Mashable

Nothing pairs better than food and football (er, soccer). So, now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially kicked off, why not indulge in some tasty treats to celebrate? Restaurant chains across the country are getting in on the global tournament with special food and drink items and even some deals.

Whether you're a dedicated soccer fan, new to the sport, or just like delicious food deals, here are all the spots you can score some World Cup food specials this summer.

Auntie Anne's

Auntine Anne's launched a Pitch Pack built for game day. Through July 31, customers can match up any two Pretzel Nugget flavors or Mini Dogs, along with two dips. Plus, it comes in a cute soccer-themed snack box.

The chain is also dropping some limited-edition World Cup merch online, called the Nug Cup Collection. Loyalty members can get $3 off plushies and scarves with the code PRETZELFAN.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Sports and wings are built for each other, and Buffalo Wild Wings knows it. Thus, it's serving up a limited-time Matchday menu inspired by global flavors. The lineup includes six new dipping sauces with flavors from around the world: Peri Peri (South Africa), Yuzu Wasabi (Asia), Maple Sweet Chili (Canada), Sweet Curry (Europe), Smoky Elote (Mexico), and Creamy Chimichurri (South America). The chain is also introducing two new signature cocktails (Red Card Punch and Yellow Card Margarita) and Michelob Ultra Beer Towers.

Chipotle

Chipotle released a limited-edition soccer jersey (there are only 53 available) that reward members have a chance to win. You'll have to use 10 of your rewards points for an entry into the raffle between June 10 and 24.

Crumbl

Through June 13, Crumbl is offering new flavors inspired by the international World Cup teams, including: Blue Raspberry Sports Drink Cookie, American Brownie Sundae Cookie, Mexican Tangy Mango Cookie ft. Tajín, Canadian Nanaimo Bar Cookie, Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie, and Soccer Field Dubai-Style Cheesecake.

Grubhub

Grubhub is loaded with deals this summer in honor of the World Cup.

From June 29 through July 5, customers can take advantage of the following offers:

• BOGO 2-piece Chicken Combo from KFC, $15 minimum

• BOGO Whopper Jr. from Burger King, $15 minimum

• Free Bacon Cheeseburger from Shake Shack, $25 minimum

• $15 off orders over $50 from Primo Hoagies

From July 6 through 12, there's a new round of deals:

• BOGO 4-piece Signature Chicken or Chicken Sandwich from Popeyes, $15 minimum

• BOGO Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut, $35 minimum

• Free 10-piece wings from Wingstop, $30 minimum

• BOGO Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s, $20 minimum

Finally, from July 13 through 19, the offers switch to:

• BOGO Chicken or Cheese Quesadilla from Taco Bell, $20 minimum

• Free 6-inch Tuna, Turkey, Spicy Italian, or Sweet Onion Teriyaki sub from Subway, $20 minimum

Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe is launching a new Messi Legendary Burger, alongside Lionel Messi, which consists of two smashed patties topped with provolone, tomato, chorizo jam, pickles, and roasted pepper aioli. It's only available for a limited time during the World Cup.

Stop in the Rock Shop for special Hard Rock x World Cup merch as well, including jerseys, hoodies, T-shirts, and more.

Insomnia Cookies

In honor of the World Cup, Insomnia Cookies introduced the Goal Game Pack, which gives fans 16 classic cookies for the price of a dozen. The offer is only available through June 30 at participating bakeries nationwide.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme is keeping the deals rolling after National Donut Day with a new offer for the World Cup. Meet the Matchday Dozen, available between June 11 and June 14 at participating U.S. locations. It includes:

• Kickoff Donuts: unglazed, Cookies and Kreme-filled donut with green cookie dough icing, as well as soccer field lines and a soccer ball piece

• Soccer Rainbow Donuts: Original Glazed donut with vanilla icing, dipped in rainbow sprinkles with a soccer ball piece

• Fan favorites: Original Glazed and Iced Chocolate with sprinkles

Customers can also score a $2 Original Glazed dozen when they purchase another dozen or the 16-count Minis through June 14.

McDonald's

McDonald's launched a FIFA World Cup meal on June 4, which includes limited-edition collectible cups featuring Grimace or any of the following soccer stars: Christian Pulisic, David Beckham, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Thierry Henry, Son Heung-Min, Lamine Yamal, Alphonso Davies, and Santiago Gimenez. The meal costs between $10 and $12, depending on location, and customers can choose between a Big Mac and a 10-piece McNugget box for lunch/dinner or a Sausage Biscuit with egg or a Sausage McMuffin with egg for breakfast.

The chain is also letting kids get in on the action with a Happy Meal version. It includes 23 options of Squishmallow plushies, including World Cup mascots.

