Before the American and Israeli bombs started falling Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the authoritarian center of the theocratic regime for nearly 40 years, had planned for a transition of power in the event of his death. Khamenei, 86, had led Iran since 1989, and held sweeping powers...
Costa Demands That Congress Be Involved in Overseeing War With Iran
Following U.S. military strikes against Iran, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) released the following statement on Saturday afternoon: "I am closely monitoring the situation following President Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces have launched major combat operations against Iran. "Iran’s regime is clearly a dangerous and destabilizing force, with a long history...
Iran Says Supreme Leader Died During US-Israeli Strikes
The Iranian government said Sunday that U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran had killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s supreme leader for decades and an implacable enemy of Israel and the United States. President Donald Trump had announced the supreme leader’s death hours earlier, and called on Iranians to take control of...
Why Have You Started This War, Mr. President?
In his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised voters that he would end wars, not start them. Over the past year, he has instead ordered military strikes in seven nations. His appetite for military intervention grows with the eating. Now he has ordered a new attack against the Islamic Republic...
US and Israel Attack Iran, Threatening Broader Regional Conflict
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in a major assault that threatened a broader regional conflict, with President Donald Trump vowing to devastate the country’s military, eliminate its nuclear program and bring about a change in its government. In retaliation, Iran fired waves of ballistic missiles at...
Ayatollah Khamenei Reported Killed Following US-Israeli Airstrikes
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has been an inveterate foe of the West, crushing internal opposition while supporting proxy forces across the region in the hope of making his country respected and feared. He was reported to have been killed on Saturday in the conflict that had defined...
Exclusive: Ahead of Strikes, Trump Told Iran Attack Is High Risk, High Reward
WASHINGTON — Ahead of the U.S. attack on Iran, President Donald Trump received briefings that not only delivered blunt assessments about the risk of major U.S. casualties but also touted the prospect of a generational shift in the Middle East in favor of U.S. interests, a U.S. official told Reuters....
What to Know About Operation Epic Fury
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, which President Donald Trump portrayed as an opportunity for a change of government in Tehran. The attack followed weeks of repeated threats from Trump that the United States would strike Iran unless the country’s leadership agreed to...
Who Does CIA Think Will Replace Iran’s Supreme Leader If He’s Killed?
WASHINGTON — In the run-up to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessed that even if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, he would likely be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, two sources briefed...
Californians Finally Get a Guide to Deciphering State’s School Data Dashboard
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. After becoming governor the second time in 2011, Jerry Brown proposed a major overhaul of how California finances public education. The 1978 passage of Proposition 13, an iconic tax limitation measure, had largely shifted school finance from local...