Short selling, cholesterol advice, best nude beaches: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN
July 27, 2026 | 5:00 PM

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Do you prefer an all-over tan? There are hundreds of places where it’s perfectly legal to frolic in your birthday suit. These are the best nude beaches.

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

5 things

1️⃣ Back in fashion

The most popular trades on Wall Street for the past couple of years have been pretty simple: Buy Big Tech and ride the AI wave. But a riskier strategy is making a comeback — short selling, or betting that a stock will go down.

2️⃣ When wars collide

The Caspian Sea has been sucked into the growing conflict between Iran and its adversaries in the Middle East. The world’s largest lake also serves as a vital artery in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

➕ Trump says US halted strikes after Iran sought to renew peace talks

3️⃣ Cholesterol advice

New guidelines made millions more American adults eligible for statins. CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen explains what that means — and whether it should change your treatment plan.

4️⃣ Yakety yak

On the high-altitude plains of Tibet, scientists are creating fluffy, horned clones in an effort to revive a species revered by locals. But some critics are raising ethical concerns.

5️⃣ Bizarre and beautiful

Photographer Sarah Silbiger and her partner took a yearlong road trip across the US and captured the country through the window of their Winnebago. Take a look.

Watch this

🚛 Left hanging: This 18-wheeler ended up dangling off a concrete barrier on the side of a highway after a crash in Houston. Two people suffered minor injuries.

Click the picture above to watch.

Top headlines

NYT: Kohberger says he wants to withdraw plea and face trial for murder of Idaho college students
15-year-old detained in Seattle food festival shooting that left 3 dead and toddler hospitalized
Trump asks Supreme Court to let him curtail mail voting

Check this out

👗 ‘Dress-up party’: The uber-rich, dysfunctional family at the center of the new movie “Rosebush Pruning” is bonded by blood, desire and intense interest in designer labels.

For CNN subscribers

6 looming questions about the Iran war
‘It seems like recklessness to me’: High-speed chases by Trump’s Park Police have accelerated
A former addict protects the Constitution and supports his family — by rage-baiting strangers

Quiz time

🫓 Lucknow is finally getting global attention as a food city thanks to its long-standing culinary traditions. Where is it located?
A. India
B. Pakistan
C. Afghanistan
D. Bangladesh
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in Friday’s newsletter: ‘Spider-Man’ spotted doing… actual superhero stuff

🧠 Quiz answer: A. Lucknow is considered one of India’s greatest culinary cities, though it’s often overshadowed by destinations such as Delhi and Mumbai.

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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

TSA finds stolen cannonballs in checked baggage

By CNN
July 27, 2026 | 6:10 PM

(CNN) — All sorts of banned items are discovered in luggage by Transportation Security Administration screeners, but cannonballs stolen from a Civil War-era fort are not an everyday find.Lead TSA Officer Justin Dupree was examining checked bags earlier this month at Alabama’s Gulf Shores International Airport when he spotted the projectiles on his X-ray machine.“My first thought was, I couldn’t see a fuse and need to get some help quick,” the TSA officer is quoted as saying in a TSA update. “I couldn’t see the entire item but was scared I might have been holding a live explosive.”There were five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels, with the largest being the size of a grapefruit and the smallest only about an inch wide, the agency reported.“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” Dupree said. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”Law enforcement determined the cannonballs had been stolen from nearby Fort Morgan. It has guarded Mobile Bay since it was completed in 1834 and played a major role in the Civil War. The fort is now a museum operated by the Alabama Historical Commission.The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and TSA bomb experts confirmed the cannonballs did not contain any explosives, but they still couldn’t fly.“I am very proud of the great catch,” said Tara Corse, who is in charge of TSA in Alabama. “Even if inert and not active, travelers should avoid bringing weapons of any kind, including replicas, to the airport. They can cause security alerts, flight delays and safety concerns.”A juvenile from out of state had taken the cannonballs, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Nathan Lusk told CNN. The historical items were returned to the fort and the facility’s director declined to go forward with prosecution.The historical society is conducting an active investigation into what happened, a spokesperson tells CNN.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Read Next Story