Center Square

Iran’s leadership “should be very worried,” President Donald Trump warned Wednesday amid conflicting reports that talks between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic had been called off.
Despite reports circulating Wednesday that the talks had been cancelled, a White House official confirmed with The Center Square that the talks remain on track and leaders will meet Friday in Oman.
Trump made the comments during an interview with NBC Wednesday at the White House, warning the Islamic Republic against restarting its nuclear program.
“I’m hearing that Iran wants to restart the new program. If that’s the case, we’ll send the forces to do the job again. They tried to go back to the site, but they couldn’t access it. We discovered that they wanted to open a nuclear site in another part of the country. I said, ‘You do that—we’ll do very bad things to you,’” said Trump.
The president insists Operation Midnight Hammer, when the U.S. struck Iran’s nuclear sites in June, was a necessary step in pursuing peace in the Middle East.
“If we didn’t take out that nuclear, we wouldn’t have peace in the Middle East, because the Arab countries could’ve never done that. They were very afraid of Iran. They’re not afraid of Iran anymore,” said Trump.
During a press conference at the State Department Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared less optimistic that the U.S. and Iran could reach a deal.
“If the Iranians want to meet, we’re ready…I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out…This is a president that always prefers a peaceful outcome to any conflict or any challenge,” said Rubio.
The talks come as a large armada of U.S. Naval ships has been and is moving closer to the Islamic Republic. On Tuesday, the U.S. confirmed it had shot down two Iranian drones flying near the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier sailing in the region.
The president continues to cite the increasingly significant naval presence in the region, hoping to pressure the Islamic Republic to “make a deal.”
“It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” Trump previously posted on Truth Social.
The president is calling on Iran to “come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal,” underscoring that the Islamic Republic cease trying to rebuild its nuclear program.
“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote.
Iran’s delegation to the UN hit back at the president’s warnings, pointing to the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq – indicating another war could be costly for American taxpayers and lives.
“Last time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives. Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests – BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!” the Iran delegation posted on X.
The president’s comments come amid multiple reports within Iran that the regime is continuing its brutality against anti-regime protesters.
Trump has expressed support for the protesters, offering help if the regime fails to cease executions.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – Take OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS…MIGA [Make Iran Great Again].”
In recent weeks, Trump has told reporters that the U.S. is weighing “strong options” against the Islamic Republic’s regime, inching closer to striking the country for a second time within a year.
Earlier in January, the president issued another stern warning to the regime if it retaliated against protesters.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United State of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” the president posted on his Truth Social account.
During the last week of December, Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the two leaders reportedly discussed the potential of future strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic attempts to rebuild its nuclear capabilities.
“I hear Iran is looking to rebuild its facilities again, and if they do we will have to knock them down again,” the president told reporters during a news conference in late December. “We’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that build up. So I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading.”
The civil uprising in Iran follows a pattern of Iranian citizens protesting the brutal regime’s grip on its citizens.
It is unclear whether the talks in Oman will include discussions with protesters. The White House didn’t respond to questions from The Center Square regarding the protesters.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers grilled leaders of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery Tuesday about antitrust concerns over their planned merger .
Netflix seeks to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery for nearly $83 billion, merging their resources and streaming services. Critics say the proposed merger would reduce competition, raise consumer prices, and hurt movie theaters. Netflix is already the largest global streaming platform.
“One might say that Netflix seeks to become the one platform to rule them all, or at least exercise a significant amount of market dominance,” U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah said at Tuesday’s hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Antitrust subcommittee.
In a bit of a twist, one of those in attendance appeared to be dressed as Mr. Monopoly, the mustachioed, top hat-wearing character from the game Monopoly.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO, claimed the merger would create more jobs, would lower costs of both streaming services, and provide more accessibility for consumers to view preferred content.
“This media merger will be different than any of the others, because we actually need these people. We need those movies, we need those series. So we’re going to keep them all operating, and I want them to compete with one another, just as if we didn’t own them,” Sarandos said.
