March 25, 2022

20 years ago today, The Bachelor premiered on TV. 275 episodes and a few spinoff shows later, America is still hooked. Although we aspire to be an unbiased outlet, it's hard not to call diehard Roca Rider Sean Lowe our all-time favorite bachelor. We're still waiting on a season starring Sal from Impractical Jokers.

Guess what's back, back again? 20 Questions. Send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com. Hope you have a wavy weekend!

― Key Stories

Uber and NYC Taxi Make a Truce
Overview

• Uber and the New York City taxi fleet struck a deal to end their long-running feud
• Uber will list every NYC taxi on its app, and prices will be set so riders pay roughly the same for an Uber or a taxi ride
• The drivers of NYC's roughly 14,000 taxis have fought against Uber's expansion, saying it threatens their livelihoods. Uber drivers will now receive the minimum rate set by the NYC taxi authority
• While this is Uber's first citywide partnership in the US, it has similar deals in other countries. By 2025, Uber's goal is to list every taxi on earth on its app

Spanish King's Trial in the UK Continues
Overview

• A judge ruled that the trial of Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain, can continue
• Carlos stepped down as Spain’s king in 2014
• An ex-lover accuses Carlos of harassment after she rejected his marriage proposal. She also accuses Spain's secret service of placing her under illegal surveillance. Carlos’ lawyer argued he shouldn’t stand trial because of his royal privilege. The judge denied this request and ruled the trial may continue
• Carlos has lived in self-exile from Spain since August 2020; the move was prompted by alleged ties to illegal business dealings in Saudi Arabia

Breast Cancer Treatment Progress
Overview

• A new treatment appears effective against a common and aggressive form of breast cancer
• It combines two existing cancer drugs (trastuzumab and deruxtecan) to combat a cancer that accounts for ~20% of breast cancers
• In a 524-person trial, 75.8% of patients saw no tumor growth after a year, compared to 34.1% among those who received the standard form of treatment
• 16% became cancer-free, compared to 8.7% with the existing treatment, and survival increased from 85.9% to 94.1%. Researchers will continue to follow the patients to assess long-term benefits and risks

NATO Discusses Ukraine
Overview

• President Biden met with NATO, the US-led military alliance, to discuss how it should help Ukraine
• Ukraine President Zelensky expressed disappointment that the group hasn't given more military support: “You have at least 20,000 tanks! Ukraine asked for a percent, 1% of all your tanks to be given or sold to us!”
• The alliance said it will provide Ukraine equipment and medical support to handle a potential Russian nuclear or chemical attack. NATO has expressed concern about such an attack
• President Biden said Russia's use of such weapons would “trigger a response in kind” but didn’t further specify

See yesterday's answers below!

  Popcorn

Culture & Sports 

• Dirty Blonde: The new Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde starring Ana de Armas received a rare NC-17 rating for its sexual content
• Mamma mia! Italy will miss the World Cup for the 2nd consecutive time after a stunning loss to North Macedonia on Thursday
• Johnny Depp's multi-million-dollar lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard is off to a rough start; the judge took her side in a key dispute

• Spotify dished out $7B to the music industry last year, with 130 artists receiving $5M+ (record labels, agents, etc. take from that $5M) 
• Show me the bitcoin! In the face of powerful sanctions, Russia might accept bitcoin as payment for its oil and gas exports
• The CEO of BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, says that the Russia-Ukraine war has "put an end" to globalization as we know it

• Microplastics were found in human blood for the first time. Researchers discovered tiny plastic particles in 80% of blood samples
• Old man and the sea: An 83-yo Japanese man is attempting a solo Pacific crossing from San Francisco to Japan in a sailboat on Saturday
• A new study from the American College of Cardiology found that drinking 2-3 cups of coffee per day is associated with living longer
• Nemo, stay away! Scientists have found a secret great white shark hangout spot off the western coast of Mexico

― 20 Questions

 Games

1. Printing Press vs Magna Carta
2. Nirvana's Nevermind vs Titanic (movie)
3. Emojis vs GIFs
4. Julius Caesar vs Alexander the Great

 Roca Clubhouse

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― Final Thoughts