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By the time ballots are counted for this year's midterm elections, Americans will have received an estimated 60 billion political text messages. A single person would have read 170 messages on average. Candidates will have spent more than $11 billion on their campaigns. 

But it's not just campaign spending you need to pay attention to. The flurry of political calls, texts, and ads creates a perfect cover for scammers, said Ron Kerbs, CEO of AI fraud prevention company Kidas.

"A fraudulent call doesn't necessarily stand out when you're receiving legitimate political outreach at the same time," he warned. 

Americans should be on alert and play defense. Let unknown calls go to voicemail, verify calls and texts from people who claim to be candidates or affiliated with political campaigns, and take a moment to think things through before giving anyone money or personal information.  

Scammers can use elections to steal money

Unfortunately, being on a Do Not Call list won't keep you from getting fooled by an election scam. Most political communications are exempt from the official Do Not Call registry, the national opt-out database for telemarketing communications. 

Campaigns do have to be careful not to violate federal restrictions on automated and prerecorded calls, including texts and calls made without prior consent. But the exceptions can create general confusion for voters trying to figure out if a pollster or campaign volunteer is real. 

Scam texts versus scam calls

Scam texts are certainly a concern for voters, Kerbs said. A recent public service announcement from the FBI warns of midterm-related scams involving stolen "names, images, logos, and slogans of candidates to fraudulently solicit campaign contributions, sell merchandise that is never delivered, or steal personally identifiable information."

Voters should remember the age-old advice not to click any suspicious links sent to them, even from numbers that seem legit.

But election phone calls may pose an even greater challenge for many Americans. 

"When someone hears a familiar voice, particularly a candidate or public official they recognize, they may be more inclined to trust what they're hearing," Kerbs said. "With AI, scammers can now recreate those voices convincingly, making it much harder for the average person to recognize when a call is fake."  

Scammers, like everyone, have access to publicly available data on candidates that can be used to train or generate highly realistic AI voices, Kerb says. "Scammers can then combine that cloned voice with caller ID spoofing, making the call appear to come from a legitimate campaign or political organization."

The threat of voice clones and deepfake audio of political candidates isn't a hypothetical. In 2024, AI-generated robocalls impersonating then-President Joe Biden were sent to New Hampshire voters, urging them to skip the primary election. The calls led to a federal crackdown on "junk calls," including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expansion of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to effectively ban unsolicited AI robocalls. 

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Common election-related phone scams 

Election scammers have different motivations for reaching out to voters. Kidas describes at least three ways scammers use the election season to fool you: 

1. Impersonating election officials: Callers pretending to be election workers may try to solicit personal information from voters or influence votes under the guise that something is wrong with your voter registration or ballot. 

2. Fake pollsters: Scammers impersonating official pollsters may also contact you to collect sensitive information. 

3. Donation scams: Bad actors may pose as official campaigns or as a political action committee (PAC) to solicit donations from unsuspecting voters.

There are also a few red flags that could signal to a voter that the person on the other end is not motivated by a sense of civic participation. 

A call can sound completely legitimate and still be fraudulent. - Ron Kerbs, Kidas

Urgency is the biggest red flag, scam experts warn. If someone calls saying your registration is expiring or a ballot needs to be verified ASAP, end the call, advises Kerbs. 

Additionally, election officials will never ask for money, Social Security numbers, verification codes, or other personal information over the phone. 

Other red flags include requests for Social Security numbers, banking information, verification codes or payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency or other unusual methods.

Voters should also be suspicious of anyone claiming they can update voter registration over the phone in exchange for sensitive information or a payment. Registering to vote is free, and voters should use their official state election resources to check their status or make changes.

"One of the most important things to understand is that a scam call may not have an obvious red flag at first," warns Kerbs. "A call can sound completely legitimate and still be fraudulent, so voters shouldn't rely solely on whether something sounds suspicious."

Bad actors may be trying to influence or tamper with elections, as was the case with the fake Biden robocalls. But they may also just be out to get your data or cash. Either way, it's important to keep yourself safe.

