By Daniel Wine, CNN

Welcome to 5 Things PM! James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as a teen idol on the hit TV series “Dawson’s Creek,” has died at age 48. In 2024, the actor said he was battling colorectal cancer.

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

5 things

1⃣ Crime numbers

Most major US cities experienced a steep drop in violent crime last year, according to new data. The analysis reflects an overall downward trend in recent years, after a spike during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2⃣ Tulips and tuna

Old fishing nets — once used to protect flowers in the Netherlands — are getting a new lease on life. They’re now helping to save Ukrainian soldiers and civilians by catching Russian drones.

3⃣ Timing is everything

Researchers tried an experiment with people who had the same kind of lung cancer and split them into two groups. They discovered that how well a treatment works may depend on the time of day you get it.

4⃣ Trouble in paradise

After a K-pop star’s post went viral, Australia’s once-peaceful Lincoln’s Rock was flooded with selfie-seekers, forcing closures and igniting tensions. Here’s how this beautiful spot spiraled into crisis.

5⃣ Redefining fine dining

Acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson talks about African food as deeply rooted, spiritually grounded and quietly confident. He believes it’s the future of global cuisine.

Watch this

‘They’re very special’: On the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Italy, the longstanding tradition of pin trading is going strong. See why it’s so popular.

Top headlines

• 5 takeaways from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s fiery testimony at House hearing
• FBI searching roads near Nancy Guthrie’s home as man detained in case says he wants to clear his name
• Surprise US military plans to use counter-drone laser triggered El Paso airspace closure, sources say

Check this out

Believe it or not: Kids love to play pretend, holding imaginary tea parties or teaching a lesson to their teddy bears. A new study suggests it’s not a uniquely human talent.

For CNN subscribers

• Trump forges ahead with p

Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

El Gobierno de Estados Unidos dijo este miércoles estar “preocupado” por la posibilidad de que el Gobierno de Perú pierda facultades para supervisar el puerto de Chancay, una megaterminal inaugurada en noviembre de 2024 y que es operada por la empresa Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Perú, donde la inversión mayoritaria proviene de China.

Washington lanzó su advertencia a través de un mensaje de la Oficina para Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental del Departamento de Estado.

“Preocupados por los últimos informes que indican que Perú podría verse imposibilitado de supervisar Chancay, uno de sus puertos más importantes, bajo la jurisdicción de propietarios chinos depredadores. Apoyamos el derecho soberano de Perú a supervisar infraestructura crítica en su propio territorio. Que esto sirva de advertencia para la región y el mundo: el dinero barato chino cuesta soberanía”, dijo la Oficina en X.

Minutos después, el embajador de Estados Unidos en Perú, Bernie Navarro, replicó el mensaje y añadió en la misma red social: “Todo tiene un precio, y (a) la larga lo barato sale caro. No hay precio más alto que perder soberanía”.

Estos mensajes se producen luego de un fallo judicial de primera instancia que, tras analizar un amparo promovido por Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Perú, limitó los poderes gubernamentales sobre el puerto.

La resolución, dada a conocer por medios como el sitio de negocios Intellinews, señala que el Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Infraestructura de Transporte de Uso Público (Ositrán), tendrá restricciones para supervisar, regular, inspeccionar y sancionar las operaciones en Chancay.

El 6 de febrero, el Ositrán dijo en un comunicado que para entonces no había sido notificado de algún fallo judicial al respecto y defendió sus facultades sobre los puertos del país.

“Aprovechamos la oportunidad para recordar que el marco normativo peruano vigente le otorga al Ositrán las facultades de supervisar y fiscalizar las infraestructuras de Transporte de Uso Público, incluyendo los puertos de titularidad privada y de uso público, como es el Terminal Portuario Multipropósito de Chancay, a efectos de garantizar un servicio idóneo para los usuarios”, señaló.

CNN contactó al Ositrán para pedir comentarios sobre los señalamientos de Estados Unidos y está en espera de respuesta.

Inaugurado en noviembre de 2024 por la entonces presidenta de Perú, Dina Boluarte, y el presidente de China, Xi Jinping, el puerto de Chancay se abrió con la promesa de agilizar el comercio entre América y Asia y ser una de las principales terminales portuarias del mundo. Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Perú es una empresa en 60 % propiedad de Cosco Shipping Ports Limited, en la que el Estado chino es el accionista mayoritario, mientras que el 40 % restante es de la compañía peruana Inversiones Portuarias Chancay.

Los mensajes de Estados Unidos en torno al puerto de Chancay y la inversión china se suman a sus advertencias sobre la influencia del país asiático en América Latina. En la estrategia de seguridad nacional que el Gobierno de Donald Trump dio a conocer a finales de 2025, se indica que una de las prioridades de Estados Unidos Read more

By Samantha Delouya, Clare Duffy, CNN

Los Angeles (CNN) — Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified on Wednesday that he does not think users can be “clinically addicted” to the social media app.

