🌊 Gen Z's Great A-Cis-Ening

Last night’s NYC mayoral debate summarized in a single tweet…

That’s all you need to know. Now here’s 20 Questions (first-ever roadtrip edition!).

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Decline in Americans Identifying as Trans?

A new analysis has found that young Americans identifying as transgender or non-binary have declined sharply since peaking in 2023

• University of Buckingham Professor Eric Kaufmann analyzed multiple surveys, including data from over 50,000 US college students annually. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) surveys, students not identifying as male or female dropped from 6.8% in 2023 to 3.6% in 2025. Similar declines appeared at Brown University (5% to 2.6%) and the Andover Phillips Academy prep school (9.2% to 3%)

• The research also showed heterosexual identification rising from 68% in 2023 to 77% in 2025, while those identifying as bisexual, queer, pansexual, asexual, or other non-traditional labels declined

Dig Deeper

• FIRE emphasized their survey was designed to measure campus free speech attitudes, not track gender identity trends, and Kaufmann's analysis has not been peer-reviewed

• A Cornell University professor argued the shift was likely due to “negative politics around trans” rather than mental health factors, noting that young people might worry that identifying as trans “might well hurt their careers”

KEY STORY

US to Strike Venezuela?

President Trump confirmed he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela and said he's considering strikes on Venezuelan soil

• The US has built up a significant military presence in the Caribbean with 10,000 troops and nine naval vessels. Trump made the unusual move of publicly confirming the CIA authorization, saying, "I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And the other thing, the drugs"

• While previous US strikes targeted alleged narcotrafficking boats at sea, Trump confirmed he's now "looking at land," marking a potential escalation

• Venezuela rejected the "bellicose declarations" and said it would raise the matter at the UN Security Council

Dig Deeper

• The new authorization would allow the CIA to carry out various operations in Venezuela and throughout the Caribbean, either independently or as part of larger military operations

• US congressional lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern that the administration was moving toward conflict without proper authorization or evidence that the targeted boats were actually carrying drugs

• Colombia's president alleged last week that the US bombed a boat carrying Colombian citizens, while authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating whether two of their citizens were among those killed in the most recent strike this week

KEY STORY

Vance Dismisses Young Republican Messages

Vice President JD Vance responded to the controversial leak of racist and antisemitic messages from a Young Republican group chat, calling them “stupid jokes”

• A Politico investigation published thousands of text messages from a Telegram group chat involving Young Republican leaders. The messages included jokes about gas chambers, slavery, and rape, along with racial slurs and references to Hitler

• Vance characterized the outrage as cancel culture: “The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edgy, offensive jokes”

• Following publication, several participants lost jobs. Both parties condemned the messages, with the Young Republican National Federation calling the language “vile and inexcusable”

Dig Deeper

• The chat contained over 250 uses of racial and homophobic slurs. Members referred to black people as "monkeys" and "the watermelon people," joked about sending political opponents to gas chambers, and described rape as “epic”

• In one exchange, the Kansas chair for Young Republicans said one of Michigan’s Young Republicans promised to vote for “the most right wing person,” to which another Young Republican chair replied, “Great. I love Hitler”

• According to Politico’s reporting, eight of the eleven members ranged in ages from 24 to 35

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KEY STORY

Trump to Overhaul IRS Criminal Division

The Trump Administration is preparing to restructure the IRS criminal investigation unit, potentially making it easier to investigate Democratic donors and groups, per The Wall Street Journal

• Republicans have long claimed IRS bias stemming from Obama-era targeting of conservative groups. Now, Gary Shapley – a former IRS agent who investigated Hunter Biden and faced retaliation for it – is leading a restructuring effort

• Shapley told staff he planned to replace the chief of the investigative unit, who had been there for decades. He also reportedly plans to relax existing rules – requiring IRS attorneys to work with criminal investigators on search warrants and prosecutions – making it easier to launch investigations

Dig Deeper 

• IRS officials say Shapley compiled a list of potential investigation targets including billionaire Democratic donor George Soros and his affiliated groups, while proposing changes that would reduce lawyer involvement in criminal investigations

• Republicans' distrust of the IRS stems from the 2013 IRS scandal, where the agency targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, using heightened scrutiny for groups with names like “Tea Party.” Though the Justice Department found poor judgment rather than criminal conduct, the IRS formally apologized and reached legal settlements with affected conservative groups in 2017

QUOTE OF THE DAY

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🏫 Brown University rejected a White House proposal to accept federal funding in exchange for adopting specific policy changes, becoming the second university to do so after MIT.

🤑 Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) disclosed he won $1.4M playing blackjack in Las Vegas during a vacation with his wife and friends.

📈 President Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to stop buying Russian oil, potentially easing trade tensions between the two countries.

🪖 President Trump announced plans to meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest to discuss ending the Ukraine war, following a phone call the two leaders described as productive.

🇺🇸 The US Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, marking the group's first legal action against Trump's second term.

⚖️ The Justice Department indicted John Bolton, President Trump’s first-term national security adviser-turned-ardent Trump critic.

What does Roca Nation think?

🫣 Yesterday’s Question: What do you think of OpenAI adding “erotica” for adults?

