Midday Roundup: Ayatollah tweets prediction of Israel's destruction

Undeniable intent. In a series of posts on Twitter, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Israel will be hounded until it is destroyed, and told Israelis, “You will not see the next 25 years.” Khamenei, who has repeatedly called for “death toAmerica,” also referred to the United States once again as the “Great Satan.” And he said the nuclear deal is the only negotiation Iran will agree to with the United States.

All the stops. Texas Sen.Ted Cruz staged a rally in front of the Capitol on Wednesday, calling on supporters to put pressure on Democratic lawmakers to vote no on the Iran deal. The senator invited his Republican rival, Donald Trump, to the event because “he brings an army of TV reporters.” Trump told the crowd Iran is putting one over on the United States: “They rip us off. They take our money. They make us look like fools. And now they’re back to being who they really are. They don’t want Israel to survive.” Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are divided over the best way to proceed on the Iran deal. GOP leadership in the House is ready to vote on a resolution to condemn it, but a group of conservatives led by Cruz is using procedural tactics to try to postpone the vote. Cruz claims the Obama administration needs to provide more information on side negotiations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency before lawmakers can make an informed decision.

Final flight. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an engine failure that caused a British Airways jetliner to catch fire on a Las Vegas runway. The Boeing 777 was about to take off from McCarran International Airport for a 10-hour flight to London when the left engine burst into flames. Passengers jumped down on inflatable slides to escape the blaze. Twenty passengers were treated for minor injuries, but no one was seriously hurt. The pilot, Chris Henkey from Reading, England, was set to retire after just one more flight. After safely directing the evacuation of the fiery plane, Henkey told reporters, “It’s safe to say I’m finished flying.”

Latest and greatest. At a two-hour live event in San Francisco yesterday, CEO Tim Cook showed off Apple’s latest offerings. In addition to two new iPhone models, Cook unveiled a plus-sized iPad with a detachable keyboard. Apple also is looking to move into more living rooms with its latest Apple TV streaming box. But it wasn’t enough to bust the tech giant’s recent stock slump. Shares of Apple ended down about 2 percent yesterday.

Obamacare under fire. A federal judge ruled yesterday that the House can proceed with a lawsuit against the White House over Obamacare funding. The suit, filed last year, accuses the executive branch of overstepping its authority by spending $175 billion on the Affordable Care Act without congressional approval. The money went to reimburse insurance companies for offering reduced co-payments to low-income customers. The Obama administration says it is using previously appropriated money that it has the authority to spend.

WORLD Radio’s Carl Peetz and Mary Reichard and The Associated Press contributed to this report.