🌊 The DOGE Days Aren't Over

Shoutout to another American hero.

Today is the birthday of a man who never got any respect: Rodney Dangerfield. The legendary comic would've turned 103 today if his Doctor Vinnie Boombotz might've given him better advice. Rodney first became a hit in his 50s, proving that it's never too late to chase a dream. It’s also Friday, so let's dance!

Link to 20 Questions! 

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

DOGE’s Plan

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy outlined their goal to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government

• In a WSJ op-ed, the duo wrote that they would focus on two SCOTUS rulings that limited the power of federal agencies to issue rules and regulations. They’ll use these to create a list of rules that Trump can immediately end or pause, then fire the employees who are no longer needed. They will also require all federal employees to return to in-person work. Ramaswamy has predicted that will cause 25% of those impacted to resign

• The plans will likely encounter fierce resistance from government workers

Dig Deeper

• The duo summarized their philosophy like this: “Our nation was founded on the basic idea that the people we elect run the government. That isn't how America functions today. Most legal edicts aren't laws enacted by Congress but ‘rules and regulations’ promulgated by unelected bureaucrats — tens of thousands of them each year"

• While various rules prevent the firing of government employees, the pair asserted that these rules were intended to protect employees from political retaliation and that layoffs to reduce the size of the workforce are therefore allowable

KEY STORY

US-Russia Escalation

Russia launched a new ballistic missile at Ukraine as tensions between it and the West increase

• In the last week, the US and UK have permitted Ukraine to fire their long-distance missiles at Russian territory, and the US has begun transferring anti-personnel mines to Ukraine

• Early Thursday Ukraine time, Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine. While Ukraine initially claimed they were inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Western governments and Russia both said they were intermediate-range missiles

• Ballistic missiles are more powerful, faster, and harder to shoot down than traditional missiles

• Analysts said the launch served no practical purpose and that the move was a threat by President Putin: The missiles could reach Western Europe and deliver nuclear warheads

Dig Deeper

• In announcing the strikes, Putin said, “Further actions will be considered and decided based on what we see from them”

• The Biden administration, meanwhile, said, “Escalation at every turn, at every step, is coming from Russia”

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Dig Deeper

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KEY STORY

Hegseth Update

A leaked police report has reportedly blindsided the Trump campaign and dented Pete Hegseth’s odds of confirmation as defense secretary

• The report details a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth. It followed an investigation sparked by a woman who met Hegseth at a Republican conference and claimed to have been drugged, brought back to Hegseth’s hotel room, and blocked from leaving. Hegseth has said they had a consensual “encounter”

• The police investigation did not end in any charges and Hegseth has said, “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared.” Still, the Trump campaign has reportedly been “blindsided” by the report’s existence

Dig Deeper

• Hegseth reportedly received a report with these details in 2021 but kept it private

• Trump’s spokesperson has defended Hegseth, yet per the Wall Street Journal, Trump was “blindsided” by the details. The source told the paper that if “the press coverage continues to be bad, particularly on TV, then I think there is a real chance that [Hegseth] loses Trump’s confidence”

KEY STORY

Matt Gaetz Bows Out

A day after a new report that he paid two women $10k for sex, Trump’s attorney general pick Matt Gaetz announced he’s withdrawing his nomination. Trump proceeded to nominate Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

• Per documents first obtained by ABC News, Matt Gaetz made 27 PayPal and Venmo payments to two women between July 2017 and January 2019 for sex

• The payments totaled over $10k. Both of the women were reportedly over 18 at the time

• After getting nominated to be attorney general, Gaetz resigned his seat for the 118th Congress. It is now debated whether he can now return to his seat for the 119th Congress in January 2025

• Gaetz’s replacement is a much more conventional pick: Bondi is an experienced prosecutor who has been a vocal supporter of Trump

Dig Deeper

• “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz wrote

• The House Ethics Committee has debated releasing its findings from its investigation but has thus far refused to do so. The Committee got ahold of the FBI documents that detailed Gaetz’s alleged pay-for-sex spending patterns

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇺🇸 Bitcoin’s price exceeded $98,000 on Thursday, its latest record since Donald Trump’s election. The world’s most popular crypto is up ~40% since the election

🇮🇱 The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

🇧🇷 Brazil’s federal police accused former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of attempting a coup. Brazil’s top prosecutor must now decide whether to bring charges

🇺🇸 The US charged Gautam Adani – India’s second richest person – and seven other Indian businessmen with various types of fraud

📈 Nvidia – the world’s most valuable publicly traded company – reported $35.1B in Q3 sales, nearly double those from a year prior. The company’s stock declined, though, as investors’ expectations were sky-high and the figures marked a slowdown from previous quarters

COMMUNITY

🧐 Today’s question: Who’s someone who improves your town/neighborhood?

