A newly released video from the State Department late Friday put foreign governments on notice, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivering a blunt message aimed at countries weighing whether to challenge President Donald Trump.
In the video posted to X, Rubio cautions adversaries against miscalculating Washington’s stance. “Don’t play games,” he says. “Don’t play games while this president’s in office because it’s not going to turn out well.”
Rubio goes on to emphasize Trump’s seriousness about following through on his pledges. “The 47th president of the United States is not a game player,” he said. “When he tells you that he’s going to do something, when he tells you he’s going to address a problem, he means it.”
The release of the video coincides with the White House drawing attention to a recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
The footage itself weaves together scenes connected to the Venezuela mission alongside clips of Rubio, Trump, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking publicly about the developments.
At one point in the video, Rubio underscores the administration’s posture. “This is a president of action,” he says. “Like I don’t understand yet how they haven’t figured this out. And now, if you don’t know, now you know.”
As that message circulated, the White House also sharpened its tone toward Iran, where protests continue and senior officials have threatened severe reprisals against demonstrators.
Speaking Friday to cabinet members and oil executives, Trump warned Iran’s leadership against using lethal force on protesters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring events and prepared to react if civilians are targeted.
“You better not start shooting,” Trump said during the meeting. “Because we’ll start shooting, too,” he added, according to Reuters.
Trump also told the group that he had seen reports claiming demonstrators had even named a street after him.
“God bless them,” he said, while voicing concern about their well-being and describing Iran as “a very dangerous place right now.”
He reiterated his warning on Sunday, saying the United States would “hit very hard” if Iranian authorities kill protesters as unrest stretches into a second week.
On Truth Social, Trump further stated that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue,” adding that the country is “locked and loaded.”
Demonstrations across Iran approached the two-week mark today, with the government acknowledging the unrest even as it intensifies its crackdown and remains largely isolated from the outside world.
With internet access shut down and phone service disrupted, tracking events from abroad has become increasingly challenging. Still, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained during the protests.
Despite warnings from Washington, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has indicated that tougher measures are on the way.
Today, Tehran raised the stakes further when Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, declared that anyone participating in the protests would be deemed an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty.
{Matzav.com}
A proposed ballot measure in California that would levy a one-time wealth tax on the state’s richest residents is prompting notable moves by some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures, including Larry Page and Sergey Brin, according to a report by The New York Times.
The initiative, backed by a healthcare workers’ union, would impose a tax of roughly 5% on assets held by Californians with net worth exceeding $1 billion. If voters approve the measure, it would be applied retroactively to residents as of Jan. 1 and collected over a five-year period.
In response to the looming proposal, entities connected to Brin have recently shut down or relocated 15 California-based limited liability companies, with several reconstituted in Nevada. At the same time, more than 45 companies tied to Page filed documents to either exit California or become inactive there.
Page has also taken personal steps that suggest a growing footprint outside the state. A trust linked to him purchased a $71.9 million residence in Miami, adding to signs that the Google co-founder is diversifying his base beyond California.
The reported shifts are particularly striking given the founders’ long-standing ties to Silicon Valley and the scale of their fortunes. Forbes estimates their combined net worth at more than $518 billion.
Not all tech leaders have been quiet about the proposal. Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, sharply criticized the idea, calling the wealth tax a “horrendous idea.”
“Poorly designed taxes incentivize avoidance, capital flight, and distortions that ultimately raise less revenue,” Hoffman said.
While Page and Brin continue to maintain residences and business interests in California, their recent pullback reflects broader anxieties within the tech sector that such a tax could push capital — and entrepreneurs — to leave the state.
Political reaction has been mixed. Gavin Newsom has cautioned that the proposal amounts to “bad policy,” while supporters contend the revenue would help close major gaps in healthcare funding.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has indicated that Israel intends to move toward full military self-reliance, outlining a plan to end American defense assistance over the next decade, Times of Israel reports.
In an interview with The Economist conducted Thursday and published Friday, Netanyahu said, “I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years.” When asked directly whether that meant “to taper it off to zero,” he responded affirmatively.
The remarks come as Israel currently receives roughly $3.8 billion a year from the United States under a military assistance agreement finalized in 2016. The package, which largely subsidizes purchases of US-made weaponry, went into effect in 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in 2028.
Netanyahu made clear that he does not plan to pursue a full renewal of the agreement. “We want to be as independent as possible,” he said. Recounting a recent meeting with the American president in Florida, Netanyahu added, “In my visit to President Trump, I said we very deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we’ve come of age, and we’ve developed incredible capacities.”
His comments were warmly received by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who oversees military aid as chairman of a Senate appropriations subcommittee. Graham praised Netanyahu’s stance and said he would push to accelerate the timeline for ending assistance.
“The aid we have provided to Israel has been a great investment keeping the IDF strong, sharing technology and making their military more capable — to the benefit of the United States,” Graham wrote on X. “Apparently, there is a desire by Israel to change that dynamic because they have a roaring economy.”
