WASHINGTON, D.C. – Iran’s nationwide protests have entered a third week, and President Donald Trump is stepping up the U.S. military posture in the Middle East. Key U.S. assets are shifting closer to Iran as Trump issues sharp warnings to Tehran.

The moves come as human rights groups describe an exceptionally violent crackdown, with reports that security forces have killed thousands.

Trump’s comments, often posted on Truth Social, have fueled talk of possible U.S. action. At the same time, he has signaled he may pause strikes after claims that the killing has slowed.

Anti-government protests spread across all 31 Iranian provinces in late December 2025. Demonstrations began amid economic collapse, hyperinflation, and anger over corruption. Many protests later turned into open demands to end clerical rule. Large numbers of Gen Z protesters and people from different ethnic communities have joined, calling for freedom and democracy.

The state response has been severe. Reports say security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and police, have used live fire, metal pellets, and beatings against crowds described as mostly peaceful. A near-total internet blackout since early January has made verification harder, but accounts from exiled groups and witnesses describe widespread bloodshed.

Death toll estimates vary and remain difficult to confirm. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported more than 2,500 deaths. Iran International, citing internal documents, reported claims of up to 12,000 killed over two nights, January 8 to 9, 2026, during the peak of the crackdown.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights said it documented at least 3,428 protester deaths by mid-January, including children, along with thousands injured and more than 18,000 arrests. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned what they describe as unlawful lethal force, arbitrary arrests, and attacks on medical sites, warning these could amount to crimes against humanity.

Footage said to be smuggled out shows people running from gunfire, bodies stored in makeshift morgues, and families grieving. Iranian officials have labeled protesters as foreign-backed “rioters” and warned of rapid trials and executions. One reported case involves 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, who was said to receive a death sentence shortly after being detained.

The violence builds on a long pattern of repression, including the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests and earlier crackdowns. Many observers now describe the current unrest as potentially the deadliest since the 1979 Revolution.

Trump’s Warning to Iran

Trump has used blunt language in public statements. On Truth Social, he urged Iranians to “KEEP PROTESTING” and “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS.” He also promised “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” and said those responsible for the killings would “pay a big price.” He warned of “very strong action” if the government began hanging protesters or continued large-scale killings.

In interviews, Trump said Iran’s leaders face “tremendous” economic pressure and repeated that the U.S. was “locked and loaded.” He pointed to the June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as proof of U.S. willingness to act. Trump also said he had “very important sources” indicating the killings had paused, and he suggested that helped him hold off on immediate strikes. Still, he emphasized that “all options remain on the table.”

His messaging has lifted morale for some protesters, but it has also worried regional partners who fear a wider conflict.

U.S. Military Buildup

The U.S. military posture is shifting in visible ways. Sources say at least one U.S. aircraft carrier strike group is moving toward the Middle East. More air, ground, and naval assets are expected to follow in the coming days and weeks. The repositioning gives Trump a broader menu of options, from limited strikes on regime command sites to larger operations.

This comes after a recent drawdown that left fewer major assets close by. Some carriers, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, were redirected to the Caribbean after prior missions. The U.S. has also evacuated nonessential personnel from locations such as Al Udeid in Qatar, a sign officials are preparing for possible Iranian retaliation against U.S. bases. Defense planners say these steps keep choices open without committing the U.S. to a full war.

Analysts note that the on-station force level is smaller than during the 2025 Israel-Iran clashes. Even so, the U.S. can still act quickly, including with long-range bombers flying from the United States. The current U.S. aircraft carrier movement and broader Iranian military buildup appear aimed at deterrence, while also signaling support for protesters without direct involvement on the ground.

Congress Responds With Caution

Lawmakers in Washington are split. Leading Republicans have voiced support for Iranian protesters while pushing caution on military steps. Senators, including Kevin Cramer and Roger Wicker, have pointed to sanctions and diplomacy as preferred tools, and they have said they were not fully briefed on any plan for strikes.

Democrats have raised sharper objections. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stressed that major military action would require congressional approval under the War Powers Act. Other Democrats warned that strikes could backfire and push some Iranians to rally around the regime.

