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- 🌊 Florida Man Request DENIED
🌊 Florida Man Request DENIED
Plus: USAID ruling, return of woolly mammoths, & world's most expensive Cheeto
Yep, we may be living in a simulation.
The viral Olympic breakdancer Raygun is back in the news, and at first we thought it was an Onion headline. Authorities charged her brother for aiding in a $180k crypto scam. The brother, who allegedly handled the illicit money, is now looking at three years in prison. As if that family needed worse press!
But the good news for him is this: If convicted, he still won’t be the greatest perpetrator of fraud in his family.
🕵🏻 Florida investigates the Tates
🦣 Return of woolly mammoths?
💰 World's most expensive Cheeto
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Florida Investigates Tates
Florida’s attorney general announced that he opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate, days after the brothers traveled from Romania to Florida
Last Thursday, Romania lifted the travel ban placed on them after their arrest on sex trafficking charges following pressure from the Trump Administration
On Tuesday, Florida’s AG posted on X, “Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I’ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers”
Andrew Tate accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of caving to media pressure
Dig Deeper
The Tate brothers continue to face charges in Romania, as well as a criminal sex trafficking indictment and civil tax evasion case in the UK
In the US, they face a civil lawsuit from a woman alleging they coerced her into sex work and then defamed her following her cooperation with Romanian authorities
KEY STORY
USAID Ruling
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration must pay nearly $2B in foreign aid to USAID contractors for previously completed projects
Trump's day-one executive order pausing all foreign aid for 90 days froze USAID’s global projects, leading to lawsuits challenging his authority to dismantle the agency and cut spending
A lower court had ruled that the administration must pay contractors who had already completed work. The administration then appealed to the Supreme Court
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 – with two conservative justices joining the three liberals – to order the administration to pay foreign aid organizations
Dig Deeper
The remaining conservative justices dissented, arguing that the District Court judge cannot force the federal government to make the payments
Justice Samuel Alito wrote: “Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out $2B taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No’”
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KEY STORY
US Suspends Intel Sharing
The US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, US intelligence agencies have provided intelligence to Ukraine’s military, enhancing its ability to identify and strike Russian military targets
Military analysts say that has been essential to Ukraine’s efforts and a key reason why Russia’s advance has stagnated
On Wednesday, the CIA director revealed that he had frozen intelligence channels with Ukraine, dealing a blow to Ukraine’s war effort. He added that intelligence sharing could resume if Zelensky shows a serious willingness to negotiate
Dig Deeper
The intelligence pause comes after Trump cut off military aid to Ukraine earlier this week. Trump officials have repeatedly said the moves are geared toward getting Zelensky to negotiate
After announcing the intelligence pause, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said, "I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause…I think will go away.” He cited Zelensky’s letter expressing a desire to reach a peace and mineral deal as a positive step
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz also suggested the block on military aid could be lifted, saying, “I think if we can nail down these negotiations…and put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause”
KEY STORY
Return of Woolly Mammoths?
Scientists seeking to revive the woolly mammoth announced the creation of a “woolly mouse”
Colossal, a Texas-based biotech company, has raised $435M+ to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth, which went fully extinct around 4,000 years ago
This week, the company announced that they had created a “woolly mouse,” by editing mice genes to give them woolly coats, golden-brown fur, and fat metabolism similar to the mammoths
The researchers said the step brings them closer to “de-extincting” the woolly mammoth, although the viability of that project remains uncertain
Dig Deeper
While the experiment successfully modified physical traits, the researchers still need to conduct tests for cold tolerance, as they haven't yet demonstrated if the genetic modifications help the mice survive in the colder environments woolly mammoths lived in
Still, the company’s CEO called the mouse “a massive validating point” and said they hope the first mammoth calf will be born before 2029
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
💰 Former Migos rapper Offset announced a stadium concert in Moscow next month despite his label’s boycott of Russia
💣 A suspected senior planner in the 2021 suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members at the Kabul airport was arrested by Pakistan and extradited to the US
⚖ A judge denied Elon Musk's request to immediately halt OpenAI's transition into a for-profit company but fast-tracked a trial for this fall, citing "public interest at stake”
🇺🇸 During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, the mayors of Chicago, New York, Boston, and Denver said their “sanctuary city” policies make their cities safer
🚗 President Trump gave automakers a one-month exemption from the tariffs on Mexico and Canada that took effect on Tuesday
What does Roca Nation think?
