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- 🌊 Recess Is Over, ̶K̶i̶d̶s̶ Congress
🌊 Recess Is Over, ̶K̶i̶d̶s̶ Congress
Plus: Creatine sales spike, national housing emergency, & "Tush Push" gets cheeky sponsor
Oh naur…
On this day in 1993, Australia's Nine Network debuted a new show: "Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos." The concept riffed on the popular "Australia's Funniest Home Videos" program and asked viewers to submit unintentionally humorous videos with sexual undertones. The program made it just 34 minutes before the owner of Nine Network canceled it and played Cheers for its remaining airtime. Nearly everyone involved was fired.
🇺🇸 Congress back in session
🏡 Declaring a national housing emergency?
📈 Creatine sales spike
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Epstein Looms Over Congress’ Return
Congress returned from its August recess to face a looming government shutdown and renewed pressure over Epstein files
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had sent lawmakers home early in July right before votes on Epstein-related measures that divided Republicans. Now back in session, the 53 Senate Republicans need 60 votes to pass appropriations bills by September 30 to avoid a shutdown, giving Democrats leverage they haven't had since March
Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) began collecting signatures for a discharge petition on Tuesday that would force a House vote on releasing Justice Department files related to Epstein
Dig Deeper
Senate Republicans are also prepared to deploy the “nuclear option” to change chamber rules and speed up consideration of Trump's nominees, with ideas including reducing debate time or eliminating procedural votes
The White House complicated budget negotiations Friday by unilaterally canceling approximately $5B in previously approved foreign aid funding
Massie said the Epstein files issue “has not gone away like the speaker had hoped,” adding that Justice Department document releases are “increasing the momentum”
In an exclusive comment to Roca News, Massie’s office also indicated that a Tuesday Epstein document dump from the House Oversight Committee was insufficient, as most of the documents were already public - “Rep. Massie is still seeking a much broader release of documents,” Massie’s office told Roca.
KEY STORY
Judge Rules LA Deployment Illegal
A federal judge ruled that President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to California violated federal law
In June, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles after ICE raids sparked protests, declaring the protests constituted “a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States”
On Tuesday, a US district judge determined that the Trump Administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits using the military for domestic law enforcement
The judge issued an injunction blocking the military from performing law enforcement functions in California, though 300 remaining troops can stay to protect federal property
Dig Deeper
Evidence presented during a three-day trial in August showed troops performing domestic law enforcement activities, such as setting up security perimeters, engaging in crowd control, and establishing traffic blockades
The ruling takes effect September 12 and applies only to California, but carries significance as Trump threatened to deploy troops to Chicago, NYC, and other cities
The judge expressed concern about creating “a national police force with the President as its chief”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Courage is grace under pressure"
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KEY STORY
Bolsonaro Trial Begins
Brazil's Supreme Court began the final phase of former President Jair Bolsonaro's trial on Tuesday
Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison and five criminal charges, including attempting to violently abolish democratic rule, plotting a coup, and forming an armed criminal organization after losing Brazil's 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula)
Prosecutors allege he led a conspiracy to stay in power and edited a decree calling for the arrest of Supreme Court justices
The alleged conspiracy included plans to assassinate President Lula, the vice president, and the judge now overseeing the case
After military commanders refused to support the plot, Bolsonaro's supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília on January 8, 2023
Dig Deeper
Bolsonaro denied all charges and claimed the trial was politically motivated. He pointed out that he was in Florida when supporters rioted in the capital and insisted any discussions about staying in power were about legal and constitutional avenues
Trump condemned the trial as a "witch hunt" and sanctioned judge Alexandre de Moraes under laws usually reserved for cases of human rights abuses
The State Department also revoked visas for multiple Brazilian high court judges and their families
KEY STORY
US Military Strikes Drug Vessel
The US military carried out a strike against a Venezuelan drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean, killing 11 people
In recent weeks, the Trump Administration deployed guided-missile destroyers and Marines to the Caribbean near Venezuela and designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, expanding military authority to engage the cartel
President Trump announced US forces had “shot out” the vessel transporting narcotics in international waters, posting declassified video showing the boat bursting into flames
Trump warned, “There's more where that came from,” while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro threatened “armed struggle” in response to any US military action
Dig Deeper
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the military had conducted “a lethal strike” against the drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization
Maduro called the US naval buildup “the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years” and warned Trump that Rubio was trying to draw him into a Caribbean war
After the strike, Maduro claimed the US was “coming for Venezuela's riches” while telling supporters, “In the face of imperialist threats, God (is) with us”
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🇮🇱 The International Association of Genocide Scholars declared that Israel's actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide
📢 Kraft Heinz announced plans to split into two separate companies, reversing its 2015 merger
🪧 Labor unions and activists held over 1,000 “Workers Over Billionaires” demonstrations across all 50 states on Labor Day
🇦🇫 The Taliban requested international aid in the wake of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan's Kunar province as the death toll rose to over 1,400, and 3,000 remain injured
💰 Anthropic secured $13B in new funding, nearly tripling its valuation to $183B and establishing it as one of the world's most valuable startups
What does Roca Nation think?
