Search for missing plane, spiking energy costs, shirtless coach: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN Newsource

Published December 4, 2025 4:06 PM

By Tricia Escobedo, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! It’s been more than a decade since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished without a trace, spawning competing theories about what happened. Now, the search for the missing plane is about to resume.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Extreme cold

It’s December, so of course it’s cold outside — but an arctic air mass that’s descended into the US has plunged temperatures 20 to 30 degrees lower than normal for this time of year.

2️⃣ Doctor’s advice

The chilly weather also means more people are getting sick. That’s often the case during the colder months. CNN’s Dr. Leana Wen explains how you can reduce your odds of getting sick or get over your sniffles faster.

3️⃣ Spiking energy costs

Stephanie Tate couldn’t figure out why her energy bills spiked to $400 a month. Nothing was wrong with her HVAC system, and she kept her thermostat at reasonable levels — even bundling up instead of turning up the heat. After a closer look at her bill, she realized that the rising costs had nothing to do with the electricity she was using.

4️⃣ Da Bears

A year ago, Chicago’s NFL team was a laughingstock, heading for last place in the division. Now, their new, often shirtless coach is moving the team to the top of the NFC North and energizing the Bears’ fan base.

5️⃣ Color of the year

Capturing the cultural zeitgeist and trends for the year ahead is a tricky business. But every December, the Pantone Color Institute chooses a single shade to do precisely that. For 2026, the institute says its pick “signifies our desire for a fresh start.” Take a look.

Watch this

⛷️ ‘A life-or-death ride’: American Jim Morrison speaks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper about skiing down Mount Everest’s most challenging route. Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin captured the entire feat for an upcoming documentary.

Top headlines

Admiral briefs Congress as scrutiny builds over strikes on alleged drug boats
Live updates: Immigration enforcement crackdown underway in New Orleans and Twin Cities
FBI arrests man in Jan. 6 DC pipe bomber investigation

Check this out

⛰️ Mysterious formation: Thanks to new drone footage and analysis of pollen grains, researchers have new clues as to why an ancient civilization created thousands of holes in the foothills of southern Peru.

Quiz time

🥚 Police recently arrested a man for stealing a jewel-encrusted Fabergé egg locket in a bizarre way. How did he allegedly make off with the pendant?
A. He gave it to his dog
B. He swallowed it
C. He purchased it with counterfeit money
D. He pretended to be an appraiser
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Trial watch

Brian Walshe’s trial for his wife’s murder continued today with testimony from numerous witnesses, including the man having an affair with Ana Walshe. CNN’s Lauren del Valle is covering the trial and shared these insights from today’s testimony:

Extramarital affair: Walshe came face to face for the first time with the man who was having an affair with his wife before her death. William Fastow testified that he started an intimate relationship with Ana Walshe weeks after she relocated to Washington DC in the spring of 2022. According to Fastow, Ana never said she had plans to leave her husband for Fastow. Brian Walshe called Fastow on January 4, 2023, to see if Fastow had heard from Ana, claiming she was missing. Walshe has denied knowing about his wife’s affair before her death.
Brian Walshe’s movements: The jury saw surveillance footage and GPS data from Brian Walshe’s phones that prosecutors have said led investigators to believe Walshe bought supplies to dismember his wife and then dispose of her body and belongings after her death. The video appeared to show a man throwing away a black bag in an apartment complex dumpster on January 3, 2023. Cell phone data placed Brian Walshe’s phone at that location at the same time, according to witness testimony.

We’ll continue to feature del Valle’s reporting in this newsletter throughout the trial. For more on today’s testimony, click here.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Video: Emergency teams pulled a driver from a tractor-trailer dangling off a bridge

🧠 Quiz answer: B. Police say the man swallowed the Fabergé James Bond Octopussy Egg locket worth $19,300. At the time of the report, the pendant had not been recovered.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson, Chris Good and Jordan D. Brown.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

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