Intensifying El Niño, venomous surprise, controversial maternity wear: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Gina Park, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Caught eclipse fever after seeing photos and videos from Wednesday’s dazzling show? It may be time to dust off your passport and start booking accommodations for the next one.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Uncharted territory

The building Super El Niño is headed for record-shattering intensity, and with temperatures continuing to rise, experts aren’t sure what to expect as it nears its peak.

🌦️ Get your local forecast in the CNN Weather app

2️⃣ Future of cyberwarfare?

Hackers deployed an AI system to target Taiwan in what experts believe is the first known fully autonomous attack on government agencies. The breach has sparked concerns about what comes next.

📡 Watch: Why is Taiwan jamming its own internet?

3️⃣ Heart health

A new study found that millions of US adults who should be taking blood pressure-lowering medication aren’t. Researchers warn the treatment gap could leave many at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

4️⃣ Night moves

From deluxe hotels on wheels to panorama cars, sleeper trains have been a fixture of popular culture for almost as long as they’ve existed. See our top picks.

5️⃣ Bump dressing

Has maternity fashion really entered a new era? The response to Anne Hathaway’s latest red carpet look suggests old expectations about pregnancy style are still alive and well.

Watch this

🐍 Sssneaky surprise: A high school football player discovered a venomous snake tucked inside the padding of his helmet. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the reptile was safely relocated.

Top headlines

• Sailor went overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln this month as conditions on the ship prompt lawmakers’ demand for answers
• Kennedy Center votes to put Trump’s name back on building and close for renovations
• ICE agent points gun at Virginia woman who shouted at them in video that conflicts with government’s narrative

Check this out

🐠 Hidden worlds: Vibrant corals, unhatched turtles, whale hunting — the finalists for 2026’s Ocean Photographer of the Year award have been announced, and they’ve brought us some “extraordinary images.”

For CNN subscribers

• Inside the drama at ActBlue – and why some Democrats are quietly afraid it could cost them in the midterms
• It’s not just a gut feeling: Foodborne illness outbreaks are especially bad this summer
• Her brother was killed in a botched hit in California. Years later, the suspect walked into a US embassy

Quiz time

👤 Whose face did Ecuadorian police find plastered on cocaine bricks?

A. Erling Haaland

B. Hugh Jackman

C. Patrick Mahomes

D. Denzel Washington

⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Man flies helicopter to store because the drive was too long

🧠 Quiz answer: A. Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland’s face was printed on green rectangular packages that made up a stunning cocaine shipment seized in a truck near the Colombian border.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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