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In a typical TikTok video, Jenna Libman extols the virtues of a $30 Halara exercise dress, praising how easy it makes going to the bathroom, from her living room studio. Creators like her could be collateral damage in Trump's escalating trade war with China, with huge implications for the entire TikTok Shop creator economy, but she isn't scared.

Precarity is the name of the game when building a business that hinges entirely upon an algorithm you can’t control. And that's how TikTok Shop has felt over the past year, with ban rumors, an actual ban, and a resurrection. Now, the trade war is reaching new heights in the U.S. — including the TikTok Shop. The de minimis exemption — a once-little-known rule that allows packages worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. tax-free — was pulled, and the President has implemented new global tariffs. Chinese goods could face tariffs as high as 245 percent, placing platforms like Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop front and center.

SEE ALSO: People are rushing to Temu and Shein to beat Trump's tariffs

So, can an economy built on impulse buys survive higher prices? The creators we talked to don't seem very pressed. 

Scroll through TikTok and you might find some commenters complaining about higher prices. You'll also find sellers in China trying to convince viewers that they're selling Lululemon leggings for $7. But the creators actually making money from TikTok Shop commissions are pretty quiet.

Libman, a creator who has been producing user-generated content (UGC) for five years, told Mashable that the tariffs, de minimis exemption, and the general economic chaos of 2025 don't worry her too much. She says none of these changes feel long-term.

"I think this is so temporary and it's not the time to pivot or freak out yet," she told Mashable. "In this business, if you're not prepared for ups and downs, you're in the wrong business. And at the same time, it is what it is. Things will ebb and flow naturally, so I just don't feel like they need to make a change right now." 

She wasn't ever personally worried about the TikTok ban and says this, too, shall pass. "And if it even happens, like let's say even if they actually do ban it. There's going to be a workaround in some way or the market will just pivot to something else. And so then we just stand by and wait for the next pivot."

What is the de minimis exemption?

President Donald Trump slashed the de minimis exception for shipments from China starting May 2 — meaning sellers on TikTok Shop will have to face steep tariffs of 120 percent (or a $100 "per postal item" charge, which increases to $200 on June 1). According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 4 million shipments come into the U.S. every day that rely on the de minimis exemption. President Trump has argued that Chinese-based shippers use the de minimis exemption to ship illicit substances like fentanyl in low-value packages. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, like Connecticut Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro, agree that a reform on the de minimis provision could slow the spread of drug trafficking in the U.S. But drug traffickers aren't the only people being affected by the elimination of the exemption — it will likely make goods more expensive for everyday Americans. According to trade analyst research reported by The New York Times, "eliminating the provision entirely would cost Americans between $11 billion and $13 billion, and those higher costs would disproportionately hurt lower-income and minority households."

According to Reuters, 90 percent of all packages that enter the U.S. fall under the de minimis exception, and more than 60 percent of those packages come from China.

The stakes for TikTok Shop

On April 7, TikTok Shop sent an email to its retailers — everyone from folks who sell DIY t-shirts on the site to big businesses who sell makeup online. The email detailed what the de minimis exemption is, what changed, what it means for them, and what happens now. 

"When the de minimis exemption is removed for a country's goods, duties will be applicable to all impacted shipments regardless of value, and additional supporting documentation may be required to import, previously exempt, goods into the US," TikTok shop said in its email to retailers. "Sellers should continue to ensure they are familiar with all requirements for importing goods into the US. We are actively monitoring these developments and will work to keep you informed."

TikTok Shop relies on ultra-low-cost imports to power viral impulse buying — and if those imports are no longer ultra-low, it's easy to see how that might impact its business model. Still, there were well over 500,000 sellers on TikTok Shop in 2024, according to Sprout Social. Moreover, 37 percent of Americans under 60 years old have purchased something on TikTok Shop, and 36 percent of direct purchases on social media were on TikTok, in comparison to Instagram or Facebook.

We don't know exactly how many of those businesses rely on Chinese imports, but news reports from the time TikTok Shop started found that it was full of counterfeit items from other countries, including China.

But even as prices increase, the elimination of the de minimis exemption is unlikely to kill TikTok Shop completely. As Kimber Maderazzo, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School professor and former Proactiv executive, told Glossy, "consumers love shopping" on places like TikTok Shop so much that it has changed their shopping behavior to the core.

How the de minimis exemption could affect UGC creators and influencers 

Beyond people and businesses who actually sell their products on TikTok Shop, there's another industry that relies on its success: UGC creators. 

"Tariffs on platforms like TikTok Shop don’t just impact product pricing, they ripple through the entire creator economy," Captiv8 Co-Founder and CEO Krishna Subramanian told Mashable. "Many influencers aren’t just promoting products; they are the small businesses, often relying on affordable overseas manufacturing to run lean DTC brands. If tariffs drive up costs, some creators may need to rethink pricing or product strategy, but creators are uniquely agile. They’ve built loyal communities, and that direct connection gives them room to adapt faster than traditional retailers."

SEE ALSO: The trade war’s surprising targets: content creators

In general, Subramanian said that these tariffs will introduce "some short-term complexity," but also have the opportunity to "reinforce the long-term value of the influencer ecosystem." Subramanian added, "It’s decentralized, adaptive, and built on real human connection, which is exactly what brands need when market conditions are in flux."

