Hi Dippers,
Here’s what you’ve got to know today: a senator opens a probe into Flock’s surveillance cameras, a California mom breaks a school bus window to reach her son, and more.
Today’s estimated reading time is 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
- The Daily Dip Editor
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**On this day in 1898, a pharmacist renamed his fountain drink from "Brad's Drink" to what? **(answer revealed below!)
(hint: Coke rival)
In today’s issue:
Hawley probesFlock’s camera network. 💻Parent chargedafter bus window smashed. 📱Kennedy questionsPennsylvania measles deaths. 🏥
Plus, take ** today’s poll** and check out the
Senator Josh Hawley opened an investigation into Flock Safety, the company behind AI license plate readers that log vehicles on public roads. He sent the CEO a letter demanding records on data access, misuse, and camera accuracy.
Flock says it runs more than 120,000 cameras and logs over 20 billion vehicle scans a month, feeding a database that police nationwide can search. Supporters call it a public safety tool; critics say it enables a searchable surveillance state open to abuse.
**The backlash:**Reports have documented officers misusing the system, including to track exes. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Bernie Sanders have both called for legislation, and several cities have canceled their Flock contracts. Hawley could seek a subpoena if the company resists.
In Calaveras County, California, a school bus driver pulled onto Highway 49 and locked the bus down after a student climbed out a window. Kids stayed aboard for about an hour while the driver waited for police.
A parent struck the bus door, breaking its glass, and later climbed in through an open window to reach her son. The parent was taken into custody on suspicion of vandalism; other students also exited through windows. Some parents said the children had been kept aboard for about an hour, though the district disputes that timeline and says the driver followed protocol.
**The bigger picture:**Clips of the scene spread online and split viewers. Some backed the parents; others defended the driver for keeping students safe. The debate widened into one about classroom behavior, which teacher surveys say has worsened since 2019.
:📈
Today’s Poll:Bus BattleAfter a student climbed out a window, a California bus driver kept students aboard while police were called. A parent broke the glass in the bus door and was taken into custody on suspicion of vandalism.
When the driver refused to let the kids off, what should the parents have done?
Pennsylvania reported two measles-related deaths, its first in 35 years, one of them an infant. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested the deaths may have been announced prematurely or even fabricated by a staffer, escalating his public feud with Governor Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro accused Kennedy of spreading vaccine misinformation and fueling outbreaks. Kennedy repeated debunked claims about fetal tissue in the MMR shot, while a Republican county commissioner and the local coroner said the deaths were not certified as caused by measles. State officials confirmed both as measles-associated.
**The other front:**Newly released documents suggest Kennedy misled Congress about a 2019 Samoa trip he said had nothing to do with vaccines. A letter shows he asked to study the country’s MMR vaccines. His department denies he lied under oath.
Another round-up of feel-good news to end your week:
Country star Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation teamed up with Tractor Supply to surprise
51 animal shelters with $255,000 in grants, one in every state! No application, no nomination, just a knock on the door and a $5,000 check. 🐶💛A graduating senior in Owensboro, Kentucky just won a
$50,000 “Generosity Scholarship”, awarded not for grades or sports but for creative, everyday acts of kindness! He’s off to college this fall with a serious head start. 🙌✨When her nonverbal son’s communication device died at a restaurant, a Canadian mom
tattooed a working keyboard onto her forearmso 11-year-old Hunter could always tap out what he wants to say! It even includes a heart button for I-love-yous. 💙
🍟 History: Potato chips were reportedly invented after a customer complained that his fried potatoes were too thick. The solution? Make them so thin they become their own food group.
🦥 Animals: Sloths can take up to a month to digest a single meal. Fast food has not yet reached their market.
🥣 Food: Corn flakes were created after the Kellogg brothers accidentally left cooked wheat sitting out and discovered it had become flaky. Breakfast cereal: born from forgetting about dinner.
🤨 WTF: Abraham Lincoln was a champion wrestler and reportedly had only one recorded loss in about 300 matches. Honest Abe could apparently throw hands.
TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWER:
Pepsi-Cola
Caleb Bradham, a North Carolina pharmacist, first mixed the drink at his soda fountain in 1893 and renamed it Pepsi-Cola in 1898. The name nodded to digestion, since the recipe was pitched as something to settle the stomach. It grew into one of the world’s best-known soft drinks and Coca-Cola’s chief rival.
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