Teen takeovers, chewing gum ruse, ‘Wordle’ game show: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Daniel Wine, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! The word game that reeled people in and went V-I-R-A-L a few years back is expanding to TV. “Wordle” will become a prime-time show on NBC, with Savannah Guthrie as the host.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Teen takeovers

Social media-fueled gatherings of rowdy youngsters in public spaces are increasingly spiraling into chaos, with reports of robberies and gunshots. Cities are fighting back with curfews and crackdowns in an effort to rein in the violence.

2️⃣ An elaborate ruse

Mitchell Gaff agreed to take part in a taste test for different flavors of chewing gum. He didn’t know that the people who showed up at his door were undercover detectives collecting evidence for two cold case murders.

3️⃣ The new normal?

President Donald Trump’s tumbling approval ratings are raising the odds that this year’s midterm elections will extend a powerful trend in modern American politics. CNN’s Ronald Brownstein breaks it down.

4️⃣ Red flags

Walking on eggshells. Avoiding each other. Silencing yourself. If you’re engaging in those behaviors, your relationship may not be emotionally safe. Experts explain what you can do.

5️⃣ ‘Unique place to be’

You likely have to travel a long way to reach the exact middle of America — but the journey captures the spirit of a classic road trip, and what you’ll find when you arrive might surprise you.

Watch this

🏃🏽‍➡️ ‘I didn’t stop the dream’: For the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas started, Palestinians in central Gaza ran a marathon — some of them amputees injured in the conflict.

Top headlines

• Passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship being monitored at US medical units
• Trump says ceasefire with Iran on ‘massive life support’ after he rejects Tehran’s proposal
• Press dinner gunman pleads not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump

Check this out

🏠 Stealth house: Japan’s construction industry is facing a crisis because of the soaring cost of materials and an aging workforce. These groundbreaking buildings could be the answer.

For CNN subscribers

• Trump thrusts the Postal Service back into his election fraud crusade
• ‘It’s literally going to break me.’ Commuting is now unaffordable for some American workers
• As attacks on Europe’s Jewish communities escalate, Iran may be recruiting operatives online

Quiz time

🥵 On one day in April, all of the planet’s top 50 hottest cities were in just one country. Which was it?
A. Saudi Arabia
B. Bangladesh
C. Pakistan
D. India
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in Friday’s newsletter: Pentagon releases initial batch of declassified files detailing UFOs

🧠 Quiz answer: D. All of the hottest cities that day were in India, according to the air quality monitoring platform AQI.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Toni Odejimi.