Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Happy Friday! Our top stories today are about: How we may have all been eating cheese wrong, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) getting roasted online after announcing he would be stepping down as the leader of the Republican caucus, an explainer of the “Sad Hamster Meme,” and OpenAI filing a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it by the New York Times.
After that, our Trending team reveals who the “Main Character of the Week” is.
Also: It’s Friday, which means it is time for our weekly news quiz. If you answer the question correctly, you might win a web_crawlr shirt.
See ya tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🧀 VIRAL
‘I’m just going to choose to pretend I never saw this’: People are just finding out how they’re probably eating sliced cheese wrong
We’ve all been eating cheese wrong, apparently.
🗳️ POLITICS
‘Most successful Confederate since John C. Calhoun’: McConnell roasted after announcing he’s stepping down as Senate leader
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced in a speech that he’ll be stepping down as leader of the Republican caucus after the election this November.
🐹 MEMES
‘This is me if you even care’: The ‘Sad Hamster Meme’ is TikTok’s adorable new way of expressing their inner feelings
You know how, every once in a while, you feel like a truly small little baby girl? Well, there is a new meme template for you.
📰 TECH
OpenAI claims New York Times brute force ‘hacked’ ChatGPT to create basis for massive copyright suit
OpenAI filed a motion to dismiss the New York Times’ case against it over claims that the generative AI company’s ChatGPT infringed on its copyright.
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES ONLINE ARE SWIRLING ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF WHICH MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY?
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👑 Main Character of the Week
By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: Girl Scouts
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.
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🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🛠️ Home Depot employee Kevin Walsh (@kevinwalsh539) is fed up with some of the questions that he gets asked while on shift for the retailer, so he decided to lampoon them in a viral TikTok video.
🍼 One customer of Texas-based grocery store H-E-B says she “can’t do it anymore,” as the cost of the store-brand baby formula she has purchased for her child has risen by at least $10, quickly approaching the cost of the name-brand canister.
🚗 Honda vehicles are, in common understanding, generally known for their reliability. However, one mechanic went viral for sharing a “common” issue with “newer” Hondas.
🍫 A user on TikTok has gone viral after showing off a new product from Reese’s that is sure to be testing the diets of all who see it.
🥦 This frozen vegetable brand has got some explaining to do. In a viral video, one customer called frozen vegetable company Birds Eye for false advertising on their mixed bag of cauliflower and broccoli.
🍸 You might have noticed that the cost of going out is going up. But don’t blame the servers for how expensive ordering a drink might be.
💄 Finding good products in the Marshalls beauty section is a hit or miss, as a recent viral video posted to TikTok illustrated.
🎮 From the Daily Dot archive: From Club Penguin to Roblox, LGBTQ youth have always flocked to gaming websites.
👋 Before you go
One TikTok creator @yellz1, ranted to her TikTok viewers about the fast-food giant’s decision to have the Sausage McGriddle no longer on the all-day menu.
The TikToker begins her rant while filming from the inside of her car, and is in complete shock that McDonald’s would make the $2 sausage only available during breakfast hours, which ends at either 10:30am or 11am, depending on the McDonald’s store.
She also claimed the price increased from $2 to $4. According to Mc-Menu.com, the price varies from state to state. For instance, in California, the price is indeed $4.69.
The TikTok rant video has accumulated 2 million views and 169,700 likes.
“This is why people are depressed, this why people are anxious, if maybe we can waltz up at McDonald’s at 7:30pm, and order a Sausage McGriddle for $2 again, people would be happier,” ranted @yellz1.
