By Daniel Wine, CNN
Welcome to 5 Things PM! Did you know it takes 26 hours to ring in the New Year across 39 time zones all around the world? It’s already 2026 in China, India and Australia. See how people are celebrating.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.
5 things
1⃣ Terrible travelers
From groping statues to kidnapping a baby wombat, tourists aren’t always on their best behavior. CNN Travel compiled some of the worst examples, along with resolutions for how we can all do better in 2026.
2⃣ Postmark problems
A new US Postal Service rule just kicked in, and it’s important if you rely on postmarks when voting by mail, filing your taxes or paying bills. People in some parts of the country could experience delays.
3⃣ Salmonella outbreak
Oysters are probably the source of dozens of infections across 22 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen explains how to protect yourself.
4⃣ Shifting tides
The weirdest sea level fluctuations on Earth are happening off the coast of an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists worry it could be a sign of more volatility to come.
5⃣ Celestial beauty
Stunning full moons. Dazzling meteor showers. Eerie total eclipses. Stargazers will have plenty of reasons to look to the sky in 2026. Here’s a preview of what to watch for next year.
Watch this
Dynamic duo: From cracking up over John Mayer in a cat cafe to pickle juice shots, try not to laugh watching Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s most memorable moments ringing in the New Year. They’re back tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET live on CNN and streaming.
Top headlines
Check this out
Ancient fish faces new threats: The short stretch of river where this tiny fish makes its home is inaccessible to most visitors – but it’s not remote enough to protect the cod from man-made dangers.
Quiz time
By Steve Contorno, Daniel Dale, CNN
(CNN) — A conservative influencer’s viral video alleging widespread fraud at taxpayer-funded child care centers in Minnesota’s Somali community kicked off a political firestorm years in the making.
President Donald Trump has long singled out Minnesota’s Somali population of approximately 108,000 for criticism and, even before the video emerged, pointed to fraud by members of the community as justification for his claim that Somalis “contribute nothing” to the US and shouldn’t be in the country.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has spent the past year dealing with the fallout from high-profile fraud schemes involving Somali residents while also pushing back against Trump’s attacks against the broader Somali community.
The viral video, which had 132 million views on X as of Wednesday afternoon, added a new layer to the controversy that isn’t easily unpacked. The video was produced by Nick Shirley, a YouTuber who has created anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim content in the past, and many of its claims could not be immediately verified.
Even so, the Trump administration halted federal child care payments to the state and launched a highly visible response as Justice Department officials insisted they had been on top of the matter all along. At the same time, Walz turned to social media to try to defend his efforts to combat fraud while also attempting to turn public attention toward Trump’s own actions.
Here’s a look at what the Trump administration and Walz have been saying in response to the controversy.
What the Trump administration has said
The Trump administration has seized on the controversy with vigor. In a Wednesday morning social media post, Trump asserted, without evidence, that “up to 90%” of “the Minnesota fraud” could be traced to people who arrived in the state “illegally” from Somalia, and he called to “send them back from where they came, Somalia.” (The vast majority of Minnesota residents of Somali descent are US citizens, tens of thousands of whom were born in the US, and many non-citizens entered legally.)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pledged on Fox News on Wednesday morning tha