🌊 Adams of Arabia?

The Taylor Swift economy is back.

Target announced they will open 500 stores at midnight on October 3rd to sell physical copies of Taylor Swift’s album “The Life of a Showgirl.” As annoying as the “Taylor Swift is literally carrying the US economy” discourse was in 2023, we have to hand it to her: Sending Target back to the early 2000s era for a physical CD release is pretty impressive. We’re happy for the Swifties, but can we not turn this into the Buzz Lightyear meet-and-greet line at Disney where the kids wait behind childless adults who pregamed it? It’s a school night!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Europe Pledges Troops to Ukraine

26 countries formally committed to providing security guarantees for Ukraine following a summit in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron

• Last month, President Trump met with Russian President Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, while European leaders have been working on security guarantee plans

• Macron said the 26 nations were ready to be "present on the ground, in the sea or in the air" to provide security for Ukraine “the day after a cease-fire or peace”

• Ukrainian officials proposed boots on the ground, with countries that are unable to send significant troop contingents potentially contributing fighter jets, air support, intelligence, Black Sea naval deployments, or financial funding instead

Dig Deeper

• During a virtual call with European leaders following the Paris summit, Trump turned his criticism toward the EU rather than Russia, emphasizing that European leaders should put economic pressure on China for funding Russia's war efforts

• Putin warned Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be “legitimate targets for destruction” and offered to meet Zelensky only in Moscow, which Zelensky dismissed as unserious

• Macron accused Russia of using "false pretenses, false openings and delaying tactics" to avoid negotiating for peace

KEY STORY

Adams of Arabia?

Trump Administration advisers are considering offering government positions to NYC Mayor Eric Adams to reshape the mayoral race

• Polls show State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leading the mayor’s race over a divided field of Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The Trump Administration is considering trying to clear the field for Cuomo, who is polling second, so Mamdani – a democratic socialist – does not win

• Last week, Trump adviser Steve Witkoff met with Adams in Florida. The administration is reportedly considering various positions for Adams, including an ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia

• So far, both Adams and Sliwa have said they do not plan to drop out

Dig Deeper 

• Mamdani called the reported discussions “an affront to our democracy,” saying “Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump's choice to be the next mayor of this city” and that New York “is not for sale”

• Adams' campaign denied he had spoken with Trump or received any job offers, while Sliwa stated the White House had not contacted him and reiterated he had no interest in an administration job

• Election law would prevent Adams or Sliwa from removing their names from the ballot even if they withdrew from the race, due to existing ballot certification and printing timelines

• Three weeks ago, we sat down with Mayor Adams. If you want to see the full interview, watch right here!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

US Jobs Decline

The US economy added only 22,000 jobs in August, far below economists expectations and signaling a sharp slowdown in the labor market

• The unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in August, the highest level since October 2021, while wage growth slowed to 3.7% annually

• Manufacturing shed 12,000 jobs in August and lost 78,000 positions over the year, while federal government employment dropped by 15,000 as the Trump Administration continued downsizing efforts

• The Labor Department also revised June and July data downward by 21,000 jobs, revealing that the economy actually lost 13,000 jobs in June – the first monthly job loss since December 2020

Dig Deeper

• President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer last month after July's weak jobs report, accusing her of manipulating employment data

• Trump nominated EJ Antoni as her replacement – the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, who has written opinion pieces critical of the BLS

KEY STORY

UK Arrests Palestine Action Protestors

UK police arrested 890 people at a protest challenging a ban on Palestine Action

• Since 2021, Palestine Action has occupied and vandalized arms facilities they said were enabling Israel. In June, two of its members broke into a British military base and caused £7M+ of damage. The group was subsequently deemed by the UK government to be a terrorist organization, support for which was made punishable with up to 14 years in prison

• On Saturday, people protested in London in support of the group, holding placards that read, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The police proceeded to arrest 890 people, 857 of them under a law that criminalizes support for terrorist organizations

• The UK home secretary said, "Supporting Palestine and supporting a proscribed terrorist group are not the same thing"

Dig Deeper 

• The arrests came amid several high-profile free-speech-related cases in Britain

