June 17, 2022

Happy Friday and congratulations to all of you Golden State Warriors fans on your 4th ring in 8 years. We know it's been a grueling 8.1 years of fandom... 

After reading up on some McTax Evasion, kick off your 3-day weekend with our weekly Friday 20 Questions! Send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com.

In today's edition:

• Squid Game reality show
• Bizarre concert canceled
• 20 Questions!

 Key Stories

McDonald's Settles on Tax Lawsuit

• The lawsuit, which began in 2016, accused McDonald’s France of misreporting profits to avoid paying taxes
• McDonald’s lawyers said the company agreed to settle in exchange for all charges being dropped. They said the settlement is not an admission of guilt
• France recently fined other large multinational companies for tax evasion: in 2019, Google paid $1B (€950M), and in 2020, Airbus paid $2.2B (€2.1B) for similar charges

EU Leaders Back Ukraine Bid

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Romania announced their support for Ukraine’s EU membership bid on Wednesday

• The announcement comes after country leaders met with President Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and a week before an EU meeting to discuss the topic
• All 27 EU member states must support Ukraine’s bid for it to proceed. However, even if approved, it may take years for Ukraine to join the bloc
• The leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine, saying Russia’s advances in the east heighten Ukraine's need for new weaponry

• The last country to join the EU was Croatia in 2013. Meanwhile, five countries – Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania – are currently recognized as candidates. Moldova is also joining Ukraine in its membership bid

Origin of Black Death Found

Researchers tracked the origin of the Black Death (bubonic plague) to Kyrgyzstan (keer-guh-staan)

• The bubonic plague was the deadliest pandemic in human history, killing 40-60% of Europe in the mid-1300s. It was carried by fleas found on rats
• Using DNA of the bacteria found in the teeth of exhumed (dug up) bodies from Kyrgyzstan, researchers determined that the plague was in the region by 1338–1339, 8 years before it hit Europe
• “We found not only the ancestor of the Black Death, but the ancestor of… plague strains that are circulating in the world today,” one scientist said

• Researchers were initially tipped off by gravestones that stated that the cause of death for hundreds of people in Kyrgyzstan in the 1300s was an unknown "pestilence." The bodies were originally exhumed in 1886, and later linked back to a small town in the country

Squid Game: Reality TV?

Netflix has announced the launch of a new reality show based on its hit series Squid Game

• Titled Squid Game: The Challenge, the show will pit 456 contestants against one another for $4.56M (€4.31M). Netflix claims the spoils equate to the largest single prize in TV history
• Unlike in the hit show, where losing contestants were killed, the “worst fate” for reality show contestants “is going home empty-handed,” Netflix stated. Online applications are currently open
• Squid Game is Netflix’s most-watched show ever, with 1.65B viewing hours within 28 days of release

• Squid Game features a dystopian game show in which hundreds of heavily indebted South Koreans are forced to fight to the death for a cash prize. The director came up with the plot after his family's experiences in the 2008 financial crisis

• Certified late boy: Drake dropped his 7th studio album "Honestly, Nevermind" at midnight, just hours after announcing it
• Coming soon.... soccer! FIFA announced the 16 host sites for the 2026 World Cup in North America. 11 of the host cities are in the US
• Not impressing Jodie Foster: A New York venue canceled a sold-out concert by recently-released Reagan shooter John Hinckley Jr.

 What do you think?

 20 Questions

"Go ahead, make my day... with 20 Questions." - Clint Eastwood

It is the time of week where we shut up and ask you to talk. We absolutely love reading your responses every week, and there's nothing that makes us happier (besides maybe a Taco Bell baja blast) than seeing first-time emails from readers.

So here we go with a new batch of 20 Questions. Send answers to Max@RocaNews.com.

1. If offered a free trip, would you go to space?
2. Most refreshing gas station drink?
3. Best gum brand?
4. Coffee, tea, Red Bull, or none of the above?
5. How many alarms do you set in the morning?
6. Do you make your bed?
7. Your proudest accomplishment of the week?
8. Who is your hero?
9. Who is your favorite reality TV character of all time?
10. City with the worst sports fans?
11. Most cliché Father's Day gift?
12. Have you sent a GIF today?
13. Describe your personality in 3 words.
14. A bada*s movie character?
15. What message would you write in a fortune cookie?
16. Coolest tattoo you've seen?
17. Random embarrassing story from your childhood?
18. Weirdest thing in your closet?
19. Is cereal a soup?
20. If animals could talk, which would be the rudest? 

 Roca Clubhouse

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 Final Thoughts

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