🌊 Why Mexico and China are Tariff-ied

White sand beaches meet white snow.

As one of us is a native of Tallahassee and our first Roca college trip was FSU, we are struggling to believe that the Gulf Coast snow pictures you all submitted aren’t AI. For context on the unlikeliness of this snowfall, Pensacola, FL, got 10 inches of snow. The previous record there? 3 inches… set in 1895. We’ve seen some devastating weather news in recent weeks, so it’s nice to finally get a happy one.

Featured pics from the Roca community are in today’s Community section.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Indian Repatriation

India’s government announced plans to repatriate all of its citizens living in the US illegally

• Between 220,000 and 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants live in the US, making them potentially the third largest undocumented nationality, behind Mexico and El Salvador

• This week, India’s government said it has already identified 18,000 Indians living illegally in the US and is collaborating with US authorities to bring them back to India

• India’s government is eager to avoid tariffs, trade conflict, and any changes to legal immigration policy, particularly around the H-1B Visa program, which brings a large number of high-skilled Indians to work for US tech companies

Dig Deeper 

• Keeping the H-1B visa program in effect is a priority for India's government: Indians account for roughly 75% of all H-1B visa recipients

• The program became hotly debated last month, when Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk drew widespread anger from Trump's base by supporting the program, which many accuse of taking high-paying jobs away from American citizens

KEY STORY

Trump Tariffs

President Trump is expected to impose new tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada starting February 1

• The expected tariffs – 10% on China and 25% on Mexico and Canada – would hit America’s top three trading partners, who collectively account for over 1/3 of total US trade

• Trump has blamed the three countries for allowing fentanyl and migrants to enter the US

• The automotive, oil, and chemical industries are among the sectors most affected by the proposed tariffs

Dig Deeper

• Trump is also reportedly considering hitting China with tariffs in order to pressure a sale on TikTok, which he postponed a ban on after his inauguration

• “If we wanted to make a deal with TikTok and it was a good deal and China wouldn’t approve it, then I think ultimately they’d approve it, because we’d put tariffs on China,” Trump stated

• China is looking to avoid a trade war with the US, and one of its Foreign Ministry spokespeople said, China “always [believes] there is no winner in a tariff or trade war”

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KEY STORY

DEI Dies in DC

Trump ordered all federal government DEI employees to be placed on administrative leave by Wednesday, with layoffs expected to follow

• In an executive order, Trump called the programs “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral.” That came after promising in his inauguration speech to “forge a society that is color blind and merit-based”

• The order faced pushback from Democrats and civil rights advocates, particularly Trump’s revoking of a policy put in place by Lyndon B Johnson that prohibited federal contractors from discriminating based on race, religion, gender, or national origin

Dig Deeper

• Trump’s executive order also called for the attorney general to provide recommendations "to encourage the private sector" to end DEI initiatives within 120 days

• Additionally, Trump ordered federal workers back to the office five days a week – something that is expected to trigger a way of resignations and retirements

KEY STORY

Puttin’ Pressure on Putin

President Trump told Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine or face added sanctions

• The US and its allies have placed over 16,500+ sanctions on Russian industry, oligarchs, banks, and assets since the 2022 invasion

• On Wednesday, Trump stated that he had “no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia” if the invasion did not end soon

• Russia has signaled openness to negotiating with President Trump, with Putin on Monday praising Trump’s readiness to “restore direct contacts with Russia”

Dig Deeper

• Despite occupying approximately 20% of Ukraine, Russia continues to face high casualties

• US officials estimate Russian casualties (killed or wounded) exceed 700,000, including 400,000+ in 2024 – more than the previous two years combined

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that his military has lost 43,000 troops, although that’s potentially a significant undercount

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🇺🇸 President Trump announced a joint partnership between several tech giants to launch a $500B AI infrastructure venture called “Stargate”

🇩🇪 An Afghan national awaiting deportation killed a 41-year-old and a 2-year-old in Germany on Wednesday

📈 After record subscriber growth last quarter, Netflix announced it would raise US subscription prices

💰 President Trump issued an executive order halting $300B in funding for green infrastructure, sending shockwaves through the clean energy sector

⚖️ Prince Harry won a large settlement against Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire owner of several UK tabloids, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and other outlets

🪖 The US military ordered thousands of active duty troops to the southern border after President Trump signed an emergency declaration and demanded the military bolster its presence there

COMMUNITY
What does Roca Nation think?

🧐 Yesterday’s Question: Gulf Coast readers, send us snow pics!

🧠 Today’s question: Elvis, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Taylor Swift, and Michael Jackson: Who was the most culturally relevant at their peak? Who was the least?

Replay to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🍻 Bar Burner: A Missouri woman was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for allegedly burning down a Puerto Rican bar and several adjacent businesses on New Year's Day after being kicked out for belligerent behavior

🚓 Jerking Off(icer): A Florida deputy resigned after crashing his patrol car into another vehicle while watching adult videos on his phone, initially trying to blame the accident on faulty brakes

🐈‍⬛ Feline Flyer: A cat named Mittens accidentally completed three international flights in 24 hours after being forgotten in an Air New Zealand plane's cargo hold, racking up nearly 12 hours of unplanned flight time

📱 TikTok FOMO Creates iPhone Gold Rush: Opportunistic iPhone users who kept TikTok installed during its brief US ban are now trying to cash in by selling their phones for up to $25,000 on eBay

🐘 The Elephant in the (Court) Room: The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that five elephants at a Colorado zoo aren't legally "persons" and therefore can't sue for their freedom, despite the court describing them as "majestic"

ROCA WRAP
A Statue Too Far?

Lima, Peru

A controversial statue of a Spanish conquistador has returned to this city's center.

Founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro after his conquest of the Inca Empire, Peru's capital has long grappled with its colonial legacy. The city – which is nicknamed “City of the Kings” and is home to 10M people between the Pacific Ocean and Andes Mountains – blends Spanish colonial architecture with modern urban development.

One example of Lima’s complicated colonial history is a statue of Pizarro that was built by an American sculptor and installed in Lima’s main square in 1935. The statue was taken down 20 years ago and left on the side of some train tracks.

This week, though, Lima's mayor and the regional president of Madrid, Spain jointly unveiled the restored statue during Lima’s 490th anniversary celebration. One Spanish official described the event as commemorating "the beginning of a historic encounter that forever transformed the world."

The reinstatement has sparked protests from indigenous leaders who view Pizarro as a mass murderer who destroyed their culture. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that Pizarro is a historical figure whose actions created Peru’s capital.

While the argument won’t be settled for a long time, one thing remains certain: Pizarro has shaped Peru for 490 years and will continue to do so.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Throwing around a popcorn lid in the kitchen can spark great ideas, Roca Nation. In fact, had Walter Morrison and his future wife Lucile not done so after a Thanksgiving Dinner in 1937, we would not have the frisbee today. The couple later turned to the more aerodynamic cake pan, before inventing the frisbee as we know it 68 years ago today. We really wish they kept the residual caramel flavor...

–Max and Max