🌊 And Then There Were Three

“Son, what’s a Bad Bunny?”

Yesterday evening we learned that this year’s Super Bowl halftime performer this year will be Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny has been Spotify’s most-listened-to artist three times, but in our hyper-segmented culture many are just learning who he is. For your Uncle Gary still grappling with the existence of ESPN Deportes, you can expect an active family group chat for his performance. “Can we at least get subtitles? Our Founding Fathers are weeping!”

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Adams Drops Out of Race

NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday he would end his reelection campaign, just five weeks before Election Day

• Adams became NYC’s second black mayor in January 2022 and was initially hailed as a potential future of the Democratic Party, but faced federal corruption charges in 2024, becoming the first sitting NYC mayor in modern history to be indicted

• Though the Trump Administration later dropped the charges, the scandals severely damaged his political standing

• Adams blamed his campaign’s collapse on media speculation and the Campaign Finance Board withholding millions in public matching funds, saying, “The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Board's decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign”

Dig Deeper 

• Recent polling showed Adams in fourth place with 8% support, with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani leading at 45%, followed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo at 25% and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 9%

• Adams did not endorse another candidate and urged voters to be “suspicious of any politician or political movement that claims we must wholesale destroy the systems we created together over generations in order to usher in a new, untested order led by self-styled saviors”

• Adams’ campaign had reportedly engaged in negotiations with Trump Administration officials about potential roles before ultimately deciding to exit the race

KEY STORY

Trump Announces Drug Tariffs

President Trump announced that the US would impose 100% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports starting October 1

• The president said the tariffs would apply to “branded or patented” pharmaceutical products, but companies building US manufacturing plants could be exempt

• Generic drugs, which account for about 90% of prescriptions filled in the US, would not be affected by the new levies

• Trump said the exemption would apply to companies “breaking ground” or with facilities “under construction,” potentially protecting major drugmakers like Eli Lilly, GSK, AstraZeneca, and Merck that have recently started building US plants

Dig Deeper

• The pharmaceutical industry warned that tariffs could divert funds from research and manufacturing investments. “Tariffs risk those plans because every dollar spent on tariffs is a dollar that cannot be invested in American manufacturing or the development of future treatments and cures,” said a spokesperson for PhRMA, the industry's main lobbying group

• Trump also announced tariffs on other products, including a 25% tariff on imported heavy-duty trucks, a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture

KEY STORY

UK to Require Digital ID Cards

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that all workers in the UK would be required to have digital ID cards by the end of the decade

• The UK has faced ongoing debates over illegal immigration, with particular concern about migrants crossing the English Channel and working illegally. Unlike most European countries, where ID cards are common, Britain has resisted mandatory identification systems

• The cards would be stored on smartphones and include a person's name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and photograph

• “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID,” Starmer said

Dig Deeper

• The announcement came as Starmer’s Labour Party faced mounting pressure over immigration, with more than 50,000 migrants arriving on small boats since Labour took office in July 2024

• Recent polling showed Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party leading in public opinion surveys, despite holding only five parliamentary seats

• The plan drew immediate criticism from across the political spectrum, with civil liberties groups warning about mass surveillance risks

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

Shooter Attacks Michigan Church

A gunman drove into a Michigan church, opened fire during Sunday services – killing at least four people – and set fire to the building

• Sunday’s attack occurred at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Grand Blanc Township, as the Mormon members mourned the recent death of Russell M. Nelson, the president of the LDS Church

• A 40-year-old man, identified as US Marine veteran Thomas Jacob Sanford from Burton, Michigan, drove his vehicle through the front doors of the church on Sunday morning before opening fire with a rifle on congregants attending services. The gunman also set fire to the church building before police killed him in a gunfight

Dig Deeper

• President Trump called the incident “yet another targeted attack on Christians” and urged an end to the “epidemic of violence” in the country

• The police chief said authorities expected to find additional victims inside the church who were unable to escape the flames. The fire was contained shortly before 1 PM

• About 100 FBI agents joined local police in the investigation to determine a motive

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📱 President Trump signed an executive order advancing a deal for American investors to purchase TikTok’s US operations from Chinese owner ByteDance for approximately $14B, with ByteDance retaining less than 20% ownership.

