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đ Kamala Unburdens Herself with Book
Plus: Microsoft soars, new trade deals, & frozen embryo baby in Ohio
How we almost had a 7.5 cent coin.
From 1886 to 1959, the price of a bottle of Coke at a vending machine stayed at a nickel. How the price didnât budge through three wars, the Great Depression, and the removal of cocaine as a key ingredient is beyond us.
By 1960, Coca-Cola had to make a decision: Do you raise the price to a dime? Do you make it 7 cents and force people to use two coins? Do you go full Arizona Iced Tea and keep it a nickel despite the slimming margins? Or option d: Petitioning President Eisenhower to mint 7.5 cent coins for their vending machines. They chose option d, but Eisenhower said no. Who knew Ike was such a Pepsi guy?
đ Kamala Harris unburdens herself with new book
đ Microsoft value soars
đ¶ Frozen embryo baby in Ohio
âMax and Max
KEY STORY
New Book Falls Out of a Coconut Tree
Kamala Harris hinted at her political ambitions while announcing a book about her 2024 presidential run
There has been speculation that Harris would either run to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California or again for president in 2028
On Wednesday, though, Harris put out a statement saying, âAfter deep reflection, I've decided that I will not run for Governor [of California] in this electionâ
A day later, she revealed an upcoming book about her 2024 campaign â â107 Daysâ â to be released on September 23
âWhat the world saw on the campaign trail was only part of the story,â she said, adding, âOne truth kept coming back to me. Sometimes the fight takes a while, but I remain full of hope, and I remain clear eyedâ
Dig Deeper
Harris has been relatively quiet since losing last Novemberâs election
In April, she gave her first major post-campaign speech and declared, âThis country is ours. It doesnât belong to whoever is in the White House. It belongs to you, it belongs to us, it belongs to we the people!â
She said her new book will be a âbehind-the-scenes look at my experience leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history.â Last night, hours after announcing the book, she appeared on âThe Late Showâ with Stephen Colbert
KEY STORY
Microsoftâs Market Value Soars
Microsoft became the second publicly traded company to surpass a $4T market valuation
The company has invested billions in OpenAI and positioned itself as a leader in AI services
On Thursday, Microsoft's shares jumped nearly 7% after it reported blockbuster earnings, driven by its Azure cloud computing business, which reported a 34% jump in revenue
Microsoft also forecast a record $30B in capital spending for the fiscal first quarter to meet soaring AI demand. The companyâs stock has now risen roughly 28% since the start of 2025 and more than doubled since ChatGPT's 2022 debut
Dig Deeper
Despite the meteoric rise, Microsoft announced job cuts earlier this month, eliminating around 9,000 employees, ~4% of its staff
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had noted in April that 20-30% of the company's code is now being generated by AI
Tech companies are deploying AI to make workers more efficient and automate tasks, while also looking to trim their staff to curb losses as they invest heavily in the technology
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Struggles often begin and end with the truth
KEY STORY
Tariff Eve
The US reached trade agreements with allies ahead of Trumpâs August 1 deadline
Trumpâs delayed April 1 âLiberation Dayâ tariffs are set to take effect on Friday. Major partners â including the UK, Japan, and the EU â have already secured deals; however, some â including Canada and Mexico â have not
On Wednesday and Thursday, the US reached deals with Thailand, Cambodia, and South Korea. It also extended negotiations with Mexico by 90 days and delayed tariffs on Brazil
The US did not reach a deal with Canada, though, and after Canada announced plans to join France and the UK in recognizing a Palestinian state, Trump said, âThat will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with themâ
Dig Deeper
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said negotiations are in an "intense phase"
South Korea secured a 15% tariff rate on its exports, matching Japan's rate, along with a commitment to create a $350B investment fund for US projects in energy and shipbuilding Trump announced a 90-day extension of existing tariff arrangements with Mexico after what he called a "very successful" conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum
Brazil received partial relief when Trump delayed 50% tariffs by seven days and exempted key products, including orange juice and civil aircraft parts
KEY STORY
Brown Settles
Brown University reached an agreement with the Trump Administration that restored federal research funding
