The dangers of deepfakes, how to quiet food noise, movie preview: Catch up on the day’s stories

Published January 2, 2025 3:23 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! Did you know your tonsils can actually grow back? It’s rare, but if you need to have them removed, adults typically have a longer and more difficult recovery from the surgery than kids do. Make sure you have plenty of popsicles on hand.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Deepfake dangers: Your kids have probably seen inauthentic images or videos of people from school — including some sexually explicit ones. Here’s what parents should know about the potential risks and how to start the conversation.

2️⃣ Time to pay up: Rolex watches have never been known for their affordability and — thanks to the soaring price of gold — they’re getting even more expensive. Experts say that’s unlikely to deter wealthy fans of the Swiss company’s luxury products.

3️⃣ ‘An insatiable itch’: You might be familiar with that relentless internal chatter about food that many people experience. It can be overwhelming. Here’s why some are turning to weight-loss medications to help quiet food noise.

4️⃣ AI worries: Despite its lucrative movie tie-ins, the comic book industry has been on the verge of collapse multiple times over the decades. Some artists worry that artificial intelligence could kill it for good.

5️⃣ Movie preview: After a year filled with mutants, aliens, gladiators and witches, there’s a new crop of films on the horizon. CNN’s entertainment team put together a list of the ones they’re looking forward to watching.

Watch this

🍺 Cheers to that! Athletic Brewing Company has grown into one of the largest craft breweries in the US. The founders explained the humble beginnings of their non-alcoholic beer, from brewing in a garage a few years ago to producing millions of cans each year — and how they manage to make it taste good.

Top headlines

• Driver in New Orleans terror attack acted alone, FBI says
• Authorities identify driver of Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas
• Johnson allies warn that a speakership battle could delay Trump’s victory certification

770,000

🏠 That’s the record-high number of people who were homeless in the US in 2024, according to new government data.

Check this out

🚀 Gateway to space: In a remote area of Kazakhstan, photographer Andrew McConnell captured astronauts’ return from the International Space Station and the nomadic communities whose lives became intertwined with space travel.

Celebrity corner

⭐ ‘Women are strong’: Jennifer Lopez had a rocky 2024 — canceling her concert tour and filing for divorce from Ben Affleck. But the singer and actress said she’s bouncing back and drawing inspiration from her next movie role playing a determined single mother in “Unstoppable.”

Quiz time

🚬 A new study found that smoking a single cigarette can reduce your life expectancy by how much?
A. 1 year
B. 4 months
C. 3 days
D. 20 minutes
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Good vibes

❤️‍🩹 Parents united: Gabby Petito’s father is turning tragedy into purpose by advocating for missing people of color. Joseph Petito, whose daughter’s disappearance and death in 2021 dominated the headlines for weeks, said he understands the frustrations of other parents and wants to do whatever he can to help bring attention to their cases.

Thanks for reading

🧠 Quiz answer: D. Each cigarette someone smokes can take about 20 minutes off their life expectancy overall, according to new research based on British smokers. The average score on our Year in Review quiz is 15. Think you can do better?
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

Today’s 5 Things PM was edited by CNN’s Alexandra Banner and Kimberly Richardson.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

Jump to comments ↓