Never ask a woman her age, a man his salaryâŚ
Or your Uncle Gary where he was on this day five years ago.
Also, as of yesterday, never ask a Minnesota governor why heâs dropping his reelection bid (see this awkward moment from Walzâs press conference yesterday). Happy Tuesday, Roca Nation. Letâs ride.
đł Walz drops reelection bid
đ¨đş Cuba on alert?
đĄ JD Vanceâs home vandalized
âMax and Max
KEY STORY
Walz Drops Reelection Bid
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) announced that he will not seek reelection
Minnesota has been at the center of what both Biden and Trump administration officials have called the nationâs largest Covid-era fraud. Last week, a viral video by YouTube journalist Nick Shirley alleging fraud at daycares intensified pressure on Walz
On Monday, Walz said he couldn't devote full attention to a campaign while addressing state challenges. Citing Shirleyâs video and other conservative attacks, he said, "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota"
Dig Deeper
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is considering entering the governor's race. Approximately a dozen Republicans are already running, including House Speaker Lisa Demuth, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and 2022 Republican nominee Scott Jensen
No Republican has won a statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, though Walz's departure leaves the governorship without an incumbent
KEY STORY
Trump Hints at Next Targets
President Trump raised the possibility of US military operations against additional countries
After capturing Maduro in Caracas, Trump said that Colombian President Gustavo Petro must âwatch his ass,â citing drug production in his country. He also suggested operations to combat cartels in Mexico and said, âCuba looks like itâs ready to fallâ
Trump also said a day after the raid, âWe need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.â The remark has reportedly fueled concern in Denmark, whose prime minister said the US had âno rightâ to seize the island
Dig Deeper
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuban officials, âIf I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, Iâd be concerned â at least a little bit,â though Trump predicted that Cuba would likely collapse without US intervention
Trump also characterized Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as âvery frightened of the cartelsâ and suggested they controlled Mexico more than its elected government
KEY STORY
Reactions to Maduroâs Capture
The US capture of Venezuelan President NicolĂĄs Maduro has opened up a rift between countries
In Latin America, left-wing-led countries (including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia) have opposed it, while those led by conservatives (including Argentina, Ecuador, and Bolivia) have been positive
Reactions in Europe have similarly been split: UK PM Keir Starmer said âno tearsâ would be shed, Italyâs called it a âdefensiveâ action, and Greeceâs said, âThis is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions.â Norwayâs, by contrast, called it a violation of international law
Dig Deeper
Many Venezuelans have taken to the streets to celebrate Maduro's removal, however, Maduro's backers have also rallied in Caracas, calling for his return and protesting what they called his "kidnapping"
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.
-Groucho Marx
KEY STORY
Macron Cyberbullying Verdict
A French court convicted ten people of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron over false claims about her gender
Theories alleging that Franceâs first lady was born male have proliferated in France and the US
On Monday, a Paris court found eight men and two women guilty of making âdegrading, insulting, and maliciousâ comments with âa clear desire to do harm.â Sentences ranged from suspended terms to six months in jail. All were fined âŹ600 and ordered to pay a share of âŹ10,000 in compensation
The Macrons are pursuing a separate US lawsuit against Candace Owens, who posted an 8-part video series about the theory
Dig Deeper
The court banned five defendants from X for six months. Three were singled out as the main instigators due to their large audiences and ordered to complete online harassment training
WE THE 66
Why Venezuelan Oil Matters
Not all oil is created equally. Some exits the Earth âlightâ; others, âheavy.â Some petroleum is âsweet,â others, âsour.â Some flows easily, others like tar
In these ways, Venezuelan crude is distinct from most pumped in the US: Most American crude is light, sweet, and flowy. Venezuelaâs is heavy, sour, and viscous
This means that while America pumps more oil than any other country, itâs not pumping the thick tarry stuff. But Venezuela is â and America needs it
In todayâs WeThe66, we break down the role of Venezuelan oil in the US economy and geopolitics. Read it here!
