NEW YORK — Saturday’s edition of The New York Times’ Connections puzzle sent players hunting through categories built around synonyms for exhaustion, segments of something larger, and two closely related wordplay twists involving hidden units of length and secret pursuit, in a grid that puzzle columnists described as unusually tricky given how similarly two of its categories were structured.

Connections, published daily by the Times as part of its expanding suite of word games, presents 16 words or phrases that must be sorted into four hidden groups of four. Each group shares a common theme, and the puzzle is color-coded by difficulty, with yellow generally representing the most straightforward category and purple the most challenging. Players are permitted up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends.

Saturday’s puzzle, numbered 1161, organized its 16 entries into four categories: words meaning exhausted, words meaning a segment or portion, words ending in hidden units of length, and words ending in synonyms for following someone secretly.

The yellow group, typically the easiest of the four, centered on words describing a state of exhaustion. It included “beat,” “fried,” “spent” and “worn out,” four terms commonly used informally to describe feeling completely drained of energy. Puzzle commentary noted this category rewarded straightforward vocabulary recognition, requiring little lateral thinking compared with the puzzle’s later, more complex groups.

The green group asked players to identify words meaning a segment or discrete portion of something larger, linking “leg,” “phase,” “stage” and “stretch.” Each word can describe one part of a longer journey, process or sequence, a category commentators described as conceptually connected but not overly difficult to untangle once the shared theme became apparent.

The blue category introduced the puzzle’s central wordplay twist, grouping words that each conceal a unit of length at their end: “chamomile,” ending in “mile”; “grinch,” ending in “inch”; “hotfoot,” ending in “foot”; and “lanyard,” ending in “yard.” Several puzzle columnists noted they initially spotted this pattern and assumed it would rank as the day’s purple, most difficult category, only to find it placed instead at blue, one level down.

That assumption proved to be exactly the trap the puzzle’s editors had set. The purple group, the day’s most difficult, followed a nearly identical structural gimmick, but built around hidden synonyms for following someone secretly rather than units of length. It linked “beanstalk,” ending in “stalk”; “eyeshadow,” ending in “shadow”; “hightail,” ending in “tail”; and “soundtrack,” ending in “track,” each concealing a different verb meaning to covertly follow or pursue someone. One columnist covering the puzzle for TechRadar admitted to missing the purple group entirely on a first attempt, explaining that after already identifying one “ending in” category, they assumed the puzzle would not repeat a similar structural pattern a second time, a miscalculation that led directly into one of Connections’ classic misdirection traps.

Connections has become one of the most closely followed entries in the Times’ games lineup since its 2023 launch, following the runaway success of Wordle, which the Times acquired the previous year. The puzzle rewards lateral thinking over straightforward vocabulary knowledge, since individual words can often plausibly belong to more than one category, a design choice intended to create red herrings that complicate early guesses. Saturday’s back-to-back “ending in” categories represented an especially deliberate example of that misdirection strategy, testing whether players would recognize the second hidden pattern once they had already used their pattern-recognition instincts to solve the first.

Connections is written under the direction of the Times’ crossword editor, Wyna Liu, who oversees the game’s daily categories. Saturday’s puzzle arrived alongside the Times’ newer Connections: Sports Edition, a spinoff produced in partnership with The Athletic that applies the same grouping format to sports-specific terminology, running each day alongside the standard puzzle rather than replacing it.

The Times does not disclose internal difficulty ratings for individual Connections puzzles, but outlets that publish daily hint columns generally rank each day’s difficulty based on reader feedback and common patterns of mistakes. Saturday’s puzzle was described by several of those columns as more challenging than average, with the near-identical structure of the blue and purple categories singled out as the primary source of difficulty, since the pattern required solvers to recognize not just one, but two separate instances of the same underlying wordplay device within a single grid.

Connections remains part of a broader daily routine for millions of puzzle enthusiasts who also complete Wordle, the Mini Crossword and Strands each morning, all of which reset at midnight in each player’s local time zone. The four games have become a fixture of the Times’ digital subscription strategy, with the company regularly citing engagement with its games portfolio as a driver of subscriber growth in its quarterly earnings reports.

