Public transit safety, Oracle’s big break, Earth’s quasi-moon: Catch up on the day’s stories
By Daniel Wine, CNN
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Credit scores are falling at the fastest pace since the Great Recession, according to new data. Part of the reason? Americans are struggling to keep up with the high cost of living and the return of student debt payments.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.
5 things
1️⃣ ‘This could have been anyone’
The fatal stabbing of a young woman on a Charlotte light rail train highlights the challenges of keeping public transportation riders safe on vast, crowded and wide-open systems that fuel urban life. Experts say heightened security measures would slow things down considerably.
2️⃣ Pomp and pageantry
Combining old-world luxury with military posturing, plans for President Donald Trump’s second UK state visit play to his love for regalia and royalty. Britain clearly knows the way to his heart, and the palace is sparing no effort.
3️⃣ Oracle’s big break
In the late 1970s, a startup founded by Larry Ellison and two fellow computer programmers landed a contract with the CIA. Nearly 50 years later, the database and enterprise software giant has suddenly become a key player in AI.
4️⃣ A broken promise
For nearly 60 years, Publishers Clearing House changed people’s lives with prize money it said would keep coming for as long as they lived. But now the company is in bankruptcy, and winners’ dreams have turned into nightmares.
5️⃣ Celestial companion
Astronomers discovered a previously unknown quasi-moon near Earth, and the space rock is expected to accompany our planet in a similar orbit for about 60 years. They said it managed to go unnoticed for so long because it’s small and faint.
Watch this
🐙 8 is enough: Octopuses are a lot like humans in at least one important way, a new study found. Just like we have dominant hands, they have dominant arms.
Top headlines
- Charlie Kirk shooting suspect charged with murder as prosecutors say they’ll seek death penalty
- Robert Redford — actor, director, environmentalist — dies at 89
- Why the terror-related murder charges against Luigi Mangione fell apart
Check this out
👔 Fashion forward: NBA players are taking pre-game style to new heights. Discover how the league’s style revolution is turning heads and setting trends.
Quiz time
🦗 What is the common name for triatomine bugs, which bite people while they’re sleeping and spread a parasite that causes disease?
A. Cicadas
B. Hissing bugs
C. Kissing bugs
D. Bombardier beetles
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
Thanks for reading
👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: C. Chagas disease is a potentially deadly condition caused by kissing bugs.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Sarah Hutter.
