🌊 Rare Moment of Unity for News

Taking inspiration from OpenAI’s transformation.

Since its founding 10 years ago, OpenAI’s undergone a transformation that would make even Demi Lovato blush. OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit that promised to ensure AI wouldn’t go awry and do something bad like, umm, exterminating the human race. Well, now OpenAI is worth $500B, has two of the top three apps on the App Store, and just announced that it will soon be making “erotica” accessible for adult users. Remember the days when AI would cure cancer?

Well it just missed the mark, and we’ll have to settle for director’s cut Ex Machina on Incognito mode instead. A(i)nything is possible, folks!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

CNN, Fox, & Others Refuse Pentagon Press Rules

Major television networks, including Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, announced they would not sign the Defense Department's new press policy

• The Pentagon introduced a 21-page document last month that replaced a simpler one-page form. The new policy requires journalists to pledge that they will not obtain or solicit unauthorized information and restricts their movement within Pentagon facilities unless accompanied by an official

• Ahead of the Tuesday 5PM deadline, the majority of television networks and major news organizations declined to agree to the Pentagon's requirements. "The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections," the networks said in a joint statement

• Fox News' rejection was particularly notable given the network's generally Trump-friendly stance and its previous employment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Dig Deeper 

• The list of news organizations refusing to sign extended across the political spectrum, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and right-leaning outlets like Newsmax and the Washington Examiner. As of Tuesday afternoon, only One America News Network had agreed to the policy

• Media lawyers worried that provisions could expose reporters to punishment for routine reporting, including a clause that journalists could be deemed a “security risk” for disclosing information without Pentagon authorization

• Starting Wednesday, Pentagon Press Association members would hand over their badges if they didn't acknowledge the policy, resulting in an unprecedented clearing out of the Pentagon press facilities for the first time since the building opened in 1943

KEY STORY

Instagram to Limit Content for Teens

Meta announced Tuesday that Instagram would restrict content for teenage users under 18 to material similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie

• Meta has faced years of criticism over child safety on its platforms. In 2021, internal company research revealed Instagram’s harmful effects on teenage girls

• Under the new standards, teenagers will not see posts about sex, drugs, alcohol, or dangerous stunts. Meta will hide accounts that share sexualized content, drug-related material, or have links to adult websites in their profiles

• The changes began in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with full implementation expected in those countries by the end of the year

Dig Deeper

• Parents can activate an even stricter “Limited Content” setting that blocks more material and removes teenagers’ ability to see, leave, or receive comments under posts

• Meta created panels with thousands of parents to rate content as PG-13 appropriate and will use AI to moderate material. Meta executives said they aligned the policies with movie ratings because parents found previous content guidelines confusing

• Instagram also developed AI technology this year to identify minors who falsely claim to be adults when signing up

KEY STORY

Tommy Robinson’s Trial Wraps

The trial for conservative UK activist Tommy Robinson – over his refusal to provide his phone PIN to counter-terrorism police during a stop last year – ended on Tuesday

• On July 28, 2024, counter-terrorism officers stopped Robinson while he was driving a silver Bentley. Police detained him under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which allows officers to stop anyone at UK ports to determine if they may be involved in terrorism-related activities

• When asked for his phone PIN, Robinson refused, telling officers the device contained “journalistic material” and information about “vulnerable girls” he had interviewed regarding grooming gangs. Under Schedule 7, people who are detained are legally obligated to provide passwords or PINs for electronic devices

• The trial concluded Tuesday with Robinson pleading not guilty. The district judge postponed his verdict until November 4

Dig Deeper

• Officers became suspicious because Robinson was driving a “high-value” Bentley that wasn't his, had not pre-booked his Channel Tunnel ticket, and avoided making eye contact. Prosecutors told the court that when asked for his PIN, Robinson said, “Not a chance, bruv… You look like c*nts so you ain't having it”

• Robinson's lawyer argued the stop may have been discriminatory against Robinson's political beliefs and questioned whether it was lawful, noting that Robinson frequently travels to Benidorm

• Before entering court, Robinson claimed in a video that billionaire Elon Musk was covering his legal expenses. If found guilty, Robinson could face up to three months in jail and a £2,500 fine

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KEY STORY

OpenAI to Allow Adult Content on ChatGPT

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT would allow adult content, including erotica, for age-verified users and that the company had mitigated mental health concerns

• OpenAI had previously made ChatGPT highly restrictive to protect users from potential mental health issues. The company acknowledged that its chatbot had failed to detect signs of mental or emotional distress in users, leading to strict content limitations

• On Tuesday, Altman posted on X saying OpenAI had successfully mitigated serious mental health issues and developed new tools that would allow the company to safely relax restrictions in most cases, including permitting erotica for verified adults starting in December

Dig Deeper

• The announcement came as competitors had already entered the adult AI market, with Elon Musk’s xAI releasing an anime companion character and a video generator with a “spicy” mode that could disrobe images

• Beyond adult content, Altman said ChatGPT would soon allow users to customize the chatbot's tone and personality. Users would be able to make ChatGPT respond in more human-like ways, use emojis, or act like a friend if they chose

QUOTE OF THE DAY

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🎖️ President Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, marking the first such honor of his second term.

