Authored by Jonathan Turley,

Columbia PhD candidate, Anna Krauthamer, has caused a stir over her column in the far-left Nation on “Why I Didn’t Report My Rape.”

The reason?

Krauthamer is a prison abolitionist and wanted to protect her rapists, saying it would be “silly and strange” for her to subject these rapists to the carceral state. Instead, she allegedly allowed multiple rapists to potentially rape other women.

In her column, Krauthamer alleged that she was gang raped in a Las Vegas hotel room for several hours.

She explained that she “never did anything about it” and  “the simple answer to the question of why I never reported the rape is that I believe in the abolition of police and prisons.”

She added:

“The prospect of being a participant in other people’s incarceration is as alien to me as anything could be, to the point that I can only conceive of it in childish terms – how silly and strange it would be to have a group of people incarcerated at my expense when doing so would do nothing to fix the damage they have already so thoroughly done.”

Rather than having concerns about future victims, Krauthamer said that these rapists would be the victims of a carceral state:

“I don’t want to ruin the lives of my rapists, and I don’t know if they have children. The only thing I want is for them to have never done what they did to me – and nothing, including sending them to prison, will ever change that reality.”

Whether you call it virtuous or virtue-signaling, the suggestion is that rapists would never be sent to prison for their crimes in a nation without prisons.

This is a PhD candidate at a leading university.

She is not alone.

Some faculty members have espoused the same anarchist position. In places like Columbia, this absurdist position is considered intellectually valuable while the faculty has largely purged any conservatives and libertarians from their ranks.

What is particularly astonishing is that, according to her X profile, Krauthamer is a PhD candidate working on “sexual violence & contemporary fiction.”

Washington has quietly released two Russian sailors detained earlier this month by the US Navy’s enforcement arm of Venezuela sanctions, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday. “Two Russian sailors have been released and are on their way home to Russia,” she announced.

The men were part of the crew aboard the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), which was intercepted and seized on January 7 in the North Atlantic after being tailed by US authorities from the Caribbean.

US officials claim the vessel – chartered by a private company – was skirting Washington’s oil embargo on Venezuela. “We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership,” Zakharova had also said.

The tanker’s multinational crew totaled 28, including 17 Ukrainians, six Georgians, three Indians, and just two Russians – the latter now released – underscoring once again how US sanctions enforcement routinely sweeps up foreign nationals far removed from Washington’s geopolitical score-settling.

American officials had earlier threatened that the Marinera’s crew could face prosecution in the United States, which Russia warned would be “categorically unacceptable.”

Russia’s foreign ministry threatened serious escalation at a moment both sides are seeking to improve delicate bilateral relations, saying such a move will “only result in further military and political tensions,” adding that it was worried by “Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crisis situations.”

But days ago the Kremlin previewed that the US was preparing to release the Russian nationals “in response to our request” – while the fate of the other detained crewmembers remains unknown, and their respective embassies are likely lobbying for their swift release.

But a real and potentially explosive crisis has thankfully been avoided here, and the Kremlin disclosed that it directly appealed to the Trump administration to quickly release the Russian crewmembers.

The explosive situation could have easily spiraled, given also the rare presence of a Russian submarine so near in proximity to US maritime forces.

As for US policy in post-Maduro Venezuela, the US is making slow moves to reopen the embassy in Caracas, amid ongoing talks with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez (or should we say ‘directives’ given to…).

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the US is preparing to issue a general license – a move that would enable a sweeping rollback of sanctions, replacing the piecemeal waiver system used until now.

As we wrote in our Mag 7 earnings preview, investor sentiment has soured considerably on META since the Q3 25 print when it became abundantly clear that Zuckerberg’s foot remains firmly pressed down on the OpEx/capex accelerator.

