🌊 War Brewing in Middle East

Happy Friday the 13th, Roca Nation.

If you're anything like us, you will spend the entirety of this unlucky day curled up in the fetal position in your Minecraft-themed bedroom.

But whether you’re superstitious or a little stitious, we want to wish all of the dads in the Roca community an early Happy Father’s Day!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Israel-Iran War Begins

At 3 AM Iran time, Israel launched strikes on Iranian military leadership and nuclear facilities

• The initial strikes killed Iran’s top two military commanders, including the head of the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, two top nuclear scientists, and leaders of Iran’s Air Force, who had reportedly been meeting in a bunker when an Israeli strike hit

• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes, which continued throughout Friday, would last “as many days as it takes” and would ensure that Iran can not pose a nuclear threat to Israel

• Iran said Israel’s strikes constituted a “declaration of war” and vowed to retaliate. Israeli officials said they were preparing for an attack and ordered Israelis to prepare their bunkers

• The US initially kept a distance from Israel’s strikes, saying that Israel had made the “unilateral” decision to attack and did so without American backing. Yet when asked on Friday whether he had been given a “heads up” by Israel, President Trump replied, "Heads-up? It wasn’t a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on.

Dig Deeper

• Trump also told the Wall Street Journal, "I told [Iran], I said, you have 60 days to make the deal. On the 61st day, [Israel] attacked. Today is 61 actually, and it was a very successful attack…They should have made a deal and they still can make a deal while they have something left— they still can”

• In a social media post, Trump said, “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”

• You can read our full summary of the situation and the negotiations that preceded at that link, in a free-for-all-readers premium deep dive 

KEY STORY

Air India Crash

One passenger survived a London-bound Air India flight that crashed in India moments after takeoff

• The jet was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a Boeing model introduced in 2011 that had never crashed. The crash’s cause wasn’t immediately clear

• 241 people appear to have died. The lone survivor was seated next to an emergency door

• The crash comes amid heightened scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices, following whistleblower warnings and a recent $1.1B US Justice Department settlement related to earlier crashes of a different model

Dig Deeper 

• The flight carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese nationals, and a Canadian

• The aircraft struck a medical hostel on the ground, and recovery teams have retrieved bodies from both the wreckage and the residential complex

QUOTE OF THE DAY

KEY STORY

Trump Rolls Back California EV Rules

President Trump signed resolutions aimed at ending California’s rules on electric vehicles

• As the US’ largest market, California’s regulations can effectively set those for the whole nation. Since 2020, California has had a requirement that at least 80% of new vehicle sales be electric by 2035

• Automakers and others opposed the regulation. On Thursday, Trump revoked the waiver that enabled it, calling California’s plan a “disaster.” Governor Newsom (D) vowed to sue and said, “Trump’s all-out assault on California continues”

Dig Deeper 

• California's rules were permitted by the Clean Air Act, so long as California obtained a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency, which the Biden Administration had granted. Trump revoked that waiver, thereby obstructing the policy

• Automakers including General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen, along with dealer and trucking associations, had lobbied against the regulations, arguing that they were impractical and burdensome

• Trump said California's policy “would effectively abolish the internal combustion engine,” while California's attorney general said, “California won’t let Washington roll back decades of progress. Our standards save lives and protect our planet”

KEY STORY

Meta’s Public AI Feed

Many users of Meta’s AI app seem to be unknowingly sharing private conversations to its public “Discover” feed

• The Discover feature was intended to foster connection by allowing people to see, remix, and respond to others’ prompts – but observers have found it filled with intimate details, including child custody issues, financial stress, and personal information, suggesting users may not realize their chats are publicly visible

• Critics argue the feature reflects Meta’s use of “dark pattern” UI design, which subtly nudges users into unintentionally sharing personal data, raising privacy concerns. Meta hasn’t commented

Dig Deeper

• One viral post, for example, featured a story from an apparent homeless individual who claimed their daughter was withholding money from them. Others included people disclosing private medical information, looking for advice on picking up women, fighting loneliness, coming out, and fighting obesity