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
đşđ¸ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally censured Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and launched administrative proceedings that could reduce his retirement rank and pension over a video telling troops that they can refuse illegal orders.
đ¨ William Defoor, 26, was arrested early on Monday for allegedly vandalizing Vice President JD Vance's Cincinnati home by breaking windows.
đşđŚ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky removed security service chief Vasyl Malyuk, moving him to a new position within the SBU â Ukraineâs main security agency â as part of a major security reshuffle.
đĽ Swiss police identified all 116 people injured in a New Year's fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, with 83 still hospitalized.
đ The Trump Administration dropped universal recommendations for several childhood vaccines, moving toward a schedule closer to Denmark's, with decisions left to parents and healthcare providers.
What does Roca Nation think?
đťđŞ Yesterdayâs Question: Reactions to Maduroâs capture? Good move or bad move?
If this was done with the Venezuelan people in mind, then yes. He may have started as leader for the people, but with money and power came the dismissal of any effort to care for his citizens, both inadvertently and deliberately hurting, starving, and killing citizens. His removal was good for the people of his country.
If the US can transition control to a (Venezuelan) elected official chosen by the people, who cares for the people. With some light monetary and or advisory support from the US, I am sure they can build back to the country they were prior to Maduro and even Chavezâs regimes.
Sean from Undisclosed
Unquestionably, this was a bad moveâa short-sighted response to a far-reaching problem. I understand the need to prevent drugs from entering the United States, but removing another countryâs leader to serve our own agenda crosses a dangerous line. At what point do we abandon diplomacy and decide we can simply take what we want because Venezuela has little power to stop us? That approach is deeply troubling.
Even more devastating are the human costs. Forty people were killed in the raidâpeople with families, hopes, responsibilities... Who are we to dismiss their deaths in the pursuit of some âhigher purposeâ? The loss of life is not abstract, and especially after the holidays, it weighs heavily on my heart.
This moment puts U.S. government overreach on full display. As an American citizen, it is profoundly discouraging. I donât want my country to steamroll the leadership of another nation or rely on cruelty as a tactic. This action seems to serve no one except the presidentâs distorted sense of leadership. I am deeply disappointed and increasingly disheartened by this administrationâs choices. It feels like a bad dream I canât wake up from.
Caitlyn from Missouri
I am a second - generation, Venezuelan. My father left Venezuela as a kid, in the early 70âs, to come to the United States.
While I still have family in Venezuela, most of my family has been long gone now, to Spain, Colombia, and the U.S. However, some remain and have been victim to the violence that has plagued, in particular, the Maduro administration.
Today, speaking with Venezuelan friends here in the U.S., ones that have immigrated under Chavez or Maduro, there is an immediate sense of relief, a kind that 99% of Americans (thank God) can never understand. Letâs worry about the details later. We are not naive people; we understand that hardship is likely down the road. But for this moment, the jubilation of seeing a Bully get their just reward.
There is also a rumor, spreading through the community, that most of the killed guards were Cuban soldiers. Cubans, from the same government that has largely been the Mordor to the Socialist Isengardâs spread across Latin America today.
The Venezuelan Socialist Dictatorship has always been a constant political topic in my life, but up until very recently, it was one that most of the people around me, at any given moment, had little to no idea about.
Of course,e that is the nature of the 24hr news cycle, and being an immigrant, there are many, many things going on that Americans care about at any one time.
Understand, the Central, South American, and Caribbean (especially) region, at large, is secretly, fairly pleased.
Venezuela was a pariah state to the region, ask anyone from those countries you may know.
Diaspora, violence, drug trade, and human rights violations had permeated the fabric of the country and its people over the Course of 25 years, likely earlier.
Venezuela had found that it had completely squandered its wealth of the mid 20th century. Not to mention a state that had allowed Chinese, Russian, and Cuban, regularly within its geography.
I, like most Americans, still have my questions;
Is it in the U.S.âs best interest to regularly take out Black Ops leaders of foreign countries in the middle of the night?
