5 things to know for Dec. 4: Immigration, Epstein photos, Boat strikes, Vaccines, Matthew Perry
By Alexandra Banner, CNN
A pilot with the US Air Force’s elite Thunderbirds team ejected safely from a jet before it crashed in California on Wednesday. Video of the incident captured the fiery explosion as the plane plummeted into a dry lakebed.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1️⃣ Immigration
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is spreading to more states, with operations now underway in Minnesota and Louisiana. The sweeps are targeting the “worst of the worst,” or the most violent criminals, according to administration officials — but local leaders say the raids have led to arrests of many people who have no criminal history. Sources tell CNN that agents in Minnesota are targeting Somali immigrants after Trump on Tuesday referred to Somalis in the state as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from.” The Department of Homeland Security also said it intends to make at least 5,000 arrests “or beyond” in Louisiana.
2️⃣ Epstein photos
House Democrats on Wednesday released photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, shining new light on what was once the epicenter of the late convicted sex offender’s decades of abuse of young girls and women. The content shows several bedrooms and what looks like a dentist’s chair in a room with masks on the wall. One photo appears to capture a study featuring a blackboard: Scribbled on it are words like “power,” “deception,” “plots” and “political.” The disclosure comes on the heels of President Trump signing into law a bill compelling the Justice Department to release all the Epstein-related documents in its possession. The release of the Epstein files is highly anticipated and could come in a matter of days.
3️⃣ Boat strikes
Adm. Frank Bradley, a Navy SEAL who now leads US Special Operations Command, will brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill today about the “double-tap” strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean last September — an operation that has stoked bipartisan criticism over the attack’s legality. The controversy centers on who authorized the follow-up strike that apparently killed survivors after the initial attack. If it is confirmed that an order was given to kill them with a second strike, some military and legal experts say the US could be guilty of a war crime or murder.
4️⃣ Vaccines
Former public health officials are sounding the alarm about significant changes to the country’s vaccine policy under the Trump administration. Two public letters this week — one from former commissioners of the FDA and another from former leaders at the CDC — warn that health leadership spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a panel of recently appointed advisers is putting the public’s health at risk with a haphazard approach to vaccine science. The letters come ahead of a pivotal CDC meeting this week, where the committee handpicked by Kennedy is set to make a major change to the childhood vaccine schedule, potentially delaying a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine given to newborns by weeks or even years.
5️⃣ Matthew Perry
A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the “Friends” star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. A judge handed down the sentence on Wednesday to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia in Los Angeles. While Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Perry, he previously admitted to taking advantage of the actor, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings. He was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.
Breakfast browse
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From ‘pathetic’ to ‘unbelievable’
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Weather
🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.
And finally…
▶️ Witchcraft is a growing spiritual path in America
Witchcraft, Wicca, and Paganism are more popular than ever, with some estimates topping 2 million practitioners in the US. CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan meets with modern witches to discover what they’ve found in witchcraft that they haven’t elsewhere.
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Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.
