The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 2nd, 2026: Iran Protests Turn Deadly & China’s Hidden Role in Oklahoma’s Marijuana Boom

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Protests in Iran turn deadly as security forces open fire on demonstrators, escalating an already volatile situation and prompting a sharp warning from President Donald Trump. A surprising U.S. domestic story with global implications, as a New York Times investigation reveals how Oklahoma’s marijuana boom led to hidden ownership networks stretching from rural farms to New York—and unexpected ties to China. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Stash Financial: Don't Let your money sit around. Go to https://get.stash.com/PDB to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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a New York Times investigation has revealed how a marijuana boom in rural Oklahoma led investigators to New York, shadowy ownership networks, and unexpected ties to China. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Earlier this week, we told you about growing protests across Iran, demonstrations driven by a collapsing economy, soaring prices, a lack of basic resources, and long-simmering anger toward the regime. Now, those protests have taken a deadly turn. What began as scattered demonstrations as escalated into violent clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces, leaving multiple people dead and pushing an already volatile situation closer to the edge. According to reports, protests erupted across several Iranian cities,

as crowds gathered to denounce economic mismanagement, corruption, and the steep decline in living standards. Witnesses described chance targeting senior leadership, with demonstrators openly challenging the authority of the Islamic Republic in a way that we haven't seen at scale since, well, since the nationwide unrest of 2022. And the response from authorities has been swift and now lethal. Iranian security forces, including riot police and paramilitary units, moved aggressively to break up crowds. In several locations, live ammunition was used. At least a handful of protesters are now confirmed dead, though the true toll may be higher. As is often the case in Iran, information is tightly controlled,

reporting is difficult, and casualty figures, well, are likely underreported. The regime, for its part, claims it's responding to, quote, rioters and foreign-backed agitators. State media has attempted to frame the violence as necessary to restore order. Hey, we're going to have to shoot some protesters in order to restore order. But human rights groups and eyewitnesses, well, they tell a different story, a story of unarmed civilians confronting a security apparatus controlled by the mullahs. Now, Iran is already, of course, under severe strain. The economy has been buckling under sanctions. Inflation is eating away at household incomes. Current estimates have inflation rates at 42%.

Basic resources are scarce. Corruption and mismanagement have created water and power shortages. In public confidence and leadership is on the outs. Now, we've seen protests before in Iran, of course, notably in 2019, and again in 2022. Each time, well, the regime survived, but at the cost of deeper resentment and a widening gap between the government and the governed. And now, this latest escalation has drawn a direct response from President Trump. Trump issued a warning to take her on, saying that if the Iranian regime continues to violently suppress peaceful protesters, the U.S. will not stand by. The message was deliberately blunt, signaling that Washington is watching closely and that the regime's actions could carry consequences.

Trump did not spell out what those consequences might be, whether diplomatic or economic or otherwise, but the warning itself marks a shift in tone. It adds international pressure at a moment when Tehran is already facing unrest at home and, of course, growing isolation abroad. Iranian officials, as you might expect, reacted angrily to President Trump's social media message, accusing the U.S. of interference and insisting that the protests are being manipulated from outside the country. Now, that rhetoric is familiar. It's kind of their standard playbook, and it's often used to justify crackdowns by the IRGC and various internal security elements. But the underlying reality hasn't changed. These protests weren't sparked by Washington. They were sparked by a frustrated

population increasingly fed up with a regime that spends billions on weapons programs and terrorist proxies while ignoring the basic needs of its citizens. If inflation destroys your savings, fuel and food costs keep rising and there's no water when you turn the tap on, well, it might seem like taking to the streets is your next best option. The key question now is what comes next. If the regime tightens its grip deploying more force, making mass arrests, or cutting off communications, it may temporarily suppress the demonstrations, but it also risks igniting something larger, something more difficult to contain. And if the death toll rises, now the pressure on and foreign governments to respond will only grow. We'll be watching for several things in the days

ahead, whether protests spread to additional cities, whether security forces escalate further, and whether Tehran signals any willingness to negotiate. Iran has been here before. The difference now is just how fragile the moment appears. It feels different and how little room the regime has left to maneuver. All right. Coming up next, a surprising link between Oklahoma's cannabis industry, organized networks in New York, and Chinese-connected money flowing through the heartland. I know. It's a strange game of Connect the Dots. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, as we move into the new year, many of us are looking to build more intentional lives to live deliberately and better aligned with our purpose and values. You know what I'm talking about.

