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đ Kim Jong-Oops: North Korean Escapes
Plus: Intel CEO's Chinese ties, OpenAI launches GPT-5, & bird busts drug gang
Polly wants crack.
A parrot in Blackpool, England (the city where we shot the first-ever RocaNews YouTube video!) helped bring down a major drug operation. Police discovered the bird when raiding a home in Blackpool, and they learned the pet knew how to say phrases like "two for 25." They later discovered incriminating videos involving the bird, which helped the cops bring down the drug ring. This will go down as one of our favorite Happy Hour stories to date. Now give Polly some crack!
Hereâs the link to todayâs 20 Questions. Have a great weekend.
đ°đ” North Korean defects in amazing fashion
đ» OpenAI launches GPT-5
đŠ Bird brings down drug gang
âMax and Max
KEY STORY
North Korean Defected
A North Korean man successfully defected to South Korea
In the past, most North Korean defectors fled over land to China and then on to third countries like Thailand, but tighter border controls between China and North Korea have forced defectors to attempt more perilous routes
On Thursday, South Korean authorities reported that marines had spotted the unidentified North Korean on July 31 waving his hands and expressing his intention to defect
The man had strapped himself to styrofoam for flotation as he swam down the Korean Peninsula's west coast for 10 hours
Dig Deeper
Military personnel retrieved him around 4 AM on July 31, approximately 1.6 miles south of North Korean territory near the northern limit line
A defense ministry official said, "As far as I know, this person simply drifted in through the water." South Korea's unification ministry announced that a joint investigation is underway
This maritime crossing marked the second apparent defection since President Lee Jae-myung took office in June. In early July, another North Korean civilian crossed the inter-Korean border via land. North Korea has not responded to either defection claim
KEY STORY
Trump Calls for CEO Resignation
President Trump called for Intel's CEO to resign, citing alleged conflicts of interest related to his ties to China
Intel has struggled financially in recent years, losing ground to rivals in key markets. The company brought in Lip-Bu Tan as CEO in March 2024 and has received nearly $8B in federal funding through the CHIPS Act
On Thursday, Trump posted that "The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately," following concerns raised by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) about Tan's $200M+ investments in Chinese tech companies, including some linked to China's military
Intel defended Tan, stating that "Intel and Mr. Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States and the integrity of our role in the U.S. defense ecosystem"
Dig Deeper
Cotton noted that Tan had invested at least $200M in hundreds of Chinese tech companies, including some linked to China's military, and raised concerns about Tan's previous role at a Chinese company that pleaded guilty to violating US export controls
Analysts warned the resignation demand could complicate Intel's already fragile turnaround efforts and undermine the company's attempts to rebuild trust with both markets and Washington
The Malaysian-born Tan had outlined plans to cut Intel's workforce by 22% and slash operating expenses while spinning off non-essential assets
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the free acts of speech
KEY STORY
Israel to Take Over Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip
Israeli forces currently control about 75% of Gaza while avoiding areas where 20 surviving hostages are believed to be held. Hamas has threatened to execute captives if Israeli troops approach their locations
On Thursday, Netanyahu announced that Israel intended to take control of the entire coastal territory to remove Hamas from power and establish a security perimeter before eventually transferring control to Arab forces
Israel's military chief of staff pushed back against the expansion plans, citing concerns about troop exhaustion and the prospect of governing millions of Palestinians
Dig Deeper
"We don't want to keep it. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel wanted to hand governance to Arab forces that would govern properly without threatening Israel
Families of the hostages also opposed the plans and held protests outside the cabinet meeting, fearing the expansion could endanger the surviving hostages
Critics also warned about the potential economic burden, with one study estimating the occupation could cost Israel approximately $10B annually, or about 2% of its GDP
