Good Morning! Today’s edition is 875 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Search for missing Malaysia flight resumes

• New robot skin can feel pain

• Best northern lights photos of 2025

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*Editor’s Note: I’ll be taking off the next few days to celebrate the New Year’s holiday. Look for the next edition on Saturday, Jan. 3. Happy New Year! -Adam

Big Stories

The German Job

• Robbers broke into a German bank vault in Gelsenkirchen, stealing about €30 million ($35 million) in cash, gold, and jewelry from more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes, police said. The crew accessed the vault by drilling through an underground parking garage.

• Investigators believe the gang spent much of the weekend inside the vault. The break-in was discovered on Monday after a fire alarm triggered. Security footage shows a black Audi RS 6 with masked persons leaving the parking garage early Monday.

• Police called the heist "very professionally executed," comparing it to the "Ocean's Eleven" movie. Hundreds of angry customers massed outside the bank branch on Tuesday, with many saying their losses exceeded insurance limits. The thieves remain at large.

New Obesity Definition May Double Rate

• A new obesity definition that includes waist-based measurements finds 75% of US adults may have obesity, compared to 40% using body mass index alone, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

• Earlier this year, the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission proposed adding waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio to BMI measurements. These measurements capture adipose tissue around organs, which is linked to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

• More than 70 medical organizations worldwide have endorsed the definition. However, the authors said more research is needed before adopting the new definition.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Search Resumes

• The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 resumed yesterday, more than 10 years after the Boeing 777 vanished with 239 people on board in one of aviation's greatest mysteries. US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity will conduct a 55-day seabed search across 6,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean using underwater vehicles, drones, and advanced scanning technology.

• The plane disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014, less than an hour after departing Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. There was no distress call or sign of technical problems. Only a few dozen pieces of suspected debris have washed up over the years, and no human remains or large wreckage have been found.

• The company previously searched unsuccessfully in 2018. A government-led search from 2014-2017 also found nothing. Ocean Infinity will only be paid if it finds the wreckage.

Quick Stories

US News

• Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia on Thursday will become the first states blocking food stamp users from buying soda and candy under RFK Jr.'s anti-obesity push. (More)

• HHS froze all Minnesota child care funding and required receipts nationwide after viral fraud allegations, announcing Tuesday it had "turned off the money spigot" until states prove legitimate spending. (More)

• A federal judge ruled Trump can give immigration agents basic info on undocumented Medicaid recipients—addresses, phone numbers—but blocked sharing medical records, citing privacy concerns. (More)

World

• Iran's currency collapse sparked its biggest protests since 2022 as inflation hit 42% and food prices jumped 72%. (More)

• Mexican police seized 62 motorcycles worth $40 million from fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding, who's accused of smuggling cocaine and now has a $15 million FBI bounty. (More)

• Power problems and a stuck train shut down the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and Europe on Tuesday, stranding holiday travelers. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Tuesday (S&P -0.14%, Nasdaq -0.24%, Dow -0.20%). The S&P posted a third consecutive red day. (More)

• Mortgage rates fell to 6.19% and home prices stalled, saving buyers $200 monthly—but first-time buyers still need seven years to save for a down payment. (More)

• Bitcoin ATM scams cost Americans $333 million through November 2025, according to the FBI, surpassing the $250 million reported for 2024. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Nuggets star Nikola Jokić will miss at least four weeks and likely lose MVP eligibility after hyperextending his left knee Monday when a teammate accidentally stepped on his foot. (More)

• Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs faces felony strangulation charges after his private chef alleged he choked and hit her over unpaid wages, then demanded she sign an NDA to receive payment. (More)

• Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Eli Manning highlight the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 15 finalists, alongside other first-timers Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, and Frank Gore. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Scientists created AI that grades sloppy handwritten math as accurately as GPT-4 but with far less computing power, and it explains students' mistakes step-by-step—all freely available to schools. (More)

• Chinese researchers built robot skin that lets robots feel pain and instantly jerk away from danger by bypassing their CPU for reflex speed—like yanking your hand off a hot stove. (More)

• The year's first supermoon coincides with the Quadrantid meteor shower this weekend, but the bright moonlight will wash out most shooting stars, reducing visibility from 25 to under 10 per hour. (More)

Extra Credit

The most beautiful new restaurants in America.

Thieves nab $400K of lobster from Costco.

The most anticipated movies of 2026.

See the best northern lights photos of the year.