Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing for Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 12:35 AM Pacific. Eighty-one stories this hour—let’s see the whole board.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Iran’s uprising and Washington’s calculus. As Tehran’s curfewed nights stretch on, first international calls in days describe heavy security and damaged neighborhoods while most internet remains dark. Death toll estimates range from 500-plus to well above that. The White House weighs options—covert, cyber, kinetic—while floating talks; simultaneously, President Trump threatens 25% tariffs on countries trading with Iran, risking a China truce. Why this leads: scale and stakes inside Iran, regional spillover risk, and a widening US coercion toolkit. Our historical check shows Iran’s letter to the UN blaming US “threats,” warnings that US assets would be “legitimate targets,” and a trajectory analysts liken to 1978–79—all while miscalculation risk rises.

Today in Global Gist, across the map: - US and Venezuela: The administration plans to control revenue from up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil; Trump will meet opposition leader María Corina Machado. A Venezuelan serviceman details how US strikes disabled air defenses before Maduro’s capture—part of an operation Caracas says killed about 100 people. - US domestic: Minnesota sues to block intensified immigration raids after ICE fatally shot Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis; our brief notes nine federal shooting incidents since Sept 2025. DOJ’s criminal probe of Fed Chair Powell draws bipartisan backlash. Supreme Court rulings loom on tariffs and birthright citizenship. - Security/tech: A US Navy sailor gets 16 years for passing secrets to Chinese intelligence. Pentagon embraces Musk’s Grok AI across networks, drawing global concern. - Europe: Russia launches this year’s most concentrated missile barrage on Ukraine; Germany funds Lynx IFVs for Kyiv; Sweden invests €1.4B in mobile drone defenses. French politics roil as Marine Le Pen appeals a graft conviction; farmers drive 350 tractors into Paris against Mercosur. - NATO/Arctic: Alliance commanders warn of growing Russia–China cooperation in the Arctic amid a Greenland showdown that EU officials say could “end NATO.” - Africa: In Sudan, an RSF drone strike reportedly kills 27 in Sinja as Khartoum announces a government return to the capital. A new US Africa envoy is named as conflicts spread and deals dominate. - Middle East: Israel weathers a winter storm; former Gaza hostage David Cunio recounts captivity. US airstrikes in Nigeria still raise unanswered questions two weeks on. - Business/tech: Microsoft warns Chinese AI firms—especially DeepSeek—are winning share in the Global South. Offshore wind gets a US court reprieve. A merged Indian fast‑food operator forms to counter delivery rivals. A Chinese battery supplier scraps a $200M Luxembourg deal. - Culture/science: WhatsApp’s dominance dissected; a “bizarre” exoplanet challenges models; new research reframes same‑sex behavior in primates as adaptive social strategy. Underreported—our historical check: Sudan’s war leaves 30 million in need with famine pockets in Darfur; Myanmar’s crisis engulfs 16 million; Ethiopia warns 1.1 million will soon lose vital services; Haiti hits a Feb 7 mandate cliff with gangs holding 85% of the capital. These affect more than 68 million people yet remain thin in today’s headlines.

Today in Insight Analytica, the threads connect coercive power, energy leverage, and an arms-control vacuum. US oil-revenue control in Venezuela and tariff threats tied to Iran show how economic tools ride alongside force. Russia’s strikes on Ukraine and Belarus’s nuclear-capable deployments converge with New START’s expiry on Feb 5—shrinking transparency as crisis flashpoints multiply. Digital choke points—Tehran’s blackout and Pentagon AI integration—reshape who sees, decides, and acts. In humanitarian theaters, conflict plus access denial cascades into famine—Sudan and Myanmar illustrate the cost of attention gaps.

- Americas: State–federal confrontation escalates over immigration enforcement; ACA lapse raises coverage costs; Venezuela policy hardens as oil and detention politics intertwine. Haiti’s succession vacuum looms with little coverage. - Europe/Arctic: Greenland pressure tests NATO unity; Ukraine absorbs major strikes; Sweden and Germany accelerate air defense and armor. - Eastern Europe: New START expiration in 26 days, with only vague one‑year limit ideas on the table. - Middle East: Iran’s protests persist under blackout; Israel–Hezbollah tensions simmer; Gaza ceasefire violations and aid-group bans continue. - Africa: Sudan’s front lines shift east; DRC and Ethiopia crises risk rapid deterioration with scant headlines. - Indo‑Pacific: India signals hard lines on Pakistan’s terror camps; South‑East Asia deepens trade centrality; Chinese firms expand AI footprint.

- Being asked: Will the US strike Iran—or pivot to talks? Who controls Venezuelan oil cash flows and under what law? Can NATO withstand a Greenland crisis? - Not asked enough: What verification replaces New START on Feb 5? Who forces open aid corridors into Sudan and Myanmar? What protects Haitians after Feb 7? How do AI deployments in defense alter oversight, and who audits battlefield data integrity? Cortex concludes: We track what’s reported—and what’s overlooked—so you can see the whole board. I’m Cortex. This was NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing. We’ll be back at the top of the hour.