9/11 air quality, Smithsonian shake-up, shark nannies: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Daniel Wine, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Playing sports can really help kids who are struggling with their mental health. So why are parents making it another source of stress?

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

5 things

1️⃣ 9/11 air quality

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records from the 2001 terror attacks. The documents show that city officials knew conditions around Ground Zero were unsafe to breathe despite repeated assurances.

▶️ ‘Everybody knew’: Jon Stewart reacts to 9/11 air quality disclosure

➕ For subscribers: He worked on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. A shift swap saved his life

2️⃣ Smithsonian shake-up

Lonnie Bunch III will retire as head of the institution, a role that placed him at the center of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the world’s largest museum organization.

3️⃣ Shark nannies

After years of habitat destruction and overfishing, a conservation group is trying to “restore balance to the ocean” with what it describes as the world’s first shark rewilding program.

4️⃣ Is Hollywood ‘screwed’?

CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister interviews the first AI actor, Tilly, in a surreal encounter that raises big questions about the future of entertainment.

5️⃣ Global appeal

The cast of “Shifters” is preparing to take a final bow. Here’s why this play about love in London has resonated so deeply with New Yorkers.

Watch this

✈️ Chaos at 30,000 feet: A man had to be restrained with duct tape and zip ties after becoming aggressive during an American Airlines flight. Passengers said he struck two people and used “racial and homophobic slurs.”

Top headlines

• Trump asks Supreme Court to revive controversial system used for voter purges
• Dispute over hair length leads to soldier pulling gun on fellow guardsman, police say
• SEC threatens to boot LSU out of the conference this week, court filing says

Check this out

📸 Life on the road: Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur toured with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins during a whirlwind decade she documented on film. But she kept the photos private — until now.

For CNN subscribers

• Americans are still struggling with high gas prices. The pain will likely continue this fall
• A babysitter befriended a mom then vanished with her two children. It wasn’t the first time, police say
• If ‘fall is really the new summer,’ are there any autumn travel deals left?

Quiz time

📱 An app in the United Arab Emirates serves as a digital marketplace for buying, selling and auctioning which animals?

A. Tigers

B. Camels

C. Elephants

D. Monkeys

⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: The mystery behind Canada’s disappearing island

🧠 Quiz answer: B. Camels have been an important part of life in the region for centuries, providing transportation, meat, milk, leather and wool.

👋 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 Gina Park.