Within 2 minutes of yesterday’s edition going out, we started receiving dozens of emails pointing out that we had accidentally left in two sentences about a capybara at the end of the wrap on Uday Hussein’s body double.
Typos are never acceptable and we appreciate you bringing the mistake to our attention. A few of you said we must have been having an “off day.” Well, let us tell you…Two days ago, we moved into the same apartment – only to find on the morning of the move that the basement, where one Max planned to live, had flooded with sewage. Needless to say, the smell of that combined with bleach and landlord arguments led to a poor night’s sleep and — apparently — a rodent infestation of the final paragraph in our newsletter. The basement is now in recovery, and we’ll try to keep capybaras out of there as well.
Also, a special thanks to Peter from Ohio who brought the capybara typo to our attention and included a picture he just took of a capybara in Brazil. We've included it below today's Wrap.
In today's edition:
Search for water continues
Introducing only adult flights
Person of the Week: Javier Milei
🔑 Key Stories
Search for Water Continues
A week after landing on the Moon’s South Pole, India’s rover is yet to encounter water
Last Wednesday, India became the first country to land a craft, “Vikram,” near the Moon’s South Pole. Scientists believe there is ice in that region that can be exploited to sustain future lunar colonies
On Tuesday, India’s space agency announced that a rover deployed from Vikram detected sulphur in the lunar dirt. That is significant because scientists believe its presence implies the presence of water
After one more week, the Moon’s night will begin and the lander/rover will shut off
Dig Deeper
Several other space agencies and private companies plan to land spacecraft on the Moon over the next year, many of them as part of NASA’s mission to return humans to the Moon in 2025
Marijuana Policy Changing?
A Biden administration official formally recommended reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug
The Controlled Substances Act, which came into law in 1971, gave the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) authority to restrict drugs. It made marijuana a “Schedule I” – totally outlawed – drug
Last year, the Biden administration initiated a formal review to determine if marijuana should be reclassified
On Tuesday, the US’ Assistant Secretary of Health advised the DEA to reclassify marijuana as a “Schedule III,” or less strictly prohibited, substance. The DEA will decide whether to follow that recommendation
Dig Deeper
23 states have legalized recreational marijuana and 38 have legalized medical marijuana. Those laws technically violate the DEA’s Schedule I classification, but the federal government has declined to crack down on them
Salaried Workers Getting a Raise?
The Biden administration proposed that salaried employees making under $55,000 per year be automatically entitled to receive overtime pay
Salaried employees are generally exempt from receiving overtime pay if they work over 40 hours in a week unless they make below a certain amount
The Trump administration raised that amount from $23,660 – a figure unchanged since 2004 – to $35,500; the Biden administration has now proposed raising it to $55,000
It said 3.6M more workers would become eligible. Supporters say that will help middle class incomes; opponents say it will result in less jobs and hiring
Dig Deeper
Supporters said the change would keep wages in line with inflation and ensure workers are compensated for their work
Opponents said the change would be unaffordable for many employers, resulting in less hiring, and lead companies to exploit loopholes, such as reducing base salaries, to get around it
Australia’s Voice Referendum
Australia’s government scheduled a referendum for October to decide if the country will give indigenous people a permanent voice in government
Australia’s indigenous people are collectively referred to as the “First Nation.” They have full political rights but lower socio-economic metrics
In 2017, 250 First Nation leaders requested a constitutional amendment that would give them a permanent body to advise the government on policy
A referendum on that is being held in October. Some say it would rectify past wrongs; others argue it is racially divisive. Early polls suggest it won’t pass
Dig Deeper
Those who support it – mostly on the political left – call it a step toward rectifying past injustices and supporting indigenous people, who have faced discrimination and tend to have worse socio-economic indicators, including lower life expectancies and higher unemployment, violence, and incarceration rates
Opponents – mostly on the political right – argue such a change will divide the country along racial lines and give the advisory group too much power
Why should everyone use a VPN?
Sponsored by Surfshark
If you have ever received an alarmingly specific advertisement shortly after doing something online, it could be due to your internet activity being tracked and sold
Surfshark’s VPN – Virtual Private Network – is an app that prevents websites from tracking your online activity by hiding your location and encrypting your search activity
VPNs are also great for staying safe from bad actors online who can use unsecure networks to do things like hack into your webcam, install malware on your computer, or even listen to you through your phone
Another benefit is that you can stream TV shows and movies only available in other countries and potentially find cheaper airline tickets (airlines show customers different prices depending on where they access the internet)
Surfshark makes it easy to protect yourself. Simply create an account, download their VPN app, log in, and start browsing safely
Dig Deeper
Millions of people around the world trust Surfshark for real-time online protection. Plus, one subscription can be used on unlimited devices!
Surfshark is offering Roca readers up to 82% off 2-year plans with 2 months free (you could potentially save more on a plane ticket using Surfshark’s VPN than the cost of their annual plan)
🍿 Popcorn
ICYMI
Freeze cam: Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell froze up and couldn’t answer a reporter’s question at an event in Kentucky. His reaction mirrored a similar ~20-second freeze from last month
Yes, you (Nar)can: The overdose reversal drug Narcan will be available for over-the-counter purchase starting in September. A two-dose box will cost an estimated $44.99
CNN’s new guiding Licht: Warner Bros. Discovery named Mark Thompson as the next CEO and chairman of CNN. Thompson previously led the The New York Times and the BBC
Wildcard
Welcome to Atlanta! 11 people were hospitalized after a Delta Air Lines flight from Milan to Atlanta hit “severe turbulence” ~40 miles before landing safely
Rudy out? “America’s Mayor” Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment is on sale for $6.5M. Last month, a lawyer for Giuliani said he was “close to broke” because of mounting legal fees related to the 2020 election
“Only Adult” zones: Starting in November, Turkish-Dutch carrier Corendon Airlines will test “Only Adult” zones on flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao
👇 What do you think?
