Iran Fallout, Amazon Closures, & a Mountain Lion in SF

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Adam Rogers
January 28, 2026

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More than 5,700 protesters have been killed in Iran since January 8, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Another 17,000 death cases remain under review as the country's internet blackout begins easing after more than 400 hours.
Protests began in late December over economic conditions but quickly evolved into calls for regime change. Eyewitnesses describe regime forces setting Rasht's bazaar on fire with people inside, then shooting civilians trying to flee. Bodies were reportedly stripped and loaded onto freight trucks before being dumped at cemeteries. Families have been warned not to hold funerals.
Martial law remains in force across Iran. President Trump said the US has an aircraft carrier "armada" heading toward Iran. He had warned Iran not to kill protestors, or the US would intervene.

Amazon announced Tuesday it will close all 57 Amazon Fresh and 15 Amazon Go stores. The last day of operations will be on February 1. The company said it has not "created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion."
Some locations will convert to Whole Foods Market stores, which Amazon says has seen over 40% sales growth since its 2017 acquisition and now operates more than 550 locations. The company plans to open more than 100 additional Whole Foods stores over the next few years.
The closures will allow Amazon to focus on grocery delivery, which now serves 5,000 US cities and towns. It also revealed plans for a new "supercenter" physical retail concept, but provided no timing or details.

The US population grew at one of its slowest rates in history last year, increasing by just 1.8 million to reach 341.8 million, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The 0.5% growth rate is the lowest since 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigration plunged more than 50% following President Trump taking office in January, adding 1.26 million people compared to a record 2.73 million in 2024 under President Biden. If current trends continue, net immigration could drop to 321,000 by June, lower than pandemic levels. Immigration now accounts for roughly 80% of US population growth, up from 40% a decade ago, as the birthrate continues declining.
The Midwest was the only region where every state gained population, the first time in a decade that more people moved to the region than left. South Carolina is the fastest-growing state, while Florida's growth sharply slowed.

Some 31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and health care workers in California and Hawaii launched an open-ended strike Monday, demanding better pay and staffing after contract negotiations broke down in December. (More)

A man sprayed an unknown substance on Representative Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall before being tackled by the crowd. (More)

Families of two Trinidadian men killed in a US strike on their boat in October sued the Trump administration Tuesday, saying the men were fishermen returning home, not drug smugglers. (More)

Mexico suspended oil shipments to Cuba after supplying 44% of the island's imports—filling the gap left when Venezuela's Maduro was captured by US forces earlier this month. (More)

Spain will legalize 500,000 undocumented migrants who've lived there for five months, bucking Europe's anti-migration trend while seeking workers for its aging population and growing economy. (More)

Up to 380 people may have drowned crossing the Mediterranean during Cyclone Harry last week, Italian authorities said, including 50 confirmed dead in one shipwreck with a single survivor. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Tuesday (S&P +0.41%, Nasdaq +0.91%, Dow -0.83%). The S&P noted an all-time high driven by big tech. (More)

Major health insurance stocks crashed Tuesday after the Trump administration proposed nearly flat Medicare Advantage payment rates, with Humana falling 20%, UnitedHealth dropping 19%, and CVS down 13%. (More)

UPS will cut up to 30,000 jobs through attrition and close 24 facilities in 2026, completing its shift away from low-profit Amazon deliveries to focus on higher-paying shipments. (More)

Coco Gauff lost her Australian Open quarterfinal in just 59 minutes after five double faults, while Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Alex de Minaur to reach his first Australian Open semifinal. (More)

The Buffalo Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach on a five-year deal after firing Sean McDermott. (More)

Paul Thomas Anderson's political thriller One Battle After Another leads the BAFTA nominations with 14, edging Ryan Coogler's vampire film Sinners with 13 (More)

Two nurses near Kolkata, India, contracted Nipah virus—a bat-borne illness that kills up to 75% of victims. Authorities quarantined 20 contacts who've all tested negative. (More)

Researchers created DinoTracker, a free AI app that matches dinosaur footprints by learning patterns from 2,000 unlabeled prints. (More)

Scientists created the most detailed map yet of distant galaxies using the Webb telescope, revealing how invisible dark matter—which makes up 27% of the universe—connects galaxy clusters across billions of years. (More)

Horse and Eagle are best pals in Budweiser Super Bowl ad.

Mountain lion roaming the streets in San Francisco.

Zurich tops list of cities with the highest cost of living.

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