🌊 Ukraine Aid Sabotage?

Roca, we’re sorry for getting too political.

Yesterday’s question about when to start playing Christmas music clearly struck a chord — and not a merry one. 24 hours later, our inbox is still getting flooded with emails. Most of the responses ranged from “day after Thanksgiving” to “Christmas Eve or jail.” To the latter crowd, I can’t help but wonder how they react to a Christmas song in the wild pre-Thanksgiving. Do all of you really turn into Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook when “My Cherie Amour” plays?

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Railway Line to Ukraine Destroyed

An explosion damaged a railway line in Poland that connects to the Ukrainian border, in what officials called an act of sabotage

• Poland's railway network serves as a critical supply route for military aid to Ukraine. An explosion occurred on Saturday near the village of Mika, approximately 60 miles southeast of Warsaw, with damage discovered Sunday morning when a train driver spotted a missing section of rail. Poland's interior minister confirmed that explosives were used in the incident

• A second incident took place on the same rail line near the town of Puławy on Sunday evening, when a train carrying 475 passengers was forced to make an emergency stop after damage to overhead power lines.

Dig Deeper 

• Officials collected significant evidence from the scene, including security camera footage, to help identify those responsible. The country's special services minister said there was a "very high chance" that foreign intelligence services ordered the attacks, though he did not explicitly name Russia

• The military began inspecting approximately 75 miles of track leading to the Ukrainian border. Officials said the damaged route is used by 115 trains daily and is also used to transport weapons to Ukraine

• Prosecutors opened an investigation into acts of sabotage "of a terrorist nature" committed on behalf of a foreign intelligence service

KEY STORY

Bangladesh Sentences Former Leader to Death

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death for her role in a deadly crackdown on protesters last year

• Hasina governed Bangladesh for 15 years before being forced from office in August 2024. The protests began as demonstrations against a government job quota system but grew into a broader movement demanding an end to her rule

• On Monday, the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh convicted Hasina of three charges related to the killing of student protesters. A UN report estimated that up to 1,400 people died during the protests between July and August 2024, with most killed by gunfire from security forces

Dig Deeper 

• After the verdict, Hasina released a statement from India calling the tribunal "rigged" and the charges "biased and politically motivated." She denied any wrongdoing and said the death penalty revealed "the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh's last elected prime minister"

• Bangladesh's interim government requested that India extradite Hasina, but India has not formally responded

• The verdict arrived as Bangladesh prepares for elections in February 2026. Hasina's Awami League party was banned from political activity in May, which observers said will undermine the legitimacy of the upcoming vote

KEY STORY

Trump Backs Epstein Files Release

President Trump urged House Republicans to support releasing Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his previous opposition to the measure

• The House scheduled a vote for Tuesday on legislation compelling the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents related to its Epstein investigations. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges

• On Sunday night, Trump wrote that House Republicans "should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide." The statement marked a reversal after Trump spent weeks opposing the measure and calling it a distraction

• Trump's shift came as dozens of House Republicans signaled they would break with the president and vote for the release

Dig Deeper 

• Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a co-sponsor of the legislation, predicted that 100 or more Republicans could support the measure

• The bill had already secured enough signatures on a discharge petition to force a floor vote, with all House Democrats and four Republicans signing on

• If the measure passes the House, it would move to the Senate, where its prospects remain unclear as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has not committed to bringing it to a vote

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

KEY STORY

US to Talk with Venezuela?

President Trump said that the US may hold discussions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

• The Trump Administration has been waging an intensifying pressure campaign against Venezuela since September, conducting strikes on boats it accused of drug trafficking and deploying thousands of troops to the Caribbean

• Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the US "may be having some discussions" with Maduro and that Venezuela "would like to talk." The comments indicate a possible diplomatic path forward

• The Navy also announced last week that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the country's largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean with accompanying warships and attack planes

Dig Deeper 

• The deployment brought the total American military presence in the region to around 15,000 soldiers and sailors, the largest force there in decades

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department would designate Cartel de los Soles, a group the US alleges is headed by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization

• The US military struck another alleged trafficking boat on Saturday, marking the 21st known attack on boats since September. The strikes have killed at least 83 people so far in a campaign that critics say violates international law

WE THE 66
Is Sam Altman Guzzling All of Our Water?

Data centers – warehouses that contain computers and other hardware needed to store, process, and distribute large amounts of digital information – need water to cool off. But how much?

• We analyzed the water usage of these data centers and consulted with environmental experts to understand the costs

• To read more on this, check out today’s We The 66 deep dive

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🧑‍⚖️ A federal magistrate judge ruled on Monday that the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey – who faces charges of lying to and obstructing Congress – faces potential dismissal due to errors by the prosecutor during grand jury proceedings.