If you have 1,000 followers on TikTok, you can make money from TikTok Shop. All you have to do is promote or generally talk about an item in a video, link to it through TikTok Shop, and, there you go, you get a commission for each sale. Take Brandy Leigh, a 50-year-old mother of six in Indiana, who told End Of World that she started making UGC content for TikTok when she had 1,000 followers but quickly earned more than 30,000 followers and $95,000 in commissions. It's an attractive option for folks who want to make passive income from their homes. 

The de minimis exemption could mean fewer purchases on TikTok Shop. Ash, a UGC creator on TikTok at @shleystagram, told Mashable over DM that she is "not too worried about" the effect the tariffs might have on her job stability, because "TikTok Shop isn't the main contributor to my income at this point in time." And that's true for many influencers and content creators — it's a side hustle, not the main show.

"I think it just brings a lot of uncertainty," she said. "I never want to put all of my eggs in one basket because there’s a lot of unknowns right now."

Some TikTok Shop creators also earn revenue from brand deals. Of course, companies that are losing money on other fronts will likely spend less money on marketing. However, the marketing funds they do spend might lean more towards influencer partnerships than other forms of marketing. That means creators could see more revenue from brand deals if we enter a recession.

Layla Revis, the Vice President of Social, Content, and Brand at Sprout Social, told Mashable that influencers play an "invaluable role" as "trusted advocates" who are "on the front lines of the consumer experience." Because of this, "I suspect we will see brands lean into influencer partnerships during this time," Revis said.

I’ve decided going forward I want to limit my TikTok Shop posts because I never want to pressure anyone who sees my videos that they 'need' to buy something.

Beyond that, the de minimis exemption and the tariffs in general have caused economic distress across the world. In the U.S., farmers are struggling. All my favorite bathroom cabinet must-haves (toilet paper, eye makeup, cigars) might be hit with retaliatory tariffs from the European Union. The tariffs also have an outsize effect on tech — including the upcoming Switch 2. And a looming economic recession does pose a moral conundrum for some creators. Should they be hawking impulse buys on TikTok at a time like this?

"It absolutely is something I am taking into consideration when I think about what products I want to promote to my audience," Ash said. "If I wouldn’t spend my own money on the product, I will politely decline any offers from brands that reach out for TikTok Shop collaborations. But even going forward, the economy is rough right now, and so unpredictable. Prices are raising on basically everything and it’s something I stress about, and I’m sure others can relate to that! So much that I’ve decided going forward I want to limit my TikTok Shop posts because I never want to pressure anyone who sees my videos that they 'need' to buy something."

Despite the tariffs and de minimis exemption, ultra-cheap, fast e-commerce will still exist, and the creator economy will shift accordingly. You might just have to replace those viral $2 slippers with a pair that costs $8 instead.

Just like AI models, AI news never sleeps.

Every week, we're inundated with new models, products, industry rumors, legal and ethical crises, and viral trends. If that weren't enough, the rival AI hype/doom chatter online makes it hard to keep track of what's really important. But we've sifted through it all to round up the most notable AI news of the week from the heavyweights like OpenAI and Google, as well as the AI ecosystem at large.

As of this writing, the popular AI leaderboard LMArena ranks Gemini 2.5 Pro as the model to beat, followed by ChatGPT 4o, and Grok-3 Preview.

This week, OpenAI and Google continue to try and one-up each other with new model announcements, Nvidia is building supercomputers in the U.S., and LLMs can potentially help us communicate with dolphins.

OpenAI news: Meet GPT-4.1, o3, and o4-mini

OpenAI had a big week. On Wednesday, it launched o3 and o4-mini, the latest generations of its chain-of-thought reasoning models, which can tap into all the available tools in ChatGPT. The o3 model's agentic capabilities have also made it worryingly good at geoguessing locations based on images alone. Mashable tried it, and the privacy implications are frightening. 

Earlier in the week, OpenAI launched GPT-4.1 for its developer API, which it says outperforms GPT-4o and has improved coding and instruction following. To that end, OpenAI is phasing out GPT-4.5 from its API (yes, the one that just launched in February). GPT-4.5 will still be available in ChatGPT. Confused about all the different model names and what they do? CEO Sam Altman is aware, and he's previously said that the company is trying to do a better job of "simplifying our product offerings." 

As OpenAI keeps churning out new models, there are reports that the rapid-fire deployments have come at the expense of safety testing. Testers reportedly only have days to conduct evaluations, according to the Financial Times, and GPT-4.1 shipped without a safety report, as TechCrunch pointed out. 

Also, ChatGPT now has an image library, so you can store all of your AI-generated images of action figures, dogs portrayed as humans, and Studio Ghibli copycats in one place. 

Perhaps building on growing demand to generate and share ChatGPT creations, OpenAI might be working on a social media network or feed to compete with what X does with viral Grok responses, according to The Verge. 

Gemini news: Gemini 2.5 Flash and Google's dolphin communicator Credit: Andriy Onufriyenko / Getty Images

There's a recurring theme in AI news: when OpenAI launches a bunch of stuff, Google swiftly follows. So if it's a big week for OpenAI, it's usually a big week for Google, and this week was no different. On Tuesday, Google shared that its video generator Veo 2 is now available to paying Gemini Advanced users and in Whisk, the company's experimental image editing app. 

On Thursday (the day after OpenAI's o3 and o4-mini launch), Google brought a lightweight version its own reasoning model, Gemini 2.5 Flash, to the standalone Gemini app. Gemini 2.5 Pro, its most powerful model, is only available to Gemini Advanced users. Google also got dinged for lacking details about its safety evaluations with the Gemini 2.5 launch, per TechCrunch.

