Free Republic

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said Monday that his country has no "aggressive plans or intentions" to attack any country including the United States – following a news report that the Communist-run island nation has acquired over 300 drones with possible plans to use them to attack American military vessels, the U.S. military base at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba, and possibly Key West, Florida. According to Axios, which based its report on classified intelligence that was shared by a U.S. official, the findings could become a pretext for U.S. military action against Cuba. The official said that the proximity of the...

As a California congresswoman, Bass traveled to Cuba with the Obama administration in support of its policies. ============================================================== U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., has had a lower profile than other Democrats, but now is a contender to be Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate. That higher profile is coming with more scrutiny of her past positions, including her positions on Cuba. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said if Bass becomes vice president she "will be the highest-ranking Castro sympathizer in the history of the United States government." Democrats who represent large exile communities in south Florida have raised concerns, too....

Cuba’s blood-soaked communist dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel lashed out Monday, warning that any U.S. military action against his crumbling island prison would unleash a “bloodbath with incalculable consequences.” The thug-in-chief, who has spent years crushing dissent, jailing protesters, and turning Cuba into a starving socialist dumpster fire, took to X to spew his hollow threats after explosive reports revealed his regime has been quietly amassing over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran. Just days ago, reports emerged that the Trump administration was weighing aggressive options amid growing national security concerns surrounding Cuba, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly warned Havana...

On a scorching hot afternoon in Havana, the line outside the state bakery stretches down the block. Inside, the shelves are almost bare. A man in a faded baseball cap tells me he’s been waiting for two hours for bread that might not arrive. Across the street, a gleaming black SUV with tinted windows idles outside a hotel mostly reserved for foreigners. Its lobby is stocked with imported whiskey; the air-conditioning is turned up to Arctic levels. This is not an unusual juxtaposition in today’s Cuba. I walk through Central Havana with Antonio Rodríguez, a 60-year-old university history teacher who...

In recent weeks, Cuba has increased its hostility towards the United States, and it appears that hostility has heightened. A classified intelligence report that was obtained by Axios reveals the Cuban government has bought more than 300 military drones and has begun discussions on possibly using them against the United States. The new report comes as President Trump has warned on several occasions that the United States will “take over Cuba.” Read Axios‘ exclusive report here: Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay,...

In Latin America, in China, in the Middle East, the outline of Donald Trump's plan of action is becoming clear. It is of a scale to take the breath away. It’s obvious to me that during the four-year hiatus from the White House occasioned by a stolen election, President Trump gave thoughtful consideration to what had to be cleaned up domestically and internationally. It’s equally clear that he mapped out how he planned to do that, and despite media, congressional, and judicial intransigence, he plowed ahead. We are at a point now where the blueprint is obvious. It’s a continuing,...

This video, presented by Benny Johnson, discusses a series of claims regarding the political situation in Cuba as of May 2026. The host posits that the country is undergoing a regime collapse driven by economic crises, including severe fuel shortages and power blackouts, and asserts that the influence of Russia in the region is fading. Key themes and claims discussed in the video include: Geopolitical Shifts: The host suggests a "pragmatic trade" is occurring where the U.S. is solidifying its influence in its own hemisphere while acknowledging spheres of influence elsewhere, such as China and Russia. This is framed within...

In Africa an ebola outbreak reported with 65 deaths... Air raid alerts and explosions in several cities in Ukraine... US federal prosecutors attempting to indict Cuban officials including former president... An Iraqi national suspecting of ordering attacks in Europe arrested... Six killed including three paramedics in an Israeli air attack in southern Lebanon... Israel says it killed a top Hamas commander linked to... US President Donald Trump with a statement on Taiwan opposing Taiwan independence from China... The US Supreme Court deciding not to overturn a Virginia... In Colorado Democrat Governor Jared Polis commuting the sentence of election worker Tina...

HAVANA (AP) — CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raúl Castro’s grandson during a high-level visit to the island Thursday, Cuban and U.S. officials said. Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP. Ratcliffe was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,’' the CIA official said....

The U.S. is taking steps to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The potential indictment — which would need to be approved by a grand jury — is expected to focus on Cuba's deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. The plan comes as the U.S. heaps pressure on the Cuban government. The Trump administration has threatened heavy tariffs on any country...

