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Trump administration officials said the company donated the internet service, saying the gift had been vetted by the lawyer overseeing ethics issues in the White House Counsel’s Office.

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

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

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

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

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

A common unit of volume.

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

LITER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A line of people.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 18, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

QUEUE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

The opposite of straight.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 18, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CURLY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A symbol for Valentine's Day.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for March 18 Hurdle Word 4 answer

CUPID

Final Hurdle hint

A protective covering.

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

LINER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Yellow: Learning to ride a bike

• Green: Slang for putting the ball in play

• Blue: Famous athletes

• Purple: Share the same first word

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: Parts of a bicycle

• Green: Ways to describe how a baseball is hit

• Blue: Athletes known by their first name

• Purple: __________ skating

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 #176 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Parts of a bicycle - BRAKE, PEDAL, SADDLE, SPOKE

• Ways to describe how a baseball is hit - BLOOP, DRIBBLER, FROZEN ROPE, MOONSHOT

• Athletes known by their first name - TIGER, VENUS, WILT, YOGI

• __________ skating - FIGURE, ICE, ROLLER, SPEED

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 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 18 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Grrr

The words are synoynms.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are emotions that make you say, grrr.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Crossword.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 18

• Surly

• Vexed

• Grumpy

• Cranky

• Irked

• Peeved

• Touchy

• Crossword

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.

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 18 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: One of a kind

• Green: Germanic

• Blue: Word never changes if multiplied

• Purple: Doesn't follow the usual rules of pluralization

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: Exceptional

• Green: German words

• Blue: Plural animals identical to their singular forms

• Purple: Plural words that are very different from their singular forms

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 #645 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Exceptional: REMARKABLE, SINGULAR, SPECIAL, UNIQUE

• German words: ANGST, DIE, KINDER, WURST

• Plural animals identical to their singular forms: DEER, SHEEP, SHRIMP, SQUID

• Plural words that are very different from their singular forms: DICE, LICE, MICE, OXEN

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 18

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 18 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 18, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A function in the Clock app.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

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...

TIMER.

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 18

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.

"What if Wicked and The Substance had a grubby baby?" This was the headline for my review of The Ugly Stepsister out of Sundance 2025, as I cheered this twisted fairytale full of violent beauty treatments and body horror.

SEE ALSO: How 'The Substance' broke the Oscars mold

Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, The Ugly Stepsister re-imagines the tale of Cinderella from the perspective of one of her maligned siblings. Elvira (Lea Myren) wants only to be friends with her pretty and proper new stepsister Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss). Well, that and she pines endlessly for the love of the prince, who publishes poetry that has her swooning into romantic fantasies. So when Elvira's mother promises her a path to wowing royalty at the upcoming ball, she'll do whatever it takes — even if that means a medieval nose job without anesthesia. And things only get more gruesome from there.

As promised in my review — which is pull-quoted in the above trailer — "The Ugly Stepsister is a deranged and dizzying achievement, folding in a classic story with a bitingly modern satire and bold body horror...Simply put, The Ugly Stepsister is savagely brutal and yet strangely beautiful."

The Ugly Stepsister opens in theaters April 18.

TL;DR: Get an AI Magicx lifetime subscription for $64.99 with code MAGIC35 (reg. $99.99). Fewer than 50 are left in stock.

You know the feeling — you ask ChatGPT for help with a creative project, and it spits out something…underwhelming. It’s fine, but it could be better. That’s why so many writers, designers, and creators are moving to this new AI tool for content creation.

AI Magicx is what ChatGPT wishes it could be. The layout of preset templates for writing, images, coding, and more is insanely refreshing compared to the simple chatbot’s text-based prompts. Using them is even sweeter — and cheaper. Own AI Magicx for $64.99 using code MAGIC35 at checkout (reg. $99.99).

The content creator’s dream tool

No more arguing with ChatGPT when you have a deadline on that article or marketing ad — see what AI Magicx’s tools have to offer. Having prebuilt templates for each need makes it much easier to communicate with each AI and get better results.

