In Counting the Dead in Iran, a Picture of Ferocity

Opinion

Guest Essay

Feb. 4, 2026, 1:00 a.m. ET

By Scott Anderson

Mr. Anderson is the author of "King of Kings,” an account of the Iranian revolution.

It’s been a trying time for the Islamic Republic of Iran

Over the past two years, its regional proxy allies have been severely weakened by the Israeli military. Add to that a 12-day bombing campaign against Iran conducted by the United States and Israel in June. The regime suffered a body blow last month when large-scale street protests over the nation’s economic collapse quickly transformed into calls for the government’s overthrow. For a moment, it appeared the protesters might be gaining the upper hand. Then came the state’s brutal crackdown.

Sheriff says ransom note being investigated in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie's mother

By Jordan Freiman, Jonathan Vigliotti

Updated on: February 3, 2026 / 8:06 PM EST / CBS News

A ransom note was sent to a local Arizona news station following the disappearance of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, the Pima County sheriff told CBS News.

After Republicans push Clintons to testify on Epstein, Democrats warn they'll haul in Trump

Democrats say Republicans have set a precedent with subpoenas of an ex-president and first lady. "We will follow it ... Donald Trump, all of his kids. Everybody," Rep. Maxwell Frost said.

Feb. 3, 2026 By Scott Wong, Melanie Zanona, Sahil Kapur, and Ryan Nobles

WASHINGTON — Facing the threat of being held in contempt of Congress, Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed Tuesday to testify before the House Oversight Committee about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Greece pushes to recruit tens of thousands more Asian migrant workers

Aware that its drive for foreign workers will play badly with some supporters, the government is simultaneously penalizing migrants who entered Greece illegally.

February 4, 2026 4:01 am CET

By Nektaria Stamouli

ATHENS — Greece’s parliament is expected to pass double-edged legislation on Wednesday that will help recruit tens of thousands more South Asian workers, while simultaneously penalizing migrants that the government says have entered the country illegally.

Venezuela: Thousands of Protesters Demand Maduro's Return

People were chanting: 

"Venezuela Needs Nicolas"
Documento / Newsroom

February 3, 2026

Thousands of citizens demonstrated in Caracas demanding the return of Venezuela's ousted president Nicolás Maduro, marking one month since the American military operation that led to his arrest, as reported by journalists from the French Press Agency (AFP).

Yes, Danielle Smith is a separatist

By Max Fawcett
Opinion
February 2nd 2026

David Eby had clearly seen enough. Ahead of a meeting in Ottawa between the premiers and the prime minister, Eby decided to call out the leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement and their widely documented meetings with Trump administration officials. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that, and that word is treason," he said.

Trump Has Overwhelmed Himself

Feb. 1, 2026

By Ezra Klein

Opinion Columnist

Last February I wrote an essay about the Trump administration’s strategy of “muzzle velocity.” Muzzle velocity, in its literal sense, describes the ferocious speed of a bullet at the moment it exits the front end of a gun. The term came from an interview that Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, gave in 2019. “All we have to do is flood the zone,” Bannon said. “Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done. Bang, bang, bang. These guys will never — will never be able to recover. But we’ve got to start with muzzle velocity.”

Trump wants to ‘nationalize the voting,’ seeking to grab states’ power

Trump, who continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 election, has baselessly alleged widespread fraud.

February 2, 2026

By Mariana Alfaro

President Donald Trump said Monday that Republican lawmakers should nationalize voting — claiming a power explicitly granted to states in the U.S. Constitution.

How to Organize a Real General Strike in the US

By Eric Blanc

General strikes are the most powerful tool in the working class’s arsenal. Recent mass actions in Minnesota against ICE terror were strong steps toward such a strike, but much more organizing is needed. Here’s how we can do it.

hat will it take to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Donald Trump? More and more Americans are coming around to the following answer: a general strike.

Thousands rally in Vancouver in solidarity with Iranian protesters

Vancouver Police estimate that about 15,000 people were in attendance

Feb 01, 2026 

Thousands gathered in Downtown Vancouver on Sunday to show solidarity with protesters in Iran, who have been fighting against the country’s financial collapse and the regime that led to it.

The Secret Egyptian Air Base Behind Sudan’s Drone War

The covert base offers new evidence of how the Sudanese conflict is morphing into a theater for high-tech warfare, driven by foreign interests.

By Declan Walsh, Malachy Browne, Eric Schmitt, 

and Nick Cumming-Bruce

Declan Walsh reported from Nairobi, Kenya, Malachy Browne from New York, Eric Schmitt from Washington, and Nick Cumming-Bruce from Geneva.Feb. 1, 2026, 4:05 p.m. ET

Donald Trump Is Frightened

FLOP SWEAT

Trump wants to appear eager to minimize out-of-control clashes between government militias and protesters. But he doesn’t want to stop the things causing those clashes in the first place.

Greg Sargent/January 28, 2026

The media verdict is in: President Trump has “softened” his stance on his paramilitary war on Minneapolis. He struck a “cooperative tone” in a call with Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz. The administration hopes to “shift its strategy” on its ICE raids. Trump is executing a “pivot” and is attempting to “deescalate.”

Federal Courts Undercut Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

A policy intended to keep immigrants detained indefinitely has led to a deluge of lawsuits, overwhelming some federal courts and resulting in many releases.

By Miriam Jordan and Devlin Barrett

Feb. 1, 2026

The Trump administration has gone to great lengths to arrest and detain as many people as possible during its immigration crackdown. But in recent weeks, a deluge of court cases has led federal judges to release hundreds of immigrant detainees back into the country, and threatens to overwhelm the court system.

China’s top general accused of leaking nuclear weapons secrets to US – report

Zhang Youxia, 75, also reportedly probed over efforts to build his own sphere of influence within the Communist Party, is the latest top official targeted in Xi Jinping’s purge

By Times of Israel Staff and Associated Press
The Chinese military’s top general is reportedly being investigated for leaking information about Beijing’s nuclear weapons program, amid a long-running purge of military officials by the country’s leader.

Democrat Taylor Rehmet flips GOP-held Texas state Senate seat in special election

Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the Texas state Senate and flipped a reliably Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024

By JOHN HANNA, AP political writer
January 31, 2026, 9:09 PM

The Associated Press

Federal officers use crowd control munitions as demonstrators protest outside Portland ICE building

Jan. 31, 2026

Scores of nonviolent protesters were hit with chemical munitions during a union-backed rally Saturday.
By Joni Auden Land (OPB), Conrad Wilson (OPB), and Michelle Wiley (OPB) 

Thousands of protesters turned out for a mostly peaceful demonstration Saturday in Portland to speak out against increased immigration enforcement. But, by the end of the day, scores of nonviolent protesters were hit with chemical munitions fired by federal officers responding to some demonstrators directly outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

‘What the hell do we do with this issue’: Mexico confronts Trump’s Cuba pressure

By Megan Messerly
01/31/2026

As the White House ramps up pressure on Havana, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is weighing how far to bend without triggering retaliation from Washington.

President Donald Trump’s increasingly overt attempts to bring down the Cuban government are forcing Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum into a delicate diplomatic dance.

US may make a deal on Cuba, Trump says

January 31, 2026

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt on Air Force One; 

Writing by Jasper Ward in Washington; 

Editing by Sonali Paul

Clock ticks in Cuba as Trump vows to shut off Venezuelan oil

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he believed the United States would "work a deal" on Cuba. His comments came days after threatening tariffs on any country supplying Cuba with oil.