🌊 First Anti-Aging Drug?
Plus: World Cup kicks off, the perfect town, & a fake Canadian pilot
Hard work pays off.
After 144 years, Barcelona’s cathedral Sagrada Familia is finally completed (okay, the “deboonkers” online will tell you that they’re still doing some facade work but come on… it passes the “guy who knows nothing about architecture” eye test). It took five generations of builders to construct the church, the world’s tallest, which has my Gen Z cousins wondering why they didn’t just 3D print it (also, can they please stop calling me “Unc”?).
I don’t know abut you, but generational projects like Sagrada Familiar are so profoundly inspiring. In a world that prioritizes speed, efficiency, and utility, beautiful buildings that require the blood, sweat, and commitment of multiple generations make life seem grander. So thank you to all those workers, and now time to build the LEGO set.
Also, 20 Questions Disney edition.
World Cup kicks off
First anti-aging drug?
Fake Canadian pilot
-Max and Max
Readers like you fund Roca’s journalism and keep us
independent. Subscribe below if you want to support our mission
and access our full content each morning!
World Cup Kicks Off
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday in Mexico City, launching what is officially the largest tournament in the event’s history.
This year’s edition, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, features 48 teams – up from 32 in 2022 – playing 104 matches across 16 stadiums over 39 days, with the final set for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
The tournament opened with a ceremony at Estadio Azteca in Mexico. Performances included Colombian singer Shakira and Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Mexico started off the tournament against South Africa, winning 2-0 and delivering on its status as the favorite on home soil at roughly 7,300 feet of elevation. There were three red cards in the match, which is the most for an opener in World Cup history.
The opening ceremonies will continue on Friday, with Canada hosting Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto at 3:00 PM EST and the US playing Paraguay at 9:00PM EST. All 104 matches are broadcast in the US on Fox and FS1 in English, with Telemundo and Universo carrying Spanish-language coverage. Every match can also be streamed on the Fox One app, with select games available free on streaming service Tubi.
Pentagon Locked Down
Several floors of the Pentagon were placed on lockdown Thursday after the building’s systems detected an air quality issue.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Department is “executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.”
Arlington Fire & EMS confirmed they are responding to a “hazardous materials” incident at the site, and police inside the building were seen in gas masks and full chemical protective gear. The Pentagon houses more than 20,000 government employees.
Authorities gave an all clear hours later, and workers returned to their posts.
Toronto Cop Killed in Consulate Raid
A Toronto police officer was shot and killed Thursday during a raid on a property linked to the March attack on the US consulate in the city.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw identified the officer as 43-year-old constable Marc Pinizzotto, who died at a hospital after being shot during an early morning search warrant in the city’s northwest. A 19-year-old suspect remains at large.
The March consulate shooting remains under federal investigation for potential terrorism links.
Minnesota Assassin Pleads Guilty
A Minnesota man pleaded guilty on Thursday to the murders of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, as well as the nonfatal shootings of state Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette.
Vance Boelter, 58, carried out the June 2025 attacks disguised as a police officer, driving a fake squad car. He was caught two days later following what prosecutors called the largest manhunt in Minnesota history. Federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty, instead recommending two life sentences plus 40 years. State charges remain pending.
Earbuds That Adapt to Your Brain Rhythms
Most earbuds play sound at you. Smartbuds play sound for you. They sense your brain rhythms in real time and respond with audio that takes your mind where you want it to go: from stressed to zen, or restless to deep sleep.
None of this is new, exactly: you know sound can change how you feel. The right music can lift you, calm you, or lock you into focus. But it’s always been guesswork, because your playlist has no idea what state you’re actually in. Smartbuds turn this art into a science, with clinical-grade EEG sensors that can detect brainwaves from the ear and adjust sound moment to moment, giving your mind exactly what it needs to perform its best.
More than just another tracker, Smartbuds are full-stack premium earbuds, so you can listen to a podcast, take a call, or stream music. And when you need a track to recenter your mind or nap on demand, they’re there.
Built by leading neuroscientists and engineers, Smartbuds bring brain sensing out of the lab and into something you wear every day.
Roca readers get 20% off with code ROCA20, plus free shipping.
First Anti-Aging Trial
US biotech company Life Biosciences has dosed its first patient in a clinical trial testing a therapy designed to reverse age-related vision loss, representing the first treatment with the company’s controversial anti-aging technology.
The treatment, called ER-100, targets glaucoma and a lesser-known condition called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), both of which can cause permanent vision loss by damaging the nerves that connect the eye to the brain. The therapy works by injecting a modified, non-infectious virus into the eye, delivering genetic instructions that activate three proteins intended to restore vision cells to a younger, healthier state.
The trial, which will initially enroll 12 glaucoma patients and up to 6 NAION patients, is primarily to evaluate safety, and participants will be monitored for at least 5 years. The current approach is based on the theory that cell aging is driven by the gradual loss of chemical instructions that tell cells how to function, and that restoring those instructions can reverse disease.
