One of the most interesting trends in the US over the last several years is the rise of homeschooling. In 2003, there were about 1.3M homeschooled students; by 2016, there were 2.3M; and by 2022, that number had jumped to 4.3M. Either parents have grown wary of school curriculums, or Sloppy Joe Fridays have gotten a whole lot worse...

In today's edition:

• The first state to ban cash bail

• US soldier defects to North Korea

• Where's Lucy

 🔑 Key Stories

Taco Tuesdayyyyy

The food chain that trademarked the term “Taco Tuesday” will no longer enforce its trademark, enabling anybody to use it

• Taco John’s – a Mexican food chain with 370 stores in 23 states – trademarked “Taco Tuesday” in 1989

• The phrase has become widely used, though, including in videos posted by Lebron James. This May, Taco Bell launched a marketing campaign by filing a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate that trademark

• On Tuesday, Taco John’s told the Wall Street Journal it will no longer enforce its copyright, citing the high cost of doing so

Dig Deeper

• “It’s just not worth the amount of money it would take to defend it,” Taco John’s CEO told the WSJ. It will instead donate $40,000 to a nonprofit that supports food industry workers with children

Illinois Bans Cash Bail

Illinois is set to become the first state to eliminate cash bail following a ruling by its Supreme Court

• In 2021, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill that banned cash bail (paying a cash deposit to remain free until trial) and said judges would have to provide bail to anyone who didn’t threaten public safety or may flee

• A judge ruled parts of the bill unconstitutional last year; in response, Illinois’ Supreme Court blocked the bill from taking effect until it reached a final decision

• On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional. It is now scheduled to take effect in September, making Illinois the only US state to fully eliminate cash bail

Dig Deeper

• The court’s dissenting members had argued that the state’s constitution would have to be amended to allow cash bail to be totally banned. A top Illinois police organization criticized the majority ruling, saying it will “put dangerous criminals back on the street” and is a “slap in the face to those who enforce our laws.” Criminal justice reform groups celebrated it

US Soldier Defects

A US soldier “willfully” crossed into North Korea on Tuesday, a US official said

• The Korean War ended with a cease-fire in 1953. A heavily-fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) has since separated the countries, with soldiers on each side

• On Tuesday, a US soldier who was at a South Korean airport to travel back to the US for disciplinary reasons left the airport after security and took a tour of the DMZ

• While there, he “[gave] out a loud ‘ha ha ha’ and just [ran] in between some buildings,” an eyewitness said. A US official said the man is now believed to be in North Korean custody

Dig Deeper

• The soldier – Travis King – had recently finished serving jail time in South Korea for an unknown infraction. When he fled to the DMZ, he was being transported by the US military to return to his home unit in the US. Within the last year he had formerly pleaded guilty to assault and destruction of public goods, and a South Korean court had fined him $4,000

Trump: More Charges Likely

Former President Trump said he will likely face charges due to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election

• Last November, Trump announced he would run for re-election in 2024

• Shortly after, the US attorney general appointed a lawyer, Jack Smith, to investigate whether charges should be brought against Trump for allegedly mishandling classified docs or attempting to overturn the 2020 election

• Smith brought charges against Trump for the documents case last month. On Tuesday, Trump said he has also received a letter suggesting Smith plans to bring charges against him in relation to the 2020 election. It is unclear what charges the DoJ is considering

Dig Deeper

• Trump also faces a separate criminal case brought by New York City’s prosecutor over hush payments and is expected to face charges in Georgia for election-related matters

• A Reuters poll released this morning shows he has 47% support among Republicans. DeSantis, the runner-up, had 19%

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Call it a… hot streak: Temperatures in Phoenix, AZ, exceeded 110ºF for the 19th consecutive day on Tuesday. It’s the city’s hottest stretch since 1974

• On-N-Off: In-N-Out Burger employees in 5 US states will no longer be allowed to wear masks without a medical note as part of new guidelines that emphasize customer service

• Tree offensive: Universal Studios trimmed trees on a sidewalk used by picket lines outside its Los Angeles studios. Picketers accused the company of doing this to get rid of their shade

Wildcard

• Wild wild west: A bison gored a woman visiting Yellowstone National Park. The woman encountered the bison while walking on Lake Yellowstone’s north shore

• Smokey eye: Hong Kong’s health minister has urged residents to stare disapprovingly at smokers in an effort to create a tobacco-free city

• Ambitionz of a warrant: Las Vegas police searched a home as part of its investigation into rapper Tupac Shakur’s death. The rapper’s 1996 killing on the Las Vegas Strip remains unsolved

👇 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Do you think people who work in creative jobs (e.g. screenwriters, artists, etc.) are underpaid? Why or why not?

