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- š The Great JFK Disclosure
š The Great JFK Disclosure
Plus: AI getting faster, Israel resumes airstrikes, & the decline of Evangelical power
Happy Least Productive Month!
Thanks to March Madness, March takes the crown for the least productive month. Apparently watching 12 hours of basketball and placing bets on Lipscomb moneyline is not great for the economy. In fact, today and tomorrow alone will cost the US an estimated $20B in lost productivity. Now, to that the fact that my Uncle Gary is live tweeting his 80,000-page read through of the JFK files in my family group chat (no, Uncle Gary, JFK was not vaxxed), and my productivity is about to tank even more.
š§ JFK files released
š®š± Israel resumes airstrikes
š„ How Evangelicals lost their power
āMax and Max
KEY STORY
Congoās Secret Offer
The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) secretly offered the US access to critical minerals in exchange for military support against a rebel group
The DRC is considered Africaās most resource-rich country, with vast deposits of critical minerals. It has faced a fierce military offensive from M23, a paramilitary rebel group backed by Rwanda since 2022
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the DRCās president secretly offered President Trump access to its minerals in return for a āformal security pactā to help defeat M23, but did not specify the exact nature of US military support
Dig Deeper
The DRCās presidentās offer was sent as he was in talks with Erik Prince, the founder of the US mercenary company Blackwater (now Constellis), to provide security assistance for the government and mining companies
Thereās no indication that Trump is considering it
KEY STORY
AI Getting Faster
A new study found that AI models have advanced in their ability to beat humans in technical tasks
Since 2019, an AI research non-profit has tested 13 AI modelsā ātask-completion time horizonā ā the time it takes human experts to complete coding, general reasoning, and machine learning tasks
They found that since 2019, the models completed twice as complex tasks every seven months. In 2024, the rate accelerated to every three months
In 2019, OpenAIās model failed all tasks that took humans 1 minute. Anthropicās new model reliably completed 50% of tasks that took people 59 minutes
Dig Deeper
The researchers posit that AI models will be able to complete tasks that take humans about a month at 50% reliability by 2029 or sooner, assuming the 2019-2024 rate of progress
They found that the best models currently operate at a 40-minute time horizon, which doesnāt provide substantial economically valuable work, but this could change in the coming years
QUOTE OF THE DAY
If men were angels, no government would be necessary
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KEY STORY
JFK Files
The National Archives released a batch of ~1,100 files, roughly 31,000 pages, related to President John F. Kennedyās assassination
Congress ordered the release of all records related to JFKās assassination in 1992. The National Archives has said 99% have since been released, but many were heavily redacted
On Tuesday night, the Trump Administration released unredacted documents on JFKās assassination and CIA operations in the 1960s, particularly in Latin America and Cuba
Early analysis of the files found that most have been previously released, though new information could be uncovered as the documents are reviewed or if more are released
Dig Deeper
Much of the previously classified information focuses on the CIAās operations in Latin America, particularly regarding Cuba and Fidel Castro
Some documents detail operations to overthrow Castro, including one from 1964 describing two CIA assets discussing assassinating Castro during Lyndon B. Johnsonās presidency, though it says that plan was "shelved" due to opposition from RFK, the then-attorney general
KEY STORY
Israel Resumes War
Israeli forces launched a ground operation in Gaza, resuming the war against Hamas
On Tuesday, the ceasefire ended after Israel carried out major airstrikes in Gaza, allegedly targeting Hamas positions but killing a reported 400+ people
After the strikes, Israeli PM Netanyahu said, āFrom now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing force. From now on, negotiations will only take place under fireā
On Wednesday, Israeli forces seized the Netzarim Corridor, which splits Gaza in half, to expand āthe security areaā and create a ābuffer zone.ā Israel has said it will soon resume evacuations of Gazans
Dig Deeper
In a "final warningā message to Gaza residents, Israelās defense minister said, āWhat comes next will be much harsher, and you will bear the full consequencesā
He added, āSoon, the evacuation of the population from combat zones will resume. If all Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not removed from Gaza, Israel will act with force beyond anything you have ever seenā
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
š± Apple announced that it will begin providing end-to-end encryption for messages sent between Apple and Android devices
š§āš In his first public statement, Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student and green card holder detained by ICE for his role in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, called himself a āpolitical prisonerā
šŖ After a call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky on Wednesday, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire prohibiting attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure
š The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 4.3% while simultaneously raising its inflation and lowering its GDP growth projections for 2025
šāāļø The Trump Administration paused $175M in federal grants and funding to the University of Pennsylvania for allowing a transgender athlete to compete on its womenās swimming team
What does Roca Nation think?
