Trump backs Iran protesters; High-stakes White House Greenland meeting set
President Donald Trump is publicly encouraging anti-government protesters in Iran to persist, as the death toll keeps increasing. His statement is now fueling fears of escalation.
Plus, a pivotal White House meeting on Wednesday about Greenland. Trump wants to buy the territory, but Greenland’s leaders say that’s not happening.
And the death of a civil rights icon whose name may not be as widely known as Rosa Parks, but whose actions helped shape the movement in lasting ways.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
‘Help is on the way’: Trump backs Iran protesters
In the Middle East, President Donald Trump is signaling a hard shift on Iran. He is now openly backing protesters, warning the regime to stop the killing, and saying that U.S. action could follow once he gets confirmed numbers.
The comments come as reports from inside Iran point to mass arrests, executions moving forward, and a nationwide crackdown that’s increasingly hard to track under an internet blackout.
Trump told reporters he’s waiting for what he called accurate figures on how many protesters have been killed. He added that the regime is running out of time.
“They’ve got to show humanity, they got a big problem, and I hope they’re not going to be killing people, and I’m going to have a report very soon,” Trump said. “It would seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed.”
Human rights groups say the killing is significant, with estimates now in the thousands. However, the blackout has made verification difficult.
The state department says more than 10,000 Iranians are under arrest for taking part in anti-government demonstrations, including a 26-year-old protester, Erfan Soltani, who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. He was sentenced without a lawyer or a formal trial, given just ten minutes to say goodbye to his family.
Trump, speaking Monday in Michigan, directly encouraged protesters to keep pushing, and said talks with Iran are off.
“And by the way, to all Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions if possible and save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you. You’re being very badly abused,” Trump said. “I’ve canceled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. And all I say to them is help is on its way.”
The White House confirmed the president’s national security team is weighing next steps, including diplomatic pressure, cyber options, and possible military action. However, Trump stopped short of specifying what comes next.
European leaders are also escalating their response
The European Union says more sanctions are coming, calling the crackdown brutal and unacceptable.
Iran’s government, meanwhile, is warning that Trump’s rhetoric crosses a line. It accused him of encouraging instability, even as executions appear to be moving forward.
Greenland’s prime minister rebuffs US pressure as talks head to the White House
Standing beside Denmark’s prime minister on Tuesday, Greenland’s leader said flatly: if forced to pick, his country chooses Denmark over the United States.
The message comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure over the Arctic territory’s future.
The statement landed just hours before a high-stakes White House meeting on Wednesday.
Greenland and Denmark’s foreign ministers are set to sit down with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. It’s strategically located, resource-rich, and suddenly at the center of a geopolitical fight. It’s about three times the size of Texas, with a population of roughly 57,000 residents.
President Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security, to keep it away from China and Russia. Trump has refused to rule out taking the island by force.
Rubio insists the president wants to buy it, not invade it.
Greenland’s answer remains unchanged: They’re not for sale, not interested, not American.
Denmark’s prime minister says the pressure from its closest ally has been unacceptable and insists the two countries will enter the White House together and leave together
Top DOJ prosecutors resign over investigation into Good’s death
More fallout in Minneapolis, a week after an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman on a neighborhood street. Tensions are still high as federal officers continue to clash with Twin Cities residents demanding that ICE leave.
At least a half-dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota have now resigned, citing concerns over how the Trump administration is handling the investigation into the death of Renee Good.
Reporting indicates senior Justice Department officials pushed investigators to scrutinize Good’s spouse and others at the scene, rather than focus on the ICE agent who fired the fatal shots.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the resignation of the first assistant U.S. attorney “a huge loss for our state.”
But the Justice Department says there is no basis for a criminal civil rights case against the ICE officer, even as the FBI’s investigation continues.On Wednesday, a judge is expected to hear arguments in Minnesota’s lawsuit seeking to halt the federal immigration crackdown and force ICE and Homeland Security to leave the Twin Cities.
Saks Global files for bankruptcy
Saks Global, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, is seeking a financial lifeline. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to cash shortfalls and missed key payments.
Saks had been trying to secure $1 billion in financing just to keep operations going. It recently missed interest payments to bondholders.
In 2024, Saks acquired Neiman Marcus in a roughly $3 billion deal, hoping the combination would create a luxury powerhouse. However, that never materialized.
As cash tightened, Saks stopped paying some suppliers, pushing the company closer to the brink.
For now, the bankruptcy filing gives Saks time.
What’s unclear is what this means for the more than 200 upscale stores — and for the future of the iconic brands — as Saks searches for new investors.
Louvre hikes prices for non-EU visitors as strikes shut doors
Louvre tickets just got more expensive for non-European travelers. As of Wednesday morning, the world’s most-visited museum has officially raised prices for non-European visitors.
For Americans and other non-EU tourists, admission increases from about $25 to nearly $37. French officials say the increase is about money and necessity.
The Louvre is aging, and a major renovation is in progress. Additionally, last year’s bold jewel heist, which received worldwide attention, revealed significant security vulnerabilities.
But the price hike is already sparking backlash in France. Museum unions have called the policy discriminatory, and that anger is spilling over.
The Louvre has been closed for much of this week due to staff strikes, with workers demanding more hiring, improved maintenance and safer working conditions.
The Louvre says entry remains free for minors and for Europeans under 26.
Before Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin refused to move
Claudette Colvin was just 15 years old when she refused to give up her bus seat in segregated Montgomery, Alabama. Her defiance came nine months before Rosa Parks, and it ultimately helped crack the law that enforced segregation.
Colvin, whose stand in 1955 put her at the center of a constitutional fight she never sought, died Tuesday at 86. Her death closes the life of a woman whose courage came early, cost her dearly, and was recognized far too late.
Civil rights leaders believed she wasn’t the ideal representative for the movement — citing her youth, poverty and dark skin. However, history remembered her nonetheless.
Colvin went on to become a key plaintiff and a star witness in the case that ultimately ended bus segregation nationwide. Her testimony helped dismantle Jim Crow laws on public transportation, not just in Montgomery but across the country.
For decades, she lived quietly in New York, raising her children and working as a nurse’s aide, rarely telling her story. When she finally did, she put it simply, “History had me glued to the seat.”
More from Straight Arrow News:
Why more doctors are billing their patients like it’s the 1920s
Keith Smith, an anesthesiologist in Oklahoma City, and his colleague Steven Lantier finally decided enough was enough. The hospital where they worked was price gouging patients, and the two doctors knew it.
“We felt like we were accomplices,” Smith told Straight Arrow News. “We were anesthetizing patients that were going to be facing a real financial hardship after even a minor surgery.”
It was 1997, the year of Tamagotchis and “Titanic” and the first babies of Generation Z. For Smith and Lantier, the year marked a major turning point.
To them, exorbitant medical bills were a symptom of a larger problem: the U.S. health care system’s transformation over the past seven decades. Gone were the days when patients negotiated medical fees and paid doctors directly for services. Instead, the modern health insurance model — introduced in the 1920s and expanded after World War II — transformed a professional service into a complex industry.
Smith and Lantier wanted to do what they’d always done after diagnosing a disease: Fix it. But more and more, it felt like solving the problem meant leaving the traditional health care system. They would have to forge their own path, becoming early pioneers in a model that has gained significant traction in recent years: cash-based clinics. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