Subway

On the days the U.S. plays its Group Stage games (June 12, June 19, June 25), Subway is offering Sub Club members a 40% discount on any footlong if the U.S. wins. The offer will be added to Sub Club accounts the following day.

TGI Fridays

On the longest Friday of the year, June 19, TGI Fridays is offering Matchday Bites starting at $8.99, Matchday Platters starting at $14.99, Red and Yellow Card margaritas, $5 GOOOAL Shooters, $5 drafts, and $20 buckets.

A quick look at the best robot vacuum deals ahead of Prime Day Best robot vacuum on sale overall Dreame L60 Ultra FE $849.99 at Amazon (save $250 at Amazon) Get Deal Best mid-range robot vacuum deal Eufy C28 $529.99 at Amazon (save $270 at Amazon) Get Deal Best budget robot vacuum deal Roborock Q10 S5+ $329.99 at Amazon (save $270 at Amazon) Get Deal

Don't ask ChatGPT which robot vacuum you should buy on Prime Day — ask the person who has tested nearly 40 robot vacuums in their own home. Most of the best robot vacuums of the past few years, including new 2026 models, will be on sale for Prime Day between June 23 and June 26. But if your floors need automated cleaning earlier than the end of the month, I found a handful of worthwhile robot vacuums on sale to buy ahead of Prime Day.

That doesn't just refer to the models with the biggest discounts. I've further whittled down the list to the robot vacuums with the best ratio of cleaning specs and smart features compared to their sale price.

SEE ALSO: HGTV hive, rise up: The best Shark robot vacuum and cordless stick vacuum just dropped in 4 earth tones

For example, the Roborock Saros 10R that I loved last year is $500 off, now back at its record-low price of $999.99. That sounds like a steal until I remind you that you can get significantly more suction power for $749.99 with the Dreame L60 Ultra FE. The self-emptying Shark Navigator for $246.95 sounds great until you realize that just $30 more can get you mopping and small obstacle avoidance with the Roborock Q10 S5+. (If you're shopping for a really high-end robot vacuum, I'd wait for the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete or Narwal Flow 2 to go on sale.)

So, here are the early Prime Day deals on robot vacuums that are worth your time so far:

Best Amazon robot vacuum deal ahead of Prime Day Dreame L60 Ultra FE $849.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $150   Get Deal at Amazon Why we like it

Not to rope the Roborock Saros 10R back into it, but it really does make the Dreame L60 Ultra FE's value stand out. This model was just released at the end of April 2026, and its 30,000 Pa suction power isn't too far off from the 35,000 Pa of the most powerful Dreame robot vacuum. With accurate AI obstacle avoidance and heated self-washing mopping pads thrown in, this is a really solid vacuum for less than $800.

I can personally attest to the L60 Ultra FE's cleaning power for the price — it's currently sitting in my living room. I'm a sucker for the corner mopping of a spinning mopping pad, which still squeezes into 90-degree angles better than roller mop robot vacuums that can slide out to clean edges. This Dreame model has done a commendable job with cat litter, crumbs under the kitchen counter, and cat scratcher flecks stuck in the rug.

Deals on robot vacuum mop combos (+ self-washing mopping pads)

• Dreame L10s Ultra Gen 2 — $379.92 $589.99 (save $210.07)

• Mova P10 Pro Ultra Gen 2 — $498.99 $599 (save $100.01)

• Eufy C28 — $529.99 $799.99 (save $270)

• Narwal Freo Z10 — $649.99 $899.99 (save $150)

• Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni — $699 $899.99 (save $200.99)

• Roborock Qrevo CurvX — $849.99 $1,499.99 (save $650)

• Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 — $949.99 $1,299.99 (save $350)

Budget robot vacuum and mop deals

• 3i G10+ — $199.99 $249.99 (save $50)

• Roborock Q7 M5+ — $249.99 $359.99 (save $90)

• Roborock Q10 S5+ — $279.99 $549.99 (save $270)

• Shark AI Ultra — $289.99 $599 (save $309.01)

Note: You don't need to be a Prime member to shop these early deals, but that will change come the official Prime Day kickoff on June 23.

For years, Spotify's New Music Friday has been one of the app's most influential playlists, helping millions of listeners discover new releases every week. But starting today, the platform is making a subtle change to one of its biggest products: It's putting the actual people responsible for curating it front and center.

Listeners in the U.S. will now find short-form videos from Spotify's editorial team embedded directly within New Music Friday. The clips feature editors explaining why they're excited about certain releases, highlighting emerging artists, and sharing the stories behind songs they think listeners should know about.

