greater the change. Astronauts who spent a year in space show the most pronounced brain activity.
Researchers say shifts like these can affect balance and orientation after astronauts return to Earth.
The reassuring part: the study found no evidence of more serious problems, including headaches or cognitive impairment.
The findings come as NASA weighs longer-term missions, including trips to the moon and, eventually, Mars.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