Polling suggests the public remains uneasy. Many Americans oppose U.S. strikes on Iran and say Trump should seek congressional approval first. Recent U.S. actions in Venezuela have also added to bipartisan concerns about the scope of presidential power overseas.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – American conservative politics, plus the online spaces that feed on conspiracy claims, rarely stay quiet for long. A new flashpoint hit in early January 2026 when an old documentary clip resurfaced featuring Erika Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and the widow of the late Charlie Kirk.

Jimmy Dore, a comedian and political commentator known for blunt criticism of establishment power, jumped on the clip and called it a possible “smoking gun.” In his framing, the footage raises uncomfortable questions about Kirk’s early access to national security circles and whether those links go back further than most people knew.

The viral segment shows a younger Erika Frantzve (Kirk’s maiden name) speaking about the risks of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack and how it could knock out the U.S. power grid. In the same film, she appears alongside well-known national security voices, including former CIA Director R. James Woolsey. Some social media accounts first claimed the documentary was a hidden or “buried” CIA project, which added fuel to the rumor mill.

The Documentary Source: Black Start and Why It Went Viral Again

The clip comes from Black Start, an independent documentary made by filmmaker Patrea Patrick through Heartfelt Films LLC. The movie was released publicly around 2017, with some interviews and material that appear to date back to about 2013.

The film focuses on weak points in the U.S. electrical grid and what could take it down, including cyberattacks, physical attacks, natural threats like solar flares, and high-altitude EMP events that could cause major, long-lasting blackouts.

In the resurfaced section, Erika Kirk, then in her mid-20s, delivers a calm, structured presentation. She talks through EMP dangers, basic mitigation ideas, and the chain reaction that could follow a grid failure. The setting looks like a talk given to people with a security or technical background.

Woolsey appears in the documentary as well, and in some circulating edits, he’s labeled as a former CIA leader tied to national security and energy. Woolsey has spent years warning about EMP risks and pushing for grid hardening, so his presence has become a central part of the debate.

Dore’s commentary focused on what he sees as unusual access. He pointed to the polished delivery and the audience as signals that this wasn’t a random appearance. In his view, young outsiders don’t usually get a platform in rooms like that without real connections. He also suggested her comfort level reads like prior coaching or preparation for high-stakes discussions.

Family Backstory

As the clip spread, online commentators started tying it to Kirk’s family history. One common thread involves her mother, Lori Frantzve, who founded companies such as GTeK (later connected in online discussions to E3Tek Group or AZ-Tech International). Those businesses have been linked to Department of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security contract work, with topics that include network security, risk work, and EMP-related protection tech.

A separate piece of old footage also made the rounds, a 2020 interview clip where Erika Kirk described her family’s move to Arizona. In that clip, she said the relocation was tied to her mother’s growing DoD-related work.

That move also put the family within reach of Fort Huachuca, an Army base known for intelligence training, drone operations, and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) programs. In conspiracy spaces, those details often get stitched together into a bigger story. Supporters of the theory argue that growing up around defense contracting, plus early exposure to EMP topics, could have created an on-ramp to intelligence networks.

Claims of CIA Links

The loudest claims say Erika Kirk has direct or indirect ties to the CIA, and they treat the documentary clip as proof. Some conspiracy-focused accounts have labeled it a “buried CIA video” or a “leaked briefing,” suggesting she was delivering insider-level knowledge or working in intelligence-adjacent roles.

Public reporting and fact checks push back on that. Black Start has been described as an independent film, not a CIA production, and it has been available publicly (including on YouTube). It features a range of public figures and commentators, including Fox News contributor Jeanine Pirro and former Congressman Trent Franks. Kirk also is not prominently credited on IMDb, and her presence fits a simpler explanation for many viewers: she had subject-matter exposure through family ties to defense and security work, not secret agency involvement.

