CMB observations in 2015: A status report

Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies in temperature and polarization allow us to characterize the initial conditions of the universe, thus constraining new physics many orders of magnitude beyond the particle physics Standard Model and possibly just a few orders of magnitude below the Planck scale. We briefly review the physics of the CMB and present some recent highlights of the current observations of the T and E modes. The status of B mode searches is also briefly reviewed. Finally, the future of CMB observations is discussed, indicating several areas where qualitative advances may be expected.