Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 7, #561
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 7, No. 561.

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.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun mix of categories, and the purple one cracked me up. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for 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: Fore!
Green group hint: Hockey Night in Canada.
Blue group hint: Meteorologist favorites.
Purple group hint: And they’re off!
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Golf scoring terms.
Green group: Canadian NHL teams.
Blue group: Weather-themed teams.
Purple group: Things that race at MLB games.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is golf scoring terms. The four answers are birdie, bogey, eagle and par.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Canadian NHL teams. The four answers are Canadiens, Canucks, Oilers and Senators.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is weather-themed teams. The four answers are Hurricanes, Lightning, Storm and Thunder.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is things that race at MLB games. The four answers are pierogis, presidents, sausages and the freeze.
Technologies
In Honor of the Artemis II Mission, Explore the Moon in Fortnite Now
You might not be able to see the moon the way the Artemis II team is, but there’s an educational Fortnite simulation that will get you onto the celestial body’s surface.
You may not be able to explore the vast majesty of space in the same way that the four-person crew of the Artemis II is, but you can still get an up-close-and-personal view of the moon… in Fortnite, at least.
While you may not be able to slingshot around Earth’s own lunar body, space enthusiasts can see a little bit of what the Artemis II crew is seeing by spending time on the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map right now. The map is a creative collaboration between Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, and the European Space Agency. Lunar Horizons was released in 2024 after extensive testing and play from ESA trainee astronauts.
If you’re looking to learn more about our own orbiting body, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of the surface of the moon’s South Pole.
It blends game mechanics with learning, as players get to build up their own sterile lunar habitat bases, interact with ESA astronauts and roll around with robotic rovers as they discover informative plaques that contain information about the moon and international space agencies. There are still dangers to navigate, too — a solar storm may strike when you least expect it.
If you’re interested in exploring the moon, we’ve got all the information you need to join in on the Fortnite fun below. And if you’re looking for a more serious livestream during this momentous human achievement, tune into NASA’s feed here.
How to join the Moon Fortnite island while you follow the Artemis II mission
The Lunar Horizons Fortnite map is a great educational simulation that shares details about ESA’s work and catalogs information about humanity’s lunar research.
These three simple steps will get you up and running (or more accurately, taking slow leaps and bounds) on the surface of the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map:
Download Fortnite
If you haven’t played Fortnite before, but you want to check out this limited-time event, you’ll have to download the game. If you’re on PC, you can download Fortnite for free from the Epic Games Store. Console players can navigate the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store or Nintendo eShop in order to download Fortnite on their devices.
Navigate the in-game menus until you reach the Search button
Once you’re in the game, scroll down past the different official Fortnite game modes and the Discover tab until you find the Search button.
Input the Lunar Horizons island code
In the search bar, you can input a map’s name or its distinct search code in order to find it in the map directory. You can search for the Lunar Horizons map or input the code 3207-0960-6428 to explore this map in time.
Correction, 3:35 p.m. PT: This story initially was in error about the features available in the Lunar Horizons map. There is no Artemis II-specific mission in Fortnite. Rather, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of part of the moon’s surface.
Technologies
Trump Administration Bans Chinese Routers. Phones and Cameras Could Follow
Major companies, including Huawei and Hikvision, could see the last of their import orders cut off from the US within 30 days of implementation.
The Federal Communications Commission continued its crackdown on Chinese tech on Friday, issuing a new proposal that would extend a ban on companies to products previously authorized.
In 2021, companies such as Huawei, Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera and ZTE were added to the FCC’s Covered List, a record of companies and products that the FCC believes pose a national security risk to the US, under the Secure Networks Act. The Chinese companies produce mobile phones, security cameras and other tech products.
But the 2021 ban applied only to new models that the FCC hadn’t authorized, and companies were free to keep selling models that had already received the FCC’s stamp of approval. If approved, the new proposal would ban these companies entirely, including those previously approved products.
«Older models of covered equipment pose an unacceptable risk today when imported or marketed in the United States, not only when such equipment is new to the market,» an FCC report from October said.
The proposal will be open for comment until May 6, after which the commission will vote on whether to adopt the rules. The ban won’t affect devices already owned by Americans.
Read more: My Expert Advice: Don’t Buy a Router Until We Know More About the FCC’s Ban
Millions of consumers and businesses rely on Wi-Fi routers, telecommunications equipment and security cameras every day, making these devices critical links in both home and office networks. The Federal Communications Commission shocked the broadband industry on March 23 by effectively banning the sale of future foreign-made Wi-Fi routers (including some of the biggest router brands).
