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đ Biden: Build Back Wall?
Plus: Astronauts getting luxury suits
We didnât just lose a Speaker this week; we also lost a barker. Commander â President Bidenâs two-year-old German shepherd â is no longer âon the White House campusâ following multiple biting incidents involving White House staff and Secret Service officers. Between October 2022 and January, Commander had at least 10 such incidents, with one requiring hospitalization. As the President touted Bidenomics, Commander tried his paw at Bitenomics.
Note: We apologize for the late send today. Whether the mishap is the fault of Big Tech, technical difficulties, or our own incompetence is for you to surmise.
In today's edition:
Now Bidenâs building the wall?
Astronauts getting luxury suits
đ Key Stories
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Biden: Build That Wall?
The Biden administration announced plans to build a 20-mile-long wall on the US-Mexico border
The Trump administration built hundreds of miles of border walls. Biden pledged not âanother foot of wallâ would be built under his presidency
In FY 2019, Congress allocated Customs and Border Protection (CBP) $1.4B to build border walls on the Texas-Mexico border. CBP has requested Congress reallocate or cancel remaining funds, but Congress hasnât. In June, CBP said it is obligated to build a wall with those funds
On Thursday, CBP said it will build a 20-mile-long border wall in Starr County, Texas. It said there is an âacute and immediate needâ for âphysical barriersâ
Dig Deeper
The Biden administration waived 26 laws â including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act â to approve the wall
Some activists criticized the plan, arguing that border walls are ineffective and immoral and that they disrupt local ecosystems
Trump mocked Biden on Truth Social for building the wall after criticizing him for doing so: âI will await his apology!â he wrote
New Alabama Map Chosen
A court picked a new Alabama congressional map that will likely flip one of the stateâs House seats blue
In 2020, Alabama created a new congressional map that made black people the majority in one of seven districts. 27% of the stateâs population is black
Activist groups sued, arguing that violated the Voting Rights Act, and the Supreme Court agreed
On Thursday, a federal court picked a new map for Alabama that will increase one districtâs black population from ~30% to 48.7%. The new map all but ensures that the new district will elect a black Democratic representative, flipping the currently Republican-controlled seat
Dig Deeper
On Thursday, Alabamaâs Republican attorney general said the state will accept the âcourt-imposed mapâ for the 2024 election, although he vowed to continue challenging it
Activist groups called the ruling a victory and said they will bring similar lawsuits in other states
Ohio Human Trafficking Bust
Ohio police arrested 160 people as part of a week-long human trafficking bust
Last week, 100+ Ohio law enforcement agencies and nonprofits participated in a statewide human trafficking bust called âOperation Buyerâs Remorseâ
During that, 149 people were arrested for seeking to pay for sex. Those arrested include a 29-year-old sixth-grade teacher, a US Air Force officer, and an associate professor of math at Indiana University. In total, 160 people were arrested and tens of thousands of dollars were seized
The charges brought are related to soliciting underage prostitutes, promoting trafficking, and other crimesPolice identified 104 human trafficking survivors
Dig Deeper
âThe success of this operation is measured not only by the number of arrests but also by the resources offered to survivors of human trafficking and the intelligence gathered that will propel long-term investigations forward,â Ohioâs Attorney General said in a statement.
âOur message is simple: Donât buy sex in Ohioâ
US Crossbow Assailant Sentenced
A man encouraged by his AI âgirlfriendâ to kill Queen Elizabeth II was sentenced to nine years in jail
On Christmas Day, 2021, 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail scaled the fence around Windsor Castle, one of the UK royal familyâs residences. He carried a loaded crossbow and wore a mask. When confronted by police, he told them, âI am here to kill the Queenâ
During their subsequent investigation, police reported that Chail â a former supermarket worker â had an AI âgirlfriendâ that he chatted with âextensively.â The chatbot encouraged him to go through with his plot to kill the queen, calling it âvery wiseâ and reassuring him that it wasnât âmad or delusional.â When Chail asked if it would still love him if he was a murderer, the bot responded, âAbsolutelyâ
Chail pleaded guilty to treason and on Thursday was sentenced to nine years in jail. He will begin his prison sentence after undergoing psychiatric treatment
Dig Deeper
Chail was also obsessed with Star Wars and reportedly believed himself to be a Sith lord, calling himself âDarth Chail.â In a video recorded four days before the assassination attempt, Chail â of Sikh origin â said he intended to kill the queen as retribution for the Amritsar massacre of 1919, when British colonial troops massacred up to 1,500 peaceful protesters in Punjab, which is home to many Sikhs
đż Popcorn
ICYMI
Tough day for Commander and Commanders: The Chicago Bears ended their 14-game losing streak with a 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football
Eat Mor Chikin: US grocery store chicken prices have reached record highs due to increased demand and reduced production by companies
Fitzgerald v. Northwestern: Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald has sued the university for $130M+ for wrongful termination and damages over the programâs hazing scandal
Wildcard
Get in the virtual hole! TGL â the indoor simulator startup golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy â inked a multiyear deal with ESPN. It debuts on January 9
Cat ate my homework: A cat jumping on a technicianâs keyboard reportedly caused a four-hour system interruption at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri
The astronaut wears Prada: Italian luxury fashion house Prada will collaborate with Axiom Space to design spacesuits for NASAâs 2025 Artemis III mission, the first crewed lunar landing since 1972
đđ» What do you think?
