This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

EDITORS NOTE:  Coming this week👀: a new ASP Answers on when law enforcement can use deadly force, with Professor Michael Mannheimer. Follow ASP on Instagram to watch.

I IRAN’s FOREIGN MINISTER: COUNTRY IS “PREPARED FOR WAR”

At least 500 people have been killed in connection with the unrest, and another 2,000 have been detained, according to reports from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The government has shut down internet access and international phone calls nationwide, limiting the flow of information from inside the country. The protests began on December 28 over Iran’s worsening economic conditions but have since grown into one of the most significant challenges to the government in recent years. President Trump is weighing potential military options for intervention. Iran’s foreign minister says the country is “prepared for war” but is ready to negotiate with the U.S. based on “mutual respect and interests.” Last week, reports emerged that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had prepared a contingency plan to flee to Moscow with a small circle out of concern for the protests’ effect on the regime’s stability.

>> Find out more about the Epstein files here.

I NATIONAL GUARD AUTHORIZED TO SUPPORT MINNESOTA ICE PROTESTS

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she is sending “hundreds more” federal agents to Minnesota after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good last week. Those deployments come amid nationwide protests over the shooting. The federal government claims the ICE agent acted in self-defense, but others, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, say he acted recklessly. Secretary Noem accused Renee Good of “domestic terrorism” on Sunday. Governor Walz has authorized the Minnesota National Guard to support local law enforcement. The order authorizes the Guard to protect critical infrastructure and assist local law enforcement as needed. The Minnesota State Patrol also mobilized 85 members of its Mobile Response Team to support law enforcement efforts in Minnesota.

I TRUMP TO MEET WITH VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER

President Donald Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado this week in Washington. Previously, President Trump refused to support Machado’s bid to lead Venezuela, saying she doesn’t have the necessary support or respect within Venezuela to govern it. The meeting follows Machado’s offer to give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year. The Trump administration has been planning for a post-Maduro Venezuela, meeting with the CEOs of Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and a Chevron representative last week, during which it encouraged the oil industry to make large investments in oil drilling and processing infrastructure in Venezuela. 

>> Hear what a Democratic and a Republican lawmaker have to say about what comes next for Venezuela here.

I LAWMAKERS REQUEST “SPECIAL MASTER” FOR EPSTEIN FILES

Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) have asked a federal judge to appoint a special master for the Epstein files. A special master is a person appointed by the court to assist with complex or specialized legal tasks. The lawmakers say the Department of Justice (DOJ) is in “flagrant violation” of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, accusing the agency of failing to release all required files, redacting documents without providing legally mandated explanations, and failing to adequately protect survivors. The DOJ has released about 13,000 documents and says it still needs to review at least 2 million more records. The legal deadline for the file release was December 19. 

>> Understand the Epstein Files Transparency Act here

I CDC CHANGES CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scaled back the number of recommended childhood vaccinations, no longer recommending hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus vaccines. According to the CDC’s own publications, those three vaccines have prevented nearly two million hospitalizations and more than 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years. Those vaccines, as well as those for respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, and COVID, are now only recommended for children at high risk of serious illness or after “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.

>> Dig deeper into how states set school vaccine policies here.

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