Community
20 Questions!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

Threepeats are rare: Jordan did it, Kobe and Shaq did it, and the Derek Jeter Yankees did it. Now, you can add "Roca trivia edition of 20 Questions" to that exclusive list. This will be the trivia finale for the foreseeable future. It seems many of you are hooked and eager for redemption after a weaker performance last Friday. So here's your shot at redemption, good luck, and peep below for last week's answers!

Here is the link.

Last Week’s Responses

Answer key from last week’s trivia edition of 20 Questions.

Which James was the fourth President of the United States?
Monroe (22.7%)
Madison (77.3%)

Prior to Trump, which President served non-consecutive terms?
Grover Cleveland (83.4%)
Andrew Jackson (16.6%)

Finish the movie quote: "I love the smell of ____ in the morning."
Coffee (8.9%)
Napalm (91.1%)

Finish the movie quote: "____, for lack of a better word, is good."
Greed (68.6%)
War (31.4%)

What is the chemical symbol for the element mercury?
Hg (81%)
Au (19%)

What is the official animal of Scotland?
Sheep (53.6%)
Unicorn (46.4%)

Who wrote War and Peace?
Charles Dickens (7%)
Leo Tolstoy (93%)

Who wrote To the Lighthouse?
Willa Cather (41.8%)
Virginia Woolf (58.2%)

Which wrestler is known for his phrase ‘You can’t see me’?
The Undertaker (37.5%)
John Cena (62.5%)

Who had the catchphrase ‘To be the man, you gotta beat the man’?
The Rock (35.6%)
Ric Flair (64.4%)

In which year did the Titanic sink?
1908 (16.1%)
1912 (83.9%)

Who painted The Night Watch?
Rembrandt (66%)
Caravaggio (34%)

Who painted The Kiss?
Frida Kahlo (29.9%)
Gustav Klimt (70.1%)

On which dating app did women have to make the first move? (Until very recently...)
Hinge (27.2%)
Bumble (72.8%)

“Shave Time. Shave Money.” Whose slogan?
Dollar Shave Club (92%)
Gillette (8%)

“The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Whose slogan?
Mercedes-Benz (36.3%)
BMW (63.7%)

What is a group of crows called?
A flock (7.1%)
A murder (92.9%)

Maxes aside, what is the name of Roca's third co-founder?
Shep (22.9%)
Billy (77.1%)

You would find the Mariana Trench in which ocean?
Atlantic (33.5%)
Pacific (66.5%)

Where did Peyton Manning play football in college?
Ole Miss (33.5%)
Tennessee (66.5%)

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🤓 Math Emergency Solved: Sheriffs in Wisconsin responded to a 10-year-old's 911 call for math homework assistance. The boy, struggling with decimals, turned to law enforcement when family members couldn't help

🇺🇸 End of the Horn: ESPN announced it would end its long-running show “Around the Horn” in the summer of 2025. The show has been an ESPN staple since 2002

🍣 There’s a Worm in My Fish: Fob Sushi Bar's Seattle locations temporarily closed after a video review by food influencer Keith Lee appeared to show something moving in his sushi

🌨️ Snow Days: Thing of the Past?: New York City public school students will continue remote learning during snow days this year, the city’s schools chancellor announced, sparking backlash

✈️ “Sir, Please Fasten Your Duct Tape”: Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Milwaukee to Dallas duct-taped a passenger who tried to storm the cockpit

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We’re now back in New York after another eye-opening roadtrip. We went to Gary, IN, East Cleveland, OH, Akron, OH, Youngstown, OH, and a handful of small towns along the Ohio River. We are blown away by the decency of so many in these communities. We want to shed more of a light on those everyday heroes on future roadtrips. They don’t get nearly enough attention. Hope you have a great weekend and thank you to all of our Ohio readers who sent us recs!

–Max and Max