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Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of Internet Insider.
We’ve got all the hits today: an update on the ongoing FCC nominee’s confirmation, labor issues, and even a Bill O’Reilly freakout caught on camera. Plus, our Politics Reporter Claire dives into the online presence of a candidate for Colorado’s secretary of state in her “Dirty Delete” column.
Let’s dive into the news.
— A.W.
FCC: Long time readers of the newsletter know that the nomination of Gigi Sohn, President Biden’s pick to be a Federal Communications Commission commissioner, has been fraught with obstruction and delays. Well, another attempt to derail her confirmation has cropped up—this time from a former Democratic senator. You can read all of our report about it here.
WE’LL DO IT LIVE: Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly (who is no stranger to viral freakouts) was caught on camera yelling at a JetBlue worker and essentially going full “Karen.” The video shows the 72-year-old confronting an employee at New York’s JFK airport earlier this month. Check out our full report on O’Reilly’s latest viral meltdown here.
LABOR: A video has gone viral for showing an alleged Amazon delivery vehicle catching fire and arguing that the tech giant is at fault for it. Our Tech Reporter Mikael dug into the video, noting that while the exact circumstances around the video couldn’t immediately be confirmed, it did help fuel calls for Amazon workers to unionize across the country.
Colorado Secretary of State candidate is charged with election tampering
Tina Peters is simultaneously seeking to run Colorado elections and fighting charges of election tampering.
Last month, Peters was indicted on a range of felony and misdemeanor charges associated with allegations she tampered with election equipment resulting in a security breach. The election data was allegedly illegally handed over to none other than the QAnon standard bearer himself, Ron Watkins.
Peters, who currently holds the office of Mesa County Clerk and Recorder, is pleading not guilty.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also reportedly investigating Peters.
Oh, and according to a column in the Denver Post, she kicked a police officer during her arrest.
Clearly, Peters is about the last person most people would choose as a candidate to run state elections. But the Colorado Republican Party isn’t most people. After all, it’s at least somewhat to blame for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
Colorado Republicans are apparently unperturbed by being associated with a candidate who reportedly pals around with the likes of QAnon influencer Jeffrey Pedersen (aka In The Matrixxx) or Mike “My Election Fraud Pillow” Lindell. (BTW, Peters wants you to know that she paid Lindell back for that plane ride to his bonkers forum on election security.)
Earlier this month, Peters secured 60% of the vote in the Colorado Republican Party’s statewide assembly, securing a spot on the primary ballot, and leading to headlines like “election conspiracy theorists take top spots in Colorado GOP primaries.”
Oddly, Peters doesn’t seem concerned about election fraud in that particular vote—though at least one other candidate was. Maybe she only considers an election suspicious when she dislikes the outcome.
Her campaign website includes some incredibly lengthy press releases and three “forensic reports” about Colorado’s 2020 election written by a member of Lindell’s “cyber investigation team.” Naturally, the reports were easily debunked. But they could come in handy if you run out of sleeping pills.
Peters spends her time online oscillating between endlessly calling to decertify the 2020 presidential election, sharing unhinged op-eds accusing Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) of being “the darling of the cabal,” and posting whatever the hell this is.
Like most QAnon-linked candidates, Peters doesn’t draw the line at believing conspiracy theories about cabals and elections. Her Twitter likes imply an affinity for pandemic conspiracies too.
You can find Peters on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Gettr. She has an old blog here. There are Telegram channels in her name, but it’s not clear if she’s affiliated with them.
She may not be on Facebook much longer, however. Last week, she posted a screenshot of a purported email from the company saying that her page will be deleted for posting “false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive claims or content.”
Naturally, Peters sees this as evidence of another conspiracy.
“It appears the massive support I received at the Colorado GOP Assembly last weekend has really gotten under their skin!” she wrote.
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Here are some key dispatches from across the ‘net.
⛪ Don’t do this. A TikToker says that customers who come in to eat after church on Sundays would sometimes leave scripture instead of a tip after eating. She says once she received a fake $100 bill that had scripture on it.
📦 A customer is accusing an Amazon worker of intentionally throwing packages at her dog. She shared footage of the incident on TikTok, where more than 1 million people have viewed it.
☕ This Starbucks worker is going viral for sharing the one thing that some drive-thru customers do that “triggers [their] flight or fight response.”
🍴 A viral TikTok shows an alleged Grubhub worker harassing a transgender worker at a café in Philadelphia.
🏘️ Everyone’s got stories of difficult neighbors. In a viral video, a TikToker recorded her downstairs neighbor screaming at her for walking loudly. However, she claims she was just watching Netflix.
🥝 A TikTok scandal threw call-out creators into chaos. Is it over for this community? Sign up for Passionfruit, the Daily Dot’s weekly creator economy newsletter, for more coverage like this.
🛒 It’s dangerous to shop alone. Let Dot Recs guide you to the deals on the best products and services worth your money.*
📱 A woman showcased her six-step process to prepare for having strangers in her home when she’s alone, sparking a bit of debate on TikTok.
🎭 If there is one word that sums up the Trump years, it’s disinformation. With “The Trump Disinformation Project,” the Daily Dot takes you behind the scenes with nine different stories that expose how disinformation was weaponized.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 BEFORE YOU GO
Starbucks is under fire after the company posted a now-deleted job advertisement for a brand reputation manager who would handle “crisis/issues” amid controversy surrounding its resistance to unionization efforts.
