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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 March 14 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: To require a fee

• Green: Small items near a cash register

• Blue: Movies with different spans

• Purple: Same second word

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: Impose, as a penalty

• Green: Checkout line impulse buys

• Blue: Movies of various lengths

• Purple: ___ Road

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 #642 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Impose, as a penalty: ASSESS, CHARGE, FINE, LEVY

• Checkout line impulse buys: CANDY, CHAPSTICK, CHARGING CABLE, MAGAZINE

• Movies of various lengths: EPIC, FEATURE, FILM SERIES, SHORT

• ___ Road: DIRT, HIGH, ROCKY, SILK

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 March 14

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 yesterday'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 March 14 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 March 14, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A section.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter e appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

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...

PIECE.

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 March 14

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 yesterday's Wordle.

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: Reasons a flag is thrown

• Green: Used in field events

• Blue: Skiing events

• Purple: Scoring without help

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: Football penalties

• Green: Track and field equipment

• Blue: Freestyle skiing forms

• Purple: Scores worth one point

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 #172 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Football penalties - FACE MASK, FALSE START, HOLDING, OFFSIDE

• Track and field equipment - BATON, DISCUS, HURDLE, STARTING BLOCK

• Freestyle skiing forms - AERIALS, CROSS, HALF-PIPE, MOGULS

• Scores worth one point - EXTRA POINT, FREE THROW, ROUGE, SOLO HOME RUN

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 yesterday'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 preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 14 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Fillin' good!

These words are related to desserts.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are delicious in crust.

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 ClassicPies.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 14

• Blueberry

• Pecan

• Pumpkin

• Apple

• Cherry

• Peach

• ClassicPies

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 yesterday's Strands.

Rosamund Pike and Josha Stradowski are joined by The Wheel of Time cast and showrunner Rafe Judkins to do a deep dive of the show's most exciting relationships of Season 3.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 is now streaming on Prime Video.

Have you ever seen something online you just couldn't shake? Sometimes a video rolls across our FYP or timeline that's inexplicably violent, and before we can blink or look away, it's scorched into our brains. Now, imagine if your job was to not look away. You'd be a content moderator, underpaid to watch one revolting video after another to determine if they meet your company's dubious user guidelines. This is the modern hell of the sharp and smart thriller American Sweatshop. 

Riverdale's Lili Reinhart stars as Daisy, a young woman whose days are spent approving or deleting videos shared on an unnamed social media website. Her work requires closely watching and judging videos of strangulations, fatal falls, and worse, to determine if they are within the bounds of that site's terms of service. Shaking it off is part of the job, or so says a corporate culture that treats humans like interchangeable machines. But once Daisy sees a particularly gruesome video involving a woman, a hammer, and a nail, she can't just bounce back. Plagued by the memory of what she saw, she needs to find out if the video was real and who's responsible — whatever it costs.

Twisted and character-driven, American Sweatshop will have you sweating as you peek between your fingers for what happens next. 

American Sweatshop explores the inhumanity of the corporate internet. 

"Remember, we're not censors; we're moderators," declares Daisy's boss (Christiane Paul), as she smoothly spouts the corporate speak that promises to promote freedom of expression while casually avoiding moral rigor. It's the kind of speech you might hear Mark Zuckerberg give on a podcast. But here she's coaching her room of agitated moderators, coolly laying out when some slurs can be approved instead of deleted, without daring to say a slur herself. And this reflects the clever trick American Sweatshop pulls, which keeps it from falling into the muck it criticizes. 

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg wants more 'masculine energy' in corporate America

Director Uta Briesewitz has a storied career as a TV helmer, working on such hit shows as Severance, Black Mirror, and Stranger Things. She understands tension, specifically what the audience must see and what they need not. Like the critically acclaimed horror thriller Red Rooms, American Sweatshop won't make a spectacle out of the inhumane videos found online. Instead, the script from Matthew Nemeth gets the idea across by revealing telling video titles like "fetus in blender" or showing office workers having raucous meltdowns, with one in particular saying they'd all be better off if he set the office building on fire. 

For the video that torments Daisy, Briesewitz will show glimpses, implying key details, like a woman on a dirty mattress and an old white man playing voyeur as an aggressor in snakeskin boots raises a hammer. We'll hear the woman scream. The horror comes not from seeing what happens in the video, but from witnessing the blasé response some characters have to watching the video — including a cop Daisy entreats for help.