Google also announced that Gemini Live's screen sharing and camera vision tool is now free to all Android users with the Gemini app. 

And now, with the powers of AI, Google can play Dr. Doolittle. In collaboration with Georgia Tech researchers and the Wild Dolphin Project, Google developed a language model that they say can communicate with dolphins. The model, called DolphinGemma, trained on a database of dolphin vocalizations like whistles, squawks, and clicks in order to help researchers better understand dolphin-speak and eventually talk back to the majestic sea mammals.  

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Nvidia, Anthropic, and Grok news

OpenAI and Google often dominate the news cycle, but Nvidia also had big — supercomputer big — news to share this week. On Monday, it announced plans to manufacture AI supercomputers in Texas and build and test its coveted Blackwell chips in Arizona. Over the next four years, the company plans to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the U.S.

The move to develop AI hardware and infrastructure in the U.S. is undoubtedly the result of President Donald Trump's tariffs, particularly in Taiwan, where Nvidia's semiconductor manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company operates. Nvidia's U.S. manufacturing efforts will still involve TSMC, as well as chipmakers Foxconn and Wistron and semiconductor packagers Amkor and SPIL. 

After some whiplash tariff back-and-forth, the economic uncertainty and looming trade wars with China are likely Nvidia's main factor in "hardening supply chain resilience" by building in the U.S., as the press release describes. Either way, it's a win for President Trump, and for Texas.

In other news, Anthropic announced a Claude integration with Google Workspace, meaning the AI assistant can read your emails. Grok now has a memory and something called Grok Studio, which is a new interface for working on projects within the app. 

And last but not least, everyone's favorite benchmarking platform Chatbot Arena is becoming a real company, Bloomberg reports. In a blog post, the company's founders wrote, "We are starting a company to support LMArena! LMArena will stay neutral, open, and accessible to everyone. We will focus on improving our open community platform for testing and evaluating LLMs."

TL;DR: Upgrade your PC with Windows 11 Pro for only $14.97 (reg. $199) through April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $14.97
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Need a new laptop but don't have the budget to buy one? We've found the next best thing: updating your operating system. 

If your PC could use an upgrade, Windows 11 Pro is now just $14.97, $175 off the usual price. But you'll want to act fast because this deal ends soon. 

Check out what Windows 11 Pro has to offer

Curious what Windows 11 Pro brings to the table? This operating system really focuses on user convenience, so first up is a seamless interface that helps boost your productivity. 

If you primarily use your PC for work, you'll enjoy helpful features like improved voice typing, a more powerful search experience, and tools like snap layouts and seamless redocking that allow you to work faster and more efficiently. 

Virtual desktops let you easily toggle between desktop setups for different functions — so you can swap from your 9-to-5 setup to your gaming or personal desktop and switch gears easily. 

If you plan on using your PC for gaming, you'll appreciate DirectX 12 Ultimate. It provides phenomenal graphics, while Auto HDR enhances the game's color and contrast. And you can enjoy all this while experiencing faster load times and smoother gameplay. 

Windows 11 Pro also includes Copilot, an AI assistant powered by OpenAI. It's essentially like having ChatGPT on your desktop, minus the annoying subscription fees. 

Everyone will appreciate the improved security features, like biometrics login capabilities, smart app control, encrypted authentication, and advanced antivirus defenses. 

Get Windows 11 Pro while it's on sale for $14.97. Sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on April 27. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Secure a powerful refurbished MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for just $199.97 (reg. $999) until April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $199.97
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If your current laptop is feeling sluggish, bulky, or just plain outdated, it might be time for an upgrade. And right now, you don’t have to spend a fortune to score a powerful and portable model.

You can snag a 13.3-inch refurbished MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for only $199.97 (reg. $999) through April 27, while limited supplies last.

Light on weight, big on power

If you're looking for a laptop that's actually easy to tote around, look no further than the MacBook Air. This device weighs in at just 2.96 pounds, but don't be deceived by the design. It's still packed with the power you know and love from Apple. 

A 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM provide plenty of power for daily tasks, lengthy to-do lists, and multitasking marathons. And you can tackle it all without hunting down an electrical outlet — this model has an impressive 12-hour battery life. 

Take advantage of a 13.3-inch widescreen display equipped with Intel HD Graphics 6000 to enjoy crystal clear visuals and a smooth streaming experience. 

There's an impressive 128GB of storage on this MacBook Air, so you can save content right to the device. And it's ready with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities to enjoy easy connectivity. 

Curious how you can get this model for such a steal? It's a quality refurbished item, which means it will arrive in near-mint condition or with possible light scuffing or scratches.

Secure a MacBook Air for just $199.97 (reg. $999) now through April 27, while supplies last. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Opens in a new window Credit: UGR Tech Dual USB-C + USB-A 3.2 High Speed Flash Drive (1TB) $69.97
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Running out of space on your devices? Whether it’s photos, videos, or apps filling up your device, we’ve all felt the frustration of hitting storage limits. Offload content easily and free up plenty of space with the help of this 1TB high-speed flash drive. 

Perfect for smartphones, laptops, and tablets alike, this 1-TB flash drive offers USB-C and USB-A compatibility, making it easier than ever to transfer files quickly. And right now, through April 27, you can score it for just $69.97 (reg. $109.99). 

Free up space on your devices with this 1TB flash drive

Say goodbye to chunky external hard drives and hello to storage in 2025. This compact, high-speed flash drive offers an impressive 1TB of storage in a sleek, portable design. It fits comfortably in your pocket and weighs just 3.84 ounces, so it's easy to take along anywhere. 

