🌊 Newsom Tries to Break the ICE

“Watch out for the Thunberg, Captain!”

The last few days have been a fever dream in the news world: Musk and Trump live tweeted their nasty breakup, LA’s ICE protests devolved into smoke-filled chaos, and Greta Thunberg’s “freedom flotilla” got captured by Israel. Anyone else miss the days of debating interest rate hikes and whether that dress was blue and black or white and gold? Make the news boring again… please.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Trump Deploys National Guard

President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after protests over federal immigration raids turned contentious

• Over the weekend, ICE conducted targeted raids across LA, resulting in 45+ arrests. The raids triggered anti-deportation protests, during which people lit cars on fire and attempted to break into a federal immigration building

• Following the protests, the White House ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to LA to “protect ICE and other United States Government personnel”

• It’s the first time since 1965 that the National Guard has been activated without a request from the state’s governor

Dig Deeper

• Trump activated the National Guard under a law that lets him do so when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States”

• While Trump’s spokesperson said Trump was countering “violent mobs” and seeking to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” many legal analysts questioned whether the situation met the threshold needed to trigger that law

• Critics accused Trump of using the Guard to squash political dissent

KEY STORY

Musk’s Political Future

Allies of President Trump and Elon Musk called for the two to reconcile, following a dramatic public fallout last week

• On Thursday, Musk and Trump engaged in a series of fierce personal attacks, with Musk threatening to back a third party and Trump threatening to cut Musk’s government contracts

• The fallout has raised economic and political concerns, particularly for Tesla shareholders (the company’s stock dropped 15%) and the GOP, for which Musk is now the biggest donor

• Bill Ackman, one business leader who flipped to Trump, posted, “[They] should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart”

Dig Deeper

• Musk was the biggest donor during the 2024 election cycle, contributing over $288M to Republican candidates

• Musk claimed that without his support, Trump would have lost the election, and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate (the GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority)

• When asked if he’s worried Musk would support the Democrats, Trump said, “he’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that”

• Trump also threatened to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” At one point, Musk said SpaceX would decommission its Dragon spacecraft – which the US relies on to shuttle astronauts and cargo to space – but seemingly backed down from the threat

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

Kilmar Returns to Face Charges

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the US to face federal human smuggling charges

• Garcia had illegally immigrated to the US in 2012. This March, the Trump Administration deported him to El Salvador, despite an immigration court ruling that prohibited that, citing a credible risk of retaliation

• The Supreme Court ordered the Trump Administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return, however, the White House dragged its feet

• After bringing human trafficking charges against Garcia, the White House brought him back last week to face charges

Dig Deeper 

• A federal grand jury indicted Garcia in late May on two counts: Conspiracy to unlawfully transport undocumented immigrants for financial gain and unlawful transportation of undocumented immigrants

• The indictment alleges he participated in over 100 smuggling trips over nearly a decade, transporting thousands of migrants – including women, children, and alleged MS-13 members – from Texas to various US states

• Garcia’s attorney said, “The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they’re bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him”

• Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the move, stating, “Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant, and they agreed to return him to our country”

KEY STORY

Proud Boys Sue the Gov

Five prominent members of the Proud Boys filed a lawsuit against the US government, alleging they were unlawfully prosecuted for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack

• Four of the plaintiffs were convicted of seditious conspiracy, one was acquitted of that charge but convicted of other offenses. All were pardoned by President Trump in January

• The Boys’ lawsuit claims that the FBI and Department of Justice engaged in malicious prosecution, evidence tampering, violations of attorney-client privilege, and mistreatment in custody. It seeks $100M+ in punitive damages

Dig Deeper 

• The Proud Boys members say that they were arrested without probable cause and held in extended pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement

• They also claim that their convictions were based on expressions of political support rather than direct criminal acts, amounting to political persecution

• Their suit alleges that federal authorities sought “to punish and oppress political allies of President Donald Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🛸 A Pentagon investigation revealed that the military planted a UFO conspiracy in the 1980s to conceal stealth aircraft testing at Area 51

👷 The US economy added 139,000 jobs in May, surpassing expectations, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%

🌪️ A thunderstorm spawned 19 tornadoes last week across eastern New Mexico and western Texas, causing widespread damage

🗃️ The Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can access Social Security data while legal challenges proceed

🐜 An invasive carnivorous ant species known as “Asian needle ants” has been spreading across roughly 20 US states

📉 Lululemon shares dropped 20% after the company cut its annual profit forecast, citing slowing US demand and rising tariff costs

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Today’s Question: Will Trump and Musk make up? Could the Left like Elon again?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🎻 World’s Smallest Violin, Literally: Researchers in England have crafted what they believe is the world’s tiniest playable violin – only visible under a microscope

🐂 Moo’ve Over, Birmingham: A bull was spotted trotting through the streets of Birmingham, UK, Friday morning, prompting a police response

🪖 Military Snake Experts: In Florida, the 6th Ranger Training Battalion is home to the Army's only reptile team, which blends combat readiness with wildlife education

✏️ Pencil It In: On Saturday, Minneapolis residents gathered to ceremonially sharpen a 20-foot-tall No. 2 pencil sculpture

🤑 Luck That Would Make a Leprechaun Weep: A Canadian cancer survivor has defied astronomical odds by winning three lottery jackpots in just nine months

ROCA WRAP
Graveyard Goats

Wales

Goats have been hired to clear overgrown graveyards in this country.

Wales, a Celtic nation that forms part of the United Kingdom, is known for its rugged coastlines, mountainous national parks, and distinctive Welsh language. The country is dotted with castles, ancient churches, and stone circles that tell the story of its rich history. Among those medieval landmarks is the 13th-century St Andrew's Church.

One Welsh town council is deploying an unusual workforce to tackle an overgrowth problem at St Andrew's: A herd of hungry goats. The animals have been hired from a local company, Biogoats 2 Rent, to chew their way through brambles, weeds, and excess foliage around gravestones without using chemicals. The goats are monitored by GPS technology to ensure they don't wander off during their two to three-week trial assignment.

The council described the initiative as part of its "ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement program," with the goats helping to clear excess growth so a longer-term ground management plan can be implemented. Biogoats 2 Rent’s owner explained that the novel technique – ”conservation grazing” – is an “eco-friendly way of dealing with invasive weed, brush and knotweed." Locals have been asked to keep their distance from the working animals, supervise children, and keep their dogs leashed.

Beyond old churches, Biogoats 2 Rent hires goats to businesses and the national park authority. While Wales is famous for its sheep, it turns out goats make better gardeners.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Max F has safely returned from Brazil where he spoke at a global media conference and dunked on Big News before an audience of (mostly) Big News. As you may know, Roca owes a lot to Brazil: Not only is our third co-founder half-Brazilian, but the name Roca is after the Pororoca wave that goes up the Amazon in Brazil twice a year.

Max T, meanwhile, spent his weekend in NYC and got emotionally invested in the French Open final yesterday. What a match! Hope all eight of you who watched enjoyed it. Have a great day, Roca Nation!

–Max and Max