American Sweatshop has a Severance sense of humor. 

Beyond the troubling mystery at their respective cores, Severance and American Sweatshop both wring dark laughs out of the corporate apathy that oppresses Daisy and her co-workers. However, this film is not as heightened as the popular Apple TV+ show, which makes it hit even harder.

Beyond the snarling manager of this "sweatshop," there's a futile counselor (Tim Plester) who has nothing to offer except nine minutes of break time and half-hearted coping tools. When there's a concern that too many of these employees are passing out or freaking out during their shifts — i.e. negatively impacting productivity — a surly exec scolds about a lack of resources before suggesting a morale-boosting event, like an after-work pub hang — with a cash bar. This is the kind of late-stage capitalism joke that cuts so deep because it feels too real. 

Walking this line of dark humor and mind-snapping tension, Reinhart's co-stars provide supreme support. Daisy experiences a steady, stressful psychological decline, as she goes from smoking pot and meditating to cope with the horrors she witnesses at work to vigilante justice. Meanwhile, Daniela Melchior plays her chicly stoic work bestie whose idea of real talk is often jolting. Bringing a volatile energy, Joel Fry plays the office bad boy who seems always on the brink of a blow-up. And Jeremy Ang Jones offers a wide-eyed naivete as the office newbie, so green and sweet that his co-workers are taking bets that he'll be the next to snap. 

SEE ALSO: 'Road House' stars Daniela Melchior and Arturo Castro crack each other up playing 'Say Action'

Thematically, they are a thoughtful progression chart of employee burnout. Yet, through whispered support at their desks, heart-to-hearts over hard-earned lunch breaks, or drunken confessions on the aforementioned night out, they knit a web of relationships slippery yet sturdy. This creates an authenticity to their work environment, urging the audience to understand how banal the setting for psyche-scarring trauma can be, with the worst of humanity just one click away.

Through this cutting humor, American Sweatshop urges us not to look away from the nerve-fraying suspense as Daisy steps away from her keywords and chases down the evil rooted in the real world. Yet, Nemeth rejects the glossy Hollywood expectations of a vigilante justice tale. Daisy won't become abruptly a genius strategist or a master computer hacker, destined for an action-packed, explosive finale. She'll fumble and make glaringly bad decisions. And yet each feels natural, mimicking the slippery slope of a grim internet rabbit hole. One weird discovery just keeps pulling us in deeper and deeper, and we not only lose track of time but also what we sacrifice of ourselves as we keep digging. The final reveal is at once sickening and satisfying.

American Sweatshop is a cool and riveting thriller that gets under your skin, creeping up your spine to bend your brain. Like the internet videos that are its grim inspiration, it's not easy to shake off the chills American Sweatshop triggers.

American Sweatshop was reviewed out of its premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival.

TL;DR: For a limited time, get a FastestVPN Pro lifetime subscription that covers up to 15 devices on sale for A$63 (reg. A$951).

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Opens in a new window Credit: FastestVPN FastestVPN PRO: Lifetime Subscription (15 Devices) AU$63 at the Mashable Shop
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Customers looking for a budget-friendly graphic card from Nvidia are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the final members of its RTX 50 Series graphics card. With all that interest, we’ve already seen a number of leaks and rumors about what to expect.  

There has still not been an official announcement, so for the time being, alleged leaked specs are all we have. The RTX 5060 is allegedly coming with 8GB of VRAM, although later rumors say that a 12GB model may also exist. The RTX 5060 Ti will likely have two variants, one with 8GB and one with 16GB. All four cards are rumored to come with a 128-bit memory bus, putting them on par with the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti. There is also an RTX 5050 rumored to be coming with 8GB of VRAM.

Pricing on the cards hasn’t been revealed, but a Chinese retailer appears to have listed the cards, giving us our best glimpse yet. Per the website, the RTX 5060 with 12GB of VRAM would go for around $525, while the Ti variant is listed at around $600 once the prices were converted from Chinese yuan to U.S. dollars. 

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Nvidia RTX 5070 at launch

VideoCardz notes that these prices are likely for AIB models — like Asus, Asrock, etc — and not the actual MSRP. The prevailing opinion is that the RTX 5060 series of cards will sell for close to what the RTX 4060 series sold for, which would put prices at $299 for the base 5060 up to $499 for the RTX 4060 Ti. At those prices, it makes the RTX 5070 look pretty good at its $550 MSRP, assuming you can find one at that price. 

