CNN 5 Things

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Russia’s Willing to Resume Trilateral Peace Talks

Vice President JD Vance defends Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate’s controversial ad against his opponent. A 74-year-old American imprisoned in Russia for more than four y

Oct 21
8 min

Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio October Surprise

A new political ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy featuring his Democratic opponent’s estranged mom telling voters to reject her has even some

Oct 21
15 min

Ramaswamy Facing Backlash for Attack Ad On Opponent

#18 trending · Daily News

Vivek Ramaswamy says his campaign is behind an ad that features the estranged mother of his opponent in the Ohio governor's race. New CNN polls give final read on how vot

Oct 21
9 min

Are Democrats Being Realistic About a Blue Wave?

Poll after poll continues to show strong enthusiasm for Democrats, including for Senate candidates in deep red states. But are they setting expectations of a blue wave to

Oct 20
11 min

MS Attorney General Says Use of Force Justified in 1yo's Death

President Trump heads to NC in next stop on midterm sprint. Family calls for video to be released after Mississippi AG decides fatal police shooting of 1-year-old was jus

Oct 20
9 min

Elon Musk Pledges SpaceX Shares to Every US Kid

Early voting kicks off in Texas while President Donald Trump is starting his midterm campaign blitz. The Supreme Court backs the Pentagon’s decision to throw out plea dea

Oct 19
8 min

The Swing Voters that Could Define the Midterms (And Beyond)

After President Donald Trump and the Republican Party made gains with Latino voters in 2024, polling suggests that support is evaporating. We look at where that is most e

Oct 19
13 min

Violent Protests in France Over Rising Living Costs

President Trump's campaign blitz begins in Kansas today. More than half a million people hit the streets of France in violent protests over rising living costs and other

Oct 19
9 min

Can Erik Prince's Mercenary Operation Solve Haiti's Gang Crisis?

Years of gang-fueled violence have left Haiti in disrepair, killing thousands and displacing over a million people. Now an American military contractor thinks he has a so

Oct 18
29 min

“It’s Like a Sisterhood”: Two Colleagues Face Breast Cancer Together

Two cancer care professionals became patients themselves – and discovered just how powerful their friendship could be. Why a church parking lot could be your next home. A

Oct 17
16 min

Trump Fires WH Press Secretary

President Donald Trump’s new press secretary is out of a job after less than a week. A father of two is hailed a hero for stopping a deadly school shooting in Oregon. Six

Oct 16
8 min

How GOP Voting Restrictions Could Impact Turnout in Key Senate Races

In recent years, Republican-led legislatures have pushed through strict voting restrictions in a number of states that could determine the balance of the Senate this fall

Oct 16
13 min

Teen shooter kills 3 children, teacher at Oregon elementary school

Oregon community mourns after deadly elementary school shooting. Michigan Senate race gets nasty as Vance and El-Sayed trade words. Ukraine runs out of Patriot defense mi

Oct 16
8 min

A Super El Niño Winter is Coming

Ukraine runs out of Patriot missiles as tensions flare with President Donald Trump. Winter is expected to be warmer than usual. A firing squad execution won’t be livestre

Oct 15
7 min

How Elon Musk is Trying to Tip the Midterms — and Why Some Election Officials are Worried

When it comes to campaign spending, one person has spent more than anyone else: the trillionaire Elon Musk. However, some election officials believe his efforts to boost

Oct 15
11 min

Talarico courts Texas voters in high-stakes senate race.

Democrat James Talarico makes his case to Texas voters in a CNN town hall. Trump's approval rating hits a record low in a new poll. Cornell president faces backlash over

Oct 15
8 min

US Inflation Heats Up

Voters are getting a final check on consumer prices ahead of the midterms. A judge says the president’s press ban likely violates the First Amendment. Pope Leo shares his

Oct 14
6 min

Can A Democrat Really Win in Texas?

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico will hear from Democratic, Republican, and independent voters tonight at a CNN & Jubilee Town Hall (streaming live at 8pm E

Oct 14
14 min

Senate candidates clash during debates in three key battleground states.

Senate candidates spar in Maine, Iowa, Georgia. White House ousts Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Katie Zacharia's "brutal" first press briefing. Pope Le

Oct 14
9 min

Tupac Murder Trial Sentencing

A former gang leader learns his fate for the death of Tupac Shakur. Police identify the man who fell to his death from a Six Flags roller coaster in Georgia. The White Ho

Oct 13
7 min

Chart trend

Position in the Daily News chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#14#27JulAugSepOct

#16

all-time peak

697

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where CNN 5 Things ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 22, 2026).

#27 ▼ 2 Daily News US

#92 ▼ 11 News US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I have been loving this podcast for years. I love how basic and straightforward the format is and how relatable the hosts have been but today it sounded like we were listening to a video segment on CNN. If I wanted to do that, I'd watch CNN. I hope this isn't the new format. The background music, the rushed pace and a person who sounds like a typical anchor person does not make me want to keep listening. I come to podcasts because I don't care for or trust traditional news anymore. I don't want the music, the sound and visual effects and the anchor people who are more interested in drama than the truth or the context around it. I just want to know what is going on in the world. I feel like the hosts on this podcast give us almost exactly what we need for our day and I greatly appreciate them.

Nerdy Pete · Sep 2026

I don’t listen to CNN 5 Things, but I do tune in for David Rind’s weekly One Thing for a deeper dive into a single current event. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I encourage you to try one episode. You won’t be disappointed. Great objective journalism still exists and is needed now more than ever. Thank you David 🙏

Nikolai88 · Apr 2026

I really like it when Kate delivers the stories of the day. She seems more engaged in what she is delivering and therefore gets me more engaged

TxAg86 · Apr 2026

I’ve listened to CNN 5 Things for a long time because it provided a fast, straightforward list of the day’s top stories. I don’t like the new music or format or new anchor Kate Baldwin. I don’t want to hear about her or have her side commentaries. For listeners like me who rely on it for a neutral news briefing, the other anchors and the earlier format worked much better. I would really appreciate a return to the more direct “just the news” style that made the podcast so useful.

straycat blues · Mar 2026

I had stopped listening to 5 Things here and elsewhere because inserting ads part way through a podcast that is LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES long is just insulting and abusive. To be clear, I am fine with ads to support a program, but only within reason. INTERRUPTING such a short one is the epitome of greed, and is basically a big F-U to the audience. CNN could afford to put out a free five minute microcast that only runs once every three hours if it wanted to do so. Limiting ads to the intro and outro cannot possibly have a material impact on its bottom line. Now, this one is falsely promoted as “ad-free” over on Amz Music. For the past two weeks, CNN has been interrupting every episode to play ads on its supposedly ad-free feed over there. I had only begun listening at Amz because it came without the obnoxious interruption. There are PLENTY of other micro newscasts out there that have figured out ways to support their programs without inserting ads right into the middle of their extremely short podcasts. And several others honor the ad-free format at Amz Music, including NPR, WaPo, Slate, and even Fox and WSJ. So I will, once again, dump CNN. 👎🏻

Miz Luv · Nov 2023

We used to enjoy this podcast. The background music is now mixed so loud that it’s virtually impossible to understand the reporting.

ASchnacks · Aug 2026

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.