Today's roundup highlights a study linking some cheeses to a possible lower dementia risk (with expert caution), contentious new plaques on President Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame,” and a worsening affordability squeeze as wages lag inflation. Other items: an Uzbek master calligrapher preserving handwritten Qurans, a new global temperature dataset that may alter climate baselines, and a monumental portrait of Black life for the Obama Presidential Center.
5 Things PM: Presidential Plaques, The Affordability Crunch and Archives Of Black Beauty
Alex Brandon/AP
Welcome to 5 Things PM — a concise roundup of today's most notable stories, from culture and crime to climate and consumer news.
Cheese And Brain Health?
A new study suggests familiar cheeses such as cheddar, Brie and Gouda may be associated with a lower risk of dementia. Researchers say the findings are intriguing but caution that people should not treat full‑fat dairy as a proven preventive strategy without more evidence.
Controversial Presidential Plaques
New plaques along President Donald Trump’s self-styled “Presidential Walk of Fame” use insulting language, unfounded claims and unusual capitalization. The politicized descriptions — sometimes likened to posts on Truth Social — have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.
Affordability Squeeze Deepens
U.S. paychecks still haven’t recovered ground lost during the inflation surge that began a few years ago. The latest jobs report indicates the affordability squeeze intensified last month, leaving many households with reduced purchasing power. CNN’s David Goldman explains what the data mean for everyday budgets.
Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Master Calligrapher Preserves Tradition
In Tashkent, a master calligrapher is keeping the art of handwritten Qurans alive by producing one meticulously written copy at a time. Celebrated across the Islamic world, the artist plans to teach the craft to a new generation in Uzbekistan’s capital.
New Temperature Dataset Could Shift Climate Baselines
Climate scientists typically use 1850 as a reference year when measuring how much the planet has warmed. A newly released, more comprehensive global temperature dataset is expected to prompt researchers to reassess that baseline and could change how experts quantify historical warming.
Obama Center Portrait Celebrates Black Beauty
The Obama Presidential Center, due to open this spring, will display a monumental portrait drawn from the photographic archives of Ebony and Jet magazines. Artist Theaster Gates described the work as a celebration of foundational images of Black life and culture.
Human Interest: An AI “Marriage”
In a curious story, Yurina Noguchi says casual texts with an AI companion evolved into wedding vows to a persona created with ChatGPT. The union has no legal recognition in Japan, but Noguchi says the digital relationship brings her happiness.
Mark Stockwell/Pool/Boston Herald/AP
Headlines In Brief
- The administration is taking steps aimed at restricting transgender care for minors at hospitals and medical providers.
- A private jet crash in North Carolina killed a former NASCAR driver and six others.
- Investigators say they believe they have identified a suspect in the Brown University shooting.
- Instacart’s AI-driven pricing system was found to display prices up to 20% higher for identical items for some shoppers.
Crime: Brian Walshe Sentenced
Brian Walshe was sentenced to life without parole after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Ana Walshe, whose dismembered remains were discarded in dumpsters in January 2023. The judge called his actions "barbaric and incomprehensible." Walshe also received consecutive sentences totaling 23 years on additional convictions, largely symbolic given the life term.
Most popular: What to know about changes to your 2025 taxes.
Quiz answer: Instacart’s AI model displayed up to 20% higher prices for the same item depending on the shopper.
Today's edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson, Daniel Wine and Chris Good. For more news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com.
