🌊 No More Chemo Hair Loss?

“For the new issue of @NYMag, I went hiking with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

And maybe more than that! Last night it broke that New York Magazine’s Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi is on leave after an alleged romantic relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But the above Tweet — from November 2023 — isn’t Nuzzi’s only to age poorly: In 2015, she wrote, “Why does Hollywood think female reporters sleep with their sources?”

Folks, this is why you read Roca — if you saw our “rizz,” you’d know that this kind of story will never, ever, ever be an issue.

Enjoy today’s “Rate This Awful Movie Quote” edition of 20 Questions!

–Max, Max, and Owen

KEY STORY

NC Governor Race Drama

Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor in North Carolina, vowed to continue his campaign amid a new CNN report about comments he made on an adult forum more than a decade ago

• The story claims Robinson called himself a “black Nazi” and “perv” on the pornographic website “Nude Africa” under the username “minisoldr.” CNN linked him to the account through its personal details, comments, and other information

• Robinson has thoroughly denied his ties to the account, saying, “This is not us. These are not our words.” He’s also vowed to stay in the race

Dig Deeper

• CNN detailed its efforts to link Robinson to the account: “Minisoldr” is a username that Robinson has used on other websites, such as YouTube, Amazon, and Pinterest. Further, the profile on Nude Africa listed his full name and an email address that he has used elsewhere

• CNN also found patterns in phrases he used on the site that match his public social media accounts

• This story could spell trouble for the Republicans and Trump since North Carolina is one of the most important swing states in the election. The 16-electoral-vote Tarheel State is currently considered a “toss-up”

KEY STORY

No More Chemo Hair Loss?

Medtech startup Luminate raised $15M to bring its chemo helmet to market and develop additional tech

• Over the past few years, Luminate has developed a helmet called “Lily” that helps prevent hair loss in chemo patients

• The helmet is simple yet effective: It applies pressure to the entire scalp, blocking capillaries to prevent the chemo chemicals from reaching hair follicles. Through the helmet’s initial tests, it prevented 75% of patients from losing their hair

• The company will launch an eight-month study to get FDA approval for Lily and develop more devices

Dig Deeper

• “We’ve had patients finish 4 to 12 chemo treatments and keep a full head of hair. There’s been incredible feedback about how it’s changed their experience of going through treatment,” Luminate’s CEO said

• The company says that the majority of cancer patients say hair loss is the most traumatic aspect of chemo treatment

KEY STORY

Jailed for a Costume?

A 40-year-old UK man faces two years in prison for attending a Halloween party dressed as the Manchester bomber

• In 2017, an IS terrorist blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 and wounding 1,017

• Last October, UK man David Wootton attended a Halloween party wearing an Arab-style headdress, a t-shirt with “I love Ariana Grande” on it, and a backpack with “Boom” and “TNT” written on it

• Wootton posted images on Facebook – and claimed to have won best costume – leading to his arrest for sending an offensive message online. He pleaded guilty and now faces up to two years in jail

Dig Deeper

• Wootton wrote on Facebook before the party, “Bet I get kicked out of the party.” He added later, “Went and won the best costume”

• He said he has since had to move and change his name because of the fallout

KEY STORY

Tucker Carl-Zyn (2.0)

Tucker Carlson plans to launch Alp, a nicotine pouch brand to compete with Zyn

• After informally promoting Zyn on podcasts, Carlson decided to create his own brand “that’s not controlled by humorless, left-wing drones” when Philip Morris, Zyn’s owner, declined his partnership proposal. He now claims Zyn is for “women and liberals,” citing donations by Philip Morris employees to Kamala Harris as evidence

• Alp will offer three nicotine strengths and four flavors. Carlson – who received his first batch two weeks ago, said, “I’ll never go back,” dismissing Zyn as a “ladies’ brand”

• Philip Morris criticized Carlson for turning Zyn into a “political football to promote his own business venture” and noted the brand’s bipartisan appeal

Dig Deeper

• Zyn is the leading nicotine pouch in the US and has surged in popularity but raised concerns among lawmakers for potentially attracting young people

• While Carlson’s entry into the nicotine pouch market could raise regulatory issues, his partner insists Alp will comply with federal rules