Does Congress need to step up and take back war-making powers? Why did we not whisk away ; Gaddafi, Saddam, Kim Il-Sung, Pol Pot, Assad, etc?
Why did Trump say we will be ârunningâ Venezuela, and surely Congress should have a say in that?
But for today, today is a good day.
John from VA
đşđ¸ Todayâs Question: Who is going to be elected president in 2028?
Reply to this email with your response!
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
đ Reel Big Spender: A Japanese sushi chain shattered the world record by paying $3.24M for a single bluefin tuna at Tokyoâs New Year auction.
𧸠Bear Necessities: The Hershey Bears hockey team collected 81,796 stuffed animals during their annual Teddy Bear Toss, where fans hurl toys onto the ice after the teamâs first goal.
đ¸ Ribbiting Report: A Utah police departmentâs AI report-writing software falsely documented that an officer had been transformed into a frog after picking up audio from a Disney movie playing in the background.
đĽ X Marks the Spot: An Iowa hospitalâs radiology and waste management teams found a patientâs lost heirloom rings after she accidentally threw them away wrapped in a napkin.
đŚ Assam Reports Zero Rhino Poaching: Assam, India, reported zero rhino poaching deaths in 2025, the second time in three years it achieved this milestone after also recording no deaths in 2023.
ROCA WRAP
The Antarctic Surgeon
Leonid Rogozov
This surgeon performed an operation that no doctor had ever attempted â removing his own appendix in Antarctica.
Born in 1934, Leonid Rogozov lost his father in World War II when he was nine. In 1953, he completed secondary school and was admitted to the Leningrad Pediatric Medical Institute. After graduating as a general practitioner in 1959, he began clinical training to specialize in surgery. In September 1960, at the age of 26, he interrupted his training to join the sixth Soviet Antarctic Expedition as the medical doctor for 13 researchers at Novolazarevskaya Station, which was established in January 1961..
On the morning of April 29, 1961, Rogozov experienced general weakness, nausea, moderate fever, and pain in the lower right portion of his abdomen. None of the conservative treatments helped. By April 30, signs of localized peritonitis became apparent, and his condition worsened considerably by evening. Mirny, the nearest Soviet research station, was more than 1,000 miles away. Other countriesâ Antarctic stations had no aircraft available, and severe blizzard conditions prevented aircraft from landing anyway. Rogozov was the only medical professional on the entire team. He had no option but to operate on himself.
The operation started at 2:00 AM local time on May 1 with help from a driver and a meteorologist, who provided instruments and held a mirror so Rogozov could observe areas not directly visible. Lying in a semi-reclining position, half-turned to his left side, he used a 0.5% novocaine solution for local anesthesia. Rogozov made a 10-12 cm incision but accidentally cut the cecum while opening the peritoneum and had to suture it. He then exposed the appendix, which had a dark stain at its base and would have burst within a day. About 30-40 minutes after starting, he developed general weakness and nausea, taking repeated short pauses for rest. By 4:00 AM, the operation was complete.
After the operation, Rogozovâs condition gradually improved. His body temperature returned to normal after five days, and stitches were removed seven days later. He resumed regular duties in about two weeks. The self-surgery, photographed by colleagues, captured the Soviet publicâs imagination. In 1961, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. The incident prompted policy changes requiring extensive health checks for Antarctic expedition personnel. Rogozov returned to Leningrad in October 1962, published a dissertation on esophageal cancer in 1966, and worked as a surgeon until his death from lung cancer in 2000 at age 66.
A lone surgeon in Antarctica with a failing appendix chose survival over surrender â and operated on himself.
EDITORâS NOTE
Final Thoughts
Check out the latest Roca video, in which Max F visited Arkansasâ Klan capital. The Klan used to have millions of members, but now itâs reduced to a shoddy campus with an increasingly ostracized leader. Hope you enjoy.
Appreciate all of the amazing responses from Venezuelan readers, by the way.
âMax and Max