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In today’s coverage: DSA sweeps three New York City Democratic races, a DEA whistleblower’s revelations about fentanyl, and more.
Today’s read time is 4 minutes and 14 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S SHOW AD-FREE BELOW
Nostalgia Nerd
On this day in 1967, what broadcast connected approximately 400 million viewers, debuting a composition written because the moment needed a universal message? (answer revealed below!)
(hint: London studio)
Before We Dip In (TL;DR)
In today’s issue:
Progressive slate topples Democratic establishment picks. 🏛️
Whistleblower exposes DEA’s fentanyl walking practice. 📜
Antifa-linked defendants get centuries-long sentences. ⚖️
Plus, take today’s poll and check out the Nostalgia Nerd quiz answer down below!
POLITICS
🏛️ Three Mamdani-Endorsed Democrats Win NY Primaries
All three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday. Brad Lander defeated Dan Goldman in a race centered on Israel policy, Claire Valdez won in a progressive stronghold, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old democratic socialist, narrowly unseated five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat.
The results extend a growing footprint for the Democratic Socialists of America, which has seen members win mayoral races in D.C. and Seattle and is eyeing Congressional seats in Colorado, Florida, and Missouri.
The trajectory: DSA is surveying its 250 chapters this summer on potential 2028 presidential candidates. More moderate Democrats prevailed in Utah and Maryland, boosted by donations from AI companies, the crypto industry, and AIPAC.
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LAW & POLICY
📜 AP Investigation Reveals DEA Let Hundreds of Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Reach Streets
An Associated Press investigation found that DEA agents repeatedly monitored fentanyl shipments in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 but chose not to seize them, allowing hundreds of thousands of pills to reach communities while prosecutors built larger trafficking cases. The practice, known as walking drugs, is common in cocaine and heroin cases, but agents and experts said applying it to fentanyl, where just a few milligrams can be fatal, was an unprecedented risk.
A DEA whistleblower reported that agents allowed delivery of at least 1.8 million pills. The investigation ultimately led to the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history, announced by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi in May 2025.
The policy shift: DEA protocols from 2017 directed agents to seize fentanyl as soon as practicable. In 2024, the Justice Department rewrote those rules to give investigators discretion to let shipments continue. New Mexico saw a 21% spike in overdose deaths last year while national deaths fell 14%.
Dipper Poll
:📈 Today’s Poll: Lethal Latitude
According to a recent whistleblower report, the DEA allowed fentanyl shipments to reach communities in order to build bigger trafficking cases. Supporters say dismantling entire networks saves more lives long-term, while critics argue that letting the deadliest drug on the market circulate is an unacceptable risk.
Should federal agents be allowed to let fentanyl shipments proceed to build larger trafficking cases?
LAW & ORDER
⚖️ Eight With Alleged Antifa Ties Sentenced to Combined 450 Years Over ICE Facility Attack
Eight people who prosecutors described as having Antifa ties received sentences totaling 450 years for an attack on the Prairieland ICE detention center in Texas on the Fourth of July last year. Benjamin Song, a former Marine identified as the group’s leader, received 100 years for shooting and wounding an officer.
The defendants denied any Antifa affiliation, saying they were there to support immigrants in the facility. Their attorneys argued the group never intended for anyone to get hurt and described Song’s prior record as exemplary.
The stakes: The sentencing followed the Trump administration’s designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Critics say the sentences could chill protest protections broadly. A ninth defendant is set to be sentenced on July 1st.
Fun Facts
🦐 Animals: Pistol shrimp snap their claws so fast they create bubbles that briefly reach temperatures rivaling the surface of the sun, producing flashes of light called shrimpoluminescence. Nature’s tiniest flamethrower.
🩸 Science: Every injectable drug and medical device approved by the FDA must be tested using a compound found exclusively in horseshoe crab blood, which is valued at roughly $60,000 per gallon. Pharmaceutical industry’s oldest contractor.
⚽ Sports: The first soccer balls were sometimes made from inflated animal bladders. Sporting goods have come a long way.
🤯 WTF: Bombardier beetles defend themselves by firing a boiling toxic chemical spray from a rotating nozzle with a 270-degree firing arc. Basically, they’re armed bugs.
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
Our World
On June 25, 1967, the BBC organized “Our World,” the first-ever live global satellite television broadcast. The Beatles represented the UK and wrote “All You Need Is Love” for the occasion, performing it live from Abbey Road Studios to an estimated 400 million viewers.
Poll Results From June 24, 2026
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Show Notes
Looking for more specific details on each story? Click here for the full show notes for yesterday’s PDS episode.
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