Cuba
Some History
1740 Cuba was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cuba/Sugarcane-and-the-growth-of-slavery
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1898-02-15 The US sent USS Maine to Cuba. It exploded while at port in Havana, killing 260 Americans.
https://diplomacy.state.gov/teacher-resources/spanish-american-conflict-of-1898/
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1898-12-10 Spain submitted to the Treaty of Paris and gave up their colonies in the Caribbean and West Indies.
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1901 (Platt Amendment) Cuba negotiated its own independence from the US under the agreement that both countries keep exclusive trade relations and the US would have the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. Also it leased Guantanamo Bay to the US military. This gave the US the upper hand to meddle in any movements that would threaten US business interests.
https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-long-complicated-history-of-the-us-at-guantanamo-bay-53922
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1952 The US put support behind Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20672109
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1955-05-04 The CIA trained Fulgencio Batista’s torturers in Cuba. https://jacobin.com/2025/08/cia-batista-cuba-anti-communism
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1959 Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba under pressure from Castro who assumed power. The US also imposed embargos on Cuba. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/january-1/batista-forced-out-by-castro-led-revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1982-03-01 Regan added Cuba to the state sponsor of terrorism list. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL32251.html
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
1992 George Bush barred US companies from selling goods to Cuba.
Unverified website: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/cuba/2022-02-02/cuba-embargoed-us-trade-sanctions-turn-sixty
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
2011
2011-10-20 Headline, “Marco rubio’s compelling family story embellishes facts, documents show”. The article discuses how Rubio claimed his family fled the Castro regime, however his parents entered the US via a commercial flight over two years before Castro overthrew the Cuban government.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-compelling-story-embellishes_n_1022869/amp
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/10/marco-rubio-cuba-obama-policy-roll-back
2015
2015-06-27 Ted Cruz alleged his parents were tortured by Fidel Castro.
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/ted-cruz-calls-obamas-cuba-decision-a-tragic-mistake
2016
2016-03-21 Obama made an historic visit to Cuba, eased travel restrictions, dropped the designation of state sponsor of terrorism, and urged Congress to lift the embargo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsA81-KcsZg
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/03/21/president-obama-weve-reached-havana
TIMESTAMP 31:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy8JmY3vxg&list=WL&index=1
2026 February
2026-02-10 Due to the Trump pressure campaign, Cuba was not able to fuel their airplanes.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11659635/cuba-fuel-shortage-trump-blockade-explained/
2026-02-12 Mexico sent their naval ships to Cuba to provide humanitarian aid.
2026 March
2026-03-05 Trump indicated Cuba would be next (following Iran), stating it is “going to fall”.
2026-03-16 Cuba faced an energy crisis and blackouts due to the U.S. blocking energy shipments. Trump said, “I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba”. He also stated, “I can do anything I want”. Trump also threatened to continue blocking energy shipments in Cuba unless Miguel Diaz Canal stepped down.
https://nypost.com/2026/03/16/us-news/trump-believes-hell-be-taking-cuba-in-the-future/
https://www.ndtv.com/video/i-do-believe-i-ll-have-the-honor-of-taking-cuba-donald-trump-1072855
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/world/americas/trump-cuba-president-diaz-canel.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNoioT7VP98&list=WL&index=11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk6P-bKiGyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkrpjKnspw
2026-03-26 Democrats proposed a bill to block Trump from using any federal funds to take military action in Cuba without Congressional authorization.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFkuH7GRX8&list=WL&index=1&t=388s
2026-03-26 Cuban doctors reported several deaths in direct relation to the US oil blockade, citing a severe shortage in food, medicine and equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFkuH7GRX8&list=WL&index=1&t=388s
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/world/americas/cubas-health-system-us-oil-blockade.html
2206-03-27 Mexico Navy reported on a search and rescue effort to locate two ships carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba that went missing. At least 9 crewmembers and a 4-year-old child were among those on the rescue ships. The crew consisted of members from Cuba, France, Poland and the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFkuH7GRX8&list=WL&index=1&t=388s
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/27/americas/cuba-nuestra-america-boats-missing-intl
2026-03-28 The missing aid boats headed to Cuba were found.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCl0pOdWckU&list=WL&index=3
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/cuba/missing-aid-boats-land-cuba-located-mexican-navy-rcna265641
2026 April
2026-04-21 Cuba confirmed it recently hosted American diplomats on the island for talks about lifting oil sanctions. This comes after Trump said he planned to turn attention to Cuba after the war in Iran, stating, “We may stop by Cuba after we finish with this”.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/21/g-s1-118182/cuba-meeting-with-us-officials-on-island
https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-chilling-three-word-warning-100852650.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/05/trump-cuba-iran-regime-change.html
2026 May
2026-05-02 Trump expanded US sanctions on Cuba.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-expands-us-sanctions-cuban-government-2026-05-01/
2026-05-05 (context) Leaked audio recordings revealed that the U.S., Israel and Honduras were all involved in a scheme together to target leftist governments in Latin America. Context, Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez in December after he was convicted of drug trafficking.
TIMESTAMP 7:53 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2p6lUw7Bx0&list=WL&index=1&t=9s
2026-05-08 Marco Rubio announced more sanctions for Cuba.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5gDLcc7BVw
2026-05-14 CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba to urge Cuban officials to make diplomatic negotiations.
https://www.axios.com/2026/05/14/cia-ratcliffe-cuba-talks-raulito
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/15/cuba-cia-john-ratcliffe-oil-blockade-trump-blackouts.html
2026-05-20 The DOJ indicted Raul Castro.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/politics/live-news/raul-castro-doj-indictment
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/g-s1-122383/us-cuba-raul-castro-indictment