🌊 From Vlad to Worse: Update from Ukraine

Reporting live from Podcastistan…

We are launching a new series on our We The 66 video channel on the people who run the media today — specifically the “New Media.” On both the left and right, podcasts have taken over in recent years. Their reach now dwarfs that of legacy news channels, and they dominate social media. These podcasters often brand themselves as fearless truth-seekers who are willing to explore the most forbidden subjects, which YOU’ve been lied to about (and those investigations always seem to be sponsored by AG1 vitamin powder). Upon our research, we’ve noticed that many of these New Media titans have even shadier pasts and worse business incentives than legacy media titans — not all of them but many of them. So this series will tell you the real stories of our new media rulers. We will tell you their stories (after extensive research), and you can draw your own conclusions about whether they’re fearless truth seekers or shameless grifters — or something else.

Our first episode — on Candace Owens — is now live: Watch here.

20 Questions!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Peace Talks Falling Apart?

Neither President Zelensky nor President Putin is displaying a willingness to accept President Trump’s peace proposals

• To date, neither Russia nor Ukraine has displayed an eagerness to end the war. That motivated Secretary of State Marco Rubio to say last week, “Now if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say, 'you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're going to just take a pass. But hopefully we won't have to do that"

• Earlier this week, the US proposed conditions that would exclude Ukraine from NATO and recognize Russian control of Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014. On Wednesday, Zelensky rejected the terms

• Then on Thursday, Russia conducted its largest missile strike of the year on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killing 12 and injuring 90

• Trump has taken to social media to blast both Zelensky and Putin

Dig Deeper

• After Zelensky rejected part of an American peace proposal on Wednesday, Trump posted, “[Zelensky] can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” adding that Zelensky's refusal “will do nothing but prolong” the war

• A day later, after the Russian missile strike, Trump took to social media to criticize Putin: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!...Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

KEY STORY

New England Serial Killer?

Fears of a serial killer in New England are growing after eight people were found dead in recent weeks

• The deceased, mostly women, have been found in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island this month and last. The most recent potential victim was discovered on Tuesday near a bike path in Massachusetts

• Amid the wave of discoveries, New England residents have speculated that a potential serial killer is active in the region

• Yet Connecticut police told Fox, “There is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time”

Dig Deeper 

• In other serial killer news, the remains of two victims allegedly murdered by an infamous serial killer in Long Island, New York, were identified on Wednesday after 27 years

• The Gilgo Beach Killer, as he is known, allegedly murdered at least ten women, mostly sex workers, on Long Island beginning in the early 1990s

• The victims were connected in 2010 when investigators found 10 sets of human remains in a nearby area. A Manhattan architect was charged in December with seven of the killings

QUOTE OF THE DAY

ROCA’S SPONSOR

Big Tech Has Spent Billions Acquiring AI Smart Home Startups

Together with Ryse

The pattern is clear: When innovative companies successfully integrate AI into everyday products, tech giants pay billions to acquire them:

• Google paid $3.2B for Nest. 

• Amazon spent $1.2B on Ring. 

• Generac spent $770M on EcoBee.

• Now, a new AI-powered smart home company is following those companies’ exact path to acquisition – but is still available to everyday investors at just $1.90 per share.

• With proprietary technology that connects window coverings to all major AI ecosystems, this startup has achieved what Big Tech wants most: Seamless AI integration into daily home life.

• With over 10 patents, 200% year-over-year growth, and a forecast to 5x revenue this year, this company is moving fast to seize the smart home opportunity

• The acquisition pattern is predictable. The opportunity to get in before it happens is not

• Invest before big tech makes their move

KEY STORY

Trade Reversal?

The Trump Administration said it is in “direct talks” with China to reduce tariffs; China rejected that as “fake news”

• The US currently has 145% tariffs on most Chinese goods, while China has 125% tariffs on most US goods. The trade war has rocked financial markets

• On Tuesday, though, Trump told reporters that he is “going to be very nice” to China and that tariffs “will not be anywhere near” their current rates. The following day, Trump claimed that US and Chinese officials were “actively” discussing trade

• On Thursday, though, a Chinese official directly contradicted the rumors, saying, “China and the US have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations…let alone reached an agreement”

Dig Deeper

• Adding to the anticipation, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that a “senior White House official” said that tariffs on China would likely be lowered to between 50% and 65%

• Yet on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to contradict Trump’s claim of trade negotiations, stating that US and Chinese officials were “waiting to speak to the other.” He added that he “would not be surprised if [tariffs] went down in a mutual way”

KEY STORY

Food Additives Study

A new study found that artificial food additives, found in virtually all ultraprocessed foods, carry more risk than previously thought

• While scientists have linked some additives to health issues, most research to date has looked at the impact of individual additives, rather than combinations of them – a glaring gap, as additives typically exist in combinations in ultraprocessed foods

• In a new study, French researchers tracked the health implications of consuming certain combinations of emulsifiers (used for texture), dyes, and sweeteners. They found these combinations led to higher Type 2 diabetes risk than could be explained by any individual additive, suggesting a compounding health risk from additives

Dig Deeper

• Additives are staples of ultraprocessed foods, which account for a majority the calories in American diets and roughly 70% of food in US grocery stores

• The food industry played down the risks suggested by the study, with one industry lobbying executive saying, “Suggesting that recipes – a combination of safe ingredients – are worrisome is simply absurd,” while another argued that additives are critical for food quality and safety

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇸🇻 A Trump-appointed federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to return a second migrant deported to El Salvador, citing an order protecting him from removal

🎪 Columbia University students are planning to erect tent encampments on its campus this week to protest the war in Gaza, potentially setting up a standoff with the university and Trump Administration

🇮🇳 Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after India suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty, threatening to cut Pakistan’s access to much-needed water

🚫 A federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from withholding funding to “sanctuary cities,” which have laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities

🇧🇷 The health of Brazil’s former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro is deteriorating two weeks after undergoing a complex surgery

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Yesterday’s Question: What makes you proudest about America’s past? Why?

