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- 🌊 New Autism Database Just Dropped
🌊 New Autism Database Just Dropped
Plus: India-Pakistan war update, AI court testimony, & 1972 Soviet spaceship returns to Earth
Black smoke above the Vatican yet again.
Yesterday afternoon, black smoke billowed into the sky above Vatican City, signaling that the cardinals failed to elect Pope Francis’s successor. After two additional ballots this morning, eager onlookers in St. Peter’s Square saw black smoke yet again — still no pope.
We also heard that there was black smoke in the sky above Pittsburgh, so the Steelers apparently have not yet picked a starting quarterback either. Knowing Aaron Rodgers, he probably thinks he’s in contention for both positions.
📈 RFK Jr. announces autism database
⚠️ India-Pakistan war update
🚀 1972 Soviet spaceship returns to Earth
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Autism Database
Health Secretary RFK Jr. announced a database intended to determine the causes of autism
Autism rates are up five-fold since 2000. Last month, RFK Jr. announced a research initiative to find the cause of this by September, vowing “to eliminate those exposures… Everything is on the table”
On Wednesday, the NIH and Medicare/Medicaid announced the creation of a database of autism-diagnosed enrollees to launch the study
While the NIH said it will set up a “secure tech-enabled mechanism,” the use of patients’ medical data has sparked some privacy concerns
Dig Deeper
The NIH has said it will set up a “secure tech-enabled mechanism” to ensure security and privacy, however, the use of patients’ medical data has sparked privacy concerns
Others criticized the project as being comparable to an autism “registry,” allowing the government to track autistic individuals – a claim HHS and RFK have denied
KEY STORY
AI Testimony in Court?
An AI-generated victim statement delivered in an Arizona murder trial marked the first known use of AI in court
The victim was shot in Arizona in 2021 after getting out of his car to confront another driver while stopped at a red light
In the AI-generated video, the victim says, “To…the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances…I believe in forgiveness, and a God who forgives. I always have, and I still do”
The victim’s sister had the idea of producing the video while collecting impact statements from family members. She told a local outlet, “All I kept coming back to was, what would Chris say?”
Dig Deeper
The judge supported the use of AI, stating, “I loved that AI, thank you for that. As angry as you are, as justifiably angry as the family is, I heard the forgiveness”
The victim’s brother added that he felt “waves of healing” from seeing his brother’s face
The case raises new questions around the use of AI in court cases and comes as a federal judicial panel develops rules over the use of AI-generated evidence
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get
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KEY STORY
India-Pakistan Conflict
India and Pakistan remained on the verge of a potential war after India carried out airstrikes in Pakistan on Tuesday
On Tuesday, Indian missiles hit nine alleged “terror sites” in Pakistan, including the compounds of anti-India terror groups
Pakistan said India’s strikes killed at least 31 civilians, claimed to have shot down five Indian jets, and vowed revenge
Both sides therefore claimed success in the clash, meaning they may be able to both claim victory and de-escalate
Dig Deeper
The strikes triggered calls for calm from world leaders, including China, an ally of Pakistan that controls a part of Kashmir, and the US
On Wednesday, President Trump said, “My position is I get along with both. I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop,” adding, “If I can do anything to help, I will be there”
KEY STORY
Europe Recruiting Scientists?
European leaders have launched initiatives to lure US scientists to the EU, promising visas and funding
The US dominates global science and technology recruitment, largely through lucrative and prestigious career opportunities. Europe is now seeking to draw some of this away from the US by capitalizing on the US’ funding cuts and political environment
This week, the EU announced a $570M initiative to “make Europe a magnet for researchers,” while France’s president told researchers, “If you love freedom, come help us to remain free”
Despite the changes, the US still remains the world’s largest researcher spender by far
Dig Deeper
In announcing the EU’s initiative, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said, “The first priority is to ensure that science in Europe remains open and free. That is our calling card.” In an apparent shot at the US, she said, increasingly “fundamental, free and open research is questioned”
French President Emmanuel Macron added, “Nobody could imagine a few years ago that one of the great democracies of the world would eliminate research programs on the pretext that the word ‘diversity’ appeared in its program.If you love freedom, come help us to remain free”
In response to the EU’s initiatives, the White House said, “If the European Union wants to embrace policies that divide…they should not be surprised when U.S. innovation continues to outpace Europe.” It added, “America will continue to attract and cultivate the best talent in science, research, and beyond”
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
📱 A California court ordered the Israeli tech company behind Pegasus spyware, which allows clients to secretly infiltrate targeted phones, to pay $170M for hacking WhatsApp
🇸🇦 President Trump reportedly plans to announce during his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, per the Associated Press
🛩 Another US fighter jet fell off an aircraft carrier stationed off Yemen’s coast in the Red Sea, the second such incident in eight days
📈 For the third straight meeting, the Federal Reserve (Fed) held interest rates steady at between 4.25% and 4.5%
⛪ Catholic cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the Conclave, the secretive voting process wherein they will elect a new pope. On day one, no pope was selected
What does Roca Nation think?
