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Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration isn’t letting up the stress on Cuba.
What’s taking place? After months of threats from the Trump administration, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel mentioned on Friday that his authorities was holding talks with the US to search out “options” to more and more dire situations on the island.
It’s unclear what may come out of these talks, but it surely’s the most recent signal the Trump administration is critical about following via on its latest rhetoric.
Why Cuba? That is an ideological mission for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier this week, the Atlantic’s Vivian Salama instructed Vox that Rubio had made it a “lifelong mission” to topple Cuba’s Communist regime.
It’s additionally an unsurprising extension of the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” — an assertion of US regional hegemony, backed by army pressure — that President Donald Trump proclaimed after US forces efficiently captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
What’s the context? Cuba has been in a tough spot for years; in 2024, it skilled a nationwide blackout after its electrical grid collapsed — an issue that has recurred since then. However since January, a de facto US blockade has made situations far worse, choking off all gasoline to the island already affected by financial disaster.
On the time, Trump posted on Fact Social that “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly counsel they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
What’s the massive image? US-Cuba talks don’t imply the opportunity of extra drastic motion is off the desk. For instance, the US and Iran had been nonetheless engaged in nuclear negotiations when the struggle started final month. Salama, of the Atlantic, additionally instructed Vox that some Trump officers backing army motion imagine it’s “like ripping off a Band-Support. You get them performed shortly as a one-two-three punch.”
Regardless of the US does, situations inside Cuba could imply occasions come to a head sooner somewhat than later.
And with that, it’s time to log out…
Winter could also be on its manner out, but it surely nonetheless snowed in Washington, DC, on Thursday, so meaning I can share this episode from Vox’s Unexplainable podcast all about how snow varieties and its numerous cool properties (plus some snow mysteries we nonetheless don’t know the solutions to).
Thanks for studying, have a terrific weekend, and we’ll see you again right here on Monday!