Oh, how the tables turn: Presidential candidate Joe Exotic says he won’t pardon Donald Trump when he’s elected president since Trump didn’t pardon him. You did not read that wrong, by the way. Joe Exotic is actually running for president — as a Democrat. We assume he thought it read Democat. But either way, good luck, Tiger 👑 

In today's edition:

• AI kidnapping scams

• White House bans trans activists

• White Rex

 🔑 Key Stories

AI Kidnapping Calls

At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, an Arizona mother testified about an AI scam call she received in January

• Jennifer DeStefano received a call from an unknown number while her 15-year-old daughter, Briana, was on a ski trip

• “Mom these bad men have me, help me, help me!” Briana’s voice cried out over the phone. A man’s voice then threatened to kill Briana and “drop her in Mexico” unless DeStefano pay a $50k ransom

• DeStefano verified her daughter was safe, though, and police told her it was AI mimicking Briana’s voice

Dig Deeper

• The Senate hearing at which DeStefano spoke was intended to “investigate and understand the nature of the threats from the abuse of the use of [AI].” Senators heard testimony from victims of similar scams to determine if and how federal lawmakers could crack down on them

Instant Pot Under Pressure

Instant Brands (IB), the company that makes the Instant Pot, declared bankruptcy on Tuesday

• IB is a US-based company that makes and sells the Instant Pot, a brand of pressure cookers, as well as Pyrex, Snapware, and numerous other kitchen items

• IB grew quickly during the pandemic but has since suffered from declining sales. As of March, IB had experienced 7 straight quarters of declining sales

• On Tuesday, IB announced it had filed for bankruptcy. It said it had $95M on hand and $510M in debt as of March and will strive to continue operations as it looks to restructure and find more financing

Dig Deeper

• “After successfully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and the global supply chain crisis, we continue to face additional…challenges,” its CEO said, including “higher interest rates”

White House Bans Trans Activist

The White House banned a group of trans activists from future events after she went topless at an event there

• Rose Montoya is a trans woman who began transitioning in 2015. She is an activist, influencer, and model with 900k+ followers across channels

• On Saturday, President Biden hosted a Pride event on the White House lawn. Montoya attended and was filmed going topless – covering her chest with her hands – while standing next to 2 shirtless trans men

• Critics called that vulgar; Montoya said she wanted to join her trans male friends doing it. On Tuesday, a White House representative banned her and the other activists from future events

Dig Deeper

• Montoya defended her actions on social media. “My trans masculine friends were showing off their top surgery scars and living in joy, and I wanted to join them,” she wrote, adding that it isn’t illegal to go topless in Washington, DC. “I was simply living in joy, living my truth and existing in my body. Happy Pride. Free the nipple”

Colombian Children Were Fleeing Armed Group

The father of 2 of the children rescued from the Colombian rainforest said the children had been fleeing an armed group

• Last Friday, Colombian authorities rescued 4 children from the Amazon rainforest after a plane crash stranded them there for 40 days. The crash killed their mother and all others on board

• The father of the 2 younger children – ages 1 and 5 – told media that the children had boarded the flight to flee an armed group that wanted to recruit them

• That group reportedly controls the part of Colombia they lived in, which is deep in the Amazon

Dig Deeper

• The children’s father is now reportedly in a custody battle for the 2 younger children with their maternal grandparents, who accused the father of physically abusing the children’s mother. Asked about that, the father told the media, “Physically, very little. We had more verbal fights”

• “We are going to talk, investigate, learn a little about the situation,” a social worker said following those reports. “The most important thing at this moment is the children’s health, which is not only physical but also emotional, the way we accompany them emotionally”

Give Dad the Gift of Skincare this Father's Day

Together with Jackfir

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• Charlie Razook founded Jackfir after he became fed up with trying to find effective men’s skincare products that were not filled with junk

• He noticed many skincare brands use chemicals — such as phthalates, sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances — to help lower costs and extend shelf lives

• Fortunately, Jackfir is now shaking up men’s skincare and providing an alternative to the old-school, chemical-heavy skincare products

Dig Deeper

• Give dad a WORRY-FREE gift this Father's Day! Jackfir products are effective and free of harmful chemicals. Use code POPS20 for 20% off your order through June 18th

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Prez Francis?: Miami’s Republican mayor Francis Suarez has entered the presidential race for 2024. He's the first Hispanic candidate in the GOP field

• Money-ball: The Oakland Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas are officially on track after the Nevada legislature approved public funding for a new stadium

• AI chill pill: One of the 3 “godfathers of AI” says the notion that AI poses a risk to humanity is “preposterously ridiculous.” Professor Yan LeCan is now the chief AI scientist at Meta

Wildcard

• All kind of loaded: Prosecutors in the Rust shooting case say the weapons supervisor was likely hungover when she loaded the fatal bullet into the revolver. Witnesses say she was drinking heavily and smoking weed during production

• Slog-mented reality: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey believes the push to virtual reality will turn us into Wall-E blobs “floating in chairs, drinking food out of straws”

• Take a hike, foreigners: 17 people died in the 2023 Mt. Everest climbing season, making it the 2nd-deadliest season on record. Some blame the weather while others say it’s careless foreign hikers

👇 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Should the children of hostile foreign leaders – say, Vladimir Putin – be allowed to study in the US? What about Xi Jinping's?

