🌊 The Democratic Blame Games Begin

A belated Happy Veterans Day from the Roca team.

You might not realize how many people are veterans: Those who served in the military include Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Chuck Norris. And if you're wondering why we're undefeated in world wars, read the last name again.

But in all seriousness, happy Veterans Day to all the vets in the Roca community. We thank you for your service.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Trump Picks

Donald Trump appointed Elise Stefanik UN ambassador, Tom Homan “border tsar,” Marco Rubio secretary of state, and Michael Waltz national security adviser

• Stefanik, a Congressional representative from northern New York state, has been one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress. Late last year, she challenged university presidents about campus anti-Semitism in what became one of the most viral Congressional hearings in history

• Homan was a border officer who worked his way up to led ICE under Trump. He made headlines last month when he was asked on 60 Minutes, “Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?” He replied, “Of course there is. Families can be deported together”

• Rubio, a Florida Senator since 2010, and Walz, a Congressman who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, are both considered Iran and China hawks

Dig Deeper

• CNN also reported that Trump will appoint Stephen Miller, Trump’s top immigration adviser, to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, one of the most influential roles for shaping the administration’s policies. Miller has been an architect of Trump’s hardline immigration policies, like mass deportations, and said last week that deportations “begin on Inauguration Day, as soon as he takes the oath of office”

• It was also reported that Trump would appoint South Dakota Governor Kristi Noam Homeland Security secretary

• Trump’s initial picks suggest he is prioritizing loyalty, after a first term that saw high levels of turnover and turmoil, and immigration

KEY STORY

FEMA Scandal

A FEMA supervisor told workers to skip Trump supporters’ homes

• The order came in Florida as FEMA checked if people needed support post-Hurricane Milton. A supervisor ordered that per “best practices,” FEMA staff “avoid homes advertising Trump”

• FEMA staff told the Daily Wire, a conservative outlet, that 20+ homes with Trump flags or signs were skipped because of the guidance. Images obtained by the outlet showed documentation in the government system that read, “Trump sign no entry per leadership,” “Trump sign, no contact per leadership,” and “Per leadership no stop Trump flag”

• FEMA said it was “horrified that this took place and…have taken extreme actions to correct this situation”

Dig Deeper

• FEMA has since fired the employee, saying, “This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation”

• Both FEMA and the state of Florida opened investigations into the policy and its effects

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KEY STORY

Dems Battle

Democrats are clashing over who to blame for Harris’ defeat after an election that saw working-class voters of all demographics move right

• Bernie Sanders opened the progressive criticism by saying, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party, which has abandoned working-class people, would find that the working-class has abandoned them”

• Nancy Pelosi responded by saying, “Why did voters who earned less than $100,000 go for Trump in such large numbers? Well, there are cultural issues involved in elections as well. Guns, God and gays — that’s the way they say it”

Dig Deeper

• Pelosi added, “I do have a discomfort level with some of the Democrats right now who are saying, ‘Oh, we abandoned the working class.’ No, we didn’t. That’s who we are. We are the kitchen table, working-class party of America”

• Meanwhile, influential liberal NYT columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that “identity politics” were the problem: “The party embraced a worldview of hyper-political correctness, condescension and cancellation, and it supported diversity statements for job applicants and faculty lounge terminology like ‘Latinx,’ and ‘BIPOC’ (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)”

• MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough read the piece aloud on Monday, saying, “It really crystallized how some Democrats are waking up and realizing that woke is broke”

KEY STORY

Republicans Battle

Republicans are battling over which faction should lead the Senate

• Democrats ended up winning close Senate races in Nevada and Arizona, meaning the Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate – their first majority since Biden took office

• On Wednesday, Senate Republicans will elect the Senate majority leader in a secret ballot vote. Whoever wins will play a crucial role in which legislation moves forward and Trump’s ability to make appointments

• Republicans are divided between the “MAGA” group – led by Florida’s Rick Scott – and the establishment group, led by Sens. John Thune (SD) and John Cornyn (TX), both of whom have closer ties with Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader since 2007

Dig Deeper

• Trump hasn't issued an endorsement but has demanded that the new Senate majority leader agree to “Recess Appointments,” a way of letting the president make appointments without Senate approval when the Senate is on break. He has accused former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of blocking recess appointments during Trump’s first term and thereby preventing him from making the appointments he actually wanted

COMMUNITY

🧐 Today’s question: Who’s a veteran you know who inspires you?

