Portable mortgages, disaster relief robots, the future of online shopping: Check out the day’s stories
By Sarah Hutter, CNN
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Heading home for the holidays? You might want to brace yourself. One major budget airline is facing serious financial turbulence, and it could shake up plans (and prices) for millions of travelers this season.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.
5 things
1️⃣ Portable mortgages
Owning a home is becoming increasingly out of reach, leaving younger generations frustrated. The Trump administration is floating a proposal aimed at making housing more affordable — but critics warn it could have unintended consequences.
2️⃣ Prison privileges
From unlimited toilet paper to special arrangements for guests, some prison rules don’t always appear to apply to Ghislaine Maxwell. Sources reveal what life behind bars looks like for Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous right-hand woman.
3️⃣ You are what you eat
As is true for many of us, french fries are the key to my heart. But ultraprocessed foods — mainly breads, beverages and breakfast items — are linked to a sharp rise in colorectal cancers in young people. A new, first-of-its-kind study may help explain why.
4️⃣ Future of online shopping
You can already buy almost anything with a click. Now tech giants are racing to build AI assistants that could shop for you — and change e-commerce forever.
5️⃣ Forget Christmas
Holiday season is here, with sparkling markets, mulled wine and ice skating. But while most of the world is soaking up the festive cheer, one Sicilian town is already turning its attention to what comes next: Easter.
Watch this
🤖 Tech for good: Inside a Swiss military training center, student-built and startup-designed robots face simulated disaster zones — testing their ability to search for survivors and aid relief efforts.
Top headlines
- Trump administration sues to stop California from redistricting to give Democrats more seats
- Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall but ‘doing well,’ spokesperson says
- Mess left at America’s national parks after shutdown, group says
Check this out
🤠 Challenging gender norms: What does a cowgirl look like? You might imagine flannel shirts, Stetson hats and bootcut jeans. But in escaramuza, the all-female equestrian sport imported by the US from Mexico, the answer is a little different.
Quiz time
📝 What did the Collins Dictionary name as Word of the Year for 2025?
A. Auramaxxing
B. Clanker
C. Vibe coding
D. Broligarchy
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
Thanks for reading
✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Bridge partially collapses in China
👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: C. “Vibe coding,” a form of software development that involves turning natural language into computer code by using artificial intelligence, was the winner on this year’s list.
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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Chris Good.
