🌊 Meghan Markle and Steve Bannon Unite!

Quick moment of reflection.

Last year at this time, our YouTube had 31,000 subscribers. Today the channel has 361,000 subscribers.

We are really overwhelmed by all of your amazing support of our new original-reporting adventure. Our goal is to hold a mirror to America and the world. We believe that news companies should actually listen to people — and “people” doesn’t just mean local politicians and community organizers. It’s amazing, and a bit sad, that our simple idea of talking to everyday people across the country and documenting the key issues that affect their lives has become such a hit. Thank you for getting it off the ground. We are just getting started.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Trump Seeks $230M from Justice Department

President Trump demanded that the Justice Department (DoJ) pay him approximately $230M in compensation for federal investigations conducted against him while he was out of office

• Before his 2024 reelection, Trump submitted administrative claims against the DoJ seeking damages for investigations he characterized as politically motivated. The first claim, submitted in late 2023, sought damages related to the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The second claim, filed in summer 2024, accused the FBI of violating his privacy during the 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents

• The situation created a potential conflict of interest, as Trump now leads the same federal government that must review his claims for compensation

Dig Deeper

• Trump's current deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, previously served as his lead criminal defense lawyer and stated at his confirmation hearing that his attorney-client relationship with Trump continued. The chief of the DoJ's civil division represented Trump's co-defendant in the classified documents case

• A DoJ spokesman responded to questions about potential conflicts by saying, “In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.” However, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the agency's top ethics adviser in July

KEY STORY

Public Figures Call to Ban Superintelligent AI

Over 1,000 public figures signed a letter calling for a ban on the development of superintelligent artificial intelligence

• Superintelligence refers to AI systems that could surpass human performance on all cognitive tasks. Several major tech companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, have stated their goal of building such systems within the coming decade

• The letter stated: “We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in”

• Signatories included AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, conservative figures Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck, and actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Stephen Fry

Dig Deeper

• The statement was organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on AI safety, which released polling showing that 64% of Americans believe superintelligent AI should not be developed until proven safe and controllable

• The letter outlined risks from superintelligent AI, including economic disruption, loss of civil liberties, and potential human extinction

• Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt wrote that while people want AI tools that can help cure diseases and strengthen national security, “most people don't want” AI that imitates humans and serves primarily to generate advertising revenue

KEY STORY

US Considers Plan to Split Gaza into Two

The US and Israel are considering a plan to divide Gaza into separate zones controlled by Israel and Hamas, with reconstruction limited to Israeli-controlled areas

• The Trump-brokered ceasefire established a demarcation line marking the Israeli military's area of control. Israel currently controls approximately 53% of Gaza, with its zone forming a buffer around the enclave's borders while surrounding the area under Palestinian control

• Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner outlined the proposal during a news conference Tuesday in Israel. Kushner stated that no reconstruction funds would go to areas remaining under Hamas control and said the goal was to create “a new Gaza” in Israeli-controlled areas to give Palestinians “a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live”

Dig Deeper

• The plan faces significant unresolved questions, including how to provide for Palestinians living in Israeli-occupied portions of Gaza and how to prevent Hamas members from entering the Israeli side. One proposed idea involves a vetting program led by Israeli authorities

• Arab mediators expressed alarm about the proposal, with Arab governments strongly opposing the division of Gaza and arguing it could lead to permanent Israeli control

• Analysts point out that Palestinians are also likely to resist the plan, as they have worried since the start of the war that Israel would take full control of the area while forcing Gazans into small, unconnected areas

KEY STORY

US and Argentina Finalize Financial Support Deal

The US finalized an agreement to provide $20B in financial support to Argentina through a currency swap

• Argentina's economy has been in crisis for months, with the peso weakening and inflation rising despite initial improvements under President Javier Milei. Milei had initially controlled inflation but spent nearly all of Argentina's Central Bank dollar reserves trying to prop up the peso

• The currency swap arrived just six days before October 26 midterm elections that will determine whether Milei's party can grow its minority presence in Argentina's legislature

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the agreement would help Argentina “embrace economic freedom” and serve as “a bridge to a better economic future for Argentina, not a bailout”

Dig Deeper 

• The Trump Administration emphasized that the swap differs from traditional foreign aid because Argentina must repay the funds with interest, making it more similar to a loan than a bailout

• Critics from both parties described the arrangement as a bailout for a Trump political ally that could benefit wealthy hedge funds while risking US taxpayer money

• The terms of the currency swap agreement were not immediately made public, leaving uncertainty about interest rates, repayment timelines, and other conditions

QUOTE OF THE DAY

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📊 Beyond Meat shares surged as much as 73% at Tuesday's open, capping a four-day rally exceeding 1,100% in what analysts labeled a meme-stock frenzy driven by day traders.

