Newsletter: Escaping a Lyft kidnapping attempt

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Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr. I’m back!

Our top stories today are about: A Lyft customer jumping out of a moving car after alleging that a driver tried to kidnap her, an influencer who looks like former Republican presidential nominee Vivek Ramaswamy duping MAGA heads, an exclusive report about DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison joining TikTok, and an Amazon driver who quit mid-delivery and abandoned their van. 

After that, our Senior Reporter Tricia has a “Digital Democracy” column for you about Wisconsin ballot measures that got memed. 

See you tomorrow! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today in Internet Culture

😱 WTF
‘I almost died’: Lyft customer jumps out of moving car, says driver tried to kidnap her

A Lyft passenger alleges that her driver tried to kidnap her, leading her to jump from the moving car and sustaining injuries to her head.

➤ READ MORE

🗳️ FAIL
Vivek Ramaswamy-looking influencer dupes politicos, supporters at Trump rally

An influencer went to a rally for former President Donald Trump in Bozeman, Montana dressed as Vivek Ramaswamy—and MAGA heads fell for the prank. 

➤ READ MORE

📱 VIRAL POLITICS
EXCLUSIVE: DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison joins TikTok—and welcomes strong feedback

Harrison will be sharing a behind the scenes look at this week’s DNC.

➤ READ MORE

📦 LABOR
‘I’m walking home’: Amazon driver quits mid-delivery, abandons van

Recently, an Amazon delivery driver filmed himself quitting his job mid-shift—abandoning his van in the process.

➤ READ MORE

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By Tricia Crimmins
Senior Reporter

‘I’m 33 with a masters degree and I was like ‘uhhh”: GOP-backed confusing Wisconsin ballot measure gets meme’d

In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Tuesdays our Senior Reporter Tricia Crimmins explains the legislation that is captivating the internet in her “Digital Democracy” 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 woman got tricked by a ghost kitchen after ordering confetti cake on Uber Eats. It’s a rising consumer concern.

💄 Over the past few years, Walmart has been ramping up its anti-shoplifting measures. But one shopper thinks it has gone too far with its new policies after having to pay in the makeup aisle. 

☎️ Should you give your number out at the register for rewards programs? A woman says no after an unsettling experience she once had.

💸 When you hand over your security deposit to your landlord, you hold on to the hope that you’ll get that money back, especially if you know you’re a good tenant. But it’s not guaranteed, at least not without a fight.

🍽️ A server was dismayed by the state of the table when three patrons left the restaurant at the end of the meal. But for people who weighed in on the video she created, the server suddenly became the main character in the worst way possible.

🚗 In a viral video, a woman shared a universal car fob trick for rolling down all automatic windows at once. 

🔊 From the Daily Dot archive: Distorted TikTok sounds hurt marginalized creators—and AI is making it worse.

📝 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 USE RIDE-SHARE APPS LIKE UBER OR LYFT?

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🤳 Today’s Viral Video

The internet is lively on how Blake Lively is handling the It Ends With Us press.

🎶 Now Playing: “Infatuation” by Black Hibiscus 🎶