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President Trump Says Executions Have Stopped in Iran
(WBAP/KLIF) AP — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s been told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran has signaled fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters.
The U.S. president’s claims, which were made with few details, come as he’s told protesting Iranians in recent days that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Iranian government.
But Trump has not offered any details about how the U.S. might respond and it wasn’t clear if his comments Wednesday indicated he would hold off on action. Earlier Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran’s judiciary chief, said the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people who have been detained through rapid trials and executions.
The security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,586, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Here is the latest:
Iranian foreign minister asks UN to condemn terrorism
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for the top U.N. official to condemn and reject “all acts of terrorism during the unrests regardless of the incentives.”
Araghchi reiterated Iranian officials’ claims, without providing evidence, that the U.S. and Israel have been directly involved in the escalation of recent nationwide protests in Iran that have killed more than 2,500 Iranians.
“Peaceful protests started from Dec. 28, 2025 on economic grounds were sabotaged by terrorist elements who turned them into armed riots,” he wrote to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
Iranian government holds mass funeral
A mass funeral was held in Tehran for some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The caskets, draped in Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of the dead covered them.
Iranians describe the government’s crackdown
“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said a mother of two shopping for fruits and vegetables, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored, but schools are closed, and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”
Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.
“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”
Iranians and Germans protest in Berlin
At a protest march of 900 Iranian exiles and German supporters in Berlin on Wednesday night, Maryam Nejatipur, 32, told The Associated Press how unbearably worried she was about her family back home.
“They’re in a complete blackout. We don’t have any news,” said the former teacher who was forced to leave her home country about two years ago.
She said she didn’t know how to get through the days since Iran shut down the internet and phones and she could not longer find out if her family was still alive.
She sobbed and said really she was not only worried about her immediate family but all Iranians. “There are 90 million people inside Iran and they are killing all of them,” she said.
US met with exiled former crown prince of Iran
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has met with exiled former crown prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi, a White House official confirmed on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity about the private meeting. The official provided no further details.
Italy foreign ministry advises Italian citizens to leave
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has been meeting on Wednesday evening with officials from the Italian Ministry of Defense, the Italian Ambassador to Tehran and ambassadors from the main capitals involved in the current crisis in Iran.
The ministry reiterated its recommendation that Italian citizens should leave Iran if they are able to do so, a statement said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard blames US and Israel for protests
Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, threatened Wednesday that the country would give a “decisive response” to the death of Iranian “martyrs and security protectors,” according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
Pakpour reiterated Iranian officials’ claims that U.S. and Israel have instigated these protests and that they are the “main killers” of the hundreds of casualties. He added that those countries will “receive the response in the appropriate time.”
(Copyright 2026 WBAP/KLIF Newsroom News. All rights reserved. Contains material from the Associated Press.)
Justice Department Sees No Basis for Civil Rights Probe in Minnesota ICE Shooting
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Justice Department official says there is not currently any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation into the killing of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. The decision to keep the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division out of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good marks a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials for potential civil rights offenses. While an FBI probe is ongoing, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division were informed last week that they would not play a role in the investigation at this time, according to two people familiar with the matter.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Minnesota Protesters, Agents Repeatedly Square Off While Prosecutors Quit After Renee Good’s Death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Days of demonstrations against immigration agents and a new lawsuit have left Minnesota tense. Federal officers sprayed eye irritant and dropped tear gas at activists on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Students, meanwhile, walked out of a school in a Minneapolis suburb to protest the Trump administration’s bold immigration sweeps. Minnesota and its two largest cities are suing the government to try to halt or limit the enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a woman last week in Minneapolis. There’s more fallout: At least five prosecutors have resigned amid turmoil over how the government is handling Renee Good’s death.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Trump Calls on Tehran to Show Protesters Humanity Amid Reports of Rising Death Toll in Crackdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump met Tuesday with his national security team to discuss the Iranian government’s violent crackdown on protesters as he looks to get a better understanding of the number of Iranian citizens who have been killed and arrested in more than two weeks of unrest throughout the country. Trump said believes that the killing — human rights monitors say the death toll has exceeded 2,500 — is “significant” and that his administration would “act accordingly.” He added that he believed the Iranian government was “badly misbehaving.” He said he has yet to receive a confirmed number of Iranians killed in the protests that began late last month. Trump added, “The message is they’ve got to show humanity.”
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Supreme Court Seems Likely to Uphold State Bans on Transgender Athletes in Girls and Women’s Sports
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams. Lower courts ruled for the transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia who challenged the state bans. But the conservative-dominated Supreme Court gave no indication after more than three hours of arguments Tuesday that it would follow suit. Instead, at least five of the six conservatives on the nine-member court indicated they’ll rule the laws don’t violate either the Constitution or the landmark Title IX law. Title IX prohibits discrimination in education and has produced dramatic growth in girls and women’s sports.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Clintons Refuse to Testify in House Epstein Probe as Republicans Threaten Contempt Proceedings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are refusing to testify to Congress about Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons in a letter Tuesday said they will not comply with a House subpoena to testify. The Democrats slam a Republican-controlled committee’s efforts as “legally invalid.” Republican lawmakers in response say they will launch contempt of Congress proceedings against the Clintons next week. In a letter released on social media, the Clintons denounce the contempt push as being “literally designed to result in” their imprisonment. The Republican push to hold the Clintons in contempt could result in prosecution from the Justice Department.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Denmark, Greenland Leaders Stand United Against Trump’s Greenland Takeover Call Ahead of Key Meeting
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — The leaders of Denmark and the country’s territory of Greenland on Tuesday offered a united front against President Donald Trump’s calls for the United States to take over the strategic Arctic island. Their comments came on the eve of critical meetings in Washington. Denmark and Greenland’s prime ministers underscored that the territory is part of Denmark, and thus covered by NATO. A U.S. attempt to take over or force the secession of the island would tear apart the transatlantic alliance. The leaders, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, underscored their solidarity as their foreign ministers prepared for talks at the White House on Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Mike Tomlin Steps Down After 19 Seasons as Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Mike Tomlin era with the Pittsburgh Steelers is over. The longest-tenured head coach in major American professional sports stepped down Tuesday after yet another quick playoff exit. The announcement came a day after the end of Tomlin’s 19th season in Pittsburgh. Tomlin won one Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons with the Steelers before the club settled into a familiar and frustrating pattern of solid if not always spectacular play followed by a playoff cameo that ended with the Steelers on the wrong side of a blowout. Tomlin went 193-112-2 in Pittsburgh but lost each of his last seven playoff games.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Wall Street Executives Warn Trump: Stop Attacking the Fed and Credit Card Industry
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s relationship with the Trump administration is souring. Bank executives warned the White House on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s policies and the Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell could harm the economy. BNY CEO Robin Vince criticized attacks on the Fed’s independence, saying it could raise interest rates. Trump is also targeting the credit card industry, proposing a 10% cap on interest rates. Researchers say a cap could cost banks $100 billion annually. JPMorgan CFO Jeffrey Barnum said such actions could reduce credit supply, hurting consumers and the economy.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Trump Pressures Iran With Tariffs That Could Raise Prices in the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has once again drawn his go-to diplomatic weapon — tariffs — to coerce the Iranian government to end its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. Trump said he is imposing a 25% tax on imports to the United States from countries that do business with Iran. The sanctions could hurt the Islamic Republic by reducing its access to foreign goods and driving up prices in a country already contending with inflation running above 40%. But the tariffs could create blowback for the United States, too, potentially raising the prices Americans pay for imports from Iranian trade partners such as Turkey and India and threatening an uneasy trade truce Trump reached last year with China.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)