Hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my... toboggan?  The pictures of snow-covered mountains behind the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles (link above) are mesmerizing.

In today's edition:

• A hidden corridor in the Pyramid of Giza

• Cat lady sets her house on fire

• 20 Questions!

🔑 Key Stories

Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty

Alex Murdaugh was found guilty on 2 murder counts

• Murdaugh was a prominent South Carolina lawyer who reported finding his wife and son dead at their hunting lodge in June 2021. He then faced a range of unrelated fraud, theft, and drug charges before being charged with the 2 murders in July 2022

• Murdaugh maintained that he didn’t kill his family and wasn’t at the crime scene. During the trial, though, a Snapchat video was released in which Murdaugh could be overheard near the murder scene minutes before the killings happened

• Murdaugh will be sentenced to up to life in prison

Dig Deeper

• A juror told ABC News that the video capturing Murdaugh’s voice at the crime scene minutes before the murders convinced him of Murdaugh’s guilt. The jury made their decision in 45 minutes, he added – a short amount of time given that the trial lasted 6 weeks

Iranian Gas Attacks

Hundreds of Iranian schoolgirls have suffered poison gas attacks over the past 4 months

• In September, 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini died in police custody. That provoked months of protests that resulted in a harsh police crackdown

• In November, gas attacks against schoolchildren were reported in one Iranian city, but few details emerged. Since then, attacks have affected 800+ students across 26 schools

• The attacks caused nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath, but no reported deaths. Authorities say it’s foreign “mercenaries,” but haven’t arrested anybody

Dig Deeper

• Iran’s deputy health minister has said the attackers want “to see all schools closed, in particular girls’ schools.” Some have speculated that the gas attacks are targeting girls who protested; others claim the protesters are behind them to arouse public hostility against the government

Royal Exit

Harry and Meghan Markle are being forced from their royal home, leaving them with no UK property

• In January, Harry released a memoir that gave details about his childhood, marriage, and royal exit – including allegations that his family disrespected Meghan and worried about their child’s skin color

• The royal family didn’t comment on it, but they were said to be unhappy with Harry for publishing it

• Earlier this week, a UK tabloid alleged the royal family retaliated by kicking them out of their royal cottage. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed they were asked to move out

TikTok Time Limits

TikTok is implementing a default 60-minute time limit for users under 18

• On Wednesday, TikTok announced that beginning in the coming weeks, “every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit”

• Once reached, users will be prompted to enter a code to continue watching, “requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time,” TikTok said

• Users will be able to opt out of the 60-minute limit. If they do, they’ll be prompted to set a daily screen time limit once they hit 100 minutes

Dig Deeper

• According to data from spring 2022, the average regular TikTok user spent 95 minutes a day on the app. That compares to 74 minutes for YouTube, 51 for Instagram, 49 for Facebook, 29 for Twitter, and 21 for Snapchat

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Dig Deeper

• Say goodbye to mealtime stress and hello to nutritious, delicious dinners made with Good Chop's high-quality meat and seafood. Your family deserves the best, and with their 100% money-back guarantee, you can feel confident that you're making the right choice

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Cat lady sets house on fire: A New Jersey woman who lives with "several dozen" cats set her house on fire over an eviction battle. The woman did not survive

• Welcome to Yo-snow-mite: Yosemite National Park in California is closed indefinitely after a blizzard buried the park in up to 15 feet of snow

• Plot twist, Roca acquires Waystar: Succession released the trailer for its final season, which will premiere on HBO Max on March 26. You can watch it here

Wildcard

• Cocaine shark: Sealed bags containing over 2.5 tons of cocaine washed up on the northern French coast. The haul has a street value of $160M+

• Joe cool, Joe rich: A Joe Montana jersey that he wore for 2 Super Bowls sold for over $1.2M at auction, breaking Tom Brady's record NFL-jersey price record

• Man on fire: A man set himself on fire at University of California Berkeley's campus during an apparent mental health breakdown

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week.

Last week, we asked you to rank iconic songs on a scale of 1-10. Bohemian Rhapsody took the cake, rightfully so. We also asked for your suggestions in case our office picks didn’t tickle your musical fancy.

Thanks for all of the creative (and questionable) suggestions! This week, we’re asking you to take or leave your fellow riders' picks.......

Take it or Leave it: Community-Sourced Iconic Song Edition

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!

🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Are you a confrontational person?

Yes: 20%

No: 80%

Yesterday's Question:

Where are you dreaming of traveling to next? Why?

Susan from Tennessee: "ICELAND! It’s natural beauty is phenomenal! I have several friends that have visited there and said that it has so much to offer: wildlife, waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, northern lights, blue lagoon, elephant rock, black sand beaches, geysers, and the list goes on and on."

Nick from Michigan: "My family and I have always wanted to get scuba certified so we can travel to Belize and swim with Whale Sharks. This has been a dream of mine ever since my step-mom told us she's been waiting for the day it happens."

Mike from California: "One of my travel dreams were rudely interrupted by Mr. Putin. As a former World History Teacher, I have always dreamed of seeing St. Petersburg, Russia. What an incredible history that city represents and the museums.....amazing!! We booked a longer cruise that included 2 full days there (not that 2 days is long enough to explore it!) and were set to go when the invasion began. If there will ever be peace, we will re-book and another bucket list item will be realized.......Thanks Vlad!"

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

1. Hey Ya! by OutKast: 6

2. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen: 8.4

3. Landslide by Fleetwood Mac: 7.31

4. When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin: 6.3

5. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd: 5.1

6. Respect by Aretha Franklin: 7.8

7. Clocks by Coldplay: 5.8

8. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day: 6.2

9. Crazy in Love by Beyoncé: 5

10. Lose Yourself by Eminem: 6.2

11. Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye: 5.9

12. Come Together by The Beatles: 7.4

13. SexyBack by Justin Timberlake: 5.4

14. Beautiful Day by U2: 6

15. Is This Love by Bob Marley: 6.8

16. Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones: 6.7

17. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison: 7.6

18. Celebration by Kool & The Gang: 6.8

19. Hello by Adele: 6.3

20. What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong: 8.3

🧠 Final Thoughts

Riders, today’s the day: Whether or not you had the best or the worst week of 2023, the weekend is upon us. We hope you can have some fun, catch up on sleep, binge-watch Breaking Bad, or do whatever else it is that will make you happy.

If you’re on the beta, you’ll be getting news on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re not yet, we’ll see you on Monday!

—Max and Max