Pope's Gen Z appeal, prime time for hurricanes, combating money stress: Catch up on the day's stories
Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day.
Rome just wrapped up the equivalent of a Catholic Woodstock, and the headliner was the new American pope. Hundreds of thousands of young people from across the globe waved flags on the Eternal City's ancient streets and camped out in warehouses as they gathered for faith, music and religious services.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively calm so far, but August through mid-September is historically the most active stretch. The next few weeks could be a whole different ballgame as the conditions that fuel these storms start to fall into place.
As part of a modernization effort, the Trump administration will stop sending out paper checks for Social Security beneficiaries soon. There will, however, be some exceptions. Here's what you need to know.
Until recently, women's soccer outside the US had a relatively short history, but the sport has exploded in popularity around the world in the past few years. The progress is encouraging, but there have been bumps along the way.
Proteins from an ancient rhino tooth unearthed in the Canadian Arctic have allowed scientists to look much deeper into the past than ever before. Dinosaur proteins could be next.
GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX
If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🔥 Fire in the sky: Firefighters have been battling a large blaze in the Grand Canyon since July 4, but it's been intensifying because of the heat and gusty winds. This led to the formation of an ominous-looking fire cloud more than 24,000 feet up in the air.
Elon Musk awarded $29 billion pay package from Tesla
As more colon cancer cases are found in adults under 50, see symptoms to watch for
In the only country that prohibits girls and women from higher education, the Taliban is cracking down even harder on schools 📸 Behind the scenes: Legendary music photographer Jim Marshall started taking pictures of the Grateful Dead in 1966. The resulting images are intimate and honest, reflecting the trust he built over the years. Take a look.
🫏 Democratic lawmakers left which state in an effort to prevent a partisan redrawing of the congressional map?A. AlabamaB. MissouriC. TexasD. Louisiana⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: C. The political battle over Texas' redistricting effort is having major implications across the country.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters.
Today's edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Kimberly Richardson and Sarah Hutter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
One-two punch of wildfire smoke is wrecking air quality in the US
Air quality has taken a serious hit across the United States as a two-fold blow of wildfires in the West and in Canada have sent smoke pouring across large sections of the country — a problem that's set to linger for days. Air quality alerts are in effect Tuesday for millions of people in 11 states in the Midwest and Northeast due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Tuesday's smoke concentration isn't quite as intense as it was Monday in these areas but remains a significant health concern, especially for people with breathing issues, children and the elderly. Smoke from intense wildfires in the western US has also decreased air quality in multiple states, especially in Southern California, where crews are battling the state's biggest fire of the year. The weather that fuels wildfires – dry air and strong winds – is coming together more frequently in parts of Canada and the US as the world continues to warm due to fossil fuel pollution. And, the most extreme wildfires in North America are getting more intense, leaving the door wide open for wildfire smoke to impact more people. There are more than 500 out of control wildfires in Canada as of Tuesday morning, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Of those uncontrolled blazes, 140 are burning in the province of Manitoba and there are more than 70 in Saskatchewan. Smoke from those fires and ones in nearby provinces spilled south across the border over the weekend behind a potent cold front that erased intense July heat in the eastern two-thirds of the US. Shortly after, an area of high pressure developed and parked over portions of eastern Canada and the northeastern US and trapped that smoke from the Plains to the Northeast. Air quality was abysmal to start the week in parts of the Midwest and Northeast as a result. Detroit had the third-worst air quality out of any global major city on Monday, spending most of the day with unhealthy or Level 4 of 6 air quality. The city's air quality was sixth-worst in the world early Tuesday morning, according to IQAir, a company that tracks global air quality. Wildfire smoke contains very dangerous, tiny pollutants called PM2.5 that can travel deep into the lungs or enter the bloodstream when inhaled. The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions. Smoke near the surface in these regions will start to clear out on Wednesday, but smoke higher in the atmosphere could linger for much of the week before a new cold front helps clear it out over the weekend. High-level smoke has less of an impact on air quality but keeps the sky hazy, sometimes turning the sun into a brilliant orange and enhancing sunrises and sunsets. Wildfire smoke is also causing air quality issues in the West, but this smoke is homegrown. Intense, large wildfires are burning parts of 10 western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and some are sending smoke hundreds of miles away. California's Gifford Fire become the state's largest wildfire of the year on Tuesday, surpassing the acreage burned by July's Madre Fire. It's burned through more than 82,000 acres of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since igniting Friday and was only 7% contained as of Tuesday morning. Evacuation orders are in effect Tuesday for portions of both counties as warm, dry air and gusty winds continue to fuel fire growth, with little help expected from the weather for fire crews this week. The fire's behavior has been extreme: It burned through an area about the size of a football field every 2 seconds on average Sunday night into Monday morning. Smoke from the Gifford Fire poured south and east into other parts of Southern California and cratered air quality in parts of Nevada – including Las Vegas – on Monday. In fact, air quality in the Las Vegas area on Monday was the worst it's been since February 2023, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The air quality index maxed out on the upper end of the unhealthy – Level 4 of 6 – category early Monday afternoon. Arizona's Dragon Bravo Fire is also spewing smoke well east as it rages along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The megafire has grown to one of Arizona's largest in history since a lightning strike set it off on the Fourth of July. It's burned through dozens of structures, including a historic lodge, and become so intense that it's created its own weather at times. Another wildfire that's created its own weather in recent days and threatened nearby communities is Utah's Monroe Canyon Fire. It's the state's largest wildfire of the year, having burned through more than 63,000 acres since it started in mid-July. The fire was only 13% contained as of Tuesday morning. Smoke from the Monroe Canyon Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire has commingled at times and spread into portions of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Wildfire season in the US is far from over, and smoke issues will persist as long as fires blaze. The West will remain the major wildfire hot spot through at least September, forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center show. CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman and CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
