Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: How Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) claimed in front of a crowd of people that President Biden travels with extra pants “in case he has poopy pants,” how a woman claims that a channel stole her viral story for a movie without her consent, a Tesla owner showing how she was locked out of her car after the door handle froze, and how a ransomware gang that trolled the government recently had their dark web site seized by authorities.
After that, our Trending Team shares with you their pick for “Main Character of the Week.”
Also: Since it’s Friday, don’t forget to take our weekly news quiz! If you guess the answer correctly, you’ll be entered to win a “Jingle Blogs” shirt.
Kira will be guiding you through the news tomorrow, so I’ll see you next week where we will be doing some fun stuff! Stay tuned!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
💩 POLITICS
‘Poopy pants’ says Ted Cruz, out loud, to a crowd of people: ‘The president has poopy pants’
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) claimed that President Joe Biden’s team carries extra pairs of pants with him when he travels “in case he has poopy pants.”
📺 VIRAL
‘Hallmark channel you are SHADY!!’: Woman claims channel stole her viral story. It’s the exact setup
We’ve all been in situations that feel worthy of a movie—but what happens if someone else takes that experience and turns it into a movie without your consent?
🧊 FAIL
‘I did not know this was possible’: Tesla owner locked out of car after door handles freeze
The design choices of some popular electric car manufacturers, like Tesla, may also leave some folks out in the cold. Literally.
💻 HACKING
After trolling feds with complaint, authorities seize notorious ransomware gang Blackcat’s dark web home
The dark web site for the notorious ransomware gang Blackcat, more commonly known as ALPHV, has been seized by an international group of law enforcement agencies.
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The likeness of a celebrity chef was recently created with AI and is being used to steal people’s personal info. Which celebrity chef was it?
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👑 Main Character of the Week
By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: Yale’s holiday party
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.
💰 A Taco Bell order from DoorDash came with a side of a whole lot of cash for one lucky customer.
☕ People online are defending this barista after she shared how a customer threw their drink at her because they thought it tasted bad.
🧼 A former Bath and Body Works employee notes the chain retailer actually ends up throwing away a lot of the products they return—after employees get the first crack at them.
🍟 This TikToker and Wendy’s employee has sparked a storm with a video that delves into the age-old fast-food conundrum: what really happens when you complain your fries are cold?
🍕 A woman stirred up nostalgia after filming herself ordering a Subway pizza. Spoiler alert: It was a success.
💄 Many content creators have gone viral for sharing which beauty and skincare products to never purchase from retail brands.
🍓 Social media is always full of strange customer requests but this one takes the cake: A customer ordering chocolate-covered strawberries without the chocolate.
⚰️ From the Daily Dot archive: Here are the real-life stakes of faking your death online.
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👋 Before you go
Hello Kitty items have become hot commodities at stores like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx. Numerous customers have shared stories about struggling to find Hello Kitty items, while others have alleged that workers are hiding Hello Kitty items so that they can resell them themselves.
Given this scarcity, TikTok user and Hello Kitty collector Bionca (@slaybeautybybionca) was ecstatic to discover three Hello Kitty blankets at a local Marshalls. Bionca said she planned to give a blanket to both her daughter and granddaughter, then keep one for herself.
However, upon trying to buy the blankets, she was told that she could not. In a follow-up video, Bionca filmed her interaction with employees at the store, who told her that she is limited to just one blanket.
