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Elon Musk may not be a New York City resident, but he has strong feelings about the city's mayoral race, and he's using his social media platform X to influence voters.

Up to 2 million New York City residents are expected to vote in the mayoral election, which takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The city's mayoral race has garnered a lot of national attention because of the charismatic State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic Socialist, who defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary over the summer. Cuomo is now running as an independent against Mamdani in the general election, with Mamdani as the official Democratic nominee.

Tech companies like DoorDash and Airbnb have already weighed in on the race, donating millions of dollars to defeat Mamdani.

And on Monday, the day before the election, the world's richest man made it clear who he's backing: Cuomo. In addition, Musk is urging conservative voters not to split the vote by backing the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, who has a much more difficult path to victory. 

In essence, Musk is backing Cuomo simply to defeat Mamdani, and he's using a paid promotion feature to push his endorsement into users' feeds.

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"Remember to vote tomorrow in New York!" Musk posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, which he acquired in 2022. "Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is. VOTE CUOMO!"

For this post, Musk utilized a paid feature on X that allows Premium X users to "Boost" their posts for added reach. This is different from the X algorithm organically showing a user posts based on their interests and engagement. Boosted posts can also be used for advertisements, but according to X's guidelines, "If you decide to use Boosted to advertise, those boosted posts must also self-identify as an advertisement" and comply with all X ad policies.

X itself does not label a boosted post that shows up in a user's feed as a paid promotion. 

How do we know Musk is boosting his post?

Normally, paid political advertisements face increased scrutiny and disclosure requirements online. (Thank you, Cambridge Analytica and Mark Zuckerberg.)

However, while Musk is taking advantage of a paid feature, it's unclear if he is actually paying to boost his post on X. After all, he owns the platform. Even so, Musk appears to be using the paid boost feature to promote his Cuomo endorsement and attack on Mamdani.

How do we know? Mashable has previously reported on Musk's X and its lack of disclosure for some advertisements. In addition, boosted posts often have a noticeable tell: X strips those posts of a timestamp when showing the post in a user's feed.

Musk's boosted post appears on users' timelines without a timestamp, a typical sign of a boosted post. Credit: Screenshot from X

When Musk's post shows up in a user's feed, users can click on the ellipses button on the right-hand corner of the post, where they will see a list of options. One of those options is a page labeled "Why am I seeing this?"

After clicking that option, X finally discloses that the reason you're seeing that post is because "Elon Musk boosted their post."

After clicking through layers of options, X will finally disclose that Musk is boosting the post. Credit: Mashable screenshot

Musk's endorsement in the election shouldn't be a surprise.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has embraced right-wing politics and openly campaigned for Donald Trump during the presidential election in 2024. Musk also worked with the Trump administration through DOGE.

Now, Musk appears to be trying to influence the New York City mayoral race by utilizing a paid promotion feature that pushes his endorsement on users without an obvious disclosure.

As of this writing, Mamdani maintains a strong lead in the polls.

The best ways to watch 'The Long Walk' at a glance: Watch now Rent or buy 'The Long Walk' on Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Rent or buy 'The Long Walk' on Fandango at Home $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Rent or buy 'The Long Walk' at Apple TV $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch later Starz annual plan $29.99 for your first year (save $40) Get Deal Watch later Starz monthly plan $4.99 per month for three months (save $18) Get Deal Watch later Starz (Prime Video add-on) free 7-day trial Get Deal

One of several high-profile Stephen King adaptations hitting screens this year has officially made its way to households. Fans have been waiting for this one for a long time. The Long Walk is King's first novella (though not the first book he had published) he wrote back in high school. Nearly 60 years later, it got its first big-screen adaptation. And this fall, it's hitting small screens as well.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, who also fittingly helmed four out of five Hunger Games films, The Long Walk is a nightmarish dystopian movie not for the faint of heart. If you missed it in theaters, here's everything you need to know to watch it at home.

What is The Long Walk about?

The Long Walk is set in a dystopian America where each year, 100 young men participate in a brutal walk across the country. The grueling walk has just one objective: keep walking at a speed of at least 3 mph until there's one person left standing. If the men fall behind, veer off the road, or stop for any reason, they'll get shot by the soldiers driving alongside them. The winner gets an untold amount of riches and a wish fulfilled by the government. But at what cost?

The trailer alone will make your feet hurt:

Is The Long Walk worth watching?

