🌊 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

A truly solemn day for America.

In our five years of Roca, we can’t recall a day quite like this. Yes, there have been solemn days, from January 6th to when Trump was shot in Butler, PA. Yet something about yesterday feels different: Kirk was killed doing exactly what people should be doing in our polarized country, engaging in civil debate with college students. You may loathe what he stood for and believe he over-vilified the left and marginal groups, but what happened yesterday should send chills down every spine.

We wrote in depth about Kirk in our We The 66 newsletter today and also published a reaction video on his assassination on our new daily news show (yep, we soft launched on yesterday of all days).

It’s a solemn coincidence that today is the 24-year anniversary of 9/11. As tragic as that day was, at least it brought the country together. We hope yesterday does the same. Prayers for Kirk’s wife and kids, and for our country.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Charlie Kirk Assassinated in Utah

Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a campus event in Utah

• Kirk, 31, led Turning Point USA, the most influential conservative youth organization in the country. His massive social following was crucial for spreading Trump's message to younger voters

• Kirk built that following largely by holding campus events where he told liberal students to “prove him wrong” and would publicly debate them. On Wednesday, he was holding one such event at Utah Valley University

• While debating a student about shootings by trans people, a single gunshot rang out, and Kirk fell back. Early suspects were released and no accused shooter is in custody. A manhunt is ongoing

Dig Deeper

• Kirk was arguably the country’s most influential young conservative, and his death leaves a gap for a generation of young Republicans. You can read our full deep dive on him and his impact here free

• On Thursday morning, police announced that they had obtained video footage of the shooter – a college-aged man – before and after the event. They said they were “confident” that they would be able to identify him

• Authorities subsequently told media that they found the shooter’s gun – a hunting rifle – in a field. Written inside were pro-trans and anti-fascist statements

KEY STORY

Childhood Health Report Released

RFK Jr. released a 20-page report on Tuesday outlining strategies to address childhood chronic disease through the MAHA Commission

• In May, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, led by RFK Jr, released a report that identified ultraprocessed foods and prescription drugs as factors contributing to childhood health issues. RFK Jr. has spoken frequently about concerns regarding children's health

• Tuesday’s strategy report described childhood chronic disease as “an existential crisis for our country” and included 128 recommendations covering research initiatives, policy reforms, and public awareness campaigns

• The commission identified four potential drivers of chronic disease: poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and “overmedicalization”

Dig Deeper

• The document states the government will develop a new vaccine framework focused on “ensuring America has the best childhood vaccine schedule,” while the NIH will establish a vaccine injury research program that may expand nationwide

• Critics included the American Academy of Pediatrics – which said the report lacked details and omitted key health drivers like gun violence – and the Environmental Working Group, which noted the report removed earlier language about “alarming” pesticide levels

KEY STORY

NATO Shoots Down Drones Over Poland

NATO fighter jets shot down Russian drones that entered deep into Polish airspace

• Polish authorities detected 19 airspace violations overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, forcing Poland to temporarily close its airspace, including Warsaw’s main international airport

• Polish F-16s and Dutch F-35 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the drones, while German Patriot missile systems went on alert

• Poland invoked Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, triggering formal consultations among alliance members. NATO's secretary general condemned Russia's behavior as “absolutely reckless,” whether intentional or not

Dig Deeper 

• Russia's defense ministry denied targeting Polish territory, claiming its forces only struck Ukrainian defense facilities and offering to hold consultations with Poland. Belarus suggested the drones veered off course due to electronic warfare jamming. European leaders rejected these explanations, with the EU foreign policy chief saying, “Indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental”

• Ukrainian President Zelensky reported that Russia launched approximately 415 drones and 40 missiles against Ukraine Tuesday night

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KEY STORY

Kamala Blames Biden

In her forthcoming memoir, “107 Days,” Kamala Harris blamed “ego” and “recklessness” for Democrats’ sticking with Joe Biden as their 2024 nominee. Harris wrote that while Biden remained mentally fit, “at 81, Joe got tired” and suggested his debate struggles came after back-to-back Europe trips and a Hollywood fundraiser

• She criticized Biden's inner circle for failing to defend her work and adding "fuel to negative narratives," writing that their thinking was “zero-sum: If she's shining, he's dimmed”

• Harris argued that her visible success would have reassured voters about Biden's judgment and the country's future leadership. She also complained that Biden's team failed to defend her against Republican attacks, including the “border czar” characterization