In recent years, Chinese telecommunications companies have faced restrictions on operating in the US. In 2020, The Wall Street Journal cited US officials who reportedly said that Chinese companies, including Huawei, used backdoor access intended for law enforcement to track sensitive information.
But this ban could be implemented quickly. The FCC proposes that «all parties [will have to] cease all importation and marketing activities within 30 days of the effective date of the prohibition.»
This proposition doesn’t reflect a final legal ruling on telecommunications imports, but it does reflect how the Trump administration has been increasingly pressuring Chinese tech companies in recent months.
The foreign-made router ban was only the latest in a string of decisions that have placed restrictions on Chinese tech companies operating in the US.
In December, the FCC banned the importation of Chinese-made drones into the US. Just months before that, the agency voted to block new approvals for any device containing parts manufactured by companies on the Covered List.
Representatives from the FCC and Huawei didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
2025 Income Tax Returns Are Due Next Week. Get All the Details on Tax Deadlines
Most US taxpayers will need to complete their income tax returns by April 15 or file a free tax extension for additional time.
If you’ve been dreading the task of completing and filing your 2025 income taxes, you’re not alone. The IRS says that 20% to 25% of US taxpayers wait until the final two weeks of the tax season to submit their income tax returns, according to TurboTax.
Don’t let your procrastination proceed any further — it’s time to gather all the essential tax documentation and information you need to finish your 2025 tax return and submit it to the IRS.
What’s the final deadline to complete and submit your 2025 tax return? Read on to find all of the deadlines and scheduling information you need for US federal income taxes in 2026.
When can I file my 2025 tax return?
The IRS started accepting 2025 tax returns on Jan. 26. For those expecting tax refunds, it usually makes sense to file your taxes as early as possible.
You can file your 2025 federal tax return today with CNET’s best tax software. If you’re expecting money back from the IRS this year, you should expect to receive your tax refund two to three weeks after your return is accepted.
What’s the deadline for filing my 2025 tax return with the IRS?
The final date for completing and submitting your 2025 tax return to the IRS is April 15, the traditional deadline for federal income taxes in the US. Tax returns filed after April 15 may be subject to both fines and penalties if you owe the government money.
There are no local or state holidays that interfere with the tax deadline in 2026, so taxpayers in all 50 states and Washington, DC, should be prepared to finish and submit their 2025 tax return or file a tax extension by April 15.
What’s the deadline to file for a tax extension in 2026?
If you want to extend your deadline for filing your 2025 tax return by six months, you’ll need to file a tax extension by the same deadline — April 15. To do so, you’ll need to complete and submit IRS Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File US Individual Income Tax Return.
Any US taxpayer can file an extension to push back their federal income tax deadline to Oct. 15, but if you owe the IRS money, you’ll need to pay an estimated amount due by April 15. If you pay less than 90% of what you ultimately owe in federal taxes, you could be subject to fines and penalties.
US states with exceptions to the April 15 tax-filing deadline
Eight states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming — don’t levy any income taxes on residents, and Washington taxes only capital gains for high-income taxpayers. Residents in those states generally won’t need to file state income taxes.
The majority of the other 41 states and DC have state and local tax filing deadlines that match the federal April 15 deadline, but five of them buck that trend with their own unique dates for filing state taxes.
Even though those states have later state income tax deadlines, federal 2025 tax returns are still due to the IRS by April 15.
Because of natural disasters, two locales in the US have received automatic extensions for filing 2025 federal income tax returns. Taxpayers in the state of Washington who were affected by storms, flooding or mudslides that began on Dec. 9, 2025, have until May 1 to file federal income taxes. And Alaskan taxpayers in Lower Kuskokwim Regional Educational Attendance Area, Lower Yukon Regional Educational Attendance Area and Northwest Arctic Borough who were affected by the Typhoon Halong that started Oct. 8, 2025, also have a May 1 deadline for federal taxes.
US taxpayers who live permanently outside of the country and certain members of the military serving overseas automatically receive a two-month extension. Eligible taxpayers for the two-month tax extension are:
- Expatriates living outside of the US and Puerto Rico whose main business is also outside the country
- People enlisted in military or naval service outside the US and Puerto Rico
For taxes due, the overseas extension follows the same rules as the standard six-month extension. If a taxpayer owes the IRS money, they’ll need to pay 90% of what they owe by April 15 or risk fines and penalties.
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