According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Odaily Planet Daily, U.S. officials say the White House is weighing Iran's final diplomatic engagement proposal to limit its nuclear program, even as Trump currently leans towards authorizing a new military strike against Iran. Officials say some senior government aides (led by Vice President Vance) are urging Trump to try diplomatic means before "retaliating" against Iran's actions in the unrest.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that White House Press Secretary Levitt said in a media interview on the 12th that US President Trump considers diplomacy the "preferred" solution in the face of the current situation with Iran. Levitt said Trump "has consistently emphasized that diplomacy is the preferred option," but if he deems it necessary, he "will not hesitate to use the US military." Trump said on the 11th that Iran had contacted US government officials and proposed negotiations, and that "meetings are being arranged." Meanwhile, the US is considering a range of measures to address the situation with Iran, including "some very tough options" such as military action. Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi stated at a meeting of foreign diplomats in Tehran on the 12th that Iran is prepared to negotiate with the US on the basis of "mutual respect," but is also prepared for war.

According to Odaily Planet Daily, Rick Rieder, a potential candidate for Federal Reserve Chair and Chief Investment Officer at BlackRock, believes that the Federal Reserve seat is independent.

According to a report by Odaily Planet Daily, citing The New York Times, three employees familiar with the matter said that Meta Platforms (META.O) is considering layoffs in a branch of its Reality Labs division that works on the "metaverse" business, potentially starting as early as next month, affecting 10% to 30% of the team's employees. This team is primarily responsible for VR headsets and VR-based social networks. Reality Labs comprises the Metaverse and Wearables divisions. Sources indicate that management expects to redirect the savings from the layoffs to an AR glasses project. Meta launched AR glasses in 2021 in partnership with Ray-Ban, and sales have exceeded the company's internal targets. The sources say that Meta is reassessing its metaverse investments, and within the metaverse division, executives are considering significant cuts to VR-related positions.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez emphasized in a public speech on January 12th that Venezuela is governed "only by an acting president and a president forcibly controlled by the United States." This statement is widely seen as a response to US President Trump's self-proclaimed role as Venezuela's acting president. Rodriguez stressed that the Venezuelan government is governing together with the organized people and is defending Venezuela's rights by establishing international relations based on respect and international law.