🌊 Kirk Killer Caught

This from Emma says it all.

We got many beautiful (and some, dare we say, off-putting) responses to yesterday’s question about Charlie Kirk’s murder.

No matter how much you might have hated his views or what litany of “-ist” labels you ascribe to him, you don’t want to live in a country where political violence is normal or celebrated. Anyone justifying the shooting is an enemy of the values that define liberal democracy. The reality is that tens of millions of Americans share his views, and even if that weren’t true the shooting would be a tragedy.

This from Emma struck as on point.

Roca is dedicated to lowering the temperature in this country. Nobody should’ve celebrated the assassination of the Democratic Minnesota house speaker, the attempted assassinations of Trump, or the assassination of Kirk. Nobody.

If we learned one thing this weekend it’s that our mission is more urgent than ever. Have a great weekend, and here’s 20 Questions.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Charlie Kirk Shooter Manhunt

Authorities have taken into custody 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Wednesday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk.

• President Trump announced in a Friday morning appearance on “Fox and Friends” that a suspect was in custody

• The suspect’s father, a 27-year veteran of his local Sheriff’s Department, allegedly recognized his son in photos the FBI released and encouraged him to turn himself in

• During a Friday press conference announcing the arrest, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox said that Robinson had become increasingly political in recent years. Relatives told authorities that he had mentioned that Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University, and that he did not like Kirk’s views

Dig Deeper 

• Shell casings found at the scene of the crime had “anti-fascist slogans” written on them including, "Hey fascist! CATCH!," "If you read this, you are GAY Lmao." and "O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!," an Italian antifascist slogan

• President Trump told Fox News on Friday morning that he would like to see the killer get the death penalty. Governor Cox, meanwhile, partially blamed social media for the murder, calling it a “cancer on our society”

KEY STORY

New UFO Footage Released

Newly released footage from a Congressional hearing shows a US Hellfire missile striking an unidentified flying object in October 2024

• Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO) revealed footage during Tuesday's hearing showing an MQ-9 Reaper drone tracking a bright, fast-moving object above the ocean near Yemen

• The video captured a Hellfire missile from a second Reaper drone striking the object directly, causing debris to break off, but the mysterious craft continued on its original trajectory

• Four witnesses testified at the Tuesday hearing, including military veterans who described various UAP encounters, with one calling the video “exceptional evidence” that UAPs exist

Dig Deeper

• The Pentagon did not authenticate the video or provide details about the incident when asked by reporters

• The waters off Yemen were an active combat zone at the time, with US Navy ships protecting commercial vessels from Houthi attacks, raising questions about whether the object posed a threat to American forces or shipping lanes

• Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who chairs the task force that hosted the hearing, stated that “American people deserve maximum transparency from the federal government on sightings”

KEY STORY

Bolsonaro Found Guilty of Coup Charges

Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election

• The case stemmed from January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia, calling on the military to remove newly inaugurated President Lula from office

• A five-member panel of Brazil's Supreme Court justices reached the majority needed to convict on Thursday, with four justices voting guilty and one voting to acquit

• The conviction made Bolsonaro the first former president in Brazil's history to be found guilty of a coup attempt

Dig Deeper

• Bolsonaro faced five charges total, including attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, and attempting to violently abolish democratic rule, carrying a maximum sentence of 43 years in prison

• Justice Luiz Fux voted to acquit, arguing the five-member panel lacked jurisdiction and that the case should have been heard by all 11 Supreme Court members or a lower court

• The ruling marked the first time since Brazil became a republic almost 140 years ago that military officials faced punishment for attempting to overthrow democracy

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KEY STORY

Trial Begins for Trump Assassination Attempt

The trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course, began Thursday

• The alleged assassination attempt occurred on September 15, 2024, while Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club during his presidential campaign

• It marked the second apparent attempt on Trump's life that year, following the July incident in PA

• The federal judge stopped Routh's opening statement after just a few minutes when the 59-year-old defendant, who is representing himself, began discussing topics including the origin of the human species

• Prosecutors said Routh hid near the sixth hole with a rifle, intending to kill Trump as he played. Routh has pleaded not guilty to all charges

Dig Deeper 

• Prosecutors said he spent weeks planning the attack, traveling from Hawaii to North Carolina and then to Florida with six cell phones and stolen license plates

• He stayed at a truck stop for about a month, visiting the golf course approximately 17 times while tracking Trump’s movements

• Authorities also discovered a note Routh allegedly left at a friend's house that read, “Dear World, This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇬🇧 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed the UK’s Ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, following revelations about his deeper ties to Jeffrey Epstein than previously disclosed

🧑‍🎓 A student opened fire at Evergreen High School in Colorado on Wednesday, leaving two fellow students in critical condition. The gunman died from self-inflicted injuries

⚖️ Nadine Menendez received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for her role in a bribery scheme involving her husband, former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez

📈 US inflation climbed to 2.9% in August, up from July's 2.7%, while jobless claims jumped to 263,000 – the highest level since October 2021. Core inflation, which excludes more volatile prices, remained steady at 3.1% despite Trump's tariffs

🏫 Multiple historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) implemented emergency lockdowns on Thursday after receiving threats against their campuses

What does Roca Nation think?

🇺🇸 Yesterday’s Question: Your reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

🇺🇸 Today’s Question: Your reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Reply to this email with your response!

20 Questions!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

For the uninitiated, eery Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions then feature results the following week. This week we’ve got “Word Association,” where you tell us the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the prompt. It’s like therapy, but better.

