What Happens After Khamenei Dies?
Plus, why Conservatives Are the New Useful Idiots.
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SHAY KHATIRI: What Happens After Khamenei Dies?
On Farsi social media, the rumors are swirling: Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran since 1989, is on his deathbed. Or he has already died. Or maybe he has been dead for years, and the man passed off in public as Khamenei is actually a body double named Mir-Taher. (In which case, is it the body double who is dying now?)
Last week, Iranās Assembly of Experts, a council that in theory (but not in reality) oversees the leader and chooses his successor, held its biennial conference. But the usual meeting between the assembly and Khamenei was canceled, and a private meeting was held on Thursday instead; no information about the proceedings has been made available. Conflicting justifications for these actions have been offered. One assemblyman said the assembly didnāt want to cause ādiscomfortā for the supreme leader, while a regime newspaper claimed no meeting had been canceled because no meeting had been scheduled to begin with. The rumors continue: Over the weekend, the assembly was recalled to Tehran for an emergency conference, some claim. There are also reports that Khameneiās plane from Mashhad performed an emergency landing before reaching Tehran, and he had to be transported to the capital in an ambulance.
Ukraineās advances are due to Western weapons, and also American training during the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. But Ukraine can also credit the Russian Army, which has been debased and corrupted by senior officers and political leaders. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) joins Charlie Sykes today.
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TNL š„ Can We Have Nice Things? š
WILLIAM SALETAN: On Gay Marriage, Senate Republicans Are Out of Step With the Republican Base.
Supporters of same-sex marriage are struggling to find 10 Republican senators who will help their cause. In July, 47 House Republicansā22 percent of the House Republican conferenceāvoted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would prohibit legal discrimination among marriages on the basis of sex. In the Senate, supporters need 10 Republicansā20 percent of the Senate Republican Conferenceāto reach the 60-vote threshold to cut off a filibuster and pass the bill.
Getting those 10 votes may be difficult, because todayās Republican senators grew up in a party that opposed same-sex marriage. These senators may believe, as Sen. Ted Cruz apparently does, that by blocking the bill, theyāre representing the party. But that assumption is no longer true. Over the past two decades, among rank-and-file Republicans, opposition to gay marriage has plummeted. If todayās 50 Republican senators truly represented their voters, they wouldnāt just be supplying 10 votes for the Respect for Marriage Act. Theyād be supplying 20 or 25.
MONA CHAREN: Conservatives Are the New Useful Idiots.
At the moment when freedom-loving people around the world are elated (if on tenterhooks) at the progress of Ukrainian forces in pushing back the Russian invaders, Heritage Action, the political arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, has joined with other self-styled conservative groups to oppose helping Ukraine fight for its life. I know, I know, the Trumpification of the GOP has been a fact for six years, and yet this heel turn is remarkable. Itās as if People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced that they support puppy mills for medical research. Responding to President Bidenās request that Congress appropriate another $13.7 billion to help the Ukrainians cope with energy price hikes and other security needs, Heritage Action urged a no vote, railing that āThese funding requests ignore the concerns of the American people.ā
The pro-Putin, pro-authoritarian voices in the GOP are not yet a majorityāabout a quarter of House Republicans and 11 of 50 Senators voted against the $40 billion aid package for Ukraine in Mayābut theyāre not a small minority either, and the wind is at their backs. CPAC has all but canonized Hungaryās strongman Viktor Orban, and in the first hours after Putin rolled into Ukraine, Trump reveled in the murdererās āsavvyā and āgenius.ā The 2022 election could bring more authoritarian-friendly Republicans to Congress, and meanwhile, hatcheries of conservative orthodoxy like Fox News and The Federalist are doing the spade work of persuading the base that Kremlin propaganda is more trustworthyāpravda, if you willāthan the New York Times.
šØOVERTIME šØ
About that Durham inquiryā¦ The grand jury expired, but largely nothing came of it. Whether we see the report is up to AG Merrick Garland.
Meanwhileā¦ Alex Jonesās second trial doesnāt seem to be going too well for him.
The 9/11 Memorialsā¦ David Priess and Marita Sturken discuss our response to the terror attacks.
The Russian prison camp to Ukraine pipelineā¦ New video and details have emerged.
āMy Son Hunterāā¦ Isnāt Even Fun to Make Fun Of.
Time to call it quitsā¦ Six former lawmakers on why they retired from Congress.
The Grand Old Party of Crybabiesā¦ How Republicans embraced the victimhood mythology they once denounced.
Giving it awayā¦ The founder of Patagonia is no longer a billionaire, because he gave away his company.
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