Disney parks and cruises saw their best growth in two years despite a travel slowdown. Here’s how they did it

 

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on August 6.

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Los Angeles —  

Influencers have been flooding social media this summer with videos of short wait times at Disney parks. In June, one content creator recorded a relatively empty Disneyland while noting the absent daytime crowd.

“It’s the middle of summer, the weather is perfect and the park is not crowded,” said Kel Warner, who posts at @themeparkmomlife.

The short wait times, it seems, were a red herring.

Disney pulled a series of strategic levers to get people through their park gates at a time when many are being choosy about how to spend their dollars, according to industry analysts.

The company offered a slew of aggressive, targeted discounts; expanded programming and shows for young children; retooled some existing attractions to entice repeat visits; and got to a “sweet spot” in operational efficiency with its skip-the-line service.

That allowed Disney to pull off a great quarter while everyone else felt a dip. Universal parks and resorts saw softening attendance at its two older theme parks in Orlando, and attendance at Sea World and Busch Gardens dropped.

Targeted discounting

Conventional wisdom is that summers at Disney parks mean crowds. But attendance during the season has waned over the last decade, according to Gavin Doyle, founder of MickeyVisit.com, a Disney news and planning site.

Then came the twist: Revenue for Disney parks and cruises in the most recent quarter rose 10% from the year before, the strongest increase in two years. Global parks attendance grew 4% from last year, per-guest spending increased and even the occupancy of the company’s domestic resort hotels hit a whopping 91%.

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Paramount agrees to delay Warner Bros. Discovery takeover for months

 

The Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, on November 9, 2025.

Ethan Swope/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Paramount says its takeover of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, will be delayed for many months, and potentially well into 2027, due to pending lawsuits by state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America.

Paramount said in a Friday afternoon court filing that it has agreed not to complete the mega-merger until an antitrust trial takes place, or until June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

The current Paramount–Warner merger agreement expires on March 4, and is subject to an automatic extension through June 4, 2027.

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The iPhone Air is Apple’s attempt to make smartphones exciting again

 

A person holds an Apple iPhone Air during Apple's "Awe-Dropping" event.

Nic Coury/AFP/Getty Images

New York —  

For the better part of the last decade, sharper cameras, bigger screens and longer battery life have defined annual smartphone upgrades.

But that may no longer be enough to dazzle consumers – at least not in Apple’s opinion.

The company on Tuesday announced the iPhone Air, the first major design overhaul to its flagship product in nearly a decade. An Apple executive described it as being “so thin and light, it seems to disappear in your hands” during the company’s keynote presentation.

The iPhone Air’s debut comes as Apple’s hit product, and smartphones more broadly, are in need of a refresh. The smartphone market has finally rebounded after years of slumping sales, dragged lower in part by a lack of compelling new features. That means consumers are holding onto their smartphones for longer periods of time.

Launch weekend sales of the iPhone 16 in 2024 were estimated to be lower than the previous year, ramping up pressure for Apple to deliver with the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 lineup.

Analysts have been waiting more than a decade for an upgrade “supercycle” like the one Apple experienced more than a decade ago with the iPhone 6, one of Apple’s most successful phones in history.

It’s unclear if the iPhone Air can help Apple deliver that, but some analysts are optimistic that a sleek new iPhone will do more to persuade shoppers to upgrade than the iterative updates of years past. And more importantly, the new device could set the direction for where Apple takes the iPhone next.

“The new iPhone 17 lineup represents the biggest design overhaul since the iPhone X. In itself, this is a strong reason for users to upgrade,” Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst for the International Data Corporation, said Tuesday via email.

Slow smartphone sales

The smartphone market is coming out of a rough patch, with sales seeing their largest ever decline in a single quarter in the fourth quarter of 2022 because of sluggish demand, according to the IDC. Counterpoint Research, another major firm that tracks global smartphone shipments, also reported that the smartphone market saw eight consecutive quarters of decline in 2023.

The situation is different in 2025; sales grew by 1.4% year-over-year in the second quarter of this year according to the IDC, although the report says unemployment, inflation and tariff uncertainty are still hindering demand.

