Why cultural life is thriving in Ukraine, a troubling tobacco trend, financial resolutions: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN Newsource

Published December 30, 2024 2:20 pm

By Daniel Wine, CNN

Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here.

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! If you want to get your financial life in order in 2025, that’s an admirable goal. We talked to experts who offered some suggestions. First and foremost, keep your list short and specific.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:

5 things

1️⃣ Enjoying the arts: People in Ukraine are flocking to the theater to attend sold-out plays and singing songs in shelters during air raids. Bookstores are booming in Kyiv. Despite a grueling war with Russia, cultural life is thriving.

2️⃣ Behind bars: Inmates are learning to code and build websites from scratch, and studies show that educational programs like these keep people from committing more crimes. But when the prisoners are freed, jobs might be hard to come by.

3️⃣ Tobacco trend: Tiny packets of nicotine have quickly become a big problem for parents and schools. They’re available at gas stations and convenience stores under names like Zyn and O! Rogue — and for young users, they’re especially hard to quit.

4️⃣ Disney deals: The theme park giant — long criticized for its high-priced tickets — is trying to simplify its park offerings so guests can figure out how to travel on a budget without needing a doctorate in Disney World. It’s also emphasizing value over price.

5️⃣ Pop culture: Era-defining albums, the return of the blockbuster movie musical and a devastatingly cute pygmy hippo. Take a stroll down memory lane as we revisit 2024’s top trends and crazes. Our culture writers were very demure and very mindful in putting this list together.

Watch this

☕ Caffeine high: An adventure company in Laos is offering brave travelers a coffee break with a waterfall view — while suspended from a zipline 1,000 feet off the ground.

Top headlines

• Federal appeals court upholds sexual abuse verdict against Trump
• 5 people charged in connection with Liam Payne’s death, prosecutor says
• Jimmy Carter took steps to help millions resettle in America, but it cost him politically

46%

🗳️ That’s the percentage of the world’s population living in countries that held elections in 2024.

Check this out

🌊 Under the sea: Tunnels like this one connect remote islands halfway between Iceland and Scotland. Drivers often make several turns around the eye-catching roundabout to take it all in.

Quotable

🎓 Concerns at college: Fear and uncertainty are spreading at US universities ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, with some schools urging international students to return early from winter break amid promises of another travel ban.

Quiz time

🎞️ Christopher Nolan will be directing a star-studded adaptation of which piece of classic literature?
A. “Moby Dick”
B. “The Odyssey”
C. “Don Quixote”
D. “The Iliad”
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Good vibes

🏀 Filling a niche: People told Jenny Nguyen that no one goes to a bar to watch women’s sports. She set out to prove them wrong, and now The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, is thriving and looking to expand.

Thanks for reading

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: B. Nolan will direct a cinematic adaptation of “The Odyssey,” an ancient poem written by Homer.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Chris Good, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

Jump to comments ↓