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🌊 No Longer On EUrown 🤝
Plus: Nord Stream saboteur arrested, "nicest judge in the world" dies, & 20 Questions!
On this day in 2004…
A gang of masked men with guns stole Edvard Munch’s “Madonna” and “Scream” — which was already reacting appropriately — from a museum in Norway in one of the biggest art heists in history. Police found the paintings two years later, adding notoriety to both pieces. If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that this is the second art heist anniversary in a row. So if you work at an art museum, stay on the lookout this month. And if you’re an art thief, we promise it ain’t worth the Monet.
Have a great weekend and kick it off with This or That 20 Questions!
🤝 US and Europe reach new trade deal
🚔 Nord Stream saboteur arrested
🎉 20 Questions!
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
US 🤝 Europe
The US and EU revealed new details of their trade deal
President Trump had threatened 30% tariffs on European imports earlier this year as part of his broader trade strategy. The EU and US reached a preliminary agreement in late July, just days before Trump's self-imposed August deadline for trade partners
American and European officials released a joint statement Thursday specifying that the US would lower its blanket tariff on European imports from 30% to 15%
The agreement included EU commitments to purchase $750B in American energy through 2028 and invest $600B in the US economy
The EU also pledged to eliminate tariffs on US industrial goods and provide preferential market access for American agricultural products
Dig Deeper
The US agreed to reduce tariffs on European automobiles from 27.5% to 15% once the EU formally introduces legislation eliminating its own tariffs on American industrial goods
The automotive sector reduction particularly benefits Germany, which exported $34.9B in cars and auto parts to the US in 2024
Both sides indicated they would consider discounted rates for steel and aluminum under a quota system, though details remained unspecified
KEY STORY
Trump v. Federal Reserve Continues
President Trump called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign
The Federal Reserve System has a seven-member board of governors that plays a crucial role in setting interest rates. Trump has been trying unsuccessfully to get them to lower rates
On Wednesday, William Pulte – director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee who has voted against rate cuts, of mortgage fraud
The FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which guarantee residential mortgages in the US, thereby giving Pulte access to millions of Americans’ mortgage information
Pulte said that Cook claimed two properties as her primary residences in mortgage agreements, despite her putting one up for rent. Trump then demanded that she “resign now!!!”
Dig Deeper
Pulte responded to Trump, “The President has great cause to fire Lisa Cook.” He also said that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell might “be complicit with Cook’s alleged fraud,” although he provided no evidence that Powell knew anything about Cook’s mortgages
Pulte, who has 3M social followers, has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Powell and the Fed. He tweeted earlier this month, “I believe Jerome Powell is conducting economic warfare against America.” He has also accused Powell of overseeing a renovation to the Fed headquarters that is “riddled with fraud,” and therefore demanded his resignation
Separate from these attacks, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in a closely watched Friday morning address that it may soon be time to cut rates, sending the stock market climbing
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I just love that spirit that makes people do things they probably shouldn't
KEY STORY
Chief Saboteur Detained?