One-two punch of wildfire smoke is wrecking air quality in the US
Air quality has taken a serious hit across the United States as a two-fold blow of wildfires in the West and in Canada have sent smoke pouring across large sections of the country — a problem that's set to linger for days. Air quality alerts are in effect Tuesday for millions of people in 11 states in the Midwest and Northeast due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Tuesday's smoke concentration isn't quite as intense as it was Monday in these areas but remains a significant health concern, especially for people with breathing issues, children and the elderly. Smoke from intense wildfires in the western US has also decreased air quality in multiple states, especially in Southern California, where crews are battling the state's biggest fire of the year. The weather that fuels wildfires – dry air and strong winds – is coming together more frequently in parts of Canada and the US as the world continues to warm due to fossil fuel pollution. And, the most extreme wildfires in North America are getting more intense, leaving the door wide open for wildfire smoke to impact more people. There are more than 500 out of control wildfires in Canada as of Tuesday morning, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Of those uncontrolled blazes, 140 are burning in the province of Manitoba and there are more than 70 in Saskatchewan. Smoke from those fires and ones in nearby provinces spilled south across the border over the weekend behind a potent cold front that erased intense July heat in the eastern two-thirds of the US. Shortly after, an area of high pressure developed and parked over portions of eastern Canada and the northeastern US and trapped that smoke from the Plains to the Northeast. Air quality was abysmal to start the week in parts of the Midwest and Northeast as a result. Detroit had the third-worst air quality out of any global major city on Monday, spending most of the day with unhealthy or Level 4 of 6 air quality. The city's air quality was sixth-worst in the world early Tuesday morning, according to IQAir, a company that tracks global air quality. Wildfire smoke contains very dangerous, tiny pollutants called PM2.5 that can travel deep into the lungs or enter the bloodstream when inhaled. The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions. Smoke near the surface in these regions will start to clear out on Wednesday, but smoke higher in the atmosphere could linger for much of the week before a new cold front helps clear it out over the weekend. High-level smoke has less of an impact on air quality but keeps the sky hazy, sometimes turning the sun into a brilliant orange and enhancing sunrises and sunsets. Wildfire smoke is also causing air quality issues in the West, but this smoke is homegrown. Intense, large wildfires are burning parts of 10 western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and some are sending smoke hundreds of miles away. California's Gifford Fire become the state's largest wildfire of the year on Tuesday, surpassing the acreage burned by July's Madre Fire. It's burned through more than 82,000 acres of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since igniting Friday and was only 7% contained as of Tuesday morning. Evacuation orders are in effect Tuesday for portions of both counties as warm, dry air and gusty winds continue to fuel fire growth, with little help expected from the weather for fire crews this week. The fire's behavior has been extreme: It burned through an area about the size of a football field every 2 seconds on average Sunday night into Monday morning. Smoke from the Gifford Fire poured south and east into other parts of Southern California and cratered air quality in parts of Nevada – including Las Vegas – on Monday. In fact, air quality in the Las Vegas area on Monday was the worst it's been since February 2023, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The air quality index maxed out on the upper end of the unhealthy – Level 4 of 6 – category early Monday afternoon. Arizona's Dragon Bravo Fire is also spewing smoke well east as it rages along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The megafire has grown to one of Arizona's largest in history since a lightning strike set it off on the Fourth of July. It's burned through dozens of structures, including a historic lodge, and become so intense that it's created its own weather at times. Another wildfire that's created its own weather in recent days and threatened nearby communities is Utah's Monroe Canyon Fire. It's the state's largest wildfire of the year, having burned through more than 63,000 acres since it started in mid-July. The fire was only 13% contained as of Tuesday morning. Smoke from the Monroe Canyon Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire has commingled at times and spread into portions of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Wildfire season in the US is far from over, and smoke issues will persist as long as fires blaze. The West will remain the major wildfire hot spot through at least September, forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center show. CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman and CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Weather Service is now hiring back hundreds of positions that got cut in the DOGE chaos
The National Weather Service has received permission to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians just months after being hit hard by Department of Government Efficiency-related cuts and early retirement incentives. The new hiring number includes 126 new positions that were previously approved and will apply to 'front-line mission critical' personnel, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official told CNN. The NWS cuts have spurred concerns over how well-prepared the country is to withstand hurricane season, which is just starting to heat up in the Atlantic. The staff reductions also have been scrutinized in the wake of the deadly Texas floods in July, with vacancies at weather service forecast offices there. The cuts to probationary employees, as well as early retirement incentives, meant the nation's front-line weather forecasting agency's staffing levels fell by more than 550 people since the second Trump administration began, to below 4,000 total employees. CNN has reached out to NOAA for comment. Agency employees are greeting the news, unveiled at an all hands meeting on Monday, with guarded optimism and relief. Current employees have been working additional hours with additional responsibilities since the layoffs and retirements earlier this year, trying to maintain the 24/7 posture US extreme weather requires. The agency has also been functioning with less data from fewer, less frequent weather balloon launches. The announcement was also met with frustration over the people the agency lost in the failed attempt at government savings. 'How much time/money is it going to cost to train a bunch of new people when we had already-trained people in place?' asked another NOAA official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. It is possible that some of the new hires will have been previously trained employees who were let go in the DOGE cuts. The first NOAA official said there is going to be a focus on hiring in a smart, 'asymmetric' way that is 'based on workload.' The NWS, aided by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, had been arguing for months for a public safety exemption from the federal hiring freeze. That exemption has been granted, and the agency now has direct hiring authority under the Office of Personnel Management, the official told CNN. Direct hiring authority, according to OPM's website, can be given to federal agencies 'for filling vacancies when a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates exists.' It can help speed up the hiring process, the NOAA official said.
