🌊 Republicans Get Sticker Shock

Plus: Ukraine's drone strike, Poland goes nationalist, & Magnus Carlsen slams table after losing

June 03, 2025

If you ever think our criminal system is unserious


The longest prison sentence ever dealt went to a Thai woman named Chamoy Thipyasohailand. Convicted for fraud in 1989, she got a sentence of 141,078 years. She ended up only serving 8 years after her lawyer pointed out that the max sentence for fraud was 20 years. She later got it reduced to 8 years. This story is making me feel a lot better about my “6 bajillion year” ban from my nephew’s fruit rollup stash.

ICYMI, part one of our much-requested three-part Gaza war update is now live. 

đŸ‡ș🇩 Ukraine drones Russia in major attack

💰 GOP Senators have "One Big Beautiful Bill" sticker shock

♟ Magnus Carlsen crashes out after losing

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Ukraine Drones Russia

Ukraine’s massive covert drone assault appears to have dealt Russia a major blow

  • On Sunday, Ukraine launched a covert drone strike targeting Russian airbases, destroying a portion of the Russian fleet that is used to launch guided-missile attacks

  • The attack, dubbed “Operation Spiderweb” destroyed 40 of 100 Russian Tupolev planes, a bomber aircraft no longer in production that is comparable to America’s B-52 bomber

  • The types of aircraft destroyed in the assault compromise a vital third of Russia’s “nuclear triad,” the system of submarines, land-based launchers, and bomber planes that can conduct nuclear attacks

Dig Deeper 

  • Russia keeps the aircraft far from Ukraine to protect them from attack and so that it can securely keep them in the open to conduct raids on Ukraine and for nuclear readiness. Ukraine’s attack caught Russia off guard, dealing a costly blow to the “bomber” third of the triad

  • A Ukrainian intelligence agency estimates the operation destroyed $7B in military equipment. While that’s unconfirmed, it appears that the attack will be costly for Russia and require a significant effort for Russia to build back from

KEY STORY

Senators Seek to Revise Tax Bill

Key Republican senators have raised concerns over Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”

  • After intense negotiations, the House narrowly passed the bill last month at Trump’s urging. It will eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, boost defense spending, and more, increasing the deficit by a projected $3.8T

  • Conservative Republican senators (and Elon Musk) are now expressing concerns over the bill's projected deficit increase. The GOP’s 53-47 majority means it can afford only three defections in the Senate, raising the prospect that the final bill will have less spending or tax cuts

Dig Deeper 

  • Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) called for deeper spending cuts, with the goal to return to pre-pandemic levels of federal spending. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said he will be voting against the bill, citing a provision that would increase the debt ceiling. He called the bill “wimpy and anemic.” Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have also expressed concerns over the current state of the bill, raising the prospect that with all Democrats opposed, it would not pass

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson met with senators to urge them to pass the bill. He said of the meeting, "I encouraged them to make as few modifications as possible, remembering that I have a very delicate balance on our very diverse Republican caucus over in the House"

  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), meanwhile, told reporters, “The Senate will have its imprint" on the bill

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy

Winston Churchill

ROCA’S SPONSOR

The Gaza Deep-Dive

This week in our We The 66 premium newsletter, we’re running a three-part deep dive on the war in Gaza

This morning, we sent out part one – on the end of the ceasefire and the beginning of a new phase of the war. If you missed it, read it here

Tomorrow we’re looking at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and what’s happened in the war since the ceasefire ended. Thursday’s will look at Israel’s end-game and the fate of Gazans

Don’t miss the next two installments – click here to get these straight to your inbox!

KEY STORY

Conservative Wins Polish Election

A Trump-backed conservative historian defeated the liberal mayor of Warsaw to win Poland’s presidency

  • The Sunday election pitted Poland’s main nationalist, conservative party against the center-left. The conservative, Karol Nawrocki, won narrowly, 50.89%-49.11%

  • Nawrocki’s victory deals a blow to European liberals, a victory to the White House and other nationalists, and a challenge to Polish PM Donald Tusk's centrist, pro-EU government, whose legislation it will now be able to veto

Dig Deeper

  • Trazaskowski conceded the election, posting, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to convince the majority of citizens of my vision for Poland. I’m sorry we didn’t win together”

  • Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a leader of Europe’s populist resurgence, called Nawrocki’s win a “fantastic victory”

  • European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU could continue its “very good cooperation” with Poland

KEY STORY

Gaza Aid Site Incident

Over 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed and 170 injured after gunfire broke out near an aid distribution site in Rafah on June 1

  • GHF, a new US/Israel-backed organization, began delivering aid to Gaza on May 26, ending a weeks-long aid blockade. The UN has criticized GHF, saying it violates the principle of neutrality in aid distribution; Israel said UN-backed aid groups were letting Hamas access the aid

  • On Sunday, gunfire broke out during aid distribution, with the Red Cross reporting 179 casualties and 21 fatalities

  • GHF called the reports “fabricated” by Hamas

Dig Deeper

  • Witnesses allege Israeli forces opened fire on people coming for aid; Israel denies targeting civilians, claiming that warning shots were fired to deter approaching suspected militants

