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NPR News Now

NPR News: 05-21-2026 7PM EDT

21 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What recent actions has President Trump taken regarding Cuba?

0.031 - 20.996 Ryland Barton

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump is again threatening a U.S. military intervention in Cuba. He says past presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades, but that, quote, it looks like I'll be the one that does it. Yesterday, the Trump administration announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro.

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21.316 - 29.127 Ryland Barton

Many believe Trump is following the same playbook he did when the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. As NPR's Ryan Lucas explains.

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29.328 - 46.845 Ryan Lucas

The Trump administration also has ramped up pressure on the island, squeezed it economically. And now we have the Castro indictment, which some people certainly see as a prelude to potential military action. Cuba's president, in fact, yesterday accused the U.S. of trying to create a pretext to attack the country. Now, potential U.S.

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46.865 - 58.023 Ryan Lucas

military action could target just Castro or it could target Cuba more generally. But either way, experts say it's unclear that the Cuban government would respond the same way that Venezuela's did.

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58.363 - 82.617 Ryland Barton

NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. President Trump wanted Congress to fund ICE and Border Patrol by June 1st. Then he started pushing lawmakers to fund his White House ballroom project. And he created a nearly $1.8 billion fund that may grant money to January 6th Capitol rioters. NPR's Eric McDaniel reports negotiations fell apart and now Congress is leaving town for a week-long recess.

82.877 - 95.232 Eric McDaniel

Asked about President Trump's fund that he says will pay reparations to folks unjustly persecuted by the government, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, had this to say. I don't like it. Here's Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune on the same issue.

95.452 - 104.263 John Thune

I think that there are and will continue to be a lot of questions around that that the administration is going to have to answer.

104.283 - 122.032 Eric McDaniel

Thune said the fund concerns are linked to why these votes are delayed. Republicans were all set to pass three years of funding for immigration enforcement. They control both chambers of Congress, albeit with narrow margins. But when those slim majorities come up against controversial policies, the math stops working. Eric McDaniel, NPR News, Washington.

122.273 - 132.958 Ryland Barton

AI is quietly making its way into some therapy offices as tools record sessions and generate clinical notes. Critics worry the technology could undermine trust, as NPR's Windsor Johnston reports.

Chapter 2: How is Congress responding to Trump's funding requests?

282.293 - 303.7 Unknown

Keeping up with pop culture sometimes feels like a full-time job. Thankfully, over at Pop Culture Happy Hour, it's literally our job. We break down what's actually worth watching, listening to, and pretending you already knew about. So the next time someone says, did you see that? You can say, yeah, obviously. Follow NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

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