It had been rumored that  Nvidia would be announcing the final members of its RTX 50 Series graphics cards on Thursday. It turned out that this time, it was only a rumor. 

The original rumor was posted by VideoCardz, which reported that Nvidia would finally announce the most budget-friendly members of the RTX 50 Series graphics cards, including the RTX 5060, 5060 Ti (8GB), and another RTX 5060 Ti with 16GB of VRAM. 

To their credit, VideoCardz did own up to their error, stating on their website that “it appears our information was incorrect; Nvidia has not announced the RTX 5060 series on March 13. We regret the error.” The publication did initially report, however, that Nvidia had reached out to the media about the cards, so they could still be coming soon.

UPDATE: Mar. 13, 2025, 3:15 p.m. EDT All sizes of Bluesky's "A WORLD WITHOUT CAESARS" shirt sold out in less than 30 minutes. We've asked the company whether it's planning a restock and will update this story if/when we hear back. Our original story follows.

The T-shirt heard around the World Wide Web can now be yours.

The social media platform Bluesky has begun selling a version of the shirt worn by its CEO Jay Graber at SXSW in Austin this week. Graber took the stage for a keynote session Monday in an oversized black tee bearing the phrase "Mundus sine caesaribus," which is Latin for "a world without Caesars." As Mashable's Chance Townsend reported, it was a clear dig at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who infamously wore a similar shirt referencing a Roman ruler at the company's developer conference last year.

SEE ALSO: Bluesky CEO: imagine a 'world without Caesars'

As of Thursday afternoon, Graber's shirt is now available for purchase for $40 in sizes small through XL at worldwithoutcaesars.com. According to the website, "Any proceeds benefit the AT Protocol developer ecosystem, the open network that Bluesky is built upon."

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluesky "A WORLD WITHOUT CAESARS" shirt $40 at Bluesky
Shop Now

Graber's shirt is a near copy of the one Zuckerberg donned for Meta Connect 2024 — same design, same typeface, but very different message. The Facebook founder's original shirt read "Aut Zuck aut nihil" ("Zuck or nothing"), a spin on the Latin phrase “Aut Caesar aut nihil” (“Either Caesar or nothing"). Zuckerberg has seemingly spent several years chasing an obsession with the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar.

Mashable has reached out to Meta for comment.

the feminine urge to

[image or embed]

— Jay 🦋 (@jay.bsky.team) March 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM

Townsend reported that Graber doubled down on her anti-tech exec messaging in her SXSW keynote, emphasizing the value of open-source, decentralized platforms like Bluesky.

"If a billionaire tried to ruin things, [Bluesky] users could just leave — without losing their identity or data" Graber said.

Bluesky launched in 2023 as an invite-only platform and quickly took off as an alternative to Elon Musk's X. As of March 2025, it has over 32 million users.

Netflix has released the trailer for Season 7 of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror anthology series, and it's already boasting several connections to prior Black Mirror installments.

SEE ALSO: Every 'Black Mirror' episode ever, ranked by overall dread

Largest among them is the fact that we're getting a sequel to Season 4's "U.S.S. Callister," making this the first time Black Mirror has done a direct sequel. Original cast members Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, Milanka Brooks, Osy Ikhile, and Jimmi Simpson will all reprise their roles.

The trailer also reveals another connection, this time to the interactive special Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, as Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry both appear to be returning as their Bandersnatch characters. Could we be getting two Black Mirror sequels in one season?

The rest of the trailer teases "six electrifying stories," from a black-and-white world populated by AI to Peter Capaldi as what appears to be some kind of cult leader. Black Mirror Season 7's cast also includes Awkwafina, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Rosy McEwen, Chris O'Dowd, Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Harriet Walter, Michele Austin, Ben Bailey Smith, Josh Finan, James Nelson-Joyce, Jay Simpson, and Michael Workéyè.

Catch them all in action above, and brace yourselves for dystopian dread.

Black Mirror Season 7 premieres April 10 on Netflix.

In the first 24 hours of Donald Trump's new administration, the president signed 26 executive orders, setting an anti-progressive agenda in motion. Dozens more orders followed in the weeks after, with the Trump administration enacting 89 executive actions as of March, according to the nonpartisan American Presidency Project.

