🌊 The Military Takes Border Control

For all of you unable to sleep last night…

We are pleased to report that Katy Perry and the all-female Blue Origin space crew have returned safely to Earth after an 11-minute trip to space. Upon their arrival, Jeff Bezos greeted them with his supervillain laugh that tested the structural integrity of the capsule more than Earth’s atmosphere, and space experts Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian were on the ground to tell reporters it’s a “huge day in history.”

Can we establish a new rule that requires you to be in space for longer than it takes to make nachos to be considered an astronaut? Nevertheless, welcome home, crew!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Russian Strike

On Sunday, a Russian strike in Ukraine killed 34 civilians and injured over 100, making it the deadliest attack of the war this year

• In response to the attack, Zelensky posted a video of the destruction and urged the public to “put pressure on Russia to end the war”

• Ukrainian officials said the city’s center was crowded with people celebrating Palm Sunday

• On Friday, the EU announced $24B in military aid for Ukraine, signaling that a peace deal may be far away

Dig Deeper 

• The strike follows US envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Vladimir Putin on Friday, Witkoff's third with Putin this year

• Witkoff told Trump after the meeting that the fastest way to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine was to give Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions, per Reuters

• Witkoff’s comments sparked some pushback from Trump’s Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg, who reportedly denied the suggestion that Ukraine should be unilaterally partitioned

KEY STORY

Military Takes Control of the Border

President Trump signed an order authorizing the US military to take control of land on the US-Mexico border

• The Trump Administration has significantly increased the military’s presence on the border, deploying units of advanced combat vehicles and several thousand troops in February

• On Friday, Trump ordered the military to take control of federal land along the US-Mexico border to create a militarized ‘buffer zone’ to detain migrants

• The move also raises questions about whether the US is planning military action in Mexico. Last week, NBC reported that US officials are considering launching drone strikes on Mexican drug cartels

Dig Deeper

• The transfer of the Roosevelt Reservation would give the military stationed there authority to detain illegal immigrants, who would in effect be trespassing onto a military base. Those immigrants could be detained until they are turned over to Homeland Security

• Whether the military has the legal authority to detain migrants is unclear, as the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits troops from carrying out law enforcement tasks with few exceptions

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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• Explore the opportunity before the next big move

KEY STORY

Le Pen Appeals

Marine Le Pen appealed her ban from politics in hopes of regaining eligibility for the 2027 election

• Le Pen – a prominent right-wing politician and frontrunner for the presidency in 2027 – was convicted of embezzling EU funds to pay party officials. She was put under house arrest for 2 years and banned from running for office for 5 years

• The Paris Court of Appeals said it would expedite her case to allow for a 2026 decision. The court’s decision to ban Le Pen from politics sparked criticism from political leaders around the world and many in France, both in her party and others

Dig Deeper

• The court’s decision to ban Le Pen from politics for five years sparked criticism from political leaders around the world and many in France, both in her party and others

• While her suspended house arrest sentence could possibly be overturned, a more likely outcome is an amendment to the political ban, which is in effect during the appeals process

• The political ban is unusual. As one French law professor told Euronews, “The fact that the sentence of ineligibility handed down to Marine Le Pen was provisionally enforced is indeed a rather rare decision,” particularly in Europe

KEY STORY

Governor’s Mansion Arson

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house was set on fire Sunday, forcing his family to evacuate

• Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s governor since 2023, is viewed as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate

• Officials called the fire an act of arson, which “caused a significant amount of damage.” Later on Sunday, police arrested a 38-year-old suspect. He is expected to be charged with murder, arson, and terrorism

• Hours beforehand, Shapiro posted a photo of his family celebrating Passover, leading some to speculate that the incident was an antisemitic attack

Dig Deeper

• Authorities said that the man jumped a fence and used homemade incendiary devices to start the fire. He is expected to be charged with attempted murder, arson, and terrorism

• Shapiro said on Sunday, “If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community, who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this we celebrated our faith last night, proudly”

• He added, “No one will deter me or my family, or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇬🇧 The UK’s government took control of British Steel, its last major domestic steelmarker, to prevent the closure of its blast mills

💣 The US announced plans to speed up production of a new nuclear bomb

👨🏽‍💼 The world’s largest call center operator is using AI to “neutralize” the accents of Indian customer service agents, which the company claims will improve clarity and customer service

💨 Preparing for powerful winds, Chinese officials canceled hundreds of flights and advised millions to stay indoors, warning people under 110 pounds that they could be “easily blown away”

📱 President Trump announced that there would be no tariff exemption for smartphones and other electronics manufactured in China

⛳ Rory McIlroy won the Masters, completing his career Grand Slam – winning all four major tournaments – with his fifth major title and his first since 2014

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Today’s Question: Are tourist trips to space a waste of money?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🎟 Party Now, Pay Later: Approximately 60% of concertgoers at the Coachella music festival used a “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) payment plan to purchase tickets, per Billboard Pro

🏌️‍♂️ Water Hazard: Amateur golfer Jose Luis Ballester received his loudest ovation of the day after urinating in a creek during the opening round of the Masters

🐟 Fish PEDs?: A new study found that wild salmon are swimming faster along their migratory routes due to painkillers and other drugs entering rivers and the sea

🚔 Police Chase Hail Mary: A woman in Utah was arrested after leading police on a 130 mph chase, during which she called AAA for roadside assistance after officers spiked her tires

💦 War on Showerheads?: President Trump signed an order redefining the word “showerhead” in federal rules in an effort to end the “war on water pressure and make America's showers great again”

ROCA WRAP
Freedom City

Silicon Valley tech investors are promoting Greenland as a possible site for a “freedom city.”

“Freedom cities” operate with minimal government intervention, often involving deregulated economies, no taxes, and policies inspired by libertarian or anarcho-capitalist ideas. Tech billionaires have long promoted the creation of tech-oriented freedom or “start-up cities,” an idea backed by high-profile Silicon Valley billionaires including Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen.

Last week, Reuters reported that early-stage discussions are underway about creating a tech-focused “freedom city” in Greenland, an idea reportedly supported by President Trump’s pick for ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery. Howery co-founded a venture-capital firm with Peter Thiel and is a longtime friend of Elon Musk.

The vision for Greenland reportedly includes a hub for innovation focused on AI, autonomous vehicles, space launches, and small-scale nuclear reactors. Greater US control over Greenland is popular in tech circles, as Greenland’s cold weather could reduce the costs of cooling down data centers and its untapped reserves of rare earth minerals are needed to manufacture advanced technology. 

While tech leaders have not publicly commented on the proposal, one investor said expanding to Greenland “can be the dawn of a new Manifest Destiny,” and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale said he supported “expanding our country to Greenland.” Another Silicon Valley executive called for creating a freedom city in Greenland because its environment could provide a test site for colonizing Mars, one of Elon Musk’s major focuses. 

The push extends far beyond Greenland. The CEO of a startup city in Honduras known as Próspera told Wired that he and other Próspera executives part of an advocacy group called the Freedom Cities Coalition have met with the Trump Administration about expanding freedom cities in the US. Although hurdles still exist to make their vision a reality, the idea may not be totally in the cold.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We hope that spring has sprung where you are because it certainly hasn’t in New York. Granted, spring looks different in different places: If you're in the midwest, for example, spring is a beautiful day sandwiched between flurries and a tornado. But no matter what spring looks like for you, we hope you had a nice weekend!

–Max and Max