And you wonder why they call it a swamp?
After midnight on Sunday, police officers in Alexandria, VA, got a bizarre call. At a nearby motel, a man claimed he spotted an alligator outside his door. Now at this point the cops were probably thinking, “Damn, legalizing weed was a big mistake.” But much to their dismay… the man was right. Now how my Uncle Gary’s pet gator escaped remains a mystery. But for now the story is this: DC truly is a swamp.
👨💻 OpenAI deal with Pentagon
🚫 KraftHeinz ditches dyes
🔫 Water-soaking protests in Spain
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
OpenAI Military Deal
The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded OpenAI a $200M contract as the company launched an “OpenAI for Government” initiative
In 2024, OpenAI removed its prior ban on military use, though it continues to prohibit the use of its models to develop or operate weapons
The contract will fund tools for cybersecurity, defense logistics, and health services, with work expected to continue through July 2026
The deal marks OpenAI’s largest federal engagement to date and reflects its expanding presence in government and national security applications
Dig Deeper
Alongside the DoD contract, OpenAI launched “OpenAI for Government,” a dedicated program to consolidate its partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies
The initiative includes projects with the Air Force, NASA, NIH, Treasury, and National Labs, aimed at boosting public service productivity
Some observers have pointed out that the contract appears to contradict OpenAI’s original stance against military use, though the company officially lifted that restriction last year
Despite the change, OpenAI still prohibits using its models to “develop or use weapons,” a clause that remains in its current usage guidelines
KEY STORY
Kraft Heinz Ditches Dyes
Kraft Heinz is phasing out artificial dyes from all US products by 2027, aligning with FDA and HHS goals to eliminate synthetic food coloring
The policy will take effect by 2027 and primarily impact beverages and dessert mixes, like Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, and Jell-O
Heinz also committed to stop releasing new products with synthetic colors and is encouraging licensees to comply
The move echoes broader industry and regulatory trends, as US states and the RFK Jr.-led Health Department pushes companies to implement natural dye alternatives
Dig Deeper
In Canada and Europe, synthetic dyes are required to carry warning labels, and manufacturers there primarily use more expensive natural substitutes
In the US, some states, including California and West Virginia, have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colors in foods
Kraft Heinz’s North American president said in a statement, “The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colors across the remainder of our portfolio”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error
KEY STORY
Trump Card Signups
70,000 people joined the waitlist for the Trump Card
Last week, the Commerce Department unveiled the “Trump Card,” a program that grants foreign nationals legal residency in the US if they invest $5M in approved American assets
This week, Commerce Secretary Lutnick said that nearly 70,000 people have already joined the waitlist for the Trump Card
In unveiling the figure, Lutnick told the Financial Times, “The card will be made of gold…It will be beautiful…Donald Trump appreciates these kinds of things. He cares about how it looks. He cares about how it feels”
Dig Deeper
The Trump Card is being positioned as a premium alternative to the EB‑5 visa, which currently offers green cards for investments up to $1.8M
Roughly 14,000 EB‑5 visas were issued in 2024, but the Trump Card aims to scale that up significantly. Officials have said they seek to issue up to 200,000 cards, potentially raising as much as $1T
KEY STORY
Trump Tells Iran to Surrender
President Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”
The demand came amid growing speculation that the US will intervene on Israel’s behalf. Trump also called for Tehran’s evacuation and wrote, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran”
The situation has sparked a rift within the MAGA Movement, for whom “No New Forever Wars” has been a rally cry. Figures including Tucker Carlson have been on a PR offensive to dissuade Trump from getting involved, while more establishment foreign policy voices have been counselling the opposite
Dig Deeper
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump posted, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
The post marked the first time Trump used “we,” leaving it unclear whether he was referring to the US alone or in coordination with Israel
In a subsequent post, he wrote, “We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Shortly after, he posted, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
📢 Amazon announced that this year’s Prime Day will run for four days, up from two in previous years
🛐 The Religious Liberty Commission, established by President Trump in May, held its inaugural meeting at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC
💰 Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez began serving an 11-year prison sentence following his conviction for accepting bribes from foreign agents
🤰 British lawmakers voted to bar women from being prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy past 24 weeks in England and Wales
💊 All 55 US states and territories have agreed to a $7.4B settlement with Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis
What does Roca Nation think?
