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- 🌊 We Have a Ceasefire...Maybe
🌊 We Have a Ceasefire...Maybe
Plus: Abortion numbers rise, Bezos wedding protest, & Cowboys cheerleaders get raise!
The Roca Wave is growing… fast.
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🤝 Trump announces ceasefire
📈 Abortion numbers increase
📣 Cowboys cheerleaders get raise!
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Ceasefire Reached
President Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel
On Monday afternoon, Iran launched at least 14 missiles at the US’ Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US base in the Middle East. The missiles were shot down and resulted in no casualties
Trump subsequently said thanked Iran “for giving us early notice,” meaning that it sought to avoid escalation
Shortly after, Trump wrote, “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE…at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!”
Dig Deeper
Trump's full post read: "CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED! Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’ This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!"
KEY STORY
Abortions Rise
A new report from the Society of Family Planning found that there were more abortions in the US in 2024 than in 2023 or 2022
The increase follows the 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and gave states authority to regulate abortion
The report found that the US is now conducting more abortions than before Roe, apparently because of shield laws, which protect providers offering telehealth abortions across state lines. By late 2024, one in four abortions were conducted via telehealth
The report estimated that there were about 1.14M abortions in total in 2024, higher than the pre-Dobbs era
Dig Deeper
The US conducted around 100,000 abortions per month in 2024, the report found – an increase it attributed to the shield laws passed by liberal states to confer legal protections on patients, providers, and supporters involved in providing abortion care
The report noted a nearly 50% increase in the number of “shield law” abortions provided to people from states that have banned abortions, from just under 15,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to roughly 22,000 in the same period of 2024
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Every idea is an incitement
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KEY STORY
Parliamentarian Blocks GOP
The US Senate parliamentarian has rejected several provisions of the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” from qualifying for reconciliation
The Republicans are trying to pass the tax-and-spending bill – which is key to Trump’s agenda, passed – via reconciliation, which let bills pass with 51 votes, rather than 60. However, only certain types of laws qualify for reconciliation
Over the weekend, the Senate parliamentarian – who interprets Senate rules and procedures – deemed several provisions of the bill to violate reconciliation rules, putting the bill’s immediate passage in doubt
Dig Deeper
The rejected provisions include a limit on nationwide injunctions by federal courts; authorizing states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement; funding cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and instituting cuts to pay and benefits at the Federal Reserve
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has ruled out attempting to overrule the parliamentarian, making it doubtful that the GOP will be able to pass the bill by their self-imposed July 4 target
KEY STORY
French Needle Attacks
During France’s nationwide Fête de la Musique music festival, at least 145 people – mostly teenage girls – across multiple cities reported being stabbed with syringes
Authorities arrested 12 suspects and launched toxicological and forensic investigations to determine whether date-rape drugs were involved
Some observers warned that panic or misperception may be inflating reports, but emphasized the need to remain cautious
French officials called the incidents “extremely serious,” and launched an investigation to determine if they were a coordinate attack
Dig Deeper
Authorities say that women between the ages of 14 and 20 were primarily targeted, with many victims describing a sudden sharp sensation followed by dizziness or nausea
According to Le Monde and other French outlets, anonymous posts circulated online ahead of the event encouraging syringe attacks on women
Dr. Adam Winstock, founder of the Global Drug Survey, warned that some reports may be driven more by panic than evidence
A local paper in northern France reported that one girl who believed she had been stabbed was later found to have only a surface scratch
“Until there is toxicological evidence, what the story might be is that a group of people pick up on something they heard had happened to someone else,” said Winstock, “Because you feel a sharp prick does not mean you have been injected with a drug”
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
⚛️ Governor Kathy Hochul (D.) directed New York’s power body to develop a new nuclear power plant in what marks the first major new US nuclear plant project in over 15 years
🇩🇪 German chancellor Friedrich Merz said there is “no reason to criticize what America did last weekend” in Iran
💍 Protesters gathered in Venice, Italy, to oppose Jeff Bezos’ upcoming wedding in the city, accusing him of treating the city like “Disneyland”
🏡 US existing home sales rose 0.8% in May, marking the slowest May since 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)
🔫 A security guard fatally shot a gunman who opened fire during Sunday service at a church in Wayne, Michigan
⚖️ The US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can resume deporting migrants to countries other than their home nations
What does Roca Nation think?
🇺🇸 Yesterday’s Question: What was your reaction to the bombing of Iran?
