NPR News: 05-20-2026 8PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
What charges is former Cuban President Raul Castro facing in the U.S.?
Former Cuban President Raul Castro is facing charges in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in the deaths of humanitarian workers 30 years ago. President Trump told reporters today that Cuba is free.
I think it's a very big moment for people that, not only Cuban Americans, but people that came from Cuba, that want to go back to Cuba, people that want to see their family in Cuba. I think it's a very big day, very important day. They supported me to the nth degree.
The Justice Department says Castro played a role in shooting down two planes carrying members of the exile group Brothers to the Rescue in 1996. Four people, including three U.S. citizens, died. And the Justice Department has indicted a former federal prosecutor for sending herself a copy of special counsel Jack Smith's report on the investigation into President Trump's classified documents case. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz has more.
Prosecutors allege that Carmen Mercedes-Leinberger emailed a copy of the report to her personal email in January 2025 and tried to hide the fact that she was doing this. The grand jury indictment says she downloaded the documents and emailed them with titles like chocolatecakerecipe.pdf. The indictment doesn't say what Leinberger planned to do with the documents. At the time, a federal judge had ordered the report sealed. Judge Eileen Cannon has since ordered the report permanently sealed. Leinberger served as the managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, Florida. She pleaded not guilty to four felony charges, including theft of government property. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News.
The commercial rocket company SpaceX has filed paperwork for what could be the biggest initial public offering in history. As NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports, its financial disclosures show the company's ambitions and how much it's spending.
SpaceX has already cornered the market on rocket launches, and it's built the world's only satellite internet service. Going forward, it wants to construct data centers in space, build bases on the moon, and eventually put humans on the surface of Mars. Reaching these goals could make SpaceX one of the most valuable companies in history. But to fulfill its ambitions, the financial disclosures show SpaceX spending eye-watering amounts of money. Last year, its AI division, XAI, spent close to $12 billion. The company spent another $3 billion developing its massive new rocket Starship. Overall, SpaceX lost money in the first quarter of this year. Only its satellite internet service turned a profit. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.
The U.S. military says it bordered an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade. It's at least the fifth vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration began the blockade of Iranian shipping. U.S. Central Command says the ship was searched and redirected. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Stephen Colbert's run on The Late Show ends tomorrow, marking the end of his on-air feud with President Trump. Colbert began hosting in 2015. CBS announced last summer that the show would end in May, citing economic reasons. The decision follows Paramount's settlement of a Trump lawsuit and its pending sale to Skydance Media. Special educators are some of the hardest to hire and retain across schools in this country.
Some say the paperwork side of the job is behind burnout. As NPR's Janaki Mehta reports, AI could be helping.
Being a special ed teacher means having a long list of responsibilities and often not enough time in the day. That includes writing IEPs, legally mandated documents that serve as tailored education plans for each child. And the key term is individualized. No two kids are the same. That special ed teacher, Maria Cebu, who says teachers like her must know their students' unique learning styles intimately and have a knowledge of complex laws, all to make sure students get a quality education. But all the paperwork leaves teachers burned out, so an increasing number of them are using AI to help write those IEPs.
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