Zelensky Fights, Khamenei Cowers
Elliot Kaufman draws a contrast between two leaders in his op-ed 'Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Qassem Soleimani' (June 23). I can't help but think of another: Volodymyr Zelensky vs. Ali Khamenei. They're fighting in different wars, to be sure, but their responses underscore the ideals of the free world vs. those of tyranny. One man bravely stayed to face his enemy. The other cowers in a bunker.
Wayne Gradman
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CBS News
30 minutes ago
- CBS News
How to watch: The funeral of Melissa and Mark Hortman
Hundreds will gather on Saturday morning at Minneapolis' Basilica of St. Mary for the private funeral of Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their dog, Gilbert. The funeral comes one day after the Hortmans and their dog laid in state in the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda. Melissa Hortman is the first woman to ever have the honor. On behalf of the Hortmans' children, Gov. Tim Walz extended an invitation to former Vice President Kamala Harris. She will attend the funeral but will not be speaking during the services. How to watch What : The funeral of Melissa and Mark Hortman : The funeral of Melissa and Mark Hortman Date: June 28, 2025 June 28, 2025 Time: WCCO coverage begins at 10 a.m. CT | Funeral begins at 10:30 a.m. CT | Funeral will re-air in its entirely at 7 p.m. WCCO coverage begins at 10 a.m. CT | Funeral begins at 10:30 a.m. CT | Funeral will re-air in its entirely at 7 p.m. Location: Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Watch: In the video player above, or on the WCCO YouTube page. Melissa Hortman served in the Minnesota House for 11 terms, representing District 34B. Her district covers Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids and Champlin. She also spent several years in the role of House Speaker. Melissa Hortman was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004. She and her husband leave behind two children. Since her killing, many have been praising her leadership. On Thursday, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Delano, honored her on the House floor as a bridge builder. "As speaker of the Minnesota House, she led with integrity and fostered bipartisan collaboration, even during the most challenging times in our state," Emmer said. Until Melissa Hortman was killed, the Minnesota state House was evenly divided 67-67. In the state Senate, Democrats hold a one-seat majority. "Melissa Hortman represented the best of Minnesota," DFL party chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement. "She was a tireless, devoted public servant who deeply loved our state and devoted her life to making it a better place. The warmth and kindness she showed to her family and friends were matched only by her fierce commitment to improving the lives of those she had never even met." The Hortmans' suspected killer Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of killing the Hortmans and their dog inside their Brooklyn Park home in the early morning hours of June 14. He was arrested near his Sibley County home some 36 hours after the shootings. Officials say it was the largest manhunt in Minnesota history. About 90 minutes before the Hortmans were killed, Boelter is accused of going to the Champlin home of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and shooting him nine times. His wife, Yvette, was shot eight times. The Hoffmans are still recovering. Boelter appeared in St. Paul's federal courthouse late Friday morning, his second court appearance since being charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office with two counts of murder, two counts of stalking and two weapons charges. Boelter may face the death penalty if convicted. He is also expected to have a state trial, where he faces the possibility of life without parole. This story will be updated.
Time Magazine
33 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Trump Issues Blistering Response After Iran Threatens U.S.
President Donald Trump issued blistering remarks in response to Iran's Supreme Leader claiming victory over Israel and, by extension, the U.S. In a loaded public message, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had also threatened to attack more U.S. Military bases, further splintering the Middle Eastern country's relationship with the U.S. 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell,' Trump said as he addressed the Iranian Supreme Leader during a White House press conference on Friday. Trump issued an even stronger response on his social media platform, Truth Social, later in the day, and doubled down on his stance once more when he reposted his message early Saturday morning. In the lengthy post, Trump accused Khamenei of publicly sharing a 'lie' by claiming Iran achieved a victory over Israel. He reaffirmed his much debated viewpoint that the U.S. strikes 'obliterated' the three key nuclear facilities it targeted on Saturday, June 21. Trump also seemingly made reference to previous reports that stated the White House turned down a plan by Israel to try and kill Khamenei. 'His country was decimated, his three evil nuclear sites were obliterated, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces... terminate his life. I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death,' Trump said, lamenting that Khamenei would not 'thank' him for this. 'During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery. The sanctions are biting! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief.' According to Congress, the U.S. sanctions on Iran 'are arguably the most extensive and comprehensive set of sanctions that the United States maintains on any country.' They block Iranian government assets in the U.S., ban nearly all U.S. trade with Iran, and prohibit foreign assistance and arms sales. Read More: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime Trump concluded his charged social media message by saying 'Iran has to get back into the world order flow' or else things 'will only get worse for them.' 'They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them. A burned out, blown up country with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy, and death all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar. Peace!" Khamenei broke his silence on Thursday, publicly speaking out—via a pre-recorded televised address and various social media comments— for the first time since Trump announced the (admittedly fragile) cease-fire between Israel and Iran. In his televised message, Khamenei threatened to attack more U.S. military bases should any more aggression from the U.S. side occur. 