- The Current
- Posts
- đ Breaking: Secret Service Director Resigns
đ Breaking: Secret Service Director Resigns
Plus: Spain turns on tourists...
Has Nick Castellanos replaced The Simpsons in augury?
A few years ago, MLB star Nick Castellanos launched a meme with the crack of his bat. While the commentator was apologizing for using a slur on air, Castellanos hit a homer. Hereâs the video. Since then, heâs developed a bizarre reputation for hitting home runs at bad times, and when youâre giving an apology, you can always drift into the âas thereâs a drive into deep left field by CastellanosâŠâ
Well, itâs gotten even crazier: On the day of Trumpâs attempted assassination, he slugged a homer. And then, on Sunday, when Biden resigned, he slugged a homer. Next time you fly Spirit, make sure to check his box score that morning. This is getting out of hand.
đ« Dems rally around Kamala
đȘđž Spain turns on tourists
đșđž LeBron becomes LeFlagBearer
âMax and Max
KEY STORY
Secret Service Head Resigns
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned this morning, a day after testifying in Congress
Cheatle worked for the Secret Service for 27 years, then briefly for Pepsi before becoming director in 2022
In Congress on Monday, she acknowledged that Trump shooter Thomas Crooks was identified as âsuspiciousâ at the rally but said that didnât mean he posed a threat. She called the shooting the serviceâs âmost significant operational failureâŠin decadesâ
Cheatle deflected many questions, saying more would be known in 60 days. That angered both partiesâ reps, many of whom called on her to resign
She rejected those calls during the hearing, claiming to be the best-qualified person for the job. Less than a day later, though, she issued her resignation
Dig Deeper
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D.-NY) had called Cheatleâs answers âunacceptable,â Rep. Nancy Mace (R.-SC) said she was âfull of shit,â and Rep. Ro Khanna (D.-CA) called for her resignation
The Committeeâs top-ranking Democrat called it âan unusually depressing hearing,â adding, âI think that the director has lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country, and we need to very quickly move beyond thisâ
Now, sheâs out
KEY STORY
Kamalaâs Clear Path?
The Democrats have united around Kamala Harris as Bidenâs replacement
Nancy Pelosi, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and virtually every governor considered a contender â including Gavin Newsom (CA), Gretchen Whitmer (MI), and Josh Shapiro (PA) â have endorsed Harris
Meanwhile, donors gave $80M+ to Harris and the DNC in the 24 hours after Biden announced his decision, and the AP now reports that Harris has received pledges from the delegates she needs to secure the nomination
As of writing, Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer have not endorsed her
Dig Deeper
Yet a new Axios report alleged that Biden had little confidence in Harrisâ ability to beat Trump
It cited Harrisâ staff turnover â of the 47 Harris staffers publicly listed in 2021, only five still worked for her as of this spring â as well as her poor performance in the 2020 Democratic primary when she failed to win a single delegate (seven candidates won delegates)
ROCAâS PARTNERS
Get Active, Get LMNT
The sun is shining: Itâs time to get active. Thereâs never been a better time to get active!