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🤖 Meta, Spotify, and other major companies jointly sent a letter to the EU warning that the bloc’s regulations may cause it to lose out on the AI boom

🪦 An analysis by the Wall Street Journal found that the combined number of Russian and Ukrainian casualties – fatalities and wounded – now exceeds one million

💥 Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s first speech since the pager/radio explosions was interrupted by Israeli warplanes conducting sonic booms over Beirut

👟 Nike announced the replacement and retirement of its CEO, John Donahoe

COMMUNITY

🧐 Yesterday’s question: Should someone’s politics matter when choosing a romantic partner? If so, how much?

ASK AND TELL
20 Questions

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

From “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse!” to “You can’t handle the truth!” Hollywood has gifted us some magnificent quotes over the years. But it has also punished us with some absolute low-grade, dog-s**t lines that we would like to recognize in today’s 20 Questions. In today’s 20 questions, we will give you 20 awful movie quotes, and you have to rate them on how terrible they are. 1 being “not that bad” and 10 being “I will never recover from this bad.” We look forward to seeing your results.

Here’s the link.

Last Week’s 20 Questions:

Ratings averages from week’s dad joke-themed edition of 20 Qs.

• I went to the aquarium this weekend, but I didn’t stay long. There’s something fishy about that place. - 4.8

• Why can't dinosaurs clap their hands? Because they're extinct. - 5.1

• I gave my handyman a to-do list, but he only did jobs 1, 3, and 5. Turns out he only does odd jobs. - 6.4

• Who won the neck decorating contest? It was a tie. - 5.6

• What did the skillet eat on its birthday? Pan-cakes. - 4.4

• Dogs can't operate MRI machines. But catscan. - 7.6

• Can a frog jump higher than a house? Of course, a house can't jump. - 5.9

• I was going to try an all almond diet, but that's just nuts. - 5.4

• I tried to make up a joke about ghost but I couldn't. It had plenty of spirit but no body. - 3.3

• How many storm troopers does it take to change a lightbulb? None, because they are all on the dark side. - 6.2

• If your house is cold, just stand in the corner. It’s always 90 degrees there. - 7.0

• I found a book called How to Solve 50% of Your Problems. So I bought 2. - 6.5

• I made song about tortilla once, now it's more like a wrap. - 5.8

• I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went, and then it dawned on me. - 7.0

• Why should you never throw grandpa's false teeth at a vehicle? You might denture car. - 4.9

• What did Elvis say to his landscaper? Thank you for the mulch! - 2.4

• The other day I was attacked by a bunch of circus clowns in a parking lot. I won though, cause I went right for the juggler. - 6.3

• Did you hear about the famous pickle? He's a really big dill. - 5.5

• Why don't football players were glasses? It's a contact sport. - 5.8

• My boss said “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” So I went in as Batman. - 6.7

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🇮🇪 Brush with the law: A 52-year-old man in Ireland accused of masturbating in his car near a schoolgirl in 2021 was acquitted. The man claimed he was merely sanding a paint roller handle between his legs

🥃 Cheers to the Law: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) may have been the first consumer denied an alcoholic beverage under a new state law expanding access to canned cocktails

🚗 Driving under delusion: A driver on Colorado’s I-70 called the cops to report “eight vehicles were following” her. Deputies arrested her after seeing no vehicles at the scene and learning she had cocaine and alcohol in her system

✝️ “He’s Back”: “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection,” the sequel to the 2004 box office hit, is reportedly set to begin filming in 2025. The plot of the movie remains unclear, but Jim Caviezel will return as Jesus

🚆 Midnight Express: NYC police arrested a 17-year-old girl who allegedly took an empty subway train on a brief joyride after midnight last Thursday before crashing it and fleeing

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

First, we apologize for having errant subheaders — the second line in the subject of the email — on back-to-back days. We hate to offload blame, but our newsletter publisher recently changed its format which is one reason for the error. The other is our gross incompetence.

Second, we thoroughly enjoyed reading your answers on whether politics matter in a relationship. Very interesting — especially your personal stories. Have a great weekend!

–Max and Max