🌊 Trump Lands a EUge Deal

We didn’t even have the money to egg Mark Zuckerberg’s house…

“Inside the Richest Zip Code in America” is the second of our four videos in the Bay Area. This side of the Bay Area is not just a stunning contrast to what you saw in our Oakland video, but also to the other series we will be launching this week on northern Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, and southeastern Indiana. We like to hold a mirror to America, and that means capturing both Silicon Valley and the Rust Belt.

Unfortunately we couldn’t egg Mark Zuckerberg’s house in this area, since we could neither find it nor afford the eggs. Oh well… guess we’ll have to pay him back for shadowbanning us on Instagram in the Metaverse instead.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

US and EU Reach Deal

The US and EU reached a trade deal

• Trump had threatened to hit the bloc with a 30% tariff on August 1, potentially devastating trade between the partners

• On Sunday, the sides reached a deal under which the US will apply a 15% tariff on European goods, while cutting its tariff on European vehicles from 25% to 15%. Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal after meeting in Scotland on Sunday

• The trade deal marks the biggest one yet reached by the Trump Administration: The EU sets trade policy for all of its 27 member states, who, taken together, are the US’ largest trade partner

Dig Deeper

• Trump said the US would now apply a baseline tariff of 15% on European goods, with a higher 50% tariff on steel and aluminum. He also said the EU had agreed to invest $600B in the US, buy $750B worth of American energy, and eliminate tariffs on American goods

• Von der Leyen didn’t immediately comment on the deal’s particulars, but said, “We made it.” She celebrated the agreement as ensuring “that trade goes on between the two of us across the Atlantic”

• While full EU benefits aren’t clear, the deal does lower the tariff on European autos from 25% to 15%. The deal will raise the US’ baseline tariff on most European goods from 10% to 15%

KEY STORY

France to Recognize Palestine

French President Macron announced that France will formally recognize Palestinian statehood

• 147 of 193 UN member states recognize Palestine as a state; however, the US, Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe do not. Since the beginning of the current war in Gaza, Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Slovenia all have

• Macron announced last week that France would recognize Palestine as an independent state, effective at the UN General Assembly in September. France will thereby become the first G7 nation – a group of the most powerful Western countries – to do so

• France called it a step toward peace, while Israel said it rewarded terrorism

Dig Deeper 

• France’s foreign minister said the recognition "supports the camp of peace over the camp of war." The decision has put pressure on other European countries, particularly Britain, to follow suit; however, Germany said it has "no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term"

• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the decision, stating, "We strongly condemn President Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the move "reckless"

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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KEY STORY

Epstein’s Birthday Letters

The Wall Street Journal released additional notes from Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday album

• Earlier this month, the Journal reported that Trump had signed the album and left a message that said, "May every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump denied writing the letter and sued the paper for $20B

• On Friday, the WSJ released additional letters, including from the current UK ambassador to the US and President Bill Clinton, whose note said, "It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends"

Dig Deeper

• The professionally bound album included contributions from approximately five dozen people, organized into categories like "Friends," "Business," "Science," "Brooklyn," and "Family." Epstein’s brother told the WSJ that he recalled Ghislaine Maxwell putting it together

• Trump and Bill Clinton were both listed under the "Friends" group alongside around 20 other associates, including Wall Street billionaire Leon Black, attorney Alan Dershowitz, and UK politician Peter Mandelson, currently the British Ambassador to the US

• Leon Black – formerly CEO of Apollo, one of the largest private equity companies – reportedly provided a handwritten poem: "Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically / With this net of fish, Jeff's now 'The Old Man and The Sea.'" It was signed, "Love and kisses, Leon"

• Black’s spokesperson declined to comment

• Nathan Myhrvold, a billionaire former Microsoft executive, submitted photos from an Africa trip which the Journal described as: "a monkey screaming, lions and zebras mating, and a zebra with its penis visible." His spokeswoman said he doesn't recall the submission and regularly shares wildlife photography

KEY STORY

Political Merger?