Legal challenges rolled in almost immediately. A mere six days after Trump's inauguration, Just Security, an online forum and publisher of legal and political analysis, had enough court filings and legal headlines to warrant a digital, Trump-focused litigation tracker — a running list of the civil rights organizations, labor unions, state governments, and individuals who have been pushing back against the barrage of executive orders and policy changes. Other legal groups have launched similar trackers.

SEE ALSO: Down with the Enola Gay? Defense Department purging digital materials under Trump's DEI orders

As of this story's publishing, Just Security's tracker shows 119 open cases across 10 different topic areas, from government grants and assistance to environmental policy, like Trump's rescission of the United States' climate pledges and the deletion of climate data on federal sites.

Credit: Dominic Gwinn / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

Several federal courts have interceded in the president's actions, blocking or delaying some and reaffirming others. Here's a brief rundown of the administration's largest legal battlegrounds:

Attacks on LGBTQ rights 

The Trump administration took little time in issuing an anti-transgender executive order in its first week, declaring the existence of just "two biological sexes," determined at the "point of conception." The order has already initiated a rolling back of protections for LGBTQ people and the weaponization of federal law against trans communities, according to both the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. State Department on behalf of seven plaintiffs for a new policy that bans the "X" gender marker on U.S. identification and forces individuals to carry passports listed with their assigned sex at birth rather than their gender identity. The ACLU argues that this violates Americans' right to travel and right to privacy, as well as the constitution's Equal Protection Clause. 

Several other lawsuits, including one filed by LGBTQ nonprofit PFLAG, challenge a Trump executive order that bans gender affirming care for transgender youth and another order that bans transgender student athletes from teams that align with their gender identity. PFLAG argues that such restrictions are a form of discrimination and an excessive use of presidential powers. 

Two cases take issue with the Pentagon's ban and removal of trans people serving in the military under the Constitution's due process and equal protection clauses, revitalizing a similar legal challenge during Trump's first term. Three other lawsuits focus on the forced housing of transgender inmates in prisons that don't align with their gender identity, a policy that studies indicate increases rates of violence and sexual trauma while contributing to a lower quality of care among prison populations.

Credit: Stephanie Keith / Bloomberg via Getty Images Purging of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts

Amid the flurry of first day actions, Trump also signed an executive order entitled "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing" that directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to eradicate "illegal DEI" policies and programs. One day later, the president issued a follow-up order that revoked several equal employment opportunity directives. 

Several higher education groups, including the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), are suing the administration for its OMB anti-DEI directives. Both the NEA and AFT's cases center on a Dear Colleague Letter published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, which enforced a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would ban affirmative action and direct colleges to end DEI programs or lose federal funding. The organizations argue the ban is a violation of free speech, due process, and the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs rule making by federal agencies.

Other national organizations, like the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and the National Urban League, filed lawsuits claiming the executive orders against DEI and equal employment policies were similarly unconstitutional. Regional and community groups also filed suit against the termination of DEI programs, citing the order's impact on funding, programming, and their constituencies themselves. Groups include the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Chicago Women in Trades. 

The lawsuits don't just castigate Trump — federal entities implicated in these lawsuits include the National Endowment for the Arts, acting Education Secretary Denise Carter, and the entire Department of Education.

Credit: Jim West / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Immigration and denial of birthright citizenship 

In compliance with an executive order titled "Protecting The American People Against Invasion," Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have ramped up their efforts to detain and remove undocumented people residing in the U.S., in line with Trump's goal to deport migrants in historic numbers during his second term. 

For example, the administration has ordered expedited removals of certain residents without trials under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) — immigrant rights nonprofit Make the Road New York sued the administration arguing the unconstitutionality of the order. On Jan. 20, the DHS issued a new set of ICE and CBP guidelines rescinding Biden administration rules that prevented agents from conducting raids close to or in "sensitive" areas, such as places of worship, schools, and hospitals. Dozens of religious and cultural groups, including Quaker and Mennonite congregations, as well as the Denver Public School System, filed separate lawsuits against the DHS for violating the constitution's right to the freedom of religion, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act and Freedom of Information Act.

Other actions being fought in courts include the decision by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan asylum seekers, the removal of refugee and asylum programs, the sunsetting of the CBP One app, and the decision to transfer detained migrant populations to Guantanamo Bay. 