Let’s say you want to generate an AI logo. Rather than sending over a muddled paragraph to ChatGPT, simply:

1. Describe your logo in a text box

2. Choose a logo style

3. Select a color palette and background color

4. Hit generate

AI Magicx also hardly limits you as a creator. Each month, you get an unlimited number of AI words and up to 500 images and logos.

Own these AI writing and design tools for life with code MAGIC35 at checkout, dropping the price from $99.99 to $64.99.

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Opens in a new window Credit: AI Magicx AI Magicx: Lifetime Subscription (Rune Plan) $64.99
$99.99 Save $35 Get Deal

It's bad enough that tech companies trained their AI models on content that doesn't belong to them. Now, however, it appears that at least one AI model is being used to remove watermarks from images so others can use content that doesn't belong to them, too.

Social media users have recently discovered that Google's new Gemini 2.0 Flash AI model can be used to remove watermarks from images.

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As reported by TechCrunch, this isn't completely new. Other AI image models have been able to remove watermarks. However, Gemini 2.0 Flash appears to be better than all other AI models at this particular task. 

Gemini 2.0 Flash doesn't just remove the watermark. It fills in the gaps in the image that are left from removing the watermark.

Based on what users on platforms like X and Reddit have shared, it appears that ​​Gemini 2.0 Flash does have some trouble removing certain types of watermarks, such as semi-transparent watermarks. As TechCrunch notes, Google has only made the model available via its developer tools platform, and the company has currently labeled Gemini 2.0 Flash’s image generation feature as “experimental” and “not for production use."

Reddit

However, for photographers and other artists, this is certainly a concerning use of the tool, at least until Google puts some guardrails on the AI image generation feature.

Photographers often depend on watermarks to identify their work as their own; when someone purchases the work, the watermark is removed for that person's use. But if any internet user can just run the image through an AI model to remove the watermark, artists will certainly experience problems getting paid. (Note, also, that in most cases removing a watermark without the permission of the creator is copyright infringement, and illegal under U.S. law.)

The future issues here likely won't be with Google's specific AI tool. The issue is that this is possible with an AI model to begin with. Even if Google adds guardrails to protect copyright holders from uses such as this, there will likely be other third-party AI tools that will replicate these features. In fact, as we previously mentioned, they already are. And soon, they'll probably be just as good as Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash model, too.

There's a new Instagram feature that could prove to be revolutionary for three very specific communities:

• Guys who want to be the first to say "happy birthday"

• People who don't want to seem too eager but also don't want to forget to message a new friend

• Dudes who say "good morning, beautiful" but want to sleep in

That's right. You can schedule messages on Instagram DMs now — here's how:

SEE ALSO: New Instagram DM features allow you to translate, schedule, and pin messages Total Time

• 1 min

What You Need

• Phone
• Instagram app

Step 1: Type our your message

Type out the message you want to send, but don't press send immediately.

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

Step 2: Schedule the message.

Press and hold on the green send button until a time dial pops up. By moving the date and time on the clock, you can choose when you'd like your message to send. You can schedule up to three months in advance.

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

Step 3: Your message is scheduled

You know your message was properly scheduled if it says, "1 scheduled message," above where you'd type a message. If you'd like to unschedule your message, simply tap the line that says "1 scheduled message" to see the message and click either "edit," "copy," or "delete."

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

The feature was announced alongside many other new features, including translating directly within DMs and pinning messages to chats. Most of the features, including scheduling messages, are not available on desktop but are available on the Instagram Android and iOS apps.

AI is all over social media. We have AI influencers, AI content, and AI accounts — and, now, it looks like we might get AI comments on Instagram posts, too. What are any of us doing this for anymore?

App researcher Jonah Manzano shared a post on Threads and a video on TikTok showing how some Instagram users now notice a pencil with a star icon in their comments field, allowing them to post AI-generated comments under posts and videos.

