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Fauci takes the Fifth, affordable tech, fat phobia: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Wildfires in the hardest-hit regions of Spain and France stabilized, but temperatures are expected to surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit in both countries. Watch as rescuers carry a distressed deer to safety. 🔥 Get your forecast in the CNN Weather app

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

5 things

1️⃣ Fauci takes the Fifth

Under intense scrutiny and the threat of prosecution, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a congressional hearing about Covid-19. Sen. Rand Paul vowed to force a vote holding him in contempt.

➕ Analysis: Why Fauci might not be safe after pleading the Fifth

2️⃣ Danger zone

Few countries in the world are rocked by such frequent and damaging earthquakes as Japan, which sits on the boundary of four tectonic plates. Children there start practicing evacuation drills in kindergarten.

3️⃣ Fat phobia

Did you lose a few pounds because you got sick? Some tongue-in-cheek social media influencers are promoting cyclospora infections to shed weight, but experts say it’s no joking matter.

4️⃣ ‘I have a lot more life here’

Paula Dreyfuss realized she couldn’t afford to retire in the US. Five years ago, she decided to move from California to a European country she’d never even visited before — and said she has no regrets.

5️⃣ Affordable tech

There are plenty of things you can lease: a car, an apartment, office space. Now you can add your next iPhone or Mac to that list.

Watch this

🦈 ‘Incredibly lucky’: A fisherman from New Zealand shared video from a frightening shark attack off the coast of Fiji. Friends pulled him to safety, and he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Top headlines

Check this out

🏝️ Great escape: Want to get away from it all? This Italian island is for you. There’s no town, no roads, no electricity and no mobile phone coverage.

For CNN subscribers

Quiz time

📊 What percentage of Republicans said they’re enthusiastic about the rest of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to a new CNN poll?
A. 77%
B. 52%
C. 38%
D. 19%
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Teen lifeguard helps save young boy in dramatic rescue in Santa Cruz

🧠 Quiz answer: D. Just 19% of people in Trump’s own party say they’re enthusiastic, down from 38% last spring.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

From bad to worse for Trump and his base

By CNN
(CNN) — Republicans are starting to fret about their base’s lack of enthusiasm ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.Those voters were already disproportionately less likely to vote in elections not featuring Donald Trump, and now the GOP has to contend with the president being more unpopular than ever.And a new CNN poll drives home the problem: Large portions of Trump’s base are feeling disillusioned over more than a few of his choices lately.Across a bevy of questions — on subjects ranging from the economy to the Iran war to Trump’s self-enrichment and efforts to makeover Washington — large percentages of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are registering discontent. As in, often 30%, 40%, 50% or more.Overall, the CNN poll shows 30% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents disapprove of Trump.That number is rather high in and of itself. But it actually might undersell the level of disillusionment on some fronts.The big one: the economyWithout question, the most troubling numbers for Trump and the GOP concern the economy.Not only is the economy generally voters’ biggest concern; it also features Trump’s worst numbers.To wit, among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents in the poll:64% say high gas prices have caused at least a “moderate” hardship for them56% say the economy is very or somewhat poor56% say Trump hasn’t gone far enough to reduce the price of everyday goods56% disapprove of Trump’s performance on gas prices51% say Trump doesn’t have a clear plan on gas prices50% say Trump’s policies haven’t improved economic conditions (with 31% saying his policies have actually made things worse)47% disapprove of Trump on inflationThat’s around half or more of what should be Trump’s own supporters that have a lot of gripes about the economy and his handling of it right now.IranThe numbers are slightly less grim on Iran, but still pretty grim.Again, among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents:64% think a long-term war with Iran is likely45% say the toll of the war — in lives and money — hasn’t been worth it45% say Trump doesn’t have a clear plan for Iran40% disapprove of Trump overall on Iran39% say his decisions about military action in Iran have hurt the US (versus 44% who say it has helped, with the rest being neutral)And Trump’s trend line on Iran continues to be bad. Trump’s disapproval on Iran among these groups has increased from 30% in March to 40% today.His prioritiesThe poll also shows many members of Trump’s base simply don’t like what he’s focused on — including his personal finances and projects like the White House ballroom and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.Among these groups:45% say Trump isn’t “in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives” — up from 34% in January39% say he hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems — up from 25% in JanuaryAround 3 in 10 say he’s “gone too far” in changing institutions like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center (which Trump put his name on before a judge removed it), remodeling the White House and other Washington landmarks and pursuing personal business interests while in the White House30% say Trump doesn’t put the good of the country over his personal gain26% say they’re angry or dissatisfied about the ballroom and the reflecting pool (compared to just 39% who are positive about these projects)It would be bad enough for Trump if the economy were suboptimal and people didn’t think the things he did were working.But these numbers — combined with the majority of Trump’s base that says he’s neglected inflation — make clear many of his backers think he’s preoccupied with things that either aren’t worth focusing on or are actively unpopular.The malaiseWhen many of these questions were asked in Trump’s first months back in office, there was a palpable sense of enthusiasm with his base.When asked to describe their feelings looking ahead to the rest of Trump’s second term, nearly nine in 10 of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents said they were “enthusiastic” or “optimistic.”Now, that number has dropped all the way to 70%.And 30% say they’re either “pessimistic” or “afraid.”That 30% who have a negative outlook is pretty remarkable. Shortly after former President Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, just 8% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they felt pessimistic or afraid. And just before former President George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004, only 5% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents said the same about him.Then there’s the findings of a recent Pew Research Center poll.That poll showed 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said their midterm vote would be a vote against Trump, compared to just 44% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who said theirs would be a vote for Trump.There have been signs of this kind of malaise dating back a year, when the Jeffrey Epstein saga exploded. The latest numbers suggest it’s now taken hold in large swaths of the GOP base — at a very inopportune time for the party.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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