6.2.26 Iran’s playbook, housing affordability, Supreme Court rulings on arbitration, and the oldest working journalist

The world is at a crossroads in multiple arenas, from Middle Eastern diplomacy to domestic policy and the ethics of aging. Iran's latest missile strikes on U.S. forces in Kuwait and retaliatory U.S. bombings reveal a fragile de-escalation, not a ceasefire, as both sides play a high-stakes game of brinkmanship. Jonathan Saia of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argues that Iran's real leverage lies not in military might but in its ability to exploit Washington's desire for long-term stability by tying any deal to Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians, still reeling from a record-breaking internet blackout and months of unrest, are watching closely—disillusioned by the U.S. government's apparent willingness to engage with the regime rather than empower the people. In the U.S., a bipartisan housing bill aimed at increasing affordability is stalled in the Senate, with economists warning it's a 'barn door after the horses left'—focusing on demand-side fixes like loan access while ignoring the root issue: supply. The Supreme Court, in two unanimous rulings, affirmed that even local delivery drivers are part of interstate commerce and that federal courts retain jurisdiction to confirm arbitration awards, reinforcing the power of private dispute resolution.