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V Spehar is keeping their promise while delivering the news on social media

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V Spehar at a news desk surrounded by logos.

To consume the news is no longer a simple matter of opening the newspaper or turning on the television. Now, more than ever, America's number one news source is social media. But in a sea of infographics, how is one to find trusted sources?

V Spehar, perhaps better known by their handle UnderTheDeskNews, provides thorough and informative news in a comforting package.

While V used to take news hits from under the safety of their desk, they've come out from under the desk and are encouraging their audience to do the same. To no longer be scared of the world and instead come out of hiding. As both a journalist and a content creator, V made a promise to their audience to deliver the news in a safe way to protect everyone's emotional health. Nearly five years on the job, they're still holding up their end of the bargain even as the news cycle gets heavier each day. At VidCon 2025, we sat down with V to discuss how they've grown their platform without losing audience trust.

V Spehar surrounded by a phone, mic and TikTok logo

In 2020, V Spehar pivoted from culinary to news content and UnderTheDeskNews was born.
Credit: V Spehar / Røde / Mashable

I would love to know what freedom content creation has given you as a journalist?

My whole life, I thought that if I could just get this job in the industry, then I'd be set for life, and I'd be comfortable. I'd have achieved something. And when I was the director of impact for the James Beard Foundation, I felt like I had achieved that. But I didn't. When I got the big girl job, I didn't feel super comfortable or taken care of. When I started making content, I had no expectations. I just did it for fun to start off. And now I have actually created the life for myself and the financial structure for myself that no amount of doing it the right way was giving me.

I hear that from many creators. I think content creation gives people a sense of empowerment.

It is just as hard for me to be a content creator and own Spehar Entertainment, which is the LLC that everything goes through. And we chose entertainment, intentionally mocking the Fox Entertainment, because I was afraid to be like, "I'm not gonna establish myself as a media company. That's so scary. I'll just be entertainment." I work just as hard, but I have more control of myself and my time. And I come to find out I love working with people. I don't love being in a corporate structure.

You're an essential news source for so many young people. How does that affect your approach to content creation?

Because I came into this a little bit older, and I had already established successful businesses before, I knew the thing I needed to start with was a promise to the audience — What am I selling? What's the product? And the product and the promise is that I will give you the day's news and events in a kind way from a safe space. I will give you current political topics that center [on] your emotional safety to learn. And that is the north star and the ethos and the boundary and the gutters of every single thing that I make.

I've spoken to a lot of creators about how they feel like it's really important to find a niche. Do you feel like it was that under-the-desk format that gave it a certain angle?

I think that was a visual representation of the promise. And as time went on and I gained their trust. I haven't actually been physically under the desk in over a year because the vibe is still there, the promise is still there, under the desk. It was a mandatory visual representation of what I was promising, and I had to be good on that promise long enough to come out of that box. I still like being under the desk sometimes, and if something's really sad, then we go back under the desk.

When Trump got elected, I said, "OK, I'll do the first 100 days under the desk." And I did, but it was actually making people a little sad, because they were like, "Oh, we're back hiding."

When I started to be out in public, and I started doing speaking gigs or going on TV or doing different stuff, people were really unnerved by me physically standing. It would take them a while to adjust. And so I was like to get everyone used to the fact that I have a full body, and that I could be upright, because even the physical angle is so different. So I'm glad that we have come out from under the desk. There's so much world that we have to visit, and I wouldn't be able to do things like gives speeches in Springfield, Missouri for queer communities that are never seen.

The news cycle is heavy right now. How are you taking care of yourself and avoiding burnout as a creator?

I lean on the other people who are doing incredible news creation. So let's say I don't do breaking news, because Aaron Parnas does it every 15 seconds. There's a skill and a group of people that want that, but I don't feel like I have to compete with that. We know there's a 40 percent crossover between my audience and his, that if they got that story, I'm moving on.

Before Trump was president, I could report on things that were happening, even if they were difficult. For example, the fall of Afghanistan was incredibly difficult, but it was happening, and I could trust that what was being reported from the Pentagon was factual. We could watch it on television or on social media.

Now, I have to hear what the White House or the Pentagon has said, fact-check it against my sources, and then also convince the audience that I am right. For example, when Pete Hegseth said he was sending 700 Marines from Camp Pendleton into Los Angeles, my contact was like, "It's not Camp Pendleton; it's Twentynine Palms, and the civilians may not know, but there's a big difference between Camp Pendleton, which is basic."

We're talking 17, 18, 19-year-olds. And Twentynine Palms, are Marines, who are 22, 23, 24, so they're still young, but they're full Marines. So I was like, OK, I'm like, they're not from Camp Pendleton, they're from Twentynine Palms, so this is what they're trained for, crowd control and riots. And people were like, that's not what Hegseth said. I say I know, but I also know I'm right.

