Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd. If you saw headlines this week about shark bites at New York beaches, you might be glad to know that Long Island has hired new lifeguards. Although instead of Bay Watch extras, they will come in the form of drones that patrol the shores 3 times a day to ensure that nothing dangerous — or, dare we say, fishy — is happening in the shallows. Meanwhile, the seagulls are in for the trippiest week of their lives…

In today's edition:

• The US destroys its last chemical weapons

• OceanGate suspends operations

• 20 Questions

 🔑 Key Stories

No More Chemical Weapons

The US is set to destroy its last stockpile of chemical weapons on Friday

• Chemical weapons were used extensively during World War I. Most countries agreed to ban their use in warfare after that, but that treaty didn’t ban countries from developing and stockpiling them

• During the Cold War, the US developed and accumulated millions of pounds worth of chemical weapons. By 1990, it had 31,500 tons worth of chemical weapons – second only to the Soviet Union

• The US has since spent $42B+ to destroy its chemical weapon arsenal. It is expected to finish that on Friday

Dig Deeper

• Other major powers have already destroyed their declared stockpiles — the UK in 2007, India in 2009, and Russia in 2017 — although the US government says some may still have undeclared stockpiles

👍 = Legal Agreement

A Canadian judge fined a farmer $61k+ for failing to fulfill a contract he agreed to with a 👍 emoji

• In 2021, grain buyer Kent Mickleborough reached out to Chris Achter, a Canadian farmer, to buy flax

• The 2 spoke over the phone. After, Mickleborough sent Achter a contract and asked him to “please confirm flax contract.” Achter responded: “👍”

• Achter didn’t fulfill the contract and Mickleborough sued him. Achter argued “👍 ” meant he confirmed receipt of the contract, not acceptance of its terms. A judge ruled against Achter, arguing “👍 “ is essentially a signature. He fined Achter $61k+ over it

Ancient Humans Ate Each Other

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports on Monday suggested ancient humans ate each other

• 1,300+ species are known to be cannibalistic, including chimpanzees, humans’ closest living relative. Some fossil evidence suggests ancient humans often ate other humans, although scientists debate that

• The new study analyzed a 1.45M-year old leg bone found in Kenya that had 9 cuts on it that were made by stone tools

• The researcher said a human likely ate the leg’s meat, although the victim may have already been dead or the killer may have been a different human species that lived at the same time

Dig Deeper

• The researcher ran the markings through a database of nearly 900 bone markings with known causes and confirmed ancient stone tools were responsible for 9 of 11 strange marks. The location of the those marks were near a part of the leg bone with lots of edible meat

French Police Snooping

French lawmakers passed a measure allowing police to remotely activate the camera, microphone, and GPS of suspects’ phones and other devices

• Per the new bill, French police will be able to access the phones, laptops, and other connected devices of people suspected of terrorism, organized crime, and delinquency

• It would also allow police to geolocate suspects in crimes punishable by 5+ years in prison

• Surveillance cannot exceed 6 months, and people in sensitive professions – doctors, lawyers, judges, etc. – would be off-limits. France’s justice minister said it will be used for “dozens of cases a year”

Dig Deeper

• Several French civil rights groups have protested the law, saying it goes too far and invades people’s privacy. The law “raise[s] serious concerns over infringements of fundamental liberties,” one group said; another called it “security overkill”

• “We're far away from the totalitarianism of 1984,” France’s justice minister said, referencing George Orwell’s book about a dystopian, surveillance-heavy future. “People’s lives will be saved” by the new law, he claimed

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Ocean Wind 1: The Biden Administration approved the largest-ever US offshore wind project, Ocean Wind 1. Situated off the coast of New Jersey, it will be able to power up to 500k New Jersey homes. The project has faced fierce opposition from many locals

• Quitters: OceanGate – the company that owned the Titanic submersible – has suspended operations. The company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, was among the 5 killed in the implosion

• Hanging on by a Thread: Meta revealed that deleting a Threads account requires deleting the linked Instagram account. The Twitter rival drew in 30M+ users within its first day — an app record

