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Pipe Bomber Arrest, Fake Earthquake Warning & 2025's Top Searches - Friday, December 5, 2025
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- [00:00]
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Today is Friday, December 5th. We'll tell you about the video of boat strikes played for lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the two very different takeaways from it, depending on who you ask. Also, there's finally been an arrest after years of speculation and conspiracy theories behind a D.C. pipe bomb investigation and a U.S. supreme Court decision that could change the outcome of next year's midterms. Plus, what to know about the run up to the Winter Olympics, where Americans should brace for record low temperatures today. And what were people searching for the most on Google this year? Those stories and even more news to know coming up.
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Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this.
- [00:50]
Top military officers went to Capitol Hill to defend two controversial strikes on a suspected drug boat. They testified and also showed lawmakers video footage of the attacks, all behind closed doors. Afterward, many Republicans said they were satisfied with the military leader's explanation for both the initial attack and the second strike that killed survivors. They pointed to the missions commander, testifying that there was no kill them all order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as some news outlets have reported. And they believe the men on the boat were trying to bring lethal drugs into the U.S. even still, many Democrats had a very different takeaway. For example, one congressman who has spent years on the Intelligence Committee called the video one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. He and some of his colleagues say the video shows survivors who were not a threat clinging to the bow of a capsized, inoperable boat until missiles come and kill them. But Republicans say they think the men were trying to flip the boat back over so they could stay in the fight. Lawmakers are still investigating the strikes. Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced it conducted another strike yesterday, this time against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Four people died, meaning now at least 86 people have been killed in 22 of these attacks. Some lawmakers say they'd like to see the evidence and rationale for all of those strikes that happened without Congress signing off. Others, though, argue an investigation is not necessary and that the strikes are legal since they say they pose a direct threat to the US to be continued.
- [02:18]
It's been almost five years since someone placed pipe bombs near the US Capitol complex just hours before the Capitol riot on January 6th. And yesterday, a suspect was finally arrested. Remember, explosive devices were found outside the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters. Court papers say the FBI traced his movements around the time the bombs were placed using cell tower location data and a license plate reader. Investigators also tracked his purchases and say he bought the components needed to make the bombs at several stores across Northern Virginia. His first court appearance is scheduled for later today. Over the years, conspiracy theories have circulated as to why there had not been an arrest yet, many of them centered on the belief that bombs were placed as part of a plot by deep state law enforcement and intelligence officials meant to make President Trump and his supporters look bad. So far, authorities have not said anything about what may have motivated this suspect.
- [03:12]
President Trump is once again showcasing peacemaking efforts all around the world. He hosted the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda yesterday as they signed a deal meant to eventually end the conflict in eastern Congo, though Rwanda's government spokesperson says the situation on the ground has not dramatically changed because of this deal and the Democratic Republic of Congo's leader doubted Rwanda will actually comply. Still, he called the agreement a turning point. And Rwanda's leader called the whole American mediated process, quote, the clearest and most viable path forward that we have ever had. And that's big. Since conflict in eastern Congo, including two full scale wars, has killed an estimated 4 to 6 million people since the 1990s, millions more have been displaced by the way the signing ceremony was held at the former US Institute for Peace. Most of the institution's staff were let go back in March as part of wider government job cuts, but since the agency is actually independent, it has been wrapped up in a legal battle over whether the White House had the power to dismantle it. Well, this week, President Trump renamed it the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The State Department says the rebranding makes sense, as it called Trump the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history. But a lawyer for the institute's former leaders said it was just adding insult to injury.
- [04:28]
The Olympic flame has reached Italy, where the 2026 Winter Games will begin in 64 days. The torch comes from the birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southern Greece, So once again, that's where the Italian host received the flame yesterday before taking it back to Rome. Tomorrow, the torch relay begins. The flame will travel all around Italy for the next couple of months, passing through 60 cities and 300 towns with more than 10,000 torchbearers. The relay will finish on February 6th at the opening ceremony in Milan. Speaking of the opening ceremony, Ralph Lauren revealed the Team USA ceremony uniforms yesterday. This is actually the 10th straight Olympics the fashion brand has dressed the American athletes for the opening ceremony. The uniform will include a white wool coat with wooden toggles, an American flag turtleneck sweater and wool trousers. The closing ceremony uniform will feature more color, complete with a red, white and blue puffer jacket with bold Team USA graphics. Both outfits will also feature knit hats, mittens and brown suede alpine boots with red laces. And even if you're not an Olympic athlete, a full Ralph Lauren Team USA collection is now available for purchase.
- [05:33]
We have more news for you still coming up, but first, a break for our sponsor. Most of us think about fitness, hydration, vitamins and sleep, but we rarely think about our liver. Even though it's one of the hardest working organs in the body, your Liver performs over 500 essential functions every single day and affects everything your energy, digestion, skin, even your metabolism. That's why dose for your liver is a great part of a daily routine. It's a clinically backed liver health supplement in a simple two ounce liquid shot. And surprisingly, it actually tastes really good. I genuinely enjoy taking it, which makes it easy to stay consistent. Dose contains 0 sugar, 0 junk and 0 calories. It cleanses the liver of unwanted stressors that's slowing your liver down, and it promotes daily liver function, which can lead to reduced sluggishness, getting rid of those midday crashes and even aid your daily digestion. So, ready to give your liver the support it deserves? Head to DueDaily co Newsworthy or enter Newsworthy to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's D O S E D A I L Y co Newsworthy for 35% off your first month's subscription. Now back to the news.
