🌊 For-D'oh! Nuclear Strike Unsuccessful?

Elvis Presley’s final performance.

On this day in 1977, Elvis Presley did his final performance in Indianapolis, Indiana. His performance of “Unchained Melody” gives us the chills. You can also see a few clues on the piano and his face as to why he didn’t last much longer on Earth.

Or so they say! The militia group in New Mexico we talked to says he’s still alive and that he called them a week ago.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Fordow Strike Unsuccessful?

A leaked intelligence report suggests that the US’ strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities did not destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities

• On June 22, the US bombed key nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Israel-Iran war, striking Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. President Trump claimed that the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites

• However, a leaked US intelligence report suggested that the strikes did not destroy Iran’s core nuclear components and only delayed the program by 6 months. The Trump Administration rebuked the assessment, calling the leaker a “low-level loser”

Dig Deeper

• The assessment was originally reported by CNN, who say that “seven people briefed on it” made the claims

• One of the sources said the analysis was based on a battle damage assessment from the US Central Command after the strikes

• CNN wrote that while early findings contradicted Trump’s original comments, the analysis of the damage is “ongoing” and subject to change

• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt contested the report, saying, the assessment was “flat out wrong”

• Trump said, "The intelligence says, 'We don't know, it could have been very severe.' That's what the intelligence says. So I guess that's correct, but I think we can take the 'we don't know'. It was very severe. It was obliteration"

• Neither the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees all US intelligence agencies, nor the Defense Intelligence Agency commented on the issue

KEY STORY

US Stops Funding Vaccine Alliance

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. announced the US will withdraw support from Gavi, a global vaccine alliance

• In a video statement, RFK Jr. accused the organization – which seeks to provide immunization to low-income countries – of making questionable vaccine recommendations not based on science

• "I call on Gavi today to re-earn the public trust, and to justify the $8B that America has provided in funding since 2001," he said

• In response, Gavi issued a statement denying RFK Jr.’s characterization, saying their decisions “are grounded in the best available science and public health priorities”

Dig Deeper 

• Since 2001, the US has contributed about $8B, including $300M annually under President Trump during his first term

• According to RFK Jr., “When vaccine safety issues have come before Gavi, Gavi has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem”

• The statement issued by Gavi read, "Any decision made by Gavi with regards to its vaccine portfolio is made in alignment with recommendations by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

ROCA’S SPONSOR

Serious Citrus for Serious Athletes

Together with LMNT

Want to take your workouts to the next level? Look no further than LMNT: Their limited-time Lemonade Salt delivers a burst of energy and flavor

• If you work out a lot, you probably have a recovery routine. Stretch, drink water, make a protein smoothie…

• But what you’re missing are electrolytes. When you sweat, your body loses key minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium that are crucial for muscle and nerve functions. Drinking water alone won’t replenish these critical nutrients. But drinking LMNT will

• LMNT is an electrolyte drink mix that’s packed with salts and is free of sugar and other dodgy ingredients like food dyes and additives

• We are hardcore LMNT fans over here at Roca. We experience noticeably fewer muscle cramps and are way less groggy when we drink LMNT

Dig Deeper

• Their Lemonade Salt flavor is the perfect addition to a summer workout – it’s tangy, refreshing, and most importantly, full of salts to help your body recover quickly, so you can get on with your favorite summer activities 

• Just mix with water for a quick and delicious recovery drink

• Roca readers get a free Sample Pack with any drink mix purchase!

KEY STORY

Dawn of the AI Ads

A Mashable report found that AI-generated video ads on YouTube are increasingly using deepfake actors and synthetic voices to promote questionable products

• The report alleges that these ads take real social media clips, edit the lip movements, and insert custom audio

• In one example, a deepfake of a financial analyst promised to share all his trades and invited the user to join a WhatsApp group. In another, an ad impersonating a broadcast journalist promoted weight loss pills

• “YouTube has an AI video ads problem. Celebrity deepfakes. AI impersonators. Sketchy customer testimonials. And it's only going to get worse,” posted the investigator

Dig Deeper

• In another example, the report found an ad that promised weight loss secrets. The ad used an AI deepfake of Hoda Kotb, an American broadcast journalist, to promote them

