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SpaceX IPO, Iran Deal, and What Friday's Weather Warnings Mean for the West Coast

  • Jun 12, 2026
  • 12 min

Show notes

What the episode covers

On this episode of The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 12, 2026, hosts Maya and David cover three major developing stories: SpaceX's Nasdaq debut, a fast-moving diplomatic standoff with Iran, and a roundup of notable science and weather developments heading into the weekend.

The episode opens with a deep look at the SpaceX IPO, which priced at $135 a share with BlackRock placing a $5 billion institutional order — a signal of how this offering was structured from the start. The hosts unpack what it means that Elon Musk crossed the trillionaire threshold on paper, and why that distinction matters. Apple's unveiling of third-generation on-device AI models at WWDC26 also gets a mention. From there, the conversation shifts to the Iran nuclear negotiations, where conflicting accounts from Washington and Tehran are creating real uncertainty — and real market sensitivity. The Dow surged 930 points on news that Trump called off planned military strikes and indicated a deal was near, but Tehran's public denial complicates the picture significantly. The hosts walk through what the reported framework would actually involve and what happens to markets if the optimism doesn't hold. The episode closes on a lighter note with weather and science stories worth knowing.

  • SpaceX IPO: Shares priced at $135 on the Nasdaq, with shadow trading suggesting the market values them more than 35% higher; BlackRock's $5 billion order underscores institutional control of the offering.
  • Elon Musk, paper trillionaire: The milestone is real but contingent — the hosts explain why "on paper" is not a throwaway qualifier.
  • Iran deal uncertainty: The U.S. military was reportedly within three hours of launching strikes before Trump intervened; the proposed framework includes Iranian enrichment limits in exchange for lifted oil sanctions, but Tehran has not confirmed any agreement.
  • El Nino returns: A strengthening El Nino pattern raises flooding and mudslide risk for Southern California, while also suppressing Atlantic hurricane activity — a meaningful trade-off heading into summer.
  • Tonight's sky and underground networks: A three-planet parade is visible at sunset, and a newly published global map of fungal networks shows the underground systems are far more extensive than previously understood.

New episodes of The Morning Rundown are available every weekday morning. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Timeline

In this episode

5 moments worth skipping to. The timecodes match the player above.

  1. 0:13Introduction
  2. 1:23SpaceX Goes Public and Elon Hits a Trillion
  3. 5:15Trump, Iran, and the Deal That May or May Not Exist
  4. 8:36El Nino Is Back, and California Should Pay Attention
  5. 11:04Outro

Quick answers

Straight from the episode

The questions this one settles, without the listen.

What price did SpaceX shares open at on the Nasdaq?
SpaceX went public on the Nasdaq at $135 a share, with shadow trading indicating shares were trading more than 35% higher than that opening price.
How much did BlackRock invest in the SpaceX IPO?
BlackRock placed a $5 billion order for SpaceX shares, signaling that institutional investors dominated the IPO over retail buyers.
Is Elon Musk actually a trillionaire?
Musk became the world's first trillionaire on paper following the SpaceX IPO, but the episode notes important caveats — this is paper wealth tied to share valuations, not liquid assets.
Why did the Dow surge 930 points?
The Dow surged 930 points after Trump called off planned U.S. military strikes on Iran and claimed a deal was close, though conflicting accounts from Tehran left the outcome uncertain.
How close were the U.S. and Iran to a military confrontation?
According to the episode, the U.S. military was approximately three hours from launching strikes on Iran when Trump called them off. A potential deal would involve Iran limiting uranium enrichment in exchange for lifted U.S. oil sanctions.
What are the weather risks associated with El Nino returning?
A strong El Nino is back, bringing significant rain risk to Southern California. The concern is that drought-hardened ground increases the likelihood of flooding and mudslides when heavy rainfall hits.

Transcript

The full conversation

Every word of the episode, 1,890 of them, in the order they were said.

Read the transcriptHide the transcript

MayaGood morning and welcome to the morning rundown. I'm here with David, and honestly, today's lineup is a lot.

DavidYeah, I looked at the rundown this morning and just went, okay, big day.

MayaSo, first up, SpaceX is public,

DavidWhoa.

Mayalike actually on the Nasdaq as of today. IPO priced at $135 a share, BlackRock dropped a $5 billion order, and okay, I'll just say it. The Washington Post is calling Elon Musk the world's f***. first trillionaire on paper.

DavidOn paper. Always gotta say, on paper.

MayaAlways. We'll dig into what that actually means.

DavidAnd then we've got the Iran situation, which is moving fast. Trump called off strikes as a deal's close, but Tehran's telling a different story. WSJ flagged the contradiction this morning.

MayaRight. Markets surged 930 points on the news, so Wall Street's betting one way, whether that holds is the real question.