Players who missed Saturday’s puzzle or want to revisit past solutions can access the Connections archive through the Times’ Games app for subscribers with All Access or Games-specific subscriptions. A new Connections puzzle, along with a new Connections: Sports Edition, Wordle and Mini Crossword, will be published at midnight Sunday.

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On a quintessential Beverly Hills street in 1985, a restaurant that would help transform the pizza industry opened its doors.

After years of practicing law as federal prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, co-founders Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax chose to leave the courtroom behind to pursue their dream of becoming restaurateurs.

“We didn’t want to open just a restaurant. We decided to be bold. We said we want to open a national and international chain of restaurants,” Rosenfield told Fox News Digital.

With its Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and polished approach to casual dining, California Pizza Kitchen helped popularize California-style pizza among diners across the U.S. and eventually around the world. The chain became a household name while helping bring a distinctive, California-inspired approach to pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts.

FUDDRUCKERS BECAME THE ‘BLOCKBUSTER’ OF BURGERS, AND NOW IT’S NEARLY GONE

Rick Rosenfield (Left) and Larry Flax (Right) co-founded California Pizza Kitchen after years of practicing law. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

California Pizza Kitchen has more than 120 restaurants in 10 countries. But at one point, CPK existed only in a single storefront on South Beverly Drive.

Rosenfield recalled the restaurant’s early days in Beverly Hills as “hectic,” with actress Shirley MacLaine becoming its first customer on opening day.

“Even before we opened, we knew we had a blockbuster on our hand. We created barbecue chicken pizza. And in the early days of CPK, it was complete craziness. Everybody was coming for barbecue chicken pizza,” said Rosenfield. His book, “The California Pizza Kitchen Story: How Two Federal Prosecutors Changed the Way America Eats Pizza,” was released July 21.

Rosenfield and Flax employed a real estate strategy that helped expand CPK’s reach, opening restaurants in and around shopping malls.

“CPK also had a hand in changing the way America eats because we were pioneers in going into upscale shopping centers around America at a time when… there was all fast food,” Rosenfield said. “We brought this polished, casual dining to the best malls in America.”

California Pizza Kitchen located at the Simi Valley Town Center April 12, 2010. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

After Rosenfield and Flax grew CPK to more than 200 locations worldwide, the pizza giant was acquired for $470 million by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in 2011.

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At the time of the acquisition, the  San Francisco-based firm described itself as “one of the most active acquirers of leading brands in the restaurant and retail sector.”

Nine years after Golden Gate Capital acquired the chain, CPK filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 30, 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic compounded its existing financial troubles.

Rosenfield, however, told Fox News Digital he believes CPK’s troubles began before the bankruptcy filing, arguing that Golden Gate Capital damaged the culture he and Flax had spent decades building.

“As founder, it’s hard to sit back because I had no role in it whatsoever. So, we’re armchair quarterbacks looking from the outside,” he said.

A California Pizza Kitchen location in Los Angeles on June 28, 2005. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Los Angeles Magazine / Getty Images)

“I believe that they damaged the culture from day one. They wanted to remake it in an image different than we had remade it in. And in the meantime, it wasn’t successful,” the co-founder continued. “And it continued to decline on that basis, unfortunately. As I said, while we sat and watched it, and then it was ultimately driven into bankruptcy.”

Golden Gate Capital declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

California Pizza Kitchen emerged from bankruptcy in November 2020, and Rosenfield, who said he still dines at CPK every several weeks, is optimistic about the chain’s future under new ownership that he believes is “committed” to restoring the brand’s success.

The acquisition of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) by New York-based Consortium Brand Partners was announced in December 2025 for a deal valued just under $300 million. Rosenfield said he is “thrilled” with the direction the restaurant is headed in under the new ownership.

“I believe they want to bring the brand, not only to its former glory, but to new glory,” said Rosenfield. “I have confidence in this team. And for the first time in all these years, my partner, Larry Flax, and I are very excited about where it could go.”