How to protect yourself from election scams 

"It's no longer enough to identify a suspicious phone number," warned Kerbs. "You also need to consider what's happening during the call, including whether the voice is artificially generated and whether the conversation shows signs of fraudulent activity."

1. Do not rely solely on the name, number, or voice you hear on the phone. 

2. Hang up and verify. Before providing information (or money), go to a second source. Check directly with your state or local election office. Make donations on official campaign websites, not over the phone or via links.  

3. Use your phone's screening tools, with discretion. Turn on features to silence unknown callers, screen calls, and filter out spam. But remember these are not foolproof, and scammers often bypass such detectors. 

4. Let calls go to voicemail first. Don't feel obligated to answer. Scammers rely on urgency, so a voicemail can give yourself the space you need to think and confirm. 

Most importantly, never provide sensitive information over the phone, including seemingly innocuous things like your driver's license number. Scammers may claim they need that information to verify your identity or confirm a donation. Don't believe them, says Kerbs.

"Even seemingly harmless details can be useful to scammers when combined with information they've already collected. You don't need to answer every question just because someone claims to represent a campaign or election office."

AO3, which hosts 18 million stories spun off from the likes of “Harry Potter” and “Heated Rivalry,” was taken offline after “an intrusion,” one of its founders said.

Spooky season is the perfect time to cozy up with Haunted Hotel. The Netflix animated series blends horror with an animated family sitcom format that makes for fresh fun, and an addictive rewatch binge. (And, really, we've been revisiting Season 1 over and over since last Halloween.)

Now, with Season 3 announced ahead of this Halloween, we're sharing a secret we've found hidden in the Undervale. Sure, each episode focuses on the misadventures of the Freeling family, be it ghost uncle Nathan (Will Forte), his sister Katherine (Eliza Coupe), her chipper son Ben (Skyler Gisondo) and mischievous daughter Esther (Natalie Palamides), or their resident demon trapped in a boy's body, Abaddon (Jimmi Simpson). But beneath the surface of Haunted Hotel, another drama lurks — specifically under its floorboards.

In the opening title sequence, between when Esther defeats a vampire and Ben is chased out of the library by gremlins, there's a smaller story playing out between the floors of the hotel. You have to freeze-frame to see it. And even on a desktop watch, that can be tricky to do! So, we've done the hard bit for you.

SEE ALSO: 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Haunted Hotel' collide in 'Your Idol' music video

After Season 1, some fans posted screenshots online, allowing others to dig into the curious war waged deep in the Undervale hotel. Now, with Season 2 out, Mashable has pulled together screenshots from Seasons 1 and 2 in chronological order, so you can make out the stories for yourself.

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 1: "Welcome to the Undervale"

Credit: Netflix/screenshot

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 2: "Unfinished Business"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 3: "Randy Slasher"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 4: "How to Train Your Demon"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 5: "Rollyfluffs"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 6: "Ghost Hunters!"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 7: "Seven Deadly Bens"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 8: "Aunt Rose"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 9: "The Esthercist"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 1, episode 10: "The Acolytes of Abaddon"

Credit: Netflix

Hey, bud. You okay? Sorry about that last one. I assure you, Season 2's has a happier ending. Here it is.

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 1: "Ooze"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 2: "Dinner Party"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 3: "The Witch"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 4: "Ghost Day Out"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 5: "Astral Esther"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 6: "Dante Crowe"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 7: "The Concierge"

Credit: Netflix

Haunted Hotel, Season 2, episode 8: "The Visit"

Credit: Netflix

What will Haunted House creator Matt Roller have in store for season 3 (above and below the floorboards)? We can't wait to find out.

Haunted Hotel is now streaming on Netflix.

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Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson, a Democrat, was the target of an outrageous video apparently fabricated by Russian operatives, according to the data analysis service NewsGuard.