Whether itâs enjoying a walk outside, going for a run, playing sports, or hitting the weight room, LMNT has your hydration needs covered
Water is vital to staying hydrated while exercising, but itâs only half the battle. You also need electrolytes
LMNT is a sugar-free, all-natural way to maximize your electrolytes without the dodgy additives of sports drinks. Itâs made up of pure energy: Sodium, potassium, and magnesium
Dig Deeper
Want your LMNT pre-mixed with a bold sparkling flavor? Try the new LMNT Sparkling â a 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water
KEY STORY
Spain Turns on Tourists
Anti-tourism protests are growing in Spain
Earlier this month, 2,800 anti-tourism protesters marched through Barcelona and splashed tourists with squirt guns. To combat over-tourism, the city has twice increased taxes on tourists â who now have to pay $57 in taxes weekly â and announced rules that will effectively prohibit Airbnb and Booking.com apartment rentals
Tens of thousands of protesters have also gathered on the island of Mallorca, heckling tourists, flying anti-tourism banners, and chanting that the island is ânot up for saleâ
Dig Deeper
This weekend in Mallorca â which is one of the Balearic Islands, a group that includes Ibiza and draws 18M tourists annually â 20,000 protesters marched through the streets and called for limits on tourism
Earlier this summer, some 10,000 people marching there chanted, âMallorca is not up for sale,â while a different group of protesters filled beaches and told tourists to go home, then cheered as they departed
KEY STORY
The Psychedelic Bush
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is investing millions of dollars into the development of ibogaine treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors
The drug â a psychedelic derived from an African shrub â can induce hallucinations and visions. While illegal in the US, itâs shown promise as an addiction treatment, and clinics have opened in Mexico, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and the Netherlands
The success is fueling investment into ibogaine-related research and businesses, and on Monday, Brin announced a $15M investment into one such company
Dig Deeper
While ibogaine can induce visions, hallucinations, and near-death experiences at high doses, it has a stimulant effect at low doses and is sometimes used to maintain alertness while hunting
Earlier this year, Brin funded a Stanford University study that found ibogaine therapy improved the mental health and cognitive function of 30 US military veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from head trauma or blast explosions
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
đȘ Google is ending its four-year effort to eliminate cookies in Chrome. Initially planned for a two-year phase-out starting in 2020, advertisers objected. On Monday, Google announced that instead of eliminating cookies, it would now prompt users to decide whether to turn them on or off
đ€ Canadian AI startup Cohere raised $500M and secured a $5.5B valuation in a move that could help it compete with AI heavyweights like OpenAI. Unlike OpenAI, though, the company has focused on creating AI models for companies, not consumers
đïž At a White House NCAA event, Vice President Harris delivered her first public remarks since Bidenâs announcement that he wouldnât seek re-election. âJoe Bidenâs legacy of accomplishment over the last three years is unmatched in modern history,â she said
đ Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly offered the NBA a deal to match Amazon. Warner has carried the NBA for 30+ years via TNT, but that deal came up for renewal this year, and other companies â including Disney, Amazon, and NBCUniversal â were willing to pay more, paving the way for Warner to lose its NBA broadcast rights
đșđž For the first time in 48 years, the presidential election will not feature a âBush,â âBiden,â or âClinton.â Since 1976, elections have featured either a presidential or vice presidential candidate: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, or Joe Biden
COMMUNITY
đ§ Yesterdayâs question: Whatâs your reaction to Biden stepping aside? How are you feeling after the last week?
Iâve been saying Biden needs to step aside for a year. The poor guy clearly has some form of dementia and has no business being the President. I am sad that we have allowed politics to enrage us, seperate us, and bring out the evil, malicious parts of ourselves to turn on our fellow Americans. I am hoping that the events of last week will shock us into recognizing how bad it has gotten and we can all reset and move forward in a more positive direction.
I'm glad Biden decided to step away from the November election. It was clearly time for him to let go. But I do think he has been a highly effective president in many (not all) ways. I think Kamala could win if she chooses the right running mate.
đ€ Todayâs Question: Should the media dismiss âconspiraciesâ or investigate them? Read todayâs Wrap for more details!
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
đșđž LeFlagBearer: Team USA chose LeBron James as its male flagbearer for Friday nightâs opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, making him the first male basketball player to do so
đź Cheeky controller: Microsoft unveiled a Wolverine butt-shaped Xbox controller ahead of the upcoming movie âDeadpool & Wolverineâ
Whatâs wrong, babe? Youâve barely touched your Wolverine butt controller!
đŠ Tortilla blanket: While barbecuing outside, a family in Amarillo, Texas, found a baby Mississippi kite bird on the ground and said it felt so cold that they heated a tortilla on the grill to wrap around it
đ OxiCrying: Deceased TV pitchman Billy Mays recently visited his fatherâs gravesite and found a bottle of OxiClean. âLol just got to pittsburgh and someone left oxiclean at my dadâs grave,â he posted online
đ McExtension: McDonaldâs will extend its $5 Meal Deal, as the offer has reportedly driven traffic back to restaurants. It includes a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink
ROCA WRAP
Conspiracy or Incompetence?
