🌊 Alms for Boeing, Please!

#BeerBelliesSaveLives.

A Russian man survived more than two months drifting in icy seas on an inflatable boat because of… his beer belly. Fishermen rescued the man after his 66 day at sea that claimed the lives of his brother and his nephew. His wife, when asked about his ordeal, theorized that he survived because he “was so overweight.” The man, Mikhail Pichugin, weight 100 kgs (220 pounds), though media reports say he was around 50 kgs (110 pounds) when found on Monday. #BeerBelliesSaveLives. Get it trending!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

India vs. Canada

Canada expelled India's top diplomat and five officials, accusing them of involvement in the 2023 assassination of a Sikh activist in Vancouver

• Canada hosts a large Sikh community, many of whose members want to carve an independent country out of India. An activist calling for that was murdered in June 2023 in Vancouver, and Canadian authorities say there is "irrefutable evidence" linking Indian government agents to the murder

• In recent days, they’ve blamed India for at least a dozen other “threats to life” against South Asians in Canada

• India denied involvement, expelled six Canadian diplomats in retaliation, and accused Justin Trudeau of supporting “extremism, violence, and separatism against India”

Dig Deeper

• The US has also linked India to an alleged murder plot against a Sikh separatist in New York, bringing attention to claims that the Indian government is targeting diaspora activists it considers terrorists

• India has consistently denied involvement in these incidents and accused Canada of supporting extremism

KEY STORY

Google Goes Nuclear

Google became the first tech company to commission new nuclear power plants, ordering six to seven small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide low-carbon electricity for its data centers

• Tech companies are seeking significant amounts of low- or no-carbon energy to power their growing data center operations

• One potential source is SMRs: A new generation of nuclear technology, designed to be smaller, safer, and more flexible than traditional large-scale nuclear plants

• Google has ordered SMRs with a total capacity of 500 megawatts from Kairos Power, a California-based startup that aims to bring its first commercial reactor online by 2030

• The deal represents a significant commitment from Google to nuclear energy as part of its clean energy strategy

Dig Deeper

• Only China and Russia currently have operational SMRs, while dozens of countries have plans to install them

• Karios says its SMRs use a novel design with a coolant that makes them inherently safer than traditional water-cooled reactors

ROCA’S SPONSOR

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• But a group of scientists spent 15 years developing a way to combat this decline

• Meet Mitopure®, a clinically proven way to increase cellular energy, giving our bodies the energy they’re missing as we age. The results? Double-digit increases in muscle strength and endurance without any change in exercise

• Try for yourself with 30% off

KEY STORY

Boeing Needs $25B

Boeing opened a new $10B credit line and announced that it will raise up to $25B over the next three years as it struggles to remain liquid

• Amid production issues, manufacturing delays, and public safety concerns on the back of major malfunctions, Boeing’s stock is down ~40% this year

• A recent strike followed by layoffs have exacerbated the company’s predicament: Boeing finished September with $10.3B in cash on hand, close to the minimum amount the company says it needs to operate

Dig Deeper

• Boeing may need to turn things around quickly: Credit rating agencies have warned the company that they may downgrade its investment-grade debt rating, which would make raising money even more difficult

KEY STORY

Trump Unveils “Operation Aurora”

At a rally in Aurora, CO, the Denver suburb where Venezuelan gangs have been seen roaming multiple apartment complexes, Trump unveiled "Operation Aurora"

• With Operation Aurora, Trump said he intends to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target "every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American Soil"

• Trump accused Harris of "importing" undocumented immigrants from "the dungeons of the third world"

• Critics – including Aurora’s Republican mayor – say Trump has greatly exaggerated the scale of the takeover

Dig Deeper

• At the rally, Trump said, “I will rescue Aurora and every town that has been invaded and conquered”

• The Aurora mayor said said Trump’s comments have “grossly exaggerated and have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

🏪 Walgreens announced it would close 1,500 – roughly one in seven – of its US stores over the next three years. Despite releasing results that beat analysts’ estimates, it said 25% of its stores remain unprofitable

🙋‍♀️ The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Kamala Harris’ lead is roughly back to where it was before the debate. Trump narrowly leads in all swing states except Wisconsin

💲 The price of oil fell over 5% on Tuesday morning as fears receded about an imminent Israeli strike on Iran’s oil infrastructure

📨 The US sent Israel a letter – signed by several top officials – warning that it may cut off arms sales if Israel doesn’t improve aid delivery to Gaza within 30 days

🕌 The Taliban’s morality ministry said it would implement a law banning the publishing of images of all living things

COMMUNITY

🧐 Yesterday’s question: What was the first pet you owned? Was it your favorite pet?

🧠 Today’s question: If you went to a Karaoke bar and had to bet your life savings on someone singing a certain song in the next hour, what song would you pick?

