Let’s play a game called “guess the state where this story took place.” A judge convicted a dad and his three sons for selling bleach as a “miracle cure” on the website of a church they made up. The family claimed their formula could cure Covid-19, autism, brain cancer, and AIDS. They are appealing the verdict.

Now, we hate to reinforce state stereotypes — especially since the Max writing this is a proud native of the state — but would you be shocked to learn it was a Miami judge?

In today's edition:

 🔑 Key Stories

Where is Qin Gang?

China’s foreign minister hasn’t been seen in three weeks, fueling speculation about his whereabouts

• The minister, Qin Gang, rose quickly through China’s ruling party in recent years. He is thought to be a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping

• Qin was televised on June 25 during a meeting with foreign officials. He hasn’t been seen since

• Qin has since missed several notable meetings, including some with US officials. China has offered little explanation for Qin’s absence, initially refusing to give updates and later implying he is sick. His current whereabouts and health status aren’t known

Dig Deeper

• On Baidu – China’s version of Google – searches of his name have increased 5,000%+ over the past week. One widely-circulated theory claims he was caught having an affair with a popular TV host

• China’s government is renowned for its secrecy, and several previous disappearances have ended with officials returning to their old posts. But others who have disappeared have subsequently been jailed, fined, or censored

Hawley-Gillibrand Bill

Two US senators will introduce legislation this week barring lawmakers and members of the executive branch from owning stock in individual companies, the Wall Street Journal reports

• The US currently requires lawmakers to disclose stock trades they or their close family members make within 30 days, but some say the rules are insufficient and often abused

• Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are now reportedly planning to introduce a bill that would ban lawmakers and members of the executive branch from owning companies’ stocks

• Congress members would be allowed to own mutual funds, but the bill would include steep fines for owning individual stocks

Dig Deeper

• The legislation would apply to lawmakers, their aides, and members of the executive branch. Punishments would include turning over profits, paying fines, and forfeiting assets

Kenya Starvation Cult

The death toll of a Kenyan starvation cult surpassed 400 as authorities continue to find bodies

• Kenyan preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie – formerly a cab driver – founded a church in 2003 that preached an apocalyptic form of Christianity

• In 2019, amid legal troubles, Mackenzie and some of his followers went to a secluded forest commune. In April, police raided that camp and found dozens of starving people

• Survivors told police Mackenzie had ordered them to starve themselves to “meet Jesus.” 400+ bodies have since been found, and police have arrested Mackenzie and several other cult leaders

Dig Deeper

• Police said Mackenzie told his followers they would only reach heaven if they “fasted” together and didn’t mingle with the “outside” world. They said that mass suicide started in March and that he hired criminals to kill anybody who attempted to flee the commune

Military Recruitment Issues

The US Army, Navy, and Air Force expect to miss their recruitment targets this year

• The US military is volunteer-only. Last year, the US Army fell 25% short of its recruitment goal; this year the Army, Navy, and Air Force expect to miss theirs

• Recruiters blame the pandemic, saying it kept recruiters out of schools, and a strong labor market. Data also show that 77% of young Americans – up from 71% before the pandemic – aren’t eligible for service due to low test scores, failure to meet physical standards, and more

• Up to 80% of people who join the military come from a military family, with as many as 30% having a parent who is actively in the military.

Dig Deeper

• Some recruiters also cite the perception that the US military failed in Iraq and during its rapid exit from Afghanistan in 2021. Data also show that fewer adults would recommend the military to their children and that as few as 9% of young adults are interested in joining the military

The Healthy Alternative to Sugary Sports Drinks

Together with LMNT

Healthy hydration isn’t just about drinking water. It’s about water AND electrolytes

• It makes sense—you lose both water and sodium when you sweat. Both need to be replaced

• Most people only replace the water. Why? Because since the 1940s, we’ve been told to drink 8 glasses of water per day, thirsty or not

• Drinking beyond thirst can be a bad idea. It dilutes blood electrolyte levels (especially sodium levels), which leads to headaches, low energy, cramps, confusion, or worse

• The solution isn’t to stop drinking water, though. It’s to drink water plus electrolytes. That is where LMNT is great! Just mix it with water and it’s perfect for hydrating, be it after a workout or night out. It comes in great flavors, like the grapefruit fan-favorite, and contains no sugar

• You can try it totally risk-free. If you don’t like it, they’ll give you your money back – no questions asked

Dig Deeper

• Right now LMNT is offering Roca Riders a FREE sample pack with any purchase. That’s 8 single servings FREE with any LMNT order. This is a great way to try all 8 flavors or share LMNT with a salty friend

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Chopping Block: Wall Street’s six biggest banks cut 21,000 jobs in the first 6 months of 2023. 5 of the largest banks experienced a collective 8.9% drop in revenue the first half of the year

• Weed-gi Hadid: Supermodel Gigi Hadid was fined $1,200 by the Cayman Islands for marijuana possession. Authorities arrested Hadid after finding a small amount in her luggage upon her arrival via private jet

• North Korea Defector: US officials said North Korea has ignored its queries about an American soldier who defected to the country on Tuesday. The soldier fled a South Korean airport while he was being escorted back to the US to face potential disciplinary action

Wildcard

• Oh no… they let it slide: An emergency slide fell off a United Airlines plane as it landed in Chicago. The slide landed in a neighborhood, prompting calls to the police

• Wine no more: The FBI raided exclusive New York City wine seller Sherry-Lehmann. The iconic store has since run into legal troubles and owes $2.8M in taxes

• Hunter be hunted: The whistleblower who alleged a cover-up to protect Hunter Biden from felony charges identified himself as IRS agent Joseph Ziegler. Ziegler called himself an “LGBTQ” Democrat who wanted “to do what is right”

👇 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Should military service be voluntary or compulsory?