🔫 The Supreme Court declined to review a $1.4B judgment against Alex Jones for claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.

📊 Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated the central bank may cut interest rates later this month, warning that downside risks to employment have increased.

🇲🇬 An army commander announced Tuesday that Madagascar’s military has seized power after President Andry Rajoelina was impeached by lawmakers and fled the country amid weeks of youth-led protests.

🚤 President Trump announced Tuesday that the US military killed six alleged “narcoterrorists” in another strike on a boat off Venezuela’s coast in international waters.

What does Roca Nation think?

🤝 Yesterday’s Question: What are your reactions to the end of the war between Israel and Gaza?

📈 Today’s Question: What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? Could be anything from AAPL stock to a Scrubdaddy.

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🎃 Gourd Almighty: A California engineer won $20,000 at the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off after growing a 2,346-pound pumpkin – roughly the weight of a small sedan.

🐢 Shell Yeah: The green turtle has been downgraded from Endangered to Least Concern after decades of global conservation work pulled the species back from the brink of extinction.

🪂 Houston, We Have a Farmfall: A West Texas woman discovered that a large parachute-equipped object that landed on her family’s Hale County farm was actually NASA equipment blown off-course by strong winds.

📱 Order Up: A 38-year-old unemployed Japanese man exploited a food delivery app’s refund policy to fraudulently obtain over 1,000 free meals worth more than $24,000 over two years.

👴 Urn-ing Respect: A 74-year-old former Indian Air Force soldier in the state of Bihar staged his own funeral to see who would attend and how much affection people would show him after death.

ROCA WRAP
All-American Daredevil

Robert Knievel

One of America’s most famous daredevils ended his career with the Guinness World Record for most broken bones in a lifetime.

Robert Craig Knievel, known professionally as Evel Knievel, was born in Butte, Montana, in 1938. Raised by his grandparents after his parents divorced, he dropped out of Butte High School to work in the copper mines with the Anaconda Copper Company, operating a diamond drill underground. His tenure ended spectacularly when he wheelied a large earth mover into Butte’s main power line, leaving the entire city without electricity for hours. That rebellious streak defined his early years, but to make ends meet, he tried everything from running a hunting guide service to selling insurance before finally finding his calling as a motorcycle stunt performer.

Knievel’s most infamous moment came on New Year's Eve 1967, when he attempted to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He had created a fake corporation and pretended to be an ABC executive just to convince casino owner Jay Sarno to let him try. The jump went horribly wrong when his motorcycle decelerated unexpectedly on takeoff, sending him crashing onto the safety ramp and skidding into the parking lot. He suffered a crushed pelvis, broken hip, wrist, both ankles, and a concussion. Rather than ending his career, the spectacular failure made him more famous than ever.

Perhaps Knievel’s most ambitious stunt came on September 8, 1974, when he attempted to jump Idaho's Snake River Canyon in a rocket-powered Skycycle X-2. While flying back to Butte from a performance tour, he spotted the canyon from his airplane window and leased 300 acres for $35,000 to stage the jump. The steam-powered craft launched successfully, but a parachute deployed prematurely, causing it to drift back into the canyon. Knievel survived with only minor injuries.

Between 1972 and 1977, Ideal Toy Company sold over $125M worth of Knievel toys, making them the company’s best-selling items. His red, white, and blue jumpsuit became iconic, and he became a hero to a generation of young boys. But Knievel’s celebrity came crashing down in 1977 when he attacked his promoter with an aluminum baseball bat. He pleaded guilty to battery, served six months in jail, lost his endorsements, and declared bankruptcy.

In his later years, Knievel battled serious health problems, requiring a life-saving liver transplant in 1999 and battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He died in Clearwater, Florida, on November 30, 2007, at age 69. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Butte on December 10, 2007, with fireworks exploding in the night sky and Matthew McConaughey giving the eulogy.

Knievel may have suffered over 400 bone fractures in his lifetime, but he never broke his word to perform – and Superman, as one friend called him, finally came home to rest.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Check out Episode 1 of our "Why England is Going Right?" series, which explores the surge of support for Reform UK and the country’s shifting politics.

We want to make more videos like this one. It investigates the underground economy that allows migrants to travel by boat to the UK. Over 100,000 migrants arrived in the UK by boat last year, and many come from a camp in Dunkirk, France. Max F visited the camp to learn why it exists, who lives there, and what its future might look like.

–Max and Max