To date, investors have seen little tangible evidence that the Meta Superintelligence Lab is capable of producing a leading edge model, and as JPM sais, “we won’t receive clarity on that issue this print. (But we may get some in the March/April timeframe when Avocado might launch.)” Looking at this quarter specifically, investors’ attention will be focused squarely on the 2026 OpEx guide (can’t be bigger than feared) as well the Q1 26 Revenue guide (needs to show a modest FXN acceleration on an easier comp). All told, investor sentiment on META heading into this print was at best ‘timid’, with many looking for the trade-off between massive capex and returns on investment.

Going into earnings, Goldman’s desk wrote that investor positioning is 7/10, and notes that the stock has been a relative short amongst Mag7 peers for investors since the last earnings print on ROI debates + Product visibility (LLMs? New products? Other?). Into the print, focus on visibility into Meta’s expense profile in 2026 (for context, Goldman sits at $125bn of capex in ’26 and $152bn of total expenses) relative to Revenue trends (Goldman models nearly ~20% ad revs growth in CY26). The options implied move of the stock is 6%. 

With that in mind, here is what Meta reported moments ago for Q4.

• Revenue $59.89 billion, +24% y/y, beating estimate $58.42 billion 
  • Advertising rev. $58.14 billion, +24% y/y, beating estimate $56.79 billion
  • Family of Apps revenue $58.94 billion, +25% y/y, beating estimate $57.47 billion
  • Reality Labs revenue $955 million, -12% y/y, missing estimate $962.7 million
  • Other revenue $801 million, +54% y/y, beating estimate $718.8 million

• Operating income $24.75 billion, +5.9% y/y
  • Family of Apps operating income $30.77 billion, +8.6% y/y, estimate $30 billion
  • Reality Labs operating loss $6.02 billion vs. loss $4.97 billion y/y, estimate loss $5.8 billion
     
• Operating margin 41% vs. 48% y/y
   
• EPS $8.88 vs. $8.02 y/y, beating estimates of $8.19

Some other Q4 details:

• Ad impressions +18% vs. +6% y/y, estimate +12.2%
  • Average price per ad +6% vs. +14% y/y, estimate +9.07%
• Average Family service users per day 3.58 billion, +6.9% y/y, estimate 3.56 billion

What is probably more important to investors is where did capex end in Q4: the answer, $21.4BN, up more than 50% YoY from $14.4BN a year ago.

Some more comments from management on the quarter:

• “We had strong business performance in 2025,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. “I’m looking forward to advancing personal superintelligence for people around the world in 2026”
• “We expect first quarter 2026 total revenue to be in the range of $53.5-56.5 billion.”
• “Despite the meaningful step up in infrastructure investment, in 2026 we expect to deliver operating income that is above 2025 operating income.”
• “Absent any changes to our tax landscape, we expect our full year 2026 tax rate to be 13-16%.”
• “We expect full year 2026 total expenses to be in the range of $162-169 billion.”
• The company will continue monitoring legal and regulatory headwinds in the EU and the US. It continues to see scrutiny on youth-related issues, which may result in material loss

In a nutshell, the historical numbers were solid. What about the future? This is the company’s outlook:

Q1 revenue in the range of $53.5-56.5 billion, higher than the $51.3BN estimate (assumes FX is a ~4% tailwind to year-over-year total revenue growth)

Full year 2026 total expenses to be in the range of $162-169 billion, much higher than the $151BN expected.

• company says the majority of expense growth will be driven by infrastructure costs, which includes third-party cloud spend, higher depreciation, and higher infrastructure operating expenses)
• The second-largest contributor to total expense growth is employee compensation, driven by investments in technical talent. This includes 2026 hires to support our priority areas, particularly AI, as well as a full year of expenses from 2025 hires.
• At a segment level, we expect expense growth to be driven by the Family of Apps, with Reality Labs operating losses remaining similar to 2025 levels.

Last but not least, META’s 2026 capex forecast was an absolute stunner: the company said that it anticipates 2026 capital expenditures to be in the range of $115-135 billion.

