Catch up on the day’s stories: Cheap gym memberships, Chevy’s last sedan, psychedelic therapy

By CNN Newsource

Published May 9, 2024 3:35 PM

By Daniel Wine, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Americans have a gloomy outlook on the current state of the housing market. Only 21% think it’s a good time to buy a house, a new survey shows. Potential buyers are dealing with the double whammy of surging home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Gym prices: The $10-a-month membership, a staple of the Planet Fitness brand for more than two decades, is going away. The rock-bottom price lures people who want to get in shape, analysts say, but isn’t expensive enough that they will cancel if they don’t go often. Starting this summer, new members will pay $15 a month for the basic plan.

2️⃣ Chevy’s last sedan: The Malibu will be phased out in a few months so the factory can shift gears and make electric vehicles instead. With this change, Chevrolet will sell only trucks, SUVs and the two-seat Corvette sports car in the United States.

3️⃣ Adults with autism: People who are diagnosed later in life say they often experience a catharsis after years of struggles. Most of the support services that exist are for autistic children though, so adults often can’t get the help they need. Groups such as Autism Speaks are helping to bridge those gaps.

4️⃣ Complicated crime: The FBI used a can of spray paint, stolen license plates and odd text messages to build its case against a Florida man accused of abducting his wife in Spain. Ana Maria Knezevich Henao was last seen in early February. She and her husband were separated and planned to get a divorce.

5️⃣ Brain chips: The first person to receive an implant from Elon Musk’s startup company experienced a problem just a few weeks after the chip was inserted. Neuralink said some of the chip’s connective threads became detached, but it figured out a workaround. The ultimate goal is to link human brains to computers.

Watch this

👀 Retro ride: An Alaska woman turns plenty of heads tooling around town in a big red wagon that goes 60 mph. Now it’s up for sale at auction. Giant handle included.

Check this out

📸 Window to the world: A new interactive art installation lets viewers in New York City communicate with people more than 3,000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland.

Listen in

🎧 Psychedelic therapy: CNN’s Audie Cornish talks with an expert about whether these drugs can ease emotional trauma and why there’s reason for both hope and skepticism.

Your health

🛏️ Talking in your sleep: It’s relatively common and typically harmless, but experts say it can be connected to PTSD, depression and anxiety. Here’s what they recommend.

Good vibes

😎 We like to wrap things up on a positive note:
Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon, Mar Menor in Spain, was on the verge of environmental collapse. Teresa Vicente, a professor at a nearby university, worked tirelessly to have the lagoon granted the same legal rights as a person. She received a prestigious prize for her efforts and is hopeful for Mar Menor’s recovery.

Thanks for reading

👋 We’ll see you back here Monday. Enjoy the weekend.
🧠 Read tomorrow morning’s 5 Things for this week’s news quiz! Last week, only 8% of readers got a perfect score. Think you can ace it?
💬 We’re trying something new and want your thoughts. What would you like to see in 5 Things PM? Email us: 5ThingsPM@cnn.com
📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters.

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

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

Jump to comments ↓