Entertainment
Trump delays TikTok ban for 75 days
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to temporarily delay the U.S. TikTok ban, directing the Department of Justice to hold off on enforcing the controversial law for 75 days. This doesn’t mean TikTok has been saved, though.
Trump swiftly signed a slew of executive orders mere hours after his second inauguration as U.S. president on Monday, declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, abolishing the federal government’s diversity initiatives, and officially creating the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”).
Among these was Trump’s promised executive order regarding the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), also known as the U.S. TikTok ban. In it, Trump directed the Department of Justice not to enforce the ban for two and a half months, allowing TikTok to temporarily continue operating in the U.S. without reprisal.
“I am instructing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans,” read Trump’s executive order.
The delay means the ban will now come into force on April 5, with Trump stating that he intends to “negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns” in the interim. The new U.S. president previously expressed a belief that he’d be able to do so last December, submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court requesting that it pause TikTok’s ban on this basis.
It’s unclear exactly how Trump plans to broker such a deal. Unless PAFACA is repealed, a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations would be the only way the app could legally remain in the country. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has given no indication that it would be willing to entertain this, consistently maintaining that such divestment is “technologically, commercially, and legally infeasible.”
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Trump may attempt to repeal the legislation, however doing so will take a significant amount of time — likely much longer than TikTok’s 75-day stay of execution. As such, U.S. users could very well find themselves cut off from TikTok once more come April.
TikTok ban is still law, but enforcement has been paused
TikTok added a pop-up message crediting Trump for its return to the U.S. after a brief shut down on Jan. 19, 2025.
Credit: VCG / VCG via Getty Images
To be clear, Trump’s executive order doesn’t actually make it legal for TikTok to remain in the U.S. beyond the ban’s Jan. 19 deadline. PAFACA is still in place, and TikTok is technically still banned even during this 75-day grace period.
Rather, Trump has simply instructed that no penalties be imposed upon TikTok or other impacted apps under this law for their actions between the time it came into effect to 75 days from his executive order. He further ordered that letters be sent to affected entities telling them that operating during this time will not violate the law or incur liabilities.
“[E]ven after the expiration of the above-specified period, the Department of Justice shall not take any action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period or any period prior to the issuance of this order, including the period of time from January 19, 2025, to the signing of this order,” read Trump’s executive order.
If the ban were enforced, TikTok could be fined up to $5,000 per U.S. user. At 170 million such users, would be a penalty of approximately $850 billion — almost three times ByteDance’s valuation last November.
With its Supreme Court appeal having been rejected last week, TikTok now seems to have little choice but to rest its hopes for a continued U.S. presence on Trump. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was one of several tech CEOs who attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday, having thanked the new U.S. president for his support.
Trump’s self-proclaimed “warm spot” for TikTok is relatively new, the president having previously issued an executive order banning the app in 2020 during his first term in office. He subsequently appeared to lose interest in the ban, which was never enforced before Biden dropped it a year later. Now Trump seems to have changed his mind about TikTok, musing last December that “maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.” Apparently the millions of views his videos have accumulated went a long way toward winning him over.
Topics
TikTok
Donald Trump
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
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Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
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.
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.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
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…
TRIPE.
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 yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
