🌊 Breakthrough for Alzheimer's?

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Katie Porter’s chair! Duck!

Public service announcement: Stay out of Katie Porter’s Zoom shot. In the last 24 hours, two clips of Congresswoman Katie Porter — the current frontrunner for California governor — crashing out have gone viral. The first one was from an interview with a California reporter (worth the three minutes), and the other was from a 2021 Zoom conversation in which she shouted at a staffer, “Get out of my f***ing shot!” All of the sudden her ex-husband’s divorce filing claim that she dumped scalding-hot mashed potatoes on his head seem less unbelievable.

But maybe this reflects really poorly on us cause we just learned that our employees started a group chat with Katie Porter’s remaining staff called, “Help 🆘.”

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Scientists Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice

Researchers reversed Alzheimer's disease in mice by restoring the blood-brain barrier’s ability to clear toxic proteins from the brain

• In Alzheimer’s patients, this barrier becomes clogged and stops working properly, allowing proteins called amyloid beta to build up and prevent brain cells from communicating. Scientists debate whether this buildup directly causes Alzheimer's or is simply associated with the disease, with some questioning whether removal alone can reverse decline

• On Monday, researchers published findings showing how specialized nanoparticles restored the blood-brain barrier’s natural clearing function. The nanoparticles are injected into the bloodstream, travel to the brain barrier, attach to it, and restart the natural waste-removal process

• In one experiment, a mouse bred to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms was treated with the therapy and regained the memory and behavior of a healthy mouse six months later

Dig Deeper

• “Only one hour after the injection, we observed a reduction of 50-60 per cent in amyloid beta amount inside the brain,” said one of the researchers

• The treatment works by jump-starting the blood-brain barrier’s waste-removal system, which then continues clearing out harmful proteins on its own

• The researchers said the treatment offers hope for new Alzheimer’s therapies that fix the brain’s cleaning system rather than directly targeting brain cells. More research is needed to see if this approach will work in humans

KEY STORY

ADP Reports September Job Cuts

Independent data from the human resources company ADP estimated the US private sector eliminated 32,000 jobs in September

• ADP, one of the largest HR companies in the US, produces a monthly employment report that tracks private sector hiring based on payroll data from more than 26M US workers. This measure became especially important when the government shutdown prevented the Bureau of Labor Statistics from releasing its official jobs report last week

• ADP and other independent sources have released data showing private employers cut 32,000 positions last month, defying economists’ expectations for an addition of 50,000 jobs. The contraction marked the largest job loss since March 2023

Dig Deeper 

• ADP also significantly revised August's employment numbers downward from a gain of 54,000 jobs to a loss of 3,000, creating the first back-to-back monthly decline since summer 2020

• Multiple Wall Street firms reported similar weakness in their proprietary employment data. The Carlyle Group – which uses data from its portfolio companies while ADP uses payroll data – estimated employers added just 17,000 jobs in September. Bank of America detected slowing job growth and a 10% rise in unemployment payments compared to last year when analyzing customer accounts

KEY STORY

Burr Defends Riyadh Festival Appearance

Bill Burr responded to criticism surrounding his appearance at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, calling much of the online backlash “straight up lies”

• The Riyadh Comedy Festival featured approximately 50 high-profile comedians, including Burr, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Pete Davidson. Human Rights Watch criticized the event as an attempt to deflect attention from Saudi Arabia's human rights record

• Burr disputed claims that there were no women in attendance or that he only performed for royals, saying he performed in an arena for 8,000 people, including Saudi citizens and women

• Critics challenged his justifications, with some pointing out that Burr had previously criticized Beyoncé for performing at a private event for Muammar Gaddafi's son

Dig Deeper

• Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka publicly shared the Riyadh Comedy Festival contract she had declined, revealing strict rules prohibiting jokes that could “degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute” Saudi Arabia, its leadership, the royal family, government, or any religion

• Fellow comedians Mike Birbiglia and Shane Gillis confirmed they also turned down offers, with Gillis saying he rejected a “significant bag” even after organizers doubled it, stating, “I took a principled stand. You don't 9/11 your friends”

• Burr, however, emphasized the positive audience reception in his initial podcast, stating, “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

US Border Apprehensions Hit 55-Year Low

Unauthorized crossings at the US-Mexico border dropped to their lowest annual level in more than half a century during fiscal year 2025

• During the Biden Administration, the US experienced record-high levels of unauthorized crossings, with border patrol making 2.2M apprehensions in fiscal year 2022 alone

• On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security released data showing that border patrol agents intercepted approximately 238,000 migrants during fiscal year 2025, the lowest total since 1970. More than 60% of this year’s apprehensions occurred during the final three months of the Biden Administration

• After President Trump took office in January, monthly apprehensions fell dramatically to fewer than 9,000 per month on average

Dig Deeper

• Immediately after taking office, Trump sent hundreds of additional troops to the US border and signed a slew of executive orders intended to stop entries. The expansion of ICE and deportations that have followed have also deterred many migrants from entering the country

• A White House spokeswoman said, “President Trump has overwhelmingly delivered on his promise to secure our Southern Border”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🤝 Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal that would release all Israeli hostages as soon as Sunday in a step toward ending the war.