Another day one executive order, "Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship," excluded birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented residents. Just Security reports the order has received more than a dozen legal challenges —  submitted by the ACLU, immigrant rights organizations, 18 state governments, and individuals affected by the new policy — arguing that it is a misinterpretation of the rights afforded in the Fourteenth Amendment.

Credit: Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images Mismanagement of government funding and employees

The actions of the Trump-branded Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its leader Elon Musk (aka the head honcho of X, SpaceX and Tesla), have faced a multitude of legal challenges, Just Security notes. 

Advocacy group Public Citizen and several workers unions sued the OMB for establishing DOGE under the Executive Office of the President, arguing that allowing a private citizen (Musk) to access citizen information is a violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act — the case was later dropped in favor of pursuing the issue in separate cases. Public Citizen also took the Treasury Department to court for allegedly allowing DOGE to access citizens' sensitive data. National Security Counselors, Inc. and the American Public Health Association have sued on similar grounds, and at least a dozen other lawsuits have been filed challenging DOGE's access to personal and financial information at large. Plaintiffs in those cases include the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the University of California Students Association, the Alliance for Retired Americans and the American Federation of Government Employees. 

Other groups — like Democracy Forward, Project on Government Oversight and Environmental Defense Fund — have filed Freedom of Information Act requests to access details on DOGE operations. Several lawsuits, including one brought forth by a group of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees, challenge Musk's appointment by evoking the Appointments Clause, as he wasn't confirmed by an official Senate vote. 

In February, Trump ordered a freeze on federal grants and loans. While the general freeze was halted by a judge who questioned its constitutionality, budget and grant funding has remained under attack by DOGE. Multiple groups challenged the administration for revoking funding, including the National Association of Nonprofits and 23 attorneys general in a joint filing. Other groups, including the Global Health Council and American Foreign Service Association, have filed lawsuits specifically against the dismantling of USAID, as well as cuts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). 

In March, 19 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for the mass firing of recently hired government employees, arguing that probationary employees were falsely misled during their terminations. Prior to this lawsuit, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) issued an investigation into the firings, and ordered the reinstatement of some staff across agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Credit: Alex Wroblewski / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

The German luxury carmaker said its latest compact sedan solved problems that had kept people from buying electric vehicles.

A European spacecraft on a journey to study NASA's asteroid crash site did a quick pop-in of Mars on its way, capturing unprecedented images of Mars' lesser-known moon, Deimos. 

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, but scientists know relatively little about them, especially the smaller one, Deimos. Nearly all of the images they have of it were taken from the Martian surface by rovers, and because the moon is tidally locked — meaning one full spin matches the amount of time it takes to complete its orbit of Mars — only one side has been seen on the Red Planet. 

The Hera mission spacecraft captured views of the moon's far side, swinging within 625 miles of Deimos in space. 

While the car-sized spacecraft flew around the Mars system, flight controllers on Earth temporarily lost communication with Hera because the signal was blocked. Though the blackout was planned for the maneuver, Ian Carnelli, the European Space Agency's Hera mission manager, said it was deeply emotional. 

"I was almost in tears. I mean, I know probably this is normal for a flight for spacecraft operators, but every time we lose contact with a spacecraft, I'm super nervous," he said during a webcast following the flyby. "Then I was running to the room where the scientists were [watching for images], and as soon as I opened the door, they were screaming — really screaming."

SEE ALSO: Scientists found huge beaches on Mars likely from a long gone ocean View this post on Instagram

Among those scientists was one of the co-founders of Queen. When Brian May isn't playing guitar riffs, he is an astrophysicist. As part of Hera's science team, May brings his expertise in stereoscopic imaging. That means he helps decipher complex scientific data into 3D pictures. 

During a webcast on Thursday, May described some of the topographical details of the moon already brought to life through the raw data. A depression in the city-sized moon was visible, a feature May described as a "saddle" on the left side and some little craters at the bottom. 

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"You feel like you're there, and you see the whole scene in front of you," he said. "The science that we get from this is colossal, and I think we're all like children."

Hera launched in October 2024 and will rendezvous with Dimorphos, an asteroid previously slammed by a NASA spacecraft, in 2026. Back in 2022, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a harmless asteroid to practice thwarting a space rock, should a hazardous one ever be on a collision course with Earth. The European Space Agency is providing a follow-up to that test.