The intent of the Trump administration, oftentimes, is to sow chaos and division and get people all worked up about something so that they can continue to push through with things that aren't happening. So I tend to try to be like, OK, Donald Trump has signed an executive order saying that trans women have to go to male prisons. Well, that's already been challenged, and it's actually already been won in court, and it never happened. So let's be calm on that one.

Do you ever feel tension between you and the audience when they're coming in with a really intense energy of panic, and you have to de-escalate while acknowledging their concerns?

So I have definitely done this more. I think there's like, being a journalist, and then there's being a creator, and creators care for the audience, the emotions, and thoughts. And journalists are supposed not to do that, so it's very tricky to walk that line, so I will give a little bit of both. So something happens, I'll be like, this is actually fucked up. If you feel like it's fucked up, it's because it is. And here's what's likely to come next. And then I can tell the truth that way.

And I have to do that a lot more than I want to, but you do have to do it because this idea of objectivity or just telling the facts, well, they don't provide facts, so you actually have to fill it in with historical evidence. Sometimes I feel like I do more history than telling them what's happening now, so that we're all kind of caught up.

As a creator, what was your experience in gaining a following? Was it one video that really took off, or a slow and steady build?

I started as a culinary creator. So I used to make cheeseburgers, all different kinds of crazy cheeseburgers and stuff you could use from stuff in your pantry.

So I was like doing that, just to try and give myself something to do in the pandemic. And I got a culinary following first. So I was like, food famous, before I switched over to doing the news. I never looked at the follower count. I always looked for return customers. I think I was trained for that from a culinary standpoint. It's like when you look at how many covers you have that night at a restaurant. We got 700 tonight. This is what it means for my staff.

But I'd be like, "Oh, Lisa's gonna be here tonight. I fucking love her". So I treat content like that. I'm always looking for my regulars.

At what point did you decide to cover the news full-time?

When I got laid off from the James Beard Foundation. So I got furloughed first, and so I really thought this dream job that I had achieved and spent so much of my time working towards would come back. And there came a point when I realized it wasn't going to come back. And also, it wasn't the same anymore, either. I had seen too much of how devalued I was to them. And then I was doing consulting work for food. I was working on, like, how we were gonna get veterans meals delivered while they were unhoused during the pandemic.

It wasn't until I actually got asked to be a featured creator at VidCon. I certainly didn't know what a featured creator was, and I didn't have management or anything. I showed up here just to do a panel or something. There were like 70,000 people who came to that first VidCon I attended. And that's when I started to be, like, this is a job, job.

Daniel from Palette Management was at my first VidCon. They were brand new at that time — I don't even know who they had signed. And he was like, "Hi, we were hoping to talk to you."

I was like, Okay. And he's like, "Where's your manager? I was like, "What do you mean?" And he's like, "Are you here alone? Oh God, oh no, don't be alone."

For content creation tools, what are the essentials you're using?

Røde Microphones. And I don't have a partnership. I don't make any money off of it. But I spent so much money on so many different pieces of equipment. So I had all the different types of lights, from the ones that go on your phone to big pancake lights. Now I have a studio light. I have all this stuff. I have all these different things, and I had all these different types of microphones, and the only ones that ever really worked were the like, plug-in earphones

I'll buy a car, but I won't buy, like, a $149 microphone. And Daniel ended up buying them for me with my money. So I started using them, and there was something about the sound quality and the way that it felt, and then I felt like I owed it to the audience to give them that superior sound.

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Hurdle hints and answers for September 24, 2025

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

To creep around.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SNEAK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A long-legged bird.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

STORK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To throw.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

CHUCK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

More accurate.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRUER

Final Hurdle hint

They show when one smiles.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TEETH

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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Five burning questions we have for Alien: Earth Season 2

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This summer, FX's Alien: Earth latched onto my brain like a Facehugger latches onto a new host.

Now, with the release of the show's Season 1 finale, you'd think that Facehugger would drop off and leave me be. You'd be wrong! Instead, the Season 1 finale leaves viewers with some major questions we'll be puzzling over until the show's potential return.

Here are the five biggest questions we have for Alien: Earth Season 2.

What does a Neverland run by hybrids look like?

Season 1 of Alien: Earth ends with the group of hybrids known as the Lost Boys in total control over the Neverland research facility. They've imprisoned Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), Morrow (Babou Ceesay), Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis), and Atom Eins (Adrian Edmondson). Now, with the adults out of the way, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) declares it's time for the hybrids to "rule."

