The U.S. State Department today, under Secretary Marco Rubio, announced that it would be suspending the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries whose citizens were deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States. These countries include:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Today’s meeting at the White House between Vice President JD Vance and a delegation of diplomats from both Denmark and Greenland, led by Danish Foreign Minister Løkke Rasmussen, has now ended, with Rasmussen seen exchanging a fist bump with the Danish Ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen.

Two officers with the Norwegian Armed Forces accompanied today’s “advanced team” with the Danish Defence to Greenland, in order to assist with coordinating the arrival of the full force of aircraft, ships, and soldiers from Denmark and other NATO Allies in the Northern Atlantic, according to Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik.

President Donald J. Trump, facing a red line of his own making in Iran, increasingly believes he must take decisive action against the regime amid a violent and deadly crackdown on protesters, according to officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.

“If Iran attacks, there will be no additional round, we will act to bring down the regime,” an Israeli security official told Channel 12 (N12).

On Wednesday, the FBI executed a search warrant on the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter with The Washington Post who covers the federal workforce and has been a part of some of the Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage involving government employee whistleblowers during the first year of the second Trump Administration.

According to the Justice Department, the search, which resulted in the seizure of Natanson’s phone and smart watch, was part of an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland who has a top-secret security clearance and has been accused of accessing, printing, and taking home classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement during a raid last year by the FBI.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an updated travel advisory urging Poles to immediately leave and recommending against any and all travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Bomb shelters have been opened in the Southern Israeli city of Beersheba, due to heightened tensions with Iran.

The Italian Foreign Ministry is urging its citizens to immediately depart Iran.

The U.S. Air Force’s evacuation of military aircraft from Al Udeid Air Base has begun in preparation of strikes against Iran, with a steady stream of at least 6 KC-135R/T “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tankers seen departing the base in Qatar.

Dozens of commercial ships have dropped anchor at a distance outside several of Iran's ports in recent days, as tensions continue to escalate with the United States and fears mount of possible strikes against Iran’s oil and port facilities on the Persian Gulf, according to shipping data and sources who spoke to Reuters.

At least 25 bulk carriers were stationary in Iran’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the Major Port of Bandar Imam Khomeini on the Persian Gulf, while a further 25 ships including container and cargo vessels had dropped anchor further south off the Port of Bandar Abbas within the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald J. Trump states that he has been informed the killing of protesters is stopping, and that there are “no plans for executions” by Iran.

“We were told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It's stopped. It's stopping. And there's no plan for executions, or an execution or executions. So I've been told that on good authority, will find out about it. I'm sure if it happens, we'll all be very upset, including you will be very upset. But that's just gotten to me some information that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped. They're not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.”

The British Embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed and a majority of staff withdrawn from the country, due to the recent civil unrest and escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, officials have told Politico.

In addition to what is currently taking place and/or will soon place in the Middle East, a “SKYMASTER Exercise” by U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) is actively underway across the United States. So expect the launch of aerial-refueling tankers, strategic bombers, and other aircraft from bases across the country by the U.S. Air Force.

“Utter confusion” by senior diplomats in Europe about plans by the United States regarding Iran, according to the WSJ’s Laurence Norman.

President Donald J. Trump speaking earlier to reporters in the Oval Office about the recent anti-government protests and brutal crackdowns in Iran, as well as the possibility of military action against Iran by the United States.

Trump: “They [Iran] said people were shooting at them with guns and they were shooting back and you know, it's one of those things- but they told me that there'll be no executions and so I hope that's true.”

Reporter: “Does this mean military action is now off the table against Iran?”

Trump: “We're going to watch and see what the process is but we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”

Additionally, today is also the start of Exercise Sentry Aloha by the Hawaii Air National Guard, which runs until January 28, 2026 and will feature at least 41 aircraft from seven states, including:

- 154th Wing (WG) (F-22, KC-135) and Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (MK-58) from Hawai‘i
- 115th Fighter Wing (FW) (F-35A) and 128th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) (KC-135) from Wisconsin
- 159th FW (F-15C) from Louisiana
- 155th ARW (KC-135) from Nebraska
- 153rd Airlift Wing (C-130H) from Wyoming
- 3rd WG (E-3) from Alaska
- 552nd Air Control Wing (E-3) from Oklahoma

With support personnel from multiple other units, states, as well as Australia.