Speaking of keeping this hard drive on hand, you don't have to worry about braving the elements. It's waterproof, dustproof, and features an anti-drop design. 

A dual USB interface makes this 1TB flash drive compatible with PCs, Macs, smartphones, and even gaming consoles.

If you want to stop spending a fortune on cloud storage, this flash drive offers a physical place to keep your content constantly accessible. And the lightning-fast 20-30MB/S read and write speed makes transferring even large files a breeze. 

Snag this 1TB high-speed flash drive with dual USB-C and USB-A capabilities for just $69.97 (reg. $109.99) now through April 27. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: If you're ready to take your online security more seriously, the Deeper Connect Mini Decentralized VPN and Firewall Hardware for just $179.99 (reg. $229) through April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Deeper Network Deeper Connect Mini Decentralized VPN & Firewall Hardware $179.99
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Do you have subscription fatigue? You're not alone. Between streaming platforms, apps, and digital services, subscription overload is real. Fortunately, you can protect yourself online without adding another one into the mix. 

The Deeper Connect Mini is the world's first and only decentralized VPN and firewall hardware, offering lifelong online protection for just $179.99 (reg. $229) — no monthly fees required — if you purchase before April 27. 

Browse the web safer and ad-free with this decentralized VPN

Think of the Deeper Connect Mini as the next generation of cybersecurity. You can enjoy all the privacy and internet perks that come with a VPN, sans the monthly subscription costs. It protects not only your computers but also your Internet of Things devices, from smartphones to smart refrigerators.

There's no complicated setup; you don't have to be a tech whiz to get things up and running. Once the Deeper Connect Mini is installed, the information is stored on your personal devices. Its 7-layer, enterprise-grade firewall protects your network from unauthorized access, cyberattacks, or any other threats. 

The Deeper Connect Mini lets you explore the web without any advertisements, thanks to its superior ad blocking. Families can also take advantage of the one-click parental controls, which protect your little ones from seeing any unsafe online content. 

There's also the opportunity to earn some passive income with blockchain mining. You can be paid to share your extra internet bandwidth and let a network use your internet connection. 

Protect your devices and data with the Deeper Connect Mini Decentralized VPN and Firewall Hardware for just $179.99 (reg. $229) now through April 27. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription $14.99
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If you're sick of shelling out a small fortune in streaming services each month and still ending up with nothing to watch, it's time to meet BitMar.

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It's time to break up with your expensive streaming services. BitMar's lifetime subscription lets you pay once and enjoy endless content for life thanks to its content finder that aggregates millions of free movies, TV shows, videos, songs, and more from various online sources.  

It may sound too good to be true, but BitMar uses artificial intelligence and a Bing-powered search to hunt down filter-free content streaming worldwide, so you have nearly endless options to choose from. (Seriously, it's more than cable, satellite, Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peacock, and Hulu, have to offer combined.)

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Enjoy endless entertainment with this lifetime subscription to BitMar Streaming Content-Finder for just $14.99 (reg. $150) with code BITMAR5 through April 27.

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A camera affixed to the International Space Station recently spotted some curious symbols amid a barren desert landscape.

"This caught our attention," Charles Black, the founder of the Earth and space livestreaming company Sen, told Mashable.

Sen has three cameras hosted on the space station, one of which peers straight down at our planet and covers a scene approximately 250 by 150 kilometers (155 by 93 miles) in size. (You can watch this view, live-streamed in high-resolution 4K video, online. 4K refers to a horizontal display of some 4,000 pixels, and is also known as Ultra High Definition or Ultra HD.) The recent footage shows what appears to be huge "mysterious writing etched into the sand," the company explained.

SEE ALSO: Aliens haven't contacted us. Scientists found a compelling reason why.

The symbols are an example of the type of phenomena — both natural and human-created — revealed by the camera as the space station, located some 250 miles above Earth, zooms over us at 17,000 mph.

These letter-like patterns are in fact from agriculture activity, vividly contrasted by the barren desert plains in Tunisia, Black explained. But Sen doesn't always reveal exactly what its cameras observed. Are these farming areas irrigated into tracts from an aquifer? Or livestock grounds? What do you think?

"You never know what you might see."

"We want the audience to be engaged," Black said. "It's promoting debate, discussion, and interest. We'll label the location, but we want the viewers to decide, discuss, and make comments."

The recent 4K video footage below, showing the writing-like symbols, is from April 15, 2025.

A screenshot of Sen's 4K footage from the International Space Station (from the video above this image) showing writing-like patterns in the middle of the remote Tunisian desert. Credit: Sen / Screenshot

Anyone with an internet connection can tune into Sen's footage. And they'll regularly see new sights. The space station orbits Earth about 16 times a day, and during each orbit the floating laboratory shifts a little to the west. "Whenever you log on, you can see something different," Black said. "You never know what you might see."

Getting such cameras aboard the station is no simple feat. Sen's system had to pass Electromagnetic Interference, or EMI, testing, to ensure their camera activity wouldn't interfere with the station's communications and radio frequencies. The system had to pass three NASA safety reviews. And Sen had to find a host aboard the multinational, football field-length station. The cameras are hosted on a European Space Agency module aboard an Airbus platform, which provides both power and a share of a NASA downlink.

The space station, however, won't orbit Earth forever. It's slated to be carefully deorbited, via a SpaceX craft, into the atmosphere around 2030, where it will break apart and largely vaporize (the remaining pieces will plunge into the Pacific Ocean). So Sen is planning for future live-streamed cameras aboard other craft, including those further from our planet, allowing Earthlings a real-time global view of our humble, cosmic home.