Mosseri is the first executive to testify in the landmark social media addiction trial against YouTube and Instagram parent company Meta, in which a now-20-year-old woman alleges the companies intentionally developed addictive features to hook young users, which she claims harmed her mental health.

The lawsuit is the first of more than 1,500 similar cases to go to trial and could serve as a test of whether the social media giants can be held responsible for claims that they’ve harmed young users’ mental health.

Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiff, questioned Mosseri on Wednesday about whether Instagram chooses profits over the health and safety of minors and whether Mosseri oversees an app that hooks younger users.

Mosseri said that he didn’t think that it was possible to be addicted to Instagram but that “problematic use” was possible, though it varies from person to person. Mosseri compared it to watching “watching TV for longer than you feel good about.”

“It’s relative,” he said. “Yes, for an individual, there’s a such thing as using Instagram more than you feel good about.”

Mosseri became head of Instagram in 2018 after joining the company then known as Facebook in 2008.

In 2021, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked a trove of internal documents indicating the company knew Instagram could have a “toxic” effect on teen girls. The same year, CNN reported that Instagram promoted accounts encouraging extreme dieting and eating disorders to teen users. The company acknowledged at the time that those accounts violated its rules.

Mosseri told a Senate committee in December 2021 that he was in favor of greater online safety regulation but also “committed” to making the platform safe, even if parents didn’t use parental control tools.

Instagram has since rolled out additional safety and well-being features, most notably “teen accounts,” which apply default content restrictions and privacy protections for teen users. Meta has previously said “we strongly disagree” with the allegations in Kaley’s lawsuit.

The plaintiff, who is being referred to as Kaley, began using Instagram at the age of nine, according to Lanier, although the app’s minimum age is 13. (Instagram has more recently begun rolling out AI age verification technology to identify younger users who sign up with an inaccurate birthdate, although the technology’s accuracy is unclear.)

Lanier, in his opening statement Monday, called out features such as “infinite scroll and autoplay” and the “like” button, which Lanier equated to a “chemical hit” that teens looking for validation from their peers grow to crave. Ka

The post The 25th Rincon Classic Delivers Its ‘Best Event’ Ever appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KEYT) – This week, Governor Newsom signed new antitrust legislation into law requiring businesses conducting a major merger to provide additional documentation to the California Attorney General.

The new law, formerly known as SB 25 or the California Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act, was authored by State Senator Thomas Umberg and alters California's Business and Professions Code to grant access to merger details already required to be reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice under federal law to the state's top prosecutor proactively instead of requiring a subpoena.

The new law will apply to pre-merger notifications filed on or after Jan. 1, 2027.

"The Governor’s signature on SB 25 is a strong start to the year," shared State Senator Umberg. "SB 25 is a first-of-its-kind measure in the antitrust space, creating a fairer, more efficient merger review process that balances the needs of businesses while protecting consumers."

Beginning next year, a person filing a pre-merger notification in compliance with Section 201 of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Acts of 1976 with federal agencies will be required to file an electronic copy of that disclosure with the Office of California Attorney General within one business day if the principal place of business is in the state or if the annual net sales in California involved in the transaction of at least 20 percent of the existing reporting threshold.

The new law does not allow the state's Attorney General to share the notification and exempts the disclosure of the notification's contents through the California Public Records Act.

"Under the status quo, the Attorney General already has the power to obtain merger filings from the federal government and regularly does so upon request and upon entering into direct confidentiality agreements with the merging parties. The Attorney General already can review transactions and raise competition related concerns and claims. SB 25 simply adds administrative and legal costs by duplicating the federal process unnecessarily," argued a coalition of business groups opposing the bill's passage. "SB 25 imposes unnecessary burdens on businesses that represent the future of California's inclusive economy. Instead of encouraging responsible growth and innovation, it would penalize good-faith efforts to build, invest, and scale in California."

California's Attorney General is not precluded by the new law from sharing information from the notification with an attorney general from another state and, except under a court order or existing law, requires the Attorney General to destroy or return the notification materials within 120 days of the merger's closure or upon the conclusion of legal proceedings connected to the transaction.

"Attorneys general are allowed to share merger documents with another state that has enacted the Uniform Antitrust Premerger Notification Act, or a substantively equivalent act, leaving to interpretation the level of confidentiality protection that would be afforded and without the engagement of the merging parties," noted CTIA, a Washington D.C.-based organization that advocates on behalf of the wireless communications industry. "The timeframes for filing the Hart-Scott-Rodino forms with an attorney general, as well as for submission of additional documents, are unrealistic given the administrative effort it would ent