Deimos, one of Mars' two moons, is eight miles wide and orbits about 14,600 miles away from the Red Planet. Credit: ESA This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The flyby of Mars and Deimos wasn't a detour but a necessary maneuver to put the spacecraft on the right trajectory toward its ultimate destination. Swinging within 3,100 miles of Mars, Hera used its gravity to adjust its course. 

Scientists would like to understand where Deimos and its partner Phobos came from — whether they were once asteroids captured in orbit around Mars or are chunks of the planet itself, blown out by a giant impact. 

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The new data may help them figure out the moon's origin. During the flyby, three instruments were used: a black-and-white navigation camera that takes pictures in visible light; a hyperspectral imager that can help discern an object's mineral composition; and a thermal infrared imager supplied by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, which can help characterize the texture and density of the material. Overall, thousands of images were collected, and the Hera team is still processing them. 

At the top of this story is an infrared photo of Deimos, backdropped by Mars. The Red Planet appears pale blue because the sun is shining on it. Its contribution to this scene would need to be removed for the colors to appear closer to how they would really look to our eyes.

A thermal camera on the Hera spacecraft took images that will help scientists characterize the texture and density of the material that makes up Deimos. Credit: ESA / JAXA

Near the top of the image is the bright Terra Sabaea region, close to the Martian equator. At the bottom right of the region is the Huygen crater, and to its left is the Schiaparelli crater. At the bottom right of the planet is Hellas Basin, one of the largest known craters in the solar system. 

In a little less than two years, Hera will reach the target asteroids from NASA's DART mission to begin a crash investigation.

Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Maura, Kate Mulgrew and Nesta Cooper on the dark, yet hilarious, world that Peter Craig creates in Dope Thief.

Dope Thief premieres March 14 on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes, then streams weekly every Friday.

Samsung is rumored to launch the Galaxy Fold 7 sometime in July, and it appears as though the phone won’t be the only thing Samsung is bringing along to the party. Rumors suggest that they’ll also be debuting a pair of bone conduction headphones.

The rumor comes from noted leaker Ice Universe on Weibo, the Chinese social media site. Per the post (translated by Google Translate), Ice Universe says that “Samsung Electronics MX division will release bone conductive headphones at the Samsung Fold conference in July.” 

Details are limited, but Ice Universe says the codename of the headset is “Able” and it’ll use open wireless stereo (OWS) that “can transmit sound from around the ear instead of cramming the headphones into the ear.”

Other details like availability, design, color, and pricing were not mentioned. 

SEE ALSO: Samsung has phone concepts that bend, stretch and fold in every possible way

This may be a language barrier issue, but OWS and bone conduction are two different technologies. OWS — also known as air conduction — are basically earbuds that sit close to the ear without being inside of it, and sound transmits into the user’s ear canal. Bone conduction attaches to the side of the user’s head and bypasses the ear by transmitting sound through the skull. 

So, as TechRadar notes, Samsung is certainly making something, but we’re not entirely certain if the new headset will use air conduction, bone conduction, or some mixture of the two. However, the most logical conclusion is that OWS refers to the open earbud design, similar to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, that sits on the outside of your ear. We may have to wait until July to know for sure. 

It would be a big step for Samsung as the bone conduction market is a little thin and could use a big player. For now, Shokz, Philips, and H2O top the market, so there is certainly room for the bone conduction space to grow. Consequently, if they are open wireless earbuds, Samsung would be joining Bose in tackling that newer market.

Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of March 13: OUR TOP PICK Sonos Move 2 $359 (save $90) Get Deal BEST TAX SOFTWARE DEAL TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State 2024 software $55.99 (save $24) Get Deal BEST KITCHEN DEAL Stanley Quencher H2.0 $26.25 (save $8.75) Get Deal RUNNER-UP SPEAKER DEAL Anker Soundcore 2 portable speaker $27.99 (save $17 with Prime) Get Deal

Don't feel like waiting around for Amazon's not yet official Spring Sale to do some deal shopping? We've got you covered. There are plenty of deals already floating around at the mega retailer just waiting for you to pounce — including top brands like Sonos and Stanley. We rounded up some of our favorites to help you get a jump start.

Here are our picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on March 13. If none of these are your cup of tea, be sure to check out our picks from yesterday, March 12. A few of those deals are still live, including 36% off the Sonos Ray, our favorite starter soundbar.

