Happy National Meaning of the Word ‘Is’ Day. 25 years ago today, President Bill Clinton uttered the unforgettable line, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is” during a grand jury testimony. It remains one of the great questions today: Is there a God? Is Tupac still out there? What does “is” mean?

In today's edition:

• College financial aid cartel

• The Killers’ huge concert mistake

• Person of the week: Henrietta Lacks

 🔑 Key Stories

China’s Laser Breakthrough

Chinese military engineers have developed a laser that can be fired indefinitely

• The US spends $1B+ annually to try to develop military lasers. Those have showed modest success, but a frequent issue is that they tend to overheat, so they can only be used for short spans

• Per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Chinese engineers have developed a cooling system that allows lasers to be used “indefinitely”

• The engineers called that a breakthrough and said it could greatly improve the lethality of laser weapons that could be used to shoot down drones, planes, and satellites

Dig Deeper

• Per the SCMP, China hopes to replace expensive missile systems with high-powered lasers that can cheaply and quickly destroy enemy drones, missiles, and planes. Chinese officials have also formerly indicated that it would use lasers to destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in the event of war, fearing those satellites could support the US military

Financial Aid Cartel?

The University of Chicago became the first of 17 colleges to settle after being accused of conspiring with others to keep financial aid awards low

• Part of a 1994 law – Section 568 – allows colleges to coordinate financial aid policies so long as they are “need-blind,” or don’t consider aid eligibility in admission

• A group of colleges formed the “568 Presidents Group” to coordinate their aid policies. In 2022, five students sued 17 of those schools, alleging they operated a “cartel” to lower aid awards. They also argued the schools aren’t need-blind. Last week, the University of Chicago settled the case against it for $13.5M

• The 17 universities – six of which are Ivy League schools and all of which consistently rank among the US’ top 25 universities – all denied the allegations

Dig Deeper

• The lawsuit is class-action – a lawsuit brought on behalf of many people – and attorneys for the students have claimed as many as 200,000 students from over the last 20 years could join

• The case is currently in pre-trial proceedings and may not reach a trial until 2025, if ever

Free Money

A Bank of Ireland glitch on Tuesday allowed people to withdraw “free” money

• On Tuesday morning, the Bank of Ireland app unexpectedly stopped working; hours later, posts went viral of people withdrawing more money than they had without changing their account balance

• An Irish 23-year-old who spoke with Roca said police were blocking off ATMs. He then transferred €450 – more money than he had in his account – from his Bank of Ireland account to a personal betting account. The money went through – and when the app came back online, his balance hadn’t changed

• On Wednesday, the Bank of Ireland said it would update all balances to account for all withdrawals. Those who took out more than they had would be overdrawn

Dig Deeper

• “We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us,” the bank said. Irish police reminded people of their “personal responsibility” over their finances

North Korea: We Have King

North Korea publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has detained a US soldier who fled there

• Last month, US soldier Travis King was released from jail in South Korea for assault allegations. He went to the airport to fly back to the US, but instead left the airport, joined a tour of the DMZ – which separates North and South Korea – and then fled across it

• On Wednesday, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that King is in custody. It quoted King – who is black – as allegedly saying he fled to escape “inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination”

• The Pentagon could not verify North Korea’s claims. The US is reportedly trying to communicate with North Korea through Swedish intermediaries

Dig Deeper

• The report said King had “illegally” crossed into North Korea. Analysts say the use of the word “illegally” may be significant, because it could indicate that North Korea will be willing to trade King back to the US rather than grant him refugee status

The Healthy Alternative to Sugary Sports Drinks

Together with LMNT

LMNT helps anyone stay hydrated—without the sugar and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks

• Since the 1940s, we’ve been told to drink eight glasses of water per day. However, only hydrating with plain water can dilute your electrolyte levels – which can lead to things like headaches, low energy, brain fog, and more

• Electrolytes are essential minerals that facilitate vital bodily functions, including the conduction of nerve impulses, hormonal regulation, nutrient absorption, and fluid balance

• When people sweat they lose water and electrolytes, but most people only replace the water. LMNT electrolytes contain what you need – the salts – without all the other harmful additives. Just mix it with water and it’s perfect for hydrating, be it after a workout or night out

• Other popular electrolyte drinks contain as much as 36 grams of sugar. 36 GRAMS! LMNT contains none – NONE!