Dore has treated the story as part of a wider pattern. Even if the CIA claim doesn’t hold up, he argues the overlap between intelligence circles, contractors, and political movements still matters. He has also used the clip to talk about influence and access in conservative organizing, a topic that gained fresh attention after Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September 2025, which elevated Erika into TPUSA leadership.

Critics of the conspiracy narrative say the story is being used to target Kirk during a painful period and a major leadership change. Kirk has compared these kinds of claims to a “mind virus,” saying they feed on tragedy and turn it into content.

Why It’s a Big Story in 2026

This resurfaced clip landed at a moment when trust in major institutions is already low. It also touches a real policy issue, EMP threats and grid security, which figures like Woolsey have warned about for years. The clip sits at the crossroads of national security fear, internet speculation, and political influence, which is why it keeps spreading.

Under Kirk’s leadership, TPUSA remains a high-profile force, so attention comes with the job. The debate around this footage has settled into two camps. One side sees a young speaker drawing on family experience and a public documentary setting. The other side sees early access that feels too connected to ignore. Either way, the revived Black Start segment has kept the conversation going, and it doesn’t look like it will fade soon.

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MINNESOTA –  Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is back in the spotlight as renewed claims circulate about her U.S. citizenship and past marriages, alongside fresh attention on her family finances.

Omar, a prominent progressive lawmaker and member of the so-called Squad, has long told a refugee-to-Congress story, leaving Somalia as a child and later becoming one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

Critics, though, continue to push allegations of immigration fraud, including a long-running claim that she married her brother to help him immigrate. At the same time, public debate has grown louder over financial disclosures that list a household net worth as high as $30 million, as federal investigations in Minneapolis target large-scale fraud cases tied to the community she represents.

Omar, 43, rejects the accusations and has called them racist attacks and conspiracy talk. Still, the pressure has increased, with Rep. Nancy Mace pushing for subpoenas tied to Omar’s immigration records, and President Donald Trump repeating the “married her brother” accusation at recent rallies.

Federal investigators are also active in Minneapolis on major alleged welfare and nonprofit fraud schemes, adding to the political heat. The mix of citizenship questions, marriage claims, and wealth headlines has prompted calls for deeper reviews that could threaten Omar’s career.

The Omar Citizenship Dispute

The central issue is Omar’s citizenship history. Omar has said she became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at age 17 through derivative citizenship, tied to her father’s naturalization that same year. Omar was born Ilhan Abdullahi Omar on October 4, 1982, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

She has described fleeing the civil war with her family, spending time in a refugee camp in Kenya, and then resettling in the United States in 1995. Her public bios, including widely used online summaries and her congressional profile, state that she became a citizen as a minor when her father naturalized.

Skeptics say the timeline does not add up. Recent reporting, including a Daily Mail investigation published earlier this month, highlighted what critics describe as inconsistencies around her birth year. Some claim she was born in 1981, not 1982, which would make her 19 in 2000 and too old to qualify for automatic derivative citizenship, which generally requires a child to be under 18.

One source described as close to the matter told the Daily Mail that Omar “always had a birth year of October 4, 1981,” echoing claims made by conservative investigators. If that version were proven true, opponents argue it could call her citizenship into question and could raise constitutional eligibility issues for serving in the House, which requires at least seven years of U.S. citizenship.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) highlighted these claims during a House Oversight Committee hearing on January 13, 2026. She sought subpoenas for Omar’s immigration records, along with records tied to Omar’s former husbands and family members.

Mace said questions about Omar’s immigration history and alleged marriage fraud have lingered for years. The motion failed in a bipartisan vote, but it did not end the controversy. Trump also raised the issue again at a rally in Pennsylvania, repeating the allegation that Omar married her brother and saying she should be removed.

Omar and her allies say her status is legal and her records support her account. In a 2025 interview, she repeated that she became a citizen in 2000 at age 17 and described her family’s move to the United States.

Critics argue that Omar has not released full documentation publicly, and they say that this fuels suspicion. Immigration specialists often note that denaturalization is uncommon, but it can happen if prosecutors prove fraud, such as false statements on applications or illegal marital arrangements.

