- The Current
- Posts
- đ Tim Apple Becomes Tim Minerals
đ Tim Apple Becomes Tim Minerals
Plus: New Lee Harvey Oswald finding, ice cream makers go MAHA, & package pile-up in San Jose
Hold on⊠gotta take this.
Alexander Graham Bell is calling.
Sorry. Hereâs some news.
â Apple goes in on US rare earths
đ§ CIA monitored Lee Harvey Oswald?
đŠ Package pile-up in San Jose
âMax and Max
KEY STORY
Rare Earths Heat Up
Days after the Pentagon bought a stake in MP Materials, Apple announced a deal with the company
Rare-earth minerals are essential components used to manufacture vital magnets in modern technology. China dominates rare earth production, posing a potential threat to American businesses and technology
Last Thursday, the Pentagon agreed to buy a $400M stake in MP Materials, which operates America's only rare-earth mine
On Tuesday, Apple announced a $500M deal to buy rare earths from MP Materials
Dig Deeper
The Pentagon deal â which made the Defense Department MP Materialsâ largest shareholder â marked an aggressive attempt by the US government to hedge against the risk of Chinese rare earths dominance
In April, during the trade war, China paused rare earth exports to the US. It resumed them amid a thaw in June
KEY STORY
New JFK Documents Released
Newly released CIA documents show the agency monitored Lee Harvey Oswald months before President John F. Kennedy's assassination, contradicting 60 years of official denials
For decades, the CIA maintained minimal knowledge of Oswald's activities. The Warren Commission concluded Oswald acted as a lone gunman, though the House Select Committee later determined he likely participated in a conspiracy
New documents reveal that CIA officer George Joannides used the alias "Howard Mark Gebler" while managing anti-Castro groups that clashed with Oswald three months before the assassination
The CIA had repeatedly denied any connection to "Howard" and told committees that no person named âHowardâ existed
Dig Deeper
Jose Antonio Lanuza, a member of the anti-Castro group DRE, also revealed this week that Oswald approached DRE offering assistance, possibly attempting to work as a double agent: "Lee Harvey Oswald was trying to get in the good graces of the CIA," Lanuza told The Washington Post. "He said 'I'll do whatever'"
After Kennedy's assassination, âHowardâ instructed DRE members to provide Oswald's letter to the FBI and alert media outlets about his Communist sympathies
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Determination is the wake-up call to the human will
KEY STORY
Autopen Controversy
Former President Biden came after President Trump for claims that Biden wasn't in control of clemency decisions toward the end of his term
During his final weeks in office, Biden reduced sentences of almost 4,000 federal convicts and granted preemptive pardons to family members and politically prominent figures
Last month, Trump signed an executive order directing investigations into Biden's mental acuity and whether the autopen was illegally used to issue pardons
This week, Biden told The New York Times that he personally authorized every clemency decision, calling Trump and Republicans "liars"
Dig Deeper
Biden's December pardon of his son Hunter for federal gun and tax charges was the only clemency warrant he signed by hand during that period rather than using an autopen
The most controversial decisions involved pardoning family members and Trump critics, including General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members and staff of the House committee that investigated the January 6th riots
White House emails show Bidenâs staff secretary required confirmation of Biden's oral decisions before using the autopen for clemency warrants
KEY STORY
Search for New Fed Chair
The Trump Administration has begun choosing Jerome Powell's Fed chair successor
Powell was appointed by Trump in 2017. His current term expires in May 2026, but Trump has repeatedly criticized him over his opposition to lowering interest rates
This week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that Trump has begun a search process and will potentially announce his choice in September or October, which would be historically early
Leading candidates include Bessent, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, and Former Fed governor Kevin Warsh
Dig Deeper
Bessent suggested that Powell should step down as Fed governor when his chair term ends to avoid market confusion from a potential âshadowâ Fed chair continuing to influence monetary policy, however, he added, âPresident Trumpâs said numerous times he is not going to fire Jay PowellâŠI think an independent central bank is very important for the conduct of monetary policyâ
Powellâs statement came days after Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council and a potential Powell successor, said that firing Powell was âbeing looked intoâ
New inflation data released Tuesday showed that consumer prices rose 2.7% annually in June, up from 2.4% in May, potentially incentivizing the Fed to keep rates higher for longer
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
đ China's economy grew 5.2% in the second quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and keeping Beijing on track to meet its annual growth target of around 5%
đ§ Forty US ice cream producers representing over 90% of the market announced plans to remove artificial colors from retail products by 2028
đ The Trump Administration imposed a 17% tariff on Mexican tomato imports after withdrawing from a trade agreement that had suspended such levies for nearly three decades
đ©âđ Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and three international crewmates successfully returned to Earth Tuesday morning aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off of California's coast
â Central Park recorded over 2 inches of rain in a single hour Monday night, marking the second-wettest hour in New York City history
What does Roca Nation think?