• You can try it totally risk-free. If you don’t like it, they’ll give you your money back – no questions asked

• We aren't just saying this because of this ad: We at Roca love LMNT and drink it often. It's not too sweet, tastes great, and is refreshing. We can honestly recommend it!

Dig Deeper

• Right now LMNT is offering Roca Riders a free sample pack with any purchase. That’s eight single servings FREE with any LMNT order. This is a great way to try all eight flavors or share LMNT with a salty friend

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Oops, she did it again: Brittney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari have separated after one year of marriage. Asghari is a 29-year-old model and fitness instructor

• Messi effect: The cheapest resale ticket to watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play against Nashville SC on Saturday costs $807.30 pre-tax for standing room

• Oh, nose: Actor Bradley Cooper is facing accusations of “Jewface” for wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming film Maestro. Bernstein’s children are defending Cooper

Wildcard

• Eat mor pimento: Chick-fil-A will add a new chicken sandwich – the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich – to its menu for the first time in nine years

• Mr. Darkside: The Killers apologized for bringing a Russian fan on stage during a show in the country of Georgia. On Tuesday, The Killers invited the fan on stage to play drums and when the lead singer Brandon Flowers called him the “crowd’s brother,” the crowd responded with boos

• He’s not Kenough: Impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton used an Uber account with the fake name “Dave P” to visit his mistress, per new court filings

👇 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Is it ethical to conduct experiments on brain-dead patients?

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia. 

When Henrietta was four years old, her mother died giving birth to her tenth child. Unable to care for the children alone, Lacks's father moved the family to the small town of Clover in southern Virginia, where the children were distributed among relatives.

Henrietta ended up with her maternal grandfather. She lived in a two-story log cabin, once the slave quarters of a plantation that Henrietta's white great-grandfather and great-uncle had owned.

She shared a room with David "Day" Lacks, her nine-year-old first cousin – and future husband. Like most members of her family, she worked as a tobacco farmer from an early age.

Henrietta attended the designated black school two miles away from the cabin. But in sixth grade, she had to drop out to help support the family.

In 1935, at age 14, Henrietta gave to a son fathered by Day; four years later, a daughter. In 1941, the couple married and moved to Maryland, where Day had found work at a steel plant. Living in Maryland, Henrietta and Day had three more children.

But in early 1951, Henrietta started to feel ill. On January 29, she went to Johns Hopkins – the only hospital in the area that treated black patients – and reported a “knot” in her stomach. There she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. She soon passed away at age 31 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

But her cells lived on.

While receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, a sample of her cancerous cells was taken without her knowledge or consent. This was a common practice at the time, but the lack of informed consent would later become a major ethical issue.

The procedure led to a startling discovery: The cells continued to grow and multiply in a laboratory, which no human cells had done before. While most cell samples died shortly after being removed from the body, Henrietta’s thrived. It later emerged that the cells’ immortality came from the infection that led to her cancer.

But as the first ones found to live forever, her cells became highly valuable. They could be sold to any lab, where researchers could cultivate them indefinitely and reproduce studies using identical cells. Those cells — named HeLa, after Henrietta Lacks – fueled research in labs worldwide.

HeLa cells have since become one of the most important tools in medicine, contributing to breakthroughs like the polio vaccine and treatments for cancer, Parkinson’s, and the flu. That also brought billions of dollars in profits to the lab that managed and cultivated the cells — but not to Henrietta's family.

For decades, the Lacks family had no idea about the extraction or use of Henrietta's cells. Then in 1973, researchers, seeking to conduct further genetic research on the HeLa cell line, contacted family members to request blood samples.

The researchers' inquiries raised questions among Henrietta’s relatives, who said they were shocked to learn that her cells were being bought, sold, and used in labs around the world, all without their knowledge.

A legal battle ensued.

The Lacks family argued that the cells were taken without her consent, and that the family was not informed about the continuous use and commercialization of the cells for decades. They said the family should have had some say in how the cells were used and that they deserved compensation for the commercial profits made from the cells.

