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🌊 Your Incredible Generosity in North Carolina
Plus: The crown jewel of the election, Google in trouble, & more...
Hurricane Updates:
1) Helene - Scroll below to see a very special Wrap today on the incredible impact of your support of Katie and her western North Carolina community. We are truly overwhelmed by your generosity and that of Roca Riders like Katie.
2) Milton - Despite devastating damage to Siesta Keys, Venice, and Sarasota, the Tampa area was spared the massive storm surge that was predicted. The winds caused extreme damage and tore off the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field, but the worst-case scenario was avoided. Prayers for all of you affected.
😳 Is Google in trouble?
🗳 The crown jewel of the election
❤️ Roca Nation helps North Carolina
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Roblox: Predator Haven?
Hindenburg – a “short-seller” that bets against companies and releases investigative reports to explain why – alleged that Roblox is a haven for sex predators
Pretending to be a 13-year-old user on the platform, Hindenburg claims to have found tens of thousands of users openly soliciting sexual favors and trading child porn
The “user” also discovered virtual games, including “Escape to Epstein Island” and “Diddy Party”
Hindenburg claimed that Roblox prioritized growth over children’s safety, thereby allowing pedophiles to “efficiently target hundreds of children.” Roblox said the company had an “agenda”
Dig Deeper
Hindenburg claimed that Roblox prioritized growth over children’s safety, thereby allowing pedophiles to “efficiently target hundreds of children”
Roblox called the claims “simply misleading” and said their authors “have an agenda”
KEY STORY
Google in Trouble?
Google is facing its greatest headwinds in years
In August, a US judge ruled that Google had illegally built a search engine monopoly. On Tuesday, the US Justice Department disclosed that it may attempt to break up Google, including by forcing it to divest Chrome or Android
On Monday, a judge ruled that Google must allow competitors to the Play Store on Android Devices, and a separate ongoing case seeks to break up Google’s control over web advertising
Meanwhile, Google’s share of the search advertising market has declined from 60% to 50% in the last three years. AI may accelerate this trend further
Dig Deeper
The biggest gainer in the search advertising market has been Amazon, whose market share has doubled from 12% to ~25% since 2019
Still, Google remains by far one of the world's most profitable companies and a break-up is no guarantee: In the 1990s, the US government sought to break up Microsoft over a monopoly, but Microsoft won on appeal and remained in tact
Short of a break up, Google could face less drastic measures, including a ban on its paying to have its search engine set as the default on devices
ROCA’S SPONSOR
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Dig Deeper
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KEY STORY
Animal Fusion
For the first time, scientists observed animals fusing together
A researcher at the University of Exeter (UK) published a study detailing how comb jellies – a gelatinous, see-through invertebrate – can fuse
Jokura found that injured jellies can combine to create a larger single organism with permanently combined nervous systems and stomachs. The researchers believe this is the first recorded instance of fusion among living beings of any kind
The jellies can fully fuse within 24 hours of making contact. The team is prepping more research
Dig Deeper
“So far, there have been no reports of this type of fusion in other species,” the lead researcher said
The research team believes the behavior is rare among comb jellies in the wild because two jellies rarely get close enough to fuse
KEY STORY
The Crown Jewel of This Election
Pennsylvania is the most coveted state in the 2024 election for both the Trump and Harris campaigns, per new spending data
From January 1, 2023 to October 8, 2024, the Harris/Biden campaigns and Democrat-aligned super PACs have spent $180M on political ads in Pennsylvania, more than in any other state
Similarly, the Trump campaign and Republican-aligned super PACs have spent $170M on political ads in Pennsylvania, also more than in any other state
Second for both campaigns is Michigan. Overall, Harris has spent $654M on political ads, while Trump has spent $513M
Dig Deeper
The seven swing states that will likely decide this election are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Nevada
With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the most consequential swing state, followed by Georgia and North Carolina with 16 apiece. Michigan has 15; Arizona has 11; Wisconsin has 10; and Nevada has 6
Michigan has drawn the next-most ad money of the swing states, getting $120M from Harris and $88M from Trump
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🏫 Princeton University – by some metrics, the US’s top university – reversed a policy that tightly limited when fossil fuel companies could fund research
🪖 “War,” an upcoming book by veteran political journalist Bob Woodward, claims that Donald Trump has spoken to Vladimir Putin on the phone up to seven times since leaving office
✖️ Brazil’s Supreme Court lifted its ban on X after the company agreed to remove some accounts from the platform
👮 The FBI said it foiled an election-day terror plot. The accused individual, a 27-year-old Afghan man living in Oklahoma City, had allegedly stockpiled automatic weapons and taken steps to move his family back to Afghanistan
🏆 The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to a trio – two AI developers and a biochemist – who developed a way to accurately predict a protein’s structure in minutes and design new ones. The Nobel Committee said their work is enabling researchers to better understand antibiotic resistance and create enzymes that can decompose plastic, among other things
COMMUNITY
🧐 Yesterday’s question: What is the main reason religion has declined in America over the last 50 years? (Doing a video on it and want to hear your thoughts)
I think the reason religion has declined is because of religion itself. Religion, based on my knowledge of history, provided structure and guidance to the community (whether good or not). The church used to guide the community, but more and more the community now guides the church. The church has grown less defined and more flexible, and in many ways has lost its purpose to the country. People don't want to attend something unless it provides meaning and rules for them to rely on, and most don't anymore.