DavidAnd then we close with something a little lighter. Lighter. El Niño's back, there's a three-planet parade tonight at sunset, and apparently scientists just mapped underground fungal networks across the entire

MayaMm

Davidplanet.

Maya-hmm.

David:

MayaThat last one is wild.

DavidSuper wild. Alright, markets and SpaceX first.

MayaAll right, so we've got a big one to kick off with this morning. SpaceX is going public today on the NASDAQ, and this is genuinely one of those circle-the-date moments for the markets.

DavidYeah, the Wall Street Journal had live updates running this morning. Dow futures are basically flat, but nobody's really watching the Dow right now. All eyes are on SpaceX.

MayaRight? Like, futures can be flat. I don't care. SpaceX. That's the story. Sorry.

DavidExactly. And the IPO price came in at $135 a share. Yahoo Finance reported that ahead of the Nasdaq debut.

MayaWait, $135 and then what happened in shadow trading?

DavidBloomberg had shares indicated more than 35% higher in pre-market shadow trading, so the demand is clearly there.

MayaThat's wild, right? 35% pop before the thing even officially opens?

DavidAnd BlackRock (the Wall Street Journal reported this), BlackRock put in at least a $5 billion order. $5 billion!

MayaOkay, okay, okay, so this isn't just retail investors refreshing their Robinhood app.

DavidNo, no, this is institutional money at full volume.

MayaSo walk me through the Elon number because the Washington Post ran a piece this morning that kind of broke my brain a little.

DavidSo Elon Musk is now on paper the world's first trillionaire. That's trillion with a T.

MayaNo way.

DavidWashington Post confirmed it today. And the caveats matter. This is paper wealth. It's tied to his SpaceX stake. X day can valuations can move fast in both directions.

MayaRight. It's not like he's walking around with a trillion dollars in a suitcase.

DavidRight. Follow the money, though. What the IPO actually means for regular investors is different from what it means for Elon's net worth headline.

MayaHow so?

DavidSo when a company this size goes public, you'd expect some democratization-regular people getting access to shares. But the five billion dollar BlackRock order? The order tells you who's really at the front of the line. Institutional money moves first, retail follows, usually at a higher price.

MayaSo the trillion dollar headline is Elon's win and the timing risk is ours?

DavidI mean, I wouldn't be that cynical about it. SpaceX is a real company with real revenue, government contracts, Starlink subscriptions. It's not a meme stock. But yeah, buying in after a 35% pre-market pop requires some faith. faith.

MayaThat tracks. Okay, and then we've also got Apple dropping stuff today. Like, as if the SpaceX IPO wasn't enough for one Friday.

DavidWWDC26 keynote happened. Apple announced its third generation of Apple Foundation Models. That's their on-device AI framework. 9to5Mac had a breakdown of it this morning.

MayaOn-device, meaning your phone is actually doing the AI work, not just pinging a server somewhere?

DavidExactly. Some runs on-device, some goes to their cloud. out, and Forbes reported the first developer beta for iOS 27 is already out.

MayaiOS 27? I'm still figuring out iOS 26, but okay.

DavidWe all are.

MayaSo it's a massive day for tech. SpaceX on the Nasdaq, Apple rolling out new AI, Elon crossing a trillion on paper, lot of big capital moving around.

DavidAnd markets generally had a strong session yesterday, too. The Dow surged 930 points.

MayaNine hundred thirty points, that is not a small number.

DavidNot at all. The Wall Street Journal had the full market rundown. And here's what's interesting: that nine hundred thirty point surge had a very specific trigger, and it wasn't in a boardroom or a server farm.

MayaSo what happened?

DavidSomething involving a canceled order and a potential deal that rattled the whole geopolitical picture overnight. What made Washington and Tehran both make headlines on the same day for entirely different reasons?

MayaSo that Dow surge, 930 points? The WSJ confirmed it was the Iran headline that moved markets that fast.

DavidYeah, Trump called off planned military strikes on Iran, said a deal is, quote, close, and traders basically exhaled all at once.

MayaThat's a big exhale.

DavidIt really is. But here's where it gets complicated. Tehran came back almost immediately and said no decision has been made. So you've got two very different stories coming out of the same negotiation. negotiations.

MayaWait, like same day Trump says deal and Iran says not so much?

DavidSame day. The Wall Street Journal had both statements side by side. Washington saying it's done. Tehran saying, hold on.

MayaI mean, that gap is not small.

DavidNo, it's not. And the Washington Post reported the U.S. military was actually three hours away from launching strikes when Trump called them off. Three hours.

MayaWait, three hours?

DavidThree hours. So this wasn't just... During a slow diplomatic wind-down, this was a very sharp reversal.

MayaOkay, so what's actually in this deal? Like, what are they even negotiating?

DavidSo Axios walked through the text with a diplomat involved in the talks. The framework includes Iran agreeing to limits on uranium enrichment, no weapons-grade material, and the U.S. committing to lift oil sanctions in return.