Dig Deeper 

• Harris denied any cover-up to protect Biden, writing: “Joe Biden was a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president. On his worst day, he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best”

• She recalled watching a Biden speech where “it was almost nine minutes into the 11-minute address before he mentioned me,” and criticized his team for not defending her against the "border czar" characterization: “When Republicans mischaracterized my role as ‘border czar,’ no one in the White House comms team helped me to effectively push back”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📊 US producer prices unexpectedly dropped 0.1% in August, defying economists predictions of a 0.3% increase, as businesses appeared to eat tariff costs rather than pass them on to consumers

💰 Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison became the world's richest person, briefly surpassing Elon Musk, after his wealth jumped $101B on Wednesday

🧑‍⚖️ A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, ruling that his justifications for doing so did not meet the “for cause” standard required to dismiss Fed officials

📈 Swedish fintech company Klarna surged up to 30% in its New York Stock Exchange debut on Wednesday, the latest IPO to have a huge first trading day 

🪧 Thousands of protesters across France demonstrated against President Macron and the planned spending cuts, halting transportation and clashing with police on Wednesday as new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu began his first day in office

What does Roca Nation think?

🤯 Yesterday’s Question: Should media cover local incidents like the gruesome murder of the Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska?

🇺🇸 Today’s Question: Your reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🛫 Lost in Translation, Found in Tunisia: Two TikTokers accidentally flew to Tunis, Tunisia, instead of to Nice, France, after airline booking agents apparently misheard their destination “To Nice” as “Tunis” while making the reservation

👴 Flare for the Dramatic: A 76-year-old Long Island woman shot her 67-year-old neighbor in the face with a flare gun during an argument at their gated senior living community

🚢 High Seas, High Stakes, High Dive: A cruise passenger allegedly jumped overboard to escape a nearly $17,000 gambling debt owed to Royal Caribbean's casino

🏛️ Gavel Trouble: A new Banksy mural depicting a judge attacking a protester with a gavel appeared on London's Royal Courts of Justice building, but was scrubbed away just two days later

🐈 Cat-ch Me If You Can: A Florida family's cat was found at a North Carolina shelter more than 900 miles from home after going missing during a Fourth of July weekend vacation

ROCA WRAP
Mike the Durable

During the Great Depression, people wanted to off Michael Malloy. No one could.

Michael Malloy was a 60-year-old former firefighter from County Donegal who had fallen on hard times in 1930s New York City. Unemployed, alcoholic, and homeless, he spent his days drinking at Tony Marino's speakeasy on Third Avenue, where his extraordinary tolerance for alcohol earned him the nickname "Iron Mike" and "Mike the Durable."

Five of Malloy's drinking companions hatched a scheme in January 1933 to murder him for insurance money. The conspirators began by giving Malloy unlimited drinks, expecting his alcoholism to finish him off naturally. When that failed, they started adding lethal substances to his liquor – first antifreeze, then turpentine, horse liniment, rat poison, and wood alcohol. Remarkably, Malloy continued drinking and survived each attempt. Growing desperate, the group fed him raw oysters soaked in wood alcohol and sandwiches made with spoiled sardines, poison, and carpet tacks. Still, the resilient Irishman kept showing up for his daily drinks, seemingly indestructible.

Abandoning poison, the conspirators tried freezing Malloy to death on a frigid winter night. After he passed out drunk, they carried him to a park, stripped him, dumped him in the snow, and poured five gallons of water on his chest. Police found him and took him to a homeless shelter, where he recovered completely. Finally, they attempted vehicular homicide, with Green driving his taxi into Malloy at 45 miles per hour. This hospitalized him for three weeks with broken bones, but he survived even this brutal assault.

On February 22, 1933, the frustrated killers finally succeeded using carbon monoxide poisoning. After Malloy passed out, they carried him to one of the killer’s rooms, connected a hose from a gas jet to his mouth, and turned it on. Within an hour, “Iron Mike” was dead. Rumors about the seemingly unkillable “Mike the Durable” had spread through local speakeasies, leading police to investigate and exhume the body. All five conspirators were eventually caught, tried, and executed for what became known as one of New York's most bizarre murder cases.

In New York City, even the most durable man eventually meets his match.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Well, we weren’t planning on soft-launching our daily news show on yesterday, but here we are. Going forward we will release a daily 30-minute video/podcast on the news, including our analysis, reports from the road, and interactions with Roca Nation. More to come on that, but this is our first episode.

Our hearts break for his family and loved ones. We had only heard good things about him on a personal level from media friends who knew him.

–Max and Max