Beltway Insider: Trump/Iran, Midterm Elections, Minnesota Shooting, California Prop 50 Upheld

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 17 January 2026 16:29

Written by Janet Walker

With the countdown to the 2026 midterm elections beginning, President Trump, has begun to shuffle to options to ensure a Republican victory in order to maintain his control over the direction and agenda of the United States.

The President's job approval rating, according to Gallup featured in The New York Times for the period ending January 17, 2026, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President remained constant with 36% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president decreased one percentage point to 59%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Trump Attempts to Manage Midterm

The 2026 Midterm elections are critical for President Trump, he knows it, and everyone who surrounds him knows it also. For Trump the future of the party's agenda hangs in the balance, for Trump himself, if the democrats flip the house and senate, the president is confident he will face the wrath of the democrats who believe he is unfit to hold office.

"Trump cast this year's elections in existential terms in a speech to House Republicans this month, telling them that Democrats would impeach him if they win a majority. He teased the notion of canceling the elections but said he wouldn't because he'd be accused of being a dictator if he did," The Washington Post reported.

Trump has been playing the long game since he returned to power. The redistricting of Texas congressional seats, and other Republican states, are to ensure, the odds of the democrats pulling off a victory flip in November 2026 are slim to none.

While Mr. trump has insinuated he would cancel the elections, his power as president does not extend to cancelling elections. And while experts say that has not stopped him before, granted it has not stopped him from exercising power he does not have to the shock of the American people, and the support of the Republican party, it would ensure the 2028 presidential election would return power to the democrats. It is a thin line for the president, who has for a lack of better words alienated and estranged large demographics.

It's important to remember the presidential election is not a popularity contest, it is a strategic contest. To win, the candidate must receive 270 electoral votes, gaining the popular vote does not win the Presidency. Register to vote, it is a simple process. This administration is attempting to stop individuals who are legally allowed from voting. Tactics will revert to those of the civil rights era, voter intimidation, false rules, intelligence tests. Register to vote today.

World News: Iran is in Crisis, 12K Protestors Killed, Government is Falling

Iran Government failing

The Iranian Government, lead by ultra-conservative Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has held the position since 1989, is now facing mass unrest and protests, unlike anything since the 1979 Iranian protests, forced the fall of the government and, most notably, protestors stormed the American embassy holding 52 American hostages for 444 days.

The iron control Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has exercised in the past week, presents as a leader who is begin forced into huge displays of dominance, is running out of options, and will resort to lethal means if necessary. His actions, the blatant murder of protestors, oddly, mirror those of ICE Agents in recent days. This extreme action has become an epidemic.

The belief that murdering protestors will serve as a deterrent to further protests, has done little to stop the protests in Iran.

"In the absence of any clear opposition leader inside the country, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's shah who was deposed in 1979, has stepped into the vacuum, calling from the United States for demonstrations and work strikes. After he summoned Iranians to the streets last week, enormous crowds turned out to vent their rage, which has quickly evolved from dissatisfaction with dire economic conditions to outright demands for overthrowing the government," reported The Washington Post.

The recent collapse of the Iranian economy served to ignite the widespread protests, which initiated the mass killings, with media reports ranging from 2,000 to 12,000 protestors murdered.

Iran was not always a third world country, during the 1960s and 1970s, the country was westernized in both culture, influence, and doctrines, which allowed women to be educated, work, and dress fashionably. Iran and the United States enjoyed diplomatic relations, and the U.S. embassy operated in Tehran. When the Shah fled the country due to civil unrest he received asylum in the United States. This ushered in a very dark season for Iran, and especially Iranian women, who were stripped of their place in society, and forced to submit to the indignities or be killed.

The patriarchal society that emerged heavily favored men and had little tolerance for women.

wielding ultimate authority over state matters, including the military, courts, and government. He succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and oversees the clerical establishment that guides the nation. 

Trump Issues Warning to Iran

President Trump issued an ultimatum to the Iranian Regime, end the killings or he is prepared to use military force. This statement seemed to be enough to end the mass killings and create a sense of calm.

"Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also denied that Iran intended to execute protesters, calling the claim part of a misinformation campaign by outside elements designed to provoke Mr. Trump into engagement. Speaking on the "Special ​Report With Bret ​Baier" on Fox News, he said he had not heard of plans for hangings, adding, "Hanging is out of the question,"' The New York Times reported.

Although the foreign minster did not say beheadings or other lethal punishment was out of the question.

Partners in the region, have urged Mr. Trump not to order military strikes for fear of destabilizing the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to mediate, should it be necessary, between Israel and Iran to stop a larger escalation of war in the region.