In the video, which appears as a legitimate news report from Maine TV station WABI, an anchor alleges that Jackson threatened to kill "any insubordinate staffer" with an axe. Jackson is a fifth-generation logger challenging the Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

Several polls put Jackson ahead of Collins, and Republicans see her seat as crucial to maintaining control of the U.S. Senate.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI launching election 'war room'

Kim Petry, vice president of WABI, confirmed to NewsGuard that the video was fabricated and appears to use a synthetic voice. "It was not produced, aired, or authorized by WABI," Petry told NewsGuard.

The firm said Jackson's campaign didn't respond to two emails seeking comment on the video. Mashable also contacted Jackson's campaign via email but did not receive a reply as of publication.

NewsGuard said the video used dubbed audio combined with real footage that originally appeared on WABI's website in July 2026. In the original segment, Jackson was accused of having "angry outbursts" while serving as Maine Senate President between 2018 and 2024.

In July, CNN and the Washington Post reported that Jackson threw a water bottle during a 2021 meeting. One lawmaker said Jackson threw the bottle in her direction after she refused to vote for a bill he supported.

Jackson's campaign said he threw the bottle but wasn't targeting anyone. Though Jackson's temper was well-known in Maine political circles, he did not threaten to attack staffers with an axe.

Based on its format and how it spread on X, NewsGuard said the manipulated video appears to be the product of a Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516. The group "routinely fabricates articles and videos that impersonate legitimate media outlets," according to NewsGuard.

The firm said Storm-1516 is also apparently behind similar videos targeting James Talarico and Sherrod Brown, Democratic Senate candidates from Texas and Ohio, respectively. Both men were accused of sexual assault in the AI-altered videos and vehemently denied the allegations.

Google's latest earnings call has caused quite a kerfuffle on the stock market.

It turns out that Google's AI Mode, the AI summaries that help answer user search queries right on the search page instead of directing them to the most authoritative links, is eating into the company's ad revenue — an extremely predictable problem. There's even a term for the phenomenon — zero-click searches.

This is an obvious problem for Google Ads, a pay-per-click advertising service that generates billions of dollars in revenue each quarter. Google isn't going to backtrack on AI; the company has too much invested into the technology now. So, what's Google's fix?

More ads.

As Ars Technica points out, in Google's financial disclosure, the company shared plans to bring even more search ads into AI Mode.

Google currently shows contextual ads within AI Mode alongside the AI-generated responses to user queries. However, Google is planning to include even more ads by swapping out sponsored links throughout a user's session as they interact with the AI Mode chatbot. In addition, Google will soon be rolling out AI Mode ads in international markets as well.

The search giant did warn investors that this won't be a quick fix. Google currently earns less via AI Mode ads than from traditional search ads as there are fewer advertisers running ads in AI Mode. In addition, it will take some time, Google says, for advertisers to understand the benefits of running ads in AI Mode too.

Regardless, Google will go forward with its AI plans, even at the expense of a major revenue driver, Google Search ads. In the meantime, users will be seeing more ads.

In a court filing, top Democrats on the Judiciary Committee indicated their support for publishers in a lawsuit led by The New York Times.

It was supposed to be for one night only. (Or a one-night stand?) But Black Bear has announced Wicker 4DX is getting an extension in theaters for an added week.

What does that mean? Well, for one, basketheads — as fans of the romance film have been dubbed — have many more chances to experience the motion-enhanced theater experience. And yes, that means sharing in the Fisherwoman's (Olivia Colman) experience of getting her world rocked by her Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård).

For more on what that involves, you can check out my review of the Wicker 4DX experience.

SEE ALSO: I've lived the dream of 'Wicker' 4DX, and it was phenomenal

Or you can take a look online.

Various audience members have shared illicit footage from inside their 4DX screenings to give others a sense of what went down. Which seems pretty fitting, as the very reason Wicker got a 4DX release to begin with was because of fans thirsting over the Wicker Husband. And while I didn't record during the movie, I too was shook.

But the fun doesn't start at the theater.

When another Mashable staffer was checking out showtimes on Fandango, she spotted that reserved seats are signified by a little wicker basket.

Wicker 4DX Fandango screenshot Credit: Fandango screenshot

But what do Wicker's stars think of 4DX? Well, Here's Colman and Skarsgård on this unique experience.

