Hey there from CNN, I'm Krista Bowe with the 5 Things Need to Know for Wednesday, January 3rd. The U.S. military is sending thousands of additional troops to the southern border, that's according to officials familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Holman is threatening so-called sanctuary cities that try to combat the administration's migrant crackdown.
Sanctuary cities don't get exactly what they don't want. More agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collateral arrested. So that's the game they want to play? Game on.
Speaking on Fox News, Holman also called the arrests of hundreds of migrants in recent days a game changer, adding that ICE is prioritizing serious criminals. The Justice Department also issued a memo threatening to prosecute state and local officials who resist the federal immigration crackdown. While Trump's deportation plans in the country take shape, roughly 10,000 refugees who are set to travel to the U.S. have just had their flights canceled.
That's according to a source familiar with the data. CNN obtained the State Department memo sent to resettlement partners that outlined the refugee resettlement program cancellation after Trump's executive order. Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law has given an affidavit to the Senate, accusing him of being abusive towards his second ex-wife. She didn't specify the nature of the abuse and said she did not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Hegseth.
Hegseth's nomination has already been on shaky ground. With him facing allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking at work, he's repeatedly denied all allegations of misconduct. These latest allegations were made public yesterday, a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee approved his nomination, sending it to the full Senate. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine says they need to get to the bottom of the allegations before any confirmation vote takes place.
We think this latest confirmation of erratic and irresponsible behavior by Pete Hegseth would make him very, very dangerous as a secretary of defense. CNN has reached out to Hegseth's ex-wife for comment, but in a statement to NBC, she said there was no physical abuse in the marriage, and a lawyer for Pete Hegseth says there's no truth to any of the allegations. So TikTok just got a 75-day reprieve from President Trump, pushing off the U.S. ban to allow for the app to find an American buyer for risk being permanently banned.
Well, now, one of the platform's top influencers says he wants in. TikTok, I'm on a private jet right now, about to play my official offer for this platform. I might become your guys' new CEO. I'm super excited.
Mr. Beast is the most popular YouTuber and third most popular TikToker out there. His real name is Jimmy Donaldson. He's been saying he wants to buy TikTok for over a week now.
People thought he might be joking, but his lawyer tells CNN he's dead serious about finding enough investors to take over the popular social media app. The group of investors Mr. Beast is a part of is led by the founder and CEO of employer.com, who said their proposal won't disrupt the app's operations for its 170 million American users. You might have to start paying more for your home insurance because of this month's wildfires in Southern California and hurricanes in the Southeast, even if you don't live anywhere near those areas.
That's because many states are allowing insurers to raise their rates to fill the giant financial hole left in the wake of the fires. Insurance companies have had to make big payouts to homeowners in Southern California and will now have to start paying more for their own insurance coverage in the face of more and more weather related disasters. There are disagreements over why insurers are being allowed to increase their rates, with some experts saying that it means that other states are footing the bill of California's wildfires. Others are saying that the rise reflects an increase in the risk of severe weather across the country.
Either way, many homeowners will have to prepare to pay more. Coming up, it's not just insurance that's about to get more expensive. Streaming your favorite shows might too. Bad news for Stranger Things and Squid Game fans.
Netflix has announced that it's raising subscription prices in the US and Canada. This means that subscribers will have to pay between $1 and $2.50 more per month, depending on their membership. The news came after the streaming giant gained 19 million new subscribers in the last quarter of 2024, the biggest jump in the company's history. All right, that's all for now.
I'm Christopher Owen. Our next episode drops at 3 p.m. Eastern. Till next time.