We are less than a month away from the dual release of Barbie and Oppenheimer in theaters. Some online have proposed the idea of watching the movies back to back (paying for both tickets, of course 👮‍♂️). Going from Ken’s pickup lines to “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” might seem like a bit of a culture shock, so we propose cooling off with Indiana Jones 5 (3D) in between.

As we may have mentioned before, we are hosting a series of nationwide happy hours with the Roca community later this summer. If you work at or own a bar, please fill out this form so we can host an event with Roca Nation!

In today's edition:

• Prigozhin speaks

• NYC taking on its pizzerias?

• The Mediterranean Boat Disaster

 🔑 Key Stories

Prigozhin & Putin Speak

Yevgeny Prigozhin – the Russian mercenary chief who nearly marched on Moscow Saturday – spoke for the first time since calling off the campaign

• “We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership,” he said in a video released Monday. “The aim… was to avoid destruction of Wagner and to hold [accountable] officials who… have committed a massive number of errors”

• In response, Putin accused him of betraying Russia and told Wagner fighters they could fight for Russia

• Russian state media suggested Prigozhin remains under investigation; his whereabouts are unknown

Dig Deeper

• US officials have said they knew since mid-June that a rebellion was brewing and that they warned President Biden of a potential civil war in Russia

• On Monday, however, President Biden said the US and its allies were not involved with the mutiny

Tucker Replaced

Fox News announced that Jesse Watters will take Tucker Carlson’s former 8 PM primetime slot

• Tucker Carlson Tonight debuted in 2016 and became Fox News’ most-popular primetime show. The network unexpectedly fired Carlson last month, though, and has since had a rotation of hosts

• In the month after Carlson’s departure, the network averaged 1.42M primetime viewers, down 37% from the same period a year ago

• Conservative commentator Jesse Watters was given Fox News’ 7 PM slot last year. His show was a hit, and Monday, Fox said he’d now have the 8 PM slot

Dig Deeper

• Among other changes, Fox News announced that it would move late-night host Greg Gutfeld — who hosts a late-night “anti-woke” comedic talk show — from the 11 to 10 PM slot

• In some months, Gutfeld’s viewership has surpassed that of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and other broadcast talk show hosts

Supreme Court Rulings Due

The Supreme Court is expected to release major affirmative action and debt relief rulings this week

• In 2014, a nonprofit sued Harvard and the University of North Carolina alleging their use of race in admissions resulted in illegal discrimination. Both cases reached the Supreme Court in October

• Last August, the Biden administration said it would cancel up to $20,000 for tens of millions of US borrowers. SCOTUS heard 2 cases challenging that in February

• The Court’s conservative majority appears likely to block affirmative action and the debt forgiveness. Their rulings in both cases are due this week

Pedestrian Deaths Soar

New data show that more pedestrians were killed on US roads last year than in any year since 1981

• A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association recorded 7,508 pedestrians deaths on US roadways last year, equivalent to 20.5 people each day Southern states were deadliest; midwestern ones were safest

• Per the data, pedestrian deaths increased at more than 3x the rate of all other traffic deaths, which also hit a 20-year high last year

• Data show reckless driving increased during the pandemic when streets were empty, and rates haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic levels

Dig Deeper

• The increase accelerated during the pandemic, with a 12% jump between 2020 and 2021 and a further 1% climb between 2021 and 2022. The real figure is likely higher because Oklahoma didn’t release data

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Goodbye yellowbrick tour: Elton John performed his final UK show at the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday. The legendary pop star ended the night by performing “Rocket Man”

• 2 weeks to grade the curve: Dr. Anthony Fauci will become a “distinguished university professor” at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine starting July 1

• The Mecca of Meccas: The “largest Hajj pilgrimage in history” is underway in Saudi Arabia. All able Muslims are required to do Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca – at least once in their lifetime

Wildcard

• City that never emits: NYC is proposing stricter regulations on coal- and wood-fired pizzerias, which could force ones with pre-2016 ovens to invest in expensive emission-control devices

• Uber paranoid: Authorities charged a woman with murder for fatally shooting an El Paso Uber driver she believed was kidnapping her and taking her into Mexico. It was confirmed he was not doing so

• Brand Light: Bud Light is offering a July 4 $15 rebate on 15-packs of Bud Light, Budweiser, and Budweiser Select in an effort to jumpstart its sales, which are down 28% from a year ago

👇 What do you think?

