By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has killed at least 6,159 people while many others still are feared dead, activists said Tuesday, as a U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East to lead any American military response to the crisis. Iran’s currency, the rial, meanwhile fell to a record low of 1.5 million to $1.

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The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyers accompanying it provide the U.S. the ability to strike Iran, particularly as Gulf Arab states have signaled they want to stay out of any attack despite hosting American military personnel.

Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast have signaled their willingness to launch new attacks, likely trying to back Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action over the killing of peaceful protesters or Tehran launching mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to drag the entire Mideast into a war, though its air defenses and military are still reeling after the June war launched by Israel against the country. But the pressure on its economy may spark new unrest as everyday goods slowly go out of reach of its people — particularly if Trump chooses to attack.

Ambrey, a private security firm, issued a notice Tuesday saying it assessed that the U.S. “has positioned sufficient military capability to conduct kinetic operations against Iran while maintaining the ability to defend itself and regional allies from reciprocal action.”

“Supporting or avenging Iranian protesters in punitive strikes is assessed as insufficient justification for sustained military conflict,” Ambrey wrote. “However, alternative objectives, such as the degradation of Iranian military capabilities, may increase the likelihood of limited U.S. intervention.”

Activists offer new death toll

Tuesday’s new figures came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran. The group verifies each death with a network of activists on the ground in Iran.

It said the 6,159 dead included at least 5,804 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 92 children and 49 civilians who weren’t demonstrating. The crackdown has seen over 42,200 arrests, it added.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll given authorities cutting off the internet and disrupting calls into the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s government has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest there in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The protests in Iran began on Dec. 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country. They were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy, the scale of which is only starting to become clear as the country has faced more than two weeks of internet blackout — the most comprehensive in its history.

Iran’s U.N. ambassador told a U.N. Security Council meeting late Monday that Trump’s repeated threats to use military force against the country “are neither ambiguous nor misinterpreted.” Amir Saeid Iravani also repeated allegations that the U.S. leader incited violence by “armed terrorist groups” supported by the United States and Israel, but gave no evidence to support his claims.

Iranian state media has tried to accuse forces abroad for the protests as the theocracy remains broadly unable to address the country’s ailing economy, which is still squeezed by international sanctions, particularly over its nuclear program.

On Tuesday, exchange shops offered the record-low rial-to-dollar rate in Tehran. Traders declined to speak publicly on the matter, with several responding angrily to the situation.

Already, Iran has vastly limited its subsidized currency rates to cut down on corruption. It also has offered the equivalent of $7 a month to most people in the country to cover rising costs. However, Iran’s people have seen the rial fall from a rate of 32,000 to $1 just a decade ago — which has devoured the value of their savings.

Some Iranian-backed militias suggest willingness to fight

Iran projected its power across the Mideast through the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of proxy militant groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and other places. It was also seen as a defensive buffer, intended to keep conflict away from Iranian borders. But it has collapsed after Israel targeted Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and others during the Gaza war. Meanwhile, rebels in 2024 overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad after a yearslong, bloody war in which Iran backed his rule.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have repeatedly warned they could resume fire if needed on shipping in the Red Sea, releasing old footage of a previous attack Monday. Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, the leader of Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah militia, warned “the enemies that the war on the (Islamic) Republic will not be a picnic; rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region.”

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, one of Iran’s staunchest allies, refused to say how it planned to react in the case of a possible attack.

“During the past two months, several parties have asked me a clear and frank question: If Israel and America go to war against Iran, will Hezbollah intervene or not?” Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Kassem said in a video address.

He said the group is preparing for “possible aggression and is determined to defend” against it. But as to how it would act, he said, “these details will be determined by the battle and we will determine them according to the interests that are present.”

Associated Press writers Edith Lederer at the United Nations and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

A late scratch for Anthony Edwards on Monday night at Target Center meant there were going to be more shots to go around.

No player on the Timberwolves took advantage of that opportunity more than Bones Hyland.

Not only did he set the tone with his aggressiveness off the bench, Hyland proved to be a driving force for the offense, putting up 17 points while helping lead the Timberwolves to a 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors.

As he reflected on the performance, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch joked that Hyland is allowed to bring that type of energy even when Edwards is in the lineup.

“No rule that says he can’t,” Finch said. “I think some of the problem is that he spends a lot of time deferring with certain lineups out there.”

What stood out most about the way Hyland impacted the game?

“Just the pop that he played with,” Finch said. “We’ve just got to have those performances on a nightly basis.”

The consistency has been the biggest issue for Hyland ever since carving out a spot in the rotation. He has mixed in some impressive performances here and there while often struggling to find a rhythm off the bench.

After popping off for 23 points in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month, for example, Hyland went a couple of weeks without reaching double digits. He finally busted out of that slump Monday against the Warriors.

“Just being myself out there,” Hyland said. “I got back to that.”

A few buckets in transition seemed to get him going early. It probably isn’t a coincidence that it led to his best shooting performance in a while. He finished 6 of 9 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

“It definitely feels like the basket opens up a little more,” Hyland said. “I feel like that’s something I need to do more when things aren’t going.”

There’s a distinct speed with which Hyland plays the game when at the peak of his powers. He pushes the pace with the ball is in his hands, which, in turn, allows him to break the paint in a way that very few players on the Timberwolves bench can do.

“He takes a lot of pressure off of other guys,” said Naz Reid, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year who understands the importance of production off the bench. “He can score the ball with ease.”

No doubt it was good for Hyland to show that as the Feb. 5 trade deadline is slowly starting to come into focus. In search of a secondary ball-handler that could potentially be a microwave off the bench, the Timberwolves have reportedly shown interest in Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones of the Chicago Bulls.

If the Timberwolves decide to stand pat, Hyland’s performance against the Warriors could play a role in that decision.

