Rare childhood cancer, Paramount merger, desert disappearance: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Gina Park, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! It’s the best medicine — and it’s free. Science backs up this easy way to get healthier.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Childhood cancer

Ewing sarcoma is so rare that only about 200 children and teens are diagnosed with it in the US each year. But a string of cases has swept through one California suburb, and the community is demanding answers.

➕ Lingering effects: The September 11 cancer wave ahead

2️⃣ Paramount merger

The state attorneys general suing to block the media giant’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, reached a settlement. The merger — one of the largest in US history — could close as soon as early October.

📺 White House ban: Major TV networks stand with CNN

📧 Reliable Sources: Sign up for CNN’s media newsletter

3️⃣ Desert disappearance

A four-year-old boy had been playing in the sand outside his grandparents’ house in the Australian outback when he suddenly vanished. One year later, there are still no clues.

4️⃣ Culture-crossing music

As an aspiring musician working in tech support, Amrit Singh often asked callers what they were listening to. When he started exploring the artists the clients mentioned, something clicked.

5️⃣ Busting a myth

All roads lead to Rome. Right? A new analysis of the Roman Empire’s transportation network dispels the famous proverb.

Watch this

🛥️ River rescue: Deputies in Florida found two people clinging to a tree after their boat capsized on the Hillsborough River and floated away. No one was injured.

Top headlines

• Fiber cut by construction crew leads to ground stop and delays at several major airports
• Mamdani hosts Trump at Gracie Mansion in New York
• Man shot by ICE moved from hospital to detention center ‘with a bullet in his back,’ lawyer tells CNN

Check this out

🩰 Cultural icon: Items owned by the late French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot, including her copy of the Kama Sutra and pairs of her famous ballet flats, are up for auction in Paris.

For CNN subscribers

• Epstein left millions to his closest advisers. Here’s why they might never get it
• Mahjong mania: What’s behind the rise of a centuries-old Chinese game in the US
• ‘Voters are like, No thanks’: Trump’s tariffs fall flat with the working class

Quiz time

👑 Which Buckingham Palace item might soon be a relic of the past?

A. Apollo clock

B. “Mars and Venus” statue

C. Bearskin caps

D. Bright red tunics

⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in Friday’s newsletter: Athlete ‘deeply sorry’ after winning race covered in diarrhea

🧠 Quiz answer: C. Some British lawmakers have asked the government to stop using real bearskins in the ceremonial headpieces worn by the King’s Guard.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Daniel Wine and Sarah Hutter.