Reply to this email to let us know what you think!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🧑‍⚖️ New Sexual Harassment Just Dropped: A UK judge ruled that calling a man "bald" could be considered sexual harassment, as the term is inherently related to gender

👮‍♂️ A Tough Meowment for Him: A Nebraska man was arrested on charges of animal cruelty after police obtained a search warrant based on reports that he killed, butchered, and ate a pet cat

🧑‍💻 Possessed Vacuums: Hackers gained access to Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robotic vacuums earlier this year and used them to chase pets and shout racist slurs at owners across several US cities

🍞 “These Things Happen”: A South African woman was told that “these things happen” after identifying a rat in a loaf of bread she bought at the store

🐢 Who Kayaks to Canada?: A Chinese woman pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 29 protected eastern box turtles into Canada by kayak from Vermont

ROCA WRAP

Roca Debate: Too Fringe?

Hot Topic 

When is an idea too fringe? When should we accept consensus? This – perhaps one of the most important questions of today – recently emerged in our app. People submitted interesting responses so we wanted to share them here. 

For context, this discussion was sparked by an app user who wrote, “I want fair media coverage. But I think there’s a problem when people try to present both sides on an issue like climate change. Most people aren’t going to know climate science well enough to form their own opinion, so they have to rely on experts. When the overwhelming majority of experts agree there is climate change, it does a disservice to present the views of the time number of scientists who disagree with the same level of attention and credence.”

We replied, “Good point, but many people will say, ‘There's only a consensus because dissenting views are silenced.’ We aren’t endorsing the view, but we’re curious how you and others would reply to that.”

User aebuster wrote: “The reply on sktctx’s comment about climate change is terrible. If journalism operates from an idea that everyone’s opinion deserves to be aired then you create a world where there is no truth, and nothing can be agreed upon. I don’t go to the doctor to get my car repaired anymore than I would take medical advice from my mechanic- when it comes to news I want to hear from experts on an issue presented with as little bias as possible by a journalist who understands the issues.”

User elizabeth0612 wrote: “If that’s a genuine question about climate change, you have to keep in mind that scientific consensus and public opinion are different things. Climate scientists aren’t reading the media and thinking “wow, that random person has a point!” They’re doing peer reviewed research. Science involves testing your findings. And if there’s a scientist with a wildly different opinion (as in they’re the 0.001% of climate scientists), there’s generally a good reason why they aren’t being given any credence.”

User rickcwood wrote: “To the person saying climate change is settled science, there are plenty of “experts” that have a nuanced understanding that are marginalized. And, there is more money in keeping climate change an eminent existential threat than there is in rational, logical debate and discussion.”

User james0pritchard wrote: “Good Q on when to have alternative opinions. For me, dissenting opinion to common knowledge (95%+ of experts agreeing) should be said to be a small minority (preferably with numbers, eg 1% of experts have this opinion). I think there should be a limit to where the dissenting party gets ignored but I don’t know when, perhaps 0.1%? 0.01%??”

User CUwolfman wrote: “I disagree with the user who stated you shouldn’t share dissenting opinions “when the vast majority of experts agree on something” time and again history shows that “experts” are continuously wrong (smoking was good for you in the 50s drs said). If you don’t listen to all sides of an argument you can’t come to your own conclusions on a topic and then you’ve just fallen prey to group think. The reasons for having an opinion on something should never be “because the experts said”.”

User lewiscdot wrote: “Re: “dissenting views are silenced”, i think part of the problem is giving a platform to “dissenting views” as if they’re equally valid to that of the experts and professionals. Just because everyone has an opinion and a voice thanks to social media doesn’t mean they’re all qualified to have a seat at the table. It makes me wonder if Idiocracy was fiction or a documentary made by someone from the future.”

User kirbyriom wrote: “On the topic of suppressing dissenting: are they really being suppressed or are they just a small minority of people? And who is the one with the opinion? Just someone who was granted a platform? Then why not ask a random coal miner about their opinion on climate change? Does the person providing the opinion have any legitimate claim to his opinion I.e. do they do research, are they considered an expert? And even if they are do they represent the majority opinion or <10% of the expert opinion?”

Healthy Debate

In an era when everyone is being pushed into echo chambers, we are proud to host a debate like this. We’re curious to hear your – our newsletter audience’s – thoughts. Faith can only be restored in media and our other institutions through open discourse. Thank you all!

ROCA VIDEO
Interviewing Wisconsin’s Most Liberal City

Politically, Wisconsin is a sea of red with drops of blue. Madison, the capital, is the bluest of the blue, the state’s most progressive city a self-proclaimed “LGBTQ sanctuary,” and a known hippy town. We went to see what it was like and how the people would be voting in this year’s election.

Make sure to subscribe to the channel!

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Trust in media dipped to a new low, per Gallup’s annual survey. 36% say they have no trust in media; 33% say they have not very much; and 31% say they have a great deal/fair amount. This is why exist and is probably why you read Roca. We don’t take our mission lightly. Thank you for riding the Roca wave!

–Max and Max