If you tune into the current camera views, you'll spot sprawling cities like Las Vegas, snow-blanketed mountain ranges like the Rockies, the vivid aqua of Caribbean waters, and beyond.

"You see a beautiful planet and a borderless world," Black said.

Featured Video For You Watch Blue Origin's First All-Female Mission to Space

Other TV shows may break the fourth wall by talking directly to the audience. Doctor Who just blew it to smithereens — and it's been a long time coming.

In "Lux," episode 2 of Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the Doctor, our time-traveling hero is trapped, along with companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), in a cinematic universe created by an evil god (Alan Cumming). After failing to break out of the frame in other directions, the pair literally break the fourth wall — smashing a TV screen — and step into a living room containing three fans who were just watching them on Doctor Who.

SEE ALSO: Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu play 'Slash or Pass: Doctor Who Edition'

And what's the first reaction from the fans? Surprise, but not total surprise: "Oh my god, it happened," says one. Showrunner Russell T Davies, an old-school fan himself, nailed it: Doctor Who lovers have been primed to expect this sort of thing for 60 years.

So before you rush to the internet to vent your nerd rage using the hashtag favored by the more cynical fan — #RIPDoctorWho — let's take a quick trip through all the previous moments in the show's long history that suggest this mysterious Time Lord really knows his audience.

The first Doctor breaks the fourth wall

As stuffy as the BBC was in the 1960s, it could still let its hair down at Christmas. That's the reason for the seasonal chaos in the Doctor Who episode "The Feast of Steven," broadcast Dec. 25, 1966.

After capers that have little to do with the ongoing story ("The Daleks' Master Plan"), the Doctor (William Hartnell) pours drinks for his companions, then turns to toast the audience: "Incidentally, a very merry Christmas to you at home."

"Feast of Steven" is one of many lost Who episodes, so we can't see this seminal moment. But audiences may not have felt it was entirely out of character for the show; after all, in the earlier story "The Aztecs," an evil priest confides his plan to camera, Shakespeare villain-style.

As showrunner Davies put it in a 2024 interview, there has always been "something showy about Doctor Who, something proscenium arch about it. There's something arch about it, full stop."

Tom Baker, fourth-wall breaker The fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) was appropriately numbered. Credit: Anwar Hussein

Even the greatest fans of Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor, 1974-1981) find it hard to defend Baker's tendency to speak directly to viewers — IRL, the consequence of a new producer who couldn't rein in his overbearing star.

Baker did this for the first time in episode 1 of "The Face of Evil" (1977), when he was without a companion (and personally believed he didn't need one). Then he did it twice in "The Invasion of Time" (1978), along with a cringe-inducing ad-lib: "Even the sonic screwdriver can't save me this time."

It would never again be that obvious, but Baker's three successors in the role each had their sly winks. Peter Davison (1981-84) and Colin Baker (1984-86) both appeared to be talking to the audience while referencing their new faces post-regeneration. Sylvester McCoy (1987-89) seemed to tell viewers he'd "miscalculated" during "Remembrance of the Daleks."

That story, set in 1963, also had a scene with a TV set on which a BBC announcer is about to introduce the very first episode of "a new sci-fi series called Do—" before cutting away.

Even "Lux" couldn't get much more meta than that moment.

And the most fourth wall-breaking Doctor is ...

Given how much Davies (and fellow sometime showrunner Steven Moffat) loves getting meta, it's surprising that the show took as long as it did, after Davies brought it back in 2005, to turn its spotlight on the Doctor's relationship to viewers.

At the very end of his run, eleventh Doctor Matt Smith (2010-13) flicks his eyes to the camera while delivering the line, "I will always remember when the Doctor was me." But it was subtle enough, amidst the drama of a regeneration, to be missed at the time.

Everything changed with the arrival of Smith's successor, Peter Capaldi. "I'm nothing without an audience," Capaldi says in "Heaven Sent," with the cheekiest peek at us as he passes the camera. (That didn't stop "Heaven Sent" being voted the best Doctor Who story of all time by Doctor Who Magazine readers; perhaps it even helped.)

By that point, Capaldi had already delivered two Moffat-written monologues to camera. One explained the bootstrap paradox and told us to "Google it," in "Before the Flood." The other, in "Listen," asked "why we talk out loud when we know we're alone," before suggesting that it's "because we know we're not."

Both monologues were pre-title "cold opens", meaning they didn't cut into the action; plus, like the "Heaven Sent" moment, both could be explained in-universe as the Doctor needing to talk to himself.

Then came "The Church on Ruby Road," Gatwa's first story, and the still-mysterious Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson): "Never seen a TARDIS before?" she says to camera in the closing seconds. She also closed Gatwa's first season by telling us the Doctor's story "ends in absolute terror."

SEE ALSO: 'Doctor Who' season premiere review: 'Robot Revolution' makes us reluctant companions

We don't yet know why or how she's doing this, but Mrs. Flood's brief appearance in "The Robot Revolution" continued the trend: "You ain't seen me," she warns the audience, ducking out of a scene before the Doctor arrives. Ironically, when she appears again at the close of "Lux," Mrs. Flood doesn't look at the camera while telling other characters the TARDIS is a "trick of the light."

And Davies had to work hard to get more meta in "Lux" than he did in last season's "Devil's Chord." A god named Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) opens the story looking to camera, saying "let's begin," and playing the Doctor Who theme on her piano. Gatwa closes it by winking to camera — then we cut to him performing the intentionally meta song, "There's Always a Twist at the End."

