Political factions competing in Friday’s Iranian elections

Iranians head to the polls Friday to vote on candidates for two separate institutions: the 290-seat parliament and the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a clerical body empowered to choose or dismiss the country’s supreme leader.

In parliament, supporters of moderate President Hassan Rouhani hope to dilute the influence of hard-liners who fear reforms and greater openness to the West could weaken the Islamic Republic.

The makeup of the next Assembly of Experts, meanwhile, could prove crucial given speculation about the health of 76-year old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader, who underwent prostate surgery in 2014.

—

A look at the main political factions competing for parliament:

GRAND COALITION OF PRINCIPLISTS: This is the most prominent grouping of hard-liners. It includes many top names in the conservative camp determined to weaken Rouhani and undermine the landmark nuclear deal his government reached with world powers last year.

Key leader: Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a current lawmaker, is leading the 30-member list in Tehran. His daughter is married to Ayatollah Khamenei’s son. Many of the list members are allies of former hard-line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Hard-liners have accused reformists and moderates of seeking to sell out Iran’s independence and bring about foreign domination of the country should they win.

The addition of Ahmadinejad loyalists to their list has caused a major rift within the conservative camp, with more moderate conservatives such as Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and his supporters walking away from the bloc.

MODERATE CONSERVATIVES: This camp includes many moderate conservatives opposed to hard-liners. They hold the majority in the current parliament. However, they have refused to issue a joint list of candidates and its members are running independently.

http://www.wbal.com/article/145808/130/political-factions-competing-in-fridays-iranian-elections

Head Of Police Organization Says Davis Misspoke On April Standoff Downtown, Commissioner Issues Apology

The president of an association of Baltimore police says Commissioner Kevin Davis misspoke when he blamed a confrontation outside Camden Yards shortly after Freddie Gray’s death on an “emotional” veteran Baltimore police officers.

Kenneth Butler, the head of the Vanguard Justice Society and a police lieutenant, told C4 he spoke with Davis Thursday morning about his remarks in a Wednesday lecture at Anne Arundel Community College.

“He admitted that he misspoke and that was not his intent and he could have said it better,” Butler said.

Butler was on the scene all day as protesters marched downtown. The Saturday protests included minor destruction of property and, at one point, led the Baltimore Orioles to briefly hold fans in the stadium as a night game continued.

“We had rocks thrown at us, bottles thrown at us, trash cans thrown at us and we remained very professional, and I don’t know of the incident where the officer may have sparked an incident, but I understand what the commissioner is saying,” Butler said. “That may happen and that does happen sometimes, but I was down there all day long.”

Butler said he foresees Davis, then a deputy commissioner under Anthony Batts, will come out to correct the record “in the near future.”

“I would hope that the inroads that we have made as far as this commissioner and the rank and file will continue to progress,” Butler said.

Later Wednesday, Davis issued a written apology.

http://www.wbal.com/article/145803/3/head-of-police-organization-says-davis-misspoke-in-blaming-april-standoff-at-camden-yards-on-police

Trump’s pope reaction: ‘This is a disaster’

“He actually was very, very nice the next day,” Trump said, repeating his claim that the pope was misled by Mexican surrogates during a visit to Mexico. “Nobody explained to him about the crime, nobody explained to him about the drugs pouring across and the economy, and he was actually very nice.”

But, he added: “You don’t want to hear the day before the election that the pope said something about you.”

Last Thursday, Pope Francis was asked about Trump in Mexico, where he toured the border, and made a reference to the mogul’s promise to build a wall on the border to stem illegal immigration into the United States.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel,” the pope told journalists.

He did not change course the next day, though the Vatican said the comments should be interpreted broadly, not just about Trump.

The topic arose with Robertson when Trump was talking about one of his top campaign issues — border security — and mentioned the dust-up with the Holy Father.

“You saw the pope came out against me a little bit, but that was before he knew … ” Trump said.

Robertson interjected on Trump’s behalf.

“He realizes he has a pretty big wall around the Vatican,” Robertson joked.

While the Vatican does have walls, they are always open to visitors who want to walk through St. Peter’s Square after going through metal detectors.

http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/trumps-initial-reaction-to-popes-criticism-this-is-a-disaster/38170150