A bipartisan group of Judiciary senators present at the hearing were not reassured. Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, raised concerns over Netflix potentially getting more power over consumers and leaving fewer alternatives for streaming platforms.
“Our antitrust laws are designed to ensure that independent studios, smaller streaming services and new entrants are not shut out and left unable to compete with companies that control both content and distribution,” Booker said.
Many of the Republican senators questioned the liberal ideology portrayed in much of Netflix’s current content, even as Sarandos insisted that Netflix is not political. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo was one of many Republicans who confronted Sarandos about the liberal-leaning actions of Netflix employees and content produced.
“Why in the world would we give a seal of approval or a thumbs up to make you the largest behemoth on the planet related to content? It seems as though you have engaged in creating not only a monopoly of content potentially, but the wokest content in the history of the world,” Schmitt said.
Sarandos said parents could restrict unwanted content on the service in an attempt to reassure conservatives.
“We have state‑of‑the‑art tools for you to manage those choices for your children and to block any title that you might be offended by for any reason,” Sarandos said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked Sarandos about entertainment versus propaganda being pushed by Netflix, to which Sarandos again insisted Netflix had no political agenda.
“We would fail pushing a political view or propaganda. We deliver entertainment to consumers,” Sarandos said. “And if we fail to entertain them, by trying to promote propaganda or something, anything other than entertainment, we fail.”

American citizen and Chapel Hill, N.C. native, Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva focused their Wednesday meeting with First Lady Melania Trump on hope and a mission to give back following their harrowing ordeals, highlighting an unbreakable bond and hopeful spirit.
The Siegels were among more than 250 hostages taken in Gaza by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Keith was held captive by the terror organization for 451 days, Aviva 51.
In the Blue Room of the White House, they explained how the first lady had forged a relationship with Aviva prior to Keith’s release. And the role of second-term Republican President Donald Trump in securing the release of Keith shortly after taking office.
Keith, marking a year of freedom on Sunday, told reporters gathered he has committed himself to partnering with Israel and an Israeli humanitarian organization “to help restore hope for others.”
He added that giving back is a vital part of his “recovery and rehabilitation.” He and Aviva recently went to Kenya, where an Israeli humanitarian group is providing clean water, sanitation, hygiene and education to refugees in the African nation.
“The work of Israel has inspired me and given me a new sense of person, of purpose,” Keith said. “What a remarkable and amazing accomplishment, bringing all of the hostages home and we have a mission ahead of us to help others that are struggling, and this is our new mission in life. This is the road we are on. This is our journey.”
Melania Trump credited her meeting with Aviva as being behind his eventual release, eventually leading to the president’s commitment to bring every hostage home dead or alive, within the first year of his presidency.
“That first meeting with Aviva Siegel served as a catalyst to the events leading up to Keith’s freedom,” said the first lady. “It was clear that day in New York City that Aviva Siegel’s human spirit would move mountains to rescue her husband.”
Aviva told the first lady that she left their meeting with hope, knowing the president would hear their personal story.
“When we met, before we came home, you gave me so much hope, and I could feel your heart with me, and I knew how important it was for you to go back home and talk to President Trump and share your feelings,” Aviva told the first lady.
During the first meeting, Aviva presented Trump with a handmade book about her husband and the events of Oct. 7, which she ultimately dedicated to her grandchildren.
Keith Seigel was one of 12 Americans captured on Oct. 7. The last surviving American hostage, Edan Alexander from New Jersey, was released May 12, 2024, after being held captive for 584 days.

