Mark Zuckerberg finally got to watch a Congressional hearing he could enjoy yesterday. House lawmakers grilled TikTok's CEO for 5 hours, asking him questions that ranged from "Has TikTok spied on Americans?" to "Does TikTok connect to my WiFi network?" The hearing was so long that the Gen Z Congressional aides needed 11 TikTok breaks just to get through.

In today's edition:

• Long-distance kissing?

• New species of giant spider

• 20 Questions!

 🔑 Key Stories

Organ Overhaul

The US government proposed an overhaul of the US organ transplant system 

• Since 1986, a private nonprofit – the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) – has exclusively managed the system that connects donated organs to patients

• Numerous investigations have found widespread deficiencies at UNOS, including having a system that was vulnerable to hacking, delivering “squished” organs, and giving one recipient organs from a cancer patient. Critics blame UNOS’ monopoly

• On Wednesday, the US government announced a plan to break up UNOS’ sole management of the system

Dig Deeper

• UNOS said it supports the plan and welcomes “a competitive and open bidding process"

• "We believe we have the experience and expertise required to best serve the nation’s patients and to help implement [the] proposed initiatives,” it said in a statement

Click-to-Unsubscribe

A US agency proposed rules to force companies to simplify unsubscription processes

• “Negative option” deals are when companies consider a customer’s lack of action as acceptance of an offer. Examples include free trials that require payments if the user doesn’t opt out, or yearly subscriptions that renew without user approval

• On Thursday, the US FTC proposed that it be “at least as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to start it,” and that companies be required to notify customers annually before renewing a digital subscription

• The proposals now enter a 60-day discussion period

Dig Deeper

• The changes would also force companies to let users opt out of sales pitches and last-ditch offers while they are unsubscribing

• “Businesses that continued to use subscription tricks and traps would be subject to stiff penalties,” the head of the FTC said

Kissing Machine

A Chinese startup released a long-distance kissing machine

• The device – called “Mua,” after the sound people make when blowing a kiss – is an electronic box with silicone lips. Users plug the devices into their phone’s charging ports and pair them using an app. Using motion sensors, they simulate the pressure, motion, heat, and sound of a kiss

• Beyond relationships, Mua has an app that lets users “kiss” strangers on a virtual “kissing square”

• The inventor had the idea while in a long-distance relationship during lockdowns

Dig Deeper

• A single Mua device costs ~$38. The inventor said he received 20,000+ orders within 2 weeks of its release

• “Very uncomfortable, it doesn’t feel like a real kiss,” one Chinese reviewer wrote. Others have said it allows them to be intimate in their long-distance relationships

Stanford Scandal

Stanford, the #2 US law school, placed its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dean on leave

• In early March, a federal judge spoke at Stanford. The judge had opposed gay marriage and didn’t refer to a transgender plaintiff by her preferred pronouns

• Students heckled him and said, “You suck” and “We hate you.” He called them “idiots.” During the protest, the DEI dean took the stage and said of the students, “I look out and I don’t ask, ‘What’s going on here?’ I look out and I say, ‘I’m glad this is going on here.” Police escorted the judge out

• On Wednesday, Stanford put the dean on leave and said all students will undergo a half-day free speech training

Dig Deeper

• While on stage, the dean also said the judge’s rulings were “abhorrent” and that he “literally denies the humanity of people,” then questioned whether it made sense for him to speak given “the pain…and the division that this causes”

• The school’s dean said the protesters violated the school's freedom of speech policies, and that while they will not be disciplined, they must be taught to respect “freedom of speech and the norms of the legal profession"

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🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Get well soon, AS: Renowned screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who wrote The West Wing and The Social Network, revealed that he suffered a severe stroke in November

• Not dead yet: Average MLB team value increased by 12% this past year to $2.3B, per Forbes. The Yankees remained in first with a franchise value of $7.1B

• Y'all got whiteout? The South Carolina comptroller resigned after a staffer discovered a $3.5B accounting error he made a decade ago. He held the post for 20 years

Wildcard 

• Coach but no cigar: The NCAA suspended a Division II head football coach for a future playoff game after 2 of his players lit cigars in a locker room following last year's natty

• Ron Weasley trigger warning: Australian scientists discovered a giant new species of trapdoor spiders. The females can live up to 20 years

• Run, it's Dog-zilla! An Indian bystander captured a video of a monkey kidnapping a dog from the streets and taking him to a rooftop for no apparent reason

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week. 

Condiments go way back: The Ancient Romans loved their mustard, grinding the seeds into a paste to mix with wine and spread it on whatever they were eating. How do you think they would have liked sriracha?

Don't answer that, but please do answer these 20 Questions: Condiments edition. We ask you 20 condiments, you say if you'd take it or leave it. We hope you enjoy it!

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Do you consider yourself a healthy eater?

Yes: 60%

No: 40%

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

1. Holding the door for the person behind you: Nice 53%, Necessary 47%

2. Don't double dip: Nice 22%, Necessary 78%

3. Sending a thank you note after receiving a gift: Nice 60%, Necessary 40%

4. Putting your phone away during meals: Nice 43%, Necessary 57%

5. Returning your shopping cart to the corral: Nice 24%, Necessary 76%

6. Waiting til everyone is served to eat: Nice 55%, Necessary 45%

7. Showing up to someone's house with a gift (wine, food, flowers, etc.) when they invite you over: Nice 76%, Necessary 24%

8. Asking the host before bringing a guest: Nice 2%, Necessary 98%

9. Letting people off the elevator before you get on: Nice 15%, Necessary 85%

10. Thanking a veteran for their service when you see them in public: Nice 82%, Necessary 18%

11. Wiping down the exercise machine after using it: Nice 19%, Necessary 81%

12. Greeting someone you don't know if they are accompanied by someone you do know: Nice 48%, Necessary 52%

13. Tipping 20% at sit down restaurants: Nice 50%, Necessary 50%

14. Tipping on takeout orders: Nice 85%, Necessary 15%

15. Giving up your seat for the elderly: Nice 22%, Necessary 78%

16. Not having your phone on speaker/playing music out loud in public: Nice 10%, Necessary 90%

17. Covering your mouth when you cough: Nice 1%, Necessary 99%

18. Arriving early to plans: Nice 77%, Necessary 23%

19. Leaving a space cleaner than you found it: Nice 59%, Necessary 41%

20. Switching your seat on the plane if someone wants to be seated with their child/spouse: Nice 70%, Necessary 30%

🧠 Final Thoughts

That's all we've got for this week. Have awesome weekends, do the 20 Questions, and see you on Monday!

—Max and Max