American Airlines pilot salary exposed — people react to high earnings
Plus: Garnished wages for those defaulting on student loans.
Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
The alleged income of an American Airlines pilot has left people absolutely stunned.
The mother of a former child actor currently living on the streets of Los Angeles has spoken out after online efforts to raise funds for him.
The internet is reeling after an early Christmas present came from the Trump administration: taking wages from those in default on their student loans.
Enjoy your Monday!
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Elite money”: Salary for an American Airlines pilot has everyone absolutely stunned
The r/Salary subreddit sees a lot of people posting their earnings, whether to encourage others to get what they’re worth, ask questions about negotiating better terms, or just for bragging rights. This week, someone popped in claiming to be a Miami-based pilot for American Airlines with year-to-date take-home pay totaling a whopping $457,894.51.
“Money wouldn’t benefit him”: Videos of homeless ex–Nickelodeon actor Tylor Chase goes viral—his mom and co-stars are weighing in
Videos showing Tylor Chase, a former Nickelodeon actor best known for his role as Martin Qwerly in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, living unhoused in Los Angeles have recently begun to circulate across social media.
In September, TikToker @lethallalli posted videos of Chase, currently living on the streets of Los Angeles. As the clips circulated, fans began to raise money for him on GoFundMe. It wasn’t long before Chase’s mother stepped in to explain why public fundraising raised concerns for her, offering context about his mental health and why financial support without structure could do more harm than help.
Trump admin to start garnishing wages of defaulted student loan borrowers January 2026
CNBC reports that starting the week of Jan. 7, 2026, the Department of Education will notify 1,000 student loan borrowers in default that a portion of their wages will be seized to pay down their debt.
Each month after that, they will target more of these individuals. Around 5.3 million U.S. residents are currently in student debt default. It’s unclear exactly who will be targeted first or why, but each one of those millions is already very likely to be experiencing economic hardship.
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🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday:
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