Arguably, by putting its Doctor Who fans in a sequence that we are explicitly told is not real, "Lux" is not that important in solving the fourth-wall riddle posed by Mrs. Flood, Maestro, and the Doctor's wink.

But "Lux" does at least settle a longstanding fan debate prompted by all those decades of fourth-wall breaking: Does the Doctor know he's in a TV show? Answer: No, he definitely did not even imagine the possibility before. Now, however, he may increasingly suspect he's not alone even when he's alone.

Wink-wink.

Doctor Who Season 2 premiered Apr. 12 on Disney+ and BBC. New episodes air weekly on Saturdays at 3 a.m. ET.

In dark times, you can count on Doctor Who to bring the light.

That's what happened in the madcap and meta "Lux," episode 2 of Season 2 (also known as Season 15 since showrunner Russell T Davies' Who reboot, or season 41 if you're classic). Not only does "Lux" manage an upbeat tone in a grim setting — the segregated American South, 1952 — but the episode is also Davies' love letter to light in all strange and miraculous forms, including the movie projector, the animation studio, and the TV screens on which Doctor Who itself has lit up audiences for 61 years.

Let's unpack all the references you may have missed, via your most flammable burning questions.

Where have I seen that clothes scene before?

"This is the fun part, honey," the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) tells reluctant companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) on arrival, before whisking her off to an unseen TARDIS wardrobe. The camera pans up to reveal their 1950s threads.

Indeed, it is fun — so nice they filmed the scene twice. The Doctor and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) had a very similar reveal for their 1963 outfits at the start of Season 1, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord." It has become traditional for the Doctor to go to the past in the second trip of a new season, after the far future; the wardrobe scene may now be part of that tradition.

The soundtrack behind the "Lux" version is a wee bit anachronistic for 1952. It's Chuck Berry singing "Roll Over Beethoven" and igniting the rock 'n' roll era... in 1956. But music slightly out of time in the TARDIS may be a new tradition too; the 1963 clothes scene was set to Marlena Shaw singing "California Soul" in 1969.

Are the segregation scenes accurate?

Not anachronistic, alas, is the racial segregation in 1952 Miami. This is two years before the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education kickstarted the Civil Rights movement and the slow process of desegregation across the South. You can still visit the city's formerly segregated movie houses and restaurants.

Doctor Who has already explored segregation in the deep South — specifically Montgomery, Alabama, in the well-received 2018 episode "Rosa" — as well as racism against Gatwa's incarnation in 2024's "Dot and Bubble." That may explain why this time around, Davies chooses to focus on characters who are happy to flout segregation laws.

The only actual racist encounter is fake, in a scene concocted by Mr. Ring-a-Ding. Call it cartoon racism.

Is Mr. Ring-a-Ding based on anything?

Before the god-infused, 3D version of Mr. Ring-a-Ding (Alan Cumming) is created via the accidental combination of moonlight, projector and cartoon, "Lux" opens with a fake newsreel that's very true to 1952. You can watch the actual 1952 newsreels online: British Pathé on that year's atomic bomb tests that the god later wants to replicate, as well as British Pathé on Queen Elizabeth II pre-coronation.

It wouldn't be unusual for a U.S. movie house to screen such reels from across the Atlantic in the early 1950s. British Pathé would find it increasingly hard to compete with TV by the end of the decade. A cartoon playing before the main feature, meanwhile, was a tradition that continued well into the 1970s. "Mr. Ring-a-Ding" may remind you of Looney Tunes or its sister series, Merrie Melodies. In 1952, both were in the midst of an Oscar–winning golden age.

The following year, 1953, saw Daffy Duck in "Duck Amuck," widely considered one of the best cartoon shorts of all time. It's also meta in the same way as "Lux." Daffy feuds with his animator and tries to escape the screen, playing with the frames of film itself — just like the Doctor and Belinda do in this episode.

As for the visual aesthetic of Mr. Ring-a-Ding, Davies says his influence was the late, great Fleischer Studios. Best known today for Betty Boop, plus the earliest Popeye and Superman cartoons, Fleischer was based in Miami — just like "Lux" — and tended towards the surreal.

Fleischer Studios' earliest black-and-white stars included the unintentionally creepy Koko the Clown and Betty's dog, Bimbo. Put those two together, add a splash of Looney Tunes color, and you've got something close to Mr. Ring-a-Ding.

But is there another, more modern audio influence? We're not talking about the voice of Cumming, who has appeared in Doctor Who once before as King James I in the Jodie Whittaker-era episode "The Witchfinders" (2018), that time using his native Scottish accent.

We're talking about Manchester's biggest superstars, Oasis, whose first hit "Supersonic" included the repeated couplet "You make me laugh / Give me your autograph." Did the Manchester-based Davies not know that when he wrote Ring-a-Ding's crucial repeated couplet, "Please don't make me laugh / Just take my autograph"?

As the god himself says, don't make me laugh ..

How do we know Mr. Ring-a-Ding is a god?

The laugh that clues the Doctor into his foe being a member of a mysterious Pantheon of gods is the same one featured in the 2023 special "The Giggle." That's when we meet the first god-like Pantheon member to have crossed over from another universe, the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris), who was also bound by the rules of his games. The giggle returned in "The Devil's Chord," courtesy of Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) — preceded by a young harbinger known as Harry Arbinger. Then Sutekh, preceded by Harriet Arbinger, shows up in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday."