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The 25 best 30th birthday gifts to give in 2026, handpicked by someone who recently turned 30

 

Whether you’re celebrating a longtime partner, your best friend or a beloved family member, a 30th birthday is a major milestone. Not only does it, in many ways, feel like the beginning of a new, far more “adult” chapter but it’s often the decade in which people hit other major life milestones, whether that’s getting married, moving to a new city or growing in their career. It’s also when people dive into their passions and hobbies more seriously, from running to baking to traveling, and the right birthday gift is all about celebrating the things they love and enjoy.

Ahead, this gift guide rounds up the best 30th birthday gifts, which include expert-recommended and editor-loved ideas for women, men and just about anyone in your life at a range of price points. From gift ideas that are anything but predictable to unforgettable experience gifts, these are the tried-and-tested picks we stand behind.

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A year ago, I hoarded my trash to track my waste. Here’s what I swapped, and still swear by, to cut out single-use plastic

 

This article is part of CNN Underscored’s Earth Week, a weeklong focus on our planet and ways to celebrate and preserve it. We’ll be featuring tips on how to live more sustainably, products to help you spend more time in nature and exclusive deals all week, so check in every morning to see what’s new and be sure to subscribe to the CNN Underscored newsletter to see it all.

I’ve always considered myself a relatively sustainable person. I avoid plastic water bottles, recycle religiously and try to rely on secondhand shopping (like borrowing clothes from my sister). I bring tote bags to the grocery store, use every last drop of skin care and try to make low-waste choices at home whenever possible. Sure, I never neglect buying overpriced coffee and sometimes forget my reusable bag, but overall, I would’ve given myself a B rating when it came to living sustainably.

That all changed when I tracked my trash for a week — and the results were sobering, to say the least.

In the lead-up to Earth Week, I saved every piece of waste I generated for a “trash audit.” From food packaging to beauty “empties,” this challenge helped me get a clearer picture of my environmental impact. By the end of the week, I was left with a horrifying pile of yogurt cups, coffee lids, plastic wrappers and takeout containers — far more than I expected. I even had enough trash to cover my entire dining room table. My biggest offenders were plastic food packaging, disposable coffee accessories, beauty product waste and cleaning supplies.

It was both a wake-up call and the start of a deeper shift in how I think about plastic waste and consumption. Here are the sustainable swaps I made and still use more than a year later to help reduce my plastic use.

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Huge oil spill off the coast of Oman now covers hundreds of square miles

 

A satellite image shows the damaged vessel Caroline Bezengi at sea off the coast of Oman, on August 13.

Airbus/Reuters

An oil spill from a stranded tanker off the coast of Oman now covers an estimated 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers), the environmental organization Greenpeace told CNN, prompting fears that a major ecological disaster could be unfolding in the Arabian Sea.

The spill has spread to mainland Oman, roughly 120 miles (200km) from the tanker, according to Omani authorities.

Greenpeace campaigner Hanen Keskes said their analysis of satellite images showed fragmented spots, meaning the spill is in multiple areas rather than one continuous mass.

The Omani government is yet to confirm the size of the impacted areas. Its environment authority did not respond to questions from CNN.

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The natural disaster preparation supplies you need for wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes, according to experts

 

Extreme weather is inevitable. It can occur at any time and affects different parts of the country in different ways, as some areas experience hurricanes or tornadoes while others face wildfires and earthquakes (to name a few). Because these weather patterns are so common, it’s vital to have natural disaster preparation supplies on hand in the event of an emergency.

While our team at CNN Underscored has tested first-aid kits, bug out bags and other emergency supplies, it’s time we got organized based on the needs specific to certain natural disasters.

Below is a collection of emergency supplies and preparation resources, including recommendations from experts and a selection of gear we’ve product-tested ourselves. While many of the recommended supplies are similar, we’ve consulted experts on specific natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes to provide advice tailored to those events.

Above all, preparation is key. It helps you feel confident in your response to natural disasters, and depending on the extreme weather your area is prone to, there are different ways to stay ready. Here’s what to keep on hand when facing weather emergencies.