SEE ALSO: Spotify's new Reserved feature could make concert ticketing less miserable

The new experience combines New Music Friday with The Drop Weekly, Spotify's editor-led video series that launched last year. According to the company, listeners have responded strongly to those more personal recommendations, generating more than double the engagement through saves and likes.

The move arrives at a moment when music discovery is increasingly shaped by algorithms. Streaming services like Spotify can instantly generate playlists based on listening habits, while AI tools promise increasingly personalized recommendations. According to Spotify's music editors, that's exactly why human perspectives matter more than ever.

"I would argue that they want that more and demand more of that," Alaysia Sierra, Spotify's head of R&B editorial, told Mashable when asked whether listeners still value hearing directly from human curators. "I think there's no better time to remind people that humans are here and still doing the work. Connection is something we're all deeply craving, and that's why humanizing recommendation and discovery feels especially important."

It may also be worth noting that human-curated playlists are less likely to surface AI-generated music, since editors tend to prioritize artists and stories they find meaningful and worth championing.

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For Spotify's editorial team, the goal is bigger than simply recommending a song. It's providing the context that turns a casual listen into a lasting connection.

"We live in an era where anyone could listen to any song at any moment," said Cecilia Winter, editorial lead for Global Hits. "It's the act of both sifting through and actually finding the great stuff, but also moving into a space where we're sharing more context around it that's really going to create that stickier connection."

That idea came up repeatedly during Mashable's conversations with Spotify's editors. In their view, discovery isn't just about surfacing music; it's about helping listeners understand why a song matters. It's not so much about who you should be listening to but why. That's a role music media has traditionally filled. Publications like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork connect artists to larger cultural conversations and give audiences a framework for understanding what's worth paying attention to and why.

"The context is the discovery in a way," said Carla Turi, Spotify's senior editor for Folk & Indie. "Knowing that a song came out of a specific moment or that an artist was responding to something or someone in their lyrics, I think it completely changes how you experience music."

For Sierra, that work is especially important in R&B, a genre they describe as "cultural and rich and evolving" but one that can still be overlooked in broader music conversations. The challenge, they said, is identifying artists before everyone else catches on. While Spotify's editors have access to listener data and trend signals, Sierra often trusts a simpler metric: whether they can't stop replaying a song herself.

"If I keep going back to the song and wanting to replay it and it's making me feel this way, then I know that—or hope that—other people will feel the same way too," they said.

One of the biggest shifts they're watching right now is the globalization of R&B. Sierra pointed to a growing wave of artists emerging from the UK, including Cleo Sol, Elmiene, Sasha Keable, and Kwn, as evidence of the genre's continued evolution beyond traditional geographic boundaries.

"You just get these constant markers that something is obviously happening," they said. "All of these artists from this space are being loved and received and growing."

The new videos also pull back the curtain on a process most listeners never see. The New Music Friday playlist is assembled through a highly collaborative editorial process. Throughout the week, genre specialists and cultural experts from across Spotify meet to discuss upcoming releases, share songs they're excited about, and debate which should be included on the playlist.

Spotify isn't alone in this approach. Major streaming competitors, including Apple Music and Amazon Music, also employ editorial teams to curate playlists and shape music discovery. These videos offer a rare look at how that process works inside the world's largest music streaming service.

"When it comes to what makes it onto the list, there are many factors we balance," Winter said. "Obviously, we want to reflect the major news stories and moments that will be interesting to a broad audience. But we also want to showcase artists across genres that we’re especially excited about as editors and music experts."

That work extends well beyond listening sessions. Editors track audience behavior on Spotify, follow online communities, attend concerts, and maintain relationships with labels. They also regularly compare notes with colleagues around the world to identify emerging scenes before they reach the mainstream. The approach has more in common with traditional music journalism than the purely data-driven image often associated with streaming platforms.

Turi pointed to conversations with Spotify's international editorial teams as one example. A few years ago, editors in the Nordic region began highlighting a growing underground dream-pop and alt-pop scene emerging from Copenhagen. Before long, those sounds started spreading across markets and influencing artists elsewhere, and Spotify launched Cph+, its own dedicated playlist to the scene.

The example underscores how Spotify's editorial operation can function as more than a mirror of listener behavior. The company's biggest playlists—including New Music Friday, RapCaviar, mint, and Lorem—have become influential tastemakers in their own right, capable of introducing emerging artists to millions of listeners and helping shape what breaks into the mainstream.

Still, the editors insist there's no shortcut to discovering what's next.

"We're listening to music pretty much all day," Winter said. "There isn't really any shortcut to listening to music all day and identifying, OK, I'm starting to hear a lot of the same trend, or a lot of the same use of an instrument, or the same style in a way that I wasn't hearing six months ago."

