🌊 You Get a Pardon! No, You Get a Pardon!

We just awoke from a long nap…. anything happen yesterday?

You know it was a busy news weekend when TikTok getting shut down and then resurrecting hours later barely makes it above the “Happy Hour” section.

As you know, part of our mission is to lower the temperature with sane and alarmism-free news coverage. Today, however, the temperature is near the boiling point of 212 degrees Celsius. Celsius, not Farhenheit right? We took a long nap through chemistry class, too…

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Trump’s First Day

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president

• Declaring Monday “liberation day,” Trump said, “I was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make American great again”

• He then laid out his second-term vision, which included expanding energy production, cracking down on the border, taking control of the Panama Canal, and putting the American flag on Mars

• In attendance were a slew of tech executives (including the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, OpenAI, and Google); celebrities including Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Tucker Carlson; and leaders including Argentina’s Javier Milei

Dig Deeper 

• Trump spent much of Monday and today signing executive orders, including ones designating drug cartels terrorist organizations, withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and WHO, and declaring that, for federal government purposes, there are two sexes

• We’ll have a full update on Trump’s first 24 hours tomorrow

KEY STORY

Pardon Day

On his last day in office, President Biden issued a number of preemptive pardons; on his first, Trump pardoned the January 6 rioters

• Biden’s preemptive pardons included ones for Dr. Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley (a Trump chief of staff-turned-vehement critic), members of the House committee that investigated January 6, and those who testified before it

• In his final minutes, Biden also preemptively pardoned five members of his family, expressing concern they could be subject to “baseless and politically motivated investigations”

• Trump, meanwhile, pardoned nearly 1,600 individuals – whom he called “hostages” – charged over the January 6 Capitol riots. The sweeping pardons extend to both violent and non-violent offenders, including those convicted of assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy

Dig Deeper

• The only rioters Trump did not pardon – 14 people – received commuted (shortened) sentences, paving the way for their release

• Upon signing the order, Trump said, “We hope they come out tonight, frankly”

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KEY STORY

Meme Coin Bonanza

Trump became the newest crypto billionaire with the launch of his meme coin, $TRUMP

• Trump launched the coin on Friday night. By Saturday, it was worth $70B+, with Trump-linked businesses owning 80% of it, worth some $58B

• That sum put Trump among the world’s 25 richest people and meant that his crypto holdings surpassed his real estate and stock ones

• On Sunday, Melania Trump launched her own coin, which quickly hit a $5B market cap (but brought down the value of $TRUMP). Trump and Melania can’t currently sell their holdings, meaning the fortunes exist mainly on paper

Dig Deeper

• The crypto industry has embraced Trump following his campaign promises to de-regulate the industry and build a strategic “bitcoin reserve” through executive orders early in his term. On Monday, bitcoin prices reached a record $109,000

• However, some in the crypto industry blasted the meme coin situation, with one industry lobbyist calling it “a horrible look for the industry already trying to make the case that we’re not a bunch of hucksters, scammers, and fraudsters”

KEY STORY

Ceasefire Begins

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect on Sunday

• The first stage pauses hostilities for 42 days and mandates the release of 33 Israeli hostages and a large number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons

• The ceasefire began on Sunday, when 3 Israeli hostages – women between 24 and 31 – were released and 90 Palestinian prisoners were freed

• While freeing the hostages, Hamas members flashed the “V” for victory sign. They sent them off with “gift bags,” including Arabic language certificates and photos, prompting some Israelis to call it a propaganda coup for the group

Dig Deeper

• So far, the ceasefire has held, with no airstrikes or hostilities reported since Sunday morning. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that both Biden and Trump have authorized Israel to resume strikes if they feel negotiations on the second stage of the deal are “futile”

KEY STORY

TikTok Chaos

TikTok briefly went offline on Saturday before returning on Sunday

• As the app was going dark, Trump posted, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” and vowed to protect them from liability if they keep TikTok online. On Sunday, the app came back with a message: “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok…We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the US”

• The app remains active but off Apple’s and Google’s app stores

Dig Deeper

• Legal analysts say that TikTok may not remain online for long: Trump’s promises to exempt companies from keeping TikTok online may not hold up, meaning the companies continue to face significant risk

• Those found to violate the law – which may currently include TikTok, its server provider Oracle, and others – can be fined $5,000 per day per user, billions of dollars per day

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇺🇸 Department of Government Efficiency co-head Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly leaving the new agency he co-headed. He reportedly clashed with Elon Musk and is planning a run to become Ohio’s governor

🌬️ Stock in the world’s largest wind turbine company fell 17% the day after Trump’s inauguration. Analysts expect a Biden-era boom in renewables to end

🦠 Tanzania’s president confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola-esque Marburg Virus days after the nation’s health authorities denied the presence of the disease

✨ Trump’s inauguration drew a star-studded list of CEOs, celebrities, and current and former politicians

🔪 The teenager whose stabbing of three children in Southport, England sparked riots last year pleaded guilty to the attacks and related crimes

COMMUNITY
What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Today’s question: From the pardons to the inauguration, so much happened yesterday. So our general question is… thoughts?

