Hey Dippers,
Here’s what’s making headlines today: the Supreme Court loosens limits on Trump’s mail-in voting order, a new study ties NFL careers to brain disease, and more.
Today’s estimated reading time is 3 minutes and 35 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
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**On this day in 1920, which constitutional amendment was certified after Tennessee's deciding vote? **(answer revealed below!)
(hint: ballot-related)
In today’s issue:
Supreme Court clearsTrump voting order. 🏛️Study linksNFL careers to CTE. 🏥Pentagon oustsStars and Stripes leaders. 📜
Plus, take ** today’s poll** and check out the
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court cleared the way for President Trump to enforce his March order restricting mail-in voting. It tells Homeland Security to compile citizen lists, share them with states, and bar the Postal Service from delivering ballots to anyone left off.
The justices didn’t call the order lawful, only that the states’ challenge came too early. The three liberal justices dissented, warning it adds uncertainty to the midterms.
**The fine print:**A separate injunction still blocks part of the order for now. Homeland Security can build voter lists, and the Justice Department can prosecute those handing ballots to ineligible voters. Over 20 Democratic states vow to keep fighting.
A new study estimates at least one in four NFL players are likely to develop CTE, the brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. Published in the journal BMJ, it examined former players who died from 2016 to 2021, when brain-donation rates were highest.
CTE is diagnosed only after death, so researchers examined 235 of the 878 former players who died. Of 235 examined, 215 had CTE, about 24.5% of the total former players, which the lead author called the low end.
**The debate:**The NFL says it keeps working to make football safer. Some experts say the data reflects an earlier, lax-awareness era. Others counter there’s no proof rates are dropping, noting a 24-year-old diagnosed after death last year. Researchers stress CTE is preventable by cutting cumulative hits.
:📈
Today’s Poll:Gridiron GambleA new study puts at least one in four NFL careers on a path to CTE, and researchers say the risk is preventable by reducing repeated hits. That leaves fans, players, and leagues weighing how football should respond.
Given what we now know, how should the NFL handle the CTE risk?
The Pentagon fired three top figures at Stars and Stripes, the military paper it partly funds but that has long maintained editorial independence. Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte were dismissed Friday for “insubordination” after speaking up for the paper’s independence.
Congress has mandated the paper’s independence since 1991, and it dates to the Civil War. Slavin and Korte say they were fired over a CBS interview in which Slavin called censorship a “red line.” Tensions grew after a DOD memo required content to meet military-discipline standards critics say invite control.
**The fallout:**The firings follow the Pentagon’s April removal of ombudsman Jacqueline Smith, who later sued, and a DOD push to reshape coverage and drop wire-service content. Slavin told the BBC he fears growing censorship but hopes the paper stays independent. Lederer was fired before his planned September retirement. A newly installed Navy captain says officials remain committed to the paper’s independence.
🐦 Animals: A hummingbird’s heart can race up to 1,200 beats per minute in flight. Cardio, permanently maxed out.
🍬 Food: The first modern chewing gum factory grew from experiments with chicle, a rubbery tree sap originally considered for making tires. The tires didn't work out, but the chewing did.
🍽️ Appliances: The dishwasher was invented by a wealthy socialite who wanted to stop her servants from chipping her china. Nothing says innovation like protecting the fancy plates.
🤨 WTF: In the 1800s, people sometimes stored dead bodies in beer cellars. Nothing says “neighborhood pub” like a body in the basement.
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
The 19th Amendment
On August 26, 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the paperwork certifying the 19th Amendment, making women’s suffrage part of the Constitution. It had cleared Congress in 1919 and needed 36 states to ratify, with Tennessee casting the deciding vote days earlier. The date is now marked each year as Women’s Equality Day.
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