Wicker 4DX seats are now on sale.

Instagram's pitch to longform video creators now reportedly comes with a paycheck, and for some, it could reach half a million dollars.

The platform has offered select creators deals worth up to $500,000 to post longer videos through its new Features format, Business Insider reported Oct. 29, citing people familiar with the agreements. Some offers are worth $50,000, while others reach six figures, according to the outlet.

The deals reportedly don't require creators to make their videos exclusive to Instagram. One person familiar with the offers told BI that Instagram is asking creators to upload the longform videos they publish on YouTube to Instagram on the same day.

For the creators already making those videos, this news could mean another place to distribute their work, with a payment attached.

"We've been public about the fact that we are funding Features content directly with some creators right now to support them," a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider. "The details of those deals are confidential, but we're excited to see the content going live."

The report adds a financial incentive to Instagram's latest attempt to get people watching longer videos. As Mashable reported earlier this week, Features will allow uploads of up to 90 minutes, with an emphasis on horizontal video that people can watch on their phones, computers, and TVs. Instagram is conducting small tests in the U.S. and Brazil.

SEE ALSO: Instagram is testing 90-minute videos

Instagram announced Features Monday, with Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and VP of Product Tessa Lyons explaining how longer videos could fit alongside Reels.

"So many creators are producing longer videos, and they're using clips of those videos to drive discovery on Reels and help build their audience," Lyons said in the announcement. "Features would let those viewers watch the full video without leaving Instagram."

The format also gives Instagram more content for its television app,

"We've been working on a TV version of Reels, and we know that to do that well, we need more than just short-form video," Lyons said.

As Mashable reported, Instagram's TV app began testing on Amazon Fire TVs in late 2025, expanded to Samsung TVs in mid-2026, and arrived on Apple TV in October. Features would give people more to watch on those bigger screens, including longer, horizontal videos.

These additions reflect how Instagram is positioning itself to be more in direct competition with YouTube, giving viewers a new place to discover short clips and watch full-length videos on the same platform.

YouTube is still the platform to beat

Instagram is chasing a platform with both a bigger audience and an established way to pay creators. A Pew Research Center survey published Oct. 19 found that 84 percent of U.S. adults use YouTube, making it the most widely used platform surveyed, compared with 51 percent for Instagram. Among adults ages 18 to 29, YouTube reaches 95 percent, compared with Instagram's 79 percent.

Credit: Pew Research Center

YouTube's Partner Program gives eligible creators 55 percent of net ad revenue from their longform videos, offering a way to earn money beyond brand partnerships and individual platform deals. But qualifying will soon get harder. Starting Feb. 1, 2027, new applicants will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over 12 months or 20 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days — double the current thresholds. Both routes will still require at least 1,000 subscribers, while creators already enrolled will remain in the program.

SEE ALSO: YouTube just raised the bar for creators to earn ad revenue

Instagram's reported offers could make posting on both platforms more appealing for both reach and monetization, especially since the deals don't require exclusivity. But those payments are going to select creators, at least for now (though Instagram hasn’t announced a broader revenue-sharing program for Features).

"We understand the economics matter a ton, and are exploring multiple options to help long-form creators get paid," Mosseri wrote on X Wednesday.

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

The next test is whether viewers who come for a quick Reel will stay for a full episode.

Tech stocks are taking a big hit on the stock market today, and they really only have themselves to blame.

Just look at Google and Reddit's plummeting stocks. On Thursday, Google stock experienced its largest single-day drop ever, and Reddit is on track to have its worst-ever day on Friday. Other tech stocks are also down Friday. As of this writing, Intel is down 30 percent. NVIDIA is down almost 5 percent.

So, what's going on? The answer to this shouldn't surprise anyone: It's AI.

On a Q3 earnings call earlier this week, Google reported strong revenue growth, although weaker than expectations. However, in an earnings filing on Thursday, Google revealed that the company has substantially more exposure to AI risk than some investors realized, according to a Bloomberg report. For one, Google has now disclosed that in addition to its $1 trillion in future purchase commitments, it faces an additional $98 billion in possible future purchase commitments.