Today's Question:
What is your favorite memory from August? As always, pictures welcome!
Reply to this email with your answers!
See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
🌯 Roca Wrap
A “minarchist” with bright blue eyes and a crazy mop of hair: Who is Javier Milei?
Milei was born on October 22, 1970 in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital. His parents – a bus driver and a homemaker – beat and verbally abused him.
“They are dead to me,” he would later say of them.He turned to his maternal grandmother and youngest sister for support.
The toxicity impacted Milei in school, where angry outbursts earned the nickname El Loco (“The Madman”). While those outbursts would eventually make him Argentinian TV’s most famous economist, classmates said they made him an outcast in school.
In Milei’s teens, he sang in a band that mainly covered Rolling Stones songs and took up soccer. Yet while he rose the ranks to become goalkeeper for a second-division soccer team, something else was rising in Argentina: Prices.
By 1989, the country’s annual inflation reached 2,600% and Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt, sparking an economic crisis. Milei ditched his soccer ambitions to pursue a career as an economist.
Milei earned several degrees from renowned institutions, where he became a passionate libertarian. He used his education to teach, research, and become a frequent media guest.
Milei became popular because unlike the many economists with formal demeanors, he approached economic discussions with unapologetically strong viewpoints. Contrary to most Argentinians, he aggressively called for minimal government intervention in the economy.
He became a controversial figure in economic circles – and a regular on TV and radio shows, where he often made viral rants while appearing with unkempt hair in black leather outfits.
During Milei’s rise to fame, Argentina’s economy continued to struggle.
The country’s most recent economic crisis began in 2018, when the government began printing money as it struggled to pay its debts. Inflation has since reached 116% and the poverty rate ~40%.
As the government struggled to fix the economy, Milei railed against those who ran it. Calling the state the “basis of all problems,” he said elites and politicians were “rats” from a “parasitic caste.”
He called to abolish Argentina’s central bank – "the worst garbage that exists on this Earth" – as well as the country’s health, education, and environment ministries. In 2021, he founded his own political coalition and won a seat in Argentina’s legislature. He raffled off his congressional salary to the public on YouTube.
Milei summed up his political position in an interview last year: “As long as you don’t screw up anyone’s life, you can do what you want to: Trade with whoever you want to, get into bed with whoever you want to.”
He has likened the state in society to a “pedophile in a kindergarten.” “I am a minarchist in the short term and an anarcho-capitalist in the long run,” he has said. A minarchist, he says, is someone who believes the state should handle only “security and justice”; an anarcho-capitalist wants to eliminate the state altogether.
Last year, Milei announced he’s running for president in Argentina’s 2024 elections. When he held his first rally last June, only 1,000 people attended – far fewer than many expected. Yet his position in the polls increased as Argentina’s inflation kept rising.
At the August primary, three main parties split ~90% of the vote.
Milei’s won the largest share (30%), followed by the center-right (28.3%) and center-left (27.3%). While all candidates who won 1.5%+ of the vote qualified for the general election in October, the result suggests Milei is the most popular presidential candidate.
He thanked six names in a celebration speech: His sister (and campaign manager) and his five mastiffs, whom he refers to as his “little four-legged children.” Milei is single and said that his sister would fill the role of first lady if he’s elected.
Milei’s polarizing policies have led to skepticism and concern among much of the Argentine establishment and left. After the primary, Argentina’s currency fell 18.3%, its steepest drop in four years and a sign of investor concern about the country’s economy.
He recently called China, Argentina’s second biggest trading partner and one of its main creditors, an “assassin” because of its political system. Argentina’s presidential election is scheduled for October.
Will it put an anarcho-capitalist in charge of Argentina?
Any Roca readers from Argentina? We’d love to know your thoughts on Milei. If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!
🌊 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise: 32%
Sunset: 68%
Yesterday's Question:
Which era of history intrigues you most?
Gerry from Fallbrook, California: “The future.......it's crazy times out there.....who knows what's next”
Katie: “I’ve been very interested in the Medieval period lately, probably due to the Adam Driver movie The Last Duel. There’s so much we don’t really know about ‘the dark ages,’ and much of the literature I’ve read suggests that they weren’t as dark as common knowledge leads us to believe...”
JMG from “west Michigan”: “When Jesus Christ walked among us is amazing. I think if most people really thought about it. That time in world history was the most important and an amazing time to be alive. Maybe only half the world believes this but if that time in world history had not taken place we would not be here today.”
And live from Brazil, we have a capybara to end today’s content:
🧠 Final Thoughts
Today's crisp breeze has it feeling like the first day of fall, and does it feel great! We hope your Thursdays are off to a great start. We look forward to bringing you the news tomorrow, and, as always, welcome any feedback you may have for us.
—Max and Max
