💬 Quoted: “It’s such an underdog story.”

• For decades, Coke and Pepsi have reigned supreme as America’s most popular soft drinks. But now, there’s a third major competitor – the PhD-holding Dr. Pepper. According to new data from Beverage Digest, the regular versions of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper are currently tied for second in overall US market share (~8%) behind Coke (~19%), a spot that Pepsi has held nearly every year since 1985. The data marks yet another popularity milestone for Dr. Pepper, which was tied with Sprite in sixth place as recently as 2004. The company attributes much of its recent success to making alliances on both sides of Coke and Pepsi’s exclusive distribution deals with national US restaurant chains.

🗳️ Stat of the Day: Donald Trump became the first former president convicted of a crime late Thursday evening. And, while the verdict doesn’t legally affect his 2024 presidential campaign, it’s already having a major impact on the race for the White House. The Trump campaign said it raised a record $52.8 million in the 24-hour period after his conviction, with more than a third of that total coming from new donors. A new Reuters/Ipsos survey also found 35% of GOP voters are now more likely to vote for Trump following his conviction, while 56% say it won’t affect their vote, and 10% are less likely to vote for him.

🤔 Did You Know? There has never been a US president who was an only child. On average, presidents have had just over five siblings each.

📰 Worth a Read: Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns → (Knowable Magazine)