The Brother-Marriage Claim

No claim has followed Omar longer than the accusation that she married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in 2009 to help him obtain U.S. immigration status. The story first gained traction during her 2016 run for the state legislature and has resurfaced repeatedly, including in Trump’s comments in 2019 and again in 2025.

Reports from groups such as the Center for Immigration Studies have promoted the claim that Omar entered a legal marriage with Elmi while she was still religiously married to another man, Ahmed Hirsi.

Omar’s public marriage timeline has been widely discussed by both supporters and critics. She was religiously married to Hirsi in 2002 and had children with him. She later legally married Elmi in 2009, divorced in 2017, and then legally married Hirsi in 2018. That legal marriage ended in divorce in 2019, and she married political consultant Tim Mynett in 2020.

Critics argue the Elmi marriage was a paper arrangement aimed at bringing him from the United Kingdom to the United States. They point to claims about shared addresses, family images circulated online, and social media activity attributed to Elmi during past waves of attention.

Omar has called the allegation false and offensive. She has said Elmi is not her brother and that the marriage was real, even if short. She has also framed the claim as rooted in anti-Muslim bias.

Critics respond that the lack of easily verifiable records from Somalia, including birth documents, has kept the dispute alive. Under federal law, marriage fraud for immigration benefits can carry serious penalties, including removal. Mace’s push for subpoenas has renewed talk that official records could settle parts of the issue, one way or the other.

Net Worth Listed as High as $30M

The controversy has also widened to include Omar’s reported financial rise. When she arrived in Congress in 2019, her disclosures showed heavy student loan debt and little in assets, reflecting a negative net worth. Her 2024 financial filing, released in May 2025, listed a household net worth with Mynett ranging from about $6 million to as high as $30 million.

The listed jump is tied mainly to Mynett’s reported interests in Rose Lake Capital LLC, described as a venture capital firm with a value range of $5 million to $25 million, and ESTCRU LLC, described as a California winery with a value range of $1 million to $5 million.

Omar pushed back on the richest estimates. In February 2025, she posted online that she was “barely worth thousands,” not millions. Her disclosure reported limited income linked to the winery (listed as $5,000 to $15,000) and no income from the venture capital firm.

Watchdogs such as the National Legal and Policy Center said the numbers still raise concerns and called for more scrutiny, including audits. The group’s chair, Paul Kamenar, argued the change deserves a clearer explanation, pointing to her earlier financial picture.

The wealth debate has grown alongside federal fraud investigations in Omar’s Minnesota 5th District, which includes a large Somali-American population. Authorities have investigated multiple cases involving allegations of major fraud, including the Feeding Our Future case, described by prosecutors as a $250 million COVID-era child nutrition scheme involving more than 75 defendants, many of them Somali immigrants.

Prosecutors have alleged that defendants claimed meals that were not served and diverted funds, and some reporting has raised concerns about possible links to overseas groups, including al-Shabaab. Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar over these cases, criticizing her district and tying her political brand to the broader scandal.

Omar’s campaign has acknowledged receiving donations from individuals later implicated and has said those donations were returned. She has also criticized how the investigations have played out publicly.

Political Fallout: A Career Under Pressure

On CBS’s Face the Nation, she said the situation has created confusion and chaos, and she argued that if money flowed to terrorism, it reflected a failure by law enforcement. Critics claim the money trails and political connections deserve tougher review, though no publicly presented evidence directly ties Omar to the fraud operations.

Omar continues to frame the renewed focus on her background as politically motivated and driven by bias. Supporters say the accusations recycle old claims that have not been proven, while opponents say unanswered questions remain and public records should be reviewed. Denaturalization cases are hard to win and typically require clear proof of fraud, but they are not unheard of.

With the 2026 midterms approaching and Republicans holding power in Congress, Omar faces a louder push for investigations, especially if subpoena efforts return.

For now, she has stayed active on progressive issues, including immigrant rights, and has signaled she does not plan to retreat from public fights. The controversy, however, shows no sign of fading as her critics keep pressing for documents and her district remains under the shadow of high-profile fraud prosecutions.

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