20 Questions!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

We're doing the first-ever roadtrip edition of 20 Questions. We will give you 20 matchups, and your job is to pick who you'd rather go on a roadtrip with. So in a Mr. Rogers vs. Ted Bundy matchup, you'd probably choose Mr. Rogers. Can't wait to see the results, and yes we are allowed to list dead people.

Link to 20 Questions!

Last Week’s Responses

Results from last week’s “This or That” edition of 20 Questions.

Pumpkin patch - 61% Apple orchard - 39%
Flannel - 55.3% Hoodie - 44.7%
Vampire - 42% Werewolf - 58%
Pumpkin bread - 58.4% Banana bread - 41.6%
Fuzzy socks - 47% Fuzzy slippers - 53%
Fall - 29.8% Autumn - 70.2%
M&Ms - 16.7% Skittles - 83.3%
Firepit - 48.9% Fireplace - 51.1%
Caramel apple - 31.6% Popcorn ball - 68.4%
Halloween - 24.8% Thanksgiving - 75.2%
Pumpkin soup - 23.6% Tomato soup - 76.4%
Creepy clown - 43.9% Creepy doll - 56.1%
When Harry Met Sally - 33.3% Knives Out - 24.1% Dead Poets Society - 16.7% Any Harry Potter - 25.9%
Michigan - 40.4% Ohio State - 59.6%
Black Friday - 49.5% Cyber Monday - 50.5%
Kid's table - 63.7% Adult table - 36.3%
Camp in a tent - 20.1% Camp in a cabin - 79.9%
Crisp fall mornings - 38.5% Crisp fall nights - 61.5%
All Too Well by Taylor Swift - 10.7%
Harvest Moon by Neil Young - 29.3% Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood - 14.2% Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day - 45.9%
Baking - 67.6% Reading - 32.4%

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

⛵ Ship Happens: A superyacht once named after Ghislaine Maxwell caught fire this week while docked at the Wharf in Washington, DC, with officials attributing the blaze to an electrical malfunction.

🤵 Passing the Suit: Giorgio Armani (the company) has appointed Giuseppe Marsocci as CEO following Armani’s (the person) death in September, with the 23-year company veteran taking charge of the luxury empire's transition.

🥖 Cease and De-crust: JM Smucker is suing Trader Joe’s over its new frozen PB&J sandwiches, claiming they copy Uncrustables’ distinctive round shape, crimped edges, and blue packaging design.

💰 AI Jackpot: A Michigan woman won $100,000 in the Powerball lottery using numbers generated by ChatGPT.

🦪 Swamp to Table: Two entrepreneurs are harvesting oysters from the tropical Everglades and supplying them to Michelin-starred Miami restaurants, challenging the perception that quality oysters only come from cold waters.

ROCA WRAP
The Samurai Guerrilla

Koshiro Tanaka

An office worker traded his business suit for combat fatigues to fight the Soviets during the 1980s. 

Koshiro Tanaka spent his days working at a desk in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district, but the sixth-degree black belt in karate felt something was missing. He decided the ultimate test of his martial arts training and spirit wouldn't be found in a dojo, but on a real battlefield. In 1985, Tanaka abandoned his comfortable office life, raised $10,000, and traveled to Peshawar, Pakistan – then home to more than 3M Afghan refugees and the headquarters of seven mujahideen groups.

Despite having no battlefield experience, Tanaka joined Jamiat-e Islami, the second-largest resistance group, and crossed into Afghanistan wearing traditional salwar kameez instead of his business suit. Tanaka taught hand-to-hand combat to the fighters, applying the discipline he learned from karate to master the Kalashnikov rifle.

Tanaka carried an extra grenade on his belt – not for enemies, but to kill himself if captured, avoiding any embarrassment to the Japanese government. He saw parallels between the mujahideen’s pursuit of martyrdom and the samurai warrior tradition, viewing himself as a potential martyr for Japan and leading journalists to dub Tanaka the “Afghan samurai.” 

Japan's Foreign Ministry denounced his activities. Tanaka criticized his government for maintaining a pacifist constitution that prevented Japan from militarily challenging the Soviet occupation of the disputed Kuril Islands. His wife, Takiko, stood by him but admitted she didn't understand his attraction to the war.

When Soviet forces withdrew in 1989, Tanaka returned to teaching martial arts. He went on to establish his own martial arts school, Hiko Ryu, in 2008, and served in leadership roles with refugee relief organizations and the Japan Freedom Afghanistan Association. He wrote an autobiography on his experience, called “Soviet Soldiers in a Gun Sight, My Battle in Afghanistan.”

For a man who felt his country had lost its warrior spirit, Afghanistan gave him a chance to live like the samurai of old – even if it meant fighting someone else’s war.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

A reader wrote in to let us know that he did not find our joke about finding an Italian historian who knows the true story of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs funny.

He wrote, “The origin of ‘Cloudy with Meatballs’ is in the very lame attempt by some unfunny person at RocaNews to be funny. He or she should be ashamed.”

This reader then said the writer shouldn’t ever do stand-up comedy.

It’s feedback like this that we greatly appreciate. Max T will avoid standup comedy. But he’s still an avid reader and can’t wait to read “Cloudy with Meatballs.”

–Max and Max