Rosenfield and Flax at the Redondo Beach/South Bay Galleria California Pizza Kitchen on Jan. 15, 2008. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Rosenfield reflected on the legacy he and Flax built from a small, leased space in Beverly Hills, telling Fox News Digital that the 41-year-old restaurant chain “accomplished” exactly what they envisioned from the beginning.

“I love that everybody has a CPK story. That’s what drove me to do the book,” the co-founder said. “It’s accomplished what we wanted. Grandparents, parents, kids all have a place that they can all go to and agree to go to.”

“While I said that I believe that they did damage to the culture in the years past, I think the food has been incredibly consistent. And I’ve always been extremely, I’m extremely proud of the brand,” Rosenfield said.

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Nearly one in four American workers with employer-sponsored health insurance say they are stuck in jobs they want to leave because they fear losing coverage.

About 24% of U.S. workers with job-based insurance – roughly 23 million adults – are experiencing “job lock,” up sharply from 16% in 2021, according to a report from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.

The survey defines job lock as remaining in a job despite wanting to leave due to concerns about losing health insurance.

Nearly one in four American workers with employer-sponsored health insurance say they are stuck in jobs they want to leave because they fear losing coverage. (iStock)

“Job lock is on the rise in America,” the report noted. “Nearly a quarter of U.S. employees report staying in a job they want to leave to keep their health insurance, a powerful constraint on worker mobility, productivity, entrepreneurship and wage growth.”

The surge comes as soaring healthcare costs squeeze household budgets. 

About half of Americans said they struggle to consistently pay for needed medical care or prescriptions, while 51% are worried about affording healthcare over the next year — the highest level in five years, as noted in the report.

OBAMACARE EXCHANGE FLAW EXPOSED AMERICANS TO UNEXPECTED HEALTH PLAN SWITCHES, WATCHDOG FINDS

The survey defines job lock as remaining in a job despite wanting to leave due to concerns about losing health insurance. (iStock)

Workers under greater financial strain were far more likely to report feeling trapped.

Among those with medical debt, 44% reported job lock, more than double the 21% rate among those without medical debt.

ALLERGY MEDICATION RECALLED OVER POSSIBLE DRUG MIX-UP THAT COULD TRIGGER ‘LIFE-THREATENING’ REACTIONS

Workers under greater financial strain were far more likely to report feeling trapped. (iStock)

Nearly half of respondents who cited healthcare costs as a “major financial burden” reported job lock. The rate rose to 53% among those experiencing “a lot of stress” over medical expenses, the report noted.

Chronic health problems also made workers more likely to stay at their jobs. 

About 29% of those with at least one chronic condition reported job lock, compared with 17% of those without one.

That rate grew to 41% among people with three or more diagnoses.

TRUMP’S FIRST-TERM POLICIES HELPED LOWER SOME INSULIN COSTS: HHS REPORT

Chronic health problems also made workers more likely to stay at their jobs. (iStock)

Women were also more likely than men to remain in unwanted jobs for health benefits, at 30% compared with 20%, according to the report.

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The findings were based on a national survey of 5,660 adults conducted from Oct. 27 to Dec. 22, 2025. The analysis focused on 2,322 employed adults with employer-sponsored insurance.

“The effects extend beyond morale – reducing labor market efficiency, upward mobility and quality of life,” as noted in the report. “With coverage tied to employment, a growing share of American workers report making career decisions based on insurance rather than opportunity.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Marvel Studios formally introduced the principal cast of its long-awaited X-Men film and locked in a theatrical release date of May 5, 2028, during Disney’s D23 event on Friday.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige presented the ensemble on stage at the Honda Center. Sadie Sink will play Jean Grey, Kit Connor is Cyclops, Christopher Abbott portrays Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving takes on Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette stars as Rogue and Maya Boyd is Storm. Adam Driver joins as Nathaniel Milbury, the identity associated with the villain Mister Sinister.

