We had a decent showing (around 25 people) this past Monday for the quarterly meeting. Surprisingly, we were able to cover all of the topics within about 70 minutes.
Here is a summary of some of the discussions we had:
- US-Iran-Hizballah quagmire, ayatollah’s funeral & absence of new supreme leader (Mojtaba) from funeral: Those of us who spoke out did not believe that the current MOU with Iran will hold and attacks will resume. This is actually what happened in the last few days as strikes on both sides have resumed. As for the absence of the new supreme leader from the funeral of his father, the current story is that he has been hospitalized due to injuries he sustained during the U.S. / Israeli strikes on Feb 28 that killed his father.
- Ukraine – Russia war Drone escalation: Who is winning the war, and when will it end: The consensus is that the war is at a stalemate after the development and massive introduction of long-range attack drones by Ukraine targeting Russian oil infrastructure, and most recently, the Russian- annexed Crimean Peninsula. In return, the Russian forces are attacking the capital Kyiv of Ukraine with drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
- FIFA World Cup and Trump’s call to Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA: FIFA controversially suspended the automatic one-game ban for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, clearing him to play in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 against Belgium, which the United States ultimately lost 4-1. Those of us who saw the foul by Folarin believe that the red card was not justified. Regardless, the political intervention of President Trump has marked the first time since 1962 that FIFA altered a World Cup red card penalty mid-tournament. Incidentally, Balogun’s red card was the 14th red card issued during this World Cup up to that point in time.
- July 7 NATO Summit Pillars: Shifting U.S. policies, increase allied defense spending, bolster transatlantic defense production, and support to Ukraine: The long-term target of 5% of the GDP of defense of NATO countries by 2035 was re-iterated. Also, $100 billion in new procurement deals for missile defense and drone initiative. As for Ukraine, a massive funding boost of $80 billion in military equipment, training, and assistance through 2026 was approved, including the license to produce U.S. Patriot missiles domestically.
- Climate Change: Europe is the fastest-warming continent globally, heating at roughly double the global average: Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth because of its geographic proximity to the rapidly melting Arctic, shifting atmospheric wind patterns, and a significant drop in regional air pollution. Europe has been warming at a rate of +0.56°C per decade since the mid-1990s—more than double the global average pace.
- Current events leading to the U.S. mid-term elections:
- The Housing Bill (21st Century ROAD to Housing Act) became law at 12am this morning after President Trump refused to sign it or veto it.
- Legislative Gridlock: Republicans hold a razor-thin majority (218 to 214). Speaker Mike Johnson can only lose a single vote on party-line bills if all Democrats vote “no”.
- Voting Rights and Supreme Court Rulings: The Supreme Court dramatically reshaped elections in recent months, sharply limiting a law that has been a cornerstone of minority voter empowerment, allowing states to gerrymander maps and loosening campaign finance regulations.
- Presidential Actions: President Trump has pushed to nationalize election oversight and require new voter ID requirements, but a federal judge has barred Trump from implementing proof of citizenship requirement to vote.
- Key Economic Issues: International tariffs and the U.S. conflict with Iran are driving up fuel and consumer goods costs, creating high inflation. However, the U.S. Supreme court struck down the sweeping tariffs ruling that setting tariffs is a congressional taxing power. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is processing billions of dollars in refunds but the government is currently fighting to limit payouts to specific pending claims and appealing court orders. At any rate, only the importer of record, not the end consumer or retailer is legally entitled to request and receive the refund.
- Primary Races: The Democratic Party is experiencing a major internal shift as a high-profile wave of progressive and democratic-socialist primary victories has unseated prominent, multi-term establishment incumbents across the United States.
As an extra that I just watched, the following is a quick video of the new “commemorative” passport, presented by Marco Rubio
https://youtu.be/MPUwm86eYFE?si=y9Bcd2WXpNHUsiCo
The next and last session this year will be right before the November elections. We will vote on the final senate race at that time. I will try to reserve the same meeting room at the library for Tuesday October 13 from 6pm – 7pm.
I will confirm the date when the library assigns me the room as online reservations cannot be made that far in advance.
Have a great rest of the summer.
Hani