REAL ID deadline, casual dining struggles, inside Universal’s new park: Catch up on the day’s stories
By Daniel Wine, CNN
Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here.
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Getting a driver’s license has always been a rite of passage for teenagers — their first taste of long-awaited freedom. But more young people are postponing this milestone, and their parents are puzzled.
Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:
5 things
1️⃣ Deadline looms: The REAL ID requirement is fast approaching, and many Americans are scrambling to get updated identification so they’re still able to fly domestically after new federal rules go into effect next month. This is what you need to know.
2️⃣ Dining trends: People seem to have lost their appetite for casual restaurant chains like Red Lobster, TGI Friday’s and Outback Steakhouse. Some have filed for bankruptcy, while others are closing hundreds of locations as they struggle with plunging sales.
3️⃣ Money moves: It’s important to have financial flexibility in retirement. Wondering if you should convert at least some of the tax-deferred savings in your 401(k) or traditional IRA into a Roth account? Here’s what you should consider before making a move.
4️⃣ Jaw-dropping adventure: Flying dragons, fluorescent green fog and omnidirectional elevators are just part of the charm at Universal’s new theme park in Orlando. Take a look inside Epic Universe, one of the largest and most expensive attractions ever.
5️⃣ E-waste solution: As the number of computers, smartphones and other devices keeps growing, the amount of electronic waste is raising alarms. To tackle the problem, this new type of plastic casing dissolves in water in just a few hours.
Watch this
🐧 Empty threat: President Donald Trump imposed 10% tariffs on a remote territory in Australia, although no people live there. Heard Island, mostly covered by ice, is populated by penguins.
Top headlines
• Extreme volatility sends US stocks on a roller coaster ride as Wall Street is rattled by tariffs
• Supreme Court pauses midnight deadline to return man mistakenly deported to El Salvador
• Deadly storms give way to rising rivers in flood-ravaged Midwest and South
$5
💸 That’s how much a Mega Millions ticket costs now — a large jump from $2 — and more changes are coming to the popular lottery game.
Check this out
🦾 Abs-olutely: From chiseled six-packs and bouncing breasts to sharp cheekbones, prosthetics are on the rise in fashion. These pesky rodents are taking over Britain’s second-biggest city after garbage collectors unhappy with their pay went on strike weeks ago.
Quotable
🐀 Oh, rats! These pesky rodents are taking over Britain’s second-biggest city after garbage collectors unhappy with their pay went on strike weeks ago.
Quiz time
🚀 Passengers on SpaceX’s Fram2 mission splashed down on Earth after completing a unique orbit around the planet. What was the path?
A. Around the equator
B. Over the North and South poles
C. Around the Tropic of Cancer
D. Over the Arctic Circle
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
Good vibes
🪂 War heroes: Sgt. Joe Harris, who was part of an elite group of Black paratroopers during World War II, was laid to rest over the weekend at the age of 108. “He broke barriers, he defied limits and he proved that bravery knows no color,” Harris’ grandson Ashton Pittman told CNN.
Thanks for reading
👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: B. The mission’s unique orbit around Earth allowed humans to pass directly over the North and South poles for the first time.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.
5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Morgan Severson and Kimberly Richardson.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.