KEY STORY
OpenAI Launches GPT-5
ChatGPTâs flagship model line began with GPT-3.5 in November 2022, followed by GPTâ4 in March 2023
On Thursday, it launched the long-awaited update, GPT-5. CEO Sam Altman said it was faster, more accurate, and less likely to hallucinate, adding, âGPT-5 is the first time that it feels like talking to an expert in any topic â a Ph.D.-level expertâ
While GPT-5 immediately ranked as the worldâs top AI for common tasks, predictions markets considered it a letdown and now have Google as the favorite to have the worldâs top AI model by the end of the month
Dig Deeper
Altman said GPT-5 is a âsignificant stepâ toward developing AGI â AI that can do anything the human brain can â which is the companyâs ultimate goal; however, on Polymarketâs âWhich company has best AI model end of August?â prediction market, OpenAI went from 73% chance to 17% immediately after launch. Google soared, from 25% to 79%. Many AI accounts on X called GPT-5 an underwhelming step forward
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
đ·đș Russiaâs Kremlin announced that Putin and Trump will meet in the coming days as Trump seeks to end the Ukraine war while threatening new sanctions on Russia
đ« Investigators revealed that yesterdayâs Fort Stewart shooter was fellow soldier 28-year-old Quornelius Radford
đłïž Texas Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced that FBI Director Kash Patel approved his request for federal assistance in locating Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas to block Republican redistricting efforts
đȘŠ Japan recorded nearly 1M more deaths than births last year, its lowest birth rate since 1899, marking the steepest population decline since surveys began in 1968
𧟠President Trump directed the Commerce Department to develop a new census excluding illegal immigrants, departing from the constitutional requirement to count all US residents every decade
What does Roca Nation think?
đ« Yesterdayâs Question: If money werenât a factor, would you send your kid to an elite private school or public school?
Iâve worked in both public (9 years) and private (2 years) schools. Whether I would send my kid to public or private entirely depends on the public school to which he would be assigned. Some public schools are incredible, have teachers that care, and produce well-rounded students. However, some are horribleânot necessarily through their own fault either. They may have a weak administration, lack funding, or just be fighting against societal problems too big to combat with basic education. Right now, my husband and I plan to send our child to private school at least for elementary because, where we live, there is too much required testing and technology usage in the younger grades in the public schools. Again, this is often not the fault of well-meaning teachers. With public schools comes bureaucracy, which means often the education your child receives is not even directly controlled within the school itself. Private schools, of course, can also be run poorly, but you can at least have a little more control over the type of education your child receives. In short, to me, itâs not a question of public vs private, but itâs rather a question of the kind of education the public and private schools within my area provide. Just because I would have the money to send my child to an elite private school wouldnât necessarily make that school the best choice.
Would absolutely send my kids to a private institution. Looking at the education that kids are getting today not performing at a standard grade level is horrifying. Public education has to be revised and each state should set the goals NOT the federal government. Get rid of the unions.
Kind of in between. I was fortunate enough to go to a small-ish catholic high school. It was neither a giant prep school with thousands of students, nor a 20-person single classroom. Iâd say it was average small town high school sized, about 600 kids total. It also was not stereotypical: the teachers were kind and caring, they did not push a political agenda on us, etc. The community aspect surrounding a school like that was very beneficial to my upbringing regardless of religion, and is something I think my kids (when the time comes, Iâm only 21!) would benefit from.
20 Questions!
This week we are doing a "Favorite Things" edition of 20 Questions, where we give you a category and you name your favorite thing in it. E.g., for the category of "American heroes" you might answer "Jack Black." So here we go. We can't wait to read your responses!
20 Questions!
Average responses to last weekâs âTake it or leave it: Controversial foodâ edition of 20 Questions.