• The majority of expense growth will be driven by infrastructure costs, which includes third-party cloud spend, higher depreciation and higher infrastructure operating expenses.
• The second-largest contributor to total expense growth is employee compensation, driven by investments in technical talent. This includes 2026 hires to support our priority areas, particularly AI, as well as a full year of expenses from 2025 hires.

This number is much, much higher than the $110.62BN median estimate, and represents a doubling in capex YoY.

Putting it together, the Q4 beat, and the Q1 guidance beat, are up against the concerns about that spending figure. If Meta hits the high range of that estimate, it’s close to a 90% year-over-year jump in capex. And while the kneejerk reaction was the punish the stock, some algo ended up liking the mindblowing capex spending projection, and has pushed META almost $100 from its after hours low. 

Indeed, META has dumped and pumped after hours: after initially dumping on the report of the blowout expense/capex surge, it was as if a relentless buyer stepped in and moved the stock from the session low of $637 to what has so far been an after hours high of $721.

So how it is possible that the stock is surging on the exact same setup which sent it crashing last quarter? It appears that Meta ad growth is letting investors brush off the eye-popping spending increase. It’s a different story over at Microsoft, whose shares are currently sharply lower after increased spending alarmed shareholders. Microsoft released its earnings around the same time as Meta.

Yet we would be very cautious chasing the stock here as the exact same questions that emerged last quarter are bound to resurface, namely just what return is Meta expecting to generate on this mindblowing capex spending.

Indonesian stocks tumbled after MSCI raised concerns about their investability and warned of a potential downgrade to frontier-market status. 

The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index plunged 7.4% on Wednesday, its biggest one-day slide in over nine months; earlier in the day it crashed as much as 8.8%, triggering a 30-minute market halt, after MSCI said it would immediately pause some index changes, including additions, until regulators address concerns over tightly-held ownership of listed firms.

According to Bloomberg, concerns around free float, or the number of shares available for trading, have emerged as a flashpoint in Indonesia’s $976 billion market in recent years, as investors lament that the nation’s biggest companies are thinly traded and controlled by a handful of wealthy individuals. MSCI’s decision is due to “fundamental investability issues” and investor worries over coordinated efforts to distort prices, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“MSCI’s freeze is a warning shot, not a verdict,” said Tareck Horchani, head of prime brokerage dealing at Maybank Securities in Singapore. “Markets have already started pricing some probability of a negative outcome, which explains the pressure we’ve seen on index-heavy Indonesian names.”

Indonesia’s exchange operator told reporters on Wednesday that it is committed to meeting the index compiler’s call for greater transparency and will work with the firm to reach a consensus. It also plans to consult market participants on ideal free-float levels, according to I Gede Nyoman Yetna, director of listing at the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

If Indonesia fails to make sufficient progress on transparency by May, MSCI will reassess the country’s market accessibility status – a move that could lead to a reduction in weighting for all Indonesian companies in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and even a potential downgrade to frontier-market status, which would lead to further capital outflows and another major selloff.

Global investors sold a net $192 million worth of local stocks in the week ended Jan. 23, the first outflow in 16 weeks. The selling has continued this week, with the exchange reporting 3 trillion rupiah ($180 million) of net outflows Wednesday morning. Among the biggest decliners on the day were shares widely expected to enter MSCI’s gauges in next month’s review, including PT Bumi Resources, PT Petrosea and PT Pantai Indah Kapuk Dua, all of which were down by the 15% limit. 

The decision comes after months of consultation following MSCI’s proposal to tighten the definition of free float for Indonesian securities. The firm said it was considering an alternative data source, the Indonesia Central Securities Depository, also known as KSEI, to assess actual tradable shares. If companies are found to have even smaller figures than reported, passive funds would be forced to cut existing positions. 

The exchange added it would work with the KSEI to provide a clearer breakdown of shareholder types, including sovereign wealth funds or hedge funds.

Regulators have already tried to ease worries about thinly traded stocks, with plans to raise minimum float levels to 10%-15% from the current 7.5% level. The longer-term goal is 25%, though no timeline has been set. That compares to Hong Kong and India’s 25% rule and Thailand’s 15%.