😎 Yesterday’s Question: What was the highlight of your summer?
Husband is an Oasis fan, so we saw them in Chicago just last week. They sold out Soldier Field and put on a solid show. Pretty great to be there bc no one ever thought those brothers would be back on stage again together. Cage the Elephant opened—another solid show (and great see that lead singer seemingly on a better place).
Also, it was my first time in Chicago so we had all the pizza and Italian beef. 😋
My husband and I hosted our 3 nieces for a week. Everyone told us we were crazy to take them for that long, but it was awesome. We went swimming almost every day, got snow cones, drew on the driveway with chalk, listened to Pink Pony Club on repeat, and just generally had a great time. I was exhausted by the time they went home, but I also cried when we said goodbye. For the first time in over a decade, I felt like I was on summer vacation, if only for a week.
I went to Roland Garros (the French Open) this summer and had an outstanding experience with family and friends.
💰 Today’s Question: Do you believe that wealthy people are happier?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🏈 The Eagles' Cheeky Sponsor: DUDE Wipes has become the official sponsor of the Philadelphia Eagles' signature “Tush Push” play, creating what may be one of the most perfectly matched brand partnerships in NFL history
🥇 Diving Into Retirement: Diving icon Greg Louganis sold his California home and three Olympic medals for $437,000 to fund a fresh start in Panama at age 65
🏋️♀️ Grandma Gets Swole: Women and older adults are driving explosive growth in creatine sales as the supplement sheds its steroid-era stigma and finds new applications beyond muscle building
👰♀️ Reception Robbery: A newlywed couple in Glendale, CA, lost up to $100,000 in wedding gifts when an uninvited man crashed their reception and stole a box containing cash, checks, and gift cards
💵 Houston, We Have a Catfish: A romance scammer claiming to be an astronaut scammed an 80-year-old Japanese woman out of $6,700
ROCA WRAP
Gun Safety 101
Tennessee
This state became the first to mandate firearm safety training for all public school students from kindergarten through grade 12.
Tennessee ranks among the US’ most gun-friendly states. The state has consistently loosened gun restrictions in recent years, but despite this pro-gun stance, it faces a troubling reality: Its firearm-related deaths involving children run 37% higher than the national average. Faced with this stark contradiction, lawmakers took an unusual step this year by requiring annual gun safety lessons in schools.
The curriculum covers concepts like identifying firearm components, safe storage practices, and what children should do if they encounter an unattended weapon. The course will span all grade levels in public and charter schools. Kindergarteners will learn to distinguish between toy guns and real firearms, while older students study proper storage techniques and injury prevention.
School districts received only an eight-page outline from the state, leaving educators scrambling to develop their own programs. Many superintendents remain unclear about curriculum approval processes or state oversight requirements.
The legislation emerged after the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville that claimed six lives. Republicans championed the training as “basic common sense,” but Democrats criticized focusing safety requirements on children rather than strengthening adult gun storage laws.
Districts are taking varied approaches to the mandate. Memphis-Shelby County Schools will incorporate lessons into physical education classes during the second quarter, working with local law enforcement and health departments. Some parents welcome the instruction as practical safety education, while others question why children bear responsibility for adult policy failures, as the law provides no opt-out provisions.
When lawmakers won't regulate guns for adults, they're teaching kids to do it themselves.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
We loved reading your highlights from summer. Not sure about you, but we're ready for spooky season again and the annual Roca fall photo showcase. Last year’s were amazing — or dare we say… unbeleafable.
Unsubscribe if you want. Have a great day.
–Max and Max