🏫 New international student enrollment at US universities fell 17% this fall compared to previous years, according to research released on Monday by the Institute of International Education.

🚫 The Federal Aviation Administration announced Sunday it would lift flight restrictions related to the government shutdown, with normal operations resuming at US airports Monday at 6 AM ET.

🇺🇸 David Richardson resigned on Monday as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after roughly six months in the role, people familiar with the situation told outlets.

📃 On Monday, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's lawyer defended her mortgage applications, arguing that apparent discrepancies in loan documents were either accurate at the time or an "inadvertent notation" that couldn't constitute fraud.

What does Roca Nation think?

🎄 Yesterday’s Question: When is the appropriate time of year to start playing Christmas music and hang up holiday decorations?

🎄 Today’s Question: Which artist do you most closely associate with Christmas music? Why?

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🖼️ Return to Sender: A stolen 18th-century painting of Saint Francis of Assisi has been returned to its Mexican church 24 years after a midnight heist.

🥊 Clash of the Content Creators: Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a professional eight-round bout on December 19 in Miami.

🎳 Spare Me the Details: An Idaho man broke the Guinness World Record for most bowling balls carried on a unicycle after spotting the feat on a pizzeria TV screen.

🏆 Mission Accomplished: Tom Cruise received his first Oscar at the 16th annual Governors Awards, an honorary trophy after three acting nominations and never winning the big prize.

🧀 Say Cheese: A Swiss Gruyere from a mountain dairy near Bern has been crowned the 2025 World Cheese Champion, beating over 5,000 entries from 46 countries.

ROCA WRAP
The Pirate Queen

Zheng Yi Sao

This woman commanded over 1,800 ships and 80,000 pirates, making her history's most powerful pirate leader.

Born Shi Yang near Guangdong in 1775, Zheng Yi Sao married pirate captain Zheng Yi in 1801. When her husband died in a storm six years later, she seized control of his pirate confederation through strategic alliances with key fleet commanders. She entered a relationship with Zhang Bao, her late husband's adopted son, who commanded the main Red Flag Fleet, and together they dominated the South China Sea from 1807 to 1810.

Under Zheng Yi Sao's leadership, the pirate confederation grew into a maritime force that rivaled national navies. The fleet consisted of roughly 1,800 vessels and between 40,000 and 80,000 pirates. Her ships regularly clashed with the East India Company, Portuguese Empire, and Chinese imperial forces. She established strict codes governing conduct, plunder distribution, and treatment of captives, transforming scattered pirate bands into a disciplined naval organization.

Zheng Yi Sao proved herself an exceptional military strategist. In March 1809, when provincial commander Sun Quanmou attacked with 100 ships, she personally directed the two fleets in a coordinated assault that routed the government forces. Later that year, she orchestrated massive simultaneous raids across multiple regions. One campaign along the Pearl River lasted six weeks and resulted in approximately 10,000 deaths.

In November 1809, Portuguese and Chinese forces trapped Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao in Tung Chung Bay with 99 warships. Sun Quanmou converted 43 vessels into fireships and set them drifting toward the pirate fleet. The pirates towed the burning ships ashore, extinguished them, and salvaged the wood. When winds shifted and two fireships blew back into government vessels, Zheng Yi Sao exploited the chaos to break through the blockade, escaping without losing a single ship.

By early 1810, Zheng Yi Sao recognized that her position was strong enough to negotiate surrender on favorable terms. After initial talks collapsed, she personally led a delegation of 17 women and children to meet the Viceroy, where he accepted her demands. In April 1810, she surrendered with 226 ships, 17,318 pirates, and 1,315 cannons. The government granted her amnesty, awarded Zhang Bao a military commission with command of 20-30 private ships, and gave her permission to marry him officially. She also received land in Canton, where she opened a gambling house.

After Zhang Bao died in 1822 while serving as a colonel, Zheng Yi Sao returned to Guangdong with their son. In 1840, she filed charges against a government official for embezzling 28,000 taels of silver owed from her surrender agreement, though the case was dismissed. She died in 1844 at roughly 68, having spent three decades running her gambling establishment.

The woman who commanded the largest pirate fleet in history retired as a legitimate businesswoman, making her perhaps the only pirate leader who truly got away with it.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

This one we were excited for! We went to DC’s most dangerous neighborhood to see if the National Guard is actually making a difference. Check it out.

Max F is on his final full day in Mississippi. He’ll be back in the studio tomorrow for the RocaNews Show — we can’t wait to hear his new accent.

–Max and Max