🌊 Trump Takes on the WHO

Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Festivus…

We’d like to wish you the happiest of holidays! Now we know you all have plenty of shopping still to do, but please allow us a brief moment for a housekeeping note: There will be no newsletters on Wednesday and Thursday this week. We’ll see you tomorrow and also on Friday.

Also, the GoFundMe for the Gathering Place has hit $28k! Video coming tomorrow.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Germany Attack

A Saudi national drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing 5 and injuring 200+

• The suspect was identified as a 50-year-old doctor who had lived in Germany for 20 years. The man had been a critic of radical Islam: In 2019, he said, “I am the [biggest] critic of Islam in history.” This year, though, he criticized Germany’s treatment of immigrants: “If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them”

• In 2023, the Saudi government warned Germany about the man; German officials said they were aware of him but didn’t consider him a security risk. The attack comes with an election set for February

Dig Deeper

• On Saturday, protesters in Magdeburg, where the attack took place, held a rally at which they called for deportations

• The attack comes days after the announcement of Germany’s next election. Current polls show the center-right leading, followed by the further-right AFD

• Hours before the attack, Elon Musk had thrown his support behind the AFD, tweeting, “Only the AFD can save Germany”

KEY STORY

Shutdown Averted

Congress passed a budget to avert a shutdown

• Last week, Trump and his allies tanked a last-minute budget deal by opposing its size – 1,500+ pages – and demanding that it suspend or eliminate the debt ceiling, which is set to be hit on January 1 and put the Trump administration in a financial bind

• A government shutdown was set to start at midnight Friday. Just before, the House and Senate passed a budget deal that included some of the cuts Trump wanted, such as eliminating pay raises for lawmakers, but not all. The final bill was 118 pages, down from 1,547

• It did not achieve Trump’s biggest priority, suspending the debt ceiling

Dig Deeper

• Last week, Trump had said that lawmakers who opposed lifting the debt ceiling should lose their seats. That leaves Speaker Johnson – who didn’t prioritize lifting the debt ceiling – in a vulnerable position: The vote to keep or replace Johnson as speaker is scheduled for January 3

• Trump’s critics painted the budget battle as an attempt by Elon Musk to shape America’s budget. Musk tweeted 100+ times in opposition to the bill, galvanizing some support against it

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I.-VT) followed the vote with a video entitled, “Welcome to the world of oligarchy,” while Elon’s and Trump’s backers dismissed those allegations as an effort to obscure the real debate about the United State’s ballooning national debt and pending debt ceiling showdown

ROCA’S SPONSOR

The Benefits of Electrolytes

Together with LMNT

Electrolytes… you hear a lot about them, but why are they important?

• From hydration to energy production, a good balance of electrolytes has a long list of benefits

• One of their most important functions, though, is regulating nerve and muscle function: Electrolytes help transmit electrical signals that control muscle contractions and nerve impulses. As a result, electrolyte imbalances can cause muscle cramps or weakness

• Make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes with LMNT. Get a free Sample pack with any drink mix purchase here

Dig Deeper

• Also, you can add some sparkle to your day with LMNT sparkling: A 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. A favorite of the Roca office!

KEY STORY

Transgender Vibe Shift

Disney and President Biden dealt blows to the trans movement last week, suggesting a shift on the major cultural issue

• Last Tuesday, Disney pulled a transgender storyline from “Win or Lose,” an eight-episode Pixar streaming series that debuts in February

• Then on Friday, President Biden's Department of Education abandoned a proposed rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women's sports

• 23 states have legislation in place to restrict trans athletes from competing as females in sports

Dig Deeper

• “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement, “we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline"

• Both moves suggest a broader pullback on left-wing social activism since the election

• Many on the left have interpreted the election results and exit poll data to mean that “wokeness” and progressive social policies have pushed voters to the right

KEY STORY

US Vs. WHO

Trump’s transition team announced their plan to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the first day of his presidency

• The US is the WHO’s biggest backer and funds 16% of the organization, but Trump claims it sold out to China during Covid

• In 2021, the WHO and China released a joint report that called the lab leak theory “extremely unlikely.” The WHO later doubled back, though, calling in 2023 for more investigations into Covid’s origins

• Critics of Trump’s plan say it will be “catastrophic” for global health and give China more control

Dig Deeper

• After the US, the WHO's next largest donors are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (~12%) and Germany (~10%)

• WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus said he hopes to maintain ties with the US: “From our side, we’re ready to work together… I believe US leaders understand that the US cannot be safe unless the rest of the world is safe”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💰 The US announced plans to remove a $10M bounty for Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that led Bashar al-Assad's overthrow

💊 Shares of Novo Nordisk – whose marquee drug, Ozempic, has made it Europe’s most valuable company – plunged up to 27% after its experimental obesity drug CagriSema showed lower-than-expected weight loss results

📈 Donald Trump's team told European officials he expects NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP after his inauguration, per the Financial Times

🎥 Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni and the film’s production company, alleging sexual harassment and a campaign to destroy her reputation

✈️ The US Navy shot down one of its own fighter jets over the Red Sea during operations targeting the Houthi militant group in Yemen. Both pilots landed safely

COMMUNITY

🧠 Today’s question: What US region (can even just mention a state) has the friendliest people? The rudest?

Reply to this email to let us know what you think!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

⚾ Stolen from Us: MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the league's all-time stolen bases leader with 1,406 steals and 2,295 career runs, died at age 65

🤰 Labor or Camp – Can’t do Both: A Louisville police lieutenant cited a pregnant woman for unlawful camping while she was actively in labor beneath an overpass, even as an ambulance was arriving

🥁 Band on the Run: A Texas A&M alumnus revealed that he accidentally joined the university's marching band by selecting the cheapest dorm option, which was reserved for Corps of Cadets members

🧑‍🔬 Paper Chase: Nine Japanese scientists said that they did not co-author papers with North Korean researchers in violation of UN sanctions

🐻 Unbearable Politics: A governor in Japan threatened to "ship a bear" to people who complained about the culling of a bear that attacked a supermarket employee

ROCA WRAP

Vape Ban

Belgium

This country will become Europe's first to ban disposable vapes.

A founding member of the European Union with 11.5M people, Belgium has often been at the forefront of enacting progressive environmental and health policies. Lately, the country has sought to address youth smoking habits, as data show most young smokers now start with e-cigarettes rather than traditional tobacco.

Starting next month, Belgium will implement the EU's first ban on disposable vape sales. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke says the devices are specifically designed to attract young users, with their colorful designs and fruity flavors making them particularly appealing to children.

A 2022 World Health Organization survey revealed that 12% of Belgian children aged 11-18 had used a vape in the previous month – double the 2018 figure. Despite being illegal for those under 18, they often fall into the hands of teenagers.

Other European nations are following Belgium's lead, with Germany and France developing similar legislation and Britain banning their sale beginning in June. The move aims to address both health concerns and environmental impact, as disposable vapes contain plastics, chemicals, and non-rechargeable batteries that often go unrecycled.

These policies have many critics, ranging from libertarians who say people should be free to vape to those worried that a ban will only fuel a black market, as countries around Belgium continue to allow their sale.

Will the prohibition actually get rid of the vapes, or is it all just water vapor and mirrors?

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

It’s been an extraordinary year for Roca — easily our best. We will share some of the highlights next week, but we want to give an enormous THANK YOU to all of you for making it so special. Our newsletter community holds a special place in our hearts since we read all the emails and have been sending it since August 2020, when we launched. For the first eight months, we sent the newsletter to a couple thousand people. Now it goes to a couple hundred thousand people.

–Max and Max