“When he plays like that, he gives us a big lift,” Rudy Gobert said. “That’s what he did. As soon as he came in the game, he changed the game for us. Not just by scoring, but by getting everybody involved and making the right play and being aggressive.”

More of the same will be key for Hyland moving forward.

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The union that represents employees of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center is speaking out about the death of one of its own members.

AFGE Local 3669, a chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, called the death of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti “tragic and senseless” and said it is “especially disappointed” with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins’ reaction, according to a statement released Monday.

Pretti, 37, was shot several times and killed by federal immigration officers on Saturday in South Minneapolis.

Videos quickly emerged showing the fatal shooting that has been widely denounced as a case of excessive force. The administration, however, rushed to characterize it as a case of an armed man provoking violence.

“Alex was a son, a colleague, and a fellow union brother, not an ‘assassin’ or a ‘domestic terrorist,’” the union said in its statement. “We are especially disappointed with VA Secretary Doug Collins, who chose to use the murder of his own employee to push partisan, political narratives.”

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS)

One day after the killing, Collins posted a statement from his official secretary account that appears to place blame on local officials.

“We can confirm Alex Pretti was a nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. As President Trump has said, nobody wants to see chaos and death in American cities, and we send our condolences to the Pretti family,” he wrote on X. “Such tragedies are unfortunately happening in Minnesota because of state and local officials’ refusal to cooperate with the federal government to enforce the law and deport dangerous illegal criminals.”

Minnesota law enforcement officials dispute Collins’ characterization. The state Department of Corrections and some counties have longstanding policies to turn over undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after they complete local jail or prison terms.

At the Dakota County jail, for instance, ICE placed roughly 80 detainers last year, said Sheriff Joe Leko. Dakota County doesn’t have a formal detainer agreement with ICE, but “every single one, ICE was notified of their release and I can recall dozens and dozens of times of agents waiting there” to pick them up, Leko told the Pioneer Press last week.

A Pioneer Press request for comment from Collins’ office was not immediately returned.

A member of the Republican party and a native of Gainesville, Ga., Collins has served in the Georgia House of Representatives and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also pastored Chicopee Baptist Church for 11 years and served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and U.S. Navy Reserve.

Collins, who is the author of “The Clock and the Calendar: A Front-Row Look at the Democrats’ Obsession with Donald Trump,” was sworn in as secretary on Feb. 5, 2025.

Pretti’s family has since spoken out, decrying statements made about their son from the Trump administration.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” his family said in a statement. They added that videos showed Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents, but holding his phone with one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper-sprayed.

“Alex died while protecting a woman and exercising his First and Second Amendment rights,” the union said. “He was dedicated to caring for veterans and treated them with decency and respect, sometimes in their final moments – which is the exact opposite of how he was treated during his.”

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A chapter of the largest federal employee union that represents 820,000 workers, AFGE Local 3669 represents more than one thousand employees at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The union’s letter goes on to call for “a full, transparent, independent third-party investigation” into Pretti’s killing and implores Congress to “come to solutions on immigration policy to ensure that this type of tragedy never happens again.”

A GoFundMe to support Pretti’s loved ones tallied more than $1.5 million in donations as of Tuesday. The fundraiser can be found at http://pipr.es/3J5DxCN.

“Alex was the best of us and he will be dearly missed,” the union’s letter concludes. “Rest in power, brother.”

This report contains information from The Associated Press.

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he told U.S. President Donald Trump that he meant what he said in his speech at Davos, and told him Canada plans to diversify away from the United States with a dozen new trade deals.

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Carney rolled his eyes and rejected U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s contention to Fox News that he aggressively walked back his comments at the World Economic Forum during a phone call with Trump on Monday.

“To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president, I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney said to reporters as he arrived for a Cabinet meeting in the capital, Ottawa.

“Canada was the first country to understand the change in U.S. trade policy that he initiated, and we’re responding to that. ”

In Davos at the World Economic Forum last week, Carney condemned economic coercion by great powers on smaller countries without mentioning Trump’s name. The prime minister received widespread praise and attention for his remarks, upstaging Trump at the gathering.

Tariffs and trade deals

Trump threatened this past weekend to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing, though Carney has said Canada has no interest in negotiating a comprehensive trade deal with Beijing.

Carney said Trump called him.

“I explained to him our arrangement with China. I explained to him what we’re doing — 12 new deals, four continents, in six months,” Carney said. “He was impressed.”

Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney. The Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance, alarming Canada, which shares a 3,000-kilometer (1,864 mile) maritime border with Greenland in the Arctic. Trump has also previously talked about making Canada the 51st state.

Carney has said his recent agreement with China merely cuts tariffs that were recently imposed on a few sectors. The prime minister plans to travel to India, Australia and other countries in effort to diversify trade away from dependence on the U.S., which takes more than 75% of Canada’s exports.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is up for renewal this year. Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade.

At the table or on the menu

Carney has emerged as a spokesman for a movement to link up countries and counter the U.S. under Trump. Speaking in Davos before Trump, Carney said, “Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”

Carney said he also spoke to Trump about Ukraine, Venezuela and Arctic security in his phone call.

Bessent said Carney spoke to Trump on Monday. The Treasury secretary told Fox News that Carney “was very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos.”

“Of course, Canada depends on the U.S.,” Bessent said. “There’s much more north-south trade than there could ever be east-west trade.”

Bessent said Canada is linked to the U.S. and that Carney should stop trying to “push his own globalist agenda.”

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, has compared Canada’s recent trade deal with China to an agreement Trump made with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea last summer in which the U.S. cut some tariffs on China while Beijing moved to allow rare earth exports and lift a pause on purchasing U.S. soy.

Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed into the United States. He posted an altered image on social media last week showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.