🌊 A Star(mer) Has Fallen
Plus: A capitalist Cuba, rough talks in Iran, & ranch travel kits for World Cup fans
Hope you had a better Father’s Day weekend than…
…the dads of every author who wrote about Father’s Day in the NYT this week (screenshots below — rough go for dads).
Unfortunately, the NYT didn’t accept my guest op-ed titled, “The Day My Dad Told Me I Wouldn’t Play College Baseball.” The editors told me it just wasn’t that interesting to a general audience. The saddest part about the piece was that the conversation took place when I was four. Come on, Dad, not even a relief pitcher?
UK to have 6th PM in 7 Years!
A capitalist… Cuba?
Ranch travel kits for World Cup fans
-Max and Max
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Rough Start to Talks
US-Iran talks got off to a rocky start this weekend.
On Saturday, a day before the sides met in Switzerland to begin negotiations for a permanent deal to end the war, Iran announced that it had shut the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command – which oversees Middle East operations – said that traffic through the strait had not stopped and Vice President JD Vance traveled to the negotiations anyways; however, the announcement cast a shadow over the talks.
In announcing the alleged shutdown, Iran cited the conflict in Lebanon. The ceasefire “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) specifically required a halt in fighting in the country. Yet Israel continues to occupy a chunk of the country’s south, and Hezbollah continues to attack those troops, including with at least 50 strikes in recent days. Those have killed at least five Israeli soldiers, while Israeli strikes have killed dozens of Lebanese militants and civilians.
Separate from the situation in Lebanon, Iran has made other attempts to control the strait. Despite international law saying that no country has the right to control international waterways like the strait, Iran is requiring transiting ships to register with its government, suggesting that it isn’t fully open, as the MOU requires.
On Saturday, President Trump insisted that if any country controls the strait, it would be the US: “There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America,” he posted on Truth Social.
Trump also posted on Sunday, as the talks began, “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble…If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
He also told Fox News, “You close it, and you won’t have a country,” referencing the Strait of Hormuz. “You won’t even make it back to your f***ing country.”
Citing those words and a ceasefire clause prohibiting threats, Iran’s team walked out of talks on Sunday. While the ceasefire MOU provides 60 days for the sides to reach a deal, the first few have not started off smoothly.
Trump v. Meloni
Italian leader Giorgia Meloni and President Trump – longstanding right-wing allies – clashed over the weekend, after the latter claimed that Meloni “begged” for photos with him. Meloni responded with a video post, in which she said that Trump had “completely fabricated” the story.
100 Goals in Rapid Time
It took just 33 games for 100 goals to be scored in the World Cup – the fastest such benchmark since 1958. Among various explanations, analysts are suggesting that a different kind of ball could be at fault.
Albania Protests Expand
Albania experienced its largest protests yet, as tens of thousands marched in opposition to a deal that would see Jared Kushner – Trump’s son-in-law – develop a remote chunk of Albania’s coast.
Lessons from America’s Poorest County and Its Richest Towns
Over the past couple of days, we’ve run a two-part series on both America’s poorest county, located in Mississippi, and the its richest towns, scattered across the country.
At Roca, we strive to understand what life is like for Americans across the country, poor or rich, right or left, rural or urban. In this mini-series, we share our takeaways from visiting our country’s poorest areas and the richest. We hope you enjoy.
Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random…
Together With Incogni
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.
Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft.
That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear.
Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code ROCADEAL.
Keir Starmer Resigns
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down as Labour leader following a rebellion by party lawmakers, clearing the way for left-wing former mayor Andy Burnham to likely become Britain’s sixth prime minister in seven years.
Starmer said Monday that he would resign as party leader but remain prime minister to oversee an orderly transition, expected to finish by September. The move came days after Burnham won a parliamentary seat campaigning explicitly to oust Starmer and revitalize Labour, which trails the anti-immigration Reform UK party in polls amid voter frustration over immigration, weak growth, and post-Brexit instability.
Labour MPs had intensified pressure over the weekend to avoid a protracted internal fight. Party rules permit a leadership challenge with backing from at least one-fifth of lawmakers. Burnham, who twice previously sought the leadership (2010 and 2015) and recently served as mayor of Greater Manchester overseeing a £3 billion budget, is widely expected to win the contest and is viewed by party members as better positioned to retain seats and counter Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the 2029 election.
The ousting marks a stunning fall for Starmer, who won a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, when Labour took 411 seats — the party’s third-best result in history and its strongest since 2001 — delivering a 174-seat majority and ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
The resignation marks a historic first for Labour, which has never removed its own leader during their initial term in power.