🧠 Yesterday’s Question: Which president from the last 50 years would you most want to get a beer with? Why?
I would love to grab a beer with Obama AND George Bush Jr. (even though George isn't drinking). They both seem down to earth and fun to hang with but I'd love to pick their brains on world events and hear their different takes on things.
Barack Obama because he seems like a down to earth, intelligent man, with a good sense of humor.
May not love the guy but easily Bill Clinton. He seems like a fun guy and would definitely divulge some Oval Office secrets and if we get drunk enough maybe even a bit more about his other West Wing escapades
🧐 Today’s Question: What do you consider to be the biggest health crisis in America today? Why?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🏈 Fish For Football: An unexpected tournament matchup between Norway’s Bodø/Glimt, located above the Arctic Circle, and the Premier League’s Tottenham led some Norwegian fans to trade pounds of fish for a ticket in the small town’s stadium
🐘 Ice Age to Ice Hockey: The National Hockey League’s expansion team in Utah, which joined this season, announced its new name will be the Utah Mammoths
🚀 53-Year Detour: A Soviet Union-era spaceship launched in 1972 will return to Earth this week after spending 53 years in orbit
🦝 Pet with a Pipe: An Ohio police officer making a traffic stop found a pet raccoon sitting in a car’s front seat holding a glass meth pipe in his mouth
🐊 Croc Club Grows: A team of scientists announced the discovery of two previously unknown species of crocodile off the coast of Yucatán, Mexico
ROCA WRAP
Wines To Mines
Mendoza, Argentina
This Argentinian city is turning from wine to copper to improve economic conditions.
With 400,000+ acres of vineyards, the Mendoza region, which borders Chile in Argentina’s east, produces roughly 80% of the country’s wine, most notably its famed Malbec. The wine industry is important for Argentina, generating nearly $1B in exports annually and drawing many tourists to the region
However, a push to revive the Argentinian economy may force the region to shift to another resource.
While the Mendoza province’s land features lush vineyards above ground, its underground may be more lucrative. The province sits on a section of the Andes Mountains that contains vast copper reserves that have not yet been explored due to environmental concerns from wineries and communities.
However, Chile, which sits on the other side of the Andes from Mendoza, has become the world’s biggest copper producer, accounting for 24% of global production. While Chile mines 5.5M tons of copper each year, Argentina mines just 4,000, despite having the world’s sixth-largest reserves.
Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, is seeking to grow the country’s economy, boost exports, and introduce free market reforms. One way to do so may be mining Mendoza’s copper – particularly as slumping wine exports and declining alcohol consumption harm the region’s wine industry.
This week, the province’s governor told the Financial Times, “We want to move as quickly as possible, because the energy transition gives us a clear window of opportunity.”
While Argentina produces virtually no copper currently, it has six major mining projects underway that could make the country a top-10 global producer by 2031. If the copper reserves under Mendoza’s vineyards are as extensive as believed, the region could soon be more well-known for its red mines than red wines.
ROCA VIDEO
Gen Z’s Socialist Whisperer: Hasan Piker
You can’t understand the media today without understanding the biggest political streamer in the world and Gen Z’s socialist whisperer, Hasan Piker. Hasan Piker's media career began when he got a job at his uncle's media company, The Young Turks. After a few years there, he set out on his own as a full-time streamer. Since then, he's built an enormous audience and helped shape the progressive movement, particularly among young people. He's avidly anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, and anti-American despite living in the US and having a $3M home in West Hollywood.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
We’re currently en route to rural Virginia for a Roca retreat. There’s nothing more therapeutic than nature, and between Max F’s recent Pakistan trip and our general over-exertion it’s more needed than ever.
Hope you all have a great Thursday. See you tomorrow — if there are more typos than usual we’ll blame the BBQ sauce and cigar residue for making our fingers sticky.
–Max and Max