SEE ALSO: Meta is diving into AI-powered humanoid robots

"Write with Meta AI," the tool says, with two subsections: "how to use this tool" and "how it works."

Under "how to use this tool," it says, "Get suggested captions based on the photo you're sharing. You can always edit the suggestions or try again."

And under "how it works," it claims, "Meta AI can analyse photos, including facial features, to help you write."

In the video on TikTok that Manzano shared, three comment options are: "Cute living room setup!" "love the casual vibe here," and "gray cap is so cool." Unfortunately, all three of these are clearly computer-generated slop and take an already shaky human interaction down a notch.

It's hard to know why you'd want to remove the human element from every aspect of social media, but Instagram seems to be going to try it anyway. Meta did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.

TL;DR: Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro and unlock access to Copilot AI tools for only A$23 through 30 March — that’s a 92% discount.

If you thought AI would only be a fad, take a look at Microsoft. As we speak (or read?), they’re making computers infused with Microsoft Copilot, their latest AI technology. But something even cooler? You don’t have to get a new device to get Copilot — just upgrade to Windows 11.

And, if you’re going for it, go all the way and get the Pro version with the most features, like remote desktop access and hard drive encryption. We have a deal on Windows 11 Pro keys for only A$23 (reg. A$314), and each purchase comes with two keys for compatible PCs.

AI in Windows 11

We realize you can use AI chatbots, so what makes Windows Copilot special? For one, Copilot is built using a custom version of GPT-4, so it’s like getting the premium version of ChatGPT for free.

There are also many perks of having Copilot built into your PC:

• Ask it to change system settings instead of finding them yourself

• Summarize web pages without having to ‘copy and paste’

• Have it set reminders, schedule meetings, or draft emails

Pro-specific features

Already have Windows 11 Home, but curious about what Pro delivers? Remote desktop access becomes super handy in a pinch, as does BitLocker device encryption in case of device loss or theft. You’ll also get Azure AD, Hyper-V, and Windows Sandbox for other professional testing and tasks.

Get two keys to Windows 11 Pro for A$23 (reg. A$314) until 30 March at 11:59 p.m. PT at the Mashable Shop. No coupon is needed to get this discount.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: InterPlein Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (2 Keys) AU$23 at the Mashable Shop
AU$314 Save AU$291 Get Deal

TL;DR: For a limited time, Mashable readers can pay just A$110 for lifetime access to FileJump's 2TB cloud storage plan.

Looking to optimize your storage? During this sale, you can get peace of mind with the FileJump 2TB Cloud Storage lifetime subscription for just A$110 (reg. A$738).

Ideal for students, professionals, or anyone else who hates running out of storage space, FileJump offers an easy, secure, and affordable way to store files across devices.

Whether backing up family photos, collaborating on projects, or simply saving space on their devices, FileJump is the perfect solution. It comes with 2TB of storage, end-to-end encryption, and no recurring fees — no subscription needed.

With FileJump’s drag-and-drop interface, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to upload files, while the built-in media preview makes viewing photos, videos, and documents a breeze.

Sharing and collaborating are seamless, too. Share files via custom links or create free accounts for clients and team members to access shared folders. With AES 256-bit encryption, your files are not only accessible but also secure.

What really sets FileJump apart? There are no limits on download speeds or transfer rates, meaning you’ll never wait longer than necessary to access your data.

At A$110 for lifetime access to 2TB of storage, an 85% discount, FileJump delivers premium features at an incredible value. Competitors charge monthly fees for similar services, but with FileJump, you pay once and own it forever. This offer isn’t just practical and useful — it’s economical, too.

For a limited time, you’ll pay just A$110 (reg. A$738) for lifetime access to 2TB of FileJump storage.

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Opens in a new window Credit: FileJump FileJump 2TB Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription AU$110
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SAVE $40: As of March 17, you can get the Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet for $69.99 at Amazon. That's a 36% discount and a savings of $40.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet $69.99 at Amazon
$109.99 Save $40 Get Deal

If you’ve got a tike at home who’s always begging to use your smartphone or tablet, you might want to consider getting them a kid-friendly device of their own.