The Trump Administration has targeted numerous universities by freezing federal research grants over allegations of antisemitism and diversity programs. Columbia University agreed last week to pay over $220M to resolve similar federal probes
On Wednesday, Brown reached its own settlement, under which it will pay $50M over 10 years to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, end diversity targets, and conduct a campus climate survey focusing on Jewish students
Unlike Columbia's deal, Brown's agreement did not include payments or fines to the federal government
Dig Deeper
The Trump Administration expanded its university pressure campaign this week by freezing $108M in federal funds for Duke University's medical school and health system
The government accused Duke of "systemic racial discrimination" and violations of civil rights laws. It has demanded that Duke create a merit committee to work with the federal government and review all policies for racial preferences
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
đ§ââïž US appeals court judges sharply questioned the Trump Administration's justification for imposing tariffs under emergency powers during Thursdayâs hearings
đȘ The Pentagon released over 1,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles on Wednesday, marking the latest drawdown of President Trump's controversial Southern California military deployment that began in June
đŸ China's cyber regulator summoned Nvidia on Thursday over alleged security concerns in its AI chips
đ”đž Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday to assess Gaza's humanitarian situation amid mounting Palestinian casualties
đ President Trump signed an executive order Thursday reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test, which was eliminated by the Obama Administration in 2012
What does Roca Nation think?
đșđž Yesterdayâs Question: What gives you the most hope about Americaâs future?
For all the talk of division and the negative impact of AI we are the wealthiest and strongest country in the world and will continue to be so. There is no place on the planet that is as great an incubator for new companies and technologies than the US. For all of our faults we are always striving to be better and do better. AI will be disruptive but we don't know where we will ultimately take AI, what new businesses and products will happen once AI becomes intertwined with that American spirit.
The younger generation is much more tolerant and accepting of humans from all walks. The only place I've seen this stop is for people with behavior that displays intolerance - basically they won't tolerate people who won't tolerate others. Kind of ironic, but I agree a lot of historical social norms need to stop immediately, i.e. therapy being a 4 letter word, mental illness not being real, certain clothes being for certain body types only, things like that. The younger generation appears to be more willing to see you as a human first and not expect you to act according to rule. They ask why when they dont understand instead of judging.
They also take better care of their bodies from a younger age. My 11 year old has had a healthy skin care routine for ages, seeks healthy meals and snacks, and prioritizes exercise. When I was her age, I was slathering Noxema all over my face drying it out with an acne stick, then scrubbing it to death with St. Ives. Also we didnt bother with sunscreen and it shows. We ate whatever and didn't care. Our exercise consisted of more unstructured outside time but that certainly didnt help me build any lifeline fitness habits like my daughter's focused efforts are doing. She wont need to unlearn poor behaviors like I'm having to.
These observations give me hope because they indicate care for others and themselves. They see themselves and others as souls, not just potential output, and the focus isnt just on being useful and non-problematic. They aren't afraid to take up space and I think its a good thing.
Woke ideology being eradicated, especially the DEI elements that have led to so many catastrophic results across the country.
For me, this is the BEST thing happening across our great nation. We need to keep exposing the substandard leaders in critical positions. The people who work with them need to draw attention to these leaders, but they're likely afraid of immediate retaliatory action. So for now, it takes tragedies to expose the DEI misplants.
20 Questions!
For all of our new subscribers, we ask our readers 20 questions every Friday, and then feature the answers the following week. Today weâve got âTake it or leave it: Controversial food editionâ where we give you a food choice and you can either take it or leave it. Hope you enjoy.
20 Questions!
Average responses to last weekâs âWhoâs More Famous?â edition of 20 Questions.
