Happy Monday, and more importantly happy Rice Krispies Treat Day. We owe a big thank you to Kellogg’s employees Melitta Jensen and Mildred Day who created the first batch in 1939 for a Camp Fire Girls fundraiser. Needless to say, they were a hit. Little did they know, decades later my mom’s Rice Krispie treats were how I made all my friends in fourth grade. Let’s pretend that’s a joke.
In today's edition:
The Russell Brand allegations
The Russell Wilson almost Hail Mary
Morocco earthquake survivors
🔑 Key Stories
Chapito Extradited to the US
Mexico extradited one of El Chapo’s sons to the US to face fentanyl charges
Mexican police arrested drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in Mexico in 2016 and extradited him to the US, where he was later sentenced to life in prison
US officials have accused El Chapo’s sons, called “Los Chapitos,” of taking over the cartel. The US also accuses them of driving illegal fentanyl imports into the US
This year, Mexican police arrested one of “Los Chapitos,” Ovidio Guzman. On Friday, the US announced he had arrived in the US to face charges there related to his alleged role in fentanyl imports
Dig Deeper
The US attorney general said the extradition was part of the government’s dedication to attack “every aspect" of the fentanyl trade. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities across the country,” he added
California Sues Big Oil
California sued five of the world’s largest oil companies on Friday
The lawsuit alleged that the companies – Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron – have known since the 1950s that their actions are driving climate change, yet have failed to act. It also claims they lied about their efforts to reduce emissions
The suit claims those companies’ actions have contributed to worsening natural disasters in the state, causing billions of dollars worth of damage
Several of those companies denied the allegations and said the issue shouldn’t be decided in court
Dig Deeper
“These folks had this information and lied to us, and we could have staved off some of the most significant consequences,” Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday. “It’s shameful. It sickens you to your core”
Several of the oil companies criticized the lawsuit. Chevron claimed California’s court system has no “constitutionally permissible role” in dictating climate policy and accused California – among the US’ top oil-producing states – of being hypocritical. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group also named in California’s lawsuit, called the lawsuit “meritless” and “politicized”
Russell Brand Allegations
Four women accused Russell Brand of sexually assaulting them between 2006 and 2013
Brand is a British comedian, actor, and anti-establishment podcaster. He has in the past admitted to having had drug and sex addictions
On Saturday, three UK outlets reported four women’s allegations that Brand sexually assaulted them. One woman accused Brand of rape and said she went to a rape crisis center for it. Another said she began a relationship with Brand when she was 16 and he was 31
Brand denied the allegations in a pre-recorded statement. Acknowledging that he was “very, very promiscuous,” he “absolutely refute[d]” the allegations against him and said he has always been transparent about his sexual history
Dig Deeper
Brand’s management agency and a charity linked to him cut ties with him after the allegations, and several news organizations he formerly worked for announced internal reviews. Yet others, such as Elon Musk, defended Brand: “No more canceling. Enough is enough,” Musk wrote on X, referring to Brand
Brand performed stand-up at a sold-out show on Saturday hours after the allegations surfaced
Where is Li?
China’s defense minister hasn’t been seen for nearly three weeks
In June, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, a rising star in China’s government, suddenly went missing from public view and was replaced a month later without explanation
Weeks later, two major generals were suddenly replaced, again without any explanation
Now, Li Shangfu – a powerful Chinese politician appointed defense minister in March – has not been seen in public since August 29. Several US officials have indicated Li is under investigation and that his replacement is imminent
Dig Deeper
When asked about Li, a Chinese official said, “I don’t know about the situation you mentioned”
🍿 Popcorn
ICYMI
Lauren D’oh-bert: House Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) issued a second apology for her behavior at “Beetlejuice: The Musical.” Security cameras caught her vaping and groping her date during the performance
Motor City madness: Ford and GM laid off hundreds of workers due to simultaneous strikes by the United Auto Workers (UAW). Ford laid off 600 workers, while GM anticipates laying off up to 2,000
Lifelong penalty box: Mike Babcock resigned as the coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets following reports that he asked players to show him personal photos and then projected those for others to see as part of a bonding effort
Wildcard
Saving Private Reptile: A trapper rescued an alligator with half its jaw missing. The female alligator has lived with the condition for at least six months, surviving on a diet of snails and frogs
Drew Sorrymore: Actress Drew Barrymore won’t resume her talk show amid ongoing Hollywood strikes after initially announcing she would. She offered her “deepest apologies” to anyone she hurt
Russ almost cooked: Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary TD as time expired against the Washington Commanders but failed to get the 2-point conversion. The Commanders won 35-33
👇 What do you think?
Today's Question:
In light of today’s intro: What was your favorite childhood snack and why?
Reply to this email with your answers!
See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
🌯 Roca Wrap
On Friday, September 8, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck Morocco, killing 3,000+ and injuring 5,000+.