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Texas will get to use its new congressional map for next year's midterms. After all, we're talking about the map designed at President Trump's request, meant to give Republicans up to five extra seats in the U.S. house. Now, to be clear, redrawing election lines for partisan purposes is legal, but redrawing them to disenfranchise a specific racial group is not. In a lower court rule, that's exactly what happens, since in the new map, there are fewer districts where Hispanic and black voters are a majority. Well, in a 6 to 3 ruling along ideological lines, the high court said that decision appeared to be wrong, and the conservative justices say the district court should presume Republican Texas lawmakers acted in good faith when they drew up the new map. The liberal justices disagreed, accusing the majority of putting its own opinion ahead of the lower court's facts. Meanwhile, other states like California and Virginia are still planning to move ahead with new maps more geared toward Democrats, while states like Missouri and North Carolina are doing the same with maps that lean Republican. This is a change from the norm. Traditionally, maps are only redrawn once a decade to reflect population changes.
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Millions of Americans are dealing with a brutal cold that's historic for this time of year. Yesterday morning it felt like minus 14 degrees in Minneapolis, minus 17 in Green Bay, Wisconsin and 5 below zero in Chicago. Several daily record lows were broken. This morning, the cold has moved further east and records are possible across the Midwest and Northeast. Even this afternoon, in the warmest part of the day, it's only supposed to feel like 18 degrees in Chicago and 27 in New York. Meanwhile, people in parts of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina are seeing icy conditions on the roads. Of course, there's a lot of winter ahead, and meteorologists are forecasting two more Arctic blasts for millions of people over the next two weeks.
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Some people who live in the western US Got a warning to brace for a significant earthquake, but no quake ever came. The ShakeAlert system that sends out warnings similar to Amber alerts sent out a false alarm. It said Nevada had been rocked by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that would have been one of the largest earthquakes in the US this year. This is actually the first time the system has messed up an alert since it started warning people back in 2019. And it did not take long for news to spread. Within minutes, some news outlets published stories detailing the quake's location and strength, though they later corrected the error. But fake images of destruction had started spreading on social media. At this point, USGS officials say they don't know what caused the fake alert, but it's looking into it.
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Remember, we told you most mainstream news outlets lost their Pentagon press credentials a couple of months ago. It was over new rules that don't allow journalists to gather or publish information the Pentagon doesn't already make available for them to and all information has to be approved for public release, even if it's unclassified. Well, now the New York Times is suing, hoping to force the Defense Department to overturn the new rules, accusing them of violating First Amendment freedom of the press rights. So far, no response from the Pentagon, but in the past it said the rules are just common sense to protect the military from information that could put them in danger getting released. In the meantime, Pentagon news briefings include mostly conservative outlets, with no one able to ask questions on behalf of the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, cnn, Fox News, and so on. The outlets are still reporting on the military, but they're having to do it from afar and are relying more on outside sources.
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Well, if you want a summary of 2025 in news, pop culture and trends, just look at your Google searches. Google released its Year in Search Trend report yesterday showing the terms that saw the biggest and most consistent increase in traffic as compared to 2024. Here in the US the top search for 2025 was Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was killed in September. The next most common search was K Pop Demon Hunters, the Netflix musical that's boomed in popularity. Other trending searches include the Le Boo Boo collectible toys, the iPhone 17, and the one big beautiful bill act that Congress passed and Trump signed over the summer. You can find the whole list linked in today's Episode Notes.
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That's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Feel Good Friday when we bring you one extra or positive news story before the weekend. But first, a quick break to thank our sponsor. When I think about thoughtful gifts, the kind that feel personal and lasting, I think about gifts like the delicate diamond bracelet my friends gifted me from Quints. I wear it all the time and every time I look down at it, I'm reminded of how meaningful a well made gift can be. And Quince is also a go to for travel. My Quince Carry on suitcase has become an essential for every trip. It's lightweight, sleek, rolls effortlessly and fits more than you might expect. That's what Quince does so well. They create luxury quality pieces from Mongolian cashmere and washable silk to tailored denim and Italian wool coats and yes, even jewelry and luggage at prices that actually make sense because they work directly with top tier factories and cut out the middleman for jewelry and wardrobe staples to travel and home essentials. Quince really is a one stop shop for gifting or treating yourself. Find gifts so good you'll want to keep them with Quince. Go to quince.comnewsworthy for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.comnewsworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comnewsworthy now back to Feel Good Friday. A school in Ohio found a way to encourage students to notice and celebrate the little things in life. A microphone was placed in a hallway with just one instruction Share one good thing that happened while high school and junior high school students embraced it. They shared things like I got to drive a manual car for the first time, I found my passion today and it's wrestling and there was a new girl at school today and I think I made a new friend. One administrator said the whole thing reminded him of what kind hearts the students have and people around the world got the same heartwarming feeling since the responses were recorded and shared on social media. As of this morning, more than 7,000 people have commented on the video and many of them say it was a much needed reminder to find the joy and gratitude in ordinary things that that are still pretty good.
- [12:54]
Thank you so much for listening today. We'll be back tomorrow with a special edition Saturday episode about grief during the holidays. This is a helpful one whether you are dealing with loss or just want to know what to do and say to better support those who are. Then we'll have all the news you need to start the week on Monday. For now, have a great weekend.