Airlines’ summer woes, semaglutide supply threat, a fight against air pollution: Catch up on the day’s stories
CNN
Morgan Severson, CNN
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Hormonal birth control pills can be used to prevent pregnancy, and they’re also a popular way to go months or even years without a period. But is it safe? A reproductive health expert weighs in.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:
5 things
1️⃣ ‘Summer of hell’: What’s typically a key money-making time for airlines could fall short this year. Fears about flying, air traffic control issues and economic concerns are some of the reasons consumers are opting not to fly, prompting airlines to cut back on routes.
2️⃣ Access denied: Africans lost nearly $70 million in non-refundable visa fees last year, seeking permission to travel to European countries. The EU says applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but advocates say the high rejection rates prove “inbuilt discrimination and bias” in the process.
3️⃣ Semaglutide crackdown: Shortages of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes allowed pharmacies to sell off-brand products not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Now the agency is expected to halt the sale and production of these often-cheaper alternatives.
4️⃣ Elon’s musk: The billionaire’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, moved into an abandoned factory in southwest Memphis promising jobs and investment. Residents and environmental groups say the new facility is bringing yet more pollution to a community that’s long been fighting for clean air.
5️⃣ Coding couture: Would you wear a dress that twirls itself? Christina Ernst has amassed thousands of followers on social media for her whimsical fashion projects that incorporate coding and circuitry. The 28-year-old isn’t looking to break into the fashion industry, though. She wants to spark people’s interest in engineering.
Watch this
😋 Say cheese! Spaghetti arranged into a maze, elderly women grabbing a bite, and chefs sautéing veggies. CNN’s Lynda Kinkade recaps some of the winning shots from the World Food Photography Awards.
Top headlines
• South African president challenges Trump on claims of “White genocide” in South Africa
• Dow sinks 800 points as bond market starts to freak out over Trump’s tax bill
• NFL owners decide not to ban controversial tush push play
$2.3 million
💰 That’s how much luxury brand Dior must pay over five years to support initiatives aimed at helping victims of labor exploitation after Italian prosecutors uncovered workshops where employees were underpaid and in the country illegally.
Check this out
🪶 Feathered find: Fossil preserves of the Archaeopteryx provide previously unseen evidence about the first bird’s ability to fly. While most fossils are incomplete and crushed, this animal’s complete body in a death pose offers a snapshot of the past.
Sports spotlight
🏊 Swimming sensation: Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi completed the fastest time by a 12-year-old in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing second behind two-time Olympic bronze medalist Yu Yiting at the Chinese National Championships.
Quiz time
♟️ How many people did Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen play against in the largest online chess game?
A. 50,026
B. 256,000
C. 99,999
D. 143,000
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
Good vibes
✈️ Future of fuel: A new class of sustainable aviation fuel pulls carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into jet fuel. It may sound like science fiction, but experts believe that the idea of flying on fuel made from air could become a reality.
Thanks for reading
👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: D. 143,000 opponents played Carlsen in an online chess match that lasted 46 days.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.
5 Things PM is edited and produced by CNN’s Chris Good and Kimberly Richardson.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
