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- 🌊 Big Food Fights Back
🌊 Big Food Fights Back
Plus: English stroke victim develops mysterious Italian accent...
All I want for Christmas is… Greenland?
With Greenland, the Panama Canal, and perhaps Canada on President-elect Trump’s Christmas list, we no longer feel guilty about asking Santa for a Moo Deng clone that we can make the Roca mascot. You don’t see Big News elevating pygmy hippos, do you?
Also, for a feel-good Christmas video, check out the reaction of the Gathering Place to your GoFundMe gift. Nothing beats the Roca community.
🍟 Big Food fights back with lobbying push
😳 Damning Matt Gaetz report released
🤌 Stroke victim develops Italian accent
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Bye, Murder Hornets
Asian giant hornets – dubbed “murder hornets” – have been eradicated from the US
The invasive species – known for decapitating honeybees and taking over their hives – was first spotted in Washington state five years ago
The eradication punctuates successful efforts by local residents and scientists, including those who used dental floss to tie a tracking tag to a hornet and followed it home to eliminate its queen
“I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now… it is a rare day when humans actually get to win one against the insects,” a Washington pest control official said
Dig Deeper
Washington was the only state to confirm sightings of the hornets
Scientists say they were able to take out the murder hornet colonies just as the hornets were starting to proliferate
KEY STORY
Big Food v. RFK
Big Food companies are lobbying the Trump Administration to prevent a food stamps overhaul
~13% of Americans are on SNAP, aka food stamps, which subsidizes groceries for low-income people. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) determines which goods are eligible
Many members of the Trump Administration want to remove SNAP approval for junk foods, including soda and some ultra-processed foods
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that these efforts have sparked a fierce lobbying push by big food companies, including Coke and Pepsi, who are hiring lobbyists with ties to Trump and are conducting a PR push to frame the companies as beneficial for public health
Dig Deeper
Last year, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) – now Trump’s secretary of state nominee – proposed legislation do so, while numerous other politicians have called for the same. RFK Jr. – who wrote in September, “It’s nonsensical for US taxpayers to spend tens of billions of dollars subsidizing junk that harms the health of low-income Americans” – is at the forefront of this effort
These companies say they are doing more than anyone else to provide low-sugar alternatives. The head of the American Beverage Association said, “No other industry is doing what we are doing in terms of offering choice in zero-sugar products”
ROCA’S SPONSOR
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A Roca reader texted us this last month
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We weren’t surprised to hear that, because Incogni is a great service we recommend to friends and readers alike
It’s a service that removes your number and personal information from data brokers and other online services. That stops spam calls, emails, and other annoyances or privacy violations
KEY STORY
Panama Canal: In Trump’s Sights?
President-elect Trump said the US should retake the Panama Canal
The US constructed the canal and operated it from 1914 until 1999. The canal – now operated by Panama’s government – remains a vital waterway, crucial to American military and economic interests
Speaking at a conservative conference on Sunday, Trump said, “We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else. We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question”
Panama’s president replied with a video message: “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so”
Trump quote-tweeted the message and added, “We’ll see about that!”
Dig Deeper
Trump also wrote on Truth Social, “The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States…The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 percent of all transits heading to, or from, U.S. ports”
“When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else. It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States [exorbitant prices]... The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous…This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop”
KEY STORY
The Flood-Gaetz Open
The House Ethics Committee released a bombshell report on Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), accusing him of regularly paying for sex, using illegal drugs, and having sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl in 2017
Investigators identified at least 20 occasions between 2017 and 2020 where “there was substantial evidence that Rep. Gaetz met with women who were paid for sex and/or drugs”
Gaetz has sued the committee for defamation, though has admitted to “playing hard” in his 30s
The bipartisan, 10-person committee voted to release the report, despite Speaker Johnson’s wishes
Dig Deeper
The House Ethics Committee has investigated claims against Gaetz since 2021. Following Gaetz's nomination to be attorney general in November, calls grew for the House to release its findings
Like the Justice Department, the House Ethics Committee did not find evidence that Gaetz was guilty of sex-trafficking a minor
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🚇 A pair of violent attacks on the New York City subway gained national headlines
🇸🇾 Turkish and Arabic media reported that Asma Assad, the former first lady of Syria, had filed for divorce from former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
📈 Of 4,000+ American banks, America’s four largest are set to capture 44% of American banking profits this year, their largest share since 2015
🕶️ Meta is planning to add a screen to its Ray-Ban glasses in order to create an augmented-reality product
🇺🇸 President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 people on federal death row, meaning they will now serve life sentences. Biden left only three people to face their executions
COMMUNITY
🧐 Yesterday’s question: What US region (can even just mention a state) has the friendliest people? The rudest?