The editors are also paying close attention to the next wave of sounds. Turi highlighted the post-hyperpop, alternative scene emerging around artists like 2hollis, MGNA Crrrta, and Ninajirachi, while Sierra said they're excited about the growing role music videos could play in music discovery on Spotify.

As for what they're listening to right now? Sierra recommends the rising artist nomi's "Sweet Talk"; Turi has Chanel Beads' "Song for the Messenger" on repeat; and Winter picked "L.U.C.K.Y" by New York duo Fcukers as one of her songs of the summer.

"It's a really nice song for walking around and feeling like the main character," Winter said.

Adding editor videos to New Music Friday won't fundamentally change how Spotify recommends music. But the feature speaks to something bigger.

More and more, platforms are realizing that people don't just follow recommendations; they follow people. It's why creators matter. It's why newsletters have become more personal. It's why publications increasingly ask reporters to step in front of the camera and build direct relationships with audiences, rather than hide behind the byline.

Spotify's editors aren't all that different. The recommendation itself still matters, but increasingly, so does knowing who's making it. The person behind the playlist becomes part of the discovery experience. And in the age of AI overviews and automated discovery, the value of a recommendation often comes down to the person making it.

As Sierra put it, it's a reminder that there are still humans behind the headphones.

Dell's revivified XPS 16 is a pricey, premium laptop for well-heeled shoppers. Its sleek chassis, peppy performance, and attractive extras (notably, an OLED touch screen) justify the expense if you're shopping for a high-end desktop replacement.

Netflix loves a twisty sci-fi in which regular folks get suddenly trapped inside their home with no means of escape. Brick blew our minds, and now another mysterious sci-fi snare is set to to arrive in The Last House, with a tense new trailer out today.

Greta Lee and Wagner Moura star in this thriller from director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me), with the Past Lives and The Secret Agent stars playing couple Ann and Jason, who find themselves and their kids sealed inside their house. Like the Ultrahouse 3000 from The Simpsons, the house appears to have a mind of its own, pushing its inhabitants into survival mode within their own home.

Gabriel Barbosa, Emma Ho, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, and Riley Chung also star.

The Last House is streaming on Netflix on Aug. 7.

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Despite frequently bragging about his health, as Donald Trump nears his 80th birthday he certainly seems to be meeting with a lot of healthcare professionals — and Daily Show host Desi Lydic shared her thoughts on the matter.

"This weekend is his birthday, and he made it to 80 — with a little help," said Lydic during Thursday's show, before throwing to a Washington Post article about Trump reportedly being seen by 22 different medical specialists. "No wonder I can't get a doctor's appointment, half the medical profession is busy duct-taping together the world's healthiest man."

Ouch.

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Elon Musk, who has effectively admitted cheating at video games, may have found the ultimate cheat code that will turn him into the first trillionaire in the global game of capitalism.

That may well be the story of the SpaceX IPO, for which the company filed its SEC-mandated S1 form Thursday. The document was stuffed with eye-poppingly dubious claims about SpaceX's future as an AI company, as well as eye-wateringly embarrassing admissions about SpaceX, its new subsidiary xAI, and Grok.

And yet, none of these pokes in the eye seem to stop SpaceX from eyeing a record $1.75 trillion valuation.

SEE ALSO: Why SpaceX bought xAI: Data centers in space aren't the only reason What's in the SpaceX IPO? SpaceX's Starship at Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, on May 21, 2026. Credit: Joe Marino / UPI / Shutterstock

To explain how bizarre the filing really is, and how deeply it might sink other offerings, let's first ignore the words Spacex xAI, Grok, Elon and Musk. Instead, just imagine you're telling your financial advisor you want shares in a new-to-market space launch company.

This company lost nearly $5 billion last year, on $18 billion of revenue. The revenue makes it look tiny, and its losses are increasing. But so is its revenue, so you have high hopes for its future.

OK, says your financial advisor, raising a quizzical eyebrow. A risky bet, but those can pay off big sometimes. What's the angle?

Well, you reply, the CEO is all in on AI. This space launch company is actually an AI company now, since it merged in a hurry earlier this year with one of the CEO's other companies, one he described as "the smallest" of the major AI players. The merger was a millstone, the cause of most of the combined company's losses.

Who's the creator you tell everyone to follow? Vote for them in Mashable's Fan Fav.

Still, AI's connection to the space launch business makes total sense. The CEO says he's going to launch AI data centers in space starting in 2028. And you totally believe that, despite this guy having a long history of making bold space-based predictions that don't come to pass.