Replay to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🔥 Hot Chips, Hot Water: A Missouri woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for using Takis tortilla chips to start a house fire, deliberately choosing the spicy snacks for their high grease content

🧒 Time Really Is Money: A Houston elementary school enacted a policy that charges $1 per minute per child for late pickups after 3:30 PM

🏈 Football Madness: The Buffalo Bills will face the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Commanders will face the Philadelphia Eagles in next weekend’s NFL conference finals. The winners will face off in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Ohio State topped Notre Dame to win the College Football Championship

🔥 Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Brain Rot: A 19-year-old Wisconsin teen, enraged by TikTok's temporary US ban, was arrested for setting fire to their Congressman's office at 1 AM on Sunday

🇳🇱 No Whine January: The Netherlands launched a nationwide 30-day no-complaining challenge on Monday in an effort to combat excessive negativity

ROCA WRAP
The Brad Scam

In February 2023, “Anne” had just started using Instagram on a ski trip when she received a message from a woman.

"She told me that her son needed someone like me," Anne recounted to French broadcaster TF1.

The lady then identified herself to “Anne” – a 50-year-old French interior designer whose real name hasn’t been disclosed – as Jane Etta Pitt, mother of Brad Pitt. 

"At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it's ridiculous," Anne said. "But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me."

“Brad Pitt” messaged her soon after: "My mother told me a lot about you." 

“After that, we contacted each other every day and we became friends,” Anne recalled.

Anne was married to a millionaire 19 years her senior with whom she was going through a difficult period, and Brad – claiming to be reeling from his divorce with Angeline Jolie – inundated her with poetry and love notes.

"He knew how to talk to a woman," Anne said.

Brad would never answer Anne’s calls, but sent a video message to reassure her. That AI-generated video and others would seal the scam and ruin Anne’s life.

The first time Brad asked for money, he said it was to pay customs fees so she could receive luxury goods that he had bought for her. Despite paying €9,000 and receiving nothing, Anne continued the conversation.

Later, after divorcing her husband, Anne revealed that she had received a €775,000 settlement. Brad revealed that he was being treated for kidney cancer – and couldn’t pay for it because of his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie.

Inundated with AI-generated images of Brad in the cancer ward, Anne sent most of her settlement money to him. In the end, she lost $850,000, wiping out her savings.

"Like a fool, I paid... Every time I doubted him, he managed to dissipate my doubts," Anne said. She – herself in remission from cancer – added, "I told myself I was maybe saving a man's life."

Anne told media that she had lingering doubts about Brad’s identity and considered blocking his number, however, the emotional connection was too strong.

When she once expressed concern about a report that Pitt was dating businesswoman Inés de Ramon, Brad replied with an article debunking it. Soon after, though, the real Brad Pitt appeared with de Ramon at the Venice Film Festival, making the scam undeniable.

Having broken it off, Anne went on TV to use her story as a warning.

“I just wanted to help someone,” she said. ”Yes, I’ve been scammed. That’s why I came forward, because I’m not the only one in this situation.”

Despite the vast online mockery, Anne insisted, “I’m not crazy or corny, as some people say or write on social networks.”

The story generated so much backlash that on Tuesday, the network that aired it pulled the program, citing “a wave of harassment” against her.

Among much high-profile attention, Netflix France posted on X to advertise "four films with Brad Pitt (for real)," while football club Toulouse FC said, "Hi Anne, Brad told us he would be at the stadium on Wednesday... and you?"

Despite the humiliation, Anne isn’t alone: Last year, five people in Spain were accused of scamming two women out of €325,000, while a San Diego woman recently lost her savings to someone impersonating Keanu Reeves.

Anne has been left with nothing but a few boxes, questions – "Why was I chosen to be hurt this way?" she asked – and a desire for justice: "These people deserve hell. We need to find those scammers, I beg you - please help me find them."

ROCA VIDEO
College Football’s Massive NIL Scam

In 2021, the college football world turned upside down. NIL became legal, and players could finally make money. But what the NIL system has become is unrecognizable: Rogue nonprofits and billionaires have taken over the sport.

This video investigates the current state of NIL, how collectives work, why the IRS is cracking down on them, and what the future of the sport holds.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

NBA coaching legend Pat Riley once said of sports, “There's winning, and then there's misery.” Over the last 48 hours, the Maxes have embodied that quote. On Sunday evening, Max F’s Bills won a thriller over the Ravens to set up a primetime game with the Kansas City Refs Chiefs. Then last night, Max T’s heart broke yet again with Notre Dame’s national championship loss. Congrats to Buckeye Nation, but we’re flying our college football flags half-mast today.

–Max and Max