Happy Friday, Dippers,
From tech to the high seas, here's today's dip: a Gates-backed shopping app is accused of fraud, sailors face a crisis after 250 days at sea, and more.
Today’s estimated reading time is 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
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Nostalgia Nerd
On this day in 1893, which country introduced the world's first license plates? (answer revealed below!)
(hint: EU)
Before We Dip In (TL;DR)
In today’s issue:
Gates-backed Phia accused of affiliate fraud. 💻
Senators demand answers on Navy crisis. 🏛️
Trump secretly swaps Air Force One. 🌍
Plus, take today’s poll and check out the Nostalgia Nerd quiz answer down below!
TECHNOLOGY
💻 Phia, Co-Founded by Phoebe Gates, Accused of Affiliate Fraud
Bloomberg reports that Phia, a shopping browser extension co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, took affiliate sales commissions it didn’t earn. The tool allegedly dropped its own tracking cookies to claim credit for purchases, even from creators who actually drove the sales.
The practice, called cookie-stuffing, can lead to wire-fraud charges. Phia says it was a software bug, but Bloomberg cites internal messages and dashboard features suggesting the behavior was intentional. Daily revenue reportedly fell sharply after the company switched it off.
The parallel: It echoes the 2024 scandal over PayPal’s Honey extension, accused of the same tactic. Honey has since lost millions of users and merchant partners, and litigation against PayPal is ongoing.
POLITICS
🏛️ Senators Demand Answers Over Mental Health Crisis on USS Abraham Lincoln
Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have been deployed for more than 250 days, including more than 200 days without a port call, with no return date announced. Lawmakers are demanding answers about a reported mental health crisis on board.
Families and news reports describe shortages, plumbing problems and low morale. Some sailors have reportedly had suicidal thoughts, with bystanders intervening in some cases.
The response: The Navy says it has prioritized essential supplies and mental health support, and disputes claims of worsening conditions. Senators Gallego and Blumenthal want oversight access, and another carrier is being readied to relieve the Lincoln, with no timeline.
Dipper Poll
:📈 Today’s Poll: Deployment Debate
Sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln have been at sea for over 250 days with no return date, prompting a reported mental health crisis and calls for oversight.
What should be the top priority in responding to the USS Lincoln situation?
WORLD NEWS
🌍 Trump Used Air Force One Passengers as Decoys Amid Iran Threat, Reports Say
Reports say President Trump left a planeload of journalists and staff believing he was flying with them, while he secretly switched aircraft over a claimed Iranian threat.
After a NATO summit in Turkey, he boarded the older Air Force One on camera, then slipped out on a catering shuttle to a military jet, while the original plane flew on as an apparent decoy. He was reportedly moved back aboard before landing in England, then exited in front of cameras.
The complication: A former official told The Washington Post that some officials viewed the Israeli intelligence as potentially intended to influence Trump’s Iran-war decision-making.
Sweet Dip
Ending the week with another round of heartwarming stories:
While waiting for the Blue Angels at Seattle’s Seafair, UC Davis water polo player Lillie Vehling looked up from her book, spotted three young girls drowning in Lake Washington, and dove in to pull all three to safety! Seafair later knighted her “Lady Guardian of Lake Washington,” which, honestly, she earned. 🏊♀️🦸♀️
Thirteen-year-old Zac Waters spent about 300 hours of his summer designing and 3D-printing a custom wheelchair for a 21-month-old girl, complete with pink accents (her favorite color), a cupholder, and room for medical gear. He says it combines his two favorite things: 3D printing and helping people. 🛠️💗
When thieves swiped Rhode Island baker Katrina Blancaflor’s homemade stand less than a day after it opened, a father-son construction duo she’d never met built her a brand-new one for free. One person took; a whole community gave back. 🍞🔨
Fun Facts
🎻 Music: Despite centuries of trying, no one has fully reproduced the sound of a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, and researchers still debate why. Old wood, unbeaten.
🌕 Space: The Moon is slowly moving about 3.8 centimeters farther from Earth every year, gradually lengthening our days. A very slow breakup.
🦅 Animals: Bald eagles aren’t actually bald; the name comes from an old word for “white,” describing their white-feathered heads. False advertising, feathered.
🤯 WTF: The longest ant colony discovered stretched over 3,700 miles across Europe. Ants basically invented cross-border infrastructure before humans agreed on trains.
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
France
On August 14, 1893, a Paris police ordinance began requiring motor vehicles to display registration plates showing the owner’s name and address, the first rule of its kind. The idea spread across Europe and eventually the world as cars multiplied.
Poll Results From August 13, 2026
Did you take today’s poll?
Show Notes
Looking for more specific details on each story? Click here for the full show notes for yesterday’s PDS episode.
Over and Out...
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