Morning Joe: June 5, 2009

Iranian Elections in Context

Stories we're following today:

Setting the Scene: Iran’s Presidential (S)elections - Carnegie Endowment's Karim Sadjadpour [link]

• Karim Sadjadpour explains the political dynamics within Iran that will help determine the outcome.

U.S. Presses China for Tough Response to North Korea [link]

• ''At the level of Chinese irritation, this is historic,'' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. ''Normally, the Chinese urge us not to react. But they are reaching a point where they could be agreeable to using more of their own weight.''

Report: US to put its own sanctions on NKorea - Washington Post [link]

• The U.S. sanctions call for blacklisting foreign financial institutions that help the North launder money and conduct other dubious deals, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported.

‘Human Terrain’ Probes Iran’s Influence in Afghanistan - Wired's "Danger Room" [link]

• The Human Terrain System, Army’s social science program, recently investigated this question and found that, in one part of Afghanistan, Iran’s influence is largely limited to “soft power.”

Arab World Reacts to Obama Speech - Reza Azlan on MSNBC's Harball

• Reza Azlan, member of Ploughshare's Board of Directors, talks with Chris Matthews about the Cairo speech.

A View from "Up" There

How Many Balloons Would It Take To Lift a House? - Slate [link]

• In the new Pixar film Up, a crotchety old man named Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and proceeds on an awesome flying adventure to South America. This left several Explainer readers wondering: Just how many balloons would it take to lift a house?