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.

Iran’s Response to US Proposal, Landmark Social Media Verdict, Stephen Colbert’s New Job and more
CNN 5 Things
Mar 25, 2026
We start with Iran’s conditions for ending the war despite initially resisting a US plan. We’ll break down a jury’s decision in a social media addiction trial against tech giants. The Supreme Court ruled in a music copyright fight challenging a major internet service provider. The latest push to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown has fallen flat. Plus, the next chapter in this late-night host’s career.
Episode Transcript
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:01
Hey, from CNN, I'm Ifeoma Dike with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, March 25th.
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:08
'Iran has its own conditions for ending the war in response to a proposal from the United States. According to Iranian state media outlet Press TV, an Iranian official listed five conditions that include a complete halt to, quote, aggression and assassinations and an end to Israel's attacks on Lebanon that target Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, among other things. It's important to note that it's unclear who's calling the shots in Iran and if officials speaking to Iranian state media and semi-official media outlets have the authority to. The White House says talks with Iran didn't hit a dead end, despite Iran's initial resistance to the plan, but warned
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
00:00:44
President Trump dud is not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again. Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refuse to understand they have already been defeated and refuse to come to a deal.
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:58
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also reiterated that the timeline for the war is still estimated approximately four to six weeks, when asked if the conflict will end before President Donald Trump's trip to China. It was delayed after the start of the war, but will now take place on May 14th and 15th. Despite Washington's diplomatic efforts to engage with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country's military campaign against Tehran and Hezbollah will continue.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:25
More news coming up, including a watershed moment for social media.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:33
A jury has found Metta and YouTube liable on all counts in a landmark social media addiction case. CNN's Clare Duffy has more.
Clare Duffy
00:01:40
'Ifama, Metta and YouTube have, for the first time, been held liable by a jury for creating addictive platforms that harmed a young person's mental health. A Los Angeles jury made the decision after a seven-week trial and more than eight days of jury deliberations. Finding that Metta and YouTube were negligent in the design of their platforms, that they failed to warn of the risks, and that they played a substantial role in harming the mental health of the 20-year-old plaintiff named Kaylee. Now this is just the first of hundreds of similar cases to go to trial and could set a model for those other cases to follow. The jury has awarded $3 million in compensatory damages. We could see additional punitive damages. Both Meta and YouTube have said they disagree with this decision, Meta is evaluating its legal options, and YouTube said it will appeal.
Ifeoma Dike
00:02:27
Now to tell you about the outcome of a music copyright case. The Supreme Court found that a major internet provider is not liable for users' bootleg music downloads. The decision is a major loss for the nation's music industry. Major record labels wanted to hold internet providers liable to copyright infringement for failing to cut off online access to users they know are downloading bootleg Music. Today's ruling reversed a $1 billion verdict against broadband company Cox Communications in a lawsuit brought by Sony Music Entertainment.
Clare Duffy
00:02:57
'On Capitol Hill, the latest push to reopen the Department of Homeland Security by this weekend is sputtering as anxiety in both parties spike. Just a day earlier, Senate GOP leaders believed they'd found a compromise that would work. The plan would fully fund DHS, but withhold money for federal immigration enforcement without any policy reforms. Now that has fallen flat in both parties, leaving President Trump and GOP leaders with no clear path to end the nearly 40-day stalemate before Congress leaves in two days for a two-week recess. To salvage talks, some rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties are privately meeting on their own. Multiple sources said an Alabama GOP Senator, Katie Britt, huddled with several House Democratic centrists this morning to keep both parties at the table for a deal. Britt told reporters that negotiators, quote, have to get a deal done this week, adding there's deals on the table.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:49
Coming up, a late night show host has a new job.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:56
'Stephen Colbert is looking forward to starting his new job. He'll co-write and develop a new film in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings franchise as he ends his 11-year run as host of The Late Night Show in May. He announced the news in a video with the movie director, Peter Jackson.
Stephen Colbert
00:04:11
Yeah, I'm pretty happy about it. You know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me.
Ifeoma Dike
00:04:16
It'll be the second of the two new upcoming films in the fantasy franchise produced by Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of CNN, with New Line Cinema.
Ifeoma Dike
00:04:26
That is it for us. Our next episode drops tomorrow morning.






