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Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: Ousted Rep. George Santos taking a dig at Taylor Swift for a possible (but yet-to-happen) Biden endorsement, a customer saying her FedEx delivery contained a “vial of human blood,” Russian disinformation efforts pushing false claims that King Charles III died, and how RuPaul’s Drag Race has sparked a new meme.
After that, our Assistant Editor Kira has a “Decoding Fandom” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🎙️ POLITICS
‘95% of her songs are about choosing the wrong guy’: George Santos mocks a possible Biden endorsement from Taylor Swift
Former Rep. George Santos (R-New York) took a dig at pop star Taylor Swift for her possible, but yet-to-happen endorsement of President Joe Biden’s reelection.
🩸 WTF
Customer says Shein delivery from FedEx contained a ‘vial of human blood’
A woman says didn’t order a vial of blood from Shein, but that’s what she says arrived in her package from the clothing company after it was delivered via FedEx.
📰 FAKE NEWS
Russian disinformation effort pushes false claim that King Charles III is dead
A wave of disinformation pushed by Russian outlets claimed King Charles III had died.
📺 CULTURE
‘Mama, kudos for saying that—for spilling’: People are turning a moment from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ into a meme
Once again, RuPaul’s Drag Race has sparked a new meme.
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🌞 From the ‘Don’t Stare At The Sun’ Dept.
💰 SPONSORED
It’s your last chance to get eclipse glasses
Did you know that 99% of Americans will be able to see some kind of eclipse on April 8th? Whether you’re lucky enough to be in the path of totality or watching a partial eclipse from the coasts, there are a bunch of great tools for viewing and capturing an eclipse without damaging your eyes or equipment (never look directly at an eclipse without certified solar eye covering, and don’t point your camera at it either). These glasses will do the trick for cheap and are sure to sell out, but if you want to get fancy, there are binoculars, telescopes, cellphone covers, DSLR lens covers…it’s going to be fun, and this stuff is going to sell out in the next week or so. Don’t get stuck watching the eclipse through a cereal box.
⭐ Decoding Fandom
By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor
K-pop and K-drama fans go head-to-head over dating controversy
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Wednesdays 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.
🚢 A TikTok user claiming their cruise ship has been surrounded by “real life” pirates has gone viral, but upon closer inspection, viewers are questioning the claims in the clip.
🤖 A.I. is changing how you shop online.
🎭 A woman says she landed orchestra seat tickets for Broadway’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but the experience was more than she bargained for.
☕ This Starbucks workers got fired. So they gave out free Frappuccinos to customers all day.
🚘 Nothing drains a bank account—or a soul—like car repair. If you’re looking to avoid that heartache as long as humanly possible, one TikTok mechanic would like to point you toward some rides that just won’t quit.
📦 An Amazon customer recently went viral when she shared her “horror story” about ordering a mirror and receiving two vastly different items.
📝 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.
DO YOU LIKE TO WATCH HORROR MOVIES?
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👋 Before you go
Sometimes, places offer different rewards for your birthday whether it’s a coffee or a dessert on the house. In a viral video, a woman spilled the tea about where to receive birthday freebies that aren’t food-related, and unveiled all the items she received from the different stores.
TikTok user Jenna Lu (@itsjennalu) kicked off the video by declaring her love for free stuff. “I love free stuff, OK? Like, I will do anything to get something for free,” she told her 166,000 viewers.
Every birthday, the content creator attempts to get a bunch of free food. This year, she wanted to take it up a notch. “This year, I was like, ‘You need to step it up.’ I want all my birthday gifts to be free,” she said. Then, Lu unveiled all the items she’d been collecting since January.
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