Texas GulfLink has received a license to build and operate a deepwater port in the Gulf of America, marking the first such approval in the Trump administration’s effort to speed a process that has moved slowly for decades.In January, federal licensing of offshore deepwater port facilities shifted from the Coast Guard to the U.S. Maritime Administration, a change mandated in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 intended to speed the approval of facilities that can accommodate the largest vessels transporting crude oil and natural gas.”The Texas GulfLink project is proof that when we slash unnecessary red tape and unleash our fossil fuel sector, we create jobs at home and stability abroad. This critical deepwater port will allow the U.S. to export our abundant resources faster than ever before,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a news release.The port, which will be located approximately 27 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas, is designed to export up to 1 million barrels of crude oil per day.The approval follows a six-year review process that began in May 2019, when an application was submitted to the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration.”To restore our maritime dominance, we must have the modern infrastructure capable of handling the demands of global trade,” said Maritime Administrator Capt. Stephen Carmel. “Texas GulfLink provides a critical offshore logistical asset that keeps our nearshore waterways safer and allows American energy to reach the global market with unprecedented speed and efficiency.”Texas GulfLink is designed to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, thereby reducing vessel congestion near the coast. Loading these massive vessels offshore is faster, cheaper and more efficient than transferring cargo in nearshore waters.The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or LOOP, is the only deepwater facility now operating in U.S. waters.The Sea Port Oil Terminal, or SPOT, which would be located off the Texas coast, received a federal license in April 2024 but has not yet begun construction.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to California’s redistricting bid that would add more Democrat-majority districts in the state.
In November, California voters approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure that allowed mid-decade congressional redistricting. The measure was proposed by the Democrat-led General Assembly to add as many as five congressional districts in favor of Democrats.
The California Legislature took up the effort after legislators in Texas redrew congressional maps to add as many as five districts in favor of Republicans. However, lawyers for the Trump administration urged justices on the Supreme Court to strike down California’s map.
The lawyers argued Prop. 50, the California ballot measure to approve the new congressional district lines, made distinctions on race and should be classified as racial gerrymandering. Prop. 50 passed with nearly 65% of the vote in the Nov. 4 general election.
“An injunction effectively requiring California to return to its earlier map would be less disruptive to the State’s election apparatus than allowing the Prop 50 map to go into effect,” the lawyers wrote.
“Under the proposed lines, Democrats could gain up to 5 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives,” California Democrats wrote. “With a majority in the House, Democrats can fight back against Trump and Republicans’ MAGA agenda.”

A Republican Senator wants answers about reports of U.S. citizens being detained as part of President Donald Trump’s widespread immigration enforcement campaign.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers about U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement operations around the country, including in Minneapolis.
The letter seeks records of every ICE interaction in the field, including those involving U.S. citizens. Tillis said he wants those records by March 2, the day before Noem is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Tillis praised Trump’s border efforts but criticized other enforcement operations as less successful.
“Recent operations raise serious questions that require direct oversight,” Tillis wrote in the letter.
He said these concerns include Operation Charlotte’s Web in North Carolina.
“Multiple public reports allege that U.S. citizens were detained, subject to force, and experienced damage to personal property,” Tillis wrote. “I seek clarification as to whether these reports are merely disingenuous accounts from partisans who do not share our commitment to a secure border, or if they reflect substantiated incidents.”
He raised similar concerns about Minneapolis but did not refer to the two high-profile shooting deaths of U.S. citizens.
“Similar concerns have since emerged in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where DHS enforcement actions reportedly involved U.S. citizens, use of force, reliance on administrative warrants, and unclear predication for initial engagements,” he wrote.
Tillis also asked Noem how many people were apprehended and released in Operation Charlotte’s Web, including their criminal histories.
Tillis will retire at the end of his term. He has strongly criticized Noem and White House aide Stephen Miller, calling both “sycophants.”
The letter comes as the White House withdraws some troops from Minnesota. White House Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that 700 federal agents assisting immigration enforcement in Minnesota will return home.

Dozens of Republicans are demanding that the U.S. Senate take up House-passed legislation implementing election security reforms – and they’re willing to restructure filibuster rules to ensure it succeeds.
The SAVE Act passed the lower chamber with slim bipartisan support last April. The bill would require Americans to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, necessitate in-person voter registration for federal elections, and require states to remove all noncitizens from their voter rolls.
Yet after 300 days, the Senate Rules Committee has still made no move to bring it to the floor. More than 30 House Republicans, led by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, sent a scathing letter to committee Chairman Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., demanding action.
Forty-eight Republican senators have cosponsored the legislation, and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, says he received commitments from 50 senators to vote for it. But with Senate Democrats pronouncing the bill “dead on arrival” if it reaches the floor, GOP lawmakers are once again debating whether to change the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has stated on social media that “the historical norm” required senators who wish to filibuster a bill to speak on the floor.