In investigating the haunted movie theater, the Doctor compares himself to Scooby Doo character Velma. (Let's hope he's not referring to Velma, the spin-off canceled after two seasons on Max.) But even Shaggy could have told you the movie theater was inhabited by a god... if he'd been a Doctor Who fan on X in 2024.

That's where set photos leaked, including the awning where a fake Rock Hudson movie title, The Harvest Bringer, loses enough letters to become "Harbinger." When one of the ersatz Doctor Who fans later says, "I knew this was going to happen because it leaked online," it's art imitating life.

Doctor Who fans are real. Or are they?

There's plenty of fourth-wall-breaking in Doctor Who history. Nothing beats the scene where the Doctor and Belinda step out of the TV into what appears to be a room of Doctor Who fans, but we can go one meta step further by being Doctor Who fans who drop a bunch of nerdy Easter egg explainers about this supremely nerdy scene.

Let's take the Doctor's lead and start with the clothes. The fans are wearing: a scarf from Tom Baker's fourth Doctor era, a T-shirt with a 1970s logo for UNIT (the Doctor's former employer), a Beep the Meep T-shirt from "The Star Beast," a Matt Smith-era fez, and a Cyberman T-shirt that just names the Cyberman home planet (well, one of them, long story!) Telos — perhaps because Belinda and the Doctor keep saying, "Tell us."

One nerdy step down: The fans all describe "Blink," penned by Davies pal and former showrunner Steven Moffat, as their favorite episode, but Belinda fails to get excited by the premise (probably because the fans fail to mention the Weeping Angels). This is the second episode in a row where Davies has poked gentle fun at "Blink," since that script is also the origin of the phrase "timey-wimey." When the Doctor uttered that in "The Robot Revolution," Belinda deadpanned, "Am I six?"

It would be even more nerdy to point out that "Blink" is no longer the fans' favorite; recent polls in Doctor Who Magazine placed it below three other Moffat stories ("Heaven Sent," "Day of the Doctor," and "World Enough and Time"). Maybe that should have been the tip-off that the fans were fake.

Or are they? If you didn't stick around, you won't have noticed the fans returning for a mid-credits sequence in which they discover they still exist (while giving the episode a 7 out of 10). What that means is something Whovians will be debating as long as the TV lights shine.

Doctor Who Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+ and BBC.

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TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 Madrid Open for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The French Open isn't all that far away, so it's time for the best players in the world to take to the clay to sharpen up before the second Grand Slam of the season. The good news for top players is that there is ample opportunity to do just that, with a number of high-profile tournaments taking place at this time of year.

Following quickly behind the Barcelona Open is the Madrid Open, with the likes of Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Djokovic, and Swiatek heading the line-up for this popular event. For many, this will be a dress rehearsel for the main event at Roland-Garros.

If you want to watch the 2025 Madrid Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Madrid Open?

The Madrid Open is an annual professional tennis tournament played on clay courts at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. The defending singles champions are Andrey Rublev and Iga Świątek.

When is the 2025 Madrid Open?

The 2025 Madrid Open is the 23rd edition of the event on the ATP Tour and 16th on the WTA Tour. This year's event takes place from April 22 to May 4.

How to watch the 2025 Madrid Open for free

Select games from the 2025 Madrid Open are available to live stream for free on RTVE.

RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Spain, meaning you can unblock RTVE from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 Madrid Open by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Spain

4. Visit RTVE

5. Watch the 2025 Madrid Open for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 Madrid Open before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for RTVE?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTVE, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Spain

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream the 2025 Madrid Open for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Kentucky with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states still have restrictions in place for online adult content, so what are users in impacted states supposed to do now? Fortunately, it is possible to bypass these online restrictions from places like Kentucky with a simple hack.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Kentucky, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Kentucky

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

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If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To happen.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

OCCUR

Hurdle Word 2 hint

The edge.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BRINK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Grumpy or irritable.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

POUTY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

The symbol of the US.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19 Hurdle Word 4 answer

EAGLE

Final Hurdle hint

A conference or seminar.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

FORUM

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: What fighters do

• Green: On the field for a kick

• Blue: Basketball HOF players in Boston

• Purple: Baseball stadiums that have closed

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Strike with the first

• Green: Players involved in a field goal try

• Blue: Celtics in the Hall of Fame

• Purple: First words of former MLB ballparks

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #208 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Strike with the first - HIT, JAB, PUNCH, SOCK

• Players involved in a field goal try - HOLDER, KICKER, LINEMEN, LONG SNAPPER

• Celtics in the Hall of Fame - BIRD, PARISH, PIERCE, RUSSELL

• First words of former MLB ballparks - CANDLESTICK, EBBETS, POLO, SHEA

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: ___ a ___

The words are common phrases.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are three word phrases with a in the middle.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is TakeThat.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 19

• Selfie

• Breather

• Hint

• Chance

• Number

• Gander

• Hike

• TakeThat

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 19 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Commonly given in schools or colleges

• Green: Used to describe the Sahara

• Blue: Common pets

• Purple: Coded by numbers

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Spoken presentation

• Green: Adjectives for a desert

• Blue: Dog breeds, informally

• Purple: Represented by three-digit numbers

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #678 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Spoken presentation: ADDRESS, LECTURE, SPEECH, TALK

• Adjectives for a desert: DRY, HOT, SANDY, VAST

• Dog breeds, informally: BULLY, CHOW, GOLDEN, LAB

• Represented by three-digit numbers: CANNABIS, DEVIL, INTRO CLASS, JAMES BOND

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for April 19 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 19, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A folder where digital messages are held.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter I.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

INBOX.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Pride and Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright, and starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen as will-they-won't-they lovers Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. In the two decades since its 2005 debut, this glorious film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel has forged a rich internet legacy, birthing memes, thirst posts, and more.