⚖️ Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding during his first court appearance in Alexandria, Virginia.

🥷 President Trump called for the jailing of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), accusing them of failing to protect ICE officers.

🪖 US envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, joined indirect talks in Egypt between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the Gaza war, with Qatar’s prime minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief also participating.

👮 Authorities arrested a Florida man on federal charges for allegedly intentionally starting the Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed over 6,000 structures in Los Angeles in January.

🚶 Hundreds of hikers and guides were rescued from Mount Everest’s lower slopes after heavy weekend snowfall made areas impassable on the Chinese side of the mountain.

What does Roca Nation think?

🗞️ Yesterday’s Question: Besides Roca, what other news sources do you like? Could be an individual podcaster or an actual outlet.

☺️ Today’s Question: What’s your favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

💰 Fifty Million Dollar Man: Bradford Freeman, a Stanford alum and former trustee, donated $50M to support Stanford football, marking what university leaders called a transformative gift for the program.

🚚 Sticky Situation: A semi-truck carrying 46,000 lbs of applesauce overturned on an interstate in Franklin County, Illinois, spilling its entire load and shutting down both northbound lanes for nearly five hours on Monday morning.

🏆 Off the Grid, Into History: The Nobel Committee spent 20 hours trying to reach American scientist Dr. Fred Ramsdell after he won the Nobel Prize for Medicine, but his phone remained on airplane mode during a three-week hiking trip deep in Montana’s bear country.

🎻 E=MC Strings: A violin that belonged to Albert Einstein sold for £860,000 ($1.1M) at auction in Gloucestershire, nearly triple its estimated value and likely setting a record for the highest price paid for an instrument not owned by a concert violinist or made by Stradivarius.

⚽ From Goals to Gold: Cristiano Ronaldo has become soccer’s first billionaire player with a net worth of $1.4B, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, which tracks the world's wealthiest individuals.

ROCA WRAP
Forger of Thunderbolts

Charles Proteus Steinmetz

A Prussian refugee who fled political persecution revolutionized the field of electrical engineering in America.

Charles Proteus Steinmetz arrived in the United States in 1889 at the age of 24, fleeing authorities who planned to arrest him for socialist activities. Born Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz in what is now Poland, he changed his name to sound more American and chose “Proteus” as a middle name after a wise hunchbacked character from the Odyssey. Standing just four feet tall due to dwarfism and kyphosis, Steinmetz possessed a brilliant mind that would transform American industry. After working briefly in Yonkers, he joined General Electric in Schenectady in 1893, quickly earning the nickname “Wizard of Schenectady” for his seemingly magical ability to solve complex electrical problems.

Steinmetz revolutionized alternating current theory by simplifying complicated calculus-based methods into basic algebra, teaching an entire generation of engineers how to work with electrical systems. His groundbreaking work enabled the design of better electric motors that powered American industry. But his most spectacular achievement came in creating artificial lightning. Using massive generators in a football-field-sized laboratory at General Electric, Steinmetz produced the first man-made lightning bolts, earning him the nickname “Forger of Thunderbolts.” He even built a tower to attract natural lightning for study, much like his contemporary Nikola Tesla.

Despite his physical limitations and choosing never to marry to avoid passing on his spinal deformity, Steinmetz created an unusual but loving family. When his loyal lab assistant Joseph LeRoy Hayden announced plans to marry, Steinmetz proposed an arrangement: the Haydens would move into his large home with its research lab and greenhouse. After initial hesitation, Hayden’s wife agreed, and the arrangement flourished. Steinmetz legally adopted Joseph as his son and became a grandfather to three Hayden children, entertaining them with spectacular scientific demonstrations and fantastic stories.

Beyond engineering, Steinmetz championed progressive causes. As president of Schenectady's Board of Education, he introduced extended school hours, school meals, nurses, special classes for immigrant children, and free textbooks. A technocratic socialist, he believed electrification would create abundance for all and steer society toward his political ideals.

When Steinmetz died in 1923 at age 58, he held over 200 patents. Today, equations, geometric solids, and electrical circuits bear his name. 

For a refugee who arrived with little more than his intellect, Steinmetz didn't just find a home in America – he electrified it.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

If you didn’t read Max Frost’s piece in We The 66 this morning on how we’re getting dumber, we highly recommend. We also are pleased to report a new report from Oxford that found that the one way to reverse the IQ decline is to read The Current every morning and laugh obnoxiously loud at their every pun — including yesterday’s stinker in the opening (thanks, Dad).

Have a wonderful day.

–Max and Max