January 12, 2026

Chickenhawk Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to Kill Ayatollah

January 12, 2026 Buck Banks

“If I were you, Mr. President, I would kill the leadership that are killing the people.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on Fox News, urging President Trump to kill Iran’s supreme leader.

FIRE Criticizes Iran Crackdown

January 12, 2026 Buck Banks

“A tyrannical theocracy has shut down the internet for an entire country so the world can’t see the brutal tactics it plans to use to crush a free Iran. In my view, this is the biggest free-speech story in the world right now.”

— Greg Lukianoff, head of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, on X.

There have been at least 15 million flu cases this season, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports ABC News. This year, outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms reached the highest recorded level since the agency began tracking cases more than 30 years ago.

Of domestic American protesters Donald Trump is not a fan,
Even though peaceful protest is a right of every American.
So even if you’re fighting the good fight,
Trump won’t protect your protest rights,
Unless, of course, you’re demonstrating on the streets of Tehran.

Hundreds of Thousands Leave the Government

January 12, 2026 Buck Banks

335,000

New data reveals that a staggering 335,000 federal workers left government work last year, with the vast majority quitting or retiring — only 11,000 were a result of layoffs from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the Washington Post reports.

Day: January 12, 2026

Chickenhawk Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to Kill Ayatollah

“If I were you, Mr. President, I would kill the leadership that are killing the people.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on Fox News, urging President Trump to kill Iran’s supreme leader.

FIRE Criticizes Iran Crackdown

“A tyrannical theocracy has shut down the internet for an entire country so the world can’t see the brutal tactics it plans to use to crush a free Iran. In my view, this is the biggest free-speech story in the world right now.”

— Greg Lukianoff, head of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, on X.

U.S. Has 15 Million Flu Cases

15 million

High-Test Protests

Hundreds of Thousands Leave the Government

335,000

New data reveals that a staggering 335,000 federal workers left government work last year, with the vast majority quitting or retiring — only 11,000 were a result of layoffs from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the Washington Post reports.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”