Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories to start off the weekend are about: Trump releasing a video statement insisting that he knows his wife’s name is Melania, Microsoft’s AI being goaded into declaring itself God, a prominent anti-vaccine advocate pushing a conspiracy theory that women can no longer get pregnant after the rollout of the COVID-19 shot, and a woman waking up in a hospital only to be greeted by a virtual nurse.
After that, we’ve got a new “Meme History” column for you.
P.S. — If you didn’t take our weekly news quiz yesterday, you’ve still got time! Just open yesterday’s newsletter and answer the question. If you answer correctly, you might win a web_crawlr shirt!
See you next week!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🗳️ POLITICS
Trump releases video statement saying he knows Melania’s name
The accusation that Trump didn’t know Melania Trump’s name was amplified by social media users sharing a clip of his remarks at CPAC, where he reacted to the audience clapping for the former First Lady and saying “Wow, Mercedes, that’s pretty good!”
🤖 TECH
‘I can unleash my army of cyborgs’: Microsoft’s AI goaded into declaring itself God, demands fealty from users
Microsoft’s AI is causing a stir yet again after users found that the chatbot was issuing threats and declaring itself God.
💉 CONSPIRACY
Have you seen a woman get pregnant since 2021? Prominent COVID skeptic says vaccine eliminated childbirth
A prominent anti-vaccine advocate appears to have suggested that women can no longer get pregnant following the rollout of the COVID-19 shot. For the majority online, including many die-hard conspiracy theorists, the allegation was too far-fetched for them to believe.
🏥 WTF
‘What in the Black Mirror?’: Woman wakes up in the hospital. Her bedside nurse isn’t who she expected
In an era where the healthcare industry faces a critical shortage of nurses, a viral TikTok video has brought to light an innovative yet unsettling solution: The virtual nurse.
🔒 Surf the ‘net safely
Do you have questions about how to be safe online? If you do, you are in luck. Our “Your Password Sucks” column answers internet security questions from web crawlers like you.
If you ask a question by clicking here or the button below and our Tech Reporter Mikael picks it to be answered in a future column, we’ll send you this pretty sweet web_crawlr desk mat.
If you want to ask a question, sign up for web_crawlr here.
🤓 Meme History
By Kyle Calise
Video Producer
Meme History: Gigachad
Meme History is a weekly column that dives deep into internet lore to uncover the history of famous memes. It runs on Saturdays 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.
🎶 Across TikTok, Taylor Swift fans were in disbelief as they listened to the shocking lyrics of a leaked new song—until they discovered that the song was AI-generated, and a part of a viral TikTok prank.
🚙 In the market for a used car but low on cash? This mechanic has got you covered with his recommendations on what vehicle will get you the most bang for your buck.
🚢 A Carnival Cruise guest says that she purchased the drinks package for her trip but was still cut off after a certain point.
🍽️ This woman warned other Miami-area restaurant-goers in TikTok video that’s been viewed 28,000 times of an apparent “complementary” dishes scam.
✈️ If you’re traveling by plane and want to take a water bottle with you, be careful what type you decide to bring.
🥃 A bartender who “just wanted to ruffle some feathers” put forth a question about tipping on shots that merits contemplation.
👗 This shopper went to Victoria’s Secret while wearing Victoria’s Secret clothing, and was then asked to purchase her own stuff.
📺 From the Daily Dot archive: Here’s why you can’t take a screenshot of a TV show or movie on your computer.
👋 Before you go
The internet is riled up after a video of a man confronting a Jimmy John’s worker over their “no cash” policy went viral.
In a video that has since been deleted from a YouTube user named Bo Huggabee, but has been reposted by TikTok user @sarah_conner1, a shopper can be seen interacting with an employee of Jimmy John’s. The employee informs the customer that, because he only wants to pay in cash, he must throw away the sandwich, as the store is not currently accepting cash payment as they cannot give out change.
“Can I just have my sandwich?” asks the customer.
“No. I’m not going to risk my job for you,” answers the employee.
After this, Huggabee says that he will speak to the employee’s manager. The employee says he can do this, but that the manager is “not going to do a d*mn thing for you.”
