🌊 "War Is Over"

Plus: Gov layoffs begin, Madagascar prez flees, & Denver's Taco Bell marathon

October 14, 2025

Madagascar’s president likes to move it, move it.

We could not write today’s story about the Madagascar president fleeing the country without thinking of King Julien’s anthem. We apologize that you have to put up with a Gen Z/Millennial newsroom, and here’s hoping we don’t encounter stories involving a retired race car or a kidnapped clown fish off the coast of Sydney this week.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Time for some news.

🤝 Phase one of peace plan begins

🇲🇬 Madagascar president flees country

🌮 Taco Bell marathon in Denver

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

What’s Next in Gaza?

The first phase of the Gaza peace deal took effect

  • Aid began pouring into Gaza, with the UN saying that “real progress” had been made; Israeli troops began a partial withdrawal, backing up to a line between Gaza City and the Israeli border; and Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages in exchange for 1,968 prisoners being held by Israel. On Monday, Trump called it "the historic dawn of a new Middle East" and declared that “war is over”

  • Yet armed Hamas members also retook positions around the Strip, allegedly to ensure security. Negotiations are ongoing to secure the next phase of the deal, during which international bodies are supposed to take control of Gaza and begin disarming Hamas

Dig Deeper

  • We published a full deep-dive on this situation in today’s We The 66 newsletter. You can read it here

KEY STORY

Trump Administration Issues Layoffs

The White House initiated layoffs of federal employees on Friday as part of the ongoing government shutdown

  • Government shutdowns typically involve temporarily furloughing workers without pay until Congress reaches a funding agreement, with workers returning once the government reopens. The current shutdown began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill

  • White House officials confirmed over 4,000 workers have been laid off since Friday, with the Treasury and Health Department most affected so far

  • Federal employment lawyers have raised questions about whether conducting layoffs during a shutdown violates the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits the government from spending money – potentially including severance payments – not appropriated by Congress

Dig Deeper

  • To date, the Treasury Department has shed over 1,400 employees, and the Department of Health and Human Services has cut over 1,100 positions

  • Federal unions filed a lawsuit against the administration before the layoffs began, arguing the dismissals lack legal authority under shutdown conditions

  • Democrats and unions opposed using federal workers in budget negotiations, with the AFL-CIO – The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations – announcing it would challenge the layoffs in court

KEY STORY

Courts Block Guard Deployments

National Guard troops began patrolling Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday as the Trump Administration continued facing legal challenges to deployments in Democratic-led cities

  • President Trump ordered National Guard deployments to multiple US cities, saying troops were needed to protect federal property and personnel during immigration enforcement operations and protests

  • On Thursday, federal judges temporarily blocked deployments in Chicago and Portland. The Chicago judge said she found "no credible evidence that there is a danger of a rebellion in the state of Illinois" and ruled that deploying troops would "only add fuel to the fire"

  • While Democratic governors sued to stop the deployments, Tennessee's Republican Governor Bill Lee welcomed federal troops to Memphis

Dig Deeper 

  • In late September, the Trump Administration attempted to federalize and deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, citing ongoing protests. When a US district judge blocked that deployment, the Trump Administration moved to send National Guard troops from California and Texas to Portland instead, before the same judge issued a broader order prohibiting the administration from sending any troops whatsoever

  • The Trump Administration filed notices to appeal both the Chicago and Portland rulings. Similar legal challenges were pending in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, where the administration had deployed or planned to deploy thousands of National Guard members

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KEY STORY

Madagascar President Flees

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina fled the country after weeks of youth-led protests, according to opposition leaders and military sources

  • Rajoelina first came to power in 2009 through a military-backed coup and was later elected president in 2018. He won reelection in 2023 in a vote that opposition parties boycotted. A French military aircraft evacuated Rajoelina from Madagascar on Sunday

  • Demonstrations began on September 25 over water and electricity shortages but quickly grew into a broader uprising. Protesters, calling themselves "Gen Z Madagascar," raised concerns about poverty, the cost of living, corruption, and lack of basic services

  • At least 22 people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, according to the UN

Dig Deeper

  • The president's departure came after an elite military unit called CAPSAT defected and joined the protesters over the weekend – the same unit had helped Rajoelina seize power during the 2009 coup

  • Madagascar's Senate appointed a new leader on Monday who would act as caretaker head of state in the president's absence. However, opposition officials said the country remained in a "constitutional vacuum" because the Senate was nearing the end of its term

  • Madagascar is one of the world's poorest nations, with four out of five people living below the poverty line

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.

