Fears about flying, restaurants dropping prices, song of the summer: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN Newsource

Published June 20, 2024 4:21 PM

By Daniel Wine, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Struggling restaurants have been rolling out discounts in an effort to lure customers — but one very popular chain is bucking that trend and refusing to offer deals or drop menu prices. McDonald’s, meanwhile, just came out with a new $5 value meal to combat inflation.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Flying fears: Reports of harrowing and sometimes tragic incidents aboard airplanes seem to have accelerated this year, leading many to wonder if it’s still safe to fly. The quick answer is that flying is safer than most forms of travel, but the industry’s near-perfect safety record has been mainly due to sheer luck.

2️⃣ Depression deep-dive: For some, finding the right medication can take months or even years. Now brain scans have identified six specific types of depression, which could help doctors pursue the most effective treatment much faster.

3️⃣ ‘Black Barbie’: A new documentary explores why it was much more than just a doll. When writer and director Lagueria Davis learned about her aunt’s role in developing the iconic toy, she knew it was a story that needed to be told.

4️⃣ Summer music: That breezy song you just can’t get out of your head when the temperature soars has become a matter of heated debate.

5️⃣ Midsummer: Continuing with that theme … floral crowns, frog dances and rolling naked in the grass. Here’s why the solstice is a big deal in Sweden.

Watch this

🐳 Journey to safety: After a complicated rescue mission from the middle of a war zone in Ukraine, two beluga whales are now living at an aquarium in Valencia, Spain. Miranda and Plombir celebrated their arrival with a spurt of water.

Top headlines

• Trump gets the final word at CNN debate after coin flip
• Donald Sutherland, veteran actor from ‘M*A*S*H’ and ‘The Hunger Games,’ dies at 88
• US concerned Israel’s Iron Dome could be overwhelmed in war with Hezbollah

102

📸 That’s the age of Vogue Germany’s cover star, Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer. The special issue’s cover includes a handwritten message from Friedländer.

Check this out

⚽ Common goal: Far removed from the star-studded ranks, this all-migrant soccer team is chasing a dream together. Their slogan is “Let’s kick racism.”

Your health

🤕 Back pain: Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer with it, and a new clinical trial found that one simple lifestyle change can bring relief.

Quiz time

🚀 Two astronauts on which spacecraft are staying at the International Space Station longer than planned while engineers scramble to learn more about issues that plagued the first leg of their journey?
A. Blue Origin New Shepard
B. SpaceX Crew Dragon
C. Boeing Starliner
D. Virgin Galactic Unity
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Good vibes

😎 We like to wrap things up on a positive note:
Volunteers at an elementary school in Mississippi wanted to continue feeding children in need throughout the summer. Cookbook author Matthew Bounds and his followers stepped up in a big way.

Thanks for reading

💬 What did you like about today’s 5 Things PM? Did we miss anything? Email us: 5ThingsPM@cnn.com
🧠 Quiz answer: C. Veteran astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS on June 6 aboard the Boeing Starliner. Test your knowledge of summertime traditions with our quiz in tomorrow morning’s 5 Things newsletter.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Evan Berbette, Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

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