Here comes the first deportation to Mars.
Ahh, you know how it goes: One minute you’re best friends with someone and the next they’re reporting you for being on the Epstein list. And then the next after that you’re bragging about getting you elected leader of the free world despite knowing you were on the Epstein list. Ugh, we’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Yesterday was the Super Bowl for chronically online people (and Musk’s Ketamine dealer), and we’ll admit that we were glued to our phones for the entire afternoon. But don’t worry — it’ll all be over soon since both of them love taking the high road.
Time for some 20 Questions!
💔 Trump and Elon Break Up
🧐 Palantir gets tighter with government
🦝 Crackhead raccoon driving car
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Trump and Elon Break Up
President Trump and Elon Musk's relationship deteriorated into a public feud, sparked by disagreements over the "One Big Beautiful Bill"
Musk criticized the bill for its potential to increase the national deficit and its cuts to electric vehicle subsidies
Trump defended the bill and called Musk “crazy” while threatening to cut government contracts with Musk’s businesses, leading to a 15% ($150B) drop in Tesla's stock value
The conflict escalated with Musk accusing Trump of being mentioned in the Epstein files and calling for his impeachment
Dig Deeper
In a series of statements and online posts, Trump called Musk “crazy,” suggested that he “asked [Musk] to leave” the government, and claimed that Musk only opposed the bill because it would end policies that helped Tesla. Trump also accused Musk of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome”
Musk, in turn, accused Trump of “being in the Epstein files” and claimed that was “the real reason they have not been made public”
He continued to retaliate by calling for Trump’s impeachment, suggesting that he may fund the creation of a new political party, and stating that Trump would not have won the 2024 election without Musk’s support
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election…Such ingratitude,” he posted on X
As the feud escalated, Trump threatened to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts”
Musk responded, “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” referring to a SpaceX spacecraft that is currently the US’ only option to bring astronauts to space
The clash led Tesla’s stock to end the day down 15% – wiping out roughly $150B in value
KEY STORY
New Travel Ban
President Trump enacted a new travel ban, citing national security concerns
The order includes 19 countries the White House said had “deficient” immigration vetting practices and high visa overstay rates. 12 countries’ people are fully banned, while 7 face a partial ban
Six of the banned countries are overwhelmingly Muslim (Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan); six are not (Haiti, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, and Myanmar)
Dig Deeper
Critics argued that the new ban is too wide and discriminatory. Senator Markey (D-MA) posted, “Trump’s latest travel ban will NOT make America safer. We cannot continue to allow the Trump administration to write bigotry and hatred into US immigration policy”
Trump called the bans a “key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil” and in a video posted online said, “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.
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KEY STORY
Biden Autopen Probe
President Trump ordered an investigation into whether White House aides unconstitutionally used President Biden’s autopen – a device that replicates a person's signature – to sign official documents
An autopen was used to issue hundreds of pardons, potentially including Dr. Fauci’s and other Trump opponents. Trump has claimed Biden wasn’t capable of ordering this himself, given his mental state
Trump has doubled down on these claims since the recent book Original Sin, which suggested that aides were making decisions in Biden’s place. Trump has now ordered an investigation into whether figures other than Biden ordered the use of the autopen
Dig Deeper
The White House released a memo this week that said, “Given clear indications that President Biden lacked the capacity to exercise his Presidential authority, if his advisors secretly used the mechanical signature pen to conceal this incapacity while taking radical executive actions in his name, that would constitute an unconstitutional wielding of presidential power”
President Biden dismissed the allegations as “nothing more than a distraction.” In a statement, he asserted, “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false”
KEY STORY
Palantir and the Government
Palantir’s stock has risen 74% in the last year, driven by government contracts that have sparked debate over data privacy concerns
Founded in 2003, Palantir is a tech firm specializing in using big data analytics for national security. It has worked extensively with the US government and has secured over $800M in new federal contracts this year alone, including with ICE, the Department of Defense, and Fannie Mae
Palantir has increasingly become the subject of criticism that its technology could enable unprecedented surveillance. Meanwhile, its stock has been one of the world’s best performers
Dig Deeper
In late May, the New York Times published an article speculating that Palantir could merge the data it has access to from government contracts, thereby building a database full of Americans' sensitive information
Palantir rebuked the NYT, posting, “Palantir never collects data to unlawfully surveil Americans, and our Foundry platform employs granular security protections”
KEY STORY
Supreme Court Unity
The US Supreme Court delivered a series of unanimous decisions on contentious issues
In one, the court ruled that “majority” groups (heterosexuals, whites, etc.) do not need to meet higher legal standards to claim discrimination
In a second, they dismissed Mexico's $10B lawsuit that alleged US gun manufacturers had facilitated illegal firearms trafficking to Mexican cartels
And a third ruled that Wisconsin discriminated against the Catholic Charities Bureau by failing to grant it a religious tax exemption
Dig Deeper
The decisions came as SCOTUS concludes its 2024 term. Typically, the court’s summer decisions include divisions on ideological lines, and the court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority
The most controversial decisions are expected later this month
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🕊️ The US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that demanded an unconditional cease-fire in Gaza
📉 The European Central Bank lowered its key interest rate to 2%, its lowest level since early 2023, citing easing inflation and slowing growth
🇺🇸 Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced she has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent
☎️ President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a phone call focused on trade, agreeing to resume negotiations and extend invitations for state visits
🪖 The US Army met its fiscal year 2025 recruiting target of 61,000 active-duty soldiers in June, four months ahead of its September 30 deadline
What does Roca Nation think?
🧠 Yesterday’s Question: What’s an issue that your liberal and conservative friends can agree on?
Most of my liberal and conservative friends agree there are too many additives in our food. Also, we agree that large corporations are the true villains in the destruction of our planet.
