US Indicts Castro, Screen Time Advisory, Barney Frank’s Death and more - CNN 5 Things - Podcast on CNN Podcasts

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US Indicts Castro, Screen Time Advisory, Barney Frank’s Death and more
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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.

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US Indicts Castro, Screen Time Advisory, Barney Frank’s Death and more
CNN 5 Things
May 20, 2026

The Justice Department brought federal charges against a former Cuban leader – we have details. Health officials issued their latest warning about screen time risks for kids and teens. The Trump administration is facing legal pushback on its “anti-weaponization fund.” A landmark housing affordability package moved one step closer to becoming law. Plus, a liberal icon who made history in Congress has passed away.

Episode Transcript
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:01
Hey, from CNN, I'm Ifeoma Dike with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, May 20th.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
00:00:08
Today we are announcing an indictment charging Raul Castro and several others with conspiracy to kill US nationals.
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:23
That's acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro and others that stem from their alleged role in shooting down two civilian planes in 1996 that killed four people, three of them Americans. Castro's charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. Nationals, destruction of an aircraft and murder.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
00:00:42
If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what title you hold, and in this case, no manner how much time has passed.
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:51
'The planes belonged to the Cuban-American group Brothers to the Rescue, a volunteer organization based in Miami that carried out regular flights attempting to find and help Cubans trying to sail to the US. The group is no longer active. After the attack, the Cuban government accused the organization of engaging in covert operations against the regime, which the U S denied. CNN spoke with Reinaldo Martin, former pilot with Brothers to The Rescue. He said he was good friends with two of the people who died. And that he himself was supposed to be flying that day.
Former Pilot Reinaldo Martin
00:01:22
Yeah, we've been at this since it first happened and it sort of like got pushed aside. Cuba came up with some other stuff and we fought it back and forth and I guess we didn't have the proper information to present and I think we have now and now better late than never but it gets done and that's what it counts.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:45
Cuba's president called the indictment a quote, political maneuver without any legal basis.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:51
More news coming up, including a new warning about endless social media scrolling, nonstop texting, and hours of video games.
Ifeoma Dike
00:02:02
A new Surgeon General's advisory raises an alarm about screen time risks for kids and teens. CNN's Jacqueline Howard explains.
Jacqueline Howard
00:02:10
This plan can outline who can use what devices, when, where, and for how long. So if your kids give you a hard time, you can always point back to the plan. Other recommendations include modeling healthy behavior around screens and delaying access to screens as at a young age for your children. The advisory also suggests screen time limits by age. Those include no screen time for babies under 18 months old. And then limit screen time to less than an hour a day for kids under six years old, and then two hours a day for ages six to 18. Many of the advisory's recommendations, they are similar to what the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended. And this advisory is actually being put forth at a time when the nation is still waiting for a confirmed surgeon general.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:03
'Police officers who protected the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have sued the Trump administration to block the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. The fund is for President Donald Trump's allies who say they were unfairly investigated by previous administrations. Here's former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, one of the plaintiffs bringing the lawsuit, speaking to CNN today.
Harry Dunn
00:03:26
First of all, this has to go away. This is an, I believe this is an illegally established fund and also using funds to pay insurrectionists. This is taxpayer money. Taxpayer money should not be funding, rewarding the people responsible for January 6th.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:40
The lawsuit also claims that officials violated federal rulemaking laws by creating the fund, which stemmed from a $10 billion lawsuit Trump brought against the IRS earlier this year.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:51
'A landmark housing affordability package moved one step closer to becoming law today. The House passed a new version of the measure that cleared the Senate in March. It aims to tackle the housing crisis from multiple angles, such as expanding loans to construct housing, pushing local governments to loosen permitting rules, expanding manufactured housing, and curbing Wall Street's ownership of single-family homes. The House's version takes a softer approach to restricting institutional investors from buying those homes than the Senate's bill. Both chambers will have to work out the differences before the measure hits President Trump's desk for his signature.
Ifeoma Dike
00:04:26
Coming up, remembering a liberal icon.
Ifeoma Dike
00:04:32
Barney Frank, the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, has died at 86. His sister confirmed his death to CNN. Earlier this year, Frank entered hospice care where he was treated for congestive heart failure, according to media reports. The former Massachusetts congressman built a reputation on Capitol Hill for being an outspoken progressive stalwart. Legislatively, he made his biggest mark in the world of finance. He was at the center of the congressional response to the 2008 mortgage crisis. Frank pushed for greater regulation of banks and stronger consumer protections.
Ifeoma Dike
00:05:06
That's a wrap. Join us again tomorrow morning.