🌊 Trump and Kamala Enter Grave Territory

The “Infinite Money Glitch.”

A “Chase Infinite Money Glitch” went viral on TikTok over the weekend. In actuality, the “glitch” was a set of instructions for check fraud. Users were told to write themselves a check, deposit it to increase their balance, and withdraw cash from the increased balance. Because of the trend, numerous ATMs and Chase locations ran out of cash.

Let’s cut this out before the next viral “glitch” is to show up to a bank with a ski mask, paper bag over your hand, and a withdrawal slip for $1M.

–Max, Max, and Owen

KEY STORY

German Elections

Germany’s AFD won control of a German state, the first time a party on the far-right of Germany’s political spectrum has done so since WW2

• The AFD opposes immigration, the EU, and arming Ukraine. Several of its leaders have downplayed the Nazis’ crimes and been convicted of using Nazi-inspired rhetoric. Driven by discontent with German immigration, economic, climate, and foreign policies, its popularity has soared recently

• In elections on Sunday, the AFD won control of a state for the first time. The ruling center-left coalition, meanwhile, was crushed

Dig Deeper

• In one state, nearly half of voters chose the AFD or an equivalent left-wing party; in the other, the AFD and a center-right party collectively won 60%+ of the vote

• The election was dominated by immigration: A week prior, a Syrian IS member allegedly murdered three people. The government responded by vowing deportations, and days later, Germany deported a group of Afghan convicted criminals to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban took power

KEY STORY

Israeli Hostages Killed

Six hostages were found killed in Gaza

• Israeli troops found the six in a tunnel underneath Rafah. Authorities said they had been killed on either Thursday or Friday

• Five of the group – which included an American and whose members were between 23 and 40 years old – had been captured at the Nova Music Festival

• Mass protests erupted across Israel on Sunday, with tens or hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to demand an immediate hostage deal

• The protests continued and expanded into strikes on Monday

Dig Deeper

• Hamas has repeatedly rejected Israel’s ceasefire proposals. The main sticking point is the Philadelphi Corridor: The narrow strip of land on Gaza’s border with Egypt

• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israeli troops must stay in the corridor to prevent arms smuggling; Hamas has demanded the withdrawal of all troops

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KEY STORY

Arlington Fighting

The Trump and Harris campaigns are trading blows over Trump’s visit to the Arlington National Cemetery

• Trump visited the cemetery – which forbids political campaigning – to attend a wreath-laying ceremony for the 3rd anniversary of the Kabul Airport Bombing. He then posted a video of the event and called the Biden administration’s Afghan withdrawal a “disaster”

• Harris attacked Trump for “politicizing” the cemetery and promised to “honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes”

• Trump’s campaign responded by posting videos from the families of the deceased criticizing Harris

Dig Deeper

• The Army’s public affairs office said they had told the Trump campaign that federal law prohibits filming for political reasons and that Trump campaign officials “pushed aside” a cemetery worker who tried to stop them

• In one of the videos from the families, the father of a fallen soldier asked Harris how she sleeps at night: “How do you sleep at night… [you] are responsible for the death of our 13 kids… You have failed for three years and eight months to acknowledge our kids, to acknowledge me. You don’t know me, you’ve never spoken to me, You’ve never reached out to me, you have failed in your duty as vice president”

KEY STORY

Trump on Abortion & IVF

Trump has shifted his abortion rhetoric and positions in recent weeks amid mounting pressure from voters

• On Thursday, he appeared to support a Florida ballot measure that would reverse its six-week abortion ban. Then, following an outcry from pro-life groups, Trump said he would vote “No” on the measure, though he still thinks six weeks is too short of a window

• On Thursday, Trump also proposed subsidizing in-vitro fertilization treatments for all Americans

• This marks the latest in a series of shifts in Trump’s abortion rhetoric. On August 23, Trump wrote on Truth, “My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights”

Dig Deeper

• Abortion has become a vulnerable issue for Republicans ahead of November’s elections. A report from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 64% of voters believe abortion should be always or mostly legal compared to just 35% who say it should be always or mostly illegal

• Trump has previously called himself the most “pro-life president” in history and promised to appoint pro-life justices in his first term as president

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

❌ Brazil banned access to X amid a long-running dispute with its owner, Elon Musk