Donald Trump was a head-turn away from an assassination that may have plunged the country into chaos. As we investigate the stunning security lapse, we ask: Conspiracy or incompetence?
Last Saturday, at a Trump rally in Butler, PA, a 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Donald Trump from a building rooftop outside the eventâs security perimeter. He hit Trump in the ear, killed a retired fire chief in the front row, and critically injured two others. Four counter-sniper teams were present at the rally â two from the Secret Service and two from local law enforcement â and two immediately opened fire, with one of the federal snipers killing the shooter.
Crooksâ motive remains unclear, but some details have emerged. His high school classmates describe him as a loner who was often bullied. He was a registered Republican but gave $15 to a progressive organization on the day of Bidenâs inauguration. Crooks had no social media presence and left no manifesto.
The day before the shooting, Crooks went to a local shooting club and practiced on the rifle range. On the day of the shooting, he asked for a day off from his job as a dietary aide at a nursing home. That day, he also asked his dad to borrow his AR-15-style rifle and bought 50 rounds of ammo at a local gun store.
In the days before the shooting, Crooks made a number of internet searches for both Trump and Biden, including the dates for Trumpâs rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the DNC in Chicago. He also reportedly left a message on the gaming platform Steam that read, âJuly 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.â
In a congressional briefing last Wednesday, FBI and Secret Service officials gave the timeline of what exactly preceded the shooting. A full hour before, officials identified Crooks as a potential threat; 40 minutes before the shooting, they saw him with a golf rangefinder, and then 20 minutes before the shooting, they saw him looking through the rangefinder. Just moments before the shooting, a local cop climbed a ladder to the rooftop and encountered Crooks but climbed back down after Crooks pointed his rifle at him. The amateur 20-year-old gunman opened fire on the leading presidential candidate.
Given those facts, many believe a conspiracy took place. One piece of fodder is that BlackRock â the worldâs largest asset manager â confirmed this week that Crooks appeared in one of their commercials in 2022. InfoWars host Alex Jones, meanwhile, alleged, âBidenâs puppet masters ran the attack on Trump, and they will do it again.â Numerous Republican politicians have echoed that sentiment.
Many on the left have suggested Trump orchestrated the shooting. MSNBCâs Joy Reid wondered how Trump was âgiven nine seconds to take an iconic photo op during an active shooter situationâŠWeird situation, weâll figure that out one day,â she said. Meanwhile, an adviser to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman â one of Bidenâs biggest donors â wrote a letter to journalists that said, â[One] possibility â which feels horrific and alien and absurd in America, but is quite common globally â is that this âshootingâ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash.â Many readers have emailed or DMâd us with their own âTrump planned thisâ conspiracy theories.
Or was it just incompetence? As Hanlonâs razor says, âNever attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.â
Analysts have suggested that the Secret Service is stretched thin or that it became confused because of the difficulty coordinating with local law enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the situation a âfailure,â saying, âWe are going to analyze through an independent review how that occurred, why it occurred, and make recommendations and findings to make sure it doesnât happen again.â After 10 days of building pressure, the head of the Secret Service resigned on Tuesday. She had said on Monday that the Service identified Crooks as âsuspiciousâ but not as a threat.
So is it a conspiracy or does Hanlonâs razor ring true? Should the media investigate âconspiraciesâ or write them off?
We are curious to hear your thoughts.
Do you have any thoughts? Reply to this to let us know!
EDITORâS NOTE
Final Thoughts
We are never again going to say out loud that we expect an election to be boring. Never again.
We got a few angry emails for using a quip in yesterdayâs subject line regarding Bidenâs decision to step aside. We hear you and would like to apologize for this as thereâs a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and thatâll make it a 4-0 ballgame.
Have a great Tuesday.
âMax and Max