🌊 Don't Mess with the Zohran!

Say it ain’t Zo!

A month ago, it seemed Andrew Cuomo was a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination in NYC. He had a double-digit lead in the polls, and a 90% chance of winning according to the betting markets. But Zo and behold! A late surge from Zohran Mamdani resulted in a stunning upset last night. Now it’s likely to be a Mamdani vs. Adams showdown in the general. We expect both to be ready — well, assuming Adams’ Turkish Airlines attendant informed him of the result.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Zohran Upsets Cuomo in Stunning Win!

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani appears the likely winner of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary

• The election determines the Democratic nominee in the November 4, 2025 general election. Given the city’s strong Democratic lean, the primary winner is expected to become the mayor

• While there were 11 candidates, the two favorites were former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations, and 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens

• Cuomo, who governed New York from 2011 to 2021, ran a center-left campaign centered on public safety, experience, and leadership

• Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), ran a viral platform that called for taxing the city’s millionaires to fund government grocery stores, free buses, and other progressive policies

Dig Deeper

• While the results aren't yet finalized, they showed Mamdani with a commanding lead over Cuomo, who conceded the race, saying: “Tonight was not our night…Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” he said, adding that Mamdani “inspired [New Yorkers] and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign”

• Assuming Mamdani is confirmed as victor, he will face off against a Republican and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a former Democrat whose corruption scandal has led him to run as an independent

KEY STORY

Iran Ceasefire Situation

President Trump accused both Israel and Iran of violating the ceasefire, saying, “[They] don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing”

• After Iran launched missiles at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Trump announced a “complete and total cease-fire” between Iran and Israel, calling the clash the “12-Day War”

• Yet both sides reportedly carried out strikes after the cease-fire took effect, prompting Trump to scold Israel and warn Iran

• Still, reports suggest the ceasefire is generally holding, though tensions remain high

Dig Deeper

• In back-to-back Truth Social posts, Trump publicly warned both governments:

• “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”

• In a separate post, he wrote, “IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!”

• Despite early violations, reports suggest the ceasefire is holding

• “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!” Trump posted

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

NATO Summit Begins

The annual NATO summit began in The Hague, Netherlands

• The conference will bring together the heads of the 32 NATO countries to discuss Iran, Ukraine, and more

• Defense spending is expected to be the major issue: Trump has demanded that all NATO countries increase spending to 5% of GDP, a figure that Spain, Belgium, and other countries have rejected

• Despite those tensions, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Tuesday that member states had all agreed to boost their defense spending to meet the new minimums

Dig Deeper 

• Following that, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Tuesday that member states had all agreed to boost their defense spending to meet the new minimums, with 3.5% of GDP going directly to defense and 1.5% going to security-related investments, such as cyber-security and infrastructure

• “It is simply unthinkable that Russia, whose economy is 25 times smaller than NATO’s, could surpass us in production and armament. We must spend more to prevent war. We must win this new production war,” he said, adding praise for Trump: “Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world”

KEY STORY

Alligator Alcatraz

Florida has begun building a detention center in the Everglades – dubbed the “Alligator Alcatraz” – to hold migrants

• The site is being built on an old public airport in the Everglades, a tropical wetland west of Miami, in order to hold ~1,000 migrants

• Republican officials have said the site will help the Trump Administration's push for mass deportations, while critics say it could endanger the environment

• Florida’s attorney general said he expects the location to serve as a natural deterrent for would-be escapees: “People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide”

Dig Deeper 

• The detention center will reportedly be built in 30-60 days, hold about 1,000 people, and cost roughly $450M per year to run

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the facility would be mostly funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program that provides accommodation for undocumented migrants

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📵 The US House of Representatives banned WhatsApp on government-issued devices, citing privacy and security concerns

🇵🇹 Portugal’s new center-right government announced tougher citizenship rules, making it harder for foreigners to become Portuguese nationals

🥚 US egg production fell 6% in May compared to the same month last year, according to the USDA

📰 Robert “Bob” Morse, the architect behind the US News & World Report college rankings, has retired after 49 years at the magazine

🩺 Health Secretary RFK Jr. announced that a group of major private health insurers have committed to standardizing the prior authorization process

What does Roca Nation think?

🇺🇸 Yesterday’s Question: Feel free to vent here about the heat today. If no complaints, keep scrolling!

🥵 Today’s Question: Why do you think Zohran Mamdani beat Andrew Cuomo to win the NYC Democratic primary?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🐋 Kelp Me, Bro: Orcas in the North Pacific have been spotted giving each other “kelp massages” by rubbing seaweed across each other’s backs

🍈 Melon Drama: A Spanish teen has broken a world record by growing a cantaloupe melon that weighs more than a washing machine

🗼 Tower of Defiance: A homeowner in China’s Guizhou province ignored demolition orders to build a 10-story pyramid atop his ancestral home

🐻 Honey, I’m Home: Two bears escaped their enclosure at a UK wildlife park and raided a staff food store, putting down a week’s supply of honey

🍦 Sweet Reward: Residents in Tampa, Florida rallied to buy an ice cream truck for a beloved local vendor who walked miles each day in the summer heat to sell frozen treats

ROCA WRAP
Health in Doubt

Central African Republic

This landlocked African nation's government has denied that its president is undergoing emergency medical care.

The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation in central Africa. Despite abundant natural resources including diamonds, gold, and uranium, it remains one of the world's least developed countries, plagued by political instability and ongoing conflict.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has led the country since 2016, though his tenure has been marked by constitutional controversies and civil unrest. The country’s latest bout of turmoil involves reports that President Touadéra was whisked to Belgium on a private jet this Saturday to undergo emergency medical treatment.

While the specialist publication Africa Intelligence reported that the president traveled to Brussels Saturday aboard a private medical aircraft and remains hospitalized, government officials insist Touadéra merely utilized a planned European visit to undergo routine health screenings.

The country’s opposition has demanded clarity regarding the president's condition, arguing that the leader's health represents a matter of national significance requiring public disclosure. The president's absence forced him to miss Monday's US-Africa business summit in Angola, raising questions about his availability for other scheduled commitments.

The conflicting accounts have created uncertainty about Touadéra's actual medical status and his ability to fulfill official duties. The health concerns emerge months before presidential elections, with hundreds of demonstrators flooding the capital’s streets in April to protest Touadéra's plans to run for an unconstitutional third presidential term.

In a nation as murky as CAR, presidential health may be a state secret.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

How about that feel good story out of Tampa, FL? Why don’t we get more “Florida Man” stories like that? It’s never “Florida Man buys vendor an ice cream truck.” Instead it’s “intoxicated Florida man hijacks ice cream truck and rams it into ex-wife’s trailer as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star plays in background.” (Max T is from Tallahassee, FL, so this may be a touch personal — his Uncle Gary has also hijacked several ice cream trucks).

Hope you have a great day. Frost arrived safely in Cincinnati early yesterday morning, and is grateful for all of your recs on Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky!

–Max and Max