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Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is indicting former Cuban President Raúl Castro as it seeks to increase pressure on the island.
What happened? The indictment against Castro and five others was unsealed in federal court in Miami on Wednesday, but it focuses on the process 30 years ago, when the Cuban government killed four people, three of them American citizens, by shooting down two small planes. It overturns the original 2003 indictment, which named some of the same defendants.
What is the context? President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Cuba intensified at the beginning of this year after the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and the announcement of the hemispheric “Doctrine of Donroe.”
Since then, Cuba has been subject to the US oil embargo (and some differences), causing a power outage and a humanitarian crisis affecting 10 million inhabitants of the island.
Cuba is also a special reasons Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who for a long time wanted to overthrow the communist regime in the country.
what is the main picture? Trump already has one war on his hands in Iran, so it’s hard to gauge his appetite for more military adventurism at this point. But Wednesday’s indictment is yet another escalation, and is reminiscent of previous indictments the Trump administration filed against Maduro after his arrest earlier this year. Maduro was also impeached in a US court in 2020, and the Trump administration has made it clear that his removal law enforcement operation.
Politico’s Nahal Toosi too reported this week that Trump and his advisers are “frustrated” by the lack of any significant agreement from Cuban leaders so far and are beginning to consider military options more seriously.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that indicting Castro “is not a show case.”
“There is a warrant out for his arrest,” added Blanche. “We expect that he will show up here of his own volition or otherwise.”
And so, it’s time to leave…
There’s a long list of American-specific ways the upcoming World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is turning into a mess. (NJ Transit, I’m looking at you.) But here’s one great benefit: It’s fueling the growth of soccer in New York City, and new soccer stadiums are being built to meet that demand. You can read all about it here is the giveaway link.
Have a good evening, and we’ll see you here tomorrow!
