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- 🌊 Ex Markina: Zuck Eyes Superintelligence
🌊 Ex Markina: Zuck Eyes Superintelligence
Plus: Senate passes BBB, Trump v. Musk Pt. 2, and man saves daughter in cruise accident
T minus two days until FREEDOM 🦅.
If your fridge isn't struggling to stay open from jammed-in Budweiser cases, Zyn tins (yes, you can refrigerate), and 64 bratwurst packs, then you're either A) unpatriotic or B) healthy, responsible, and eager to live a long life. Or, of course, C) not American and confused as to why Americans celebrate their Independence Day with the culinary fare of a ballpark.
🤖 Zuck establishes superintelligence lab
đź’° Senate passes the BBB
❤️ Man saves daughter in cruise accident
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Meta Creates New AI Lab
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has established Meta Superintelligence Labs, a new division aimed at developing artificial general intelligence (AGI)
AGI – a hypothetical AI with the ability to understand, learn, and apply its intelligence to any intellectual task that a human being can – is the holy grail of AI, with all major AI companies racing to achieve it
Meta has been lagging in that raise, prompting the company to offer $100M+ signing bonuses to top AI talent, invest tens of billions of dollars, and now launch a division devoted solely to creating AGI
Dig Deeper
Per Reuters, Zuckerberg has been personally leading recruitment efforts for the new “superintelligence” lab by targeting the top startups and contacting prospects directly on WhatsApp with million-dollar packages
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said Meta had offered his employees bonuses of $100M to switch companies
Zuckerberg hopes the labs will accelerate the development of machines that can outthink humans while creating revenue streams from Meta AI apps, image-to-video ad tools, and smart glasses
While some investors have called on Meta to do more to win the AI race, others worry the efforts may be another costly moonshot like Zuckerberg’s attempt to create a “metaverse”
KEY STORY
Big Beautiful Passage
The US Senate passed the “Big Beautiful Bill”
The bill – which contains Trump’s second-term tax and spending priorities – had narrowly passed the House in May but become caught up in the Senate between Republicans who thought its spending cuts were insufficient, and those who thought they went too far
On Tuesday, the Republicans voted 51-50 to pass the bill, with all 47 Democrats and three Republicans – Rand Paul (KY), Thom Tillis (NC), and Susan Collins (ME) – voting against it
It now heads back to the House for final deliberation ahead of a Trump-set July 4 deadline
Dig Deeper
The bill extends the tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term, preventing a pending tax hike from taking effect. It also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, increases the tax credit given to new parents, lets Americans deduct interest on car loans paid for US-made vehicles, and increases defense and border spending, among other things
To fund itself, the bill increases work requirements for Medicaid, requires states to contribute more to SNAP (food stamps), and cuts spending on green-energy projects. The Congressional Budget Office has found that those revenue streams are insufficient to negate the changes, meaning the deficit will rise by trillions of dollars
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Desires and impulses are as much a part of a perfect human being as beliefs and restraints
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KEY STORY
Trump v. Musk Restarts
The Trump-Musk spat restarted
On Monday and Tuesday, as Senate Republicans rushed to pass the “Big Beautiful Bill” ahead of a July 4 deadline, Musk launched a new series of attacks, saying it would constitute "the biggest debt increase in history" and that he would fund primaries against any Republican who supported it
Trump, meanwhile, said Elon was bitter about cuts to EV subsidies and that without them “Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.” He also told reporters that “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon"
Musk responded by posting, "I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now"
Dig Deeper
Trump also told reporters that “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon," while posting on social media, “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have Doge take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Musk's six businesses benefit from as much as $38B in government spending, per the Washington Post: Tesla has received significant state and federal subsidies, while SpaceX has become the primary operator of the US space program
The bill drops a tax credit that gives EV buyers up to $7,500, benefiting companies like Tesla
KEY STORY
Cali Curbs Housing Law
California lawmakers rolled back key provisions of the state’s landmark environmental law, which had been blamed for driving up housing costs
Then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in 1970, requiring state and local agencies to review the environmental impacts of planned projects. It has since proved a major barrier to virtually any development, from new housing to bicycle-lane expansions
On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) secured bipartisan support to pass a bill that exempts most urban housing development from the law, part of an effort to lower California’s nation-leading housing prices
Dig Deeper
Newsom, an expected 2028 presidential candidate, has been trying to make lower housing costs a cornerstone policy
“We have seen this abuse over and over and over again,” he said upon the bill’s signing. “We have fallen prey to a strategy of delay. As a result of that, we have too much demand chasing too little supply. This is not complicated, it is Econ 101”
Environmental advocates condemned the move, with critics warning that developers will now operate unchecked
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🤑 The US Senate voted 99-1 to remove a proposed 10-year ban on states regulating artificial intelligence models from President Trump's tax and spending legislation
đź— Fed Chair Jay Powell said Tuesday that a July interest rate cut was not "off the table," softening his previous stance that cuts were unlikely before September
🇨🇠Petitioners in Switzerland secured enough signatures to hold a referendum on November 30 that will decide whether to impose a 50% inheritance tax on assets above 50M Swiss francs ($63M)
🗳️ Zohran Mamdani clinched the NYC Democratic primary after the ranked-choice system gave him 56% of the vote to rival Andrew Cuomo’s 44%
🤖 Amazon announced that it will soon have as many robots working in its facilities as humans
What does Roca Nation think?
