Earlier today CBS reported that Cuba had released 51 political prisoners as an outcome of pressure from the Trump administration upon the Cuban communist regime headed by Miguel Díaz Canel. You can read the CBS report HERE.
Hours later, Communist Leader Miguel Díaz Canel, appears on state television in Cuba to announce that the Cuban government has entered direct negotiations with the government of the United States. [SOURCE]
“Whenever we have been in tense situations in relations with the United States, efforts appear to seek channels for dialogue.” The video on Cuba–US talks is now ready with English captions and translations attached right here.
Early stages. So, for now we just watch what unfolds. However, if President Trump and Secretary Rubio manage to take down the dictatorial regimes of Venezuela, Iran and Cuba all in 2026… Jumpin’ ju-ju bones, that would be remarkable.
According to the Cuban government: “It has been established that the neutralized speedboat, registered in Florida FL7726SH, was carrying 10 armed people, who, according to preliminary statements by the detainees, intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.”
The Cuban military opened fire on a speedboat with 10 passengers. According to established reports, 4 passengers were killed and six were wounded and captured by the Cuban coast guard forces. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the story as it surfaced yesterday (Associated Press). WATCH:
The Cuban government has released the names of those captured: “1-Amijail Sánchez González, 2-Leordan Enrique Cruz, Gómez, 3-Conrado Galindo Sariol, 4-José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, 5-Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, 6-Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Among the deceased was Michel Ortega Casanova. Work is being done on the identification of the other 3.”
Cuba claims the boat, registered out of Florida, was carrying ten people intended to conduct terrorism in Cuba. Secretary Marco Rubio says the U.S. is conducting our own investigation to determine what took place.
In the press remarks above, Secretary Rubio also discussed the current status of U.S.-Iran negotiations.
President Trump and Secretary Rubio are walking carefully through a process to keep Venezuela stable and authentic to the true intents of the Venezuelan people. Toward that end, both Trump and Rubio have been very careful with Maria Corina Machado, the exiled opposition leader who claims to be the legitimate voice of the people.
Machado is loved by the United Nations, the American leftists and DC control agents. However, to avoid Machado becoming Venezuela’s Zelenskyy, President Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio are working through a three-stage process that would culminate in secure national elections to coincide with Maria Machado’s return. If she wins the hearts and minds, she will have legitimacy.
If you listen carefully to her phrases and omissions, you can clearly see where the trepidation from Trump and Rubio comes from. There are a lot of platitudes and pretenses within Venezuelan politics. Video and Transcript Below:
[TRANSCRIPT] – MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, and it is amazing to see you here in person after so long.
MARÍA CORINA MACHADO: Likewise. Thank you very much.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this past week. He said the U.S. now does not intend to have any military action or presence inside Venezuela, except for maybe at a reopened embassy there. Is that a good idea to take that military pressure off when the Maduro regime is effectively still in place?
MACHADO: Well, first of all, I have to say that on behalf of the Venezuelan people, we’re very, very grateful to the American people, and the first hand- first and foremost, to President Trump, to the secretary of state, and also to your leaders in Congress. I mean, the- the degree of support and care that we’ve felt in this fight at this moment is enormous, and I think it is clear on the- on the behalf and well being of the American people, but also of the Venezuelan people, and I would say the whole hemisphere. I do not think that the pressure is being taken away. Actually, everything Delcy Rodríguez is currently doing is because she’s complying with instructions she’s getting from the United States, and important steps are being taken. So I think that the message has been delivered, and so far, we’re seeing the results in the actions taken by the regime, and also in the mood and energy that is growing within the Venezuelan population.
Earlier this morning President Trump delivered prepared remarks to veterans of the Bay of Pigs, Cuban resistance against communism. [Video and Transcript Below]
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. Please. Thank you very much. And I’m delighted to welcome you to the White House as we honor the Cuban-American veterans of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Brave people. Great people.
I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association in 2016, and they gave me a beautiful award. And I have it very proudly on a wall of great importance to me.
Against the backdrop of targeted sonic-weapon attacks against American diplomatic personnel the U.S. State Department removes non-essential employees and issues a travel warning against Americans traveling to Cuba. STATE DEPT – Over the past several months, 21 U.S. Embassy employees have suffered a variety of injuries from attacks of an unknown nature. The affected individuals have exhibited a range of physical symptoms, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping. Investigators have been unable to determine who is responsible or what is causing these attacks.
On September 29, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, as well as all family members. Until the Government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our Embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm. (more…)
In a speech Friday at a Miami theater associated with Cuban exiles, Trump claimed his executive order would cancel the Obama administration’s “one-sided deal with Cuba.”
President Trump cancelled President Obama’s Cuba Policy and ordered tighter restrictions on traveling to Cuba and a clampdown on U.S. business dealings with the island’s military, saying “with God’s help a free Cuba is what we will soon achieve.”
As Trump laid out his new Cuba policy in a speech in Miami, the White House announced plans to roll back or eliminate much of former President Barack Obama’s 2014 deal between the U.S. and Cuba. However, President Trump leaves the U.S. embassy in Havana.
“We will not be silent in the face of communist oppression any longer,” Trump told a cheering crowd in Miami’s Cuban-American enclave of Little Havana, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who helped forge the new restrictions on Cuba.
The politics of this are transparent. Cuban-Americans supported Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton 54/41. (LINK)…. and Now Today: The Cuban immigration issue has always been a thorn in the side for dedicated liberals. (more…)
Senator Bernie Sanders goes into the full ‘old man screaming “get off my lawn” mode‘ after he was put on the spot this morning because of his ideological support for brutal communist dictator Fidel Castro.
Angry Sanders has very grouchy sad because he must retain his condolences privately amid his fellow socialist/communist besties within the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
(Via ABC News) In a statement following meetings with Cuban President Raúl Castro in Havana today, President Barack Obama declared it a “new day” in U.S.-Cuban relations.
“For more than half a century, the sight of a U.S. president here in Havana would have been unimaginable. But this is a new day. Es una nueva dia,” Obama said in remarks to reporters at the presidential palace in Cuba.
While celebrating the progress in the relationship, Obama also said that the two countries continue to have important differences and that the U.S. will continue to speak out on the issue of human rights and democracy. (more…)