Worries about price dislocation were evident last year when the JCI outperformed the MSCI Indonesia Index by a record margin. With so many JCI members thinly traded, passive fund managers say the benchmark has been effectively untrackable, pushing them instead toward the more stringent MSCI Index. Prior to Wednesday’s rout, Indonesian stocks trailed their Southeast Asian peers at the start of the year as the benchmark rose 2.7% compared to MSCI Asean Index’s 5.3% surge

If Indonesia is downgraded, the impact on passive flows would be significant, according to Yiping Liao, portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Global Investments. “Foreign participation in the Indonesian market has reduced significantly because of concerns about macro and policy. Not assuming any other sort of changes around it, it’s certainly not positive.”

Not surprisingly, what happens in the market has political implications as well: the latest move also deepens worries about Indonesia’s economic trajectory, with investor confidence already fragile following President Prabowo Subianto’s efforts to steer fiscal and monetary policies toward his growth goals. Markets were rattled earlier by the dismissal of long-serving Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati last year and Prabowo’s growing sway over the central bank.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said he will meet with financial regulators on Thursday to discuss MSCI’s asks, adding that Indonesia can look to mechanisms enforced in other countries to improve transparency in the local bourse.

For now, some investors are opting to stay on the sidelines until there’s more clarity. “The risk is Indonesia won’t do enough. And if it gets downgraded to frontier there will be panic selling,” said John Foo, founder of Valverde Investment Partners. “We are underweight on Indonesia with almost zero exposure.”

Authored by Danny Park via TheBlock.co,

• Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg that he expects the company to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world.

• The company plans to start trading its gold reserves for additional profit.

• Tether owns around 140 tons of gold, worth around $23 billion, stored in a nuclear bunker in Switzerland.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the stablecoin giant is on track to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world and plans to actively trade its reserves, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Ardoino told Bloomberg in an interview that he expects the company’s role in the gold market to expand as geopolitical rivals to the U.S. will likely launch a gold-backed alternative to the dollar.

The CEO previously said that gold is “logically a safer asset than any national currency.”

Ardoino reportedly said Tether intends to continue reinvesting its massive earnings into gold.

The company is buying one or two tons of gold per week, and will maintain this pace for “definitely the next few months,” he said.

The stablecoin giant has amassed close to 140 tons of gold, held at a “James Bond-esque” nuclear bunker in Switzerland built during the Cold War.

Bloomberg reported that this is the largest known gold reserve in the world outside of those held by central banks, ETFs, and commercial banks.

“Tether maintains approximately 130 metric tons of physical gold, and the gold backing every XAUT token is held separately, making it eligible for physical delivery redemption,” a spokesperson for Tether told Cointelegraph.

With the recent surge in gold and other metal prices, Tether’s gold holdings are worth over $23.3 billion. As of today, gold’s price stands at approximately $5,234 per troy ounce, continuing its strong rally.

Entering the trading arena

Moving beyond simple reserves, Tether aims to take on banking giants JPMorgan and HSBC by entering the gold trading arena.

“We are soon becoming basically one of the biggest, let’s say, gold central banks in the world,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said.

Ardoino told Bloomberg that Tether is currently assessing the market and potential trading strategies, with plans to actively trade its gold reserves to capture arbitrage opportunities.

The company needs “the best trading floor for gold in the world” in order to continue buying bullion in the long term and to capitalize on potential market inefficiencies, Ardoino said, adding that it is still analyzing the market and potential trading strategies would be structured so the company “remains very long physical gold.”

“Our goal is to have a steady, stable, long-term access to gold,” Ardoino said.

Tether recently recruited two senior HSBC gold traders to spearhead its expansion into the bullion market.

Tether has also aggressively expanded its equity portfolio, acquiring stakes in Canadian-listed firms like Elemental Altus Royalties and Gold Royalty Corp., as precious metals post their strongest rally since the 1970s.

