Huge Crowds Gather for Ayatollah’s Funeral, and China Tests Long-Range Ballistic Missile

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0:32From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Monday, July 6th. Here's what we're covering.

0:59Supreme leader. My colleague Abdu Latif Tahir has been in Tehran all weekend for the funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei ruled the country for decades, brutally crushing dissenters, before he was killed at the start of the war with the U.S. and Israel. The Times was granted access to the funeral by Iran's government, which determined which events the reporters could attend, accompanied by a government-provided translator and guide. We've seen many people talk about losing a father, losing a leader, a figure who is central to their lives and whom they are here to mourn today.

1:37Abdi says that in some moments, the crowds broke into chants against the U.S. and Israel, and some mourners carried banners calling for revenge. In all, the views expressed by those at the events may not be representative of many Iranians. Some may have felt unable to speak freely. Over the course of the multi-day funeral, huge crowds have been filling the streets of Tehran, and today the Ayatollah's body was carried through the city in a public procession. The event is intended as a show of strength by Iran's Islamic Republic, which survived despite the U.S. and Israel's earlier talk of regime change.

2:12The funeral will continue into this week, with the Ayatollah's body traveling to several more cities in Iran and Iraq.

2:27Overnight in the Pacific, China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile, the first time the country has done that in almost two years. The missile was launched from a nuclear-powered submarine and sent a, quote, mock warhead into the ocean, according to China's official news agency. Countries in the region were warned shortly beforehand and reacted with alarm. Australia called it destabilizing to the region, and Japan said it had, quote, serious concern regarding the intensification of China's military activities. One expert who studies how China is modernizing its nuclear weapons told the Times the region should expect more tests, saying that China had historically tested their missiles less than other countries, but it's now ramping things up.

3:15Quote, they're willing to pay the political costs of that in a way that they weren't in the past.

3:28The birth and survival of the American nation under God is quite simply the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands ever. That is ever, ever, ever. This weekend, as President Trump gave back-to-back speeches celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country's founding. We have thrived and flourished because our founders were great. The White House released a scathing report condemning how the Smithsonian has portrayed American history. The 162-page document, put out by the White House's Domestic Policy Council, accuses the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History of failing to celebrate the country and arguing that the museum has become a political tool.

4:13It said the institution has focused too much on the Founding Fathers' connections to slavery and not enough on the country's founding era in general. It also argues that the museum endorses illegal immigration and presents an overly critical view of Christianity. It's the latest step in the Trump administration's campaign to pressure the Smithsonian into conforming to what President Trump has described as patriotic history. The document drew immediate backlash from some historians, including the head of the country's largest group of history scholars, who said visitors to the museum encounter a lot of artifacts related to the country's founding and the American Revolution.

4:59Today, prosecutors in Utah will begin laying out their case against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk. It's been nearly 10 months since Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, was shot and killed while on a speaking tour at Utah Valley University. The killer escaped the scene, but within days, authorities charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with the murder. His parents had recognized him from images released by the police and convinced him to surrender to authorities. He's now facing the death penalty. But first, prosecutors will have to prove to a judge that there's probable cause for the case to proceed.

5:34Today's preliminary hearing will basically be similar to how grand juries work in other states, with prosecutors expected to present surveillance videos, autopsy findings, witness statements, and a video interview with Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, who could shed light on his motive. Investigators say the killing was politically motivated, and they released text messages of Robinson confessing and telling his roommate that, quote, I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. Robinson has yet to enter a plea, and his defense team has given few hints about its strategy, other than trying to bog down the case with challenges over procedure.

6:13This week's hearing could reveal whether Robinson's lawyers will acknowledge him as the shooter, or whether they'll dispute the evidence tying him to the killing.

6:28And finally, with the World Cup barreling toward the quarterfinals, FIFA made a highly unusual announcement yesterday. It reversed the suspension of a key player on the U.S. team. Folleran Baligan has been the U.S.'s top scorer in this World Cup. During a game last week, he was given a red card after his foot came down on an opponent's ankle when they were both going for the ball. With that came a one-game suspension, which would have kept him out of the match today between the U.S. and Belgium. But the Times has learned that hours after Balogun got the red card, President Trump called the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and asked him to review the suspension, according to four people familiar with the conversation.

7:12On top of that, senior Trump administration officials engaged lawyers to try and appeal it, despite FIFA's rules against such appeals. FIFA's reversal is the first time it's nullified a red card suspension like this in the World Cup since 1962. In a statement, the White House confirmed the phone call between Trump and Infantino and said that, quote, the correct and proper outcome was achieved after what it described as an independent review. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Soccer Federation for Belgium, who will play the U.S. today for a spot in the quarterfinals, said it was, quote, astonished by the decision and was investigating all potential options.

7:54So far, half of the quarterfinals are already set, with France set to play Morocco and England facing off against Norway, who managed to knock out the powerhouse Brazil yesterday. You can find full coverage of the tournament at nytimes.com.

8:12Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a look at the landmark housing bill intended to tackle rising costs and why President Trump is refusing to sign it. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.