🌊 UK Blocks Puberty Blockers

Bill Belichick is heading back to school!

We’ve seen a lot of crazy headlines lately but “Bill Belichick is the new head coach of UNC” has to be among the wildest. It’s just a matter of time until the 72-year-old six-time Super Bowl champ is mumbling in a cutaway hoodie in the living room of some 5-star recruit in Georgia: “Son, are you gonna commit or not?”

Then again… if you have questions about his ability to recruit young people, just remember that he’s dating a 24-year-old.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Saudi Wins World Cup

FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup

• The Saudi bid went unopposed due to rules that require different continents to host each Cup. North America will host the ‘26 Cup while Europe, Africa, and South America will jointly host the ‘30 Cup, meaning only an Asia or Oceania country could host 2034. Of the potential countries, only Saudi sought the bid

• The move sparked fierce backlash from human rights activists – who say the move will kill migrant workers and strengthen Saudi’s authoritarian government – and environmental campaigners, who said the Cup will be funded by oil sales

Dig Deeper

• In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to rebrand itself as a global hub for sports, tourism, and entertainment. It’s invested billions in those fields, signing athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo

• Saudi Arabia ended up submitting an ambitious bid that scored an all-time record 4.2 out of 5 on FIFA’s evaluation scale. FIFA called the proposal “a unique, innovative and ambitious vision for the ‘next century’ of FIFA World Cups.” Saudi’s plan includes the building of 11 new cutting-edge stadiums, eight of which will be in the capital, Riyadh

KEY STORY

Puberty Blockers Blocked

The UK government banned puberty blockers (PBs) for under-18s with gender dysphoria

• PBs suppress the release of hormones responsible for changes including voice deepening, breast growth, and body hair. While often represented as giving kids extra time to decide whether or not to undergo a transition, studies show that nearly 98% of children who take them go on to take sex-changing hormones

• In April, a UK government-backed study found "remarkably weak evidence" for PBs’ safety and efficacy in youth. On Wednesday, the UK’s left-wing government indefinitely banned their use in gender-dysphoric under-18s, citing an "unacceptable safety risk" to children

Dig Deeper

• The April report concluded that the evidence did not support puberty blockers’ "safety or clinical effectiveness" and led the UK’s National Health Service to stop prescribing them to children. The block is now expanded and extended indefinitely

• "We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice," the nation’s health secretary said

ROCA’S SPONSOR

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Dig Deeper

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KEY STORY

Conservative Empire Drama

A Nevada official blocked Rupert Murdoch's plan to transfer consolidated control of his media empire – which includes Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post – to his son, Lachlan

• Voting rights are set to be split among Rupert’s 4 kids upon his death. Rupert is 93

• This September, Rupert and Lachlan argued in court that Lachlan – the oldest and most conservative child – should inherit all of Rupert’s voting rights, as the outlets’ conservative angle is what has made them successful. Murdoch’s other children – specifically Lachlan’s younger brother James – have said they’ll change this

• The judge said the conservative Murdochs acted in bad faith, though, and that their plan to change the trust was a "carefully crafted charade" to "permanently cement Lachlan Murdoch’s executive roles" inside the empire, "regardless of the impacts such control would have over the companies or the beneficiaries"

• Rupert will appeal and may attempt to sell the companies while he is alive to protect their political interests

Dig Deeper

• James is allegedly not on speaking terms with either Rupert or Lachlan. He endorsed Kamala Harris for president and is known to donate to Democratic causes

KEY STORY

The Onion Gets Rejected

A federal judge has rejected the sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to the satirical website The Onion following Jones’ claims that the bankruptcy auction was fraught with illegal collusion

• Jones had to sell Infowars over his claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged. Last month, The Onion won the bid at a bankruptcy auction, agreeing to pay $7M, including $1.75M cash up front. Jones argued that the auction was rigged and that the bankruptcy managers had turned down higher, better offers

• Late Tuesday, Judge Christopher Lopez threw out the deal, arguing that the bankruptcy auction failed to maximize the money that Sandy Hook families would get from the sale

• Jones praised the decision saying in a video posted to X, “Finally, a judge followed the law”