Tether’s staple product, USDT, dominates the global stablecoin market, with over $186 billion in circulation, according to The Block’s crypto price page.

By backing USDT with U.S. dollars, the stablecoin’s success provides Tether with the capital to reinvest in assets like gold to capture further interest and profit.

It also issues Tether Gold (XAUT), which holds over 50% share of the gold stablecoin market with a $2.62 billion market capitalization. 

Just earlier this week, Tether officially announced the launch of USAT — its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin that is available to U.S. customers, unlike USDT.

This launch follows the appointment of Bo Hines to Tether’s USAT team, bringing expertise and connections from his former role as the White House crypto policy advisor.

After the ‘nothing burger’ of a Fed Statement (as expected) – no change in rates (but two dovish dissents) along with an upgrade for growth and optimism for the labor market (while inflation remains ‘elevated’) – the key issue that Chair Powell will likely address at his press conference is how long the Fed will remain on hold.

Most economists forecast the Fed will cut twice this year, most likely at the June and Sept meetings, and the question is will Powell hint at any monetary action sooner (before he leaves his seat as Chair) or later…

Josh Jamner, senior investment strategy analyst at ClearBridge Investments, said Powell likely did not want to pre-commit especially given that two payroll and CPI prints are set to be released before the next meeting.

“We believe the greatest potential for market-moving news could come from the press conference, where politically-focused questions around the subpoena video and the Lisa Cook court case are likely.”

Will Powell mention the dollar?

Former Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida told Bloomberg TV that he doesn’t expect Powell to touch the dollar question if asked today: “The Fed tries to stay out of any and all discussions about the exchange rates,” he says.  

Additionally, will Powell make any mention of his plans to remain on The Fed? Or who his replacement will be (with Rick Rieder currently the unexpected front-runner across prediction markets)…

Interestingly, after Chris Waller’s dissent, his odds were bid up of getting The Fed Chair job…

Will Powell discuss the current probe (and grand jury subpoenas) concerning alleged misstatements (during Congressional hearings) surrounding the stunning $2.5 billion renovation of The Fed’s headquarters.

And one more thing, will Powell be asked about Lisa Cook after his appearance at her Supreme Court hearing last week?

That’s a lot of ‘non-monetary policy’ malarkey for the reporters to chew on… will they ask?

Watch live here (due to start at 1430ET):

Tl; dr: Despite two dovish dissents, The Fed is likely on an “extended pause” noting strong activity data and signs of stabilization in the labor market. 

However, Goldman “expects easing to resume later in the year as a moderation in inflation allows for two further ‘normalization’ cuts to take rates back to levels seen by the median FOMC member as neutral.”

Christopher Hodge, chief US economist at Natixis, says at the end of the day here the Fed is “on hold until data prompts a move.” 

“We have now entered a new phase of policymaking where the Fed views the risks to both parts of its dual mandate are in balance. It will be incumbent on the data to move the Fed from this perch – the days of insurance cuts to slowly approach neutral are likely over.”

Waller’s odds of being the next Fed Chair went up after his dovish dissent.

*  *  *

Since the last FOMC meeting on Dec 10th (which resulted in a dovish-er than expected 25bps rate cut and statement), US macro data has surprised significantly to the upside…

Source: Bloomberg

…prompting a plunge in the market’s Fed rate-cut expectations (now below 2x 25bps cuts for the year)…

Source: Bloomberg

The market is now more only modestly more dovish than The Fed’s dots for 2026 (but the market is also not pricing in any more moves from The Fed after that)…

Source: Bloomberg

All of which has sent the dollar tumbling and gold exploding higher (while stocks rallied and bonds sold off)…

Source: Bloomberg

Heading into today’s FOMC statement (and presser), a dramatically wide consensus expects a “boring” and “uneventful” dovish hold with an upgrade to growth, and less downside risk to employment.

…and that’s EXACTLY what we got.

