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Appeal of home-swapping, why you’re always tired, zombie spider fungus: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Kimberly Richardson, 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’re always feeling tired or sleepy, trust me, you’re not alone. But it might be time to see a professional. Experts say these health conditions could be contributing to your exhaustion.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Sharing is caring: Chances are you’re aware of HomeExchange thanks to “The Holiday,” a movie where Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet trade their homes and lives and find love along the way. But would you actually swap homes with a stranger? See why it’s becoming more appealing.

2️⃣ File your taxes yet? It’s the middle of tax season and with DOGE requesting access to IRS data systems, things could become complicated. From receiving your refund in a timely manner to simply uploading a document, here are the potential problems you could face. ➕ Judge rejects call from Democratic AGs for temporary restraining order blocking DOGE’s access to federal data

3️⃣ ‘Heinous’ crime: A young mother and her son were found dead in their Nebraska home in 1979. Forty-five years later, a forensic breakthrough has led to the arrest of a man long suspected in the cold case.

4️⃣ Weather holds a clue: If you’ve been to the grocery store recently, you know egg prices are through the roof (if you can even find any). That’s largely because of the avian flu outbreak, and a new study suggests that wind may be partly to blame for spreading the virus between farms.

5️⃣ Logging off: Inspired by recent trends, such as boycotts of Meta and X, CNN writer Leah Asmelash decided to take a three-day break from social media. In 2025, is it really possible to unplug? This was her experience.

Watch this

❄️ Hail no: It’s hard to imagine what 700,000 pounds of snow looks like, but that was the estimated accumulation on top of a gym roof before it collapsed at an Oregon high school. The gymnasium was empty, and no injuries were reported, according to the school district.

Top headlines

• A Delta flight crashed and overturned while landing in Toronto. Here’s what we know
Hamas says it will release bodies of four hostages, including Bibas children, on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday
• Analysis: US-Russia summit ends in a partial victory for Moscow — and a reversal on Europe
Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs as tests show ‘complex picture,’ Vatican says

$0

💰 That’s how much director Brady Corbet says he made from his Oscar-nominated movie “The Brutalist,” noting he isn’t the only filmmaker struggling with the financial state of the industry.

Check this out

🕷️ Not so fungi: If spiders aren’t your thing, keep scrolling because this discovery is sure to give you nightmares. Scientists have identified a fungus that lures the arachnids from their webs and turns them into “zombies.” Freaky but cool, right?

Quotable

Abusive rhetoric: Telfer — the first out transgender athlete to win an NCAA title — says the fight for acceptance has become even more challenging in the weeks since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Quiz time

🪄 The Harry Potter Studio Tour experience, currently in London and Tokyo, will be available in which city next?
A. Paris
B. Atlanta
C. Shanghai
D. New York City
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Celebrity corner

⭐ That’s her jam: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has relaunched her lifestyle brand, naming it As Ever. She said she’d secured the new business name in 2022 and had been waiting to share the news publicly. And don’t worry, fruit preserves will still be available.

Good vibes

💪 Resilient fluff-balls: Wombats are one of Australia’s most iconic animals, but one species — the northern hairy-nosed wombat — nearly disappeared for good in the 1980s. Conservation efforts have brought it back from the brink of extinction. Take a look at photos of the cute creatures.

Thanks for reading

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: C. Warner Bros. Discovery announced the interactive experience is expected to open in Shanghai in 2027. WBD is the parent company of CNN.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

Today’s 5 Things PM was edited by CNN’s Meghan Pryce and Andrew Torgan.

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