💰 Electronic Arts (EA) faces a potential $50B private buyout from a consortium led by Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners.

🧑‍⚖️ A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice. The indictment comes just days after President Trump demanded prosecution and replaced the US attorney who previously found insufficient evidence.

🇮🇷 International sanctions against Iran have been restored after Tehran failed to meet a 30-day deadline to address Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear program violating the 2015 nuclear accord.

🪧 President Trump ordered federal troops to Portland, Oregon, with authorization to use “full force” against protesters at ICE facilities, despite local officials saying such intervention is unnecessary.

What does Roca Nation think?

🍿 Today’s Question: What was the highlight of your weekend?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🍻 Michelob Muscles In: Michelob Ultra has claimed the top spot in US beer sales, overtaking Modelo Especial two years after parent company Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light lost its market leadership following a consumer boycott over transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney

⛷️ An Alpine Idyll: Polish adventure skier Andrzej Bargiel became the first person to climb and ski down Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, completing a feat that took him three attempts over five years

🦈 Surf’s Up, Bites Down: Australian scientists tested bite-resistant wetsuits by letting sharks chomp on materials at sea and found the suits significantly reduce damage from shark attacks, though they don’t prevent bites entirely

🦪 Oyster-Powered Orthopedics: Chinese scientists have developed a revolutionary “bone glue” that can heal fractures in just three minutes using a single injection, replacing months of recovery and invasive surgeries with metal plates

🫁 Double Dose Defense: A groundbreaking study found that a combination asthma inhaler reduced attacks in children by 45% compared to the standard salbutamol treatment, potentially transforming care for 113 million kids worldwide with asthma

ROCA WRAP
For the Love of the Game

Grigori Perelman

After solving one of the world's most famous mathematical problems, this mathematician became the only person to decline the international mathematics Fields Medal.

Born in Leningrad (as it was then called) in 1966, Grigori Perelman displayed extraordinary mathematical ability from childhood. His mother abandoned her own graduate studies to nurture his talent, enrolling him in specialized programs. At 16, he achieved a perfect score at the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning gold for the Soviet team.

In the 1990s, Perelman accepted research positions at elite American universities, including Princeton, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. Despite proving major theorems and receiving offers from top institutions, he shocked the mathematical world by rejecting all opportunities and returning to Saint Petersburg in 1995.

Between 2002-2003, Perelman posted three papers online solving the Poincaré conjecture, one of mathematics' most notorious century-old problems. Using revolutionary techniques, he developed methods that stunned experts worldwide. In 2006, officials approached Perelman in Saint Petersburg to award him the Fields Medal, mathematics’ highest honor. His response was stunning: “I’m not interested in money or fame. I don’t want to be on display like an animal in a zoo.” He became the first person to decline the Fields Medal in its 70-year history.

In 2010, Perelman also refused the Clay Institute's $1M Millennium Prize, calling the decision “unfair” for not recognizing mathematician Richard Hamilton's foundational contributions. His rejections stemmed from deep disappointment with the mathematical community's ethical standards. “It is not people who break ethical standards who are regarded as aliens,” he said. “It is people like me who are isolated.”

Since 2006, Perelman has lived in seclusion, caring for his elderly mother and avoiding all media contact. When one reporter called, he simply said, “You are disturbing me. I am picking mushrooms.”

The man who solved humanity’s greatest mathematical puzzle became an enigma himself.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Max F spent his gallivanting around remote Scotland, while Max T spent his picking apples in upstate New York (“upstate” is New York City transplant for “1 hour north of Times Square.”)

Last week your responses to the questions of the day were incredible — excited for another week of hearing your takes in our inbox. In the meantime, check out our latest mini-doc on Appalachia’s most stereotyped town. Thank you to our Kentucky readers for all the recs!

–Max and Max