It’s Tuesday, Dip Fam,
Breaking it down today: data centers split the GOP before the midterms, Canada retaliates on tariffs, and more.
Today’s estimated reading time is 2 minutes and 58 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
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**On this day in 1989, which planet did Voyager 2 fly past for the first time? **(answer revealed below!)
(hint: farthest planet)
In today’s issue:
Data centers rattleGOP campaigns. 🏛️Canada vowsretaliatory tariffs. 🌐Streamer suesTwitch over AI. 💻
Plus, take ** today’s poll** and check out the
Data centers have become a flashpoint for Republicans ahead of the November midterms. With most Americans, including a majority of Republicans, opposing new local facilities, several GOP candidates who once backed them are reversing course.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who last year touted a $40 billion Google investment, is now pausing projects for audits and requiring projects to disclose water and power use before they can connect to the grid. In Ohio and Michigan, Republicans are backing new limits as Democrats hammer them over rising electricity bills.
**The split:**A Senate GOP campaign memo flagged data centers as a threat to Sen. Jon Husted's seat in Ohio and warned the backlash could spread. Trump called Abbott's reversal a mistake and says the facilities bring jobs and tax revenue, though he's also said he's fine with Republicans who oppose projects in their own backyards.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is effectively at war with the U.S. after trade talks collapsed and new American tariffs took effect. Trump had imposed 50% duties on about $20 billion of Canadian goods, from alcohol to furniture.
Carney vowed to match the tariffs dollar for dollar on goods like steel, dairy, and appliances, while Ontario’s premier floated cutting electricity exports. Economists call the direct hit small, but warn the bigger risk is a spiraling trade war between close allies.
**The escalation:**Trump went further, threatening 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, and parts starting January 1, 2027. Even some Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins and former VP Mike Pence, warn the move could worsen affordability ahead of the midterms.
:📈
Today’s Poll:Tariff TurmoilCanada and the U.S. are trading tit-for-tat tariffs, and PM Carney says his country is effectively at war. Trump says building in America means zero tariffs. Economists say the direct hit is small, but warn a wider trade war could raise prices on both sides of the border.
How worried are you about a U.S.–Canada trade war hitting your wallet?
A Connecticut streamer, Warren Pandiscia, is suing Twitch and its parent Amazon, alleging they copied millions of videos to train Amazon’s generative AI without permission. The proposed class-action claims the practice violates creators’ agreements with the platform.
The suit follows a quiet Aug. 12 terms change that added an opt-out toggle already switched on, announced only in a support post, with no email or in-app notice. Even opted-out users’ chat messages and clips shared on other streams can still be swept in.
**The bigger picture:**Twitch’s product chief, Mike Minton, drew backlash for defending the setup, and the complaint says the harvesting dates as far back as 2024. Streamers are rallying with opt-out tags, and similar AI-training suits have already hit Google, Meta, and Apple.
🛒 Tech: The first item ever sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer. And thus began the fine art of selling junk online.
🍧 Food: The Popsicle was invented by an 11-year-old who accidentally left a soda mixture outside overnight. Forget lemonade stand. Kid had a product launch.
🥶 Appliances: Early air conditioners were developed partly to control humidity in printing plants. Cool homes were basically an accidental side effect.
🤨 WTF: The ancient Romans used urine to wash clothes, because ammonia helped remove stains. Imagine dropping off your laundry and being asked, “Regular wash or pee cycle?”
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
Neptune
On August 25, 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to fly close to Neptune, passing about 3,000 miles above its north pole. The flyby revealed Neptune’s Great Dark Spot and its largest moon, Triton. Voyager 2 remains the only probe ever to visit Neptune.
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