Rudest are in the New York City area. Most friendly are in the panhandle region of Idaho. I live in Italy.
The midwest has the friendliest and Northeastern US has the rudest and most know it all people.
I worked for a mortgage company that sold loans nationwide for seven years; interestingly I always found New Yorkers and the general Northeast to be very blunt and direct, but also the kindest and most respectful. Californians were extremely polite, but an absolute nightmare to work with because they were entitled and wanted everything done yesterday. It was fun though getting to talk to people from all walks of life!
I will answer with my top 3 each, as I have lived in 7 and have visited the majority
Friendliness Alabama, West Virginia, Texas
Most Rude; New York, Connecticut, New Jersey
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🦴 Dogged Investigation: A Birmingham, Alabama, resident's dog discovered a human left tibia bone, marking the second time in four months that the same dog has found human remains
☃️ Frosty Reception: A snowman mascot in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is under investigation for hugging a 16-year-old girl with a fear of mascots
🏠 One Man’s Terrorist Is Another’s Homeowner: A Georgia homeowner was jailed on charges of criminal trespass and terroristic threats after attempting to reclaim her own house from a squatter
🐊 Crocodiles Never Die: Burt, the iconic crocodile who starred alongside Paul Hogan in the 1986 film "Crocodile Dundee," died peacefully at Crocosaurus Cove zoo. He was over 90
👵 Italian Recovery: A 58-year-old London grandmother has mysteriously developed an Italian accent and begun using Italian phrases following a stroke in May 2024, despite never having visited Italy or studied the language
ROCA WRAP
Witches v. The President
Zambia
Two men have been arrested in this country for allegedly trying to bewitch the president.
A landlocked southern African nation of 20M people, Zambia remains a place where traditional beliefs and modern governance intersect. The country maintains a Witchcraft Act that criminalizes practices like possession of charms and professing knowledge of witchcraft.
These laws are being used currently, after police arrested two men in the capital, Lusaka, after finding them with a live chameleon and various charms. Authorities believe these items were meant to be used in a witchcraft plot against President Hakainde Hichilema.
The suspects were allegedly hired by the brother of a parliamentarian who is accused of promising them over 2M Zambian kwacha ($73,000) for the scheme. The parliamentarian has a history of legal troubles that his supporters claim are politically motivated.
The case has highlighted both the tensions in Zambian politics – where the government is often distrusted and accused of politicizing the justice system – and the ongoing role of traditional beliefs in Zambian society and politics.
ROCA VIDEO
An Appalachian Christmas Story (with $25k Surprise)
The story of Christmas is about a bright light shining forth in the humblest and most unexpected of places. That story reminds us of what we saw in a small Appalachian town in Ohio this fall, an experience that inspired us so much that we felt the need to surprise them with a Christmas gift from the Roca community.
Big News's coverage of Appalachia is absolutely disgraceful. Legacy media give a totally false and harmful impression of the people that inhabit the region. In reality, there's more humility, decency, and moxie in your average Appalachian town than in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times buildings combined.
–Max and Max
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
If you need another reason to hate Big Tech, the weather app listed a 100% chance of snow this morning for Max T, and it turned out to be FAKE NEWS. How do these Big Tech weathermen still have jobs?
But false White Christmas alarms aside, we wish you a Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate! We also wish a Happy Hanukkah to all of our Jewish readers! Hope you have an amazing few days with family and friends.
–Max and Max