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

In 2007, the EU admitted Romania – with conditions.

Romania was one of Europe’s most inaccessible countries during the Cold War. Its leader from 1965 to 1989 was Nicolae Ceaușescu (Chow-cheh-skoo), an ardent communist. He took inspiration from North Korea and after visiting there in 1971, sought to imitate its system in Romania.

Romania ended up totalitarian and impoverished. By the 1980s, it was struggling to pay its debts, prompting the government to reduce spending. Prices rose, and in December 1989, protests began.

The situation rapidly escalated, and soon millions of people had joined the movement.

On December 22, protesters stormed the Communist Party headquarters. As soldiers refused to fire on protesters, Ceaușescu and his wife fled in a helicopter.

After the military refused to help them – “There has been a revolution…You are on your own…Good luck!" – they landed in a field. A local man picked them up and took them to the police, who arrested them.

After a two-hour trial on December 25, 1989, they were convicted of genocide and publicly executed. 120 bullets were found in their bodies.

The toppling of the government led to revelations about the country and government. Among them was that 170,000 orphans were living in squalor.

In an effort to grow the economy, Ceaușescu enacted “Decree 770,” which made abortion and contraception illegal and fined women who had fewer than five kids. Many parents ended up with children they didn’t want and abandoned them.

To house them, Causecescu ordered the creation of homes with signs that read, “The state can take better care of your child than you can.” The state divided children between those who were healthy, “deficient,” and “unsalvageable.”

When the regime fell and people gained access to these homes, they discovered scenes that have been likened to concentration camps. Thousands of silent, skeletal children who hadn’t been fed or bathed; babies who had been kept in isolation for months or longer; children speaking in gibberish – all of whom had been raised without a parental figure.

Foreign media coined the orphanages “Child Gulags,” sparking an international scandal. In total, 170,000 abandoned children were housed in 700 orphanages. The post-Ceaușescu government invited foreign researchers and doctors to help the children and study their conditions.

In the following years, Romania became democratic and close to the West. It sought membership in the EU, which, among numerous conditions, insisted it reform its child-care system. Although the EU admitted Romania in 2007, issues related to child care persisted, which the EU insisted Romania address.

Given that history, the country was shocked last week when it discovered 11 elderly people who had been abandoned at a construction site near Romania’s capital, Bucharest.

The people’s abandonment followed months of complaints by human rights groups about the treatment of people in hundreds of elderly-care homes. It emerged this week that the government had been investigating around 400 such homes, and closed two dozen for rights violations.

In what Romanian media has dubbed “Horror Homes,” elderly people were forced to work and live in insect-infested rooms; denied medication; and beaten. “The tragic situation leads us to think of the children’s homes in the communist times in Romania, that horrified the international society,” a Romanian member of the EU’s parliament said.

Romania’s prime minister called the homes “asylums of horror” and blamed corrupt government workers: “Let’s [find the] complicit civil servants, who, instead of siding with these people, sold out to these scoundrels. But the rot may run deep.

A rights group that filed some of the complaints said the country’s labor minister blocked it from accessing the homes, and the country’s family affairs minister is married to the mayor of a town where some of the homes were located.

Both ministers denied knowing of the conditions, with Romania’s labor minister insisting that whether he resigns “doesn’t matter.”

“What matters,” he said, “is what we’re going to do from now on.”

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Should cash bail be allowed or banned?
Yes: 80%
No: 20%

Yesterday's Question:

Do you think people who work in creative jobs (e.g. screenwriters, artists, etc.) are underpaid? Why or why not?

Robert: "I suspect they are not underpaid when compared to the general population. Americans are addicted to entertainment and sports and will pay whatever cost allows them to continue to enjoy both. Look at ticket prices for Broadway theater, Taylor Swift concerts, NFL games, etc. Without significant sacrifice, these entertainments are beyond reach for ordinary people. Once patrons begin to vote with their checkbooks, these luxuries will decline.”

Ethan from Ottowa, Canada: "The people in creative jobs are what make life enjoyable. We have them to thank for every piece of media we consume and the vast majority of them are under-compensated for their work in favour of lining the pockets of corporate executives.”

Haley from Nashville, Tennessee: "Yes!! So many companies take so much money from artists, look at the music industry and Twitch! These companies don’t make any content but take most of the money these creators make!”

Grant: “Screenwriters, actors, and artists are massively underpaid and under appreciated. Imagine these billion dollar companies existing without quality content that is on demand. As in the dialogue of Jesse Eisenberg’s character from the 2010 film, The SOCIAL NETWORK”…

MARK ZUCKERBERG: ‘You have part of my attention. You have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.’
(Beat)
MARK ZUCKERBERG: ‘Did I adequately answer your condescending question?’

… that’s top shelf dialogue writing and acting in my opinion. And all artists’ should be compensated fairly in recurring residuals.”

🧠 Final Thoughts

Between the Kenyan cult and the story of Romania’s “horror homes,” today may not be the most uplifting news day. We are sorry about that, and hope you still enjoyed learning new things.

We’ll be back tomorrow. Have a nice day.

—Max and Max