Top airports in North America, podcast stars cashing in, Hershey’s new venture: Catch up on the day’s stories

Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here.

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Americans who need to renew their passports can now do that online. The service is open to adults who are renewing a regular 10-year passport that has expired within the past five years or expires in the coming year.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Flying high: Despite big crowds and high prices, many travelers enjoy the time they spend at airports, according to a new satisfaction survey. See where your favorite airport in North America landed in the rankings — and which ones didn’t fare as well.

2️⃣ Listen up: Podcast stars are taking their fame to new heights by signing nine-figure deals for the rights to their shows. Joe Rogan, the Kelce brothers and Alex Cooper are among those who have cashed in. Here’s why companies are writing those huge checks.

3️⃣ Strategy shift: Hershey, which has been in the candy business for 130 years, is branching out. The company’s new products are made specifically for those on a fitness kick.

4️⃣ That sinking feeling: Tech entrepreneur Chris Willson bought a cruise ship on Craigslist and spent 15 years and more than $1 million painstakingly restoring it. He and his partner even moved on board. Then disaster struck.

5️⃣ Runway report: Celebrating its 40th anniversary, London Fashion Week was a time for reflection — particularly against the backdrop of a challenging economic outlook — but there were plenty of highlights. Take a look.

Watch this

🚆 Big bang: Drivers in Goose Creek, South Carolina, watched as a semi-truck hauling an armored vehicle got caught on the tracks with a train fast approaching. No one was injured.

Top headlines

• Federal Reserve announces a jumbo-sized interest rate cut — the first since 2020
• Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon, one day after deadly pager attack
• Justice Department seeks $100M from 2 companies for Baltimore bridge accident

$1.9 billion

✈️ That’s how much Alaska Airlines paid to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a blockbuster deal that received final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Check this out

🐟 Survival mode: After being swallowed alive, Japanese eels were able to escape from a predator fish’s stomach and swim to freedom through the gills, new research shows.

Quotable

💸 Tough times: Tupperware, known all over the world for its plastic food storage containers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after years of falling popularity and financial troubles.

What’s buzzing

📕 ‘Melania’ memoir: In a video posted on social media promoting her new book, former first lady Melania Trump said she stands “proudly behind my nude modeling work.”

Quiz time

🏀 The WNBA just announced it’s adding an expansion team in which city?
A. Denver
B. Portland
C. Boston
D. Miami
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Good vibes

🌊 We like to wrap things up on a positive note: Tide-watching is a Chinese tradition during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the full moon appears. Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years, created an unusual high tide phenomenon in the Qiantang River. Watch the mesmerizing wave patterns.

Thanks for reading

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.
🧠 Quiz answer: B. The WNBA will add a team in Portland, Oregon, starting in 2026.
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

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

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.