An estimated 51M Americans are expected to travel this Fourth of July weekend, which would shatter the previous record of 49M in 2019. Traffic, as you might imagine, is expected to be brutal and the worst in Boston, Seattle, and DC. But is being stuck in the car really so bad when you’re playing the Free Bird guitar solo on loop with windows down and illegal fireworks in your carseat? 

In today's edition:

• Trump tape leaks

• Ancient pizza found in ruins

• RFK Jr.’s Story

 🔑 Key Stories

Malaria in the US

The US reported its first locally-transmitted malaria cases in 20 years

• Malaria is caused by parasites carried by certain female mosquitoes. It causes fever, chills, muscle pain, and fatigue. It’s curable but can be fatal in children, particularly if they are malnourished

• The CDC announced that since May, Florida has reported 4 locally-transmitted cases and Texas has reported 1. It’s unknown how this happened

• The US typically reports 2,000 malaria cases each year, however all are among people who return from overseas trips. 95% of malaria cases are in Africa

Dig Deeper

• The last locally-transmitted cases were reported in Florida in 2003

• 6 countries account for a majority of all malaria cases: Nigeria (25%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12%), Uganda (5%), and Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, and Niger (4% each)

Trump Tape Leaked

CNN released audio from 2021 in which former President Trump speaks about possessing classified documents and alleges the military proposed the US invade Iran

• Trump is facing 37 federal charges related to his possession of classified documents

• In the tape, Trump suggests the US’ top general pushed him to invade Iran. He then says, “They presented me this… This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information”

• He says, “This was done by the military and given to me… As president I could have declassified it”

Dig Deeper

• On Monday night, Trump posted on Truth Social that the “deranged” special prosecutor who brought charges against him “spun” the tape and collaborated with the FBI and justice department to leak it. “This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam. They are cheaters and thugs!” he wrote

Post-Insurrection Get Together

Vladimir Putin held a meeting of top security officials and congratulated them for “stopping civil war”

• Putin praised them for beating Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion and “sheltering our Motherland from shocks.” He also publicly confirmed for the first time that Russia’s government had been financing Wagner, paying it $1B over the last year

• Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, who reportedly brokered the deal that stopped the uprising, confirmed Tuesday that Prigozhin is now in his country

• He said Belarus will seek to learn from him about “tactics, weapons, how to advance, how to defend. This is priceless”

Dig Deeper

• Many Russians have expressed anger on social media at how lightly Prigozhin and Wagner have gotten off. Wagner troops shot down Russian aircraft, killing an unconfirmed number of pilots. Some have said Putin has let their killers evade justice

Negligence Killed Epstein?

A justice department (DoJ) watchdog — which monitors DoJ behavior — released its report on Jeffrey Epstein’s death

• The report was the product of years of research. Epstein died in federal prison in August 2019

• The report said prison staff enabled Epstein to kill himself through “misconduct and dereliction of their duties.” It said they: Failed to assign him a new cellmate; left him with too many linens, which he used to hang himself; didn’t supervise him; and didn’t ensure the security cameras worked

• Still, it “did not uncover evidence” that overturned the FBI’s finding that Epstein hanged himself

Dig Deeper

• In response to the report, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons — the DoJ agency that oversees federal prisons — said the findings were "troubling" but those accused of misconduct represented only "a very small percentage” of all employees

The Healthy Alternative to Sugary Sports Drinks

Together with LMNT

LMNT is the electrolyte drink mix we recommend Roca Riders hydrate with this summer

• Since the 1940s, we’ve been told to drink 8 glasses of water per day. However, only hydrating with plain water can dilute your electrolyte levels – which can lead to things like headaches, low energy, brain fog, and more

• Electrolytes are essential minerals that facilitate vital bodily functions, including the conduction of nerve impulses, hormonal regulation, nutrient absorption, and fluid balance

• When people sweat they lose water and electrolytes, but most people only replace the water. LMNT electrolytes contain what you need – the salts – without all the other harmful additives. Just mix it with water and it’s perfect for hydrating, be it after a workout or night out

• Other popular electrolyte drinks contain as much as 36 grams of sugar. 36 GRAMS! LMNT contains none – NONE!

• 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

• Ship fit for Jack Sparrow: The world’s largest cruise ship – Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas – has started sea trials. The ship spans ~1,200 ft and weighs 550M+ lbs

• Air Zuck: Meta spent more on corporate jets in 2022 than any other S&P 500 company, according to new data. S&P corporate jet spending hit $41.3M

• Wheel of Seacrest: Ryan Seacrest will succeed Pat Sajak as the host of “Wheel of Fortune.” Sajak has hosted the network game show since 1981

Wildcard

• Pizza paternity test: Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old fresco painting in the ruins of Pompeii depicting a possible ancient ancestor of pizza

• Death by cocktail: A UK man vacationing in Jamaica died after attempting to drink all 21 cocktails on a bar’s menu. Police say he had also been drinking beer and brandy that morning

• “I’ll take quotes that aged poorly for $400, Alex”: A shark attacked a Florida fisherman after he dipped his hands into the water. Moments before rinsing his hands, he told his wary friends, “Ahh, 2 seconds won’t do anything”

👇 What do you think?