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

Last month, a group of militants crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia. In a 2-day gun and rocket battle, they would bring the war to Russian territory for the first time.

2 groups claimed responsibility: The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion. Both groups are comprised of nationalist Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin. The groups’ most influential member is Denis Kapustin.

Kapustin was born in Moscow in 1984.

His family moved to Germany in 2001 under a scheme that let Russian Jews resettle there. In the mid-2000s he became a “hooligan”: A violent supporter of a soccer team that brawls with fans of opposing teams.

Kapustin moved from hooliganism to mixed martial arts (MMA). As his profile grew, he became prominent in German nationalist movements. A web connected those movements across Europe, and, to a lesser extent, in the US.

In 2008, Kapustin created White Rex: A nationalist MMA clothing brand that organized and hosted MMA fights and training events throughout Europe. Critics said its designs drew on Nazi imagery; Kapustin denied that.

As White Rex trained nationalist political groups across Europe in street fighting tactics, critics accused the groups of being neo-Nazi, radical, and violent. Most groups – and Kapustin – say they are nationalist and “far-right” but not neo-Nazi.

The German state in which Kapustin lived said he had ties to “various right-wing extremist groups and in the hooligan scene,” and is one of its “most influential activists.” In 2019, Germany canceled his residence permit, and by some accounts, the EU banned him from entering.

By that point, he was living in Ukraine, where a 2014 revolution overthrew the country’s pro-Russia government and replaced it with a pro-Europe, anti-Russia one. Immediately after the revolution, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine’s new government began taking in Russians who were critical of Vladimir Putin.

Putin is considered a nationalist and on the “right” of Russia’s political spectrum. Many of the people who came to Ukraine were anti-Putin “liberals,” who opposed Russia’s militarization; Putin’s power; and the government’s restrictions on democratic freedoms.

Another group of people who came were to Putin’s “right.” They accused him of mismanaging the country; giving too much power to ethnic minorities; allowing too much immigration; and jailing too many nationalists.

Among the critics on Putin’s right was Kapustin, who came to Ukraine in 2018. There, he founded the Russian Volunteer Corps, which consists of other anti-Putin Russian nationalists.

The group began fighting alongside the Free Russia Legion, another group of anti-Putin Russians with links to American, British, and other foreign fighters in Ukraine.

The anti-Russian groups say their goal is to overthrow Putin. “The Russian Volunteer Corps marches in and destroys the current government — that’s the only way,” Mr. Kapustin said recently. “You cannot persuade a tyrant to leave.”

Russia accuses Ukraine of arming these groups, which Ukraine denies.

The groups conceal how much support Ukraine gives them, often saying Ukraine only “encourages” them. The rise of Kapustin and the other Russians poses a dilemma for Ukraine.

Putin has long alleged that fascists operate in Ukraine and control its government. Ukraine and its supporters say those allegations are false.

Kapustin has said that being called “far right” isn’t an “accusation.” “We have never concealed our views,” he once said in an interview. “We are a right, conservative, military, semipolitical organization.”

He has also described his views as “patriotic,” “traditionalist,” and “right-wing,” while adding, "You'll never find me waving a flag with a swastika.”

For now, Kapustin and the other Russians are bringing the war to Russia.

Last week, they crossed the border and captured around a dozen Russian soldiers, who they turned over to Ukraine. Days later, Russia ordered 2,500 people to evacuate the border region.

Putin has called Kapustin a terrorist, but he denies that. “I want to prove that it’s possible to fight against a tyrant.”

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Better band:
The Beatles: 70%
The Rolling Stones: 30%

Yesterday's Question:

Should people spend a lot on their weddings, because it's such a momentous occasion, or should they be frugal, because it's such a major expense?

Daniel: "I think everyone should have the wedding they want so they don't have regrets. I spent, comparatively, a lot on my wedding (more than 50% of my yearly pay at the time). It made me happy, and even though I'm still paying it off, I don't regret it. If a small, frugal wedding makes you happy, go for it. If you want a huge event, make it as big as you want.”

Beth: “My dad said a wedding is a time to thank all the people in your lives with a happy time. So spend!”

Joan from Redondo Beach, California: “FRUGAL! Blowing out the bank/bankrupting your parents on your way out the door before you’ve even started your life together is just plain STUPID. It is the ultimate unnecessary self-indulgence. Find a way to do it simply, with a REASONABLE BUDGET. It can be done. There is absolutely NO justification in the world for the outrageous amounts of money expended on that single day. Doesn't mean you love anyone more or less by the $$$$ spent.”

Catherine from Ottawa, Canada: “There have been a lot of weddings lately as my children are at that age. Some have spent lavishly and have major debts and others were very frugal. It seems to be a genuine reflection of the couple and what’s important them. Time will tell but I’m thinking the practical couples are also better at communicating and strategizing which should lead to a long happy life together.”

Jay from Kansas: "Elope!!!”

🧠 Final Thoughts

Happy Thursday, all. The sweet tea is great in Georgia, and we've heard it may be even better in Alabama, where we are headed today.

Thanks to the many of you who have reached out regarding the trip. We are planning around your suggestions!

Hoping you all finish the week strong.

—Max and Max