But what will their rule entail? Will they stay on Neverland, or will they try to extend their authority to the rest of the world? Will they remain fast allies, or will they turn against one another and go full Lord of the Flies on their new island kingdom?

How will Weyland-Yutani and Alien: Earth's other corporations react to Boy Kavalier's plight?

Sandra Yi Sencindiver in "Alien: Earth."

Sandra Yi Sencindiver in "Alien: Earth."
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX

By the end of Alien: Earth Season 1, Weyland-Yutani is closing in on Neverland in order to take back the specimens Boy Kavalier stole. But will Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) change tack when she realizes her rival is being held captive? Will she leave the island alone or try to stage a hostile takeover? Perhaps her priorities will change entirely, shifting from trying to capture the alien specimens to trying to perfect Boy Kavalier's revolutionary hybrid tech. Either way, her looming presence does not bode well for the newly independent hybrids.

Weyland-Yutani isn't the only other major corporation on the board in Alien: Earth, though. There are three other corporations we haven't truly met yet: Dynamic, Lynch, and Threshold. Could they be joining the party in Alien: Earth's future?

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

What's next for the loose orchid and eyeball aliens?

While the Xenomorph may be under Wendy's control, there are still several alien threats running wild on the island. In the Season 1 finale, the orchid alien (aka D. Plumbicare) revealed that it could turn into a floating, octopus-like creature and got loose in Neverland. I would not want to be walking around the island with that out there, that's for sure.

But that's not all: Alien: Earth's breakout star, the eyeball alien T. Ocellus, found a new host in the corpse of Arthur Sylvia (David Rysdahl). We've seen T. Ocellus take over a cat corpse and a human body, but now we get to see it go full zombie mode in what might be Alien: Earth's coolest development yet. But what's T. Ocellus's plan while in Arthur's body? Will it try to find a new, stronger host in, say, a hybrid? (And what would that look like?) Will it finally have a conversation with its biggest fan, Boy Kavalier? And how in the world will Dame react when she sees her beloved husband with a massive new eyeball and a burst-open chest? Bring on the zombie shenanigans!

Will the Xenomorph continue serving Wendy, or will it rebel?

Sydney Chandler in "Alien: Earth."

Sydney Chandler in "Alien: Earth."
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX

For now, Wendy and her Xenomorph seem pretty tight. But what happens if the Xenomorph goes through a rebellious teenage phase and decides it doesn't want to serve its human mother figure anymore? Could the hybrids lose their grip on Neverland if the apex predator at their disposal decides to turn on them?

Wendy's Xenomorph also isn't the only Xenomorph on the island. There's also the specimen that burst out of Arthur's chest. As it grows, will it become territorial with Wendy's Xenomorph, or will it join the hybrid-Xeno family and view Wendy as its queen? If so, what are the odds Wendy tries to build a whole Xenomorph army?

How will Alien: Earth tie back to Alien?

The question hanging over any prequel is "how will this tie back to the original?" and with Alien: Earth, that question is especially pressing, given that it takes place two years before the events of Alien. By that point, there are no mentions of hybrid technology, nor are there any mentions of them in the sequels. So what will happen to the hybrids between then and now to render them obsolete? It's a daunting question, but it's one that Alien: Earth will certainly have to contend with as it closes in on the original films.

Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu.

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Alien: Earths game-changing ending, explained

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After eight episodes of terrifying new creatures, Alien homages, and existential questions about the future of humanity, Alien: Earth Season 1 has come to a close. And what a close it was.

The finale, titled "The Real Monsters," flips the power dynamic that's been in place for the entire season. By the end of the episode, the hybrid Lost Boys, led by Wendy (Sydney Chandler), have gained total control over their keepers, including Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) and Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis). This power shift has been in the cards since Alien: Earth's first episode, but how do we get here? Let's break it down.

Alien: Earth's hybrids finally realize how strong they are.

Alex Lawther, Sydney Chandler, and Lily Newmark in "Alien: Earth."

Alex Lawther, Sydney Chandler, and Lily Newmark in "Alien: Earth."
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX

From the first moment Alien: Earth introduces Wendy in her super-strong, super-fast, super-durable hybrid body, it's clear that she and her fellow Lost Boys could absolutely wreck Prodigy's Neverland security team if they wanted to. That idea doesn't cross their minds, though. Instead, the Lost Boys are still children in consciousness, and they believe Neverland to be a safe paradise for them.

However, this idea erodes over the course of Alien: Earth's first season, as the Lost Boys lose confidence in the people they've been told to trust. They're endangered and experimented on. Nibs' (Lily Newmark) traumatic memories were manipulated. Isaac (Kit Young) died while tending to the alien specimens. Morrow (Babou Ceesay) threatened to kill Slightly's (Adarsh Gourav) family. Each horrifying incident wears away at the Lost Boys' childlike innocence, turning the idyllic Neverland into a hell on Earth.