These commitments consist mainly of AI data centers and related computing power and hardware, Bloomberg reports. Basically, the company has a lot riding on the AI boom not going bust.

That's not the only concern either. Google's AI features are hurting one of the company's biggest moneymakers, Google Search advertising revenue.

According to Google's chief business officer Philipp Schindler, fewer users are clicking on Google ads in search because of features like AI mode. In fact, even though Google is currently experiencing more search queries than it has in the past five years, Google Search revenue growth is slowing due to these AI tools.

As click-through rates for websites appearing in Google Search decline, the effects are felt further down the line by websites that rely on Google Search traffic, as many websites do (including Mashable). And this is why Reddit's stock is dropping as well.

Last year, Reddit shared that a whopping 50 percent of its traffic comes from Google. As many Google users have noticed over the years, Reddit threads have been ranking quite highly on Google Search results pages for a variety of queries.

However, when Reddit released its Q3 earnings on Thursday, the company was singing a different tune about Google referral traffic.

"Our search referral traffic was down meaningfully in Q3, with the decline accelerating later in the quarter," Reddit said in a letter to shareholders, revealing that search traffic has been dropping by more than 1 million referrals per week.

In an interview with CNBC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman outright blamed Google's AI Overviews for the drop in traffic.

“I think fundamentally that relationship between Google and the rest of the internet is evolving, and so for us, this means a continued focus on our core users that come to Reddit directly,” Huffman said

In addition to Reddit's woes with Google's AI features, the company announced it would soon require users to create accounts and log in to view content. This change is meant to combat AI scrapers, according to the company. However, this is undoubtedly going to result in further drops in traffic, as Elon Musk discovered when he briefly rolled out a similar login requirement on X, then known as Twitter, back in June 2023.

The tech industry continues to push AI into every facet of its multitude of products and services. It turns out that has had significant negative impacts on their successful existing businesses.

It took about 20 minutes for hackers to move billions of dollars out of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Now, investigators are pointing to a group linked to another record-breaking crypto theft.

Blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs has attributed the $6.3 billion attack to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit blamed for last year's $1.5 billion Bybit heist, with "high confidence. Chainalysis and Elliptic also linked the theft to North Korea, though Binance has not yet confirmed who was responsible.

Not only is this potentially the biggest hack of all time, it may also be the biggest heist of any kind, ever.

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

The attack forced Binance to suspend withdrawals. The company says it will cover all losses and has worked with partners to freeze roughly $3 billion in affected assets, as Mashable previously reported. In total, Reuters reports that Binance has set aside approximately $6.34 billion in company funds to cover losses.

According to TRM, most of the stolen cryptocurrency was moved from Binance's wallets across 10 blockchain networks in about 20 minutes. The firm said the attack shared characteristics with previous North Korea-linked thefts, including the Bybit heist.

SEE ALSO: Binance hacked, billions in crypto stolen

Crypto compliance software company Elliptic said some stolen funds reached an address that had also received proceeds from a suspected North Korean attack on crypto exchange Bitget. North Korea has previously denied hacking allegations.

Binance initially said a compromised engineer's laptop may have allowed an attacker to submit unauthorized withdrawals. Its subsequent investigation uncovered additional points of breach, and the company has promised a full report once the facts are verified.

SEE ALSO: Binance hack update: How the $6.3 billion crypto hack happened

Meanwhile, deposits have resumed, and the exchange said early Friday that withdrawals were expected to return within 48 hours.

What was Elizabeth Holmes’s partner watching in the new Nathan Fielder documentary? We found the videos (and the scientists in them).

The largest cyber heist in history came as attackers increasingly use artificial intelligence and other advanced techniques to steal crypto and quickly launder the funds.

Google rolled out a small visual change to Gemini on non-Pixel devices, while improving the app's file management.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the Gemini app on Android received a couple of upgrades this week. For starters, the Gemini overlay that pops up when you activate Google's AI assistant on Android devices now stands out a little more visually. The pill-shaped search bar now has blurred edges, along with swirls of color.