Our top pick: Sonos Move 2 Opens in a new window Credit: Sonos Sonos Move 2 $359 at Amazon
$449 Save $90 Get Deal

The Sonos Move 2 isn't the most portable option for a Bluetooth speaker, but it's still one of our favorites. We particularly like it for its dynamic smart features, impressive stereo sound, and 24-hour battery life. It also seamlessly slips into any home with its sleek black or white design options. "This speaker is one of the best in class, and the quality of sound it produces is reason enough to consider it," Mashable's Stan Shcroeder writes. It's usually $449, but as of March 13, it's down to $359. That's 20% in savings.

Check out our full review of the Sonos Move 2.

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State Opens in a new window Credit: Intuit TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State 2024 software $55.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $24.00 Get Deal

Tax season is in full swing. If you haven't filed your taxes yet and plan on doing so yourself, this deal on TurboTax Deluxe can help you save some money, time, and stress. The Deluxe Federal + State software is particularly recommended for homeowners, those with high medical expenses, and those who make multiple charitable donations per year. It includes five federal e-files and one state file via download, plus live tax advice from experts during preparation. It's also cheaper than filing through TurboTax online. Usually $79.99, the Deluxe software for Mac or PC is on sale for just $55.99 again as of March 13. That's 30% in savings.

Stanley Quencher H2.0 Opens in a new window Credit: Stanley Stanley Quencher H2.0 $26.25 at Amazon
$35 Save $8.75 Get Deal

Though much of the TikTok hype has died down, Stanley still makes very good cups. The Quencher H2.0 tumbler, which features a handle and a straw, is on sale in several colors and sizes as of March 13 so you can up your hydration this spring. Grab the 30-ounce cup for $26.25 instead of $35 or the 40-ounce for $33.75 instead of $45. That's 25% off either size. These babies are double-wall vacuum insulated, leakproof, car cup holder-friendly, and dishwasher safe. Plus, like all Stanley cups, they'll keep ice for up to two days.

Anker Soundcore 2 Bluetooth Speaker Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Soundcore 2 Bluetooth speaker $27.99 at Amazon
$44.99 Save $17.00 with Prime Get Deal

The small and mighty Anker Soundcore 2 Bluetooth speaker is hard to beat in terms of value. As of March 13, it's on sale for just $27.99 with Prime (reg. $44.99) and it offers stereo sound, a durable design with IPX7 protection against rain, dust, and more, and a 24-hour battery life to pump out your playlists days and night. As a Lightning deal, it won't stick around for long as this price. So act quick if you want to secure 38% off.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

SAVE 25%: The Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler is 25% off at Amazon in both 30 ounce and 40 ounce versions.

Opens in a new window Credit: Stanley Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler (30 ounce) $26.25 at Amazon
$35 Save $8.75 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Stanley Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler (40 ounce) $37.50 at Amazon
$50 Save $12.50 Get Deal

Warmer weather means it's even more important to focus on hydration. Drinking water sounds easy in practice, but it usually doesn't work out to be quite so simple. If you're one who prefers to stay hydrated with a fun water bottle, check out this nice deal at Amazon.

As of March 13, the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler is on sale for 25% off at Amazon in several sizes and colorways. The 30-ounce version is on sale for $26.25, down from the normal price of $35. The larger 40-ounce Stanley Quencher is on sale for $37.50, down from the typical price of $50.

Made with durable 18/8 stainless steel, the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumblers are designed to last a lifetime. Your cold drinks will stay perfectly chilled thanks to the double-wall vacuum insulation, and the comfortable handle makes a world of difference.

Stanley mentions the 30 ounce can keep iced drinks cold for up to 40 hours while the 40-ounce version can do the same for up to two days. Plus, both sizes are designed to be compatible with most car cup holders.

The FlowState lid has three positions, including a straw opening which is meant to resist splashes. You can also opt to hydrate via the drink opening.

If your spring and summer goals involve staying on top of hydration, grab a new Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler for 25% off at Amazon. Bottoms up!

Meta will soon roll out its new fact-checking replacement, Community Notes, a crowd-sourced tool that will sunset the company's third party fact-checking team in favor of what Meta alleges is a "less biased" way to curb misinformation.