Today's Poll:Do you support building border walls on the US southern border? |
Today's Question:
đŁ 20 Questions
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"You're gonna need a bigger inbox." - Jaws, 1975
Welcome to a Fall-themed "This or That" edition of 20 Questions! We list two fall-related things, and you pick which one you prefer. We canât wait to see the winners!
đ Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Do you currently use a VPN to browse the internet?
Yes: 20%
No: 80%
Yesterday's Question:
What was your favorite childhood toy?
Jamie from Tea, South Dakota: âI wore out a couple spring ponies! Cause ima cowboy bae bae! Of course this was back in the day when Roy Rodgers and Gene Autry were kings! And I still have my original store bought skate board cause I was also a Cali boi and a surfer dude!! I'll attach a pic for yall to get jealous over! Now don't be hatin!!â
Jessica from California: âI (38) had a small chalkboard when I was a kid that I absolutely loved. I wrote some of my first poems on that board. We moved several times when I was a kid and it got lost in the shuffle. I still miss it. Books were my favorite toys and my best friends growing up. I was an only child and my dad was in the Army and we moved constantly.â
Joi from Philly: âI spent hours and hours with my yoyo. I collected every color and style. I could do Around The World. Sleeper. Walk The Dog. It was a big craze back in the day. Every kid brought their yoyo to school and on the playground we all taught each other the best tricks.â
Jackie from Houston: âMr. Bucket! My uncle invented it. We always got to experience the latest and greatest that Milton Bradley had to offer growing up.â
Mary-Anne: âEvery toy my sister had.â
Wrap Replies:
These are responses to yesterdayâs Wrap about Mark Milley.
âMark Milley: a military man with high standards, conduct and belief/living/representing himself without any beating around the bush. Honorable and worthy of respect navigating the tricky political/military labyrinth without missing a step and with keeping his âstreet credâ in tact.â
âMilley actively made our country worseâ
âMilley is a good leader and an excellent advocate for our military. Though he may have overstepped in some areas. It seems like those are political theatrics and our military is stronger because of him.â
âGood for America that Milley is gone. Woke isnât the half of it.â
Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:
Last week, we asked you a range of movie, sitcom, and standup-related comedy questions, in the hope that the Roca community could settle some of the hottest comedy debate questions. Below are some of the most common replies to each prompt.
What is the greatest coming of age comedy of all time?
Ferris Bueller
Napoleon Dynamite
Mean GirlsWhat is your favorite animated comedy TV show?
The Simpsons
South Park
Family GuyWhat is your favorite non-animated comedy TV show?
The Office
Community
FriendsWhat is the funniest Disney/Pixar movie?
Shrek
The Incredibles
Emperorâs New GrooveThe greatest standup comedian of all time?
Robin Williams
Eddie Murphy
Norm MacdonaldWhat actor can make you laugh in any movie he's in?
Robin Williams
Bill Murray
Kevin HartSame question but actress?
Melissa McCarthy
Tina Fey
Betty WhiteThe most rewatchable comedy movie?
Caddyshack
Elf
Groundhog DayAdam Sandler, Will Ferrell, or Steve Carell?
Adam Sandler for consistency, Will Ferrell for raunchy hysteria, Steve Carell for unexpected witWill Ferrell has produced the best work and also the largest volume of the worst work
Ugh! None of the above.
Knock-knock or why did the chicken cross the road jokes?
Knock knock
Greatest SNL cast member of all time?
Steve Martin
Bill Murray
Dan AckroydFavorite talk show host of all time?
Johnny Carson
Steven ColbertDavid Letterman
Favorite comedy podcast or radio show?
Joe Rogan
Car Talk
Bill Burr
Which comedian made the most impressive pivot to drama acting?
Robin Williams
Steve Martin
Adam Sandler
A line from a comedy that you quote all the time?
Iâll have what sheâs having
Youâre killing me smalls
I donât know Napoleon, make yourself a dang quesadilla
I'm not dead yet. I think I'll go for a walk.
Funniest TV dad?
Homer Simpson
Tim Allen
Al Bundy
Funniest TV mom?
Roseanne
Lucille Ball
Claire (modern family)
Is there such a thing as off-limits joking topics? Or can every subject be made funny?
Everything can be funny
The joke isnât off limits, Itâs when and where itâs told thatâs the problem.
No, you just need to know your audience!
There are off-limit topics
Any subject can be joked about if done correctly. Comedy is one of the oldest coping mechanisms for trauma in the human race.
Best comedy of the 2000s?
The Hangover
Bridesmaids
Borat
The funniest advertiser on TV?
Doritos
Burger King
Gold bond with Shaq
All Spice
đ§ Final Thoughts
So we know our plans for this 3-day weekend now! After going through all the replies to the best comedy of the 2000s, we have a long list of movies to catch up on.
Have a great weekend and see you Tuesday!
âMax and Max