• Some critics argued that Meta was engaging in “dark pattern” design, an industry term for design tactics that subtly push users toward actions they might not otherwise choose

• In announcing the platform in April, it said, “The app includes a Discover feed, a place to share and explore how others are using AI”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

⚕️ Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight new members to the federal panel that recommends vaccines to Americans

📊 Oracle shares rose nearly 14% on Thursday after the company raised its revenue forecast, citing strong demand for its AI-ready cloud services

⚖️ A New York Supreme Court judge declared a mistrial on a rape charge against film producer Harvey Weinstein after jurors failed to reach a verdict

🏫 The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that students with disabilities no longer need to prove “bad faith or gross misjudgment” when suing schools for discrimination

🪧 At least four first responders were killed Thursday as anti-government protests in Bolivia turned violent

What does Roca Nation think?

🧠 Yesterday’s Question: If you could go to one sporting event in the country where would you go? Prices don’t matter!

20 Questions!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.

A handcuffed Senator, a plane crash, a potential world war brewing… light day in news, huh?

Seems like the perfect day for a 20 Questions breather. So instead of a “feud-themed” edition of 20 Questions, we’re doing a “favorite things” edition of 20 Questions. We give you 20 categories, and you tell us your fav thing in each!

Link to 20 Questions!

Last Week’s Responses

Which movie was not directed by Martin Scorsese? - None*
Which movie was not directed by Christopher Nolan? - Whiplash
Which movie was not directed by Greta? - Terminator 2
What is the name of the fictional African country in Black Panther (2018)? - Wakanda
“Here’s Johnny!” is from what movie? - The Shining
What is the name of Harry Potter's owl? - Hedwig
In Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Yoda says, “Do. Or do not. There is no ___” - Try
In Mean Girls (2004), Regina says, “On Wednesdays we wear ____” - Pink
In Dirty Dancing (1987), Johnny says, “Nobody puts Baby in a ____” - Corner
Which 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film is famous for its shower scene? - Psycho
In The Social Network (2010), who is portrayed as the co-founder of Facebook who later sues Mark Zuckerberg? - Eduardo Saverin
In Iron Man (2008), what is the name of Tony Stark’s AI assistant? - Jarvis
In Knives Out (2019), who is revealed to be the mastermind behind the Thrombey family’s inheritance scheme? - Ransom Drysdale
In Nacho Libre, Esqueleto says, "I don't believe God. I believe in ____" - Science
Who delivers the line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" in Apocalypse Now? - Robert Duvall
Who delivers the line, "You were supposed to destroy the Sith not join them!" in Revenge of the Sith? - Obewan
"The Room" stars which actor and director? - Tommy Wiseau
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer is from which country? - Canada
Which movie did not star Christian Bale? - There Will Be Blood
Which movie did not star Amy Adams? - Silver Linings Playbook

*= The Aviator, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Goodfellas — the four multiple-choice options — were all directed by Scorsese (our mistake!)

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🦖 New Dinosaur Just Dropped: Scientists identified a new dinosaur species, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, from two 86M-year-old skeletons

🦬 New Jersey vs. Bison: A 30‑year‑old man from New Jersey survived an attack by a bison at Yellowstone National Park, prompting staff to warn visitors to keep their distance from wild animals

🐘 The Life-Saving Trunk: An elephant heroically saved a drowning gazelle at a Guatemala zoo by gently scooping it to shore with its trunk

✈️ Frequent Flyer Fraud Fouled: A federal jury convicted a 35-year-old Florida man of fraud for posing as a flight attendant to book over 120 free flights between 2018 and 2024

🦿 Teens Invent Brain‑Controlled Prosthetic Leg: Three Texas high schoolers built a prototype prosthetic leg that reads brain signals to anticipate a user’s intent and assist movement

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Phew. Another wild week of news. You made it. Happy hour is calling.

Just remember that it’s all going to be okay and that there’s so much beauty in the world. Time with family and in nature always reminds us of this. And once again, happy early Father’s Day to all the dads in the Roca community! We would not be who we are today without our dads.

–Max and Max