No change in rates…

• Federal Open Market Committee votes 10-2 to leave its benchmark interest rate in a target range of 3.5%-3.75%

• Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran voted against the decision in favor of lowering rates by a quarter-point

Which prompted a jump in the odds of Waller getting The Fed Chair job…

Source: Polymarket

Upgrade for growth:

• Fed upgrades view of economy to say available indicators suggest economic activity “has been expanding at a solid pace,”

Inflation-watch:

• Fed repeats inflation “remains somewhat elevated”

Labor market optimism:

• Fed removes language from statement that had noted “downside risks to employment rose in recent months”

• Fed tweaks description of the labor market, noting “job gains have remained low” and the jobless rate has “shown some signs of stabilization”

In terms of market reaction, it’s a nothing burger so far as most expect.

Read the full redline of the FOMC Statement below:

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was assaulted Tuesday evening during a town hall event in North Minneapolis. Video of the incident shows a disheveled man spraying her with apple cider vinegar from a syringe (there was a polymarket for that). The spraying happened as she was calling for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) assaulted during town hall meeting: “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand; we are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.” pic.twitter.com/Ud5l3yP4lQ

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 28, 2026

“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe,” Omar’s office said in a statement. “Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody. The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win.”

Squad (and Bernie Sanders) – Activate!

Many on the left were quick to blame President Donald Trump for the incident.

“It is not a coincidence that after days of President Trump and VP Vance putting Rep. Omar in their crosshairs with slanderous public attacks, she gets assaulted at her town hall,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on X. “Thank God she is okay. If they want leaders to take down the temp, they need to look in the mirror.”

“Rep. Ilhan Omar showed incredible courage by continuing her town hall after being attacked last night,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said. “It is shameful that, instead of condemning the attack, Trump escalated his rhetoric and targeted her once again. No more hatred and racism. This country belongs to ALL of us.”

President Trump, however, had a different take altogether, telling ABC News he thinks Omar staged the whole thing. “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump said. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.” 

He also said he had not seen the video of the incident. “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”

While Trump hasn’t seen the video, many who have are asking whether the incident was staged.

Her reaction after getting sprayed also struck some as unusual. Instead of putting distance between herself and her attacker, she lunged at him. 

Ilhan Omar was reportedly sprayed in the face tonight —

And, she runs after the attacker?!! As though she’s about to take him out?

This is not normal behavior.
Not even close. No wonder people are asking if it was STAGED! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qKABTlwZdp

— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) January 28, 2026

She refused medical attention and kept the town hall going for another 25 minutes. “We will continue,” she said after the disruption. “These f—ing a–holes are not going to get away with it.” 

The attacker has been identified as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, who appears to be a complete lefty with they / them daughters (not posting here since so unconfirmed). He reportedly asked his neighbor to watch his dog for him before the town hall event and warned that he “might get arrested.” The neighbor also revealed that Kazmierczak was “heavily medicated” due to a spine injury he suffered years prior.

The attack happened about 15 minutes into the town hall. Kazmierczak was seated in the front row when he jumped up and rushed the podium. Security guards tackled him to the ground, and police arrested him immediately. Kazmierczak was booked into Hennepin County Jail on a third-degree assault charge. 

Witnesses say the liquid, which we now know to be Apple Cider Vinegar, had a strong smell. Omar’s lack of concern about it raised suspicions.

Representative Omar continued her town hall because of one of two options:

1. She does not have the self-preservation instincts accompanying being sprayed with a smelly substance, such as getting a doctor to check it out or even as simple as washing it off.

2. She staged it.…

— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 28, 2026

Some speculate that a subtle nod toward her attacker, who was sitting in the front row, was a signal to him.

🚨 HOLY SH*T

Look at how Ilhan Omar looks at the guy who sprayed her and gives him a little nod right before he springs into action pic.twitter.com/Y2WRD15qZA

— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) January 28, 2026

Others question why the cameras were “fixated” on the attacker before he attacked.

The camera was fixated on this guy right before Ilhan Omar takes the podium.

