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Gov. Tim Walz was asked by vice presidential debate moderators Tuesday about his past trips to China, after discrepancies arose about his accounts.

Gov. Tim Walz told Tuesday night's vice presidential debate that his son Gus witnessed a shooting, an admission that visibly surprised and saddened his opponent, JD Vance, onstage.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

Ahead of Tuesday night's vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz, CBS News said the network would reserve the right to turn off microphones if necessary.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

Seattle is known for its overcast skies, but that doesn't mean going solar isn't doable.

People in the courtroom wept as the footage was shown during a preliminary hearing for former Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, who is charged with first-degree murder.

(Image credit: Timothy D. Easley)

A well-crafted, sustainably sourced hybrid bed offering medium firmness, pressure relief and strong edge support.

60 Minutes announced on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump has backed out of an interview he had agreed to do as part of its prime-time election special next week.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

PFAS are everywhere, but reducing them in necessary, everyday items like menstruation products has been top of mind for public safety advocates.

Hurricanes, floods and wildfires are wreaking havoc, and property owners are paying the price.

Discover the top 3D printing filaments of 2024, from versatile PLA to unique exotic options. See our best picks for each project and budget

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #479) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• JOKER
• DICE
• CHANCE
• CASINO
• OCTOPUS
• SLOT MACHINE
• CUBE
• GAMBLE
• SLICE
• BET
• SHIVA
• JULIENNE
• HEAT
• VENUS DE MILO
• RISK
• TAXI DRIVER

NYT Connections today (game #479) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Play the odds
• Green: Cut differently
• Blue: Cape Fear is another
• Purple: You'll need to be armed with this knowledge

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #479) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: PUT ON THE LINE
• GREEN: USE A KITCHEN KNIFE
• BLUE: ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS
• PURPLE: DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF)

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #479) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #479, are…

• YELLOW: PUT ON THE LINE BET, CHANCE, GAMBLE, RISK
• GREEN: USE A KITCHEN KNIFE CUBE, DICE, JULIENNE, SLICE
• BLUE: ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS CASINO, HEAT, JOKER, TAXI DRIVER
• PURPLE: DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF) OCTOPUS, SHIVA, SLOT MACHINE, VENUS DE MILO

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I'm always pleased with myself when I solve the purple group early on. That's because it's supposedly the most difficult of the four, and even if that isn't always the case it is usually the one with the most interesting format, in that it's rarely just synonyms for another word as yellow and green often are. Today, purple was a really creative one – DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF). I focused on VENUS DE MILO, which seemed to only have a couple of possible connections to anything: it's a statue, a work of art, and a figure without arms. Looking at the board, I spotted OCTOPUS and then SHIVA, and though it took me a while to realize that SLOT MACHINE also fitted, I was delighted when all four proved to be right. The other three groups were mundane by comparison – although I'll never not enjoy thinking about ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS…

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 1 October, game #478)

• YELLOW: FLUSTERED STATE LATHER, STEW, SWEAT, TIZZY
• GREEN: FITNESS CONDITION, FORM, HEALTH, SHAPE
• BLUE: FAST-MOVING WATER CASCADE, CURRENT, RAPID, WAVE
• PURPLE: DISHWASHER CYCLES NORMAL, QUICK, RINSE, SANITIZE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #982) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #982) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #982) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #982) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #982) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• C

• T

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #982) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #982, are…

• ARGUE
• CRANE
• TOKEN
• PRINT

With two extremely common – and commonly spelled – words among today's Quordle answers (in the form of CRANE and PRINT), this was a straightforward day for the game. Neither ARGUE or TOKEN are particularly hard either, although at least the latter has an uncommon letter in it to make the task a little harder. But really, this is about as simple as Quordle ever gets.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #982) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #982, are…