Italian authorities arrested the alleged leader of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
In September 2022, an explosion damaged Nord Stream, a pair of pipelines that, before the war in Ukraine, supplied 40% of Russian gas exports to Europe. The pipelines were a source of tension between Germany and its neighbors, who said the pipelines gave Russia too much control over European energy markets
At first, little evidence emerged, and Western governments blamed Russia for the sabotage. Last summer, though, German authorities said Ukrainians were behind it
On Wednesday, Italian authorities arrested a Ukrainian man who Germany said was the plot leader
Dig Deeper
The man – a Ukrainian military officer identified as Serhii K. – is accused of leading a team of two soldiers and four civilian divers who set explosives that damaged the pipelines. The operation reportedly happened at the behest of Ukrainian special forces
Investigators said they found him after he used his Ukrainian passport to buy airline tickets and check into an Italian hotel
“The 49-year-old was located in a holiday resort in San Clemente, together with his family, where he was supposed to spend a few days,” the Italian police said. “Once his presence had been verified, the [Italian police] Carabinieri cordoned off the bungalow and launched a raid. The man surrendered without resistance”
He is the first to be arrested among the crew suspected of carrying out the sabotage
KEY STORY
NY Court Voids Trump Fine
A NY court eliminated a nearly $500M financial penalty against President Trump while upholding the finding that he committed fraud
The NY attorney general had filed a civil fraud lawsuit in 2022, accusing Trump of systematically inflating his net worth by billions to secure better loan terms from banks and insurers. After a months-long trial without a jury, a judge ruled in February 2024 that Trump was liable for fraud and ordered him to pay $454.2M in penalties
On Thursday, the five-judge appeals panel preserved the fraud ruling against Trump while striking down the monetary punishment. The judges failed to reach a true majority opinion, issuing three separate opinions
The decision represented a significant financial victory for Trump, who wrote, "TOTAL VICTORY" on his Truth Social platform
Dig Deeper
Two judges found the penalty excessive and unconstitutional, two others called for a new trial, and one judge wanted to dismiss the case entirely
The ruling upheld other penalties, including a three-year ban on Trump serving in top roles at any NY company and two-year bans on his sons from running the family business
Meanwhile, Trump's Justice Department has opened investigations into the NY attorney general, including a criminal probe into her personal real estate transactions
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🇺🇸 Texas Republicans approved a new congressional map that would flip five Democrat-held seats to likely Republican control. California plans to counter with a similar move to boost Democrats
🚗 Autonomous driving company Nuro completed a $203M funding round led by Uber and Nvidia, bringing its total valuation to $6B
🧑⚖️ Frank Caprio, the Rhode Island municipal judge known as “the nicest judge in the world,” died at age 88 after battling pancreatic cancer
🪖 The Trump Administration imposed new sanctions on four International Criminal Court officials, including two judges and two prosecutors, for their roles in investigating Americans and Israelis for alleged war crimes
⚖️ Erik Menendez appeared before a California parole board Thursday to seek his release after more than three decades in prison for killing his parents with his brother Lyle, who will have his hearing today. The board denied Erik’s parole for a minimum of three years.
What does Roca Nation think?
🥓 Yesterday’s Question: What are your thoughts on Cracker Barrel?
At first, I thought this was just a random question. Then, I opened up my Instagram and found out someone changed their logo recently, and it all started to make sense. 😉
I love Cracker Barrel’s food and the “gift shop” area, but I never really took it as being political in either direction. From a marketing/branding standpoint though, the changes aren’t a good move. I mean, it’s a Southern-based restaurant that you’re now trying to remodel/refresh? There’s a fine line between keeping the “feel” of Cracker Barrel alive and keeping up with the times.
If they had Confederate flags up and down the walls, then I might have a problem and could understand trying to rebrand. But a guy sitting next to a barrel? I don’t know why that would need to be changed.
(but also, Don Jr. needs to settle down because the logo change isn’t screaming “woke” to me either)
Cracker Barrel has a deserved reputation for the best quality food among major chain fast casual restaurants, but they have been starting to slip somewhat in my opinion. The problem seems to be consistency.
I'm not a fan of the new logo, but as long as they don't mess with the pancakes I guess I'm kool.
My husband was particularly horrified when he heard it was being modernized.
When we go to cracker barrel, we want rust flakes from 150 year old farm equipment hanging above us to be sprinkled in our pancakes and chicken n' dumplins.
We want small talk with the elderly couple in the corner who eats here every Tuesday at 8am.
We want 25 cent candy sticks that break your teeth off.
And most importantly, we want to be told by a wooden children's game that we are in fact.... an ignoramus.
If these aspects change, they will be out of business in 2 years. Tops.
20 Questions!
We're running it back this weekend with the most popular type of 20 Questions: "This or That." We will give you 20 different matchups and you have to tell us which you prefer. Do this one alone, do it with a friend, do it with your lover, do it with your landlord, whatever. We look forward to reading your responses and hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Last Week’s Responses
Last week, we asked about your “least favorite things” in 20 different categories. Here are some of our favorite responses .
