Hi Dip Fam,
Here’s what’s on the radar today: measles climbs to record highs, the White House and the press clash, and more.
Today’s estimated reading time is 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
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Nostalgia Nerd
On this day in 1839, France unveiled the first practical form of which technology? (answer revealed below!)
(hint: say cheese)
Before We Dip In (TL;DR)
In today’s issue:
Measles surges to record highs. 🏥
The White House clashes with CNN reporter. 🏛️
Tupac murder trial begins in Vegas. ⚖️
Plus, take today’s poll and check out the Nostalgia Nerd quiz answer down below!
HEALTH
🏥 Measles Climbs to Highest U.S. Levels in Decades
Measles, declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, has climbed to its highest levels in more than three decades. Last year brought the most cases since 1991, including three deaths, and the first seven months of this year have already passed that total.
The main driver is slipping herd immunity. Protection requires roughly 95% MMR vaccination, but kindergarten rates have dropped below that in most states amid vaccine skepticism, pandemic-era disruptions, and rising exemptions.
Why it spreads: Measles is extremely contagious; one case can infect 18 people, and it can linger in the air for two hours. Public-health experts warn that lower coverage could leave communities vulnerable to other vaccine-preventable diseases, including rubella and polio.
POLITICS
🏛️ White House Clashes With The Press
A clash over a senator’s remark turned into a flashpoint over how the White House treats reporters. Sen. Jon Ossoff had criticized President Trump’s priorities and flagged his frequent travel with aide Natalie Harp.
The White House hit back hard: officials traded personal insults with Ossoff, and Trump repeatedly told CNN’s Kristen Holmes to be quiet in the Oval Office and called CNN “fake news”.
The fallout: When a White House account brought Holmes’s children into it, journalists and CNN said the personal attacks were “beneath the office”. Some figures on the right, including Megyn Kelly, focused instead on whether Ossoff’s comment unfairly targeted Harp.
Dipper Poll
:📈 Today’s Poll: Press Pressure
Critics called the White House’s personal insults and the reference to a reporter’s children out of bounds, while supporters argued Sen. Ossoff’s remark about a Trump aide was the real provocation. Either way, the exchange has put White House press relations back in the spotlight.
With insults flying between the White House and the press, what’s genuinely newsworthy here?
LAW & ORDER
⚖️ Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Opens 30 Years Later
Thirty years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, a murder trial has finally begun. Shakur was shot after a Mike Tyson fight in September 1996 and died six days later. The case went cold for decades.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips leader, is the first person charged, accused of orchestrating the killing rather than firing the gun. Prosecutors say it was revenge, after Shakur’s group attacked Davis’s nephew earlier that day.
The evidence fight: Prosecutors point to Davis’s 2019 memoir and a 2008 interview describing his role. His lawyers call those accounts fiction, written to sell books. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty and faces up to life if convicted.
Fun Facts
🎵 Music: A performance of John Cage's "As Slow as Possible" in a German church is playing so slowly it won't finish until 2640. The world's least urgent concert.
🐙 Animals: Octopuses have been observed throwing objects at fish they find annoying. Passive-aggressive behavior isn't just a human trait.
🥔 Food: Potatoes were once blamed for causing witchcraft in Europe because people didn't know how to classify them. New vegetables had a rough introduction.
🤯 WTF: The distant planet 55 Cancri e was once theorized to be a world of crystallized carbon, basically a giant diamond. Cosmic bling.
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
Photography
On August 19, 1839, the French government presented the daguerreotype process to the public and declared it a gift free to the world. Developed by Louis Daguerre, it was the first commercially practical form of photography. The date is now celebrated each year as World Photography Day.
Poll Results From August 18, 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.
Over and Out...
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