🌯 Yesterday’s Question: What’s the most exotic food you’ve tried? Did you like it?
Besides the ostrich and buffalo burgers, I have eaten dog. I was deployed to South Korea and a couple buddies took me out but didn't tell me what we were eating. After they told me it was dog. That was back in the early 80s, don't think canine cuisine is on the menu any more. But, it did taste like a succulent pork dish.
Sorry PETA
The most exotic food I have tried has to be either balut (partially developed duck embryo- Philippines specialty), or sheep brains cooked in tomato sauce in Morocco. But worse somehow that either of those was the time I bit into a muffin and chewed on a Japanese beetle... so gross 😝
I served an LDS (aka Mormon) mission to Mexico City. In one of the rural parts I was in when I first started, the local members shared "Escamoles" with us...aka "Mexican caviar" or ant eggs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escamol).
They were actually really good. They were cooked in butter, a little cilantro, onion and salsa and they made for a great little taco. They're about the size of a grain of rice and tasted a bit like shrimp - savory taste. They're like Mexican caviar because the ant eggs are like 6-10 feet in the ground and hard to get to with all the digging and upset ants.
🧐 Today’s Question: What’s a topic you could talk about endlessly? Both cause you love it and know a ton about it.
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🚙 Grandpa Hits the Spanish Steps: An 80‑year‑old man drove his Mercedes sedan down Rome’s iconic Spanish Steps – only to get himself and the car stuck partway down
🏄 Helping Others Surf: Seventh-grade students with special needs helped create a custom surfboard designed to give adults with disabilities the chance to ride the waves
🍔 Takis Fuego Meal: Wendy’s is teaming up with the iconic Mexican snack brand Takis to launch a special edition “Takis Fuego Meal”
🐊 Gator Guest at Motel: Police spotted a six-foot alligator roaming outside a motel in Alexandria, Virginia
🪞 Mirror Fines: A Chinese executive introduced strict new workplace rules, including fines for looking in mirrors or eating snacks during work hours
ROCA WRAP
Tourist Soaking
Spain
Protesters armed with water guns targeted tourists in this European country during coordinated demonstrations against mass tourism.
Spain is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, famous for its beaches, historic cities, and cultural landmarks like the Sagrada Familia and Alhambra. The country's tourism industry is massive, contributing 12% of GDP and welcoming a record 94M international visitors in 2024 – nearly double its population of 48M residents. However, this tourism boom has exacerbated a housing crisis in some cities, where residents complain that short-term rentals are pricing them out of their own neighborhoods.
Coordinated protests erupted across Spanish cities on Sunday, with demonstrators in Barcelona and Mallorca using water guns to spray tourists as part of anti-tourism demonstrations. Around 5,000 people gathered in Palma, Mallorca, chanting, "Everywhere you look, all you see are tourists." Hundreds more marched in Barcelona, Granada, San Sebastián, and Ibiza.
The protests were part of the first coordinated effort by activists across southern Europe's top destinations, with similar demonstrations in Venice, Italy, and Lisbon, Portugal. In Barcelona, protesters held signs reading "One more tourist, one less resident" and stuck "Tourist Go Home" stickers on hotel doors.
Spanish authorities now find themselves torn between balancing public outcry and protecting a crucial industry. Last month, the government ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals that violated local rules. Barcelona made the boldest move, announcing it would eliminate all 10,000 short-term rental licenses by 2028.
The tourism sector “cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people," said Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy, referring to housing rights. In Spain, when locals can't afford homes, tourists get the hose.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
Your answers to the exotic food question were wild. We featured three of the first few emails we saw. Scrolling through the rest, we realize that we could’ve taken nearly any of your answers. My answer was Aunt Lisa’s potato salad! Anyone?
Still have no clue what was in that. And thank you for the pity laughs. Happy Hump Day.
–Max and Max