'The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,' Khamenei said, referring to his country's air assault on Al Udeid Air Base, a U.S. airbase in Qatar. The strikes were intercepted by the U.S. (except for one that was allowed to proceed as there was no risk of contact), and no casualties were reported. The military action was retaliatory, a direct response to the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities. Khamenei claimed 'total victory' over Israel. But Israel, the U.S., and Iran have all claimed to have won the war that started on June 13, when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, amid growing concern over Iran's nuclear capabilities. When the U.S. actively joined the conflict on June 21, striking three key Iranian nuclear facilities, world leaders urged de-escalation and a return to negotiations, amid fears of a far-reaching war erupting. Read More: 'Gravely Alarmed' World Leaders React After U.S. Strikes Iran Though Trump continues to say that Iran's nuclear sites were 'totally obliterated,' others have cast doubts on how effective the U.S. strikes were in setting back Iran's nuclear program. Leaked U.S. intelligence suggested that the damage to Iran's nuclear program may not be as severe as Trump has stated. CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the sites had been 'severely damaged' by the U.S. strikes, and that it would take years to be rebuilt. Amid the debate, the White House has put out statements arguing Trump's stance that the facilities were "obliterated," labelling reports to the contrary as "fake news." But some Democrats left a classified meeting with lingering questions over the effectiveness of the strikes. 'There's no doubt there was damage done to the program, but the allegations that we have obliterated their program just don't seem to stand up to reason,' said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut on Thursday. 'To me, it still appears that we have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.' When asked about concerns of Iran having 'secret nuclear sites' at Friday's press conference, Trump said he was 'not worried about it at all.' 'They're exhausted. The last thing they're thinking about right now is nuclear,' he told reporters. 'You know what they're thinking of? They're thinking about tomorrow, trying to live in such a mess. The place was bombed to hell.' Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Trump needs to retire his "disrespectful" tone towards Khamenei if he wants a deal to be struck between the U.S. and Iran.'If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,' he said. "The great and powerful Iranian people, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had no choice but to run to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our missiles, do not take kindly to threats and insults." Araghchi was referencing remarks made by NATO chief Mark Rutte who, during the NATO Summit on Wednesday, referred to Trump as the "daddy" who had to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
BBC: Kneecap's Glastonbury set will not be live streamed but could go on-demand
Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury Festival will not be live-streamed but is likely to be made available on-demand, the BBC has said. A number of politicians have called for the Irish rap trio to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate' after one of the members was charged with a terror offence. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC is bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'While the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines. 'We don't always live-stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets.' It is understood the BBC needs to consider the performance before making a final decision. The band said on Instagram: 'The propaganda wing of the regime has just contacted us…. 'They WILL put our set from Glastonbury today on the iPlayer later this evening for your viewing pleasure.' Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. On June 18 the rapper, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thinks the BBC 'should not be showing' the group's set. In an X post from last Saturday, she said: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' Ahead of the performance, Gemma Gibson, 41, from Newcastle told the PA news agency that she was 'really excited' to see Kneecap perform. Asked if their set should have been cancelled amid the ongoing controversy, she said: 'Well, that would be completely against everything that Glastonbury stands for … This is where they should be.' An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson told PA: 'Ticket-holders can once again expect to see uniformed officers on site at Glastonbury Festival 24/7 throughout the festival as part of our extensive policing operation ensuring it is safe for everyone attending, as well as those who live nearby.' Saturday has seen performances from the likes of rock band Kaiser Chiefs and US star Brandi Carlile, who released an album with Sir Elton John earlier in the year. Elsewhere, Irish singer CMAT, who played the Pyramid Stage on Friday, performed a secret set at the BBC Introducing stage. Neil Young, best known for songs such as Rockin' In The Free World, Like A Hurricane and Cinnamon Girl, will headline the festival's Pyramid Stage on Saturday night with his band the Chrome Hearts. The corporation will broadcast Young's set after previously saying it would not be shown 'at the artist's request'. On Saturday a BBC spokesperson said: 'We are delighted to confirm that Neil Young's headline set from Glastonbury on Saturday will be broadcast live to audiences across the UK on the BBC.' The set will be shown on the BBC iPlayer Pyramid Stage stream from 10pm, as well as broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Radio 2. Another act expected to draw a big crowd is Brat star Charli XCX, who will headline the Other Stage around the same time Young and Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii will also perform. The 1975 headlined the festival's Pyramid Stage on Friday night, with the performance seeing singer Matty Healy joke he was his generation's 'best songwriter'. Friday also saw a performance from Scottish music star Lewis Capaldi who told the Glastonbury crowds 'I'm back baby' as he played a surprise set, two years after a performance at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms. Celebrities who have been spotted at the festival include singer Harry Styles, Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, The Crown actor Emma Corrin, and Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn. Saturday could see highs of 26C, 'with high levels of humidity', according to the Met Office. Spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'There is always the chance of a light shower, but there is nothing in the forecast that suggests anything heavier for Saturday for Somerset.' Avon and Somerset Police have said there have been 75 reports of crimes at the festival with 20 arrests made. Performing in the coveted Sunday legends slot this year is Sir Rod Stewart, who previously said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood, as well as other guests. The BBC is providing livestreams of the five main stages: Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park.