🇺🇸 Yesterday’s Question: What is one thing America does better than Europe?
Among the unlimited other reasons, the quite obvious one is our 2nd amendment. Apparently, only 3 countries in the world have a right to bear arms in their constitutions: US, Mexico, and Guatemala. Sure, you may be able to own a gun in places in Europe (except the UK where the weapon of choice for criminals is a toothpick). In our United States, it is a right to own a gun as a law-abiding citizen. If you are a normal human being that follows the rule of law in this country, there is no authority figure stopping you from buying and owning a gun. Period. It is your duty to learn how to use a gun and in my opinion, carry a gun in your everyday life. Other than the fact that crime is at a troubling peak nowadays, this right was granted to us by our very wise forefathers who learned from experience. The only thing that stands in the way from a totalitarian government is an armed population. You read about militias, coups, regime changes, and governments abusing their people time and time again. No matter which way you slice it, the American people will never submit to a king ever again, as long as our 2nd amendment is holding steady. I cannot speak for the human nature of Americans 200 years from now, but I can do my best in raising kids that appreciate the freedoms a lot of people take for granted. It is our duty to never let that fire go out.
Americans have an exuberance and optimism that is unmatched. We push forward and value innovation. We have unapologetically big tastes- our cities, homes, cars. And convenience is very dear to us. All are things I appreciate about our world.
I know fahrenheit is impossible to spell without spell check, and it's not based on water's freezing/boiling points, BUT it just feels more right than celsius. 100 degrees is 100% hot. 0 degrees is 0% hot. 70 degrees is a solid 70% hot that we all enjoy. I can't explain it other than the vibe of fahrenheit makes more sense.
🇺🇸 Today’s Question: Any fun plans for the Fourth? Does your town/city do anything?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🛳️ Operation Overboard: A father jumped off a Disney cruise ship after his young daughter fell overboard during the voyage back to Fort Lauderdale
🪨 Out-of-This-World Auction: The largest known piece of Mars to land on Earth is set to be auctioned for up to $4M
🙉 Ape-py Hour: A new study found that apes become more optimistic after hearing the sound of laughter
đź‘® Purr-fect Rescue: Police rescued a 19-year-old boy and his cats after they got lost in a dense Massachusetts swamp
⚗️ The Science of Cool: A new study has identified six traits that define coolness across twelve different cultures. Maxes are studying up!
ROCA WRAP
Deadline Drama
Pakistan
Millions of refugees in this country face an uncertain future as deportation deadlines loom.
Pakistan shares a 1,600-mile border with Afghanistan and has hosted one of the world's largest refugee populations for over four decades. Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, successive waves of Afghans have crossed into Pakistan seeking safety from war, poverty, and political upheaval. Today, approximately 3M Afghans live in Pakistan, making it their primary refuge outside Afghanistan itself.
In 2023, Pakistan launched what it calls the "Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan," targeting undocumented migrants and refugees. The government ordered 1.4M Afghans with legal registration cards to leave by June 30, 2025, while threatening immediate deportation for hundreds of thousands more without proper documentation.
The deportation campaign affects three distinct groups: 1.4M people with UN-issued Proof of Registration cards, 800,000 with Pakistani-issued Afghan Citizen Cards, and roughly 1M undocumented individuals.
Around 1.2M Afghans have already been forced to return from Pakistan and Iran this year – numbers the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says Afghanistan is not equipped to absorb.
Pakistan is now considering extending the deadline for 1.4M Afghan refugees living legally in the country to return home, with officials saying they want to give them time to wrap up their affairs, such as selling businesses and homes.
Government sources indicate a possible six-month extension could be approved when the Cabinet meets, providing temporary relief for those facing the June 30 deadline. However, the illegally residing Afghans would still be eligible for immediate deportation, and even for those there legally, their return to Taliban Afghanistan would be only a matter of time.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
We had a lot of fun with the Europe vs. USA comparisons. We promise that we’re not trying to start a beef, and felt we showed a lot of class by not featuring the “We know where the tea belongs… in the harbor” or “We’re not chain-smoking, anti-fun, and anti-freedom losers. USA!!” responses.
One more day until Fourth of July weekend. Almost there!
–Max and Max