SEE ALSO: Google announces Gemini 4 Carbon, its new frontier AI model

These elements help the overlay stand out a little bit more against the app icons on your home screen. Google introduced this change on Pixel 11 devices, but according to 9to5Google's report, it's now available on every supported Android device.

That's not all, though. According to a Google blog post, users can now "generate, preview, and edit" files within the Gemini chat window. While chatting with Gemini, you can open a file in full screen and edit it as you see fit, or highlight text to ask Gemini questions about it. Google is also touting the ability to create and edit slide decks for presentations on the fly in Gemini.

Maybe these aren't the most seismic updates in the world, but they are a sign that Gemini is continuing to become more dynamic and useful in some situations.

Avengers: Doomsday is coming, and it's presumed to be one of the biggest movies of the year. And that's saying something in a year when Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey became a hot ticket. Since opening in July, it's grossed more than $1.7 billion dollars worldwide, making it the eleventh highest-grossing movie of all time.

But you know what's number one? Avengers: Endgame. And sure, Endgame boasted an almost obscene amount of superheroes, including not only the titular mighty collective, but also the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man. And yet, Avengers: Doomsday will boast even more.

Fans of Captain America, Thor, Hulk, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men have reason to get giddy. And fans of Robert Downey Jr. were gifted new reason to rejoice, because just as his time as Iron Man in the MCU has ended, Doomsday sees the American icon return as the nefarious Doctor Doom.

With all these reasons to revel, I have still be pretty ambivalent about Marvel's next chapter. Yes, after duds like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts*, I am superhero fatigued. But then I went to see Wicker.

How Wicker got me pumped to plunge back into the MCU.

The TLDR version of this story is I went to see Wicker in theaters, and the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday made me excited to see more. The more accurate version in the story involves one specific detail: 4DX.

SEE ALSO: I've lived the dream of 'Wicker' 4DX, and it was phenomenal

Yes, I saw Wicker in its one-night-only 4DX experience. And it's not that I'd never enjoyed (endured?) 4DX before, but the last time was a bad time. Yes, that was probably my fault, and for more on that, read the linked article above. But before my theater seat was rocked by Alexander Skarsgård as a lusty Wicker Husband, it was rigorously rattled by Doomsday.

Ahead of the feature presentation, the cinema unfurled an Avengers: Doomsday trailer with the 4DX treatment playing along. The audience around me tittered with laughter as we felt the first tiny rumble that warned us the seats had activated.

When Victor Doom lands that classic superhero pose after a mighty leap, the seats shuddered with the impact. As dust kicked up on Thor's landing, the seat rattled again, but this time a bit of fog shot forth from under the movie theater screen. When Thor is thrown back by Doom's powers, the seats bucked to the left, so violently I instinctively clutched the arm rests.

As I wrote in my review of the Wicker 4DX experience, it was a thrilling preview of the capabilities of the immersive elements of this motion-enhanced theater. As the hits kept coming, I couldn't even focus on the screen between the jostling seat and my own riotous laughter over the amusement park thrill of it all.

And yes, I realize my ennui about superhero movies may not be widely shared. I realize there's plenty of valid reasons to anticipate the return of the Avengers for another adventure, even more stuffed with stars. But for me, it took the added kick of a rattling theater seat to reconnect to the fun of seeing these moves on the big screen.

I have since reflected back on the times before I crowded into a packed press screening, where the pressure was on to turn around a review and as many editorials as I could for the ravenous MCU audience. I remembered going to see the first MCU phase at midnight screenings on Thursday nights, so the surprises wouldn't be spoiled. The audience around me in 4DX bucked and laughed in unison with me, and I remembered the communal joy of seeing Tony Stark kick butt for the first time, or Captain America brandishing his shield, or Thor pounding his hammer.

And with just a rigorous shaking of a 4DX theater, I am seated for Doomsday.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on Dec. 18.

Target's Black Friday 2026 sale is coming in hot, folks. Things kick off extra early this year, with the first official shopping event of the season on Nov. 5. In other words, you might want to get your lists ready ASAP.

