Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A woman claiming that her brand new house “poisoned” her, Elon Musk’s creepy response to Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, how Wheel of Fortune fans are divided over changes to the show, and how Trump’s debate performance sank Trump’s stock just days before he’s free to cash out.
After that, our trending team shares with you their pick for “Main Character of the Week.”
It’s Friday the 13th, so we thought we’d do something spooky: Unveil our latest seasonal shirt! It’s time to say goodbye to “Sizzlin’ Scoops,” and hello to “Click or Treat.” Even better, instead of a T-shirt, “Click or Treat” is a sweatshirt—just in time for cooler weather.
To get your hands on the new sweatshirt, all you have to do is scroll down below and answer our weekly news quiz. If you guess correctly, you might win one!
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today in Internet Culture
🤢 WTF
‘Not all mold is black or visible’: Woman says she’s been ‘poisoned’ by her house after black mold ‘nightmare’
She said it was like a “dream home,” but then explained how her dream turned into a nightmare. “Little did I know how it would ruin my life,” she continued.
🥴 CREEPY
Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris prompts Elon Musk’s ‘creepiest post of all time’
Billionaire Elon Musk offered to impregnate pop star Taylor Swift in a bizarre remark on X. Most of the responses, even on Musk’s X, pushed back on the crude remark.
📺 POP CULTURE
‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans divided over set changes, new host Ryan Seacrest: ‘totally unwatchable’
None of us like change, particularly when it comes to TV we’ve been watching every single day for the better part of 40 years.
📉 TECH
Trump’s debate performance seriously sank Truth Social’s stock—just days before he’s free to cash out
The stock’s down almost 60% over the past 6 months.
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IN A VIRAL VIDEO, A CUSTOMER SAID THEY GOT ‘INSANELY SICK’ AFTER FINDING SOMETHING GROSS IN THEIR ORDER. WHAT WAS THE FAST FOOD CHAIN THE CUSTOMER ORDERED FROM?
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By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: Lumber Liquidators worker reveals an industry secret
Main Character of the Week is a weekly column that tells you the most prominent “main character” online (good or bad). It runs on Fridays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
⛽ When you put gas into your car, you expect that the number of gallons you put in your car corresponds with the number of gallons displayed on the pump. One disgruntled customer is claiming that a gas station they bought gas from shorted them.
✈️ This woman got banned from flying with American Airlines for something she didn’t (and would never) do. Here’s why.
🧁 A kindergarten teacher explained why cupcakes aren’t the best treat for parents to bring to their kids’ school birthday celebrations. She’s now getting a ton of hate online.
📦 A woman believes she narrowly avoided being scammed and praised TikTok for giving her the heads up. She also used the platform to issue a PSA to others so they can avoid falling victim to similar tricks. (Editor’s note: This is the scam we highlighted in yesterday’s newsletter!)
🛍️ Is Chick-fil-A charging for bags now?
🌐 From the Daily Dot archive: Is there a First Amendment right to assemble in the metaverse?
🤳 Today’s Viral Video
Actor Ken Jeong gave a shoutout to his wife of 20 years during an ESPN broadcast—and it left some ESPN hosts completely flabbergasted.
