United States President Donald Trump has promised to take over Cuba as the island nation plunged into total darkness after its national power grid collapsed amid an ongoing oil blockade imposed by Washington.
“You know, all my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
“I do believe I’ll be… having the honour of taking Cuba,” Trump said.
“Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it. You want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
The threat comes amid a total blackout on the Caribbean island, with Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba (UNE) announcing that the “complete shutdown of the national grid” has left the nation of 10 million without power. The state-owned company said it was working to restore electricity flows.
Cuba’s ageing grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages and an increase in island-wide blackouts. But the government has also blamed its woes on a US energy blockade after Trump, in January, warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.
His administration has openly said it is seeking regime change in Cuba.
No oil has been imported to Cuba since January 9, amid the US pressure campaign.
Reported by Al Jazeera
Close to 11 million people live in Cuba & because of the blockade imposed by Trump, the island nation cannot get the fuel it needs to continue to provide electricity to its people.
Think about the repercussions of that.
No ability to drive vehicles
No ability to heat or cool homes
No ability to safely store food
No ability access anything tied to a computer
Most importantly - how many healthcare related machines no longer have power to operate
It’s a monstrous thing to impose on a population, & it’s outright collective punishment to a community. Donald Trump’s actions are going to lead to hundreds, if not thousands of deaths on that island.
I’m so angry that I honestly don’t even know what to type at this moment…
What are you supposed to say that even articulates the current state the world is in right now, because we let that monster win the 2024 election.
We have to get him out of office. His Presidency is no longer just our problem, he is terrorizing the world.
I apologize for not covering the blockade of Cuba sooner. That was definitely an oversight on my part, but I’ll provide updates as they continue over the next month.
Additional stories I wanted to share:
Federal court blocks Arkansas law displaying Ten Commandments in public schools - A federal court has ruled to permanently block an Arkansas law that required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom, stating that it violates the First Amendment. "Act 573 must be permanently enjoined," the ruling said. "Failing to do so would violate the Establishment cause rights of Arkansas public school children and their parents and also violate [the] Plaintiffs' Free Exercise rights," the ruling continued. The ACLU of Arkansas applauded the court’s ruling emphasizing the court’s ruling that state public schools are prohibited from promoting or imposing “religious doctrine onto students.”
“[Monday’s] decision affirms a core constitutional principle: the government must remain neutral on matters of faith, and every student deserves to learn in a classroom free from religious coercion,” the ACLU of Arkansas said. Reported by the ACLU
‘Not our war’: U.S. allies balk at Trump’s Strait of Hormuz demands - Trump called upon “countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait” to “take care of that passage,” as he put it in a post Sunday on Truth Social. In an interview with the Financial Times the same day, he went further, warning that NATO would have a “very bad future” if its members did not help free up the strait. It was “a bit rich” for Trump to be asking help from countries he had previously insulted, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves told NBC News in a telephone interview Monday. “It’s a bit rich — after you’ve been threatening Denmark and insulting the memory of around 1,000 NATO troops who fought in Afghanistan — to say, ‘Oh, you all have to come and help us now,” said Ilves, who was Estonian president between 2006 and 2016. “If countries send troops and something happens to them, is he going to make fun of them again?” he added. “It’s a political nonstarter from the get-go,” he said. “I’m not sure what he expected.” Some, such as the leftist government of Spain, outright refused the Hormuz demand. “Spain will never accept any stopgap measures” to keep the strait open, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said, “because the objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end now.” Reported by NBC News
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the security landscape in the Strait of Hormuz has fundamentally changed amid the war - He accused the U.S. of acting under Israeli influence, saying: “I don’t know what happened in the Epstein affair or what documents exist on Americans that put them on such a leash in Netanyahu’s hands and lead them to act this way.” Ghalibaf also said Trump is “lying several times a day out of desperation,” claiming the U.S. failed to achieve a quick victory and that “all U.S. bases have been targeted by us.” He added that Iran has long warned neighboring states that the U.S. military presence does not bring security, saying recent events have proven that point. Ghalibaf said the “face and order of the Middle East are changing,” adding that regional countries will shape their own security and economic order rather than the United States. Reported by Drop Site News
Epstein war in Iran updates from yesterday - Multiple reports stated a new wave of airstrikes hit Tehran Tuesday morning. Videos and posts circulating on social media point to several areas of the capital being struck, including Piroozi Street in eastern Tehran and the Niavaran area in the north, according to BBC. Earlier on Monday, Israel struck a government-linked economic office in Tehran, with nearby civilian shops also hit, according to a local account shared online. The strike damaged a cluster of everyday businesses including a bakery, supermarket, banks, and other storefronts in a residential area. Explosions were reported in Doha and Dubai as Iran launched missiles and regional air defenses activated, with Qatar saying it intercepted at least one incoming strike.
U.S. military officials say around 200 American troops have been injured, with at least 13 killed.
More than 3,000 people have been killed since the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, according to estimates from the Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is funded in part by the US government and based in Maryland.
The reported toll includes:1,351 civilians
1,126 military personnel
In Lebanon, the Health Ministry says 886 people have been killed, including 67 women and 111 children. 38 medical workers have been killed.
Other countries reporting war-related deaths include:United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
Oman
Trump floats statehood for Venezuela - I wish I was making this up
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has been signing up as a paid subscriber recently, it honestly helps out a lot.
I’m just 7 more people away from hitting our goal! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂
Until next time,
Desmond