Do space AI data centers even make sense? Who knows! "The conditions of space on such AI infrastructure have not been tested, by us or anyone else," notes the IPO. "Any component failures could result in permanent capacity loss" — since there are no IT guys up there to fix them.

But hey, what could make sensitive data center components fail in space? I mean, apart from the list in the company's S-1 filing: geomagnetic storms, solar flares, cosmic radiation, micrometeorites, orbital debris, as well as the vibration and thermal shock from launching them in the first place. Oh, and "the useful life of our satellites is inherently shorter than that of the information technology systems and infrastructure they host," the filing also says, but you're trying not to think about what that means in a data center business.

SEE ALSO: Why SpaceX bought xAI: Data centers in space aren't the only reason

Eh, regulatory filings can be such Debbie Downers! What matters is this guy really believes in his AI product, right? So much so that SpaceX's IPO claims a $26.5 trillion addressable AI market (compared to the space launch and Starlink connectivity market, for which it only claims a total potential of $2 trillion). That AI product, by the way, comes in "Unhinged Voice mode" and "Spicy Imagine mode." The IPO notes its "heightened risks" of "reputational harm," not to mention regulatory and legal harm, thanks to "potentially explicit content ... misinformation ... exploitative imagery, intellectual property infringement," or "harmful, harassing, abusive, or discriminatory" content.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, apart from the international investigations that have opened up into whether this company's product was used to make nonconsensual deepfakes of minors, as the IPO is also required to note. (You can almost hear the deep sighs of the lawyers who wrote this — but at least they didn't have to mention the whole MechaHitler thing.)

Speaking of legal harm, you also have no problem with the $3 billion in new data center gas turbine purchases revealed by the IPO, even though this is doubling down on harm for which the company already faces a huge lawsuit from environmental groups. After all, this guy has a history of winning most of his legal battles! Just pay no attention to the last one, where he flouted a court order by skipping off to China, and a jury found he had no right to bring the case in the first place.

Given all that information in the abstract, many financial advisors would advise you the company isn't worth the risk — if they don't advise you to get your head checked.

The cheat code at Tesla Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide, Germany. Credit: Joko / imageBROKER / Shutterstock

In the case of SpaceX, however, your financial advisor may be rushing to invest before you do. The IPO sets 30 percent of shares aside for so-called "retail investors," an unusually high percentage; arguably they're more likely to bet on a name, a personality, a legend, than a company's fundamentals.

The reason, essentially, amounts to five words: "never bet against Elon Musk." First uttered by fellow Paypal billionaire and friend Peter Thiel, then SpaceX investor Peter Diamandis, this rallying cry has been taken up by the CEOs of Morgan Stanley and Breyer Capital. It is an article of faith — literally, in articles that use it to wave away Musk's more baffling moves, from the design of the Cybertruck to the overpriced Twitter purchase. (Which, given that Musk turned Twitter into the less popular X, then folded it into xAI, and then folded that into SpaceX, may go down as the most buried sunk cost in business history.)

SEE ALSO: 'Sales suck monkey d*ck': Elon Musk's Tesla in 10 telling quotes

Musk long ago mastered the razzle-dazzle of business showmanship. He has learned to dance on ever-higher tightropes of promised futures. At a crucial moment in the early days of Tesla, he offered preorders for the Model S when its prototype didn't even exist yet. That lesson has come in handy in Tesla's Cybertruck era, when the company has been saddled with an odd looking, low-selling EV that is becoming ever more of a joke with every wheels-could-fall-off recall and watery misdirection, dogged by cheaper Chinese rivals, and boycotted by much of Europe.

In response, Musk simply squeezed billions more out of the company for the honor of having him stay, then pivoted Tesla towards another, bigger promised future. That future — one filled with humanoid robots and robotaxis — is about as airy, as unproven, and as full of pitfalls (literally, the Optimus robots fall over) as AI data centers in space. But at this stage, Musk can simply insist it's going to happen, then sit back and dare Tesla investors to bet against him.

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The Optimus robots, like the SpaceX data centers, "allow for near term demonstrations that look impressive but aren’t meaningfully revenue-generating, while allowing Musk to make long term projections of 'infinite' revenues that can be (nearly) infinitely postponed," noted Tim Farris, president of satellite and telecom industry research firm TMF Associates. The Rorschach test works for investors who want to believe in the "never bet against Musk" myth.

Never mind that "never bet against Musk" is far from literally true. In 2026, you can make money from short-selling (that is, betting against) Tesla stock, which is down just under 5 percent from where it was on Jan. 1. You could also have made a more than 30 percent return on the prediction markets in the past year, as one canny investor did, by predicting Musk's DOGE side quest would ultimately fail.

