Raúl Castro Indictment Looms, Memorial Day Weekend Gas Prices, and Historic GA Primary and more

Hey there from CNN. I'm David Rind with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, May 20th. Amid all the talk about Iran, you'd be forgiven for forgetting just how much pressure the Trump administration is putting on Cuba. Its oil blockade contributed to rolling blackouts on the island. Basic services are scarce. People there are really struggling. Well, today that pressure is expected to ramp up another notch. CNN Chief Justice correspondent Evan Perez is here. Evan, what are we going to see here? Hey, David, the Justice Department is preparing to announce criminal charges against Raul Castro, brother Fidel Castro, former Cuban president himself, and who still very much is involved in running the Cuban government. Now, this relates to the 1996 shootdown of unarmed civilian planes

just outside Cuban airspace. This attack killed four people, including three Americans. And really, this has been a case that's been 30 years in the making for the Justice. Department. And it's really also very much about the Trump administration putting additional pressure on the Cuban government to change the way it runs the island. Castro so far has not commented on any potential charges. Meanwhile, the Cuban American Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the Cuban people directly in Spanish in a video put out by the State Department. He said the Trump administration is offering to help, and that the only thing standing in

the way of a better future are the people who, control their country. When we come back, China rolls out the red carpet again, this time for a major U.S. Stick around.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing today, meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He was talking there about trade agreements between the two countries. The meeting comes less than a week after President Donald Trump visited the Chinese capital. Xi Jinping took a veiled shot at the U.S. as he kicked off the meeting,

while praising ties with Russian. Russia as a force of calm amid chaos. Readouts from both sides criticized Trump's plan to build a multi-billion-dollar golden dome missile defense system in the U.S. Tens of millions of Americans are expected to hit the road this holiday weekend, as average gas prices are projected to be near an all-time high. Gas buddy is projecting the national average to be $4.48 a gallon. That would be the second highest reading on Memorial Day on record, the highest being four years ago

when Russia invaded Ukraine. President Trump underscored again yesterday that he's not really thinking about the pain at the pump when dealing with Iran, saying it'll only be temporary until the war is settled. He argues it's a small price to pay for the security benefits of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. This is peanuts, and I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while. It won't be much longer. Now the president may say that's peanuts, but Brown University has been tracking the financial

burden of high energy prices on consumers in real time. They say it's costing Americans over 43-d-year-old. billion in counting that shakes out to just over $330 per U.S. household across both gasoline and diesel. We won all races last night, every one of them. And we have a great candidate, I believe, in Texas. And I believe the Texas candidate, who's Ken Paxton, I think he'll win. President Trump's revenge tour rolls on.

Trump reacted this morning to a big win by his hand-picked congressional candidate in Kentucky over the incumbent Thomas Massie. Nessie has been a thorn in Trump's side, going against him on spending bills, the Jeffrey Epstein files, and more. Meanwhile, Trump's endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has upended next week's Senate primary runoff between Ken Paxton and four-term incumbent John Cornyn. John Cornyn responded to Trump's endorsement to Ken Paxton by noting on social media that he had voted with the president 99% of the time and vowed to stay in the race. When reporters asked Trump today if he had spoken to Republican leadership in the Senate about his Ken Paxton endorsement against an incumbent, He said they understood. They want to win. I know how to win.

Some of them don't know how to win. I know how to win. I think I've proven that, haven't I? All right, one more break. When we come back, a historic primary result on the Democratic side of the aisle. Stick around. I'm Adi Cornish. I'm Ari Josh Shapiro, and it's engagement party. And we get to talk about what we're obsessed with, what we're engaged with,

what we need to process with a friend. We're going to be talking about two of the most famous women in the world, Taylor Swift and Serena Williams. Also, if in your feed you have seen people tapping their face and their chest, we'll explain what that's all about. If you haven't, we will still explain what that's all about.

And of course, we're starting with Serena Williams because she's back. She is back. As we are recording this, she is playing in Wimbledon, where she is a wild card. This is a huge deal because she's been retired for a couple of years.

It was a big splash when she retired. But it's also coming on the heels of her announcement that she was on a GLP1. And just so we're clear, peptides, all this stuff, none of it is banned from sports. Follow engagement party.

Wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, LB! HALB! Hello, Georgia. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms addressing supporters at her official gubernatorial primary watch party last night.

She's projected to win the Democratic primary for Georgia governor, which puts her on the path to potentially becoming the nation's first black woman elected governor. She would also be the first black governor in Georgia's history. Scott Bottoms beat out a crowded Democratic field. On the Republican side, Lieutenant Governor Bert Jay Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16th runoff for the GOP nomination. Scott Bottoms campaign centered around Medicaid coverage and increasing education funding. After her four-year term as mayor, Scott Bottoms was also considered as a potential running mate for four. former President Joe Biden in 2020.

That's all we've got for now. Next update comes your way later this evening. I'll talk to you later.

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