Lebron James - 65.4%
George Bush - 34.6%
Reese Witherspoon - 52.1%
John Cena - 47.9%
Kendrick Lamar - 77.1%
Joel Oesteen - 22.9%
Brett Kavanaugh - 58.7%
Russell Westbrook - 41.3%
Sydney Sweeney - 79.5%
Jamie Dimon - 20.5%
Jennifer Lopez - 69.6%
Mark Cuban 30.4%
Dan Marino - 54.8%
Chappell Roan - 45.2%
Macaulay Culkin - 60.4%
Bad Bunny - 39.6%
Patrick Mahomes - 52.7%
Meryl Streep - 47.3%
Joe Rogan - 59.8%
Michelle Obama - 40.2%
Gwyneth Paltrow - 63.6%
Shane Gillis - 36.4%
Tom Brady - 50.7%
Oprah Winfrey - 49.3%
Tom Hanks - 84.2%
Michael Phelps - 15.8%
Arnold Schwarzenegger - 91.0%
The Rizzler - 9.0%
Robert DeNiro - 71.6%
Kevin Durant 28.4%
Bill Maher - 52.6%
Olivia Rodrigo - 47.4%
Johnny Depp - 57.9%
Mark Zuckerberg - 42.1%
Nick Saban - 58.8%
Amber Heard - 41.2%
RocaNews - 70.4%
Yodel kid from Walmart - 29.6%
The Who - 63.0%
Savannah Bananas - 37.0%
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
đ€ The Final Concert: Country music legend JohnâŻMichael Montgomery will close out his 33-year career back home in Kentucky with a farewell concert on DecemberâŻ12 at Lexingtonâs Rupp Arena
đ¶ Ice Ice Baby: An Ohio couple welcomed a baby boy born from an embryo that had been frozen for over 30 years, setting a new world record
đ» Smokey the Cop: A Florida man was arrested by Smokey the Bear for stealing signs from state forests and selling them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each
đž Spiked by Surprise: High Noon has issued a voluntary recall after some vodka seltzer cans were mistakenly labeled and sold as Celsius energy drinks
âąïž Nuclear Buzzkill: A radioactive wasp nest was discovered at the Savannah River Cold Warâera nuclear facility in South Carolina, registering radiation levels over 10 times federal safety limits
ROCA WRAP
Crackdown Controversy
Kenya
This East African nation sparked fierce debate after proposing to ban alcohol sales in supermarkets and raise the drinking age to 21.
Alcohol consumption is an integral part of Kenyan culture, with many rural communities brewing their own liquors, called chang'aa and busaa. The strong homemade brews usually come from distilled grains like maize and sorghum. Numerous government administrations have sought to combat alcohol abuse, particularly among younger people, but most attempts have failed.
A new proposal seeks to change this.
On Wednesday, the government unveiled new proposals that call for raising the minimum drinking age from 18 to 21 and restricting alcohol purchases to only pubs, bars, and specially licensed retail stores. The measures also seek to ban online alcohol sales, home delivery services, and celebrity endorsements of alcoholic products. Transportation hubs, restaurants, public beaches, and recreational facilities would be prohibited from selling alcohol.
The alcohol industry responded with sharp criticism. Kenyaâs Alcoholic Beverages Association described the draft policy as "exclusionary" and "unrealistic," arguing that manufacturers had been shut out of the consultation process entirely. Officials, meanwhile, defended the proposals as necessary to combat substance abuse, particularly among the youth .
The controversy echoed previous failed attempts to control alcohol consumption in Kenya and already, intense backlash led the authorities to clarify that the draft represented a "road map, not an enforcement issue." In Kenya, the government wants to sober up the nation â but the policy might leave everyone with a different kind of headache.
EDITORâS NOTE
Final Thoughts
Hot off the digital press, hereâs our first YouTube video from Kentucky! We know your productivity is already in the tubes right now so thereâs no excuse not to watch.
Hope you all have a great weekend, and donât forget to do 20 Questions! We are so grateful for your support and feel so lucky to have the Roca community.
âMax and Max