There are signs of cracks in Wall Street's wall of belief in Tesla. Last year was the company's first ever revenue decline on the books. Tesla investors are reportedly nervous that the SpaceX IPO is going to cost them — SpaceX, one major Tesla investor groused to Fortune, will become Musk's "new baby."

But Musk only has to dance ahead of the Tesla wave a little while longer. If all goes according to plan, and the AI bubble doesn't burst before he can bring his shiny new space AI baby to market next month, a Musk army of retail investors will help turn airy promises into a trillion dollars of net worth for their hero.

And then...we're boldly going where no economist has gone before. With access to that much capital and that much voting power — Musk will control 85 percent of the vote at SpaceX, making him virtually impossible to dislodge as CEO — there's no limit to the height of the tightrope he could dance on. It's not beyond the bounds of reason to imagine Musk folding a failing Tesla inside SpaceX, then dazzling investors by spinning ever more unproven plans for humanoid robots maintaining space data centers.

In the game of global capitalism, becoming a trillionaire may be the ultimate cheat code.

This article reflects the opinions of the author.

Sunny day! Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie came to Mashable's Say More studio for a visit with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. Together, they talked about the importance of compromise when it comes to being a good roommate and ordering a pizza that can make everyone happy.

In this segment, which we're calling "Roommate Therapy," Mashable's Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards and Senior Editor Shannon Connellan called in with questions for Bert and Ernie. They've been roommates for ages. So, who better to ask about how to handle sharing space and the best way to ensure some quiet time to yourself?

Bert and Ernie were happy to help, as you can see for yourself.

For more from Bert and Ernie and the whole Sesame Street family, check out Sesame Street: Volume 2, now streaming on Netflix.

Nothing, the London-based brand behind retro-inspired tech like the Headphone (1) and Phone (4a) Pro, is making its way to brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. Beginning June 12, the Phone (4a) Pro, Headphone (a), Phone (3), and Ear (3) are available in more than 500 Best Buy stores across the country.

According to data from Canalys, Nothing achieved a 120 percent boost in unit sales and a 175 percent revenue increase in the U.S. alone in 2025, making it one of the world's fastest-growing consumer technology brands. Nothing debuted in Best Buy Canada last year and has now made its way to the States.

We've tested Nothing's headphones, smartphones, and watches, and have come away impressed every time. Now, shoppers in the U.S. will be able to go hands-on with Nothing's products before purchasing.

SEE ALSO: Review: The Nothing Headphone (a) are the best headphones from the brand yet

"Nothing exists to challenge the status quo in consumer technology," said Carl Pei, Chief Executive Officer at Nothing, in a press release. "We’re here to remind people that tech can still be fun, rebellious, and different. As more U.S. consumers are drawn to this ethos, we are excited to make our products more accessible to show them first-hand what makes Nothing special."

Nothing products have distinctive designs that set them apart from other brands on the market. The Nothing Headphone (1) earned a spot on our list of the most stylish headphones. See Nothing's audio and mobile offerings for yourself in person at select Best Buy stores and online at BestBuy.com.

Shop Nothing at Best Buy Nothing Headphone (a) $299 at Best Buy Shop Now Nothing Ear (3) $179 at Best Buy Shop Now Nothing Ear (a) $79 at Best Buy Shop Now Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Starting at $499.99 at Best Buy Shop Now

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're good with essays.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, 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 June 10, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Something to talk about

The words are related to making an argument.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are used to create a speech.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Parts of Speech.

NYT Strands word list for June 11

• Hook

• Body

• Conclusion

• Problem

• Topic

• Point

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

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

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you like animals.

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.

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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.

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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 Pips hints, answers for June 10, 2026 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: Spellcasting

• Green: Animals

• Blue: Over and over again

• Purple: Running water

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Starting with Incantations

• Green: Starting with Animal Group Names

• Blue: Starting with Synonyms for "Repeat"

• Purple: Starting with Parts of a River

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 #1096 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Starting with Incantations: CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD, HEX KEY, SPELL CHECKER

• Starting with Animal Group Names: MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS

• Starting with Synonyms for "Repeat": COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE

• Starting with Parts of a River: BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD

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 June 10, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you like taking things apart.

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 hints today: Clues, answers for June 10, 2026 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 Pips hints, answers for June 10, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Separate in parts.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

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...

BREAK

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.

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

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

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

SAVE OVER $10: As of June 12, the Lego Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. set (#21357) is discounted to $55.99 at Amazon. This is $14 off its full price of $69.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego LEGO Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. (#21357) $55.99 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $14.00   Get Deal

In what feels like perfect timing with Toy Story 5 coming out soon, the delightful Lego Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. set (#21357) has been discounted at Amazon before the retailer's big Prime Day sale. As of June 12, this Lego set is marked down to $55.99.