As of March 17, you can get the Amazon Fire 7 Kids (newest model) for just $69.99. That’s 36% off and a savings of $40.

SEE ALSO: The best tablets for kids in 2025

This seven-inch tablet offers an ad-free, child-friendly experience right out of the box, with parental controls, a durable, kid-proof case, and a two-year worry-free guarantee in case your little one decides to put it through the wringer. With the Parent Dashboard, you can filter content based on your child's age and interests, set screen time limits, and customize their profile. It also has a 10-hour battery and 16GB of storage.

You’ll get an entire year of Amazon Kids+, which has thousands of books, games, videos, and educational apps for kids to explore. (It’s $5.99 per month after that, but you can always choose to cancel.)

NASA's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are world-renowned as the "stranded astronauts": Though they haven't endured the longest spaceflight, it would certainly seem that way based on news coverage. 

Perhaps it was their association with Boeing, the beleaguered aerospace company that built the spaceship that made their story go viral. The veteran astronauts took Starliner to the International Space Station last summer. The pair was only supposed to be gone for eight days. Instead, the two have been laid over in space for nine months. 

Starliner experienced propulsion problems during their arrival last June, so NASA made a gametime decision to send the ship back to Earth empty and arrange for a different capsule to bring them home. In the interim, Wilmore and Williams were integrated as members of Crew-9, the team staffing the space station. Starliner's uncrewed landing, for what it's worth, touched down without a hitch. 

The day of the astronauts' return is now quickly approaching, with the U.S. space agency moving up the schedule a tad to avoid some inclement weather expected later in the week. 

SEE ALSO: SpaceX is so close to turning its rocket headquarters into an actual city Sunita "Suni" Williams, left, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore practice in a simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA / Robert Markowitz How to watch those 'stuck' astronauts return

Currently, the plan is for Wilmore and Williams' SpaceX Dragon capsule to undock from the space station at 1:05 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 18. A splashdown landing should follow at about 5:57 p.m. ET, also on March 18. 

NASA plans to provide live coverage of both the undocking process and the ship's reentry into Earth's atmosphere through landing. People at home can watch the hatch closing with a broadcast that begins at 10:45 p.m. ET on March 17. Undocking will roll into the next day at 12:45 a.m. on March 18. 

Then, following the Dragon capsule's deorbit burn, NASA will resume the broadcast at about 4:45 p.m. ET on March 18. 

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Though nine months is indeed a long time to be away from the planet, it's not the longest time any astronaut has spent in orbit. Just prior to the Starliner saga, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio experienced his own delayed return in 2023. Due to a tiny but concerning leak in the Russian Soyuz capsule set to bring him home, the two space agencies decided to arrange a different ride for Rubio and two cosmonauts to be safe. 

The change of plans led to Rubio spending over a year in space — 371 straight days to be exact — the longest single spaceflight for an American. The Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov still owns the record for most consecutive time in space, at almost 438 days, but Rubio's stay surpassed U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei's previous record of 355 days, set in 2022. 

Despite continuous references to Wilmore and Williams as "stuck" and "stranded," even being dubbed as such by SpaceX's billionaire founder Elon Musk, the Dragon capsule intended to bring them and their crewmates home has been docked at the space station since September 2024. That means in the event of an emergency at the laboratory, orbiting 250 miles above Earth, the astronauts could have evacuated and returned home. 

From left, Sunita "Suni" Williams, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Nick Hague, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore prepare for their return home from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

Still, rampant misinformation and politics have seemed to hijack that narrative. Musk, who has since become President Donald Trump's most visible kitchen cabinet adviser, claimed in late January that SpaceX wanted to move up the astronauts’ return but that former President Joe Biden's administration was to blame for the delay. Trump has echoed those remarks. 