Totally not staged.

🙄

pic.twitter.com/feY9d7R6fC

— AmericanPapaBear™ (@AmericaPapaBear) January 28, 2026

Ilhan Omar’s personal finances are under investigation by both the Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee. 

After stern warnings from President Trump, Iran has made clear it is not executing any protesters in the wake of the raging demonstrations and deadly unrest across Iranian cities which took place and grabbed world headlines earlier this month.

Trump had earlier claimed that Iran was going to execute 800, a figure that Iranian officials immediately rejected and scoffed at. Indeed it’s unclear where the 800 number came from, and was probably floated by one of the anti-Tehran opposition groups based in Washington or Europe.

All of this back-and-forth aside, Tehran has made clear it will proceed with carrying out existent death row cases, especially related to the June 12-day war with Israel, during which time its security services rounded up dozens or possibly hundreds of Iranians alleged to be cooperating with Mossad or other foreign intelligence as assets.

So far some dozen people have been executed after being charged with espionage, connected to the events of last summer as well as its lead-up, and another one happened Wednesday, per international press reports and Iran state media:

Iran on Wednesday executed a man arrested in April 2025 on charges of spying for Israel’s espionage agency Mossad, the judiciary said.

Hamidreza Sabet Esmailpour, who had been convicted of passing information to a Mossad agent, was hanged at dawn, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said.

Some in Washington and Tel Aviv might see this as a direct challenge to Trump, at a moment he has boasted of a “beautiful armada” parked in regional waters. He’s also freshly warned Iran that “time is running out.”

Still, Iran’s judiciary proceeded, confirming Wednesday in a statement: “Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilipour who was arrested on 29 April 2025, was hanged for the crime of espionage and intelligence cooperation in favor of a hostile intelligence service (Mossad) through… the transfer of classified documents and information, after the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures.”

The Islamic Republic likes to set examples, and so tends to widely publicize hangings like this, which is another reason why the prior referenced Trump claims of 800 set to be executed seems wildly exaggerated if not fabricated out of thin air.

Public executions have been a reality in Iran going all the way back to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, in which time (and since) people could be seen hanging from cranes in the capital city.

Recently, it has become clear that Israel was engaged in a massive spying and espionage campaign to pave the way for its ‘Operation Rising Lion’ – which is intent on destroying Iran’s nuclear energy program, and possibly even accomplishing regime change. Some Israeli officials have actually publicly boasted of this.

Via The Libertarian Institute

Mexico’s state oil company, Pemex, has backed out of a planned oil shipment to Cuba, the country’s president appeared to confirm. The move comes after President Donald Trump insisted that “zero” oil would be sent to the island, and follows reports that Washington plans regime change there by the end of the year.

Speaking during her daily press conference on Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not deny earlier reports about the canceled Pemex shipment, which was originally scheduled for sometime in January.

“It is a sovereign decision, and it is made at the time deemed necessary,” she said when asked about the reports, stressing that such shipments are determined by the state oil firm.

Reuters reported last week that the Mexican government was reviewing whether to continue sending oil to Cuba, fearing potential reprisals from the United States.

Washington has maintained a full trade embargo on the island for decades, and imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil bound for Cuba late last year, soon after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over dubious drug charges.

While that left Mexico as Cuba’s main petroleum supplier – accounting for some 44% of its crude imports, per UPI – President Trump insisted that “zero” money or oil would be sent to the island earlier this month, forcing Mexico to reevaluate its trade policy.

Asked whether her country could play a role mediating discussions between Washington and Havana, Sheinbaum said such an initiative could only proceed if it were requested by both sides, but added that Mexico would continue to promote dialogue.

Those efforts may be insufficient, however, as Washington is now reportedly seeking to execute regime change in Cuba by the end of the year, according to recent reporting by the Wall Street Journal.

The paper said last week that US officials were seeking “Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime” in the coming months, hoping to use Maduro’s kidnapping as a “blueprint” to topple the Cuban state.