✈️ President Zelensky fired Ukraine’s air force commander after one of the country’s first F-16 fighter jets crashed last week

🛠️ Kamala Harris came out against Nippon Steel’s acquisition of US Steel

🇻🇪 The US seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, claiming it was exported from Florida in violation of US sanctions

🦅 New ads in Philadelphia falsely claim that Kamala Harris is the “official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles”

COMMUNITY

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POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

💩 The porch pooper: Kentucky police are searching for a man who has been seen defecating on the same porch over the past week for no apparent reason

🥇 Midwestern Olympics: A Michigan man chugged 24 ounces of ranch dressing in 10 seconds to win a restaurant’s inaugural chugging competition

💗 Love pays: Officials in a South Korea district are offering cash incentives of ~$720 to couples who start romantic relationships through district-organized matchmaking events

💰 Simba loses crown: Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has become the highest-grossing animated feature of all time, surpassing the 2019 remake of “The Lion King”

🍟 Fry day on the free way: Boxes of french fries spilled across a Los Angeles freeway last Thursday, blocking lanes for hours

ROCA WRAP

Monday Madness (Tuesday Edition)

Here are some quirky stories to start your weeks off right. 

Monkeying Around

A thief admitted to the “very silly” mistake of stealing a gorilla statue from a Melbourne retirement village.

On Friday, the 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to taking the 20 kg (44 lb) garden ornament named Garry in June. He and a friend visited the village to buy a dresser when he noticed the gorilla statue perched on tree stumps. He placed Garry on the back of a rented utility vehicle and drove away.

A witness spotted the gorilla in the vehicle’s back, took a photo, and alerted the police, leading to the man’s arrest. A search of his phone revealed text messages to friends, including one that read, “LOL I stole a gorilla, so what?”

His lawyer told the court that he made a stupid and impulsive decision to steal Garry with no intention of selling the statue.

Heinz Stirs the Pot

Heinz’s introduction of canned spaghetti carbonara, targeted at Gen Z, has revolted Italians.

The product – featuring “pasta in a creamy sauce with pancetta” – will hit UK supermarket shelves in September. Heinz promotes the canned pasta as a convenient, fail-proof option that is “effortless to prepare” and “perfect for a quick, satisfying meal at home.”

However, Italian chefs and carbonara enthusiasts have harshly criticized the product – the first tinned pasta Heinz has released in over a decade. A chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome likened it to “cat food,” while many Italians on social media expressed outrage and disbelief, initially thinking it was a joke.

Pedal Panic

A 36-year-old UK man was banned from touching unattended vehicles after attempting to steal a van.

Police arrested him in July after responding to reports of a man trying to break into a Ford Transit van in Sheffield. They caught him in the act, but he fled upon seeing the officers.

He tried to escape on a pedal bike but was apprehended less than 20 minutes later. He admitted to the crimes and pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from a motor vehicle and one count of possession of a controlled drug.

A judge issued a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order prohibiting him from touching or entering any unattended motor vehicle, motorcycle, or pedal cycle without the owner’s permission.

Final Clock-In

Authorities confirmed that a 60-year-old Wells Fargo employee in Arizona died at work and was found four days later.

She last clocked in at 7 AM on August 16 and was discovered at her third-floor desk on August 20, prompting on-site security to call the police. Firefighters responded and pronounced her dead. The cause and manner of death are still pending, but police reported no initial signs of foul play. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities interviewing Wells Fargo employees for more information.

Yuna’s New Roar

Yuna, a three-year-old lioness rescued from Ukraine, took her first steps outside at a UK sanctuary.

Yuna – who suffers from shell shock – arrived earlier this month and stayed inside her enclosure for a week. She was traumatized when debris from a missile attack landed 984 feet from her enclosure and was then taken to an animal rescue near Kyiv.

The UK sanctuary – where she had previously been confined to a small concrete space – reported that Yuna has “begun to reveal a playful and curious nature.” She ventured outside, feeling the grass beneath her paws for the first time, and began scratching trees and logs.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Hope you had a restful Labor Day Weekend. We returned from Michigan after an adventurous week of travel. One of our biggest takeaways from the trip was that Michigan has some of the most remarkable natural beauty in the country. The dunes blew us away — almost literally… it was windy. We take a break before the next trip. We can’t wait to share the reporting with you!

–Max and Max