He condemned the current 60-vote threshold requirement, where senators use cloture as the only method of advancing most legislation.
“Cloture—which allows for a supermajority of senators to end the talking filibuster—first became available in 1917, but still wasn’t used routinely,” Lee argued. “The Zombie Filibuster—in which senators could have the benefit of ongoing debate without actually speaking—has now become the norm[.]”
Despite pressure from Lee and others, Senate Majority John Thune, R-S.D., has remained noncommittal on the issue. He told reporters Tuesday that leaders will “talk about that idea and determine how they want to proceed.”
“We will vote on the SAVE Act — but a talking filibuster has ramifications everybody needs to be aware of,” Thune added. “That would tie the floor up, with unlimited debate and amendments.”
If filibuster rules are not changed, the SAVE Act will almost certainly fail the Senate, where Republicans have up to 53 votes.
Democrats have called the legislation an act of voter suppression, saying that federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting and the SAVE Act will simply make it harder for veterans, the disabled, minorities, and women who change their last names to register to vote.
Under the legislation, people would not be able to register to vote with only their drivers license, since noncitizens can obtain that. They must instead present documents proving U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or U.S. passport.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and other Republicans say the requirements are “eminently reasonable.”
“Common sense requirements to prove your eligibility to vote in federal elections are not ‘Jim Crow 2.0.,” Graham said on social media Wednesday. “Every time we try to bring rationality to the debate around illegal immigration, the Democrats let the radical, left-wing nut jobs take over for them – but they won’t for us.”

U.S. lawmakers face a rocky path forward as they begin negotiations over the last remaining appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026.
During the next two weeks, Congress will recraft the Department of Homeland Security bill, which includes funding for agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While Republicans have expressed openness to some of the changes Democrats demand, they have flatly refused others, risking another partial government shutdown on Feb. 13.
“We all agree immigration policy ought to be balanced and strategic and smart, and it obviously needs to comply with the law,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday. “We’re going to have all these discussions over the next couple of weeks. We will figure out a path through this, but we have to enforce our immigration law.”
After an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, during January protests in Minneapolis, Senate Democrats demanded immigration enforcement reforms in the Homeland Security bill.
As a result, the upper chamber scrapped the bill, which had already passed the House alongside five other appropriations bills. While senators approved the other five, they replaced the Homeland Security bill with a two-week stopgap, sending all six bills back to the House in one package.
The $1.2 trillion package passed the lower chamber Tuesday with bipartisan support and sent it to President Donald Trump, who signed it. But the vote also showed how deeply many House Republicans resent Democrats for strong-arming leaders into promising immigration enforcement reforms.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., laid out Tuesday the “common-sense” changes Democrats want to see. Aguilar said his caucus will expect no less than banning mask-wearing, requiring body-worn cameras, and requiring agents to have judicial warrants on top of immigration court warrants before detaining someone.
He also called for independent investigations into possible abuses by agents, as well as establishing clear guidelines on use of force.
“We have to make changes. We have to reform DHS,” Aguilar told reporters. “We aren’t settling for half measures.”
Johnson has said Republicans will negotiate “in good faith” with Democrats, and he agreed that some reforms, such as requiring body cameras, would improve enforcement efforts.
But he added that Republicans will “never go along” with measures like requiring agents to obtain judicial warrants or providing amnesty for noncitizens residing in the U.S. illegally.
“We have to make sure we maintain the important parameters here,” Johnson said Tuesday. “You can’t in any way lighten the enforcement requirement of federal immigration law – that’s what the American people demand and deserve. We want dangerous, illegal criminals to be sent out of the country.”
If lawmakers fail to come to an agreement by the time the funding stopgap expires, many DHS agencies will shut down, including the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Transportation Security Administration.
ICE, however, will not shut down, given that it received a $75 billion boost in Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, which became law in July.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has clarified his stance about the Cook County State’s Attorney’s support for his executive order directing police to refer federal immigration agents for prosecution.