🧠 Yesterday’s Question: When has Roca/our coverage bothered you most? How can we improve?
I’ve been subscribed for a few years now, and overall, I really enjoy your work — especially the on-the-ground journalism that few other media companies ever explore. And as someone who identifies pretty far to the left politically, I will say that your content and audience have helped me break out of my old echo chamber.
But since you asked… I do feel like you guys tend to fan the flames when it comes to hot-button issues; it almost just comes across as a rebrand of the sensationalism and engagement-baiting that “mainstream media” is known for. On the note of MSM, I feel like you guys fixate too much on trying to dunk on legacy outlets — we all already know their tricks, and that’s probably the main reason we all subscribe to you. There are also some times where subtle biases come through more than you might realize, either through tone or framing (this is normal in writing, but still cheapens the “unbiased” persona). Other times, I feel like you guys try too hard to be funny, even when covering heavy news. I understand not wanting to be as doom-and-gloom as legacy media, but a lot of issues still deserve proper decorum.
Nevertheless, I still plan to stay subscribed to continue widening my worldview. Keep doing your thing. 🫡
Overall, I love Roca! However, it’s not anything to do with the content that bothers me. It is the lack of properly editing the content. The spelling and grammatical errors drive me crazy when riding the wave! 🌊
I love most of your coverage but I hate it when you do deep dives into the personal lives of perpetrators of mass shootings. I'm not saying mass shootings shouldn't be reported on, but the identity of the shooter should be the smallest part of the story. They don't deserve fame or notoriety of any kind, and I believe it encourages other mentally unstable people who are on the brink to follow suit.
🧐 Today’s Question: Have comedians gained too much political influence? Or do you prefer them covering political issues to legacy media?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🌶 Hot Commodity: A Flamin' Hot Cheeto shaped like the Pokémon Charizard sold at auction for $87,840
🛣 Miami Streets Get a Remix: Miami-Dade County commissioners are considering renaming several county streets after hit songs by local music artists, potentially giving them names like "Grind With Me Terrace” and "Act Up Street”
🧙♂️ Gandalf Goes Down: New Zealand police raided the property of 66-year-old Paul "Gandalf" Smith, a renowned "green fairy" who provides affordable medicinal cannabis, charging him with offenses that could land him an eight-year prison sentence
🏀 LeBron Passes 50,000 Points: LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to reach 50,000 career points, achieving the milestone in the Lakers' win over the New Orleans Pelicans
⚖ On-The-Job Experience?: Casey Anthony launched a new TikTok series introducing herself as a “legal advocate and researcher,” claiming she's been in the legal field since 2011—the year she was acquitted of her daughter’s murder in a highly publicized trial
ROCA WRAP
Unknown Country
Lesotho
This country’s leaders are livid that Trump said “nobody has heard of [it].”
A country of 2.3M people wholly surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho has been a major recipient of US foreign aid. While some know it for its beauty – it’s home to southern Africa’s highest peaks – it’s also known for having the world’s second-highest HIV rate and a reported 81% illiteracy rate.
Trump took a shot at Lesotho in his address to Congress on Tuesday night. While listing out questionable government expenditures, he said, “$8 million to promote LGBTQI plus in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.”
The clip went viral on TikTok and sparked chuckles among some members of Congress, but in Lesotho, it was no laughing matter.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Lesotho’s foreign minister said, "To my surprise, 'the country that nobody has heard of' is the country where the US has a permanent mission…Lesotho is a member of the UN and of a number of other international bodies. And the US has an embassy here and [there are] a number of US organisations we've accommodated here in Maseru [the capital]."
"We are not taking this matter lightly," he said, adding that they would send an official protest letter to DC.
But other officials were keen to play down the situation and maintain good ties with the US. Some dismissed Trump's remarks as "off the cuff,” with a foreign affairs spokesman saying, "We maintain very warm and cordial relations with the US.”
And regardless, people have now heard of Lesotho.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
Thank you for not holding back in your answers to yesterday’s question. Most of the responses had to do with our tone, coverage of specific stories (contentious ones mainly), and — sighs — typos. The beauty of the typos is at least you know we’re not AI. But then again… that’s what AI would say.
We’re always trying to improve and live up to our mission as faithfully as possible. Happy Thursday!
–Max and Max