🌊 No Kings in America... Sorry, LeBron

Beautiful Father’s Day piece in The New York Times!

We saw that the NYT published a Father’s Day tribute, and we wanted to share an excerpt with you. It’s beautiful:

“My father gave me his freckly skin and, like him, I had melanoma. He gave me asthma and protruding elbows that are identical to his own. He gave me reddish hair that’s kindly reluctant to go gray. He gave me an aversion to drinking by not having one himself. He did not give me the seat next to him at a San Diego Chargers game. He had season tickets when I was a kid, but I only found out about it years later. He gave me the ability to talk to anyone because I couldn’t stand the awkward silences that he provided. He gave me really nice houses to grow up in, but we moved a lot for his work, and things never seemed to be going well, so he gave me financial anxiety, too.”

We get that not everyone had a great dad, but really? This is the lone Father’s Day piece you publish? The author’s dad is alive, by the way. What a time for a hit piece!

As an increasingly rare pro-dad news company, we hope you all had a nice Father’s Day, and thank you to our dads for not taking us to Chargers games, too.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

“No Kings” Protests Sweep Nation

President Trump held a military parade in Washington honoring the 250th anniversary of the US Army, as “No Kings” protests unfolded in around 2,000 cities nationwide

• The parade featured tanks, reenactors, and fireworks, while the protests – organized by an anti-Trump movement – drew millions in opposition to the administration’s policies

• Most demonstrations were peaceful, though some saw violence, including a shooting in Salt Lake City that left one person critically injured

• Many Trump critics said the sight of “tanks in the street” amid the current political tensions sent a worrying sign; others said the parade marked a notable day that should be celebrated and bring people together

Dig Deeper 

• The military parade took place on June 14, and coincided with Trump’s birthday. It featured over 6,000 troops, tanks, military flyovers, paratrooper displays, and performances by the US Army Band. Soldiers dressed in historical uniforms reenacted major battles

• The parade marked the largest such display in Washington since the 1991 Victory Parade following the Gulf War

• The “No Kings” protests were organized by the 50501 Movement, standing for “50 protests, 50 states, one day”

• Demonstrations took place in more than 2,000 cities across the US, drawing millions of attendees

• Protesters marched with signs like “No Kings, Just the Constitution” and “Power Belongs to the People,” voicing opposition to Trump’s rhetoric and policies

KEY STORY

Minnesota Murders and Manhunt

After a two-day manhunt, police captured the man who allegedly assassinated a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota and injured another

• On Saturday, the suspect allegedly killed former Speaker of the Minnesota House Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, then wounded State Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife

• The suspect is a 57-year-old evangelical pastor who both preached in the Congo had been appointed by Gov. Tim Walz (D) to a workforce development board (Walz’s office denied knowing of him)

• Authorities found a manifesto and a list of political targets, including abortion rights advocates, in his car

Dig Deeper

• At 2 AM on Saturday, police near Minneapolis responded to an emergency call at Senator Hoffman's residence, where they found Hoffman and his wife wounded by gunfire

• Roughly 90 minutes later, officers checked on Representative Hortman’s nearby home in Brooklyn Park, where she and her husband were found dead

• Police noted what a vehicle that "looked exactly like an SUV squad car" in the driveway

• The suspect, reportedly impersonating a police officer, exchanged gunfire with the officers at Hortman’s house, then fled the scene on foot

• Authorities identified the suspect as Vance Boelter, 57. Boelter’s car contained a manifesto and a list of potential targets, including Gov. Walz, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and prominent abortion rights advocates. A flyer referencing the anti-Trump “No Kings” protest was also found

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

Sen. Padilla Forcibly Removed

Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed and handcuffed during a press conference in Los Angeles after interrupting Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem

• Noem was addressing federal immigration actions in LA after protests there against immigration enforcement turned violent

• “I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he said while being pushed to the floor and handcuffed by law enforcement officials. He was later released without charges

• An FBI official later said that the agents had acted “appropriately,” citing Padilla’s lack of identification

• Democrats called the situation authoritarian and “shameful,” while some Republicans said Padilla’s approach was “inappropriate”

Dig Deeper

• Noem said she met with Padilla after the incident, and that the two exchanged phone numbers

• “His approach was something I don’t think was appropriate at all, but the conversation was great, and we’re going to continue to communicate,” she said

• Democrats condemned the incident as authoritarian. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the video “sickened” him, and Newsom called it “dictatorial and shameful”

• Republicans were split over the incident. Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) said the incident was “horrible,” adding, “It’s not the America I know”

• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called Padilla’s actions “wildly inappropriate,” saying Democrats have been “defending lawbreakers, and now they are acting like lawbreakers themselves”

KEY STORY

Israel-Iran: What we Know

Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire throughout the weekend

• Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Iran’s military leadership, bases, and nuclear facilities, while Iran has launched missiles and drones at Israeli cities. Israel appears to have total control of Iran’s skies, while most Iranian missiles have been shot down

• Israel has killed Iran’s top three generals, top two intel officials, and entire air force leadership, along with 100+ others, an unclear number of whom are civilians. Iranian attacks on Tel Aviv killed 13+ civilians

• A few factors may determine how the war develops:

• If Iran attacks US bases, shuts down the Straits of Hormuz (through which 30% of global oil flows), or attacks energy infrastructure in other Middle East countries. Any such attack would likely draw in the US and turn the conflict into a regional war;

• Whether Israel seeks just to set back or totally eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, incl. the underground Fordow complex, which most analysts say Israel can’t destroy without US support;

• Whether Israel seeks to topple Iran’s regime; and if Iran agrees to fully give up its nuclear program

Dig Deeper 

• In this We The 66 article we provide a timeline of what happened in the war over the weekend

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

⚕️ The UK Parliament voted to ban doctors from initiating assisted‑dying discussions with minors and to prohibit advertisement of the practice

🇺🇸 Just after a federal district court ordered President Trump to return control of California’s National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom (D), a federal appeals court temporarily paused the order, leaving Trump in control

⚡ UC San Diego engineers unveiled a passive evaporative membrane that could dramatically reduce energy use in data centers

👑 Crowds gathered in London to cheer King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Trooping the Colour parade, marking the monarch’s official birthday

🔥 A massive fire engulfed the upper floors of a residential tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents

What does Roca Nation think?

We may or may not have failed to update last Friday’s 20 Questions link (thank you to the many, many emails).

In lieu of today’s question, we send the correct link.

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🛄 Father’s Day Fuel Couldn’t Fly: The TSA took to social media to remind passengers that camping stoves with full propane tanks are not allowed through airport security

☀️ Lights, Camera, Aurora!: Northern lights dazzled skywatchers across 18 US states this weekend thanks to a strong solar storm

🥪 Peanut Butter Jail-y Time: A Detroit woman was booted from a virtual court hearing after making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich mid-proceeding

🪙 Detectorists IRL: Grandpa Strikes Silver: Just two months after taking up metal detecting, a 70-year-old British man unearthed over 1,000 17th-century coins buried in a field

🕶️ Mr. Worldwide Lookalike Party: Thousands of fans showed up to Pitbull’s London “Party After Dark” concert dressed just like him – white shirts, black ties, sunglasses, bald caps and pencilled-on goatees

ROCA WRAP
Mama's Iron Fist

Tanzania

This country's first female president, once hailed as a reformer, is now accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Tanzania is an East African nation famous for its wildlife reserves, including the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. The country, which was formed in 1964 through the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, has been dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (“Party of the Revolution”) since the 1970s.

In 2021, that party’s candidate, Samia Suluhu Hassan, became Tanzania's president and the first female to hold that position. The 65-year-old from the island of Zanzibar initially earned praise as a reformer, allowing opposition rallies, reopening banned newspapers, advocating for human rights, and freeing jailed activists, while her soft-spoken demeanor earned her the nickname "Mama Samia."

Under Hassan, Tanzania experienced a surge in both tourism and foreign investment. Yet Hassan was never elected: She was elevated to the presidency after the then-president died of Covid. Now seeking to win her own mandate in an upcoming election, Tanzanian rights groups say she is shifting from protecting human rights to violating them.

One Tanzanian legal group has documented more than 70 cases of abductions and disappearances since she took power, while Hassan has banned the main opposition party from participating in the election and ordered the arrest of her top challenger. Another senior opposition leader was found dead after being abducted, beaten, and doused with acid, according to his party.

The crackdown has drawn international condemnation, although Hassan has rejected the criticisms and her government has maintained that Tanzania is “governed by the rule of law.” To many who once supported her efforts, though, it seems that Mama Samia's embrace has turned into an iron grip.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Still laughing at the NYT piece. Of course the one father they highlight is a bad one! And his worst offense was no Chargers tickets? That’s a gift, ma’am!

In all seriousness, we are so profoundly grateful for our dads and hope you all had a nice Father’s Day Weekend. Happy Monday and don’t forget to do 20 Questions!

–Max and Max