🌊 Santos Lives to Lie Another Day

The two Americas on Saturday: No Kings and No Coaches.

Saturday was a tale of two Americas. In one America, millions flooded the streets to peacefully protest Trump and fascism in the US under the banner of “No Kings.” Every major Democratic politician joined the “No Kings” protest, including Illinois governor JB Pritzker. It was the first time Pritzker shouted “No Kings” since he was sitting on 12 at the blackjack table in Vegas! (See story on his recent $1.4M blackjack spoils). That was one America.

Then in the other America, millions packed the bleachers and sunk into their couches for a Saturday filled with college football. It was hilarious to see the trending social media topics oscillate from “Fascism” to “Lane Kiffin” and “No Kings” to “FIRE EVERYBODY.”

Whether you were part of either one of these Americas or perhaps a more wholesome third America, we hope you had a wonderful weekend. Also, can we get the MNF pick tonight, Governor Pritzker?

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Trump Commutes Santos’ Sentence

President Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Representative George Santos (R), releasing him after he served fewer than three months of a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft

• Santos was elected to Congress in 2022, but his career unraveled when investigations revealed he had fabricated extensive portions of his background. Federal prosecutors later charged him with 23 felony crimes, including stealing identities of 11 people and misusing campaign funds for personal expenses like Botox and designer fashion

• Trump announced the commutation on Friday, stating that Santos "has been horribly mistreated." The commutation eliminated Santos' remaining prison time, all financial penalties including more than $370,000 in restitution, and any probation requirements

Dig Deeper

• Santos reported spending nearly half his time in solitary confinement after authorities received a death threat against him that was later deemed not credible. He described the conditions as "dehumanizing"

• In an interview on Saturday, Santos said he wants to dedicate his life to prison reform and has not ruled out a future run for office in New York

• Representative Nick LaLota, a Long Island Republican who led efforts to expel Santos, said Santos "didn't merely lie – he stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence." Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) praised the decision, writing, “THANK YOU President Trump for releasing George Santos!!”

KEY STORY

Venezuela Mobilizes Troops

Venezuela mobilized troops along its Caribbean coast while the US military commander overseeing operations in the region announced his end-of-year departure

• The US has deployed significant military assets to the Caribbean, including eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and fighter jets. Since early September, US forces have struck at least five boats off the Venezuelan coast that the Trump Administration says were transporting drugs, killing at least 27 people

• Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered his military to position troops along the Caribbean coast and mobilized what he claims is a millions-strong civilian militia, with state television showing footage of militia members running obstacle courses, crawling under barbed wire, and firing rifles

• Meanwhile, Admiral Alvin Holsey, who leads the US Southern Command, announced he would step down at the end of the year, two years ahead of schedule

Dig Deeper

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the departure last Thursday, though he didn't provide a reason. Sources familiar with the matter told reporters there had been tension between Holsey and Hegseth over Caribbean operations

• The US military rescued two survivors from a strike on a suspected drug vessel last Thursday and is holding them aboard a Navy ship, marking what could be the first prisoners of war in Trump's declared conflict against what he calls a "narcoterrorist" threat from Venezuela

KEY STORY

Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Dispute

Israel confirmed that the ceasefire was back on, a day after fighting between it and Hamas left two Israeli soldiers and as many as 36 Palestinians dead

• On Sunday, Israel accused Hamas of killing two Israeli soldiers. It said that militants in Rafah, in southern Gaza, fired at troops with gunfire and an anti-tank missile on Sunday

• Israel responded by blocking aid shipments and conducting a wave of airstrikes targeting Hamas military infrastructure. Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities reported that the strikes killed 36 people, although the number couldn’t be independently confirmed

• On Monday, though, Israel announced that the retaliation was complete and that the ceasefire could resume

Dig Deeper

• Hamas had said on Sunday that it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement and was unaware of any clashes in Rafah. It claimed that it had not been in contact with fighters in that area since March, and so denied responsibility

• President Trump, meanwhile, said the ceasefire remained in place but said that Hamas had been “rambunctious”

ROCA’S SPONSOR

She Called Bitcoin and Tesla Early... Hear What's Next

Together With Finimize

Over 20,000 investors will attend the Finimize Modern Investor Summit on December 2nd to 3rd. Join them – and their world-class speakers – to explore the trends shaping wealth creation: AI, Big Tech, digital assets, and long-term investing.

• Headliners Cathie Wood (ARK Invest) and Chris Hughes (Facebook cofounder) join 20+ expert speakers revealing how today’s biggest trends are shaping the future of wealth

• Attend online or in person in London. Sign up by October 31 for a chance to win flights and accommodation

• Get your free ticket ($42 value) today

KEY STORY

Trump Declines Zelensky’s Missile Request

President Trump declined to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles during a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House on Friday

• Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to strike Russian targets deep inside Russian territory. Trump had previously met with Russian President Putin at a summit in Alaska in August, where he expected to broker a peace deal. Instead, Putin rejected Trump's proposal outright and delivered a lengthy historical lecture to support his claim that Ukraine and Russia are one nation

• The Friday meeting descended multiple times into a "shouting match," with Trump cursing repeatedly and throwing aside maps of Ukraine's frontline. Trump told Zelensky that Putin had said he would "destroy" Ukraine if it did not agree to Russia's terms, and insisted that Zelensky surrender the entire Donbas region to Russia

Dig Deeper 

• Despite hopes of securing Tomahawk missiles, Zelensky left the meeting without the weapons or significant new commitments. "Zelensky was very negative" following the meeting, a European official briefed on the discussions told outlets

• Trump plans to meet Putin separately in Budapest in the coming weeks, describing it as a "double meeting" where he would see Putin and Zelensky individually but not together

QUOTE OF THE DAY

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🚧 A Kremlin investment official has called on Elon Musk to construct an undersea tunnel linking Russia to Alaska through the Bering Strait.