To toast Pride and Prejudice's re-release in theaters, Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko interviewed Wright over Zoom, looking to discover not only what he makes of the movie's online popularity but also to uncover the origins of these much-memed moments.

SEE ALSO: 11 Jane Austen movie and TV adaptations we ardently admire and love

In the video above, Wright reveals how Darcy's truly iconic hand flex came to be a part of cinema history and how Emma Thompson wrote some of the movie's most frequently quoted lines.

You know, you love it. It’s the Charlotte Lucas speech, performed here by Claudie Blakley. 

"I'm 27 years old. I've no money and no prospects. I'm already a burden to my parents, and I'm frightened."

The audio clip is all over TikTok. Charlotte's words have been iced onto birthday cakes. And while some have erroneously credited Austen with these unforgettable lines, what Charlotte actually said in the book was more elaborate: "I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and, considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."

In Mashable's interview, Wright revealed that while screenwriter Deborah Moggach wrote much of Pride and Prejudice’s screenplay, it was Emma Thompson who wrote Charlotte's beloved lines. Ten years before this Austen adaptation, Thompson adapted and starred in the Ang Lee-directed Sense and Sensibility, earning Oscar nominations for both her performance and script. (She took home the Oscar for the latter.) So, Wright welcoming Thompson into the cinematic collaboration was a no-brainer. 

Wright also recalled how Thompson led him to Hampstead Heath, where she improvised dialogue for Pride and Prejudice scenes, directing him to take notes. "That was one of the things she improvised on that hill on Hampstead Heath," Wright said of Charlotte's declaration. Thompson's inspired interpretation ends with, "Don't you judge me, Lizzy. Don't you dare judge me."

Wright remembered he found Thompson’s ability to come up with such dialogue "miraculous." 

As to why it's still so relevant to audiences today, the director mused, "I think it's because it's true. There's a truth to it all."

Pride and Prejudice returns to theaters for a special event on April 20 and April 23.

We've been waiting for this one: The new Google Pixel 9a smartphone has officially landed, and early reviewers are (mostly) praising this affordable smartphone.

Mashable's own review will be going online early next week (we're still evaluating the phone's feature set and cameras), but we wanted to round up the early reviews for early adopters who just can't wait.

With tariffs predicted to lead to higher prices for electronics like mobile phones, we wouldn't be surprised if mid-range smartphones like this become more popular in the months ahead. Sure, the teens may be addicted to their iPhones, but in Android land, you can find quite a few affordable smartphones.

So, let's recap the phone's specs and then dive into the Google Pixel 9a early reviews...

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel 9a $499 at Google
Shop Now Google Pixel 9a specs: No more camera bump... Credit: Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

• Display: 6.3-inch scratch-resistant Actua display

• Processor: Google Tensor G4 processor

• Resolution: 1080 x 2424 pOLED, HDR support

• Camera: 48 MP main camera, 13 MP ultra-wide camera

• Colors: Iris, Peony, Porcelain, Obsidian

• Battery life: 30 hours

• Storage: 128-256GB

• Size: 6.1 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches

Google Pixel 9a: The early reviews

What are the early reviewers saying so far? Over at Tom's Guide, reviewer John Velasco calls this the new phone to beat for $500. Overall, most reviews agree with that assessment, though some reviewers do complain about a wonky zoom and average camera quality. On the plus side, the new Pixel 9a has an improved design, battery, and display. Plus, most reviewers confirm the camera is good enough for the $499 price tag.

CNN Underscored’s Mike Andronico has a rave review, with a headline that states, “I used the Google Pixel 9a for a week and I’m shocked how good this $500 phone is.” CNN Underscored can be a bit… overenthusiastic in its product assessments, so we might take that headline with a grain of salt. Still, it’s a very positive review of a mid-range smartphone (though, they note the camera leaves something to be desired).

Over in Australia, Channel News praises the Pixel 9a for offering flagship features at a more affordable price. The outlet reports that the phone’s standout features include a good-quality camera and a “stunning display.” In particular, they praise the phone for its 120hz refresh rate and 2,700 nits of brightness.

The Guardian and Consumer Technology Editor Samuel Gibbs have another very positive review, claiming this is the “best bang for your buck in Android phones.” Gibbs says it compares favorably to Google’s flagship Pixel smartphones, as well as the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Nothing Phone 3a Pro.

IGN has one of the few negative reviews of the Pixel 9a, and even “negative” is a bit of a stretch. Neutral, might be a better adjective here, as their reviewer calls it “Not bad. Not the best value either. Ultimately, IGN states the phone isn’t much better than similarly priced alternatives like the OnePlus 13R. 

Business Standard says the Pixel 9a strikes the right balance “between flagship-grade features and an accessible price point.” The review praised its impressive battery and the new redesign — and the accessible price, of course.

What are customers saying? On the Ars Technica OpenForum, one user calls out the phone for being “light on AI” features. And over on Reddit, one of the most popular user reviews concludes that the new phone really does feel more like a flagship than a middle-of-the-road phone. It has the same processor as the pricier Pixel 9, and the performance offers a much better overall value in this price range.

Once again, check back next week for Mashable's in-depth review of the new Pixel 9a smartphone from Google. In the meantime, you can purchase the new phone from the Google Store.