• LOOPY
• BURLY
• ALERT
• DEMON

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH
• Quordle #975, Wednesday 25 September: UMBRA, DADDY, GLAZE, PRANK
• Quordle #974, Tuesday 24 September: SPACE, INNER, SPAWN, BEGAT
• Quordle #973, Monday 23 September: GUILT, STERN, ANNEX, FIELD
• Quordle #972, Sunday 22 September: ZESTY, MEATY, ALIVE, DRAWN
• Quordle #971, Saturday 21 September: VITAL, FRAIL, SPEAR, EERIE
• Quordle #970, Friday 20 September: ELIDE, DITTO, SHAWL, BONUS
• Quordle #969, Thursday 19 September: MARRY, OWING, DICEY, LUCKY
• Quordle #968, Wednesday 18 September: CEDAR, VENOM, MIGHT, MEDIC
• Quordle #967, Tuesday 17 September: ETHOS, COUNT, PRINT, THREE
• Quordle #966, Monday 16 September: ROUGE, SWAMP, FUGUE, UNDUE
• Quordle #965, Sunday 15 September: VILLA, SMOKE, BULKY, THRUM
• Quordle #964, Saturday 14 September: ESSAY, GENRE, WIMPY, CHUTE
• Quordle #963, Friday 13 September: LEANT, ORGAN, FILLY, PLAIT
• Quordle #962, Thursday 12 September: ARBOR, STARK, LEAVE, GOOFY

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #213) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Fresh out of the oven

NYT Strands today (game #213) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• TRAIT
• STONE
• SOAR
• TRUMP
• DINE
• LINE

NYT Strands today (game #213) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Dough but not nuts

NYT Strands today (game #213) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 4th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #213) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #213, are…

• SCONE
• DANISH
• CROISSANT
• MUFFIN
• STRUDEL
• GALETTE
• SPANGRAM: PASTRIES

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

Hello, Mr/Mrs/Ms NYT, I have a question for you: in what way is a MUFFIN a PASTRY? Or a SCONE? STRUDEL, yes. CROISSANT, definitely. DANISH, sure. GALETTE… well, we'll get to that. But not MUFFIN or SCONE, which are both quick breads or potentially cakes. Maybe I'm missing some crucial detail here – I'm not a chef – but I just don't get why they were included.

Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult for me to find them anyway, because I'm well aware that sometimes the NYT makes odd decisions with categorization, so I always watch out for curveballs. That didn't help me with GALETTE, though, chiefly because I've never heard that word before. Still, they look lovely, so I shall be trying one next time I see one.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 1 October, game #212)

• PARAMOUNT
• DISCOVERY
• HISTORY
• HALLMARK
• LIFETIME
• SPANGRAM: NETWORK

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

The SECURE 2.0 Act is making some notable changes to workplace retirement plans next year.

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Many credit card debt relief programs are just after your money. Here's how to spot the companies trying to scam you.

North Carolina election officials have said early voting will start as planned on Oct. 17. But they don't know how many voting sites might be unusable in the swing state because of Hurricane Helene.

(Image credit: Sean Rayford)

Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance will take the debate stage tonight starting at 9 p.m. Watch the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Simulcast on NPR.

(Image credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images; Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran launched long-range missiles against Israel, just hours after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon against Iran's main proxy, Hezbollah. The dramatic escalation is raising fears of an all-out war in the Middle East. We hear from two NPR correspondents in the region.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

After an early tease this month, Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant has now rolled out to all Android users for free. Gemini Live was initially limited to those subscribing to the Gemini Advanced plan for $20 a month, but the voice assistant is now available to anyone who downloads the Gemini app. However, it is only available in English at the moment.

For users who own one of Google’s latest devices, such as the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro, accessing Gemini Live is as simple as launching the Gemini app and selecting the Live icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. Gemini Live has ten voices to choose from, and you can pick your favorite from the list of star and constellation-based voices.

Gemini Live acts in ways familiar to those who have used Google Assistant or Alexa. The AI can understand casual language and behave in much more human ways during conversations. For instance, it can speculate, help you brainstorm ideas, and even multitask by handling your requests while still carrying on a conversation. The voice options add to the human illusion by being more emotionally expressive than the previous standard for speech.

Live is now available for all Gemini users in English on the Android app. We can’t wait for you to try it. https://t.co/jev4pnuZJ0September 30, 2024

Gemini's starring role

Gemini Live’s rollout comes even as Google’ faces a rapidly growing array of rivals in the space, including the Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT and Microsoft’s newly revamped Copilot AI with voice interactions. 

Like Microsoft, Google clearly hopes that making Gemini Live free will help it stand out in the crowd. The integration with the Android operating system and Google’s ecosystem of devices will likely help in that regard. But, even then, Google has to contend with Apple’s upgrades to Siri as part of the range of Apple Intelligence features that the company will begin rolling out soon. 

Still, if you’re frustrated with the limitations of current voice assistants, Gemini Live will feel like a significant upgrade. How Gemini Live stacks up against its many new competitors remains to be seen, though. 

It’s obvious that Google wants Gemini to seem more than just Google Assistant. Enhancing Gemini’s place in people’s lives, especially on mobile devices, is how the company hopes to win the current AI assistant war.

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