I (Roca’s Executive Director Jen Flanagan) had visited Morocco in February and spent time in Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains. Last week, I reached out to locals I had met there to learn more about the situation.
Morocco is a North African country of 40M people that borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The Atlas Mountains cut through much of the interior of the country.
The earthquake caused widespread destruction and became the country’s deadliest quake in 60 years. The quake’s origin point (“epicenter”) was just south of Marrakesh, Morocco’s fourth-most-populous and one of its most culturally significant cities.
I first spoke with Elbennaou, a middle-aged man born and raised in Marrakesh. He had previously showed me around Marrakesh’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Elbennaou said the beauty of the Old City its that its purpose – as a hub of cultural and market exchange – is largely unchanged from its founding in the 12th century. The Old City’s main attractions are its souks, or traditional traders markets, which sell foods, spices, jewelry, medicine, baskets, live animals, and more. Souks line the walls, crammed into the crooked streets that wind in seemingly random directions.
Elbennaou said he and other locals don’t like the government’s attempts to “modernize” the Old City, which he said has happened several times over the years to boost tourist appeal. However, after the earthquake, he told me he felt thankful for the renovations in light of what happened. He said he believed the modernizations limited damage to some of Marrakesh’s older buildings.
A local resort owner agreed.
"The average person who has not been to the [Old City] would not know what is planned renovation and what damage is from the earthquake," he told me. "The news media tends to emphasize the negative and replay the same images for viewership and ratings.”
"It is not as bad in Marrakech as the media depicts,” he said. “Life will return to normal quickly. Only a few people perished in the Old City… but [thousands] have died in the mountains.”
To learn more about the damage in the mountains, I contacted another Moroccan, Omar, via WhatsApp. Like many people who live in the Atlas Mountains, Omar is Berber. Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa, and many live in scattered communities across the Atlas Mountains. The region is largely rural and tends to be poorer than the rest of the country.
Two days after my text, Omar replied with a voice note: “Things are really bad,” he said. “No home. I am in a tent.”
I had first met Omar in Imlil, a small Berber village in the mountains, where he had offered to show me his “nearby” family home. After five hours of climbing steep, rocky terrain – occasionally relying on donkeys for the extra-steep parts – we arrived at a stone-and-mud enclosure built into the mountainside.
Omar said that many Berber homes, like his own, were constructed around natural holes in the mountains that provide protection. Many had been owned by families for generations, he added. There were no roads in his village, and Omar told me that a several-hour walk is normal for people in that area, many of whom walk miles per day for food and water.
His home, like many others, hadn’t received electricity until the 1990s, yet many still lack it. Inside was only a mattress, one table, a few pillows, and a pile of rugs – typical of what you’d find in other Berber homes, he said.
When I spoke to Omar over WhatsApp, he said many of the Berber mud-and-stone homes had been unable to withstand the quake and had crumbled. Most of the deaths of his friends were those who were buried alive; in certain Berber villages, he said, he had heard more than half the people died.
Omar is now living in a makeshift tent with others whose homes that have been lost. He’s hopeful rescue teams will find more of his family and friends, but it took them days to access some of the most remote parts, and unless you have a guide, it can be hard to distinguish the stone remains of a home from the mountainside itself. “No one can imagine how terrible this is,” he told me.
In February, Omar had told me that the Berbers can feel neglected by the government. While a majority of Morocco’s population has Berber roots, the government prefers to emphasize the country’s “Africanness” or “Arabness,” he said. He claimed that comes at the cost of less attention being given to issues Berbers face.
Morocco’s government has deployed its military to assist rescue efforts in the Atlas Mountains. Yet some critics have called its response slow and criticized its decision not to accept foreign aid from dozens of countries that had offered it.
Some countries are accusing Morocco of playing politics.
“They told us it would hurt their image badly if they don’t try to handle this on their own and it would negatively impact their sovereignty,” one Arab official told the Wall Street Journal. Officials in other governments claimed Morocco denied foreign assistance because they wanted to avoid being seen as “a poor underdeveloped African nation.”
Morocco has defended its response, saying that rescue efforts were a “complex operation” largely concentrated in “a mountainous area where access is extremely difficult.” They said international aid is welcome, but that it tends to backfire if it’s disorganized.
Omar told me he was frustrated with the government’s response and said search-and-rescue teams have been slow to access his village and those nearby. “We need help,” he said. He said he feels like the government is not prioritizing assisting rural Berbers like him.
Nevertheless, he said he is still proud of his people for showing the world that “we are still in life.”
If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!
🌊 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Better fall month?
September: 25%
October: 75%
Yesterday's Question:
Just 20 Qs!
🧠 Final Thoughts
We hope you all had wonderful weekends, Roca Nation. One Max is currently in Jacksonville, Florida, while the other is in a town in rural Germany. In both places, we've met people who get their news from Roca. The wave never ceases to amaze us!! Thank you all for riding it.
Have a great Monday!
—Max and Max