Some in the science and business communities argued that the cells were taken at a time when obtaining consent for such procedures was not a standard practice. They emphasized the cells’ enormous contributions to medical research and progress, and said restrictions on HeLa cells’ use or financial obligations toward the Lacks family might hinder scientific progress.

In 2021, Henrietta’s family sued Thermo Fisher Scientific, the company that had been developing and selling HeLa cells, accusing the company of unjustly enriching itself off Lacks’ cells and illegally commercializing Lacks’ genetic material. Thermo Fisher argued in court that claims were invalid and the lawsuit was brought too late.

After two years, the family announced this month they had settled with Thermo Fisher for an unspecified amount. The news emerged on August 1, on what would have been Henrietta’s 103rd birthday. “It was a long fight, over 70 years, and Henrietta Lacks gets her day,” her grandson said.

Then last Thursday, the family filed another lawsuit against Ultragenyx, a biotech company that used HeLa cells to develop gene therapy products. Lawyers for the family say they plan to continue to file lawsuits against corporations they accuse of unjustly profiting from Henrietta’s cells.

Like Herietta’s cells, the legal battles go on.

Does Henrietta’s family deserve compensation from HeLa cells’ profits? Let us know at [email protected]!

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

In general, your perception of San Francisco is…
Good: 75%
Bad: 25%
Neutral/no opinion

Yesterday's Question:

Is capping airfares like Italy is doing a good idea?

Jeff: Based on the current number of customer complaints recently. Absolutely!”

Janet: “Capping prices sounds like a lovely idea. But if the airlines are to stay in business, how would they cover increasing costs of fuel and manpower?”yes

Lea from Ann Arbor, Michigan: “Yes! Airfares are making flight travel unaffordable for many. It shouldn't only be for the very wealthy - and it's worrisome that folks who really need to travel will be priced out. The airlines deserve to make a profit, but price-gouging should be regulated”

Michael (age 26) from Dalton, Georgia: “Absolutely, airfare prices everywhere are ridiculously expensive! Not any different from the cost of everything else it seems. I think it would benefit everyone including companies to make flights more affordable that way more people can travel and it’s not a money grab every time I try to fly anywhere. I’ve only flown in a plane 5 times in my life and I’d credit expensive ticket prices for having not flown more or internationally.”

Yesterday's Wrap Replies:

Carrah from “small town in Indiana”: “My reply is circumstantial- I work in an office with computers that I do not own or maintain, on a shared network database. In my case I think the business has every right to know what kind of sites I am visiting and what kind of work they are paying me by the hour to do. If they were not happy with me I would not feel good about working for them. Anything private that I don’t want my coworkers/bosses to know about or risky sites that a person might visit should be done on unpaid time with a personal computer. That being said, if your work requires you to work from home, with your own computer, and you are paid by the job done rather than by your time, I would see that being an infringement on a person’s rights to privacy.”

Adam from Oklahoma: “This one feels pretty easy on the surface (as most things do, I suppose). If the computer is a company asset given to the employee for work purposes. The company should have every right to track how their asset is being used, keystrokes, browsing history, etc. similar to a company vehicle - it’s a way to hold people accountable. I am sure more people would work a little harder if they know they are being monitored. If they’re doing the right thing and their job there’s nothing to be worried about. I know my company has the ability to monitor my computer and it doesn’t bother me at all because all I do is my work on it, nothing more, nothing less.”

Bridget from Berwick, Maine: “Here’s my thoughts. Who needs this additional daily stress in the work life? Screw this company and any others that treat employees like rats after cheese.”

Anonymous: “When you go to work, you go to work to work, you don’t go to take care of your private business. Do it before you go to work, do it on your lunch break, or do it when you get home? So simple as that”

Rachel from Houston, Texas: “On the one hand: I can see some value in identifying burnout and disengagement, and then using that to figure out how the company (hierarchy, environment, etc) could change. On the other: If the sole purpose is to monitor individual employees as if they’re something more like machines than people and penalize and/or fire them, UGH. No one is more productive or happy or fulfilled when someone is breathing down their neck and watching their every move (and I think it’s what this type of monitoring software would feel like).”

🧠 Final Thoughts

We hope you all enjoyed today’s newsletter. Also, thank you to the thousands (!!!) of you who formed the form offering to meet us while we are on reporting trips. We hope to meet all of you soon.

Have a nice Thursday!

—Max and Max