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: A woman spotting a cheater’s vandalized car on the highway, how former President Trump shared a courtroom sketch of himself on trial next to Jesus, a tenant catching a landlord lying about not receiving his rent check, and how a former school shooter is sharing his story on TikTok which many people don’t like.
After that, our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira has a “Decoding Fandom” column for you.
Kira will also be guiding you through the news on Monday, so I’ll see you next week!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🚘 VIRAL
‘Imagine having to call your insurance company with this situation’: Woman spots cheater’s vandalized car
A woman was in for the ride of her life when she spotted a cheater’s vandalized car on the highway, tagged with profanity.
🗳️ POLITICS
‘A new low’: Trump shares courtroom sketch of himself on trial next to Jesus
Former President Donald Trump shared a drawing of himself sitting next to Jesus in court following the first day of his fraud trial in New York City.
🏠 WTF
‘He really thought you would pay him double rent?’: Tenant catches landlord lying about not receiving his rent. He has evidence
A user on TikTok is calling out their landlord after alleging that the landlord falsely claimed to have not received their rent check.
📱 TIKTOK
A former school shooter is sharing his story on TikTok—but some feel he should stay silent
Jon Romano, a school shooter who served time in prison, has been posting TikToks about his past. However, many believe that his re-entry into society shouldn’t be so public.
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⭐ Decoding Fandom
By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor
How fanfiction complicates rules about ownership, social norms
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 job seeker says he conned his way into a McDonald’s interview and then ruined it when answering the final question.
🎫 Everyone has had issues with Ticketmaster. So it’s no surprise that this customer revealing a Google Chrome hack to get two seats together when the system won’t let you is getting a ton of attention.
👀 People seem to love this “ridiculous” 10-foot blanket for sale at Costco.
🎂 A Dunkin’ customer went viral for raving about secret menu cake pops. But are they real?
🎃 Escape into a frightening reality with the best Shudder original movies streaming this spooky season.*
🏠 While rental costs may be increasing substantially across the United States, renters find the accommodation they get rarely lives up to its high price tag.
🗣️ TikTok has become the go-to place for workers to share customer PSAs.
🛒 What do you call a self-checkout area that is staffed with cashiers? Isn’t that just a regular, full-service checkout, then?
🏳️🌈 From the Daily Dot archive: From Club Penguin to Roblox, LGBTQ youth have always flocked to gaming websites.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
With so much personal and sensitive information stored on our smartphone devices, we want to make sure that no one can access it without our permission. But how safe are our iPhones from prying eyes?
A TikTok user who goes by @StreetzKnowledge claims to know how federal agents can get to your text messages from your iPhone, even if they don’t have your phone number. In a viral video, he explains the steps that law enforcement allegedly take to get to your iCloud data, which can include your iMessages, photos, contacts, and more.
“This is what the feds are gonna do if they’re building a case on you and you have an iPhone. After they figure out that you don’t have a phone number and your iPhone is only used for Wi-Fi, here’s what they’re gonna do to get you,” he says in the video.
🎶 Now Playing: “Buffy” by Jenny Hval 🎶