MayaOil sanctions. That's the big lever, right?

DavidThat's a massive lever. Iran's economy has been crushed under those sanctions. Lifting them is essentially the prize Tehran would be negotiating for.

MayaAnd from Trump's side, what's the framing there?

DavidThe framing is strength: he came in threatening escalation (Axios and the Washington Post both flagged that Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub, was being discussed as a potential target)--and then he stepped back from the edge and offered terms.

MayaArms.

DavidSo the argument is, he negotiated from a position of real pressure, not just talk.

MayaThat's the read; whether it lands is another question entirely.

DavidBecause Iran's saying there's no decision.

MayaRight; CNBC noted that Tehran's public response was basically a denial, which either means the deal isn't as close as Trump says or there's internal disagreement on the Iranian side about whether to accept it.

DavidBoth of those are pretty different problems.

MayaVery different. One is a negotiation still in progress; the other is a deal that falls apart before it's signed.

Speaker 3And markets are currently priced for the optimistic version.

MayaYeah, follow the money, markets rallied hard on the hope, but if Tehran officially walks back, that 930-point surge can reverse just as fast.

Speaker 3CBS News reported Trump said a signing could happen as soon as this weekend, so we're going to find out pretty quickly.

MayaYeah, the timeline is short; either something gets signed or the silence from Tehran gets louder. louder.

Speaker 3And then all eyes go back to Kharg Island.

MayaExactly. That's still on the table if talks collapse.

Speaker 3Okay, well, we're either days away from a major diplomatic deal or days away from a very different kind of headline. Nothing in between.

MayaThat's the whole situation, yeah.

Speaker 3Alright, stepping away from the geopolitics for a second, because we've got something that is genuinely more fun. A strong El Niño is shaping up. There's a three-planet parade in the sky tonight. And scientists just mapped underground fungal networks across the entire planet. The scale is not what I expected.

MayaThe fungal thing alone, I have questions.

Speaker 3Oh, you should. Let's get into it. All right, shifting gears completely, let's end on something that doesn't involve missiles or stock prices.

MayaPlease.

Speaker 3So, El Niño is officially back, and the Los Angeles Times is reporting this cycle could be a strong one. California, pay attention!

MayaYeah, the pattern's already shifting. What are they saying for the West Coast?

Speaker 3More rain for Southern California this winter, potentially a lot more. Which, after years of drought, sounds great, but flooding and mudslides are real risks when the ground's baked dry.

MayaRight, and Wired had a piece on this too, pointing out that a strong El Niño tends to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, so it's a trade-off. The Southeast gets some relief, the West Coast gets soaked.

Speaker 3It's always a trade-off with weather, isn't it? Okay, but here's something with zero downside.

MayaZero?

Speaker 3Zero! Tonight at sunset you get a three planet parade. Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are all lining up low on the western horizon. Space.com says it's happening June twelfth, that's tonight, and it won't last long, so you've got to actually go outside.

MayaHow long of a window are we talking?

Speaker 3Short, like right after sunset, look west and don't dawdle. Mercury especially disappears fast.

MayaI mean, that's a pretty good reason to step away from the Iran news for five minutes.

Speaker 3Genuinely, yes. And then, okay, I have to do this one because it blew my mind. Scientists just published the first global map of underground fungal networks.

MayaWait, like the mycelium stuff?

Speaker 3Exactly. Phys.org covered it. These networks connect tree roots across entire forests. And the scale of

Speaker 4these networks is so much greater than the

Speaker 3The scale of what's mapped now, it's just way bigger than anyone expected.

MayaHow much of the planet are we talking?

Speaker 3Most of it, basically. Almost every terrestrial ecosystem has these underground connections running through it. It's the original internet people have been calling it, which I know is a little cliche at this point, but it fits.

MayaNo, it does fit. Follow the network, same as following the money, just underground.

Speaker 3Exactly. Way older, too.

MayaSo, to recap the vibe here, weather's getting weird. Go look at planets tonight, and the planet has had Wi-Fi this whole time, we just couldn't see it.

Speaker 3That's the Friday energy I wanted. Go find those planets tonight. Seriously-clear sky or not-worth a shot. All right, that's the rundown for today. SpaceX going public, Elon hitting a trillion on paper, I mean, come on.

MayaAnd then the Dow was surging nine hundred and thirty points for a reason that had nothing to do with any of that.

Speaker 3Right? The Iran reversal was the wildest part. Three hours from strikes, and then full stop.

MayaStill a lot of uncertainty there. Tehran and Washington aren't exactly reading from the same script.

Davidscript.

Speaker 3So stay tuned on that one. Big day, a lot to track.

MayaIf you got something out of today's episode, subscribe and leave us a review. Genuinely helps.

Speaker 3We appreciate you spending your morning with us. And that's the rundown. See you tomorrow.

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