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

Linda Evans was seven when her mother left.

Evans lived with her parents and brother in Surrey, a mid-sized city in British Columbia, Canada. One day, her mother – Lucy-Ann Johnson – packed a bag and left Linda and her brother with their father, Marvin. Marvin never explained where Lucy-Ann went or why she left.

Years went by, and Marvin threw out all of Lucy-Ann’s remaining possessions. Evans’ only memory of her mother was through a few photos she managed to steal and hide from her father.

Lucy-Ann Johnson had been born in 1935 in Skagway, Alaska, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents. She had moved with her family to Yukon, a remote part of Canada, as a child. She left her family at age 18, though, and 2 years later married Marvin, who worked on a tugboat. They had two children – Evans and her brother, Daniel – and moved to Surrey.

In 1965 – 4 years after Lucy-Ann walked out – Marvin reported her as missing to the police. He said he hadn’t seen her in years and had no idea where she was. Police – shocked he hadn’t reported her disappearance sooner – began investigating him.

Neighbors told police they had last seen Lucy-Ann in September 1961 and that shortly after Marvin had dug a pit in his yard, allegedly for a septic tank. Police dug up Marvin’s yard but found no evidence of foul play. They also compared Lucy-Ann’s DNA to that of unidentified bodies but didn’t find a match.

Police found no evidence and the trail went cold. Marvin legally declared his first wife as deceased and remarried. By the time he died in the 1990s, police still had no leads on Lucy-Ann.

Evans had never stopped wondering where her mother had gone. She always suspected her father knew more than he let on, but he tolerated no discussion of her or her departure. So when police reached out to Evans again in 2013, she was eager to reopen the case.

Police featured Lucy-Ann in their “Missing of the Month” series. That didn’t produce any leads, but inspired by renewed interest in the case, Evans decided to start investigating herself.

Evans gathered some of her mother’s old documents and photos. With that information, she placed an ad in the Yukon News newspaper: “I am looking for my relatives. My grandparents’ names are Margaret and Andrew Carvell. My mother’s name is Lucy-Ann Carvell. She was born Oct 14, 1935, in Skagway, Alaska.”

A woman named Rhonda responded, saying the picture attached to the ad was her mother. Not only that, she said, but Lucy-Ann, 77, was still alive.

Lucy-Ann had remarried, lived in Yukon, and had four more children. Evans went to visit her mother later that year.

“She told me that my dad was really abusive to her, and that he was running around with other women,” she said. “She said that he told her to get out, and she went back to get us, but my dad said, ‘You're not taking the kids’ and that was the end of that. She never tried again after that.”

Linda said she didn’t know whether to believe all of her mother’s story, but decided to “just let it go.” She reportedly stays in touch with her mother and step-siblings and speaks with them often.

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Have you ever accidentally sent an email to the wrong person?
Yes: 80%
No: 20%

Yesterday's Question:

Should teachers be required to tell parents if their child is using pronouns different from those assigned at birth?

Andrew from Niagara on the Lake, Canada: "Absolutely not! Regardless of the subject matter teachers should be allowed to maintain confidentiality with their students. Teachers are sometimes the only adult that kids can trust if they have abusive or otherwise shitty parents."

Michéle from Memphis, Tennessee: "Absolutely! Children are not yet capable of fully understanding their decisions or making rational decisions - I would argue until they're in their early twenties! That frontal lobe is still flapping until age 23! As a woman in her fifties I remember thinking I knew it all at that age, but now I realize I had no idea who I really was. Children need our guidance whether they believe it or not.”

Lisa from Connecticut: "Parents are legally responsible for their children. More importantly, they are responsible for their mental and physical health. Nothing should be kept from parents when it envolves a minor.”

Andi from Bonners Ferry, Idaho: “Growing up Queer in Idaho, a very rural and violently conservative place, I have seen and lived firsthand the danger outing can put students in. I have buried too many queer friends who saw suicide as their only escape because their parents were not accepting. I am lucky enough to have loving parents who want to learn and understand, it breaks my heart to know that I am a stark, and privileged, minority in that regard. In Idaho at least, the requirement would only serve to fuel the anti-LGBT+ fire that wants to see my queer kin stamped out, and put queer children in more danger than they are already in.”

Marty from Alamogordo, New Mexico: “Don’t really get the question. I got called a lot worse by bullies in school than the incorrect prenoun.”

🧠 Final Thoughts

Happy hump day, Roca Nation. We hope that wherever you are, you’re facing neither wildfire smoke nor scorching temperatures. Enjoy the day, and see you tomorrow.

—Max and Max