🌊 Ghosted in Turkey

Plus: Birthright citizenship on trial, UnitedHealth in trouble, & coffee grounds for divorce!

May 16, 2025

Today is the 159th birthday of the US nickel. Happy birthday!

You can tell the nickel is getting up there in age because it now costs 2x more money to make a nickel than the coin itself is worth. Now you can debate whether that’s a necessary cost of our monetary system, but to us
 it doesn’t make a whole lot of cents.

Please don’t unsubscribe and do 20 Questions instead.

đŸ‘» Zelensky ghosted in Turkey

📉 UnitedHealth in crisis

☕ Coffee grounds for divorce!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Zelensky Ghosted in Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin pulled out of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, dashing hopes for a potential peace deal

  • Amid Trump’s push for the two leaders to negotiate,  Putin challenged Zelensky to meet him in Turkey. Zelensky agreed, but Putin backed out just before

  • The meeting would have been the first between the leaders since the war began in 2022

  • Post-cancellation, the sides accused each other of negotiating in bad faith. When asked if Putin had disappointed Trump, Trump said, "Look, nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together"

Dig Deeper 

  • The meeting – where the leaders would’ve met to discuss a 30-day ceasefire – would have been the presidents’ first encounter since 2019, when they met to discuss fighting by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine

  • Zelensky called the Russian delegation “theater” that evaded direct talks, while the Russians responded by calling Zelensky a coward and boasting about territorial gains in Ukraine

KEY STORY

Birthright Citizenship on Trial

The Supreme Court heard arguments regarding both the Trump Administration’s bid to deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in the US, as well as courts’ ability to freeze policies nationwide

  • Currently, everyone born in the US becomes a citizen. In January, Trump issued an order denying citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in the US. Judges used a “nationwide injunction” to block that policy, sending the case to SCOTUS

  • On Thursday, SCOTUS heard arguments on both ending birthright citizenship and whether one court can block the policy. A decision is expected in June

Dig Deeper

  • Birthright citizenship was enshrined in the Constitution with the 14th amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” The question before the Court is whether illegal immigrants are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the US

  • Diplomats, who are not subject to the jurisdiction of the US, are exempt from birthright citizenship. The White House is arguing that the children of illegal immigrants are also not subject to US jurisdiction. It’s typically been held that they are subject US jurisdiction, as evidenced by their paying taxes and being subject to American laws

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Just because you watch 'Grey's Anatomy' doesn't mean you can do the operation.

Charles Barkley

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KEY STORY

UnitedHealth in Crisis

The DoJ opened a criminal investigation into UnitedHealth, adding to an ongoing crisis at the company

  • Since December, UnitedHealth Insurance’s CEO was killed, two civil investigations were opened into the company, and, earlier this week, the company’s overall CEO resigned after a weak financial forecast

  • On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company now faces a federal criminal investigation over alleged Medicare fraud

  • UnitedHealth stock has dropped over 50% in the past month, making it the worst-performing stock of the Dow index

Dig Deeper 

  • Per the WSJ, the DoJ is investigating whether United falsely inflated diagnoses and submitted misleading information to extract more money from Medicare

  • While the government has been probing UnitedHealth for almost a year, it is now looking at potential criminal activity. Still, no formal charges have yet been made

KEY STORY

US-Iran Nuclear Deal Revival

President Trump said the US is “very close” to a new nuclear deal, claiming that Iran “sort of” accepted the draft

  • The two countries have been in talks since April about curbing Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Reports suggest the sides are at odds over the type of uranium Iran can keep and produce, the timing of US sanctions relief, and Iran’s support for proxies across the Middle East, among other issues

  • Trump’s statement suggests the sides may be progressing on some of those issues

  • The news led oil prices to fall 2% on expectations that Iranian oil may return to market

Dig Deeper

  • On Thursday, Trump said, “I want them [Iran] to succeed, I want them to end up being a great country
but they can’t have a nuclear weapon; that’s the only thing, it’s very simple”

  • That came two days after Trump called Iran the “most destructive force” in the Middle East, prompting Iran’s president to say, “Trump thinks he can sanction and threaten us and then talk of human rights. All the crimes and regional instability is caused by them [the US]”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🚰 The EPA announced plans to postpone and partly roll back national drinking-water limits on “forever chemicals”

📝 California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) proposed a new budget that would bar undocumented immigrants above the age of 19 from enrolling in California’s state healthcare program

📈 The Eurozone’s economy grew by 0.3% last quarter, short of the 0.4% predicted

🇬🇧 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed a plan to send asylum seekers to “return hubs” – other countries –  if their claims were denied

⚖ Newark Mayor Ras Baraka appeared in court to face charges of trespassing at an ICE facility

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Yesterday’s Question: Have you lost friendships over politics? Have you tried to get them back?

Yes, I've lost a friendship with a dear friend of mine over the 2024 election. We were childhood friends, but we ultimately disagreed on political stances. I tend to take an uncaring, uninvolved stance in national politics, as caring for whoever becomes president is not within my sphere of influence. I am but a farmer in Eastern KY, my voice is near silent, and my vote a drop in the bucket.

My dear friend, whom I still care for deeply, did not agree with my uncaring sentiments. They would say that inactivity is supporting whomever will be in office, citing the "First they came" poem. We drifted apart due to my indifference and uncaring stance of politics.