This saves $14 over its full price of $69.99, but it's also just pennies away from its lowest-ever price at the retailer. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, it was $55.95, so why not take this opportunity to scoop it up for a Pixar fan in your life? Again, with Toy Story 5 releasing soon, the timing couldn't be better to build it.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime in time for Prime Day

This Lego set - comprised of 613 pieces and recommended for adults ages 18 and up - brings to brick-built life adorable Luxo Jr., the little lamp who first appeared in Disney Pixar's animated short of the same name, back in 1986. Luxo Jr. is fully poseable, too, so you can display it however you like once it's fully pieced together. You'll also piece together the ball that Luxo Jr. knocks around, which is a very fun touch.

If the Lego Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. set has been on your radar, now is a fantastic time to scoop it up at Amazon and save.

If you're curious what other Lego sets are worth picking up right now, check out our rundown of the 10 best Lego sets of 2026 so far to see some of our favorites.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

A new gay dating app will soon enter the crowded landscape: Goose.

Its founder, Derek Chadwick, is a model, actor, and founder of Chaddy Cosmetics. He teased the app on his Instagram in May with a selfie video lamenting, "How come there's no cool gay dating apps in 2026?" Last week, he posted photos declaring that it's "Goose boys summer."

SEE ALSO: Madonna streamed a surprise concert on Grindr

Goose proclaims to be an "anti-algorithm gay dating and lifestyle platform," according to information sent to Mashable. Its tagline is "for the boys," leaving no ambiguity about its target audience.

The app will be "intentionally social-first," offering something different than its hookup-focused competitors like Grindr and Sniffies. Goose also promises a "curated community" and will have an application-based membership, harking to "exclusive" dating apps like Raya.

"It's encouraging men to date how they actually live, sans swiping, born from the mind of someone who's been there, and wanted better," an email to Mashable states. Goose doesn't have matches; users can "wave" to each other, though, and if both people do it, they're connected. But you don't have to connect to match — users can match anyone, while waving signals interest.

Goose will have a live map that shows where people are, so users can discover who's around them. But they can also scroll to meet new people. Profiles will have photos, videos, and ongoing updates; you also won't have to say what you're looking for upfront. Chats can also disappear, as well, and screenshots will apparently be protected, though information sent to Mashable is vague.

Goose doesn't appear to be on the App Store yet, nor does it have a website, but an Instagram account has popped up and already has 12,000 followers at the time of publication.

The news of Goose's launch comes shortly after the announcement that Match Group's "intentional" gay dating app, Archer, will shut down on June 17.

SAVE $100: As of June 12, select colors of the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are back to their lowest-ever price at Amazon of $199. This is $100 off their full price of $299.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose Ultra Open Earbuds $199 at Amazon
$299 Save $100   Get Deal

The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are among our favorite early Prime Day earbuds deals at Amazon right now. If you've had your eyes on them, there's no need to wait for the sale event to officially start to save. As of June 12, Amazon's slashed the price of most colors of these earbuds down to $199.

Compared to their list price of $299, this is a huge $100 discount and a return for some colors to their lowest price point so far at the retailer. If you're curious which colors have dropped to this price, you can save on the white smoke, black, desert gold, driftwood sand, midnight violet, and moonstone blue earbuds.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime in time for Prime Day

If you're someone who prefers to be aware of the world around you while listening to music rather than completely tuned out through noise-canceling, open earbuds like the Bose Ultra Open are worth looking into. Writer RJ Andersen gushed over these earbuds in Mashable's review, saying they're "extremely comfortable and score top marks for battery life, spatial audio, and sound quality."

To really emphasize how comfy the Bose Ultra Opens are, they've even landed as our top pick for comfort and sound in our overall roundup of the best open earbuds. Mashable's Bethany Allard notes that they "stood out as the most comfortable pair of open earbuds we tested." On top of that, "they simply sound way better than any pair of open earbuds has a right to."

With a battery that can last up to seven hours on a charge, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are great to have on-hand for a workout or commute in the day. If you've had your eyes on them, now is the time to pick them up while they're still on sale at Amazon.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

SAVE $50: As of June 12, the Beats Pill speaker is on sale for $99.95 at Amazon. That's a 33% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Pill $99.95 at Amazon
$149.95 Save $50.00   Get Deal

If you’ve had your eye on the Beats Pill speaker, it’s just dropped back down to $99 on Amazon as of June 12, saving you nearly $50 off the usual $149.95. There are three colors to choose from too, including matte black, champagne gold, and statement red.

