I've got big stories about Cuba to share, so I'll just get right to it.
The Boat Story
Yesterday, I reported that the Cuban regime claimed that a Florida-registered speedboat carrying about 10 people made its way into Cuban waters. The regime also claimed that the people on board fired at Cuba's Border Guard, so it fired back, killing four and wounding the six others. It said that the boat had assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, and camo gear aboard and that another individual was waiting on shore to help them land and began some sort of "terrorist infiltration" to destabilize Cuba. The Ministry of the Interior (MININT) even published a list of some of the men's names who were aboard the vessel and said that they all had "a known history of criminal and violent activity."
Cuba's "president," Miguel Díaz-Canel, issued a public statement on X, saying, "Cuba does not attack or threaten. We have stated this repeatedly and we reiterate it today: Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness against any terrorist and mercenary aggression that seeks to affect its sovereignty and national stability."
The problem is that, while the United States still hasn't confirmed anything, this story, which stinks like a rotting fish in the Caribbean Sea, is kind of falling apart.
First of all, one of the guys listed as a passenger is not in Cuba. He's in the United States alive and well. He was not on any sort of boat. He has no injuries. He said it could be some sort of administrative error or a mix-up with someone with a similar name, but it's not him.
Second, the family who owns the boat used in this "terrorist infiltration" claims it was stolen by an employee from their construction company. They had no plans to use it for any such activity, and they say the boat registered under that license isn't a speedboat, but a small fishing boat with one engine. The owners doubted it could hold 10 people and all that gear, much less make it to Cuba on its single engine.
Third, the regime has produced no evidence of anything. No photos of the boat or gear. No access to those injured. No witnesses. As Marco Rubio said yesterday, we don't believe anything they say until we can verify it independently. The U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security are looking into the matter, as is Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has opened an investigation.
"Suffice it to say it is highly unusual to see shootouts on open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time," Rubio said. "But we’re going to find out. We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve told us."
Fourth, this fits a pattern. Not long before Nicolás Maduro was captured, he made this crazy claim that Venezuelan opposition leaders were trying to blow up the U.S. embassy building or something like that. I can't remember the exact details — he called it a "false flag" caused by the extreme right. He also claimed he stepped in and stopped it. Not only does it make him look like a hero and his opponents look like terrorists, but it distracts people from the poor domestic situations, or so these dictators think it does.
When I heard this story yesterday, that's the vibe I got. I could be wrong, but the Cuban regime has a history of making similar moves, and given that tensions between the country and the U.S. are extremely high and the situation on the ground in Cuba is extremely poor, the timing is ripe for a tall terrorist tale from the seas.
All of that said, several media outlets claim that at least one of the people murdered was a confirmed U.S. citizen. The brother of one of the men killed has also spoken out, saying he was on an "obsessive and diabolical" quest to free Cuba from its communist government. The man was a U.S. citizen who'd been in our country (exiled from Cuba) for 20 years, a truck driver, and a soon-to-be grandfather. He said that he believes his brother and whomever else may have been on the boat were so obsessed "that they didn't think about the consequences nor their own lives." However, even so, his story doesn't quite match up to the one the regime is telling. There was, according to his brother, no "known history of criminal and violent activity."
Rubio swears we will learn the truth and respond accordingly. "And I am very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here and we will know it soon, and then we’ll respond appropriately based on what that information tells us," he said.
Cuba to Receive Venezuelan Oil?
This was another big story out of Cuba on Wednesday — it was making major headlines, but the boat situation kind of hijacked it. Those headlines made it seem like the Trump administration has okayed Venezuela to resume sending oil to Cuba. It has not. That's misleading.
The reality is that the U.S. Treasury announced that it would authorize licensing to companies wishing to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba, but only through the private sector. This would bypass the regime, military, intelligence, GAESA, or anyone else who is on the restricted list.
"These would be sales to a very small private sector that exists in Cuba, and that’s always been legal," Rubio said on Wednesday evening. "I mean, there are people that have a license to do that now. This would just expand to the numbers that could do it. Again, it would go to the private sector. The private sector in Cuba is quite small. It exists, but it’s small. And it certainly in and of itself does not have the capacity to deal with the scale and scope of the challenges they’re facing."
He added that it's not a solution to the country's bigger issues, but he sees it like the humanitarian assistance sent after Hurricane Melissa through the Catholic Church. It starves the state while the people benefit.
"We’ve provided humanitarian assistance in Cuba in the aftermath of the hurricane; we provided it through the Catholic Church, not through the government," he said. "And we’re prepared to do something similar when it comes to fuel through the private sector, the small private sector. But that alone will not solve Cuba’s very dramatic problems that have been caused by 60-some-odd years of mismanagement, ineptitude, and a failed economic model."
As we know, the Cuban people are facing a major humanitarian crisis — that's been ongoing for a while, but it's gotten worse in recent weeks as the flow of oil into the country has stopped due to threats of secondary tariffs by the Donald Trump Administration. People are going days without access to electricity or running water. Hospitals are canceling procedures. Schools are canceling classes. Airlines have canceled flights. Hotels and resorts are shut down. Transportation is crippled.
Essentially, it's a small bandage for a gaping wound. It might stop a little bleeding, but it won't fix anything long-term.
He also added, "If we catch the private sector there playing games and diverting it to the regime or to the military company, if we find that they’re moving that stuff around in ways that violate the spirit and the scope of these permissions, those licenses will be canceled."
Did Marco Meet The Crab?
Speaking of GAESA, while the oil story is confirmed news and the speedboat story is unconfirmed news, this story is pure gossip, from "anonymous sources," so take it with a grain of salt.
Rubio was in Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday to speak at CARICOM, an intergovernmental organization that serves as a political and economic union of numerous Caribbean nations and territories, and meet with various Caribbean leaders.
"The Crab" is not what he had for dinner. It's the nickname of Raúl Castro's grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, aka Raúlito or El Cangrejo. He's the one who sources claim Rubio has been in talks with about the future of the country.
Word on the street is that the young Castro was also in Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday with a Cuban protocol officer. The Miami Herald claims that some of Rubio's people met with him at a hotel near the event. It's not clear whether Rubio joined them, but his schedule was pretty packed on Wednesday, so I can't imagine he did.
On Wednesday evening, a reporter asked Rubio to confirm that he's been in contact with Raúlito. Rubio didn't deny it, but he gave his standard, "I won’t comment on any conversations we’ve had. Suffice it to say that the United States is always prepared to talk to officials from any government that have information to share with us or viewpoints they want to share with the United States, and that’s my job to do that."
------
So, there's the latest from Cuba. There stories that could have a major impact on the country's future in three very different ways. I don't have a lot more to add, but I will continue watching and reporting on what's happening on the island to our south as things between the regime and the Trump administration continue to heat up.
Want to support conservative media? You can do so by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. It's less than $20 for the entire year, and you get some cool perks too. We'll see you in the comments section!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member