Still, some researchers are skeptical, calling the trial “extraordinarily high-risk” and questioning whether any cellular rejuvenation would be durable enough to matter.
Trump Calls Off Iran Strikes
President Trump called off planned strikes on Iran on Thursday afternoon after announcing progress toward a peace deal.
Trump posted on Truth Social that negotiations had been “approved” by Iran’s top leadership, with the “time and place of the signing” to be announced soon. The US naval blockade on Iranian ports will stay in place until the deal is finalized.
The reversal came hours after Trump threatened to hit Iran “VERY HARD” and floated the idea of seizing Kharg Island to take total control of the country’s oil and gas markets. He later told Fox News that he thought Americans would rather see troops come home than pursue such an operation.
The back-and-forth came at the end of a volatile week that started when an Iranian drone downed a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, triggering US strikes on Iranian air defense and radar sites.
Trump Nominates new DNI
President Trump nominated Jay Clayton – the US attorney in Manhattan and former SEC chairman – as his permanent pick for director of national intelligence (DNI) following backlash from his previous pick, Bill Pulte.
Trump’s earlier decision to nominate Pulte – his housing director and a close ally with no intelligence background – as acting director blew up a bipartisan deal to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The section allows the government to collect communications from US tech companies on foreign nationals abroad without a warrant.
Democrats said they wouldn’t extend the law unless Trump reversed course on Pulte, and the House voted 218-198 to reject a temporary extension, with 19 Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in opposition. Senate Democrats blocked a last-minute attempt as well.
It remains unclear whether Democrats will view Clayton more favorably than Pulte, who remains the acting director.
20 Questions!
Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd.
We’re going to get controversial with this one. We’re doing a “This or That” Disney edition of 20 Questions, where we provide 20 different matchups and you tell us who you’d take.
Hope you have fun with this and please provide justice for Kronk.
Here are the results from last week’s “true or false” edition of 20 Questions.
Live concerts are better than live sporting events - True 52.8% / False 47.2%
Mustard is better than ketchup - True 48.0% / False 52.0%
Math is the most interesting school subject - True 13.3% / False 86.7%
Mozzarella sticks were the best school lunch - True 27.6% / False 72.4%
Never eat the fish at McDonald’s - True 64.3% / False 35.7%
Seed oils are bad for you - True 46.5% / False 53.5%
You’d rather be a fish in a fish tank than an animal in the zoo - True 31.9% / False 68.1%
We should not use shampoo every day - True 73.2% / False 26.8%
We should not use deodorant every day - True 16.3% / False 83.7%
Patrick Star is the best SpongeBob character - True 40.7% / False 59.3%
Patrick Star would be a great desk mate at work - True 32.6% / False 67.4%
Books are generally better than their movie adaptations - True 96.0% / False 4.0%
The Star Wars prequels were great movies - True 43.0% / False 57.0%
Nails on a chalkboard is a worse sound than loud chewing - True 69.7% / False 30.3%
Paper straws should be mandated - True 24.4% / False 75.6%
Women should lift weights - True 88.1% / False 11.9%
AI will improve the quality of life for humans - True 28.4% / False 71.6%
Honey mustard is the best chicken nugget dipping sauce - True 37.6% / False 62.4%
It will be normal to travel to space in 50 years - True 39.7% / False 60.3%
Gen Z slang is better than the slang you grew up with - True 9.9% / False 90.1%
Fake It Till You Fly It
Canadian police allege that a former Air Canada captain flew more than 900 commercial flights over 16 years without holding the required pilot certification.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, was charged with fraud and forgery after a four-month investigation found he had used fraudulent credentials to deceive the airline and aviation regulators from 2009 until his 2025 retirement. Wall held a commercial pilot licence but lacked the airline transport pilot license required to captain commercial aircraft, though Air Canada said he consistently passed competency checks and passenger safety was not compromised.
China in the Deep
A Norwegian watchmaker running an underwater survey stumbled upon a 300-year-old shipwreck in the Skagerrak Strait carrying intact Chinese porcelain and glassware some 2,000 feet below the surface.
The 72-foot vessel, believed to have sunk around 1750, held two styles of porcelain – blue-decorated Batavia ware and all-white Dehua “Blanc de Chine” – alongside glass goods, grain, and barrels of what may have been coffee, cocoa, or tea. Around 40 artifacts have been recovered and are now on display at the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo.
Abe's Fight Night
The Lincoln Memorial will serve as the backdrop for the UFC Freedom 250 press conference on Friday, as part of a week of events surrounding a White House-hosted fight card on June 14.
A custom 4,300-capacity arena has been built on the South Lawn for the main event, with weigh-ins scheduled for Saturday morning and ceremonial weigh-ins on The Ellipse that evening.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
The only thing that beats a quaint, small town is a quaint, small town in the South. And that’s what we found in McClellanville, South Carolina, which was idyllic.
If you’re looking for a nice news detox to end this week, watch this video. And have a great weekend.
–Max and Max