Today’s Question:

Are there any unwritten rules where you work? If so, what are they?

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

On June 9, a fishing boat set sail from Tobruk, Libya for Italy. By that point, many of its passengers had already been traveling for months.

Up to 750 people were on the boat. Hundreds were from Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East. Up to 350 had come from Pakistan, nearly 3,000 miles away.

Many of those passengers had come from Pakistan’s north. The region is known for being beautiful – with clean air, forested valleys, and 8 of the world’s 20 tallest mountains – and troubled.

Dozens were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the region’s largest province. Home to 35M people, it has a roughly 50% literacy rate.

Bordering Afghanistan, terrorist groups conduct frequent attacks there and have taken control of whole districts. It’s where the Pakistani Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai, the girl’s education activist, in 2012. Efforts by the military to crush the insurgency have displaced millions.

Dozens more came from Azad Kashmir, a province bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir, and since 1947 they have fought 3 wars to control it. India occupies around 60% of Kashmir; Pakistan occupies around a third, which is known as Azad Kashmir.

Azad Kashmir is poor and conflicts are common. Militant groups often recruit young men there to fight in Indian Kashmir. 28 people from a single Kashmir town were on the boat to Italy, locals say.

Amid this poverty and conflict, human trafficking groups thrived. They charge Pakistanis $7,000-$14,000 for passage to Europe.

There are 2 primary routes to Europe from Pakistan.

The first is overland: People travel across Pakistan and then through Iran and Turkey, where they are smuggled into Greece, which is in the EU. The second involves traveling to a major Pakistani city, flying to Dubai, catching another flight to Egypt, and then crossing into Libya. From Libya, they take a boat to the EU – often to Greece or Turkey.

An estimated 300 Pakistanis took that journey to Tobruk, Libya, where they boarded an Italy-bound fishing boat. Greek authorities say 9 Egyptians between ages 20 and 40 were operating the boat; those Egyptians say they were just passengers. 400-500 other passengers boarded as well, filling it to the brim. On June 9, it set sail for Italy.

Around 11 AM on June 13, the EU border force spotted the boat and alerted Greek authorities. A separate emergency organization said it received a call around 3 PM that day, saying the boat was in distress.

Greek authorities said they approached the boat but that it turned down assistance and was traveling at a “steady course and speed.” Other passing ships and data have said the ship needed help and was unable to move.

Later that night, “there was a shift among the people who were crammed on board, and it capsized,” Greek authorities have said. Of the estimated 750 people on board, the Greek Coast Guard and a nearby yacht were able to rescue 104. 82 more were confirmed dead; the rest are missing, presumed dead.

The sinking is now one of the worst ever for a migrant ship in the Mediterranean. It has prompted protests and pledges by the EU to provide better resources for rescuers.

In Pakistan, it’s led the government to arrest dozens of people it says were involved with the smuggling operation.

That may make it harder for Pakistanis to get to Europe, but will it stop them from trying?

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

How much would you have needed to be paid to take the Titan to the Titanic?

<$100k: 4%
$100k-$250k: 3%
$250k-$500k: 3%
$500k-$1M: 6%
No amount: 84%

Yesterday's Question:

If you could trade jobs with someone you know, who would it be and why?

Kevin: "I’d swap jobs with the people who drive the Walt Disney World monorail. That’s gotta be one of the most fun jobs there is, plus all the perks for being a Disney employee. "

Jennifer: “I would trade jobs with any wealthy, retired, healthy human. Sitting on a beach. With a margarita”

Cooper from the road: "Absolutely no one! I'm living on the road building a voice-over career and a film acting career and I love every second of it. The best antidote to envy is dream-realizing!”

🧠 Final Thoughts

We hope you have great Tuesdays. For the Roca bar crew, a reminder to fill out this form. We'd love to host some parties with you all!

—Max and Max