Dig Deeper

• Part of Jones’ argument is that family settlement money should not be used for the acquisition. He also pointed out that First United American Companies, a nutritional supplements company run in Jones' name, bid $3.5M in cash for it, more than The Onion

• The Onion CEO Ben Collins said he was “deeply disappointed” by the judge’s decision. His plan was to turn Infowars into a parody of itself: “We are planning on making it a very funny, very stupid website... I can't wait to show you what we have cooked up,” Collins wrote

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💰 US inflation in the year to November rose 2.7%, matching forecasts and paving the way for future Federal Reserve rate cuts

🇺🇸 Christopher Wray – the head of the FBI since 2017 – announced he would step down at the end of President Joe Biden’s term. Originally a Trump appointee, Donald Trump has pressured him to step down over allegations of bias

🕌 Syrian rebels set fire to the mausoleum and tomb containing the body of Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 to 2000

🇸🇾 Also in Syria, a BBC journalist reported that a rebel fighter offered the “brotherly advice” that she wear a headscarf: "May I give you a brotherly nice advice? Do you have headscarf?...I think you will be nicer if you wear it as a Muslim woman…If you bring it further and cover all, it will [be] much better," she quoted him as saying. Analysts are waiting to see whether the rebels will enforce Islamism on Syria

🇺🇸 A week after reports suggested that Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth was near to dropping out of consideration, he appears to have won the support of key Republicans

COMMUNITY

🧐 Yesterday’s question: Let’s say money is not an issue and every artist is touring… what would be your dream concert?

🧠 Today’s question: What’s your reaction to the social media fanfare for Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of the United Healthcare CEO?

Reply to this email to let us know what you think!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🙏 “Pray for the Intel Employees”: Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger called for prayer and fasting to honor the company’s employees

🏆 NOT Lost in Translation: Nigel Richards won the Spanish World Scrabble Championships despite not speaking Spanish, adding to his English titles and two French championships

🤖 Mommie, where did Moxie Go?: The company behind "Moxie," a $799 AI robot companion for kids, announced it would shut down, forcing children to say a last goodbye to their robots

⛰️ Kobayashi Found: Missing woman Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe more than a month after her mysterious disappearance that resulted in her father's suicide

🧑‍🏫 Proud of My Student: A University of Pennsylvania professor made her social profile private after sharing her excitement that the UnitedHealth CEO killer attended Penn

ROCA WRAP

Mystery Malady

Democratic Republic of Congo

An unidentified disease outbreak in this country has killed 31 people.

A vast central African nation of 95M people, the DRC has long grappled with health challenges due to its remote regions, limited infrastructure, and tropical climate. Both HIV and Ebola were first identified here, the former in Kinshasa, the capital, and the latter near the Ebola River.

When disease outbreaks do occur, the country's size and lack of roads make it particularly difficult for healthcare workers to reach affected areas, especially during the rainy season.

For these reasons, a new unknown illness in the DRC is drawing concern after infecting 416 people in a remote district some 700km from Kinshasa. This week, tests showed that 10 of 12 samples were positive for malaria, which the WHO said suggests multiple diseases may be involved.

That may prove a helpful clue as scientists race to determine what the illness is, a task complicated by the region's isolation and limited laboratory capabilities. With poor mobile and internet coverage, and a two-day drive from the nearest major healthcare hub, authorities face significant challenges in testing for rare pathogens, possibly requiring samples to be sent abroad.

The Africa CDC has deployed a team to support the WHO and local health ministry's investigations. Meanwhile, local authorities have implemented containment measures including movement restrictions and mask requirements, while scientists try to learn more about the outbreak.

For now, the DRC can only hope the new mystery malady doesn’t become as notorious as others from its past.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Google released its “Year in Search” findings and the top five most-searched people were:

1. Donald Trump

2. Catherine, Princess of Wales

3. Kamala Harris

4. Imane Khelif (the Algerian boxer from the Olympics)

5. Joe Biden

We just can’t believe it… “Max from Roca” didn’t make the cut? We demand a recount. Have a great Thursday!

–Max and Max