📿 Thieves stole jewelry of “incalculable” historical value from the Louvre Museum in Paris during a brazen daylight heist on Sunday.

🪪 The US passport has fallen to 12th place globally in visa-free travel access, marking its first drop outside the top 10 strongest passports in two decades.

⚖️ Britain’s Prince Andrew announced he will cease using his Duke of York title following years of controversy surrounding his associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

🇨🇴 President Trump announced the US will end all aid payments to Colombia, accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an “illegal drug dealer.”

What does Roca Nation think?

🌊 Today’s Question: Do you have a favorable view of Ivy League colleges (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc.)? Why or why not?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🏈 From Tar Heels to Oil Heels: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed last week that their football general manager, Michael Lombardi, traveled to Saudi Arabia two weeks before Bill Belichick's debut as head coach, seeking potential partnerships and fundraising opportunities.

💻 Sora Says No More: OpenAI paused AI video tool Sora users from generating videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after the civil rights icon's estate requested the restriction due to “disrespectful depictions.”

🦠 Cancer’s Bodyguards Exposed: Scientists discovered two enzymes that act as "molecular bodyguards" for prostate cancer cells, potentially supercharging treatment for the second most common cancer in men worldwide.

🛕 Parthenon Sees the Day: The ancient Parthenon temple in Athens appeared scaffolding-free for the first time in two centuries after workers removed the latest iron cage from its western façade.

🐐 Ewe Gotta Be Kidding: Madrid's streets were jammed on Sunday by 1,100 sheep and 200 goats parading through the Spanish capital in an annual festival honoring rural heritage and traditional livestock migration.

ROCA WRAP
Renaissance Man

Christopher Lee

One of the most prolific on-screen villains lived a life so extraordinary that it rivaled any film.

Born in London's wealthy Belgravia neighborhood in 1922, Lee descended from Italian nobility and was step-cousin to James Bond author Ian Fleming, yet his path to fame was anything but straightforward. Lee's childhood took a dramatic turn when his stepfather accumulated massive gambling debts, forcing the teenage Lee to leave school and find work. While traveling to meet his sister on the French Riviera in 1939, he stopped in Paris and witnessed the last public execution by guillotine in France. When World War II erupted, Lee volunteered to fight for Finland against the Soviet Union, then joined the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he trained as a pilot until doctors diagnosed him with optic nerve failure and grounded him permanently.

Rather than accept a desk job, Lee applied to RAF Intelligence and was accepted, serving across North Africa and Italy. He was attached to special forces units and spoke fluent French, Italian, and German, among other languages, working in intelligence operations throughout the war. After the conflict ended, Lee was seconded to track down Nazi war criminals, interrogating suspects across Europe.

Returning to London in 1946 with no career prospects, Lee was having lunch with his cousin, the Italian Ambassador, when the diplomat asked why he didn't become an actor. He then spent years in minor roles before landing his breakthrough as Frankenstein's monster in 1957, followed by his iconic portrayal of Count Dracula in 1958, which he would reprise nine more times. In 1977, Lee relocated to the United States, concerned about being permanently typecast in British horror films. He appeared in disaster films and comedies, even hosting Saturday Night Live in 1978, surprising audiences with his willingness to joke about his sinister image. Lee's career experienced a remarkable resurgence in his seventies when he joined The Lord of the Rings trilogy as the corrupted wizard Saruman. He was the only person on set who had met author JRR Tolkien and read the books annually. Lee then played Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels, performing most of his own lightsaber work despite being in his eighties.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Lee launched a heavy metal music career in his eighties, using his operatic bass voice to record symphonic metal albums. He earned the “Spirit of Hammer” award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony and, at 91, his Christmas single “Jingle Hell” entered the Billboard charts, making him one of the oldest performers ever to achieve a top 20 hit.

Beyond acting and music, Lee was a remarkable linguist who spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German, with moderate proficiency in Swedish, Russian, and Greek. He provided voice work in multiple languages, including dubbing himself in German for various films. Lee continued working into his nineties, voicing characters in video games and narrating audiobooks. He received a knighthood in 2009, a BAFTA Fellowship in 2011, and a British Film Institute Fellowship in 2013. When asked about retirement, Lee said he had no intention of stopping, as acting gave his life purpose. He died in 2015 at age 93, leaving behind a legacy of over 250 films and a life story that encompassed nobility, warfare, espionage, cinema, and music.

The man who witnessed a guillotine execution, tracked Nazi war criminals, played Dracula ten times, dueled with lightsabers in his eighties, and topped the metal charts in his nineties proved that some lives truly are stranger than fiction.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We visited Scarsdale, New York’s richest town, a couple weeks ago. Huge thank you to the Roca Readers who helped us with this story, particularly realtor Jack Flannery who showed up with a printed-out dossier of Scarsdale facts when we met him at a French-Israeli bakery.

We like to show the whole of America, which is why we cover everything from Gary, IN, to Palm Beach, FL. Hope you enjoy and have a great Monday!

–Max and Max