International fraud networks have targeted Medicaid programs all across the country, bilking US taxpayers of billions of dollars, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on fraud, waste and abuse, Dr. Oz has zeroed in on five states: California, New York, Florida, Minnesota, and Maine. In recent media interviews, Dr. Oz has alleged that the Russian government is involved in healthcare fraud in California, the Chinese government in New York fraud, and the Cuban government in fraud schemes in Florida. “We’ve got Russian government involvement, we believe,...

Key Points Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state media the island nation has run out of fuel oil and diesel. Protests broke out in Havana on Wednesday as blackouts in the capital continued. The Trump administration, which has effectively blocked oil shipments to Cuba since January, has offered assistance in exchange for political reform. =========================================================== Cuba has run out of oil and diesel, its energy minister said on Wednesday, as an ongoing U.S. blockade starves the island nation of fuel. “The sum of the different types of fuel: crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have...

The feds have widened their investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk to probe whether PRO-TRANS, online groups and others connected with Tyler Robinson knew in advance about the plan to kill the MAGA influencer, The Post has learned. Law enforcement sources said that investigators are examining leftist groups both in Utah and online to figure out if they helped him with the shooting — or at least heard it was going to happen. The probe includes groups in online gaming community Steam, as well as a pro-trans organization called Armed Queers SLC, which took down their Instagram after Kirk...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has technically been banned from visiting China by its communist government, but he accompanied President Donald Trump on his trip to Beijing on Tuesday using a bureaucratic loophole created by the Chinese to let him in. Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles to Florida who was elected to the Senate in 2011, was one of several congressional representatives banned from traveling to China in July 2020 because they spoke out against China’s brutal oppression of the Uyghur Muslims of occupied East Turkistan. The U.S. had previously sanctioned four Chinese officials for herding the Uyghurs into...

The ex-hooker who allegedly hired a hitman to kill his Chelsea art-dealer hubby coolly sat in Manhattan federal court Tuesday as prosecutors showed jurors grisly photos of the victim’s bloodied corpse. Daniel Carrera Sikkema, wearing a gray blazer over a white shirt, showed no emotion during opening statements at the kick-off of his trial — even as prosecutors displayed images of the body of his much older estranged husband, Brent Sikkema, who was riddled with stab wounds from the January 2024 killing inside his home in Rio de Janeiro. Federal prosecutors alleged that Sikkema, in his mid-50s, hired Cuban national...

The answer to the question in the headline is obviously no — it is impossible that any of us could hate Communism as much as we should. Unless you were a Chilean helicopter pilot back in the day, perhaps, you could almost certainly use a booster shot for your anti-Communism. This point was brought home by Data Republican: Is this clear enough? Too many of our Republican friends dismiss Bass as a dimwitted clown, dangerous only because of her incompetence. However, Bass has held positions of major influence, and was among the finalists in Biden’s search for a VP pick...

Another sterling week for the Trump administration, another interval of agony for his opponents. The attention of those less politically minded is focused on the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy -- always fodder for the would-be Colombos and Miss Marples -- and the Olympics. Yet this week saw some victories for the administration along with some serious unfinished business. The ousted dictator Nicolás Maduro seems isolated, depressed, and devoid of funds sufficient to hire teams of lawyers to defend him. Any claims he might have for immunity seem destined to fail. The evidence establishes he was born in Colombia;...

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has withdrawn from a televised L.A. mayoral candidate forum scheduled for May 13, according to a statement released Friday by the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles and the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs. https://ktla.com/news/local-new s/karen-bass-cancels-appearance-at-televised-l-a-mayoral-forum/

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the Cuban government turned down a $100 million humanitarian aid offer from the U.S., as the nation continues to grapple with the fallout of a devastating hurricane, a weakened economy and a prolonged fuel shortage. The U.S. provided $6 million in humanitarian aid to the island’s population in February that was distributed by Caritas, a nonprofit organization tied to the Catholic Church. The U.S. was prepared to send more, but the Cuban regime was “standing in the way,” according to Rubio, who told reporters in Italy that he discussed the delivery of...

Pope Leo has criticized Trump over Iran... If it would have been any pope..but this is Pope Leo who has openly criticizing immigration policies of Donald Trump, he has been a defender of policies of Barack Hussein Obama... Fajardo: The Vatican is a theocratic stare... it's not democratic...Pope Leo is head of State...all around him know why he was elected... Marian: As a Catholic... And I’m going to put this to you very clearly. It absolutely sickened me to see Pope Francis travel to Cuba and not advocate for Cuban prisoners, and travel to Nicaragua and not advocate for Nicaraguan...