20 Questions!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

Last we did a "Rate This: Little Joys in Life" edition of 20 Questions, and it was a big hit. We got the most responses we've seen in a long time. So we're going to do a slight twist this week and do a "Rate This: Little Annoyances in Life" edition of 20 Questions. 10 means most annoying; 1 means least annoying (if you put reading Roca at 10... then you will have a lot in common with our parents). Have a great weekend!

Link to 20 Questions!

Last Week’s Responses

Average responses to last week’s “nice little moments of life” ratings edition of 20 Questions.

Waking up and realizing you still have a couple more hours to sleep - 8.2
Peeling the whole orange in one go - 6.8
Getting a compliment from a stranger - 7.9
Getting extra smoothie in a side cup - 6.1
Catching up with your barber/stylist after a long break - 5.1
Getting a higher score on a test than you expected - 8.3
Singing in the shower to an imaginary audience of thousands - 5.4
Waking up and realizing you're not sick anymore - 8.6
When someone says "You made my day" - 8.4
Opening the door, the fly leaves, no flies enter - 8.0
Hitting green lights your whole way home - 8.8
Seeing very old couples happy together - 8.5
Hearing "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" come on the radio - 5.7
When a squirrel or rabbit in your yard doesn't run away from you right away - 6.4
Putting on clothes fresh out of the dryer - 6.8
Falling asleep to the sound of rain - 8.2
When the cop pulls out from the median after you pass him and he never turns on his siren - 7.6
When the cute waiter/waitress makes eye contact with only you at your table - 6.0
The smell of whiteout - 3.7
The first 70 degree day of the year - 8.2

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

✈ Crowd Surfing To Paris: Surveillance footage caught a woman sneaking past airport security to board a flight from New York to Paris by concealing herself in a big group of ticketed passengers

💰 Banking On Ignorance: A bank employee in Arkansas was arrested after stealing $242,000, claiming she “borrowed money from a couple of customers that I knew wouldn’t need the money at the time”

📜 State Swap Offer: Indiana’s state senate passed a bill formally inviting several counties from Illinois to secede and join Indiana

👩‍🎨 Now You See Her: A female magician in the UK was finally granted membership into a mens-only “Magic Circle,” 34 years after she was kicked out for tricking her way in by disguising herself as a man

🦴 Bone-afide Evidence: Scientists discovered the first forensic evidence that Roman gladiators were pitted against animals, finding a lion's bite mark on the skeleton of a gladiator at a Roman cemetery in the UK

ROCA WRAP
High Office

Colombia

The former foreign minister of this country accused its current president of being a drug addict.

Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer, manufacturing over 70% of the world’s supply. In recent years, the country’s cocaine industry has surged, with production jumping almost 53% between 2022 and 2023 alone.

Meanwhile, the area used for cultivating coca – the base plant of cocaine – grew by 10% and is now more than five times the total at the time of Pablo Escobar’s death in 1993.

Contributing to Colombia’s cocaine boom is its president, Gustavo Petro: When Petro took power in 2022, he reduced law enforcement operations targeting coca farmers.

His government has instead focused on seizing shipments and pursuing policies to switch rural communities from cocaine to legal alternatives. Under his tenure, forced eradication of coca cultivation dropped from 247,000 acres to just 50,000 acres. 

In February, Petro made waves by calling for the legalization of cocaine amid booming exports.

In a press conference, Petro stated, “Cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whiskey…Scientists have analyzed this.”

He added, “If somebody wants peace, the business [of drug trafficking] has to be dismantled. It could be easily dismantled if they legalized cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine.”

On Wednesday, Colombia’s former foreign minister Álvaro Leyva, who served under Petro from 2022 to 2024, published an open letter on X that accused Petro of being a drug addict.

“It was in Paris where I could confirm that you had the problem of drug addiction … Your recovery has unfortunately not taken place,” he wrote. Leyva did not specify which drug Petro is allegedly addicted to.

Leyva added, “Your disappearances, late arrivals, unacceptable failures to appear, trips without a purpose, incoherent phrases, and the questionable company you keep…have been noted and will continue to be noted.”

He claimed that he had witnessed scenes that caused him “unease and bewilderment” during an official trip to Paris in 2023, during which Petro allegedly “disappeared” for two days.

Petro dismissed Leyva’s letter without denying his claims.

The president wrote, “Isn’t Paris full of parks, museums, bookstores, more interesting than the letter’s writer, to spend two days in? Almost everything in Paris is more interesting. Don’t I have daughters and granddaughters in Paris who are far more interesting than the writer?”

ROCA VIDEO
The Stunning Evolution of Candace Owens

Years ago, Candace Owens was a bullied teen in Connecticut in then a New York City liberal. Suddenly in 2016, she converted "overnight" to being a conservative, and today peddles mainly in conspiracies. So is she a fearless truth seeker or a vengeful grifter? This video tells you her story.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Our patriotism soared reading your answers to yesterday’s question. We expected World War 2 to be the top war answer, but a rough count found that the Revolutionary War was the top war answer. Many of you all cited our people, Constitution, values, diversity, freedom of speech, culture, and natural beauty. All of it was quite inspiring, but come on… not one mention of Joey Chestnut?

Have a great weekend.

–Max and Max