Wildcard

• Britney Speared: Britney Spears claims that one of NBA #1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama’s security guards hit her in the face when she approached him for a picture in Las Vegas

• A Merlot mystery: A California thief stole $500K worth of wine by drilling a hole through a store roof. The store manager said it was “like something out of Ocean’s Eleven”

• “Are you not educated?” The Bulgarian-British tourist who was caught carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Colosseum apologized. He says he didn’t realize the Colosseum was ancient

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

We've got readers all over the country (and world) and we want to celebrate that diversity. To do so, today we unveil a new 20 Questions prompt: This or that, Regional Slang edition. We give you 2 options ("soda" or "pop") and let you decide which is better. If this is a hit, we'll follow up with international edition ("flat" or "apartment" anyone?!?!).

Here's the link.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for another week of riding the wave.

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Cheap light beer of choice?

Bud light: 15%
Miller Lite: 17%
Coors Light: 18%
Busch Light: 5%
Natty Light: 5%
Don’t Drink: 40%

Yesterday's Question:

Should governments have a say in social media companies’ moderation policies?

Jack from Milton, Florida: "Government should stay out of anything that has to do with business. Including owning stocks and gaining financially from lobbyists.”

Kerri: “When falsehoods, skewed information, or lack of factual information is being put forth as truth on social media there must be a level of accountability and someone to hold the platform accountable. If the platform operators cannot police themselves, then absolutely someone should. And it appears that the government has to step in one more time, to save the idiots from spreading untruths.’

Olivia from London, UK/Queensland Australia: "Only insofar as very basic human rights legislation, [general] statutes or obscene language are concerned. Otherwise opinion masked as a right to control is gagging, censorship.”

Macole from Memphis, Tennessee: " NO. If they do, then we have an Orwellian government of total control.”

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

Last week, in honor of Fourth of July weekend, we asked a combination of USA- and holiday-themed questions. We gave you 2 options for each, and you picked the one you prefer. Below is the response breakdown per prompt:

1. At the beach...

   Sitting on the beach: 64%

   Swimming in the ocean: 36%

2. At a cookout...

   Hotdog: 29%

   Hamburger: 71%

3. On a hot day...

   Beer: 40%

   Lemonade: 60%

4. For dessert...

   Soft ice cream: 48%

   Hard ice cream: 52%

5. For BBQ...

   Pulled pork: 61%

   Grilled chicken: 39%

6. As a side?

   Baked Beans: 46%

   Mac 'n Cheese: 54%

7. Another dessert...

   S'Mores: 66%

   Just marshmallows on a stick: 34%

8. Preferred Great American?

   George Washington: 37%

   Abe Lincoln: 63%

9. Pick a summer movie

   Jaws: 42%

   The Sandlot: 58%

10. An evening activity?

    Going to a baseball game: 37%

    Watching fireworks: 63%

11. Preferred recently-added state?

    Alaska: 41%

    Hawaii: 59%

12. Better philosophical pursuit?

    Liberty: 51%

    Pursuit of happiness: 49%

13. Better cylindrical meat...

    Hot dogs: 42%

    Bratwurst: 58%

14. Patriotic movie?

    Miracle: 40%

    National Treasure: 60%

15. Best flaming toy?

    Sparklers: 63%

    Fireworks: 37%

16. Less-uncomfortable condition?

    Lots of mosquito bites: 35%

    Sunburn: 65%

17. Would rather be told...

    "You're sunburned!": 41%

    "How are you so pale after the beach?": 59%

18. Refreshing snack?

    Popsicles: 30%

    Watermelon: 70%

19. National document?

    Declaration of Independence: 47%

    The Constitution: 53%

20. Your undergarments...

    Red, white, and blue socks: 52%

    Red, white, and blue underwear: 48%

🧠 Final Thoughts

We hope you all had great (and short) weeks. Enjoy the weekend, don't read too much news, and see you on Monday!

–Max and Max