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Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. Our next story takes us somewhere that doesn't usually get a lot of attention here on the PDB, and that would be the U.S. state of Oklahoma, specifically rural Oklahoma. But then the story quickly leads thousands of miles away to New York City and ultimately to China. A New York Times investigation

reveals how Oklahoma's booming marijuana industry has become a magnet for organized out-of-state and in some cases international networks, exploiting loose regulations, immigrant labor, and gaps in enforcement. Now, Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana with some of the most permissive, rules in the country. Licenses were cheap, limits on farm size were minimal, and oversight was thin. What followed was an explosion of cannabis grow operations, far more than the state's medical market could ever absorb. There's a surprise. And of course, that imbalance created an opportunity. According to the reporting, dozens of large marijuana farms in Oklahoma are allegedly controlled by New York-based investors, many operating through shell companies and local, quote,

straw owners. The goal wasn't serving patients in Oklahoma. It was producing cannabis at industrial scale and feeding illegal markets elsewhere in the country. The investigation traces financial and personal links back to the leaders of several Chinese hometown associations that are based in New York. These groups are typically presented as cultural or community organizations, helping immigrants maintain ties to their places of origin. But some of the individuals involved have publicly aligned themselves with positions strongly favored by Beijing, and now find themselves tied to sprawling cash-heavy marijuana operations in the America heartland. To be clear, the article does not claim that the Chinese government is directing these farms, but it does raise serious

questions about transnational money flows, influence networks, and how easily they can embed themselves inside lightly regulated U.S. industries. And the consequences on the ground have been serious. Law enforcement officials describe unsafe working conditions, exploited immigrant laborers living in makeshift housing, and farms guarded like fortified compounds. In one high-profile case earlier this year, a Chinese-American marijuana operator in Oklahoma was killed during a violent home invasion, an incident that prosecutors say reflects the risks tied to an illicit cash-driven trade. Because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, this gray zone complicates enforcement. State regulators issue licenses. Federal agencies often stay hands-off, unless violence, trafficking, or organized crime becomes impossible to ignore.

Officials now worry that permissive state cannabis laws are being systematically exploited, not just by domestic criminal groups, but by foreign-connected networks that understand how to move money, hide ownership, and stay just ahead of regulators. Well, who could have seen that coming? International criminal organizations and networks taking advantage of loosely regulated drug operations? I am shocked that there's gambling at ricks. There's also a broader national security angle. The U.S. has spent years increasing scrutiny on Chinese influence operations, especially through cultural groups and business associations and diaspora organizations. This story suggests those same social structures double as business networks or can double as business networks

capable of moving capital quietly into sensitive or loosely governed sectors of the U.S. economy. Again, this is not about ordinary immigrants or legitimate businesses, but it is about how influence, profit, and regulatory blind spots can intersect in ways that policymakers didn't anticipate. Oklahoma lawmakers are now scrambling to tighten licensing rules and shut down illegal grow operations. Federal authorities are paying closer attention, and this case is, like to be studied as a cautionary tale about what happens when state-level policy decisions collide with global money and organized networks. For now, the farms are still there. The money is still moving. And questions about who's really behind some of these operations,

well, those questions still remain unresolved. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday the 2nd of January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show ad-free in this new year of 2026, well, you can do that, and you can do it very simply. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB's Situation Report, because as you know, it is Friday. And every Friday at 10 p.m. On the First TV, we launch a brand new episode of our much-loved extended weekend show, The Situation Report. You can also catch it and past episodes on our YouTube channel.

Please check that out and subscribe if you like it. And you can find that on YouTube, of course, at President's Daily Brief. Also available on podcast platforms everywhere. Until then, well, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th.

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