The Art of the Mis-Deal

So what about Trump's so-called deal with Iran?

 First of all, it's not a deal.  It's an MOU/framework that will guide negotiations over the next 60 days.  What does the MOU call for?

1. A 60-day ceasefire (we already had peace before Trump started the war).

2. The re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz (we already had that)

3. The end of the naval blockade (we already had that)

4. Iran agrees that it will neither produce nor acquire nuclear weapons (something they already agreed to under the previous deal)

5.  The U.S. agrees not to impose any new sanctions on Iran until a final deal is reached

6. The U.S. will waive oil sanctions ​on Iran for a specified period, allowing Tehran to sell oil and receive revenue

7. The U.S. ⁠agrees to release $25 billion of Iran’s frozen assets

8. The U.S. will prepare a reconstruction and development plan for Iran

9. Iran will have access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund (as confirmed by JD Vance)  

10. Iran would be allowed to charge maritime service fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz (instead of tolls). 

11. Iran can dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium on Iranian soil (instead of being seized by the U.S.)

12. Iran’s ​nuclear program, uranium enrichment activities and mechanisms  ​for handling its stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be negotiated within 60 days ​and addressed in a final agreement (so, kicking the can down the road on that one). 

So basically-- 1, 2, 3 & 4 we already had (no new gain for either side);  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 are a net plus for Iran;  and 12 is TBD (no progress yet).  Sounds like a resounding win for Iran-- way to go, Orange man!

 

Putting on a Good Face for the World Cup

Happy Fucking 80th to the Orange Man

Musk's Starbase is Fracturing a Small Texas Town

The arrival of SpaceX has brought good business to Eddie Reyes and his family. Since the establishment of Starbase, Elon Musk's company town in south Texas, his charter boat business has picked up ‌as space fans flock to the area for a glimpse of launches. Reyes' nephew works at SpaceX as a welder, driving a Tesla Cybertruck.  But the same rockets Reyes sees lifting his family's fortunes are also shaking his mother's home. Shockwaves from launches are cracking the ceiling, ‌loosening window seals and sinking the foundation. She's among dozens of residents now suing Musk's company for damage.

While SpaceX's rapid expansion is bringing jobs, visitors and global attention, it is also fueling lawsuits, environmental concerns and a growing divide among the 1.4 million residents of the Rio Grande Valley. "This company is literally shaking the earth," said Tino Villarreal, city commissioner of Brownsville, a city of 185,000 people that borders Starbase. "By the amount of workforce it wants to produce, by the actual wavelengths that are shaking our soil."

Some local Rio Grande Valley residents initially welcomed SpaceX. Maria Pointer lived in the region for ​almost two decades when she sold her home to SpaceX in 2020 after meeting ​with Musk. "We were excited," she said. "I really felt, at the time, that we deserved the moon as the gas station to wherever all the Elons of the world wanted to go in interstellar space."  Over time, Pointer has become less optimistic, saying the town has become less friendly. In April, she went to Starfactory to film an interview with an Italian news crew, beneath a huge "X" near the entrance to the building, where her kitchen once stood. A security guard approached and instructed them to leave. "It was very military," she said.

Other residents of neighboring towns – Laguna ​Vista, Port Isabel and South Padre Island – claim the Starship launches are damaging their homes, according to a class-action ‌lawsuit filed in April against SpaceX.  One plaintiff, who declined to speak on the record at her attorney's direction, showed Reuters her Port Isabel home. Cabinets sit unevenly, doors no longer close, and chipboard covers warped flooring she said was damaged by mold after a ​shower pipe burst following a rocket launch. She estimates foundation repairs at about $100,000, more than half the home's value.  "They're wanting to get to Mars," she said. "But what about us that are here? I'm here now. And nobody is thinking about us."

 

Keeping it Real

Ariana Grande - Hate That I Made You Love Me

A Cup Overflowing With Hate and Greed

The World Cup opened today with an estimated 5 million international visitors descending upon Mexico for the kickoff of the 39-day international sports event.  The United States’ neighbor to the south is struggling with its own social issues as protesters take to the streets to shine a light on their government’s shortcomings.   But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s welcoming of foreign fans and other cultures stands in contrast to the way the U.S. is approaching upcoming games. 

While the World Cup presents a message of international unity through the love of fútbol, the Trump administration’s changes to immigration policy and isolationist posturing send a starkly different message.  Numerous reports of human rights abuses and alleged racial profiling at the hands of federal agents have surfaced over the past 17 months. The Trump administration doubled down on its anti-immigrant agenda by slamming the door on immigrants seeking refuge—unless they happen to be white South Africans.  The number of visas doled out was drastically cut, while nonwhite refugees were turned away from the U.S.

And now Trump’s racist rhetoric is being reflected on the world stage.  Amid his ongoing war on Iran, the White House barred Iranian soccer players from practicing and preparing for their upcoming games in the United States. Instead, the team had to land in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to wait out their match in Los Angeles. And while the players will be permitted to enter the U.S. a day before they take to the green, members of their support staff were turned away.  Criticism ratcheted up after a Somali referee was denied entry upon landing in the U.S.   To make the situation extra tense, the U.S. has reportedly flouted FIFA regulations that require 8% of tickets to be allocated to visiting countries so they can sell seats to their supporters. Iran’s ticket allocation was revoked by the U.S., leaving fans high and dry.

“I view the 2026 World Cup as a massive paradox,” professor Jules Boykoff, author of “Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing and the FIFA Greed Machine,” told NPR.  “On one hand, it has more teams than ever participating,” Boykoff said. “On the other hand, because of the policies of the Trump administration, it looks more like a World Cup of exclusion than inclusion.”