Skydance Media secured approval of its acquisition of Paramount Global after pleading not to be excessively liberal

• Paramount owns networks including CBS, MTV, and Comedy Central; Skydance is a smaller production company owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison

• Last July, Skydance agreed to buy Paramount for $8B – part of consolidation as legacy media tries to compete with tech giants. On Thursday, the US government approved the merger

• To secure approval, Ellison pledged that CBS would deliver unbiased news and that its “editorial decision-making reflects the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers”

• The company will also create a position to monitor complaints of bias

Dig Deeper 

• The merger comes after CBS agreed to pay Trump $16M after he sued over its allegedly deceptive editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris

• Critics of that deal included Stephen Colbert – host of CBS’ “The Late Show” – a frequent Trump critic whose show was canceled exactly one week before the Skydance deal was approved

• Some have said CBS canceled Colbert’s show to win government approval; others – and the company – said the show was canceled because it was losing $40M-$50M a year

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📈 While looking into his wife's stock trading, House ethics investigators accused Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) of violating conduct rules

⚖️ The DoJ met with Ghislaine Maxwell for the second time on Friday to discuss individuals involved in the Epstein case

🇮🇱 Israel allowed Arab aid air drops to resume and announced a daily pause in military activity in parts of the Gaza Strip amid concerns about a potential starvation crisis in the territory

🛬 An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aborted takeoff in Denver after its landing gear collapsed and caught fire

🇺🇦 The EU announced it would withhold €1.5B ($1.7B) in aid from Ukraine over concerns about corruption

What does Roca Nation think?

🇮🇱 Today’s Question: Do you think your friends are more or less pro-Israel than they were a month ago? Why? Feel free to answer for yourself instead.

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🍿 Put the popcorn in the bag, bro: James Cameron plans to make three more Avatar movies, with the last one coming out in 2031

⛳️ Tee Time Tribute: Adam Sandler honored the late Cameron Boyce with a heartfelt tribute in Happy Gilmore 2

🐶 Who’s the fattest boy: More than half of dogs in the US are overweight, per a new study that tracked over 14,000 dogs

💌 Signed, Sealed, 250 Years Delivered: The US Postal Service celebrated its 250th anniversary on Saturday, reflecting on two and a half centuries of mail delivery across the nation

⚓ Hull Yes: A shipwreck off a remote Scottish beach has finally been identified two and a half centuries after it sank

ROCA WRAP
Back to Masks

Honduras

This Central American nation brought back mandatory mask requirements after Covid cases spiked beyond last year's totals.

The nation of 10M people has faced significant public health challenges throughout its history, from natural disasters to infectious disease outbreaks. Like many developing countries, Honduras struggled heavily when the Covid pandemic hit, with limited healthcare infrastructure and resources to manage the crisis. In response to that, the country implemented a mask mandate that it didn’t lift until 2023. Now, two years later, it’s putting it back.

Health officials announced this week that the country has already exceeded its total Covid case count from all of last year, recording 654 infections from January through July compared to 596 cases during the same period in 2024. Two people died from the virus this week, both with underlying health conditions, bringing Honduras' 2025 death toll to six. Officials report that five patients are currently hospitalized with suspected Covid at the country's main teaching hospital.

In response, on Thursday, the government reinstated mask mandates across public spaces including hospitals, airports, shopping centers, banks, schools, and public transportation. It also ordered government employees to work from home as authorities attempt to slow the spread. The health ministry is also ramping up vaccination campaigns for both Covid and flu while urging citizens to seek medical attention for respiratory symptoms. Health officials have warned they may expand restrictions if case numbers keep climbing.

In Honduras, what to many is unthinkable – a return to lockdown – is real life.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day to all who celebrate! We’re not sure if today celebrates chocolates with high concentrations of milk and sugar or if the manufacturer of our calendar is dyslexic and really loves chocolate milk. Either way, it’s a cause worth celebrating.

Hope you had a great weekend.

–Max and Max