The clear issue that stands out to me is members of congress owning stocks. I believe AOC and Matt Gaetz originally introduced a bill back in 2023 that would prevent members of congress from doing so and I can't think of two people who are less politically aligned. Members of congress owning stocks is a huge liability to public trust since they have access to information that most of the public does not. How can we trust they aren't acting in their own financial self-interest when legislating given all the information at their disposal?
Curious to hear what others have to say! Thanks for all the work y'all do. I truly believe you are the best non-partisan news source available! 🙌
Both my ultra liberal and mega conservative friends and I agree without hiccup that the overall cost of living has outrageously outpaced earned wages over the last decade-plus.
Popeyes is better than KFC, pineapple on pizza is only acceptable when balanced with jalapeño, and Gal Gadot is an awful actress.
Healthcare is too expensive. We don’t all necessarily agree on universal healthcare, but we’ve all been affected in one way or another by expensive medical bills. I think I can safely say that we all hate the malicious financial practices healthcare companies pull on their clients. And that people who don’t have a medical degree should not be the say in what medical treatments should or should not be covered.
20 Questions!
The people have spoken again and here's another trivia-themed 20 Questions. This time we're doing movie trivia. Next week we'll do a fill-in-the-blank Trump-Musk breakup trivia edition of 20 Questions where we give you a Tweet with a missing word and you have to complete the insult. If you autofill the quiz with "LIGHTWEIGHT" or "LOSER" you'll probably get a 10%.
Have a great weekend.
Last Week’s Responses
Finish the quote: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Nietzsche
Finish the quote: "Give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry
Finish the quote: "We shall fight on the beaches." - Winston Churchill
In what state did the 1969 Woodstock music festival take place? New York
Which US President played football at Michigan? Gerald Ford
Name a college besides Michigan that's produced a US President and Super Bowl-winning QB (there are four others). Delaware: Biden/Flacco; Miami (OH): Harrison/Big Ben; Michigan: Ford/Brady; Stanford: Hoover/Elway/Plunkett; and Navy: Carter/Staubach
Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson
Who was the main author of the Constitution? James Madison
What was the name of the pandemic that killed millions worldwide from 1918 to 1919? Spanish Flu
Which 18th-century queen ruled Russia for 34 years and is known for her reforms? Catherine the Great
What unusual thing did Roman Emperor Caligula reportedly try to appoint as a consul in the 1st century AD? His horse (Incitatus)
Which 19th-century U.S. showman claimed his circus was the “Greatest Show on Earth”? P.T. Barnum
Which English queen ruled for over 60 years in the 19th century? Queen Victoria
What was the name of the document signed in 1215 that limited the power of the English king? Magna Carta
Speaking of royalty, which rapper released the song "Trap Queen" in 2015? Fetty Wap
What was the name of the wall that divided East and West Berlin until 1989? Berlin Wall
In what year did the great nonpartisan news company RocaNews launch? 2020
In what country is Stonehenge? United Kingdom
Which US President served four terms in office? Franklin D. Roosevelt
Finish the quote: "I may walk slowly but I never walk backward." - Abraham Lincoln
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🧊 Ice-based Cooling Systems: A Manhattan skyscraper is beating the heat – and high electric bills – by using giant blocks of ice instead of traditional air conditioning
🐶 Paws and Recreation: Dayton, Texas, unveiled a “Bark Park,” a new community space where dogs and humans can play side by side
🦝 Crackhead Raccoon: During a routine traffic stop in Springfield Township, Ohio, officers discovered a pet raccoon sitting in the driver's seat with a meth pipe in its mouth
🛥️ Flying Boats: In a rare aerial spectacle, Washington state airlifted 14 abandoned boats from Squaxin Island using a firefighter helicopter
💵 A Costly Decimal Disaster: A special education teacher in California thought she was leaving a $5 tip – but a missing decimal point turned it into a $5,000 charge
🍅 Tomato Toss in Colombia: Around 20,000 revelers gathered in Sutamarchán, a town in central Colombia, to throw over 45 tonnes of tomatoes at each other during its annual “Gran Tomatina” celebration
ROCA WRAP
Trading Time
Syria
After decades under the Assad dynasty's authoritarian rule and a 14-year civil war, Syria is now attempting to chart a new course after Bashar al-Assad's December ouster.
A new government has taken power, Western countries are lifting sanctions, and Middle Eastern countries are making significant investments in Syria. The latest sign of what Syrians hope is a comeback came on Monday, when trading resumed on the Damascus Securities Exchange after a six-month closure that began during the chaotic days leading up to Assad's fall in a lightning rebel offensive.
Syria’s finance minister said the reopening signals that the country's economy is beginning to recover, and said that the exchange "will operate as a private company and serve as a genuine hub for Syria's economic development, with a strong focus on digital." The minister’s use of the word “private” stands in contrast to the ousted Assad regime, whose Ba’ath party had an Arab socialist ideology.
The move comes as international restrictions on Syria's financial systems begin to ease, with both the United States and EU lifting wide-ranging sanctions. While the sanctions relief is described as "conditional" and could be resumed if new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander, doesn't maintain peace, it’s led to rising optimism.
Syria also recently signed a $7B power deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish, and US companies for a 5,000-megawatt energy project to revitalize the war-battered electricity grid. The consortium will develop four gas power plans and a solar power plant, which the sides hope will power not just homes and businesses, but Syria’s turnaround.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
Fascinating responses to yesterday’s question. The majority of them had to do with healthcare, Congressional trading and term limits, and corporate corruption in DC. The media rarely focus on these issues; instead they prefer to divide us.
Thank you for reading Roca. Here’s hoping Dr. Phil is heading to the Oval Office right now! We need an intervention ASAP!
–Max and Max