🛢️ The Trump Administration sanctioned Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, on Wednesday, marking the first time it has imposed direct costs on Russia over the Ukraine war. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the move aims to degrade Putin's war funding and encourage an immediate ceasefire, with the US prepared to take further action.

🦟 Iceland recorded its first mosquito sightings this month, leaving Antarctica as the only remaining mosquito-free landmass.

🚤 The US military destroyed a boat off Colombia’s Pacific coast, marking the first strike outside the Caribbean in its campaign against alleged drug trafficking.

🏛️ The White House started demolishing parts of its exterior for Donald Trump's planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom without submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal building construction.

What does Roca Nation think?

🎥 Yesterday’s Question: A movie that never fails to inspire you? The world needs more inspiration!

🎥 Today’s Question: What’s a classic/critically acclaimed movie that you think is totally overrated? The hotter the take the better!

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

👮 Move Your Feet, Lose Your Seat: Spanish police arrested seven suspects – six men and one woman – who worked at night to steal over 1,100 outdoor chairs from restaurants and bars across Madrid and nearby Talavera de la Reina in just two months.

💰 License to Win: A Washington, DC, man won $50,000 in a Maryland Lottery drawing after using numbers he spotted on a license plate outside a liquor store.

💻 Bed Rest Interrupted: The Amazon Web Services outage that disrupted major platforms like Reddit and Roblox also caused Eight Sleep smart beds to malfunction, with some mattresses overheating and others becoming stuck in inclined positions.

🐻 Bear Necessities: A young wild black bear broke into California’s Sequoia Park Zoo, greeted the resident bears nose-to-nose through their enclosure fencing, and played with their toys before being escorted back into the forest.

🦠 Ring of Relief: Former President Joe Biden has completed radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bone, with his daughter Ashley posting a celebratory video of him ringing the bell at Penn Medicine.

ROCA WRAP
Last Stand

Alejo Garza Tamez

A 77-year-old rancher made his final stand against the Los Zetas cartel rather than surrender his property.

Alejo Garza Tamez – known as Don Alejo – was not like most people. On November 13, 2010, Los Zetas cartel members arrived at Don Alejo's San José ranch near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, with a simple demand: Hand over the property within 24 hours or face the consequences. The 77-year-old rancher, who had built a reputation throughout his life as a man whose word was “as good as a contract,” gave them his answer: No.

After the cartel left, Don Alejo sent his farm workers home, telling them to take the following day off. He didn't want anyone else caught in the crossfire. Then he went to his cellar and retrieved his extensive collection of hunting rifles – weapons he'd accumulated over decades as an avid sportsman who specialized in hunting doves, geese, and deer. He positioned the firearms strategically throughout his farmhouse, placing them beside doors and windows in preparation for what would come next.

The following morning, cartel vehicles rolled onto the ranch. The assassins fired a warning shot and announced they would take the property by force. Don Alejo responded with gunfire. What followed was a prolonged gun battle, with the cartel members attacking the farmhouse using rifles and grenades. Despite their overwhelming numbers and superior firepower, they couldn't breach Don Alejo's defenses. The rancher killed four attackers and wounded two others before the cartel fled ahead of arriving Mexican Marines.

When Mexican Navy units entered the property, they found a bullet-riddled, partially destroyed farmhouse. Six cartel members lay outside – four dead, two unconscious. Inside, they discovered Don Alejo's body with two bullet wounds and serious grenade shrapnel injuries.

Initially, local media outlets avoided covering the story due to cartel intimidation. But once the Milenio newspaper reported it, the tale spread rapidly across Mexican social media. Don Alejo became a cultural icon overnight – a symbol of courage and defiance in a country exhausted by cartel violence.

Despite massive public attention, no investigation into Don Alejo's murder ever took place, and no charges were filed against the Los Zetas cartel. Yet the rancher's legacy endures. News outlets continue to describe him as someone who “fought with dignity, honor, and courage.”

For a man who spent his life making good on his promises, Don Alejo's final promise – that he wouldn't surrender his ranch – proved as good as a contract.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Another wild NYC mayoral debate took place last night. Just before the debate, former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio complimented Curtis Sliwa on X, and Sliwa responded, “I still do not want anything to do with you… Stop glazing me.” Then, in the debate, Sliwa told Zohran that he was “glazing” for saying he would rank Sliwa second in ranked-choice voting.

Well, Gen Z, a 71-year-old man who got shot by the mafia and used to live in the sewers just used “glazing.” Maybe it’s time to retire that one next to “rizz” in the no-longer-cool afterlife.

–Max and Max