If you're a Christian, which I am, this is all predicted though in the Bible ☺️.
I think the main reason begins with the cultural rebellion movements in the 60s. That's when the seed of radical individualism really started to grow. Religion, similar to military service, is fundamentally about being part of something greater than oneself, and both come at a cost to the ego. To really benefit from any religion, one has to choose a mindset of humility and sacrifice time, energy, and thought for others. That's (unfortunately) offensive to the current cultural trend of self-glorification at any opportunity.
The Catholic Church’s sweeping all of the horrific abuse by priests under the rug - then defending their actions. As someone who was touched inappropriately by a priest ( I threatened to tell if he did it again and since my father was a deacon he stayed away from me) I KNOW that was the beginning of my complete rejection of the church. One of my sisters was molested by a Baptist minister in our neighborhood as well. That the church did not report and openly revile these men is a stain of shame that the church will never shake off.
🧠 Today’s question: When was America at its best?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
👽 What about when looking in mirror? In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk suggested he’s never seen an alien, saying most UFOs seen on Earth are likely classified government technology
🙋♀️ Penalty box jail: A Minnesota mom pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two 15-year-old hockey players she met at a hotel where she was staying with her spouse and two children
Nah a Moo Deng cake is too far.
😔 Country singer in low places: Country star Garth Brooks – of “Friends in Low Places” fame – sued the woman who accused him of rape and sexual assault, claiming that she had blackmailed him for millions of dollars
✈️ A turbulent flight indeed: A Turkish Airlines flight made an emergency landing in New York City after the pilot died halfway through the flight
😡 Anyone see his sense of humor?: Radio host Howard Stern said he “hates” to see comedian Maya Rudolph impersonate Kamala Harris on SNL because there’s “too much at stake”
ROCA WRAP
Roca Nation’s Impact in North Carolina
Last Friday, a longtime Roca reader named Katie wrote to us. She’s a nurse in western North Carolina and asked for our help.
In addition to her normal jobs – one as a hospital nurse, the other as a nurse for the Town of Wilkesboro – she has been making runs to the mountain communities who are in “dire need” of help.
“Last night on a late night supply drop to Spruce Pine, I was told that there will be a VERY serious need for winter gear and basic clothing soon. It was chilly last night and the temps will start to drop fast,” she wrote.
We got on the phone with her to see how the Roca community could help.
She sent us an Amazon gift registry with winter clothing items for kids and other essentials. We plugged the registry in our Friday newsletter – and the result was magnificent.
At first, there were dozens of boxes delivered to her; then hundreds.
Her Amazon delivery guy asked her, “What’s going on?”
The Roca community had come through in an extraordinary way.
“You… and the entire community are angels to us. I’m keeping all of the notes to take up there. They are beautiful. Please remind people that it would be great if they put in a note of encouragement and where they are from 💜,” Katie wrote.
So far, a lot has been delivered: “Over 100 coats, over 200 hats/gloves, nearly 100 boots, around 60 sleeping bags/blankets, and so many warm sweaters/pants.”
We asked her if we were flooding her home and overwhelming her already-fatigued self.
She responded, “We are HAPPY to be flooded and we will take everything we can. This is by no means a one man operation and we can handle ANYTHING we can get. I appreciate y’all for all you do for news.”
If you would like to support, she’s updated the registry with more items – including elder clothing items – and we’ve put that registry in the bio.
The way Katie and her husband Ross are helping their community is profoundly inspiring. Thank you to those of you who have supported them. For those who still wish to, the link is here. If you buy something, please make sure to deliver to “Rossy’s Gift Registry Address!”
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
If you live in the Sarasota area, Tampa area, or anywhere affected by Milton, please let us know if there’s any way we can help. Also, if you have any on-the-ground stories to share, those would be welcome, too.
We landed in Georgia yesterday to interview voters and cover various stories through the weekend. There is truly nothing like the South. Feels great to be back.
–Max and Max