Link to 20 Questions!

Last Week’s Responses

Results from last week’s “Would You Rather?” edition of 20 Questions.

• Go a week without brushing your teeth - 17.5%
  Go a week without wearing deodorant - 82.5%

• Wear shoes half a size too small - 7.3%
  Wear shoes a size too large - 92.7%

• Eat cabbage with your pasta - 61.2%
  Eat broccoli with your eggs - 38.8%

• Wear shoes half a size too small - 10.5%
  Wear shoes a size too large - 89.5%

• Be a foot shorter - 58.1%
  Be 2 feet taller - 41.9%

• Have to live barefoot - 23.4%
  Have to live without showering - 76.6%

• Wake up remembering who you are but no remembering who anyone else is - 62.1%
  Wake up remembering who everyone else is but not who you are - 37.9%

• Live in Lord of the Rings world - 67.1%
  Live in Harry Potter world - 32.9%

• Never be able to send a text message again - 41.6%
  Never be able to make a phone call again - 58.4%

• Have your country win the World Cup - 74%
  Have your team win the Super Bowl/whatever league your care most about - 26%

• Listen to the same song on repeat for a week - 24.1%
  Listen to the same album on repeat for a month - 75.9%

• Sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl - 49.7%
  Race Usain Bolt in the halftime show - 50.3%

• Listen to "YMCA" every time you get in the car - 31.3%
  Replace your mouthwash with olive oil - 68.7%

• Go a week without eating solid food - 54.7%
  Go a week without taking a warm shower - 45.3%

• Get a tattoo on your neck - 19.4%
  Dye your hair pink - 80.6%

• Put a car dealership inflatable man in your front yard - 66.2%
  Put a "Keanu Reeves 2024" sign in your front yard - 33.8%

• Wear your clothes inside out for a month - 27.1%
  Wear a Harry Potter costume for a month - 72.9%

• Be able to speak to your pet - 19.5%
  Have your pet be able to speak to you - 80.5%

• Make your alarm clock ringtone "Baby Shark" - 69.5%
  Make your phone ringtone O'Reilly Auto Parts jingle - 30.5%

• Drink a cup of marinara sauce every morning - 16.7%
  Sleep with a human-sized Plankton stuffed animal - 83.3%

• Sing like Adele - 52.3%
  Cook like Gordon Ramsay - 47.7%

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🌕 Mars Gets Its Close-Up: NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered potential signs of ancient microbial life in a 3.8B-year-old Martian rock sample, marking one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet for past life on the Red Planet

👶 Statewide Babysitting: New Mexico will become the first state to offer completely free childcare to all residents, regardless of income, starting November 1

🗻 Peak Performance: A 102-year-old Japanese man became the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji, earning a Guinness World Record after reaching the 12,388-foot peak in August

🪦 Grave Discovery in Albania: Archaeologists discovered Albania's first monumental Roman burial chamber from the 3rd-4th century AD, revealing the wealthiest tomb ever found in the region

🐈‍⬛ Paw Patrol Express: Three 17-week-old kittens named Titch, Clinker, and Ash have been hired as “night patrol officers” at North Yorkshire Moors Railway's Grosmont Station to control rodents and delight passengers

ROCA WRAP
The World's Dirtiest Man

Amou Haji

A hermit known as the “world's dirtiest man” died shortly after taking his first bath in 60 years. 

For six decades, a man known affectionately as Amou Haji – meaning “old timer” – refused to bathe because he believed soap and water would make him sick. The 94-year-old had avoided washing since around 1960, following what he described as “emotional setbacks” from heartbreak that drove him to become a recluse. Haji's daily routine defied every modern hygiene norm. He ate rotting animal carcasses, particularly decomposing porcupines, drank water from puddles and rusty oil containers, and smoked animal dung through an old pipe. When his hair grew too long, he simply burned it off with fire.

The hermit made his home in a hole he had excavated himself, though villagers occasionally built him crude shelters from cinder blocks. His skin was permanently blackened with soot from his practice of “bathing” in smoke rather than water. He wore a helmet to protect against the cold and could sit so motionless that he resembled a rock formation against the barren landscape. A local photographer captured him smoking multiple cigarettes at once, and villagers learned not to offer him food, water, or care – gestures that he said made him sad. When some young men once tried to force him to shower, he managed to escape their well-intentioned intervention.

Despite his unconventional lifestyle, Haji lived to 94 – far longer than many who follow traditional health practices. His story gained international attention through a 2013 documentary about his remarkable existence. In his final months, village residents finally convinced him to take a bath. A few months after breaking his 60-year streak of avoiding soap and water, the world's dirtiest man passed away.

Sometimes the cure really is worse than the condition.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We got a note from a reader that made our days, especially as we launch our new news show:

“Mostly I just want to say thank you for the tender way you are covering Mr Kirk’s death. You are not sensationalizing the story or politicizing it, and you are not linking videos of the murder. You are not just grieving the loss of life, but also grieving the violence that came against the notion that it is Worth It to have civil discussions across party lines. It is worth it to give your time and attention to individual conversations with the next generation. It is worth it to think critically about why you believe what you believe. I did not agree with everything Charlie Kirk professed or stood for, but I grieve that a person who was living out these ideals was murdered for his beliefs.”

That was exactly our goal. Thank you, and wish you all a nice weekend. Also, here’s our latest reporting video from Palm Beach, FL. Hope you enjoy.

–Max and Max