âïž Yesterdayâs Question: How sick do you have to be to sit out a flight?
If itâs just a cold (even one with a slight fever), Iâll take the flight. Sure, maybe that means I get someone sick, and maybe thatâs irresponsible, but I also donât have the money to just pass up a flight I wonât get refunded. Also, being sick somewhere other than home is the literal worst. That being said, if Iâm throwing up or running a high fever or unable to physically move without significant effort, Iâm not going. Nothing sounds worse than getting on a plane like that. If I were coughing, Iâd wear a mask to avoid infecting others. Something I do think COVID introduced to our culture, which I appreciate, is the idea of wearing masks when you have to be sick in public for whatever reason.
I once got a full flight refund for having c-diff. I had my doctor write a note and the airline was happy to give me my money back for removing my presence on that one. And to anyone who may have been on that flight from Las Vegas to Orlando in November 2017, you are all very welcome.
You can be as sick as you want to be unless A) the airline refuses to let you board per their terms of carriage or B) a health officer declares you are a risk to public health -see Covid Pandy.
Since airlines arenât in the business of screening customers and public health officials donât hang out in airports, we are all on our own to protect ourselves.
So Max T can wash his hands well and often, keep his distance, have faith the air sani-system on the plane is at peek efficiency and carry disinfectant wipes to clean his seatâs surfaces.
It's possible the guy just has allergies. Low blood pressure can also cause coughing. One thing is for sure, if The Cougher didnât think he had to be on the plane, he wouldnât be. Flying when you are sick is really miserable.
đ§ Todayâs Question: Is it rude to play TikToks or other videos out loud on your phone in public? Thoughts?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
âĄïž Back to Hogwarts: Production has officially begun on the new Harry Potter TV series, with casting and filming underway in the UK
đŠ Package Pile-Up: A San Jose, CA woman endured over a year of a bizarre nightmare: hundreds of Amazon packages she didnât order filled her driveway â sometimes stacking chestâhigh
đż Plants Talk: New research says animals react to sounds that plants make outside of the range of human hearing, suggesting previously unknown connections between flora and fauna
đ€ Mama, Iâm late for gaba-school: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed new legislation to expand free preschool and mandate full-day kindergarten in every district by 2029-2030
đ§đ· Jaguars Without Borders: After Brazil and Argentina teamed up to protect jaguars across their shared border, conservationists say that jaguar populations have more than doubled since 2010
ROCA WRAP
Faith Shift
Albania
For the first time in over two centuries, this is no longer a Muslim-majority country.
A mountainous Balkan country that converted to Islam during Ottoman rule in the 15th century, Albania has maintained a predominantly Muslim identity for more than 500 years.
According to new data derived from the countryâs 2023 national census, though, the country has lost its Muslim majority: The data show that Muslims represent just 45.7% of Albania's population, marking their first drop below majority status since the Ottoman conquest. The figure represents a dramatic 30% decline from the 2011 census.
Christians now comprise 15.6% of the population, split between Catholics (8.4%) and Orthodox (7.2%). Meanwhile, 13.8% of Albanians identify as believers without specific denomination, and 3.6% declare themselves atheists.
Itâs not just the Muslim share thatâs shrinking: Albania's population has shrunk by approximately 15% over the past decade, driven by mass emigration and declining birth rates. Young Albanians increasingly seek opportunities abroad, leaving behind one of Europe's poorest countries for better opportunities elsewhere.
Some have traced the countryâs Islamic decline to Albania's unique experience under Enver Hoxha, a communist dictator who turned the country into the âNorth Korea of Europe.â Hoxha banned all religious practice for nearly half a century until democracy returned in 1992, and even when religion returned after his fall, generations were left with weakened religious attachments.
For a nation once defined by its Islamic character, Albania now finds itself religiously undefined for the first time in centuries.
EDITORâS NOTE
Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading Roca and for not unsubscribing after seeing that brain-rot intro. By the way, we forgot to wish you a happy nine-year anniversary of Hillary Clintonâs all-time âPokemon Go to the polls!â line yesterday. 2016 really was the year of all years on social media. What a fever dream.
Now Pokemon Go have a great day!
âMax and Max