EU Passes Strict Migration Rules
The European Parliament (EP) passed sweeping new migration rules last week that make it easier for EU member states to deport illegal migrants.
The measure passed 418-218, with support from center-right and right-wing lawmakers. While some liberal members of the EP backed it, socialist and left-wing lawmakers largely opposed it.
The centerpiece of the law is the creation of so-called “return hubs” – detention facilities in non-EU countries where migrants awaiting deportation can be held, potentially without a time limit. Only unaccompanied minors are exempt; families with children can be transferred to the hubs. Some countries have already been conducting variations of this policy, including Italy, which operated detention hubs in Albania.
Other key changes include extending the maximum detention period from six months to two years, raising entry bans from five to ten years, allowing authorities to search migrants’ homes, and ending the automatic suspension of deportations during legal appeals.
The law still needs final approval from EU member governments before it takes effect.
Troops Protect Indian Exam
India’s military deployed soldiers, helicopters, and other military assets to prevent cheating on an important standardized test.
In May, India voided the result of its extremely competitive undergraduate medical-school entrance exam, which determines the careers of prospective doctors. The stakes are extremely high – and the test famously grueling – given India’s massive population and relatively few elite education and job openings.
Last month, the government announced that certain exam questions may have been leaked, forcing it to nullify the results and triggering widespread anger and protests among test-takers. On Sunday, the group had to sit for the three-hour exam again.
In the days before the re-test, the Indian military conducted an airlift to securely deliver the exam to 5,000+ test centers, including in the country’s most remote regions. Troops were also used to protect test-taking sites and ensure that no one could steal or access exams ahead of test time on Sunday. The government also banned the messaging app Telegram, citing a booming business in cheating-focused channels there.
“The entire machinery of the state, whether it’s the state governments, whether it’s the paramilitary…has been mobilized to ensure the question papers are protected,” the head of the country’s National Testing Agency said.
Cuba Passes Big Reforms
Facing immense American pressure, Cuban lawmakers approved the most dramatic free-market overhaul since communist Fidel Castro took power in 1959.
The package consists of some 175 measures that would expand markets in the island nation, which has been under a near-total American blockade since January. Among various policies, the bill would enable private real estate development, private banks, the privatization of state assets, and the hiring of 100+ employees at a company. This would be a massive change for Cuba, which has one of the world’s most state-controlled economies.
Shortly before the vote, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the changes as a way to keep socialism alive during the blockade: “We are not renouncing socialism,” he said. “What is being debated here is the dilemma of how to continue the process of socialist construction, which has suffered the longest blockade in history from the world’s greatest power.”
His prime minister added, “The updating of the economic and social model has the essential purpose of improving the quality of life of our compatriots.” Departing from communist orthodoxy, he called the market “an instrument for the efficient allocation of resources.”
Cuba’s parliament has no other parties and no dissent; however, it’s unclear when or exactly how the policies would take effect.
What Does Roca Nation Think?
🤖 Today’s Question: If humanoid robots were widely available today, would you you want one to help you around the house like your own personal servant?
Reply to this email with your response!
Ranch Without Borders
Kraft is releasing a limited-edition travel kit aimed at soccer fans who can’t bear to leave the US without… ranch dressing.
The kit includes a TSA-compliant quart-sized bag, a bulk supply of individual ranch packets, and a ranch bottle-shaped luggage tag. The TSA itself weighed in on the trend, reminding travelers that ranch counts as a liquid and must follow carry-on rules. “One World. One Ranch,” the agency posted on Instagram.
The release follows a wave of viral videos showing international World Cup visitors trying ranch for the first time.
Don't Touch the Trunks
Brazilian World Cup fans in Philadelphia refused to dress the Rocky statue in team gear, heeding a curse that has doomed every squad that’s draped it in their colors.
Cut Above the Rest
A viral landscaper raised $685,000 for an elderly Kansas woman after an Uber driver tipped him off to her situation.
Spencer of SB Mowing spent two days clearing years of overgrowth from Debbie’s yard, then set up a GoFundMe that drew over 22,000 donations – all held in a trust for her sole benefit. Debbie had fallen three months behind on rent and skipped meals to feed her dogs after her husband died of cancer and a series of financial setbacks left her with nothing.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
If you want to get chills, watch this video of US fans in Seattle belting “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after the US defeated Australia 2-0. What an amazing environment.
Can we do it? Can we take it home? Can the spirit of John Denver work a miracle? We believe.
–Max and Max