Wilmore and Williams have achieved an unexpectedly high level of name recognition, but they are not traveling alone on this journey. With them will be crewmates Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Rather than deserted castaways, Wilmore and Williams' remained at the space station to ensure it was fully staffed before Crew-10 arrived to relieve them. Those replacements — Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov — successfully reached the lab on Sunday, March 16.

TikTok is making it easier to personalize security settings in-app, introducing a new all-in-one security hub to better manage account access and data.

Called Security Checkup, the new dashboard provides a centralized place to turn on multi-level security options and monitor suspicious activity, as well as step-by-step guides to enhancing your account's security.

SEE ALSO: Bluesky proposes new privacy settings for its users

Users can add two factor authentication or passkeys to their log-ins, for example, as well as view and remove logged-in devices and see when TikTok flags unusual account activity. Access Security Checkup by going to "Security and Permissions" under your account's "Settings and privacy" menu.

Last week, TikTok announced new parental control features that allow caregivers to set stronger app restrictions and monitor their teens' accounts more closely.

Credit: TikTok

Data privacy is at the heart of TikTok's political contentiousness over the last year. In January, TikTok briefly left U.S. digital marketplaces following a years-long campaign to ban the app for U.S. users, but was restored to app stores by the Trump administration under the pretense of potential new ownership.

Prior to its ban, the Chinese-owned platform was accused of being under the influence of foreign government interests, with congressional members arguing its access to Americans' data presents a wide scale national security risk — civil rights groups, meanwhile, argued against the ban. Despite fielding several offers, the White House appears to be pushing ahead with a deal that could see American software company Oracle taking over the reigns, as the platform continues to update its user control options.

Save 41%: As of March 17, the Beats Studio Buds + are at a record low price of $99.95. That price drop takes $70 off their $169.95 MSRP.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Studio Buds + $99.95 at Amazon
$169.95 Save $70.00 Get Deal

As someone who covers deals, I've learned that sometimes, the best price drops come at the most random times.

Take the Beats Studio Buds +. I've seen them drop in price to $129.95 enough times that that price stopped feeling like a deal worth reporting on. During shopping holidays, these earbuds might drop a bit lower to $119. Yet, it's during a random March day that I spot the Beats Studio Buds + are down to a new record low price of $99.95 at Amazon, slashing an impressive $70 off their list price (and putting them at the same sale price as the older and cheaper Beats Studio Buds).

Though these earbuds came to the scene in 2023, they're still an especially good choice for folks who want strong Apple integration in their earbuds, without paying Apple prices. (At the time of writing, the cheapest ANC you can get with AirPods is for $148.99, thanks to a sale price on the AirPods 4).

SEE ALSO: Ozlo Sleepbuds review: Can earbuds really improve your sleep?

When I tested them in 2024 for our best noise-cancelling earbuds roundup, I found they acted incredibly similar to AirPods in how they paired with my phone and in their battery life — like the AirPods Pro, they offer six hours per charge with ANC on. (Unlike the Pros, their case has 36 hours of battery to the Pros 30).

You will miss out on spatial audio with head tracking and the ANC isn't quite on par with the Pros, but you still get great sound quality that delivers plenty of bass, while still providing plenty of balance (which does help, considering there's no companion app with an adjustable equalizer).

In addition to their fun aesthetics, I found that the Beats also fit better in my ear than any pair of AirPods ever has, but they still favor button to touch controls on the earbuds themselves, which made the wear experience especially great. Obviously, everyone's ears are different, but if you've never been a fan of the fit of Apple earbuds, Beats might be worth checking out.

SAVE $200: The Philips 3300 fully automatic espresso machine with LatteGo milk system is on sale at Amazon for $599.99, down from the normal price of $799.99. That's a 25% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Philips Philips 3300 fully automatic espresso machine $599.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $200 Get Deal

Your morning coffee routine should be painless and come with a delicious reward. If that's not the case and you're struggling with an old machine or your drink isn't up to par, consider this great deal at Amazon.

As of March 17, the Philips 3300 fully automatic espresso machine with LatteGo milk system is $599.99 at Amazon, on sale from the standard price of $799.99. That's a 25% discount that works out to a savings of $200.