Modern media and politics have radicalized people to such a degree, that meaningless noise from our phones and television influence our emotions, thoughts, and relationships to such a degree that can break once strong-forged friendships.

R. Aurelius from Eastern Kentucky

I haven't lost close friends, but my relationship with my co-workers has grown colder. After 10/7, I decided to be more visibly Jewish at work. I work at a university where tension has been high. I'm no longer trying to foster relationships with my co-workers, but I am trying to show that there is a diversity of opinion on campus and I have as much a right to hold my views and share the space with people who disagree with me as anyone else.

Adam from White Plains, NY

I hate to say it but I’ve been cancelled by my mother. We have always been close and talk at least every week for an hour or more. Politics were never part of my up bringing and she’d be the first to tell you she raised me to think for myself.

But starting a little before the Nov 2024 elections, she would make little side comments that I would promptly and politely ignore. They escalated over time to hate-filled illogical comments completely unrelated to our conversation. After six months of being baited, I finally, calmly responded with my true centrist feelings and softly suggested she expand her sources of information. To which she yelled, “It’s all lies!” She actually believes only CNN and The View tell the truth. She was unwilling to hear that sources like my beloved Roca News and others even exist.

Conversations since that single 3-5 minutes are now stiff (from her end) while I remain genuinely warm and friendly while recounting grandkid news and silly husband stories and inquire about her wellbeing. I have to call her now since she won’t initiate. I’m hoping that over time she will soften and that she will remember that our relationship is based on the millions of other things that have nothing to do with politics.

It still just blows my mind that Whoopie Goldberg now means more to her than I do. 😭

Anonymous

20 Questions!

Last week we tried to find the most beloved celebrity/public figure in the country, and your winners were Dolly Parton, Morgan Freeman, and Keanu Reeves. Apparently Oprah, Patrick Mahomes, LeBron, and the Rizzler were not the best nominees...

This week, we are flipping it: We want to find the most hated celebrity/public figure in the country. We'll come up with our list of 20 (no current convicts or ex-presidents allowed!), and we ask you to rate them on a scale of 1-10 (1 is no animosity, 10 is pure loathing). Good luck to all the contestants! 

Last Week’s Responses

Average ratings — ranked from highest to lowest — to last week’s “Rate This Popular Celebrity” edition of 20 Questions (1-10, 10 being the best).

Dolly Parton - 8.4
Morgan Freeman - 7.7
Keanu Reeves - 7.5
Denzel Washington - 7.1
Tom Hanks - 6.8
Willie Nelson - 6.5
Matthew McConaughey - 6.4
Jack Black - 5.9
Will Ferrell - 5.8
Reese Witherspoon - 5.7
Charles Barkley - 5.5
Weird Al - 5.4
Joe Rogan - 5.2
Conan O'Brien - 5.1
Michelle Obama - 5.1
Guy Fieri - 5.0
Oprah Winfrey - 4.5
Patrick Mahomes - 4.5
LeBron James - 4.3
The Rizzler - 2.6

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

đŸ“ș Maxed Out on Rebrands: Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would put “HBO” back in front of “Max,” two years after dropping the former

đŸ–Œïž Magna Cart-a Steal: Harvard Law School discovered that its $27 “copy” of the Magna Carta is a genuine issue from the year 1300, one of just six surviving originals

🧑‍🎓 GPT-4-Credit Course (Refund Pending): A Northeastern University student demanded a tuition refund after catching a professor using ChatGPT

🚚 McDonald’s To-Go: Saudi Arabia unveiled a custom-built, mobile McDonald’s restaurant. Trump was the first customer

⚼ Grounds for Divorce: A Greek woman filed for divorce after ChatGPT interpreted her husband's coffee grounds as signs of an affair

ROCA WRAP
Export Buzz

Ethiopia

This country has achieved record volume and revenue from coffee exports.

Ethiopia, Africa's oldest independent country, has a rich cultural heritage dating back thousands of years. Among its various contributions to the world is coffee, which was first cultivated in Ethiopia. Coffee remains of significant economic and cultural importance to the country, which is Africa's leading coffee producer and exporter.

This week, the Ethiopia Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) announced that Ethiopia had earned an unprecedented $1.9B by exporting a record 354,302 tons of coffee over the past 10 months. The revenue and volume mark 87% and 70% annual increases, respectively. The largest buyers were Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

An Ethiopian official described the results as an "outstanding achievement," the outcome of a well-coordinated national effort, and a sign of the world’s demand for Ethiopia’s distinct and high-quality coffee.

And as global coffee consumption continues to rise – with an estimated 2.3B cups now consumed daily and the amount of coffee consumption having grown 5% between 2023 and 2024 – there’s reason to believe that the Ethiopian coffee boom isn’t over yet.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Given our mission to unite people around nonpartisan news (and lower the political temperature), it was sad to read some of your stories about losing friends over politics. We’ve found that decent people can hold a range of political beliefs in good faith. Big News — and social media — have unfortunately convinced people that the other side is evil and wants to destroy you. They straw-man the other side and cherry pick the worst soundbytes and representatives of a viewpoint. It’s all a lie.

We hope that time will heal the bonds of your lost friendships. Although at the end of the day, you can’t let a partisan zombie drag you down, too. There’s more to life than politics! Have a great weekend!

–Max and Max