š§ Yesterdayās Question: If you took over the Democratic Party, whatās one thing you would change to make it more popular?
As a lifelong Democrat, the first thing I would do is come out as a party to say that it should not be partisan to want toxins removed from our foods or to be against men competing in womenās sports. Those two subjects should not be partisan. They should just be common sense and a common sense approach is the direction the party needs to be moving towards.
Also, half the country isnāt racist, letās stop saying it is.
And then I would go down the line to find common ground on as many issues as possible, because citizens did not vote in Democrats to simply pout and hold up signs with clever catchphrases. Elected officials need to DO THE WORK. Find common ground with dare I say it ā Republicans. And get as much common sense legislation passed that we can. This eagerness to work together will help us move forward with other more controversial bills as well.
I would split it in half. There's no reason AOC and Chuck Schumer should have to be in the same party. The Progressives and Moderate Democrats have completely different ideas a out how to make the party electable, so why not make each their own party? As long as they only put forward one presidential candidate and one candidate in battleground states, they won't have to worry about splitting the vote. But people in places like California should get a real choice in who they elect for senators and governor, instead of "Democrat" and "the idiot who thinks a republican can win California."
Democrat popularity is at an all-time low because they don't care about their constituents and most are out of touch with voters. They continue to run candidates with corporate ties that don't plan on changing anything.
Republicans can at least do a good job at spinning the story in their favor.
š§ Todayās Question: If you took over the Republican Party, whatās one thing you would change to make it more popular?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
ā½ US Soccerās Relegation Experiment: The United Soccer League plans to become the first US professional sports league to adopt promotion and relegation, distinguishing itself from MLS' closed system
šµ Fossil Fumble: A professor is suing his university after his collection of 380M-year-old fossils ended up in a landfill because the university failed to pay its UPS bills
š½ Royal Flush: Two men have been convicted for the 2019 theft of an 18-carat gold toilet worth $6.2M from the birthplace of Winston Churchill, where it was installed as part of an art exhibition
š 'Fish Doorbell' Goes Viral: A Dutch city installed a live-streamed "fish doorbell," allowing viewers to alert authorities when fish need to pass through a river lock during their spring migration, attracting millions of viewers
š Reptile Retreat: Michigan police responded to a motel after housekeeping discovered a live alligator under the bed in a recently vacated room
ROCA WRAP
A Threatening Mayor
Istanbul
This city's popular mayor was detained in a dawn raid.
Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and cultural heart, straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. The metropolis of 16M has historically been a political launching pad, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself rising to national prominence after serving as its mayor in the 1990s.
In 2019, the opposition gained control of this crucial city for the first time in Erdogan's era, marking a significant political shift.
Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's popular opposition mayor, was detained early Wednesday morning when police raided his residence. The arrest comes just days before Imamoglu was expected to be chosen as his party's 2028 presidential candidate.
He faces accusations of terrorism, money laundering, and other financial crimes. Many say the allegations are politically motivated.
Imamoglu won re-election last year and has built a reputation as the most effective opposition leader in the country. The night before his arrest, though, Istanbul University revoked his diploma, citing irregularities ā a move that would prevent him from running for president.
The mayor condemned the actions as a "coup against the will of the people" and called on supporters to resist. On Wednesday, anti-government protests broke out, prompting authorities to quickly declare a ban on public demonstrations and close roads and some metro lines.
Analysts view the arrest as a potential turning point, potentially undermining what remains of competitive electoral politics in Turkey.
For a city that is no stranger to power struggles, this latest battle for Istanbul may prove one of its most consequential yet.
EDITORāS NOTE
How Evangelicals Lost the Republican Party
For the last half century, thereās been no force more influential in the Republican Party than Evangelical Christians. But in this Trump term, they are nowhere to be found. This is the fascinating story of Evangelical Christians on the right, featuring an interview with Reverend Matthew Kaemingk of the Fuller Seminary.
EDITORāS NOTE
Final Thoughts
We wish all of your brackets the best of luck, and we would like to extend that luck the liquor cabinets of those whose brackets are broken before the clocks strikes 3. Remember, itās all just for fun, although we did place all the Roca savings on Lipscomb moneyline.
Have a wonderful day, and thank you for reading Roca!
āMax and Max