To sum up The Long Walk in one word, Mashable's Belen Edwards calls it "bleak." She writes in her review, "After almost two hours of being immersed in this string of deaths, you may find yourself begging, 'Enough already!' The Long Walk, however, does not let up, trapping you in a never-ending nightmare of bloodied feet and fraying minds."

If you're looking for a happy watch, keep looking. This is not it. However, the relentless saga did earn a satisfactory 88 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an equally good audience rating of 85 percent. Apparently, people like bleak.

Read our full review of The Long Walk.

How to watch The Long Walk Credit: Lionsgate

After launching in theaters on Sept. 12, 2025, The Long Walk made its at-home debut about a month later via digital on-demand platforms. It will also be streaming at a later date. See the details below.

Rent or buy on digital

Lionsgate released The Long Walk on video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV on Oct. 21. You can purchase the film for $24.99 or rent it for $19.99, which gives you 30 days to watch and just 48 hours to finish once you begin.

You can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:

• Apple TV — $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy

• Fandango at Home — $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy

• Google Play — $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy

• Prime Video — $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy

• YouTube — $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy

Stream it on Starz (at a later date)

As a Lionsgate film, we're expecting The Long Walk to make its streaming debut on Starz. And based on the streaming trajectory of previous Lionsgate films, we expect a March 2026 streaming date. We'll keep you updated when we know more, but in the meantime, you can sign up for Starz for as low as $2.50 per month with the deals below.

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If you pay for your first year of Starz upfront, it'll only cost you $29.99 (which breaks down to just $2.50 per month). After one year, the price will jump back up to full cost, which is still a pretty solid offer at just $69.99 per year. New and previous subscribers are eligible to secure this offer for a limited time.

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If you'd rather not commit to a full year, you can sign up for three months of Starz for just $4.99 per month for a limited time. That's a total of just $14.97 — a savings of 55%. The price will jump back up to the full $10.99 per month after three months unless you cancel.

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If you're a Prime member or Prime Video subscriber, you can sign up for Starz as an add-on subscription and secure a free seven-day trial. If you align your trial period to the official streaming release for The Long Walk, you'll be able to watch for free. Just remember to cancel before the week is up, or you'll automatically be charged the full $10.99 per month.

SAVE $1,100.01: The Bluetti Elite 200 V2 with two 200W solar panels is on sale at Amazon for $1,198.99, down from the normal bundle price of $2,299. That's a 48% discount and a new all-time low.

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Now that we've flipped the calendar to November, it's time to consider how you'll prep for end of fall and winter storms. If you live in an area that tends to lose power or you like to head off-grid, a portable power station is a seriously great investment. Pair it with solar panels, and you're in extra great shape. If that sounds like something you could use, check out this great bundle deal.

As of Nov. 3, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 with two 200W solar panels is on sale at Amazon for $1,198.99, down from the normal bundle price of $2,299. That saves a major $1,100.01 compared to the list price from a 48% discount. It's also a new record-low price at Amazon.

Ideal for power outages, off-grid life, or camping trips, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 comes with 2,073Wh of capacity. It's equipped with four standard AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C, so you'll be in line for charging versatility along with powering up several devices at the same time.

Today's deal also comes with two 200W solar panels. Connect these to the Bluetti Elite 200 V2, stick them in a sunny spot, and you'll be on your way to unlimited (and free) recharging of the portable power station.

SEE ALSO: The Anker 3-in-1 charging station is at its lowest-ever price at Amazon — save $60 right now

In real-life terms, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 can recharge a phone about 63 times or keep a mini fridge going for over 26 hours. If you'll be using it at home during a power outage, you can keep the WiFi router online for about 72 hours or keep a refrigerator on for over 14 hours while pulling 100W.

Whether you're looking for some juice during a power outage or while camping, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 is a solid choice. Pair that with the two 200W solar panels included in today's deal, and you're in line for unlimited power and recharging. Just be sure to snag it before this sale price disappears.

A well-known leaker in China took to the social media platform Weibo last week to reveal the potential color options of next year's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max smartphones. Apple released the current version of its flagship smartphone, the iPhone 17 Pro, at a launch event in September, and per Tim Cook, the company has seen strong sales so far.

That's despite a few controversial design choices, which very much include the color options. Notably, Apple did not offer a standard black option, instead opting for silver, navy blue, and the more controversial cosmic orange.

If the leaker is correct, next year's iPhone 18 Pro models will also come in three color options: "Coffee, purple, wine red."