  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” while the GHF maintained that the aid was distributed “without incident"

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💣 The Department of Homeland Security said a man accused of firebombing pro-Israeli protesters on Sunday was in the US illegally

⚡ A group of former Microsoft and BP executives have launched GridFree AI, a startup focused on rapidly deploying energy-efficient data centers

đŸ”„ Wildfires in Canada have forced over 25,000 residents to evacuate and triggered air quality alerts across the US

đŸ‡ȘđŸ‡ș The European Union voted to restrict imports of Chinese medical devices, citing China’s systematic discrimination against foreign suppliers

đŸ‡ș🇾 Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) dismissed calls for him to step down as politically motivated. Fetterman, who is often out of step with his party, has missed 30 Senate votes this year, the third-most of any senator

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Yesterday’s Question: Do you think companies are sincere when they change their logos for Pride Month?

As a CMO, the pressure to comply with the pride/rainbow version of your logo is immense. I was asked to change ours several times and pushed back as it’s not what the company is founded or focused on. We did not participate in any collective volunteering or in any other way directly support the LGBTQIA+ community. I think there’s risk in “flying the flag” whilst not actually doing anything.

 

I was warned we would be labeled “homophobic” if we did not participate in changing our logo as many of our competitors had fallen in line.

 

I held the line and took plenty of heat for it, but I believe we need to separate business from politics whenever possible. It is a business, not a political platform. Ultimately if you decide the business needs to participate in these types of things you’ll surely be accused of “not doing enough”
and if you are checking that box, chances are excellent you’ll ostracize a solid chunk of your customers and prospects regardless of which direction you go.

Anonymous

I feel it is a mute point. I'm a gay guy. I've displayed rainbow paraphernalia at my door and made the following affirmation:

I find joy in following a path dictated by conscience rather than tradition,

by inner yearning rather than outward conformity.

I am of more value to society

as I live true to my unique self.

Displays affirming the lives of our LGBTQ+ folks are all appreciated, no matter what has motivated the attention. Yes, I am more likely to purchase their products and to boycott companies that are openly anti-LGBTQ+, and I am sure there are those folks who will do the opposite. However, anything that puts a rainbow out in the open is sending a message to those not yet comfortable with their sexuality that it is okay and that they are seen and loved for who they are.

Michael from Utah

They're sincerely trying to get more of your money.

Anonymous

🧐 Today’s Question: Have you participated in a boycott of a company/brannd? (E.g., Bud Light boycott, Chick-Fil-A boycott, etc.) If so, which boycott and why?

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

♟ Carlsen Cracks as Teen Takes the Win: Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after losing to 19-year-old chess prodigy and current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju during a chess tournament

🌋 Italian Volcano Erupts: Mt. Etna, in Sicily, Italy, erupted

đŸ‘ïž Eye-Opening Surgery: In a groundbreaking procedure, surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center removed a rare spinal tumor through a patient's eye socket

🌭 A Waxy Sausage Roll: Madame Tussauds is honoring the Greggs sausage roll – a popular item at the English coffee chain Greggs – with its own wax figure, marking the first time a food item is displayed solo at the museum

🌌 Galaxy Crash Averted?: New simulations suggest only a 2% chance that the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will collide within the next 5B years

ROCA WRAP
Warrant Szn

Bangladesh

A new arrest warrant accuses this country’s ousted prime minister of killing over 1,000 people. Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170M people, gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody liberation war that left deep scars in its political landscape.

The country has struggled with authoritarian governance since, with political leaders often using state institutions to target opponents. Those accused of doing so include Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the country's founding leader, who ruled for 15 years before being forced to flee to India last summer amid massive protests.

A special court in Bangladesh on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for Hasina, charging her and several top lieutenants with mass killings, incitement, facilitation, and conspiracy. The International Crimes Tribunal, which Hasina herself established in 2010 to investigate war crimes, is now prosecuting her for the deaths of more than 1,400 protesters.

The court’s chief prosecutor accused Hasina of “unleashing systematic violence against peaceful protesters" last July before she fled the country. The protests began over job quotas but grew into a challenge to Hasina's authoritarian rule as she responded with increasingly heavy-handed tactics.

A UN fact-finding team found that her government killed around 1,400 people in the crackdown. The UN mission said they had "reasonable grounds to believe that these violations were carried out with the knowledge, coordination, and direction of the political leadership."

The trial comes at a fraught political moment under an interim government led by 84-year-old Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Opposition parties are pressuring Yunus to hold elections by December, while he seeks more time to reform election procedures.

While Yunus and others have said there needs to be a reckoning for what happened, Hasina’s party, the recently banned Awami League, disagrees. The tribunal's decision marked "a dark day in Bangladesh's history" and "a mockery of justice in a kangaroo court," it said of the news.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

If you ever wonder what Max F does for fun on these Roca reporting trips, look no further than this video right here. Can’t wait for the return trip when he participates.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Can’t believe it’s June already!

–Max and Max