Khamenei funeral signals Iran's defiance and new regional order
www.reuters.com

...Summary
- - - Khamenei's funeral becomes post-war show of defiance

- - - Sea of mourners deliver message that Iran survived

- - - Iran turns survival in war into leverage over Hormuz

- - - Hormuz now drives Tehran's strategy, not nuclear file

- - - Iran uses time, geography, leverage to reshape diplomacy

The funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was more than a national farewell. The sea of mourners in Tehran sent a message to the United States and Israel that their attempt to break the Islamic Republic had failed.

Rather than looking weakened by the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran presented itself as defiant, unified and determined to shape what comes next. ...

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Platner faces calls to withdraw after sexual assault allegation
abcnews.com

... Maine Democratic Party officials released a statement calling on Platner to withdraw as the party's nominee for Senate.

"Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today's statements take those allegations even further," party Chair Charlie Dingman, Vice Chair Imke Schessler and Exective Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a joint statement. "The Maine Democratic Party leadership stands with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation. We respect the women who made the hard decision to come forward. Speaking up is often costly."

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called on Platner to withdraw and said the committee would not invest in the race if Platner doesn't. ...

Trump Confidante Makes Jaw-Dropping Claim About McConnell's State
www.thedailybeast.com

... But Desiree Townsend, the journalist who first obtained a recording from emergency responders saying McConnell was unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest on June 14, wrote on X: "I have heard the same thing from my sources for days. At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to... cut him off of life support and move his body. His Capitol police detail is still here as of 3:39 p.m. ET."

"I think this whole situation surrounding Mitch McConnell just became far more serious," wrote Kylie Jane Kremer, the executive director of the MAGA organization Women for America First, in a post to X.

Later Monday night, Loomer followed up on her initial post, claiming that a White House source told her McConnell was in "organ failure." ...

'Mitch McConnell Is Not Coming Back:' Laura Loomer Makes Big Claim As Wife Elaine Chao's China Trip Draws Scrutiny
www.timesnownews.com

... Laura Loomer claimed on X that a source told her Sen. Mitch McConnell is "officially brain dead" and "not coming back," but the allegation has not been confirmed by McConnell's office.

Political commentator and top Trump ally Laura Loomer has claimed that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is "officially brain dead" and "not coming back," citing what she described as a "high level source close to the White House."

In a post on X, Loomer wrote, "NEW: High level source close to the White House tells me 'Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He's not coming back.'"

Neither McConnell's office nor official Senate sources have confirmed Loomer's claim. McConnell's office has not publicly commented on the allegation. ...

Graham Platner considering best path forward' in Maine Senate race after denying sexual assault claim
www.nbcnews.com

... Jenny Racicot, who once dated Platner, said he showed up at her home in 2021 and forced himself on her. Platner said the allegation is "categorically false."

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is denying a new allegation of sexual assault, an explosive development injecting tumult into a race that is central to the Democratic Party's path to winning back the Senate.

Despite the denial, Platner said in a video that he is taking "time to reflect on the best path forward" with his candidacy, while several prominent supporters revoked their endorsements. ...

Folarin Balogun
en.wikipedia.org

... Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Yoruba Nigerian parents.[7][8]

His parents were living in London, and visited New York when his mother was seven months pregnant with him. Airline staff did not allow her to board the family's return flight to London due to safety concerns over the advanced state of her pregnancy, and Balogun was subsequently born in New York.[9]

He returned to the United Kingdom with his parents when he was two months old and grew up in London.[10][11][12] ...

FACT FOCUS: Experts say Trump's claims linking Democrats to communism are inaccurate
apnews.com

... President Donald Trump has been warning recently that communism will pose a threat to the U.S. if Democrats win in the upcoming midterm elections.

"It's the biggest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, September 11th," he said on Wednesday, segueing into a political message as he visited the newly constructed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.

Last week, he referred to Democrats as "hard core, godless Communists" at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2026 policy conference.

Trump's latest round of attacks has followed primary victories by democratic socialist candidates. They are reminiscent of similar narratives he has employed throughout his political career.

But experts say his claims, echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance and other Republican leaders, are off base.

Here's a closer look at the facts.

TRUMP: "It's becoming a communist party. These are not social Dumocrats, these are hardcore, godless Communists."

THE FACTS: No candidate openly belonging to the U.S. Communist Party has ever been elected to state or federal office, according to experts. Although there are fringes of the Democratic Party that have expressed support for communist ideas, experts say that they still advocate for a market-based economy and that it is inaccurate to paint the entire party with such a broad brush. Trump recently began referring to Democrats pejoratively as "Dumocrats." ...

A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup (June 6, 2026)
www.nytimes.com

... Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has unabashedly courted the president's favor. Soccer officials privately ask, who really benefits?

For the past year, FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, has leased an office on the 17th floor of New York's Trump Tower that has sat all but empty. The rent goes to President Trump's family business, but soccer officials say the space sits largely idle.

Paying rent to the Trumps was the choice of Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, who has made being close to Mr. Trump a top priority. He has lavished the president with praise, trophies and a medal. He has made pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago, the Trump National Doral golf club and even the "Melania" documentary premiere. ...

Belgium fumes after FIFA clears Balogun following Trump call
www.msn.com

... Belgium has reacted with a mixture of anger and defiance to an unusual move from football's governing body FIFA to overturn a suspension of star US striker Folarin Balogun, making him eligible to play in Monday's match.

"They can take away all the red cards in the world," said Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the MR, one of five parties in the country's coalition government, in a post on X, "the Belgians are the bravest and they will win." ...

"Astonishing how a red card suddenly becomes unjust' when Trump gets involved," wrote Yvan Verougstraete, leader of Les Engags, another coalition party, in a separate online post. Verougstraete also reposted an AI-generated video that showed Balogun brandishing a picture of Trump in response to a referee showing him a red card. Foreign minister Maxime Prevot told Politico the decision "raises many questions."

The decision has also sparked uproar among footballing authorities outside of the US. UEFA, the powerful European football organizer, called the reversal "incomprehensible and unjustifiable" and accused FIFA of crossing "a red line". ...

FIFA ignores demands for reasons it reversed Balogun's red card
www.msn.com

... Almost everyone has offered an opinion about whether or not US striker Folarin Balogun deserved a red card, apart from the only people who matter: FIFA.

On Sunday, FIFA overturned a one-match suspension of Balogun, allowing him to play against Belgium in the seismic last-16 clash on Monday evening in Seattle. It has yet to explain why it reversed the red card, a decision that isn't only unprecedented during a World Cup, but also against its own rules.

"If you're going to run a rules-based organization rather than something authoritarian," said Alastair Campbell, a partner at Level Law, "you need to explain your decision making." ...

Over the following days, US Soccer and President Donald Trump both lobbied FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reverse the decision.

FIFA, which has long touted its supposed political neutrality, has faced intense pressure over the past few days. Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump confirmed calling Infantino following the referee's decision to suspend Balogun and said he thought Balogun didn't commit a foul. ...