• Last Monday, comedian Graham Linehan was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport for making offensive jokes about trans people. Two weeks before that, Lucy Connolly – a 42-year-old woman convicted of making anti-migrant social media posts – was released from prison after serving a year

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💲 Tesla's board unveiled a new compensation plan that could award Elon Musk up to $1T over ten years if he meets ambitious performance targets

🇬🇧 UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned from all government positions following revelations she underpaid stamp duty on an £800,000 property purchase in East Sussex

⚖️ A federal appeals court allowed Alligator Alcatraz – Florida’s immigration detention facility in the Everglades – to continue operating after putting a lower court shutdown order on hold

🇯🇵 Japan agreed to let Trump choose how to invest $550B in US projects as part of a deal to reduce tariffs from 25% to 15%

🔋 Federal agents arrested 475 individuals at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution electric vehicle battery factory construction site in Georgia on Friday for immigration violations

What does Roca Nation think?

🌕 Today’s Question: Do you believe the moon landing happened? Why or why not? We’re interviewing an expert this week.

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

📱 Cell-Phone Socials: Elizabeth Holmes has been actively tweeting from federal prison, updating her X bio to note, “Mostly my words, posted by others,” before launching into replies supporting longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson's anti-aging crusade

⚾ Ball Brawl Goes Viral: A young Philadelphia Phillies fan received special gifts from both teams after a woman took away a home run ball that had been given to him during Friday's game against Miami

⚖️ Zuckerberg v. Zuckerberg: An Indiana bankruptcy lawyer named Mark S. Zuckerberg is suing Meta after the platform repeatedly suspended his account for allegedly impersonating the tech billionaire

🏋️‍♀️ The Mountain Moves Mountains: Game of Thrones actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson broke his own deadlift world record again, lifting 510 kg at the World Deadlift Championships in Birmingham

🥊 Legendary Matchup: Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to face off in an exhibition match next spring, with details on location and broadcast still to be determined

ROCA WRAP
Divine Mission

Pakistan

In 2010, an American construction worker armed with a samurai sword was arrested in this country while hunting the world's most wanted terrorist.

Gary Faulkner, a Colorado construction worker and landlord with no military training, became obsessed with capturing Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks. The 52-year-old carpenter believed he was on a mission from God and made multiple trips to Pakistan beginning in the mid-2000s, convinced he could succeed where armies had failed. Faulkner told people he had received divine visions about bin Laden's location and even believed that completing his mission would make him king of a Central American nation.

On his final expedition in June 2010, Faulkner arrived in Pakistan carrying an extraordinary collection of equipment: A samurai sword he'd bought after seeing it advertised on TV, a Chinese .30-caliber pistol he bought in a back alley for $100, night vision goggles, handcuffs, a Bible, and a prayer book. He checked into the Ishpata Inn in Bumburet Valley near the Afghan border, where he claimed Al-Qaeda operatives spotted and photographed him.

Pakistani police arrested Faulkner on June 13, 2010 and initially found the situation so absurd that they laughed when he explained his mission. “We initially laughed when he told us he wanted to kill Osama bin Laden,” a senior Peshawar police official told reporters. During his ten-day detention, authorities treated him relatively well, even providing Pizza Hut meals, and discovered he needed kidney dialysis treatments. The arrest created minor diplomatic tensions, with some Pakistanis suspecting Faulkner worked for the CIA or private military contractors.

Faulkner was released without charges and flew back to Colorado, where supporters cheered his arrival at Denver International Airport. Nearly a year after Faulkner's arrest, Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in Abbottabad – nowhere near the remote mountains where the amateur bounty hunter had been searching. Faulkner later claimed credit for driving bin Laden from the mountains to the valleys, demanding his share of the $25M reward.

Faulkner's divine mission ended not in glory, but in a Pakistani jail cell with pizza for dinner.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

What a thrilling win for the Bills last night and Steelers earlier in the afternoon. Between that and the smell of fall in the air, it was a beautiful weekend indeed.

By the way, in case you missed it, here’s Max F’s recent report from New Jersey’s oil ports. It’s an undercovered area and topic, and we think all of you — especially our Jersey viewers — will find it interesting. Have a wonderful day!

–Max and Max