Grim mortgage milestone, brawling seniors, gut instinct: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Gina Park, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! It’s a boy! And the first baby born on this remote Scottish island in more than 30 years.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1️⃣ Grim milestone

In another blow to the frozen US housing market, mortgage rates topped 7% this week for the first time since January 2025. That’s their highest level during either of Donald Trump’s presidential terms.

2️⃣ The secret lives of North Korea

Rare footage captured by a longtime aid worker reveals an intimate look at life inside the isolated nation, including famine-era hardship and surprising moments rarely witnessed by outsiders.

3️⃣ Gut instinct

The term might seem like a cliché, but research has shown that more information passes between our brains and our guts than any other systems in our bodies.

4️⃣ ‘A Different World’

Hailed for tackling difficult issues head on, fans have been clamoring for a series reboot for years. Now it’s finally here — and taking inspo from the Trump era.

5️⃣ Scene-stealing look

You usually see two things on the red carpet: suits and gowns. “House of the Dragon” star Emma D’Arcy managed to harness the theatricality of a ballgown without sacrificing trousers.

Watch this

🚅 Brawling seniors: A woman repeatedly kicked an elderly man as he tried to pull her out of a priority seat on a train. Scenes like this have been playing out on public transit across East Asia.

Top headlines

• CNN, MS NOW and Politico allowed back into the White House after judge orders Trump admin to restore access
• Netanyahu defends Israel’s actions in Gaza war as he brings feud with NYC Mayor Mamdani to UN
• Xi leaves White House after bilateral meeting with Trump

Check this out

🇺🇬 Gateway to wonder: From ice-capped mountains to tropical beaches, this country has inspired travelers for thousands of years. But it was once the world’s greatest geological mystery.

For CNN subscribers

• Analysis: Trump is staying out of Saudi Arabia’s war. Americans could pay at the pump
• Democrats privately sounding alarm on GOP spending ahead of midterms
• ‘Complete freedom’: Why Italian women love their gender-segregated beach

Quiz time

🦕 A high school science teacher discovered footprints from which Late Cretaceous dinosaur?

A. Edmontosaurus

B. Ankylosaurus

C. Triceratops

D. Tyrannosaurus rex

⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Tightrope artist dazzles 300 feet in the air

🧠 Quiz answer: D. Kent Hups stumbled upon the first known trackway left behind by a T. rex while on a research expedition in the famed Hell Creek Formation, a series of fossil-rich sedimentary rock layers in the western US.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Daniel Wine and Chris Good.