• “This is the same recipe Japanese celebrities use to get thin. When I first learned about this trick, I didn't believe it either. Harvard and Johns Hopkins say it's 12 times more effective than Mounj[aro]...If you don't lose at least four chunks of fat, I'll personally buy you a case of Mounjaro pens,” the deepfake said. When users clicked the ad, it was a link to diet pills

• The rise of AI-crafted ads signals tensions between advertisers benefiting from cost-saving automation but also risking eroding trust in online platforms

KEY STORY

Anthropic Ruling

A federal judge ruled it is legal to train AI models on books without the authors’ permission

• Tech companies use online data and content to train their AI models, raising questions (and prompting lawsuits) over intellectual property violations

• A group of authors brought one such lawsuit against Anthropic for training its primary AI program, Claude, on their books, alleging Anthropic had improperly used their works

• The judge ruled that training AI using legally acquired books is allowed under “fair use” rules, but that training on pirated models might not be

Dig Deeper 

• A US district court judge ruled that using legally acquired books for training AI models is “quintessentially transformative” and allowed under fair use

• However, the ruling deemed Anthropic’s centralized library of pirated copies could potentially be an infringement of copyrights and not fair use

• The judge scheduled a trial for December to determine any damages relating to pirating activities, with potential liability of up to $150,000 per work

• The decision is a win for AI companies, establishing that they may legally train models on copyrighted material if it was purchased and used in a transformative way

• Appeals are likely, and legal experts say the case – or others like it – could ultimately reach the Supreme Court

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🪙 A new stablecoin pegged to the Russian ruble has facilitated over $9B in cross-border transactions since its launch in February

💉 A new University of Oxford study found that receiving a shingles vaccine could be associated with a lower risk of developing dementia

🇳🇴 A 21-year-old Norwegian tourist claims he was denied entry into the US after immigration officials found a bald JD Vance meme on his phone

⚖️ A federal jury found that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed an employee of Dominion, a voting equipment company, after the 2020 presidential election

💰 A federal judge ordered the University of Oregon’s insurer to pay $191,000 in legal fees after the school censored a professor’s social media posts

📰 The co-founder of Jane Street, a leading Wall Street quantitative firm, said he was duped into funding a plot to overthrow South Sudan’s government

What does Roca Nation think?

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

🧐 Today’s Question: Why are young people more inclined to support socialism?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🐼 Panda-monium Wake-Up Call: A Chinese hotel has been ordered to stop using red pandas to wake up guests after concerns from local authorities

🧒 Dragon Eye Saves Children: A major law enforcement operation in Florida rescued 60 missing children, aged 9 to 17, across the Tampa Bay area

💗 Heartwired: A team of surgeons in Texas performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in US history

🍶 Bottle-Necked Pay: Colombian waste pickers flooded a Bogotá town square with 15 tons of plastic bottles to protest declining income for scavengers

🌐 Domino Effect: YouTuber Lily Hevesh, known as Hevesh5, has broken the world record for the tallest domino tower

ROCA WRAP
Saved by the Law

Vietnam

This Southeast Asian nation saved a billionaire by partially abolishing capital punishment.

In recent years, corruption has emerged as one of the primary threats to the Communist Party’s legitimacy in Vietnam, as numerous high-profile business leaders and government officials have been embroiled in corruption scandals. The country’s authorities have responded with intense penalties, including death sentences for some of the worst offenders.

Yet on Wednesday, parliament unanimously approved sweeping changes to criminal law that will eliminate capital punishment for eight serious offenses, including financial corruption and narcotics possession. The change couldn’t have come soon enough for Truong My Lan.

In one of the country’s most high-profile corruption cases, My Lan, a billionaire property magnate, recently received a death sentence for her role in a $12B corruption scheme. While she’ll still face a life sentence, the shift toward a more lenient policy came just in the nick of time.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. The liberal media then pulled one of the most impressive 180s we’ve ever seen, going from “he’s sharp as a tack” to “bring in the meat wagon!” in just 24 hours. It’s sad that the media pick political sides like they do and ignores what we all plainly see for a political purpose — until that purpose changes.

We promise to call balls and strikes at Roca, knowing that you can think for yourself!

–Max and Max