Uh oh, we smell a rat war. PETA is nipping back at New York City after the Big Apple hired a $155,000-a-year "rat czar" to fight its rat problem. PETA argues that New York instead has a disgusting human problem. The PETA spokesperson went on to call rats "intelligent and sensitive" creatures. Well in that case, I’ll assume my ex meant it as a compliment.

In today's edition:

• Electricity bill by... income level?

• A Philly dime heist fit for Hollywood

• End of a China Boycott

🔑 Key Stories

No TikTok in Montana?

Montana’s lawmakers voted to ban TikTok

• Montana’s state senate passed a TikTok ban in March; its House did so on Friday. Its governor now has 10 days to act before it automatically becomes law. He hasn’t said what he will do

• The law would ban app stores from offering TikTok within the state. Any “entity” – either an app store or TikTok – found violating the law would face a $10k fine per violation. The penalty doesn’t apply to users

• If made law, the ban would be scheduled to take effect in January. TikTok would likely challenge it in court

Dig Deeper

• Critics say the bill violates free-speech rights protected under the First Amendment. A TikTok spokesperson said the company will “continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach”

• Some analysts speculate that the bill could trigger a domino effect that leads other states or Congress to enact similar bans

Elon Creates X.AI

Elon Musk is planning to launch an AI company

• Musk co-founded OpenAI, the AI company behind ChatGPT, as a nonprofit in 2015. He left after 3 years amid disputes about the company’s direction

• Musk has since called AI "one of the biggest risks” to civilization. In March, he was among thousands of investors, ethicists, and engineers who signed an open letter calling for a pause on AI development

• On Friday, it emerged that he registered a new company, X.AI; has recruited ~6 AI engineers; and has acquired thousands of the powerful computer chips needed to build advanced AI models

Dig Deeper

• Musk recently renamed Twitter’s holding company to “X." In the past, Musk created “X.com,” which he merged into Paypal, and has discussed creating an “everything app” with the name “X." It is unclear if or how X.AI relates to that

Income-Based Electricity Payments?

California’s 3 largest power companies proposed income-based electricity payments

• Most US utility companies use meters to measure how much electricity customers use, then multiply that amount – in kilowatt hours – by the utility’s rate

• Last year, California passed a law requiring electricity utilities to charge customers a fixed monthly rate

• The utilities have proposed dividing households between those earning <$28,000; $28,000-$69,000; $69,000-$180,000; and $180,000+. Depending on where they live and in which income bracket they fall, households would pay $15-$128 per month

Dig Deeper

• One of the utilities said low-income customers should see their bills drop by 16%-21%, while on average household bills would fall by about 33%. Higher-income households would likely see their bills become more expensive

War in Sudan

A battle within Sudan’s military led to airstrikes, nearly deaths, and hundreds of injuries in the country’s capital

• Sudan – a predominantly Muslim, Arabic-speaking North African country – was ruled by a dictator until 2019. That year, the military took power in a coup. 2 military groups – the army and the Rapid Support Forces – have since vied for control

• On Saturday, both groups claimed to have taken control of various military installations throughout the country. Fighting broke out, and the air force bombed the capital city, killing nearly 100.

• The army has since claimed to have gained the upper hand, but the fighting continued into today

Do You Put Chemicals on Your Face?

Together with Jackfir

If your skin has ever reacted poorly to lotion or shaving gel, it could be due to the harmful chemicals many contain. But why would a skin care company use harsh chemical ingredients when they’re not necessary?

• The short answer is that these chemicals can help extend a skin care product’s shelf-life

• This is good for a company’s profitability, but bad for your skin and general health

• Enter Jackfir, whose skin care products are effective and free of harmful chemicals

• Choosing the right skin care products from many options that exist today can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, Jackfir makes it simple!

Dig Deeper

• So many brands say they are effective and clean, but how do you know? Jackfir is certified by third parties to remove any doubt. Invest in your skin today!

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Dime and Dimer: Philadelphia thieves stole $200k worth of dimes from a truck that had just picked up the dimes from the US Mint in Philadelphia

• Catch me if you campaign: Rep. George Santos, who has faced heat for fabricating his life story, reportedly plans to announce his re-election campaign today

• Wishing you were somehow cheap again: The Phantom of the Opera came to a close after 3 decades on Broadway. Tickets ran as high as $4,000 for the finale

Wildcard

• Das over: Germany shut down its final 3 nuclear plants, which provided about 6.5% of its electricity in 2022. It's been winding down its nuclear operations for decades

• Uhhh.... Jesse Pinkman? An Oregon man threw an estimated $200k in cash out his window. The 38-year-old told police he was simpky "gifting" it to people

• No staying Bauer: Embattled ex-MLB star Trevor Bauer made his pitching debut in the Japanese minors. Bauer is accused of sexual abuse and faced a 324-game MLB ban

👇 What do you think?

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🌯 Roca Wrap

The world governing body for women’s tennis announced it will end a 16-month boycott of China.

Peng Shuai was one of China’s best female tennis players. In 2011, she was the world’s #14 female tennis player. A doubles champion at both Wimbledon (2013) and the French Open (2014), she was once the world’s #1-ranked female doubles player.

On November 2, 2021, Peng posted a statement on Chinese social media that detailed a years-long affair between her and a former top-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official.

She said the official ended their relationship after he was promoted in 2014, but invited her to his house out of the blue 4 years later. She claimed that during that visit, he coerced her into having sex while someone stood outside the door.

“I didn't agree [to have sex], and I kept crying,” she wrote. In the post, Peng said she continued to see the man for some time afterward.

The post was the most significant sexual assault allegation ever publicly leveled at a CCP official. It was taken down within 20 minutes and discussions about it were blocked. ​​Weng subsequently disappeared, and tennis organizations couldn’t reach her.

Many top tennis players expressed support for Peng, and #whereispengshuai went viral.

Amid that, Chinese officials sent the head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the governing body of women’s tennis, an email allegedly written by Peng.

“The news in [my post], including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true,” it said. “I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe…I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine.”

In December 2021, the WTA announced it would suspend all matches in China until it received proof that Weng was safe and that her claims were being investigated.

“If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded — equality for women — would suffer an immense setback,” the organization’s president said.

In the following months, Weng appeared on state media several times, each time denying that she had been sexually assaulted. In 2022, she appeared at the Beijing Olympics, during which she reiterated that she was safe.

“I erased it,” she told media there of her 2021 social media post. “Why? Because I wanted to.”

The WTA’s suspension of events in China cost it hundreds of millions of dollars. The organization had agreed to hold its season-ending tournament, in addition to 8 other tournaments, in China for a 10-year period. Organizers had committed $150M+ to those events.

Last Thursday, the WTA announced it would return to China.

“16 months into this, we’re convinced that our requests will not be met,” the WTA’s head announced. “We needed to look at a different approach. With this, our members believe it’s time to resume the mission in China, where we believe we can continue to make a positive difference.”

The WTA is expected to release its China tournament schedule in the coming days, with tournaments in the country by the end of the year.

Its head said he received assurances all WTA athletes would be safe there.

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

🌊 Roca Clubhouse

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🧠 Final Thoughts

If you asked Big News, they would have told you there was a constant stream of gloom-inducing breaking news you needed to be constantly aware of throughout the weekend. That’s a lie: Their business models just require them to say that.

We’re happy to be the alternative for people who want to be informed but don’t want to be constantly told the world is ending. We hope you had happy and restful weekends.

–Max and Max