Australian and Japanese researchers captured a video of the deepest fish ever recorded. The gelatinous-looking snailfish was swimming 5 miles below the surface, where the pressure is 800x stronger than it is at sea level. Unfortunately, the recording didn't come with audio, but the snailfish appears to have been mouthing, "I do not like Big News."

In today's edition:

• The drug kingpin granny

• Heroic Utah ice climber

• 20 Questions!

🔑 Key Stories

Breaking Bad IRL?

A grandma who was the executive director of the San Jose, CA police union is facing federal charges for distributing drugs

• Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, had worked for the San Jose Police Officers Association since 2003. She’s married to a 79-yo and has 2 grandchildren

• In 2022, an investigation into a drug trafficking ring led police to Segovia; she claimed to have ordered only supplements and blamed her housekeeper, a family friend, for ordering drugs to the home

• But police intercepted more conversations and shipments, and Segovia has since been arrested

NPR Labeled "State-Affiliated"

On Tuesday, Twitter labeled NPR “US state-affiliated media,” the first US outlet to receive the designation

• NPR – National Public Radio – launched in 1971. It was originally government-funded. Today, its top funding source (39%) is corporate sponsors; next is programming fees (31%), where local media organizations – many of which are government funded – pay to license its content. <1% of its funding comes from the federal government directly

• On Tuesday, Twitter labeled NPR as "state-affiliated media," a label it gives to outlets that don’t have “editorial independence,” like China’s China Daily

• NPR denied its content is government-influenced

Dig Deeper

• NPR responded by publishing an article headlined, “Twitter labels NPR's account as 'state-affiliated media,' which is untrue." It said, “NPR operates independently of the U.S. government. And while federal money is important to the overall public media system, NPR gets less than 1% of its annual budget, on average, from federal sources”

• When NPR asked Twitter for comment, it received a poop emoji, which Twitter automatically sends in response to press inquiries

SCOTUS: Trans Girl Can Compete

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rejected an attempt by West Virginia to block a transgender girl from competing on her middle school girls’ track team

• West Virginia law prohibits transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams at public schools

• Becky Pepper-Jackson had begun transitioning in 4th grade. She’s now 12 and competes for her middle school’s track team

• After several lawsuits, West Virginia filed an emergency order asking SCOTUS to block her from competing. SCOTUS rejected the order, letting her compete. It was not a full ruling, so SCOTUS didn’t explain why

Dig Deeper

• This was the first case involving transgender athletes to reach the Supreme Court. One of the justices wrote Thursday that he expects the court will soon face the question of whether states can restrict “participation in women’s or girls’ sports based on genes or physiological or anatomical characteristics”

SCOTUS Round 2: Justice Gift Scandal?

A report by investigative outlet ProPublica alleged that for 20+ years, SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas hasn’t disclosed trips funded by a Republican donor

• Clarence Thomas, 74, has been a Supreme Court justice since 1991

• Justices must disclose details about most gifts $415+ in value, with exceptions for some personal trips

• Per ProPublica, Harlan Crow, a real estate mogul and major Republican donor, has treated Thomas to trips in private jets and aboard yachts over a 20-year span. Thomas didn’t disclose the trips, but it’s unclear whether they had to be disclosed

Dig Deeper

• Neither the Supreme Court nor Thomas have commented on the report

• Crow said that he and his wife had “never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue”

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🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Storming of the bistro! French pension protesters stormed one of French President Macron's favorite restaurants and set it on fire. Police then formed a barricade around it

• San Fran horror: New surveillance footage shows Cash App founder Bob Lee walking through the streets of San Francisco begging for help before dying from stab wounds

• Na Na Na, hey hey goodbye: LIV golfer Kevin Na pulled out of the Masters with an undisclosed illness. He shot a 40 on the front 9

Wildcard

• Perry the Platypus?! An Australian man took a wild platypus on a train and now faces a court hearing. The platypus was swaddled in a towel

• Don't go chasing...: A Utah woman died saving a fellow ice climber on a frozen waterfall. She got pinned beneath falling ice blocks after pushing the other climber to safety

• All of the lawyers: A lawsuit against Kanye West's now-defunct Donda Academy accuses it of locking students in rooms and serving them one sushi meal per day for food

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week.

This stat has us thinking about our next dental visit: "$2.6 billion worth of Easter candy is sold annually in the U.S. alone" The grocery store aisles have been filled with Peeps and Reese’s bunnies, so it’s only timely to do...

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: CANDY EDITION!

We've got 20 sweet tooth favorites, each of which you'll decide if you're willing to risk a cavity for or not. We will average your answers and include them here next week.

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!

🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Do you use social media daily?

Yes: 81%

No: 19%

Yesterday's Question:

Where do you feel most at peace?

Valery from Texas: "My home, which sits on a small hill. My backyard view is ravines, my front and side views are all pasture. I have one quiet neighbor and it is divinely peaceful."

Kim from Chicago: "On the water, any water! The sounds of waves splashing on the hull with my balcony doors open on any cruise ship heading to any port at midnight would be my happiest place! However, simply letting go of my worries in my tub is also bliss for me..."

Francis from Maryland: "I feel mostly at peace flying my Powered Paraglider. Just loving running into the air and the peace I get flying through the open sky with wind in my face and all alone with my thoughts."

🧠 Final Thoughts

Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover, Ramadan, nothing, or something else entirely, we hope you have a wonderful weekend. We’ll be back on Monday with another round of fresh, unbiased news.

See you then!

–Max and Max