Ironically, these incidents only increase the Lost Boys' feelings of powerlessness, even though they're the most powerful beings on Prodigy's remote island. But it's also in one of those scenes of powerlessness — when Prodigy forces corner Nibs, Wendy, and her brother Joe aka Hermit (Alex Lawther) on their escape boat in episode 7 — that the Lost Boys begin to realize their power. Nibs fully rips a soldier's jaw off, leaving Hermit to shoot (but not kill) her. Here, a horrified Wendy learns two things. First: Humans, including her brother, are terrified of the hybrids. Second: They have good reason to be. The hybrids are extremely dangerous. So why not embrace that?

That's the realization Wendy comes to in Alien: Earth's Season 1 finale. "All this time, we've been afraid of them," she tells the Lost Boys as they sit trapped in a Neverland cage. "But I think they should be afraid of us."

The Peter Pan allegories come to a head in the Alien: Earth Season 1 finale.

Sydney Chandler and Alex Lawther in "Alien: Earth."

Sydney Chandler and Alex Lawther in "Alien: Earth."
Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

Embracing the Neverland staffers' fear of them is the final stage in the Lost Boys' loss of their childish innocence. Or, in terms of Boy Kavalier's relentless Peter Pan references, this is them finally "growing up." However, that's exactly what the Prodigy founder and the rest of Neverland don't want to happen. As Wendy puts it, "We're all in this cell because we can't be kids anymore, but they won't let us be adults."

Nibs has another suggestion for what they are, one that's especially fitting after seeing the graves of their dead human bodies. "We're all ghosts," she says.

So what do these ghosts do? They turn Neverland into a haunted house, with Wendy using her in-built connection to the facility to manipulate video feeds, elevators, and doors to terrify every last soldier and scientist. Of course, having a Xenomorph at your beck and call helps too.

The entire episode serves as both a liberation for the Lost Boys and an identity crisis for Wendy, otherwise known by her human name, Marcy. She tells her brother, "I don't know what I am. I'm not a child. I'm not a grown-up. I'm not Marcy. I'm not Wendy. And I can't be what everyone wants me to be."

(Earlier in the season, Joe even questions whether Wendy truly holds his sister's consciousness, yet another blow to one of the pillars of Wendy's identity.)

Wendy's statement reflects the binaries in the world of Alien: Earth. Child and adult. Human and synthetic. Hybrids exist somewhere in between, blurring boundaries and creating a new kind of personhood. Wendy and the Lost Boys have spent the entire series having not just new names but entirely new identities imposed on them by exterior forces. Now, they get to make their own. Fellow hybrid Curly (Erana James) embraces her former name, Jane, as Wendy reminds each of the Lost Boys of theirs — a move the late Isaac, formerly Tootles, only enjoyed for an afternoon.

Wendy's identity crisis also explains her affinity for the Maginot aliens, whom she considers "honest." These creatures are wholly themselves, unlike liars such as Boy Kavalier. As Wendy points out, he considers himself Peter Pan, but he was never truly a boy. He was always a "mean, angry little man," just like his abusive father. Ouch. I'm not sure he'll be picking up a copy of Peter Pan any time soon after that.

"Now we rule."

Sydney Chandler in "Alien: Earth."

Sydney Chandler in "Alien: Earth."
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX

"The Real Monsters" ends with Wendy and the Lost Boys holding all of the authority figures in their lives hostage in the same cage they were formerly incarcerated in, prompting Wendy's declaration that, "now, we rule." Even Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), their Prodigy synth senior, and Morrow, their cyborg antagonist, now answer to them.

The hybrids finally taking control is undoubtedly worthy of Alien: Earth's last hard-rocking needle drop. But it's certainly not the end of the Lost Boys' story. After all, the Weyland-Yutani forces are still encroaching on the island with numerous Prodigy forces still left, hinting at more conflict ahead. Plus, the alien orchid is loose, and T. Ocellus has found a new host in the chestburst corpse of Arthur Sylvia (David Rysdahl). That's a lot of threats for these still-young hybrids to deal with. How will they be able to fight off their enemies and learn how to rule their island?

That question of what it will look like for hybrids to "rule" hints at an intriguing new literary reference point for a possible Alien: Earth Season 2. If Season 1 was the Lost Boys growing up in the style of Peter Pan, then Season 2 might just see them learning to survive on an island in the vein of Lord of the Flies. With that in mind, who's Piggy, who's Ralph, and will the Xenomorph's head somehow wind up on the end of a pointy stick?

Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu.

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