Brussel Sprouts
Take - 69.8%
Leave - 30.2%
Artichokes
Take - 60.1%
Leave - 39.9%
Sardines
Take - 22.9%
Leave - 77.1%
Calamari
Take - 58.5%
Leave - 41.5%
Oysters
Take - 44.4%
Leave - 55.6%
Licorice
Take - 42.9%
Leave - 57.1%
Anchovies
Take - 21.1%
Leave - 78.9%
Beets
Take - 60.0%
Leave - 40.0%
Eggplant
Take - 52.6%
Leave - 47.4%
Blue cheese
Take - 60.8%
Leave - 39.2%
Raw milk
Take - 33.5%
Leave - 66.5%
Turkey bacon
Take - 48.1%
Leave - 51.9%
Olives
Take - 69.0%
Leave - 31.0%
Bologna
Take - 51.6%
Leave - 48.4%
Mushrooms
Take - 78.7%
Leave - 21.3%
Pineapple on pizza
Take - 56.2%
Leave - 43.8%
Impossible meat
Take - 14.0%
Leave - 86.0%
Liver
Take - 23.4%
Leave - 76.6%
Potato salad
Take - 82.6%
Leave - 17.4%
Diet Dr. Pepper
Take - 36.4%
Leave - 63.6%
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
đ§âđŸ Farmers Fight Back: In Hautes Vosges, French farmers retaliated against hundreds of illegal travellers spraying liquid manure across their farmland
đŠ Polly Wants Crack: An English drug ring run from prison was busted thanks to a parrot squawking coded drug prices
đ Return to Pompeii: Archaeologists have found evidence that some residents returned to live in Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in makeshift settlements built amid the ruins
đą Turtle Meets Florida Woman: A Florida woman was arrested at Miami International Airport after TSA agents discovered she was trying to smuggle two live turtles in her bra during security screening
đ„ Flying Fish Sparks Fire: An osprey dropped its catch onto a power line in British Columbia, Canada, sparking a brush fire and power outage
ROCA WRAP
AI Avatar
United Kingdom
A member of parliament in this country launched an AI version of himself to handle constituent requests.
The United Kingdom's parliamentary system requires Members of Parliament (MPs) to serve as direct representatives for their local constituencies, fielding thousands of inquiries from residents. With over 650 MPs representing districts across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the workload has become increasingly overwhelming in the digital age, leading one MP to try a creative solution.
Mark Sewards, Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley, unveiled what he claims is the first AI chatbot created by a British parliamentarian. The 35-year-old politician received more than 6,000 messages in his first three months in office and turned to artificial intelligence for help. "I've tried my best to sit at my desk and answer all the requests that come through on my laptop, but it's not possible for one person to do that," Sewards told the BBC.
The experiment sparked immediate backlash from voters, who flooded social media.
"In effect it makes you even more inaccessible to your constituents than you already are," one resident responded. Others called the move "awful, lazy, ecologically irresponsible," citing the environmental costs of using AI. Sewards defended his digital double as a work in progress. When tested by reporters, AI Mark proved functional but limited: The chatbot could discuss Leeds United football but claimed it lacked information about constituent priorities.
Politicians worldwide are experimenting with AI assistance. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted using ChatGPT as a "sounding board" for political decisions, drawing warnings from AI experts about overreliance on the technology. "We didn't vote for ChatGPT," said one professor. A Wyoming mayoral candidate even promised to let an AI bot run Cheyenne if elected, though voters rejected that proposal. In British politics, it seems artificial intelligence canât master the art of political evasion.
EDITORâS NOTE
Final Thoughts
A new reader Gerard wrote: âI signed up because I love your format and delivery style, and I thought you were gonna play it down the middle. You know call balls and strikes, to use a trite sports analogy. Imagine my surprise this morning while reading the Editorâs Final Thoughts, that the Maxâs are trying to set up interviews with everyone in the mayorâs race except Curtis Sliwa! Was this an omission or a telltale sign of bias? Certainly, I hope the former is true. You see I just signed up for the Current at the end of July and am hoping to find a fair and honest news outlet whose veracity I can trust.â
We appreciate feedback like this and will reach out to Mr. Sliwaâs campaign, even though he remains the biggest long-shot candidate. We also have interviews set up with prominent conservative politicians in the coming weeks.
On a separate note, we would like to give a shoutout to our superstar intern, Amelia Freund, whose last day is today. She will go back to Princeton in a few weeks, and we will miss her dearly.
Have a great weekend and donât forget 20 Questions!
âMax and Max