If you love a morning latte, an afternoon cappuccino, or an after-dinner espresso, the Philips 3300 is there to craft any of those drinks with just one touch. You're free to choose from one of the six hot and iced drink options on the Philips 3300 espresso machine. You can also customize your drinks further with the options to adjust the coffee's strength and volume.

This model also features the Philips LatteGo milk system which gives you that perfectly velvet foam to top drinks like lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos. Unlike many espresso machines with complicated milk systems that are a struggle to clean, the LatteGo has just two parts with no tubes, making it much simpler to clean.

The machine houses a ceramic grinder so you'll be using freshly ground coffee with each cup, and Philips mentions the 3300 model is 40% quieter than previous versions. Plus, the Philips HomeID app can guide your with easy instructions and recipe inspiration for making the best coffee-house drinks at home.

If you love trips to the coffee shop but don't love how the bill adds up, become a barista at home with the Philips 3300 fully automatic espresso machine. Since it's on sale at Amazon for $599.99, now's a great time to become a coffee drink expert.

SAVE $170.04: As of March 17, Beats Studio Pro headphones are down to $179.95. That saves $170.04 off of its usual $349.99 price tag. Shop at Amazon for 49% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Studio Pro headphones $179.95 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $170.04 Get Deal

As a shopping reporter, I'm always checking out people's gear. Whether I'm at the gym or walking to the corner store, I always have my eyes peeled for what people are sporting, especially on their ears. I spend all day hunting for deals and testing products, but I like to see what headphones people are actually buying and wearing. And easily my most spotted headphones are the Beats Studio Pros.

And I get it, there's a reason we awarded them a Mashable Choice award. The Beats Studio Pro headphones deliver active noise cancellation and 40 hours of battery life. They deliver rich audio while blocking out loud noises whether that be city scapes or a busy office space. Like Apple's AirPods collection, Beats bring the same breezy connectivity. Just by turning on the headphones, they'll connect to your iOS devices seamlessly. But unlock AirPods, Beats offer great connectivity to Android devices too.

At their standard price tag of $349.99, the Beats Studio Pros are a little pricier for our liking, even if they are nearly half the price of the Apple AirPods Max. Luckily, as of March 17, you can find the Beats for just $179.95. That offers $170.04 in savings for 49% off. The lowest price we've ever seen the Beats Studio Pros dip down to is $159.99 so this isn't a bad deal, just $20 away from that price.

GET $350 OFF: As of Mar. 17th, the Apple MacBook Air M2 Chip 8GB RAM 512GB SSD is on sale for $749.00 at Best Buy for a savings of 32%, or $350 off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air M2 Chip 8GB RAM 512GB SSD $749 at Best Buy
$1,099 Save $350 Get Deal

Apple computers don't drop in price that often, so when you're in the market and you see a deal, it's a good idea to spring for it. Now is one of those times, with the MacBook Air on sale for $350 off at Best Buy.

Currently, you can get the Apple MacBook Air M2 Chip 8GB RAM 512GB SSD for only $749.00. Buy now and save 32%.

SEE ALSO: The best laptops for 2025, tested by our experts

It's right in the name, the MacBook Air is designed to be light as air. Ultra-thin, these laptops are meant to come along for the ride. Yet that thin profile belies the perseverance of their batteries, which just keep chugging — they've got the follow through you need to get through the workweek (or final exams).

The M2 Chip was released in 2022. While the chip might be dated compared to the 2025 Macbook Air M4, it's still powerful. Paired with 8GB of RAM, it can tackle complexities with ease. With 512GB SSD the laptop has enough room for large creative projects, a library of audio, or a whole PHD thesis (with all its citations).

As of now, the MacBook Air M2 Chip is on sale for $749 at Best Buy, saving you $350.

With excellent battery life, a featherweight design, and Apple's famously crisp Retina display, the Macbook Air is a wonderful pick for streaming films, working from home, and graphic design.