podcast
CNN 5 Things
We bring you 5 stories that will get you up to speed and on with your day. Updates every weekday morning, midday and evening. Plus, 5 Good Things and One Thing on the weekends.

We start with where peace negotiations stand between the US and Iran. We have an update on a lengthy redistricting fight in Alabama. We’ll tell you what’s driving record-breaking temperatures in parts of Europe. An investigation on a deadly collision in Belgium is underway. Plus, the Trump administration is making a controversial move to stop internal leaks to the public.
May 26, 2026
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran is being tested once again. We’ll tell you who the frontrunners and longshots are in today’s closely watched Texas primary election. The results of President Trump’s annual physical and dental exam are expected later today or tomorrow. Targets of Trump’s political retribution are slamming a controversial ‘slush fund.’ Plus, we explain why potentially thousands of dead fish were found in the Chattahoochee River.
May 26, 2026
The US Military targets Iran’s missile sites and boats in “self-defense” strikes. Protesters and police clash at an ICE detention center in New Jersey. Evacuations orders have been narrowed in a California chemical tank emergency. Dive teams race to rescue seven people trapped in a flooded cave in Laos. Plus, the world’s best cheese rollers tumble to greatness.
May 26, 2026
Stephen Colbert signed off from the “Late Show” for the final time Thursday after CBS ended the iconic late night franchise. While many believe his criticism of President Donald Trump played a factor, the network insists it was purely a financial decision. But can political comedy and media consolidation coexist? And how will pressure from Trump’s FCC influence broadcasters going forward? A working comedian weighs in.
For more: watch ‘The Last Laugh: Stephen Colbert’
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Guest: Michael Ian Black, “Have I Got News for You” team captain
Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Support: Sophie Tran
Photo By: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
May 24, 2026
This Massachusetts neighborhood is setting the soundtrack for Memorial Day weekend, one porch at a time. We’re also celebrating World Turtle Day with a turtle whisperer in Florida. A children’s hospital rolled out the red carpet for teen cancer patients. Graduates from a historically Black college in Atlanta are making history together. Plus, we check on America’s favorite feathery power couple and the efforts of elementary school kids to save their nest.
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Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Lisa Wong
May 23, 2026
We start with another top official leaving the Trump administration. We have an update on a case against a man wrongly deported to El Salvador last year. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve has officially been sworn in. We’ll explain Trump’s surprise announcement to send more troops to Poland. Plus, the president confirms whether he’ll be attending his eldest son’s big day.
May 22, 2026
The Trump administration is standing firm on the president's controversial $1.8 billion dollar slush fund proposal amid a GOP revolt. The WHO gave an update on the Ebola outbreak. A new apolitical comedy show has replaced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Hear why the House Oversight Committee Chair said they just conducted the most "substantive" interview so far in the panel's Jeffery Epstein probe. Plus, drivers are feeling the pain at the pump this holiday weekend.
May 22, 2026
We start with the Republican revolt over the Trump fund to compensate allies. Then, CNN has obtained the DNC’s long-awaited “autopsy” of the 2024 election. Stephen Colbert bids farewell in his final “Late Show” broadcast. The “mastermind” of a of Minnesota fraud scheme gets 42 years in prison. Plus, a 12 year-old is set to graduate college as a valedictorian.
May 22, 2026
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced serious pushback over a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. More than a dozen people are facing new fraud charges in Minnesota. A judge made a surprising move in a former Virginia school official’s criminal case. We’ll explain what’s driving mortgage rates to the highest levels in nine months. Plus, an update on one of President Donald Trump’s controversial projects.
May 21, 2026
An Ebola outbreak in East Africa prompted travel restrictions and new directives for US-bound flights from the affected region. CNN spoke with Jan. 6 rioters and election deniers who could receive compensation from a new slush fund. Texas Democrats are ramping up efforts to block a candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of next week’s runoff election. CNN obtained the Democratic National Committee's long-awaited report examining 2024 election losses. Plus, we tell you why a radio station in the UK is apologizing to Britain’s King Charles III and its listeners.
May 21, 2026