To deny that it was and remains imperative for this Iranian regime to be disallowed a nuclear weapon, is blatantly idiotic. Trump offered a binary choice and when Iran very clearly stated that they refuse to stop pursuing a nuclear weapon, Trump trusted them and accepted their decision. Then he took the action he had promised, if that was the case. The US spoke clearly, offered great incentives, and followed through. Everyone who is honest with themselves appreciates that.
I have no problem with this mission being ordered and as so many times before, am thoroughly impressed with the capability and excellence in execution of this mission. As a former warfighter, I very much want to see an end to forever wars and US blood being spilled while our military is handcuffed by politicians captured by the military industrial complex. Our allies need to step up their game as many are. But, I was internally conflicted regarding regime change in Iran. Not for the sake of Americans, but for the sake of Iranians and everyone throughout the Mideast that suffer under their bullying and terror proxies. Ultimately those citizens need to step up and clean their own house.
To the congressmen and congresswomen that believe the President must come to them before taking an action like this, some of whom, like Rand Paul, I really respect and like, they are wrong. It’s more than obvious that the time requirements and the OPSEC (operations security) of actions such as these make that absolutely infeasible.
Great job Trump administration! Great job to the new Sec Def and to the amazing men and women in uniform!
My immediate reaction was Trump said he wasn't going to start any wars. Nice job — crushing it dude. It's a blatant abuse of power. There was no immediate action needed to be taken that would have triggered the law he used. Congress was "off" this week which seems interesting that he did it before they were back in office to vote or not to bomb Iran. The rest of the world already sees us as a joke, now we are blood power hungry and attacking unprovoked. Embarrassing. As a strong patriot who grew up in the military I'm so embarrassed by this action. They have every right to attack back and a lot of young American lives will be lost.
If Biden or Kamala did this Trump supporters would be enraged and calling for them to be impeached. It’s hypocrisy at its finest.
I immediately thought of my college roomie from Taiwan. If we are demonstrably willing to help an ally fighting for their right to exist, at no small risk to ourselves, will China back off of their plans to take Taiwan? Having boldly returned to the world stage, can we deter other acts of aggression against our friends by taking this one limited action against an international bully? I sure hope so.
🥵 Today’s Question: Feel free to vent here about the heat today. If no complaints, keep scrolling!
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
💃 Pom Pay Up: Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are getting a 400% pay raise after years of criticism over low wages
🔭 Eyes on the Skies: A powerful new telescope at Chile’s Vera C Rubin Observatory has released its first images, offering an unprecedented view of deep space
🍷 Pub-Pounder Pro: An Argentinian man has set a new Guinness World Record by visiting an incredible 152 pubs in just 24 hours across Buenos Aires
🦑 Ink-redible Discovery: For the first time ever, scientists have captured live footage of a deep-sea Antarctic squid in its natural habitat
🐻 Bear Minimum: Lithuanian hunters refused a government request to shoot a wild bear spotted roaming the country’s capital city, Vilnius
ROCA WRAP
So Back
South Korea
All seven members of global K-pop sensation BTS have completed their mandatory military service in this East Asian nation.
South Korea maintains mandatory military service for all able-bodied men aged 18-28, requiring 18-21 months of service under a conscription system designed to deter North Korea from attacking. While exemptions exist for some – including athletes and classical musicians who win major competitions – entertainers don't receive such privileges.
On Saturday, Suga, the seventh and final member of BTS to complete service, was officially discharged, paving the way for a reunion of the wildly popular boy band. The other six members served in the army, with four of them being simultaneously discharged last week after enlisting together in December 2023.
BTS initially postponed their service until age 30 after South Korea's National Assembly revised the Military Service Act in 2020, allowing K-pop stars to delay enlistment. There was heated public debate in 2022 over whether to grant BTS special exemptions, but the group's management agency announced in October 2022 that all seven members would fulfill their duties.
The completion of BTS's military service represents a significant moment for both the group's millions of fans worldwide and South Korea's entertainment industry. BTS has been one of the country's most successful cultural exports, helping spread Korean culture globally. Through military service, the stars helped South Korea’s hard power; back on the stage, they’ll return to helping its soft power.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
Voting for the Democratic primary for NYC mayor begins today. As we recently outlined in a We The 66 newsletter, New Yorkers have two choices: The socialist or the creep. Zohran wants city-run grocery stores (I always wanted buying cereal to feel more like a trip to the DMV!), while Andrew Cuomo pays $7,800 in rent for a NYC apartment where he rehearses his, “I’m not perverted just Italian!” defenses.
Choose wisely, New Yorkers. Have a great day, everyone else!
–Max and Max