The company announced that the feature will begin testing among U.S. users on March 18, but Community Notes won't yet appear to the public while in beta testing. Once they do show up, users can expect to see small highlighted boxes at the bottom of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads posts, as well as options to contribute their own notes in the drop down menus on all Meta platforms. Notes will not have author names attached to them and will be capped at 500 words.

"We expect Community Notes to be less biased than the third party fact checking program it replaces because it allows more people with more perspectives to add context to posts," the company wrote. "This isn’t majority rules. No matter how many contributors agree on a note, it won’t be published unless people who normally disagree decide that it provides helpful context. "

SEE ALSO: Meta blocks whistleblower from promoting book, guaranteeing way more people will read it

Meta's approach is based entirely on the Community Notes feature that's become central to fact-checking at Elon Musk-owned X. Meta says it will use X's open source algorithm as the basis of its own rating system, with the potential to build out the feature as its deployed. "As X’s algorithm and program information is open source – meaning free and available for anyone to use – we can build on what X has done, learn from the researchers who have studied it, and improve the system for our own platforms," Meta explained. "We won’t be reinventing the wheel."

CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the policy shift in January, saying: "Fact-checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created... It's time to get back to our roots around free expression."

In February, the company opened up applications for what they're calling a "Community Notes network" of fact-checking contributors on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Contributors had to be 18 years or older, have an account at least six months old, and be in good standing. Meta said more than 200,000 people signed up across the company's three platforms and were added to a pending waitlist — many will be notified that they have been accepted as contributors in the coming days.

Meta also confirmed that Community Notes won't apply to paid advertisements for the time being, a decision initially leaked by an anonymous source in January that stirred greater concern over the company's evolving moderation and hateful conduct policies in the name of free speech. Posts that are tagged with a note won't receive any kind of penalty, either, such as the reduced visibility built into Meta's previous fact-checking system.

SAVE $100: As of March 13, get the Ninja Slushi for $249.99 at Woot, down from its usual price of $349.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Woot Ninja Slushi $249.99 at Woot
$349.99 Save $100 Get Deal

If you're the type of person to leave your home to go and grab a slushie because it sounds really good or you spend too much money on frappés at Starbucks, there's something better. It's called doing all that at home and making your own drinks and frozen treats. How can you do that? This Woot deal is a good place to start.

As of March 13, get the Ninja Slushi for $249.99 at Woot, down from its usual price of $349.99. This price is for a factory reconditioned model that Woot has taken care of itself, so you know you'll get working device, complete with a 90-day Woot limited warranty. You just get to save $100 instead of paying full price.

The Ninja Slushi is a versatile frozen drink machine. From juice to coffee and everything in between, it utilizes an ice-less system that uses an auger and cooling system to freeze liquids and give you the perfect temperature and consistency.

There are five preset settings as well as options to do one-touch frozen drinks in an hour or less, and it's super easy to disassemble and clean once you've made all the drinks you need for the moment. Plus, it runs quietly and can do so up to 12 hours, so you can leave your slushes and drinks in the machine and come back for more when you're ready instead of starting over each time.

Stop spending so much cash on frozen drinks (and the gas to go get them) and snap up this maker while it's $100 off. Homemade slush drinks will always be better since you can add as much flavoring as you want.

SAVE $13: As of March 13, get the Logitech Lift Vertical Mouse for $56.99, down from its usual price of $69.99. That's a 19% discount and the lowest price we've tracked.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Logitech Lift Vertical Mouse $56.99 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $13.00 Get Deal

Do you have trouble with wrist pain interrupting your day? Do you find yourself fatigued easily when using the computer all day? You might just need a new mouse. Stop relying on your laptop's track pad and put down the gaming mouse. It might be time to give something a little different a try, and now's a good time to do so with this Amazon deal.

As of March 13, get the Logitech Lift Vertical Mouse for $56.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $69.99. That's a discount of 19% and its lowest price yet. This price applies to the right-handed version. You'll have to pay $59.99 for the left-handed option.

This ergonomic mouse is raised for better comfort, complete with a textured grip and a thumb rest to keep your hand at an angle that doesn't feel too unnatural. With 57 degrees of soothing, its vertical shape is made to help your wrists relax more naturally so you can get more done without feeling like your wrists are being contorted.

You can use this mouse via Bluetooth on just about any compatible device, and it has up to 2 years of battery life, so you just need to set it up and honestly just forget about it. Forget about everything but how much better it probably feels to not have to use a flat, uncomfortable mouse.