Miles Davis

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📈 President Trump softened his tone after threatening 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, posting that President Xi "just had a bad moment" and the US “wants to help China, not hurt it.”

🪖 Up to 200 US troops already stationed in the Middle East will relocate to Israel to monitor the Gaza ceasefire.

🛬 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon will host a new Qatari air force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, crediting Qatar's role in securing the Gaza ceasefire deal.

🇻🇪 Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts promoting democratic rights and peaceful transition from dictatorship in Venezuela.

🇺🇦 President Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday to discuss forcing Russia to negotiate, including potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.

What does Roca Nation think?

🤝 Today’s Question: What are your reactions to the end of the war between Israel and Gaza?

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🎍 Hard to Be-leaf: Researchers in China have developed a hard plastic made from bamboo cellulose that matches the strength of conventional plastics used in appliances and car interiors, while remaining recyclable and biodegradable.

🏃‍➡️ Supreme Suffering: Over 700 runners competed in Denver’s free Taco Bell 50k ultramarathon over the weekend, a 31-mile race requiring participants to complete food challenges at 9 out of 10 Taco Bell locations along the course.

🦪 Shell of a Comeback: Bay scallops, once locally extinct along Virginia’s Eastern Shore, are now multiplying exponentially thanks to seagrass restoration efforts led by the College of William & Mary and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

🏆 The Lightweight Champion: MIT engineers have developed a printable aluminum alloy that is five times stronger than traditionally cast aluminum and can withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius.

🏎️ Still Cruising: An Ontario driver was caught speeding last week after having his license suspended for 40 years. He has been ineligible to drive since 1985

ROCA WRAP
The Most Interesting Man in the World

Jonny Kim

A Navy SEAL turned doctor turned astronaut launched to the International Space Station.

Kim's early life in South Los Angeles was marked by hardship. His parents, who had arrived from South Korea in the early 1980s with little formal education, ran a liquor store while his mother worked as a substitute teacher. The family endured domestic violence that ended in February 2002, when police shot and killed Kim’s father after he threatened the family with a gun. Kim, then 18 and a high school senior, later described himself as “the epitome of that quiet kid who just lacked complete self-confidence." Yet at 16, he had already decided to become a Navy SEAL, investing his remaining high school years in physical conditioning for the demanding training ahead.

After enlisting in 2002, Kim graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and joined SEAL Team 3, deploying twice to the Middle East. He participated in over 100 combat missions as a medic, sniper, navigator, and point man. His heroism under fire earned him a Silver Star for rescuing wounded Iraqi soldiers in the face of enemy fire and a Bronze Star with Combat “V” for valor. He achieved the rank of lieutenant commander.

While serving as a SEAL, Kim pursued higher education with the same intensity he brought to combat. He earned a mathematics degree summa cum laude from the University of San Diego in 2012 through a naval commissioning program. Kim then attended Harvard Medical School, graduating with his medical degree in 2016. He completed his medical internship in emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital while continuing his military service.

Kim didn’t stop there. He completed flight training in 2023 at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, becoming a naval aviator. This achievement made him one of only 79 individuals since World War I to earn the rare Aeromedical Dual Designator, qualified as both a physician and a naval aviator. The combination of achievements – combat veteran, doctor, and pilot – made Kim an ideal candidate for an even more extraordinary role.

While at Harvard, Kim met astronaut-physician Scott Parazynski, who inspired him to apply to NASA. In June 2017, Kim was selected from over 18,300 applicants to join NASA Astronaut Group 22, one of just twelve chosen. He graduated from astronaut training in January 2020 and received his flight assignment in August 2024. On April 8, 2025, Kim and his crew docked with the International Space Station. Kim is conducting scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, and human research as part of Expedition 72/73.

From the scared boy who lacked confidence to the man floating 250 miles above Earth, Jonny Kim proves that even the sky isn't the limit.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Although the peace process is just getting underway, we’re elated that the war has ended, with the surviving hostages returned home and the devastation of Gaza over. We pray the peace is lasting.

For a deep dive on what’s next in Gaza, we published this in our We The 66 newsletter this morning.

–Max and Max