🌊 Pete Getting Bounced from the Groupchat?

Happy Earth Day to all of you reading from Earth.

If you could put down your fracking and strip mining equipment for just one moment, we would like to wish all of you a happy Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson — quiet in the back of the classroom, please — created Earth Day in 1970 to raise awareness about environmental issues. 55 years later, it’s still going strong.

In all seriousness, we find nothing brings us more serenity than spending time in nature. Some of our fondest memories at Roca have been our weekend retreats in the wilderness. Hope you get some nice time outside today! 🌎

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Pentagon Problems

President Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid rumors that he may be on the chopping block

• Last week, three top Hegseth advisors were fired, leaving Hegseth without a chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, or senior adviser

• Then on Sunday, the NYT reported that Hegseth shared details of military operations in a Signal groupchat that included his brother, wife, and personal lawyer

• And hours after that, a former top Hegseth aide wrote in Politico that “it’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon” and called for Hegseth’s replacement

• Still, on Monday, Trump stood by him, saying, “He is doing a great job. Ask the Houthis how he’s doing”

Dig Deeper

• In a statement released shortly after the revelation of a second Signal group chat, a White House spokesperson said, “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same nonstory, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared”

KEY STORY

Pope Francis Passes

Pope Francis died at 88, leaving a legacy of ideological reforms in the Catholic Church

• Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first non-European pope in 1,300 years

• His positions on immigration, LGBTQ rights, climate change, and capitalism made him popular among many progressives but often alienated him from more traditional Catholics

• To select Francis’ successor, the 135 cardinals under age 80 will enter a secret election process called the “conclave”

• Given the number of Pope Francis’ cardinal appointments, many expect the next pope to be non-European and possess ideological views similar to Francis’

Dig Deeper

• Following the news of the Pope’s passing, tributes poured in from around the world

• Vice President JD Vance, who met with Pope Francis on Sunday, wrote on X, “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” adding, “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill”

• Former President Biden, also a Catholic, said, “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time…He was the People's Pope - a light of faith, hope, and love”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

ROCA’S SPONSOR

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KEY STORY

Powell Under Pressure

Concerns that President Trump wants to fire Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Jerome Powell triggered a stock market sell off on Monday

• Powell was first nominated by Trump in 2017 and was re-appointed by President Biden in 2022. His second four-year term ends in May 2026

• Trump has long expressed his frustrations with the Fed’s interest rate-setting policy, most recently the decision to not lower interest rates to soften the economic fallout from tariffs

• A president has never fired a Fed chair and any attempt to do so will spark a fierce legal battle. Still, on Friday, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said, “The president and his team will continue to study” whether Trump can fire Powell before his term expires

• On Monday, the first full trading day after Hassett’s statement, the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq each fell around 2.6%

Dig Deeper

• Many people, including some of Trump’s advisors, have warned that firing Powell would compromise the Federal Reserve’s political independence, which is a foundation of US financial stability

• Per the New York Times’ sources, the private warnings from Trump’s economic advisors, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have temporarily persuaded Trump to put off trying to fire Powell

KEY STORY

UAE’s AI Laws

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it will begin using AI to write new laws and review existing ones, the first known use of AI in government

• The UAE’s government suggested that AI will accelerate lawmaking by 70% and will “regularly suggest updates to our legislation”

• One UAE legislator told The Telegraph, “Instead of the traditional parliamentary model – where laws get stuck in endless political debates and take years to pass – this approach is faster, clearer, and based on solving real problems”

• The country is also planning to use AI to “analyse court judgements” and make judicial decisions

Dig Deeper 

• The announcement comes weeks after the UAE pledged $1.4T over the next decade to “substantially increase… existing investments” in AI manufacturing, infrastructure, and semiconductors

• Much of these investments, per a White House statement, will focus on partnerships with US AI companies, including Microsoft, Nvidia, and xAI

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🔋 Chinese battery company CATL claimed to have created technology that can give an electric vehicle (EV) roughly 325 miles of range with just five minutes of charging

🇮🇳 Vice President JD Vance began a four-day visit to India, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit is perceived as having significant implications for the US’ approach to trade negotiations

👶 In an attempt to reverse declining birth rates, the White House is considering a $5,000 cash “baby bonus,” among other proposals, to incentivize more Americans to get married and have more children

🇨🇳 Chinese tech giant Huawei is shipping its new advanced AI chip to Chinese companies, providing an alternative to Nvidia, per Reuters

☮ The US is waiting to hear back from Ukraine about a peace proposal that would, among other things, prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and acknowledge Russian control of Crimea

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Yesterday’s Question: Thoughts on Pope Francis’ passing and his legacy?

🧐 Today’s Question: Should dogs be allowed to fly on planes?

Replay to this email with your thoughts!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🐊 See You Later, Alligator: A porch camera in Florida caught an alligator crawling up to a house’s front door and ringing the doorbell while another gator watched on the porch

👁 New Color: Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, say they have discovered a new color that has never been seen by the human eye before

⌚ Watch This Arrest: A thief was convicted after attempting to steal a luxury watch from two undercover police officers in London

🇲🇽 Real Mexican Food: Chipotle announced plans to open a location in Mexico next year as it seeks to expand into the South American market

🚁 Marshmallow Showers: A helicopter dropped 15,000 marshmallows over a Detroit suburb as part of the decades-long tradition known as the Great Marshmallow Drop

ROCA WRAP
Cockfighting Cartel

Ecuador

A shootout at an underground cockfighting ring in this country led to the deaths of 12 participants.

Once one of South America’s safest countries, in recent years, drug-related violent crime has engulfed the country, turning it into one of the continent’s most dangerous. Cartels have seized control of cities and murdered thousands of people, including over 1,500 this year. Newly reelected president Daniel Noboa has pledged to crack down on cartels, drawing comparisons to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele’s sweeping anti-crime policies.

Noboa recently told CNN he was in talks to host US military forces in Ecuador to support security forces confront the cartels – many of which are allied with powerful European and South American groups. He has previously stated that 70% of the global cocaine trade flows through Ecuador before it is shipped to the US and Europe, calling the fight against the cartels a “transnational war.”

The latest example of Ecuador’s startling violence came last week, when armed gunmen wearing fake military uniforms opened fire on spectators at an underground cockfight, killing 12 and wounding several others. Local media reports claimed that the gunmen were members of a gang that attacked a rival group present at the cockfight. Ecuadorian authorities said that criminal groups often disguise themselves as military forces when carrying out attacks.

Following the attack, Ecuador’s security chief wrote on X, “Our investigative and tactical units captured four individuals, including a medium-value target…believed to be directly linked to the recent violent incident at a cockpit.” Police also reportedly seized weapons, cash, and fake army and police uniforms during a raid on the attacking gang’s buildings.

In his statement, Ecuador’s police chief added that the arrests “reaffirm our firm commitment to continue relentlessly combating organized armed groups and any criminal acts that threaten the lives and security of citizens,” one cockfighting ring at a time.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We are just a couple days away from the 5-year anniversary of the first conversation between the Maxes about a “nonpartisan, no-more-BS” news company. It’s amazing to think what’s become of those early pandemic phone calls, which we scheduled between episodes of Tiger King and The Last Dance. We are so grateful for your support that’s turned those calls into a reality.

Have a great Tuesday!

–Max and Max