Newsletter: 🐔 Why is everyone screaming at their phones like chickens?

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Hello fellow web crawlers! Kira here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr. 

Today’s top stories are about: a new TikTok trend that involves yelling like a chicken, Melania Trump’s surprising political about-face, a woman who claims her metal water bottle made her sick, and a conspiracy theory about Beyonce being a kidnapper. 

After that, Mikael has a “One Dump Conspiracy” column for you. 

Until next time,

— K.D.

⚡ Today in Internet Culture

🐔 TIKTOK TRENDS
Why are TikTokers screaming at their phones like chickens?

The goal is to cluck your way to victory in the new Screaming Chicken Game.

➤ READ MORE

📖 VIRAL POLITICS
‘You never said a word’: Melania Trump infuriates pro-choice crowd by announcing support for abortion—to sell her memoir

The Guardian released excerpts of her memoir that reveal the break with her husband.

➤ READ MORE

🤒 BUYER BEWARE
‘I had 6-9 months where I kept getting flu-like symptoms’: Woman says her metal water bottle made her sick

A woman on TikTok surmised that it was her water bottle making her sick via a process of elimination. 

➤ READ MORE

🎤 CONSPIRACY THEORY
‘Beyonce kidnapped me’: How the conspiracy theory became a meme

Did Beyonce kidnap Sia? Did she kill Michael Jackson? Are people okay?

➤ READ MORE

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By Mikael Thalen
Staff Reporter

MAGA thinks Trump dredged through water to help Hurricane Helene victims—there’s just one problem

In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Mondays our Tech Reporter Mikael Thalen debunks the most wild conspiracy theories swirling around the web in his “One Dumb Conspiracy” column. If you want to read columns like this before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.

🕸️ Crawling the Web

Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.

🤑 What would you do if you found $500 in a grocery store parking lot? 

🛒 A woman says her elderly mother, who’s in a wheelchair, was singled out by Walmart staff at self-checkout. So she gave him a taste of his own medicine.

🍔 McDonald’s app is often heralded by users for its supposed ability to give shoppers promotions and deals on meals at the popular chain. However, the app is not without controversy.

🎃 An unhappy Crumbl customer, who likened the cookie company’s pumpkin square cake to “pumpkin pudding puree” is making her displeasure known—and she’s not the first to encounter an alleged undercooked version of the dessert.

💵 Drive-up grocery services, like those offered by Target, are super convenient, but they’ve also created a new dilemma. As the service becomes more popular, many customers are questioning whether tipping is appropriate.

📹 From the Daily Dot archive: Here’s how local governments are surveilling their workers. 

📝 Question of the Day

Everyone’s got opinions, and we want to know yours. Just click a button below to answer the question, and tomorrow we will let you know how fellow web crawlers like you answered. 

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🤳 Today’s Viral Video

Terrence Howard spills the tea on his surprising hair inspo. 

🎶 Now Playing: “Darwinism” by Kublai Khan 🎶