Graham added that Israel’s stated goal of self-sufficiency should be met sooner than planned. “I will always appreciate allies who are trying to be more self-sufficient and believe that, given what the Prime Minister said, we need not wait ten years,” he said. He argued that ending the aid would free up billions of dollars that could be “plowed back into the US military.”
In his role leading the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Graham said, “I will be presenting a proposal to Israel and the Trump administration to dramatically expedite the timetable.”
Netanyahu’s comments appear to contradict a November report by Axios, which said Israeli and US officials had quietly begun talks about the next aid framework after delays linked to the war with Hamas in Gaza. That report claimed Israel was seeking not only to renew the agreement but to extend it to 20 years.
Axios noted at the time that negotiations were complicated by growing isolationist sentiment among President Trump’s political base. Netanyahu rejected the report then, reiterating — as he did again in his Economist interview — that he believes “it’s time to ensure that Israel is independent.”
The United States first committed to providing large-scale military assistance to Israel in 1979, alongside similar aid to Egypt, as part of the US-brokered peace agreement between the two countries.
While American assistance once accounted for a substantial portion of Israel’s defense spending, its relative share has declined as Israel’s economy has expanded. Under Israel’s 2025 budget, the Defense Ministry alone is slated to receive a record NIS 110 billion ($29 billion), within a total defense budget of NIS 136 billion ($36.9 billion).
{Matzav.com}
Demonstrations that erupted in Iran late last month have expanded into a nationwide challenge to the ruling system, even as authorities move aggressively to suppress unrest and sever the country’s connections to the outside world.
The protests, which began on Dec. 28 amid outrage over the collapse of the Iranian rial and soaring living costs, have since morphed into direct calls against the Islamic Republic itself. The currency now trades at more than 1.4 million to the U.S. dollar, battered by sanctions tied in part to Iran’s nuclear program.
Despite sweeping internet and phone shutdowns that have made independent verification difficult, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 arrested since the unrest began. Iranian state television, meanwhile, has emphasized casualties among security forces while projecting an image of stability.
Authorities signaled an even harsher response over the weekend. Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned that anyone taking part in demonstrations would be labeled an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty. A statement aired on state television said the designation would also apply to those who “helped rioters.”
“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country,” the statement read. “Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has echoed the threat of a clampdown, even as warnings have come from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump voiced backing for the demonstrators, writing on social media that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The U.S. State Department followed with a blunt message of its own: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
International criticism has also mounted. Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Anita Anand, joined officials from Australia and the European Union in issuing a joint condemnation, praising “the bravery of the Iranian people as they stand up for their dignity and their fundamental right to peaceful protest.” The statement added: “We strongly condemn the killing of protesters, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people.”
Inside Iran, officials have tried to convey a sense of normalcy. Saturday, the start of the Iranian workweek, saw many schools and universities shift to online instruction, according to state TV, while internal government websites continued operating.
State television repeatedly aired a stirring orchestral version of the Epic of Khorramshahr by composer Majid Entezami alongside images of pro-government rallies. The piece, associated with Iran’s 1982 recapture of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq war, was also broadcast during Israel’s recent 12-day war with Iran and has appeared in past protest videos, including those following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
Anchors insisted calm had returned. “Field reports indicate that peace prevailed in most cities of the country at night,” one state TV presenter said. “After a number of armed terrorists attacked public places and set fire to people’s private property last night, there was no news of any gathering or chaos in Tehran and most provinces last night.”
That account was contradicted by an online video verified by The Associated Press showing thousands gathered in Tehran’s Saadat Abad neighborhood. In the footage, a man could be heard shouting, “Death to Khamenei!”
Other images have continued to surface despite the communications blackout. The semi-official Fars news agency, which is believed to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, released surveillance footage it said showed unrest in Isfahan, including a protester appearing to fire a long gun while others hurled gasoline bombs and set fires near what looked like a government compound.
State-linked outlets have also reported deadly attacks on security forces. The Young Journalists’ Club said protesters killed three members of the Basij militia in Gachsaran, while separate incidents left a security official stabbed in Hamadan province, a police officer dead in Bandar Abbas, another killed in Gilan, and one person slain in Mashhad. State TV later broadcast images from a funeral in Qom attended by hundreds.
Iran cut off most internet access and international phone calls on Thursday, allowing only select state-owned or semi-official outlets to publish abroad. Qatar-funded Al Jazeera has continued reporting from inside Iran, appearing to be the only major foreign network able to operate there.
From exile, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has urged demonstrators to sustain pressure. In his latest message, he called on Iranians to protest through the weekend and encouraged them to carry the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag and other national symbols to “claim public spaces as your own.”
Pahlavi’s stance has been controversial, particularly given his open support for Israel following the recent conflict. While some protesters have invoked the shah in chants, it remains unclear whether that reflects support for Pahlavi himself or simply a longing for life before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
What began as anger over economic collapse has now evolved into the most serious challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership in years, leaving the government facing sustained unrest at home and mounting pressure abroad as the crackdown intensifies.
{Matzav.com}
