Technologies

TikTok Counts Down To Another Potential Ban

With just days to go before the sale deadline, President Donald Trump seems confident he can broker a deal.

TikTok is once again counting down to a federal ban, unless some kind of a deal is struck by the end of the week.

The popular social media app faces a Saturday deadline to sell itself to a buyer deemed fit by US officials or face being banned in this country.

However, a lot could happen before then. Several potential bidders have made their interest known in recent months, and it’s entirely possible that President Donald Trump could once again choose to extend the sale deadline.

Most recently, Trump told the press on Air Force One late Sunday that «there’s tremendous interest in TikTok.» He added that he would «like to see TikTok remain alive.» Trump also said that «we have a lot of potential buyers» and that the administration is «dealing with China,» which has long opposed a sale.

Last week, Trump said he would consider lowering tariffs on Chinese goods if that country’s government approved a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. He also at that time reiterated his willingness to push the deadline back if needed.

Also last week, a trio of Democratic senators sent Trump a letter requesting information on any efforts to prevent the ban from going into effect and urging the administration to work with Congress on any potential resolutions. The group had previously introduced legislation that would delay the ban until Oct. 16, but it was blocked by Republicans.

Read more: TikTok Backups: 6 Similar Apps for Your Daily Dose of Fun

Lawmakers in both political parties have long voiced concerns that TikTok could be a threat to national security and could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans or spread disinformation to further China’s agenda. The law requiring the sale was passed by Congress last year with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by then-President Joe Biden.

TikTok continues to deny those accusations, and both it and the Chinese government have said they oppose a sale. It’s unclear if they’ve changed their positions. A spokesperson for TikTok didn’t return a Thursday request for comment.

So what’s next for TikTok? Here’s what you need to know.

What does the law do?

The law is aimed at forcing TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer American officials are OK with, as well as guaranteeing that ByteDance no longer has access to US user data or control over the TikTok algorithm.

TikTok was given nine months to comply, hence the original Jan. 19 sale deadline, at which point the government could require the removal of its app from US app stores and that other tech companies stop supporting the app and website.

TikTok shut down in the US the night of Jan. 18, citing the ban, but came back online the next morning after Trump made assurances that he would not immediately enforce it. Trump later formalized that promise by signing an executive order that directed the attorney general to not enforce the ban for 75 days, effectively moving the deadline to April 5.

Read more: TikTok Loves to Give Financial Advice. But Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

What’s Trump’s take?

After originally calling for a ban during his first presidency, Trump said during the 2024 campaign that he wasn’t in favor of one and pledged to «save TikTok,» though he didn’t specify how he’d do that.

Trump also has floated the idea of the US taking a 50% stake in the company as part of a joint venture, but hasn’t given specifics as to how that would work.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew was one of several high-profile tech executives to attend Trump’s inauguration in January, just hours before Trump would sign the order granting the 75-day extension.

Previous to that, during a press conference in December, Trump pointed to the role TikTok played during the election, crediting it with helping him pick up the votes of young people.

«TikTok had an impact, and so we’re taking a look at it,» Trump said. «I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart. I’ll be honest.»

Is a deal coming?

Trump told reporters earlier this month that a deal could come soon. He didn’t offer any details about the potential buyers, but said the administration was in talks with «four different groups» about TikTok.

Vice President JD Vance, whom Trump has tapped to help strike a deal, has also expressed confidence that a sale agreement could be largely in place by April 5.

«There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise,» Vance said in a March 14 interview with NBC News.

One of the highest-profile bidders to come forward is a consortium led by billionaire investor Frank McCourt that also includes Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

If successful, the group says it would turn the app into an «upgraded internet,» leaving behind TikTok’s algorithm, long considered to be the addictive secret sauce behind the app, in favor of giving users more control over what they see and how their data is used.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, April 6

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 6.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has my favorite Australian cartoon as an answer. If you’re a fan of Bingo, Bandit and Chilli, you’ll nail that answer. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Nibble : food :: ___ : drink
Answer: SIP

4A clue: Like a kid doodling in class, maybe
Answer: BORED

6A clue: Popular Disney+ show about a family of Australian cattle dogs
Answer: BLUEY

7A clue: Fill in, as a puzzle
Answer: SOLVE

8A clue: Perceive
Answer: SEE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Some first-chair performances in an orchestra
Answer: SOLOS

2D clue: «Go me!»
Answer: IRULE

3D clue: Loud chewing or talking during a movie, e.g.
Answer: PEEVE

4D clue: Ammo for a Red Ryder rifle
Answer: BBS

5D clue: Part of an Easter egg kit
Answer: DYE

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 6, #665

Find hints and answers for the New York Times’ Connections puzzle for Sunday, April 6.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle was a challenging one. The yellow and green categories were pretty easy, but I struggled with blue and purple. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: We’re not close.

Green group hint: Pay the bills.

Blue group hint: Don’t get a shock!

Purple group hint: Think 420.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Aloof.

Green group: Utilities.

Blue group: What an electrometer measures.

Purple group: ____ joint.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is aloof. The four answers are cool, distant, remote and removed.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is utilities. The four answers are cable, gas, trash and water.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is what an eletrometer measures. The four answers are charge, current, resistance and voltage.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ joint. The four answers are dovetail, hip, pizza and Spike Lee.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 6, #195

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 195, for Sunday, April 6.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Is it just me, or is Connections: Sports Edition getting tougher each week? Or am I getting dumber? Fight fans, you might do all right today, but there was one compound word in your category (green) that I literally have never heard before. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Get out of here.

Green group hint: It happens in the octagon.

Blue group hint: They call it football.

Purple group hint: Not on…