While most holiday shopping is done online these days, Target still offers that classic Black Friday in-store shopping experience for those who want to soak it all in. The deals will really start to heat up as we get closer to Black Friday proper, but you can start checking off your lists as soon as today.

With every retailer holding major Black Friday events, it's easy to get your wires crossed. To help you keep all the details straight and get ready to shop at Target on Black Friday 2026, here's everything you need to know, including store hours, what will be on sale, and how to get early access to the best deals.

When is Target's Black Friday sale?

Black Friday proper falls on Nov. 27 in 2026, but most retailers start dropping deals well before that. Target's first early Black Friday sale kicks off on Nov. 5 and runs through Nov. 7, followed by new limited-time deal drops every weekend throughout the holiday season. The official Cyber Week schedule has yet to be unveiled, but Target has announced that its Deal of the Day program will return on Nov. 1. Shoppers can score a new featured deal each day until Dec. 24, with a one-day preview of the offers.

Here's a breakdown of Target's Black Friday schedule so far:

• Nov. 1: Target Deal of the Day offers kick off

• Nov. 5-7: Target's first early Black Friday sale

• Every weekend after: New limited-time holiday deal offers

What time do Target stores open on Black Friday?

You can shop Target's Black Friday sale both online and in stores. Most Target stores will open their doors at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday, Nov. 27. There may be exceptions to those hours, so double-check the exact opening hours for your local store. Target stores are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Last year, Target made waking up early on Black Friday worth it, as the first 100 guests in line received limited-edition iridescent tote bags. Among those 100, 10 lucky shoppers got a surprise gift inside, ranging in value from $99 to $350. Those gifts included Target Circle 360 memberships, gift cards, a Ninja Slushie machine, and more. Target stores with Starbucks Cafés inside also offered samples of their Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Target Circle 360 Black Friday early access

In 2025, Target gave its Target Circle 360 members early access to select deals during their Black Friday sales. It's highly likely that members will get early access this year as well.

Target Circle 360 is the retailer's paid membership program (separate from its free Circle membership). It costs $99 annually or $10.99 per month and offers perks like same-day delivery, free shipping, monthly freebies, early access to sales, and an extra 30 days for returns.

What will be on sale at Target for Black Friday?

Target has a wide assortment of Black Friday deals, ranging from toys to tech. We expect to see some steep discounts on toys and will definitely be keeping an eye on Lego sets and Pokémon 30th Anniversary products. In years past, we've also seen great deals on small appliances, TVs, headphones, floor care, and gift cards. Standout deals from 2025 included $69 AirPods, $600 off TCL's The Frame TV dupe, 20% off gift cards, and a $49 air fryer.

Best early Black Friday deals at Target

While Target's first early Black Friday sale doesn't kick off until Nov. 5, there are definitely already deals floating around. We've found a few worth shopping ahead of time. Here's a glimpse at some of our favorite early Black Friday deals at Target.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement 10345 $62.04 at Target
$72.99 Save $10.95   Get Deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag (2nd gen) $23.99 at Target
$29.99 Save $6   Get Deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: Fitbit Fitbit Inspire 3 $69.95 at Target
$99.95 Save $30   Get Deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Charge 6 Bluetooth speaker $149.99 at Target
$199.99 Save $50   Get Deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: HP HP DeskJet 2955 wireless all-in-one printer $49.99 at Target
$89.99 Save $40.00   Get Deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: Canon Canon IVY2 $99.99 at Target
$119.99 Save $20   Get Deal at Target

Studies have shown that the betting sites can predict races correctly, but their ability to forecast U.S. midterm elections is an important proving ground.

One of the best things about Reddit is going away, and you have Google to thank for it.

In its third-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, Reddit revealed plans to eventually force all users to log in to a Reddit account in order to fully view the site, per CNBC. That would be a dramatic change, as "the front page of the internet" has been available to browse without an account for a long, long time. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman explained to CNBC that this change was the result of shrinking search referral traffic from Google as a result of the tech giant's introduction of AI Overviews, which have led to devastating traffic drops for many websites.