General emergency supplies

A unifying thread when preparing for these (and other) natural disasters is having various emergency supplies ready.

“Having supplies thought-out well before a disaster arrives, or hits you, is gonna save you lots of time,” said Tom Heneghan, Program Manager of Community Preparedness Education and Youth Preparedness at the American Red Cross. “It just brings down your stress level and makes you so much more ready, because the worst time to think about a disaster is … when you realize ‘Oh gosh, we got one and I’m not ready.’”

Heneghan stresses the importance of customizing emergency supplies to fit your specific needs. “You cannot buy a kit that’s ready for you,” he said.

We referenced informational resources from Ready.gov and The Red Cross, spoke with subject-matter experts and revisited our previous testing to provide an organized list of product recommendations that one might need during a natural disaster. For those just beginning to assemble their supplies or looking to update their kits, use this as a template to build what you’ll need in an emergency.

Walkie-talkies

While many experts stress the importance of keeping your phone with you and charged during natural disasters, a walkie-talkie can serve as a backup communication alternative.

Emergency radios

“For short-notice events and things like that, I think it’s helpful to have something that can alarm you,” Heneghan said.

Along with being mindful of emergency alerts on your phone and downloading warning apps (like the Red Cross app), include a battery-powered radio with NOAA Weather Radio and tone alerts to receive warnings and information.

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Tropical Storm Lala targets Hawaii, set to bring heavy rain and rough surf

 

Hawaii is bracing for a tropical storm that threatens to bring heavy rain, damaging wind and dangerous surf to the islands this weekend.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green declared a statewide emergency Thursday, allowing officials to activate the National Guard and access emergency funding as the state prepares for Lala.

Showers and thunderstorms roughly 800 miles southeast of the Big Island strengthened into Tropical Storm Lala early Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Eastern parts of the state are already under a hurricane watch, through Friday afternoon, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours. Lala is forecast to reach hurricane strength with sustained winds of 75 mph within the next several days.

The storm’s exact path and strength remain uncertain, but it would dodge a rare landfall on its current forecast track. It is expected to be near the Big Island on Saturday, and pass south of the smaller islands on Sunday.

Confidence in the exact track should improve closer to the weekend once the storm is more organized.

Landfalls on the Hawaiian islands have only happened a handful of times in the modern record. The last tropical system to make landfall was Tropical Storm Olivia in 2018, which came ashore on Maui — that island’s first landfall since recordkeeping began in the 1950s.

But storms that pass just south of the islands can have a similar or even greater impact than a direct hit: When surface winds and the storm’s track point in the same direction, they can combine forces and drive more water and wind onshore.

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Bulldozers rip into Big Bend National Park, driving anger and heartbreak

 

Big Bend National Park, Texas —  The towering cliffs, jagged mountain tops, and punishing desert climate of the Big Bend region in Texas have long proved to be the best barrier the United States could have with Mexico. For generations, the idea of needing to build physical structures to stop illegal migration was considered “insane,” as one former superintendent of Big Bend National Park said.

But now the expansive reach of President Donald Trump’s southern border plan has stretched into this remote region that sees only about 1% of unauthorized crossing apprehensions. Bulldozers are clearing land in the beloved national park, where wildlife roams and the scenery has been untouched for thousands of years.

“We didn’t have to worry about any type of barrier. We had a God-made barrier,” said Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland of Terrell County, a vast and sparsely populated area northeast of the park. He spent 26 years in the US Border Patrol, hearing little if any talk of needing extra infrastructure in the area where he grew up, he said. “But that’s definitely changed.”

A group of local residents tearfully watch bulldozers go to work deep in the brush near the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.

Ashley Killough/CNN

US Customs and Border Protection says it’s not planning to build the same kind of 30-foot-high barrier that has appeared across parts of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas inside the national park. But critics say the plan that is in the works is no less destructive.

Earlier this month, bulldozers were videoed uprooting trees and shoveling dirt as wild animals trotted by. They were doing preliminary work ahead of the budgeted $1.72 billion main construction project designated for the area inside Big Bend National Park, the agency said.

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