With this speaker you'll get an impressive battery life, with up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. It's a robust device, rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, so it's made for a range of outdoor situations. For portability, it even comes with a removable lanyard and soft-grip silicone backing.

Beats audio is always one you can rely on, and it's no different with the Beats Pill. It features a larger racetrack woofer that displaces 90% more air for deeper, fuller bass. It also benefits from high-resolution lossless audio, supported when connected via USB-C to compatible devices. And for a bigger sound, two Beats Pill speakers can be paired together in Amplify or Stereo mode.

It is also compatible with both Apple and Android devices, as well as Find My or Find My Device support, so you'll always be able to find it.

Get this speaker deal from Amazon now.

Are you using Waymo so much that you'd pay thirty bucks per month to get a 10 percent cashback and some fancy perks on top? If so, you're in luck.

On Thursday, the robotaxi company announced Waymo Premier, an invite-only membership program that Waymo says its users asked for.

SEE ALSO: Waymo using old EV batteries to power Texas, California

The highlight perk of the program is the cashback, with users earning 10 percent Waymo Cash on every trip, and "even more during busy times."

Other perks include priority pickups that allow you to skip the waiting line, early access to Waymo in new cities as the company expands coverage, and up to five free ride cancellations per month.

Featured Video For You I took a ride in a robotaxi: How close are we to a driverless future?

The price is pretty steep: $29.99 per month. In comparison, Uber and Lyft have similar programs (Uber One and Lyft Pink), both of which cost $9.99 per month. Uber One cashback is only six percent, so the math favors Waymo Premier, but only if you ride very, very often.

Waymo Premier will initially be offered to "select riders" in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The program will be expanded to more cities sometime in the future, the company said.

Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO has reportedly made him the world's first trillionaire (or at least very close — there are some mixed reports), and nobody's happier for him than Jimmy Kimmel.

"What makes that even more unsettling is that this man, our first trillionaire, the richest man in the world, is also one of the weirdest people we've ever seen on this planet. This obscenely wealthy weirdo has the ability and means to blow up the moon if he chooses," the host says in the clip above. "Wasn't he supposed to be going to Mars? Can't we chip in to help speed that up?"

Kimmel then uses a graphic to show exactly how much stuff Musk could buy with all his money, before going on to speak a little about the SpaceX CEO's personal history.

"Elon musk came to the United States from South Africa in 1995, the son of a humble emerald mine owner, and he is so grateful to this country that allowed him to become a trillionaire, Tesla paid almost no federal income tax over the past three years," says Kimmel. "You know, for a guy who has been openly cheering immigrants getting kicked out of the country for stealing from us, sure seems like an immigrant who's been stealing from us to me."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

SAVE $30: As of June 12, the Apple AirPods 4 are on sale for $99 at Amazon. That's a saving of 23% on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $99 at Amazon
$129 Save $30   Get Deal

Looking for a new earbuds deal? As of June 12, the Apple AirPods 4 are back down to $99, saving you $30. And with Prime Day still over a week away, this is a nice little early deal if you need to upgrade now — especially as getting the timing right with Apple deals is a whole exercise. This price is for the earbuds without active noise cancellation, however these are available at a reduced price too, down from $179 to $148.99.

You'll get a great listening experience with these AirPods, which are powered by Apple's H2 chip. Both music and calls will sound great quality, and the Voice Isolation feature helps make sure you're heard nice and clearly too.

The earbuds include Siri support, so they make listening and hands-free tasks easy. You can use voice commands such as playing music or checking schedules, along with Siri Interactions that enable simple head gestures like nodding or shaking to respond. They also feature automatic pairing and in-ear detection for playback control.

They're also compatible with the Find My app, helping you locate both the earbuds and the case should you misplace them. Plus, the battery life gives you up to five hours of listening time per charge and up to 30 hours total with the case.

Head to Amazon to secure this Apple deal.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require soccer knowledge.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a 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. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.

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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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. 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: Same second word

• Green: Legendary players

• Blue: Legendary locales

• Purple: Legendary maneuvers

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Boards

• Green: Hall of Fame Spurs

• Blue: Locations of famous auto races

• Purple: Soccer skill moves

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 #627 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Boards: SKATE, SNOW, SURF, WAKE

• Hall of Fame Spurs: DUNCAN, GERVIN, GINOBILI, PARKER

• Locations of famous auto races: DAYTONA, INDIANAPOLIS, LE MANS, MONACO

• Soccer skill moves: NUTMEG, OLIMPICO, RABONA, STEPOVER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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 the latest Connections.