July 06, 2026

Good morning! Today is Monday, July 6th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. In Tehran, hundreds of thousands mourn the assassinated Ali Khamenei as Iran War negotiations grind into their 18th day, with new polling showing 58 percent of Americans now say the war hasn't been worth the cost and President Trump's approval sliding to 36 percent. Aaron Magid argues in TAC that Jordan's $2 billion annual aid package deserves the same scrutiny applied to Israel, especially given King Abdullah's reported $106 million in luxury homes and $224 million in Swiss accounts. Peter Van Buren examines Marco Rubio's plan to slash African visa processing posts from nearly 50 to 20, while Spencer Neale asks hard questions about Rep. Tom Kean's four-month absence from Congress. and now for the details. We begin in Tehran, where hundreds of thousands of mourners have gathered for the second day of funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by the United States and Israel on February 28th. The rites coincide with the 18th day of negotiations aimed at ending the Iran War. Senior Iranian officials have attended, though the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, journalists on the ground in Tehran are describing significant public backlash to the government's decision to negotiate with Washington, and open calls for vengeance against the United States and Israel. Berger points to a new Financial Times poll showing 58 percent of registered American voters now say the Iran War has not been worth the cost, with only 28 percent saying it has. The White House asked Congress last month for $67 billion to cover war costs, and rising petrol and consumer prices have driven President Trump's approval to 36 percent overall — and just 21 percent among independents, an eight-point drop in a single month. Meanwhile, Lebanon's National News Agency reports fresh Israeli helicopter fire and airstrikes in occupied southern Lebanon. Berger notes that Article One of the 60-day interim agreement, which took effect June 17th, requires an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts — including in Lebanon — and commits the United States to preserving Lebanese sovereignty. Tehran has warned that continued Israeli operations there could derail the entire peace process. Turning to foreign aid: the United States has sent Jordan roughly $33.8 billion in assistance over the past 75 years. This year alone, Congress authorized more than $2 billion, placing the Hashemite Kingdom among the top three recipients of U.S. aid worldwide. Writing for The American Conservative, Aaron Magid argues that figure deserves the same scrutiny lawmakers like Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie have applied to aid for Israel. Magid points out that Jordan's GDP has quadrupled over the last two decades and now exceeds that of many African nations. The International Monetary Fund describes its economy as resilient. Meanwhile, The Economist rates Jordan an authoritarian regime, and Jordanian authorities last year banned the Muslim Brotherhood after its political wing won the most seats in parliamentary elections. The Syrian refugee population that once justified surging aid has fallen sharply since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, with nearly 200,000 refugees returning home. Magid also notes that the 2020 Abraham Accords have made Jordan's peace treaty with Israel less unique — and that King Abdullah himself, according to the Pandora Papers and reporting in the New York Times, holds 14 luxury homes worth over $106 million and Swiss bank accounts exceeding $224 million. Magid suggests aid should return to its 2006 level of roughly $400 million, arguing that as American strategists urge a pivot toward the Western Hemisphere and away from the Middle East, Jordan should no longer sit near the top of the U.S. foreign aid ledger. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.