U.S. Indicts Cuba's Castro, Bipartisan Housing Bill & The Last 'Late Show' - Thursday, May 21, 2026

The U.S. has indicted 94-year-old Raul Castro on murder and conspiracy charges over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian planes that killed four Cuban Americans—a move that marks a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Cuba relations decades after the incident. The case, backed by new evidence and a rare Spanish-language video from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes amid heightened tensions, a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Caribbean, and speculation about potential military action. Meanwhile, a landmark bipartisan housing bill has passed the House with overwhelming support, aiming to tackle America’s affordability crisis through incentives for new construction, conversion of abandoned buildings, and limits on institutional investors buying single-family homes—though a key Senate provision was dropped over free-market concerns. On a cultural front, Harvard is implementing a strict cap on A grades, limiting them to 20% of each class starting in 2027, sparking debate over academic pressure and credential devaluation. In health policy, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired the chair and vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, raising alarms about political interference in evidence-based medical guidance. SpaceX has officially filed for IPO, potentially making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, though the filing reveals the company is losing billions annually—mostly due to acquisitions like X and XAI—while Starlink and core operations remain profitable.