Former Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, has stated he believes that Trump will attempt to kill Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "Trump's comments to [Politico] on needing new leadership in Iran, and Khamenei's mindless baiting of Trump on X, lead me to believe that Trump is going to try to kill the Supreme Leader this week," Shapiro writes on X. "There will soon be a US carrier strike group in the Middle East, making it easier for the US to carry out extensive strikes in Iran and be prepared to defend against Iranian response strikes," The Times of Israel reported.

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Minnesota Shooting of Renee Good

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Fox News on Thursday that Renée Good "was stalking agents all day long, impeding our law enforcement." Asked by The Washington Post what she was basing that description on, McLaughlin said the information came from "firsthand accounts" from law enforcement officers who had been in contact with Good," reported The Washington Post.

This statement, once again, show the Trump Administration is out of touch with the reality of the facts, as Ms. Good, had just dropped off her son at school, it was 9:00 AM, which proves it was impossible for Ms. Good to have stalked, "agents all day long, impeding our law enforcement." She was pronounced dead at 10:39 AM, after about an hour of resuscitation attempts.

Exaggerating the facts to tarnish the victim's reputation and embellishing the facts to spin the situation in order to perpetrate a widespread fraud, is typical of the Trump Administration, who when confronted with clear illegalities of individuals operating under their direction, the play is to flip and spin.

Turn the tables and with authority disparage and malign the reputation of the victim, flip the scenario so that any criminal activity is the fault of the victim, and then create the bigger lie, and label the victim with incendiary verbiage, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem called Renee Good's actions, attempting to deescalate and drive away from a man pointing a gun at her "domestic terrorism."

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ICE Agents Jonathan Ross, the shooter, was overheard on several tapes, actual firsthand accounts of the scene, calling Ms. Good, "a fucking bitch," while firing at her. His statement reflects an attitude of authority, misogyny, and hate toward women or possibly lesbians. However, the possibility of Ross being prosecuted for murder is highly unlikely under this administration, as a federal law enforcement officer, murder in the line of duty is permitted.

Federal authorities will not be prosecuting or bring charges against Ross. So, the next would be the state, and while the state has shown interest in pursuing charges, gathering the evidence, even when the evidence consists of first hand accounts, countless videos, gathering evidence from the federal government will be impossible, under the current administration.

There are several other legal challenges the Agent's attorney could file in order to stop prosecution, which may or may not end the state's attempt to hold the agent responsible for his reckless abuse of power and for the death of Renee Good.

Within all this legal wrangling, is the question of boundaries and were each of the shots fired necessary. The boundaries of the ICE Agent were limited to orders of the day, obviously the order of the day was not to murder Ms. Good. In the scope of their boundaries as ICE Agents what action crosses the line and is outside the scope of jurisdiction as Customs Enforcement Officers? Then proving that each of the shots fired were necessary and if they had not been fired would have resulted in irreparable harm to the agent.

While the mass exposure of the tape seems to lean in the direction that none of the shots fired were necessary. Attorneys would argue at minimum one shot was necessary to stop Ross from experiencing a fatal meltdown or injury, which would leave him responsible for the second and third shot.

In self-defense, anything after the first shot is prosecuted as premediated. The first shot may be necessary, and a reaction to an overwhelming terror that one is in fear of their life. Moreover, to secure a self-defense verdict, a clear and imminent danger needs to be demonstrated. Neither of these elements were present, or so it appears, in the Good case. 

For Good's death to receive prosecution, an act of Congress, by vote, would be necessary. Currently, the Republicans hold a majority in both houses, however, the upcoming Mid-term elections in November 2026, could swing the majority back to the democrats. Should this happen, all Trump legislation would be stopped.

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Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from each new variants.

For the seven days ending January 17, 2026, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 16,542 to 779,051,482. The total worldwide death toll increased by 394 to 7,108,060 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated December 28, 2025, from the World Health Organization).

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California Prop 50 Upheld

A Federal judge this week rejected Republicans argument that the recent voter approved Prop 50, which allows for new congressional districts, was unconstitutional.

"The ruling shot down arguments by the California Republican Party and the Trump administration that the maps approved in a November ballot measure, Proposition 50, amounted to a racial gerrymander that focused on favoring Latinos over other groups of voters," The New York Times reported.

While this is a blow to the Trump administration, there is an additional action that may become a part of the political wrangling that will ramp up as the midterm elections heat up, and that is to split California into two states, which has gained momentum, although never reached the amount of votes necessary to place the measure on the ballot.

Splitting the state, with the more conservative interior, and the more liberal coastline, does more than redistricting could, it creates two additional Senate seats, presumably republicans and several presumably republican house seats.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.