When Johnson signed the order last Saturday, he said Burke’s office was in “complete support” of it.
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke responded in a social media post.
“Mayor Johnson’s statement is not true. The CCSAO did not receive the Executive Order until it was released to the public,” Burke said.
The state’s attorney added that her office does not provide legal approval of any matter until they review it.
At a city hall press briefing on Tuesday, the mayor was asked about Burke’s comments and said he did not have authority over the state’s attorney.
“I have a responsibility and authority to direct my police department to not only identify ICE agents but also to collect evidence and to make sure that that evidence is preserved. That’s the authority that I have,” Johnson said.
When asked why police needed to go through his office with evidence of misconduct by federal agents instead of bringing the evidence directly to the state’s attorney’s office, Johnson responded by saying his office would work through the implementation of his order during the next 30 days.
The mayor was also asked about a proposed reboot of Bring Chicago Home, the real estate transfer tax defeated by voters in 2024.
Johnson said he was looking at all forms of progressive revenue, even after several ballot measures failed.
“In the meantime, we’re going to be focused in on our efforts in Springfield to draw more progressive revenue so that we can continue to make the necessary investments to build safe and affordable communities,” Johnson said.
Chicago Flips Red founder Zoe Leigh addressed the city council’s public safety committee on Tuesday and said the First Amendment allowed her to call out city spending on people who are in the country illegally.
“That’s more that can be said for this local government that prioritizes unlawful immigration policies over the rights of its own citizens,” Leigh said.
Leigh said the reason the city has no money is because it spend so much on “illegal aliens.”
###

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee later this month, after being threatened with criminal contempt charges.
The couple has agreed to appear for filmed, transcribed depositions as part of the investigation into Jeffery Epstein.
The former first lady is scheduled to appear Feb. 26, with the former president scheduled to appear Feb. 27. Bill Clinton was initially expected to appear Oct. 14, 2025. The appearance was postponed to Dec. 17, 2025. He was then ordered to appear Jan. 13 but failed to appear.
Hillary Clinton’s original deposition date was set for Oct. 9, then moved to Dec. 18, and later subpoenaed for Jan. 14. Like her husband, she failed to appear.
The committee voted to recommend the couple be held in contempt Jan. 21. The couple’s attorney appeared to do an about-face Monday evening, as Comer appeared before the House Rules Committee regarding contempt charges, when it was announced the couple would appear before the committee.
Comer, R-Ky., rejected an earlier attempt from the Clintons’ attorneys to provide limited testimony, the former president to conduct a maximum four-hour transcribed interview, and the former first lady to submit a sworn declaration. Comer has dug in his heels, demanding that the couple appear before the committee.
Comer reacted on social media Tuesday afternoon to the couple agreeing to appear, claiming they “caved.”
“Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely CAVED and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month,” Comer posted on X. “After delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months, the House Oversight Committee moved swiftly to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings in response to their non-compliance.”
Comer issued subpoenas to the Clintons in early August, noting examples of a potentially close relationship between the former president and Epstein in the letter to Bill Clinton.
“By your own admission, you flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private plane four separate times in 2002 and 2003. During one of these trips, you were even pictured receiving a ‘massage’ from one of Mr. Epstein’s victims,” the congressman wrote. “It has also been claimed that you pressured Vanity Fair not to publish sex trafficking allegations against your ‘good friend’ Mr. Epstein, and there are conflicting reports about whether you ever visited Mr. Epstein’s island. You were also allegedly close to Ms. Ghislane Maxwell, an Epstein co-conspirator, and attended an intimate dinner with her in 2014, three years after public reports about her involvement in Mr. Epstein’s abuse of minors.”
Comer’s letter to Hillary Clinton indicated that the former president’s trips on Epstein’s plane were part of the Clinton Family Foundation trips. He also included a connection between the former first couple and Maxwell, noting that Maxwell’s nephew was employed by Hillary Clinton’s 2008 failed presidential campaign and then hired by the State Department after becoming Secretary of State.
Comer insists the purpose of the investigation is to “inform legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”