Trump 2.0 drama, stellar secrets, financial stress: Catch up on the day’s stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Worrying about money could age the heart even faster than traditional risk factors of cardiovascular disease, a new study found. A doctor explains how you can manage financial stress.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.
5 things
1️⃣ Trump 2.0
From an explosive sit-down with Volodymyr Zelensky to an unexpectedly friendly meeting with Zohran Mamdani, the Oval Office has seen plenty of drama in President Donald Trump’s first year back. These are some of the most memorable moments.
2️⃣ ‘Water bankruptcy’
The world has entered a new era of severe shortages with irreversible consequences, according to a United Nations report. Kabul, Mexico City and states in the US Southwest are just a few of the places with dire concerns.
3️⃣ A deadly comeback?
A measles outbreak in Texas was one of the worst the US has seen in decades — part of a record-breaking year for the disease. The first two weeks of 2026 have been bad, and the continuous spread worries health experts.
4️⃣ Stellar secrets
The red supergiant star Betelgeuse is full of mysteries. Astronomers have uncovered a new piece of evidence that might solve the biggest one.
5️⃣ Island paradise
Palmarola is a beautiful but rugged sliver of land off the western coast of Italy. There are no roads, no phone signal — and almost no tourists.
Watch this
🥶 Taking it to extremes: Russia’s “Pole of Cold” is one of the world’s most challenging races because runners must brave brutal temperatures in northeast Siberia. See what it’s like at 40 degrees below Celsius.
Top headlines
- Trump hints at alternate tactics to acquire Greenland as he heads to Davos
- Exclusive: Justice Department leadership pushed FBI to investigate campaign contributions to Minnesota officials
- A major winter storm is brewing. It’s likely to unleash dangerous ice and snow from the Plains to the East Coast
Check this out
👠 ‘Sexistential’ vibe: With a new album coming out in March, Swedish musician Robyn is back — and so is her madcap sense of style.
For CNN subscribers
- Tired of AI, people are committing to the analog lifestyle in 2026
- ‘ICE is using my business as a hunting ground’: What happened to Minneapolis businesses when ICE came to town
- Analysis: The path to a Democratic Senate majority runs through these voters
Quiz time
🪖 Rebranding the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost up to how much?
A. $10 million
B. $55 million
C. $80 million
D. $125 million
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
Thanks for reading
✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: A year into Trump’s second term, Iowa voters offer clues for the midterm elections
🧠 Quiz answer: D. The rebranding — per Trump’s executive order — could cost up to $125 million, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.
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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Jordan D. Brown.