“I think fundamentally that relationship between Google and the rest of the internet is evolving, and so for us, this means a continued focus on our core users that come to Reddit directly,” Huffman told CNBC.

And in a letter to shareholders, Reddit leaders wrote:

Our search referral traffic was down meaningfully in Q3, with the decline accelerating later in the quarter. The biggest impact was on logged-out and web traffic, but some of the impact flows through to logged-in and App traffic, since search referral is a common source of reengagement for users...These declines have continued into the early part of Q4. During October, we have seen that search traffic has dropped by more than 1 million referrals on average per week.

SEE ALSO: Reddit homepage introduces a TikTok-style "For You" feed

In other words, Reddit can no longer trust that Google will bring an influx of traffic from curious users who just need to figure out how to fix their sink or something. In accordance, Reddit wants to focus instead on people who actively choose to visit the site every day, aka direct traffic. Reddit did not say when this change will be made, though CNBC reported that testing will begin outside the United States in the fourth quarter of this year.

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The time has come to start looking for Black Friday deals, and as an e-reader enthusiast, I'm most eager to see what the shopping event has in store for Kindle prices. Since Amazon just dropped a whole new collection of redesigned Kindles, we're hoping that the 2026 models will be marked down.

And the good news is that you can actually save on the new Kindles. But yes, there is a catch.

If you want to save on a Kindle, the only way is with a bundle. Amazon even threw in the brand-new Kindle Click remote to some of the bundles. Plus, our favorite bundle includes the stellar Page Turn Cover.

So if you want a new Kindle stat, these are the best early Black Friday Kindle deals to shop.

Best early Black Friday Kindle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, Page Turn Cover, Sling Bag Bundle $365.97 at Amazon
$429.97 Save $64   Get Deal at Amazon Why we like it

Of all the new Kindles to be released, the best one is the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. The new aluminum casing is beautiful, but best of all is its compatibility with the new Page Turn Cover. Luckily, you can save on both when you bundle it all together. Get the 2026 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition that comes with the Page Turn Cover and Sling Bag all bundled together. All three are $429.97, but right now you can get them for 15% off. That brings it down to $365.97, saving you $64.

Luckily, there are plenty of bundles to shop on Amazon across all models and generations — both 2024 and 2026.

More early Black Friday Kindle deals

2026 Kindle Deals

• Amazon Kindle (16GB), Cover, and Kindle Click Bundle — $190.97 $224.97 (save $34)

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, Cover, and Power Adapter Bundle — $229.97 $269.97 (save $40)

• Amazon Kindle (32GB), Cover, and Kindle Click Bundle — $233.97 $274.97 (save $41)

2024 Kindle Deals

• Kindle (16GB, 2024 model), Cover, and Power Adapter Bundle — $186.97 $201.97 (save $15)

• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (2024 model), Cover, and Wireless Charging Dock Bundle — $372.97 $407.97 (save $35)

TL;DR: Wendy’s is launching an impressive turn-based RPG on Steam: Play WendyQuest: Legend of the Four Corner Stones for free from Nov. 4.

Over the years, we've covered a lot of wild marketing stunts. At this point, you'd think that we would be prepared for anything. But every now and then, something launches that truly shocks us.

Wendy’s is genuinely delivering a turn-based indie RPG on Steam. Yes, really.

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Titled WendyQuest: Legend of the Four Corner Stones, the PC title puts players in control of the braided red-headed mascot to "battle Mech Corp’s mechs, solve puzzles, and embark on an epic quest to unite four magical stones to save Savoria." Listed as "Coming Soon" with an active storefront page on Steam, the game's reception seems to have shifted from bewildered eye-rolls to genuine fascination.

The project is developed by independent Canadian studio 81monkeys, the creators behind World of Anterra, and is slated to launch on PC as a free-to-play title on Nov. 4.

Notably, the developers stamped the official Steam listing with a direct point of pride: the game is "100% fresh and 100% human made," with zero generative AI assets used in production.