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🥖 French Hackers Want Bread: Hackers who claim to have stolen 40GB of data from a French electric company are demanding a ransom payment of $125,000 worth of baguettes

🏈 The Sweet Burn of Tears: Fireball Whisky announced plans to collect defeated football fans' tears to create a new limited-edition "Crierball" whisky blend that will "capture the true spirit of game day"

🦝 Another Reason Not to Fly Spirit: A raccoon fell from the ceiling during the boarding process at a Spirit Airlines gate in New York City’s LaGuardia Airport

👖 Fast Fashion = Slow Fashion?: A University of Leeds study testing clothing durability found that a £15 pair of women's jeans outperformed their £150 counterpart, revealing no correlation between price and longevity

🇺🇸 No, No, No, and No: In viral TikToks, young American women are swearing off heterosexual marriage, dating, sex, and childbirth in protest of Trump’s victory

ROCA WRAP
Extra News!

There was so much news over the long weekend that we are running a few extra stories in place of today’s Wrap.

“Jew Hunt” in the Netherlands

Up to 35 people were injured and 60 arrested in an attack on Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam.

The attack came after Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv played Dutch side Ajax in Amsterdam, the Netherlands’ capital. Late Thursday and early Friday, crowds chased down the Maccabi supporters on motorbikes, beating them, throwing rocks, and launching fireworks at them. Israelis had reported being “stalked” in the lead-up to the attacks.

The attacks came after viral footage showed the Maccabi supporters tearing down pro-Palestine signage and making pro-Israel chants. While some said the attacks were an organic response to anger over that, plans for a “Jew Hunt” had circulated on social media in the days ahead of it.

Dutch authorities called the assaults an “organized” attack predicated around hit-and-run assaults on Israel fans. They said they are investigating who was behind them. Israeli authorities responded by evacuating citizens back to Israel, while Dutch authorities set up a special zone to protect Israelis at Amsterdam’s airport as they left.

The attack came on the week that the Netherlands commemorates Kristallnacht, when Nazis attacked Jewish people and property on November 9 and November 10 in 1938.

Harris Campaign Blowout

The Harris campaign is accused of wasting tens of millions of dollars after raising $1B+ in record time. According to Politico reporter Christopher Cadelago, the campaign spent $118M+ in the last month of the race and ended it $20M+ in debt. 

Various expenses have since been reported, including a $1M payment to Oprah’s production company (Oprah proceeded to endorse Harris, saying, "We’re voting for values and integrity"); $100k for a “Call Her Daddy” podcast set; and swing state performances by Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and 2 Chainz. The concerts cost up to $20M, campaign sources told the New York Post, and were intended to boost swing state turnout.

Middle East Update

Qatar told Hamas to leave the country if it won’t reach a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Hamas has for years based its political wing in Qatar, a US ally that also maintains ties with Islamist groups and Iran. On Friday, Qatari officials said they told Hamas leadership that it was no longer welcome in the country if it couldn’t reach a ceasefire with Israel.

Qatar said late last week that “the main goal” of Hamas’ Qatar office was “to be a channel of communication between the concerned parties” and to resolve the conflict and pave the way for a Palestinian state. In a statement released Saturday, though, Qatar said that it would no longer enable “the continuation of negotiations to justify the continuation of the war to serve narrow political purposes.”

The group is expected to relocate to Turkey, where it already has a presence.

In related news, Israeli PM Netanyahu said he had already held three conversations with Trump and that the pair sees “eye-to-eye” on Iran. This comes despite Trump announcing he would not give a position to Mike Pompeo, one of the members of the last Trump administration most associated with a hard line on Iran. 

Separately, the Justice Department on Friday night announced new charges in an Iranian assassination plot against Trump. Iran allegedly gave an Afghan national seven days to formulate a plan to kill Trump in early October. Iran reportedly assumed Trump would lose and that the assassin would be able to try again post-election. The plot has since fallen apart and the accused is allegedly at large in Iran.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we would like to acknowledge a few special veterans in our lives: Hank Griffith (Max Towey’s late cousin who served multiple tours overseas in Delta Force), Harry Griffith (Max Towey’s uncle), John M. (Max Towey’s close friend from ND), Hank P. (Max Frost’s close friend from UVA), Dave (Max Frost’s girlfriend’s dad), and Ben (another of Max Frost’s good friends from UVA). To all the rest of you, thank you, and we hope you got to celebrate.

Let’s have a great week!

–Max and Max