Driver appeared via video from Pinewood Studios rather than in person. In the message he referenced long-running discussions with Feige about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Kevin and I have been talking for years about me joining the MCU,” Driver said. “Now I feel like we’ve found the perfect film, at the perfect time, with characters I care deeply about.”

He briefly joked about playing Magneto before correcting himself and confirming the role of Nathaniel Milbury. Additional remarks captured in coverage of the presentation included: “When Kevin told me to show up for X-Men, I assumed he meant on set. So instead of being there in California, I’m here at Pinewood on this very lonely soundstage. … So I’m very excited to be playing Mag…. Nope. Even better. Nathaniel Milbury. So I’ll be right here, waiting for everybody to show up.”

Feige noted that several of the actors had only just met backstage before walking out together. Sink’s casting as Jean Grey had already been established through her appearance in the recent Spider-Man film Brand New Day. Connor’s role as Cyclops and Weaving’s as Emma Frost had been reported in the days leading up to the event and were confirmed on stage.

Jake Schreier, who previously directed Thunderbolts*, is helming the project. Lee Sung Jin, creator of the series Beef, and Joanna Calo, a writer and co-showrunner associated with The Bear and a collaborator on Thunderbolts*, are among the writers developing the screenplay. Michael Lesslie had earlier been attached to an earlier draft.

The announcement marks a significant step in integrating the X-Men into the main MCU timeline following Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox and its Marvel film library. Previous live-action versions of the characters appeared in a series of Fox films that began with X-Men in 2000 and featured actors including Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy as Professor X, Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Halle Berry as Storm, and Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner as Jean Grey. Stewart is set to appear again as Professor X in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for December.

The new film is positioned to arrive after Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected to conclude the current Multiverse Saga. Marvel has indicated the X-Men project will emphasize character-driven storytelling and the interpersonal dynamics that defined classic comic runs, particularly the work of writer Chris Claremont. Schreier and the writing team have spoken in earlier interviews about focusing on personal stakes and the experience of feeling different or marginalized, themes long associated with the mutant characters.

Abbott, known for roles in Girls, Poor Things and the upcoming East of Eden series, steps into the role of the telepathic founder and leader of the X-Men. Boyd, who has Broadway credits including & Juliet, takes on Storm, the weather-controlling mutant previously played by Berry. Navarrette, who gained attention in the recent series Obsession, will portray Rogue, whose power involves absorbing the abilities and memories of others through touch. Connor, recognized from Heartstopper, becomes the optic-blast-wielding field leader Cyclops. Weaving, of Ready or Not, plays the diamond-skinned telepath Emma Frost. Sink continues as the powerful telepath and telekinetic Jean Grey after her introduction in Brand New Day.

Driver’s casting as Mister Sinister brings a classic X-Men antagonist into the MCU for the first time in a major live-action capacity. The character, a geneticist and long-running foe of the team, has appeared in comics for decades under various aliases, including Nathaniel Essex and Nathaniel Milbury.

Casting for the film had been underway for months, with final rounds of testing reported after the Fourth of July holiday. The process drew widespread attention as Marvel assembled a new generation of actors for the property that once ranked among Fox’s most consistent performers at the box office.

The May 5, 2028, date places the movie nearly two decades after the MCU’s launch with Iron Man in 2008. It also positions the film as an early entry in whatever phase follows the Multiverse Saga. Additional casting and story details have not been disclosed. Filming has not yet begun, though Sink has indicated in recent interviews that production on the X-Men project is expected in the near term.

The D23 presentation drew strong reactions from attendees and online audiences following the formal unveiling. The combination of established names such as Driver and Sink with newer faces including Navarrette and Boyd reflects Marvel’s approach of blending recognizable talent with emerging performers for the mutant team.

Further announcements regarding supporting roles, additional mutants or connections to existing MCU storylines are expected in the coming months as development continues under Schreier and the writing team. The film remains untitled beyond its X-Men branding at this stage.

Marvel Studios is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The D23 event continues through the weekend in Anaheim with additional presentations on other Disney properties.