The leaker, who posts under the name Digital Chat Station on Weibo, wrote the post in Chinese, so we're relying on the translated version of the post. Alternative translations also include "coffee brown" and "burgundy," according to 9to5Mac. (In fact, even the leaker's username doesn't have a direct translation; we've also seen their name translated as "Instant Digital" and "Momentary Digital.")

The lack of a standard black iPhone 18 Pro will be disappointing to some Apple customers, as that was a recurring complaint with this year's model.

SEE ALSO: Marques Brownlee shows how good a black iPhone 17 Pro would have looked

Because Apple switched to anodized aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro (instead of a more durable material like titanium), the new flagship phones were surprisingly prone to scratches (a phenomenon known as "scratchgate"). Tech reporters have theorized that black anodized aluminum would have shown scratches even more clearly, hence the unexpected omission of that color.

Black hasn't always been a standard iPhone Pro color. However, according to BGR, Apple offered a black or dark gray Pro model from 2020 to 2024, and some users grew accustomed to that colorway.

Of course, as with any leak, especially an early leak like this, you should consider the color options a rumor. Even if it's true, a lot could change between now and next year's expected iPhone launch.

Coming up with and remembering endless passwords is the bane of my existence, and the fact you're reading this on the internet mens you probably don't like it either.

Microsoft Edge has finally released passkey saving and syncing across Windows desktop devices using the Microsoft Password Manager. This fixed a major hurdle in the shift away from traditional passwords because things were complicated before.

EcoFlow's power stations are a popular choice for anyone interested in battery backups and solar charging. However, the company has faced several technical issues lately that break core features, which is a problem for products purchased primarily as backups.

Are you looking to start your own blog, but you’re trying to avoid expensive hosting and complicated programming? Static site generators are a fantastic alternative.

If you’re considering a luxury electric vehicle, but feel put off by the hype and premium price of the typical go-to brand, it’s time to look elsewhere. One used luxury EV now stands out as a smarter buy, offering high-end comfort, strong performance, and mature technology at a fraction of the cost.

November is here, and with it comes a fresh rotation of suggested movies to watch on HBO Max. Right now, the streamer has a solid selection of choices in their ever-evolving queue—so many, in fact, that it's hard to know where to start.

Midsize sedans deserve more love because they still deliver that smooth, classic car feel we grew up trusting. They stay low, look good, and handle everyday life without a fuss.

It’s not every day you find a rear-wheel-drive coupe with serious horsepower from a brand better known for practicality than performance. But this 348-horsepower V6 machine shattered expectations, proving its maker could build something worthy of true enthusiast attention. Sharp handling, muscular acceleration, and a surprisingly refined interior helped it stand tall against more established sports car rivals.

MSI has released a single-board computer powered by Intel Alder lake, Amston Lake, or Twin Lake x86 processors, in a similar form factor as a Raspberry Pi. It's intended for "deployment in extreme environments and industrial use cases."

After a rash of malware in the Arch User Repository (AUR), one AUR packaging system, Chaotic-AUR, is in response taking steps to increase trust and reduce chances of malicious software reaching Arch Linux folks. Based on this system, certain package updates will get flagged for human review before being released to the public.

The OnePlus 13 now officially supports LineageOS 23. This gives OnePlus 13 users a great way to move beyond the standard OxygenOS software. This is huge news for anyone who loves the hardware OnePlus packs into its devices but wants a cleaner, more stock Android feel.

It doesn't matter whether you have the $140 Windows Home edition or the $200 Windows Pro edition; you'll see plenty of ads throughout your Windows system. There are ads in File Explorer, and you'll even find them in the Start menu. However, if you're like me and prefer a completely ad-free Windows experience, turn off these settings.

We're barreling towards the end of the year. Who can believe it's already November? On the bright side, with a new month comes a new batch of films landing on Netflix, and I've picked out four that are genuinely worth watching this week.

If you’re into keyboards, you’ve probably noticed a new kind of magnetic keyboard making waves—and it’s not Hall Effect. It’s based on TMR, a next-gen technology with better precision and efficiency. But is this evolution really worth the price?

I'm always looking for ways to improve my email security, limit the amount of spam reaching my inbox, and generally keep my emails organized. Plus email addressing helps me achieve all three of these goals.

I’ve had a lot of fun putting together a smart home, so much so that I’ve been known to get ahead of myself as I put technology before practicality. This can trip up guests and visitors alike, and it’s a mistake you’re going to want to avoid making.