Corporate jargon - Circle back, Synergy, We’re Family Here
News outlet - Fox News, CNN, BuzzFeed circa 2014
Cuisine - Indian, British, Peanut Butter
Dog breed - Chihuahua, Pit bull, The one's with people eyes
US City - Phoenix, NYC, Baraboo
Athlete - LeBron James, Tom Brady, The female basketball player that got arrested for taking pot to Russia
Emoji - Pregnant man, 🤣, 🇺🇸
Thing about social media - Addictive, Bots, Kill it before it kills us
Celebrity - Kardashians, Taylor Swift, Kevin Pittsnoggle
Podcast - The Pivot, Josh Pate’s College Football Show, Hardcore History
Subject in school - Math, Calculus, Typing
BBQ side - Coleslaw, Baked beans, Aunt Linda’s potato salad
State - California, Texas, Confusion
Water brand - Dasani, Evian, Commode leavins
Fast food restaurant - Del Taco, Burger King, The panda one
Thing about Roca - Nothing, Typos, Yalls hate on channel 5
College football team - Notre Dame, Alabama, THE blah blah blah need 2 people to spell their state suckeyes
Movie - Titanic, Star Wars sequels, The New War of the Worlds was the laziest garbage I've seen
Fruit - Banana, Kiwi, Bob the tomato
Season of the year - Winter, Summer, Grey
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🛖 The Scots Must Be Crazy: A Texas woman reported missing by her family has been found living with a self-proclaimed African tribe in the Scottish woods
🚣 Catch Me If You Canoe: A 51-year-old US Army veteran kayaked across the Detroit River from Michigan to Canada seeking asylum, making his first stop at Tim Hortons
🖥️ COD Crisis: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's gameplay reveal at Gamescom has been poorly received by fans, with the franchise facing its biggest challenge in years from rival Battlefield 6
🐕 Paws for Celebration: A legally blind Chicago man was reunited with his stolen emotional support dachshund after more than two months of searching and nearly $20,000 in crowdfunded reward money
⛪ Holy Rollers: A 113-year-old wooden church in Sweden was kept intact as engineers moved it 3 miles to escape ground subsidence caused by a century of iron ore mining
ROCA WRAP
Luxury Scandal
Ghana
This West African nation's top dancehall star faces detention after his luxury vehicle was linked to a $5M fraud scheme.
Ghana has become known for its vibrant music scene, with artists blending traditional sounds with global genres to create distinctly Ghanaian music. The nation's music industry has produced internationally recognized stars, including Shatta Wale. Now the “dancehall king” finds himself at the center of an international investigation.
Authorities detained Wale this week after his bright yellow Lamborghini Urus became the center of an international investigation. The $150,000 supercar was seized earlier this month when US officials identified it as connected to criminal proceeds from a massive fraud operation. Ghana's Economic and Organised Crime Office said the vehicle was tied to convicted fraudster Nana Kwabena Amuah, who received a seven-year sentence in 2023 for his role in a $3M scam targeting American organizations.
Wale maintains his innocence, telling investigators he purchased the car as a “third-party owner” without knowledge of its criminal origins or any connection to Amuah. The musician said he had no idea who shipped the luxury vehicle to Ghana. Despite voluntarily entering custody for questioning, Wale received bail set at 10M Ghanaian cedis ($910,000), though he remains detained.
The seizure represents part of Ghana's broader collaboration with US law enforcement to dismantle international fraud networks that have cost American victims hundreds of millions. This month alone, authorities extradited three Ghanaian nationals accused of masterminding a $100M scheme involving romance scams and phishing attacks. Officials plan to return Wale's Lamborghini to the United States to help compensate Amuah's nearly 70 victims across public and private organizations.
For Ghana's dancehall king, the music has stopped – at least until the legal wheels turn.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
As you may know, we’re trying to reboot the We The 66 channel on an old page where we posted shorts about weird stories from around the world. Please show some love to this new one, and subscribe to the channel. We’ll be posting exclusive Roca interviews on the page this year.
Have a great weekend!
–Max and Max