Why Are We Like This?

World Cup Fever: The grift that keeps on grifting

Miami is one host city for this summer’s World Cup, joining others across North America, for what is shaping up to be one of the biggest debacles in the tournament’s history. Woefully underprepared and overpriced, the US has provided no end of friction by suspending visas and travel privileges, exerting pressure on foreign visitors, and using dynamic pricing to price out the average fan. We’re joined by soccer scribe Kartik Krishnaiyer from Beyond the 90 (Beyondthe90.net [http://Beyondthe90.net]) to discuss how the US has joined a very short list of tinpot dictatorships that have allowed their xenophobia to trump the diplomatic missions of international sporting tournaments, and exactly whose wheels are getting greased this time around. You can also follow Kartik on X.com [http://X.com] @kkfla737.

CIS benders (of the truth) and Miami's "assimilation problem"

A spate of news you can use this week from the WAWLT boys, who will continue to stay posting on main. On tap this week: * What's going on with Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Maria Elvira Salazar, and the congressional district hopscotch being played across South Florida? * Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's confirmation and the the statistical subterfuge we are all living through. * The Atlantic has good news: The economy is all just bad vibes and Debbie downers! You're all actually doing great! * A look at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) recent report on how Miami is failing to assimilate. Yeah. Ok.

The looming Brightline Bankruptcy: Of course we can’t have a rail system, have you SEEN our rail system?

Is public rail designed to fail? We’re revisiting our favorite public-private partnership (aka privatization) and checking in on the Brightline rail system which seems to be teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after burning through billions of dollars and propping. How did they lose so much money? How did the venture fail so stunningly? And what will become of the valuable land where the downtown Miami station sits? Also, a new Miami-Boston rivalry, Ron DeSantis' soft national relaunch, Rick Scott's sneak-disses, Hondurasgate, Venezuela the US state, Aliens (sorry, too late), and Trump's golden pate.

LOL you call that a "Free" State? Palantir in Miami and 287(g) agreements in Florida

Two big stories on the docket today: First, Thomas has new reporting on TruthOut.org about how Miami and wide swaths of Florida have become a show-me-your-papers state, where fishing-while-Latino can get you stopped, frisked, and maybe detained. The proliferation of so-called 287(g) agreements with law enforcement, state agencies, municipalities and all manner of other organizations has become almost a virtue signal from those groups to let the most petty, vindictive governor in the country know that they're definitely on his side. Meanwhile, some cities have resisted signing onto these agreements, and somehow the sky didn't fall. After that, we dive into the wrongheaded notion espoused by many in the Miami tech, real estate, finance and commercial sectors that a bunch of billionaires buying mansion and moving their wealthy retinue of flunkies here to take advantage of our tax code is a boon for our city. We use surveillance monster Palantir and its CEO Alex Karp's announcement of their "move" to Miami as the exemplar, but they're far from the only ones sheltering their vast wealth in a city that's just happy to cede soft power and influence in exchange for a few shekels. Also, come stop by the City of Miami Commission meeting on May 14 at City Hall and let them know you don't support the Miami Forever Bond redux, and that these agencies should DEFINITELY not get bond money while signed onto these 287(g) agreements with ICE and DHS. You can also let your voice be heard on May 14 at 9 a.m. at Miami Dade College Wolfson Compus where the Florida Department of Education will hold a hearing into a state rule aimed at banning undocumented students from Florida public colleges. Here's Thomas' article from TruthOut: https://truthout.org/articles/miami-police-have-become-a-show-me-your-papers-patrol-despite-public-opposition/

The WAWLT Big Comeback After 4 Months Off

Florida ain't goin' anywhere! Why Are We Like This is back after an extended break, and we're talking about, well, just a whole slate of goings-on in the Sunshine State during our dark period, picking up with Thomas and David's trip to the Emerge Americas Conference last week and their interaction with some of Miami's new AI hologram ambassadors that will soon be gracing the halls of our finest airport dungeons and half-built soccer stadiums. From the episode: Here's the Mother Jones article Thomas mentioned about the death of the Florida Orange. https://www.motherjones.com/environme... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbENNS0swdzBOZ0tJM3NaSEdiTUJYNmtYVjFhd3xBQ3Jtc0tudmF2Q2ROQm1aLUQtZHhkeHk2LW1WQ01YazcyaDVDOHkxS092MVJ4ckNmSUhXcU5fVUFWNEpLX3hmMHA3cDJpVko2WFRQS2hfRWNNYXItMG9kbHhMcUtZeWFkalVHVUlEYWIwd1pqWHh1WFJ6eDEyYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fenvironment%2F2026%2F04%2Fflorida-orange-juice-industy-decline-death%2F&v=lMOimP6dQ0U] Here's the weird Florida 529 Plan AI commercials that David mentioned. Florida Prepaid | Detective [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlFOTvUy--0]