Newsletter: X finally cracked down on explicit AI photos of Taylor Swift

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Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today's edition of web_crawlr. 

I hope your weekend is off to a good start! Our top stories today are about: How X allowed explicit AI images of Taylor Swift to get tens of millions of views before cracking down, the Soros Foundation denying claims from conservatives that it issued a veiled threat against former President Trump, a look at all of the Alaska Airlines memes that have gone viral after their planes were found to have "loose bolts," and how TikTok is opening an election center to combat misinformation. 

After that, our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira has a "Decoding Fandom" column for you. 

P.S. — If you didn't take our weekly news quiz yesterday, there is still time! Just open yesterday's newsletter to answer the question. If you guess correctly, you might win a "Jingle Blogs" shirt. 

See you next week! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today's top stories

📷 WTF
Explicit AI images of Taylor Swift got 22 million views before X cracked down

X allowed explicit AI-generated images of pop star Taylor Swift to rack up tens of millions of views.

➤READ MORE

🗳️ POLITICS
Soros Foundation denies chairman secretly telegraphed Trump assassination plot

The Open Society Foundations, a non-profit set up by billionaire George Soros, denied claims from conservatives that the organization’s chairman issued a veiled threat against former President Donald Trump.

➤READ MORE

✈️ MEMES
Alaska Airlines report that ‘many’ of their Boeing planes were found to have ‘loose bolts’ has memes flying online

You better believe the jokes are flying—because these planes probably shouldn’t be.

➤READ MORE

💻 TECH
TikTok opens 2024 Election Center to combat misinformation, manipulation on the platform

Will TikTok face the same problems Meta and Twitter had in elections past?

➤READ MORE

We crawl the web so you don’t have to. Sign up to receive web_crawlr, a daily newsletter from the Daily Dot, in your inbox each day.

⭐ Decoding Fandom

By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor

Reneé Rapp is bigger than ‘Mean Girls’

In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Saturdays our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira Deshler dives deep into the world of fan culture in her “Decoding Fandom” 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.

🧺 This apartment renter went viral after revealing that their landlord upped the cost to do laundry to $30 per load. 

🛒 A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after recalling a bizarre experience she had at a local Walmart.

🏨 Be very careful who you stay with at a hotel, especially if they know that your credit card is the one on file for the tab.

🦷 This woman was shocked to discover the out-of-pocket cost she would incur for dental work despite paying $500 a month for dental insurance.

🍕 Earlier this year, Domino’s Japan launched a new menu item that has the bellies of TikTokers around the world rumbling. The menu item in question is called the Cheese Volcano Pizza.

☕ A coffee shop customer claims that refusing to tip a worker got them fired—but not before the two had time to develop a complex relationship.

🔨 This user on TikTok is calling out Home Depot after alleging that the store processed her returns, then didn’t give her the money.

🏳️‍🌈 From the Daily Dot archive: How a Sims 2 fan forum became an unwitting safe space for queer creatives.

👋 Before you go

Weddings aren’t cheap. 

One bride apparently wanted to have it all—a low-cost but traditional wedding—and attempted to use her wedding guests to do it. 

Now people online are discussing whether they think it’s appropriate for a wedding couple to ask their guests for a a $65 fee to attend their wedding. In addition to the fee, guests are being asked to contribute to a gift and mentioned 50 people were invited.

🎶 Now Playing: "Not My Fault" by Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion 🎶