Plus: Trump Says Iran Deal Within Reach, But Warns Of Possible ‘Massive Conflict’

Good afternoon,

If you follow the Mo News Premium Instagram page, you may have seen Mosheh’s recent find from Japan: specialty fruit in grocery stores — with sky-high price tags.

A $40 mango 🥭, a $50 gift-wrapped watermelon 🍉, and a $140 melon 🍈 were spotted at the Isetan Shinjuku department store in Tokyo.
- Japan is home to the most expensive fruit in the world. Adjusted to U.S. dollars, a pair of Yubari King melons sold for roughly $23,500 in May 2023.
In Japanese culture, there is the practice of “temiyage” — gift-giving when visiting someone else’s home. For nearly 1,000 years, people have often gifted fruits, because they don’t clutter the home and convey Japan’s four seasons. 🎁

Follow more of Mosheh’s Japan travels 🇯🇵 by joining Mo News Premium.

Sam
Associate Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Air India Flight Carrying 242 People Crashes Shortly After Takeoff — One Known Survivor Onboard

An Air India passenger plane bound for London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed Thursday shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. A British national named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is reported to be the only survivor of the crash. Ramesh was seated in seat 11A.

The Hindustan Times quoted Ramesh as saying, “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
- Initially, authorities said there had been no survivors among the 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals on the flight, making news of Ramesh’s survival even more remarkable.
- Sadly, the BBC spoke to Ramesh’s brother who said Ramesh had been traveling with another brother whose fate has not yet been confirmed. "When he called us he was just more worried about my other brother,” Ramesh's brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh said. “That is all he cares about at the moment."

WHAT HAPPENED
The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which has had no failures since the model was introduced 15 years ago. Even so, the Dreamliner has been under scrutiny for years.

Former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector David Soucie told CNN, “It has had no failures, no fatalities, no hull losses from an accident at all since it was made.” A "hull loss" in aviation refers to an aircraft accident where the damage is so severe that the aircraft is deemed beyond repair.
- Soucie was involved with the certification of the Boeing 787 while at the FAA.
Dreamliner deliveries were paused for more than a year over quality concerns that included paper-thin gaps in the plane’s body and parts that were made with the wrong material. Last year, the FAA began investigating whistleblower claims that improperly fastened fuselage parts on the 787 Dreamliner could weaken the aircraft over time.
- Boeing said they found no evidence to support the whistleblower’s concerns.
Another whistleblower, John Barnett, went public in 2019 with concerns about the South Carolina factory where the Dreamliner is assembled. Along with other people who had worked at the factory, Barnett highlighted shoddy manufacturing processes at the plant.
- Barnett killed himself last year after a long legal battle with the Boeing, which he accused of retaliating against him.

Since the plane was made by Boeing, an American company, U.S. safety officials will assist India in its investigation of the accident. Determining the cause could take months or even years.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING

Trump Sends Mixed Signals On Iran Nuclear Deal As Israel Reportedly Prepares To Strike

President Trump said Thursday the U.S. is “fairly close” to reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran amid reports Israel is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran fail.

“As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in because it might blow it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to reports Israel might strike Iran.
- In late May, he publicly acknowledged urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran amid ongoing negotiations.

His comments comes as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s foreign minister are scheduled to meet Sunday in Oman for their sixth round of nuclear talks.

WHAT WILL ISRAEL DO?
Dr. Richard Haass, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC that he does not believe Israel would launch a military strike against Iran without U.S. consent.

“They (Iran) can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said Thursday, adding that he would “prefer the more friendly path” to getting Iran to disarm.
Haass said preparations for military action could be adding pressure on Iran during negotiations, but warned that a key sticking point to a deal remains: whether the U.S. will allow Iran any uranium enrichment capacity.

WHERE THINGS STAND
Just his week, Trump told the New York Post that he is “less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago” regarding a potential Iran deal. Despite sounding more optimistic about a deal Thursday, he also said, “There’s a chance of massive conflict” in the region.

Tensions in the Middle East are rising, with the U.S. on Wednesday evacuating nonessential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad and ordering the departure of military families from bases in the Gulf due to growing security threats.
- Tehran recently threatened to launch missiles against U.S. bases in the region in the event their nuclear facilities are attacked.

Level setting: The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Thursday declared that Iran was not complying with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations – the first time the organization has censured the country in 20 years.

Analysts believe Iran is close to being able to manufacture enough nuclear material to fuel 10 nuclear weapons. U.S. officials believed the country is months away from having the capacity to build a bomb.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

House Republicans vote to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid, NPR and PBS (NBC)
Protests against ICE spread across US as Marines prepare to deploy in LA (CNN) Trump is ‘not all there,’ Newsom says amid Los Angeles fight (POLITICO)
Democratic governors Pritzker, Walz, Hochul face contentious House hearing over 'sanctuary states' policies (ABC)
RFK Jr. names new slate of vaccine advisers after purging CDC panel (NPR)
A new survey says most US adults say Trump’s upcoming military parade is not a good use of money (AP)
Sen. Padilla forcibly removed from DHS press conference in Los Angeles (NPR)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Hamas names ‘Ghost of al-Qassam’ as its new leader after Israel wiped out his two predecessors (NEW YORK POST)
Northern Ireland town is engulfed in anti-immigrant riots for a third day (NBC)
China ready to drop all tariffs on African imports (BBC)
Russian troop losses in Ukraine surpass the 1 million mark, Kyiv says (EURO NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Planned PBS, NPR cuts would overwhelmingly hit outlets in states Trump won, report finds (CBS)
Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over images (BBC)
Americans filing for jobless claims last week at the highest level in 8 months (ABC)
New COVID variant causes sore throat that feels like 'razor blades' (PEOPLE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Harvey Weinstein case ends in mistrial on remaining charge as jury breaks down (FOX)
Paul McCartney and other stars pay tribute to Brian Wilson (CNN)
White shirts, black ties, bald caps: Pitbull's fans party like clones worldwide (CBS)
Wimbledon champions to receive over $4M as prize money up 7% (ESPN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Sabrina Carpenter released the cover for her new album, Man’s Best Friend, on Wednesday.The cover shows the Grammy-winning singer on her knees with a figure in a black suit pulling her hair.

The album title and cover are sparking controversy among fans. Some say Carpenter’s kneeling posture is demeaning toward women, whereas others argue the cover may be satirical and that the 26-year-old musician can do what she wants.