Today's Question:

What was your best memory from June? Pictures always welcome!

Reply to this email with your answers!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

In 1954, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. – RFK Jr. – was born in Washington, DC.

RFK Jr. belonged to one of the country’s foremost political families. His uncle, John F. Kennedy, had been elected to the US House in 1947 and the Senate in 1953. JFK became president in 1961 and appointed RFK Jr.’s father, RFK, his attorney general.

Just 2 years later, though, when RFK Jr. was 9, JFK was assassinated. 5 years later, RFK Jr. was in boarding school while his father, by then a senator, was running for president.

One day, the school’s headmaster woke RFK Jr. to tell him his father had been shot at a campaign event. RFK Jr. flew to Los Angeles, and he was at the hospital when his father died.

RFK Jr. was subsequently thrown out of 2 boarding schools for drug use and arrested for marijuana possession. He then graduated from Harvard and received a law degree from the University of Virginia.

In 1982, he took a job as a Manhattan assistant district attorney – only to resign a year later after failing his bar exam. The following year, at age 30, he was taken off an airplane and found to be possessing heroin. He pleaded guilty and checked himself into rehab.

Once sober, an environmentalist fisherman named Bob Boyle took RFK Jr. under his wing.

Boyle had founded an organization, the Hudson Riverkeeper Fund, to hold polluters liable for damaging the Hudson River. RFK Jr. became the organization’s lead prosecutor.

Polluters had dumped so much waste and chemicals in sections of the Hudson River that fish couldn’t live. Areas of the river had turned rainbow-colored and parts could catch fire, RFK Jr. has said. He began bringing lawsuits against the companies and cities he alleged were responsible.

Dozens were successful, compelling companies and cities to spend billions of dollars to clean up pollution and protect the environment. He also led negotiations that resulted in the agreement governing how New York City protects its drinking water, which is now considered a model for cities around the world.

RFK Jr. soon expanded his activism into other environmental areas. Chief among them were coal-fired power plants, which emit mercury into the air.

At a series of public meetings he held about coal pollution, RFK Jr. has said women repeatedly confronted him, urging him to investigate the link between vaccines and autism. The women were all mothers who attributed vaccines – many of which contained thimerosal, a type of mercury compound – with causing their children to develop autism.

In the following years, RFK Jr. became one of the world’s most prominent vaccine critics, speaking publicly, founding organizations, and writing books. While public health officials attribute vaccines with causing the rapid decline in infectious disease-related deaths over the last century, RFK Jr. attributed that to other health improvements, particularly nutrition.

He argued that overuse of vaccines helps explain increased rates of autism, asthma, allergies, and other negative health trends.

As an environmentalist, RFK Jr. argued that corporations had “captured” government agencies, allowing them to avoid law enforcement and act without accountability. He alleged the same thing had taken place with pharmaceutical companies, allowing them to craft laws to their liking and avoid oversight.

As recently as 2016, RFK Jr. was still known primarily as an environmentalist.

That year, an extended interview with him in Vanity Fair didn’t mention vaccines once. Then came the pandemic, when RFK Jr. wrote a book – “The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health” – that sold millions of copies.

In 2021, Vanity Fair called him the “Anti-vaxxer Icon of America’s Nightmares.” RFK Jr.’s vaccine theories have resulted in numerous social media bans.

Yet he developed a large following and in April announced his presidential campaign.

RFK Jr. says vaccines are not his focus as a candidate: “I’m not running on vaccines. The only time that I will talk about vaccines is if somebody asks me about it,” he said earlier this month.

He says his main issues are reducing corporate influence, expanding the middle class, and getting out of “forever wars.” Polls show he is the leading Democratic challenger to President Biden, with 15-20% support among Democrats (to Biden’s 60-70%).

While he is a lifelong Democrat, he says that’s irrelevant to his mission: “Both parties have lost their way.”

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

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Have you noticed an increase in reckless driving where you live?
Yes: 75%
No: 25%

Yesterday's Question:

Are there any unwritten rules where you work? If so, what are they?

Dave — car mechanic: "Don’t put your hand where you wouldn’t put your private parts”

Mark from Erie, PA: “Parking spots. We don't have assigned spots but God forbid you park in someone from accounting's spot.”

Brandon from Chicago: "Unwritten rules here include things like if the owner asks you to do something, like fix his flat tire, you do it. His name is at the bottom of my checks so its service with a smile.”

Joi from Philly: “No perfume, cologne, or onions in the office”

Kevin: “1. Don’t be a slouch and pawn off your work on others. 2. If you need help, simply ask. We aren’t mind readers. 3. We are a team, aint no solo cowboys/cowgirls out here. We work together.”

🧠 Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed the RFK Jr. story. With many people who become so politically controversial, it can be tough to get a sense of who they actually are. That's what we sought to do with today's Wrap, and we're curious to know how we did. Please let us know.

We hope you all are having nice Wednesdays. See you tomorrow!

—Max and Max